Lisa Niver's Blog: We Said Go Travel, page 31

The Travel Mom’s Marvelous San Diego #CampTravelMom 2023 was MAGNIFICENT!

Thank you to The Travel Mom, Emily Kaufman, for including me in her marvelous #CampTravelMom weekend at the San Diego Mission Bay Resort! My favorite thing growing up was going to Jewish summer camp and it was such a blast to return to that feeling with a friend from Stephen Wise Temple!

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Dinner with Visit San Diego, Madam Tussauds and LegoLand California

I absolutely loved my time at Camp Travel Mom, where the excitement was off the charts! The weekend was an extraordinary blend of travel writers, karaoke, and disco, creating an atmosphere of pure joy and exhilaration.

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One unforgettable night, we took the stage by storm, showcasing our karaoke skills and unleashing our inner rockstars.

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Breakfast by the Pool with RVShare and TravelGuardSeaside Brunch Bliss with Atlantis Bahamas, Expedia, VRBO, Hotels.com and Travel Costa Mesa Afternoon Adventures with Massage Envy, pool side drinks with The Palm Beaches Florida, Grand Hyatt Kauai and Plant Juice Oils

And let me tell you, the disco night was an absolute blast! We danced the night away, donning our most outrageous costumes for an epic contest. To add to the fun, I brought my trusty hula hoop, spinning and twirling to the beat of the music.

With the support of incredible brand sponsors, we also enjoyed thrilling jet ski rides, valuable networking opportunities, and luxurious massages. Camp Travel Mom truly knows how to create an experience that ignites passion, sparks connections, and leaves you with lifelong memories.

Read more about our weekend on Hello Magazine!

Follow Emily Kaufman, The Travel Mom, on FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM

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Saving Our Planet One Lionfish At A Time

How can you help our planet? EAT A LIONFISH!

I interviewed Alex Fogg, THE FISH GUY, who I first met at the DEMA Dive Conference when he was a speaker about LIONFISH, an invasive species in the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea.

Alex is a marine biologist who is part of the team at Destin-Fort Walton Beach. In fact, he is one of four marine biologists on the tourism team unlike any other tourism team I am aware of. Many people talk about over-tourism and over-fishing but what do they do about it? On the Emerald Coast, they have hired top professionals like Alex to focus on protecting their reefs for fishing and scuba diving both of which I did on my first trip here May 15-18, 2023 ahead of the Emerald Coast Open.

They call Destin–the “Luckiest Fishing Village” due to its prime location, rich marine environment, and warm waters of the Gulf which support a wide variety of fish species, including red snapper, grouper, amberjack, mahi-mahi, and tuna. Several of which I caught on my very first ever fishing trip with the amazing Captain Gaby of Lady Luck Adventures! I highly recommend going out with her to experience the thrill of the catch and see the gorgeous emerald green and turquoise crystal clear waters. We saw dolphins, the pristine white sand beaches and the thriving fishing industry makes it a favored destination for anglers.

However, I would call it the smartest fishing village since they hired Alex and have focused on sustaining and supporting the waters with their many projects including local advice by mom chat, artificial reef deployments several of which I saw installed today, Lionfish restaurant week and the incredible Emerald Coast Open happening this weekend.

How can you help our planet? CATCH A LIONFISH!

The Destin Fort Walton Lionfish Emerald Coast Open (ECO) is the largest lionfish tournament in the world! In 2019, ECO had 189 participants and removed 19,167 lionfish throughout the tournament – 14,119 in 3 days! ECO gave away $48,000 in cash prizes, and over $10,000 in gear prizes. We are looking forward to an exciting 2023 tournament!

Join marine enthusiasts and conservationists this weekend May 19-21. SIGN UP HERE. This tournament is held annually on the pristine shores of the Emerald Coast in Florida and tackles the invasive lionfish species while promoting environmental awareness and sustainable fishing practices.

Lionfish, native to the Indo-Pacific region, have become a major threat to the delicate balance of marine ecosystems in the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. They cause ecological imbalances, habitat destruction, harm to native fish, and negative economic impacts. To combat this invasive species, the Lionfish Emerald Coast Open encourages participants to hunt and catch as many lionfish as possible during the tournament.

The event attracts skilled divers, recreational fishermen, and conservationists from all around the region. Participants compete for prizes based on the number and size of lionfish they catch. In addition to the thrill of the hunt, the tournament also offers educational workshops and seminars on lionfish biology, ecological impact, and proper handling techniques. These sessions help increase public understanding of the lionfish invasion and provide strategies for mitigating its effects.

The Destin Fort Walton Lionfish Emerald Coast Open serves as a platform for promoting sustainable fishing practices. Participants are encouraged to utilize spears and nets to catch lionfish, minimizing harm to other marine species and the surrounding environment. The tournament also facilitates the donation of captured lionfish to local restaurants, where they are prepared and served as a delicacy, raising awareness about lionfish as a viable food source and potentially reducing their numbers through consumer demand. I ate at La Paz last night and we loved our lionfish fajitas!

By combining sport, education, and conservation, the Lionfish Emerald Coast Open serves as a beacon of hope in the fight against invasive species. It fosters a sense of community, encouraging individuals to actively contribute to the protection of marine ecosystems and the preservation of the Emerald Coast’s natural beauty.

Alex sharing his love of the sea with kids at the NY Travel and Adventure Show Jan 29, 2023

Lisa and Alex at the NY Travel and Adventure Show 2023 where Lisa was a speaker!

Lisa and Alex met at the DEMA Dive Show in Nov 2018 and finally went diving together today May 17, 2023 in Destin, Florida! SEA you soon under water scuba diving or on the water soon!

Want to DIVE in DESTIN? I loved the team at ScubaTech and my gear rentals were fantastic!

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Walking with Andrew McCarthy

Happy Launch Day to Andrew McCarthy and WALKING WITH SAM Get your copy of WALKING WITH SAM at Amazon, Barnes and Noble or Bookshop

An intimate, funny, and poignant travel memoir following New York Times bestselling author and actor Andrew McCarthy as he walks the Camino de Santiago with his son Sam.

Enjoy our interview:

Lisa Niver:

Hello. I’m so excited and honored to be here today with author and actor and incredible travel writer, Andrew McCarthy. Hi, Andrew.

Andrew McCarthy:

Thanks very much.

Lisa Niver:

I so enjoyed being at the travel show with you and listening to you talk about your new book. Congratulations.

Andrew McCarthy:

Thanks very much. Thank you.

Lisa Niver:

Tell us a little bit about your brand-new book because if I’m right, this is book number four?

Andrew McCarthy:

It is book number four. It’s called Walking With Sam: A Father, A Son, and Five Hundred Miles Across Spain. It’s a walk I took across the old Camino de Santiago in northern Spain, and it was a walk I’d done first 25 years earlier and a real life-changing experience for me when I did that. I had a moment, a white light experience in the middle of a field of wheat, a sobbing break down where I realized how much fear had dominated my life. I never knew fear was even a factor in my life until that moment of its first absence, and there was suddenly space and I felt like myself.

My wife is Irish, she has all these good Irish sayings, and one of them is, I felt like myself from the toes up, and in that field of wheat I felt like myself from the toes up in a very real way and a way I hadn’t before, and that changed my life. It started me traveling the world, it’s what led to me becoming a travel writer.

That first journey was a real life changer for me and the Camino was something I’d always wanted to do again. And my son was 19 and beginning his own life out in the world, and I didn’t want our relationship to end. When I was 17 I left home and my relationship in essence ended with my dad and that was one of the larger regrets of my life, and I didn’t want that to happen.

So, it was a journey by trying to rewrite how our relationship is cast as opposed to parent/child into sort of adults, seeing each other for who we really are as opposed to seeing the dynamic that exists between parent and child. It was a profound experience. I knew the first time it was so profound, I thought something might happen the second time as well, and we weren’t let down. The Camino has a way of doing that. The Camino, if you just keep walking has a way of sort of teaching you what needs to be taught.

Lisa Niver:

The Camino is a pilgrimage route. How did it get started? And why do people do these walking journeys?

Andrew McCarthy:

Why do people walk is a whole other conversation and a good one, but the Camino started in the eighth century. The Catholic Church said that the bones of the Apostle St James had been discovered in the farther western-most reach of the Iberian Peninsula and anybody who marched there would get half their time in purgatory knocked off. But really what it might have been more about was real estate because Islam had taken over Spain and the Catholic Church wanted it back and so, they said, while you’re walking across Spain to get your almighty soul purged and cleaned, kick out those damn Moors.

