We caught up with the brilliant and insightful D Carrie a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi D, thanks for joining us today. Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?

Growing up, my parents (my mother especially) always supported my curiosities and encouraged my creativity. Whether it was my magician phase, my comic book, sticker, baseball card, pog collecting phase, my spy/detective phase, or my scientist phase, they paid for everything and sat through all of my long winded explanations and stories about it all. My mom still talks about short stories I wrote in elementary school. There has never been a time I didn’t think she fully believed I’d be great at whatever I was creating. She’s always been my loudest and strongest cheerleader. My dad took a bit more convincing, lol, but I couldn’t ask for better. He’s popped up on sets to check on me and show support. He tells strangers about my podcast and gives the best episode feedback.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Before social media, I sadly thought travel wasn’t for me. I didn’t think I had the “right job” to be able to afford travel. I lived on my own, had student loans, bills and didn’t have parents who could float me money if I blew mine. All of my friends were married, had kids or were unable for one reason or another to pick up and go when they wanted. I was waiting for things to be “just right” so I could have my turn to explore the world. As contentious as the conversation around social media can be, it was absolutely the spark I needed to see that travel wasn’t just for white kids taking a gap year, or the group of friends with money having the spring break of their dreams. Around 2016, I began sliding into DMs and asking Black women I was able to see myself in about their solo travels. With their encouragement, I began to see I could go as I was, with what I had. I took my first solo international trip in January 2017, and I fell in love with travel. I began discussing travel on my YouTube channel (I’ve been blogging and vlogging since 2010), started writing for Taji Magazine as a travel contributor and began my podcast Travel N Sh!t in late 2018.

People would often ask me how I traveled alone. Was I scared? Who did I talk to? What did I do? My answer was always, “what I do at home!” I’m a NYer. I lived alone. I shopped alone, dined alone and went to events alone everyday, and no one thought it was revolutionary; it just was. With each trip, travel became less about “vacation” and more about experiencing myself in new environments. 24 countries (20 of which were solo), 7 roadtrips, 15 cities and over 200 episodes later, I’ve built a platform sharing the profound effects of seeing the world and growing through intentional travel. I began with a desire to pay it back and encourage Black women especially, to see the world with the resources they have. I cannot express enough how important representation was for me, even at my 2017 big age of 30. Seeing Black women who looked, sounded and moved about the world similarly to how I experienced myself was what I needed, and I’ve just wanted to be that example for anyone else that needs it.

Travel N Sh!t holds space for new travelers to hear about what can be experienced and gained through travel, and for more seasoned travelers to shift the focus of their journeys from the destination to the stories of the people and growth we experience along the way. Topics run the gamut. From talking about travel experiences that remind me of the characters from my favorite movie, The Wiz, to a love letter to some of the best food and beverage experiences I’ve had around the world inspired by Netflix’s show Drink Masters. Conversations around digital surveillance abroad, how your decision-making style affects your travel, and folklore and the diaspora, are alongside destination reviews and travel growth strategies. Guests represent a diverse range of interests like an air traffic controller, marine biologist/ underwater videographer, activists, expats and other unique intersections of life and travel. Every Thursday, I explore topics that highlight the fact that travel is so much more than vacation. And that with a little intention, we can all enjoy the best life has to offer both home and abroad.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Across industries, I always love to hear about people who love their jobs because I genuinely love people being happy. People are able to be their best selves and give positively to the world with ease when they’re happy. My mom was a teacher for most of my life, and she was always so happy to start her days because she loved what she did for a living. She was able to positively affect so many people because she was able to do what she did with love. I want that for myself. I also want my younger cousins and family to see that non traditional pathways to employment can not only be better for us as whole beings, emotionally and physically, but more lucrative and rewarding than traditional employment.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is that I get to be in control of my “thing.” Whatever I’m working on gets to look however I see fit. I don’t have to consult anyone, I can move as quickly or slowly as I want and I get to do exactly what my heart tells me is right. I feel the most free when I’m being creative because there’s no wrong way to do it. I get to move based purely on vibes and it’s the most natural and freeing feeling for me.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.travelnshitpodcast.com
• Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/_dcarrie
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TravelNShitPodcast
• Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/_dcarrie
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TravelNShit
• Other: iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/travel-n-sh-t-podcast/id1438869765 Podcast players: https://travel-n-sht-podcast.captivate.fm/listen Patreon: https://patreon.com/travelnshit?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=join_link