The Maverick Show: Global Travel Stories & Life Beyond Borders

Learn about the nuances, diversity, and intersecting identities of the global Black diaspora through travel stories.

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Get the Monday Minute my weekly email with 3 personal recs for travel, culture, and living beyond borders you can read in 60 seconds.

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ON THIS EPISODE

Anita Moreau joins Matt from Miami and starts off talking about her parents’ experiences being born in Haiti and the Seychelles respectively, and eventually moving to London where she was born.  Anita describes the diversity of the Black diaspora communities in London and then reflects on navigating her East African and Caribbean identities while growing up in Britain.  She also shares her observations on Blackness in the U.S. vs. the U.K. and opens up about her experiences with anti-Blackness in Europe.  Anita then talks about her passion for Egypt, her travels there, and her decision to get married in Nubia.  She also talks about her trips back to Haiti and the Seychelles, reflects on reconnecting with her heritage, and offers tips for visiting the Seychelles.  Anita then talks about her passion for telling Afro-Indigenous and global Black diaspora stories and shares the backstory of founding the Black Travel Summit. She explains what you can expect at the upcoming Black Travel Summit, and then reflects on the impact travel has had on her as a person and shares tips for Black travelers just starting out.  Finally, Anita names her Top 5 Afrobeat artists and her Top 5 hip-hop MCs of all time.

→ Full show notes with direct links to everything discussed are available here.

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FIND YOUR NEXT EPISODE

Explore The Maverick Show Starter Packs — some of my favorite conversations curated by theme so you can easily find the episodes that match your interests.

============================

FREE RESOURCES FOR YOU

See my Top 10 Travel Apps

See my Top 10 Books that Shaped the Way I Travel

See my 7 Keys For Building A Remote Business (Even in a space that’s not traditionally virtual)

Watch my Video Training on Stylish Minimalist Packing so you can join #TeamCarryOn

See the Travel Gear I Use and Recommend

See How I Produce The Maverick Show Podcast (The equipment, services & vendors I use)

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ENJOYING THE SHOW?

Follow The Maverick Show on Instagram and DM Matt to continue the conversation

Please leave a rating and review — it really helps the show and I read each one personally

Support the show by buying me a coffee — espressos help me produce significantly better podcast episodes!

Learn how to navigate the cultural dynamics of traveling the world full-time as a Pakistani-American digital nomad.

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Get the Monday Minute my weekly email with 3 personal recs for travel, culture, and living beyond borders you can read in 60 seconds.

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ON THIS EPISODE

Dr. Nabila Ismail joins Matt from Houston and starts off talking about her parents' experience immigrating from Pakistan to the U.S..  She then opens up about her experience growing up in a homogenous, white area of upstate New York, and being the only Desi Muslim girl in her school.  Nabila talks about traveling back to Pakistan as a kid, then being an exchange student in Europe, and later going to college and Pharmacy school in the more diverse city of Buffalo, New York.  She reflects on her clinical rotation in Zimbabwe, the reasons she eventually quit her job, and how she continues to integrate public health into her travels.  Nabila then explains how she got 250,000 followers on social media, built a fully remote 6-figure business, and navigated the social, cultural, and family pressure when traveling the world as a full-time digital nomad.  She reflects on her travels to East Africa, discovering Desi culture there, and on her experience re-connecting with Pakistan as an independent adult.  Nabila then talks about her book “The Brown Girl’s Guide to Traveling the World Solo”, her “Dose of Travel Club” for South Asian Travelers, and the small group trip she led to Iraq. Matt and Nabila then talk about using their platforms to advocate against the genocide in Palestine, and what you can do to help.  Finally, Nabila reflects on the impact travel has had on her, and offers tips for BIPOC, Desi, and Muslim women who want to travel the world.

→ Full show notes with direct links to everything discussed are available here.

============================

FIND YOUR NEXT EPISODE

Explore The Maverick Show Starter Packs — some of my favorite conversations curated by theme so you can easily find the episodes that match your interests.

