Episode 114: Empowering Seafarers with Josephine Le, Founder of The Hood

Episode Title:
Empowering Seafarers: Building Trust and Connection in Maritime with Josephine Le of The Hood

Guest: Josephine Le, Founder of The Hood

Episode Overview:
In this powerful and human-centered conversation, Josephine Le, founder of The Hood, shares her journey from crewing superintendent to tech founder.

The Hood is a digital platform reshaping how seafarers connect, build careers, and find trusted resources in a fragmented maritime industry.

We unpack the origins of her idea, the mental health crisis at sea, and why digital connection and transparency must be a top priority across the global shipping workforce.

Key Points:

1. The Birth of The Hood:
   Josephine shares how the COVID-19 pandemic exposed deep flaws in crew change logistics and inspired her to build a platform rooted in empathy and real-world challenges.
2. Not Just LinkedIn for Seafarers:
   The Hood isn't a corporate social network—it’s designed for the most inexperienced maritime workers, offering safer access to jobs, community, and resources.
3. Smart Tools for a Safer Industry:
   Features like auto-CV generation, live document sharing, recruiter transparency, and candidate-controlled access are changing the game for job seekers and crewing teams alike.
4. Fighting Fraud and Exploitation:
   The Hood only works with certified manning agencies and empowers users to report scams and misconduct—bringing accountability where it’s desperately needed.
5. Mental Health and Support:
   Josephine discusses The Hood’s "We Care" section and partnerships with organizations like ISWAN and Sailors’ Society to support vulnerable workers.
6. AI with Caution:
   Josephine explains why The Hood hasn’t rushed into AI, preferring to build something meaningful and data-backed over gimmicks.
7. Books at 35,000 Feet:
   A lover of founder biographies, Josephine shares her current favorite—Man of This Land, about the rise of Hyundai’s shipbuilding empire.

Learn More: Check out Episode 109 with Pam Kern on maritime mental health, and Episode 80 with Carl King on seafarer welfare and advocacy.

Tune in Now:
Available on Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Watch on YouTube

Music by: Peg and The Rejected "King of SKA"
Art Work By: GA Design
Produced by: Chris Aversano

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