On this episode of the Scientista Podcast, my co-host Monica Medina and I sat down with Dr. M. Sanjayan—one of the most recognizable voices in conservation today.
His journey began in Sierra Leone, where he spent his childhood riding atop logging trucks into the rainforest. He remembers the ground shaking as massive trees fell, the forest going silent, then roaring back to life. He’d climb the fallen trunks, collect chameleons and pythons, and bring them home in a sack. At the time, it all felt endless. Only years later did he understand how deeply those early experiences shaped his life’s work.
When Monica and I asked what advice he gives young people—especially young women—hoping to build careers in conservation, he began in a place I really appreciated: with the realities of the work itself.
“Do the hard science,” he told us. His PhD advisor, Michael Soulé, had encouraged him to build real scientific depth rather than chase charismatic species. That’s how he ended up studying gophers—unexpected, unglamorous, but scientifically rich. The rigor of that work led to publications in Science and Nature and quietly set the stage for everything that followed.
We also talked about mentorship, which he sees as essential. Talent alone doesn’t get you into the room, he said—people do. And the strongest relationships start with a simple, generous question: How can I help you? As someone who mentors students myself, that resonated deeply. Curiosity and contribution open doors that credentials alone can’t.
Looking ahead, he sees real promise in treating nature as infrastructure. Forests aren’t scenery—they’re foundational systems that regulate water, stabilize climate, and support economies. Innovative finance models, from blue bonds to Brazil’s proposed Tropical Forests Forever Facility, are early attempts to reflect that value. None are perfect, but all are necessary if we want conservation to scale.
Toward the end, Monica asked about his decision to step down after 11 years as CEO of Conservation International. He spoke openly about the physical toll of constant travel and how hard it had become to stay connected to the fieldwork that first inspired him. And then he said something that stuck with me:
Don’t follow your dreams. Write your own story. Careers don’t unfold in straight lines. The meaning of a moment often becomes clear only in hindsight.
For anyone navigating uncertainty—especially the next generation of Scientistas—that feels like exactly the grounding perspective we need.
