– Commercial –
As a part of the Morning Lazziness sequence highlighting empowering ladies who’re making a outstanding influence with their concepts, I had the pleasure of interviewing Deborah Haile.
Deborah Haile is a bestselling creator, entrepreneur, and co-founder of Tiny Global Footprints, a platform devoted to inspiring household journey and international studying. She has traveled to twenty international locations along with her son, Jonah Seyum, turning their experiences into bestselling youngsters’s books and co-hosting the International Footprints Tales podcast.
She holds a Grasp’s diploma from George Mason College and a Bachelor’s from the College of Minnesota. Initially from Eritrea, she now lives in California, persevering with her mission to make storytelling and journey accessible for all households.
At simply 12 years previous, Jonah Seyum is an award-winning creator, podcaster, and the youngest revealed Eritrean creator. As co-CEO of Tiny International Footprints, he has co-authored three books together with his mom, bestselling creator Deborah Haile, and written 4 solo books. Jonah has traveled to twenty international locations, embracing new languages and cultures whereas turning his experiences into tales that encourage younger readers.
Outdoors of writing, Jonah is keen about basketball, soccer, martial arts, and video video games, and he enjoys spending time together with his massive prolonged household. He’s been featured by a number of information shops by way of reside interviews and articles, together with NBC, ABC, Tripadvisor, BuzzFeed, Journey Noire, Billion Success, Thrive International, and Authority Journal.
On this interview, she talks concerning the obstacles she’s overcome, the milestones she’s achieved, and the knowledge she’s gained alongside the best way.
What was the inspiration behind beginning Tiny International Footprints along with your son Jonah?
The inspiration got here from my want to create significant experiences with Jonah that went past the everyday parenting expertise. Touring collectively allowed us to attach deeply whereas exposing him to the world’s wealthy range. It quickly turned clear that our tales may encourage different households to embrace journey as a device for training and empathy, which led to the founding of Tiny Global Footprints.
How did your individual upbringing and heritage form the mission of your model and books?
Rising up as a first-generation Eritrean-American, I skilled the ability of cultural tales firsthand. My heritage instilled in me a powerful sense of id and the significance of illustration. This formed our mission to create books and experiences that mirror numerous voices and train youngsters to understand international cultures from an early age.
What do you consider is the best good thing about exposing youngsters to international journey and tradition early on?
Early publicity to completely different cultures teaches youngsters empathy, adaptability, and curiosity. It broadens their worldview, helps them admire range, and develops essential enthusiastic about their place on this planet. Journey is the final word hands-on classroom, the place classes are memorable and impactful.
How did you transition your private travels into bestselling books and a profitable family-focused model?
Our transition was natural—every journey impressed tales we wished to share. We began self-publishing to take care of authenticity and management. By combining partaking storytelling with instructional parts and a mission-driven strategy, our model resonated with households in search of significant, multicultural youngsters’s literature.
What challenges have you ever confronted as a mompreneur making a platform round international studying, and the way did you overcome them?
Balancing a demanding profession with entrepreneurship and household life is all the time difficult. Initially, constructing credibility as self-published authors required persistence and persistence. We overcame these challenges by staying true to our mission, leveraging neighborhood help, and persistently producing high quality content material that connects with our viewers.
How do you contain your son within the inventive and enterprise aspect of Tiny International Footprints?
Jonah is a real companion, from co-authoring books to podcasting and enterprise selections. I encourage him to share his perspective and concepts, which retains our work genuine and related to younger readers. His involvement additionally teaches him management, duty, and creativity in a hands-on means.
What recommendation would you give to folks who wish to journey extra with their children however really feel overwhelmed?
Begin small and be intentional. Journey doesn’t need to be extravagant to be instructional or memorable. Deal with high quality time, select locations that spark curiosity, and contain your children in planning. Preparation and suppleness are key to managing stress and making the expertise pleasing.
You’re additionally a speaker and advocate—what message do you attempt to instill when talking to folks, educators, and households?
I emphasize the ability of storytelling and journey in shaping compassionate, globally conscious youngsters. I encourage households to prioritize experiences over issues and to make use of journey as a platform for studying and connection. Schooling ought to prolong past school rooms to real-world engagement.
What’s your favourite vacation spot you’ve explored with Jonah, and what made it particular?
Every place holds distinctive reminiscences, however Eritrea stands out resulting from our private connection. Visiting household, sharing our heritage, and seeing Jonah embrace his roots made the expertise significant. It was a mix of tradition, historical past, and household that strengthened our bond and impressed our storytelling.
How do you see storytelling taking part in a job in training and international consciousness for teenagers as we speak?
Storytelling is a common language that builds empathy and understanding. By tales, youngsters can expertise cultures, challenges, and values past their instant atmosphere. It’s a robust device for educating international citizenship and galvanizing curiosity concerning the world.
What legacy are you constructing—not only for your loved ones, however for the households who comply with your journey?
We purpose to construct a legacy of connection, curiosity, and braveness. For our household and others, it’s about inspiring a lifelong ardour for studying and empathy, displaying that understanding the world and numerous cultures enriches lives and communities.
What’s subsequent for Tiny International Footprints—any upcoming books, initiatives, or locations?
We’re excited to launch new books that proceed to discover international cultures and tales, together with a particular give attention to collaborative works with younger authors in Eritrea. We additionally plan to broaden our podcast content material and interact extra households by means of instructional packages and digital occasions.
The place can our viewers join with you and study extra about your work or choices?
Our viewers can discover us on our website, comply with our journey on Instagram, and hearken to our podcast, Global Footprints Stories, obtainable on all main platforms.
– Commercial –
