Most memorable journeys

Maddi Bourgerie is the Director of Communications and Travel Expert Spokesperson at RVshare. Since joining the company three years ago, Bourgerie has been dedicated to raising awareness for the brand and RV travel as a whole managing the company's publicity and brand initiatives. She is dedicated to the company’s mission to help travelers feel invigorated by the magic of an RV adventure. As an active RVer herself, Bourgerie has rented many unique models from the site. She has RVed on the East and West Coast checking off National Parks and music festivals from her bucket list. Prior to RVshare, Maddi spent seven years working in the vacation rental industry. Her career has been dedicated to sharing her passion for travel.https://rvshare.com/

Adam Stuart and his family recently returned home from a year of travel with a family of 6. He quit my dream job and left corporate America to do something crazy. They made stops in 18 countries. Now they are back in the US trying to acclimate to modern American life but also trying to bring the lessons they learned into their lives! In this episode he shares the story and talks about how we can live out our dreams with a bit of planning, risk, and luck! It's definitely an adventure of a lifetime.

Aisha is a resilient Mongolian artist, engineer, and entrepreneur with a remarkable life journey. It all started as an orphan in Russia, but she refused to let her circumstances define her. Instead, she embarked on a thrilling adventure, traveling the world and gaining an engineering degree in Norway.Together with co-founding a successful property management company in Portugal, Lisbon White Rose LLC, she transformed spaces into captivating havens, including a boutique hotel with uniquely designed rooms.Her insatiable curiosity and language fluency allowed her to explore over 70 countries, broadening her horizons. Settling in Miami, she dove into her artistic dreams, organizing art events and immersing herself in the blockchain and crypto world, even initiating NFThursdays.Fuelled by her trailblazing spirit, she went on to organize captivating festivals and achieved an incredible milestone in 2023 – becoming one of the first artists to send her artwork to space, engraved in gold.Currently based in New York, Manhattan, she is passionately bridging the gap between the real and digital worlds, inspiring others to embrace the transformative power of their dreams. Join her on this exhilarating journey!https://aisha.today/

Sarah Casewit is an expert travel consultant, business advisor, entrepreneur, and creator of transformative experiences. With over 15 years in the luxury travel industry, Sarah is an experienced entrepreneur, trusted business consultant, and travel expert specializing in transformative travel and bespoke experiences. Her career began in Buenos Aires, Argentina, playing a key role at a luxury tour operator and an award-winning venture. Later, Sarah co-founded a pioneering travel company for several years, trailblazing a pathway for female business owners and women in travel. Most recently, Sarah held an executive position at a leading travel tech firm in California and worked hand-in-hand with a hospitality maverick.Born in Morocco and fluent in Arabic, French, Spanish, and English, Sarah’s global upbringing allows her to craft authentic, culturally immersive travel experiences. With a deep understanding of diverse cultures, she designs luxury travel that goes beyond traditional tourism to create meaningful, life-changing journeys.Recognized by Forbes as an “Impressive Travel Business Owner,” Sarah has been featured in top media outlets like CNN, Departures, and Vogue. Known for her meticulous attention to detail and passion for excellence, Sarah continues to redefine experiential travel, helping clients connect deeply with destinations and create unforgettable memories.https://www.sarahcasewit.com/

Bert terHart left Victoria, BC, on October 27, 2019, with the goal of emulating solo navigators who travelled half a century or more ago—without electronic charts, or GPS. Thus, he passed the five great southern capes going east using only a sextant, paper charts, pencil and log tables—a feat previously accomplished by eight single-handing sailors in the past, but none of them starting from North America.He’s faced extreme weather, dwindling supplies and unexpected repairs that have extended his trip from six to nine months — and yet, he’s been dubbed “the safest person on the planet.”Why? Because he’s traveling alone — and hasn’t seen another person since January, in Port Stanley in the Falklands, and before that on Nov. 6 in San Francisco — and floating far from civilization, the British Columbia resident presumably has no risk of contracting or transmitting the coronavirus disease, news of which emerged months into his journey.There’s lots more in this fascinating episode, definitely worth listening to.https://bertterhart.com/

He calls himself a fairly normal guy from Pittsburgh that strayed a long way from home. He has been a mentor of tech founders for 30 years, and a father of kids for 11. The similarities are remarkable.His day job has been to help create over 1,100 jobs while founding, financing, building and exiting three digital media companies. Prior to that, he was a Venture Principal at Capital Express, hosted MoneyHunt on PBS (pre- SharkTank), led over 1,500 people across 14 miles of open sea on kayak, and trekked 1,100 miles through the deserts of Saudi, Jordan and Syria… and A Line in the Sand ended up an Amazon Bestseller in the Middle East.After a bit of a pandemic reset, Ihe is now actively investing and directly managing teams in digital media, entertainment, and consumer products. And painting watercolors with his daughter or playing rugby with his son.Oh, and sometimes friends have to interpret for his special type of English. That’s it, up to now.https://www.amazon.com/Line-Sand-Novel-Miles-Spencer/dp/1917185820

Valentinos started an online Greek tutoring business while he was studying in the UK and has been running it for many years.However, he comes from a bee-keeping family. Since 1983, they have been working professionally in the bee-keeping sector. Over all these years, thanks to their hard work and a love of bees, they have managed to build strong relationships with their customers, founded on trust. They take a responsible approach to the entire process of making honey from the hive to consumers, meaning they can ensure the high quality and authenticity of our honey.Today, their company is one of the leading honey producers in Cyprus. In 2020 they opened a new, modern honey bottling centre. It is located near the village of Melini in Larnaca district. The new honey farm can also host several events like wedding parties and baptisms. It has two rooms where honey is processed and bottled, a video screening room where visitors can watch videos about our history and a reception area and tasting room. Their honey farm produces bee cosmetics, honey products and the famous Cyprus Honey “Oros Machaira”. Over recent years, the quality of their honey has been recognised, winning us international awards.https://orosmaxaira.com/en/https://www.theonlinegreektutor.com/x

Thales Panagides graduated with an MBA in Entrepreneurship in 1998. He spent weeks searching for a job in the financial district of New York City and realized Wall Street wasn’t the right fit for a Cypriot who spent most of his summers on the beach. Uncertain about his future and how to leverage his business degree, he decided to visit his cousin in Brazil who just launched an Internet company. The plan was to spend a couple of weeks, but he ended up staying for ten fruitful years. Thales was offered a stake in his cousin’s technology company called Inova Tecnologias. Highlights included attracting venture capital and launching a B2B website selling high fashion Brazilian bikinis around the world. The bikini website drew media attention and was mentioned in publications such as the Wall Street Journal and Inc Magazine. He moved to Cyprus with his wife and two daughters in 2008 and launched a second ecommerce website focusing on gym wear. Today Inova Technologias employs 20 people and Thales continues to be one of the leading independent distributors of Brazilian bikinis and fitness wear in the world. Thales enjoys open water swimming, cycling and running. He’s also the author of 'Odessey to the Heart', an inspirational philosophical story of a man's journey to spiritual enlightenment who priorities meaning and not profit maximisation.

