She's Bold with Beth Whitman

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I'm taking time out this week to cover a few housekeeping items including a soon-to-be-launched Patreon page, ways to get involved with the Be Bold community, a giveaway for a Black Rapid Camera Strap and Thanksgiving well wishes!

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Mentioned in this episode: Black Rapid Camera Strap giveaway Connect with me: Facebook Instagram WanderTours Be Bold Facebook Group (women-only) Twitter

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In this episode, I take some time to answer your questions! I cover some interesting topics including:

* The time(s) I've been truly frightened while traveling * Why I get up at 5:18 in the morning * How to deal with long airport layovers

If you haven't yet submitted a question and would like to, you can do so here. or you can call 877-280-5170 and leave a message. Mentioned in this episode: Stuck at the Airport Harriet Baskas (on the Be Bold Podcast) Connect with me: Facebook Instagram WanderTours Be Bold Facebook Group (women-only) Twitter

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Be Bold, Beth

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My conversation today is with Kauai resident Vicki Punter.

Vicki is a sailor, adventurer and entrepreneur.

She grew up in the midwest, left for the Caribbean after some brief work on the mainland and then took off on a boat to find adventure after the then-president of El Salvador mentioned wanting to sail around the world. Since that idea was planted, she figures that she and her husband, Captain Jim, have spent about 20 years on the water.

Vicki is really unassuming. And I think much of that is because she grew up and spent the bulk of her travels in pre-internet times. But she really has lived a life of true adventure. She wasn't blogging about it, she wasn't posting on facebook or Instagram about it. She was just doing it.

So in this conversation we talk about those years on the boat, her meeting local indigenous groups throughout the South Pacific and gathering up incredibly unique art which is now on display and for sale at her shop, Havaiki, on the north shore of Kauai.

The thing that strikes me about Vicki is her willingness to embrace uncertainty. To be flexible and to say yes to every adventure.

You know I've traveled a lot over the past 30 years and I've observed and traveled with a lot of people during that time. And one thing I know is that there's a big difference between what a person experiences when they are flexible and they say yes compared to someone who questions everything and is fearful of what's ahead. It makes all the difference in the kind of trip (and LIFE) you're going to have.

Vicki is someone who is all IN, and I love that about her and I know you will, too.

Before we get to our conversation, I want to just note that we got interrupted about half way through because of the landscaper working outside her house so you'll hear us take a brief pause. You might also hear the rain in the background as well.

Also, we recorded this in September when hurricane Florence hit the east coast so you'll hear us reference that.

OK – with that, please enjoy this conversation with Vicki Punter.

Connect with Vicki:Website (Havaiki)

Links/books/people mentioned Iz (Amazon) Rita Golden Gelman (Be Bold Podcast episode) Tales of a Female Nomad (Amazon) Belle Starr (Wiki) Connect with me: Facebook Instagram WanderTours Be Bold Facebook Group (women-only) Twitter

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Be Bold, Beth

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Today's conversation is with Alison Wright.

Alison is a documentary photographer, the author of 10 books and an adventurer who's been to 150 countries.

In 2013 she was named National Geographic Traveler of the Year and recognized as someone who travels with a sense of passion and purpose – and really, that's putting it mildly. She's also the recipient of a Dorothea Lange Award in Documentary Photography and a two-time winner of the Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Award.

I think I first met Alison when she was in Seattle many many years ago at a book signing. She was speaking at a small event at a bookstore where she told the story of nearly dying in a bus crash in Laos. She survived, of course, but I remember her amazing story and remember completely admiring her sense of adventure and her desire to continue traveling despite this horrendous event that, really, changed her life.

You're going to hear some great stories from her in this episode. But my big takeaway from this conversation is how, from a very early age, Alison knew exactly what it was that she wanted to do. She wanted to travel and she wanted to document the human condition including the world's indigenous and endangered cultures.

When I describe myself, traveler is always the number one thing I identify with. I like to think that I put this passion of mine to some use by helping other people see the world and by showing them possibilities of personal growth through travel.

But what I've done in the world of travel pales in comparison to Alison. She is an incredibly talented photographer who has put her passion for travel to use by documenting her experiences in an incredibly artistic way.

As you'll hear in this conversation, it's obvious how singularly focused she was and still is on this goal which has become her life's purpose.

I don't want to say she's seen it all, but after 150 countries, she's seen a lot.

