Presence Beyond the Eclipse: Journey to Mindful Living with Alessandra Chiareli, Ph.D.

Presence Beyond the Eclipse: Journey to Mindful Living
with Alessandra Chiareli, Ph.D.

In this episode, S2 E9, Alessandra Chiareli, Ph.D. shares her experience as an eclipse chaser and the power of being present in the moment. She was an original Phenomenal Woman back in 2018. She discusses how she got interested in chasing eclipses and the planning involved. Alessandra also provides practical tips for first-time eclipse planners. She emphasizes the importance of being present and how it can help manage stress and anxiety. Alessandra shares her passion for STEM education, women's empowerment, and mindfulness. She encourages others to be their best selves and make a difference in the world.

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Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction and Background
• 6:45 Planning for Total Eclipses
• 11:06 Experiencing the Eclipse
• 17:26 Documenting the Eclipse

Transcript

(00:00.046)

Welcome to the Speaking of Phenomenal podcast. I'm your host, Amy Boyle. Today we have a truly captivating episode lined up for you. Joining us is Alessandra Chiarelli, PhD, a seasoned eclipse chaser and a recently retired scientist with an illustrious 30 year career at the 3M company. Alessandra will share her experiences chasing eclipses around the globe and the profound lessons on mindfulness and presence these adventures have taught her. 

(00:27.726)

Whether you experience your first eclipse on April 8th or seeking to enrich your daily life, Alessandra offers practical tips and inspirational insights. Beyond the shadow of the moon, she's a staunch advocate for STEM education, women's empowerment, and integrating mindfulness into leadership. Stay tuned as Alessandra encourages all to be present, pursue our passions, and make a difference in the world. Let's get started. This is the Speaking of Phenomenal podcast. 

(00:58.51)

Welcome to the Speaking of Phenomenal podcast, Alessandra. I am so glad you're here. Thank you. So happy to be here, Amy. Thank you for inviting me. Absolutely. Well, you know, we have some history. We go back to your women's organization that we both belong to, Women on a Fire, back in the day. And then also you're one of my original phenomenal women. I think week 13, perhaps. Yes, lucky 13. 

(01:27.022)

It was such a pleasure to be part of that beautiful project with you, Amy. 

(01:32.91)

Could you give our audience a little bit of a background to the Phenomenal You? Yes. Well, the topic I chose to feature, to share with the world is mindfulness. It's a practice that I developed after a health crisis in my late 40s, which turned out to be from under sleeping, overstressed, 

(02:01.934)

And it was due to an idea in my mind that I needed to burn out. I needed to give my all in order to be able to be successful in what I was asked to do. And from that really difficult moment, a doctor's appointment gave me the diagnosis that I really had something happening with my heart. It wasn't life threatening. It could be. 

(02:30.03)

And he told me that I could either choose medication or meditation in order to heal from that health crisis. And that was surprising to be given those options. And I decided to pursue meditation. Within about three months of that daily practice, which I was really interested in pursuing, 

(02:57.71)

My heart palpitations ceased and through that practice I learned so much about myself and about the power of presence to help us make the most of the life that is in front of us. So mindfulness is something that really changed my life and I wanted to share more with the world about that. I was thinking as well because this year, like many of us, I had a Word of the Year and mine for this year is awe. 

(03:26.574)

And when you tie in mindfulness and awe, and then you think of amazing things that are happening in the world. Today, I really want to talk about the solar eclipse and your experience. So where did your interest in being an eclipse chaser come from? And how did that all begin for you? Yes, it came out of curiosity. In my household, my husband and myself are trained as scientists and 

(03:55.566)

We got really interested in experiencing a total eclipse. And our first chance to do that was in 2017. And we planned about a year ahead for it, looked at where the path was and what would be a fun city to visit, and Nashville was it. We were really curious about what was described as this moment of awe, of this moment of totality, which for just a few moments, the sky became a night sky. You could see stars and you could see this beautiful phenomenon of this black hole in the sky surrounded by this beautiful ring of light. And when you talk about it, it sounds amazing to experience it. It's just incredible. And we were lucky to have good weather. 

(04:50.51)

And right after that moment of totality, I looked at my husband and I said, when is the next one? Because it's something that you just get kind of hooked on. And so we were planful for 2024. And when you were in Nashville, I believe from your old photos, you were in a park site, is that right? Yes, yes. We were able to find a park that was right by water. 

(05:16.238)

And that whole setting, I think, made it even more special because we could see the horizon, which is something that is also unexpected that the skies are dark. And yet, because the shadow of the moon is covering so much of the sun, not completely making it a dark sky, you can see this beautiful dawn all around you. And the setting we're in allowed us to see that as well. 

(05:45.966)

And in terms of a group of people, there was definitely a group around. It wasn't overwhelming. And, there were enough people that in that moment of totality, there was just this group. Oh no, this is amazing. This is amazing. And it was nice, really nice to experience it with others. Yeah, same thing. We had friends and family and our group was on the smaller side, but it's a selective like, like. 

(06:15.054)

Gasp of like, wow, and just to know that you're sharing with other people is pretty incredible as well. So you said you took about a year or so to plan that. So tell me what that planning was like, because you were in like the first place that hit this year. Is that right? Yes. Yes, Mazatlán. So again, as we're planning for it and saw the path of totality, especially the consideration we had, 

(06:43.79)

was in April, where would be the highest probability of clear skies? And we thought Mazatlán would be it. So there were a few bumps in the road to get to the moment of totality for us. May I share those? Of course. So we planned for a little over a year. 

(07:09.998)

And first we learned that airfare cannot be booked more than 11 months ahead of the time of flight. So we were eagerly waiting after we booked an Airbnb with an ocean view and a great location to explore Mazatlan. We booked our airfare. Right at the time, it was already expensive. You know, so many people were looking to go to that location. I believe it was chosen by NASA as a global epicenter of this 2024 eclipse because of that probability of sunshine, of clear skies. And so we are counting down to April 2024 and we started hearing rumors that in Mazatlán some of the hosts of rental places were actually going for the highest bidder and some people are just being, you know, 

(08:08.078)

finding themselves without a place to stay. And sadly enough, that happened to us. So two weeks before departing, I started contacting my Airbnb host, and no response, no response, no response for 10 days. Contacted Airbnb, and they learned that the listing had been deactivated, and there were no notifications to me. 

(08:34.734)

So there we are a few days before the eclipse, knowing that the place is going to be packed with people. We were able to find the last room in a hotel that was affordable to us, and at least we had a place to stay. We get to Mazatlán, the hotel which didn't have great reviews turned out to be really nice, a really nice stay. 

(08:58.958)

And my husband Michael was furiously looking at weather forecast to find out what the conditions would be like in Mazatlán. And there were some clouds, the probability of some cloud cover. So here we are after so much investment in being there, so much rain, we cannot miss that opportunity. So he started looking at neighboring towns and decided we should try a town four hours away from Mazatlán by bus called Durango. 

(09:28.59)

It's across a mountain range and there were still probability of clouds less than Mazatlán. So we buy our bus tickets, find a place to stay, and a four -hour bus ride turned out to be 11 hours. There was an accident in the road and we had to backtrack from what would have been the most direct route to having to take a winding road. 

(09:55.598)

over the mountain range to get to Durango. Fortunately, we chose to go the night before and we didn't miss the eclipse. And so the next day it was beautifully sunshiny and we found a place nearby. 

(10:11.63)

to go watch it, it was a soccer field at a university and we were allowed in without a problem and there were other professors and students on the field, nothing overcrowded and we bought some lawn chairs at the local Sam's Club and were really comfortable just waiting for that moment of awe. And it was beautiful as much as we weren't surprised about what was happening. 

(10:36.206)

Um, we were just in the same moment of awe as we had been in 2017. That's incredible. And what a test of patience. You probably had to dip into many of your mindfulness practices just to get through the different Curly QA's of getting to experience that. And it was all worth it. Yes. I know. Because of our trip back, we were all just a little outside of Indianapolis. 

(11:06.062)

So from Chicago, that should be three and a half hours. In fact, that was our going thing to say, like, how much further? Three and a half hours. It took over nine hours to get home on Monday. It was a commercial parking lot, but at the same time, you just, you got to see what you saw and have that experience. 

(11:29.038)

We had good company and there was a great Spotify playlist that magically was just over eight hours long. So it got us through with a little bit of humor and a little bit of grace. And, uh, we were very grateful to get out of the car by the time we got home. Yes. Yes. I can imagine. Yeah. You just keep remembering that it was so worth it. All the all the trials and tribulations. And so I'm asking, when is the next one? And I learned it's going to be in Spain in 2026. And it's going to be a little bit different from what we've experienced in the last two eclipses because the eclipse time in Spain is going to be at the end of the day. So it will be on the horizon. 

(12:21.582)

And it's going to be just over one minute, which is going to go so fast. And so that, that power of presence to be in the moment, to be there enjoying each second of that amazing experience is going to be something that I'll be cultivating so that I can be my best self open to that. 

(12:50.254)

incredible phenomenon. That was awesome. So that sounds like that's a done deal. You're going to be off to Spain in about a year and half or so. Is that right? Yes, it's going to be August, 2026 and we are scoping out towns. I'm sure that there's going to be just as across the path of totality here, many people looking to go experience that. And so I'm telling my husband, Michael, you know, 

(13:19.118)

Please, you know, do your analysis of cloud cover probability and let's pick a place, let's book a place. And hopefully we'll have more luck booking a place that won't drop us just a few days before the eclipse. And so that will be an adventure. My husband and love to travel to Spain. It will be in a different area of Spain than we have traveled to, so it will be really fun to explore different areas. 

(13:49.454)

That's wonderful. Well, when you think about all the planning that goes involved for someone like yourself, what are some practical tips that you would give like first time eclipse planners? Because I know the next one in the US is until 2044, so we've got some time. Yes. Definitely look at the path of totality, and that is usually known ahead of time. And there is an opportunity to do some research about cloud coverage. You can put in the show notes. And in Spain, for example, Michael was finding data points of over the last 20 years, what is the probability, what is the average cloud coverage for that location? 

(14:40.366)

And you definitely want to know that it's the highest probability of being clear because otherwise you made all that effort to not experience a total eclipse. And definitely book ahead. Try to find a location. Maybe a hotel is more reliable than an Airbnb. I think what happened with my Airbnb booking is that, 

(15:09.934)

The host was a property management company, so they really didn't depend on Airbnb for their bookings. They probably offered the apartment I rented to somebody else through their own channels and found a better deal and canceled the Airbnb property. And so definitely, you know, bring that experience with you to find reliable lodging and book your tickets. 

(15:39.31)

And be flexible because the day of the eclipse or the days leading up to the eclipse, weather conditions might change. And so having a mode of transportation or knowing that there's public transportation for you to get to another location is really important. In Nashville, we also went from deciding to experience it in Nashville to driving about an hour away. 

(16:04.846)

to a place that was going to have one minute more of totality. And so both times we ended up being flexible and moving it a little bit off the original location because we are eclipse chasers and we want to go see the best location to experience that. And when it comes to documenting it, what did you bring as far as fear for, I know you are both more than than hobbyist photographers, you do a very nice job. So I'd love to know, because it takes a little bit of specialty gear to make sure that you don't damage your equipment. What did you bring? Yes. Michael has a nice camera and I won't know the model of it and the technicalities of it, which I know a lot of people who post their eclipse photos rattle off all those technical details. What I can tell you, it was a nice camera and he bought a filter. 