============================

FREE RESOURCES FOR YOU

See my Top 10 Travel Apps

See my Top 10 Books that Shaped the Way I Travel

See my 7 Keys For Building A Remote Business (Even in a space that’s not traditionally virtual)

Watch my Video Training on Stylish Minimalist Packing so you can join #TeamCarryOn

See the Travel Gear I Use and Recommend

See How I Produce The Maverick Show Podcast (The equipment, services & vendors I use)

============================

ENJOYING THE SHOW?

Follow The Maverick Show on Instagram and DM Matt to continue the conversation

Please leave a rating and review — it really helps the show and I read each one personally

Support the show by buying me a coffee — espressos help me produce significantly better podcast episodes!

Learn how to work 20 hours a week as a remote freelancer, take 3 months off a year, and make 100K while traveling the world.

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Get the Monday Minute my weekly email with 3 personal recs for travel, culture, and living beyond borders you can read in 60 seconds.

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ON THIS EPISODE

Mashon Thomas joins Matt from the Philippines and describes her experience there.  She then talks about growing up in Ohio, studying abroad in the Basque Country, traveling around Europe, and then coming back to the U.S. to pursue a traditional career path as a middle school teacher.  Mashon opens up about her transitionary moment at age 30 when she decided to break up with her long-term relationship partner, change careers entirely, and pursue a fully remote digital nomad lifestyle.  She talks about her travels through Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Argentina, Antarctica, and Montenegro.  Mashon also explains how she carved out her business niche, launched her podcast, and how she now teaches others how to transition out of a traditional career and build a 6-figure freelance business.  After 6 years of slow traveling the world, she offers tips on thriving in the digital nomad lifestyle long term and reflects on what travel means to her today.

→ Full show notes with direct links to everything discussed are available here.

============================

FIND YOUR NEXT EPISODE

Explore The Maverick Show Starter Packs — some of my favorite conversations curated by theme so you can easily find the episodes that match your interests.

============================

FREE RESOURCES FOR YOU

See my Top 10 Travel Apps

See my Top 10 Books that Shaped the Way I Travel

See my 7 Keys For Building A Remote Business (Even in a space that’s not traditionally virtual)

Watch my Video Training on Stylish Minimalist Packing so you can join #TeamCarryOn

See the Travel Gear I Use and Recommend

See How I Produce The Maverick Show Podcast (The equipment, services & vendors I use)

============================

ENJOYING THE SHOW?

Follow The Maverick Show on Instagram and DM Matt to continue the conversation

Please leave a rating and review — it really helps the show and I read each one personally

Support the show by buying me a coffee — espressos help me produce significantly better podcast episodes!

Learn why and when to visit Ghana, including details about the music festivals and cultural events of “Detty December”. 

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Get the Monday Minute my weekly email with 3 personal recs for travel, culture, and living beyond borders you can read in 60 seconds.

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ON THIS EPISODE

This is Part 2 of my interview with Akua Sencherey.  She talks about reconnecting with her homeland of Ghana as an adult, after growing up in the U.S. Matt and Akua then discuss their experiences in Accra during the legendary “Detty December”, and give tips for attending.  Akua also reflects on her dual citizenship, exploring her identity abroad, and navigating anti-Blackness globally.  She then explains how she structures her travel lifestyle and her upcoming plans to “slow-mad” around the Continent of Africa.  Akua also discusses her passion and focus on the African tech space.  Finally, she shares her top tips for visiting Ghana, reflects on the impact travel has had on her, and explains what travel means to her today.

→ Full show notes with direct links to everything discussed are available here.

============================

FIND YOUR NEXT EPISODE

Explore The Maverick Show Starter Packs — some of my favorite conversations curated by theme so you can easily find the episodes that match your interests.

============================

FREE RESOURCES FOR YOU

See my Top 10 Travel Apps

See my Top 10 Books that Shaped the Way I Travel

See my 7 Keys For Building A Remote Business (Even in a space that’s not traditionally virtual)

Watch my Video Training on Stylish Minimalist Packing so you can join #TeamCarryOn

See the Travel Gear I Use and Recommend

See How I Produce The Maverick Show Podcast (The equipment, services & vendors I use)

============================

ENJOYING THE SHOW?

