The episodes we’re filming this week have a common thread: solo travel, and the joy in returning to a place decades later for a second swing at it. I wanted to see Björk on New Year’s Eve 1999, but I was overruled by others on the trip: “Too expensive.” I still had a terrific night and experience, but something shifted in me: I had spent my 20s constantly acquiesing to what others wanted, and I was done doing that. It wasn’t really their fault; ultimately, it was mine, because I wasn’t standing up for myself. So I changed my life at the turn of the century, and I’m now back 27 years later to redo the Iceland experience. This time, it’s on my terms, as a 55 year-old solo traveler—Björk included.

Day 2 here was picture perfect. We went into Reykjavik, the first time I’ve seen it in 27 years, and the first time in full daylight. It’s expanded, no doubt, but it’s still a very small city, a footprint roughly the size of St. Cloud, Minn. (and nothing else compares the two). December 1999 was so dark, save for four cloudy hours a day and a bunch of NYE fireworks, and this time it’s a better view: rolling, rocky, dotted with dark green pines, and a mix of colorful, late 19th-century architecture and sleek modern glass and steel buildings. The cityscape remains anchored by The Pearl, a domed restaurant atop geothermic water towers, and the steeple of Hallgrimskirkja.

We picked up our wristbands for Björk’s Echolalia solar eclipse rave, then filmed an excellent interview and solo dining experience at Fröken Restaurant, inside the Hotel Reykjavik Saga. My conversation with Head Chef Snædís Xyza Mae Jónsdóttir was so damn good: Born in the Philippines, she moved at age 4 to Iceland. Studying fashion design, she often skipped classes because she far more enjoyed her job working in a kitchen. She made the switch to a culinary career, and found her calling. She was named captain her first year on the Iceland Culinary Team, then spent several years coaching that team before arriving at Fröken. Invited to step in at the last minute, she will now represent Iceland next January in the Bocuse d'Or Grand Final, after qualifying this past March at the European selection in Marseille. Her sous chef at Fröken, Marlís Jóna Karlsdóttir, will be her commis in Lyon.

We talked about her approach to cuisine, Icelandic staples infused with her Filipino roots and other Asian influences. Then, the five-course tasting menu, Chef’s choice, each dish grounded in locally-sourced staples: agedashi bread with ponzu butter, lamb tartar with tiny artichoke “potato chips,” grilled shrimp with keffir lime sauce and knafeh, pan-fried skate with lemon-caper sauce, and beef with bok choy, broccolini and smashed potatoes. Cocktails all steeped in Icelandic flavors: cask gin aged in a volcano, wild blueberry and rhubarb, herbs, edible chrysanthemums. And a divine dessert I literally cannot describe, other than its elements: coconut mochi, mango sorbet, dark chocolate, pistachio-pineapple crunch, candy floss, pineapple jus, edible flowers. It was Iceland in art, its ingredients the medium.

We also spoke of how women face stigma when traveling and dining solo. Chef assured us that a solo diner is treated and charged no differently than a party. Great news for women visiting here—and just wait until you see the episode. Fröken is a delicious bite of this island country, and you should visit.

Like I said, I woke up refreshed on day 2. That isn’t the morning I’m having today, day 3.

I couldn’t fall asleep last night, even with a full, happy stomach. Too much on my mind: The detailed production schedule this week. A long conversation with the crew about day 3 filming: two events with super-strict filming restrictions at the Björk rave and a solar eclipse threatened by nonstop rain. The post-production schedule still in motion on the Athens episodes. The primary elections back home. My husband and son. Our dog, Murphy, who hasn’t been eating since I left. The rest of the month. The rest of the year. The rest of my life.

Anxiety. Even the black-out shades didn’t help.

This is my transitional year, 100% focused on growing the production company behind this series. This path isn’t for the faint-hearted, and I have my low moments. The best I can do is step back and reflect with gratitude: the love and support of my husband and son; the investment in my health and wellbeing through my excellent therapist, my gym, my chiropractor; the encouragement of incredible women (see previous post); the solid working production team, both here and back home; Matt and Joey, in particular, and their commitment to this narrative and the stories of women who travel. I have so much in hand, right now, to counter the worries that come with growing a small business and building an audience in a very noisy marketplace.

I finally fell asleep to an audiobook of “Alice in Wonderland” and a mental exercise courtesy of my therapist. I woke up this morning a bit bleary eyed, but still very much looking forward to today’s schedule: Björk, Echolalia, the solar eclipse, and a recreation of this photo, taken outside The Pearl on New Year’s Eve 1999. It’s also gonna rain, so I’m not going to worry about my hair for this one.

Prior to arriving here, I re-read a post I wrote two years ago, about the purpose of “The WTAF Show.” I anchored that post in my first trip to Iceland, coinciding with my appreciation for the late Anthony Bourdain—whose first-ever episode of “No Reservataions” was filmed in Iceland—and his approach to travel storytelling, alongside my strong dissatisfaction with the status quo.

The post has stood the test of time. I guess there’s something to be said about purpose, focus, stubborness. And since its publication date in June 2024, I’m come into the orbits of two women who directly worked with Bourdain, and who are helping me and our team stay focused on how we grow this series. I’m so grateful for their endorsement and support. Thank you, Laurie and Alex!

KG

But sometimes, even solo, I want a local perspective. Especially somewhere like Varvakios Agora, Athens’s central market, right next to the ancient Hellenic agoras of the city.

It’s on every TripAdvisor list. It’s completely surrounded by gift shops. But is it worth the hype? What do the people who actually live here think of it? And can a local show me something more real than what’s on the tourist map?

Enter Greether, and my Greeter guide in Athens, Anna.

Greether is an award-winning global platform, recognized by the United Nations World Tourism Organization, that connects women travelers with verified local women guides, known as Greeters, for safe, authentic, and personalized experiences in over 130 countries. Each Greeter is carefully vetted by Greether’s team. And you’re connected with yours before you arrive, so you can plan, ask questions, and land with confidence.

My Greeter in Athens, Anna, was waiting for me with a Greek coffee at Mokka Café, 44 Athinas St., right on the edge of Varvakios, minutes before the market opened.

What followed was a two-hour wander no app could have planned for me.

We walked through Varvakios Agora: loud, commercial, alive, full of fresh meats and seafood. Then we left the tourist market behind. We wandered along the streets and found ourselves at the excellent, women-owned Elixir, a spice shop where I picked up a quarter pound of shredded black licorice root to bring back home—and the owner subscribed to the channel mid-filming.

Into Psyri, then Keramikos, past street art that tells the city’s recent political history of a city. My favorite mural: Loukanikos. A stray dog, he became a global symbol of resistance by bravely joining front-line anti-austerity demonstrations. Loukanikos attended nearly every major demonstration and clash in Athens from 2008 onward, frequently facing tear gas and confronting authorities alongside citizens. A runner-up for Time magazine's Person of the Year in 2011, Loukanikos was then adopted and peacefully lived out his remaining years, passing away in 2014.

I promise, you won’t find Loukanikos or his remarkable story on any list of “10 things to see in Athens over 48 hours.”

Then Anna took me to the local Keramikos farmer’s market where she actually shops. There was a glorious market table stacked with vibrant oranges, and the vendor handed me one, refusing my Euros. It was a mess, the juice running down both arms. I say this without hyperbole: It was the best orange I’ve ever eaten in my life. (Sorry, Valencia.)

This is the type of experience you can only find through the guidance of a woman who lives in the place you visit. Anna was vetted, trusted, deeply knowledgeable, and she showed me an Athens I would never have found on my own.

Enjoy the episode. Then go to greether.com and book your own Greeter. I’m meeting up with another one next week in Reykjavík.

KG

P.S. Greether gave me a local guide. But Athens gave me something I didn’t expect: who Anna really is, a descendent of a Greek political dynasty and a working artist with her own studio. Coming soon in a future episode.

A lot of the industry insiders told me an idea wasn’t enough; I’d need to film a pilot. And by the way: don’t get your hopes up. It’s hard to break through. The market is crowded. Everyone has a show.

I understand why people say these things; some of it is in fact, honest. But there is a particular flavor of “advice” that isn’t really about helping one succeed; it’s about lowering one‘s expectations to something the market finds comfortable.

I got a lot of that.

The most memorable moment of that flavor came from the president of an Emmy-winning production company with real food and travel experience. He heard my pitch, a show for and about women, and offered me the one insight he thought I was missing.

“Don’t forget about the guys.”

I had just told him I was building a show to correct the fact that the guys have never once been forgotten, that the whole genre is (and still remains) guys. His instinct, immediately, was to protect the status quo.

In my show. About women.

It is so normalized that a smart, accomplished man can hear “I’m making something for the audience nobody makes anything for” and answer, without a pause, “but what about us, the audience everybody makes everything for?”

It really pissed me off. And I think about that line every single time I see another man with a travel show: celebrity athletes, Bravo TV stars, Hollywood insiders, a Boomer comedian who readily admits he hates to travel.

To be fair, there are in fact a handful of other women with travel shows. Samantha Brown is perhaps the best known. More recently, Tracee Ellis Ross and Eva Longoria come to mind. Brown has spoken openly about the double standards she’s faced in the industry. Ellis Ross and Longoria are both high-profile celebrities—and wow, their shows (especially Ellis Ross) are aspirational.

And what blows me away is how people will tell me that because of the teeny, tiny percentage other women already represent in the overall travel programming, my work is redundant.

Like the guy who told me to not forget about the guys.

