The Global Gratitude Show

Karen Walker Ryan was born in Whittier California in 1942, graduated from Whittier high school in 1960 and the University of California at Santa Barbara in1965.

She worked for the US military in Germany as a recreation specialist, traveled to Israel and worked on a kibbutz. She then taught high school for one year in Garden Grove California before joining Pan American Airways in 1969.

From 1970 to 1975 she was married to her college sweetheart, Alan Reynolds.

Using Panam travel benefits they traveled in Africa and New Zealand. Both avid skiers, they lived in Squaw Valley and Sun Valley as well as Missoula MT.

In 1973 she moved back to Missoula, Montana, where she resides to this day.

For her last few years of flying, she commuted from Missoula to Los Angeles.

Karen went on to write a social political column for regional newspapers and worked as a freelance writer.

She became an entrepreneur and created a well respected nationwide company that staffed the homes and estates of high net worth individuals. She had a happy 40 year marriage to Daniel Ryan who died in 2019. They had one son, Paul Walker Ryan.

They ranched, 30 years in Missoula and ten years in Ronan, raising sheep and alfalfa.

In her 70s she took up scuba diving and traveled to far reaches of the world for diving experiences.

Now 83, she is a regular Bridge player, avid walker and loves to hang out with her four-year-old granddaughter.

(Note; Found: The Lost Children of Saigon by Karen Ryan can be found in the May 2000 publication of Reader's Digest. Her original article entitled A Planeload of Babies was published in the May 1976 Reader's Digest.

A short ABC film nominated this year for 2 Emmys featuring Karen and Operation Babylift can be found on YouTube entitled Operation Babylift: The 50 year Journey-a special edition of 20/20.

Also to be found on YouTube: Operation Babylift: A celebration of the human spirit

When Daphne Freise received a globe for Christmas in the second grade, it ignited a passion for learning about the world and its many cultures. Soon after that, her great-grandfather built a bookcase to house a brand-new set of Encyclopedia Britannica. Her mother—fortuitously—placed it in Daphne’s little blue Holly Hobbie-themed bedroom.

She spent hours on the blue-and-green shag carpet, absorbed in her own small but expansive world. As records by Glen Campbell and Olivia Newton-John played on the Donny and Marie record player, she spun the globe, closed her eyes, and let one fingertip glide across its surface until it landed on a distant continent. Then she would pull down the corresponding encyclopedia volume, drop to the floor, and lose herself in the wonder of that place.

Daphne launched her career in 1994 as an international flight attendant, and the wonderful worlds of charter and corporate aviation have taken her around the globe hundreds of times over the past 25+ years, including temporary duty assignments in India, Saudi Arabia, and Malaysia.

She retired in 2025 and will soon be transplanting from Pennsylvania to North Carolina with her husband and cat, Copper. A wannabe hippie and ABBA devotee, she and Tim frequently holiday in London. She has attended writing workshops in Bulgaria, Kripalu, and the Pearl S. Buck Writing Center. Her published works appear in the Pearl S. Buck Literary Journal and Seven Secrets to the Perfect Personal Essay, by Nancy Aronie. 

She currently has several works in progress, including her memoir of the workplace violence incident that led to the end of her career, and the story of her father, a federal prison guard over mafia operatives, whose life ended under legal guardianship in a small-town probate court. 

Johanna O'Flaherty - PhD, LADAC, CEAP

Johanna O’ Flaherty, is a psychologist, author, consultant and keynote speaker. She is the former CEO of Central Recovery Treatment (CRT) and Vice President of Treatment Services at the Betty Ford Center. Currently, Johanna spends much of her time traveling and speaking to audiences throughout the behavioral health industry about generational trauma. Areas of expertise include:

• Airlines
• CISM Critical Incident Stress Management
• Critical Incident Stress Management
• First Responders: Psychological Aspects of Responding to disasters
• Healing Ancestral Trauma & Addiction
• Leaning Out: How To Gracefully Step Down Retire from Executive Positions.
• Peer Support & Wellness Program: Lawyers & Judges
• Rewrite Your life’s Narrative
• Spirituality in Recovery
• Trauma, grief, and recovery

Website: https://www.johannahelps.org

With more than 47 years in the airline industry, Natalie has built a life shaped by adventure, resilience, and a deep appreciation for people. The experience gave her countless stories and a unique perspective, grounded in a strong work ethic and an easy ability to connect with others.

After retiring, Natalie continued to give back in meaningful ways. She spent more than 10 years cooking meals for the homeless through "Bridge The Gap". Now she is the sous chef at "Meals on Wheels" volunteering and making 500 meals a day, three days a week supporting the community and making a difference close to home.

