Recent Stories
Building Strong Relationships with Mentors Offshore: How to Overcome Conflicts
I have hit roadblocks and stalemates this past year, not just in my career, but in life, each affecting the other immensely. I had reached a point in my personal life where I was asking family and friends all the time to be a sounding board for my maritime queries,...
Organization of Black Maritime Graduates
Get to know an organization making a HUGE impact in the maritime industry, the Organization of Black Maritime Graduates. Founded in 1994, the Organization of Black Maritime Graduates (OBMG) has improved education opportunities for underserved students seeking careers...
2021 Women in Maritime Leadership Conference
March 4-5, 2021, attend Cal Maritime's Women in Maritime Leadership Conference virtually! Now in its tenth year, California Maritime Academy's Women in Maritime Leadership Conference supports the success of women in maritime. The 2021 virtual conference will deliver a...
The Secret to Successful Mentoring in Maritime: Insights from Captain Jessie Shifalo
To reduce the gender gap, Women Offshore connects women seeking mentoring with experienced seafarers. Our mentor program, the Women Offshore MentorSHIP, virtually connects both mentors and mentees working in maritime, both onshore and offshore. This program is open to...
How to Improve Sleep Offshore: Techniques for Women Working at Sea
How to fall asleep and stay asleep - a yogic hack. When you’re offshore, your ability to fall asleep and stay asleep is dramatically impacted. Let me share some sleep tips for offshore workers. The 12 hour shifts, the night shifts, the changes of shifts half-way...
How to Combat the Bystander Effect in the Maritime Industry
On the second day of the Women Offshore Conference, a two-part workshop brought together attendees to talk about an overarching concept in the industry that does not affect just women, but all mariners; bystander intervention. Throughout the sessions, hosted by Ally...
Featured Sea Stories
WAVE MAKER MESSAGE FROM CAPTAIN JEANNE FERRER, EPISODE 173
In today's episode, we talk with Captain Jeanne Ferrer, a lifelong native of St. Bernard Parish, who graduated from the United States Merchant Marine Academy in 2006, as a Logistics and Intermodal Transportation major. She is also the recipient of last year's Women...
MANDY CULBREATH – OVERCOMING TRAUMA, EPISODE 169
In today’s episode, Christine MacMillan speaks with Mandy Maude Culbreath who is an Emergency Room Social Worker within a large Louisiana non-profit, academic hospital system. Mandy evaluates patients’ initial emergencies and implements a plan of care with the medical...
FROM SAILING TO CAPTAIN TO HEAD OF CUSTOMER SUCCESS AT MM-SEAS, ALLY SPEAKS WITH SARAH HIRSCH, EPISODE 167
In today's episode, Ally speaks with Sarah Hirsch, the newly appointed Head of Customer Success at MM-SEAS, the go-to provider for the Coast Guard licensing software. From sailing roots to becoming a Captain, she shares her sea stories and how she is trying to make...
CHRISTINE SHARES HER STORY OF FINDING HER VOICE THROUGH NON-CONSENT, EPISODE 166
In today’s episode, Christine speaks about finding her voice while experiencing non-consent when she was younger. She shares how important it is to find your voice and how you can achieve this. Unfortunately for most women+ working offshore some sort of unwanted...
SNEAK PEEK OF THE WOMEN OFFSHORE INCLUSION SUMMIT 2023, EPISODE 165
With the Inclusion Summit 1 week away, we wanted to give you a sneak peek of our Inclusion Summit. Inclusion refers to the practice of creating an environment where all individuals, regardless of their background, identity, abilities, or characteristics, are treated...
CHIEF ENGINEER NELLIE TORMALA SHARES HER STORY, EPISODE 164
In today's episode, Christine speaks with Nellie Tormala as she shares her story of how she found her authentic self. Nellie shares how she first came to the sea to isolate and run from her true identity as a woman. She shares about her transgender journey and how it...
Navigate Your Career
2021 Women Offshore Wave Maker Award
SUBMIT YOUR NOMINATION! At the upcoming Women Offshore Conference, the Wave Maker Award will acknowledge someone in the Women Offshore Community for pursuing their career dreams, while supporting others in the industry. Last year, the Wave Maker Award was given to...
Leadership and Advocacy: Driving Change in the Maritime Industry
Content Warning: sexual assault, sexual harassment, rape In the wake of reports of sexual assault and rape in the maritime industry, particularly the account of Midshipman X, maritime leadership, academic leaders, and government officials are rightfully asking what...
How to Stand Up Against Sexual Assault and Harassment (SASH) in the Maritime Industry
Midshipman X bravely shared her sexual assault with the industry. Now, Women Offshore welcomes the maritime industry to stand up against sexual assault and sexual harassment (SASH) offshore. The conversation has ignited, and you are invited to join in on the safety of...