Follow The Maverick Show on Instagram and DM Matt to continue the conversation

Please leave a rating and review — it really helps the show and I read each one personally

Support the show by buying me a coffee — espressos help me produce significantly better podcast episodes!

Learn the impact of cultural and language immersion while living abroad, and how soccer can open doors while traveling.

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Get the Monday Minute my weekly email with 3 personal recs for travel, culture, and living beyond borders you can read in 60 seconds.

============================

ON THIS EPISODE

Akua Sencherey starts off by talking about her parents’ background growing up in Ghana and immigrating to the U.S..  She then talks about her experience growing up in Houston and navigating her Ghanaian-American identity and the milieu of Blackness in the U.S. as a first-generation African immigrant.  Akua reflects on her first trip back to Ghana as a kid, the role of sports in her life, and how her interest in travel developed.  She then opens up about the transitionary moment in her life when she quit her job to travel the world.  Akua talks about her experience living in Cusco, Peru and eventually getting a job with Remote Year.  She also reflects on the impact of cultural and language immersion while living abroad.  Akua then talks about some of her travel experiences, from Morocco to South Africa, and how she loves to travel the world for women’s soccer.  Matt and Akua reflect on the importance of paying attention to the narratives of marginalized groups, being aware of our own government’s foreign policy, and always separating people from their governments.

→ Full show notes with direct links to everything discussed are available here.

============================

FIND YOUR NEXT EPISODE

Explore The Maverick Show Starter Packs — some of my favorite conversations curated by theme so you can easily find the episodes that match your interests.

============================

FREE RESOURCES FOR YOU

See my Top 10 Travel Apps

See my Top 10 Books that Shaped the Way I Travel

See my 7 Keys For Building A Remote Business (Even in a space that’s not traditionally virtual)

Watch my Video Training on Stylish Minimalist Packing so you can join #TeamCarryOn

See the Travel Gear I Use and Recommend

See How I Produce The Maverick Show Podcast (The equipment, services & vendors I use)

============================

ENJOYING THE SHOW?

Follow The Maverick Show on Instagram and DM Matt to continue the conversation

Please leave a rating and review — it really helps the show and I read each one personally

Support the show by buying me a coffee — espressos help me produce significantly better podcast episodes!

Learn about growing up as a Palestinian-American, traveling to Gaza as a kid, and how you can help stop the genocide. 

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Get the Monday Minute my weekly email with 3 personal recs for travel, culture, and living beyond borders you can read in 60 seconds.

============================

ON THIS EPISODE

Rasha joins Matt from Dahab, Egypt, and starts by sharing what she loves about Egypt.  Rasha then talks about her parents’ experience growing up in Palestine and immigrating to the U.S.. She then reflects on growing up in Detroit in the post-9/11 era, taking trips back to Gaza as a kid, and her connection with the Black community and hip-hop culture in Detroit.  Rasha then talks about her passion for riding motorcycles and how she has incorporated that into her travels.  She then talks about her career trajectory, entrepreneurial journey, path to becoming a digital nomad, and building the ‘Roam with Rasha’ brand.  Next, she gives budget travel tips and reflects on the impact travel has had on her.  Finally, Rasha talks about the experience of her relatives in Gaza during the genocide and shares ways you can help to stop the genocide.

→ Full show notes with direct links to everything discussed are available here.

============================

FIND YOUR NEXT EPISODE

Explore The Maverick Show Starter Packs — some of my favorite conversations curated by theme so you can easily find the episodes that match your interests.

============================

FREE RESOURCES FOR YOU

See my Top 10 Travel Apps

See my Top 10 Books that Shaped the Way I Travel

See my 7 Keys For Building A Remote Business (Even in a space that’s not traditionally virtual)

Watch my Video Training on Stylish Minimalist Packing so you can join #TeamCarryOn

See the Travel Gear I Use and Recommend

See How I Produce The Maverick Show Podcast (The equipment, services & vendors I use)

============================

ENJOYING THE SHOW?

Follow The Maverick Show on Instagram and DM Matt to continue the conversation

Please leave a rating and review — it really helps the show and I read each one personally

Support the show by buying me a coffee — espressos help me produce significantly better podcast episodes!

