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She didn’t even get a passport until 28, then built a career that took her from CNN to reporting travel stories around the world. I’m joined by Tomeka Jones, an Emmy Award-winning travel journalist, television host, executive producer and the founder of Travel in Style with Tomeka. We talk about what it really looks like to break into a major newsroom, learn the craft and keep moving forward even when the industry hands you a layoff. 

Tomeka shares how producing and reporting gave her the power to “own the story,” and why that skill set matters more than ever for travel media, streaming platforms and social video. We dig into the moment she decided to start her own travel production company, the fear she had to push through, and how she landed early contracts once she committed. You’ll also hear about her distribution on Local Now (a Weather Channel sister network) and YouTube, plus a recent Egypt river cruise story that highlights Black history and heritage through more inclusive travel experiences. 

We also get practical about the business side of travel journalism: what makes a strong partnership with public relations professionals, how hosted trips and paid work can fit together and why “polished” isn’t always what audiences respond to anymore. If you care about luxury travel, diversity in travel marketing, authentic storytelling and how travel news gets made, you’ll leave with clear takeaways and a fresh perspective. 

Connect with Tomeka Jones

• Website: https://www.travelinstylewithtomeka.com
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZAPzqj_MqzlU04jxYbbjoInk2DurROtp
• Listen to the Travel-ish Podcast
• Instagram: @travelinstylewithtomeka
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomekajones/

Subscribe, share this with a friend who loves travel and leave a review so more listeners can find the show. 

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Someone once told Kaitlyn Rosati she shouldn’t travel to South America without a man. She went anyway, built No Man Nomad and turned solo travel into a full-time life across nearly 100 countries. We sit down with Kaitlyn to get past the highlight reel and into the real mechanics of fearless exploration: how a bartender in New York took one solo trip to Hawaii, then kept going until travel writing and food storytelling became her craft.

We dig into the mindset behind independent travel, including the part nobody romanticizes: decision fatigue. Kaitlyn breaks down why the freedom is still worth it, how starting with a domestic destination can make your first solo trip feel safer, and how a passport-page problem unexpectedly led her to “move” to Tokyo and fall in love with slow travel. Along the way, she shares destinations that surprised her, the travel chaos that becomes lore later, and which world wonders truly live up to the hype.

If you work in travel PR or you pitch freelance writers, Kaitlyn also gives clear, practical guidance on what she needs from a pitch, why “guaranteed outlet” demands can be unrealistic and how simple research can be the difference between a quick yes and an instant delete. Listen for her honest take on Italy travel dreams, story selection, and what she’s working on next. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs a push to travel solo, and leave us a review so more listeners can find Media in Minutes.

No Man Nomad
https://www.nomannomad.net/

Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/noman.nomad/

Newsletter
(Subscribe through the pop-up on website)
https://www.nomannomad.net/

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Indianapolis has secrets hiding in plain sight, and some of them involve thousands of hungry squirrels. Host Angela Tuell sits down with Indianapolis writer, editor and author Ashley Petry to unpack how she turns local history, culture, and curiosity into stories that make people see the Circle City with fresh eyes.

Ashley shares how a lifelong love of writing and a deep background in travel writing led her back home, where she realized Indianapolis needed smarter, more vivid guides. We talk about the “hedgehog concept” and why choosing a niche can be the difference between scattered freelance work and a focused body of work. Along the way, Ashley explains how she finds the gems: reading the dusty history books until something weird and wonderful jumps off the page, then pairing that research with present-day listening, from neighborhood buzz to trusted PR relationships.

We also dig into her books, including 100 Things to Do in Indianapolis Before You Die, Secret Indianapolis and her new release, Remarkable Women of Indianapolis. Ashley tells us why the absence of a women’s history book pushed her to write one, and highlights the kind of overlooked impact story that stuck with her, like educator Eliza Blaker’s network of free kindergartens. For PR pros and communications folks, Ashley gives direct, practical advice on what makes a pitch stand out, what mistakes to avoid with media databases, and why a two-way relationship matters more than volume.

