Matthew Wilburn King

Dr. Matthew Wilburn King is a scholar, explorer, and author whose TEDx talk on reimagining capitalism has reached over 1 million views.

King believes we are living through a mythological transition. The stories that once organized our world—limitless growth, separation from nature, and hyper-individualism—are falling apart. What comes next requires a new relationship to reality: one grounded in evolutionary truth, ecological interdependence, and scientific awe.

Over three decades, King has traveled more than 45 countries, working with governments, scientists, and communities to understand how human systems adapt or fail. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge, and his work is driven by one question: How can human systems evolve to ensure survival of life on a finite planet?

Surviving Stage IV-b cancer in 2012, with less than a 15% chance of survival, forced a profound shift from head to heart—and from institutions to stories. King spent 18 years as founder and CEO of Our COMMON Foundation before turning fully toward writing. His essays and journalism have appeared in the BBC, Mongabay, Earth Island Journal, and more.

Today, he writes Elemental on Substack, explores the mythological transition through fiction and philosophy, and works on his forthcoming novel, Vanished, and philosophical guide, One Choice. One Act.

His aim is to help us remember the truth of who we are: apes on a massive rock spinning around a nuclear reaction in outer space. Knowing that, perhaps we'll see more clearly, and live in alignment with what matters most—nature and humanity.