How Jillian Morris-Brake Navigates the Ebbs and Flows of Shark Conservation, Research, and Motherhood

When I connected with Jillian, she was sitting in a sunlit room in her home in the Bahamas. Her home beamed with beachy décor, and her young daughter darted around in the background as Jillian and I discussed everything from her childhood to her latest shark research project. While Jillian’s world is concentrated in the Caribbean, her love for the water and all things outdoors was born nearly 1500 miles away in Maine. Jillian Morris is a marine biologist, a non-profit founder, a children’s book author, and a mom. Somehow, she’s able to juggle it all and keep her head above the surface. 

A smile lights up Jillian’s face as she reflects on her childhood spent exploring the lakes and rocky beaches of Maine and how her parents encouraged curiosity, exploration, and adventure. When Jillian’s father would travel to Florida for work every year, Jillian and her mother would tag along. It was on one of these Florida escapes at the age of eight that she first donned a mask and snorkel to explore what lies beneath the surface of the ocean. Coincidentally, her first time using a snorkel was also her first shark encounter. As she swam through Florida’s warm, tropical waters, she encountered a nurse shark and several manatees. Rather than signaling a primal fight-or-flight response, the encounter sparked a deep curiosity that evolved into a burning, lifelong passion. Upon returning to Maine, Jillian rushed to the library to learn everything she could about sharks. 

Fast forward a decade, and Jillian’s juggling two passions as she applies to college: marine biology and basketball. After a tough freshman year trying to piece together a nonexistent marine biology program, Jillian decides to transfer schools to a university that would allow her to pursue her dream of playing college basketball, while also completing her major in marine biology. During her college years, she secured an internship at Mote Marine Labs in Florida. After a thrilling summer of field research, she took a semester off from school, got scuba certified, and returned to Florida to continue her work with Mote Marine Labs. 

During her time in Florida, Jillian evolved into a seasoned diver and scientist. “Being able to spend that time underwater honestly changed my life.” It also showed her that dive science was a heavily male-dominated field, and she’d have to speak up to make sure her voice was heard. 

When Jillian returned to school, she forged her own path to pursue marine biology within a science program where that was typically not offered. But Jillian had a vision for her future, one heavily inspired by Marine Biologist Sylvia Earl, whom Jillian first read about in a National Geographic Kids book her mom brought home from a yard sale. 

After college, Jillian’s work took her to the Bahamas aboard a research vessel, and she immediately fell in love with the country’s dive scene and way of life. On her second visit, she spotted a massive hammerhead shark being strung up by fishermen, hunted not for food or sport, but because of the fear that the species inspires. From then on, she knew her path would lead her to shark conservation. 

Throughout her career, Jillian has worn many hats. She has led shark dive expeditions for tourists, worked on film projects for various media organizations, pioneered research, and had the opportunity to work alongside her childhood hero, Sylvia Earle. Along the way, she met her husband, a fellow marine biologist who specializes in underwater filming. 

Jillian found she was the most engaged when she was able to share her conservation message with others, particularly younger generations. “When I go into a classroom and talk to kids, that gives me hope and it energizes me. That’s how Sharks4Kids was born.” 

Sharks4Kids launched in 2014 with the mission to introduce the next generation to shark conservation. From the beginning, Jillian prioritized accessibility. She insisted, “[it] has to be free. We cannot have financial barriers.” Sharks4Kids offers free student shark tagging programs in Florida, hosts a summer camp for locals in the Bahamas, and leads mangrove and dolphin tours for students. They even host a pool dive certification. “We’ve had local students in the Bahamas fall in love with diving and go on to work at local dive shops or dive tours.” 

When Jillian reflects on all she’s done and her accomplishments, it’s hard to single out one, but she admits that “Though the last 13 years of my life have been focused on teaching kids, teaching my daughter has been everything I imagined it to be and more. She wants to be in water. It’s like experiencing the ocean again for the first time.” 

Whether she’s diving with lemon sharks on her current research project or snorkeling with her daughter, Jillian approaches the ocean with the same respect, admiration, and passion she hopes to inspire in future generations.