In Episode 242 of the Women Offshore Podcast, I sit down with Andrea Tagliaferro, founder of Yacht Femme, a platform born from her desire to amplify women’s voices in the yachting industry. With more than 10 years in yachting—spanning yacht design, marketing, and content—Andrea has transformed Yacht Femme into a multimedia community hub of networking, recognition, and empowerment.

Andrea’s story began with Yacht Dame, created in 2018 after she attended the Monaco Yacht Show. Within a week, she launched a social media project to connect women around her. That project evolved into Yacht Femme, which now includes podcasts, awards, events, and community-driven storytelling.

In our conversation, Andrea shares:

• Her early days designing yachts and navigating a male-dominated sector
• How she merged her skills in marketing and storytelling to create a women-led platform
• The motivations behind launching the Women’s Yachting Awards and expanding Yacht Femme’s offerings
• Her vision for the future: more equity in visibility, more women at the table, and deeper narratives for the industry

Tune in to Episode 242 to hear Andrea’s journey firsthand, and discover how giving women space, voice, and connection can change the way yachting is seen and led.

In Episode 241 of the Women Offshore Podcast, Christine MacMillan sits down with Samantha Cibelli, Sales Director at Kongsberg Maritime, to explore her 15-year career across sea service, commercial operations, and maritime technology.

Samantha’s path began in the U.S. Coast Guard, where she served on active duty as a Marine Inspector in Houston, TX, leading teams through Flag State and Port State Control examinations. From there, she moved into sailing commercially as a deck officer aboard U.S. Flag vessels, including tankers, passenger ships, and research vessels.

In 2015, Samantha transitioned shoreside, taking on operations and commercial management roles with Siem Car Carriers and later Maersk, where she held multiple leadership positions in trade and product management. In 2024, she joined Kongsberg Maritime, where she now leads new construction sales for the North American passenger vessel segment.

With a B.S. in Marine Transportation from Texas A&M and an MBA from Northeastern University, Samantha brings both technical expertise and business acumen to her work. She is passionate about the intersection of innovation, sustainability, and international trade—and about mentoring and coaching high-functioning teams to thrive in a rapidly evolving industry.

Tune in to Episode 241 to hear Samantha’s insights on career growth, leadership, and the future of maritime technology.

Tune in to Episode 240

In Episode 239 of the Women Offshore Podcast, Christine MacMillan sits down with Ana Čalić—a dynamic leader in the boating industry, and a passionate advocate for sustainability, diversity, and innovation.

With a Master’s in Science, Business, and Innovation from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, specializing in Energy and Sustainability, Ana’s mission is clear: to drive meaningful change at the intersection of technology, environment, and community.

Ana serves as Business and Marketing Development lead at her family company, Navela, elevating the boating experience for boatbuilders, dealers, charter companies, and individual customers through seamless service and cutting-edge propulsion systems. Her work ensures that clients not only get world-class equipment, but also forward-thinking solutions for the future of boating.

Beyond Navela, Ana is the founder of Women in Nautica, a groundbreaking initiative dedicated to empowering women across the global boating industry. The platform includes an international conference, a magazine, and a podcast. The inaugural conference will take place on November 19th, 2025, followed by the next on December 3rd, 2026, and promises to unveil three exciting new project tiers.

In this episode, Ana shares her vision for creating a more inclusive, sustainable, and innovative industry—and the pivotal role women will play in shaping the future.

Listen now to Episode 239 to hear Ana’s story, her insights on sustainability in boating, and her mission to create space for women in every corner of the maritime world.

In this week’s episode of the Women Offshore Podcast, I sit down with Hayley Adlam, a woman whose career spans the world’s oceans and crosses industry boundaries. Hayley, now the Fleet Services Technical Interface Manager and Marine Environment UK Deputy at ASN, shares a compelling journey marked by technical excellence, environmental stewardship, and a deep-rooted commitment to mentorship.

Hayley's offshore career began with a spark—her first trip with Gardline as a Marine Mammal Observer in 2006—which ignited a passion for the marine environment. Since then, she’s charted a path through the complex world of offshore wind farm construction, submarine telecommunications, and even Antarctic scientific observation. From working on Greenpeace's Esperanza, to supporting the British Antarctic Survey in the remote South Georgia islands, Hayley's experience is nothing short of extraordinary.

Her story is not only technical—it’s personal. In our conversation, Hayley reflects on how early exposure to STEM (think sandcastles, boat rides, and her first PC) laid the groundwork for a life connecting people across oceans. She also opens up about her time as a freelance surveyor and offshore site manager, navigating a male-dominated field with tenacity and grace.

Now, with over a decade of offshore work behind her, Hayley is leveraging her experience to advocate for sustainability, playing a pivotal role in global initiatives such as the UN Corporate Data Group and ASN’s fish aggregating device mitigation strategy. She’s also a fierce supporter of Women Offshore, encouraging others to join as mentors or mentees to help shape the next generation of seafaring women.

This episode is a celebration of how resilience, curiosity, and technical skill can lead to unexpected places—from the North Sea to Antarctica—and how one woman’s journey can help inspire many more.

Tune in to hear Hayley’s story—and don’t forget to check out the Women Offshore MentorSHIP program to get involved.

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!