Life is a journey and we all have our stories. Sharing those stories helps others be brave enough to break their own silences. Let's be kind to ourselves, each other and make this world a better place.He has a desire for self development, mental health awareness and a budding passion to learn more about himself and others in order to make himself a better human being and in extension, help others be better human beings.I met Rick during a Master Coach Training in Dubai and was fascinated by his stories about living in #Baghdad, #Afghanistan and countries in the Gulf. He was born in Canada and currently he is stationed in #Bahrain but who knows where he will be going next. We share the love for the Middle East and Gulf States because of their beautiful hospitality, their colors and their history.

At just 21 years old, historian and author Schmidt has established himself as a dedicated truth-seeker. Since penning his 8-part educational series "History Bites" at age 12, Schmidt has made it his mission to inspire young minds and uncover the stories that shaped America.With a number of exclusive interviews with household names such as Bob Shapiro, Megyn Kelly, Mike Tyson, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., O.J. Simpson, Donald Trump and many others, what lead him to his latest interview subject is a fascinating story.His latest work, "Legal Gladiator," is the only biography of Alan Dershowitz, America's most controversial attorney.Alan gave author Solomon Schmidt unprecedented access to his personal and professional life, and in Legal Gladiator, Solomon takes readers inside Alan’s most high-profile cases, including the notorious Trump trial.He accompanies tours to England and Scotland and his biggest wish is to interview JK Rowling.Solomon's website: https://www.solomonschmidt.com/about-5History Bites:  https://historybites.com/whos-solomon/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAbyHftBkYK8VW6zClFKQWA

When Cole Sjoholm was asked, "Would you go?" his answer transformed his life in ways he never imagined. In 2023, he embarked on an extraordinary journey, setting foot on all seven continents in just one year—solo. From the vibrant cities of Europe to the icy expanses of Antarctica, and from the sun-drenched landscapes of Australia to the bustling streets of the Far East, Cole completed 71 flights, covered 110,246 miles, and spent 167 nights exploring the world. This wasn't just about ticking items off a bucket list; it was about discovering a new way of living and filling his bucket with unforgettable experiences.Discover the incredible story behind Cole's epic adventure and the profound lessons he learned along the way. His journey isn't just a travelogue—it's a testament to the transformative power of stepping out of your comfort zone and embracing the unknown.Join Cole Sjoholm, mortgage lender, travel blogger, photographer, and public speaker, as he shares his remarkable experiences and insights. Dive into his story at http://www.mortgageguytravelstheworld.com and get inspired to start your own adventure today!

I met Costa at the Cyprus Diaspora Forum (Thank you Paul Lambis) and started following him on social media. I am fascinated by his zest for life and how he enjoys everything he does whether it’s traveling the world, exploring Cyprus or dancing Salsa with his wife Anna.Costa was born in Melbourne, Australia, and moved to Cyprus as an adult. In Australia, he studied psychology, psycho-neurosciences, politics and history at a bachelor level, followed by a master’s in international relations and law. He is the Director of CONSTANTi, a consultancy offering social and political analysis and advice, as well as conducting research and consulting in the fields of international relations, conflict, civil society, public diplomacy and project management. He worked as a European Project Office manager at the University of Nicosia for 2 years working on migrant integration and adult learning projects, and spent 14 years as policy and public diplomacy manager at the Australian High Commission. Costa is an advocate of the crucial and real power of civil society and social media, as well as being an active campaigner for human rights, gender equality, peace building and conflict resolution. He is a founding Board Member of the peace-building NGO Cyprus Academic Dialogue (CAD) Costa is also the Cyprus rapporteur for Freedom House and produces the Freedom in the World Report for the Republic of Cyprus, focusing on transparency and corruption matters, issues of democratic governance, freedom of speech, religious and minority rights, gender equality and other key markers for Cyprus.https://constanti.org/

Becky Lukovic is a 20 year veteran in the travel industry.  She started On the Go Travel Company in Indiana in 2001 after an “aha” moment in Sorrento, Italy.  Standing on a bridge overlooking the sparkling Bay of Naples, Becky realized planning independent and culture-centric travel was her passion.  In the next 20 years, she would use that passion to design unique, custom adventures for her clients.Becky developed an extensive book of luxury travel connections and became involved in the American Society of Travel Agents, held a position on the Mid-America Chapter board, and served on the national ASTA communications committee in the early 2000s.In 2010, Becky rebranded her company as Bella Travel Planning, LLC. in Carmel, Indiana to reflect her passion for beautiful, engaging, life-changing travel.  In the summer of 2015, she and her husband moved cross-country to beautiful Atlanta, Georgia to start a new adventure.Becky designs adventures for her clients across seven continents ranging from private scuba dives in Costa Rica to tiger sanctuaries in India to the 2008 Summer Olympics in China to cruises at the bottom of the world – Antarctica. She is a specialist in Culinary travel, Wine tasting trips, Italy, France, South Africa, Adventure travel, Antarctica, Incentive trips and meetings, and girlfriend getaways.Recently, Becky trekked in the mountains of Uganda to visit a family of Silverback Gorillas—what an adventure.  She’s been on land in Antarctica photographing colonies on Penguins, and explored countless off-the-beaten path European Ski resorts and Christmas Villages.  A well-crafted tasting menu with wine parings are her love language and she counts many hotel owners and general managers as personal friends. A quick google of her name will reveal how many times she’s been quoted for industry publications as well as being featured on the cover of Luxury Travel Advisor Magazine.Her mantra is “travel, like fine wine, should be savored as an experience and not gulped down in a hurry.”Becky is a former member of the Saveur Magazine Travel Advisory Board and is currently a member of The Vast adventure travel society and the Culinary Travel Community with Virtuoso.  She holds many destination and resort specialist certifications and is a preferred advisor with Four Seasons, Relais & Chateaux, Belmond, Ritz Carlton, Luxury Collection, Blackberry Farms, and Mandarin Oriental just to name a few.  With these partnerships, she can wow her travelers with upgrades, complimentary breakfasts, hotel credits, and special rates for your travels.https://bellatravelplanning.com/