It was about the Christian reconquest of Spain and that’s what the beginning of the crusades and the Knights of Templar and all that good, bloody, gory history. And it’s still a religious pilgrimage, although most people now don’t walk it for that particular reason, and even the Catholic Church has walked back entirely that the bones of St James are there or that James was ever even in Spain, they’ve kind of fessed up to that.

So, it’s a pilgrimage route that people have walked since then, and millions and millions of people have walked it over the centuries. It fell out of favor after the reconquest. During the renaissance and all that, very few people made the walk. But early in the 20th century or mid-20th century it started to gain popularity again because…there were just a couple priests, actually, along the way that tried to reintroduce the route and they succeeded.

It’s an amazing journey, and walking really has a profound effect on people. Particularly in our culture now where we walk so little and don’t spend the time. Because when you’re walking the Camino, all you’re doing is walking. You’re spending seven, eight hours a day walking and you’re finding food and finding shelter, which is not difficult to do on the Camino. It’s not like you’re on the Appalachian Trail where you put your whole world in your pack and you have to really learn how to survive. The Camino, you’re just walking, and there’s something to that.

And there’s something about flowing into the current of millions of people who over centuries have done the same.

Lisa Niver:

I agree. I haven’t walked that yet although I’d like to, but I did a couple of eight-day treks in Nepal and there is something about being so focused on walking from one place to the next.

Andrew McCarthy:

You don’t even have to focus, you just have to just keep going. You have some big agendas for things that are going to happen and you’re going to have these big experiences, and the walk’s just going to do what it’s going to do to you. A lot of people walk just the last week or so of the Camino and I always say, that’s fine, that’s great, that’s all you can get off from work or if that’s all you want to do, that’s fine, but the gold is in the attrition that happens over a long period of time, over four or five weeks of walking and my experience is that the magic is in the exhaustion.

Lisa Niver:

You referenced that the walking is its own conversation. So, you recently had an amazing piece in The New York Times about the walking as the worst-kept secret.

Andrew McCarthy:

The Camino, the first time I did it, it really made me realize that I always looked at walking as sort of the slowest way to get anywhere, and over time I’ve come to realize that walking may actually be the event itself. There’s much documentation of many more intelligent people than me about how profound walking is. All that sort of hamster wheel stuff that goes on in our brains all the time just gets burned off and we drop home to ourselves, and it’s well documented that they fuel creativity. You could be home at your computer all morning pounding away and you go out for a walk and suddenly oh, that’s the answer, you know?

And that doesn’t happen by accident, and that happy accident happens over and over and over when you walk. We were born to walk, we were born to move at a walking pace. The sense of rhythm that happens in step after step I think is appropriate to the mind and the mind wants that and craves that, and the emotions want that and crave that.

So, I find walking often highly undervalued.

Lisa Niver:

During this time of the COVID coaster, you reference that people have had a lot of fears come back and a lot of alienation, and you mentioned that specifically in your talk in New York that it’s been a really hard time for people. I took a meditation class at UCLA and they kept talking about walking meditation. There is something very innate in the walking.

Andrew McCarthy:

Just going out for a good walk for a half hour changes the way you feel. Who’s famous line, if you’re in a bad mood go for a walk. If you’re still in a bad mood go for another walk. think it’s certainly better than going to sit and have a cup of coffee.

Lisa Niver:

There’s also something about repairing, or evolving your relationship with your son to an adult relationship. Early on in your book he talks about he’s not going to be on TikTok any more, and there’s other issues about finding food and learning to speak Spanish. Can you talk more about what it does for families to have this time to connect?

Andrew McCarthy:

One of the greatest luxuries, probably the greatest luxury you can have with an adult child is time. My relationship at home is –hey, Sammy, you want to go get some sushi? Okay, see you later. And so, to just have that time not feeling the need to problem solve, advise, all those boring parent things that kids don’t really want from us, to just walk beside and listen, and to just be able to say at times I don’t know.

The second day of the walk Sam said to me, what’s the point of this F-ing walk, and he didn’t say F-ing. And on the last day he said, Dad, that’s the only 10 out of 10 thing I’ve ever done in my life. I just had to keep him walking.

On the third or fourth day he said, is there an airport in Pamplona? But once he settled, I knew he would have a big experience, and I didn’t have to curate it, all I had to do was walk beside him. That’s one of the things we think we need to do as parents is curate our children’s experience in such a degree, and I trusted the walk enough having done it and having known its profound effects on me that I just kept walking beside him. My son was processing a lot of stuff in his life at the time and if you sit him down for a chat you’re not going to get very far, but you get him moving, eventually it all comes out.

We’d start the day walking and I would always tell myself, don’t speak, just walk. And whether it took 5 minutes or 45 minutes eventually it took.

It’s a real privilege as a parent to be able to receive our kids. At the end of the walk when he came marching up in Finisterre, I just stood there. I took a taxi to the end to receive him and what a beautiful thing that he let me receive him. People have to allow you to receive them and that’s a beautiful thing.

Lisa Niver:

It is a beautiful thing and I wonder if there’s a piece of that that comes from also your acting background, about stepping into different roles. Having been an actor for so many decades and being able to see things from different perspectives. Do you think that informs any of that? I loved all your movies and you’ve done so many interesting roles.

Andrew McCarthy:

I don’t know that it does, actually. It’d be a nice link-up to make, but I’m not sure that they really do. I think it’s just trying to be present and awake in your life, and being able to be observant to our loved ones and actually see them. See them, that’s all any of us want, right? See me, see me. But I don’t know that has anything to do with acting.

Lisa Niver:

One thing I did love, I have been watching The Resident, and I love your character on The Resident. I love that so many of the characters on The Resident have these very grand arcs, they’re very troubled and then they chang. But I loved when your character got to talk about instead of going to rehab that he was walking in Spain. I thought that was brilliant.

Andrew McCarthy:

That was a funny coincidence. IThey didn’t know I’d walked the Camino at all and that was just a total coincidence. I enjoyed doing that show. I hadn’t acted in about 15 years, I’d been directing and travel writing. That’s just something that came up and I really enjoyed doing it.

I started acting at 15 and it saved my life when I was a young guy. I really located myself in acting and so, to go back to it again was kind of like breathing to me in a very real way. It’s like that joke about the two fish swimming in the water and one swims by the other and says, morning, ain’t the water fine today? And the other one says, what water?

That’s what I felt when I was acting. I thought– oh, there I am. This is who I am and to a very real degree it is.

Lisa Niver:

I really, really enjoyed you in that show, just like I really enjoyed your talk at the Travel Show. Can you tell us about the Magic Road in Ireland and how your travels, and leaning into being present really changed your life. You went golfing and everything changed….

Andrew McCarthy:

In Ireland, they call it the Magic Road. It defies gravity, and that your car will roll uphill. I did an article for a magazine about Ireland and they said — we need some online content. Can you make a video? And I said sure, about what? And they said oh, just something Irish-y.

I became successful as a travel writer because of my acting experience, I knew to tell a story. Don’t sell a destination, tell a story, and that’s what’s important. And because you tell stories, people lean forward and they’re engaged and they’re interested.

So, when they wanted something Irish-y –I thought –Ireland is full of leprechauns and magic and all this Irish-y kind of stuff so, what’s a physical manifestation of that? That would be the Magic Road which is a story you can tell of searching for the Magic Road because quest stories, as you know, always work very well.

So, I went looking for the Magic Road and found it because it’s always good to find something if you’re questing in the story, and it was particularly Irish-y. We encountered a lot of Irish characters and asked everyone I met, have you heard of the Magic Road. It was a nice story to capture the theme of Irish-y-ness.

The Magic Road in Ireland

Andrew McCarthy – The Magic Road Intro from Goodman Speaker Management on Vimeo.

And Ireland’s great. I love Ireland. I have a home there and my wife’s Irish and we’ve been going for decades now so, I have a great affection for Ireland. It’s one of the few places in the world that’s exactly like what you think it’s going to be, and particularly when you get out in the country. The city does become quite sophisticated and quite liberal thinking, but the country is still just what you think it is in Ireland.

Lisa Niver:

I love Ireland. I’m just back from being in Ireland and I got to go to the north and I walked a hawk. There’s so many magical things about Ireland, and I agree with you, I’ve heard you say that we learn when we travel that people are just like us. Could you talk about how travel is our best hope for the world.