I'm sure she's got a million stories that could fill many more hours of conversation, but for our purposes, we chatted about some of the highlights from her adventures including that bus crash in Laos, her befriending the Dalai Lama (and publishing a book about him) and, more recently, being thrown off a horse in Mongolia and how she thought she was going to die (again) when that happened.

Before I get to this conversation with Alison, I want to remind you to check out the tours I offer at WanderTours.com (W*A*N*D*E*R). If you find the least bit of inspiration from today's conversation with Alison, you'll likely want to jump on board my trip to Papua New Guinea in 2019 – and there are just a couple of spots left on that tour.

This tour coincides with the Mt. Hagen Singsing festival. This is where about 75 tribes gather to sing and dance in a cultural performance like none other. The festival includes about 1,000 local tribesmen and women and maybe 300 tourists. It's a photographer's dream, for sure. But you don't have to be a photographer to enjoy and take in this unbelievable event. And as a side note, even those who don't consider themselves photographers end up with such amazing photographs that they'll be mistaken for photographers.

Not only does this tour include the Mt. Hagen Show, but it includes a private mini-singsing in the mountains just outside of Mt. Hagen town where about a dozen tribal groups perform for a small amount of tourists. And it also includes another small but budding singsing festival in the Sepik River area. This one has maybe 10 – 12 groups performing and at that event maybe 20 – 25 tourists. In 2019 I'm told that that Sepik River singsing will include a very special ceremony where we'll get to see the crocodile cuttings where boys are initiated into manhood. (Google it for more info.)

The access to these groups and the ability to photograph them so up close will change your life forever. And I don't say that lightly. After my first few trips to PNG, I came home speechless. Just really kind of culture shocked in the most amazing kind of way.

It's worth noting that I am working with Alison on the possibility of her leading a photography tour to Papua New Guinea so if you're interested, you can let me know by sending an email to [email protected].

One final note, be sure to listen through to the end of this conversation as I feature a question from a listener and answer her travel-related question.

With that, please enjoy this conversation with the amazing, Alison Wright.

Connect with Alison:Website | Facebook | Twitter

Links/books/people mentioned Faces of Hope The Survivors Club by Ben Sherwood (Amazon) Connect with me: Facebook Instagram WanderTours Be Bold Facebook Group (women-only) Twitter

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Be Bold, Beth

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Natalia Koss Vallejo is an activist and feminist. And although she's motivated by her anger, you wouldn't know it from her demeanor. She's a diminutive woman with a lion's roar about the issues she cares about. And she isn't shy at all about jumping right into sensitive topics. Topics that generally aren't talked about publicly.

In this episode, we talk about how Natalia got involved with politics at a very early age. That involvement, which you'll hear about, rose out of her difficultly in obtaining an abortion in her late teens. It was at this time that she recognized an unjust and unfair system that affected not only her, but the many women out there in similar situations.

This is what I find so amazing and so bold about her. That she was so mature at such a young age to not only recognize this but to also be so motivated to make changes to the system. Her frustration with this experience launched her into work at Planned Parenthood, NARAL and, ultimately, politics.

Although this is a topic she passionately talks about, that's not what actually brought us together.

The way Natalia landed on my radar was because of a sexual harassment and workplace misconduct suit (filed by a third party but on behalf of Natalia) against her boss, Bailey Stober. He was, at the time, Chair of the King County Democrats in Washington State.

You'll hear how this all unfolded but, in short, the complaint, again, filed by a third party, resulted in an internal trial against Stober and caused him to not only lose his position as the Chair of the King Country Democrats but also his full-time job at the King County Assessor's office.

This is a guy who said deplorable things to Natalia. Things that shouldn't be said out loud in the first place let alone by an employer to his employee. (And, again, fair warning that those words are spoken out loud in our conversation so brace yourself.)

Natalia and I had been trying to get together for months for this conversation but it took on new urgency after the Senate confirmed Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. After Christine Blasey Ford bravely came forward (and was basically shut down), I felt it was really important for people to hear Natalia's story. But you have to understand that on one hand Natalia's story is a win for women in the workplace but you still have to wonder why this is still tolerated in the workplace and why more women don't come forward in these situations.

I'm so glad Natalia also felt it important to get her story out on the Be Bold Podcast and that she made time to sit down with me just a couple of days before I left for Peru.

So with that, please enjoy this conversation with Natalia Koss Vallejo.

