85 Percent: A Wanderful Podcast

On this episode of 85 Percent, we meet Kai Lawson, founder of Black Girls Shoot Too (BGST), a creative community for Black women and women of color photographers in Los Angeles. A longtime Wanderful member and part of our LA hub, Kai won the Social Impact Award at the 2026 Bessies.

Kai started BGST in March 2025 by posting a single photo walk on Eventbrite, just to see who would show up. About 40 women did. Since then it has grown into monthly photo walks and workshops, mentorship, two gallery exhibits (many of them the photographers' first), and a group photo tour to Panama in January 2027, all built in the off hours around her 24-year career with the County of Los Angeles.

We talk about:

• Winning the Bessie, and the feeling that her grandmother Bessie was in the room
• How a dad with a camera turned into a lifelong obsession with photography
• The Eventbrite post that started it all
• Why representation behind the camera matters as much as in front of it, from skin tones and lighting to who gets hired and paid
• The photographer who said "I don't think I'm a photographer," until her framed print hung in an exhibit
• What fuels her, and what's next: a membership, a nonprofit, and a space of their own

Connect with Kai / Black Girls Shoot Too

Website: https://www.wearebgst.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackgirlsshoottoo/

BGST Panama Photo Tour (Jan 21-26, 2027): https://www.wearebgst.com/panama-group-trip

Events: https://www.wearebgst.com/event-list

Chapters

00:05 Intro: Beth introduces Kai and the Social Impact Award

01:25 Interview begins

02:14 Winning the Bessie

02:32 The Bessie finalist dinner

03:29 Did she know she'd win? Her grandmother Bessie

04:12 Origin story: a dad with a camera

05:08 The Eventbrite post that started BGST

06:19 The first photo walk: 40 people, a market, and a drum circle

07:20 How BGST grew: monthly walks, workshops, a studio

08:00 The first gallery exhibit: "Now I'm a curator"

09:11 The numbers: Black women in photography

10:33 Who is pictured, and who is behind the camera

11:37 Skin tones, lighting, and fighting for space on the job

12:45 Getting women of color photographers hired and paid

15:05 What fuels her: a full-time job, no team, and a lot of love

15:45 The BGST Panama photo tour and international exhibit

17:48 What's next: membership, a nonprofit, a space of their own

18:37 What the travel industry could do for Black women photographers

18:57 Why community changes what women are willing to try

20:27 "I don't think I'm a photographer": the Getty moment

21:59 Why women hold themselves back

23:37 Creating the validation we wish we had

24:50 "It's inside of you"

25:32 Closing thoughts

25:59 Outro

Exposure Leads to Expansion: Eileen Ivette on Slow Content, Afro-Latinidad, and Why Data Keeps Failing Black Travelers

This season has been all about our 2026 Bessie Award winners, and this episode features our Trailblazer Award recipient, Eileen Ivette — the Afro-Colombian journalist and creator behind Black Latin History, a video series that uplifts Afro-Latino stories and confronts anti-Black erasure across Latin America and the Caribbean.

Eileen started posting Black Latin History content in October 2022, with zero followers and a pitch she couldn't sell inside the newsroom where she worked — her bosses told her the stories about anti-Blackness in Latin America made her "too close to the story" to be objective. Within a month of launching on her own, one video about how Afro-Colombian women used braids as escape maps during the colonial period hit 4 million views and got reposted by Viola Davis. Three years later, she's built an entire ecosystem — video, articles, mentorship for other creators, and group trips to places like Medellín — out of a story she once had to fight to tell.

We talk about her "speed versus substance" talk at WITS this year, and why she believes quality content builds trust in a way virality alone never can. We get into her own layered identity as an Afro-Latina raised in Houston, constantly having her Latinidad questioned, and the anti-Blackness she's encountered from within the Latino community itself. And we dig into what the travel industry keeps getting wrong: the tourism boards leaving money on the table by ignoring Afro-tourism, the historical census erasure that's left the industry working off bad data, and why she had to publicly beg the internet just to find an Afro-Peruvian tour operator in Lima. It's a conversation about identity, patience, and what it actually looks like to build something real instead of chasing a trend.

Connect with Eileen Ivette / Black Latin History:

• Website: eileenivette.com
• Instagram: @eileen_ivette
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/eileen-ivette

The Business of Being Seen: Danny Guerrero on Allyship, Data, and What Travel Keeps Getting Wrong

This season has been all about our 2026 Bessie Award winners, and this episode is a special one: our very first Allyship Award recipient, Danny Guerrero.

