Planet Visionaries – SEASON 5
Planet Visionaries is a podcast series hosted by climber Alex Honnold, produced in partnership with the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative. It features conversations with environmental leaders like Cristina Mittermeier, Mark Ruffalo, Sylvia Earle, and Kris Tompkins, focusing on solutions to global ecological challenges. Each episode highlights innovative efforts in rewilding, ocean conservation, and sustainability. The show aims to inspire action by showcasing human ingenuity in protecting the planet.
Episodes
Planet Visionaries – Ep 3: Reviving New York Harbor with Pete Malinowski
In this episode of Planet Visionaries, a landmark podcast series in partnership with the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, host Alex Honnold speaks with Pete Malinowski, President and CEO of the Billion Oyster
Project.
Raised on Fishers Island, Malinowski leads the effort to restore 1 billion oysters to New York Harbor by 2035, using recycled shells, reefs and community action to revive its e
Planet Visionaries – Ep 2: Power to the People with Honnold Foundation’s Emily Teitsworth
In this episode of Planet Visionaries, a landmark podcast series in partnership with the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, host Alex Honnold speaks with Emily Teitsworth, Executive Director of the Honnold Foundation. Teitsworth leads a global network of more than 100 grassroots partners across 30 countries, using community-scale solar to expand access to renewable energy.
For nearly a century,
Planet Visionaries – Ep 01: Exploring the Amazon’s Hidden Worlds with Tom Peschak
In this episode of Planet Visionaries, a landmark podcast series in partnership with the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, host Alex Honnold speaks with National Geographic Explorer and photographer Tom
Peschak, who documented 396 days crossing the Amazon basin as part of the Rolex and National Geographic Perpetual Planet Amazon Expedition.
For nearly a century, Rolex has supported pioneering e
Planet Visionaries - Ep 20: Stories of Hope, Science and Action
Throughout Season 5 of Planet Visionaries, a landmark podcast series in partnership with the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, host Alex Honnold has spoken with extraordinary people leading innovation in conservation, science and technology. In this episode, he revisits the most powerful moments—from Miranda Wang who transforms previously unrecyclable plastics into high-value materials to Kris To
Planet Visionaries – Ep 19: Deep-ocean discovery with Sheena Talma and Katy Croff Bell
In this episode of Planet Visionaries, a landmark podcast series in partnership with the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, host Alex Honnold speaks with marine biologist Sheena Talma and deep-sea explorer Katy Croff Bell, who are National Geographic Explorers and members of the Rolex and National Geographic Perpetual Planet Ocean Expeditions.
Together, they reveal how only 0.001 percent of the
Planet Visionaries – Ep 18: The Hidden Ocean with Andrew Thurber and Allison Fong
In this episode of Planet Visionaries, a landmark podcast series in partnership with the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, host Alex Honnold speaks with marine biologist Andrew Thurber and microbial oceanographer Allison Fong, who are National Geographic Explorers and key members of the Rolex and National Geographic Perpetual Planet Ocean Expeditions. Thurber studies how deep-sea microbes regulat
Planet Visionaries – Ep 17: A Life Underwater with David Doubilet and Jennifer Hayes
In this episode of Planet Visionaries, a landmark podcast series in partnership with the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, host Alex Honnold speaks with National Geographic photographer and Rolex Testimonee, David Doubilet, and marine biologist Jennifer Hayes about the decades they have spent capturing the wonder of the ocean. They share stories from iconic dives and reflect on the evolution of t
Planet Visionaries – Ep 16: Fernando Trujillo on Protecting the Pink River Dolphins in the Amazon
In this episode of Planet Visionaries, a landmark podcast series in partnership with the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, host Alex Honnold talks with Fernando Trujillo, marine biologist and 2024 Rolex National Geographic Explorer of the Year, about protecting pink river dolphins in the Amazon and Orinoco basins. Trujillo highlights the challenges and solutions of Amazon conservation, sharing in
Planet Visionaries – Ep 15: Two Generations of Ocean Explorers on Rebuilding the Sea
In this episode of Planet Visionaries, a landmark podcast series in partnership with the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, host Alex Honnold explores the future of ocean conservation with legendary marine biologist and founder of Mission Blue, Dr. Sylvia Earle, and Titouan Bernicot, founder of Coral Gardeners. The two Rolex Testimonees share insights on protecting marine ecosystems by blending sc
