Episode 233 - Eliza Pesuit, Global Glimpse
In this episode of Soul of Travel, Season 6: Women's Wisdom + Mindful Travel, presented by @journeywoman_original, Christine shares a soulful conversation with Eliza Pesuit, CEO of Global Glimpse.
Eliza Pesuit is the Founding CEO of Global Glimpse, a national nonprofit transforming travel into a force for education, impact, and global connection. Under her leadership, the organization has served over 10,000 high school students from diverse backgrounds, provided $20M in scholarships, and built a proven model that cultivates empathy, agency, and global perspective.
Named a Top Woman in Travel & Hospitality (2024) and one of Causeartist’s 30 Nonprofit Leaders Who Will Impact the World, Eliza is redefining what it means to prepare the next generation of globally minded, purpose-driven leaders. She has raised over $40M and forged groundbreaking partnerships with leading brands across travel and adjacent industries, including United Airlines, Expedia Group, Marriott International, Snap Inc., and Away.
She is now expanding Global Glimpse’s reach through Global Glimpse Journeys—a new line of custom travel programs for teams, leaders, and professional networks focused on connection, reflection, leadership, and impact.
Eliza serves as a Strategic Advisor to Cause Strategy Partners and is a former Leader in Residence at the Edwin Gould Foundation. She lives in Springfield, MA with her husband, young daughter, and teenage stepson.
Global Glimpse has recently launched Journeys, their new line of customized travel, leadership, and impact programs for professional teams, educators, alumni groups, and purpose-driven organizations. These programs bring the award-winning Global Glimpse model—built over 15 years of serving high school students from all backgrounds—to adults and professionals who are seeking deeper connection, global perspective, and purpose-driven growth. This expansion reflects the belief that transformative travel is not just for students—it’s a powerful tool for leadership development, team building, and organizational culture at every level.
Navigating Start-Ups – And Downs
In this episode, Eliza shares her somewhat unconventional path into the travel industry – which began with her childhood of diverse cultural influences and a formative solo journey through South America at the age of 20. More than any classroom experience, these travels ignited in Eliza a deep awareness of global inequities. Her next steps were clear: find a powerful path to create social responsibility and connection.
“My mission became, how do you expose young Americans to the world in a way that builds a sense of social responsibility, in a way that inspires possibility, potential, in a way that horizons and really fortifies connection? It's that lifeblood of humanity.”
But that was only the beginning.
“I’ve really always felt this like pretty profound calling and sometimes I go like, am I crazy? Is this, should I, am I, should I really trust this?”
Christine and Eliza discuss ‘trusting the journey’ and leaning into our intuition, even when the path ahead is murky at best. Eliza shares the early days of Global Glimpse, full of opportunities to navigate difficult power dynamics and learn to trust her gut.
This difficult period ultimately led to a full commitment from Eliza to her vision and the mission and vision of Global Glimpse; she began to seek out mentors and build partnerships that she absolutely knew would be the keys to the organization’s growth and longevity.
Christine echoes: “I understand it’s the right question to keep asking – like it's an okay question. It doesn't actually mean that I truly don't feel I am the person for it, but just, I think it's how we grow when we continually ask ourselves that question."
Global Glimpse and the Impact on Teens and Young Adults
Eliza shares that Global Glimpse is unique from other study abroad or young adult travel programs in that it focuses on access and opportunity for students traditionally excluded from international travel.
By partnering with public high schools and youth development organizations in major US cities, their team creates diverse cohorts of students who travel together on immersive, life-changing international trips. This model, which utilizes a sliding fee scale based on financial means, ensures that students from different socioeconomic backgrounds have the opportunity to share a transformative experience.
"We deeply believe that travel is the most powerful form of education," Eliza shares. In an increasingly divided society, these shared experiences are crucial for building understanding and bridging divides. "Kids are growing up without any kind of exposure or opportunity to build friendships, relationships with people that are different from them... If we, those of us that love to travel, know that the richness of life is in experiencing new things... and so we're raising young people without the opportunity to experience and benefit from those differences, then we're really. Doing them a disservice."
How can travel education instill a responsible understanding of inequity?
To foster an understanding of inequity and the systems that lead to it, without encouraging ‘saviorhood’ or guilt, programs must be founded on personal experiences and genuine human connection and exchange.
This is exactly what Global Glimpse creates. Through interactions with local community members, leaders, and organizations, students learn to see beyond differences and recognize shared humanity. "I think they're watching a true leader navigate inequity in real time is watching humans connecting," Eliza observes, reflecting on her experiences collaborating with a Nicaraguan counterpart and later with Soul of Travel Podcast guest and former Head of Tourism in Puerto Rico, Carla Campos, when they worked together in the Dominican Republic.
Eliza stresses that meeting people where they are and truly listening is key to fostering understanding. Christine added one of our favorite Soul of Travel book recommendations: Beyond Guilt Trips by Dr. Anu Taranath. This text is an extraordinarily valuable resource for navigating this complex issue.
When travel provides young people with the tools and experiences to engage with the world's complexities, they begin to see that issues of inequity are not isolated, but rather part of a collective human experience and systems that can be intentionally unraveled.
Eliza and Global Glimpse's work is not just about sending kids abroad; it's about cultivating a new generation of global citizens equipped to navigate a complex world and contribute to a more just and equitable society.
We are grateful to be a part of the movement to make travel a force for positive change, one meaningful connection and shared experience at a time.
“We deeply believe that travel is the most powerful form of education.”
Soul of Travel Episode 233 At a Glance
In this conversation, Christine and Eliza discuss:
· The intersection of travel, education, and impact
· Global Glimpse’s important role for teens and young adults
· Shifting access to the formative lessons of travel to create a more just and equitable society
· Growth, momentum and trusting the process
· Creating a vision for the ways that travel and education can help us to envision a different future for the tourism industry
Join Christine and Eliza Pesuit now for this soulful conversation.
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Related UN Sustainable Development Goals
Sustainable Development Goal #4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
Sustainable Development Goal #8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.
