Hi Reader,

There is a saying that gets thrown around a lot. It's offered as well-meaning advice to people who are either starting out in the world, or when they're so beyond fed up with what they've been doing, that they're looking for a fresh start.

"Find your passion."

This main menu item can also be coupled with a side of​
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"Find something you love and you'll never work a day in your life."

I'll save the second part for another day. For today, I want to look at the first.

What if it's not the "passion" that we're supposed to follow, but the fascination?

I can get passionate about a lot of things. Like how wearing socks with sandals is an absolute no-go-- especially if they're the flip flops with the toe thong.

Or how sweet tea is not just iced tea with sugar added to it-- it must be brewed.

I will passionately go toe-to-toe with anyone about these topics.
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But the things I'm fascinated by?

The things I lose track of time over?

Now that's a different feeling altogether.

My guest today knows a thing or two about following fascination.​
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Joe Meisel is a scientist committed to protecting wild places and educating curious people. As a biologist, he has worked for 25 years with the Ceiba Foundation for Tropical Conservation, where he gets to study plants such as orchids, the ocean, and share the fascination through study abroad programs.

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Growing up in the American Midwest, Joe was a long way from the sea. Through following his own fascinations, Joe found himself working in the tropical Americas working to establish the first ever national park system in Paraguay, co-creating a foundation, and ultimately teaching and writing a book on marine science.
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Joe also speaks on what it means to hold space for both the threats our world faces and simultaneously enjoy and revel in the beauty around us, so stay tuned for that.

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As always, I'd love to hear from you! Leave a comment in the show notes, or hit reply to this email. I read 'em all!

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Fair weather and following seas,

Kara Grace

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