Neil Laird is a multiple Emmy-nominated director of historical films for Discovery, BBC, PBS, History Channel, National Geographic, and many other networks. He has produced over 100 programs around the globe that feature crumbling Egyptian tombs, lost Mayan cities, and mysterious shipwrecks at the bottom of the sea.He is a TV producer turned novelist and discusses his unique career journey and the creation of his comedic time travel novels like Prime Time Travelers. Neil shares how his background in the TV industry and his passion for ancient history and mythology inspired his writing. We dive into the challenges of transitioning from TV to writing, the differences between self-publishing and traditional publishing, and the critical role of marketing for authors. Neil also reflects on the power of storytelling, his awe-inspiring travels, and the balance between preserving historical sites and the passage of time.He loves the world and especially the Middle East where he gets even more inspire to think and writeDon’t miss this insightful conversation packed with valuable takeaways for aspiring writers and storytellers.https://www.neillaird.com/

Elisa is a mother of 5 sons which she brought up mostly on her own and lived in Texas, Miami, Canada, France. She overcame extreme challenges and create a life that she loves.In May 2016, she founded#happy2succeed, intending to bring awareness and wellbeing to body and mind. She inspires and and empowers women globally to discover their hidden power with a positive spiritual mindset method, to grow their Authentic Self, and powerfully fulfilled, to make an impact. Helping Women Globally with Kindness & Joy! #Body-Mind-Soul ELISA has served hundreds of individuals worldwide and created thousands of happy, empowered women.Elisa’s advice is both inspiring and practical. She lavishes individuals with a combination of innovative personal solutions that spur miracle creation and profoundly personal advice that unlocks energy and sparks enthusiasm in dream lives. If you want to feel happy, experience inner peace, and infinite fulfillment on every day of your life, it is essential to determine what is your Life Purpose.BUT first and foremost, you have to know YOURSELF. As Dr. Wayne W. Dyer said it so well: “Here you are in this intelligent system that has no beginning and no end, in which all of the galaxies move in harmony with each other. You must have shown up here for a reason!”She truly believes that each one of us is born with a unique Life Purpose. To have a clear understanding of our life purpose is the ultimate way to guide you towards Happiness and Success. She likes to give the best tools and the most astonishing pieces of wisdom she’s learned in 30 years as a be-creative mother, as a parent with a dream, as an achiever with goal-set, and as a kind spiritual-being with love for a better and happier world.https://elisacard.com/meet-elisa-card/

Anna-Maria Athanasiou wrote her first books, The Waiting for Summer novels in secret, firstly because she never thought she’d finish them and secondly, it was a completely new territory for her. Throughout her life Anna-Maria had regularly created scenarios and stories in her head, thinking that one day she would finally put them down on paper. Eventually, in the September of 2011 she took the plunge and started to write down an idea that she'd been creating for almost ten years.Waiting for Summer books one and two are the result of her small idea, and she finally had them published in September 2013 and June 2014. The love story and her characters, Sylvie and Nick, captured the hearts and enthusiasm of her readers, spurring Anna-Maria to carry on with her writing.Anna-Maria has since been asked to collaborate with other authors on four charity anthologies and is an Inspirational Global Woman Nominee.She lives in Cyprus and has two sons, a Golden Retriever and seven cats, and has penchant for cake, tea, whisky, wine and a healthy obsession with shoes. Anna-Maria loves the fantasy land of romantic fiction, and is passionate about bringing her stories and characters to life.https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/author/B00IZNBTAY

Stefan was born and raised in Switzerland. He studied economics in Zurich and ended up in business journalism and wrote for Finanz und Wirtschaft, Berner Zeitung, Tages-Anzeiger and Handelszeitung.He loves to travel and started globetrotting as a young child with his parents. He has always been fascinated by planes and airports and became the founder and editor of aeroTELEGRAPH, an online platform all about planes, flying, airports etc.He is the author of the book “Fascination Airport - The most beautiful airports and their stories” which is available on Amazon.https://www.aerotelegraph.com/author/stefan-eiselin/page/169

Susan spent 16 years gaining extensive corporate and management experience at a senior level in Equity Sales, Research and Corporate Marketing in investment banks DLJ, Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley and Citigroup. Passionate about helping people reach their full potential, she has developed training courses, facilitated development workshops and mentored high potential individuals throughout her career. Between jobs, she travelled to France to learn French and fell in love with Carcassonne where she spent the money that she had saved to buy a studio flat in London on a house.Today, she is an experienced and professionally qualified corporate and executive coach, award-winning speaker, best-selling author and transformational trainer.She is passionate about creating sustainable peak performance and success for clients by helping them increase their confidence, energy and impact.In addition to one-to-one executive coaching and VIP strategy days, she runs a High Performing Woman program for women in business, bespoke workshops/speeches, an annual De-Stress and Assess retreat, and a series of corporate career masterclasses for clients such as Barclays Bank, Expedia, Jefferies, JP Morgan, Man Grp, Deutsche Bank and InvescoPerpetual.https://www.tedlondon.com/about.html

Tracy lives in Johannesburg, South Africa. After realising that she didn’t need to compete with the world for acceptance and belonging – that it was something within her – she was inspired to help others to do the same.In addition to her work as a transformational catalyst and speaker, she is an independent financial consultant, as well as an accomplished photographer, specialising in portraiture.In her spare time, she love connecting with her daughters, family and friends, spending time in nature and enjoying international travel. She is passionate about people, intrigued with how we relate to ourselves and each other, and drawn to the ocean of possibilities within each one of us.In her book “UNLOCKED” she talks about being trapped in a passionless marriage. So, we become liars. We become liars trapped behind scriptures and moral facades. We learn to hide ourselves behind our reputations, as long as we look good to society. We put others, and their aspirations, before our own. We are taught that if we make a promise before God, then that covenant is cast in stone, even if your feelings do not align. That if you were once out of integrity, you can never go back. Even if it means you become a blatant, perpetual liar.We learn that there is no point of return; and no turning forward either. We learn that where we make our bed, we sleep. We learn that there is no justification solid enough to even tempt squeezing our new, evolved, wiser self through the cracks of a promise once made. We are told that we are warm when we are cold; that there are many things to be happy about, when we feel sad. When we cry out that we are hungry – hungry for more – we’re told we should be grateful for the fill we already have. We are told how to feel. And we are told how not to feel. We are moulded into an expectation of uniformity; homogenised into a fictitious ideal of normality.So, we stay. And we pretend. We mask and we ache. With a smile. We laugh when all we really want to do is cry. We close our eyes and focus on the positive and turn away from the knowing – a constant gnawing groan from somewhere deep inside of us. We tell ourselves that we’re being silly – a hopeless reiteration of what we’ve been told is silly. We turn a deaf ear to the loud hungry pangs from our gut.https://www.tracyloubser.com/why-tracy/https://www.amazon.com/UNLOCKED-Journey-Inward-Utter-Truth/dp/B08JDXG3DL

Agni Scott was born and raised in Cyprus and is a multilingual actress whose first language is Greek. She spent the first 18 years of her life on the sunny shores of the Mediterranean island before moving to the United States to pursue higher education.Agni Scott is known for Bridget Jones's Baby (2016), Persuasion (2022) and Spooks (2002) but we all fell in love with her in “Find me Falling”, the recent movie produced in Cyprus which is trending on Netflix.Agni has an MFA in acting from Brandeis University and earned a BFA in acting from Florida International University in Miami.She is married to Scott Handy and she is the mother of two children.

