Ocean Collaborations

In this episode of Ocean Collaborations, host Jan Maisenbacher speaks with Marie-Céline Piednoir, founder of Positive Ripple Consulting, about her journey from the corporate world to ocean conservation. They discuss the importance of personal responsibility in ocean awareness, the challenges of navigating a career in ocean conservation, and the role of women in this field. The conversation also explores the emerging blue regenerative economy and the significance of multilateralism in ocean conservation efforts. Marie-Céline and Jan share valuable do’s and don’ts for those considering a career switch into this impactful space. This conversation is “straight to the heart”—no fluff.
Takeaways
* A career switch doesn’t have to be radical; small steps can lead to significant change.
* Ocean conservation receives only 1% of climate finance, highlighting the need for more support.
* Networking and collaboration are crucial for finding opportunities in ocean conservation.
* Women play a vital role in ocean conservation, and solidarity among women is strong in this field.
* The blue regenerative economy offers new opportunities for professionals from various sectors.
* Multilateralism remains important for shaping ocean conservation policies, even in challenging times.
* Individuals can support ocean conservation without fully quitting their jobs.
* Volunteering and mentoring can provide valuable experience and connections in the field.
* It’s essential to be gentle with oneself and recognize that change takes time.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Ocean Collaborations and Career Switches
05:34 Marie-Céline’s Journey into Ocean Conservation
12:28 The Importance of Ocean Awareness and Personal Responsibility
20:42 Navigating the Challenges of Ocean Conservation Careers
30:32 The Role of Women in Ocean Conservation
35:57 Exploring the Blue Regenerative Economy
44:31 The Importance of Multilateralism in Ocean Conservation
47:20 Do’s and Don’ts for Career Switchers in Ocean Conservation
Connect with Marie-Céline on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mcpiednoir/
Positive Ripple Consulting: https://www.positiverippleconsulting.org/
Mentioned projects in the podcast:
Climate-Resilient Coral Reefs Commitment: https://coralcommitment.com/protect-the-reefWomen Ocean Guardians: https://womenoceanguardians.org/



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On 17 January, the BBNJ Agreement (High Seas Treaty) officially enters into force – a historic step for global ocean protection. To mark this milestone, Episode #19 of Ocean Collaborations looks at what this agreement means far beyond coastlines, with youth collaboration and equity at the center.
Jan Maisenbacher speaks with Autone Mululuma (20), a passionate climate justice advocate and one of the High Seas Youth Ambassadors based in Zambia. They discuss the significance of the High Seas Treaty, youth empowerment in climate advocacy, and the challenges faced by landlocked countries in engaging with ocean issues.
More about Autone (on Earthecho): https://www.earthecho.org/team/autone-mululuma
Autone shares insights on the role of media, creative outreach strategies, and the importance of intergenerational collaboration in promoting ocean conservation. The conversation highlights the need for capacity building, equitable sharing of marine resources, and the aspirations of youth in shaping future ocean governance.Why this conversation matters now
* 🌐 The BBNJ Agreement enables shared stewardship of the high seas
* 🌊 Ocean health underpins climate stability and livelihoods everywhere
* 🤝 Youth play a key role in translating policy into action
What you’ll take away
* 👩🏽‍🎓 How African youth are shaping future ocean governance
* 🗺️ Why landlocked countries matter in high seas protection
* 🚀 How collaboration unlocks capacity, equity, and long-term impact
📩 Get in touch with us by email at [email protected] if you want to help bridge-building on Ocean Youth Collaboration in Africa (and/or connect with Autone on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/autone-mululuma-556337288)
This post is public so feel free to share it.