Andrew McCarthy:

I do feel that. Mark Twain said– travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness. My soap box is that I am proud to be American, I wouldn’t want to be anything but American, I love living in America, but I think America in many ways is a very, very fearful place and we make a lot of our decisions based in fear. Not all my fearful decisions have been bad but most of my bad decisions have been based in fear. I think that if Americans got out…how many of us have passports, what’s it, 38 percent, something like that, and half of us have used them? I mean, that’s an appalling number.

I think if Americans got out into the world they would realize that the world is a place that embraces us and people love Americans in the world and the world is a much safer place than we’ve been led to believe. Because of political agendas here we’ve been led to demonize people, and that just isn’t the case. You go out in the world and you really see, so many people who are able to separate our government from the people which we don’t seem to be able to do as Americans very well. People often say, I don’t really like your government but Americans are wonderful. They’re kind, they’re open hearted, they tip well, they’re polite, and people receive Americans in a wonderful way.

There’s nothing better than traveling with children because traveling with children basically says you’re making yourself very vulnerable and you’re saying, receive me, receive me.

The most important thing we can do is ask for help, on the road and at home, because it makes us right sized. When you go somewhere and you ask for help, nothing more powerful than that. Being vulnerable is a strength, not a weakness. If Americans went out and saw the world they’d come back and say, it’s not what I thought, and they tell two people and they tell two people and they tell two people, and we change.

We’re not going to change the world by governments and things like that, but by personal experience of going out there, and I do, I like to say that I’m going to change the world one travel story at a time because if they write a story and someone gets up off their couch and goes when they hadn’t been going before and that inspires them to do that, then I’ve got a good day’s work.

Lisa Niver:

I think that’s really beautiful and really important that we do all need to remember to ask for help, and to lean into the people around us. It’s so beautiful that you were able to take this 500-mile journey with your 19 year old son. And your younger son had a comment about how the book could have been better…

Andrew McCarthy:

When the books arrived, my young son picked it up and started reading it, and closed it and said, would have been better if it was about me. So, another critic has spoken.

Lisa Niver:

Do you think that it’s something you might do with your other children some day?

Andrew McCarthy:

If they wanted to, I’d love to. Like we said, traveling with kids is creating citizens of the world, the best gift we can give them.

Lisa Niver:

That’s so beautiful, and before you go, tell people how can they find you. Are you more an Instagram-er, or where can people look you up?

Andrew McCarthy:

I’m andrewmccarthy.com so, I’m on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and at andrewtmccarthy.

Lisa Niver:

Tell people where your book is available, how they can get their own copy, and feel like they are walking with you and your son.

Andrew McCarthy:

Hopefully that is the feeling that’s created, that you’rewalking step for step right along across the country with us without breaking a sweat.

Lisa Niver:

Walking With Sam is available online and in bookstores. Tell us about your speaking tour around the country. People can come out and see you and get their book signed.

Andrew McCarthy:

I’m looking forward to going out on tour and getting across America.

Lisa Niver:

I really, really appreciate you spending this time with me. I hope your book has tremendous success. I loved reading it, and I look forward to seeing you at the travel show next season.

Andrew McCarthy:

Thank you, I really enjoyed it. Thanks a lot.

The Magic Road in Ireland

Andrew McCarthy – The Magic Road Intro from Goodman Speaker Management on Vimeo.

More Andrew McCarthy: his website, his Instagram, his Twitter and his Facebook

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I wrote this for the NY Times—Whatever the Problem, It’s Probably Solved by Walking https://t.co/8RZzVUcQle

— Andrew McCarthy (@AndrewTMcCarthy) March 25, 2023

book

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Lisa Niver and Andrew McCarthy at the New York Travel and Adventure Show Jan 28, 2023

Lisa Niver, Andrew McCarthy, Rudy Maxa at the Dallas Travel and Adventure Show April 1, 2023

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Newport, RI: Ocean Race’s only North American stop

Boats catch the wind on Leg 9, from Newport to Cardiff, of the 2018 Ocean Race. This epic sailing event will make its only North American stop in Newport, Rhode Island

Widely regarded as the most demanding sailing race on the planet, the Ocean Race is a test of skill, tactical decisions, navigation, and extreme physical and mental challenges. Before reaching the U.S. shore in May, sailing teams will have to conquer nearly 29,000 nautical miles from sunny Alicante, Spain, through Cabo Verde, and the icy depths of the Southern Ocean. Over the next 6 months, the tournament will stop in eight cities worldwide, with a single stop in May in North America: Newport, Rhode Island, the sailing capital of the country.

The Ocean Race began in 1973. Over its 50-year history, it has developed a reputation as the planet’s longest and most grueling professional sporting event. Within the sailing world, it’s considered the third leg of the sport’s “triple crown,” which also includes the America’s Cup and the Olympics.

Sailors practice for years to put their skills to the Ocean Race test, and some even develop an obsession with it. Just ask Sir Peter Blake, who competed in the first version (under its old name, the Whitbread Round the World Race), but came back repeatedly until he finally won in 1989-90.

11th Hour Racing Team sets sail on their new IMOCA 60 during during the commissioning period, after the boat was launched in August 2021. (Photo by Amory Ross / 11th Hour Racing)

Newport is a no-brainer stopping point for the Ocean Race. Thanks to Newport Harbor’s combination of ideal winds and lack of navigational hazards, it’s one of the top places on the planet for sailing. Last year, the city debuted its brand-new Sailing Museum, a fantastic resource for the sport’s history and the mechanics, and a great taking-off point for prospective sailors of all backgrounds and abilities.

An exhibit at the Sailing Museum. (Photo by Robin Catalano)

Newport’s 9-day, Ocean Race-themed festival, from May 13 to 21, will take place after boats arrive from Itajaí, Brazil. Celebrations will include educational experiences, spectator boat rides, sailing lessons, a watch party, and wing foil race. It will also feature One Blue Voice, an immersive experience that takes you under the sea and into marine environments to learn about ocean conservation.

The marina of Newport Harbor is jam-packed with boats during the summer. (Photo by Robin Catalano)

You can interact with sailing teams and their shore crew at “pit row.” In addition, the event will feature local entertainment, food, beverages, and games for kids.

Stay up-to-date on the progress of the race and the festivities in Newport at theoceanracenewport.com.

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Springing into Success: My Blooming Awards Collection

April News 2023 with Lisa Niver & We Said Go Travel:I am grateful to have been recognized with several prestigious accolades this Spring. I am honored to be #11 on the Best Travel and Lifestyle Blogs List! Thank you Afluencer for naming me the #3 Top Travel Influencer for 2023 Thank you Feedspot for naming me #21 on your 30 Best Jewish Book Blogs and Websites  My website is now available on Google News! I was honored to be a speaker EIGHT times at the Travel & Adventure Shows in 2023! I spoke in FOUR cities: Los Angeles, Chicago, NYC and Dallas! Thank you to the Jewish Journal for their support of my speaking at the Travel Show! THANK YOU for watching my podcast! It has now been seen and heard in 23 countries on 6 continents!

USA   Canada    Italy   Singapore   UK   Switzerland Hong Kong    Australia   India France Latvia   Netherlands Japan Philippines    Mexico   Guatemala Germany Uruguay Bangladesh Spain Kenya Panama Thailand

THANK YOU for your #PODCAST support!
6 #CONTINENTS
21 #COUNTRIES
99 #DAYS
USA Canada Italy Singapore UK Switzerland Hong Kong Australia India France Latvia Netherlands Japan Philippines Mexico Guatemala Germany … pic.twitter.com/2pf3hVQgIo

— Lisa Niver (@LisaNiver) April 10, 2023

New PODCAST episodes with: Mermaid Rachel Novak, the poet Maggie Smith, On Brand author Aliza Licht and Katie Thompson from PADI about the Save the Ocean Pledge for Earth Day! WATCH my podcast, “MAKE YOUR OWN MAP: Are YOU ready to be BRAVE?” on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Podcast,  Google Podcasts, Audible, Anchor, Pandora & iHeart RadioWHERE CAN YOU FIND MY TRAVEL VIDEOS?

Here is the link to my video channel on YouTube where I have NEARLY TWO MILLION views on YouTube! (now at: 1,840,000 views)

Thank you for your support! Are you one of my 3,900 subscribers? I hope you will join me and subscribe! For more We Said Go Travel articles, TV segments, videos and social media: CLICK HERE

Find me on social media with over 150,000 followers. Please follow  on TikTok: @LisaNiver, Twitter at @LisaNiver, Instagram @LisaNiver and on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and at LisaNiver.com.

My Podcast: “Make Your Own Map!”

Fortune Cookie SAID:

A dream you have will come true.

