So, so much has been covered in 100 episodes. Here we recap some of the most important topics covered.
Full Transcript
One hundred! I’m so excited and thrilled to have made it to this milestone. Thank you, thank you to you, dear listener for being a part of this journey with me.
A heads up: we will be taking a pause after this episode. I have several things in the works for you guys, and I’ll be using this time to bring them into fruition. If you’d like to be kept up to date on what I’m working on, offerings I have for you, please sign up for my newsletter over at marinebio.life. I’ll be sending out regular updates as well as quick excerpts of fun things I’ve discovered including books, articles, and job/internship opportunities.
One of the first offerings I’m rolling out is the opportunity for 1:1 calls with me. This is the Rising Tides Container and it is a four month designed to untangle the line, clear the brambles, so that you’re set and steering on the course of your dream job and life. If this is something you’re interested in, please sign up below in the show notes. Registration does close Tuesday February 28th.
For this episode, I had originally planned to interview an amazing researcher. We were going to chat all about corals, something I know that many of you have a keen interest in. Unfortunately, scheduling conflicts arose and we’re planning to rescheduling after the break.
And when I had originally pondered what to do for the 100th episode, I thought to do a recap episode. Lessons learned in 100 episodes. So we’re back to the original plan. Funny how things work out.
And that’s actually my first lesson. Things work out how they’re supposed to. It may not be exactly how you planned it and there’s a high probability of valleys, of some low tide, stranded on the sandbar situations BUT. Everything has a season, the tide will rise, and so will you.
Which brings me to my next point.
Quite a few of the guests on the “So You Want to Be a Marine Biologist” podcast have had to get “pay the bills jobs.”
And that’s okay.
That’s not admitting defeat, or mean that you’re giving up on your dream. It just simply means that you have things to take care of, and you’re taking care of it.
What you do next is what matters.
Even with your best planning and disaster prevention, things still happen. The interview gets rescheduled or cancelled. The internship opportunity fell through. The job contract ran out and is not up for renewal. The job market’s saturated with too many applicants and too few opportunities.
Whatever is, if you have a dream, you do not give up on it.
It doesn’t necessarily take talent to be successful. It takes stubbornness.
You get the job to pay the bills. You find the volunteer opportunity. You keep researching, networking, learning. All of these actions add up.
You are what you consistently do.
So you keep after it. Andrew Lewin from episode 16 applied to over 400 jobs before he landed his initial gig. Aislinn from episode 84 applied to at least a hundred. Danél from episode 85 also applied to several hundred jobs.
They didn’t lose sight of what was important to them, and they never gave up.
Dreams take work, and you get out what you put in.
Everything is figureoutable.
And there is no one set path to follow.
Jessica from episode 2 and 81 had a job as a marine scientist, but found her fascination leaning more towards research instead of consulting. Starting off, she supported herself as a research scientist while she got her project, the Florida Manta Project, off the ground. Now, not only is she getting paid for her research, she also has a support team.
Rachel from episode 31 had no idea what she wanted to do, but knew that she wanted to be in, on, near the ocean. She kept saying yes to different opportunities, and now she’s a dive instructor and marine biologist aboard Nat Geo/Llinblad Expedition cruise lines.
Andrea from episode 97 was a lawyer for thirty years before she found her true passion and calling in helping sharks.
Erich from episode 93 does not have a degree in marine science, but literally wrote the first book on orcas. Similarly, Madi from episode 8 of the show is working to save sharks, all without a marine science degree.
We have businessmen like Stephan from episode 91 and Jim from episode 34 that are working to making positive waves of change, utilizing the skillsets they have.
We have marine herbalists like Allison from episode 78 and Kristy from episode 75 that share their love of the natural world and inspire others to learn from and protect it.
The moral of the story is that there is no one way to help the ocean. There is no one set career path. Yes, we have amazing people who have PhDs that are doing incredible research and influencing positive legislation. And this path works for them.
But you do not have to have a PhD to make a positive difference, to make changes, and to shape the world around you.
You plot your own course- and will very likely look very different from others.
And that’s good! You have your own unique, individual strengths and talents that will help navigate you along way.
Another lesson learned in 100 episodes is that Local communities matter.
Divya from episode 95 gave us great insight on the importance of local community, how actually talking with people and understanding where they’re coming from is powerful.
You, every day, have the power to change your own world, and to help the ocean.
One of these superpowers we all have is the ability to avoid and/or replace plastics with healthier alternatives. In addition to becoming a huge issue in the ocean, with dozens of bits of plastic found in the stomach from everything from whales and fish to the tiny baby turtles, consuming products made from plastic is also not good for your health.
Pick one thing today, whether it’s a water bottle, fork, coffee cup and replace it with something reusable. Make it a habit and then move onto another thing. Keep stacking habits and before you know it, you’re part of the Sealution, like we talked about on episode 17.
Another superpower we have is our ability to vote. We vote every day. How we spend our time, how we spend our dollar (or rupee, or peso, or pound, or euro, or whatever currency you use) is a vote, and it’s powerful. Consider what you’re voting for when you’re purchasing your food, what systems you’re supporting. Consider what you’re supporting with your time, and evaluate if that’s what you want more of in the world.
Finally, one of the best, most powerful medicines we can give ourselves, the ocean, and the planet as a whole is to get outside. Connect with Nature in whatever way you can. There have been studies upon studies showing how good it is to physically be outside, whether the sun is shining or its gray and rainy. We’re evolutionarily wired to Nature around us, and the more disconnected we are from this, the more disconnected we are from ourselves. So, go sit in the back yard and see what formations you can make out in the clouds. Watch the sunrise. Sit and watch a tree for a while and see who’s coming or going. Start a garden. Go surfing. Go diving. Go for a hike in the woods. Sit by the ocean and smell the salt air. Whatever floats your boat but go do it and do it often, and see what shifts happen for you.
You have a responsibility not only to yourself but to your community and the planet as a whole to bring your passions, your superpower into the world. Stay committed to your dreams, walk your own path.
It has been such an absolute honor and pleasure to bring you 100 episodes of the “So You Want to Be a Marine Biologist” podcast. Like I said, we are going to take a little break, and if you’d like to stay in the know, be sure to sign up for my email newsletter. I’ll still be posting and active on there.
Until then: Go play outside!