If you love Indianapolis travel, Midwest culture, local history or better PR pitching, you’ll leave with story ideas, weekend recommendations and a new reason to pay attention to what’s happening locally. Subscribe, share this with a friend and leave a review so more listeners can find us.

Meet Ashley at her upcoming Indianapolis book signing at the Propylaeum on July 9 (registration required): https://secure.qgiv.com/for/propylaeumhistoricfoundation/event/2026pagesatheprop/

Ashley website: http://www.ashleypetry.com/ 

Twitter/X: @ashleypetry

Instagram: @ashleypetry

TikTok: @ashley.petry

Remarkable Women of Indianapolis 

100 Things to Do in Indianapolis Before You Die 

Secret Indianapolis

Indianapolis: An Illustrated Timeline

Check out Ashley's alphabet card collection

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A naked dinner party assignment. An alligator living by a dollar store. A “be more efficient” book that actually teaches you to rest. Lifestyle and wellness reporter Madeleine Aggeler has made a career out of taking the internet’s strangest trends seriously enough to find the human truth inside them, and she joins us to explain how that work actually happens. 

We start with Madeleine’s unconventional journalism origin story: a childhood spent devouring magazines, a detour through the Peace Corps and Foreign Service ambitions, then a one-year gamble in New York that turns temp work and small gigs into a real reporting career. She breaks down what it was like learning on the fly during the high-output days at The Cut, why writing fast can sharpen your voice and how a bold pandemic-era move helped her chase the kind of long-form journalism she wanted to do. 

From there, we get practical about idea generation and wellness reporting. Madeleine shares how she spots stories, why trusting your gut often beats guessing what readers want and how she balances curiosity with healthy skepticism in an age of nonstop health content. We talk about trends that surprised her, trends she’d never do again and the “boring” habits that keep showing up as the most reliable wellness advice. Finally, she tells us what she’s watching now, including strength training culture and the relationship side of GLP-1 medications. 

If you like smart, funny reporting that still asks big questions about loneliness, dating culture, beauty standards and self-improvement, hit subscribe, share this with a friend and leave a review so more listeners can find us.

Madeleine Aggeler’s author page at The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/profile/madeleine-aggeler

Madeleine’s LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/madeleine-aggeler/

Bluesky
https://bsky.app/profile/mmaggeler.bsky.social 

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When you hear “bioethics,” you might picture abstract debates and dense academic language, but that's not the case with today's guest. I’m joined by Dr. Elizabeth Yuko, an award-winning journalist, bioethicist and longtime Rolling Stone contributor, to talk about the real-world ethical choices hiding inside health headlines, medical research and public policy decisions that don’t come with clean answers.

We dig into how Elizabeth built a career that blends deep expertise with plainspoken science journalism, from her early training to reporting across public health, culture and even design. She shares what it was like to spend months closely following the researchers working on COVID vaccines, why long COVID coverage still struggles for attention and how grief became a central part of her early pandemic reporting while she was sick herself. Along the way, we talk about how journalists keep stories accurate when misinformation spreads fast and when once-trusted institutions no longer feel like reliable touchpoints.

Then we get into media ethics right now: AI in newsrooms, AI-generated drafts, sloppy AI research habits and the growing pressure to write for SEO or to “optimize” stories so chatbots cite them. Elizabeth makes a clear argument for why journalism should serve readers first. We also cover neurodiversity, including her ADHD diagnosis, and yes, how The Golden Girls can be a surprisingly sharp framework for explaining bioethical dilemmas. If you work in PR, she closes with straightforward pitching advice on relevance, exclusives and what immediately raises red flags.

Subscribe for more conversations with the people who report on the world, share this with a friend who cares about media ethics and leave a review telling us what part of the AI and misinformation conversation hit you hardest.