We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.

With PADI at the 2023 Dallas Travel Show–Megan the Mermaid and my friends, Julie & Stacey, from working on the LOVE BOAT–Princess Cruises!

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#11 in 100 Best Travel and Lifestyle Blogs 2023

Thank you Feedspot!
I am honored to be #11 on the Best Travel and Lifestyle Blogs List!100 Best Travel Lifestyle Blogs and Websites

Congratulations on the outstanding achievement of being ranked #11 of the 100 best travel and lifestyle websites! This recognition speaks volumes about your hard work, dedication, and passion for sharing your experiences with the world.

Your website, featuring both articles and videos, captivates visitors with engaging content, stunning imagery, and a unique perspective on travel and lifestyle. The way you share tips on adventure travel, review the latest luxury hotels and restaurants, and recount your experiences draws audiences to your authentic voice and infectious enthusiasm.

Your website’s ability to inspire, inform, and entertain visitors is exceptional, and sets it apart from countless others competing in the crowded travel and lifestyle space. The storytelling you offer transports your visitors to new and exciting destinations, introduces them to fascinating cultures and cuisines, and inspires them to pursue their own dreams of adventure and luxury.

Your success as a website owner is a testament to your many years of hard work, talent, and dedication. You have created a brand that people trust and look to for guidance and inspiration, and have established yourself as a thought leader in the travel and lifestyle space.

This well-deserved recognition marks the beginning of a new chapter in your success story. Your website has touched the lives of countless visitors around the world, and we are confident that it will continue to do so for many years to come.

Once again, congratulations on this incredible achievement, and here’s to many more years of inspiring adventure and luxury travel content!

Other recent honors: #3 Top Travel Influencer and Top Jewish Book Site!

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What You Do Matters! PADI Save Our Ocean Pledge

Happy Earth Day! What you Do Matters! Join with PADI in the Save the Ocean Pledge, learn more in my interview below with Katie Thompson, Global Director, Corporate Social Responsibility at PADI

“The pledge is a personal commitment to say YES! I’m going to help create balance between humanity and ocean. I’m going to respect the ocean or the underwater world when I travel. I’m going to respect the cultures that take care of the ocean when I travel, when I’m diving, when I’m on vacation, and even in my own community.

PADI’s mission is to create a billion torchbearers to explore and protect the ocean. Local action from an individual person can make a difference. What you do does matter.”

INTERVIEW with KATIE THOMPSON from PADI about SAVE THE OCEAN PLEDGE

Lisa Niver:

Good morning. This is Lisa Niver from We Said Go Travel, and I am so honored to be here today with Katie Thompson from PADI, which is one of my favorite and most important organizations on the whole planet. Hi, Katie.

Katie Thompson:

Hi, Lisa, and I’m honored to be here as well, and that’s a great introduction. Thank you for saying that about our brand, I appreciate that.

Lisa Niver:

Many people know I’ve been speaking at the Travel and Adventure Show this year, and it was my great honor to be able to speak on behalf of PADI, which for anybody that doesn’t know, we’re talking about scuba diving, not a person named Patty. PADI is the professional association of dive instructors, and that’s how I learned to scuba dive, and scuba diving changed my whole life. I really feel so thankful for everything that you do to save the ocean and help people get in the water.

Katie Thompson:

Thanks, Lisa. PADI has been around since 1966 teaching the world to dive, and that actually was our tagline until a couple years ago. We changed it to Seek Adventure, Save the Ocean to show that…we are enhancing and expanding our commitment to the ocean, to ocean conservation, to ocean preservation.

We really like to think of PADI…P-A-D-I, I love that you said that…as a deeper purpose brand. Our PADI dive centers around the world and instructors have issued nearly 30 million certifications. We want to mobilize those divers to take action for the ocean! We’re not only teaching them to dive, we’re teaching them to protect what ultimately they end up loving at the end of the day.

That’s our purpose and what we’re trying to do —to save the ocean– that’s where it all kind of stems from.

Lisa Niver:

It is amazing. I love being under water, I love being with the fish, I love being with the creatures, I love being with my buddy, but it is really important that we take care of our planet, and that’s why we especially wanted to talk about your big project for Earth Day.

Katie Thompson:

PADI’s mission is to create a billion, with a B as in boy, a billion torchbearers to explore and protect the ocean. We are reigniting the ocean torchbearer campaign. If you look at our logo, there’s a diver carrying a torch, and that’s what they used to carry under water when they were diving so they could see.

In Jacques Cousteau’s Silent World, that’s where you can actually see them diving with a torch under water. It’s pretty amazing. When you look at the logo, it’s really awesome and it’s just, it seems so serendipitous that we ended up where we are after all these decades that a diver’s carrying a torch.

And now we have this campaign for any person and they don’t have to be a diver, someone that’s an ocean advocate, an ocean lover, someone that wants to protect what’s below the surface of the water. And even because the ocean is tied to everything, it’s really someone that just wants to protect our blue planet. For Earth Day, we’re reigniting our Ocean Torchbearer campaign with a Save the Ocean Pledge.

Lisa Niver:

Everybody can make a difference, and everyone can spark change. I like that I could spark change just like my candle could light the next candle. Through the billion torchbearers, there’s a lot that’s already happened, right? Aren’t there almost 60 thousand actions that have already happened?

Katie Thompson:

We definitely measured a lot of actions, including people that have taken conservation courses, divers that have taken conservation courses, people that have reported data. We have with our PADI AWARE Foundation and we created an Underwater Citizen Science curriculum, and we created the largest database about marine debris on the planet.

What’s so valuable and important about that database is there’s over 2 million pieces of debris reported,. There are many reports about the millions of tons of plastic in the ocean, but what’s so critical about this database and being a diver that collects debris and reports it is that that data is used to influence policy.

The database tells us what kind of debris it is, where it’s coming from, the concentration of that debris, and having that data is critical, and that’s really where all the policy change comes from.

Other actions include protecting sharks which we have been doing for several decades. We are involved with programs like CITES to protect sharks. Now, we’ve protected over a hundred species of sharks and rays, and anybody can participate in these actions.

Our pledge starting on Earth Day is not only that you are making a commitment to be part of this bigger community, but it’s also your gateway into conservation with PADI and we will be able to communicate with you and provide you a pathway to take clear actions that ladder up to this global picture of protecting our ocean.

Lisa Niver:

One of the things that I love the most about PADI is the focus on how local action has a global impact. Could you talk about the new shark legislation that will protect sharks around the planet?

Katie Thompson:

Local action from an individual person can make a difference and collectively it helps protect sharks. We sent out communication about a petition to all of our torchbearers, and we asked them to sign the petition for CITES, the governing body that helps protect species.

Because sharks and rays have been in our wheelhouse for so many years and we’ve worked so hard to protect sharks, we have a Shark Conservation course which we are updating, and we are going to be releasing a new Global Shark Census, so that’s exciting, so stay tuned for that. But so, what the consumers do, or what our fans, what our torchbearers do, they sign this petition. Now, we can segment that database of where those signatures are coming from digitally, and then we have people on the ground at CITES, at the convention for Biological Diversity. We have people taking the petition to the different government officials saying PADI’s collected 30 thousand signatures.

When we talk about the individual local action leading to bigger or global impact, it’s that collectively, when the signatures are taken and provided to the elected official or the Minister of Tourism, the Minister of Trade, whoever that person- that is at that convention -that we’re trying to change policy, those signatures are very influential.

We are able to make a significant difference this year and every year. We protected 54 sharks and ray species, so now we’re up over 100. PADI has helped protect over 100 shark and ray species, which is really exciting because sharks are the apex predators of the ocean and if they’re in balance it helps keep the rest of the ocean in balance.

Lisa Niver:

The PADI reach is so AMAZING! You have so many different conservation projects — helping the coral, helping the turtles, helping the sharks, but tell people about the Save the Ocean Pledge–how do they sign up and what does it do. What happens?

Katie Thompson:

There’s so much happening. We launched the PADI Blueprint for Ocean Action, which focuses on five different areas- marine debris, vulnerable species, which includes sharks and rays, marine protected areas advancing the amount of ocean that’s protected. There’s coral reef restoration and recovery. And then, the fifth one will be restoring blue carbon habitats, so blue carbon would be things like seagrass, mangroves, and kelp.

We narrowed it down to five critical or key threats to the ocean, and what’s important there too is that divers especially can take actions under water. We’re creating programs and curriculum where divers can learn specific skills. They can take a course, and then on the Marine Debris app, the Dive Against Debris app, they can upload all that data, and that data is then used to change policy. We’re going to have a course for each of those key threats.