But this is where great advice comes in handy.

The esteemed Laurie Woolever, writer, author and former first lieutenant to the Anthony Bourdain, told me that food and travel programming is “rinse and repeat.” Part of it comes from a desperation of trying to recapture the genie in the bottle, “the next Bourdain.”

I will say it over and over again: I’m not Bourdain. Nor am I Stanley Tucci, or Phil Rosenthal, or Rick Steves, or Conan O’Brien, or David Chang, or Eugene Levy, or Tony Shaloub, or the guy from “Queer Eye,” or Tom Brady. I’m also not Samantha Brown, or Tracee Ellis Ross, or Eva Longoria. I don’t have their celebrity status, backing from major networks or streaming services or major brands like Delta.

And I sure as hell can’t travel like them. Most women can’t.

And that’s where I have an advantage, combined with sage advice I’ve received from other insiders—all women.

They told me my idea was enough if I was willing to build it. They told me to embrace the very shifts the gatekeepers are sweating over today: The shift from social media to interest media; the evolutions of YouTube and social channels to meet that shift; the resulting revolutions underway in both the TV show distribution model and the glut of travel influencers who aren’t storytellers. Wisely, they told me not to hand my vision to someone else to dilute, but rather to own it and run the show myself.

And above all, they told me to trust the thing I already knew in my body: that a woman in midlife deserves to see herself in storytelling—and for once, as the main character.

And they reminded me that I have a clear advantage: the thing I did for more than three decades working inside corporations is the very thing that is fueling this journey. It’s an advantage I have over the traditional programming, plus the vast majority of influencers.

I’m trained in a particular style of storytelling that doesn’t try to appeal to everyone, but instead targets the right audience: what she’s looking for, where she’s looking for it, what she expects, and what will motivate her.

I’m not someone with deep television production experience. I’m just a 55-year-old former executive who looked at an industry where I spend the most, and realized that it routinely ignores its own best customer, to the annual tune of ~$200 billion. She’s 47 years old, and she outspends virtually every single other demographic in the travel space. And instead of waiting or asking someone else to fix it, I launched a food & travel show centered on her.

Over the past 18 months, we’ve filmed and produced episodes in Napa Valley, London, New Orleans, Jamaica, New York, Palm Springs, Morocco, various cities across Spain, and Athens. Those 40 episodes, with more to come, have built out our channel on YouTube, which now sits with 37,000 subscribers.

The series is standing today because I didn’t take the advice to shrink; I took the advice to build. So I want to dedicate the 40th episode of “The WTAF Show” to the women who got me here. The ones who gave me hard truths, honest feedback, real criticism, and the encouragement to keep going.

Christy Thornton

Amanda Brinkman

Emily Peterson Boone

Mickie Rosen

Cindy Gallop

Erin Gallagher

Lisa Beth Lentini Walker

Laurie Woolever

Alexandra Lowry

Alison Tozzi Liu

Erika Schumacher

We just dropped our 40th episode, and it‘s an excellent one: I love to travel solo, but sometimes, I want a local perspective, especially when visiting a place like Varvakios Agora, Athens's central market, right next to the ancient Hellenic agoras of the city. Is it worth the hype? What do the people who actually live here think of it? And can a local show me something more real than what's on the tourist map?

Enter Greether, an award-winning global platform — recognized by the United Nations World Tourism Organization — that connects women travelers with verified local women guides, known as Greeters, for safe, authentic, and personalized travel experiences in over 130 countries.

Our Greeter in Athens, Anna, was waiting for me at Mokka café — 44 Athinas St., right on the edge of Varvakios — minutes before the market opened. What followed was a two-hour wander that no app could have planned for me.

And back for a moment to the guy who told me not to forget about the guys:

I have thought about that one line more than he will ever know, but it doesn’t live rent free in my head. Oh, no. I want to thank him—because there’s nothing that motivates me more than being told I shouldn’t do something.

We’ve only just begun, champ.

Travel Like a Woman.™

KG

In 2014, Chef Georgianna Hiliadaki became the youngest chef at 34, and is still today the only Greek woman, to earn two Michelin stars. Her restaurant was Funky Gourmet, co-founded in 2009, and by every account made its name by breaking rules: loud, experimental, unafraid. Then she left it, co-founded a restaurant in London and quietly consulted on projects across Greece. She returned to Athens in 2024 and co-founded IODIO. Tucked into the Kolonaki neighborhood, it’s built around the freshest catch of the day, blended with technique and a casual-elegant service experience. Chef Georgianna calls it “an ode to the sea.”

I call it fucking delicious. A total stunner. I also had a blast at this dinner, joined by Tammy Lee, CEO of the very cool (pun intended) Opal Cool, swapping our respective stories as small-town Minnesota girls of careers, food, and travel.

I previously mentioned that Athens literally came out of nowhere; we pulled together our entire production schedule within three weeks of the flight. The good news, Chef Goergianna agreed for us to film our experience at IODIO. The bummer: Chef Georgianna was about to leave the country on her own trip; to this day, I still haven’t met her.

Within days of our confirmation, we received the press release that IODIO picked up two FNL stars, and Chef Georgianna was named the FNL Best Restaurant Awards’ Chef of the Year 2026. I want to be precise, and not conflate: FNL is a separate, Greek-specific honor, standing alongside Michelin. (IODIO doesn’t have a Michelin star—yet.) And when she accepted it, Chef Georgianna made it about the people who matter. “Cooking is not an individual journey,” she said in the FNL announcement. “Behind every dish there is a team that supports me with dedication and energy. This distinction belongs to all of us.”

That IODIO team includes head chef and co-owner Danae Voridou, plus her longtime collaborator, Chef Erasmia Balaska—which, if you’ve been following along, is a dynamic you know that we seek out: one woman who already made her name, standing next to and making room for other women.

(In fact, we have a dining experience next month in Reykjavík with the same storyline. More than that later.)

I didn’t put IODIO first in our Athens episode lineup for the heck of it. Last year we asked our own audience—you—what you actually want out of travel, and four out of five of you said some version of the same thing: you want to spend your money on women when you’re on the road. Women chefs, women artists, women-owned everything.

And, nearly all of you admitted you’ve never actually managed to do it, not because you didn’t want to, but because that information isn’t easy to find. A Michelin dining experience was No. 6 on your own wish list of travel experiences, and nearly three-quarters of you said you wanted at least one real art experience on a trip. That is not a lack of interest on your part. That’s a failure of travel media and content creators, and it’s the entire reason this show exists.

The average global traveler is a 47-year-old woman. She makes roughly 80% of the travel, lifestyle and wellness decisions in her household. She has the money, the curiosity and, increasingly, the time to travel and see the world, and an entire industry has spent decades treating her like an afterthought while quietly cashing her check.

She’s not a niche audience. She is the market, and I’m going to keep saying it as loudly as possible.

So here’s Athens, and here’s a woman with a world-class seafood restaurant minutes from the Acropolis, she and the other women chefs at the absolute top of their craft.

IODIO is the opening course of our Athens episodes. There’s more coming: Sunrise at the Temple of Artemis, a glorious women-owned Greek wine bar, the agoras and local street markets, snorkeling ruins in the Aegean sea. These are food & art experiences you won’t necessarily find in the average tourist guidebook or website—that’s why they’re so important for you to consider.

Go watch IODIO. Then go book the table. We always recommend Globe Thrivers, where you’ll find our on-location itineraries, or reach out to Andrea Mokros at Privé Travel and she’ll masterfully handle the details for you.

Travel Like a Woman.™

— KG

*I will make you this promise: If you see a brand mentioned on The WTAF Show, it’s a brand I trust and actually use myself. Opal Cool is a remarkable line of cooling therapy products, ala “cool products for hot women,” heh. I push the limits with hot flashes, menopause be damned—I’m going to eat, drink, hike, and do what I want when I travel, and these little pads chill me out when I need it. I travel with an entire set of Opal Cools; they weigh almost nothing, fit into every nook and cranny in my carry-on, and they work. Visit Opal Cool Therapy for yourself, and use code WTAF for 10% off your order.

It was a Friday evening in early April. I was on the couch, two glasses of wine in, half-watching "Special Ops: Lioness" and half-scrolling my phone the way you do when a show's good but you're distracted, and there it was: Björk, the legendary pop superstar, announcing an August 12 solar eclipse rave in Iceland.

I didn't sit with it. I didn't sleep on it. I just clicked through and bought four tickets, right there on the couch, somewhere in the middle of a kick-ass Zoe Saldaña or Nicole Kidman scene. I couldn't tell you which; I wasn't really watching.

Here's how that felt in the moment, because I think the honest version matters: it didn't feel brave, and it definitely didn't feel strategic. It felt exciting and a little reckless.

I now run a production company. I read my own P&L and production schedule line by line, every single week. A Björk rave in Iceland was nowhere on those spreadsheets. Heck, Iceland wasn't even a destination I had planned for the next two years.

And then, a few days later, it was locked in on our Year 2 schedule.

I keep having to relearn this lesson about building a show from scratch: the instinct that says yes before there's a plan to back it up has been right every single time so far. I don't fully understand why I keep being surprised by that.

Take Seville. We filmed flamenco lessons through both the principal camera and Meta Glasses while I danced, which sounds like a gimmick until you realize what it actually gives you: two views that flamenco tourists don't see just watching a performance. It shows the experience of doing it, with women who've spent decades inside a dance form built on control and fury, holding both at once in the movement.

