Can you tell us a bit about your job and what you do?

 I run a company called eXXpedition, which runs all-women research missions to investigate the causes of and solutions to ocean plastic pollution. Since 2014 we’ve gathered together hundreds of women from different backgrounds, with a broad range of expertise and skills, and taken them on life-changing voyages.

While on board, our crew carry out citizen science. We collect data and samples for international scientific partners, which feed into global studies on the nature and impact of microplastics, microfibres and toxic chemicals in the ocean.

Our voyages also equip our multidisciplinary crew with the personal experience, knowledge and connections they need to create meaningful change within their field. On board we share skills and run workshops, exploring solutions and collaboration opportunities across specialisms. On return to dry land, each crew member joins a thriving network of eXXpedition ambassadors already enacting change in their own communities.

Our mission, as eXXpedition, is to “make the unseen seen”. This means helping people to understand the true ocean plastic and toxic pollution problem, so they can use their skills to solve it from sea to source. Our ultimate vision is for a healthy ocean and healthy bodies, free from plastic and toxic pollution.

How did you get to where you are today?

 I grew up in, on, and around water, sailing dinghies from a young age. At 21, fresh from a degree in architecture, I was offered a job in Australia. Wanting to make my own way there without flying; I hitched an ocean-spanning, mind-expanding, ride on a biofuelled boat. I never made it to that architecture job. On that voyage; I witnessed the challenges facing our ocean, met an incredible crew of determined people, and changed course forever. It started that year, in Tonga, with a huge community-led beach cleanup – and hasn’t stopped since.

What advice would you give to aspiring conservationists?

We don’t need everyone to do everything, but we need everyone to do something.

When I began this journey, I was motivated by a deep and personal love of the ocean. In my travels at sea, I’ve been lucky enough to witness such beauty, magic and diversity in our natural world – from swimming in shimmering phosphorescence to coming nose-to-nose with a baby humpback whale; these experiences kept me inspired and fired-up to protect what I love.

But as time’s gone on, it’s increasingly my interactions with people that motivate me to continue in this work, and believe in its impact. People, and companies, are awake to the problem in a way they’ve never been before. There’s an appetite for solutions, and it’s this untapped energy in people that gets me out of bed in the morning.