Dr. Rosa Vasquez Espinoza – National Geographic Explorer, Amazon Scientist & Advocate for Indigenous Wisdom and Biodiversity

In this episode of the Tough Girl Podcast, we journey into the heart of the Amazon and the mind of a remarkable woman pushing the boundaries of science, culture, and conservation—Dr. Rosa Vásquez Espinoza.

Rosa is a Peruvian chemical biologist, National Geographic Explorer, UN Harmony with Nature Scientist, and the founder of Amazon Research Internacional. 

Splitting her time between Bath, England, and the Peruvian rainforest, Rosa blends cutting-edge research with ancestral knowledge to protect biodiversity and uplift indigenous communities.

Her journey—from a curious child growing up in Peru to leading expeditions in the Amazon, researching the legendary Boiling River, studying stingless bees, and authoring The Spirit of the Rainforest—is nothing short of extraordinary. Rosa shares how she learned expedition skills later in life, why documenting indigenous science is crucial, and what it means to be a female scientist navigating international platforms like the UN and COP16.

This conversation is packed with insight into climate resilience, overcoming self-doubt, and the healing power of nature, science, and community. Rosa’s message is a powerful call to action for women everywhere: follow the questions that stay in your head—you never know where they may lead.

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Show notes

• Who is Dr Rosa
• Currently living in Bath
• Being based between England and Peru 
• Working as a Peruvian scientistic
• National Geographic Explorer 
• Leading science and conservation efforts in the Amazon Rainforest 
• Having a deep connection to her indigenous roots 
• Her early years living in Peru and relationship with her grandmother
• Spending time in the city and the mountains
• Being fascinated by the things she couldn’t understand 
• Loving space and wanted to know everything about the planet
• Having a fascination for science
• Wanting to dedicate her life to the Amazon 
• Getting her PhD in Chemical Biology from Michigan University 
• Taking a year off to get more work experience and reconsidering her whole life
• Being able to study traditional Chineses medicine in Beijing in her last year of undergrad
• The Amazon Boiling River
• Ted Talk - Andrés Ruzo 
• Book: The Boiling River (TED) by Andrés Ruzo  
• Discovering new microbes in the river
• Boiling mud 
• Book: The Spirit of the Rainforest: How indigenous wisdom and scientific curiosity reconnects us to the natural world 
• What you can expect from the book
• Learning expeditions skills later on in life
• Leading her first expedition
• Chapter 4 - Stingless Bees - the oldest bees on the planet 
• Capacity building 
• Partnerships with different indigenous groups
• Climate challenges
• Climate Anxiety
• The importance of indigenous science and making sure that it is documented 
• Being motivated to write the book 
• COP16 in October 2024 in Colombia 
• Dealing with self doubt and why the work is not easy
• Being a voice with the international press
• Creating space for female indigenous members
• Being a good team member
• The importance of community 
• Current expeditions and plans for heading back to the field
• Funding expeditions 
• Extreme climate explorers
• BBC - Documenting their work on stingless bees
• How to find stingless bees
• Smelling fish in the jungle….
• Medicinial Honey?!
• Comparison to Manuka honey?
• Her Ayahuasca experience
• The ego death experience 
• Chapter 11 - becoming a black jaguar 
• How to connect with Dr Rosa
• Final word of advice for women who want to explore more and get into science and exploration
• Follow the questions that stay in your head
• You never know where they may lead.

 

Social Media

Website: www.rosavespinoza.com 

Instagram: @rosavespinoza

Facebook: @rosavespinoza9 

TikTok: @rosavespinoza 

YouTube: @rosavespinoza