Sustainable Development Goal #10: Reduce inequality within and among countries.
Sustainable Development Goal #11 Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
Sustainable Development Goal #16: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.
Resources & Links Mentioned in the Episode
Learn more and connect with Eliza: www.globalglimpse.org
Connect with Eliza on your favorite social media network! Instagram / Instagram / LinkedIn
Learn more about Global Glimpse Journeys, the new line of customized travel, leadership, and impact programs for professional teams, educators, alumni groups, and purpose-driven organizations.
About the Soul Of Travel Podcast
Soul of Travel honors the passion and dedication of people making a positive impact in the tourism industry. In each episode, you’ll hear the stories of women who are industry professionals, seasoned travelers, and community leaders. Our expert guests represent social impact organizations, adventure-based community organizations, travel photography and videography, and entrepreneurs who know that travel is an opportunity for personal awareness and a vehicle for global change.
Join us to become a more educated and intentional traveler as you learn about new destinations, sustainable and regenerative travel, and community-based tourism. Industry professionals and those curious about a career in travel will also find value and purpose in our conversations.
We are thought leaders, action-takers, and heart-centered change-makers who inspire and create community. Join host Christine Winebrenner Irick for these soulful conversations with our global community of travelers exploring the heart, the mind, and the globe.
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Credits. Christine Winebrenner Irick (Host, creator, editor). Eliza Pesuit (Guest). Original music by Clark Adams. Editing, production, and content writing by Carly Oduardo.
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Soul of Travel Episode 233 Transcript
Women’s travel, transformational travel, sustainable travel, social entrepreneurship
Christine: welcome to Soul of Travel podcast. I am your host, Christine, and today I am very , happy to be joined, um, by someone who is connected to me by another one of my favorite humans. So whenever that happens, I know that good things are in store.
Um, so I'm delighted to welcome Eliza Pesuit to the podcast and she is the founding CEO at Global Glimpse, which is an organization I was, I was just so happy to hear about. So our introduction was correct. We immediately had just like a deep, soulful conversation that lasted forever and we were deep into trying to solve all the world's problems through travel.
So yeah, I'm very happy to have you here, Eliza, and, , can't wait for this conversation.
Eliza: Thank you so much. Such an honor to be here. I. Likewise, I felt so and, you know, as, as a mother of a young daughter, sort of seeing the way that you've woven travel into your children's lives and the way that you're thinking about travel for women and growth and development more broadly. Just really grateful for opportunity to share my work and, and chat today.
Christine: Thank you. Um, well, I wanna start first just by thanking my past guest, Carla Campos, who introduced us and, and then not ironically, was who we were talking about as we landed here before this call today. So thank you Carla. You were very inspired in the connection. Um, and then beyond that, I'd love to give you a moment to share about yourself and tell us a little bit about global glimpse.
Eliza: Perfect. Um, all the love for Carla today and every day my fearless board co-chair at Global Glimpse. So I, um, I think of myself as a bit of a unicorn in the travel industry. I live at the intersection of travel, education and impact in my work at Global Glimpse. Um, I grew up in. western Massachusetts in a town of about 900 people, probably more cows than people.
Um, and I think of myself as, as a small town girl with really big dreams. Um, my mother and father came from very different cultural, all geographic ethnic religious backgrounds. My dad was Serbian Orthodox from Bar Ohio Steel country. His parents didn't graduate sixth grade. my mom was the Russian Jewish daughter of a hard Harvard educated lawyer. They met in Pennsylvania, a butcher shop, like you can't make this stuff up. Um, but you know, I was raised in a home where there was tremendous dissonance and discord and tremendous love. And I think that foundation I. Really is the essence. It's the soul of the way that I move through the world, the way I see the world, the way that I connect with people, and how I think about building bridges, bridging divides, and the, the, um, role of travel.
Um, both, you know, physical and, um, sort of traveling to different places within ourselves, um, in transformation. And so, you know, there was, there was a lot of conflict in my home growing up, and I understand that in, in spaces where there's great misunderstanding or conflict, the greatest and most important love can arise.
And, um, my work at Global Glimpse is really, um, you know, a, a manifestation of that. I didn't travel a lot growing up, um, but I was always around people from different cultures because of, of my parents. Um, and so I was so hungry to experience. Um, you know, something else, myself and my mom, um, battled breast cancer when I was in high school, I had a pretty, like real, um, know, check a reality check at 1617 that, um, contextualized for me just the fragility of life.
Um, and she recovered, I had stayed local for college so I could support, uh, the family and, you know, she recovered. I was like, I gotta get out of Massachusetts great state, but was time to go. And so I, I found out you could work in, in national parks. I went on Cool works.com and ended up in the back country at a lodge, um, you know, flipping tents in Yosemite National Park at 20 and stacked my pennies.
And from there I met tons of, Colombians and Venezuelans and. Ecuadorians and they all invited me for the holidays. And so I hopped on a plane to South America and spent six months by myself traveling through South America at 20, I turned 21 in sco, Peru, probably doing things that I certainly would not want, um, to see myself doing now.
But it all turned out well, and, and that experience was, um, more formative than any educational experience I had had to date. so when I came back to the US I was just so, I suffered tremendous, uh, I don't wanna say suffered, that's, that's the wrong word, but I experienced really, um, tough reverse culture shock, no one really understood me. And I just realized, you know, two things. One, I, I won the life lottery. I was born with a, with a US passport. I had access to. You know, education and opportunity that most people in the world dream of. And secondly, I was just so aware that that power was not being wielded in a way, um, that would build a more, just a more equitable, um, society.
And so my mission became how do you expose young Americans to the world in a way that builds a sense of social responsibility, in a way that inspires possibility, potential, um, in a way that horizons and really fortifies connection. It's, it's that lifeblood of humanity. Um, and I think it's what we all are seeing is missing.
