A Slight Change of Plans

Tenacity: Stories about perseverance | From The Story Collider

12 snips
Jul 14, 2026
James Gordon, award-winning author and storyteller, shares a raw personal tale about his daughter’s life-threatening heart surgery. Emily Darling, coral reef scientist and conservation leader, recounts losing and then reclaiming hope for reefs amid climate crisis. They explore perseverance in medicine and science through intimate, resilient moments.
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INSIGHT

Hope Reignited By Specific Coral Resilience

  • Emily Darling lost hope amid repeated coral bleaching but rediscovered it through specific field memories and examples of resilience.
  • She cites reefs in northern Mozambique, a protected Malaysian park, and a damselfish actively farming sand as concrete reasons for hope.
ANECDOTE

Damselfish Farming Became A Metaphor For Persistence

  • Emily Darling describes three vivid dive scenes: thriving Mozambique corals, protected Malaysian reefs with sharks, and a struggling Fijian reef with a persevering damselfish.
  • The damselfish farms turf algae and actively removes sand, symbolizing individual persistence on degraded reefs.
ADVICE

Protect Reefs With Local Marine Parks

  • Protect reefs through local conservation actions because marine parks and community decisions can preserve healthy reefs.
  • Emily points to a Malaysian marine park where government and community protection kept a reef intact.
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