Out now: Beyond Timbuktu: Journeys of Hope & Humanity
What if the world was far kinder and more connected than headlines lead us to believe? If smiles were passports to foreign lands?
From Albania to Zimbabwe – through over 150 countries, best-selling author Catherine DeVrye shares real-life stories beyond bias, borders and sightseeing. Trekking to Timbuktu, skiing in Lebanon, cycling through Lithuania, swimming off Yemen, dining with royalty in Bahrain or sharing pizza with Syrian refugees in Serbia – she discovers that most individuals are kinder than their governments; that more unites us than divides us, even in often maligned nations.
Waves of Change-Lessons from Surf Lifesaving
1. Swim between the red and yellow flags There’s a certain irony about following the rules and staying in a ‘safety zone’ of a career or conventional wisdom-OR venturing further out from normal limitations in order to succeed beyond boundaries imposed by those less daring. I’ve always been one to push limits and step outside […]
Life mirrors nature. Some of it’s tragic but most of it’s magic!
Since the dawn of time there have always been (and probably will always be) the darkest of disasters in both Mother Nature and human nature. Thankfully, few of us will ever face tragedy that strikes with the strength and speeds of tornadoes and tsunamis; or with the ferocity of floods and forest fires. Yet, most […]
Middle aged, middle class Australian woman shares pizza and opinions with young Middle Eastern men from Syria in Serbia
Middle aged, middle class Australian woman shares pizza and opinions with young Middle Eastern men from Syria in Serbia As a middle aged, middle class Western woman, I don’t hang out with young, unshaven Middle Eastern men on a Saturday night. So why was this evening so far-removed from my normal behaviour; them so far-removed […]
Small world-Universal challenges
I’m just home from Africa, having avoided a coup in Ethiopia where the government closed down all Wi-Fi for 3 weeks; which gave me fresh material on disruption to address a leadership team event in Sydney this week. Every nation, organisation and individual faces different challenges in times of rapid change. Yet, did you know […]
Greek Crisis or Lessons for Writers
1. Check more than one source…Luckily I checked with a friend in Athens and was able to enjoy an amazing time in a great country. 2. Sensationalism sells but sustainability counts…Remember the old saying that today’s headlines are tomorrow’s fish and chip wrappers. Personally, I want to write books that are sustainable. OK I’d love […]