In this episode, Christine hosts a soulful conversation with Lebawit Lily Girma, an Ethiopian-American freelance travel journalist specializing in sustainable tourism and storytelling from both consumer and business perspectives. Lily contributes to various travel publications, primarily Bloomberg Pursuits, and her writing and photography have been published over the years in BBC, CNN, Skift, National Geographic Traveller UK, Travel & Leisure, Conde Nast Traveler, and Sierra, among others. Lily ditched her Washington, DC law office in 2008 to follow her passion for storytelling and social impact through sustainable tourism. She hasn’t looked back since and splits her time between Maryland and the Dominican Republic, where she has family on both ends.Lily recently launched Tourism Lens, a hub for travelers and travel industry members to gather around ideas to center nature and host communities as key beneficiaries of travel. Christine and Lily discuss:Transitioning from law to travel writingEarly career decisions and writing for travel guidebooksCurating stories mindfully and sustainablyThe effects of the global pandemic on conversations in travelThe work of Tourism Lens in sharing diverse perspectives and solutions from tourism advocates and leaders from all parts of the travel industryJoin Christine now for this soulful conversation with Lebawit Lily Girma.?​​​​​​​​To read our episode blog post, access a complete transcript, see full show notes, and find resources and links mentioned in this episode, head to the Soul of Travel Website. LOVE these soulful conversations? We rely on listener support to produce our podcast! Make a difference by making a donation to Lotus Sojourns on PayPal.  Are you a Soul of Travel subscriber? Click here to subscribe to Apple Podcasts, so you don’t miss the latest episodes!Listener reviews help expand our reach and help us rise up the ranks! Rate and review your favorite episodes on Apple Podcasts or your preferred podcast app.?​​​​​​​​To learn more about Tourism Lens, visit the website!Read Lebawit Lebawit Lily Girma’s Bloomberg articles here.Find Moon Travel Guides here.Connect with Lebawit Lebawit Lily Girma on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Instagram, or follow Tourism Lens on Instagram!Looking for ways to be a part of the Lotus Sojourns community? Learn more here!Find Lotus Sojourns on Facebook, or join the Lotus Sojourns Collective, our FB community for like-hearted women.Follow us on Instagram: @lotussojourns and @souloftravelpodcast.Credits. Christine Winebrenner Irick (Host, creator, editor). Lebawit Lily Girma (Guest). Original music by Clark Adams. Editing, production, and content writing by Carly Oduardo.Support the show