Christine: Hmm. I mean, this is so beautiful. I feel like the end. I'm, I, uh, I thank you so. Much for sharing, uh, everything that you just shared. And, um, I know that, you know, that understanding probably comes from years of reflection on your own experience, right? Not necessarily something you were maybe fully aware of in the moment, but then seeing how that, how that shaped your understanding of relationships and the world and, um, the idea of observing those inequities and power dynamics and then being able to name them and then being able to look at, you know, privilege and then how we can reverse engineer that to create that opportunity and create that equity.
Um, I just, it's such a powerful story and I think, and this is my favorite part of every interview because now that I hear that, I'm like, there was nothing else you were ever going to do. Right. Like it makes so much sense now, and we'll talk later about kind of trusting the journey and yet I'm sure there were many moments in the middle of all of that where there wasn't that clarity.
Um, but I just feel how lucky for these students that you're working with, that you have this experience then to be able to shape this container for them to have the experiences they're having. Um, it's just, um, really beautiful to witness that. So I appreciate you sharing what you shared.
Eliza: Thank you. Thank you so much. Yeah. lot of, a lot of curves and turns and hills and bumps. Um, but I've really always felt this like pretty profound calling and sometimes I go like, am I crazy? Is this like, should I, am I, should I really trust this? Um. but I just, I have phenomenal intuition and I, I really believe when the time is right for me to be called in a different direction, I will be.
Um, and there have been so many iterations of this journey, and I've been blessed by relationships and mentorship with so many incredible leaders, all of them, female by the way. Um, that it's, it truly has felt, um, a calling of purpose. And I've questioned it only in so much as am I the right person to lead this now still.
Christine: Yeah, and I feel like that can be the hardest question. And believe me, I like write that one down all of the time, and at least at this point in my journey, I understand it's the right question to keep asking like it's an okay question. It doesn't actually mean that I truly don't feel. I am the person for it, but just, I think it's how we grow when we continually ask ourself that question and we, we continually become the next version of the person that's doing that.
And then we like kind of keep rising to the occasion, I guess. And um, I love that you really shared that deep like soul's call. I mean, for me, this is literally what soul of travel means. I do think that that is a part of where the most beautiful things are created is by the people that feel this sense of purpose and longing and like just passion for this thing they're creating.
Even if we don't know exactly what shape it's taking, like you said, like you could just hear it. I kind of had the same thing. Like, like I always heard this deep underlying thing of advocating for women and. I just like, I didn't know, even when I was young, I didn't even know what it meant. But I would find myself in those situations where I would be like, the kid that's like, isn't there a female author who wrote a book about a similar topic or, you know, like every report I ever did had a feminist angle, even though I didn't realize that like they would sign, assign any like broad topic of, you know, world history.
And I'm like, let's look at female leaders in ancient Egypt. Or you know, I just, I headlong went in that direction without like any guidance. It just was my essence. Right. And like, and maybe we're, we're starting where I thought we'd end, but the trusting the journey part is, it's so important. And I meet so many people, I.
And again, through these conversations, like I get to see the whisper of like how that has happened in their own journeys. And to me it's both validating and magical. And then like when you see someone hit that spot, kind of, we're gonna talk the same for you, like the momentum and the trajectory and everything kind of starts to happen because you have leaned into, like you've said, yes to the call, whatever that call was.
And I, I don't know. I'd love to talk a little bit more about that with you, of this really like leaning into your intuition, trusting the journey. Like acknowledging that the journey is a journey and that there's not, it's not linear. There's all these things that happen. It evolves. We evolve. Like that's a huge question with no question, but let's answer it.
Eliza: Let's answer it. Let's try. I was really young when, when we started Global Glimpse and actually started it with, um, a co-founder who was male and about 10 years older and in consulting. So I was 23 when we started Global Glimpse. And I really start, I really began, um. By building all of the on the ground programming, the international partnerships, the experience, the essence of what makes global glimpse magic, which is the people. and he built out the initial business model and the strategy and the vision and more of the, um, US side of the organization. And, and pretty quickly there started to be fractures in the way that, um, we saw things philosophically and sort of the way that we built relationships and kind of the integrity across all of the verticals of the work. And I was so young, um, that I, I started to have these like gut feelings and these intuitions that something was wrong and bless my father, especially like taught me to be a fighter. Um, and. I would push back and I would push back, like, um, seriously. But there was a, there was a lot of gaslighting and again, I was much younger, um, and had very little work experience up until that point.
Um, and I'm the kind of person, if you put something in front of me and I'm supposed to do it, I'm gonna do it. Like I'm gonna, I'm gonna do it. you know, so it was a very, there were tough power dynamics in the relationship. And the first real, you know, six, seven years, I call it sort of our startup phase were really painful me in a lot of ways because, um, I, hadn't harnessed, um, how to connect my intuition with my agency and my strength and my power. as I came really 2012, we started Global Glimpse in 2008. 2012 was the year where. It was kind of my coming to um, where I realized, wait, actually all the power is in my hands. If I'm not doing everything, it's not happening. And that shift mentally, um, really happened in myself. I didn't have a mentor through that, um, period. And I made that decision. I remember I called my mom. I was living in San Francisco at the time. We, we were running programs across about 30 Bay Area high schools. I had built out all of the programming. I think we were sending about 500 kids abroad a year. Um, I have no idea how I was doing that. Um, but I was doing it.
And I remember it was like late on a Friday night and I was riding the train home and I called my mom and I was like, mom, I'm Fidel like I'm Chi. I'm. I'm gonna do this, I'm all in, you're probably not gonna hear a lot from me. and, and I, you know, I knew I, I had to give it my all. Um, I just, in every like cell of my body, I knew if I didn't give it my all, it wasn't gonna succeed. at that point, I, um, essentially gave the co-founder an ultimatum and said like, sign it all over to me or I'm done. Um, and he did and he supported me. And that was the point of inflection for what Global Glimpse has become. Um, and from there I really began to seek mentors that like I admired. Deeply, and I started to have these like intuitions that the ways that nonprofits were structured, that the ways that companies were structured just didn't feel right.
And I'm very much a people relationship, high integrity person across all verticals of my life. I just started to see these like feel these dissonances, like these board meetings feel really ineffective this way that leaders are being talked to versus partnered with an inspired, um, you know, as a young female leader in a, in a room, the board was all private equity kind of type hedge fund men at that point.
