1 rich Libsyn https://www.libsyn.com 90 600 Episode Title: Empowering Seafarers: Building Trust and Connection in Maritime with Josephine Le of The Hood Guest: Josephine Le, Founder of The Hood Episode Overview: In this powerful and human-centered conversation, Josephine Le, founder of The Hood, shares her journey from crewing superintendent to tech founder. The Hood is a digital platform reshaping how seafarers connect, build careers, and find trusted resources in a fragmented maritime industry. We unpack the origins of her idea, the mental health crisis at sea, and why digital connection and transparency must be a top priority across the global shipping workforce. Key Points: The Birth of The Hood: Josephine shares how the COVID-19 pandemic exposed deep flaws in crew change logistics and inspired her to build a platform rooted in empathy and real-world challenges. Not Just LinkedIn for Seafarers: The Hood isn't a corporate social network—it’s designed for the most inexperienced maritime workers, offering safer access to jobs, community, and resources. Smart Tools for a Safer Industry: Features like auto-CV generation, live document sharing, recruiter transparency, and candidate-controlled access are changing the game for job seekers and crewing teams alike. Fighting Fraud and Exploitation: The Hood only works with certified manning agencies and empowers users to report scams and misconduct—bringing accountability where it’s desperately needed. Mental Health and Support: Josephine discusses The Hood’s &quot;We Care&quot; section and partnerships with organizations like ISWAN and Sailors’ Society to support vulnerable workers. AI with Caution: Josephine explains why The Hood hasn’t rushed into AI, preferring to build something meaningful and data-backed over gimmicks. Books at 35,000 Feet: A lover of founder biographies, Josephine shares her current favorite—Man of This Land, about the rise of Hyundai’s shipbuilding empire. Learn More: Check out Episode 109 with Pam Kern on maritime mental health, and Episode 80 with Carl King on seafarer welfare and advocacy. Tune in Now: Available on Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Watch on YouTube Music by: Peg and The Rejected &quot;King of SKA&quot; Art Work By: GA Design Produced by: Chris Aversano Support Our Podcast: If this episode moved you, follow, rate us 5 stars, share with your network, or support us via Buy Me a Coffee. Your support helps keep these important stories coming. The Last Dinosaur is proud to be a media partner of: 🚢 The Captain’s Table 📆 London International Shipping Week 2025 🌐 SHIPPINGInsight The Last Dinosaur - Maritime Shipping In The Digital Age http://sites.libsyn.com/404561/site <iframe title="Libsyn Player" style="border: none" src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/37626495/height/90/theme/custom/thumbnail/yes/direction/forward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/88AA3C/" height="90" width="600" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe> https://assets.libsyn.com/secure/content/191377465