Or Málaga, where we filmed Chef Claudine Paulson, who played the French Open at 16, then years later opened a restaurant called Clómada that landed in the Michelin Guide two months after she opened her doors. Nobody handed her that. She built it, on a timeline nobody else could (which feels a lot like what I'm doing right now).

Or València: we closed out our Spain episodes at La Salita, where Chef Begoña Rodrigo delivers the kind of dining experience, pure art, that makes you understand why a Michelin star finds some but not all chefs. It's never really about the star; it's about the years of excellence leading up to it.

And then there was Athens. Right after I bought the rave tickets, an opportunity came out of nowhere, and less than three weeks later we were filming six episodes in that ancient, gorgeous city. Snorkeling ruins in the Aegean, drone shots of the Temple of Artemis at sunrise, a pharmacist-turned-sommelier, a Michelin chef's new ode to the sea, and more—also not on my 2026 bingo card. There's even a morning with Greether, walking the markets with a local guide who has a personal story I did not expect and will not forget.

The first Athens episode drops this week on our channel.

So perhaps when I bought the rave tickets, some part deep inside me that had clearly already committed to a full year of saying yes knew exactly what it was doing before my brain caught up.

Iceland isn't a departure from the plan. It's the plan, finally catching up to the instinct that built “The WTAF Show:” what it actually means to travel like a woman.

There's a version of this Iceland trip that's just about a solar eclipse rave with Björk, or snorkeling tectonic plates, or hiking waterfalls, or celebrating Bocuse d’Or chefs, or exploring the Icelandic hot dog.

There's also a deeper version, about a 55-year-old woman who was 28 the last time she stood in Iceland, in a blizzard on New Year's Eve 1999, quietly plotting to leave a marriage she hadn't told a single person she was leaving yet.

I'll get to that one. Not tonight.

Tonight I just want you to know: two glasses of wine, a show I wasn't really watching, four tickets, and now I'm going back to Iceland. Seville, Malaga, Valencia and Athens got me here.

And then I’ll see if any of our 2026 plan will materialize—or if something amazing comes our way and I’ll jump at it.

Stick around. These episodes are everything I aim for “The WTAF Show” to be: a show that moves you to jump and say yes, then hands you the plan to go do it yourself.

—

And speaking of “hands you the plan,” we’re so pleased to announce that our on-location itineraries are now on Globe Thrivers, matching each destination and experience we feature in all episodes of “The WTAF Show.” You can click to book—or, if you prefer a stellar white-glove experience, reach out to Andrea Mokros with Privé Travel and she’ll handle all the planning details for you.

If you thought we had gone dormant at “The WTAF Show,” you are mistaken! This year has been a whirlwind of growth, travel, storytelling and expansion.

We’re finishing seven new episodes filmed in February around Spain—and two of them are already live!

The first, in Madrid: If you’ve never had a gilda (heel-da), then this episode will peak your curiosity. (Unless you aren't a fan of the relish tray. But stick around, ha.) In Madrid, this iconic Spanish pintxo—an olive, anchovy, and pepper on a skewer—is more than just a snack on a stick; it’s an entire culture in a bite.

At La Gildería, a women-owned aperitivo bar in the heart of Madrid's La Latina neighborhood, the gilda has been elevated into an art form, with wild success: Wine Enthusiast has named it one of the best aperitivo bars in the city. I had a marvelous evening with cofounder Christina Bonaga, as well as Chef Anna Klimmek from Minneapolis, eating our fill of gildas, pintxos and vermouth.

Next, Seville: If you love tile design, then you need to visit the birthplace of Spanish tile: Seville. And then you need to march past all of the other tile shops in the city and straight to Ceramicas Sevilla 1952, founded by the godmother of tile preservation, Juana Morenos.

She owns the largest collection of ancient Seville tile, some pieces dating back to the 14th century. Ceramicas Sevilla 1952, the shop borne of Moreno's incredible preservation work, is a must stop: part archaeological survey of the city’s history, part museum. And it's the best kind of museum, one where you can touch and feel the artifacts—and you can order your own reproductions of original, historical tile designs. It's literally all they do.

I write this as we’re putting the finishing touches on our latest preproduction itinerary, starting later this week: Athens, filming five new episodes with a two-star Michelin chef, a goddess (yep), a women-owned sommelier wine bar built around global travel, our friends at GreetHer while exploring the legendary Varvakios Central Municipal Market, and a sunken city at Epidavros. (Hello, sunscreen!)

If the following greeting applies to you in any way or form, then Happy Mother’s Day! Mother’s Day hold special meaning for those of us at WTAF Productions, and for me in particular.

Six years ago today, at age 49, in this very spot on my couch, I conceived “The WTAF Show: Women. Travel. Art. Food.”

I took no picture to capture the moment. It was Mother’s Day 2020, and like the rest of us I couldn’t do what I really wanted: travel, see art, and eat incredible food in far-flung destinations.

Instead, I settled in on said couch with coffee, some eggs in purgatory (c/o my excellent husband and son) and the TV remote to watch old episodes of Bourdain.

I soon bounced over and caught my first glimpse of Phil’s show. Then Tucci’s new one. Then I was searching on social platforms.

I was looking for something that I’d admittedly never noticed was largely missing, up until that morning, in travel shows and content: women like me.

The average traveler is a 47 year-old woman. She spends ~$250B in it annually. But for the most part, men (usually white) host travel shows. Meanwhile, brands continue to back travel content creators… in their 20s.

Needless to say, I was pissed.

Soon, I was in research mode, deeply exploring my dissatisfaction and spending the entire day writing a pitch bible and business plan. And for the six years since, I’ve done something nearly every day to keep that idea moving forward.

I didn’t know that morning that I had arrived at a major life crossroads: I would stumble forward, start and stop, go back into therapy, make tons of mistakes, eventually redirect my carefully-constructed corporate identity, and leap fully into running my own production company—including but not limited to creating contemporary content.

Did I really think, six years later, that I’d be on the same couch this morning, with a trademark for Travel Like a Woman™️, wrapping up preproduction prep for our trip later this week to Athens? Finalizing permits and interview scripts, plus creative briefs for five brands coming with us? Making sure other WTAF Productions clients are well-supported back here while I’m on location? And counting my blessings for the epic women who are my advisors, and keep encouraging me to grow this thing?

Broadly speaking, yes. I did. It was the vision. But it’s really the first time in my career that my own vision has become my own reality. I’m still wildly optimistic, making mistakes, but I’ve found the most incredible joy and work satisfaction on the other side of that crossroads.

I’m grateful, motivated and cannot WAIT for the rest of the trips this year: Athens, San Francisco, Iceland, Paris, London.

Happy birthday to my favorite double entendré. 😉🤘🏻✈️

KG

You begin to notice how much of your life is spent managing—coordinating, planning, anticipating needs, solving problems before they appear. Especially for everyone else. You’ve become very good at it. Exceptionally good, in fact. But you also start to wonder, quietly and without apology, whether you want to keep doing all of it.

Travel, for many women, becomes the place where that question surfaces most clearly.

Because travel is supposed to feel like freedom. And yet, increasingly, it comes with its own invisible workload. The research. The booking. The constant decision-making. The low-level vigilance of navigating unfamiliar places while still holding everything together behind the scenes. For years, that has simply been part of the deal—especially for women who are expected to be the cruise director, if you will.

But it’s not for everyone.

Remember, the average traveler is a 47 year-old woman, and more women are traveling than ever before. They are taking solo trips, organizing group journeys, revisiting places they once rushed through, and discovering entirely new ones.

At the same time, there is a quiet but undeniable return to something that had, until recently, felt almost obsolete: the travel advisor. Not the outdated version of the past, but a more modern, more sophisticated iteration—someone who doesn’t just book a trip, but designs an experience.

This is where Andrea Mokros thrives.

To understand why Andrea is relevant now, it helps to understand where she came from. Before founding Privé Travel, she spent years in one of the most exacting environments imaginable: the Obama White House. As Director of Scheduling and Advance for First Lady Michelle Obama, and later as Special Assistant to the President and Director of Strategic Planning for the First Lady, her role was to orchestrate movement at the highest level. Not loosely. Not approximately. Precisely.

Every trip, every event, every appearance required a level of coordination that most people never see. Timing, security, logistics, optics—all of it had to align seamlessly. There was no margin for improvisation, no tolerance for “we’ll figure it out.” It either worked, or it didn’t. And when you operate in that kind of environment, you develop a particular way of thinking. You learn to anticipate problems before they exist. You understand that the smallest details often have the greatest impact. And you become, whether you intend to or not, someone who can make complexity feel effortless.

That skill set doesn’t disappear when you leave a role like that. It follows you.

In the years since, Andrea has continued to work in spaces where precision matters—public affairs, global events, and now as a Commissioner at the Metropolitan Airports Commission, helping oversee the infrastructure that quite literally moves millions of people through the world. She is also a Delta million-miler, a milestone that sounds impressive but is perhaps more revealing than that. It speaks to time spent in transit, to a familiarity with the mechanics of travel that goes far beyond surface-level experience. She has visited 65 countries, not as a collector of destinations, but as someone building a body of knowledge.

Privé Travel is not a reinvention for her. It is a natural extension of everything she already knows how to do.

The premise is straightforward: luxury is not about excess. It is about ease. It is about the removal of friction. It is about designing a journey in such a way that the traveler is freed from the constant background work of making it happen.

That philosophy becomes tangible in Morocco.