Um, to say that there aren't wonderful, um, male leaders in those spaces. I've found them now with a lot of intention. I didn't know anything at the time and I was trying to raise money and I was trying to do something that everyone said was impossible, um, in terms of providing. time travel experiences for young people who wouldn't otherwise be able to access. Um, and so that, um, that period was like a lot of struggle. Um, and then in 2018, um, 1718, I had always had this dream of working with an airline. Um, just no brainer to me. partnership they have in kind, they wanna inspire the next generation of travelers. Um, the story is amazing. And in 2018 I managed to arrive at a point where. A global partnership, um, was possible between Global Glimpse and United Airlines. And, um, I had the opportunity to present my vision to, um, the community affairs team at United. They had never done anything like this. It was, and still is unprecedented in the industry. in that meeting I had like my PowerPoint deck and everything was set up and I came in and, um, the chief community affairs officer at the time, who was the first African woman, American woman, um, on the executive team at United, Sharon Grant, she just connected me with me personally from, um, the second I walked in and she said, you don't need a deck.
Just tell me your story. Why are you here? What do you need? What are you doing? That was the beginning of what has now been one of the most powerful relationships of my life. Sharon mentored me through five critical years in global glimpses, evolution, um, and through her ultimate resignation from United during, um, the Pandemic after a 30 year career. and Sharon showed me true leadership, high integrity and she took time personally to mentor me. And I had never had that experience of a woman, um, who was so successful and so strong and so powerful saying What you're doing is worth, is worth my time. Like, I want you to be successful.
I wanna guide you through the challenging moments. Um, and from there, I have now found. A couple of additional mentors at Key Turning Points, and it's almost like the universe has just given them to me. Um, have worked now with Tanya Staples, the former head of LinkedIn Learning, who now runs ACE Camp's travel. Brilliant, brilliant leader, um, over the past couple of years, and most recently with Carla Campos, who we've talked about, um, who is as of today the chairwoman for Discover Puerto Rico. And just a brilliant leader in the industry. Um, I think it's a co it's been a real combination of, of learning to trust my intuition and also believe, like having other women say no.
Like this matters. The work you're doing matters, and I wanna be a part of it.
Christine: Well, again, thank you. A few of the things that stuck out as you were sharing were one, um, that you said, you know, in your startup period for the first six or seven years, which I think is a really important thing for people to hear. I, I would say like, you know, I'm, I'm five years now into the podcast and part of me is like, have we already peaked?
So I'm like, oh, we've barely started Funny girl. And um, and so I think that personally resonated, but I think for so many people there's this, just this sense of urgency that things have to be successful faster and some things take. Time and there is a journey to it. And so I, I think that was really powerful to hear.
Also, just to hear the wisdom and awareness that you had at such a young age. That seems incredible to me for you. And the like, grit and determination. I'm like, wow, I wish we would've met each other at that point in our lives. We may have been in San Francisco at similar point. Um, I was on the end train and, uh, um,
yeah, I just,
Eliza: what a, what is the one that goes up towards, um, I think it was the j.
Christine: yeah, I don't know. I just can imagine on that bus, so, or on that train. So I, I can really relate to that moment. Um, and then, um, yeah, and then finding mentors and, and being mentors because I think, uh, especially for the women on this podcast, we're in both. Phases of our careers where we always need mentors.
That's super important. And we're, I think, always at a place where we could turn around and give back, um, which I do whenever I can. I'm like, whatever wisdom I have gained is yours. I don't it, it is not mine to hold. It is mine to share. Um, which is also why I think this podcast is so incredibly important because you just never know who listens and hears your story and is inspired or is given permission.
And I feel like this is a place of mentorship even, you know, people can, can receive that through listening. It's kind of like even listening to a great book or reading a great book that becomes a mentor in, in some ways to you like that wisdom that has been shared. And so, um, I really just love that and I know that that shifts.
People's trajectories tremendously. And I, I don't think that we acknowledge how critical that is. And, and like you said, her saying like, I already believe in you. Just tell me what it is you're doing. And, and someone having that trust and that belief and that faith also, it sends you sailing. Like you just need someone to see you as humans first off.
And then as business owners, as entrepreneurs, as creatives, that witnessing is so,
so powerful. And I have seen it happen in the subtlest ways. It, it literally changes everything. So, um, I loved all of that that you just shared, and if you want, I'll like, give you an opportunity to respond or I can jump into the next question.
Eliza: jump.
Christine: Okay. So, um, I wanna talk a little bit more about Global Glimpse, but I also wanna talk about it kind of in the context of understanding why this type of experience is so important for teens and young adults. You know, kind of understanding who is traveling, why they're traveling, you know, where, what, what is the critical essence of why this is important and, and who it's serving.
Eliza: Absolutely. Um, I'll start with the quick, what is Global Glimpse and then dig into the second part of that question. So, global Glimpse, we're a nonprofit and we work now in partnership with about a hundred public high schools and youth development organizations across the US with primary markets in Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, Chicago, New York, and Massachusetts. we are really. The only organization in the youth travel space focused on access and opportunity for young people who are traditionally excluded from travel experiences. And we, we deeply believe that travel is the most powerful form of education. And that, um, inspiring and equipping a new generation of leaders with transformative travel experiences will a foundation for not just success in, in their lives and careers, but real um, that is needed across our country, around the world.
Um, and sort of what, how, what makes the model really interesting and really unique is if you've worked in high schools at all, or schools in general across the United States, um, you see that. We live in such a divided society. Um, and this isn't a society that most people choose, it's just the way that things are structured.
Um, so what that means practically is kids are growing up without any kind of exposure or opportunity to build friendships, relationships with people that are different from them. And if we, those of us that love to travel, know that the richness of life is in experiencing new things. It's in different foods, it's in different smells, it's in different textures, it's in different experiences.