Our one billion torchbearers will be essentially one in ten people on this planet that can take action for the ocean, whether you are signing the CITES petition to protect sharks, or taking marine debris datat, that is an action that counts.

All of the courses are tied to the global agenda to protect 30% of the ocean by 2030. Of course, we’re looking way beyond 2030, but we want to make sure that the work that we’re doing is connected to that bigger picture because what you mentioned, the scale that PADI has, we can indeed make a significant impact with millions of people around the world taking action.

Lisa Niver:

In order to have one billion torchbearers and protect 30% of the ocean by 2030, we want everyone to sign the Save the Ocean Pledge. Tell us about the ocean pledge.

Katie Thompson:

The pledge is a personal commitment to say YES! I’m going to help create balance between humanity and ocean. I’m going to respect the ocean or the underwater world when I travel. I’m going to respect the cultures that take care of the ocean when I travel, when I’m diving, when I’m on vacation, and even in my own community.

There’s a set of commitments that you can see on the pledge page that you’re saying, yes, I’m going to do all of these things, and then I’m going to pledge to save the ocean, and I’m going to stand up for the ocean, and then be part of the world’s largest community that we’re trying to build to create ocean change.

What makes this pledge unique is that it is backed by three decades of the PADI AWARE Foundation and with PADI members and operators around the world taking action, and now we’re inviting more people to stand with us.

Once you sign up as a torchbearer, once you join this community by taking this pledge, you are going to be kept informed of these opportunities. Because if you think about the ocean conservation space or any conservation space, it’s a little overwhelming and I think a lot of people, they almost get apathetic or they just feel overwhelmed. They think what they do doesn’t matter or that their little contribution won’t change anything, and that is not true at all. It completely does matter, and we have all these examples to prove that it does matter. What you do does matter.

We feel like this pledge is a way to reach people all around the world that care about the ocean, ocean citizens I like to call them, that want to do something but maybe don’t know how to get started, they don’t know what they can do, so we’re trying to connect, make a bridge between the ocean change and people around the world so they have a clear pathway to action.

Lisa Niver:

I think it’s so important, and I love that PADI has certified almost 30 million people. When you think about most of those people, their children, their parents, their sisters, their siblings, their cousins, they work somewhere, so it’s a really huge community, and so this is a great way to get connected.

I’ve been a diver since 1990, and I know one of the big projects you’ve done is to encourage women in diving. When I first started diving, I’d go in the dive shop and they always thought I was someone’s girlfriend, and I aid no, no, I’m the good diver. I’d be with someone who was brand new and they would focus on that person. But I’m the divemaster.

I’d love if you could talk about Women’s Dive Day.

Katie Thompson:

I love to talk about Women’s Dive Day. We started it, me and my team here at PADI, I can’t believe it, but it’s been nine years. Next year we’re going to celebrate our 10-year anniversary of Women’s Dive Day, and it’s just been an incredible journey.

On the day of Women’s Dive Day on social media, I love to see all these women posting and saying diving changed my life, I took my first breath under water, and we always say it’s for everyone.

Even though our mission is to create these billion torchbearers, our true deep down mission is to increase access to the underwater world for everyone. This idea of inclusivity is really what Women’s Dive Day is about. It breaks down those barriers to diving to make them feel comfortable. It has happened to so many women that they would walk into a dive shop and they just felt like they didn’t have the confidence to ask about equipment, or they weren’t treated with respect.

And this happens in a lot of different sports and activities, but that’s why we do these things, we can dive just as well as anyone else. It makes them feel comfortable and gives them the confidence to be diving together in a group on a special day.

We need all those women to be part of the community. We need women divers. We need women ocean advocates. We need people to take those same actions.

So, really, Women’s Dive Day is about inclusivity, it’s about inviting everyone in, creating access to the ocean, and giving everyone this opportunity to be part of this to experience nature and the beauty of this planet.

Lisa Niver:

This year Women’s Dive Day is July 15, and I believe last year were there over 4,000 events?

Katie Thompson:

There were over 4,000 events with all of our PADI dive centers around the world the first year. We really wanted them to adopt this concept and this initiative of women and diving and they did!

Women are often the decision makers in the household for vacations, for lots of different things, so there’s a lot of benefits to including women. Every year we have thousands of events taking place all around the world, and our dive centers love it. It’s just incredible to see the diversity of the events themselves. You have everything from women doing yoga days and diving to doing wine afterwards, to people doing incredible conservation work, bringing in the community together, so it’s turned into something that’s really incredible. I want to plan something pretty significant for the 10-year anniversary.

Lisa Niver:

Beaches and Sandals Resorts used underwater footage of me scuba diving and dancing in Turks and Caicos for Women’s International Dive Day. It was really funny!

Katie Thompson:

They always do a great job down there with Women’s Dive Day, so that’s good to hear.

Lisa Niver:

Tell us a little bit about the women that are behind you in these beautiful murals.

Katie Thompson:

Thank you for asking about that. The murals are from when we launched the PADI Pillars of Change corporate social responsibility framework. It’s the roadmap for the actions that we take. Our three pillars are ocean conservation, dive industry sustainability, and people and humanity which includes Women’s Dive Day and our adaptive diving services.

We have amazing PADI instructors and PADI dive centers around the world that are teaching divers with adaptive needs. There’s one billion people on this planet that have a disability, and diving has shown to be an amazing healing opportunity for people that have a disability, people that are paralyzed, people that have some kind of spinal disorder, people that suffer from PTSD. There are many veteran programs that are scuba diving-based. So, all of that falls under people and humanity.

And the other part of people and humanity is the healing and wellness aspect of being in the water for anybody. You don’t have to be necessarily suffering from anything, but that immersion therapy is just such a powerful drug. It’s the same with surfing. If you talk to a surfer – when we’re out there on the water, it’s the same feeling that you get.

Being in the water is healing, and diving offers people in this crazy world that we live in that you can go under there and it’s quiet, and all you’re doing is just blowing bubbles with the fishes, as we say.

Our pillars provide guidance, and focus us in a direction that is meaningful, impactful, that strengthens our core values and shows the deeper purpose that PADI has.

Lisa Niver:

The murals beautiful to look at, and the meaning is beautiful as well. I agree with you, it’s really magical to be under water. I have a special connection with my buddies and being with the creatures, and you really sense how we all are connected on our entire planet.

Katie Thompson:

Yes. The water definitely does that for people. I’ve worked for PADI for 10 years, and I’ve been really lucky to work with a lot of people, especially on the Three Pillars, people that have a disability and taking them under water and seeing firsthand what happens to someone when they feel for the first time like a whole person again, being under water, and it’s just such an incredible transformative experience.

For Women’s Dive Day, we’ve had women in the Middle East that previously didn’t have the ability legally to dive, and now we’ve had the first PADI instructor there. We’ve helped open doors for people and helped them break down barriers and it’s inspiring to see other people that have overcome their fears to get under the water and find that connection.

And if you can’t scuba dive, there’s other things you can do. You can go free diving, you can go snorkeling, you can experience the ocean in different ways. And now mermaiding is a really popular activity around the world. PADI offers courses in all these things.

Lisa Niver:

During this time of the COVID coaster with everyone managing issues with health and illness and wellness that many people that were adventurous have gotten a little less. And for myself personally, I actually was pretty hard to teach to scuba dive. I had a near-drowning as a child, and so I’ve spoken to a lot of people that are afraid, and I know it can be scary. The thing I always tell people is we never go diving without our buddies, so you’re never alone.

Katie Thompson:

Yes. That’s true. That’s a really good point because I think people do worry that under the surface they will feel claustrophobic because you’re breathing out of this device that you’re not used to breathing out. But once you get underwater, people love it.

And when you’re learning you’re never alone absolutely, you have someone there with you every step of the way, your instructor and most oftentimes a divemaster or another instructor helping you. So, there’s lots of opportunity for encouragement.

And there’s no pressure and you don’t have to be done in a certain timeframe. There’s no requirement that you have to do this in one day or seven days. You can take time and get comfortable. And your PADI instructor is making sure you’re comfortable and confident under water before moving you forward.

Lisa Niver:

It is such a great experience. And there’s so much now with technology. You can do the e-learning class. You have PADI Reactivate. For people that have been out of the water, it’s a great pathway back.

I had been out of the water quite a while in 2020 to 2021 due to COVID and I took a reactivate class. I love PADI. The instruction is excellent, and a huge focus obviously is on safety, and I think it’s amazing.

