Women Offshore Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

In Episode 245 of the Women Offshore Podcast, Christine MacMillan speaks with Gladys DeClouet, author of A Layered Life: Breaking Barriers as a Trailblazing Black Woman in Corporate America, about her incredible journey across two male-dominated industries—offshore oil and gas, and the restaurant business.

Gladys began her career at Conoco Oil as the first female engineer in offshore exploration and production, blazing a trail for women in energy long before diversity initiatives were standard practice. Over the next 30 years, she rose through the ranks at BP, Burger King, and Jack in the Box, leading multi-billion-dollar divisions, building diverse, high-performing teams, and setting new standards for operational excellence.

Her story is one of grit, grace, and growth—from breaking barriers as both a woman and a person of color to mentoring the next generation of leaders. Gladys brings warmth and wisdom to her reflections, sharing insights from her memoir A Layered Life, which dives into the complexities of identity, perseverance, and purpose.

 Tune in to Episode 245 to hear Gladys discuss how she turned adversity into opportunity, what leadership truly means, and why mentoring is one of the most powerful legacies we can leave behind. Learn more about A Layered Life at gladysdeclouet.com.

In Episode 244 of the Women Offshore Podcast, Executive Director Liz Schmidt and Director of Career Development Christine MacMillan sit down for an open and honest conversation about resiliency—and why it may be time to rethink how we talk about it.

Resilience is often celebrated as the hallmark of success, especially for women working offshore in a male-dominated industry. But what happens when “being resilient” becomes an expectation rather than an empowering choice?

Liz and Christine explore the fine line between healthy resilience—the ability to adapt and recover—and resilience fatigue, where constant endurance starts to take a toll on mental health, identity, and joy in the work itself.

They share their own perspectives from years of working in maritime, discussing how women often feel the need to prove themselves over and over again, showing strength in every situation. But the truth is, resilience shouldn’t have to mean running on empty.

This candid conversation dives into: The myth of endless toughness The cost of resilience without support How we can redefine strength as authenticity, balance, and connection

 Tune in to Episode 244 to hear Liz and Christine’s honest reflections—and join us as we reshape what it truly means to thrive offshore.

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!

In today’s episode, Christine MacMillan speaks with Kami Bucholz about Kami's return to sea after bringing home their son. If you haven't already, make sure you listen to episodes 142 and 144, where you hear about Kami and Heather's IVF journey and Heather's 4th trimester. Kami now shares with us her return to sea after her son.

The journey of getting back out to sea after becoming a parent can be challenging. Between childcare, recovery, missing your family, working accommodations, etc, it can all be overwhelming, but Kami gives some encouragement and breaks down her experience. 

Have a Listen & Subscribe
The Women Offshore Podcast can also be found on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and most podcast apps. Make sure to subscribe to whatever app you use so that you don’t miss out on future episodes.

What did you think of the show?
Let us know your thoughts by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also reach out by sending us an email at hello@womenoffshore.org.

In today’s episode, Christine MacMillan speaks with Heather Benjamin and Kami Bucholz about their new life with a baby and Heather's experience in the 4th trimester. 

Heather is a 39-year-old married woman in a same-sex, same-gender relationship. Heather has been in the social field for 15 years, primarily working in the last 7 years as a consultant in the Greater Boston Area. She and her wife Chief Mate Kami Bucholz have been married for almost 5 years now. Heather has added Mom to her list of accomplishments, just giving birth via c-section in November of 2022. 

Heather and Kami’s son was born on 11/8/22 after roughly 60 hours of labor via induction. She is with us today to discuss her postpartum experience and navigating life with a baby and wife who works away from home for long chunks of time.

Have a Listen & Subscribe

The Women Offshore Podcast can also be found on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and most podcast apps. Make sure to subscribe to whatever app you use so that you don’t miss out on future episodes.

What did you think of the show?

Let us know your thoughts by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also reach out by sending us an email at hello@womenoffshore.org.

In today’s episode, Christine MacMillan speaks with Dr. Benjamin Lannon about family planning in the maritime industry and fertility preservation. 

Dr. Lannon is double board-certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology/Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility. He specializes in all aspects of infertility care.

In addition to his role at Boston IVF, he is also a Clinical Instructor at Harvard Medical School and Maine Medical Center, where he teaches the next generation of fertility experts and performs crucial research that focuses on the use of prediction models to improve medical decision-making in IVF.

His clinical interests include LGBTQ family building, women who have experienced a miscarriage, endocrine disorders affecting reproduction, and surgical treatment to optimize fertility. He has presented and published his research nationally.

He completed his residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School - and his fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, and Boston IVF.

Have a Listen & Subscribe

The Women Offshore Podcast can also be found on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and most podcast apps. Make sure to subscribe to whatever app you use so that you don’t miss out on future episodes.

What did you think of the show?

Let us know your thoughts by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also reach out by sending us an email at hello@womenoffshore.org.