Takeaways
* Time to celebrate: the High Seas Treaty is crucial for marine biodiversity.
* Youth empowerment is essential for climate advocacy.
* Youth can act as bridges between science, policy, and communities.
* Intergenerational collaboration is vital for effective advocacy.
* Media plays a key role in disseminating ocean information.
* Creative outreach can connect communities to ocean issues.
* Capacity building is necessary for effective ocean governance.
Chapters
01:00 Introduction of Autone Mululuma02:15 What Autone is inspired by Ocean Collaborations Podcast05:20 Check-in ocean replies from Autone08:15 Autones collaboration learnings as a youth campaigner13:00 Creative youth outreaches that worked in? 18:15 Learnings with the Earth Echo cohort of the High Seas Youth Ambassador20:40 Challenges in the cohort for youth ocean advocacy22:40 High Seas Treaty (BBNJ) collaboration challenges for landlocked youth27:00 BBNJ effects on landlocked Zambia (and African youth)29:00 Autones view on BBNJ North-South & South-South co-creations33:22 Personal Reflections and Future Goals34:00 Brainstorming & Call for further ocean collaboration for Youth in Zambia
📩 Get in touch with us by email at [email protected] if you want to support our collaborate on Ocean Youth Collaboration in Africa (and/or connect with Autone on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/autone-mululuma-556337288)
Further article: Deep conn8/ection: Why even landlocked Africans are defending the seas
#OceanCollaborations #BBNJ #HighSeasTreaty #YouthLeadership #OceanGovernance #Africa #ClimateJustice
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In the #18 episode the Founder and Executive Director of Noventus Foundation, Koen Vriesacker, sails close to the winds of ocean collaboration with Jan Maisenbacher 🌊. Koen is an belgian-based expert inter-organizational in networks who's spent 16 years mastering the art of wicked collaboration.
It is a discussion on the relevance of interorganisational collaboration, and why this is needed to move forward in our current world. The dialogue emphasizes the need for structured approaches to foster trust and engagement among stakeholders, as well as the role of innovative solutions in addressing complex issues like deep sea mining.
First real ocean collaboration possiblity: You are professionally involved in Deep Sea Mining? Get in touch! We need you for a follow-up collaboration discussion on that wicked ocean challenge: info@janmaisenbacher
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Why this episode matters for ocean regeneration:⛵ No mess, no magic – True collaboration requires friction, diversity, and courage to engage unlikely allies (yes, including the “evil other side” 🏢)⛵ Trust the structure, not just the people – Trustworthy frameworks outlast individual relationships and create long-term collaborative success⛵ The Mediterranean merchant approach – Selective connections between diverse knowledge bubbles drive innovation faster than full connectivity
What ocean changemakers need to unlearn:⛵ Collaboration ≠ working only with people like us⛵ We can’t skip steps on the collaboration staircase (from competition → coexistence → communication → coordination)⛵ Measuring collaboration health is as crucial as measuring environmental impact
The path forward for 2030:⛵Bottom-up, on-site multi-stakeholder collaborations (fishermen + NGOs + tourism + business)⛵Small teams of 10 trusted bridge-builders tackling challenges like deep sea mining⛵Relational structures over transactional ones—because wicked problems need adaptive frameworks, not fixed answers
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Personal Background
05:34 Collaboration in Ocean Conservation
08:30 The Role of the Ocean and Human Responsibility
11:25 Transitioning from For-Profit to Non-Profit
14:42 Theories of Collaboration
17:27 Challenges in Ocean Collaboration
20:40 Philanthropy and Ocean Conservation
23:33 The Dilemma of Economic Growth vs. Ocean Health
26:33 Future of Collaboration in Ocean Conservation
30:47 The Role of Regulation in Ocean Conservation
31:25 Collaboration at the Ocean’s Edge
32:47 Breaking Down Barriers to Collaboration
34:15 Navigating Wicked Problems in Collaboration
36:00 The Importance of Human Capacity in Collaboration
36:36 The Power of Unlikely Alliances
38:35 Building Trustworthy Frameworks for Collaboration
40:13 Steps to Effective Collaboration
45:27 Deep Sea Mining: A Collaborative Roadmap
Connect with Koen on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/koenvriesacker
More information about Noventus (www.noventus.org):
* The Noventus Foundation advances collaboration for impact. It offers the expertise and effort that is needed to create and develop interorganisational collaboration and networks. Through initiatives in science, education, philanthropy, art and culture, the Noventus Foundation offers support to NGOs, non-profits and impact organisations.
* Noventus has a solid track record in a broad range of sectors, all across the world, involving many organisational settings (SME’s, corporates, foundations, non-profit, governmental institutions, research, education, ...)
Follow Noventus on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/noventusfoundation/