Katie Thompson:

Yes, it is amazing. And you’re right, there are so many ways to learn now. Since the pandemic, what you call the COVID coaster, I love that, a lot of people did choose to do e-learning, and it was easier for people because people had more time to do something.

You can do the academic portion at home, and then you can really dive into the material and take the time to understand it, and then your instructor is there to help support that, and there’s knowledge review questions to make sure that you understand the material.

30 million people can’t be wrong. So, if it’s something that you want to do, you should just go try it. Grab a friend, grab somebody that you know that might be interested or is already a diver and just have them help you along and go do it.

Lisa Niver:

It’s Earth Day or Earth Month, and we now say every day is Earth Day and we will put in the show notes the link to sign the Save the Ocean Pledge and become part of the one billion, with a B, torchbearers. Any last thoughts you want to share with us from PADI and yourself about Earth Month/Earth Day and the ocean?

Katie Thompson:

Go to padi.com/savetheocean to sign the pledge and you can read all about it. You can learn about torchbearers, you can learn about all the things we’re doing in conservation and why what you do matters, and that’s what I want people to remember is that what you do matters. Get engaged in your local community in some way. There’s lots of opportunities out there for you to engage. It doesn’t have to take a ton of time. Just find out what you’re passionate about and take action.

And I want to say thank you for letting me speak about all of this today, and I hope people really enjoyed it and they want to come stand with us to help save the ocean.

Lisa Niver:

Thank you so much. It’s so important right now. What you do matters. We need to save the ocean. And I hope people come diving with us. I love scuba diving.

Katie Thompson:

Thanks, Lisa.

Katie Thompson about PADI Women’s Dive Day: Celebrate July 15, 2023

In time for Earth Day, PADI is reigniting our Ocean Torchbearer initiative with a Save the Ocean Pledge, asking for a personal commitment from everyone to sign on to protect the ocean and join the world’s largest community creating ocean change.

The purpose of the Save the Ocean Pledge is to expose more people around the globe to tangible and realistic ways to engage in ocean conservation by providing a clear pathway to action in what can often be an overwhelming experience, leaving people feeling what they do doesn’t affect the big picture, or worse, doesn’t matter.

But what we do individually, and collectively, does matter, and this shared optimism and conviction that change is possible, combined with tangible PADI AWARE actions, makes the Ocean Torchbearer Community a viable solution to creating a more resilient ocean and brighter future for all.

What happens when I take the pledge?

Upon taking the Save the Ocean pledge, you begin, deepen or reignite your conservation journey with PADI. As part of the Torchbearer Community, you will be kept informed of opportunities for conservation action – like conservation courses, citizen science opportunities and policy advocacy campaigns, both above and below the surface.

Ocean Torchbearers also receive quarterly newsletters and notifications to participate in conservation campaigns throughout the year – this allows everyone (not just divers) to be part of the solution. Immediately upon taking the pledge, you will receive a series of emails onboarding you to the Torchbearer Community, informing you on the various opportunities available to you. 

Here are some recent examples in which Torchbearers created notable impact:

Above the Surface ActionsBy signing an online petition and sharing images on social media, the Torchbearer Community helped protect over 50 new species of Sharks at CITES.They supported Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef by analyzing thousands of reef photos to allow scientists to better understand the health and state of the reef.Fundraising and generous donations have enabled over USD $200,000 in grant funding for local marine conservation projects that tackle marine debris, habitat loss, vulnerable species protection and climate change.Through PADI’s Partners The Ocean Foundation’s SeaGrass Grow Program, Torchbearers have helped restore critical and endangered seagrass and mangrove habitats in Puerto Rico.During the upcoming Plastic Free July, Community members will be asked to support a call to action to demand the world’s governments agree on a legally binding agreement to end plastic pollution by 2040.Below the Surface ActionsThrough Dive Against Debris®, divers around the world have helped collect and report more than two million pieces of debris, resulting in the largest underwater citizen science database and movement for marine debris on the planet. By early 2024, divers will be able to participate in the AWARE Global Shark Census and Conservation Course, further advancing protection of vulnerable shark and ray species.Together with PADI dive operators, PADI Divers are engaging in conservation activities all around the worldWhat makes the Save the Ocean pledge unique? 

Backed by three decades of conservation achievements through PADI AWARE Foundation and PADI Pro-led initiatives, PADI Members and Divers have implemented more than half a million discrete ocean actions. These include protecting more than 100 shark species, removing and documenting tons of ocean debris, and rescuing more than 13,500 entangled animals.

To date, PADI Mission Hubs and Eco Center Members, through Adopt the Blue, have adopted more than 1,000 dive sites for monitoring and preservation, with 10,000 dive sites set as the goal over the next few years. The PADI AWARE Foundation’s grant program has funded more than 200 local conservation projects directly related to the PADI Blueprint for Ocean Action (below).

PADI’s global community of 6,600 dive centers and resorts, 128,000 professional members and more than 29 million certified divers to date provides the scale to drive meaningful impact for the ocean.

Why should you take the Save the Ocean Pledge?

In 2020, PADI and AWARE Foundation announced the Blueprint for Ocean Action, a comprehensive strategy to empower local ocean-conservation actions for a global impact. This Blueprint addresses the five biggest issues facing our oceans: key habitat destruction (corals, mangroves and seagrass), vulnerable species loss (including apex predators), marine debris, the effects of climate change, and lack of marine protected areas. 

This framework is adopted across the global PADI network and provides a roadmap for consumers connected to the global picture – meaning, the goals under the blueprint are tied to the global agenda that is followed by most organizations in order to protect 30% of the ocean by 2030.  By connecting PADI’s conservation blueprint to PADI Mission Hubs, PADI Professionals, divers and Ocean Torchbearers internationally, we are taking scalable and meaningful action to help restore balance between humanity and ocean.

When you take the pledge, you are raising your hand to say that you want to be involved in being part of the solution for a healthier planet, including:

Taking individual and collective action to tackle the ocean’s greatest challenges and protect 30% of the ocean by 2030.Acting as an ocean steward, exploring with care and leaving ecosystems in an equal or better state than I find them.Respecting culture, traveling with an open heart and mind, showing consideration for all. Sharing my passion to explore and protect the ocean with friends, family and my community. 

TAKE THE PLEDGE

You ARE part of the SOLUTION.

In 2018, PADI instituted a new global brand vision to create balance between humanity and ocean and thus the new mission of “create a billion torchbearers to explore and protect the ocean” was borne out of the necessity to bridge the gap between ‘teaching the world to dive’ and teaching them to protect the underwater world they were exploring.

From the beginning, PADI Co-Founder John Cronin knew that we – as divers – had a responsibility to protect what we love:  “We want to feel that our children, their children and generations to come will be able to enjoy the underwater world that has given us so much. There are so many significant problems facing mankind, but as divers this is truly our cause. If scuba divers do not take an active role in preserving the aquatic realm, who will?

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Female Divers that inspire PADI: 

PADI AmbassaDiver + PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer Nouf Alosaimi from Saudi Arabia who founded the Pink Bubbles, a female diving community that encourages women to connect with the oceanEhdaa Al-Barwani who is the first female PADI Instructor from Oman and runs women-only dive courses through PADI Dive Center Aura Divers.Here’s a round up of amazing PADI Women from around the world we highlighted for IWD on ScubaverseHere’s a great feature in The Sun on PADI Diver Tara Roberts and how she is diving with a purpose Here’s a feature story in the Bombay Times on how AmbassaDiver Parineeti Chopra is inspiring more females in India to diveHere’s a fun story on iNews that highlights how Professional PADI Mermaids are being a voice for the ocean+

The post What You Do Matters! PADI Save Our Ocean Pledge appeared first on We Said Go Travel.

Aliza Licht on being the Chief Brand Officer of YOU

Thank you Aliza Licht for joining me on my podcast!

“It’s never too late to start over. We hear stories all the time of people later in life going back to school for something completely new and different...You get one life, but many chances.” 

Both of Aliza’s books train you to be a publicist for YOURSELF! I learned so much from reading them. I changed my social media bios immediately after reading her suggestions. Her actionable steps helped me so much. Remember, no one will care about your book, your project, your job as much as YOU do –so learn to be the best Chief Brand Office of YOU that you can!

Get your copy from Amazon, Barnes & Noble or BookShop

Aliza says: “You are your best PR person.” Keep planting seeds and growing your brand on your carefully crafted social media, your newsletter and perhaps even your own podcast.

Remember: “Don’t wait for someone to shine a light on your. Make your own SPOTlight (strategically).”

