Impact Storytelling Podcast (Ocean and Water Conservation Stories)

This episode's guest is Anjleen Hannak — marine biologist, scientific diver, researcher, and science communicator whose work explores tropical reef systems, coral conservation, and the ecological role of shipwrecks as artificial reefs. Originally from India and raised across Southeast Asia, including Sri Lanka, Anjleen has spent years studying marine ecosystems both above and below the surface...

This episode's guest is first-year Marine Biology and Oceanography student Anna Fischer, who studies at the University of Liverpool. Her journey into marine science has already included field research, marine mammal rescue training, deep-sea ecology projects, and work with scientists at the National Oceanography Centre. Originally from near Geneva, she moved to the UK during COVID, adapted to...

In this episode, I’m joined by Sara Roosvall, a marine science researcher and hobby artist currently studying in the Marine Ecology Programme at Nord University. Sara holds two Bachelor of Science degrees in Marine Science and Biology from University of Gothenburg. Her research focuses on brown algae and the role of phlorotannins — powerful antioxidant compounds that help algae respond to environm...

In this episode, I’m joined by Cornelia Pia Erk, a marine biologist and conservation geneticist working at the intersection of molecular ecology, field research, and ocean conservation. Originally from southern Germany, Cornelia’s journey into marine science began through diving—an experience that shaped her understanding of marine ecosystems long before she entered the lab. She went on to study b...

In this episode, I am joined by Hiroka Winter, an undergraduate biology student at the University of Nevada, Reno, and an emerging researcher in marine ecology. She was part of the Pack Research Experience Program for two semesters. Hiroka worked in the lab of Elisa Baldrighi under the leadership of Jeffrey Baguley. Her research focuses on meiofauna—microscopic organisms living in deep-sea sedimen...

Sally Dowd is a marine scientist and the Co-Founder, President, and LeadScientist of the Twin Fins Alliance. Her work focuses on improving ourunderstanding of data-limited marine species and fisheries, particularly wide-ranging predators such as coastal sharks. During her PhD research, shecombined ecological modeling with interviews with recreational fishers alongthe North Carolina coast to invest...

In today's episode I am joined by Makayla Ward, an undergraduate zoological sciences student at Southern Illinois University Carbondale whose research explores how environmental stressors affect aquatic ecosystems. Growing up in a small town in Arkansas, far from the ocean, her curiosity about the unknown world beneath the water led her into marine and freshwater research. Makayla has worked i...

In this episode I’m joined by Stella Diamant, a marine biologist, conservationist and founder of the Madagascar Whale Shark Project. Madagascar’s first dedicated whale shark research and conservation programme. She has spent the past eight field seasons studying endangered whale sharks and other marine megafauna through long-term photo-identification, acoustic tracking, feeding ecology, genetics,...

In this episode, I am joined by Tara Williams, a third-year PhD researcher based at the University of Exeter’s Penryn Campus and part of the Convex Seascape Survey, a five-year international project investigating how much carbon is stored on the continental shelf seabed, how vulnerable it is to disturbance, and what that means for climate-informed marine management and protection. Tara’s PhD combi...

In this episode, I’m joined by Natasha Benjamin, Associate Director at Blue Frontier, a marine scientist, filmmaker, and ocean advocate working at the intersection of storytelling and ocean policy. Based in Northern California, Natasha has spent over two decades in ocean conservation and communications. With a B.S. in Marine Biology from Boston University and an M.S. in Marine Policy from the Univ...

In this episode, I’m joined by Molly Fowkes, a PhD researcher at the Lancaster Environment Centre, whose work dives into the hidden social lives of one of the UK’s most endangered and enigmatic species — the European eel. Molly studies a unique eel population living inside a reservoir: a human-made freshwater system where eels are unable to complete their epic oceanic migration, yet somehow persis...

In this episode, I’m joined by Julia Giebichenstein, a PhD candidate at the University of Oslo and a member of the Nansen Legacy project. Her research focuses on the seasonal and interannual variation of legacy and emerging pollutants — including persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and mercury — across the northern Barents Sea pelagic food web. She combines pollutant measurements with dietary tra...

In this episode, I’m joined by Mara Rosmann, a marine scientist and PhD researcher at the Alfred Wegener Institute in Bremerhaven. Mara’s journey into ocean sciencebegan with biology studies in Austria, led her through biological oceanography in Germany, and eventually took her to some of the coldest and most remoteplaces on Earth—the polar oceans. Her research focuses on how carbon moves through...

