Magali Gregoire
Executive Director and Founder of Back to the Sea
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After completing a Bachelor's in biology and Master in museum studies, I discovered a passion that combined both - education in scientific institutions. My career began at the Montreal Insectarium, where I learned how to make people fall in love with creepy crawlers. I truly experienced the power of hands-on education as I saw visitors go from being scared of holding a cute stick bug to asking to hold a scorpion in the span of short visit. A move to St. John's, Newfoundland in 2013 opened a whole new world to me. Surrounded by the deep blue ocean, I fell in love with Atlantic Canada and marine life. Working at the Petty Harbour Mini Aquarium changed the course of my career. Inspired by this Community Aquarium model that released its animals at the end of every season, I moved once again to settle in Halifax with the goal of opening a similar aquarium here. I created the Back to the Sea Society, a charity that celebrated its 5 year anniversary last year! We've been operating the Touch Tank Hut, a miniature marine interpretive centre along the Dartmouth Waterfront and slowly working towards opening a permanent Aquarium that will allow even more people to get curious and be inspired to protect the ocean.
What are you most proud of professionally? And who or why?
Creating a charity that creates job opportunities in the field of marine biology every summer. Every time someone applies to one of our positions, I get a wave of emotions over being able to offer employment that excites and inspires others!
What’s your vision for Atlantic Canada in 10 years? What’s our biggest opportunity now?
My hope is that in 10 years, the majority of Atlantic Canadians will recognize the power they have in shaping our future. That they will acknowledge the importance of our ocean ecosystem, and that opportunities will be there for people to reduce their environmental footprint and contribute to a positive change for climate change and caring for our planet.
What was your greatest stage of growth? What made it a shift for you?
I once heard someone define success as having an end goal and enjoying the process to get there. This was a real shift for me, as I had previously been running on stress to get to the goal of opening the Aquarium, thinking that would be when I could truly say I had accomplished something and enjoy it. When I heard that sentence, I changed my mind and became proud of what I had accomplished to date! I now enjoy every small success along the way.
What’s your deepest learning from this past year? How did/will you apply it?
The past two years of the pandemic has made me truly believe that we are all so much more alike than we might think. It has helped put everyone on the same playing field, as we all navigated online meetings with interruptions from pets, kids and deliveries! It has made me more confident going into meetings that are outside of my comfort zone. Instead of spending a lot of time feeling intimidated, I go in with an open mind ready to make connections.
Who’s inspired you, directly or indirectly? How have they inspired you?
Melanie Knight, the Founder of the Petty Harbour Mini Aquarium is my greatest inspiration in terms of my career. As my mentor, she has supported me along every major stage, but most importantly she gave me my first boost of confidence when I asked her if she thought this project could be done in Halifax.
What would you have done differently?
Given myself and those around me more grace in times of stress. But really, all mistakes and failures are an opportunity to learn.
What are the principles you live by?
To choose kindness and that life begins at the end of your comfort zone.
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educator, museologist, outdoor adventurer, yogi