Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with Stefan Dr. Harzen

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Stefan Dr. Harzen. Check out our conversation below.

Good morning Stefan, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What battle are you avoiding?
The battles I can not win

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am a German-borne marine scientist, consultant and entrepreneur who spent a good portion of his life in Portugal before arriving in the US in 1997.
That same year, I founded Blue Dolphin Research and Consulting, Inc., a West Palm Beach, Florida, based consulting company working on the forefront of sustainability. In 1998, I created the Taras Oceanographic Foundation, a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization dedicated to advancing marine science and the long-term survival of both people and the oceans, through research, conservation, education, and cultural programs. And in 2017, I founded Palm Beach and Jupiter Dolphin Tours as a vehicle to provide funding to the Taras Oceanographic Foundation. I have been serving as the Managing Director of all three organizations since their inception.
I began my career as one of the first Europeans studying wild dolphins more than 35 years ago and have continued my involvement in dolphin research conservation in Portugal and the U.S.A. ever since. However, my interest and expertise has long expanded from marine mammals and ocean conservation to include sustainability, environmental analysis, green technologies, waste management, and the development and application of performance metrics in master and site planning.
Over the last 30 years, I successfully helped advance several diverse commercial projects in the U.S., Portugal, Brazil, Belize, and the Caribbean. Clients include small and Fortune 500 companies.
I have been using my wide range of knowledge and cross-cultural experiences to negotiate successful project outcomes between various stakeholders, and to personally advise leaders of companies and organizations on how to best prepare for the future.
I am an accomplished teacher, broadcaster, writer, photographer, explorer, and musician. I taught at the Business School Environmental MBA program at Florida Atlantic University and continue to mentor students from Portugal and the U.S. I produced and hosted 373 live 90-minute radio shows about science, the environment, sustainability, and conservation, and more than 100 lectures featuring scientists from many disciplines. I also created the Ocean of Notes Concert Series, which has been bringing top musical talent to West Palm Beach for the last 15 years. I published numerous popular and scientific papers and two books; one on bottlenose dolphins in Portugal, the other a biography, entitled An Ocean of Inspiration – The John Olguin Story. My photographs are part of private collections and focus on the marine environment and Portugal.
In 2008, he served as the co-leader of an Explorers Club Flag Expedition in the Caribbean, creating a new generation of coral reef maps that have changed how we see the world. Together with my wife, I have been included in the pages of Adventurous Dreams, Adventurous Lives, together with 120 other outstanding individuals of the Club, including Apollo astronaut Buzz Aldrin and balloonists Bertrand Piccard, representing a Who’s Who of international exploration.

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
The world never told me who I had to be. I always followed that inner voice and carved out a path untravelled. I have never stopped being curious, trying out something new, looking at things in. a different way and applying both to create a better version of myself. A process that never stops of course.

If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
Always be kind to everyone. No matter what. You never know what that other person is going through and you being kind may make all the difference in that moment. So be kind. Always.

Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? Is the public version of you the real you?
The public version of me is what people want to see in me. Not who I really am. Public versions of anyone are never the real version. That is reserved for the people closest to you.

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: Could you give everything your best, even if no one ever praised you for it?
Of course. I don’t believe in awards and have not accepted a nomination for any awards. Because it is not about me. It is about the work I do. The work I have been doing. My dedication to science, conservation, making things better for future generations, and the truth. It is about inspiring others to do something of value.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Dr. Stefan Harzen
Barbara Brunnick, Ph.D.
Ed Spencer, Sandhill Images

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