A year ago, I sat with our board co-chairs in the Dominican Republic after visiting student delegations. We were sunburned, exhausted and inspired in the way that only comes from being deeply immersed in the work. Reflecting on the trip and the magic of this work, one truth kept rising to the surface: Global Glimpse is the best-kept secret in travel. The question now is how to share that secret with the world in a way that stays true to our mission and authentic to me as a leader.

What followed was a game-changing idea that is profoundly shaping the next stage of Global Glimpse. In theory, we set out to build an advisory board, but in practice, what we actually built is a Board of Champions, a group of cross-sector leaders aligned in purpose and positioned to unlock our next stage of impact. 

When we started to conceive of this group, I knew values had to be at the center. I wanted people who were in it for real. People who would answer a quick text, take a risk, tell the truth, open a door and genuinely show up for me as a leader in this work.

When I started building Global Glimpse, I had more passion than experience. I was young, naive and female. Some of that helped because I didn’t know “the way it’s always been done,” and some of it made the climb slower and so much harder. The models I saw early on were paternalistic and discouraging. They didn’t serve the executive or the mission. In 2018, after a harrowing few years of board division, I regrouped and gathered four women on my board. At that pivotal moment, we made a simple rule for our board culture moving forward: No assholes. It sounds funny, but it changed everything. This work is hard. Feedback and accountability are essential. Cruelty and ego are not.

The Shift: From Operational to External

Two years ago, I made a quiet decision. It was time to step out of the operational trenches and into a more external role. I needed to tell our story and invite people into the work. That scared me. I worried I would fail, that people wouldn’t care, that I wouldn’t raise what we needed to sustain and grow the work. Then I walked into the Women Leading Travel community and something profound shifted. The relationships, the listening, the shared ambition. I had never felt seen, accepted or celebrated in my work in this way. It was transformative.

One year later, I found myself at a Women’s CXO dinner at the Skift Global Forum listening to one of the authors of “The Broken Rung” speak about why women are not advancing in leadership.

I have done anything but take a traditional path to leadership, but I think so many of the lessons I’ve learned apply across the spectrum. The same risks, stretches and challenges that have propelled our work at Global Glimpse apply to elevating women in leadership across our industry. Put yourself out there. Find your champions. Seize opportunities that challenge you and make your work more visible. 

What I’ve Learned About Building Champions

Here is what building a Board of Champions has taught me about building champions for your leadership and your career.

  • Start with a real why. Values alignment is how you decide who gets your energy and who does not. I often say I am the 97th thing on a to-do list that never ends. My time with a champion needs to feel like the highlight of their day because it feeds their purpose. If it depletes them, something is off in the match or the moment.
  • Make it a two way street. People are generous, but they are rarely selfless. I try to be explicit about the value I can bring to my champions. A community, a sense of purpose, inspiration, hope, meaningful connection. A chance to mentor young people who remind them of themselves. A platform to share an idea that matters to them. Clarity creates trust.
  • Do your homework and make the ask. Tell your story. Share the dream and the next concrete step. Name why they are uniquely positioned to help. It took practice to put myself out there and it still makes my heart race sometimes. That is the good kind of nerves. Courage is a muscle.
  • Build a circle that reflects the world you want to create. We invited leaders from travel, education, technology and philanthropy. Different lenses lead to smarter ideas and more open doors. 
  • Protect the culture. High standards and high care. Direct conversations. Request and receive honest feedback with grace. Share your joy in the work. The culture is the product. If you hold it, it will hold you.
  • If you have something bold to share, keep sharing it. I started with a spreadsheet of dream champions. There were more than 100 names. I met with around 60 leaders in the first year and sent what felt like 1,000 follow ups. People are busy. It often took three emails and sometimes seven to get a reply. None of it was personal. 

The Results: A Growing Circle of Impact

Today, our Board of Champions is approaching 30 members and growing. They are cross-sector, uniquely skilled, and united by passion, dedication, and conviction for the future of an industry they love. These champions help us tell stories of transformation and open doors we could not open alone. They help guide our decisions and shape our strategy.

This is our vision for the future of travel. Travel is so much more than leisure or luxury. It is a classroom, a studio, a mirror and a bridge. Experiences are leading the narrative right now alongside AI for a reason. People want to feel, connect, learn and grow. 

Your Turn: A Framework for Action

If you are ready to level up in your leadership, my hope is that this framework gives you both courage and a starting point. Define your values and your vision. Name the three things you want to move this year. Write your dream list. Ask five people you admire for a short conversation each quarter. Follow up with care. Protect your culture. Measure progress in relationships, not only in metrics.

I did not have many role models for this kind of board-building when I started out. I found them by paying attention to what made me feel more myself as a leader. Women Leading Travel and Skift gave me access to rooms where the conversations were honest and generous. My own board members gave me the courage to try a different way.

The Board of Champions began as an awareness idea. It became a bet on leadership, mine included. As we approach our 10,000th student and build the next 10,000, I am more convinced than ever that champions do not arrive fully formed. We invite them, we learn from them, and we become champions in return.

To learn more about Global Glimpse and our newly launched Board of Champions visit www.globalglimpse.org and reach out if you’d like to get involved!