In a time shaped by rapid change and constant headlines, this conversation invites us to pause, to listen, and to look beyond perception into lived experience.

My guest, Rihab Abouzaki, is an advertising strategist and Director of This N That Communications. She works at the intersection of culture, business, and global storytelling. Moving between the United States and the Gulf region, she brings a perspective rooted not just in strategy, but in humanity.

Together we explore the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), made up of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman, a region often viewed from a distance, yet deeply layered and evolving.

We talk about what daily life actually feels like right now. About safety, continuity, and the quiet resilience found in ordinary moments, with good people going to work, families gathering, and communities caring for one another even while living near uncertainty.

We also step into the spirit of the UAE through places like Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, Dubai Frame, and the Museum of the Future, spaces that reflect both imagination and identity, honoring tradition while leaning boldly into what’s next.

This conversation moves beyond headlines into something more human. It’s about perception and reality, about connection in times of tension, and about the small, meaningful ways people continue to show up for one another.

It’s a reminder that travel can be more than movement and become an understanding, a bridge between worlds, and a way of seeing each other more clearly.

A must listen!

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

There’s something quietly extraordinary unfolding in Italy, inside museums, churches, and hidden archives where history has long rested in silence.

For centuries, luminous works of art created by women were tucked away, overlooked, or forgotten. Not because they lacked brilliance, but because their stories were never fully told. And still, they remained, waiting, holding their place in time.

Today, that silence is beginning to lift.

In this episode of Speaking of Travel, we’re joined by Jane Adams, co-founder and CEO of Artemisia Gold, and Susan Glimcher, whose work is helping to gently return these artists, and their voices, back into the world.

As Jane shares, “It feels less like discovering something new, and more like listening… as if these women have been speaking all along, and we are finally quiet enough to hear them.”

Together, they reflect on the beauty and emotion of restoration, not just of paintings, but of presence. Of stories re-emerging. We also explore the enduring legacy of Artemisia Gentileschi, whose life and work continue to resonate so deeply today, reminding us of the strength and resilience of women throughout history.

This is more than art. It’s a return. A remembering. A quiet but undeniable shift in how we see, and who we choose to see, when we look at history. And now, as this movement grows, Italy opens its doors and invites you to step into these stories and witness history alive again.

Ciao! Ciao!

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Sometimes it’s not one big moment that shapes us, but a series of experiences that quietly stay, like traveling far from home at a young age, listening to stories passed down at the kitchen table, beginning to understand that where we come from carries more meaning over time.

In this episode, I’m joined by Yoon Kim, a journalist, storyteller, and event producer whose work is grounded in curiosity and connection. His path has taken him across cultures and continents, but what stands out most is how he listens for the nuance, the history, and the humanity inside every story.

We talk about his early travels with his father to places that felt both distant and eye-opening, and how those experiences shaped not just his worldview, but the kinds of questions he asks today in his journalism. There’s a depth to the way Yoon approaches storytelling, a sense that the real story is often just beneath the surface.

At the center of our conversation are his grandparents and their work with the White Lamb textile factory, where fleeced cotton was first commercialized in the 50's. What begins as a story about innovation unfolds into a reflection on resilience, creativity, and the quiet influence of a life lived with purpose.

Yoon also leads the Outdoor Media Summit, a gathering that brings together journalists, creators, and brands in the outdoor industry. We explore how his work in the industry continues to evolve, and why creating space for meaningful storytelling feels more important than ever.

This is a conversation about paying attention to the stories that shape us, and recognizing their value while we’re still close enough to hold onto them.

Only on Speaking of Travel!

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.