Professionally; Catherine has worked on the beaches of Costa Rica protecting leatherback sea turtles and their nests, and as a jungle guide in the Corcovado rainforest…
She held the position of Forest Operations manager for Operation Wallacea, running jungle training courses, and organising logistics for extremely remote scientific biodiversity studies in the forests, mountains and coral islands of Buton, Kabaena, and Wakatobi national park, South East Sulawesi, Indonesia...
She has trekked for 700km down the ephemeral rivers of Namibia, tracking, (and being charged by), desert elephants, whilst leading groups of 17-25 year olds...
She’s built harpy eagle hack boxes in the jungles of Belize, explored hidden sinkholes, crystal caves and Mayan ruins, performed reconnaissance trips and developed a new county project for Operation Wallacea in the cloud forests of Honduras, Central America...
Most recently, she led The Matriarch Adventure, an all-women expedition to Namibia to track desert elephants and experience true wilderness.
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Show notes
Being based in Kingston Upon Thames
How Catherine would describe herself
Growing up in London with 4 younger brothers
Being good at school, and being misguided with careers advice
Going to university to do humanitarians and deciding to change subject
Following her first passion, and starting a theatre company
Buying a one way ticket to Costa Rica!
Being caught in a landslide
Training to be an expedition leader
Why she loves being in the Jungle
Coming home after expeditions
Her first expedition heading out to Indonesia working as a jungle trainer
Deciding to move onto the next adventure and challenge
Meeting her future partner and having her first daughter
Underestimated the impact of having children
Deciding to take her children with her on adventures
Heading out to Thailand to work with elephants
Training as a Dive Master
Why she thinks the adventure world has opened up
Why she has moved into leading expeditions for women
The Matriarch Adventure, how it came about and what it was
Building a website!
Wanting to head back to Africa
Her family trip to Everest
Preparing the children for the trip
What she found most challenging about Nepal
Her plans for the future, which include heading off to the Maldives
Taking another group of women out into the wilderness in November (The Matriarch Adventure)
Ted Talk and a potential TV documentary
Working with Bex Band from www.loveherwild.com
Going on a BIG family reunion
What coral bleaching is and what the impact is on the reef
What’s on her bucket list
Final words of advice and why you should go and run with your idea
Social Media
Facebook @matriarchadventure
Twitter @cathadventure
Website- https://www.cathadventure.com
The Matriarch Adventure - Next date November
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