Meet Gwenevere Persaud

We were lucky to catch up with Gwenevere Persaud recently and have shared our conversation below.

Gwenevere, so many exciting things to discuss, we can’t wait. Thanks for joining us and we appreciate you sharing your wisdom with our readers. So, maybe we can start by discussing optimism and where your optimism comes from?
Optimism is one of my main philosophies in life. You have been allotted one life, only one, no other, & as such, why choose to spend it miserably? That is one of the primary places from which I derive my optimism, refusing to spend my life in misery. I once heard the phrase “The only thing more vast than the expanse of the universe itself is the beauty that saturates it.”, which I firmly believe in. There is so much beauty, value, & loveliness to be had in life, & I feel that is also one of the primary drivers of my optimism.

Another thing that I derive my optimism from is the fact that everything will be alright, because it has to be. Everything will work itself out no matter what, even if in an unexpected way. Everything will work out in the end, because it has to.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Hello Ladies & Gentlemen! My name is Gwenevere Persaud, I am a marine biologist, executive director, podcast host, & inventor! I have an intense passion for the ocean, its ecosystems, & its wonderful creatures. Many people have said they have stars in their eyes, however, I have Nautili in mine!

I founded a marine biological nonprofit organization, called The Persaud Foundation, based in Southern California. We are a marine biological nonprofit organization, dedicated to helping the ocean through conservation, education, & public involvement. Our website can be found at thepersaudcatalog.org. We currently run an electronic newsletter called The Persaud Catalog, publish online courses about marine biology, & conduct local conservation & education events in Southern California. Our Instagram accounts can be found at @thepersaudfoundation, & @thepersaudcatalog.

I am also one of the proud hosts of the Marine Enthusiasts, a podcast about marine biology & all things ocean! We currently have 14 published episodes, & are available on Spotify, iHeartRadio, & much, much more. In each episode, Skylar K. & I, explore a different marine biological or oceanic topic, & discuss it among our 2 eccentric hosts. These topics range from sharks to ocean acidification, to coral reefs, to the strangest deep-sea fish you have ever seen. In addition to this, we also conduct various interviews with people across the marine profession, such as marine biologists, scuba divers, underwater photographers, professors, science communicators, & conservationists!

In addition to both of these endeavours, I am an inventor, & currently have 2 patents available on Justia’s website.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Throughout my marine biological journey, I would say the three most paramount qualities, or traits to have are Resourcefulness, Passion, & Courage.

You must learn to be resourceful, & make the most of the resources available to you at any given time. You must learn to improvise, to work around things, & to do the best that you can with the resources available to you. This manifests in a variety of ways, both physical & mental, however, you must do the best with the resources available to you at any given time.

Passion, when entering marine sciences, you should be passionate. I’ve often said that if you are passionate about something, you should pursue it unrelentingly. If the ocean is your passion, & you feel a bright fire in your heart for it, then please pursue it unrelentingly.

Courage, you must have the courage to leap into the field. You cannot teeter on the precipice of possibility, & leave paths untaken, or words unspoken. You must have the courage to pursue things generally, there are always reasons not to, however, you must have the ability to look past those things & pursue your passion. You must have the courage to leap into the field of Marine Science.

What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?
The foremost obstacle that I currently face is finding consistent funding for my organization. Sadly, due to increased costs of living, we are seeing decreased personal donations. I completely understand this, it is a very difficult time for everyone, However, in addition to this, we are having trouble securing grants as many environmental grant programs have discontinued. This makes it more difficult to maintain our programs & add new programs, however, we are incredibly lucky to have our amazing volunteers who are extremely resourceful, resilient, & creative people. I am actively attempting to fundraise in all ways possible, & I strongly encourage anyone who is interested in making a genuine impact on the ocean to donate their time, or if possible, donate their hard-earned dollars to our organization. Every penny donated, & every minute of volunteer work counts!

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Arjeta Jashari Image 2 (Magnificent Artist with one of the most creative minds I have ever seen!)
Lex Weinberger Image 3 (Fantastic Illustrator!),
J. Waughtal Image 4 & 6 (Lovely Fanart & Amazing Podcast Avatar!)
Julia Menendez Image 8 (One of our Brilliant Volunteers, look at the lovely Sharks!)

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Leadership Development
Where does your self-discipline come from?

One of the most essential skills for unlocking our potential is self-discipline. We asked some

Productivity
Tactics & Strategies for Keeping Your Creativity Strong

With the rapid improvements in AI, it’s more important than ever to keep your creativity

Productivity
Working hard in 2025: Keeping Work Ethic Alive

While the media might often make it seem like hard work is dead and that