In the latest episode of The WTAF Show, Andrea leads a group of women through a country that resists simplification. Morocco does not reveal itself all at once. It unfolds in layers, in contrasts, in shifts of pace and tone that require attention.

The journey begins in the Atlas Mountains, where the road climbs out of Marrakech and the energy changes almost immediately. The noise of the city recedes, replaced by a quieter, more grounded rhythm. At Kasbah Tamadot, a Virgin Limited Edition property that carries both the imprint of its original Italian collector and the influence of its current owner, Sir Richard Branson, the group finds a kind of pause. The setting is undeniably beautiful, but what lingers is the sense of stillness, the ability to arrive without urgency.

Nearby, the Eve Branson Foundation works in partnership with local Berber communities, supporting artisan cooperatives and creating opportunities for women in the region. It is the kind of connection that, when approached thoughtfully, adds depth to a place rather than reducing it to a backdrop. Travel here is not about observation from a distance, but about proximity—about understanding, even briefly, how people live and work within the landscape.

As the journey continues deeper into the mountains, that proximity becomes more apparent. Villages built from the same earth that surrounds them seem almost indistinguishable from the land itself. Daily life unfolds without performance. Women cook, weave, care for their families, maintain traditions that have been carried forward for generations. Visiting a place like this requires a certain level of care. It requires relationships, trust, and an understanding of how to create access without turning it into spectacle. This is where Andrea’s experience becomes invisible but essential. The moment feels natural because it has been carefully constructed to be so.

From the mountains, the landscape opens into the Agafay Desert, a stone desert that offers a different kind of beauty. There are no towering dunes here, no cinematic exaggeration. Instead, there is space. Wide, quiet, and expansive. At Caravan, a desert camp set across rolling hills, the experience again shifts from observation to participation. A cooking class at the camp invites the women not just to taste Moroccan cuisine, but to engage with it. Ingredients are handled, spices are layered, techniques are demonstrated and repeated. A sunset camel ride through the desert. A hot air balloon adventure at dawn.

By the time the group reaches Marrakech, the contrast is immediate. If the desert offers quiet, the city offers everything else. The medina is dense, layered, alive with movement and sound. The souks are a collision of color and texture—spices, textiles, metalwork, leather, all coexisting within a network of narrow streets that seem to resist navigation. It is overwhelming in a way that is both exhilarating and disorienting.

And then, unexpectedly, there is another perspective. Riding through the city in vintage sidecar motorcycles, the experience becomes kinetic, immediate. You are no longer moving through the city on foot, absorbing it slowly. You are inside its momentum, feeling its pace, its unpredictability. It is a reminder that travel is not one-dimensional. It can be quiet and reflective, and it can also be fast, chaotic, and alive.

My original ambitions for our crew to join the Morocco tour on location didn’t pan out, due to a death in my family. But Andrea was up for a challenge: sharp with her iPhone and Meta Glasses, she captured all of the stunning visuals you see in this episode.

And Andrea is more to “The WTAF Show” than a subject in our latest episode. As both a partner and an associate producer, she brings the same discipline that shaped her career into the rhythm of our own productions—an understanding of movement, timing, and how to keep things on track without making it feel that way.

I’m thrilled she’s advising on our production schedules and future destinations!

Our production crew just wrapped an eight-day filming trip across Spain—and eight new episodes are now in edit, each one exploring a different way women are moving through that stunning country through travel, food, art, and culture.

If this is your kind of travel—thoughtful, curious, a little irreverent, and grounded in real experience—subscribe to The WTAF Show on YouTube and follow along.

The year is off to a tremendous start!

KG

Travel is a political act.

Fear depends on keeping people small—afraid of difference, afraid of culture, afraid of women taking up space, afraid of tyranny.

Just look around the U.S. at the moment.

But fear won’t win.

Because women have power—and we won’t allow it.

Women, especially over 40 and 50, are some of the most powerful travelers in the world. Our time is worthy. Our curiosity has value. Where we spend money matters. And when we show intention when we travel, we make space for women and girls all over the world.

And we not only gain tremendous experiences, our own empathy grows stronger.

Travel is truly an act of self-care and wellness, and it has compound effects on everything around us in our daily lives.

Look, I’m a small-town woke white girl from rural Minnesota. I proudly live in Minneapolis and I travel whenever I can.

And with the state of the world right now, not to mention the dire circumstances in the U.S., it is more imperative than ever that women step out and travel.

Travel builds empathy. And empathy is what we need right this minute.

So we’ve seen enough. We’re done with the fear. We’re not asking.

It’s time—now—to travel like a woman.

If you’re ready, grab your passport. And if you just can’t make a trip right now, follow along as we go.

True, it puts our production schedule a touch behind for new episodes of “The WTAF Show.” It’s certainly not how I envisioned jumping on the year of the Fire Horse; I should be readying myself to cross the Strait of Gibraltar and catch flamenco lessons.

And yet, it’s my absolute privilege to not be traveling right now.

Whether we love travel or not, and whether we wish to take it or not, there is one trip that awaits us all. The final destination. Elysium. Nirvana. Heaven. I’m partial to the “Interstellar” metaphor, searching the vastness of time, space and dimensions for the next place and connection.

No, I’m not taking that trip quite yet. But over the past month, I’ve been encircled with my loved ones, bidding farewell to one of us who has just departed on that final voyage. Godspeed.

Midlife is a such a mind warp. By our late 40s and early 50s, we carry decades of life experience—and with self care and a bit of luck, we have decades more that awaits. We also find ourselves revisiting our childhood dreams, tempted to give them a go now. (Mine? MTV VJ.)

And yet, we worry. We worry about the clock. About our choices up to this point. We worry about our careers, whether we’re aging out, if we can pivot and start something new, or leave something we don’t love, or finally tackle that childhood dream, or if it’s too late. (It’s never too late.) Some of us worry that now, with our children grown, if starting a career is too late. If our relationships are what we really need, or if they’ve been good for us in the first place. Some of us are stuck between children and aging parents who equally need our time and attention. Oh, and we’re women in midlife: our bodies change. Menopause challenges us physically and mentally. We agonize over wrinkles and grays and bone density and strength and depression. And to top it all off, we start receiving AARP cards in the mail (I keep tearing mine up) and get asked what we have on our “bucket lists” (I hate that term).

And this is precisely the period of my life when I started building what would become WTAF Productions.

Read any startup best practice listicle and it’ll tell you to “fall forward.” “Learn from failure.”

Really? Is being a mother, a daughter, a partner a failure? Is family a reason for failure?

I think not.

I’ve experienced every worry listed above, most acutely since crossing the 50 yard line. My journey to where WTAF Productions stands today was literally sandwiched between parenting a 2020 high school grad and helping three parents (my mother and my two in-laws) through hospice, sending them off on their journeys to the next place.

It’s not been easy. But it’s given me perspective as I build this business, to apply the skills I’ve given to other leaders and corporations to my own endeavors, and to appreciate the connection I have with family—especially my husband and son, who encourage me to keep going.

And after years of trial and error, of pandemic and graduations and elder care and estates, I’m incredibly proud of what “The WTAF Show” and this production company have delivered—above all, for me: clarity.

I know, at this midpoint in my life, what I’m called to do: to connect women keen to travel with the real, human stories of women chefs and artists worldwide.

And by god, we need to tell them.

In these first 11 days of 2026, the world is hurting—especially for women. A mother exercising her right to protest was murdered last week in my hometown, Minneapolis, by ICE. Protests in Iran over the past two weeks are hitting a critical point. And between Venezuela, Israel, Gaza, Ukraine and Greenland, it just feels like the world is bracing for escalation. And the undercurrent of misogyny pulses through all of it. (The Epstein files are still not fully released, FFS.)

And that’s what they’ll do. They’ll tell us that travel isn’t safe for women. To me, that’s right up there with telling women to submit to men, to not pursue careers, to just bear children and be a caretaker, to not have license over our own choices.

So my mantra for 2026 is simple: If we have the means to travel, then by gosh we should do it. This is a time that requires—no, demands—the power of human storytelling. Stories of women. Stories of culture, empathy, beauty, resiliency, success, excellence.

Stories of travel.

I’m inspired by all 29 of the episodes we dropped in 2025. I actually like to rewatch them. Our formula is coming into focus, the experiences and stories were powerful, we’ve earned praise from people whom I deeply admire, and we’re opening doors to new stories, new partners, new destinations.

But you know what? Life will indeed ask us to show up, and sometimes at the most inconvenient of moments. We may have to postpone our own travel when we might be ready to take off.

But doing so on our terms, with boundaries, without submission, isn’t selfish or a heavy ask. My husband and son have always been there for me, and I will always be there for them.

Even if it’s time to say "bon voyage,” one last time, to someone we all love.

So stay tuned. I’ll be away for a bit longer with my loved ones, and then I’ll be pulling out my passport once again.

Here’s to your 2026, and the stories we’ll bring your way.

And until they’re ready, reruns are our jam: The YouTube channel awaits, stocked with great stories and destinations. These women chefs and artists matter even more in 2026—and come on, 33,000 people can’t be wrong.

YouTube channel: The WTAF Show

KG

Laurie Woolever actually did it.

Arriving in 1996, Laurie stepped into the beating heart of the NYC food world—a place that became not only her career but her calling. Nearly three decades later, she’s one of the most respected voices in food writing, a woman whose perspective shapes how we understand restaurants, chefs, and the culture of dining itself.

In our NYC episode of The WTAF Show, we sit down with Laurie at Saint Julivert Fisherie, a jewel-box coastal wine bar from Michelin-star chef Alex Raij, and together they offer indispensable advice for women who love to eat, love to travel, and have NYC on their 2026 dream list.

Laurie’s career began in restaurant kitchens, where she worked as a personal cook before moving into writing, editing, and book publishing. Her path reads like a culinary fairy tale—with grit:

• Assistant to Mario Batali in the early days

• Longtime assistant, collaborator, and eventually biographer of Anthony Bourdain

• Co-author of two New York Times bestsellers with Bourdain

• Author of the bestselling memoir Care and Feeding (2025)

• Co-host of the hilarious and beloved food podcast Carbface

• A trusted cultural interpreter of New York dining

Her voice is seasoned, witty, deeply informed, and refreshingly honest—precisely the kind of voice women travelers want to hear.

In her memoir, named to the Best of 2025 Lists from both Amazon Books and the New York Times, Laurie shares a truth many GenX women will understand: she is now sober, and it has fundamentally expanded how she experiences food, travel, and life.

Far from limiting her, it has sharpened her senses, broadened her curiosity, and deepened her appreciation for non-alcoholic cocktails, thoughtful hospitality, and wellness-centered travel choices.

Her perspective is a reminder that women’s travel evolves as we evolve—and that the joys keep getting richer.

One of the best pieces of advice in this episode, from Laurie, is something we fully endorse:

Find a Michelin-level woman chef you love—and follow her to her other restaurants, even the unstarred ones. The magic isn’t in the star. It’s in the chef.

If NYC is on your travel list—and it should be—make room for the women shaping the city’s culinary heartbeat. And let Laurie Woolever’s wisdom guide you to the good stuff.

Our wrap up of 2025 continues, with a look back at the women chefs, artists, entrepreneurs and more who’ve brought the stories to life inside our 29 episodes of “The WTAF Show: Women. Travel. Art. Food.”, plus a few perspectives on why travel is such a necessity for our own wellbeing. May you prioritize it for yourself in 2026!

KG

And few stories capture the spirit of Napa’s agricultural soul quite like Grove 45, the olive oil company led by the remarkable mother-daughter duo Ana and Marcela Hernandez.

When the Hernandez family moved from Guatemala to Napa Valley, they expected beauty, but they didn’t expect history. Their new property revealed an unexpected treasure: more than 5,000 olive trees, planted nearly 150 years ago by legendary vintner Charles Krug himself.

What many might have seen as an interesting relic, Ana and Marcela saw as possibility. They stepped boldly into stewardship of this ancient grove, transforming it into Grove 45, one of Napa Valley’s most compelling and women-led culinary destinations.

The result? Award-winning olive oils—vibrant, complex, and deeply expressive of place—that have quickly become favorites of chefs, travelers, and locals alike.

A visit to Grove 45 is not a simple drizzle-and-dip. It is a full sensory experience—one that may surprise even the most seasoned traveler.

Your tasting might begin with signature EVOO poured over warm focaccia, but that’s only the start. Soon come the bold and fruity oils drizzled over ice cream, the silky infusions paired with artisan chocolates, and combinations that highlight just how versatile and exciting olive oil can be.

By the end of the tasting, most visitors have the same reaction: “I can’t believe how full I am… and none of this was wine.”

For women travelers, especially those looking to mix culture, flavor, and wellness, Grove 45 offers a refreshing, elevated break from the typical wine-centric itinerary.

For women visiting Napa, their story resonates: it’s about embracing opportunity, honoring legacy, and crafting something beautiful from the land beneath your feet.

In a region famed for its vineyards, Grove 45 stands out as a celebration of the valley’s broader culinary landscape—a place where the humble olive becomes extraordinary and where women travelers will feel both inspired and warmly welcomed:

• A women-led, immigrant-founded business rooted in heritage and heart

• A tasting experience that goes far beyond wine—perfect for food lovers, explorers, and wellness-focused travelers

• A story steeped in Napa’s early agricultural history, now reimagined by two remarkable women

• A vibrant space where you can savor, learn, connect, and indulge

Our wrap up of 2025 continues, with a look back at the women chefs, artists, entrepreneurs and more who’ve brought the stories to life inside our 29 episodes of “The WTAF Show: Women. Travel. Art. Food.”, plus a few perspectives on why travel is such a necessity for our own wellbeing. May you prioritize it for yourself in 2026!

KG

Reem’s California is the celebrated restaurant founded by Chef Reem Assil and her business partner Zaynah Hindi. Chef Reem—2019 Best Chef by San Francisco Magazine and a two-time James Beard Best Chef nominee—isn’t just serving food: she’s serving a worldview, a history, an act of cultural preservation, and one of the most unique and delicious intersections of Palestinian and Northern Californian cuisine you’ll find anywhere.

When you walk into Reem’s California, two things happen immediately:

1. You’re blown away by the flavors. Chef Reem blends the seasonal, local ingredients California is famous for with Palestinian culinary traditions and Arab hospitality that feel both deeply rooted and refreshingly new. Every dish is an exploration: flavors you recognize, elevated by spices, herbs, and techniques that might be new to you—and utterly addictive.

2. You’re welcomed into Palestinian culture. Reem’s doesn’t code-switch into vague “Middle Eastern” generalities. It holds its identity proudly and specifically. It’s a place where cultural distinctions aren’t blurred—they’re celebrated.

This matters because the term “Middle Eastern cuisine” is Western shorthand that ignores the reality: Nearly 20 nations, regions, and cultures fall under that umbrella, yet each brings its own dishes, histories, and flavor identities. For example, at Reem’s, baba ghanoush becomes mutabal, the Palestinian version—creamy, smoky, and distinct. Every plate has a story. Every flavor has a lineage.

Reem Assil is a first-generation Syrian-Palestinian American who grew up in New England, navigating the ever-present pressure to code switch. It wasn’t until she moved to California and dove into community organizing that she found herself pulled back to the food of her heritage. Cooking became a bridge—to her ancestry, to community, to activism, and eventually to entrepreneurship.

Her restaurants are not just places to eat; they are spaces where cultural experience and political visibility intersect with deep hospitality. They invite you in, feed you well, and encourage you to take part in the storytelling.

In our Reem’s episode , viewers get an intimate look at how Palestinian flavor, identity, and history merge with California’s agricultural bounty. The show captures the heart of Reem’s: the bustling kitchen, the communal tables, the warmth that greets every guest, and the cultural narratives embedded in every dish.

It’s an episode that doesn’t just highlight food—it expands your understanding of who makes California cuisine and why these intersections are vital, especially for women travelers seeking experiences that expand their worldview.

One of the gifts of major cities like San Francisco is the ability to travel the world without crossing an ocean. At Reem’s, you taste the richness of Palestinian culture in a context that invites learning, connection, and delight—no passport required.

This is the power of diasporic cuisine: It lets you understand a place you’ve never been through the generosity of a table shared with others.

Our wrap up of 2025 continues, with a look back at the women chefs, artists, entrepreneurs and more who’ve brought the stories to life inside our 29 episodes of “The WTAF Show: Women. Travel. Art. Food.”, plus a few perspectives on why travel is such a necessity for our own wellbeing. May you prioritize it for yourself in 2026!

KG

And please have a raclette bowl for me while you’re there.

If you’re in London (or staying nearby) in December, the Chiswick Cheese Market is a rare and rewarding treat: a dedicated, artisan-driven cheese-only market. Rooted in local history and community, “Cheesewick” features hundreds of cheeses for tasting, seasonal specialties, and a festive atmosphere. It’s a must-visit for cheese lovers, gourmets, and travelers looking for something out of the ordinary. Plus, if you mind customs rules, there’s a chance you can bring a little of Britain’s cheesemaking heritage back home for your New Year’s celebration!

A few facts before you go:

It’s the only specialist market in London entirely focused on cheese. The market draws on Chiswick’s old name “Cheesewick” (from “Ceswican,” meaning cheese farm) and aims to restore the area’s historical cheese-fair identity.

The market is run by a group of local women (formerly known as Cookbook Kitchen) who are passionate about cheese, cooking, and community-building, making the visit more meaningful than a typical food market.

The market only takes place the third Sunday of each month. Vendors descent from across the UK, offering over 200 cheeses per market, from classic British standards to interesting seasonal and smoked varieties of cow’s, sheep’s and goat’s-milk cheeses.

At the market, you can indulge in a full cheese-lover’s feast: from sampling different British artisan cheeses (cow, sheep, goat milks) to tasting seasonal or smoked varieties. You can also enjoy a full hot meal, from raclette bowls to cheese toasties to cheesecake. It’s a fabulous alternative to a sit-down brunch!

In addition to cheeses, a wide range of complements—chutneys, relishes, charcuterie and more—are available to sample and purchase. Build and enjoy your own impromptu cheeseboard right there (or later, back at your stay).

Our episode at the market features our dear friend, advertising executive and food stylist Kristina Conway, who lives in Chiswick and took us through the market while shopping for one of her styling projects: pasta sauce, from the market to the finished reel. Find her on Instagram: @hidemyveggies

December is a particularly festive and rewarding time to visit: Many vendors offer special seasonal cheeses and festive flavours, making it ideal for holiday treats or gifts.

For a traveler who appreciates food culture, artisan production, or simply wants a delicious and authentic cheese experience outside typical tourist crowds, Chiswick Cheese Market is calling. Hop the tube from anywhere in London and head out to Chiswick station, then just walk a few blocks through the picturesque town to the market.

Learn more about the women behind Chiswick Cheese Market: https://www.chiswickcheesemarket.uk/our-story-team/

Taking Cheese Home: What you should know

If you plan to fly home (e.g. back to the U.S.), you can bring cheese on board. Solid/hard cheeses are generally allowed in carry-on or checked baggage under Transportation Security Administration (TSA) rules. Soft or spreadable cheeses are trickier: security checkpoints may treat them like liquids/gels, meaning in carry-on they must follow the strict volume rules.

Beyond security checkpoints, you must also consider customs: when entering the U.S., for example, dairy products (like cheese) can be subject to regulation by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). You must declare any food items, including cheese, and regulations may limit permissible types and amounts.

Check your departure and arrivals airports for specific rules.

As a reminder, we’re wrapping up 2025 with a look back at the women chefs, artists, entrepreneurs and more who’ve brought the stories to life inside our 29 episodes of “The WTAF Show: Women. Travel. Art. Food.”, plus a few reflections on the significance of travel as part of a life truly lived. Experiences are the true travel mementos, and sharing these experiences, to help inspire your own travel, is our gift to you.

KG

Take the traditional English pub. Who do you instantly envision sitting at the bar? Bet it’s not a woman. And there are plenty of touristy-driven pubs across London—think The Churchill Arms. (Yes, a TripAdvisor all star and oh, so Instagrammable—but ugh, oh, so crowded.) Which is why there’s something undeniably energizing about stepping into spaces crafted, led, and reimagined by women—places that honor tradition while rewriting it with intention.

One such place sits just south of London Bridge: The Gladstone Arms, a beloved, historic pub reborn under the leadership of Megha Khanna, and one of London’s most joyful entries into the growing desi-pub movement.

The Gladstone Arms, known as “The Glad,” has been pouring pints since the 19th century; its name honors William Ewart Gladstone, a former British Prime Minister, and Charles Dickens even noted it in The Pickwick Papers.

Today, thanks to owner Megha Khanna and her family, it’s become something more: a gathering place where comforting pub classics meet the warm spices and bold flavors of Indian cuisine.

This “desi-pub” approach isn’t just a food trend: it’s a reclamation of British pub culture through a multicultural, modern lens, and The Gladstone Arms is a standout example. The expansive menu—including my favorite, the excellent tikka masala shepherds pie—is served alongside craft beers, ciders, and excellent cocktails.

For women travelers, especially, it’s the kind of place where you walk in and immediately sense a shift: This is a pub that welcomes you, sees you, and was built with you in mind.

When we visited The Glad, we met up with Susan Allen, entrepreneur and cofounder of the groundbreaking organic feminine care brand Here We Flo, launched with her partner Tara Chandra. Over pints and plates of desi-pub comfort food, Susan reminded us of truths often overlooked: Most feminine hygiene products were designed by… men. Most products are made with plastics of synthetics that we are literally putting into our bodies… with no ingredient labels? Wha? So yeah: we see zero problem with discussing tampons while eating and drinking our hearts out—and neither should you.

Book your own table at The Gladstone Arms—and have a shepherds pie and a Guinness pint for me: https://www.thegladpub.co.uk/

Our 2025 wrap up continues with a look back at the women chefs, artists, entrepreneurs and moments brought to life inside this year’s episodes of “The WTAF Show: Women. Travel. Art. Food.” I hope they inspire your own travel planning.

KG

That problem set the mission for our episodes: Showcase the best of the best women chefs and artists in places around the world, and inspire the viewer to seek out these chefs and artists when she travels. We did just that in New Orleans, visiting one restaurant and full filming at a second, both driven by world-class chefs. Let’s take a closer look at Chef Nina Compton and Chef Melissa Martin.

New Orleans is world-famous for its flavors—rich, soulful, deep-rooted in culture and history, from Cajun to Creole. But today, women chefs are defining the next era of New Orleans cuisine, shaping its flavors, its stories, and its future. And if you want to experience the best of the city’s contemporary culinary brilliance, two women-led restaurants deserve a top spot on your itinerary. As our episode of “The WTAF Show” reveals, these aren’t mere meals; they’re immersive, emotional, unforgettable experiences, and sharing them with friends new and old is a delight.

While we didn’t film directly inside, we do briefly feature a world-class restaurant in this episode. Located in the Warehouse Arts District, Compère Lapin, French for “brother rabbit,” is the culinary playground of Chef Nina Compton, a beloved “Top Chef” alum and named one of America’s Best Restaurants by Eater and CNN. Chef Compton’s culinary career began working with Michelin-star Chef Daniel Boulud, and following “Top Chef” she opened Compère Lapin, with a menu that fuses her St. Lucian heritage with Italian and French techniques. It’s a splendid menu. The restaurant anchors The Old 77 Hotel & Chandlery, a historical boutique stay.

Learn more and make your reservation: http://comperelapin.com/

And then there is a love song to Coastal Louisiana found at the Mosquito Supper Club. Its seasonal Cajun tasting menu is conceived by Chef Melissa Martin, cookbook author and 2022 James Beard Award winner for Best Chef: South.

Located in an unassuming Garden District home with a screened-in porch, Mosquito Supper Club is not a restaurant as much as it is a seasonal cultural ritual. Open from September through June, it offers a multi-course family-style meal, each dish tied to local history, generational foodways, and Martin’s own memories growing up in Terrebonne Parish. The experience is emotional, joyful, deeply Louisiana, and unlike any tasting menu in the world.

We visited on the Club’s 10th anniversary night, where they recreated the original tasting menu: Sweet potato biscuits with maple honey butter; smoked white fish spread; peel-and-eat shrimp; crawfish bisque with crab-stuffed crawfish heads; fried stuffed crab with feta and pea rice; and a divine strawberry galette.

The screened back porch at the Club is a must-request spot, and it was ideal for an evening of food, wine and conversation with women fiercely proud and deeply immersed in the history, complexity and future of this city: Asante Salaam, artist and community organizer; Tracy Morgan, a local food entrepreneur and marketing coach, with ties to Minneapolis; LaShaunda Pickett-Rene, a policy development and advocacy consultant; and my dear friend, travel writer and filmmaker Diana O’Gilvie.

Our New Orleans episode is a testament to why travelers should seek out women-led restaurants here. New Orleans is a city where women are not just part of the story—they are writing the next chapter.

Visit Mosquito Supper Club: https://www.mosquitosupperclub.com/

As a reminder, we’re wrapping up 2025 with a look back at the women chefs, artists, entrepreneurs and more who’ve brought the stories to life inside our 29 episodes of “The WTAF Show: Women. Travel. Art. Food.”, plus a few reflections on the significance of travel as part of a life truly lived. Experiences are the true travel mementos, and sharing these experiences, to help inspire your own travel, is our gift to you.

KG

Some wineries in Napa Valley produce beautiful wines. A rare few offer an experience so personal, so deep with a family story and leadership, that you leave feeling like a Napa insider. Fantesca Estate & Winery, just outside St. Helena, offers one of those rare encounters—and much of that magic begins with Susan.

Susan is not your typical winery owner. She’s a longtime executive, a seasoned business owner, an award-winning bodybuilder, a health and wellness expert, a fashion muse—and a credentialed expert winemaker whose success comes from sheer drive, curiosity, and relentless hands-on commitment.

Together with her husband Duane Hoff, Susan has spent two decades shaping Fantesca into an ultra-exclusive yet deeply welcoming expression of Napa Valley. They joined forces with Heidi Barrett, often called “the First Lady of Wine,” to build the Fantesca collection. Famous for five 100-point scores from major critics and for her role in shaping the modern Napa Cabernet identity, Heidi’s signature is an unmistakable aspect of Fantesca wines. (After 17 years, Heidi left Fantesca in February this year, with Tony Arcudi stepping in as consulting winemaker for the estate.)

These are big, expressive, meticulously crafted wines: rich Cabernets, distinctive Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays, exceptional blends, and limited releases that feel like a celebration in a bottle.

For women exploring Napa Valley, Fantesca offers a masterclass in entrepreneurship, luxury and craft in a space shaped by strong women. A visit here is by-appointment-only, which keeps the experience intimate and elevated. Guests walk through the estate’s hillside vineyards, learn about the winemaking process, and sit down for a beautifully curated tasting that shows off the winery’s signature depth and finesse.

In our Fantesca episode, you get a front-row seat to what makes Hands-On Harvest and the estate so extraordinary. One of Fantesca’s most beloved programs, Hands-On Harvest offers allocation members and curious travelers a rare chance in the fall, during the grape harvest, to roll up their sleeves and experience every step of the winemaking process, followed by a chef-driven luncheon paired with the estate wine collection. It’s truly one of Napa’s most coveted insider experiences, and the episode captures the essence of what a visit to Fantesca feels like: a blend of luxury, heart, authenticity, and the sense that you’ve stepped into a family narrative still being written.

The legacy and future of Fantesca are a family affair: Chelsea Hoff is the vintner behind Fearless Wines, a lineup of lighter-style wines showcases varietals unique to Napa Valley. She’s also associate winemaker at Fantesca, and as Susan and Duane’s daughter, she represents the next generation of the estate and winery’s leadership. (Full disclosure: I’m a Fearless Wines allocation member, and it’s worth every penny to have these wines on hand as gifts to celebrate my girlfriends—or to open on a Tuesday night with dinner. Celebrations big and small!)