Connect with Natalia:Website (Exhale Pro Voice) | Twitter (Natalia)

Links/books/people mentioned Planned Parenthood NARAL Mona Das (Be Bold Podcast episode) Joe Fain King County Democrats Bailey Stober Allison Dvaladze (Be Bold Podcast episode) Erica C Barnett Repro Health Happy Hour The Stranger (Community and Civics) FlipBoard Connect with me: Facebook Instagram WanderTours Be Bold Facebook Group (women-only) Twitter

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Be Bold, Beth

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Today's conversation is with Kim Steutermann Rogers.

Kim is a journalist and photographer living on Kauai. And I gotta tell ya, she has carved out a beautiful life for herself on the island. Not only because she's making a living doing something that's very difficult these days to make a living at (that being a journalist and photographer), but she also calls herself a citizen scientist. How she describes it is that she's managed to draw upon her early love for science and couple it with her journalistic talents. What she's created is this life that has provided her with experiences and opportunities she could never have imagined.

There really is so much subtle beauty in this conversation pertaining to this lifestyle that she's chosen. It started when she left her family and friends behind on the mainland and just picked up and moved with her husband to this little slice of heaven.

I don't expect everyone to just pick up and move to an island after hearing this. But I hope you'll dig deep and really think about what it is that makes you happy. Think about the different pieces of your life that you enjoy the most and consider how you might put them all together.

You know it actually reminds me of my conversation with Sara McArdle on episode 59. Sara's a career change agent and life coach who helps women uncover what their talents and interests are for the very purpose of creating a lifestyle that's more suitable to what it is they love.

Kudos to Kim for following her heart and finding that combination on her own.

At the end of this conversation, I answer a question from a listener so please stay with me for that! If you have a question or feedback, you can call me at 877-280-5170 and leave a message. You, too, might be featured!

Connect with Kim:Website (Kim) | Website (Albatographer) | Instagram | Facebook (Albatography) | Twitter

Links/books/people mentioned A Plastic Ocean (Amazon) NOAA Grand Hyatt Kauai Ozarka Beth Massa (Be Bold Podcast) Surfrider Foundation REPEL Lemon Eucalyptus Bug Repellent (Amazon) Emergen-c (Amazon) Connect with me: Facebook Instagram WanderTours Be Bold Facebook Group (women-only) Twitter

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Be Bold, Beth

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This week's conversation is with Tibetan singer, Yungchen Lhamo.

Meeting Yungchen in person was what I imagine meeting the Dalai Lama must be like.

She's a quiet, soft-spoken person who gives you all of her focus and attention. She's undistracted. She's present. And she is so incredibly sweet. Everything she does is from the heart. And everything she does is for the benefit of others. That's something you hear about quite frequently in Buddhism, doing things for the benefit of others, but you don't come across many people who are actually putting this into practice.

You know, in our culture, we so rarely see this that it's almost difficult to get used to you.

But hopefully you've come across someone in your life who's similar to Yungchen in that, they are so at peace that you want to be more like them. You want that peacefulness for yourself. You see them as a happy person and you want that.

I wasn't expecting this when I connected with her online and requested that we speak for the podcast. I really didn't have any expectation of what she would be like in person. I only knew that I really wanted to meet and chat with someone whose voice could be so pure that it brings me to tears.

To say the least, it was a great honor for me to spend time with her and chat with her at her sister's home in Queens.

Yungchen's name means Goddess of Melody and Song and this was given to her shortly after her birth. And she's definitely lived up to this name.

It's worth noting that she isn't a political person and she made that clear before we recorded that she didn't want to talk about politics or about her departure from her home country. Instead she wanted to focus on the work that she's been doing.

And that work, in addition to singing, includes her non-profit, the Yungchen Lhamo Charitable Foundation. This organization is dedicated to improving the welfare of all human beings in need. Specifically, it focuses on improving and empowering the lives of Tibetan women and children, the mentally ill, the disabled and the homeless.

The One Drop of Kindness project that is part of the Yungchen Lhamo Charitable Foundation. It facilitates empathy, respect, compassion and recognition for others. And she has that in spades.

There was a Newsweek article from a few years ago that talks about a play that she organized called You Are Beautiful, I Am Beautiful. It features 13 residents of a homeless shelter in her hometown. In the article she talks about how, in Tibet, people don't talk about mental illness. As in, it's not a thing. But what she says in this article is we are all sick in different ways.

And that's a very Buddhist insight, that we are all delusional. In other words, it's a way of looking at the world to realize we should be compassionate toward everyone because we all have our struggles.

