Liza Goldberg on climate purpose, NASA innovation, and leadership for business growth
How can young leaders use tech to protect ecosystems and inspire teams?
In this episode of Be All You Can, Liza Goldberg, NASA mangrove expert, Stanford student, and founder of the Cloud2Classroom initiative, details her extraordinary path from a 14-year-old backyard researcher testing red maple saplings to a global impact maker developing EcoMap, a real-time platform monitoring mangrove loss worldwide.
Blending stories of purpose-driven science, relentless personal growth, and the power of early passion, Liza reflects on balancing hectic days while empowering the next generation through education and tech transfer. Her insights offer a vital roadmap for aspiring business leaders in India who aim to weave personal growth, innovation, and environmental stewardship into successful businesses and sustainable growth. Tune in for an inspiring conversation on purpose and growth.
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Feb 20, 2026(0:01) I submitted that project to a science fair.
(0:05) And at the science fair, there happened to be a judge who worked for NASA.
(0:10) And he saw how really in love I was with environmental and climate science.
(0:15) And he invited me to actually come and work for NASA.
(0:19) I had no idea that NASA did any work outside of your typical sending rockets into space
(0:26) and studying outer space in general.
(0:31) Hello, listeners, and welcome to Godrej and Boyce podcast.
(0:35) Be all you can.
(0:38) I am Tejashree Josshi, and I'm very glad to be your host for this episode.
(0:43) Over the last 20 years in Godrej, I have been part of many environmental projects
(0:48) that gave me the opportunity to play a role in building a more optimistic future.
(0:54) Of all these, of course, mangroves has always claimed more love from me.
(1:00) And hence, it's such a pleasure to interview someone
(1:04) that bears the same passion for these blue carbon ecosystems.
(1:09) Hi, Liza.How are you?
(1:11) Thank you so much for joining us this morning.
(1:15) Thank you so much. It's great to be here.
(1:17) For all our listeners, Liza Goldberg is a student research assistant at NASA.
(1:23) NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and an undergrad at Stanford University.
(1:30) She began her research at NASA at the age of 14.
(1:34) As of today, she employs remote sensing to monitor global mangroves ecosystem vulnerability and disturbances.
(1:42) She's built a program that uses satellite imagery to monitor the location and drivers of mangroves loss.
(1:50) Welcome to our podcast, Liza.
(1:53) Thank you so much.
(1:54) So let's get straight to where it all began.
(1:58) Tell us a bit about your backyard project, Liza.
(2:01) Sure. So back when I was in middle school,
(2:04) I was really interested in trying to better understand how climate change would impact
(2:11) the carbon dioxide exchanges of red maple saplings.
(2:15) I wanted to know whether when temperatures increased around the world,
(2:20) whether these trees would increase or decrease their ability to absorb carbon dioxide.
(2:27) So my parents let me plant eight red maple saplings, small trees in my backyard.
(2:34) And every week for about three years, I went out and I tested these saplings with a carbon dioxide gas analyzer.
(2:42) And through that project, I really fell in love with the field of climate science and forest ecology,
(2:50) actually getting out there and exploring these kinds of key scientific questions.
(2:56) And it was it was incredible to have the capacity to do this kind of work at such a young age
(3:03) and be really encouraged to tackle these hard questions by those around me.
(3:08) So was that the first time you realized your passion for climate action?
(3:14) Were you inspired by someone?
(3:16) So I actually developed my love for environmental science back in primary school,
(3:23) where I was part of a special program where they brought students to a wetland called the Chesapeake Bay.
(3:31) The Chesapeake Bay is an estuary just north of Washington, D.C., in the United States.
(3:37) And it's one of the most ecologically valuable regions on the East Coast.
(3:43) And so through this special program in my school, they would bring us as primary school students to go boating in this wetlands
(3:52) to actually see what it was like to be a forest ecologist and an ecosystem scientist.
(3:58) We got to raise these special crabs and fish and really learn about the intersection between human action
(4:06) and the environmental response.
(4:09) So that was the time in which I really realized my passion for understanding environmental change.
(4:16) It was also the first time I heard the words climate change.
(4:19) And from there, I decided that was going to be really my mission in life.
(4:24) You actually got to get sensitized by experiencing the nature, human interactions and impacts.
(4:31) So great. So that leads me to my next question.
(4:34) How did you end up in NASA and why particularly the study on mangroves?
