So many of them! A big part of my time at the radio station involved going out and getting “man on the street” interviews for upcoming radio shows. I learned to talk to a wide variety of people and that served me so well in my career as a public radio producer where I was in charge of booking guests for shows.

These days, I’ve been going door to door campaigning and finding the experience similar! I’m listening to everyone and asking people about their most important issues.

Spending time abroad has been one of the greatest gifts of my life. It broadened my mind, shifted my perspective and fed my curiosity. Sometimes when you’re in a new place, you have to ask a lot of questions to find your way. But really, the ability to ask questions turned out to be the core of my career!

It had a very strong influence! After interning for the radio station in Cape Town, I actually ended up working for their office in New York City. I helped work on grant applications and other special projects for their stateside operations.

I left to pursue a dream opportunity at NPR, where I spent a year as a production assistant on the news show Morning Edition working for a host named Renee Montagne, who had spent a good part of the 90’s reporting in…South Africa! So that was an immediate bonding point for us.

After that I spent eight years as a producer and editor at KCRW, a flagship public radio station in Southern California.

After my internship, I stayed true to my radio roots for a long time!