So in this conversation, we talk about how she left her home in Tibet and went to India and then on to Australia. She talks about her assimilation into the Australian culture and ultimately the culture here in the U.S. And she has some really fun stories about trying to fit in and understand her neighbors and the culture.

We also talked about how her musical career took off when she was heard in Australia and was asked by Peter Gabriel to perform at WOMAD, the world music and dance festival. She was actually the first person from Tibet to perform at WOMAD. She released a CD for the event and that ended up winning an Aria Award (and that's the Australian equivalent of the Grammys).

At the end of our conversation, I asked her to sing a bit so you'll hear her beautiful singing voice. It's very much in the traditional style of the Himalayas so unless you're already familiar with this kind of music, it may be a bit different for you.

After we recorded, I talked to Yungchen about the possibility of coming to Seattle for a concert. If you're at all interested in attending a performance by her, send me a note at [email protected] and I'll keep you posted on those details. You can also use that email address to send me feedback or you can call my feedback and question line at 877-280-5170. On future episodes, I'll be answering your questions that are left at that number.

With that, please enjoy this conversation with the incomparable Yungchen Lhamo.

Connect with Yungchen:Website (Foundation) | Website (Yungchen) | Facebook

Links/books/people mentionedNatalie Merchant 10,000 Maniacs Peter Gabriel Real World Records WOMAD Aria Award Connect with me: Facebook Instagram WanderTours Be Bold Facebook Group (women-only) Twitter

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Be Bold, Beth

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Today's conversation is with Sherry Ott.

Sherry is a long-term traveler, a blogger and a photographer. As she says, her one goal in life is to make you wish you were somewhere else.

Over 11 years, she's lived in Vietnam, hiked the Annapurna Circuit with her dad, drove 10,000 miles from London to Mongolia in the Mongol Rally, she's walked across Spain on the Camino de Santiago, kayaked in Antarctica, and drove an auto rickshaw across India for charity.

When we spoke last year, she was in Denver checking it out and considering making it her home base, which she subsequently did. She is still seeking epic adventures to intriguing places in order to challenge herself and inspire people to overcome their fears and reap the benefits of travel but she now does this from Colorado where she now explores the mountains and fosters kittens.

She's got a pretty big following so you might already know her but if not, she writes about her travel lifestyle and her around the world adventures on Ottsworld.com and her social media channels.

In this conversation, we talked about what it was like for her to take a "career break" thinking that she was going to travel for a year which then turned into more than a decade. Along the way she turned those travels into a lifestyle and into work as a digital nomad.

Although it sounds quite sexy, she admits there is downside to being on the road for so long including the stress of having to make so many logistical plans and figuring out where she's going to sleep every night. Not to mention the loneliness that comes with it.

We also talk about how the tools and technology have changed over the years and how they've made being a digital nomad possible.

Sherry shares some great insight into her lifestyle and I know you're going to love this conversation!

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By the way...I'd love to hear your feedback! Send me a note at [email protected] and let me know what you think. You can also leave voice feedback or ask a question by calling 877-280-5170. I'd love to grow our community by featuring you and your questions on future episodes.

Connect with Sherry:Website (Ottsworld) | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest

Links/books/people mentionedMongol Rally Deb and Dave at The Planet D Connect with me: Facebook Instagram WanderTours Be Bold Facebook Group (women-only) Twitter

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Be Bold, Beth

Ladies! Please join our Be Bold Facebook Group!

Today's conversation is with Radha Agrawal.

Radha is…well, Radha is a pretty freaking amazing young woman.

She's probably best known for having founded Daybreaker, an early morning dance party that's currently in 25 cities and has a half a million people in the community. Basically, about once a month Daybreaker takes place in each of these 25 cities. These consist of a one-hour yoga session, if you so choose, that's followed by two hours of dance. All this takes place early enough in the morning that you can participate and then go to work.

Think of it like a very scaled down, early morning version of Burning Man where 300 – 600 people get jiggy with it. Where there might be a theme, people might come in costume and basically they're just completely letting loose before they head to their jobs.

I suggest that while you're listening to this episode, maybe you can just pop over to the Daybreaker website and see if the city nearest you is on their list. And if, not there's probably a way you can contact them and request (or even start one yourself) for the city nearest you.

Anyway, what grew out of Daybreaker is Radha's new book, Belong: Find Your People, Create Community, and Live a More Connected Life.

That kinda says it all.