In today’s episode, Ally Cedeno speaks with Kami Bucholz who is a 2008 graduate of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy and is an Unlimited Master Mariner. She has worked in research, chemical, petroleum, Ro/Ro, towing, and aerospace vessels in her career.  She sits on the board of managers for the Boston Port and Seaman’s Aid Society and has taught on academy training cruises twice.   She currently works in Aerospace and shares about her journey through IVY with Ally.

Have a Listen & Subscribe

The Women Offshore Podcast can also be found on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and most podcast apps. Make sure to subscribe to whatever app you use so that you don’t miss out on future episodes.

What did you think of the show?

Let us know your thoughts by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also reach out by sending us an email at hello@womenoffshore.org.

We have a special episode for you today. In today’s episode, Christine MacMillan speaks with both Captain Trevor Bozina and Captain Sandy Bendixen from Puget Sound Pilots. They share their experiences and path to becoming pilots while speaking about maternity leave offshore. This is a podcast you don't want to miss! 

After growing up on the water and attending Maine Maritime Academy, Captain Bendixen sailed from Third Mate to Captain on RORO, heavy-lift and container ships from the United States to the Middle East. At the age of 29, Captain Bendixen was given her first command. Captain Bendixen sailed as the Master of the largest heavy lift ship in the U.S. Fleet. In September 2018 at 36 years old, after a rigorous training program and drawing every chart of Puget Sound from memory, Captain Bendixen became the first female Puget Sound Pilot. Captain Bendixen spends her days piloting ships and working as a Washington State Pilot Commissioner. There are approximately 1,100 harbor pilots in the United States and less than 3% of the pilots in the United States are female.

Captain Trevor grew up in San Francisco, CA sailing with his family in San Francisco Bay. He graduated from the California Maritime Academy in 2006 and went to work on tugs. Working in San Francisco Bay for Baydelta Maritime, he became a Captain when he was 26 operating tractor tugs for ship assist and escort work. The most memorable experiences in his career have been the ones he has shared with his family aboard the tug, and how excited they were for him when he passed the Washington State Pilot exam. 

Have a Listen & Subscribe

The Women Offshore Podcast can also be found on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and most podcast apps. Make sure to subscribe to whatever app you use, so that you don’t miss out on future episodes.

What did you think of the show?

Let us know your thoughts by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also reach out by sending us an email at hello@womenoffshore.org.

In today’s episode, Christine MacMillan speaks with Sanjam Sahi Gupta, the Director for Sitara Shipping Ltd. She shares about the big waves she is making in the maritime industry. She is such an inspiration to us all!  

Sanjam is a founding member of the Women's International Shipping and Trading Association (WISTA) India and was a Board Member of WISTA International. She is currently part of the Diversity Committee of WISTA International and is a major contributor to the WISTA -IMO  survey project and the WISTA COVID research project. 

Sanjam was awarded the Glenmark Pharmaceuticals award “Woman of the Year 2019” in March 2019.

She held the first Maritime SheEO conference virtually in November 2020, the world's biggest maritime gender equality conference ever held - gathering 1600+ participants from across 77+ countries.  Following its success, the 2nd conference was held in November 2021 with 3500+ participants from all over the world.

She has been featured in the Economic times, Fairplay, and Maritime CEO.

For more information on her you can check out our Women Offshore Blog on Sheeo:
https://womenoffshore.org/a-conference-for-maritime-leaders-maritime-sheeo/

Have a Listen & Subscribe

The Women Offshore Podcast can also be found on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and most podcast apps. Make sure to subscribe to whatever app you use, so that you don’t miss out on future episodes.

What did you think of the show?

Let us know your thoughts by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also reach out by sending us an email at hello@womenoffshore.org.

In today’s episode, Christine MacMillan speaks with Jenny Johnson, who is a certified HR professional with an extensive background in DEI unique to the maritime industry. Jenny has 20+ years of maritime experience, including at sea and ashore. She is a fierce advocate for a diverse, inclusive, safe maritime industry. Her years at sea were filled with incredible experiences that took her worldwide. But she also experienced gender-based harassment, discrimination, and violence. She has brought these difficult experiences at sea to her career ashore to bring awareness around sexual harassment, assault, and all forms of discrimination in the maritime industry. 

Make sure to give this a listen as they dive into courage and Jenny's beliefs that a career at sea should be available to all people. Jenny is passionate about making every vessel free of all forms of harassment and discrimination and being a workplace that values and celebrates all dimensions of diversity.  She has led several sexual assault and sexual harassment prevention initiatives and is a recognized subject matter expert in that space. She also holds a credential as a victims advocate.

Have a Listen & Subscribe
The Women Offshore Podcast can also be found on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and most podcast apps. Remember to subscribe to whatever app you use, so you don’t miss out on future episodes.

What did you think of the show?
Let us know your thoughts by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also reach out by sending us an email at hello@womenoffshore.org.