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In this Ocean Collaborations podcast episode Jan Maisenbachers surfes and dives with Karen Sack, Co‑Founder and Executive Director of the Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance. This alliance is celebrating five years and keeps innovating to deliver 50 finance products by 2030 to drive $500M into nature-based solutions. Their Mission: Build the resilience of 250 million climate vulnerable costal people in the Global South.
🌍Listening to Karen’s story is a masterclass in building coalitions across worldviews – and in staying resilient when the political and funding landscape feels like “whiplash”. She shares powerful, very concrete stories in radical collaboration, including:
💠 How ORRAA helps design finance and insurance products:
👉 Get inspired how to bring insurers, banks, governments, NGOs, scientists and coastal communities to one table – and keep them there
💠ORRAA’s work with Deutsche Bank and other financial instituations on integrating ocean and nature into investment decision-making:
👉 Understand how to translate “ocean & nature” into the language of risk, return, balance sheets and long‑term resilience
💠 What she learned from fighting apartheid and working at Greenpeace
👉 Understand how a former Greenpeace campaigner can co‑create solutions with Deutsche Bank, UBS, Swiss Re & others
Karen Sack on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-sack-82aa2113/
Mentioned projects from Karen in the podcast:
* Abalobi - Sustainable Fishing: https://oceanriskalliance.org/project/powering-sustainable-fishing-through-community-led-technology/
* Save The Waves: https://oceanriskalliance.org/project/developing-insurance-products-for-surf-ecosystems-and-surf-breaks-save-the-waves-2/
* Inversa Leathers: https://oceanriskalliance.org/project/invasive-lionfish-management-quintana-roo-mexico-inversa-leathers/
Karen Sack’s reflections from pre-COP30 events in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/karen-sack-82aa2113_backblue-oceanresilience-naturefinance-activity-7393642450780803072-Vhut?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAyfdasBo4hlyI6BhbXO7eWac7Eh34oe1l0
Link list from ORRAA:
* ORRAA website: https://oceanriskalliance.org/
* ORRAA What We Do: https://oceanriskalliance.org/what-we-do/
* ORRAA’s Product Pipeline: https://oceanriskalliance.org/pipeline/
* The #BackBlue Ocean Finance Commitment: https://oceanriskalliance.org/project/back-blue-ocean-finance-commitment/
* Deutsche Bank’s New Sustainable & Finance Transition Target: https://www.db.com/news/detail/20251117-deutsche-bank-sets-new-2030-sustainable-and-transition-finance-target-and-publishes-its-initial-transition-finance-framework?language_id=1
* ORRAA’s Reflections on the COP30 Outcomes: https://oceanriskalliance.org/events/orraa-at-cop30/
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💬 Note on our own behalf - message from Ocean Collaborations podcast: Ocean Collaborations is looking for new episode guests!
* Are you a leader of an ocean regeneration organisation (non-for-profit, NGO)?
* Are you struggling with your regeneration projects?
* Are you not finding the right manpower and/or skilled labor?
Then please don’t hesitate get in touch! You may be our man or woman:
Or write an email to [email protected]


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit janmaisenbacher.substack.com

In this episode of Ocean Collaborations, Jan Maisenbacher speaks with Karine Toumazeau, founder and CEO of Moshun.Earth They exchange around her innovative work where she is flipping corporate foodprints into ocean wins.
This episode starts with an honest conversation around Karine’s Mompreneurship journey.
It also explores the opportunities of silo-breaking collaboration across sectors to address ocean health. Learn why the importance of storytelling and the integration of indigenous people is a core driver to regenerate the ocean as well as finding new investment pathways. You can contact Karine for business opportunities, mentorship or media inquiries (see her LinkedIn link at the bottom).
Take-Aways
Collaboration across sectors is crucial for effective ocean conservation.
The ocean space is niche and often siloed, hindering collaboration.
A common agenda is needed to unite various stakeholders in ocean health.
Companies often overlook their dependence on healthy ocean ecosystems.
A shift from extractive to regenerative mindsets is needed

Chapters
00:00 Introducing Karine
02:55 Karine as the “Voice of the Ocean”
06:00 Karine’s personal view of her solo mompreneurship journey
17:20 Deep Dive how Karine started (and is now building) Moshun
28:00 Building Collaborative Bridges between for-profit and non-for-profit sector
35:00 Status of the Moshun proof-of-concept platform closing the ocean regeneration project circles (and was ocean genetics may have to do with it)
37:50 The ocean and its ecosystems as a new nature asset class - and why indigenous people will finally profit from it.
Karine on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karinetoumazeau/
Links from Karine:
Her ocean impact venture Moshun: https://www.moshun.earth
The SEA People (locally named ‘Orang Laut Papua’), is a field based non-profit foundation working to contribute to the conservation of one of the last locations on Earth where coral reef systems still thrive: https://theseapeople.org


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit janmaisenbacher.substack.com