The Ocean Leaders Podcast

Pisces Oceans

Ocean projects are hard. The science is complicated, the funding is uncertain, the stakeholders don't always agree, and the work happens across sectors that don't always speak the same language. Most of the projects that matter get stuck somewhere in the middle, and most of the people leading them are doing it without a playbook. Ocean Leaders is a podcast for the people doing that work. Researcher, nonprofit leaders, blue economy founders, Indigenous partners, government project managers, and the communicators, scientists, and consultants who support them. It's a show about how ocean work actually gets done, from the first scoping conversation to the moment a project delivers real impact. Every two weeks, hosts Melissa Weber, Natalie Gilson, Kirsti Burnett, and Andrew Lewin bring you a mix of formats: interviews with ocean project leaders about the projects they're building, deep dives into specific stages of the project lifecycle, short tactical episodes on the challenges nobody talks about, and honest conversations about what the team at Pisces Oceans is seeing across the sector. The show is produced by Pisces Oceans, a communications and strategy firm that works with ocean researchers, nonprofits, and blue economy companies to bring clarity, capacity, and impact to their work. If you're leading an ocean project, or thinking about starting one, this is the show for you. New episodes every other Wednesday.

Episodes

  1. 2d ago

    Why Do Ocean Conservation Projects Fail? (And How to Fix Them)

    Why do so many promising ocean conservation projects stall before they ever reach their potential? In this episode of the Ocean Leaders Podcast, host Andrew Lewin, Ocean Communications Manager at Pisces Oceans and longtime host of the How to Protect the Ocean podcast, sits down with the Pisces Oceans team for a candid, in-person conversation recorded at the HTO conference. Andrew is joined by co-CEOs Melissa Weaver and Natalie Gilson and Ocean Project Manager Kirsty Burnett to unpack the patterns they see again and again while helping ocean projects succeed: capacity limits, funding gaps, high staff and student turnover, unrealistic budgets, and the most underestimated piece of the puzzle, communications. In this episode, you'll learn: Why ocean projects that start strong often lose momentum a few years in How funding life cycles and student or staff turnover quietly derail long-term research What ocean leaders consistently underestimate when writing grant proposals Why communications, not just funding, decides whether a project gets renewed How a neutral, unbiased partner like Pisces helps researchers and industry bridge the gap between good science and real-world impact Whether you're a scientist, project manager, or ocean advocate trying to get your work funded and heard, this conversation offers a grounded look at why projects stall and what it takes to keep one moving. Learn more about Pisces Oceans at piscisocean.ca, and follow the Ocean Leaders Podcast for more conversations on the business side of ocean conservation. Strengthen Your Ocean Project: https://www.piscesoceans.ca/strengthen

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About

Ocean projects are hard. The science is complicated, the funding is uncertain, the stakeholders don't always agree, and the work happens across sectors that don't always speak the same language. Most of the projects that matter get stuck somewhere in the middle, and most of the people leading them are doing it without a playbook. Ocean Leaders is a podcast for the people doing that work. Researcher, nonprofit leaders, blue economy founders, Indigenous partners, government project managers, and the communicators, scientists, and consultants who support them. It's a show about how ocean work actually gets done, from the first scoping conversation to the moment a project delivers real impact. Every two weeks, hosts Melissa Weber, Natalie Gilson, Kirsti Burnett, and Andrew Lewin bring you a mix of formats: interviews with ocean project leaders about the projects they're building, deep dives into specific stages of the project lifecycle, short tactical episodes on the challenges nobody talks about, and honest conversations about what the team at Pisces Oceans is seeing across the sector. The show is produced by Pisces Oceans, a communications and strategy firm that works with ocean researchers, nonprofits, and blue economy companies to bring clarity, capacity, and impact to their work. If you're leading an ocean project, or thinking about starting one, this is the show for you. New episodes every other Wednesday.

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