Rania was born during the war in Beirut in 1975 . Her childhood education was in Beirut and she studied at the very prestigious AUB (American University of Beirut)Her journey has taken her from Germany to the UK, to Saudi Arabia and the UAE and now, she lives with her beautiful family in Cyprus. She has learned to the importance of adaptability and continuous learning. She has a mind for business, values that were taught by her family as well as love for culture, art and island life.Ranya is a seasoned businesswoman and educator with a diverse background in journalism, banking, advertising, and consultancy. She began her career as a journalist for the pan-Arab business magazine Al-Iqtisad wa Al-Aamal and later worked in the first E-banking department in Lebanon as a Customer Relationship Service Manager at Credit Libanais. She also gained experience in the advertising industry at Memac Ogilvy. Ranya founded Miza Advantage Consultancy in Lebanon and has taught at Zayed University in Dubai and Effat University in Saudi Arabia. She is a certified SAP ERP Associate and excels in business planning, strategy, CRM, and curriculum development. Ranya has been recognized for her excellence in teaching and is a founding board member of BPWESC, among other associations. Ranya likes to learn languages and is passionate about work-life balance, sports, art, fashion, business, travel, and music. Her motto is "empower herself to empower others."

Kelly Groehler is a corporate communications executive in the U.S. and the creator, executive producer and host of The WTAF Show: Women. Travel. Art. Food. It’s the only women-first food & travel show out there – and a double entendre. Kelly created the show after seeing women are the travel,food and art super consumers, yet 95% of food & travel shows are hosted by men. The stories they share on The WTAF Show are by women, about women, and told by women. Their episodes focus on the incredible creations by the top chefs and contemporary artists living and working in the places they visit. They share these stories via full episodes and shorts on their YouTube channel and Substack! And they have reels on IG, FB, Threads & TikTok.https://thewtafshow.com/

Petros Kkolas is a Digital Consultant in Engineering, working on mega projects in the UK and Greece. His expertise lies in Highways Engineering and the development of sustainable mobility solutions for the clients he serves. He is currently employed by ARUP, a global engineering consultancy with more than 19,000 employees and 94 offices in 34 countries. The company was founded by Sir Ove Arup, an Engineer, Philosopher, and Architect. The most significant project was the Sydney Opera House, where the principles of Total Design were applied.In addition to his role at ARUP, Petros is also the Innovation Scout for the Midlands Region in the UK, responsible for promoting innovation activities in the region and engaging with start-up companies. Petros has also supported LGK Productions during the production of three documentaries with a primary focus on women. The three documentaries are:Queens of Amathus - trailer linkQueens of the Commonwealth  - trailer linkQueens of Cyprus. - trailer linkHe is currently responsible for all PR and Media Liaison activities in the UK and Cyprus. In his free time, Petros practices creative writing and poetry. He is working towards the publication of his poetry collection in Greek by the end of the year.Travel is another passion that fuels his creativity and broadens his perspective. Petros has travelled to 25 countries and aims to reach 30 countries by the end of the year. Among all the places he’s visited, New York and Rovaniemi in Finland hold a special place in his heart. The bustling city life of New York (documentary premiere) and the serene beauty of Rovaniemi (chasing the northern lights at -30 degrees) have left indelible impressions on him.In all these endeavors, Petros strives to bring together his diverse experiences and interests to create, innovate, and inspire. Whether it’s through engineering solutions, documentaries, podcasts, or poetry, he is committed to making a positive impact.

I met Stelana at the Diaspora Forum (once more thank you Paul Lambis) and instantly liked her. She is genuine and very authentic.Stelana Kliris is a South African Cypriot writer/director/producer and the founder of Meraki Films which is a production company based in Cyprus and established by Stelana as a banner for both her own films and those of local filmmakers, women in particular. The mission is to tell authentic stories that can travel to an international audience.Stelana has a long-standing reputation on the island for being a reliable, persistent and hard-working professional. She has taken on multiple roles in local productions, but is most at home when she is writing, directing or producing.Before establishing Meraki Films, she wrote, produced and directed the first independent feature film in Cyprus after the crisis caused State cinema funding to be cut in collaboration with AMP Filmworks and producer Marios Piperides, and with the generous support of the Pouroulis Foundation. Despite the low budget, COMMITTED went on to be distributed in multiple territories and optioned for a Hollywood remake. She also produced the award-winning feature film PAUSE, the feature directorial debut of Tonia Mishiali, under long-time collaborator AB Seahorse Film Productions with producers Andros Achilleos and Tonia Mishiali. She recently completed FIND ME FALLING, her second feature as writer/director and is working on several new projects under the banner of Meraki Films.Find Me Falling has been translated to over 30 languages and will stream across 190 countries and over 260 million Netflix accounts, premiering on July 19.https://www.meraki-films.com/new-page

Talking to Andrea about how life doesn’t always turn out the way we expected it. After studying psychology in the UK and coming back to Cyprus, she realised that things were complicated. For fun she joins an open recruiting day for flight attendants at Emirates Airlines and gets accepted. Even though her father wasn’t thrilled with the idea, she moves to Dubai and spends five years working for one of the world’s top airlines, allowing her to travel and explore cultures in over 70 countries.On top of it all, she gets to have Brad Pitt as a passenger in first class…Today she works as a Marketing Manager at Harneys Fiduciary, a company she had joined in Dubai after she decided to end her flying career. She also organizes women’s retreats and the best way to find out more is by following Andrea on Instagram @‌being.andreachara

Talking about growing up in Lahore and Guyana, what it means to be a third culture kid. Her childhood was informed by the Islamic call to prayer and her education at the American School had her playing with kids from all over the world of every color, creed and religion.When one grows up like this, is it any wonder that the world becomes enchanted? That other humans become enchanted? She is endlessly thrilled with meeting other people and getting to know who they are and what makes them tick. She finds that developing relationships and building respectful community, as well as joy-filled community is essential to her being happy. She is a podcaster, screenwriter, author and so much more.Also talking about walking the Camino and her adventures in France, much growth and experience await.https://bytesizedblessings.com/