(4:39) So when I was continuing my projects in my backyard, looking at the impacts of climate change on the carbon dioxide exchanges of the red maple saplings,
(4:52) I submitted that project to a science fair.
(4:55) And at the science fair, there happened to be a judge who worked for NASA.
(4:59) And he saw how really in love I was with environmental and climate science.
(5:05) And he invited me to actually come and work for NASA.
(5:09) I had no idea that NASA did any work outside of your typical sending rockets into space and studying outer space in general.
(5:19) But as it turns out, NASA actually has some really large scale Earth Sciences divisions where scientists work on using satellites and space technology to monitor changes on Earth.
(5:33) So I was introduced to several scientists at NASA within the Earth Sciences division.
(5:39) And one of them was an incredible researcher named Lola Fatrienbo.
(5:44) And her expertise was on mangrove ecosystems.
(5:48) Now, before meeting Lola, I had never heard of a mangrove before.
(5:53) But what she taught me was that mangroves are one of Earth's most valuable forest types,
(5:59) both in terms of the fact that they can absorb substantial amounts of carbon dioxide several times more than even rainforest ecosystems.
(6:08) And they're also so critical for helping build coastal resilience among communities around the world that are otherwise at risk for things like storm surges and sea level rise.
(6:22) So mangroves can provide a coastal barrier that prevents these sorts of climate impacts from really detrimentally influencing these coastal populations.
(6:35) So I fell in love with the study of mangrove ecosystems through Lola's lab.
(6:40) And I've been working in the coastal ecosystem analysis field ever since I first met her.
(6:47) Wow. Liza, you came up with an EcoMap tool.
(6:52) Tell us a bit more about it.
(6:53) And how do you see this solving the larger coastal vulnerability concerns?
(6:58) When I first began my work at NASA in the summer of 2016, there actually happened to be a really large scale loss of mangroves in northern Australia.
(7:11) Over 6,000 hectares of forests were lost within the course of just a couple of weeks.
(7:17) But the problem there was not just the extent of the losses that occurred.
(7:21) It was more the fact that no scientists could actually figure out why these mangroves were being lost.
(7:27) And this presents a really key question, because if we can't understand why these forests are in danger,
(7:34) then how can we possibly build conservation solutions to prevent these losses from occurring in the future?
(7:42) So after these diebacks occurred in Australia, I decided I wanted to build a real-time global mangrove monitoring system
(7:50) that could detect not only where the mangroves were being lost, but also why they were being lost,
(7:57) the drivers of loss from both the human side and the climatic side as well.
(8:02) And what we ended up doing with EcoMap, this global mangrove loss monitoring platform,
(8:09) is working with policymakers across global mangrove regions around the world,
(8:14) especially in East and West Africa and Southeast Asia,
(8:18) to be able to use these platforms in diagnosing exactly where to plan restoration and conservation efforts.
(8:27) So ultimately, this platform was really critical in taking the first key step
(8:32) in monitoring coastal vulnerability from the hyperlocal to the global scale.
(8:37) And I can really vouch for how important this tool will be for the purpose that we all drive for conservation of mangroves.
(8:46) So it is said that having a purpose, and that too at a very young age, is a secret to achieving far-reaching goals.
(8:53) Do you believe that finding your purpose at a very young age gave you an edge over your peers?
(8:59) So I'm a big believer in everyone as an individual really sticking to what they love
(9:05) and what they're very passionate about in the process of finding their own purpose.
(9:11) I've never really compared myself to my peers or other individuals in my field,
(9:16) because I feel very strongly that it's important that everyone has the confidence to be able to chase their passions,
(9:23) regardless of whether that makes you more or less competitive among those around you.
(9:29) I have found so much joy in my work through just being really self-centered
(9:34) and focusing on what exactly I can personally do to make the most substantial impact possible within my field.
(9:43) And that comes from, you know, becoming really focused on what the mission is,
(9:48) what these sorts of methods are that I can do to accomplish it,
(9:52) rather than just focusing on what is the most prestigious way I can accomplish this goal.
(9:57) Very well said. And how is this your purpose? Any different from other interests that you have?
(10:05) So at NASA, I've been so lucky to be able to work on the field of remote sensing for forest vulnerability
(10:12) and working with critical ecosystems around the world.
(10:16) But over the last two years or so, I've realized that these key satellite-based tools
(10:21) can not only be useful for monitoring forest impacts,
(10:25) but also for helping to build resilience among populations and communities living at the front lines of climate stress.