(17:04.462)

so that he could point to the sun during the partial eclipse and capture some beautiful photos. At the moment of the totality, Michael decided to take a chance and only take one shot. And by the way, something that I know that the photo did was take it in five different exposures. At that moment, he clicked one button. 

(17:33.198)

to then see which one turned out the best. And we learned from Nashville that that moment of totality is so beautiful that you don't want to be distracted by trying to document it. So he decided to take this one shot, which turned out to be beautiful, and I recording a video recording of the moments leading up to totality. 

(17:58.158)

And to just record our voices because a phone really doesn't do justice to seeing the moon over the sun. Just the voices we heard, you we have had this group in this soccer field a little bit away from us. And in that moment of totality, everybody's, you know, could be heard around. It was really this moment, unifying moment of awe, which is always beautiful. 

(18:27.694)

And I decided that for Spain, I might do even less documenting because for a minute plus of totality, I want to be fully present. I want to see what they call the diamond ring, which is just that moment when the sun is going to be about to be covered by the moon. There's a little flash of light there. And I missed that diamond both on second contact and third contact. Those are the technical terms of when the sun is first covered by the moon, the moon starts moving away from the sun. And it's such a special moment that if I could altogether leave all the documentation behind, I would. And yet I can't help but trying to document a little bit of that moment of awe. 

(19:22.19)

I love that. And it takes us literally, fun intended or not, a full circle to where we began with the whole idea of mindfulness and being present. Yes, a little bit of I was here because as humans, we like to know that we did experience something, we were part of it. But for us internally to take that with us to go forward, what kind of lessons have you learned from being fully present in those two experiences? 

(19:53.006)

This moment in the world, and I think by design of human nature, we are pulled away in our own minds from the present moment. We are often ruminating about the past and fretting about the future or overanalyzing something you're going to do in the future. And being present is something that we need to cultivate. We need to practice. And why does it matter to be present? It's because it's when we are able to manage stress and anxiety, because when we're present, we're present with the help of our bodies. We are content. This moment of presence gives us this moment of recovery from all of these feelings that are in our minds. And so finding something, a phenomenon, an opportunity, a moment that pulls all of our attention to being present is a way to practice that. When you're present, you pay attention to your life. We only have this moment of presence to live our lives. 

(21:19.79)

Everything else is really in our minds and in experiencing life is how we enrich our soul, how we feel more joy. And so this is a really good experience to practice being present. There's nothing like this incredible phenomenon to make us curious about being present. Perfectly said. Yes. So how can people find more about you? 

(21:50.158)

Yes, I'm on LinkedIn and there you're gonna read more about my career path, which has been amazing. I just retired recently and can look back and feel really proud of my 30 years of working at 3M, a fantastic company. And right now I am exploring my passions really impassioned about STEM education, especially for underrepresented populations, women's empowerment. We need so much more opportunities for phenomenal women, which we all are phenomenal women, to have a platform to do amazing things. And in mindfulness, of course, is something that I've seen the results of practicing myself and I see the results of communities that practice that for their well -being and to be the best person they can be in order to make a difference in the world. That's what it's all about. How can we be our best to make a difference? And so right now I am developing those interests and looking for opportunity to serve more and... 

(23:14.606)

In the future, you might be finding a blog, you might be finding some storytelling to help others get excited about these passions. Well, I can't thank you enough for sharing your presence with me and our guests today. It's just been incredible to share the experiences that you've had and I will make sure that I think your original article from the 52 Phenomenal Women Project in the show notes, as well as your LinkedIn, and keep looking up. Thank you so much. Thank you so much, Amy. It's been a joy to be with you today. Thank you for joining us on this episode of Speaking of Phenomenal. Be sure to subscribe, rate, review, and even share the podcast, as well as stay tuned for more inspiring conversations. Remember, each and every one of you is capable of extraordinary things. Until next time, Take care and remember, you are phenomenal.