Nitsa Anastasiades was raised in UK, London. She holds an MSc in Creative Writing Fiction from Edinburgh. Her work has been commended by the Bridport Prize and Fish Publishing respectively. With her husband who is a school principal and her family she has worked and lived all over the world.She is the author of several books and a great storyteller.Hamster Rats & Other Stuff Going On … is her debut work, based on her experiences in 1980’s – 2000’s Britain.OUR FOREIGN BORDERS, a collection of stories set in cities around the world, concerning themes of loneliness, alienation, the sexes, landscape, culture, prejudice and displacement, influenced by her travels and working in 11 different countries teaching English, is her second book.She is now working on a novel - Sea With Salty Water - based on the Cypriot diaspora; her Greek Cypriot upbringing in 70’s Britain, juxtaposed with the 1974 coup in Cyprus.

Kevin was born to an American father and a mother from El Salvador. His mother wanted him to be called Guillermo but his father decided to give the name of a basket player to the hospital administration. This is how the podcast starts. Kevin is witty and great fun with lots of stories to tell. When he received a scholarship from Georgetown Univesity, he decided to go to Lomé, Togo, where he stayed much longer than planned and discovered all of Africa, partly by moped.Between 2010 and 2015 Kevin worked as the Associate Peace Corps Director of Peace Corps, Costa Rica where he built a project focused on improving the pedagogical practices of public school teachers in conjunction with the Ministry of Public Education of Costa Rica. A skilled Recruiter and mentor Kevin was responsible for the recruitment and retention of annual cycles of volunteers crucial for the projects’ success. During this tenure, Kevin and his team of more than 230 volunteers assisted the Ministry in rewriting the National Curriculum of English delivering pedagogical workshops to teachers around the country.He lives in Cyprus with his family, loves to travel and is drawn to technology and music in his down time.

She is a Marketing Expert, an Author, a Motivational Speaker, a Presenter, a Podcaster etc. but most of all a very authentic, well travelled, beautiful woman with a great sense of humour.During her time in London, she worked on some of TV and film's most prestigious international productions and had an amazing time working on film awards season in London and Los Angeles, getting to coordinate the production of events like the Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA Tea Party and Empire Film Awards for Sky was the personal highlight of my TV career.However, she realised that family is more important than glamour and decided to move back to her hometown Limassol which she loves watching grow into a cosmopolitan city. She has since been involved in launching and promoting a handful of the Mediterranean's largest developments, while writing and podcasting to support causes close to her heart.https://sophiaparaskeva.com/home-1

A global collection of Balanced Travelers powers us. A shared ethos drives us: a commitment to wellness, sustainability, and eco-minded tourism. Our tight-knit guild is comprised of individuals who hold the planet dear and encourage mindful travel whose purpose extends beyond mere exploration.It is not the start nor the finish, but the journey in between.https://www.balancedtravel.com/

Paola Savva is an award winning public figure and the founder of Sheinspires and She Cyprus Events and Seminars. Her why is to lift herself and others to fearless living and to empower them to find their inner strength and authentic self, living a meaningful life.At the age of 17, she lost her dreams and everything that gave meaning to her life. This led her into a dark period of depression, which lasted for about 2 years. However, it was during this time that she underwent profound self-awareness, awakening, and empowerment. She learnt how to be unbroken and not allow outside circumstances to bring her back to such dark situations. - A frog brought her back to awareness. She can feel and recognise people suffering with depression and comfort them, as well as recognise the potential of people and use h time and love to make them find their path.In 2013 when again she lost a career after 30 successful years and her retirement funds, losing a big part of who she was, she did not allow herself to go back to darkness. She chose Light! She made a promise to herself, to keep going, moving, acting, become unbroken, feeling happy no matter of the loss.DO NOT ALLOW outside circumstances to affect you, and make you BROKEN. When you know who you are, you know your purpose and values then you become unbroken and you don't have to go back to darkness.

I had been following him on TikTok and Instagram for a while and I met him at the Cyprus Diaspora Forum; thank you Paul Lambis for another useful and inspiring connection. Peter has a huge following on all his social media channels and says that consistency is key.Peter Kypri was born in England and is now living in Cyprus and his alter ego Souvlakis has been making people laugh with his videos about Cypriot and Greek stereotypes.As a stand up comedian he tours Australia, South Africa, the UK and all other places where there is a Cypriot and Greek Community.He is a wonderful polite and very smart young man who turns into this crazy peasant Souvlakis with easy. His other ventures are his Youtube with Lagi Demetriou, the son of Stavros Flatley who performed on Britain;s Got Talent.Peter’s dream is to fill a huge stadium in Cyprus in the summer when all the Cypriots from abroad are on the island on holidays and I will be sitting in the first row, supporting him.https://cypriotsmurf.com/contact-book-me/

Sarit is one of the people that I instantly liked and felt connected to. We met on social media and when she visited me in Cyprus and became a member of the Global Woman Club Cyprus, I knew that I had found a new friend who would inspire, motivate and support me.Sarit Shavit Qwabe was born and raised in Israel, in the Negev desert town of Be’er Sheva. After meeting and marrying her South African husband, they relocated to Johannesburg where they now live with their two children. “Surrendering” is Sarit’s first book, written in English with a nod to her Hebrew mother tongue, and published as the family are poised to begin a new adventure in Cyprus....but that’s another story!It won’t be her last.. I can’t wait to see what’s in store.https://www.amazon.com/Surrendering-Learned-Letting-Transformation-Mindfulness-ebook/dp/B0CW3MVSR9

I met Emilia at the Cyprus Diaspora Forum where she was an amazing emcee; thank you Paul Lambis for getting us together. I instantly fell in love with her beautiful, honest and down to earth personality. In this podcast she talks very openly about her struggle to get pregnant.Emilia is an award-winning Television and Radio journalist and presenter. She is a Senior Broadcast Journalist at the BBC and a News Correspondent for BBC News, BBC London News and BBC World. She also reports on BBC Breakfast, the BBC One O'clock News, Outside Source, Radio 2, Radio 4, BBC World Service, BBC Radio 5Live and is a guest presenter on Inside Out London.Before joining BBC London as a Sports Journalist and producer in 2009, Emilia was part of the Radio Wimbledon team and also covered The World Rally Championships. She's reported on the London 2012 Olympics & Paralympics, The London Marathon, Wimbledon, Queens, The ATP World Tour Finals, The Champions League, The Premier League, The NFL at Wembley, The Queen's Diamons Jubilee, The Epsom Derby and The BBC Sports Personality of The Year Awards. She also covered the Royal Family’s Christmas celebrations at Sandringham in 2016 & 2017 for BBC News and presented the BBC's Inside Chelsea FC, West Ham FC and Tottenham Hotspur FC Podcasts on iTunes.In 2015, Emilia was commended by the judges of the CIRCOM Prix Awards as European Rising Star Journalist of the year.https://emiliapapadopoulos.com/

