Welcome to the Women Offshore Podcast! This is Episode 237. Christine first catches up with Liz Schmidt, Executive Director of Women Offshore. Then Christine has the chance to interview Fraser Flight about his bid to race in the Global Solo Challenge in 2027. This event is solo, nonstop, and unsupported. It's known as one of the most grueling races on the water, and Fraser has spent his life mentally preparing for this.

Fraser Flight, a Zimbabwean-born Sailor, is on his way to become the first person from this small landlocked country to sail around the world, alone, with no outside assistance and without stopping. With 11 years in the professional maritime industry and a lifetime of sailing and racing, he is well-positioned to compete in the Global Solo Challenge in 2027. Join us as we hear more about his preparations for his landmark voyage and the charities he is supporting on his way around the world.

Check out his website for more information: https://flightaroundtheworld.co.uk/

Don’t Miss an Episode!

Make sure you’re subscribed to the Women Offshore Podcast wherever you listen to podcasts so you don’t miss a single episode! Did you know that every episode of our podcast is created and managed entirely in-house? Our dedicated team at Women Offshore pours their hearts into bringing you inspiring stories and valuable insights from the maritime industry. This work is made possible through the generous support of our community. Every donation—big or small—helps us amplify voices, create meaningful change, and support the maritime industry.

If you’d like to be part of this mission, click here to contribute: https://womenoffshore.org/donation/

Thank you to our 2025 Podcast Sponsor, the US Merchant Marine Academy Alumni Association and Foundation.

Thank you for being part of the Women Offshore community!

What looks like steady successes compounding over time can feel like a long, slow climb during the process. Christalove Agyin-Ayetse is a proud Ghanaian from the Fante tribe who helped fulfill her father's dream of becoming a merchant mariner.

During this interview, Christine MacMillan and Christalove discuss what life is like in Ghana, what loyalty and community mean to her, and the struggles of making her way in the industry that hasn't always been inviting.

She shares her belief that technical competence can be trained, BUT behavioral competence is the values learned in the home. She thinks more emphasis should be placed on finding quality individuals with strong behavioral competence and then training them to be technically competent.

She also shares a personal story about how generalizations hurt. Many Western cultures lump all African nations into a single category, and this has detrimental consequences when seeking quality mariners in the untapped reserves of the world.

Don’t Miss an Episode!

Make sure you’re subscribed to the Women Offshore Podcast wherever you listen to podcasts so you don’t miss a single episode! Did you know that every episode of our podcast is created and managed entirely in-house? Our dedicated team at Women Offshore pours their hearts into bringing you inspiring stories and valuable insights from the maritime industry. This work is made possible through the generous support of our community. Every donation—big or small—helps us amplify voices, create meaningful change, and support the maritime industry.

If you’d like to be part of this mission, click here to contribute: https://womenoffshore.org/donation/

Thank you to our 2025 Podcast Sponsor, the US Merchant Marine Academy Alumni Association and Foundation.

Thank you for being part of the Women Offshore community!

Miriam Anthony is no stranger to the Women Offshore Podcast. As a licensed Chief Mate and a Clinical Psychologist, she sits at the crossroads to provide mental health services to mariners.

After witnessing the need in the industry, she pursued licensure in Marriage and Family Therapy, and now brings mental health to mariners. Miriam chairs the Mental Health Committee for the International Union of Masters, Mates and Pilots, and has been researching ways to improve the mental well-being of sailors. Miriam holds a Master’s degree in Humanitarian and Disaster Management from the California Maritime Academy and a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University. Working with seafarers facing all kinds of life’s challenges- both on the ship and off- she got her start providing therapy to military Veterans for U.S. Vets in Southern California, where she lives with her therapy dog, Hopper.

Mimi and Christine discuss the various initiatives underway globally to make the maritime industry more inclusive.

Check out her website here: https://maritimetherapy.com/

Don’t Miss an Episode!

Make sure you’re subscribed to the Women Offshore Podcast wherever you listen to podcasts so you don’t miss a single episode ! Did you know that every episode of our podcast is created and managed entirely in-house? Our dedicated team at Women Offshore pours their hearts into bringing you inspiring stories and valuable insights from the maritime industry.

If you’d like to be part of this mission, go here to contribute: https://womenoffshore.org/donation/

Thank you to our 2025 Podcast Sponsor, the US Merchant Marine Academy Alumni Association and Foundation.

Thank you for being part of the Women Offshore community!