(10:35) So what I'm now really transitioning a lot of my work to in India and Bangladesh
(10:39) is figuring out how we can equip communities living in extreme poverty in these really high-risk climate regions
(10:48) to gain access to these kinds of satellite tools to predict key climate stressors like droughts, floods,
(10:56) and long-term stress to help them make more informed decisions
(11:00) when it comes to climate adaptation and migration at the local level.
(11:05) So it's been a really incredible experience for me over these last two years
(11:09) to now merge that initial passion and interest I had for applying satellite tech towards ecosystem monitoring
(11:17) and now bring in the human side and see that these tools can be so revolutionary
(11:21) in building integrated systems at the ecosystem-human interface
(11:27) to help those who are most vulnerable to these climate stressors better build resilience.
(11:33) So Liza, in Indian culture, we believe that having a guru or a mentor
(11:39) is a very important aspect while you are driven by your purpose.
(11:43) Tell us about some of your mentors along the way.
(11:47) Was finding the right mentor equally important as finding your purpose?
(11:52) Would your journey to Stanford and NASA be possible without them?
(11:56) I am such a big believer in the value of mentors
(12:00) and there's no way I would have gotten even halfway as far to Stanford and NASA
(12:05) without the incredible advisors I've been so lucky to have.
(12:09) My first mentor at NASA, Lola, who I still work very closely with, really changed my life.
(12:17) She was willing to take a chance on a 14-year-old girl
(12:20) who really didn't know anything about mangroves or satellites
(12:23) and she gave me that opportunity and believed in my capacity to make an impact in the field.
(12:30) I think she and I will hopefully continue to work very closely for the rest of my career
(12:36) and I think there's something really beautiful about that, about her being there since the very beginning.
(12:42)And now at Stanford as well, I'm so lucky to have two incredible primary mentors.
(12:48) The first is Dr. Gretchen Daly, who leads the Stanford Natural Capital Project,
(12:54) a really fantastic initiative to assign economic value to critical ecosystem services
(13:02) and mangroves, other forests around the world.
(13:05) She believed in me from the very first time I sent her an email blindly as a high school student,
(13:12) just wanting to learn more about her work.
(13:15) And ever since then, she has been so warm and so willing to value me as a full person,
(13:22) not just in the realm of work.
(13:25) And finally, my work in Bangladesh with building coastal resilience among at-risk communities
(13:31) would not be possible at all without the incredible Dr. Steven Luby in the medical school,
(13:39) who lived in South Asia for many years, building up these incredible systems
(13:44) for infectious disease monitoring in some of the poorest communities across Bangladesh.
(13:51) And over the last year, he's been willing to sit down for crazy last-minute meetings,
(13:56) always answer all of my late-night emails and really believe in me unconditionally,
(14:02) even in times when I don't even believe in myself.
(14:06) So this triplet of mentors, Lola at NASA and Gretchen and Steve at Stanford,
(14:12) have really held me up and kept me moving forward.
(14:16) And I'm such a big believer in finding those right mentors who really stick by you
(14:21) in all of these times as you work to find your purpose.
(14:26) You lead Cloud2Classroom, a global education initiative,
(14:31) to bring satellite analysis to the classrooms worldwide.
(14:35) How important is it to share your knowledge and how does it fit into your larger purpose?
(14:41) That's a great question.
(14:43) So throughout my career, especially at NASA,
(14:46) I feel that I've been incredibly fortunate to be given these opportunities
(14:51) to use the world's most groundbreaking satellite technology
(14:55) to see the world from a different perspective.
(14:58) But as I continued my work at NASA,
(15:01) I realized that I would not be satisfied with just moving my own career forward
(15:06) until I took steps to take these incredible satellite-based tools
(15:10) and put them in the hands of other youth and scientists around the world
(15:15) who ordinarily would not have those opportunities.
(15:17) So I launched the Cloud2Classroom project to build capacity
(15:22) among research institutions in low and middle-income nations,
(15:27) including in South Asia,
(15:28) to be able to transfer these tools from U.S.-based institutions
(15:32) to the front lines of climate change
(15:35) to build up these climate research ecosystems
(15:38) in regions of the world that typically can't access these kinds of cutting-edge tools.