I met Sarah many years ago when she was doing TV here in Cyprus and she interviewed me on “The Money Show” on Sigma TV. I have been following her on social media for a long time, and I am fascinated about all the things she does.Sarah Fenwick is a multi-talented artist living in Germany with roots in England and Cyprus. She is renowned for her soulful jazz vocals that have captivated audiences across Europe. In addition to her music career, Sarah is an accomplished painter and writer, known for her book Digital Marketing for Musicians and artworks that reflect musical themes. With a passion for creativity and a drive to explore the grooves between music, writing, and art, Sarah Fenwick continues to make her mark in the world of arts and entertainment.https://www.sarahfenwick.com/

Pauline is an award-winning self-development Senior Executive/expert, Business Coach , Neuroencoding Speciaist, coachtrainer, firewalker, mentor, and senior transformational trainer with over two and a half decades of experience at senior executivestrategic levels in local and multinational organizations. The founder of Swift Shift Coaching & consultancy Ltd, and the SuccessAcademy providing state of the art accredited life changing programsPauline has a wealth of experience spanning over two decades in both local and multinational organizations. Widely recognizedas an esteemed leader, Coach, Consultant, and trainer who has helped executives, senior managers and employees achievetheir career aspirations and personal growth through coaching, mentoring, NLP and training. With her extensive knowledge, shehas been instrumental in guiding organizations through structural changes, developing effective strategies, and fostering teambuilding, leadership and culture change.She is an Accredited Master Coach, Master NLP, Leader, consultant, HR, transformational trainer and Neuroencoder.Pauline's passion lies in elevating the self-development world and empowering both individuals and corporations to make a SwiftShift from their current position to where they want to be, and beyond. Her highly experiential, practical approach creates aprofessional yet fun self-transformation journey that sets her apart always.Pauline holds a Bachelors & Master’s degree in Business Management from Notre Dame University as well as several coachcertifications,I, Master NLP Practitioner by the American Board of NLP, Time Line Therapy & Hypnotherapist Practitioner,Accredited InternationalTrainer, Mentor Coach, Laughter Yoga Leader & Neuroencoding Specialist , Firewalker..Pauline is a mentor at the Blessings Foundation for Women empowerment, Mentor at the Challenge to Change, Mentor Coach,Member of the Women Leaders Council, Member of IWCLondon, Ex Vice President & member of Cyprus International Womenof Today -CIWOT, Founding member of the BPW English Speaking Club Cyprus, Board Member at the ICF Cyprus Chapter,Member of the Life Winners AssociationShe is a senior expert at several top universities in the region.https://swiftshiftcoach.com/

Panayiotis Panayiotou, also known as Panikos, was born in 1979 to parents Anastasia and Mihalis Panayiotou. Panikos began this whole journey into production with the publication Amathus to Birmingham (2016) inspired by his own parents who are also refugees from the 1974 Turkish invasion. ‘A2B’ as this project is known, documented the stories of families who moved from Cyprus to Birmingham. During this project it became apparent that the female perspective needed more attention and he was inspired to search deeper into the stories of the strong females in the community. This then inspired him to create his 1st documentary Queens of Amathus, and in his own words ‘due to the sacrifices of the Queens of yesterday, is the reason we live the life we live today’. Panikos is now an established documentary maker currently working on a series of projects which include ‘The Queens of the Commonwealth’ a celebration of migrant women from various backgrounds and their journey to the UK. He is also currently working on the sequel of Queens of Amathus re living the journey of Cypriot women from Cyprus to the rest of the world.Panikos also followed his father Lakis' dream and created Lakis Greek Kitchen where he shares, cares and supports people in need. LGK is a traditional Greek Taverna with a clay oven serving authentic Greek Cypriot cuisine. Annual pop up taverna and charitable organisation running a series of projects and fundraisers supporting the community.https://lgk.org.uk/productions/

I met Natasha at my Global Woman Club Director’s Training in Albania, she was a very established business women and gave an impressive presentation. Apart from being successful at everything she does, she has a great sense of humour and a beautiful worldview.Natasha Waldron used to be a professional ballerina at The Royal Ballet Company. Reaching her 30s made her realise that she needed to leave the world of dance and prepare herself for the business world. Eventually she established UKG Lifestyle in 2007, initially as a concierge company. However, her focus was on providing excellent cleaning services. 18 months ago, she founded a training Academy which now offers accredited and recognised qualifications for her own staff as well as other external organisations. Along her new journey, the business has enjoyed steady growth and continued re-investment.However, turning 50, she realised that there’s more to dream about than business and she handed over UKG Lifestyle to her staff. Her latest project is to a mature model and conquer the catwalk and I have no doubt that she is going to nail it.https://www.tiktok.com/@natashawaldron5/video/7345474067450858784

Talking about her home country Malta, her trip to Peru and walking the Camino. She is a wonderful lady with a beautiful personality. Thanks to her I learned to balance my Chakras and become even happier.She is Catherine Galea, Empowerment Coach and Mindfulness Teacher in Cyprus. She shares 5 strategies to help people unlock their purpose and transform their life to the one they are meant to live. She helps people start loving their life now whilst becoming self aware and reclaiming happiness.She lives with her daugher Sophia in Cyprus who is the co-author of the book “Welcome to the Rainbow Zoo”https://www.catherinegalea.com/https://www.amazon.com/Welcome-Rainbow-Zoo-Place-Dreams-ebook/dp/B0B7YY8LQW

Noémie Frischknecht was my guest on episode 93 in December 2022. She had just recently completed all her training for long haul and short haul flights with Swiss Airlines. She took a leap of faith and decided to become a flight attendant after being a lawyer for SWISS for a few years.In the meantime, she has visited me in Cyprus, we swam in the sea together in January 2023, we hiked and talked. She has been crossing the globe and fills her layovers with adventures. I have never seen anyone with so much zest for adventure and sometimes get dizzy when I check her Instagram @‌articflyingfox. She also travels in her free time and talks about her recent trip to Saudi Arabia and snowboarding in Japan.Her journey is a testament to the art of reinvention and the relentless pursuit of personal happiness. From law to operational aviation, she embodies the spirit of courage and resilience and has made it her mission to inspire and lead others to fearlessly follow their own heart and redefine their own path if they aren’t truly, fully happy where they are because if she can do it, you can, too. Fact.https://theflyingfox.com/