FROM OUR INTERVIEW

Lisa Niver:

Good morning. This is Lisa Niver from We Said Go Travel and I am so, so honored and excited to have the amazing, incredible author Aliza Licht here with me today.

Aliza Licht:

Lisa I am so honored to be here. Thank you so much for inviting me on your show.

Lisa Niver:

You are so welcome. I don’t know that everyone knows about both your books! You have so much going on. We want to talk about both books because they’re both incredible, but will you tell people a little bit about the whole history of the DKNY PR Girl and the millions of followers and the red lipstick. Tell us a little bit, in case people don’t know — how did this happen for you, that you were the fashion voice of Twitter for so long?

Aliza Licht:

H everyone. I started my career in the fashion industry in magazine editorial back in the day, but fun fact, I was pre-med in college and thought I would graduate to be a plastic surgeon. I majored in neurobiology and physiology and then gave it all up to work in fashion. I spent a few years in editorial and then moved over to Donna Karan corporate PR in the late ‘90s. And honestly, I did traditional PR for many years. I ultimately spent 17 years with Donna Karan working in communications. On the tail of the career, the last six years, we started doing social media.

And one day we were sitting around having a marketing meeting and we said- we should probably join Twitter. And I was in PR, so my fear was that because the person was named Donna Karan and the brand was Donna Karan, I was scared people would assume she was tweeting and then that complicates what are we going to write? How are we going to respond? Do we need approvals? So,Lisa, you remember this time, it was Gossip Girl original and we were all obsessed with it. And I said to myself, well, why can’t we just make an anonymous character–nobody has to know who she is?

We can call her DKNY PR Girl and she can be the voice of Twitter and share her work doing PR in New York City. And that ranged from working with magazines to celebrity dressing, red carpet, fashion shows. It seemed like a good way to share our story, so we positioned it that way and we pitched it to our legal team. And our general counsel said–this sounds great. Aliza– you’re the only one allowed to tweet. Truly initiation by fire. I started on Twitter in 2009 as an anonymous character. I didn’t think of it as myself. It was represented by a fashion illustration, and I started tweeting.

And what I found was that engaging with people around the world was really exciting and telling a great story is what really got people to engage. So, showing the behind the scenes of my job in PR in an industry that didn’t really show its cards very often. Showing people–what happens in awards season? How do the dresses go from one celebrity to the next? Who’s working with who? What’s really happening behind the scenes? All of that was what I shared, but at the same time I naturally found myself mentoring. So, I started tweeting about how to break into fashion, how to work in PR.

And it became known as career advice mentoring that I would do, which ultimately led to being offered a book deal, which was Leave Your Mark, which is why there is a coffee cup with red lipstick on the cover, which is my signature and what I stare at every day. Because it’s really my way of grabbing coffee with people who wanted to know how to break into the industry.

Lisa Niver:

Thank you that was a great introduction. I personally loved your book about branding and I agree with you the book does feel like you’re having coffee together. Because you’re giving tips and I remember you talked to people about how to work on their resume and what do you say at their interview and make sure you send a thank you note. That book was wonderful and that came out and you gave a lot of professional advice. And now fast-forward to your second book.

Aliza Licht:

On Brand really picks up where Leave Your Mark left off. I do a little refresher course for people who didn’t read Leave Your Mark. I had over 1.5 million followers organically at a time when that was a really big deal for brands. DKNY PR Girl back then was really one of the first examples of a fashion influencer even though we didn’t know that word at the time. So, when I finally revealed myself as the person behind the Twitter handle two years later, imagine keeping a secret for two years, that was not easy, it generated over 230 million media impressions, which was amazing, and now the secret was out, I was known as this person.

But when my book, Leave Your Mark, came out that coincided with a management change at Donna Karan. We got a new CEO. We got new creative directors and ended up leaving the company. On Brand: Shape Your Narrative, Share Your Vision, Shift Their Perception starts with the idea that I had to re-find my identity. Because now I don’t have a lofty title, I don’t work in luxury fashion, I’m not part of LVMH, I don’t have a garment allowance anymore, I’m just saying.

Lisa Niver:

But you’re open to it.

Aliza Licht:

But I’m open to it. If anyone wants to give me one, I’m open to it. I don’t have millions of followers and it was uncomfortable. So, this book starts off with my rebrand and all of the tactics that I employed to transition myself from a corporate PR person to an entrepreneur, author, podcaster, mentor.

Lisa Niver:

I love the book.

Aliza Licht:

Thank you.

Lisa Niver:

You’re welcome. I really took a lot of notes and honestly made a lot of changes for myself. When I was reading your book, I was just starting speaking for the Travel and Adventure Show in four cities. And I read your book and it said, make sure every quarter you look at the bios of your social media. And I looked at the bios of my social media and I’m thought– wow, that stuff is old. So, I made them all match that I was speaking and it was really just because of your book. I think there are really practical tips that people can use, it’s full of action steps!

Aliza Licht:

Thank you and I’m so glad that you took action from that. I structured the book with my story throughout, but then I bring in expert contributors. And one of the things that I always like to start off when I talk about On Brand is this is not about becoming famous unless that’s what you want to do, I can certainly help you do that. But this is about understanding what you want to be known for in any medium and making sure other people see you that way. So, it is part career guide and it is part workbook. I lead you along the way in small, mental gymnastics activities to help you think through what your brand is currently speaking to and how people are actually perceiving what you’re doing.

Lisa Niver:

Right. And I think it’s really important that you even use the term chief brand officer of YOU! All of us are out there on social media and especially for younger people that maybe are new in the job market, they have to understand that everything they’re putting out there can be seen by current employers, future employers. It’s so ubiquitous now all the social media, that people forget that it’s very searchable.

Aliza Licht:

It’s very searchable. And of course I take you through the pitfalls of what can happen if you don’t do it properly, but at the same time, there’s also a whole chapter on how to establish your personal brand at work. Because making sure people understand your value and getting the credit you deserve is an art, right? And we need to be strategic about it and we need to be elegant about it.

Lisa Niver:

Yes, elegant I agree with that. And I liked what you said about planting the seeds that things don’t happen overnight. You didn’t get to millions of views on the DKNY PR Girl instantly. If you want to get somewhere –you have to keep putting in the work. And another thing I loved that you talked about is how to amplify your voice. You started a podcast, I have a podcast, what do you say to people that are thinking could I have a podcast?

Aliza Licht:

Well, I would say that you’re getting on a hamster wheel that you can’t get off, as you know. I always believe that you should start as you mean to go. I committed to a weekly show and I do a weekly show, but you have to think about what is really possible for you to handle. I would say the most underrated asset or the most underrated surprise to doing a podcast is how critical it is to meeting and networking with people that you wouldn’t normally meet. I never thought about that.

I did it because I wanted to extend Leave Your Mark into something more immediate, right? The book had come out in 2015. The podcast started in 2019. It felt like a great way to live out my dream of being a talk show host. But I never thought about it from the perspective of getting clients and networking. Because when you have a podcast people like to come on and talk about what they do and it’s an easier way to get in the room with someone that might be a little bit out of your reach.

Lisa Niver:

Who is an example of a guest you had that you wouldn’t have normally thought you would get to talk to?

Aliza Licht:

Well, I would say Mandy Teefey the producer of 13 Reasons Why, Selena Gomez’s mom, the cofounder of Wondermind mental health media site. Mandy was launching Wondermind and came on Leave Your Mark to talk about her entire career journey, having Selena when she was 16 and having suicidal thoughts. Thirteen Reasons Why is inspired, unfortunately, by her experience and I mean I would never meet Mandy Teefey otherwise.

Lisa Niver:

Amazing. And who’s a bucket list guest you’d like to invite on?

Aliza Licht:

That’s such a good question, Lisa. Shonda Rhimes.

Lisa Niver:

That’s a good one. I hope that she comes on your show !!

Aliza Licht:

We were in touch back in the day. As DKNY PR Girl, I was live tweeting Scandal. Shonda if you ever hear this episode, I’d love you to come on Leave Your Mark. She’s an incredible inspiration as a writer and a creative and that would be a dream.

Lisa Niver:

I’m so excited for you because we’re manifesting it. I think it’s going to happen.

Aliza Licht:

Manifesting it, yes.

Lisa Niver:

It can happen. It’s going to happen, manifest it. I love that idea. I’m going to make a bucket list of people. So, another thing you say in your book is you are your best PR person! Your book talks about knowing who you are, knowing your value, knowing what you want. Can you talk about newsletters? Do you think people are still building newsletters? Is that still valuable?

