Jessica is a Detroit-born Ugandan-American who got her start with traveling when she was just four years old, and in October 2019, she became the first Black Woman to travel to every country in the world.
Jessica is a cultural ambassador, writer, photographer, travel expert and entrepreneur, whose work is about changing the travel narrative and making the travel space more inclusive. She is the founder and CEO of The Catch, a lifestyle brand featuring goods acquired during her global adventures.
Jessica is committed to raising cultural awareness and encourages people to think positively about other countries and the world at large, so that we don’t miss out on opportunities to have amazing experiences with our neighbours.
In March 2019, she was named one of the 30 Most Powerful Women in Travel by Conde Nast Traveler.
Jessica is currently working on her first book, to be published by National Geographic in May 2022.
New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every Tuesday and Thursday at 7am UK time - Subscribe so you don’t miss out!
The Tough Girl Podcast is sponsorship and ad free thanks to the monthly financial support of patrons. To find out more about supporting your favourite podcast and becoming a patron please check out www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast.
Listen to Jessica Now!
Click here if you can't see the link below.
Being a liver and lover of life
Being known as the first Black woman to travel to all 195 countries in the world
Being a Global Citizen
Growing up in Detroit, Michigan
Travelling a lot as a family
Going to Canada when she was 4
Wanting to become a lawyer when she was younger
Getting into travel and wanting to be an entrepreneur
Working and living all over the world
Figuring things out on her own
Turning 25 and spending 9 months travelling
What draws her to travel
Being curious about the world and finding beauty in the mundane
Magical moment with people while travelling
Planning and paying for the travel
Making space for travel
Being location independent and working for herself
Doing a Go Fund Me and raising $28,000
Dealing with burnout from travel
Visiting Iraq
Having a home base in Detroit
How 2020 made Jessica appreciate stillness
Top tips for women who want to travel more
Why you should just go
Corey Lee @CurbFreeCorylee
Char @travelingblackwidow
Her biggest challenge while travelling
Swimming with Wales in Tonga
Visiting high risk countries….
Travelling with open, positive energy
Travel routines and what a typical day looks like
Writing a book about her travel experiences
100 stories - 100 countries being published by National Geographic in 2022
Dealing with Covid and not being able to travel
Visiting the last country
Completing her challenge!
Spending time in Uganda
Enjoying solo travel
Wanting to settle down at some point
Practical advice for women
How to follow along with Jessica
What’s behind the website name…
Social Media
Website thecatchmeifyoucan.com
Instagram: @jessicanabongo
Facebook: @thecatchmeifyoucan
Youtube: youtube.com/thecatchmeifyoucan
Twitter: @thecmiyc
Feeling inspired week after week?
You can do 3 easy things to help me continue to grow the podcast!
Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, so you won’t miss a single episode
If you’re loving the podcast, please leave a 5-star review on iTunes! I read every single comment!
Share the podcast with your friends, especially if you think it could help them, and spread the #ToughGirlPodcast love.
Your support helps me continue to grow the podcast and do inspiring things in this space! Already done all 3? You’re a rockstar! Thank you!
Want to do more?
Please become a Patron and donate US$5 a month to help fund the runnings costs. Thank you.
Comments