Dr. Elizabeth Yuko website: https://elizabethyuko.com

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

Rolling Stone: https://www.rollingstone.com/author/elizabeth-yuko/ 

TEDx Talk: Bioethics and The Golden Girls: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Rn1RyDPZOA 

Fordham University bio/profile: https://www.fordham.edu/academics/departments/ethics-and-society/faculty/elizabeth-yuko/ 

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She wanted to be home with her kids, but she also wanted an income and a career. That tension is where freelance writer Stephanie Mickelson built her business, starting with small Upwork jobs and steadily growing into bylines at major outlets like Real Simple and Popular Mechanics.

We talk through the exact moments that made freelancing feel “real,” including the first $1,000 month that proved the work could move the needle financially. Stephanie shares how she chose niches like home improvement, construction, real estate and lifestyle by following genuine interests and leaning on hands-on experience. We also get practical about the work itself: a quiet 4:15 a.m. writing routine, balancing admin with deep work and how she keeps a flexible rhythm that still ships drafts on deadline.

If you pitch writers for a living or you are trying to land editors yourself, the middle of this conversation is packed with field-tested advice. Stephanie explains what makes an editor say yes, why timing matters, how a smart follow-up can help and how PR reps can tailor ideas by looking at recent bylines on Muck Rack and pitching adjacent angles. She also breaks down how product reviews and gift guide picks happen through testing, research and relationships, plus where she finds community and opportunities on LinkedIn and tools like Pitchcraft, Qwoted and Press Hook. We wrap with her Substack, The Simple Freelancer, and a glimpse of rural life that includes 14 chickens and more fresh eggs than one family can handle.

Subscribe for more conversations with working journalists and writers, and if this one helps you, please share it and leave a rating and review. What part of freelancing do you want us to unpack next?

Connect with Stephanie on: 

LinkedIN 

Simple freelancer substack: https://thesimplefreelancer.substack.com

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A destination can look perfect on paper and still feel unreadable until you sit down, open the menu and watch what locals actually order. That’s the lens we bring to this conversation with Emily Capiello, a travel, food, and beverage journalist whose work spans Travel + Leisure, Forbes, VinePair and more. We talk about how she went from a start in literature to a career built on reporting the intersection of travel, dining and drink culture, and why those three worlds tell the most honest story about a place. 

We get specific about what makes a strong travel story: the winemaker shaping regional identity, the restaurant that operates like a community living room and the cocktail traditions that carry history forward. Emily shares two standout pieces that matter to her on a personal level, including a Travel + Leisure story on widow travel groups and a Forbes story about an Oregon wine bar built as an accessible community hub. The thread running through both is the same question: can storytelling help people feel less alone and more connected to where they are? 

Then we zoom out to food and beverage trends that listeners can actually use, from intentional consumption and transparent sourcing to the wave of low-ABV and nonalcoholic innovation. Emily also offers a candid look at the PR side: why “trends” often show up late, what earns a response in a crowded inbox and how she decides which press trips are worth the time. You’ll also hear her hot take on Michelin-star-heavy itineraries and why they can flatten a destination’s real culture. 

If you care about travel journalism, food writing, wine trends, cocktail culture or smarter media pitching, this one will sharpen how you see the world. 

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Emily's Travel + Leisure story: How Group Travel Is Changing the Way Young Widows Deal With Grief

Emily’s Forbes story: How One Wine Bar Is Redefining Community—And Taking Snobbery Out Of Wine

Emily’s Substack: Gourmet Insider 

Emily’s Instagram

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Seoul can look like one giant skyline from a distance, but up close it’s a patchwork of neighborhoods with their own rhythms, histories, and quiet surprises. I’m joined by writer, editor, and author Charlie Usher, whose work spans South Korea travel, cultural storytelling, and the kind of reporting that starts by simply choosing a subway stop and wandering until a place reveals itself.

