It’s been said that perfect is the enemy of progress. Yet it is in the seeking of perfection that progress is made. So how do you overcome this paradox?

It’s an important question because, when we’re talking about things like plastic in the ocean or children in poverty, perfect has to be the goal, right?

But perfect is also often unachievable. And too often that gets used as an excuse for inaction. 

‘Sure solar panels are good but I heard they don’t get recycled.’

‘Yeah you chose an eco-tourism holiday but what about the flight?’ 

What if the answer was to always seek perfection but also accept that constant improvement is the real goal? That’s the philosophy that has led Bronte Campbell to win three Olympic gold medals. And, with a track record like that, her wisdom is worth a listen:

‘An Olympic medal was a meaningful thing for me to pursue for a long time. But once I achieved it, it didn't hold all the meaning that I thought it would. And that's when I first realised, the victory is in the striving. To have something meaningful to aim towards, that's the hard thing.’ 

It’s a valuable lesson for all of us trying to ‘build a better world’ and one that Bronte is now applying as she dives into her latest pursuit, Earthletica, the ever-so cool activewear brand seeking to deliver world-class sustainability together with the function and performance that an Olympic athlete needs:

‘I want to tell to everyone that we've solved everything. But the fact is that we can't. We can just do better than what is available now. You just got to keep doing it. Like, what's the other option? You don't do anything. If you can't do everything, you don't do anything? Like, that's not it. You pick the pieces that you can do, you do them, and then you pick the next pieces that you can do.Do it to the best of your ability, then move to the next thing.’

In this episode, we get a masterclass on what it takes to become best on the world, then keep getting better, as well as:

🥇 What it feels like to win gold at the highest level

🦁 How many of the materials and answers we need are out there, it just takes courage for brands to take a chance and give them a go

✨ Why the magic mix of function, comfort, style and sustainability drives success for Earthletica

😎 Which creative genius came up with such a cool company name

Plus Bronte gives us a personal performance of the poem she wrote for the 🏊🏊‍♀️🏊‍♂️ Australian swim team to help catapult them to their outstanding performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

We gave AI a listen and here's what it had to say:

What does it take to build activewear that feels incredible in a workout without costing the earth? We sit down with three-time Olympic gold medallist Bronte Campbell to unpack the real work behind Earthletica, from recycled performance fabrics to a plastic-free future—and why the victory is in the striving, not the finish line.

Bronte starts by reframing the problem: most tights blend nylon and elastane for compression and recovery, but those oil-based fibres shed microplastics and complicate end-of-life. Natural fibres like cotton, hemp and wool are gentler on the planet yet often fall short on support and sweat management. The answer isn’t to pick a side; it’s to design gear that athletes prefer on performance, then keep lifting sustainability. 

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