Planet Visionaries – Ep 14: Grégoire Courtine & Jocelyne Bloch on Restoring Movement After Paralysis
In this episode of Planet Visionaries, a landmark podcast series in partnership with the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, host Alex Honnold talks to neuroscientist and Rolex Awards Laureate Grégoire Courtine and neurosurgeon Jocelyne Bloch. Both are pioneers in neurotechnology, using their expertise to help paralyzed people walk again. They explain the groundbreaking science behind their implant
Planet Visionaries – Ep 13: Standing Rock’s Wind Driven Future with Joe McNeil
In this episode of Planet Visionaries, a landmark podcast series in partnership with the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, host Alex Honnold sits down with Joe McNeil, CEO of Sage Development Authority of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. His mission is economic and deeply cultural: to restore long-term stability for the next generation of Lakota people by reclaiming control of their energy future t
Planet Visionaries – Ep 12: Rooted in the Future with Xiye Bastida
In this episode of Planet Visionaries, a landmark podcast series in partnership with the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, host Alex Honnold sits down with Indigenous environmental advocate Xiye Bastida. A global youth leader and co-founder of the Re-Earth Initiative who brings ancestral knowledge into modern climate action, she explains why hope, culture, and collective action are essential to p
Planet Visionaries – Ep 11: The Sound of Conservation
In this episode of Planet Visionaries, a landmark podcast series in
partnership with the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, host Alex Honnold sits down with Ben Mirin, acoustic and ethno-biologist, and Founding Director of the Creative Conservation Lab at Cornell University. Named one of The Explorer’s Club 50 People Changing the World, – Mirin blends sound with science. Together with Honnold, the
Planet Visionaries – Ep 10: Update on ending 'Hidden Hunger' with Felix Brooks-church
In this episode of Planet Visionaries, a landmark podcast series in partnership with the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, host Alex Honnold revisits his conversation with Felix Brooks-church, co-founder of Sanku, a non-profit organization tackling ‘hidden hunger’ at scale by fortifying staple foods. At the end of this episode, Brooks-church, a Rolex Awards Laureate, provides an update on his pro
Planet Visionaries – Ep 9: How solar transport is helping to save the Amazon with Oliver Utne
In this episode of Planet Visionaries, a landmark podcast series in partnership with the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, host Alex Honnold sits down with Oliver Utne, founder of Kara Solar, an Indigenous-led project building solar-powered riverboats and charging stations in the Amazon. With the support of the Honnold Foundation, Kara Solar gives communities clean, reliable transport that reduce
Planet Visionaries – Ep 8: The Ocean has a voice with Cristina Mittermeier
In this episode of Planet Visionaries, a landmark podcast series in partnership with the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, host Alex Honnold sits down with acclaimed photographer, conservationist and SeaLegacy co-founder Cristina Mittermeier. A pioneer of conservation photography, she has spent her life capturing the beauty and fragility of the ocean and is now using her voice to protect it. From
Planet Visionaries – Ep 7: Speaking Whale - with Dr. David Gruber
In this episode of Planet Visionaries, a landmark podcast series in partnership with the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, host Alex Honnold meets marine biologist, explorer and Project CETI founder David Gruber - a scientist pushing the boundaries of how humans understand the natural world. From discovering the first biofluorescent sea turtle to pioneering soft robotics that allow us to study oc
Planet Visionaries – Ep 6: The Solutions Project with Mark Ruffalo and Gloria Walton
In this episode of Planet Visionaries, a landmark podcast series in partnership with the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, host Alex Honnold meets actor and climate advocate Mark Ruffalo, co-founder of The Solutions Project, and Gloria Walton, the organization’s president and CEO.
Together, they share how their movement is shifting power to frontline communities and driving a transition to renewa
Planet Visionaries – Ep 5: Through the lens of ice with Paul Nicklen
In this episode of Planet Visionaries, a landmark podcast series in partnership with the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, host Alex Honnold meets with world-renowned wildlife photographer Paul Nicklen. He shares how his deep reverence for the natural world has evolved into a mission of global advocacy for conservation through his visually stunning work.