I met Sebastian because I had the opportunity to speak on the Swiss Radio about my life in Cyprus. The producer of Radio Show “The 5th Switzerland” is the lovely Pascale Folke who is Sebastians wife.Every Swiss German knows Sebastian’s voice, he is the speaker in the Swiss National News and he also acted in a few movies including one of the famous “Tatort” episodes. When he reads new stories, he gives them life and adds emotion to the text. He also teaches individuals how to prepare presentations and trains them how they can inspire the audience.Born to a Swiss father and a Peruvian mother, he grew up in multicultural surroundings that made him an openminded and empathetic person who understands that kindness and compassion go a long way.https://www.sebastianarenas.com/

Marie Cosgrove is a certified Resilience Expert, Award-Winning International Speaker, Accomplished Entrepreneur, and Author. I met her 4 years ago at a Global Woman Summit in London and was fascinated from the beginning by her story and her kindness.As a single mom of four, she bought the company that fired her, bringing a unique perspective from her experience to small businesses and corporations.Marie has worked with some of the most recognizable Fortune 500 companies, including FedEx and Sprint. She has been very supportive and helpful whenever I get in touch with her. She helped me get in touch with Les Brown and record a podcast episode with him, I will never forget that.Marie's background of being born into poverty to a mentally disabled single mom and persevering through a turbulent childhood and abusive marriage; plus raising four children on her own while struggling to make it in the business world, taught her to not only survive but turn her experiences of adversity into advantage.Marie shares lessons and actionable strategies to help you find your greater fortune.https://mariecosgrove.com/

Growing up as the son of a winemaker, Marcos was introduced to the wine world from a young age. He first completed his Bachelor and Masters degree in Chemistry at Imperial University London, and worked for a few years in the corporate world before realizing that he wanted to spend his future making wines. He went to the Provence and New Zealand to gain hands-on experience, and continued his journey to Adelaide in order to learn the scientific side of the discipline at Adelaide University, where he gained his Masters Degree in Enology. This life changing adventure was the starting point of an exciting life as a winemaker. Through his international exposure, Marcos acquired the knowledge of the latest practices in modern winemaking and his pioneering and inventive mind is constantly in search for improvement, from the smallest detail in the winery to experimenting with indigenous grape varieties. He simply loves every moment of the creation.The history of the Zambartas family in wine goes back to the 1970’s, when Akis Zambartas, a then young man, went to France to study Chemistry in Lyon and then Enology in Montpellier. He returned to Cyprus as the first university educated enologist of the island and was set for a successful career at one of the major wineries of the island.https://zambartaswineries.com/

Treasure Hunter, Founder and Director of Julia Castelli Lifestyle Management, a luxury goods and services boutique firm based in London operating globally. Enterpreneur, public figure & TV personality, Public Speaker, Life and Business Coach, hypnotherapist & RTT therapist.In 2010 I began working with numerous luxury brands, partnering in the organisation of small exclusive VIP events. This developed into the creation of additional VIP events, business development, targeted brand promotion to high net worth individuals, sales training and much more.As things continue to grow, in June 2019, the JCLM eBoutique was launched, offering a unique curation of some of the world’s most exquisite jewellery and lifestyle items. With over 23 years of experience exploring all facets of luxury, she is one of the key players who Influence and shape the world of global luxury. A true Hurricane of Luxury, as some call her:). Others call her Queen of Diamonds. She is launching her very own podcast called “Show me Your Diamond”https://juliacastelli.com/

As one of the world’s most renowned motivational speakers, Les Brown is a dynamic personality and highly-sought-after resource in business and professional circles for Fortune 500 CEOs, small business owners, non-profit and community leaders from all sectors of society looking to expand opportunity. For three decades he has not only studied the science of achievement, he’s mastered it by interviewing hundreds of successful business leaders and collaborating with them in the boardroom translating theory into bottom-line results for his clients.As a premier Keynote Speaker and leading authority on achievement for audiences as large as 80,000—Les Brown energizes people to meet the challenges of the world around them. He skillfully weaves his compelling life story into the fabric of our daily lives. The thread is forever strengthened, touting why you can’t afford to be complacent and to aim high, achieve and actively make an impact on the world.Les Brown never tires of using his energies to transform the world, well-beyond the podium and public appearances, meshing traditional and social media to empower his audiences. Hundreds of thousands are watching him on YouTube and tens of thousands interact with him regularly on Facebook. He has a keen way of turning what he touches into gold. Over 20 years ago, he won a Chicago-area Emmy® for his unsurpassed fundraising pledge drive for the Public Broadcasting System. Followed by several bestselling books and hosting popular national talk shows on television and radio.Addressing audiences from Denmark to Dubai, Canada to the Caribbean, Les Brown is invited back again and again for his powerful message and the ability to connect deeply with people from all walks of life. It isn’t just his great smile and his way with words that motivates people to take action like never before; when people face roadblocks or adversity it is the depth of his knowledge on achievement that creates lasting results.Les Brown’s straight-from-the-heart, passion and high-energy, motivates audiences to step beyond their limitations and into their greatness in many ways. Over the past decade, Les has expanded his role from keynote speaker to Master Trainer, creating the kind of workshop learning experience that got him committed to personal-and-professional development many years earlier. His charisma, warmth and humor have transformed ordinary people into extraordinary achievers by using his own life, and his in-depth study of others’ challenges, to build an understanding of what works, what doesn’t work, and why.Revered as an icon by his colleagues, Brown received the National Speakers Association coveted Council of Peers Award of Excellence (CPAE), and ultimately, its most prestigious Golden Gavel Award for achievement and leadership in communication. Toastmasters International also voted him one of the Top Five Outstanding Speakers. Worldwide. Legions of followers flock to stadiums and arenas to hear a man who never stops believing that with proper guidance and training you can achieve anything you desire in life.A stumbling block in elementary school was when he was mistakenly declared, “Educable mentally retarded,” teachers did not recognize the true potential of little Les Brown. However, he used determination, persistence and belief in his ability to go beyond being a sanitation worker to unleash a course of amazing achievements including broadcast station manager, political commentator and multi-term state representative in Ohio.Les Brown is committed to motivating and training today’s generation to be achievers and leaders as he introduces new audiences every day to It’s Not Over Until You Win, Up Thoughts for Down Times and Fight For Your Dream. Les Brown’s audio series,“Choosing Your Future,” remains his all-time bestseller for its acclaimed impact worldwide.In business as in real life there are always going to be ups and downs. However, where there is a will, there is always a way to achieve amazing results for your organization when Les Brown fills the room with his high-impact, customized message and standing ovation performance! #lesbrown #motivationalspeaker #youhavegreatnesswithinyouhttps://lesbrown.com/