As you'll hear in our conversation today, she said she was getting asked a few times a week how she was able to build her Daybreaker community, so she wrote the book in response to this question that kept coming up. But she didn't just write a book, in my opinion, she created a piece of beautiful art. Seriously, it's one of, if not THE most beautifully designed books I've every come across. And it was her handiwork as you'll hear in this conversation. She's the one that actually designed it.

Even though we call ourselves connected (and by that I mean through technology), we have become a very disconnected culture and world. With Daybreaker, Radha has addressed this current epidemic of us being so disconnected from one another. What's she done is not only built a community but, through Belong (her book) she's created a road map for us all to build our own communities.

As you hear on all the conversations here on the Be Bold Podcast, there's much more to a person's story than what they are currently working on. With Radha, you'll hear in our conversation about her life story that takes her from Canada, to school in upstate NY to work in the finance world in the Big Apple to "travel" documentaries to vegetables to underwear and, finally, to community building.

With that, enjoy this conversation with Radha Agrawal!

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By the way...I'd love to hear your feedback! Send me a note at [email protected] and let me know what you think. You can also leave voice feedback or ask a question by calling 877-280-5170. I'd love to grow our community by featuring you and your questions on future episodes.

Connect with Radha:Website (Daybreaker) | Instagram | Facebook

Links/books/people mentionedBelong: Find Your People, Create Community & Live a More Connected Life by Radha Agrawal (Amazon) The Western Front (documentary on YouTube) Connect with me: Facebook Instagram WanderTours Be Bold Facebook Group (women-only) Twitter

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Be Bold, Beth

Ladies! Please join our Be Bold Facebook Group!

You are in for a real treat today. This is a long conversation with a woman whom you've likely never heard of before but I can guarantee you will want to meet and hang out with her after you listen to this episode.

I'm not sure if it's her accent, which is beyond charming, or it's her self-deprecating way or it's her keen observations about herself and others. It's probably a combination of all of those. But whatever it is, you're going to be pulled into a conversation that is just gonna make you feel good and, hopefully, it's gonna make you think differently about what's possible for yourself.

So, this conversation is with Sue Hollis. Sue is an Australian but she currently splits her time between the land down under and Canada. It was my very good fortune that she happened to be in Canada this summer and was willing to take a ride down here to Seattle on her beloved motorcycle, Voodoo, as she calls it, to record.

Anyway, Sue just released a book called Riding Raw: The Journey from Empty to Full which chronicles her three-month ride through North America (mostly in the western US and parts of Canada) on her 1000 CC BMW superbike. As a rider myself, I can attest to the fact that 1000 cc's is a big bike, especially for a petite woman like Sue.

But she took on this big trip after feeling like her "perfect" world wasn't so perfect and she needed a drastic change to reclaim her life and find, what she calls, heart success.

She really has a wonderful story to tell about her rise in the corporate travel world and how she always felt that she was going to be found out as a fraud at what she was doing (and that came with a lot of stress and fear). She went on to build a multi-million dollar business but still felt empty (hence the sub-title of the book, from empty to full).

As you can imagine, she's got some great stories to tell, not only about her past life in her career but also about her journey on Voodoo. And there are great lessons in here for all of us, not just for unhappy corporate execs or motorcycle riders. Some of the lessons she shares are really accessible to us all. And that's probably what makes this conversation so much fun and interesting.

So with that, here's my conversation with Sue Hollis.

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By the way...I'd love to hear your feedback! Send me a note at [email protected] and let me know what you think. You can also leave voice feedback or ask a question by calling 877-280-5170. I'd love to grow our community by featuring you and your questions on future episodes.

If you've got suggestions for future guests, I'm all ears. I'm going to be on Kauai and also in NYC later this month (and probably the Bay Area, LA and Portland soon) so if you have any suggestions, you can fill out a guest submission form on the Be Bold podcast website.

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Connect with Sue:Website | Instagram | Facebook

Links/books/people mentionedRiding Raw: A Journey from Empty to Full by Sue Hollis (Amazon) The Brain's Way of Healing by Norman Doige (Amazon) Arrowsmith Schools Nicole Antoinette (on Be Bold Podcast) Travel Edge Destination Highways (Amazon) Ben Greenfield Krista Tippet's On Being Rich Roll Finding Ultra by Rich Roll (Amazon) Brendan Brazier Vega foods Thrive by Brendan Brazier (Amazon) Whistler Ironman 2019 The Book of Joy by Desmund Tutu and the Dalai Lama (Amazon) Connect with me: Facebook Instagram WanderTours Be Bold Facebook Group (women-only) Twitter

Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe then tell a friend!

Be Bold, Beth