Once Kit got to know Residents in our ship community, she created her own a “job” to create and organize a speaker series: getting other Residents to give talks about their expertise, experience, and passions.
It has been wildly successful among the Residents. The ship’s officers have started to take notice, attending some of the talks …and occasionally agreeing to give talks. Ship’s crew are, after all, part of the community.
There are no transcripts other than the somewhat error-prone closed captions created by Youtube. Note that not all talks are recorded.
As of now there is a fair backlog of talks, and this page will expand not only as we go forward, but with fill-in going backward as we produce and upload them.
Format Change Note: Doing a separate page here for every video was slowing down the posting process. Links now go directly to Youtube unless noted. Thoughtful comments are welcome on Youtube (or this site, when there’s an associated article), or both.
2024
- Randy Cassingham: The Only One There — The first talk Randy did for the residents on our ship about his experiences as a medic. 21 Nov (Article Page)
- Dr. Kathryn Jacobs: Marriage in Medieval & Renaissance Europe — What was marriage in medieval times, when there was no laws, no licenses, and few could read or write? 29 Nov
- Andy Garrison: The Diamond of the West Coast of Africa: Namibia — A brief introduction to Namibia’s history, geography, and cultures with comments on its role in world history. 19 Dec
- Kit Cassingham: 3 Elements for Happiness — A Life Coach, Kit discusses three keys that she has found in her work for finding happiness. 22 Dec
- Randy Cassingham: The Cassini Mission to Saturn — While working at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Randy watched the Cassini spacecraft being built. 30 Dec (Article Page)
2025
- Dr. Frank Miskevich: Everything You Didn’t Want To Know About Flu — A PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology shares the science behind the flu. 13 Jan
- Darryl Karp: The Kibera Foundation — Darryl’s compassion for orphans took him into Kibera, a slum in Nairobi, Kenya, where he started making a difference in their lives with various educational and welfare programs. 15 Mar
- Captain Zejlko: Moments With The Master — Our ship captain agreed to be interviewed so we could get to know him as a person, more than “just” our Captain. 17 Mar
- Shirene Thomas: Get to Know Nowruz: Persian New Year — A woman of many talents, Shirene shares her Persian background and information about the Persian New Year, Nowruz. 20 Mar
- Laura Lee: Being Open To Something New, Like… Watercolor! — A retired aerospace engineer and lawyer, Laura dropped her mosaic hobby because the materials took up too much space. What next? 24 Mar
- Dr. Steven Saris: Frida Kahlo & Georgia O’Keefe: The People and Their Art — After retiring from his job as a ship’s doctor, Steven picked up art as a hobby. He is as fascinated by these two women as he is their art. 28 Mar
- Dr. David Austin: The History of Anesthesia — A retired anesthesiologist, on National Doctor’s Day (U.S.) David presented information about anesthesia — how it works and its history. 30 Mar
- Kit Cassingham: Coroner Calls: The Care, Science, & Mystery — Being a Coroner is a job most people can’t imagine doing because it seems so hard emotionally. Kit found balance and satisfaction in the work. 31 Mar
- Diane Tetrault: The Magic of Trinidad — While living on a sailboat, Diane needed shelter from hurricanes and took up harbor in the island paradise of Trinidad & Tobago. 2 Apr
- Michael Edwards: Introduction to the Oddyssey Game — a long-time gamer, Michael decided during his extended visit in Belfast as he waited for Odyssey to launch to create a game like those he’d played for so long. 4 Apr
- Meg Stewart, Laurie Boyle, and Lyn Hopeau: Hawaii Calls — Three residents share their love of the islands through history, a blessing in English and translated into Ōlelo Hawaiʻi, and a hula. 18 Apr
- Dr. Basia Kruszewska: Adventures In Birding — Basia has an impressive collection of advanced science degrees and adopted birding as a hobby while she worked in her career. 18 Apr
- Cmdr. Andrew Johnston: Anzac Day: Honouring the Spirit of Sacrifice & Courage — A Commander of the Royal Australian Navy (ret.), Andrew shares the importance and history of ANZAC Day (Australia, New Zealand Army Corps), commemorated on April 25 each year. 24 Apr
- Dr. Kathryn Jacobs: A Life Lived Differently — The Poetry of Autism — Kathryn wrote 6 books during her 32-year career as a professor in New Jersey and Texas. The last, A Life Lived Differently, was co-written with her daughter, Rachel, and explains each of their unique roles in presenting the autistic point of view. 4 May
- Kit Cassingham: The Kids of the Odyssey — We residents have been blessed to have eight young adults living among us. Five of them graced the Speakers Corner stage to talk about their experiences of living on the Odyssey. 8 May
- Calvin Smith: Investing 101: Basics and History — Calvin learned in his various Investment Clubs he’s been a member of through the years that even seasoned investors don’t always understand all the nuances of investing. He designed this talk to educate you on the basics of investing, throwing a bit of history in for good measure. 10 May
- Lauren Meyer: Life Through the Porthole — Lauren has worked on cruise ships for many years and for several cruise lines. She worked her way up from the bottom to the job she held on the Villa Vie Odyssey as Entertainment Director. She tells great stories and has terrific advice for those who want to work on a ship. 12 May (Article Page Coming)
- Dr. Frank Miskevich: A Cellular Guide to Self Defense — Frank brings his PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology to explain how our immune system fights for us. 17 May
- John, Cindy, Diana, Jim: The Magic of the Hawaiian Islands — One of the resident Hawaiians thought of creating a panel presentation about the highlights of each island, one resident per island. That’s what this video is. 18 May
- Eddie Dorworth: Travel Safety Tips to Protect Your Money — With years of living and traveling abroad, Eddie applies lessons to some unfortunate experiences residents have suffered. His tips are straightforward, clear, and well-explained. 20 May
- Elise & Ivo: Life As A Professional Dancer — Part of the entertainment that’s hired to educate and entertain us, Ivo and Elise have inspired many residents to sign up for dance classes. 22 May
- Captain Val: An Interview With the Master of the Odyssey — Kit asks questions ranging from his family and roots to his training and experiences to what’s on the horizon for the Odyssey and Residential Cruising. 26 May
This Page Will Be Expanded as more talks are given, and available recordings can be rendered and uploaded.