Alexandra Cousteau - Life as an Explorer and Restoring Our Planet's Lost Abundance

Today's guest is the magnificent Alexandra Cousteau, a third generation member of the legendary Cousteau family who explore and explain the natural world. She is captivating.

Continuing the work of her world renowned grandfather Jacques-Yves Cousteau and her father Philippe Cousteau, Sr., Alexandra is a National Geographic "Emerging Explorer," filmmaker and globally recognized advocate on water issues. She is a masterful storyteller dedicated to advocating the importance of conservation and sustainable management of water in order to preserve a healthy planet. Alexandra is the co-founder of OCEANS 2050, a global program of ocean afforestation aiming to restore abundance to the oceans in one generation. She is also a Senior Advisor to OCEANA and is deeply involved in its campaigns to curb overfishing.

I had so many questions for her: What's it like to live as an explorer? And be a mother? What is your happiness? Are people meant to live among nature? What I got was an incredible series of stories, a wealth of wisdom on the state of our world's oceans and environment, and a whole lot of reasons to finally be optimistic about the future of our planet. Her words are essential listening.

Listen as we discuss:
How Alexandra exposed her "city boy" husband to nature
Why she avoids field missions and instead focuses on advocacy and activism
The pain of leading a mission you believe will help the world, only to face opposition
Her mindblowing OCEANS 2050 initiative
The shocking state of our oceans (with horrifying statistics)
Whether humans are meant to live in nature or cities (I'm feeling the itch)
How the current generation is making her optimistic
Did COVID-19 help the environment? The answer isn't so simple.
Her amazing thoughts on happiness: "I'm aligning my beliefs with my actions for the first time in my life, and I feel like I'm leaving a better world for my children"
How her father, who died when she was a child, left a lasting guide for her
Does Alexandra want her children to be explorers? - "I just want them to be happy."
Instagram: @solve.for.happy, @onebillionhappy, @mo_gawdat
Facebook: Slo Mo, onebillionhappy
LinkedIn: /in/mogawdat
Connect with Alexandra Cousteau on Instagram @acousteau, on Twitter @acousteau, on Linkedin @alexandracousteau, and on Facebook @AlexandraCousteau
Thanks to our friends at Aurum Speakers Bureau for connecting us to Alexandra

Don't forget to subscribe to Slo Mo for new episodes every Monday and Thursday. Only with your help can we reach One Billion Happy #onebillionhappy.