Michelle Graves brings a lifelong passion for exploration, conservation, and connecting people with the natural world to her new role at EYOS. With a career spanning environmental education, marine ecology, expedition leadership, and stewardship, she has dedicated herself to helping others experience the wonder of wild places. Now supporting EYOS behind the scenes, Michelle combines her expertise in logistics with her deep appreciation for remote environments, helping ensure every expedition is as seamless as it is meaningful. We sat down with Michelle to learn more about the experiences that shaped her career and what inspires her work in bringing our expeditions to life.
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Before joining EYOS, much of your work centered around science, conservation, and community impact. How do you hope to bring those values into the guest experience?
These are core values for me, and I try to bring them into all aspects of my life, both personal and professional. Since my current work with EYOS is really behind the scenes, in support of the operations team, I bring these values into the guest experience indirectly. I’m using my organizational and logistics skills to help make our team’s work easier, which hopefully translates into a more seamless guest experience.
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You’ve spent years working in environmental education and stewardship programs, including stream restoration and conservation volunteering. What draws you personally to ocean and wilderness environments?
I’m drawn by the sense of wonder and awe I experience in wild places. As a kid, I was intensely curious about the way things worked in nature, and it was always the place I felt most comfortable. I climbed trees, caught lizards and snakes, helped my grandparents in the garden, and loved exploring the beaches and tidepools along the California coast. After college, I went to Alaska for the summer to visit friends and work as a naturalist guide and ended up staying for seven years! Being in such a pristine wild place was life-changing for me and made me want to help other people see and experience the incredible richness of life on our planet. That started my career as a guide and expedition leader, which led to graduate studies in marine ecology and kelp forest fish communities and an 8-month sailing trip from Mexico to New Zealand. That sense of wonder and awe has stayed with me through all these experiences, and I love sharing that with others.
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What do you think makes immersive expeditions such a powerful tool for creating that connection?
An immersive expedition takes people away from their normal responsibilities and concerns and provides them an opportunity to really open to their surroundings and connect with nature. I’ve seen so many guests arrive stressed and tired then be blown away by a whale sighting or glacier calving right outside their cabin the next morning. Exploring by kayak, on a hike, with a mask and snorkel, and by Zodiac are all ways to slow down and really get up close and personal with the natural world.
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You’re joining at a time when travelers are increasingly seeking meaningful, experience-driven journeys. What excites you most about helping guests explore some of the planet’s most remote places?
I think a good guide can open your eyes to aspects of nature you may have never thought about or even imagined might be interesting. Their experience, knowledge, and passion for a place can add so much depth to what might otherwise be sightseeing. I also think traveling by water is one of the best, and in some cases only, ways to experience many of the world’s remote places. I’m excited to be part of the EYOS team that brings those two things together—exceptional guides and deep maritime experience.