Sunshine Chasers

Lydia is currently a PhD CANDIDATE (woo!) in Arizona studying soil microbiology. She’s also a trail runner and I can’t wait for you to hear our chat. This is one of those episodes that is SUPER hard to sum up in three bullet points, but some highlights include: What Lydia is studying, a bit about her journey to these topics, and why we should care! How you can connect more with and be a steward of the land (spoiler alert: we both are huge supporters of going local) Trail running and the communities that Lydia experiences in Tuscon, Arizona Lydia posts some phenomenal things on both her Instagram and Twitter - be sure to give her a follow!

Becky is currently studying butterfly response to forest fires in Mexico (!) and oh my GOSH do we talk about a lot of good stuff in this episode. You can scratch your travel itch by hearing about Becky’s field work experiences. She gives us her definition of conservation - then takes it a step further and highlights the importance of looking at political, social, and economic barriers to conservation. We chat about environmental justice and how to respect the places we are all recreating, studying, and traveling.

Nada is traveling the world on a Yemeni passport and she and I talk about a bunch of good things in our episode! Some of our topics include: Informing my ignorant butt on Saudi citizenship, marriage, and other related topics. How Nada got introduced to solo travel (spoiler alert: find a really lovely friend)! The power of the media and how it can influence many, and how Nada is doing her own part to share her experiences. Follow Nada’s Instagram, blog, and YouTube channel to keep up with some really exciting travels coming up!

Today you can hear the conversation I had with Zeina. I “met” Zeina through Instagram, but it felt like we were already pals when we Skyped! She shared many things over the course of our conversation, including: What it’s like to travel with an Iraqi passport - we’re talking countries, visas, and more. How Zeina started traveling…and why she keeps traveling today. Some of Zeina’s favorite places to be (including Jordan and Turkey, both of which I am obsessed with visiting) Follow Zeina on Instagram to see more of her daily life and travels!

This was such a fun conversation to have and as a gal who loves The Olympics, I could have probably talked to Darci for a much longer time! Here’s a quick summary of our topics: All things Olympics, of course! How to support the Paralympics when it can seem forgotten What it’s like to be a contestant on a reality TV show…as a teenager! Follow Darci’s work on Twitter and Instagram. Be sure to check out her blog too!