Maya van Rossum is the Delaware Riverkeeper, founder of Green Amendments for the Generations, author of The Green Amendment: The People's Fight to Secure a Clean, Safe, and Healthy Environment and a lawyer. She has devoted her energies to securing that every state has a Green Amendment, an amendment that assures our rights to a healthy environment by enshrining them in a state's constitution.

Kaileia Duriano is an Indigenous Hawaiian trained in both Hawaiian cultural practices and academic marine biology. She discusses the differences between Indigenous and academic practices and what needs to be done to maintain Hawaii's natural beauty and abundance.

Susan Gardner, Director of the Ecosystem Division for the United Nations Environmental Program, negotiates global environmental treaties to protect the world's natural resources and works on inclusion of previously underrepresented voices.

Megan Smylie, Sea Otter Program Manager, Aquarium of the Pacific, discusses the Sea Otter Surrogacy Program, a program rehabilitating rescued sea otter pups and releasing them back into the wild.

Andi Cross of Edges of Earth, a company based in Perth Australia provides strategies for companies to achieve tangible solutions in collaboration for organizations on the front line of the climate crisis.

Ashley Kidd cofounder and conservation program manager of the Sunflower Star Laboratory in California. She discusses sunflower sea stars: what they are, why they are critically endangered, how her laboratory is trying to restore them to the wild, and why this is important.

Project Lawud is concerned with the survival of the Philippines dugong Project Lawud was awarded the 2025 Seed Prize by the Iris Project. Christian Agregado talks about dugongs, why they are important, and what Project Lawud is doing to build awareness of this endangered marine mammal.

Rebecca works for the Oceanic Preservation Society, a documentary movie production company. It’s a fulfilling job. She is currently involved with post-production work on Speaking with Giants, a film about whale communication.

100 episodes globally produced podcast of ocean art, interviews with artists, marine conservation. Podcast maker discusses podcast production, shares personal stories

Born in Iran and now based in Canada, Parisa left a corporate engineering career in search of work that felt more meaningful. Her journey has since grown into a layered blend of art, business, engineering, and environmental purpose. In this conversation, she reflects on the evolution of her multiple ventures: one that sustains her own life as an artist, another that supports fellow artists, and a third focused on addressing marine plastic pollution.

Renown photographer Angèle Etoundi Essamba, observes, looks, listens, and connects to connect with people and her camera tell the story. A woman of water she focuses on Africa, women, and storytelling.

Amanda Leland, Exec. Dir Environmental Defense Fund, organization focused on climate change, healthy oceans, and more discusses her new book Sea Change, a true story about unlikely allies in pursuit of achieving sustainable fisheries. The book is a narrative of a real Gulf Coast fisherman and Amanda’s pursuit to help find a path forward that would enable fishermen to keep fishing and have a healthy, vibrant ocean for all of us.

Sophie Maycock, shark biologist, SharkSpeak & Shark: The illustrated biography, guest Wo(men) Mind the Water Artivist Series podcast on womenmindthewater.com. representative Sharks Educational Institute, dedicated shark research, conservation and communication

Stephanie Elzondo Griest is a professor of Creative Nonfiction at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is the author of six books and her latest book is Art Above Everything: One Woman’s Global Exploration of the Joys and Torments of a Creative Life.

Stephanie is well acquainted with the healing powers of storytelling and of water. She has traveled the globe speaking with many creative people. Her curiosity and energy has taken her to 50 countries and 49 states collecting material for her stories.

Shelby Thomas’ organization Ocean Rescue Alliance International works to restore marine ecosystems. The non-profit constructs artificial reefs that become living sculptures. They’ve installed more than 300 modules, some in the form of mermaids, off southern Florida. They are ideal spots for coral restoration, marine life, for research and tourism. Shelby is the latest guest on the Wo(men) Mind the Water Artivist Series on womenmindthewater.com.

Susan Baur is founder of Old Ladies Against Underwater Garbage, a group of women aged 64 and up that dive for sunken garbage in ponds. Their work restores the ponds and enhances the lives of the women. It’s physically demanding work but the women are rewarded with camaraderie, self-satisfaction, and cookies.

Lily Niederhofer, competitive swimmer/octopus advocate, conceived open-water swim, to raise awareness /money, to stop world’s first industrial-sized octopus farm. The preteen speaks to students and lawmakers hoping to block commercial octopus operations. Wo(men) Mind the Water Artivist Podcast series speaks with the Lewis Pugh Foundation Environmental Sports Champion and Young Planet Leader.

Todd Medema, the latest guest on the Wo(men) Mind the Water Artivist Series podcast, is author of How to surf a hurricane, an ecothriller. We talk about many things including technology, scifi, and climate change. He advises us to recharge and connect with nature, join communities with similar values and start taking action. For Todd, writing his new novel was a way to make a difference.

Gabriel Forestieri and Meredith Sallee are partners in life as well as projectLIMB, their dance company that explores the relationship between humans and water. Their dances are performed while freediving, meaning they move underwater relying on the air contained in their lungs. On this edition of the Wo(men) Mind the Water Artivist Series podcast the couple discuss how they came to dance underwater and the work involved in creating these mesmerizing performances.