Portland.
Last week.
Good time as always.
✅ Saw Meaghan and Luke get married
✅ Took Kai and Juniper to our former home state, likely their last flight as lap infants
✅ Celebrated our eighth anniversary, technically on the flight, but eventually at Magna which had been on my radar forever
✅ Stopped Juniper from running into a desk then immediately face-checked the desk myself
✅ A couple nights out in Hood River
You probably know I believe in storytelling and creativity as a catalyst for change. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have given a TED Talk on it last month!
To put it simply, we’re shown devastating scenes and discouraging statistics too often, and the constant exposure isn’t neutral. It actually drives people to become more fatalistic and resigned to terrible outcomes. Stories that make solutions visible show us what can still be done, and why it must be done.
But I want to take this a step further. Instead of just telling people to tell stories, I want to help people tell them effectively. The things I’ve learned in my work come from all over the place. Behavioral psychology. Creative arts. Marketing and communications. Ecology. Activism. But I see so many patterns that connect and repeat and show us how to tell a story that can lead to change.
I’m adding The Creative Changemaker as an ongoing series on both my channel and newsletter feed. If you’re already signed up on either of those places, then you need to do nothing more! It’ll be a recurring series interspersed with my other work. If not… go on and sign up!
One of the most important lessons from my food tour of Bangladesh: don’t say no to tehari.
I love biryani. IYKYK. Crowd pleaser. But tehari? That’s biryani done the Bengali way… and I think that’s the way I like it most!
Most biryanis have an aggressive up front kick. I like a good spicy dish, but sometimes it can drown out other flavors, and flavors like the deep, savory mutton and spice in tehari? That’s stuff you don’t want to upstage too much.
Let’s have a bit of fun on here.
There’s this game people are playing of blindly ranking states they’d move to at random, without knowing what’s next. Then I saw a variation of the game where you create your own state based on aspects of others. Nature. Government. Sports. Etc.
Check out my hybrid state. What do you think?
We need an international version of this game, stat. I want Japan’s cuisine, India’s movie industry, Argentine football and Mediterranean work hours.
So often, when I think about deforestation, I think of greedy businesspeople with fat cigars and gold chains pointing towards the Amazon while dreaming of their next swim through a vault of cash. But that’s not always the case.
At least a third of the time… if not more… deforestation is driven by ordinary people trying to put food on the table for their families. In Burundi, charcoal was the most visible example of how this works.
Trees can be made into charcoal.
Charcoal brings in quick cash.
But the loss of trees drives soil erosion.
Soil erosion leads to food insecurity.
It’s a vicious cycle.
That’s why I don’t see climate action and development against poverty as separate streams. If you don’t pay attention to both, efforts only go so far.
I live 20 minutes from Mexico. I’ve lived in Italy and Argentina, and yet the most soccer-obsessed country I’ve been to just might be…
Bangladesh??
I visited around the time of the World Cup, and I saw more Brazilian and Argentine flags than Bangladeshi flags. Many of them were homemade, constructed out of available materials and pure passion for South America’s most popular national squads.
A few people had really deep explanations as to why rivalry plays an important role culturally, but I liked the simplest explanations best– most people’s parents grew up during the era of Pele and Maradonna and their kids inherited the passion as it was carried onwards by Neymar and Messi.
Also- the only layer I packed was my Argentina selection track jacket. TOTAL COINCIDENCE before I knew Bangladesh was like that about their football.
8 years marks the mango popsicle anniversary.
AKA the anniversary where there’s nothing you’d rather do at night than sit on a friend’s couch together eating mango popsicles since it was a loonnng day spent flying in to Portland with twins on your laps.
It’s amazing how much can happen in eight years. We’ve now filed married taxes eight times, finished four seasons of Manifest, and upgraded our dining plates. We mayyyy have done a few other things too!
Love you so much Deanna - the life we have together feels way too full to be real life, and yet it is.
Paan. Betel leaf.🍃Stuffed with candy, spices, chocolate syrup. Then lit on fire and shoved in your mouth.
Sounds good?
Apparently this snack is illegal! Or at least in a legal gray area.
I have a video dropping next week about the time I took a food tour of Old Dhaka. Really excited to put it out there so make sure you’re following along on the Tube and the newsletter.
Also, recognizing my room for growth here. If I’m gonna do this food and travel stuff on camera, I gotta go bigger with the reacts! 🫠 So stoic for having fire just put in my mouf.
Wish I could give everybody this moment of wonder right here.
The ocean sometimes feels like a whole different world. Then you remember that it’s very much a part of our world and that no matter how much you travel or learn, you only really know a very small corner of that world.
I’ve been to plenty of mom-and-pop restaurants proudly displaying framed photos and newspaper clippings of the time Obama paid them a visit.
I’ve also been to plenty with the signed Guy Fieri cookie sheet, indicating a feature on Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives.
But what carries more weight?
I decided to rank some of the restaurants I’d been to decide if I’d rather have a food itinerary planned by the former POTUS, or the Mayor of Flavortown.
“Good night. I love you.”
“I love you too… because you’re squishy.”
Fatherhood is so flattering.
Then there was also the time Rhys decided to reply to me saying “I love you” with a sudden “My name’s Rhys!”
You three…
Biggest adventures of my life right here. Thanks for making everyday a mashup of a miracle and an Animaniacs episode.
Crowded. Dusty. Packed.
People tend to use the same words over and over when talking about the city of Dhaka. And they’re not wrong. It is all those things. And distinctions like being the most polluted city don’t exactly make it seem like the most appealing destination.
But like most places, I refused to believe that was all there is to the city until I got there. And sure enough, I found a city at the heart of a country on the rise. One making unprecedented moves against poverty in such a short span of time. A place that holds the promise of opportunity, along with the pains of lost opportunity due to climate change.
