Evita Turquoise Robinson shares her story of how a transformative trip to France for a film workshop would change her life trajectory and set her on a path to live in Japan, Thailand and beyond. She opens up about her experience being the only Black person in a small Japanese town teaching English but how some of the cultural exchanges with her students had a lasting impact on the rest of her life. Evita then shares the tragedy of losing one of her best friends in a motorcycle accident, but how she gained a guardian angel and permission to pursue her dreams. She explains the intensity of “reverse culture shock” when she returned to The Bronx, and how she founded NOMADNESS Travel Tribe to create the community that she needed of like-minded travelers of color. Evita shares her entrepreneurial journey of growing NOMADNESS into a business with multiple streams of income, all while creating a supportive community for Black and Brown travelers and challenging under-representation in the travel industry. She explains the importance of Black travel spaces, as well as the importance of acknowledging “intersectionality” around age, disability, gender and sexual orientation, and providing a platform for discussing diverse experiences within the Black travel community. Evita then talks about launching “Audacity Fest” as an in-person gathering for travelers of color before successfully pivoting to a virtual format as “Audacity Digi” after COVID-19. She also shares her experience in the TED Residency and what it was like giving the first TED Talk on the Black Travel Movement. And finally, Evita offers suggestions on how white people can be better allies. FULL SHOW NOTES AVAILABLE AT: www.TheMaverickShow.com
Episode #96: Founding NOMADNESS Travel Tribe for Black and Brown World-Travelers with Evita Turquoise Robinson
Episode Summary
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About the Guest
Evita Turquoise Robinson
Evita Turquoise Robinson is a location independent entrepreneur, author, TED speaker, TV/video producer, and founder of NOMADNESS Travel Tribe, an online social community primarily for travelers of color. Founded in 2011, NOMADNESS was the first of its kind targeting black and brown millennials, in the newly coined ‘Black travel movement’, and today has over 24,000 international members. NOMADNESS also hosts the bi-annual AUDACITY Fest–an immersive experience that celebrates and creates a safe space for discussions centered around traveling the world as a person of color. Since COVID-19, the festival has pivoted to a virtual format, with “AUDACITY Digi” Festivals now attracting over 500 virtual attendees from 20+ countries. Evita has garnered partnerships with top brands and destinations around the world and has also partnered with the Emmy-Nominated Issa Rae from HBO’s “Insecure” to co-produce The NOMADNESS Project Web Series on YouTube. Evita has been featured in The New York Times, Travel + Leisure, Ebony, Essence, as well as on CNN and MSNBC. She is a Board Member of Conde Nast Traveler’s ‘Women Who Travel’ initiative and was invited to the White House under the Obama Administration for their meeting of the “World’s Creative Change Makers”. She was named one of Entrepreneur Magazine’s “50 Most Daring Entrepreneurs” and was named one of National Geographic’s “21 Most Visionary Women Throughout Travel History”.
What You'll Learn
- The impact of NOMADNESS as a community for Black and Brown world-travelers
- How to use an artistic and creative lens to succeed as an entrepreneur
- How to build a business based on serving an under-represented demographic
Links From the Episode
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GET TICKETS TO THE NEXT “AUDACITY DIGI” FEST
JOIN THE NOMADNESS TRAVEL TRIBE FACEBOOK GROUP
READ EVITA’S ARTICLE IN CONDE NAST TRAVELER
WATCH EVITA’S TED TALK
#1 BOOK EVITA RECOMMENDS
OTHER BOOK MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
TV SERIES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
WINES CONSUMED DURING THIS EPISODE
LOCATION WHERE THE INTERVIEW TOOK PLACE
#1 PERSON EVITA WOULD LIKE TO HAVE DINNER WITH
EVITA’S TOP 3 FAVORITE TRAVEL DESTINATIONS
EVITA’S TOP 3 BUCKET LIST DESTINATIONS
OTHER PLACES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
- Bordeaux, France
- Paris, France
- Jamaica
- Niigata, Japan
- Tokyo, Japan
- Korea
- New York
- South Africa
- Spain
- Chiang Mai, Thailand
EVITA’S TOP 5 HIP HOP MC’s OF ALL TIME
CONTACT EVITA AND FOLLOW NOMADNESS
Time Stamped Show Notes
[5:05] Evita’s Upbringing and Initial Interest in Travel
- Growing up in Poughkeepsie, New York
- Studying TV/Video Production
- Hearing her friends talk about International travel
- Making a commitment to herself to travel internationally
- Graduating college and delivering the commencement speech
[10:03] The Transformative Impact of Moving to Paris after College
- Choosing to take a New York Film Academy Workshop in Paris
- Sharing a one-bed flat with her high-school friend in Paris
- Evita’s love affair with the City of Paris
- Producing the best film in her program
- Journaling in front of the Eiffel Tower
- Returning to New York and moving to The Bronx
- Freelancing for TV shows
- Choosing to travel the world.
[18:51] Moving to Niigata, Japan to Teach English
- Being the only Black person in a small Japanese town
- Working 3 Jobs in Japan
- Teaching in Japan during Obama’s election.
- Cross-cultural experiences with her Japanese students
- The lasting impact that Japanese culture had on Evita
[31:30] Losing One of Her Best Friends in a Motorcycle Accident
- How his life inspired and motivated Evita
- Gaining a guardian angel and permission to pursue her dreams
[36:59] Moving to Chiang Mai, Thailand
- Being Cast in a Reality Travel Show
- Teaching English in Chiang Mai
- Catching Dengue Fever
- Reverse Culture Shock upon returning to The Bronx
[40:03] Founding NOMADNESS Travel Tribe
- Creating the travel community that she needed at the time
- Noticing the under-representation of Black people in the travel industry
- Attracting experienced Black world travelers to NOMADNESS
- Organizing International and Domestic Group Trips
- Building a Business Catering to an Under-Served Demographic
- Changing the Scope of the Industry
[48:33] Audacity Fest and Making the Digital Pivot
- Audacity Fest as an in-person gathering for travelers of color
- Virtually pivoting post-COVID-19 to Audacity Digi festivals
[52:50] Intersectionality within the Black Travel Community
[53:39] The Importance of Black Travel Spaces
[55:08] Evita’s TED Residency and Preparing for her TED Talk
[58:30] Evita’s TED Talk on The Black Travel Movement
- The history of Black travel safety
- How NOMADNESS fits into the historical lineage of The Green Book
- The 2020 International “ABC Green Book”
[1:02:41] Challenging the Under-Representation of People of Color in the Travel Industry
- Exposing the racial pay gap between White and Black travel influencers
- The impact of the global Black Lives Matter protests in 2020
[1:06:15] How White People can be Better Allies
[1:08:32] Evita’s Entrepreneurship, Creativity and Innovation
- Being an artist and using a creative lens towards business
- Diversifying streams of income
- Building the right team
[1:11:54] Evita’s Ideal Lifestyle Design
[1:13:00] The Lightning Round
- #1 Book Recommendation
- Top Travel Hack
- #1 Person with whom Evita would most like to have dinner
- Top 3 Favorite Travel Destinations
- Top 3 Bucket List Destinations
- Top 5 Hip Hop MCs of All Time
[1:16:22] Contact Evita
- Join NOMADNESS Travel Tribe
- Follow NOMADNESS Travel Tribe
- Get Tickets to Audacity Digi Festival