This is the richness of life. And so we're raising young people without the opportunity to experience and benefit from those, um, differences, then we're really. Doing them a disservice. Um, and we're also creating a society where we don't know how to understand one another. We don't know how to work through things together.
We don't know how, um, to allow our differences to strengthen the collective. Um, and so the unique piece of Global Glimpse is not only do we provide first time travel experiences for the majority of our students coming from lower, um, income backgrounds, we also bring young people together through shared experience.
And so Global Glimpse operates on a sliding fee scale. Students that have more means pay a higher fee for, for, um, the travel program and the pre and post travel, um, curriculum that we provide, and students that have. Less resources received, more significant scholarships. No one knows what scholarship they got.
Um, you're all a young person getting a passport, getting on a plane, going somewhere else for the first time, right? Most of our students have never left their home communities, left their state, left the country, and if they have, they've done so with family. So it's a first experience for all of them to have, um, this opportunity to step out into the world at 1617.
And it's also a first for their families, right? Whether it's a more resource family or it's a less resource family, it's scary letting your kids go somewhere for the first time, right? Um, and so we, we create this safe space for young people to begin to push their comfort zone and to build. Really meaningful connections.
If you've ever taken a trip with anyone you didn't know before, you know them better than you know, people you see every day, in your day to day life. Right? Because it's through those out of the norm experiences that we're most alive. Um, and. The young people bring those experiences back to their home communities.
So, um, the nuts and bolts of global glimpse of students travel on, um, immersive international trips during the summer. This summer we'll run 45, um, immersive travel experiences to Costa Rica, the Dominican Republican Panama, roughly 20 students per trip and two US educators travel. And on each of those trips, you'll have 15 plus different schools represented. All of those schools come from one region, so those connections continue when they return home. And we run a follow on alumni leadership program, channeling the global glimpse experience into local activism, into college and career next steps, and really solidifying this amazing network that they wouldn't otherwise have in their home communities.
Christine: . Um, I love the thoughtfulness and all of the layers. Like I just think, um. You know, there's so many student travel programs out there, um, for, with, you know, various motivations and, you know, audiences. But I do think, you know, regardless, there's just such a depth to what you're offering that I feel is unique and really, really important because it's when you send your kids off to travel, like there needs to be some lead up to that.
There needs to be some groundwork so that you're ready. I think both as a traveler, but just as a global citizen because there's so much to think about. And then the, the, like you said, the container you create, I love that, that there are people from all economic backgrounds traveling together because I.
Typically you would have very different experiences. So you, you aren't bridging that gap. And I think it's really, really important. Um, that in itself is kind of helping to create some equity in that experience. I think that's really impressive. And then the integration and coming back and then taking that knowledge forward, like my metaphor, I guess, is always like, you never want travel to just like the experience to go in your suitcase under your bed until the next time, right?
Like, then you've missed everything about the travel. Like most of what happens in travel happens when you get back, I think. And so, um, I love, I just love all of those pieces together and, um, you know. We were, I kind of had this under the label of connection, complexity, and shared humanity. And I think those are all those things that are so important in the work that you're creating.
Um, one of the questions that came up when we were preparing for this is how do we instill under understanding of inequity without guilt? Which I was like, oh my gosh, could I, I can't even if, if I could have had that tapestry for my early travel experiences, I can't even begin to recognize how that would've changed me as a traveler.
And there is a book, um, that I, I think I, we talked about it, but I'm not sure, um, beyond Guilt Trips by Dr. Annu Tarana, which is a great resource in how to walk that line of understanding. Inequity and inequality as you're witnessing it in your own lives and as you travel and as you carry who you are with you when you travel, um, and without guilt and, and being able to have it be an experience that can become a catalyst for conversation and understanding and bridging and not dissonance.
So I, I would love to maybe just talk a little bit more about how you support that understanding.
Eliza: Yeah, mean I think there's two sides to this coin. Me personally, and then in the work at Global Glimpse. Um, and I think for me personally, I built the first global glimpse programs in Nicaragua back in 2008, 2009. and that experience, I had a counterpart in Nicaragua that I worked with. Um, we were about the same age.
I think she was 22 and I was 23. Um, and she taught me so much just working in partnership, um, with someone who had such a different. Life and upbringing where we were truly sort of unequal footing in some ways, but like she could navigate things with so much more strength than grace than I could. Um, and then as our students came, I was, you know, better equipped to navigate some of those pieces because of my cultural upbringing and understanding of the nuances of, you know, teenagers in the us. Um, but that, that early experience of working with her and seeing how she moved in community and she came from a pretty highly educated, more resourced family in Nicaragua, the way that she moved in community and the formality that she brought and how she dressed and how she carried herself and how she spoke to the women in the market, or, you know, the family with a dirt floor or the mayor. It was so eye-opening to me. And I, like, I think of, of those formative experiences, um, to this day. And I recognize when I see it. Um, last summer I was in the Dominican Republic in the bats, which is where, um, you know, Haitian migrants work, um, in the sugar cane fields the Dominican Republic. And I was there with Carla and she moves in the same way. And I think they're watching a true leader navigate inequity in real time is watching humans connecting. And it doesn't matter what all the other pieces are, when humans connect and when you deeply care and you meet someone where they are and you listen. Um, so that's how I, I think, move and lead and navigate that. Myself personally. And we work to teach that at Global Glimpse, um, at every level of, of our programming through the pre-trip workshops as we start to talk about cultural awareness and you know, how you show up and what you bring to a group that is very diverse. And then how we model the conversations we have with local community members, with leaders, with organizations, with partners.
Um, students spend a day like in, you know, homes in a remote community in all of our locations. And the way that we sort of. Position that experience both for the local partners and for our young people as an exchange, as an opportunity to learn and understand and share. What are your hopes and dreams?
What are your hopes for your kids? How do you ask these questions? How do you model a desire to speak in a language that you're uncomfortable with? Um, of these pieces I think, are not taught to young people in a traditional education system at all. Um, and it's why adults are uncomfortable being with people that aren't like them. Like we're not, we
Christine: Mm.
Eliza: that muscle.
