The Wanderful Resident Experts program was created to bring in the most top-notch, accomplished, and travel enthused experts to inspire and inform our members. There are 12 experts with expertise ranging from blogging for brands to travel planning on a budget.
Members will see familiar faces such as Phylecia Jones who is a TEDx Speaker, TV Money Expert, & Founder of a business that helps public speakers book gigs called iFind You Close.
As well as new faces such as award-winning travel photographer & writer Yulia Denisyuk whose work has been published in Nat’l Geographic, BBC Travel, Conde Nast Traveler & more will help members improve their photography and get published in travel media.
Virtual event topics include travel hacking a bucket list trip in 2022, how to rack up a million points & miles to travel the world for free, creating meaningful connections during travels, what’s a legit brand deal, tons of travel planning ideas, and more.
Resident Experts will also answer and give tips and info. on member posts in the portal.
We encourage members to submit their event topic ideas here. Without further ado, let’s meet our new experts.
Meet our new resident experts!
Yulia Denisyuk
Yulia Denisyuk is an award-winning travel photographer and writer who turned to travel journalism after working as a US Navy Sailor and a Fortune 500 brand manager. Yulia’s work appears in National Geographic Traveller, Conde Nast Traveler, BBC Travel, Lonely Planet, and more.
For past assignments, she’s shared a roof with nomads in Mongolia, traced the origins of Iznik tiles with artisans in Turkey, and learned the art of imigongo with artist collectives in Rwanda. Yulia is a founder of NOMⴷD + JULES, a small-group travel company with trips to the Middle East and North Africa. She also runs Genius Womxn, a platform for womxn in travel media.
Phylecia Jones
Phylecia Jones is a two-time TEDx speaker, former national TV financial contributor for Daily Blast Live, women in STEM advocate, co-host of the Humans Exhaust Me podcast, and Founder of iFind You Close helping hundreds research and leverage public speaking to market their business or travel the world.
Lottie Reeves
Lottie Reeves is an advocate for mental health and wellbeing, soulful alignment, and imperfection. Lottie cheerleads, motivates, and supports “Big Dreamers” using her superpower to enable them to live life to the beat of their own drum.
Sophia Hyder Hock
Sophia Hyder Hock is the Founder and CEO of Papilia, a company committed to improving diversity, equity, and inclusion practices for destinations, travel organizations, travel media outlets, and content creators.
As an international yoga and mindfulness meditation instructor and yoga life coach, Sophia incorporates wellness ideologies into all her professional projects as a holistic way to inspire people to be their best selves through life’s many challenges.
Her mindfulness sessions integrate emotional trauma and healing modalities and have inspired people to find the clarity and confidence to pursue their wildest dreams. Learn about Sophia and her wellness services, follow her journey on Instagram, and sign up for her 14-day virtual self-care retreat.
Jen Ruiz
Jen Ruiz is a lawyer turned full-time travel blogger and author. She is a 5-time #1 Amazon bestseller and 2-time Readers’ Favorite Award winner. Jen is a 3-time TEDx speaker and has been featured by The Washington Post, Forbes, and ABC News.
“Jet Set Lisette” Austin
Lisette Austin, a.k.a Jet Set Lisette, is a travel podcaster and award-winning travel expert. She hosts the award-winning Globetrotter Lounge Podcast, interviewing women who have found creative ways to travel more. Lisette has been teaching workshops on earning miles and points since 2013 and created the online course Jet Set 101: Becoming a Travel Hacker.
She has saved over 110K in travel costs, and always has over a million miles and points at her disposal. She is currently working on a new podcast project about DNA travel. Follow along via her monthly audio newsletter, Instagram, and/or Twitter.
Wanderful is an international community of globally-minded women who love to travel. Learn more about membership right here.
Jamie Lieberman
Jamie Lieberman, owner, and founder of Hashtag Legal has been a practicing lawyer for 16 years. As an experienced entrepreneur, Jamie understands the unique needs of business owners at different stages in their organization’s growth.
Today, she partners with clients across verticals including influencer marketing, creative services, and e-commerce. She has a deep commitment to making legal accessible and regularly speaks about legal matters, the art of negotiation, and entrepreneurial topics at leading industry events such as Alt Summit, Podcast Movement, and FinCon and as an expert source for media like Digiday and Forbes.
Karisma Shackelford
Karisma is a named change maker by Business Insider Magazine, Featured in Forbes, US Reporter, Los Angeles Sentinel, Travel Noire, and more. With a vision almost as grand as the world we live in, Karisma is committed to inspiring today’s generations to live out their abundant and limitless lives with purpose and while on that journey to unite as the human race and live in color through her company Color Me World, a lifestyle, travel, and empowerment community.
Leticia Barr
Leticia is an award-winning technology, education, and parenting blogger who founded TechSavvyMama and teaches middle school computer science. She has combined her knowledge of child development, psychology, education, tech, and parenting to provide useful advice for families about digital parenting topics since 2008.
Leticia was awarded the 2020 Iris Award® for Mom Blog of the Year and is the 2018 Iris Awards® winner for Philanthropic Work of the Year for her work in Haiti.
Leticia lives with her family in the Washington, D.C. area where she unplugs to spend time with her husband, 2 teens, their overly enthusiastic Golden Retriever Labrador rescue, and their growing flock of backyard chickens.
Think you have what it takes to be a Wanderful Resident Expert, apply here!
Natasha Amar
Natasha Amar is a freelance writer, content creator, and travel blogger behind TheBohoChica. She works with destinations from around the world to tell stories of adventure travel, food & culture. Her writing and photography have appeared in Marriott Bonvoy Traveler, National Geographic UK, Whetstone Magazine, SilverKris, Departures, Forbes Travel Guide, Waldorf Astoria Magazine, and more.
As a third-culture kid, Natasha found her sense of purpose in the world through solo travel, & encourages all women to try it.
Abbie Synan
Abbie Synan is a freelance writer and travel blogger who is passionate about seeing the world as sustainably as possible. She thrives on the art of storytelling while amplifying other’s voices and continually questioning how we move through this world. She firmly believes that there is always a way to have that daring adventure and be a better traveler at the same time.
Dr. Nadeen White
“Travel Blogger by Day, Physician by Night.” Dr.White has been practicing medicine for over 20 years and is also the creator & editor of the award-winning travel blog The Sophisticated Life that covers travel, food & wine.
Looking for travel inspiration? Wanderful is a global community for travel-loving women. Connect with us!
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