Jill is an underwater explorer, writer, photographer, speaker, and filmmaker.
A pioneer of technical rebreather diving, she has led expeditions into icebergs in Antarctica, volcanic lava tubes, and submerged caves worldwide.
Jill is the first Explorer-in-Residence of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society.
Her memoir, INTO THE PLANET, has been lauded by the Wall Street Journal, Oprah Magazine, and the New York Times.
Her children’s book THE AQUANAUT is a Blue Ribbon Selection for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
Jill is a Fellow of the International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame, Underwater Academy of Arts and Sciences, Women Divers Hall of Fame and the Explorers Club, which awarded her with the William Beebe Award for ocean exploration.
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Show notes
- Who is Jill
- Loving water since she's a baby
- How she got into diving
- Becoming a lifeguard at 16
- Taking a Bachelor of Fine Arts in visual communications design
- Talking about her expeditions
- Icebergs and cave diving
- Exploring the B-15 iceberg for 60 days
- Leading the dive team
- Writing and producing the documentary film for National Geographic
- Qualities a good cave diver should have
- How dangerous cave diving is
- Having a scary experience while underwater with a scientist
- Her best piece of advice to deal with fear
- How she dealt with and processed trauma
- Processing and overcoming challenges with her husband
- Having supportive mentors and colleagues
- Being a woman in the diving industry
- Becoming the Explorer in Residence at The Royal Canadian Geographical Society
- Not having female mentors as a kid
- Wanting to go to schools across the country and give talks about diving and exploration
- Having a growth mindset
- Writing her book Into The Planet
- Jill and her husband's podcast Into The Planet Podcast
- Impact of technology and natural world changes on the environment
- Her passion to increase awareness about the big issues we face
- Top tips and advice
- "Be willing to step into the darkness to do something that you've never done before. Trust me, your eyes will adjust to the light, and that's when you stand on that threshold of true opportunity to become an explorer."
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