Learn how to help stop the genocide in Palestine, unpack Orientalism, and improve your travel writing and photography.

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Get the Monday Minute my weekly email with 3 personal recs for travel, culture, and living beyond borders you can read in 60 seconds.

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ON THIS EPISODE

In part 2 of my interview with Yulia Denisyuk, she starts off talking about her first trip to Palestine in 2017 and how fundamentally transformative it was.  Matt reflects on his experience doing Palestine solidarity work in the U.S. over the past 25 years, and Yulia explains why she created the “Travel Industry for Palestine” petition.  She then reflects on the power dynamics of travel writing and talks about the importance of unpacking orientalism de-exotifying the Middle East and the global south.  Yulia talks about her work business helping people become travel journalists, her small group trips to places like Kazakhstan and Jordan, and her podcast “Going Places”.  She then talks about how to take better travel photographs and how to turn your experiences into great travel writing.  Finally, Yulia reflects on the impact travel has had on her and reflects on the power of travel for communal action instead of just personal growth.

→ Full show notes with direct links to everything discussed are available here.

============================

FIND YOUR NEXT EPISODE

Explore The Maverick Show Starter Packs — some of my favorite conversations curated by theme so you can easily find the episodes that match your interests.

============================

FREE RESOURCES FOR YOU

See my Top 10 Travel Apps

See my Top 10 Books that Shaped the Way I Travel

See my 7 Keys For Building A Remote Business (Even in a space that’s not traditionally virtual)

Watch my Video Training on Stylish Minimalist Packing so you can join #TeamCarryOn

See the Travel Gear I Use and Recommend

See How I Produce The Maverick Show Podcast (The equipment, services & vendors I use)

============================

ENJOYING THE SHOW?

Follow The Maverick Show on Instagram and DM Matt to continue the conversation

Please leave a rating and review — it really helps the show and I read each one personally

Support the show by buying me a coffee — espressos help me produce significantly better podcast episodes!

Learn how to transition into travel journalism, and seek out people-centric stories and experiences around the world.

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Get the Monday Minute my weekly email with 3 personal recs for travel, culture, and living beyond borders you can read in 60 seconds.

============================

ON THIS EPISODE

Yulia Denisyuk joins Matt for a virtual wine night and starts off talking about her parents’ cultural background, and her experience being born in Kazakhstan and growing up mostly in Estonia.  She then talks about moving to the U.S. at age 16, the culture shock of landing in Miami, and coming of age in the U.S..  Yulia then explains her decision to join the U.S. Navy, and talks about how serving in Iraq and Afghanistan impacted her politics and her understanding of U.S. imperialism.  She then talks about getting her MBA and pursuing a traditional corporate career path until a trip to Morocco changed everything.  Yulia discusses her life pivot into becoming a travel journalist and tells stories about spending time in Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Botswana, and Jordan.  She explains why Jordan is so close to her heart, why she spends so much time there, what her favorite places are, and concludes by talking about a powerful and emotional podcast interview she hosted with artists in Amman shortly after the genocide in Palestine began.

→ Full show notes with direct links to everything discussed are available here.

============================

FIND YOUR NEXT EPISODE

Explore The Maverick Show Starter Packs — some of my favorite conversations curated by theme so you can easily find the episodes that match your interests.

============================

FREE RESOURCES FOR YOU

See my Top 10 Travel Apps

See my Top 10 Books that Shaped the Way I Travel

See my 7 Keys For Building A Remote Business (Even in a space that’s not traditionally virtual)

Watch my Video Training on Stylish Minimalist Packing so you can join #TeamCarryOn

See the Travel Gear I Use and Recommend

See How I Produce The Maverick Show Podcast (The equipment, services & vendors I use)

============================

ENJOYING THE SHOW?

Follow The Maverick Show on Instagram and DM Matt to continue the conversation

Please leave a rating and review — it really helps the show and I read each one personally

Support the show by buying me a coffee — espressos help me produce significantly better podcast episodes!

Learn how to overcome distraction, overwhelm, and disempowerment to become more present, creative, courageous and wild.