First10Forward Awards Grant to Women Offshore Foundation
Women Offshore to launch NEW Development Program thanks to First10Forward In 2017, First10Forward was founded by female graduates of the United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA), located in Kings Point, New York and commonly referred to as “Kings Point.” The...
Apply Now! Kongsberg Education Program
The Women Offshore Foundation collaborated with KONGSBERG to provide sponsored training! With an extensive portfolio of innovative and integrated products and solutions, Kongsberg Maritime is a world leader in marine technology. In 2019, the Women Offshore Foundation...
Women Offshore Conference 2021, Meet the Keynotes!
Join us for our 4TH-Annual Conference on November 5th & 12th! Let's meet virtually! For the past 4 years, we have united women from around the globe to support one another in navigating careers on the water. Last year, we saw over 300 women in attendance and nearly 30...
Podcast
PROS AND CONS OF MARITIME UNIONS WITH MIRIAM AND CHRISTINE, EPISODE 204
Join Miriam Anthony and Christine MacMillan they dive into a comprehensive discussion about maritime unions, exploring the pros and cons of joining a union versus sailing non-union. They share insights into how unions have evolved over time and the significant impact...
UNVEILING THE DEPTHS: LARKIN BOHN’S PASSION FOR THE JOIDES RESOLUTION, EPISODE 203
Her dedication led her to create YouTube shorts about women offshore and scientific research, turning her hobby into a career. In February 2024, she joined the JOIDES Resolution Research Vessel as a Science Outreach Officer, connecting science with the public. In this...
CHELSEA PATTERSON’S IMPACT ON MOTHERHOOD IN THE MARITIME INDUSTRY, EPISODE 202
In this episode of Women Offshore, join Chelsea Patterson, a maritime professional who advocates for mothers working at sea. Chelsea graduated from Kings Point in 2014 and has since navigated her career through roles with a private tanker company before transitioning...
SETTING SAIL WITH EMMA GARSCHAGEN: A MASTER MARINER’S STORY, EPISODE 201
Join us as we set sail with Emma Garschagen, the inspiring founder of Sail Seabird, which offers transformative sail training voyages across Maine and Cape Cod. With over 25,000 ocean miles under her belt, Emma's maritime journey is nothing short of extraordinary. She...
WOULD YOU LET YOUR DAUGHTER JOIN THE MARITIME INDUSTRY? EPISODE 200
We're thrilled to mark our 200th episode milestone at Women Offshore with a special discussion you won't want to miss! Join our Women Offshore team, Ally Cedeno, Cassi Laskowski, and Christine MacMillan, as they dive deep into a question that sparks curiosity and...
EVA VELDKAMP AND PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY, EPISODE 199
Join us on today's Women Offshore podcast as we sit down with Eva Veldkamp, a seasoned maritime professional who has navigated diverse roles across the industry. Eva's career journey began aboard large container ships as a dual-licensed maritime officer, leading her...
WOMEN OFFSHORE MENTORSHIP!
Offshore Lifestyle
A Healthy Holiday Season
Fitting fitness into your daily routine can be difficult at any time of the year. Add working offshore, or in an office, along with holiday parties, family visits, and travel, and it can feel nearly impossible to hit the gym. Aweigh-Fitness is here to give some tips...
#IDid Get An Education: #MeToo’s Double Standard
Preface: Generally speaking, I am not a 'bra-burny' type of woman. I don't see gender. I see people. I don't see race. I see humans. In reality, I'm not a great feminist - if at all. (Maybe that makes me a great feminist, in that I'm not out to provoke or...
What to Pack for Your First Offshore Job: A Practical Guide
I began working offshore three years ago. Before my first hitch, I was pretty clueless as to what working offshore entailed. I was prepared to hop onto my first helicopter flight outfitted with my crisp, blindingly bright orange coveralls and shiny, green hardhat. ...
One Man’s #MeToo Revelation: #IDid
For one man - a fellow colleague and dear friend - this movement effectuated a visceral reaction to seeing nearly every female connection on his social media outlet, posting '#MeToo.' His post was not an admission of guilt of direct contribution to perpetuating the...
What’s on TV?
At Women Offshore, we lean into discomfort. We talk about the topics many people would prefer to ignore. Establishing boundaries with coworkers, baring our own whale's tails, and overcoming societal disapproval of raising a family while working on ships, to name a...
#MeToo in Maritime: How Women Have Been Speaking Out for Decades
Unless you've been living under a rock this past week, you've been bombarded with the latest viral, social media hashtag, #MeToo. This social media hashtag was in response to verbal coercion, sexual harassment, and rape allegations of film producer and co-founder of...
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