Featured Sea Stories
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...
SCI – PHIL AND CHRISTINE DISCUSS RESILIENCE, EPISODE 163
In today's episode, Christine speaks with Philip C. Schifflin and Christine Brunson from the Seamen's Church Institute about what they do and resilience. They discuss how they help during devastating times and when mariners need support. They highlight that resilience...
Navigate Your Career
Raising Daughters to Pursue Maritime Careers: Empowering the Next Generation
Perspective from a Mother Growing up on the water, I had quite the nautical skill set for a young lady. Anything a boy could do, so could I. But one day my cousin and I were on our great uncle’s powerboat, and that perspective changed. Our great uncle invited my...
Save the Date: Maritime Career Day 2021
SAVE THE DATE FOR WOMEN OFFSHORE'S MARITIME CAREER DAY, MAY 21ST, 2021! The Women Offshore Foundation will host a virtual career day, Friday, May 21st, 2021. Attend panel discussions and exhibitor booths. Network with companies, hear from recruiting experts, and learn...
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...
Podcast
FROM YACHTS TO NON-PROFITS: LIZ SCHMIDT’S JOURNEY TO WOMEN OFFSHORE, EPISODE 205
On today's podcast, we welcome a special guest—Women Offshore's new Executive Director, Liz Schmidt! With over 15 years of experience, Liz brings a wealth of experience both on and off the water, with a robust background in non-profits and captivating sea stories. We...
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...
Launching Soon – Membership!
Offshore Lifestyle
Why Diversity in Maritime Matters: Benefits of an Inclusive Industry
We all probably know at least one person who becomes irate at the idea of companies making an active effort to diversify. This is due to the idea that diversification has a tendency to be demonized as a threat to job security or personal progress to those in the...
Setting Boundaries Offshore: How Women Can Maintain Work-Life Balance
“The word boundaries is scary,” mused the executive consultant sitting next to me. “Perhaps there’s a less emotional word you can use.” We were chatting about how best to frame the workshop that I had developed for women in masculine professional environments. Sitting...
Challenges Faced by Women in the Maritime Industry: Overcoming Obstacles
This article was published in BP's July 2016 issue of Horizon Magazine. I’ve been with BP since 2002. Since then, I’ve held field-based roles in Colorado, New Mexico, the Gulf of Mexico and Angola, and spent extensive time in the field in West Texas, Republic of...
Step Up and Stand In – How to Advocate for Your Development
Sometimes moving your development forward can be a bit like jumping on a moving sidewalk or a ski lift. You have to line yourself up and pick up the pace before you can jump on board, and for many of us, those moments can be a bit jarring. We’ve all heard that our...
From Disney to Drillships: What I learned about Public Speaking
If you are 0.001% of the human population, you absolutely love public speaking. For the rest of us humans, we tolerate it ONLY if necessary. 'Use what you've got.' But for those of us who want to go places and for those who are ready and willing to stand out, we must...