For the final episode of Season 3, I talk with Deesha Dyer, former White House Social Secretary and co-founder of beGirl.world, an organization that empowers Black teen girls through global education and travel. She is also the Founder and CEO of Hook & Fasten, a social impact agency that builds transformational partnerships between communities and corporations. Deesha shares what sparked her love of travel, how she ended up in the White House, and her experiences traveling with the Obamas. She also talks about beGirl.world, how she’s navigating the pandemic, and her important social impact work.

What You’ll Learn

• What sparked Deesha’s love of travel
• About her early travel experiences
• How she ended up working in the White House
• About her job scheduling travel for the President
• How she wove personal travel into her work travel (and why she couldn’t earn miles & points)
• Some of her favorite trips along the way
• Life and travel after the White House
• Why she co-founded beGirl.world in 2014
• How she helps prepare young Black women to travel abroad
• How she’s navigating the reality of the pandemic
• About her agency Hook & Fasten and her work around diversity, equity and inclusion
• About Impact of a Vote, which exposes Black students to non-traditional careers in public service and politics.
• About the Black Girl 44 Scholarship

About Deesha Dyer

Deesha Dyer is an award-winning strategist, on-the-ground community organizer, and executive operations expert. She specializes in transforming ideas into causes that create tangible change. She is the Founder and CEO of Hook & Fasten, a social impact agency that specializes in transformational relationships between corporations and communities, diversity & inclusion, and executive operations. 

At 31 years old, Dyer entered the Obama Administration as a community college student intern and ultimately worked her way up to serving as White House Social Secretary. Dyer coordinated the historic visit by Pope Francis and booked legendary acts including Beyoncé, Bruce Springsteen and Aretha Franklin.

Dyer is the co-founder of beGirl.world, an organization that empowers teen girls through global education and travel. She also oversees additional initiatives, including Black Girl 44, a scholarship fund for young black women seeking internships in Washington, D.C., the Deesha Dyer Second Chance Scholarship at the Community College of Philadelphia, and Impact of a Vote, which aims to expose African American students to non-traditional careers in public service and politics. 

Dyer is also a sought-after keynote speaker known for delivering engaging talks on a range of topics — spanning women in leadership, confidence, diversity, and social change. She now resides in New York City with her partner and cat.

You can find out more about Deesha Dyer on her website, and follow her on Instagram or Twitter.

Resources Mentioned

• How I Went from a 31-Year-Old White House Intern To Barack Obama’s Social Secretary (Elle Magazine article)
• beGirl.world
• Inspire Girls Out Of Marginalized Communities Through Travel (TEDx Talk)
• Impact of a Vote
• Been (travel app)

This episode is sponsored by Manta Sleep. Their sleep masks and other sleep accessories help you maximize enjoyment of life and unlock your full potential through achieving quality sleep. Use JETSET to get 10% off at checkout.

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