In this episode, we get to hear from Janis Argeswara, a marine megafauna conservation scientist, who has dedicated her life to understanding and protecting these magnificent creatures. Janis works with the Marine Megafauna Foundation, where she leads research on manta rays, sea turtles, and microplastic pollution across some of Indonesia’s most iconic marine protected areas. Her work bridges scien...

In this episode host, Sabine M. Probst Saavedra, ocean conservation storyteller and organisation director, speaks with Dr. Nicole Todd, a postdoctoral researcher dedicated to understanding how harbor porpoises live, move, and communicate in Ireland’s coastal waters. Through her research on acoustic monitoring, Nicole studied how underwater noise, one of the ocean’s most pervasive pollutants, affec...

In this episode, I am joined by Samantha Hamilton, a marine biologist whose work dives deep into this remarkable recovery. Samantha is a PhD researcher studying sea otter foraging behavior, prey preferences, and ecological impact at Cape Kiritappu, one of the few places in Japan where sea otters have reestablished a permanent population. Her research marks one of the first efforts to understand ho...

In this episode I am joined by Jessica Giannoumis is a marine social scientist and passionate advocate for our ocean. With a PhD in Marine Innovation and Blue Growth from University College Cork, she works at the intersection of science, community, and industry to explore how we can build a more sustainable relationship with the sea. Currently, Jessica is the Aquatech Community Manager for Hatch B...

In this episode, I am joined by Carissa Cabrera. Carissa is a marine conservationist, science communicator, and the founder of FutureSwell, a nonprofit using storytelling to mobilize ocean action. You may know today’s guest as the voice behind Carissa and the Climate, a go-to digital series that translates ocean science for Gen Z and millennial audiences. But behind every campaign and conservation...

In todays episode I’m joined by Annalise Nisly, a marine scientist whose work spans coral and sponge restoration, benthic ecology, and community-driven conservation. With a B.A. in Environmental and Marine Science from Goshen College, she has carried her passion for ocean stewardship from the Florida Keys to East Africa. Whether leading divers in the world’s first sponge restoration program, mappi...

In today's episode, we will hear from Clare Andvik, a PhD researcher based at the University of Oslo in Norway, working with the Norwegian Orca Survey. Her research focuses on pollutants accumulating in killer whales, particularly how what they eat shapes their toxic load. During her master's thesis, Clare and her coauthors showed that orcas that eat seals, in addition to fish, have much higher le...

I am happy to start season two with Alexa Putillo. Alexa is a marine biologist, science communicator, and PhD student in the Biological Oceanography Department at Florida State University. She studies the foraging ecology andhabitat use of sea turtles along Florida’s Gulf coast. Her research integratesnovel methods, including stable isotope analysis, habitat assessments, andbiologging devices, to...

Welcome back to The Impact Storytelling Podcast in this episode, host Sabine M. Probst is joined by Nicholas Conzone. Nicholas blends science, journalism, and photography to shine a light on overlooked ecosystems. You may have seen his stunning photo of Ocala National Forest featured in National Geographic’s “Best of the World 2025,” or stories on invasive parasites and armored catfish threatening...

In this episode Sabine M. Probst is joined by Kate Inman. Kate is a marine biologist, conservationist, and science communicator with a growing voice in the world of marine science and conservation. She’s worked on everything from dolphin surveys in Cornwall to coral reef expeditions in North Sulawesi, to turtle conservation in the Philippines—and her journey reflects a deep and ever-evolving passi...

In this weeks episode I am talking with Jillian Morris, marine biologist, shark conservationist, educator, author, and founder of Sharks4Kids. Born and raised on the coast of Maine, Jillian developed a love for the sea early on. That childhood fascination has since grown into a remarkable global career—one that spans scientific research, fieldwork, documentary filmmaking, and grassroots education....

In this episode of the Impact Storytelling Podcast, we're diving deep—literally and figuratively—into the world of marine mammals. With a career spanning more than 20 years, Dr. Castro has combined academic rigor, field innovation, and passion to advocate for the intelligent, social creatures that roam our oceans—cetaceans. From dolphins and whales off the coast of Portugal to global conservation...