Danny is the founder and CEO of The Culturist Group, a multicultural and inclusive marketing agency working with brands like Brand USA and Visit California. Before starting his own company, he spent five years as VP of Strategy at MMGY Global, one of the biggest names in travel marketing, and over 20 years in the industry overall.

We talk about how Danny's whole career led to this point — from drafting an "elaborate long email" to MMGY leadership in 2018 (before George Floyd, before BLM, before the industry reckoning of 2020) arguing that travel marketing was ignoring underrepresented audiences, to eventually finding his voice on a national stage with MMGY's Global Black Traveler Study. We get into the "pat on the head" feeling of being dismissed for years, the financial risk of leaving a stable role to start his own agency as a first-generation kid who put himself through school, and what The Culturist Group actually does — research, strategy, storytelling, and now MOSAEX, their new media platform for reaching "growth audiences" with precision.

We also don't shy away from the moment we're in: DEI budgets are being slashed, the word itself has become politically radioactive, and yet Danny argues the economic case for representation has never been stronger. We talk about the regulatory tension that makes multicultural media targeting so hard, why he believes this shift "is not going away" no matter what it's called, and what it will actually take for the travel industry to stop reacting to crisis after crisis and start building toward the future he wants to see — one where communities feel safe, seen, and genuinely invested in their own tourism economies.

Relevant links:

• The Culturist Group: culturistgroup.com
• MOSAEX: culturistgroup.com/mosaex
• Danny's LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dannyguerreromba
• Martinique Lewis / Black Travel Alliance (mentioned in-episode): blacktravelalliance.com

ABOUT THE 85 PERCENT PODCAST

85% of travel decisions are made by women, yet women's voices and leadership are still underrepresented across the industry. Hosted by Wanderful founder Beth Santos, this show features candid conversations with the women shaping the future of travel, spotlighting the Bessie Award winners pushing the industry forward.

ABOUT THE HOST

Beth Santos is founder and CEO of Wanderful and author of Wander Woman. She's been named a changemaker by Business Insider and an inspiring person to follow by Condé Nast Traveller, and is godmother to the Azamara Onward cruise ship, a cafe owner, and a mom of three.

• Website: 85percentpodcast.com
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/santosbeth
• Instagram: @maximumbeth

Only 10% of safari companies worldwide are led by women — and just 15% are Black-owned. Sisters Amanda and Asnath Kessy are rewriting that story.

In this episode, Beth sits down with the co-founders of Still Waters Safaris, a woman-owned, family-led luxury safari company in Arusha, Tanzania, and winners of Travel Startup of the Year at the 2026 Bessie Awards. They share the story of growing up watching their father run tours in a male-dominated industry, the leap of faith it took for Amanda to leave a banking career to build Still Waters from just two clients, and the pushback — and unwavering family support — that shaped them along the way.

They dig into what makes their tours different, why investing in women transforms local economies, and what it will take to get more women into the safari industry. It's a conversation about family, resilience, and the belief that "the sun is big enough to shine on everybody."

Still Waters Safaris

• Website: stillwaterssafaris.co.tz
• Instagram: @stillwatersafaris
• Facebook: facebook.com/stillwaterssafaris
• LinkedIn: Still Waters Safaris

If you were moved by what you heard in this week's episode of "85 Percent," I invite you to leave an honest review of how this episode impacted you. Also, share this podcast with your travel buddy!

85% of travel decisions are made by women, yet women's voices and leadership are still underrepresented across the industry. Hosted by Wanderful founder Beth Santos, this show features candid conversations with the women shaping the future of travel, spotlighting the Bessie Award winners pushing the industry forward.

Beth Santos is founder and CEO of Wanderful and author of Wander Woman. She's been named a changemaker by Business Insider and an inspiring person to follow by Condé Nast Traveller, and is godmother to the Azamara Onward cruise ship, a cafe owner, and a mom of three.

• Website: 85percentpodcast.com
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/santosbeth
• Instagram: @maximumbeth

Wanderful is a global community for women who travel, connecting members through meetups, an online community, and events like WITS and the Bessie Awards. Website: https://sheswanderful.com

Season 3 celebrates our 2026 Bessie Award winners, starting with Creator of the Year winner Anela Malik, who built a full ecosystem out of a hobby Instagram account she started almost by accident.

Beth and Anela talk about turning a creator career into an entrepreneurial one: the financial instability of the early years, why she crowdfunded Our Block instead of waiting on a brand, the pay gap she's faced as a Black creator, and what travel companies get wrong when they treat creators as marketing instead of business partners.

Enter to win: we're giving away a copy of Anela's book, American Soul: The Black History of Food in the United States. Subscribe to our email list at 85percentpodcast.com to enter.