Christine: Mm-hmm. Um, it reminds me, I took, um, a sociology of poverty class in college and that was like this huge eyeopener for me. Just that was the first time I guess any of that had been put on my plate, right? Or for me to understand things I hadn't been exposed to growing up. I grew up in rural Montana, so I also had a very small, small town upbringing.
So my understanding of the world is what it was, right? It was pretty limited. Um, and like those books were eye-opening and it was also really powerful for me to kind of see some of the greater systemic issues or like the way that the world creates.
Some of the narratives and experiences because I, I was really, I guess, struggling with inequity, like from an early age.
I don't, again, this was just one of those things I was born with. I noticed it, I was curious about it. I didn't understand it, and I just was like, I'm not here for it. But I don't know what that means. And like reading those books, it, it gave me some level of understanding and empathy and questions to ask, and ways to start to see things.
And so, like, again, I just, I think this is such a important part. Uh, I mean now more than ever, like, we need to be able to see and experience the world collectively. Like we, we need to be comfortable having these uncomfortable conversations. We need these tools. We need to be able to bridge the divides like.
Uh, there's just no questions around the necessity for that. So I think being able to give kids these skills and a place to learn how to utilize them and to witness and really see what they're learning about and see how it's similar in their own lives. And, and again, like that shared humanity piece that you were saying to, or this, this common experience to have that young shifts everything.
Like to take away that isolation and realize that even if it's an issue, it's an issue happening for many people around the world. It's not only happening to you, there's something about how that,
it's not really normalizing it, but it's just, it's unifying, it's very unifying. It, it seems like. If it's beyond ourselves, there's like more that we can fight for to create change, or it's not just us, it's not happening singularly. It's not that nobody cares and we don't matter as an individual. It's this collective experience.
And so I think, again, the way that you are creating this and guiding this is so important for students. I mean, I think it's so important for everyone. I wish I could have the same experience, you know? Um, but to have that foundation, especially for kids that may not have had the opportunity to travel and ever get this bedrock to build upon, I just, it makes my heart very happy.
Eliza: I, I love that. Yeah. It's, it's hard work for sure. Um, and in, in the hard moments, um, you know, whether it's me as a leader or my team members or our young people going through them, it's the tools, the resilience to navigate those hard moments, right? And every trip has its own, has its own magic, has its own recipe, um, its own arc of sort of growth and evolution at the individual level and at the collective level. And one thing I'll just highlight that's been really, really fascinating, um. Is the way that our choices around technology at Global Glimpse, and we're a tech free program completely. So young people have their phones on the plane and then they hand 'em in. They don't see them for the entire week experience.
It's the first time in their lives that they're ever disconnected from technology and fully present. And the relationships that are built in that space, which those of us that are we, we understand that's how all of our friendships were built in the early years. Um, this generation doesn't have that. don't have that presence ability. the global glimpse experience is that gift of true presence in self presence, in community, presence in space allows for the space for personal growth and e evolution. Evolution. Um, and I think that's something I'm grappling with for society as a whole.
And to your point, it's not just kids. It's like all of us need this now. We're all so overwhelmed and just bombarded constantly and we're trying to figure out how to be good parents and to be, you know, good friends and good members of society and all these other pieces with all of this coming at us all the time.
Um, and I think this is a question that travel can answer as well, because when you remove yourself physically from your day to day, there's less of you feel less pressure, um, to respond to all of the things that you know. We feel responsible for on the day to day. So I'm not sure, but I think that there's some idea brewing in my mind here around adult or there's definitely interest around, um, what we could do with adults in this space as well based on the model we built.
Christine: Yeah. Yeah. Or even I'm like, well now we're just gonna work on your business. No. Um, but even like the mentorship part, right? And bringing adults as mentors with maybe the kids, but having the experience collectively, because now most adults haven't gone two weeks without a device as well. And I can't imagine, like for me, I would be very excited.
I actually just went to a retreat where we were allowed no outside, um, you know, anything for four days.
And like at the, the first day, I remember getting back to my room kind of early and I'm like. What on earth would LA do? And then I like read and wrote and did some like,
yeah, yeah. I was like, oh, I see.
I, this is good. This is good stuff. Um, but yeah, I think that's, that is really interesting. 'cause I, I do think it's a, a universal need. Um, whether that's yours to create or not, I think for sure it's important. Um, I wanna talk next about kind of growth momentum and trusting the process, which, you know, we've, we dove into kind of trusting the process already, but, um, kind of navigating these things.
And I wanted to start with partnerships. This is something I think that you have done incredibly. You already mentioned, you know, with United, but. I think many of us need these values aligned partners to bring our vision to life, help us expand our reach. Um, many of those includes myself, 'cause I'm really working through this right now as well.
Um, you've developed really beautiful partnerships with big brands like United and Expedia and Marriott. Um, I would love to hear from you a little bit about this process. Like what are the partners drawn to? How has this helped you grow and serve more students? How has, how has this helped their brands by partnering with you?
I'd like to kind of dive into this area.
Eliza: Yes. Great. Great question. Um, I'm super, super passionate about this. This is definitely, um, a piece of the work that I never anticipated, you know, in the, in the early years that has become, um, such an and personal driver for me, um, because I just saw a gap. I saw this desire, um, in the private sector, in corporate, um, travel, you know, and beyond to do good and a real question mark on how to do that, right? And to me it was very clear like, how do you, how do you create, um, pathways where doing good is good for business, right? Um, and how do you do that across multiple verticals so you build something that's really sustainable and long term and impactful and value add across the board. And it took me a number of years to really start to build a formula around this, um, first in my mind and then really put it on paper.
Um, and now I continue to learn and evolve that, that formula. But really it starts with people, right? Um, like anything. Important and meaningful. Um, it starts with people and I think often there's this like, oh God, big brand corporation, um, bureaucracy that, especially nonprofits are totally intimidated, don't know where to start.
Um, when you start something from nothing like I did, you have to build everything from scratch. So I've never been intimidated by, those kinds of things. And I think, um, that's really, you know, a blessing and a privilege that I have in, in the position that I've built and the confidence I've built over the years.