(15:43) So I've ultimately decided, as I've continued my training work
(15:48) and teaching work across India, Bangladesh,
(15:51) and many other nations through the Cloud2Classroom program,
(15:55) that I want to dedicate at least 50% of my time for the rest of my career
(16:00) towards these capacity-building and training efforts,
(16:04) just because I think that is the area in which I'm able to amplify
(16:08) my personal impact on the world to the greatest extent.
(16:12) I believe so much in the power and the potential of the students,
(16:18) the faculty, and the researchers I train in India and across the world.
(16:24) I believe in their capacity to make impact themselves,
(16:27) and so the least I can do is do everything I can
(16:30) to make sure that they're equipped
(16:32) with the most advanced satellite technologies possible.
(16:35) I think that's a great impact that you're having,
(16:39) and I'm sure there are many more Lizas out there who are raring to go
16:43) and contribute the way you are doing today for our planet.
(16:48) So with these tools as a third eye,
(16:50) how do you see the future of our planet, Liza?
(16:53) I am actually really optimistic about the future of our planet.
(16:58) I think many climate scientists find their work quite depressing
(17:02) and really hard to get through on a daily basis.
(17:04) But personally, I am so inspired and in awe of all of these
(17:10) incredible tech-driven solutions that I see to solving climate change
(17:14) from the local to the international scale.
(17:17) The communities I work with across Bangladesh
(17:19) are probably the best example of what gives me optimism.
(17:24) They have developed the most incredible capacity to build resilience
(17:29) to things like floods and extreme weather events
(17:32) through changing their agriculture patterns, through planting mangroves,
(17:36) through figuring out these loads all the way to high-tech ways
(17:40) to build a life for themselves that is resilient
(17:43) to these impending climate stressors.
(17:46) So I take so much of my inspiration directly from them
(17:50) when I work in the field.
(17:52) But as a whole, I believe a lot in moving towards goals
(17:55) that we can actually track measurable progress on.
(17:59) I think it's hard to remain optimistic when the only way
(18:03) to actually monitor progress is to look at these really general metrics
(18:07) of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
(18:09) So I ground myself in the work I do with forests and people
(18:13) because that, to me, is more measurable.
(18:16) I can track our progress in terms of conservation.
(18:19) I can track our progress in terms of the number of community members we're aiding.
(18:24) And focusing on those measurable metrics
(18:27) really gives me hope in terms of moving towards a future for this planet
(18:31) that's able to balance these ecological and these very human needs.
(18:37) Wow, it's really heartening to listen to a young professional
(18:43) who's optimistic about our planet.
(18:45) And it's a very unique aspect today that we see coming from someone like you.
(18:50) That brings me to our last question of the podcast
(18:53) and something more personal in terms of
(18:56) does someone like you who's always traveling, teaching, studying
(19:00) get time to pursue your other interests like swimming and sports?
(19:05) I do run a pretty busy schedule.
(19:09) But I will say that I really have loved swimming and sports
(19:14) and being active as a fantastic way to release stress
(19:18) after some really hectic days.
(19:21) To me, the thing that helps me most is after a day of full meetings
(19:25) from 8 to 7 p.m., all I want to do is go and move
(19:30) and be a little bit more at one with my body
(19:34) and with figuring out how to really quiet my mind
(19:39) after all of these stressful times and working towards all of these goals.
(19:44) But I think what has really grounded me through all these crazy, hectic times
(19:48) is making sure that I always carve out that half an hour or an hour to myself
(19:54) every single day, no matter how busy that day is
(19:57) to invest in myself and make sure that I can move forward with a clear head.
(20:02) Wow, having that discipline at such a young age, it's incredible, Liza.
(20:07) Is there anything else that you would like to say to our listeners
(20:10) before we actually end the podcast?
(20:13) I think the only thing I'll say is be patient in the process of finding your passion.
(20:18) I got extraordinarily lucky in terms of being surrounded by mentors
(20:23) and researchers who could really support me in finding my passion from a very young age.
(20:30) And so for you, if you haven't found that passion yet, don't force it.
(20:34) It will come naturally.
(20:36) And when you finally do find it, how wonderful a feeling that will be.
(20:41) Thank you so much, Liza.
(20:43) Thank you for inspiring our colleagues with your work and life experiences.
(20:48) Thanks for listening to Be All You Can, a podcast by Godrej Enterprises Group.
(20:55) Exploring the passion, purpose and dreams of pioneers.
(20:59) Stay tuned for more stories that inspire action and impact.