I've always tried to focus on stories that get me and my listeners out in the field and into the middle of the action, whether I was trailing the Zapatista Indians across Mexico, interviewing rioters while choking on tear gas in Quebec, waking up at 4am to speak with tourists making a sunrise pilgrimage to Cambodia's Buddhist temples, or sleeping on a couch in a shelter with storm victims in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy.

I'm not just doing this for my own thrill and enjoyment, though. Rather, I've always felt a need to venture off the beaten track to seek out people and places whose voices and stories are rarely presented -- at least to American listeners and readers -- so people can hear what they have to say.

When I first started out in radio, I learned that the best sound is that which transports listeners and forces them to use their imagination -- conjuring up vivid mental images of the people and places in my stories -- so I'm also on a constant mission to find interesting and creative ways to use audio and good writing to make my reporting come more alive.

Here's a little about my background:

For nearly two decades prior to launching this podcast, I worked as an award-winning interviewer, reporter, editor, and producer, covering everything from breaking news to features, investigations and documentaries, on topics ranging from politics to arts and culture.

Between 2012 and 2015, I reported extensively on New Jersey's long-term recovery from Superstorm Sandy for both NJ Spotlight and WNYC/NJ Public Radio. Along with a series of stories from my colleagues at WNYC, my investigation into the state's misallocation of storm resiliency money was recognized with a Peabody award. Prior to Sandy, I was a producer at The Takeaway, a national, daily radio news program co-produced by WNYC and Public Radio International, in collaboration with The New York Times and WGBH Boston. I also spent five years as News Director at public radio station KGOU in Norman, Oklahoma, where I covered everything from the Oklahoma City bombing anniversary and political wrangling at the state capitol to tornadoes and the annual prison rodeo.

I learned much of what I know from the radio documentary program at the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies in Portland, Maine.

My reporting has taken me around the world, including to Cuba, Haiti, Iran, and Mongolia. It's aired on NPR, the BBC, and dozens of public radio programs, as well as stations around the country.

To learn more about my past work, visit my online portfolio and website, and if you want to hear the extended story of how I got into journalism, public radio, and podcasting, check out my interview on the Foreign Correspondence podcast.

Finally, if you're looking to discover more great podcasts and radio programs to keep your ears educated, entertained, and happy, check out my extensive list of listening recommendations!