But I mean, when I'm starting to look for a partner first, it's like, the alignment? Where's the magic? The magic exists at the intersection of. Each of our strengths. And, um, if I, you know, looking at United or Expedia, I think about those partnerships across three verticals. Now, I think about the direct impact, um, which is important to both parties.
In our case, it's often dollars for, you know, travel scholarships or it's flights, um, or it's suitcases, you know, whatever the real direct contribution is. And then there's, what's the story? 'cause what moves people is the story, right? And the story has to be authentic. Are people gonna see right through it in today's world?
Um, and so is the story of impact that's meaningful, um, for the brand, for the company, and for global glimpse? And how do we weave those together? And then what drives the company are the people. So how do you engage the people? Because a company wants to retain their people. They want their people to be inspired, they want their people to feel that they're a part of something bigger.
They want them to feel connected to community. They want them to feel connected to the mission. So it, it, it only makes sense that a company's, you know, philanthropic work. In our case at Global Glimpse, um, we're working with, you know, corporate social responsibility or social impact or sustainability. departments, they want to align with organizations that, um, can tell a story that makes sense for their brand and their mission, and can engage their team in really meaningful, powerful ways. and these ways have to be like bite sized, right? Because you can't. Rely if you're a nonprofit, um, running programs, you can't rely on volunteers to fully run those programs, but you need to have ways to really meaningfully volunteers.
Um, and so it's this like dance of no partnership is gonna look the same one company as it doesn't, as an in another company. Um, and I think overall, like my work is very much listening and understanding can we fit best? Where can we add value? Um, is a company uniquely positioned to make a tremendous app impact and working with us?
Um, and then I think the piece of it that like can't be overstated is just that we rely on the, like we look to these big brands as like the sages. And they're not, they often have no idea what's going on. They're navigating huge internal changes, leadership changes, political changes. There's so much going on.
And so if you're in a position, um, where you see an avenue for impact, it's really critically important. A, to spell that out really clearly, proactively, um, and make it as easy as possible for them to engage and support and partner. And b, to just be buttoned up and like flawless in how you present your information and how, you know, um, professional you are in your communications, in your follow up.
It often takes for me on initial outreach, five to six times. Before somebody writes back and I get an initial conversations and sometimes I laugh 'cause I'm like, oh God, should I send this? Like this is literally the sixth follow up email I've sent. Should I like guilt? Add a little guilt trip in here, like is that appropriate?
And then I'll get an email back and have an amazing conversation. Um, and so it's just not taking it personally. Everybody's on their journey. Everybody is navigating complexities in their life and their work, especially right now. And so how can you alleviate some stress for the person on the other side?
Christine: Yeah, I think that's so wise. 'cause I do think, you know, we, we create, again, we're, you know, talking about trying to get over creating these divides and yet we'll do that in our, in our businesses right? And create these hierarchies and, um, and not allow ourselves to be equal with whomever we're reaching out to or thinking that we're a nuisance.
And really they have. 200 emails in their inbox and they missed yours, or they needed 20 minutes to think about it, and then they have five calls and then it's two weeks later. I mean, it, it really is the reality of how things happen, but when you're the one sitting there like waiting to press send, it's like all the things happen in our minds.
So I think that's really valuable, um, to think about. And, and I really appreciate you kind of breaking down the way that you look at partnerships. 'cause I, I think that's really important for so many people, uh, on both sides too. Like, you know, other business owners listening to this who might wanna partner with a nonprofit or, you know, another organization.
Like thinking about what shoes they're, you know, where they're sitting, you know, both, both directions. I think it's really important. So I, I, I love that, that idea. Um, the last thing that I wanted to talk to you about really is kind of, you know, looking towards the future and seeing how this intersection of travel and education support the future of tourism.
I think that's also something that we're both really passionate about, that I, I really feel that we need to have educated travelers traveling, and we need to harness the, the power of education in the travel experience itself. So I wanna kinda walk through that.
Eliza: Yeah. Um, I mean, we're thinking so much about the future. now at Global Glimpse. We'll cross a milestone this summer of serving our 10000th student. And so looking to the next 10,000, um, thinking about the future of travel for these young people. What this experience ignites in them, how they move through the world, how they travel. I'm thinking about the future of the industry and where there are pathways for. Uh, the thousands of young people who've gone through global glimpse who you know, are not, um, most of them, those who would traditionally have travel experiences, the roles they can play in the industry, and, um, the way that they can support creating an industry that, um, you know, is exciting for travelers of all different backgrounds, right?
I mean, it's a, it's a business case create travel experiences that cater to people from all different abilities in all different backgrounds. They want to travel. Do they feel seen, do they feel supported, um, in the travel industry now? Uh, I think it's evolving and there's a lot of opportunity there, and I'm excited about the role that Global Glimpse and our young people can play, um, that Um, and then I, I think. Uh, the way that we travel to your point, to me is so, so important. Um, and I, I think of this like on a local level, as much as I think about it on, um, a national or a global level because of how sort of, um, separated we are. Um, and so I think when you awaken a sense of curiosity in a young person, um, and you create that fire at a young age, um, and you build that muscle of being able to move, um, through discomfort, right? Um, they're asking questions and they're looking for things and they're seeking opportunities that they wouldn't otherwise be seeking, seeking. and I think seeing the sort of magic of that in silly ways on social media, right? Like. blow up on social media that are experiences. 'cause people want authentic experiences.
They want to, you know, meet the person that started this thing, um, and talk to them. They want to try that amazing food. They wanna be in that ambiance. They want to go to this incredible place and, and like feel the energy, not, see, it's not about sightseeing anymore, the future of travel's, about connection.
It's about experience. Um, and it's about shared experience. And so that to me is really, really exciting and really in line with the work that we've been doing, you know, for 16 years at Global Glimpse.
