I grew up with an unusual passport for a kid.
My father’s constant work travel meant a generous supply of airline miles, and my mother—who built her career as a travel agent focused on international destinations—had the connections to make them go far on a limited budget.
We went to the classic places for middle-class Americans of that era: Disneyland, the Grand Canyon, Yosemite. But we also ventured much further—to Botswana, Ecuador, Venezuela, Australia, and Zimbabwe. Not the usual places for a family with young kids. I was greatly privileged to have these opportunities.
Those experiences shaped me in ways I didn’t fully understand at the time.
I learned patience from missed flights, long layovers, and unfamiliar customs. I learned curiosity from watching how different cultures interact with nature—how an Amazonian guide could spot a camouflaged frog from 20 feet away or how a fisherman in Madagascar read the tides like a book. I learned humility from being the outsider in places where my language and assumptions didn’t apply.
Most of all, I learned that the world is vast, complex, and interconnected. That no single perspective—mine included—can fully capture it.
That lesson would become the foundation of Mongabay.
Journalism thrives on perspective, and the best reporting doesn’t come from afar—it comes from people who understand the nuances of their own landscapes. That’s why Mongabay puts a strong emphasis on local voices, hiring journalists from the communities we cover.
It’s also why I believe that curiosity is one of the most underrated professional skills. The ability to step into a new place—whether physical, intellectual, or cultural—and absorb rather than assume is invaluable.
If I hadn’t spent my childhood seeing the world through different lenses, I might have built Mongabay differently. Maybe I would have centered my own voice rather than elevating others. Maybe I would have underestimated the importance of local knowledge. Maybe I wouldn’t have started it at all.
The world is full of perspectives waiting to be understood. The more we listen, the better we build.