Today, Natalie lives in Georgia with her husband, where life is filled with family, friends, sunshine, and plenty of time spent by her beloved pool. She is the proud mother of two wonderful married children and eagerly awaiting the arrival of her first grandchild, (finally at 76). A new chapter of her life, she is excited to begin.

Paris Norriss is not your average TV personality and public figure - fuelled by insatiable curiosity and thirst for adventure, this Dubai-based force of nature is unstoppable. From early on in his life, being conventional was never in the cards for him and that’s one of the few things he never dared to try. 

Growing up on the grounds of a stately home nestled in the dense woods of Longleat, England, raw nature was his playground and medium to further develop his innate talent for exploring. Always (hyper)active, his exceptional aptitude for physical activities earned him a highly-coveted scholarship as he competed as a Decathlete for Millfield School, internationally renowned for its sporting prowess. ​

Constantly striving to be at the top, it was only natural that within only 2 hours after completing his final exams at Edinburgh University, he embarked on a one-way trip to the world’s fastest growing city: Dubai. Whilst monetarily rewarding, his swift success in strategising, raising investment and launching business ventures, started to become less and less fulfilling on an emotional level. Keen to live a truly extraordinary life, he had an epiphany: to combine his entrepreneurial flair, business know-how, and trailblazing inquisitiveness to redesign his path. 

Today, Paris's brainchild, the TV show ‘Guy in Dubai’, captivates audiences on over 12 major streaming platforms worldwide, including Amazon Prime, OSN, and Emirates Airlines' ICE. Guided by his mission to savour the journey as much as he cherishes the destination, Paris employs his TV shows as powerful vehicles to explore the world through the lens of adventure and ignite a fire in others to share a similar outlook on life. 

With his new show ‘Guy in The Sky’, he has already embarked on thrilling adventures across Ireland, Poland, KSA, and Malta with plenty more awe-inspiring escapades in the pipeline. ​

Website: https://www.parisnorriss.com

The Global Gratitude Show with Capt John Caputo

The Global Gratitude Show with Abel Lorenzo

Vincent Rossi is a decades long avid world journeyer and spiritual seeker. After an undergraduate double degree at New York University, he began his aviation career as a Pan Am flight attendant. 

With further graduate work in international politics, mideast civilizations and history he remains in aviation and has been a team member and leader in aviation projects as a consultant to airlines, airline executives, front line team and governments on five continents. His nearly 40 year encounter with aviation and the world continues unabated.  

Johanna O'Flaherty - PhD, LADAC, CEAP

Johanna O’ Flaherty, is a psychologist, author, consultant and keynote speaker. She is the former CEO of Central Recovery Treatment (CRT) and Vice President of Treatment Services at the Betty Ford Center. Currently, Johanna spends much of her time traveling and speaking to audiences throughout the behavioral health industry about generational trauma. Areas of expertise include:

• Airlines
• CISM Critical Incident Stress Management
• Critical Incident Stress Management
• First Responders: Psychological Aspects of Responding to disasters
• Healing Ancestral Trauma & Addiction
• Leaning Out: How To Gracefully Step Down Retire from Executive Positions.
• Peer Support & Wellness Program: Lawyers & Judges
• Rewrite Your life’s Narrative
• Spirituality in Recovery
• Trauma, grief, and recovery

Website: https://www.johannahelps.org

Meet Lynn Twitchell:

I went on my first build with Habitat for Humanity in 2001 and was hooked. I loved building together with the team and people in the community. I’ve been leading teams ever since and been very fortunate to meet wonderful people and visit many countries while building houses. I have built with the Fuller Center in Haiti, El Salvador, Ghana, Sri Lanka and Peru and am looking forward to having Nepal on the list.

We will build in the village of Trishuli, about 50 miles north of Kathmandu. The local Fuller Center has introduced a new building technology for Nepal by making and utilizing concrete blocks. These blocks cost much less than traditional fired bricks and are better for the environment. Each Fuller Center home includes two bedrooms, a kitchen and a bath with a shower and a toilet and is supplied with the capability of electricity, water and plumbing. Trishuli was roughly 30 miles from the epicenter of the April 25, 2015 earthquake. The area was greatly affected, and many homes in the area were destroyed however, all of the Fuller Center homes survived and are in excellent condition.

If you are interested in experiencing Nepal up close and personal, this is a good trip for you. If you have construction skills you would like to put to use, it would be wonderful.

If not and you are willing to learn new skills, that would be terrific, as we will be working with experienced builders who will let us know what we will need to do to help.

I expect we will be able to find work for volunteers of any ability and hope the people on the team can be flexible with assignments. I look forward to recruiting a team of fun-loving, flexible, adventurous folks and having a rewarding experience working with families while building their homes.

Lynn still volunteers in 2026 and has completed 26 builds in 13 countries.