Thought Leadership Though Lived Experience​

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For over 25 years, I've been deeply immersed in tourism's complex ecosystems - wearing many hats as a practitioner, research leader, educator, consultant, community engagement specialist and business owner and mentor. This rich tapestry of experience has shaped my understanding of tourism's challenges and opportunities in ways that textbooks alone cannot capture.

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The insights shared here emerge from countless hours in communities, meetings, classrooms, and wild places. They are born from successes and failures, from listening to diverse voices, and from witnessing both the transformative power and destructive potential of tourism firsthand. 

 

It's knowledge represents decades of practical wisdom gained through:

• Leading community development initiatives that balance tourism growth with local wellbeing

• Designing with nature to protect and enhance natural systems

• Guiding businesses and organisations through complex transitions toward regenerative practices

• Teaching and mentoring the next generation of tourism professionals

• Conducting action research that bridges theory and practice

• Facilitating collaboration and co-design across sectors and cultures.

 

This blog operates in the spirit of gift economy - freely sharing knowledge that has taken years to cultivate. While academic credentials have their place, there is profound value in lived experience and grounded knowledge that comes from deep engagement with real-world challenges.

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Your Support Makes a Difference

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If you find value in these insights and wish to participate in this gift economy, consider making a contribution. Your support helps maintain this knowledge commons and enables continued research, writing, and sharing of resources that advance regenerative tourism.

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More importantly, your donation acknowledges the worth of practical wisdom and helps create a new paradigm where diverse forms of knowledge - including lived experience and alternative knowledges - are honored alongside conventional academic sources.

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An Invitation to Participate in Reciprocity

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This is an invitation to participate in reciprocity - to receive freely given knowledge and, if you are able, to give back in a way that feels meaningful to you. Together, we can nurture a more regenerative approach to both tourism and knowledge-sharing.

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Every contribution, whether small or large, helps sustain this work and signals that you value:

• Practical wisdom gained through decades of hands-on experience

• Knowledge freely shared for the common good

• Bridge-building between theory and practice

• Support for independent thought leadership

• The advancement of regenerative tourism practices​

 

Thank you for being part of this journey toward more regenerative futures in tourism.