The Conscious Travel Storyteller Mastermind

Description

This is your invitation to join the beta cohort of The Conscious Travel Storyteller, a live 6-week writing workshop for writers, content creators and tourism changemakers.

Whether you’re pitching publications, building your platform, or telling your community’s story—this experience will teach you how to:

• Write travel stories that honor culture and place instead of extracting from it
• Pitch stories that get published (and paid for)
• Use storytelling to spark reflection, connection and change

This is storytelling for impact, taught by someone who’s done it for 15 years, while living across multiple countries and earning awards and bylines in top outlets.

It’s everything you need to transform your travel and lived experiences into stories that connect, inspire and empower places and people—and get you paid premium rates.

Why I Created This Workshop

When I first started writing about the places I was visiting and living in—the cultural moments, the people and lessons—I didn’t see stories that reflected my experience which was multicultural, layered, and rooted in lived connection. Most travel content felt flat or disconnected from the realities on the ground. The nuance was missing.

So I built my journalism career doing the opposite—telling stories with care, grounded in real people, histories and impact. From Jamaica to Belize to the Dominican Republic, I learned how to tell the truth—and get paid doing it, while living abroad.

After 15+ years in this space (from law to full-time travel journalism at Bloomberg and Skift), I created The Conscious Travel Storyteller to give others the framework I wish I had: a system to write with purpose, pitch with confidence and share stories with cultural integrity.

This six-week live intensive is for writers, creators, NGO communicators and tourism changemakers who want to go deeper—telling stories that resonate, open minds and grow their platform, influence and income.

Because the most common things I hear are:

• “I want to write stories that matter—but don’t know where to start.”
• “I don’t know how to increase my visibility and influence through my writing!”
• “I don’t know how to pitch these types of stories or get published.”
• “I suffer from impostor syndrome.”
• “How do I describe what I’m experiencing without perpetuating stereotypes?”

That’s why I created this course. It’s what I wish existed when I was starting out—and the one I now teach to help others write ethically, pitch confidently and get seen for their full voice and value.

So, what if your travel writing helped transform how others see it?

Imagine If You Could:
✅ Create ethical travel stories that spark engagement and real connection
✅ Turn your meaningful experiences into powerful, conscious content
✅ Write stories that attract readers, editors, and brands who value impact
✅ Share your voice with confidence — and know it shapes how people travel

 And Maybe You’ve Also Had:
❌ Meaningful experiences you aren’t sure how to turn into compelling content for your platform
❌ Writing that doesn’t draw conscious consumers or brands quickly enough
❌ Feeling like your voice doesn’t matter or battling impostor syndrome
❌ A desire to get into more publications with your ethical travel stories
❌ A dream of being in community with like-minded folks who care about the places we visit and our impact on them

You’re most likely in the right place. But read on to make sure!

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🔍 Who This Is For 

• A writer or content creator/blogger struggling to stand out with ethical, meaningful stories
• A solopreneur in tourism who wants to build narratives around place and people
• A digital nomad or retiree abroad who wants to write beyond “Top 10” lists and respectfully write about place
• 
  Someone who wants to write with purpose—and get published doing it or grow an influential platform that draws revenue

 

Note that if you have zero writing experience (meaning you’ve never written for yourself or have zero ability to write, this would not be the course for you so email me for other options! 

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What You Get 

Why this isn’t your average storytelling course:

• This is a live, interactive cohort via Zoom
• You’ll get direct feedback and honest guidance, no fluff, no judgment
• You’ll walk away with a story and pitch, not just ideas
• We go deep on ethical, conscious, culture-rooted storytelling—built from real world publishing experience

Live 6-Week Training Series (via Zoom)

• One session per week (recordings included)
• Practical exercises, including writing and pitching
• Direct feedback from me

The 7-Step Conscious Storytelling Framework

• My proven guide to writing place-rooted, ethical stories

Pitch & Story Critique  

• You’ll draft a pitch as part of your weekly work and I’ll review each submission with comments, suggestions, and improvement strategies. Your colleagues will be free to share feedback as well. This is super fun when you’re working closely with like-minded people!

Bonus Pitch Samples  

• Actual email examples with successful pitches (this alone is worth it if you’ve never pitched)
  

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🗓️ Weekly Breakdown

Week 1: Story with Purpose
Define your ‘why,’ align your story with your values, and understand what makes a story resonate.

Week 2: Place & Power
Learn how to research cultural context, recognize red flags and write from a more informed, inclusive lens. Learn my 7-step framework for ethical storytelling that honors people, culture, and place.

Week 3: Structuring Stories That Resonate
Craft powerful leads, narrative flow, and anchoring in place and voice that draws readers in.

Week 4: Generating Impactful Story Ideas
Learn how to find, shape, source stories that go beyond the obvious—and get editors’ attention. From idea to first draft.

Week 5: Pitching It Like You Mean It 
Learn how to pitch editors, write effective subject lines, and get past the “no response” void. Even if you don’t pitch, you can use this method to shape your content.

