Award-winning journalist and cultural strategist Lebawit Lily Girma brings 15 years of frontline experience helping media organizations, as well as tourism boards, corporate brands, and global companies navigate complex cultural landscapes.

Drawing from her deep expertise in the tourism industry—where cultural sensitivity and community engagement are paramount—she applies these insights to help organizations across sectors as well as individual entrepreneurs build authentic relationships and avoid costly cultural missteps.

After trading her law office for a digital nomad life, she’s become a leading voice on conscious and sustainable tourism practices, with her work appearing in Bloomberg News, National Geographic Traveler, BBC Travel, Skift, AFAR and Condé Nast Traveler.

Born in Ethiopia, raised in West Africa, educated in the UK and US, and embedded in Caribbean communities for over 15 years from her bases in the Dominican Republic and Belize, Lily understands cross-cultural dynamics from multiple perspectives—as a storyteller, community member and cultural bridge-builder. Speaking four languages and drawing from her multicultural background, she helps clients navigate cultural complexities authentically while building meaningful partnerships with diverse communities and stakeholders.

Her consulting work spans tourism boards, hospitality brands, international corporations, media organizations, and academic institutions including George Washington University, providing branded content, cultural strategy development, curriculum design, and authentic storytelling frameworks that respect both business objectives and community values.

As a sought-after speaker and coach, she helps leaders and organizations develop culturally intelligent communication strategies that address systemic inequities while creating sustainable business practices.

Her approach combines journalistic rigor with deep cultural insight and legal analytical skills, ensuring organizations can grow sustainably while preserving and respecting the communities they engage with.

Whether working in tourism, international business, or cross-cultural communications, Lily connects cultural heritage preservation with sustainable business practices, helping reshape how organizations think about community-centered growth that creates real impact.