Planet Visionaries – SEASON 5

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 Tompkins who is restoring vast South America ecosystems. These stories bridge the gap between scientific innovation and the human spirit, proving that protecting our planet is entirely possible when passion meets action.

Whether you’re discovering the series for the first time or have been with us all season, this episode captures the spirit of Planet Visionaries: that protecting our planet is entirely possible.

For nearly a century, Rolex has supported pioneering explorers. Over time, the company has moved from championing exploration for the sake of discovery to protecting the planet. Through the Perpetual Planet Initiative, Rolex stands alongside the inspiring people who are dedicated to building a better future for all life on Earth.

Credits:

Photographs and footage credits:
National Geographic; Tompkins Foundation, Rewilding Argentina, Rewilding Chile; AmberCycle, Novoloop; SeaLegacy; The Solutions Project; CETI; KaraSolar; Sanku; Canada's National Arts Centre; Lightspring Solar; The Honnold Foundation; NeuroRestore; Mission Blue and Noe Langronier for Coral Gardens; Lianna Nixon Photography; Ocean Discovery League images courtesy of Susan Poulton; Oceancensus.

Also huge thanks to all of the guests below for providing images:

Pablo Borboroglu, Bertie Gregory, Kris Tompkins, Miranda Wang, Shay Sethi, Alice Eady, Malaika Vaz, Paul Nicklen, Cristina Mittermeier, Mark Ruffalo, Gloria Walton, David Gruber, Oliver Utne, Felix Brooks-church, Ben Mirin, Xiye Bastida, Joseph McNeil, Gregoire Courtine, Jocelyne Bloch, Titouan Bernicot, Sylvia Earle, Fernando Trujillo, David Doubilet, Jennifer Hayes, Allison Fong, Andrew Thurber, Sheena Talma and Katy Croff Bell.

 

To find out more about the Rolex and National Geographic Perpetual Planet Ocean Expeditions

Theme and score by Kara Talve for Bleeding Fingers Music, produced by Russell Emanuel.

Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow @sonypodcasts.

Thank you to On Air Presents. for their creative, branding and marketing support.

Planet Visionaries is a podcast in partnership with the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, and a Sony Music Podcasts production.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 deep ocean has been visually observed even though it constitutes two-thirds of the planet. From discovering shipwrecks on the ocean floor to mapping unexplored habitats, this episode reveals why the deep ocean may be humanity’s greatest remaining frontier.

For nearly a century, Rolex has supported pioneering explorers. Over time, the company has moved from championing exploration for the sake of discovery to protecting the planet. Through the Perpetual Planet Initiative, Rolex stands alongside the inspiring people who are dedicated to building a better future for all life on Earth.

 

Credits:

Personal photographs kindly provided by Sheena Talma, Katy Croff Bell.

Ocean Discovery League images courtesy of Susan Poulton.

Thanks also to Oceancensus.

Material from the South Africa expedition and from the deep-sea camera systems provided courtesy of the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity and the South African Polar Research Infrastructure. ©NRF SAIAB and ©SAPRI

To find out more about the Rolex and National Geographic Perpetual Planet Ocean Expeditions

Theme and score by Kara Talve for Bleeding Fingers Music, produced by Russell Emanuel.

Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow @sonypodcasts.

Thank you to On Air Presents. for their creative, branding and marketing support.

Planet Visionaries is a podcast in partnership with the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, and a Sony Music Podcasts production.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 regulate carbon and methane, while Fong explores how polar microbes underpin fragile ecosystems.
Together they reveal how microscopic life quietly shapes the stability of our
planet.

For nearly a century, Rolex has supported pioneering explorers. Over time, the company has moved from championing exploration for the sake of discovery to protecting the planet. Through the Perpetual Planet Initiative, Rolex stands alongside the inspiring people who are dedicated to building a better future for all life on Earth.

Credits:

Stills and footage courtesy: Andrew Thurber, Allison Fong and Lianna Nixon
Photography: www.liannanixon.com

To find out more about Feel Think Studios and the Rolex and National Geographic Perpetual Planet Ocean Expeditions

Theme and score by Kara Talve for Bleeding Fingers Music, produced by Russell Emanuel.

Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow @sonypodcasts.

Thank you to On Air Presents. for their creative, branding and marketing support.

Planet Visionaries is a podcast in partnership with the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, and a Sony Music Podcasts production.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 their work from pure exploration to vital conservation. This discussion dives into how powerful imagery can inspire connection, responsibility and action. 

For nearly a century, Rolex has supported pioneering explorers. Over time, the company has moved from championing exploration for the sake of discovery to protecting the planet. Through the Perpetual Planet Initiative, Rolex stands alongside the inspiring people who are dedicated to building a better future for all life on Earth. 

 

Credits:

Stills and footage courtesy: David Doubilet and Jennifer Hayes

To find out more about David and Jennifer’s work

Theme and score by Kara Talve for Bleeding Fingers Music, produced by Russell Emanuel.

Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow @sonypodcasts.

Thank you to On Air Presents for their creative, branding and marketing support.

Planet Visionaries is a podcast in partnership with the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, and a Sony Music Podcasts production.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 insights from decades of research on how these dolphins signal river health, the threats they face and why their protection benefits both ecosystems and local communities.

For nearly a century, Rolex has supported pioneering explorers. Over time, the company has moved from championing exploration for the sake of discovery to protecting the planet. Through the Perpetual Planet Initiative, Rolex stands alongside the inspiring people who are dedicated to building a better future for all life on Earth.

Credits:

Stills and footage courtesy: Fernando Trujillo

To find out more about Omacha Foundation

Theme and score by Kara Talve for Bleeding Fingers Music, produced by Russell Emanuel.

Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow @sonypodcasts.

Thank you to On Air Presents. For their creative, branding and marketing support.

Planet Visionaries is a podcast in partnership with the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, and a Sony Music Podcasts production.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices