Welcome back to The Tourism RESET with me, your host, Rebecca Woolford.

My next guest is Dr. Lyla June Johnston, aka Lyla June, an Indigenous musician, author, and activist of Diné nation and European heritage. Lyla’s creativity and passion have engaged audiences around the globe, inviting collective and ecological healing. She blends her study of Human Ecology at Stanford with doctoral research focused on how pre-colonial Indigenous Nations shaped Turtle Island (now called the Americas) to create abundant food systems for humans and non-humans alike.

Lyla’s wisdom and guidance have completely reshaped how I think about this industry and the work I show up to do each week. This conversation is about grounding tourism in Indigenous knowledge, understanding history we were never taught, and exploring how travel can become regenerative rather than extractive.

Here's what you'll discover in this episode:

🌍 What Turtle Island really means, and why understanding this is foundational for anyone promoting travel in North America

🌍 How generational trauma shapes Indigenous communities, and why tourism professionals and businesses need this context to shape how we see the world

🌍 Three key challenges Indigenous communities face, and how tourism done right can support regeneration rather than extraction

🌍 The critical Indigenous principles of solidarity and reciprocity

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Welcome back to The Tourism RESET. In this episode, I speak with Vitória and her son Alex, mother and son from Cristalino Lodge, a world leading ecotourism lodge in the Southern Amazon, Brazil.

A butterfly and a red flower carry Vitória's name, living tributes from scientists to a life devoted to the Amazon. When she was called 'crazy' for her vision to protect a region in the Southern Amazon and bring people from around the world to experience it, Vitória stayed true to her intuition.

What began as a deep knowing grew into Cristalino Lodge, now safeguarding 11,399 hectares of rainforest (equal in size to two Manhattans). It's a world-leading research hotspot, a sanctuary of immense biodiversity, and a living classroom where over 13,000 children have explored its trails.

In this conversation, Vitória and Alex reflect on how it all began, why education and science sit at the heart of their work, and how tourism - done with right - can become one of the most powerful forces to protect nature and uplift communities in a region that has long been under threat.

If you enjoy this conversation, be sure to check out my best learning resources for travel professionals and purpose-led tourism businesses. Created for those ready to reimagine and reset tourism for people, places, and nature. Visit The Tourism RESET.com

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2. Visit my YouTube Channel: youtube.com/@rebeccawoolford
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Special thanks to Senderos who made this conversation possible.

Welcome back to The Tourism RESET with me, your host, Rebecca Woolford.

My next guest is Dr Freya Higgins-Desbiolles, an academic powerhouse and author who's spent her career advancing justice in tourism. She helped create the Code of Conduct for Tourism in the Holy Land, she's co-authored books on climate justice and community empowerment, and she's working with communities worldwide to reimagine what's possible.

This conversation is about understanding the system better so we can change it. Freya shares insights most of us were never taught AND the critical questions we are often missing entirely.

This episode is essential listening for evaluating genuine community tourism, NOT marketing fluff.

Here's what you'll discover in this episode:

🌍 Why Freya believes traditional tourism has been hijacked and by whom

🌍 Why community-owned AND community-led aren't the same as community-based and how to tell the difference as a travel professional

🌍 Real world examples where local communities are self-determining their futures

🌍 How to inform yourself. Understand what you're missing. Then choose a pathway.

If you enjoy this conversation, be sure to check out my learning resources designed for travel professionals and teams who lead with impact - including the on-demand masterclass How to Unlock the Power and Potential of Community-Led Tourism that Freya was part of.

Here is the preview of that masterclass - https://kiwanotourism.com/stories/video-preview-masterclass-community-tourism/

1. Stay in the know with my weekly eNewsletter @kiwanotourism.com
2. Check out my YouTube Channel: youtube.com/@rebeccawoolford
3. Connect on Instagram: rebecca_kiwano
4. Connect on LinkedIn: rebecca-woolford