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Get the Monday Minute my weekly email with 3 personal recs for travel, culture, and living beyond borders you can read in 60 seconds.

============================

ON THIS EPISODE

Dom Francks joins Matt from a van in the Western U.S. for a virtual wine night and begins talking about the role of sports in his life growing up.  He reflects on achieving excellence in golf, nearly going professional, and the lessons on peak performance he has taken from that into other areas of his life.  Dom also talks about the origin of his passion for climate activism, his professional career in the climate-tech space, and his choice to pivot into becoming a wilderness guide so he could connect more deeply with nature.  He shares some of his top experiences in nature, from competing in The Grand Traverse, to riding dog-sleds across the Boundary Waters, to his most epic downhill ski experience.  Dom also talks about wilderness guiding in Chilean Patagonia, Alaska, and explains why the High Sierra in California is his favorite place in the world. He then talks about his experience studying with the Animus Institute and the Conscious Leadership Group, and eventually developing his own program: The VIVIFY Regenerative Leadership Program.  He explains how Maverick Show listeners can participate in VIVIFY and get a special discount. And, finally, he explains “the nature pyramid” and gives tips on how busy people in urban areas can better connect with nature.

→ Full show notes with direct links to everything discussed are available here.

============================

FIND YOUR NEXT EPISODE

Explore The Maverick Show Starter Packs — some of my favorite conversations curated by theme so you can easily find the episodes that match your interests.

============================

FREE RESOURCES FOR YOU

See my Top 10 Travel Apps

See my Top 10 Books that Shaped the Way I Travel

See my 7 Keys For Building A Remote Business (Even in a space that’s not traditionally virtual)

Watch my Video Training on Stylish Minimalist Packing so you can join #TeamCarryOn

See the Travel Gear I Use and Recommend

See How I Produce The Maverick Show Podcast (The equipment, services & vendors I use)

============================

ENJOYING THE SHOW?

Follow The Maverick Show on Instagram and DM Matt to continue the conversation

Please leave a rating and review — it really helps the show and I read each one personally

Support the show by buying me a coffee — espressos help me produce significantly better podcast episodes!

Learn about black community building across geography & language, challenging the gender binary & decolonizing ourselves.

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Get the Monday Minute my weekly email with 3 personal recs for travel, culture, and living beyond borders you can read in 60 seconds.

============================

ON THIS EPISODE

Shayla Lawson joins Matt for a wine night and starts off talking about growing up in Kentucky, becoming a poet, traveling the world, and writing “How to Live Free in a Dangerous World: A Decolonial Memoir”.  They reflect on the African diaspora renaissance in Lisbon, the impact of James Baldwin, and how to travel in a way that allows it to play a role in personal growth.  Shayla then reflects on B/blackness globally, being in solidarity with other colonized people, and black community building beyond geography and language.  They then talk about they/them pronouns, colonial enforcement of the gender binary, and the anti-LGBTQIA+ bills in Ghana and Uganda.  Shayla also reflects on liberation and the importance of decolonizing ourselves.  They then open up about living and writing with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, and traveling as a disabled person.  Finally, Shayla talks about their writing process and gives tips on how to turn your travel experiences into great stories.

→ Full show notes with direct links to everything discussed are available here.

============================

FIND YOUR NEXT EPISODE

Explore The Maverick Show Starter Packs — some of my favorite conversations curated by theme so you can easily find the episodes that match your interests.

============================

FREE RESOURCES FOR YOU

See my Top 10 Travel Apps

See my Top 10 Books that Shaped the Way I Travel

See my 7 Keys For Building A Remote Business (Even in a space that’s not traditionally virtual)

Watch my Video Training on Stylish Minimalist Packing so you can join #TeamCarryOn

See the Travel Gear I Use and Recommend

See How I Produce The Maverick Show Podcast (The equipment, services & vendors I use)

============================

ENJOYING THE SHOW?

Follow The Maverick Show on Instagram and DM Matt to continue the conversation

Please leave a rating and review — it really helps the show and I read each one personally

Support the show by buying me a coffee — espressos help me produce significantly better podcast episodes!