Life’s Tough, Explorers Are TOUGHER!
“Exploring is an innate part of being human.” Richard Wiese, spends 30 minutes every week with some of the world’s most compelling adventurers, explorers, and socio-environmental advocates, listening to their distinct adventures, unique discoveries, projects & goals, while discovering their multitude of challenges, surprises, triumphs and set-backs they encounter along the way. Join Richard as he pulls back the curtain on what it’s like to travel around the world and beyond; explore some of the most exotic and often dangerous places; and uncover what makes people, places and our planet so special.
Life’s Tough, Explorers Are TOUGHER!
Serena McCalla: Educator Who Built a Science Empire
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In this episode of Life’s Tough, Explorers are Tougher, Richard Wiese sits down with Serena McCalla — National Geographic Explorer, molecular scientist, educator, and mentor featured in the acclaimed documentary Science Fair.
Serena shares her journey from growing up in a hardworking immigrant family to building one of the most successful high school science research programs in the country. She explains how curiosity, discipline, and sacrifice shaped her path, and how she pushed students beyond traditional academic expectations to compete on a national and international level.
The conversation dives into the realities of modern education, the pressure students face today, and the growing challenge of misinformation in the digital age. Serena argues that schools must move beyond memorization and focus on teaching students how to think critically, solve problems, and pursue work they genuinely care about.
At its core, this episode is about ambition, resilience, mentorship, and the belief that education can completely change the trajectory of a life.
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.