Christine: Um, that just made me think of the author Joe Pine and he has the book, the Experience Economy, and then the, is Working on the Transformation Economy. Um, like again, it, it shouldn't, it doesn't feel like an aha kind of, 'cause I've been thinking about it that way for a long time. And yet it is, it is an aha that's still happening in mainstream tourism to really be connection forward and to be human forward and not be Yeah, checkbox for, I mean, I think about the things that my kids ask for.
And again, they're lucky because they've, you know, traveled in a different way. But, you know, they, they ask for those things and they reflect on those things and they see that that's what was powerful. Like, yes, maybe they wanted to see the Eiffel Tower or, you know, whatever it was, but it's like the end of the day, that's not the thing that they talk about.
That's not the thing they remembered. It's not the thing that impacted them. And I think now they're wise enough to ask for that thing first instead, and be like, okay, if I happen to see it as I'm walking by, great. Because it's impressive. However, that's not why I am going somewhere. And I, I, I think too, when you're looking at the, the future of this industry and how it can serve the world, like that's how it does it, it is.
So important. And I, I, I really, I think the more that we can invite travelers to travel that way and create experiences that offer that for them without them asking so that then they've experienced it and they know what they were missing, it's just changing. It's just changing how we present and create travel.
You're still kind of doing many of the same things, but it, it's just coming at it from a different place, and I think it, it, it garners more respect and it, it also takes away this consumptive behavior
Eliza: Mm.
Christine: travel of, of these things existing for us too. Again, check them off the box. It's not why these things exist in the world.
And so when you are thinking about having this meaningful or impactful experience as the driver for your travel experience, you really move through the world in such a different way. And I think industries can still be as successful as they are
Eliza: I agree.
Christine: with that pivot. It's just a, it's an incredible mindset shift for an entire industry.
But I think there's so many of us who are ready to, to really bring that into what, into existence.
Eliza: absolutely.
Christine: Yeah. Um, okay. Well, we have ticked our one hour mark, so we're gonna do our rapid fire questions. Um, what are you reading right now?
Eliza: So I just finished reading, um, Nemo's book. Um, we will be Jaguars. She's a brilliant, um, leader in the fight to preserve the Amazon rainforest and the cultures the peoples who've called it home. Um, it was incredible. I mean, talk about like amazing women called to lead. Grab that book.
Christine: Yeah, it's actually in my library, like on hold. I'm, I'm waiting for it. Um, what is always in your suitcase or backpack when you travel?
Eliza: Always my journal. Um, when I travel personally, my watercolor paints, that's my, of my personal passions that has less time in the global glimpse travel world. Um, and then always my running shoes. Um, I'm a runner less, less, uh, long distance than I used to be, but I've, I've had some of the most amazing experiences running, uh, while I'm traveling.
Christine: Thank you. Um, to Sojourn is to travel somewhere with the respect as if you live there. Um, where is somewhere that you would still love to sojourn?
Eliza: I just went to Brazil for the first time with my husband and I am enamored. I would love to sour all through. Brazil and I speak Spanish fluently, and I was very humbled by, uh, my inability to speak Portuguese. So I would love to learn Portuguese.
Christine: Yeah. Um, what do you eat that immediately connects you to a place you've been,
Eliza: Mm. Probably PPO says and Nicaragua and El Salvador. Um, I mean, just like the warmth, the music, the energy.
Christine: Um, who was a person that inspired or encouraged you to set out to travel the world?
Eliza: Hmm. Probably my mom. Um, my mom actually facilitated exchanges. She spoke Russian. Um, and all throughout my childhood, she, um, worked. Translating and supporting exchanges, um, between Russia and the Ukraine, the Baltic states. Um, so she was traveling like for weeks at a time when I was a kid, and it was just like, okay, mom's gone. Um, and my dad, you know, was a little bit less on top of things, so we got lots of treats and just mayhem when she was gone. But I would always, you know, it was like this. Whoa. Hmm. What, what is that like?
Christine: Yeah. I think, yeah, our kids seeing that just, they know it's possible. It doesn't seem as far reaching as, for me, it just even going felt like the first big, huge step. But for them it's just not, not like, could I go? It's like, where or how, but not like, could I, and so I love like kind of removing that layer of, of barrier.
Um, if you could take an adventure with one person, fictional or real, alive or past, who would it be?
Eliza: See, now you're asking me like, there's the one side personally Eliza and the other side like fundraising Eliza, who's like, I'd probably go spend a couple days with Brian Chesky. Um, 'cause I think we could do some amazing work together and his philanthropies aligned. Um, personally I'd probably go travel with Issa Rae.
I feel like she'd be so fun and she makes me laugh so much. And I know she loves to travel.
Christine: Um, okay. The last question, um, soul A Travel is a space for celebrating women in the tourism industry. Who is a woman that you would love to recognize in this space?
Eliza: Oh, I have so many here. Um,
Christine: I.
Eliza: Grant, former Chief Community Affairs Officer United. Um. And then I'll give also gratitude to Katie Briscoe, the CEO at MMGY. Brilliant, brilliant leader. Um, Carla Campos, of course, and Tanya Staples, my board chairs. And then Jennifer Dip Pasqua at Women Leading Travel and Hospitality. Her vision in the network she's built is incredible. Hannah de Mayo as well, the work she's done. Um, yeah, those are some names.
Christine: Yeah, I love a top 10 list. Maybe I'll have to get that from you to share in, in the, in the recap here. But yeah. Well, thank you so much for this conversation. Um, I'm, again, I'm so grateful for the connection and grateful just for the, the true soulful connection of this, um, conversation and being able to share it with our listeners today.
Eliza: Thank you so much for creating this space. And if you wanna learn more about Global Glimpse, it's www.global glimpse.org. We'd love to have you involved.
Christine: Yeah, thank you. And I'll have all the links in the show notes and on the website so people can find right where to go and find you. So I appreciate it.
Eliza: Thank you.
You can find me on Facebook at Lotus Sojourns on Facebook, or join the Lotus Sojourns Collective, our FB community, or follow me on Instagram either @lotussojourns or @souloftravelpodcast. Stay up to date by joining the Lotus Sojourns mailing list. I look forward to getting to know you and hopefully hearing your story.