Julia Graeter

The Whale Woman | Conservation Leader | Keynote Speaker | Visionary & Thought Leader in WHALENESS

Also known as The Whale Woman, is the Visionary & Thought Leader in WHALENESS, Founder & CEO
of we.are.tohorā and International Keynote Speaker.

Born in Germany and now residing in New Zealand, Julia has dedicated her life to marine conservation, blending science, creativity, and activism. Julia Graeter is a Marine Conservation Leader, Experience Designer, Whale Researcher, Marine Mammal Medic, Wildlife Photographer and Ocean Advocate. She has worked hands-on with both live and deceased whales.

Julia Graeter is an engaging and impactful speaker, known for inspiring audiences with her unique perspective on the connection between whales, planetary health, and human wellbeing. She brings to life the awe of encountering the ocean’s gentle giants, the urgency of conservation efforts, and the resilience needed to drive meaningful change.

Having collaborated with scientists, conservationists, and community leaders, Julia Graeter offers keynotes, workshops, and mentoring programs that spark curiosity, ignite action, and empower individuals to rethink their relationship with the natural world.

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Topics

Talking Points

  • Whales, Wellbeing & the Intelligence of Nature

  • Planetary Leadership in a Time of Ecological Collapse

  • WHALENESS: What Whales Teach Us About Connection, Presence & Systems

  • Reimagining Sustainability Beyond Metrics and Compliance

  • Human Wellbeing as an Environmental Issue

  • Listening to the Ocean: Leadership Lessons from the Deep

  • From Extraction to Relationship: A New Way to Lead on This Planet

  • Why whales are not just environmental icons, but intelligence holders critical to planetary balance

  • How human burnout mirrors ecological collapse, and why they must be addressed together

  • What whale behaviour teaches us about leadership, presence, and long-term thinking

  • Why modern sustainability efforts fail when they focus on metrics instead of relationship

  • The shift from extraction to stewardship as the defining leadership challenge of our time

  • Why wellbeing is not personal, it’s ecological, cultural, and systemic

  • How listening to nature changes how we make decisions in business and policy

  • WHALENESS as a new framework for rethinking leadership, culture, and responsibility

  • The cost of ignoring nature’s intelligence in how we build, lead, and consume

  • Why the future of leadership depends on reconnecting humans with the living world

The Whale Woman

Conservation Leader

Keynote Speaker

Visionary & Thought

Leader in WHALENESS

About Julia

A speaker, conservation leader, and systems thinker redefining how humans understand wellbeing, leadership, and our relationship with the living world. Known as The Whale Woman, her work explores the intelligence of whales as a mirror for planetary health, challenging extractive mindsets and inviting a deeper way of listening, leading, and living.

Through her WHALENESS framework, Julia connects marine ecology with human burnout, culture, and leadership failure, making a bold case that environmental collapse and human disconnection are the same problem. Blending science, storytelling, and embodied insight, she delivers keynotes and experiences that move audiences beyond awareness into responsibility, shifting leaders from control to stewardship and from dominance to relationship with the planet we depend on.

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