Tara Roberts Honors History by 'Diving' into Purpose

The Optimist Project with Yara Shahidi

🌊 Truth Seekers, Legacy Builders, and Lovers of Deep Stories—This One’s for You.

This week on The Optimist Project, I had the absolute joy of sitting down with award-winning storyteller, explorer, and changemaker Tara Roberts.

Tara is the voice behind the National Geographic podcast Into the Depths and the first Black woman to grace the cover of Nat Geo as an Explorer. Her work dives—literally—into the stories of lost slave shipwrecks, amplifying ancestral truths that were almost erased by time.

In this soulful, searching, and ultimately empowering conversation, we explore what it means to pursue purpose with courage, how optimism can be a form of resistance, and why honoring our histories is a path to healing.

✨ Tara shares wisdom on listening to your calling (even when it takes you underwater), following curiosity as a compass, and turning passion into something beautifully transformative. We also talk about her journey from magazine editor to global explorer—and how her life has become a living archive of resilience, remembrance, and radiant hope.

If you’ve ever felt called to do something bigger than yourself, if you’re trying to reconnect with legacy or ignite a new chapter—you’ll find fuel in this episode.

📩 What histories are calling you forward? How are you choosing optimism in your everyday life? We want to hear from you. DM us, leave a voice note, or send us a message and share your light.

📲 @optimistprojectpod // The Optimist Project Podcast

✨ Executive Producer: @yarashahidi // Yara Shahidi

✨ Executive Producer: @chocolatemommyluv // Keri Salter-Shahidi

🎙 Guest: @tararoberts_explorer// Tara Roberts

📞 Voicemail: [phone]

🎧 Tap in—and let this conversation remind you that even the deepest waters hold light.