For nearly a century, Rolex has supporte
Planet Visionaries – Ep 4: Storytelling for change with Malaika Vaz and Alice Aedy
This time on Planet Visionaries, host Alex Honnold meets two filmmakers on the front lines of environmental storytelling: Alice Aedy, documentary director and co-founder of Earthrise Studio, and Malaika Vaz, filmmaker and CEO of Untamed Planet. Both are National Geographic Explorers whose work captures the intersection of people, planet, and power, using storytelling to shift perspectives and insp
Planet Visionaries – Ep 3: Recycling the Unrecyclable - with Miranda Wang and Shay Sethi
In this episode of Planet Visionaries, a landmark podcast series in partnership with the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, host Alex Honnold meets two of the brightest innovators redefining how to recycle the unrecyclable: Miranda Wang, co-founder and CEO of Novoloop, and Shay Sethi, co-founder and CEO of Ambercycle. Both co-founded their companies at age 19 and have found innovative ways to tra
Planet Visionaries – Ep 2: The Power of the Wild with Kris Tompkins
In this episode of Planet Visionaries, a landmark podcast series in partnership with the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, host Alex Honnold sits down with Kris Tompkins, former CEO of Patagonia and co-founder of Tompkins Conservation. She explains how she became a trailblazing conservationist, protecting 15 million acres of land by creating or expanding 15 national parks in Chile and Argentina,
Planet Visionaries – Ep 1: What does it take to be Rolex National Geographic Explorer of the Year?
In this episode of Planet Visionaries, a landmark podcast series in partnership with the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, host Alex Honnold is joined by wildlife filmmaker Bertie Gregory and penguin researcher Pablo García Borboroglu. The 2025 Rolex National Geographic Explorers of the Year, who collaborated on the docuseries “Secrets of Penguins”, explain why protecting these remarkable birds m
Planet Visionaries – New Season Coming
Host Alex Honnold introduces a new season of Planet Visionaries, the podcast exploring bold ideas and big solutions in partnership with the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative.
This season spotlights innovators who aren’t just imagining a better future but actively creating it. Guests include actor and climate champion Mark Ruffalo, celebrated photographer and biologist Cristina Mittermeier, and pi
The climber who conquered the world’s toughest peaks — without extra oxygen
From Everest to Annapurna, Ed Viesturs has summited the world’s highest mountains without supplemental oxygen. Now he joins Alex Honnold for a conversation about the meaning of climbing in the face of climate change.
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Steve Boyes returns to tell how he’s finding hope on the rivers of Africa
The Great Spine of Africa expeditions are an unprecedented survey of Africa’s rivers. Biologist Steve Boyes and his team are paddling 40,000 kilometers in dugout canoes to gather groundbreaking data on some of the world’s least-explored waterways.
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What one explorer has learned in a lifetime on the poles
The first woman to solo ski across Antarctica, Felicity Aston knows better than anyone how to survive on the ice. Now she tells Alex Honnold how her latest expedition unlocked new truths about climate change in the Arctic.
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To save the Amazon, an explorer studies dolphins
The Amazon is the world’s strongest barrier against climate change — and few of its creatures are more important than the beautiful pink river dolphin. 2024 Rolex National Geographic Explorer of the Year Fernando Trujillo joins Alex Honnold to discuss a lifetime protecting this vital mammal.
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The secrets of a uniquely vibrant reef
Marine biologist Ben Fitzpatrick has spent decades protecting the coastlines and coral reefs of Western Australia. Today he joins Alex Honnold to talk about his ongoing work to conserve one of the ocean’s most precious habitats.
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Conservationists return with a message of hope
Wildlife photographers Cristina Mittermeier and Paul Nicklen tell Alex Honnold how they’re using storytelling to inspire a new generation of conservationists.
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To ease thirst, she pulls water from the air
When her country was stricken by drought, Kenyan entrepreneur Beth Koigi developed a machine that uses condensation to produce water. She tells Alex Honnold how this technology can reduce water scarcity around the globe.
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“Her Deepness” returns to discuss the future of the sea
Since she last spoke to Alex Honnold in 2021, legendary explorer Sylvia Earle has made great progress in her efforts to protect 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030. Now she’s back to explain how Mission Blue’s Hope Spots provide safe haven for sea creatures worldwide.
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To preserve the Andes, he’s planted millions of trees
Biologist Constantino Aucca Chutas has spent two decades coordinating a continent-wide tree planting effort in South America. He joins Alex Honnold to explain how he’s preserving this magnificent landscape using one very special tree.
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Using tradition to make clothing sustainably
Fashion touches every person on Earth. Denica Riadini-Flesch, an Indonesian entrepreneur, tells Alex Honnold how she’s reimagining it as a force for good.