Learn more and book your own Fantesca experience: https://www.fantesca.com/

Learn more about Fearless Wines: https://fearlesswines.com/

We’re wrapping up 2025 with a look back at the women chefs, artists, entrepreneurs and more who’ve brought the stories to life inside our 29 episodes of “The WTAF Show: Women. Travel. Art. Food.”, plus a few reflections on the significance of travel as part of a life truly lived. Experiences are the true travel mementos, and sharing these experiences, to help inspire your own travel, is our gift to you.

KG

This was long before I joined #TeamCarryOn, and it’s a miracle I got the suitcase closed for the trip home: gifts for every family member, dozens and dozens of rolls of film, prized Oxford and Hard Rock Cafe sweatshirts that were handed around for years by my girlfriends. (I wonder where they are; Carrie, Amy, Heidi, Kim, Michelle, Mary? Anyone?) I memorialized the trip in a giant photo album filled with receipts, scraps of paper, candy wrappers, and a hand-written poem that cemented one of my nicknames (aptly titled, “We’re rolling over a girl named Grover…” Ah, thank you, Dave).

But the collectibles I cherish the most from that first trip aren’t objects; they’re the experiences:

• My first English breakfast tea.

• The taste of a mincemeat hand pie.

• The Peter Pan statue in Hyde Park.

• The Canterbury Cathedral nun scolding me for taking pictures.

• The whispers inside the dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral.

• The nights laughing, riding the tube and browsing Piccadilly Circus.

• The green and white Debbie Harry jersey framed on the wall inside Hard Rock.

• My introduction to anchovy on pizza.

• The glorious tomb of Queen Elizabeth I at Westminster Abbey.

• The mild anxiety walking the Tower of London (having seen Helena Bonham Carter’s 1986 “Lady Jane” film depict the girl’s 1554 execution).

• The wet, chilly moment I leaned against a rune at Stonehenge for a photo. (Thank goodness they don’t allow that anymore.)

• Walking past the window of a Covent Garden restaurant, where a goth punk with a towering mohawk sat having dinner with her elderly parents.

• And of course, the ringing in of the New Year in Trafalgar Square with tens of thousands of new friends.

Damn kids, Stonehenge, England, January 1987.

It’s been 38 years, yet those memories are as fresh in my mind as if they happened yesterday. London set my travel mindset: be present for every moment possible and take stock afterward of the best little bits. I might not have the sweatshirt anymore, but that Hard Rock Cafe cheeseburger and Debbie Harry jersey are forever with me.

I visited London in 2019 for a solo birthday trip to myself; I taunted my longtime friend Dave (the poet) with a selfie from the Kensington hotel where we stayed. I’m campaigning for a 40th anniversary reunion trip.

February 2019 - guess where I am, Dave?

Of course, we’ve been back to London for The WTAF Show (and I doubt it’ll be the last time). Visiting with a focused eye on the women creating exceptional experiences was a dream fulfilled, to share their stories and encourage you to savor them yourself when you visit next. We’ve put them into a playlist on YouTube to watch for yourself—ideally, while working on your own itinerary for a 2026 visit.

Playlist: London - The WTAF Show

As my friend Maria likes to say, “I hope to get pics this time… but living in the moment is priceless.” For me, it’s the sights, smells, sounds, tastes and textures. If you’re blessed to have your faculties, you’ll never need to stuff the suitcase again.

Here’s to building your own travel collection in 2026. I’m looking forward to every place we visit this year (more on that soon)—and we can’t bring those experiences to you.

KG

Today, in our 40s and 50s, we’re wise enough to know what that really means: we have to do it all.

We excel at our jobs, academics and careers. We keep things on track on the home front, especially if children are involved. We’re reliable and step in when our friends and family need help—sometimes to the point of sacrificing our own needs, health, comfort or joy.

We do this because long before the “You’ve come a long way, baby” ads started hitting us in our generation’s formative years, women have been conditioned—for centuries—to take care of others before ourselves.

Sound familiar? If so, you’re in the right place. Because this reality can affect our mindset when we think about travel, even if it’s something we absolutely love to do. As much as we might want to completely immerse ourselves in the places we visit, we tend to put responsibility and the entertainment of others ahead of our own.

Some of us thrive in this travel lane, and even have turned these skills into a thriving career. And there’s a resurgence in travel advisory and concierge services, a more contemporary label for travel agencies. I have a few favorites: Privé Travel, a luxury travel concierge service for busy women leaders, founded by corporate powerhouse Andrea Mokros. Urban Sass, a combination of travel guide, tour operator and original content by Diana O’Gilvie (she’s done episodes with “The WTAF Show,” too). Deborah Ives, who turned her wildly-popular Solo in Style community on Facebook (more than 600,000 members) into a tour business that appeals to women over 50 who are curious about solo travel, but perhaps not yet ready to go it alone. (Catch our episode with Deborah, over Sunday roast at the Rose & Crown in Clapham.) Trissa Garvis with the excellent Escape Artists Travel. These are women who ensure you have an excellent experience on your own trip!

You might think I’d be the same. Nope. I’m a very self-assured and efficient traveler, no doubt, and I enjoy all aspects of the journey—even waiting at the airport to fly home (I’m sitting at the gate as I write this).

But I know myself at this age, and I’m a rather selfish traveler; I’m entirely focused on my own experience with the sights, art, food, people and culture in the places we visit. I’m not down anymore with making sure everyone else has their metro cards or knows what time to meet in the lobby or where to go if they get hungry. I’ll make the arrangements if it’s for a trip with my husband, or if we’re on location (because, hey, it’s the job ). But I’m done—much to the chagrin of some of my girlfriends—with planning other people’s vacations. I did one big girls’ weekend a few years back, and that was enough; I told them I’ll show up at the airport for the next trip, but someone else can plan it

But whether you love to help others experience travel, or you’re like me and just love doing it for yourself, there is a skill set that women share (thanks to those centuries of conditioning) that comes in quite handy while on any journey:

Adaptability.

While on location in London for “The WTAF Show,” it was surprisingly bumpy. This is a city that definitely shouldn’t have been difficult: Diana, with us on the trip, once lived there. I’ve been visiting London since I was 15. Both of us know the boroughs and the transit system like the backs of our hands. I’ll admit we stacked our schedule a bit too heavy, and we were racing from one filming location to the next. But wow, it was unusually difficult.

Here’s just one near-disastrous outtake:

An entire day was set aside to leave the city for an interview with the artist Maggi Hambling, CBE next to Scallop, her massive metal sculpture on Aldeburgh Beach, Suffolk. What should have been a lickety-split 90-minute train ride out of Liverpool Station turned into a three-hour near-miss, thanks to weekend rail maintenance, a mix up with the Ipswich car rental (neither Matt, our DP/camera guy, nor I drive manual), a budget-crushing rental switch, and total uncertainty whether any train would get us back to London for our evening plans.

It. Was. HECTIC. I felt myself channeling Neil Page ala “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” (“You’re messing with the wrong guy!”), desperate not to lose my shit.

But in the end, the episode is just gorgeous.

Adaptability.

The bus from Liverpool Station had both wireless and charging stations for our devices; I contacted the car rental shop and adjusted our arrival time. That’s when I also discovered the rental mix up.

Thankfully, the shop had one automatic vehicle left to rent: A shiny white 2024 Mercedes C-Class. Yes, it blew the budget, and yes, Matt had a blast driving it through the English countryside.

We made it to Aldeburgh Beach with literally ONE minute to spare. As we peeled into the car park, we saw Hambling standing by the beach boardwalk, curiously inspecting a QR code billboard for car park fees. I just told her that if we were ticketed, I’d pay her fee. We didn’t get any parking or speeding tickets, and we managed to get aboard at Ipswich train station—right after downing a quick pint at the pub across the street—just before the doors closed.

The interview was fantastic. The weather held up, the sculpture was mesmerizing to see with the naked eye, and Maggi is a delight. She’s my favorite living artist and I’m still a bit starstruck after meeting her. I wish I could’ve taken her to dinner and talked for hours.

Adaptability.

She granted me a selfie and I’m a total stan. She was worth every moment of adaptability. With Maggi Hambling at Scallop, Aldeburgh Beach, Suffolk.

Being flexible and curious is not only a saving grace when under stress—especially in a new place—it can also bring unexpected and incredible experiences to your feet.

On our last day of filming, we were spent. Instead of the long walk to the tube station, Diana hailed a traditional London black cab. Turns out, we met Sue Wilson, one of the 2% or so of women licensed to drive London black cabs, and before we knew it Matt turned on the camera and we were interviewing her as she drove us through Covent Garden. Our willingness to adapt our plans brought this small-business owner—literally, she owns her cab—and mother of three daughters into one extra episode.

Kismet: When Diana hailed Sue Wilson’s black cab—her own small business. London.

Perfection is the enemy of good. As women, we could stand to keep that in mind more often. We can’t control everything, especially when we travel. But we have skills and conditioning that we can apply as we go: we can choose to stress out when something goes wrong, or we can move forward with a sense of curiosity and openness.

Adaptability.

Speaking of curiosity and adaptability, we’re moving into 2026 with “The WTAF Show.” I’m amazed we’re here, growing, expanding, and planning trips for fresh episodes. It’s been a ride, and not a straight line.

