On this episode of Just One Q, Dominique chats with Captain Kamila Calko, a marine industry trailblazer and founder of SeaLight and SeaLight Sisters. They explore the heavy cost of conformity in male-dominated workplaces and how Kamila transformed her leadership style by embracing vulnerability and authenticity. Kamila shares insights on navigating “lateral violence” between women, the critical link between psychological safety and physical safety, and how we can all be “architects of change” in systems that are slow to evolve.
Kamila is a trail-blazer and advocate for gender equity in the marine industry. At 19, she landed a job as a tour-boat captain, despite having no prior marine or heavy-machinery experience. From there, she pursued a certification in navigation at a marine institute, then joined the Canadian Coast Guard and, over five years, rose to second-in-command on a buoy-tending/ice-breaking ship on the Great Lakes. With over 20 years of experience and 30+ vessels to her name, Kamila moved to British Columbia where she qualified (via the Pacific Pilotage Authority Familiarization Programme) to sit the pilotage examination—the first and only woman in the nation to do so at the time.
Her experiences in the marine industry have motivated her to found SeaLight, a consultancy dedicated to shifting the culture of the maritime industry, building inclusive structures, and guiding organisations to become more equitable, diverse, and thriving. Kamila has also founded a non-profit called SeaLight Sisters which supports women in the marine industry with access to community, mental health and wellbeing supports, education and empowerment programs, and legal advocacy.
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