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Season 4 Trailer
Join host Alex Honnold for Season 4 of “Planet Visionaries.” Meet the explorers, scientists and adventurers who are tackling Earth’s biggest climate challenges in this podcast.
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How protecting bats protects the planet (and us)
Bats play a pivotal role in the well-being of people, ecosystems and the planet. Rodrigo Medellín, Mexico’s “bat man,” tells Alex Honnold how he’s saving several species from extinction.
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A promising new discovery in the Amazon
A never-before-documented ecosystem in the Amazon coastal area could present new solutions for climate resilience. Explorer Angelo Bernardino explains why.
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Finding life under Arctic ice
A deep dive into Arctic waters uncovered an uncharted underwater forest. Meet the explorers who found it and hear how this unusual ecosystem contributes to overall ocean health.
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What ice might reveal about our climate future
A daring expedition to extract a record-breaking ice core could help us prepare for future climate transitions. Hear from the scientist who led the project.
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Why the Mediterranean needs more protection
Alex Honnold meets two scientists using new technologies to protect the Mediterreanean’s marine life.
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Live episode: Revolutionizing how we preserve the world underwater
Ocean health is crucial to our planet. Listen to three young visionaries discuss their boundary-breaking conservation of marine ecosystems with Alex Honnold and hear a special appearance from legendary oceanographer Sylvia Earle.
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A powerful new tool for protecting the ocean
Climate influencers Cristina Mittermeier and Paul Nicklen on how social media is inspiring a new generation of ocean protection.
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Bringing ecosystems back to life
How Tompkins Conservation is rewilding millions of acres and restoring key species in South America.
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Season 3 Trailer
Join host Alex Honnold for Season 3 of “Planet Visionaries.” Hear the stories of the explorers, adventurers and scientists solving Earth’s biggest climate challenges in this podcast.
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A new key to climate resilience
Meet the biologist canoeing 40,000km of Africa’s under-researched rivers to solve water and food security concerns for millions.
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Putting Indigenous expertise on the map
Mapping Indigenous knowledge could help a nation adapt to climate change. Geographer and climate action advocate Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim explains how.
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Engineering an end to ‘hidden hunger’
Malnutrition is a global problem with global consequences. Could this machine fix it?
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The small town taking on climate change
High in the Himalaya, a tiny community is testing a new conservation model that could have far-reaching effects.
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What are ‘deep' reefs’?
The ocean’s murky and difficult-to-reach “middle light” zone is teeming with undiscovered species. Meet the man on a mission to find them.
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Exploring Earth’s underground secrets
Two scientists are searching the world’s most remote caves for clues to our climate’s past — and future.
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Diving to Chile’s hidden depths
A daring diver discovers new life — and a unique ecosystem — in Patagonia’s remote fjords.
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Meet Africa’s “Father of Turtles”
Trailblazing conservationist Tomas Diagne on why protecting turtles protects the planet.
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How one man is saving hundreds of species
Meet Rohan Pethiyagoda, the pioneering naturalist reclaiming Sri Lanka’s mysterious cloud forests.
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Two pioneers talk bold new solutions to wildlife conservation
These legendary conservationists champion innovative new solutions for protecting threatened species.
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Season 2 Trailer
Join Alex Honnold for season 2 of Planet Visionaries, featuring more incredible individuals helping to solve global conservation issues.
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The scientist turning plastics into possibility
Scientist Miranda Wang is using innovative chemistry to upcycle discarded plastics.
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Using sound technology to protect the rainforest
Technologist Topher White is using audio in new ways to help find and stop deforestation.
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A glaciologist's unexpected discovery
Glaciologist Joseph Cook discovered an unusual contributor to sea level rise.
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Peru's protector of the seas
Inside conservation biologist Kerstin Forsberg’s community-based approach to saving the majestic manta ray.
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The man who predicts eruptions
Andrew McGonigle has leveraged digital technology in an effort to better forecast volcanic activity, learn about the planet and save lives.
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The penguin protector
Pablo García Borboroglu blends direct action, research, advocacy and education to safeguard penguins.
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The ocean explorer turned environmentalist
Meet Sylvia Earle, a legendary explorer, oceanographer and Rolex Testimonee, who has dedicated her life to protecting marine habitats.
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Planet Visionaries Trailer
A sneak peek at Planet Visionaries, the groundbreaking podcast that spotlights the people who are at the forefront of the quest to keep the planet perpetual.
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