Lola has photographed and dispatched from 70+ countries for various publications. She is the 2018 Travel Photographer of the Year Bill Muster Award recipient.   In addition to contributing to several books, she is the author of the following books – 2018 Lowell Thomas Award winner for best travel book, DUE NORTH, & bestselling LAGOM: Swedish Secret of Living Well available in 18 foreign language editions.    Lola has been recognised with multiple awards and nominations for her work, including a Pushcart Prize nomination, and was honoured with a MIPAD 100 (Most Influential People of African Descent) Award within media and culture in 2018.    Lola owns and runs Geotraveler Media – a multimedia and travel consulting agency providing a spectrum of travel media-related services.   Listen to Lola now on the Tough Girl Podcast!!   New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every Tuesday and Thursday at 7am UK time - Make sure you hit the subscribe button so you don’t miss out.    The Tough Girl Podcast is sponsorship and ad free thanks to the monthly financial support of patrons. To find out more about supporting your favourite podcast and becoming a patron please check out www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast.   Show notes Being a visual story teller Getting into photography by accident Becoming a travel photographer  Growing up in Nigeria  What her childhood was like Her passion for exploring culture Moving to the USA for college Deciding to switch careers into the travel industry Coming from a travelling family Getting into solo travel Being a slow traveller and finding her own rhythm with travel Making the transition from a corporate job to following her passion Volunteering with an eco organisation in Fiji in 2002 Putting a plan in place Volunteering with the Swedish Red Cross  Figuring out what type of photographer she wanted to be  Getting your photos published in places like the National Geographic  Needing to create a story of the place Having a visual voice What’s the best thing that could happen Overcoming challenging situations while travelling as a Black women What adventure means to Lola  2018 Lowell Thomas Award winner for best travel book, DUE NORTH The North Pole Dream TedX Talk - The power of asking why not  Why not Being disappointed with friends  Needing to have different types of friends  Being an optimistic idealist  Making the decision to move to Sweden The secrets of living well Being impacted by Covid 19 Advice for women who want to get into the travel industry Why you need to find your own niche Dealing with the cold weather GeoTravelMedia - Exploring culture through food, tradition, and lifestyles Final words of advice to motivate and inspire you     Social Media  Websites - https://akinmade.com    www.geotravelermedia.com - Exploring culture through food, tradition, and lifestyles    Twitter - @LolaAkinmade    Instagram - @LolaAkinmade    Facebook - @GeotravelersNiche