Nova Conversations

I'm putting myself and my thoughts out there. Raw, unfiltered, bare.Conservation needs to change, yes.But also: Our world needs to change.Are you in?

In today’s episode, Lynn and I talk about Conservation Nation, the environmental non-governmental organization (ENGO) she runs. They have three pillars to their mission:Expand funding to role model conservationistsEducating and inspiring a more diverse generationConvening & bringing together people from all backgrounds so we can brainstorm larger solutions together.We also ch

This is probably one of the best episodes yet of Nova Conversations. When I started this podcast, this is exactly the type of discussion I wanted to have: Informative & emotionally deep discussions where we look at global conservation issues from multiple frames of reference. Even though Danielle’s research has focused on elephants, this episode applies to anyone hoping to ma

Dillon Jones (@dillonthebiologist) is energetic, fun, and bursting with creative ideas for making conservation better, especially through technology. We talk about everything from using ziplines to survey turtles, decentralizing traditionally bureaucratic ways of doing science, using ecotourism and travel to benefit conservation, science misinformation and handling haters and troll

Welcome back to a new season! We're diving right in the deep end, guys.We know there are organizations that exploit young biologist hopefuls and take advantage of our passion. But there are also some really good ones out there that just legitimately don't have money. It's so easy to bash organizations and say "pay your interns/volunteers better" but not provide

If you’ve ever wondered how and why diversity is so important in wildlife, nature, and conservation careers, you’ll love this discussion with Corina Newsome (@hood__naturalist). Corina is an awesome social and environmental justice activist who JUST YESTERDAY announced her new position as Associate Conservation Scientist at the National Wildlife Federation!! Woohoo!In this epis

In our very first crossover episode, creator and host of the Rewildology podcast Brooke Mitchell-Norman sits down with us at Nova Conversations! Laura and Brooke chat about conservation-focused travel, solutions to ending exploitation, and so much more. We talk about her current role as a Conservation Director of the Wild Source, how her persistent paid off, disruptive empowerment

Jessie Panazzolo (@ecolojesst) author and founder of Lonely Conservationists (@lonelyconservationists), sits down with Laura, and things get deep. We talk about everything from trauma and PTSD during life-threatening field conditions (trigger warning here), being valued for your work, knowledge, and experience, and solutions to making conservation work better for all! We talk a lot

Hi folks! We covered so much in this episode that I feel my titles keep getting longer and longer. The original title was “Turtles & Tainted Tables: Being Unapologetically You [Despite the Challenges in Conservation]” but a) that was way too long and b) at this point now I think it’s a given that you’ll face challenges in conservation work, amiright? If you’re interes

Is working in wildlife really accessible for everyone? The answer, currently and sadly, is no. Most of the time only those with privilege (i.e. those that can afford to work for free, are able-bodied, and have financial & emotional support) are able to gain access to the coveted jobs in wildlife conservation. My discussion with the amazing and super-positive Danaé Mouton (@dan