# Ep. 43: Dancing with whales, with Karim Iliya

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-leadership-dance-7102140/ep-43-dancing-with-whales-with-karim-iliya
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-leadership-dance-7102140/ep-43-dancing-with-whales-with-karim-iliya.md
Podcast: [The Leadership Dance](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-leadership-dance-7102140)
Published: 2026-06-08T18:30:00+00:00
Episode link: https://b41db787-e5e6-4a3e-9e61-ff750a24b66c.libsyn.com/ep-43-dancing-with-whales-with-karim-iliya
Audio file: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/traffic.libsyn.com/secure/b41db787-e5e6-4a3e-9e61-ff750a24b66c/Copy_of_TLD_-_Karim_Iliya_-_Multicam_-_Alissas_Notes_-_042226_-_AUDIO_ONLY_-_v2.mp3?dest-id=4801357
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-leadership-dance-7102140/episodes/ep-43-dancing-with-whales-with-karim-iliya
Duration seconds: 2540

## Resource

"The first time you swim with a whale, you realize your place in the world — that not everything revolves around us humans." Karim Iliya, photographer, filmmaker, and whale swimming guide, joins Alissa Hsu Lynch to talk about a life built on curiosity and constant motion. He grew up moving every two to four years across the Middle East and Asia, taught himself photography at 13, and eventually found his way beneath the surface. He free dives with humpback whales, filmed orcas for Netflix, and has photographed volcanoes from Hawaii to Guatemala. His work has been featured by National Geographic, BBC, and Netflix in over 55 countries. Today he guides people into the water with whales through Dance with Whales, and co-founded Kogia, a conservation nonprofit with a free media library used in over 65 countries. Don't miss this conversation about conservation, creativity, and building a life by following what you can't stop doing. 💡 Key Takeaways: Why saying yes to everything is one of the fastest ways to lose focus on what actually matters. The importance of protecting personal projects alongside client work, and why those are the ones that define a career. How giving people a direct experience of something they care about is one of the most powerful tools for changing behavior and perspective. Connect with Karim: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karimiliya/ Website: https://karimiliya.com/ Company website: https://www.kogia.org/ ✅ Sign up for the newsletter: https://theleadershipdance.substack.com/s/the-leadership-dance 👉 Listen and follow: https://linktr.ee/theleadershipdance Music from InAudio: https://inaudio.org/ "Catwalk Queen"

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## Transcript

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