World Footprints

Philanthropist and Author David Rubenstein on Leadership and Travel

David M. Rubenstein, author of The American Story, visionary cofounder of The Carlyle Group, and host of Bloomberg TV’s The David Rubenstein Show returns to World Footprints to discuss his newest book: “How to Lead: Wisdom from the World's Greatest CEOs, Founders, and Game Changers.”
The billionaire philanthropist has long been fascinated with leadership. What makes a great leader? Are leaders born or are they made? Does extraordinary leadership arise from personality, mental or physical skills…or perhaps the simple good fortune of being in the right place at the right time?
No surprise, good, effective and compassionate leaders are also well-traveled. Before COVID-19, David says that he was traveling 240 days a year for business.
“How to Lead” reveals many leadership philosophies and principles for success by some of the world’s most famous leaders change-makers from Oprah Winfrey and YoYo Ma to Dr. Fauci, Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos.
In addition to his business successes, David Rubenstein is also known for his philanthropy in the Washington, DC area and his Board positions with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Council on Foreign Relations.
An original signer of The Giving Pledge—a pledge taken by some of the world’s richest individuals to either give away the majority of their wealth in their lifetimes—David’s generosity has been recognized as a recipient of the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy and the MoMA's David Rockefeller Award.

Rick Steves “For the Love of Europe” and his Travel-Driven Social Ethos

Today on World Footprints, we welcome back, author and television host, Rick Steves. We enjoy a very thought-provoking discussion about a range of topics from the current pandemic and social issues to the challenging issues facing the travel industry today.
Rick generally spends 100 days a year in Europe but like the rest of us he is stuck at home. However, Rick treated us to a virtual trip through the pages of his newest book “For the Love of Europe”. As you listen to this interview you will be transported to many of Rick’s favorite places and you meet some of the delightful and fascinating people he has encountered along the way.
“We need to get to know the world better…The most frightened people in the world are those who don’t have passports.”
You’ll also learn about the things that have motivated Rick Steves, what he sees as his mission and you’ll understand why he sees travel as an imperative for all of humanity.
We promise that your travel bug will awaken in a thoughtful and insightful way and that you’ll be inspired, entertained and informed by our conversation with Rick Steves.

What does the future of travel look like?

What does the future of travel look like? We asked a travel industry insider, Helen Hernandez, CEO of the North American Travel Journalist Association (NATJA) for her insights.
In a previous episode we learned about Helen’s path from her humble beginnings in California, to her work with the labor union movement, to Hollywood where she worked with famed producer and creator Norman Lear and finally to CEO of NATJA.
With more than 400 members representing destinations and travel journalists, NATJA is forging ahead amidst the toughest period ever faced by the travel industry.
In the finale, we get Helen’s thoughts on how COVID-19 is impacting the travel industry and how NATJA is responding to the health challenges, social unrest and environmental concerns.
Helen shares her thoughts and hopes for a future world as well as the legacy this generation will leave for the next.

Helen Hernandez: Connecting the dots from Labor Unions to Hollywood to Travel Journalism (Part 1)

Helen Hernandez has worn a lot of hats in a storied career that’s taken her from the trenches of labor union activism to becoming the CEO of the North American Travel Journalist Association (NATJA) - one of the leading organizations that brings destination managers and travel journalists into the same tent. And in between it all, she has been a presence in the Los Angeles Arts and Entertainment communities too.
In this episode of World Footprints—the first of two with Helen—she shares her remarkable journey. We explore Helen’s journey from her childhood in California as a Mexican-American Latina who overcame much adversity to taking an active role in the labor union movement. Her career would go in an entirely different direction and land her a job working for television producer Norman Lear.

Author Janet Cheatham Bell on Literature, American History and Travel

Janet Cheatham Bell is an author, scholar, budding playwright and mother to CNN host, W. Kamau Bell, of United Shades of America. Having lived through America’s Civil Rights Movement, Janet joins World Footprints to reflect on her life journey from a segregated Indiana to her interracial marriage that defied the laws of the era.
We also talk to Janet about the Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests and how BLM has become a global movement.
Janet tells us that her literary works have seen a revival during the COVID-19 pandemic. From titles like “Not All Poor People Are Black and other things we need to think more about,” Harvard University Professor Henry Louis Gates has said that he holds Janet’s contributions to African-American writing in high esteem.