Charlie shares how he moved to South Korea on a whim, what shocked him early on, and why Seoul remains one of the most compelling cities for travel writing because it never sits still. We talk about his essay collection Soul Suburban and what he hopes readers take from it: a more textured view of Seoul that goes beyond the “monolithic city” stereotype. He also names specific areas that reward curious travelers, including Songbukdong and its literary feel, plus creative pockets like Yanam and Mangwon.

We also go behind the scenes of travel media. Charlie reflects on his time editing Korean Air’s in-flight magazine Morning Calm, where rigorous fact-checking and serious editorial standards shaped how he reports today. From there, we dig into what he’s writing now for outlets like Milwaukee Magazine and Midwest Living, his work on DK travel guides and a Lonely Planet Seoul project, and his simple advice for PR professionals who want their pitches to land: show you know who you’re writing to.

If you care about travel journalism, guidebooks, South Korea travel, or ethical storytelling built on empathy, you’ll get a lot out of this conversation. 

Subscribe, share this with a fellow traveler or writer, and leave a quick rating and review so more people can find the show.

🔗 Connect with Charlie Usher

Website: https://www.charles-usher.com/
Instagram: @charlesreclausher

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The travel stories you love rarely come from “perfect” trips. They come from patience, ethics, and a lot of unseen work. We sit down with Rosie Bell, an award-winning travel writer, editor, and educator whose bylines span BBC Travel, National Geographic Traveler, Wired, Forbes Travel Guide, Lonely Planet, and more. Rosie shares how she stumbled into travel journalism after moving to Panama, then turned one paid essay into a career built across Latin America and beyond.

We talk about the rule that guides her reporting: you’re always writing about someone’s home. That one idea changes how you interview people, describe places, and decide what not to include. Rosie also opens up about the less glamorous side of being a freelance travel writer: pitching without pay, working alone, managing admin, and staying resilient as the travel media landscape shifts with layoffs, smaller budgets, and fewer outlets buying freelance stories.

Then we get practical about press trips and travel PR. Rosie explains why she built Press Trip Pros, a matchmaking platform designed to align publicists, brands, and tourism boards with journalists and creators who are actually a fit. You’ll hear what makes a press trip great, why writers turn invitations down, how group trips compare to solo trips for deeper storytelling, and what a PR pitch needs to earn a real reply.

If you care about travel writing, travel journalism, press trips, pitching, and the future of freelance work, this conversation delivers clear takeaways you can use right away. Subscribe, share this with a friend in media or PR, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show.

Rosie’s portfolio site
RosieBell.net

Press Trip Pros
PressTripPros.com

Instagram
@thebeachbell

Rosie’s books

• Escape to Self
• The Art and Business of Travel Writing

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A shy compliment at Art Basel turned into a passport to the world. We sit down with Miami native and freelance writer Amber Love Bond to unpack how she left corporate finance and built a career that spotlights chefs, bartenders and destinations through stories with heart. From the early days covering Miami’s cocktail scene to filing features from Hong Kong, New Orleans and the Caribbean, Amber shows how curiosity, consistency and relationships can take you farther than a perfect plan.

We dig into the rituals that make bars and restaurants feel alive—glassware choices, ice and the people behind the stick—and why a strong sense of place is the secret ingredient in travel writing. Amber explains how she evaluates hosted trips, the subtle red flags that can surface only after planning starts, and the simple test she uses when her inbox fills with invites. She also shares straight-talk advice for PR pros: personalized pitches win, strong relationships matter and once a freelancer files, publication timing is out of their hands.

Trend-watchers will find plenty to savor. We explore why early dinners now top reservation charts, how Gen Z is reshaping drink menus, and the rise of martini flights and “tiny teenies.” Amber makes a case for New Orleans as a must-visit food and cocktail city and relives a Tuscan feast with the world’s most famous butcher that still lingers in memory. Along the way, she offers practical guidance for breaking into food, drink and travel writing without a journalism degree—be kind, answer emails and invest in the relationships that become your career’s backbone.

If you love food journalism, cocktail culture or travel stories that feel lived-in and local, this conversation is for you. 

Connect with Amber on Instagram. 

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