I first hatched the idea for “The WTAF Show” four years ago on Mother’s Day 2020. I couldn’t travel thanks to the pandemic, so I sat down that morning with my coffee and remote control, resolved to watch some of my favorite episodes of “No Reservations.’ Within an hour, I was searching for food & travel shows hosted by women and showcasing women artists and chefs. I couldn’t find many, and I imagined I wasn’t the only woman who would like to see them, too. By the end of the day, I wrote the business plan for “The WTAF Show.”

Today, I have a testimonial of endorsement for “The WTAF Show” from Laurie Woolever, Bourdain’s first lieutenant and co-author. She did two episodes with us while on location in NYC.

Adaptability.

Whether you’re a mother or not, we hope you enjoy the London episodes—all 28 of our episodes to date—and that “The WTAF Show” inspires you to see more of the world yourself, on your own terms, in 2026.

If that means planning for others to join the adventure, go for it! If that means going solo, have at it! If that means you’d like help or guidance, ask for it!

Just remember: you’ve got adaptability as your superpower. So travel like a woman.

P.S. Don’t ever be afraid to return to the places you love. For me, London is—and always will be—calling. I’ll always answer, and I’ll be back.

KG

This episode is a special one. First, it’s in my hometown of Minneapolis, a city that I unashamedly insist no longer be referred to as a “flyover city.” I’ll put the culinary scene here on the line with any other food-forward U.S. travel destination, from New York to San Francisco to Chicago to New Orleans. The diversity in Minneapolis is incredibly rich, from indigenous communities (hello, Owamni) to Hmong, Somali (get outta here with that recent political B.S.), a variety of South Asian and Middle Eastern cultures, plus the requisite settlers, from Norwegian to German to Irish and everything in between. It’s one of the most hailed cities by the James Beard Foundation (Hai Hai! Bucheron! Myriel! And RIP, Young Joni.), citations on Best Restaurants lists from Food & Wine (Diane’s Place!), the New York Times (Gai Noi!) and so much more.

And do you know what’s incredible about the seven restaurants listed above? Six are led by world-class women chefs.

And they know how to lean on each other for support, creative excellence—and supporting causes that are important to women. Like reproductive healthcare.

Enter Chef Christina Nguyen, the 2024 James Beard Best Chef: Midwest winner. Welcome to her third annual Pro-Choice Potluck, staged in the parking lot at Hai Hai, her South Asian street food bar and restaurant in Northeast Minneapolis. She launched the first potluck in 2022, after the overturn of Roe v. Wade by the U.S. Supreme Court. After taking a break in 2024, the potluck returned this year in an incredibly massive way.

Joining her to feed more than 500 guests were a cast of world-class chefs and mixologists from across the Twin Cities, along with three out of town guests: Chef Lee Anne Wong, owner of Koko Head Cafe Oahu/Tokyo/Osaka and a Top Chef alum; Chef Stephanie Izard, owner of Girl & The Goat in LA and Chicago, best known as the first woman chef to win Top Chef, in Season 4; and Chef Karen Akunowicz, proprietor of Fox & the Knife in Boston, a Top Chef All-Star and the 2018 James Beard Foundation Best Chef: Northeast.

Also there: comedian, political satirist and activist Lizz Winstead, creator of “The Daily Show” and founder of the nonprofit Abortion Access Front (think USO meets Habitat for Humanity).

Joining me for the potluck were two amazing women: Melissa Jones, one of my dearest friends, and Margaret Prestrud. Mel and Margaret are longtime PBS producers who worked together for years at Twin Cities Public Television, or TPT. Today, Margaret is retired, and Mel is senior fundraising producer at WGBH in Boston, perhaps the most iconic of PBS stations and the original home of Julia Child.

I can’t think of a more meaningful way to spend a Sunday afternoon. And when I think about it, I’m still full from all of that incredible food and drink. (Pass me another Pink Pony Club.)

Sometimes the best journeys happen right at home. Despite being someone who simply can’t wait to whip out my passport, I am reminded each time I come home that the things I love most in this world, the very things that call me to travel—art, food, and supporting women—are as strongly cemented in Minneapolis as they are anywhere on this planet.

A huge, sincere thanks to every chef and mixologist, plus their staffs and supporters, for this episode. It was our honor to help share the story of this incredible, impactful event, to show the power of food to help each other and strengthen community.

Chef Christina Nguyen Hai Hai, Hola Arepa
Chef Janene Rolig, Hai Hai, Hola Arepa
Ruby Scher, operations, Hai Hai, Hola Arepa
The entire staff at Hai Hai

Chef Stephanie Izard, Girl & the Goat, Chicago/LA
Chef Lee Anne Wong, Koko Head Café, Honolulu/Osaka/Tokyo
Chef Karen Akunowicz, Fox & the Knife, Boston
Lizz Winstead, creator, The Daily Show & founder, Abortion Access Front
Chef Maggie Whelan, Alma
Chef Nikki Podgorski, Aspara
Chef Alexandra Altoff, Dahlia
Chef Rachael Cornelius, Dario
Chef Jo Seddon, Gia
Chef Jametta Raspberry, House of Gristle
Chef Kaylen Colpitts, Milkjam Creamery
Chef Kate Romero, Oro by Nixta
Chef Tammy Wong, Rainbow Chinese
Chef Nettie Colon, Red Hen Gastrolab
Chef Chandera Walbolt, Saturday Dumpling Co.
Chef Ann Kim, Pizzeria Lola/Hello Pizza, formerly Young Joni
Chef Ann Ahmed, Lat 14/Khâluna/Gai Noi
Zoë François, Zoë Bakes
Stephanie March, Minneapolis-Saint Paul Magazine, MyTalk 107.1
Jessi Pollak, Spoon & Stable
Berit Johnson, Meteor
Christina Jenkins, ie. by Travail
DJ Sophia Eris
Art by Jennifer Davis
Karen V. Paurus
Alyssa Meyer

If you’re planning travel in 2026 to Minneapolis, keep your eyes peeled for the next potluck’s dates. And if those dates don’t work, check out instead one of the amazing chefs and their base restaurants for yourself.

Women chefs are the future. Find them and support them when you travel.

KG

But I’m skipping my usual nap, because I cannot let today entirely pass without sharing deep gratitude for all of you, from “The WTAF Show.” This has been a transitional year for our series, and we’re ending it with 29 (!) episodes, more than 33,000 (!!!) YouTube subscribers and five itineraries coming together for 2026 filming locations.

And we so appreciate having you along for the journey!

One of the advantages I’ve had while building this series is the global network of women—friends, colleagues and connections—that I’ve built over 40 years. I’m so immensely grateful for these marvelous women who have said yes: working with me, sharing their stories, joining us in front of the camera, hosting us on location, advising us behind the scenes, watching our episodes and offering feedback, sharing an episode with someone who they know will be inspired by it.

Two of them come to mind tonight: Kimberly Aigbe and Monica Cercone. I bet they’re fighting food comas right now, too.

Friendship is not something really advertised as a benefit to having a corporate career, but I’ve gained some of my closest friendships through business and business travel. I’m fortunate to now have dear friends on six continents—and most definitely in NYC.

I met Kim and Monica nearly two decades ago during our Best Buy days. Kim is a Best Buy store general manager (think of her as the CEO of a single retail box—and hers is one of the best performing in the network) and Monica is a district manager for Long Island-area PetSmart stores. Both moved to New York to pursue their careers. They married in 2013, with Lady Liberty as the backdrop for their wedding reception on the Hudson River.

Both love NY and living on Long Island. They equally love to travel–and thankfully, both love to eat as much as I do. So when we were building our itinerary for filming in Manhattan, I immediately wanted them to join me—and as expected, we had as terrific an evening as we did all those years ago.

Kim and Monica met me after work in Manhattan for a multi-course tasting
menu at The Musket Room, in the Bowery neighborhood, which has held its Michelin star for 12 years. Owners, sisters Jennifer and Nicole Vitagliano, along with Executive Chef Mary Attea and Executive Pastry Chef Camari Mick, were the core team behind the warm ambience and stellar courses that evening.

(Pastry Chef Camari Mick, a four-time James Beard Award semi-finalist and a 2024 Food & Wine Best New Chef, recently left The Musket Room; her own Afro-Caribbean brasserie, is coming soon to Manhattan.)

One of the remarkable things about The Musket Room is its commitment to neighborhood accessibility. The restaurant intentionally leaves a number of its tables off the online booking apps, so that people who live in the area can walk in any given night for dinner or a drink.

It’s a terrific insider tip for travelers who perhaps can’t get into another Michelin spot while in town.

As for Kim and Monica, as much as they love New York, they have retirement dreams too—perhaps overseas. But no matter where they go, it’ll be yet another pin on the map where I have friends to visit.

So grateful.

As for Thanksgiving, my POV: it’s a time to first be mindful—then grateful.

First, acknowledgment matters that the historical origins of this holiday are deeply flawed, and brutal. This is a colonized nation that wiped out 90% of indigenous peoples, and I’m surprised so many Americans today are oblivious—or worse, fine with it. Acknowledgment matters, full stop—and I deeply respect my friends and family, especially those who are indigenous, who choose not to observe it in a traditional sense.

All that said, as I stand here in 2025—and as deeply worried as I am about our nation—I’m very proud to be an American. I have optimism for the U.S., for our collective ability to fully acknowledge its history and origins, and then to move forward together and make it better for all.

My husband, son and I instead celebrate this as a touchstone, a reminder of the gratitude we have for each other.

However you choose to observe, I send you warm greetings. And I’m grateful to be connected with you as we continue to grow The WTAF Show.

KG