When I joined the eXXpedition Arctic voyage, I was coming out of a year that hadn’t quite gone to plan. I’d spent much of it unwell and had stomach surgery just a couple of months before setting off. I wasn’t feeling my strongest, but I knew this trip was something I needed.
I’d hoped that being immersed in Greenland’s wild landscapes would help me recharge. There’s something about being surrounded by the sea, fresh air, and the sheer scale of nature that puts everything into perspective.
And it did.
Within a few days, I felt lighter. I could feel myself coming back.
Photo credit: Elizabeth Starnes
What I didn’t expect was that the biggest impact wouldn’t come from the icebergs or the ocean. It would come from the women.
Every single person on board brought a different story—stories of resilience, passion, determination, and hope. We shared ideas about plastic pollution, but we also shared life: the highs, the struggles, our careers, our dreams, and everything in between.
There was no judgement. Just kindness, curiosity, and a genuine desire to support one another.
It reminded me that nature thrives through connection, and perhaps we do too.
As a mum, I often think about the world we’re leaving for our children. Of course, I want cleaner oceans and a healthier planet, but I also want my child to grow up seeing the power of women lifting each other up. That’s a legacy worth leaving, too.
I boarded Sea Dragon hoping Mother Nature would help me find my strength again.
She did.
But she also introduced me to an incredible sisterhood that filled my cup in ways I never expected.
I’ll always remember Greenland for its wild, untamed beauty. But it’s the women I shared this journey with who left the biggest mark on me.
Sometimes healing comes from nature.
Sometimes it comes from people.
And sometimes, if you’re lucky, you find both at the same time.
Photo credit: Elizabeth Starnes
Photo credit: Catherine Rogers