Dr. Fabrizio Mancini is a renowned health and lifestyle expert with over 30 years of experience as a wholistic health provider, author, and speaker. He has inspired audiences worldwide through his media appearances on shows like "Dr. Phil," "The Doctors,” “CNN News” and "FOX News," as well as “Univision”, “Telemundo” and “Televisa”. His engaging lectures have transformed audiences in most States and over 25 countries. Dr. Fab is an international best-selling author of books such as "The Power of Self-Healing" and "Chicken Soup for The Chiropractic Soul.” He is the host of his radio show with Hay House “Self-Healing with Dr. Fab”, his Podcast “The Fab Life” and his TV Series “Thriving in the New Normal”.Dr. Fab became one of the youngest Presidents of a College or University at the age of 33, Parker University, and continues to serve as President Emeritus. He has received numerous awards and accolades for his contributions to the field of wellness and leadership and has been featured in many documentaries. For his contributions in the healthcare and education systems, the President of Mexico named the library of UNEVE University after him.Dr. Fab’s passion for health and personal development has inspired and empowered millions worldwide to unlock their full potential. He also mentors over 100 CEOs and serves as a global consultant to companies that are making a positive impact on the world.https://drfabmancini.com/

Pien wrote a book as combination of her modelling (now since 44 years) with autobiographical short stories. Especially the change in her life since 27/4/1996, her devastating car-accident when she was 28 years old, gets attention. And her life before that date and after. Since more than 4 years her lifestyle changed a lot with functional medicine and nutritional therapy and gives her much more energy. Living with brain damage is her challenge which she meets with great courage and hope.She was born in Breda, South of the Netherlands, close to Belgium border and she studied in Amsterdam.Lots of travelling was done because she was following men in her life as she says so beautifully herself, especially with one of her men, a psychiatrist, she took longer trips to South Africa and Indonesia and later they saw Rome, Florence, Toscana and more times we went to Spain. And he had a holiday house in the Dordogne were they were twice a year.Today she lives in Paphos, Cyprus and spends a lot of time helping people in need and cheering people up with her positive and happy attitude.

Born in the USA, growing up in Switzerland, Venezuela and finally settling in the United Kingdom, Gregory was raised in 4 major global languages and continues to remain fluent in both spoken & written English, French, German & SpanishIn his first position at Marcus Wareing at the Savoy Grill, Gregory gained the necessary experience in cooking Michelin-starred quality food under the tutelage of acclaimed Kiwi Chef Josh Emett.  As he was promoted through the ranks he gained considerable insight into the factors influencing the management of a multi-million-pound turnover restaurant.Gregory went on to be sous chef as part of the opening brigade at the Gordon Ramsay group’s first venture in the USA, in New York’s London Hotel, where he worked until 2007.Gregory left Gordon Ramsay Holdings to help grow his family’s boutique catering company, Sissi Fabulous Food Ltd from a small home-based private chef business to a large events catering firm. As the Head Chef, Gregory brought his culinary expertise to the development of new menus and to the execution of the dishes at the events. As company director he used his considerable business experience to market the company and continually improve the supply chain management. To this day Gregory has evolved his role in the company as the team grew to become Executive Chef and Operations Director. Major global corporate clients have included The Duchy of Cornwall, Louis Vuitton, HSBC, MINI (BMW).Since 2012 Gregory has been regularly in demand as a Food & Beverage consultant by a number of global hotel and restaurant chains including Holiday Inn (IHG), Genting Casinos and East Coast Concepts.Gregory has recently trained as a Diet & Nutritional Advisor and has consulted on vegan restaurant menu concepts. He has consulted in Germany, France, Switzerland and the UK.https://gregorysj.com/

Dick Wybrow was born in Canada, grew up in the US, and now lives in New Zealand (the past 10 years). In this episode, he shares what he knows about this beautiful country. On a personal note, he is a bestselling author on Amazon, writing humorous supernatural fiction.He is also a former CNN producer, major market rock jock, and stand-up comedian. His radio and stage work has gifted him with the ability to entertain an audience.Dick Wybrow is a thriller and humor author. Or, depending on how many cups of coffee he's had, a humor and thriller author.https://www.dickwybrow.com/

Samantha Wood is a British-Greek-Cypriot resident of Dubai for 23 years who wears a number of hats – a food writer, event organiser and communications consultant with nearly three decades of experience in the UK and the Middle East across a diverse range of industries including food & beverage, hospitality and tourism.Samantha left the corporate PR world to set up her own business in 2011 – an impartial restaurant review website, http://FooDiva.net , which has won a steady stream of 12 awards. In 2021, she was honoured with the UAE Golden Visa, a ten-year renewable residency in the category of talented creative individuals – and also joined the UAE Restaurants Group as Board Advisor.Power 50 by Caterer Middle East 2020; 2019; and 2017Top 100 Dubai websites to follow – the highest ranked food websiteAhlan Hot 100 influencer 2016 and 2015Best Food Blogger in the BBC Good Food Awards 2015ProChef Middle East Food Ambassador 2014Expat Star Awards 2013Gold in Expat Blog Awards UAE 2013 and 2012Runner-up Best Blog in Dubai, Ahlan 2011Samantha curates ticketed and bespoke chef-led #ThreeChefsDinner and #DineAroundDubai experiences, whilst also organising events and B2B fam trips for industry trade, chefs and media. FooDiva has featured prolifically in local and international media including multiple segments on CNN’s travel programmes, France 5 TV and Dubai TV. Furthermore, she takes on freelance writing and broadcasting commissions, including a regular guest on Dubai Eye 103.8FM’s food programme. Samantha is a member of the global Guild of Food Writers, holds a WSET Level 2 wine and spirits qualification, and is a speaker and industry awards judge on her favourite subjects – food, restaurants, travel and communications. At the start of the pandemic, she launched a pro bono social media campaign, #UAERestaurantsUnite to support the F&B industry which has morphed into a long-term strategy championing the country’s homegrown dining scene.With her advisory hat, Samantha provides strategic consultancy support in F&B (restaurant ventures, chef consultancy, guest chef activations, pop ups/ supper clubs, mystery shopper reports & menu writing) - and on a brand level (marketing communications, public relations, crisis communications, social media strategy, website & newsletter content, fam trips, event organisation & copywriting).