The Holistic Conservationist

Saving the planet isn’t just about science—it’s about storytelling, indigenous knowledge, and even art.

In this episode of Life’s Tough, Explorers Are Tougher, Dr. Natalie Schmitt shares why conservation needs more than just data and research. A geneticist, documentarian, and field explorer, Natalie has studied snow leopards in the Himalayas, worked with First Nations trackers to monitor caribou, and even helped advocate for scientists wrongly imprisoned in Iran.

She discusses how DNA tracking is revolutionizing conservation, why indigenous knowledge is crucial to protecting ecosystems, and how being a “holistic conservationist” means embracing multiple disciplines to make a real impact.

From her childhood in Australia’s wilderness to tracking some of the world’s most elusive species, Natalie’s journey proves that exploration isn’t just about where you go—but how you see the world.

🌍 Tune in for a fascinating discussion on conservation, exploration, and the future of protecting our planet.

This is Life's Tough, Explorers Are Tougher, with your host, Richard Weiss. Scratch the surface of an explorer and you'll find an adventure and a great story. This show is about their tales.

This podcast is a proud supporter of the Explorers Club and the EC50 Initiative. 50 people changing the world that the world needs to know about. For more information, go to explorers.org.