We had the good fortune of connecting with Dr. Mireya Mayor and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dr. Mireya, how do you think about risk?
Taking risks is at the heart of personal growth and success. and has played a pivotal role in both my personal life and career. As an explorer, I have done it all, from drinking cow’s blood in Tanzania and surviving poisonous insect bites, to being charged by an angry silverback gorilla (as well as elephants!) and sharing a raw goat kidney with Maasai warriors in Africa. I have survived plane crashes and swam with great white sharks too. Despite being afraid of the heights, I went on to climb more than 14,000 feet where I slept on a rock wall.

Taking risks involves straying out of your comfort zone and stepping into the unknown. It involves confronting your fear and taking a leap of faith that everything will work out for the better. This doesn’t mean that every risk is a blind gamble. understanding the complexities of the risk involved can help you take managed, calculated risks that make sense in relation to your goals.

When I was 18, I remember standing in the parking lot of Joe Robbie Stadium, wearing bike shorts and a sports bra. I was there to audition to be a Miami Dolphins cheerleader. I walked in and saw nothing but tall, gorgeous women stretching their legs past their heads.
I turned right around and walked out.
I got all the way back to my car. I didn’t think I had what it took. I hadn’t even been able to make the team in high school.
I was afraid of being rejected… and then I heard a whisper.
I realized in that parking lot that I was cutting myself from the squad. I was letting fear decide.
I spun around, walked past the statuesque models, took a number, and did my best to kick my leg above my head! I made the team. I cheered for four years while I was a pre-law student at the University of Miami.
During my junior year in college, I had one remaining science requirement. I wanted to take a female biology class. But it was full. I begged and pleaded, to no avail. I ended up enrolling in an anthropology class simply because it fit my schedule.

This decision would change my entire life.

I began learning about primates that were on the verge of extinction, many of which had never been studied. I then watched Gorillas in the Mist and had an “AHA moment” –I knew THIS is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. But switching careers involved risking a “safe” career path I was well on my way on.

My professors? discouraged me…said there were no jobs in this field….
My family? They thought this was completely insane. I was a total girly-girl….the only daughter of Cuban immigrants. I had never been out of the country or even had a passport.
My mom was so overprotective…that when I asked if I could join the Girl Scouts my mom said, “absolutely not, that is way too dangerous’.
When I received my grants…My mom cried and begged me not to go. Her cries, were far louder than my whisper. But I knew that behind it all, she supported me… she had ironed my field clothes.
I was completely ill prepared. I HAD NEVER BEEN CAMPING. I only had a backpack, and a notebook, but the most amazing feeling I had ever felt in my entire life – the feeling of possibility.
I went to Guyana, to the most remote, unexplored region of the Amazon where a little-known monkey that we knew nothing about lived. There was obvious great risk in this.
I spent months living out of a dug-out canoe, and All was going GREAT. Until I nearly died.

It was during my hospital stay, recovering from a severe and mysterious blood infection that I saw an article in TIME magazine about the 25 most endangered primates.
Not only had those lemurs never been studied, they had also never even been photographed.
I heard the whisper again, more urgently this time and headed to the, at the time, relatively unknown and unexplored island of Madagascar. It was there that I discovered the world’s smallest primate and established a National Park that would protect it and the thousands of other endangered species living there.

I have taken a lot of risks in my career…and not just physical ones.
4 years ago, I was offered one that actually had the potential to end my career.
I agreed to be the resident scientist on a 4-person team that would explore the legend of Bigfoot on a Discovery Channel TV series, Expedition Bigfoot. I am there to ground the search in science and while most of the feedback has been very positive, I have faced sharp criticism and personal attacks, particularly from other scientists. But the risk has paid off and elevated my career as a recognized science communicator, reaching audiences scientists traditionally fail to connect with.

The unknown is scary. Sometimes the unknown is a place, or a person, or the bottom of this underground cave. But most often it’s an outcome. Fear of what could happen. Or not happen.

The moments that truly came to define me were seemingly insignificant.
My loudest whispers happened in unusual places: the parking lot of a football stadium, a dark classroom, and a hospital bed in Guyana. In each of these vastly different places, a similar thing happened. Life asked me to take significant risk despite the fear and to not give up.

When I look back, I realize that what I fear most…is having regret. So instead of fear limiting me…It’s my driving force. I let my dreams be my compass and that often comes with great risk. Throughout my life I have taken endless risks and its lead me here to be the woman that I am. It’s good to weigh up the risk…take a calculated risk, but, as I have found, sometimes you have to leap before you look. You should allow yourself to throw your hat over the parapet and leap after it.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Like many women do to be taken seriously in male-dominated fields, I played down my femininity at the beginning of my career. But it never felt authentic. I decided to not just stop hiding it, I began flaunting it. I dressed the way I wanted, wore makeup and curled my hair, even in the field—the antithesis of what you’d expect from a scientist. I learned to honor and trust my own voice. At just 23, I was offered a position as National Geographic’s first female wildlife correspondent. For more than 2 decades the media refers to me as the “Female Indiana Jones”, I was nominated for 2 Emmy Awards and I am the author of the best-selling book, Pink Boots and a Machete. This all stemmed from “owning” what made me different as a scientist which at the televisual forefront are traditionally khaki-clad men. I am now mentoring other young female scientists at FIU where I oversee the Women Explorers Program as well as other exciting and inspiring initiatives that foster what I strongly believe in…..inspiring people to care about nature and protect the natural wonders of our world, especially here in South Florida.
I essentially went from being an NFL Cheerleader for the Miami Dolphins to a world renown primatologist and National Geographic Explorer. I’ve learned to embrace resilience, stay true to myself and go after my dreams. I travel the country spreading this message and think what I am most proud of is having become a role model, especially for young girls and women, to follow their dreams and do the unimaginable despite the odds. My story is now a children’s brook, Just Wild Enough which I am very proud of.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I grew up in Miami and LOVE all the cultural diversity and amazing restaurants it has to offer! There is so much to do and see in this incredible city but I would start by taking them to Little Havana where I grew up! There we would have a cafecito and a tostada, head to Wynwood for some delicious tacos at La Tiendita or my favorite sushi spot, Uchi where you have to have the fried milk dessert. No visit would be complete without spending time on the beach, and shopping at Merrick Park. A glass of wine and people watching at Green Street Cafe in the Grove and then head to dinner at Chef Adriannes’s Vineyard Restaurant and Bar, my absolute favorite!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I wouldn’t be where I am today if it were not for the love and support of my family. My 3 “mothers” which include my mom, my aunt and my grandmother taught me to embrace risk and follow my dreams. And today I am extremely grateful to my 6 beautiful children who inspire me to keep making a difference every single day.

Website: www.mireyamayor.com

Instagram: @mireyamayor

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mireyamayor

Twitter: @mireyamayor

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mireyamayortv

Image Credits
Image 1- Brent Stirton Image 2 (on railroad)- Matt Donovan Image 3 with leopard- Martin Harvey Image 4 & 5 (under tree & lemur)- Mark Thiessen Image 6- profile Brent Stirton Image 7- Kemalettin Sert Image 8 with leopard- Martin Harvey

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