Controlling the Narratives on Race, Transformation and Travel

Do you wonder who will tell your story and how you’ll be portrayed? How can you control your narrative? Why should we be concerned with uncovering the full truth of our collective history?
Meet Ardre Orie--a social activist, entrepreneur, publisher, philanthropist and author who is on a mission to give marginalized voices a platform to speak.
Ardre is the CEO of 13th & Joan Publishing and the founder of 100 Seeds of Promise, a literary initiative that empowers men of color to document and publish their own narratives. She has ghostwritten for A-list Hollywood actors, Grammy Award-winning artists, professional athletes, entrepreneurs and countless other clients. Her work has been featured on WH1, MTV, WE TV, Bravo, BET, Centric and more.
Ardre joins World Footprints to discuss the power of storytelling, narratives on race and, of course, travel.

Escape from India during COVID-19 (Part 3 Final)

In Episodes One and Two of Escape from India during COVID-19, we heard from veteran journalist Anietra Hamper, who gave us a chilling, first-hand account of her time in India as COVID-19 spread through the country. Anietra and her guide, Ian Henderson of The Greatest Fish, traveled to India on a fishing assignment to write about a rare catfish called the Goonch, but the outbreak of COVID-19 left them trapped.
Anietra and Ian had to rely on each other…others around them…and their own instincts in order to get out of India alive, as the pandemic overtook the country and paranoia against foreigners ran high. Anietra and Ian eventually escaped, and made it back to their home countries safe and sound, but not without experiencing the single-most terrifying event in their entire lives.
This conclusion of Escape from India during COVID-19 continues with Anietra sharing more of the roller coaster ordeal that took her and Ian from hope to hopelessness and back. Now she is confronted with the memories of the traumatic experience.

Escape from India during COVID-19 - Part 2

"All we want to do is leave!"
In Episode One of Escape from India during COVID-19, we introduced you to veteran journalist Anietra Hamper who was trying to escape from India after COVID-19 derailed her fishing assignment trip. Anietra and her fishing guide, Ian Henderson, were left stranded in India with only a narrow window to get out.
In this episode, we hear about the multiple obstacles that Anietra and Ian faced as they tried to get home--lack of food, embassy miscommunications with local officials, limited internet, etc.
Anietra and Ian basically went into survival mode to find a way out of India. As the first episode mirrored a scene from The Fugitive this episode is reminiscent of The Twilight Zone.
The many twists and turns Anietra and Ian experienced also resemble scenes from the movie No Way Out. Anietra recounts every heart-pounding memory of their horrific ordeal that took them from hope to hopelessness and many grey areas in between.

Escape from India during COVID-19 – Part 1

What was meant to be a four-week writing assignment to Nepal and India for veteran journalist Anietra Hamper, turned out to be an absolute nightmare for her and her traveling companion, Ian Henderson.
In March 2020, Anietra and Ian set out in search of the goonch--a very rare catfish also know as the giant devil catfish. Anietra was hired by a prominent fishing magazine to write about the elusive goonch and Ian was her fishing guide. The goonch is found in the Indian subcontinent so Anietra and Ian were traveling between very remote fishing camps in search of the elusive catfish.
Instead of catching the goonch, Anietra and Ian found themselves caught between the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic, India’s subsequent lockdown and law enforcement during their attempts to leave the country. Their ordeal resembled scenes from the action thriller The Fugitive.
This episode is the first part of a three-part series about Anietra’s harrowing escape from India.

LIFE DOWN UNDER IN THE LAND OF “OZ”

Today we’re going to explore the land down under – Australia. As an extra bonus we will also enjoy a listener’s favorite travel memory.
What is it about Australia that captures our imagination? We had hoped to explore parts of Australia until COVID-19 forced a change in all of our plans. So we did the next best thing, we traveled vicariously through the stories of our Australian friend and fellow travel journalist, Amanda Kendle – host of The Thoughtful Travel podcast.
Amanda gave us some insights into her West Coast city of Perth, and how Australia has handled COVID-19 and Black Lives Matter protests; especially as they relate to the Aboriginal population.
There’s something so nourishing about revisiting a favorite travel memory and we think that we can all use a little boost to our spirits right now. So we thought—since we can’t travel now—certainly not the way we use to—that it would be nice to enjoy some of our favorite travel memories.
Enjoy a special travel memory from Visionary Womenpreneuer founder, Donna Price.
Do you have a favorite travel memory that you’d like to revisit? If so we’d love to share it on an future World Footprints podcast. Email: ProductionTeam at World Footprints.com for more information.
Join us as we explore the land down under on World Footprints with Ian and Tonya Fitzpatrick.