Anela Malik is the 2026 Wanderful Bessie Award winner for Creator of the Year, honored for combining creativity with advocacy to challenge the status quo in travel. She built Unfiltered & Fed into a platform reaching nearly 400,000 people through food, travel, culture, and identity. She authored American Soul: The Black History of Food in the United States (National Geographic, 2025), a two-time NAACP Image Awards nominee, and launched Our Block, a crowdfunded series spotlighting Black-owned businesses nationwide. She's also a former U.S. diplomat, now leading small-group trips through the Middle East and North Africa.

Connect with Anela Malik

• Website: anelamalik.com
• Newsletter (Unfiltered & Fed): unfilteredandfed.com
• Instagram: @theanelamalik
• TikTok: @theanelamalik
• YouTube: @theanelamalik
• Our Block: ourblockshow.com
• Book: American Soul: The Black History of Food in the United States (National Geographic, 2025)

Chapters

• 00:05 — Welcome to Season 3 + how to enter the giveaway
• 01:44 — Introducing our Creator of the Year: Anela Malik
• 03:44 — What Creator of the Year means at Wanderful
• 06:39 — How Anela became a creator by accident
• 09:42 — Learning entrepreneurship with no safety net
• 12:04 — The moment content creation became a real career
• 15:08 — From platform to published author: American Soul
• 18:02 — Crowdfunding Our Block: telling stories no one wanted to fund
• 23:07 — What the travel industry keeps getting wrong
• 26:42 — Being evaluated as a business, not just an influencer
• 30:03 — Creators and companies doing group travel right
• 33:37 — Where to find Anela and how to work with her
• 35:14 — Outro + one more reminder about the giveaway

What does it mean to travel as your full self when the world isn't always built with you in mind? In this special edition episode, I'm joined by journalist and author Lindsey Danis to celebrate the release of their debut book, (Out) On The Road: The Radical Joy of Queer Travel (Ig Publishing) — and we get into all of it.

Lindsey is a queer writer whose work has appeared in AFAR, Fodor's, Condé Nast Traveler, Longreads, Eater, and more, and this book is the kind of thing the travel world has genuinely needed. We talk about what it took to write it, what they learned from years of reporting on LGBTQ+ travel around the world, and why queer joy on the road is, in itself, a radical act.

Chapter List:

00:00 Introduction to the Conversation

02:26 Celebrating the Launch of 'Out on the Road'

05:06 Exploring the Book's Unique Approach

10:47 Understanding the Queer Travel Experience

15:12 The Radical Joy of Queer Travel

20:30 Navigating Personal Identity While Traveling

25:07 Personal Stories and Their Impact

29:12 Empowerment Through Travel

32:19 The Emotional Journey of Writing a Book

This podcast is hosted by Beth Santos, founder and CEO of Wanderful and author of Wander Woman: How to Reclaim Your Space, Find Your Voice, and Travel the World, Solo. Beth has been recognized in Business Insider as one of 17 changemakers transforming the hospitality industry, and in Conde Nast Traveller as one of 12 inspiring people to follow. She's also the godmother to the Azamara Onward cruise ship, a cafe owner and a mom of three.

💼🚺♀️👩🏾👵🏼👩🏽‍🦱✈️🚢🧳

If you would love to connect with Beth, join her in these following spaces:

Website

LinkedIn

Instagram

Facebook

Welcome back women travelers, solo travelers, travel hobbyists and travel influencers to the final episode of Season 2 of "85 Percent," where we wrap up this season by sharing the captivating trails blazed by women in the travel industry. From Gabby Beckford's transformative hike in Iceland to Stephanie Jones' unexpected spiritual journey to a warmer-than-anticipated Antarctica, we'll unveil how travel sparks growth in the most unexpected ways.

Hear Catarina Rivera's empowering solo adventure in Montreal, Alexa West's perspective on navigating travel fears with safety in mind, and Nikki Vargas' poignant revelation at Iguazu Falls.

We're also celebrating the impact of the Bessie Awards and women's influence in travel decisions. Join us as we explore these personal narratives, challenge perceptions of travel, and honor the voices shaping the industry.

So, grab a coffee, settle in, and let's embark on this journey together down memory lane to recap season 2!

Honorable Mentions

Wander Woman - Travel Book

Wanderful Community

B & H Photo Digital

85 Percent: A Wanderful Podcast

💼🚺♀️ 👵🏼👩🏽‍🦱✈️🚢🧳

This podcast is hosted by Beth Santos, founder and CEO of Wanderful and author of Wander Woman: How to Reclaim Your Space, Find Your Voice, and Travel the World, Solo. Beth has been recognized in Business Insider as one of 17 changemakers transforming the hospitality industry, and in Conde Nast Traveller as one of 12 inspiring people to follow. She's also the godmother to the Azamara Onward cruise ship, a cafe owner and a mom of three.

💼🚺♀️👩🏾👵🏼👩🏽‍🦱✈️🚢🧳

If you would love to connect with Beth, join her in these following spaces:

Website

LinkedIn

Instagram

Facebook

Twitter

Have you been moved by what you heard in this week's episode of "85 Percent"?  I invite you to leave an honest review of how this episode impacted you. Also, share this podcast with your travel buddy!

The 85 Percent Podcast intro, outro and transition music is named Nothing Just Happens by lemonmusicstudio and was found on Pixabay. Additional music and sound effects for this episode came from Soundstripe and/or Epidemic Sounds or is cited in the show notes. Crackers In Soup is the writer, audio editor and producer for this episode.

Welcome back women travelers, solo travelers, travel hobbyists and travel influencers! This episode is sponsored by Intrepid Travel. Find your Only Intrepid moment!

In this episode, I speak with Zina Bencheikh! Zina is a trailblazing executive from Intrepid Travel. Together, we delve into the transformative power of travel in empowering women and fostering cultural understanding. From Intrepid's innovative Women's Expeditions and the launch of Wanderful's Woman-Owned Map spotlighting women-owned businesses, to Zina's pioneering initiatives in Morocco and her evolving perspective on Saudi Arabia, this episode is packed with stories of inspiration and change.

With women making 85% of travel decisions, the potential for societal impact is immense. So, sit back and explore how travel can be a catalyst for challenging biases, supporting local communities, and amplifying women's voices across the globe. Join us in discussing how each travel decision can contribute to a more equitable world. Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and follow us for more inspiring stories of changemakers in the travel industry.

Here are three key takeaways for you:

1. Empowering Women in Travel: With women making 85% of travel decisions, reinvesting in women-owned businesses can drive substantial social and economic impact. Initiatives like Intrepid's Women's Expeditions and Wanderful's Woman-Owned Map are pivotal steps in this direction.

2. Breaking Stereotypes: Travel allows us to challenge biases and explore cultures beyond perceptions. Zina's experiences in Saudi Arabia highlighted the changing dynamics for women, inspiring a fresh perspective on tourism in the region.

3. Community and Growth: Travel nurtures empathy and connection while empowering local communities. Zina's leadership in the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region underscores the role of travel in fostering opportunities and uplifting communities.

Honorable Mentions

Wander Woman - Travel Book 

Wanderful Community

B & H Photo Digital

85 Percent: A Wanderful Podcast

Follow Intrepid Travel in these spaces:

Website: https://www.intrepidtravel.com/us

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/intrepidtravel/

💼🚺♀️ 👵🏼👩🏽‍🦱✈️🚢🧳

This podcast is hosted by Beth Santos, founder and CEO of Wanderful and author of Wander Woman: How to Reclaim Your Space, Find Your Voice, and Travel the World, Solo. Beth has been recognized in Business Insider as one of 17 changemakers transforming the hospitality industry, and in Conde Nast Traveller as one of 12 inspiring people to follow. She's also the godmother to the Azamara Onward cruise ship, a cafe owner and a mom of three.

💼🚺♀️👩🏾👵🏼👩🏽‍🦱✈️🚢🧳

If you would love to connect with Beth, join her in these following spaces:

Website

LinkedIn

Instagram

Facebook

Twitter

Have you been moved by what you heard in this week's episode of "85 Percent"?  I invite you to leave an honest review of how this episode impacted you. Also, share this podcast with your travel buddy!

The 85 Percent Podcast intro, outro and transition music is named Nothing Just Happens by lemonmusicstudio and was found on Pixabay. Additional music and sound effects for this episode came from Soundstripe and/or Epidemic Sounds or is cited in the show notes. Crackers In Soup is the writer, audio editor and producer for this episode.

Welcome back women travelers, solo travelers, travel hobbyist and travel influencers!!

In this episode, I speak with Kim Callender and Arabella Bowen, the co-founders of **SoloTrvlr**, a travel app designed to empower women by providing trusted, local advice for solo adventures. With backgrounds in tech and travel, they bring a wealth of experience to the platform. Arabella, formerly a leader at Fodor's Travel and AFAR, was inspired by her transformative solo journey through Southeast Asia. Kim, who previously worked at Google, founded SoloTrvlr to address the gap in solutions for solo women travelers. Together, they aim to make independent travel more accessible, confident, and bold for women worldwide.

Join me as we journey through Arabella's adventures of adapting to the bustling streets of Hanoi, discovering the joy in simple moments, and how these experiences inspired a career advocating for women travelers. Meanwhile, Kim shares her first trip to Belize, detailing how unexpected challenges taught her adaptability and self-trust, eventually leading her to create a startup that champions women traveling independently.

We also explore deeper topics like the role of solo travel in fostering cultural understanding and personal growth.

Finally, I invite you to support our community in Lebanon right now and donate to Tourleb. They will use the funds to:

1. Support their team members by continuing to pay them a small salary despite the lack of tourism right now;

2. Support families by buying locally and redistributing necessary products to those in need;

3. Help the NGOs, hospitals, and Red Cross (whom they trust) who are receiving displaced people;

4. Evaluate case by case to support families, children, and rescuers as needed.

Honorable Mentions

Wander Woman - Travel Book 

Wanderful Community

B & H Photo Digital

85 Percent: A Wanderful Podcast

Respectful Tourism with Joelle Sfeir and Nada Raphael of Tourleb

TourLeb's PayPal: Paypal.me/aaychin

Follow Solo Trvlr App in these spaces:

Website: https://www.solotrvlr.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/solotrvlrapp

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/solotrvlr/

💼🚺♀️ 👵🏼👩🏽‍🦱✈️🚢🧳

This podcast is hosted by Beth Santos, founder and CEO of Wanderful and author of Wander Woman: How to Reclaim Your Space, Find Your Voice, and Travel the World, Solo. Beth has been recognized in Business Insider as one of 17 changemakers transforming the hospitality industry, and in Conde Nast Traveller as one of 12 inspiring people to follow. She's also the godmother to the Azamara Onward cruise ship, a cafe owner and a mom of three.

💼🚺♀️👩🏾👵🏼👩🏽‍🦱✈️🚢🧳

If you would love to connect with Beth, join her in these following spaces:

Website

LinkedIn

Instagram

Facebook

Twitter

Have you been moved by what you heard in this week's episode of "85 Percent"?  I invite you to leave an honest review of how this episode impacted you. Also, share this podcast with your travel buddy!

The 85 Percent Podcast intro, outro and transition music is named Nothing Just Happens by lemonmusicstudio and was found on Pixabay. Additional music and sound effects for this episode came from Soundstripe and/or Epidemic Sounds or is cited in the show notes. Crackers In Soup is the writer, audio editor and producer for this episode.

Welcome back women travelers, solo travelers, travel hobbyist and travel influencers!! Get your popcorn ready for another exciting episode of the "85 Percent Podcast." I'm your host, Beth Santos, and today we dive into the transformative power of travel with our inspiring guest, Vanessa Fondeur.

Join us as we explore Vanessa's remarkable journey from her Dominican roots to trailblazing travel inclusivity for the Latine community through her initiatives, "Latino World Travelers" and the "Latino Travel Fest."

We'll also be hearing from Lisa Verbeck, founder of Verbeck Consulting, as she shares her insights on impactful tourism.

Plus, we're inviting you, our listeners, to share your profound travel tales that altered your worldview. So hit subscribe, and let's embark on this journey of discovery and empowerment together!

Honorable Mentions

Wander Woman - Travel Book 

Wanderful Community

B & H Photo Digital

Lisa Verbeck

Follow Vanessa in these spaces:

Website: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessafondeuradams/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/latinaworldtraveler/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/latinoworldtravelers/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/latinotravelfest/

💼🚺♀️ 👵🏼👩🏽‍🦱✈️🚢🧳

This podcast is hosted by Beth Santos, founder and CEO of Wanderful and author of Wander Woman: How to Reclaim Your Space, Find Your Voice, and Travel the World, Solo. Beth has been recognized in Business Insider as one of 17 changemakers transforming the hospitality industry, and in Conde Nast Traveller as one of 12 inspiring people to follow. She's also the godmother to the Azamara Onward cruise ship, a cafe owner and a mom of three.

💼🚺♀️👩🏾👵🏼👩🏽‍🦱✈️🚢🧳

If you would love to connect with Beth, join her in these following spaces:

Website

LinkedIn

Instagram

Facebook

Twitter

Have you been moved by what you heard in this week's episode of "85 Percent"?  I invite you to leave an honest review of how this episode impacted you. Also, share this podcast with your travel buddy!

The 85 Percent Podcast intro, outro and transition music is named Nothing Just Happens by lemonmusicstudio and was found on Pixabay. Additional music and sound effects for this episode came from Soundstripe and/or Epidemic Sounds or is cited in the show notes. Crackers In Soup is the writer, audio editor and producer for this episode.