Week 6: Monetizing & Building Momentum
Explore income paths—freelance, partnerships, or your own platform—and how to grow your storytelling career sustainably.   

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👉🏾What You’ll Walk Away With 

✅ A proven story framework that hooks readers from the first line
✅ A draft of a conscious, culturally grounded travel story for your platform
✅ A sample pitch ready to send, plus confidence to pitch editors, ethical brands, or clients
✅ Clarity on your storytelling voice and purpose
✅ Templates and tools to grow your visibility, income, and platform
✅  A supportive cohort to hold you accountable and overcome impostor syndrome 

📅 Dates 

• Live cohort starts: September 17, 2025 (TBC)
• Duration: 6 weeks, 1hr/Week
• Sessions held: Wednesdays at 6PM EST (TBC; recordings will be available and accessible for 60 days.)

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Enrollment (Beta Cohort)

🌟 One-Time Beta Enrollment: $850
Includes everything: live trainings, templates, pitch critique bonus, 1:1 story feedback (written and ideas shaping), email access for Q&A, access to forum with fellow cohort members.

⚠️ This rate is a one-time offer! This first private cohort is invitation-only and capped at 10 people. This early bird price of $850 is available through September 16, 2025. After that, the course will revert to the regular $1200 rate per person. Payment plans are available; email me for details.

Fast Action Bonus  

Enroll by August 31 and receive a bonus 30-minute strategy session before or after the course to answer your questions or get guidance on your path.

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👩🏽‍🏫 Meet Your Coach 

Lebawit Lily Girma is an award-winning travel journalist, editor and cultural strategist with bylines in National Geographic Traveler, Bloomberg News, BBC Travel, Sierra Magazine and more. She’s reported from over 8 countries, won 12+ media awards and created national tourism storytelling strategies across the Caribbean and Central America.

🏆Sustainability/Environment, DEI and Business categories— SATW, NATJA Awards, Caribbean Tourism Organization 
🏆Positive Impact Storyteller of the Year 2025– Inspire Global Awards
✍🏽 15+ years of published work on sustainable tourism, culture, and place in Bloomberg News, BBC Travel, Conde Nast Traveler, Sierra Magazine and more
✍🏽 Author of Bloomberg News’ first-ever monthly column on conscious travel
🌎 Multilingual, multicultural perspective—lived in 8 countries across 3 continents
💡 Known for her influential stories that have led tourism leaders and writers to rethink how we view and portray place and people 

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How Is This Different From Other Travel Writing Courses? 

Most travel writing/storytelling courses are self-paced, pre-recorded, or of general application. They may teach structure or creative prompts, but they don’t go deep on conscious travel storytelling.

This course is:

• Live and interactive, with real-time feedback
• Designed by someone who’s actually worked in travel journalism for 15 years, including every aspect possible, from guidebooks to branded content, reported stories, and five years full-time in newsrooms 
• Focused on storytelling with impact—without perpetuating clichés or extractive narratives
• Geared toward writers who want to earn income from their work beyond media, while honoring people and place

You’ll leave with a story, a pitch, and the tools to keep going. Not just inspiration.

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What Others Say

“Lily’s coaching helped me take my first steps into sustainable travel journalism—and I went on to secure a commission with BBC Travel (within two weeks).”
— Kate Lewis, London

“Lily’s workshop is a gamechanger. She focuses on how to tell stories with cultural sensitivity and impact. My only regret is I didn’t find her sooner.”
— Lisa Conder

“Your ability to articulate what’s taking place in broad context but also weave in some very relevant details is a gift I admire.” — CEO of a US tourism board.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to be a professional writer?
No. This course is designed for aspiring and emerging creatives or those who need guidance in this space. You do need to have some writing experience, so you can’t be completely green. But you don’t need published media clips or a big audience to begin—just curiosity, commitment, and the desire to improve.

Will this help me with video or blogging?
Yes. All great content starts with story and structure. Whether you’re writing a blog post or scripting a video, this course gives you the storytelling structure and strategy that makes your message resonate. We don’t discuss video formatting and other topics related to production. 

Will there be replays?
Yes. All sessions will be recorded and delivered within 24 hours so you can catch up or revisit at your own pace.

How much time will it take?
Plan for at least 4–5 hours per week. That includes attending the live session, completing practical exercises or assignments, and optional peer feedback or office hours.

Will I get feedback?
Absolutely. Each week includes optional Q&A during live sessions, a bonus live pitch critique, and a 1:1 story or pitch feedback call built into your enrollment. Absolutely. Each week includes optional Q&A during live sessions and a bonus live pitch critique session. If you’d like personalized feedback, you can add a private 30-minute 1:1 coaching session with Lily as a VIP upgrade.

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Ready to Join? I’d Love to Have You!

Spots are limited. This is a live beta cohort with personal attention built in and I’ve hand selected each person I’m sending this to first.

🔹 Secure your spot now.
🔹 Have questions? DM me on Instagram (@tourismlens) or email through the contact form.

Let’s write stories that make an impact—and get you paid to do it.