It’s hard to do justice to the complicated capital that is Dhaka without simply going one story at a time. Talking to people. Learning how they got there. It’s what I do.
Filipinos are everywhere! Which means? I can find Filipino food almost anywhere I go.
That included Vienna, Austria where I got to enjoy a night out exploring by going to Lolo & Lola out in District 6. I loved this place. The concept of an adobo schnitzel just makes sense. And the calamansi spritz was IT.
The most fun part for me was talking with the staff in a hybrid of English-German-and-Tagalog. No need to speak them perfectly if you can switch tracks as you go.
Oh man, where do I even begin?? This past weekend was amazing, gratifying, and surreal.
Getting to give a TED Talk about storytelling as a force for change was an experience I’ll always smile about. So many people to thank.
First, the TEDx San Diego family. What a diverse, dynamic, and exciting crew to be a part of… can’t wait to see where all your journeys go from here. To Audrey Jacobs in particular for encouraging me to apply after my CreativeMornings talk and pouring a TON of love into this TED chapter… Invitation is your superpower! From the field trips to the speaker dinners, the whole thing was like a love letter to San Diego and the global reach of this city. Also to Jami, for all the speaker coaching, Amy for the marketing, and Olivia for all the support.
THEN… to the people of Burundi, Tanzania, Haiti, Bangladesh, Thailand, and all the other places that were referenced in my talk or influenced my work. This was your stage. Especially Enos and Antwan in Mutsindozi. The world needs to hear your stories. I really mean that. Your posture towards confronting daunting challenges is what we all need to learn from. I don’t take for granted your generosity and vulnerability in storytelling.
Finally, lots of love and thanks to everyone who streamed in, texted me kindness throughout the day, and supported me. Especially to my mom for looking after the littles so Deanna could spend the day in TED Town, and to @deanna.suzanna for unwavering support and keeping three kids alive while I was in Africa getting the stories I shared on stage!
Video should be published in several weeks. Best believe I’ll be sharing!
Event photos: @summerkias_photo_design
Hair & Makeup: @frangeli.na
Let’s talk about Bohol.
The smaller island across from Cebu is a beloved destination in the Philippines, and its appeal is fairly obvious. This place is teeming with natural wonders. The coastline gives you access to white sand beaches and coral reefs, and going to the heart of the island takes you to the Chocolate Hills, one of the Philippines’ natural wonders. You’ve got tarsiers and whale sharks and plenty to do.
Having actual family ties to the Philippines means I haven’t really gotten around to some of the big things that attract international visitors, and that’s always felt funny when I would hear people rave about their experiences. I really knew I needed to shift that, so on my most recent visit to the Philippines, I added Bohol to the itinerary.
The kids and I had a great time. BUT, there was a lot I didn’t expect. Like how curated the Bohol experience tended to be. I tried processing that encounter with the reality of ecotourism.
Tarsiers.
These guys are some quirky creatures.
Tiny primates that still might snack on a bat every now and then. Big bug eyes. Only found in Southeast Asia, with this particular lineage being unique to the Philippines.
Trying to find respectful animal encounters abroad can be challenging and tricky, but my kids are at a golden age for learning about all the different creatures we share our planet with. And suggestions of spots you’ve loved and felt good about?
This time last year I took Daniel on a surprise trip to Toronto and it quickly became one of my favorite cities.
I love that you have nature at your fingertips in pretty much every direction. There were some amazing city parks that I’d love to bring the kids to the next time I visit. I can put up with the cold and it’s otherwise a great spot for spending lots of time outdoors.
There were so many things to do for fun around the city. And a lot of good eats. So much food. If you’ve seen the video I made, you know that in one weekend we were able to taste food from 17 different cuisines.
Of course the reason why Toronto’s food scene is so good is related to my favorite thing about the city. It’s one of the most multicultural hot spots. It kind of felt like a place where I had a portal to just about anywhere else on Earth, and I love cities that feel that way.
It’s June! And there’s a lot I’m looking forward to. Starting with my TED Talk in just two weeks.
One of the stories I’ll be sharing about is Antwan’s. I tell a lot of success stories of people working on climate solutions and resilience, but Antwan’s isn’t one of those stories. I met him because I saw he was burning trees to turn into charcoal and I saw the smoke from the roadside.
Every three years he cuts down all the trees around him for more charcoal.
I share this encounter though, because his reasons for doing so were simply to feed his family. This was the only activity he’s found that could bring in adequate cash when needed. It was a reminder to me that not everybody involved in deforestation is a greedy honcho with a cigar and gold chain. They’re out there, I’m sure. But the more we can humanize each other and understand causes, effects, and motivations, the more effective our solutions will be.
I have an upcoming TED Talk on how storytelling can be a force for change. So I really believe that, right?
For sure. But one thing I struggle with is how romantic the word “storytelling” comes across. I wonder how many people overlook its power, dismissing it as simply pulling up to the town square yelling “gather round, gather round, let me tell you a tale!”
Obviously, what I’m talking about is something bigger than that… though it can definitely include some classic oral storytelling.
Our actions have an impact. They always do. Hell, our inaction has an impact too.
But what guides the way we act? Our understanding of the world, which is shaped by the stories we tell.
On the global scale, you can see how things unfolding in Ukraine, Palestine, or Ethiopia are all related to clashing stories people tell about whose land is whose.
But you’ve probably experienced this on an individual scale, too. Reframe the story you tell yourself about a breakup, your parents, or the place you live, and the way you respond to it changes as well.
One of the most powerful ways to change the world is to change the stories you tell about it.