Aliza Licht:

Yes, newsletters are really important. And when we talk about owning audience the only way to own audience is actually to collect email addresses and cell phones, because for social media we are renting our audiences. If you are putting out free content, like a newsletter, where you’re providing a service to your readers that is a great way, that’s lead generation to actually build your database.

But I also want to go back to what you were asking before about being your own best publicist. And I think that a lot of people assume that people know what they’re doing and that they’re great at what they do or they’re adding value. But if you’re not shaping that narrative, if you’re not positioning yourself so that people really are getting the story from you, you’re missing an opportunity to brand yourself. And that has to be done in a really careful way so that people are not bragging.

Lisa Niver:

One of the ways that you can control the story with your audience is with Linktree in social media. Because I know for myself, one of the things that can be frustrating is people like your post on Instagram, but it doesn’t connect to anything. So, I actually started using Bitly similar to Linktree where it links to multiple places, but what do you like about Linktree?

Aliza Licht:

I use Norby which is like Linktree, but it has many more attributes including email marketing. It’s also live events and connects with Zoom. It’s also SMS marketing. So, it’s a much bigger bucket of things you can do in your marketing mix. You sign up for a monthly charge depending on what aspects of the platform you want to use.

Lisa Niver:

We’re going to all look into that. And a question from people, especially authors, if you have two different books–Are you making a website for every book? Do you have a website just for yourself? Do you think you should have a social media name for your book? What would you recommend to people?

Aliza Licht:

I love this question so much. I only have alizalicht.com and everything is in my name. Because it’s very hard to build multiple, vibrant social handles for each thing that you’re doing. I always gather the social handles to make sure I have them, and I get the URLs to make sure I have them, but everything is on alizalicht.com. There is the book section that has Leave Your Mark and On Brand. There’s nothing that isn’t within the Aliza Licht domain because that is just a way for me to keep everything cohesive and it’s just much easier to navigate.

Lisa Niver:

I have one of the quotes that you wrote that I really liked about, you mentioned this before about that creating a personal brand is not about being famous. But I like what you said that it’s about communicating who you are, what you align with and what you do well. It’s about getting the credit you deserve and everything that comes with that. It’s very impressive.

Can you talk more, you mentioned bragging, and I think that women, in particular, in the United States, but maybe humans all over the planet, sometimes have trouble standing up for their accomplishments.

Aliza Licht:

Thank you for sharing that quote. It’s a really hard thing to do to talk about your accomplishments. And in my book I bring in Meredith Fineman, who wrote Brag Better, as one of the expert contributors in the communication section. Meredith dedicated her book to a group of people that she calls the qualified quiet. People who do a great job and are waiting for people to notice that they do a great job. And that, my friends, is not a strategy. So, one of the ways that I think it’s important to amplify your wins is to make sure that you’re not getting tone-deaf to your own words.

Every time that you’re talking about an accomplishment on email, on social media, in person, make a conscious effort to amplify and promote five other people publicly, so that you’re not just someone talking about yourself. No one wants to listen to someone who talks about themselves all day. Another way to do it, especially in a corporate environment, is to work behind the scenes with a colleague. Maybe you want your boss to know something you accomplished. Why not say to someone you trust, hey, I would love for my manager to know this, maybe at our next meeting you can mention it.

And if there’s something you want amplified tell me and I’ll make sure to amplify it. So, doing that behind-the-scenes whisper network is very effective. Or if you don’t want to talk about anything at all, put a deck together for your manager to give someone an update of what you’ve accomplished. But people need to know or they’re not thinking about you and they’re not thinking about the value-add. It’s just how it is. Everyone’s too busy with their own stuff.

Lisa Niver:

Everyone is really busy and one of the things that I’ve noticed, and I’m sure impacted you and the launch of your first book, is during this time of the COVID coaster there’s been so many traumas and people have lost loved ones and lost jobs and companies have changed. So, one of the things I really liked is you said– it’s never too late to start over. We hear stories all the time of people later in life going back to school for something completely new and different. You get one life, but many chances.

Aliza Licht:

Yes, I still believe that.

Lisa Niver:

I do think that’s really important right now that people know it’s never too late. There’s lots of chances. In my book I talk about, taking lots of small steps. In your book, you talk about planting a seed.

As we look to close our talk about your incredible new book, where can people find it and how can they find you? Are you doing events? What should we do to find more of you?

Aliza Licht:

Well, first of all thank you. My book, On Brand, is about self-reflection and marrying self-reflection to public perception. That, to me, is the definition of a strong personal brand, when how you think about yourself is actually how other people think about you. Because the goal of this, to me, is to have your name dropped in rooms you’re not in, and to be offered opportunities that other people haven’t even heard of yet. So, the book is called On Brand: Shape Your Narrative. Share Your Vision. Shift Their Perception.

It is available anywhere you buy books in the US and Canada right now. Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Indie books, Apple or on alizalicht.com. You can buy signed copies through Porchlight. I’m proud of this work and I think that if people actually put the thought process into it, people will be shocked at what can happen.

Lisa Niver:

That is incredible. So, they can find you on social media, they can listen to your podcast, they can buy your book. And I didn’t know about Porchlight, so they can get a signed copy. That sounds amazing.

Aliza Licht:

On alizalicht.com you have all the options for where to buy and then on Porchlight it says signed copies available.

Lisa Niver:

Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me. I really have loved your books, they’ve really helped me, and I hope everyone else finds them and enjoys them. And congratulations, we look forward to seeing more and more of you and big giant success.

Aliza Licht:

Lisa, thank you so much for always supporting me and reading the books. I appreciate it and I’m so happy to be here.

Get your copy from Amazon, Barnes & Noble or BookShop See Aliza on Jessica Abo’s podcast on Entrepreneur.com: Shaping The Narrative of Your (Personal) Brand is The Secret to Your Success. Here’s Why. My article on Thrive Global: Are you ready to PIVOT? Be Your Own Publicist! Ask Aliza Licht

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Thank you Afluencer #3 Travel Influencer 2023

40 Top Travel Influencers of 2023Thank you Afluencer! I am honored to be your #3 Travel Influencer of 2023.

From the USA, Lisa Niver is an impressive award-winning travel expert and writer who has explored 102 countries and 6 continents. 

Niver started her global podcast, Make Your Own Map, on Dec 30, 2022 and in its first 99 days it was watched in 22 countries on 6 continents.

Niver was honored to be a travel speaker at the Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago and Dallas Travel and Adventure Shows in 2023. In the Southern California Journalism Awards and the National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Awards, Niver has won five times and been nominated as a finalist twenty times.

She has sailed the seas to exotic locations for 7 years, and she embarked on a self-reinvention journey to discover herself as she backpacked through Asia for 3 years. Niver has published more than 2,000 travel articles on multiple renowned media, including National Geographic, Teen Vogue, Saturday Evening Post, AAA Explorer, USA Today, and more. Her memoir about 50 challenges before she turned 50 will be available in Fall 2023.

With such an outstanding profile, Lisa is a notable influential travel professional.

Content

On Instagram, Lisa’s content is organically presented – sharing her life travel experiences with thoughtful and inspiring captions.

From cultural experiences with local children in Indonesia, a visit to the world’s biggest Buddhist monument, temples in Cambodia, skiing in Utah, to brave snorkeling with jellyfish in Palau.

With images and videos, Lisa’s travel content will certainly captivate you enough to inspire interest to explore these places and live these experiences for yourself.

Blog

For more depth into Lisa’s global adventures, visit her We Said Go Travel blog.  Here is where the strength of her travel influence can be found.  Home to her blog are stories, adventures, and travel info. Like her “Tell Me More About” series, and posts like “I Remember When:  We Went Cruising”, and “My Sonoma Adventure:  Redwoods, Hiking & Wine”.

YouTube

On her YouTube channel which has nearly two million views, Lisa shares a series of stylish videos on each place she visits – providing aspiring travelers with more than enough inspo on where to go, what to do, and where to stay.  You bet videos like “Dive with Volcano Island Divers” will influence your own adventure to Tanna, Vanuatu.

Collabs

Among many features, Lisa has been published in top travel publications.  Such as American Airways, National Geographic, Robb Report, Saturday Evening Post, Scuba Diver Life, Sierra Club, and Ski Utah – just to name a few. It’s no wonder she made it to our list of top travel influencers!

#3 Travel Influencer of 2022Thank you Afluencer: I am a Top 10 Travel Influencer of 2021

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Segment – Video

Videos

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