Coffee & Geography
Coffee & Geography S01E10 Joana Mendes (UK & Portugal)

Kit talks to Joana Mendes (she/her) over a Chá Gorreana, chatting about moving from urban Portugal to rural UK, cream teas, philosophy, yoga, amongst other things!
NB: Some minor technical difficulties when recording this conversation means that the quality is not up to usual standards. Never mind! It still won't detract from your enjoyment :)
Joana is in constant awe by our world and the beings that inhabit it. She enjoys observing and understanding natural phenomena and the relationships between fellow humans and their environment. Perhaps because of such curiosity, Joana was driven to study physics and meteorology, although she is also secretly inspired by philosophy. Being environmentally conscious since a very young age, Joana has sought to ally her academic background with green and sustainable energies. She has been focusing her career in Energy Meteorology for Renewables, and is currently a senior scientific consultant for the energy industry at the UK Met Office.
Some links to things mentioned in the chat:
- "Azores — home to the oldest tea plantation in Europe" (https://www.dw.com/en/azores-home-to-the-oldest-tea-plantation-in-europe/a-57596094)
- Joana's WattMeet presentation at ICEM2019 "Uncertainty: What do you know for sure?" (https://www.facebook.com/421177431756497/videos/264699841061264?&t=4980)
- Downward-facing Dog Yoga pose (https://www.yogajournal.com/poses/types/downward-facing-dog/)
- Geogrambling's blog post "Language, culture, land: Entwined in the soul" (https://geogramblings.com/2018/02/23/language-culture-land-entwined-in-the-soul/)
Expand your Geography community by connecting with Joana via her Met Office profile at https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/people/joana-mendes or LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/joana-mendes-b391b962/)
This chat was recorded on 4th June 2021.
==About Coffee & Geography==
The aim of ‘Coffee & Geography’ is to get to know, explore and celebrate the diverse & intersectional range of people and their love for the world. We’ll have fun exploring all the myriad of ways that connects your life to geography. Wait – you don’t think you’re a ‘geographer’? Well, that’s ok! If you have a love and passion for the world then you probably are more than you know.
If you're interested in being a guest or want to find out more, then visit https://geogramblings.com/coffee-geography-podcast/. There you will also find an interactive map to explore the locations of guests and the brews that they drink!
Follow us on Twitter at https://www.twitter.com/CoffeeGeogPod.
The Coffee & Geography Podcast is a 'Geogramblings' production, hosted and produced by Kit Rackley (they/them). The podcast is supported by generous donations via https://ko-fi.com/kitrackley, and takes advice from an advisory board of volunteers.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- Broadcast on:
- 07 Aug 2021
Kit talks to Joana Mendes (she/her) over a Chá Gorreana, chatting about moving from urban Portugal to rural UK, cream teas, philosophy, yoga, amongst other things!
NB: Some minor technical difficulties when recording this conversation means that the quality is not up to usual standards. Never mind! It still won't detract from your enjoyment :)
Joana is in constant awe by our world and the beings that inhabit it. She enjoys observing and understanding natural phenomena and the relationships between fellow humans and their environment. Perhaps because of such curiosity, Joana was driven to study physics and meteorology, although she is also secretly inspired by philosophy. Being environmentally conscious since a very young age, Joana has sought to ally her academic background with green and sustainable energies. She has been focusing her career in Energy Meteorology for Renewables, and is currently a senior scientific consultant for the energy industry at the UK Met Office.
Some links to things mentioned in the chat:
- "Azores — home to the oldest tea plantation in Europe" (https://www.dw.com/en/azores-home-to-the-oldest-tea-plantation-in-europe/a-57596094)
- Joana's WattMeet presentation at ICEM2019 "Uncertainty: What do you know for sure?" (https://www.facebook.com/421177431756497/videos/264699841061264?&t=4980)
- Downward-facing Dog Yoga pose (https://www.yogajournal.com/poses/types/downward-facing-dog/)
- Geogrambling's blog post "Language, culture, land: Entwined in the soul" (https://geogramblings.com/2018/02/23/language-culture-land-entwined-in-the-soul/)
Expand your Geography community by connecting with Joana via her Met Office profile at https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/people/joana-mendes or LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/joana-mendes-b391b962/)
This chat was recorded on 4th June 2021.
==About Coffee & Geography==
The aim of ‘Coffee & Geography’ is to get to know, explore and celebrate the diverse & intersectional range of people and their love for the world. We’ll have fun exploring all the myriad of ways that connects your life to geography. Wait – you don’t think you’re a ‘geographer’? Well, that’s ok! If you have a love and passion for the world then you probably are more than you know.
If you're interested in being a guest or want to find out more, then visit https://geogramblings.com/coffee-geography-podcast/. There you will also find an interactive map to explore the locations of guests and the brews that they drink!
Follow us on Twitter at https://www.twitter.com/CoffeeGeogPod.
The Coffee & Geography Podcast is a 'Geogramblings' production, hosted and produced by Kit Rackley (they/them). The podcast is supported by generous donations via https://ko-fi.com/kitrackley, and takes advice from an advisory board of volunteers.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.