Today, we're speaking with Dr. Anu Taranath, a speaker, facilitator, and faculty member at the University of Washington in Seattle, where she teaches about global literature, race, and equity, and directs study abroad programs on human rights.

Anu and I first met this May in New York, where we co-hosted a panel called Travel, Power, and the Role of Creators in a World on Fire at the Women In Travel Summit.

Anu is known for pushing the conversation—without pushing folks away–and creating spaces where everyone can feel a deep sense of belonging and worthiness.

I hope that in this New Year's Eve conversation, you can feel a little bit of her magic.

🐪 We are returning to Jordan next June 🐪

Join us June 5-14, 2026 on a 10-day trip to this country we love so much. We'll visit the Dead Sea, Petra, Wadi Rum, Amman, and many off-beaten spots in between. We'll meet a renowned artist who designed the country's newest currency, spend time with the Bedouins in the desert, and more.

Save $200 by booking an early-bird spot by Jan 5, 2026.

Get details here

Listen to the Episode

What you’ll hear:

  • The origins of Anu's justice work: too foreign to be an American
  • Growing up in a South Asian family in Texas
  • How Anu creates spaces of belonging from New York to New Delhi
  • The politics of travel: how power structures shape the way we travel
  • Anu reads an excerpt from her book
  • Helmet-to-cheek: looking for sweetness, lightness, and joy wherever we go
💡
"I want a life filled with joy, connection, magic, sweetness... and they don't have to be big and grand gestures. Small, simple moments are the ones that I gravitate toward." – Dr. Anu Taranath
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Beyond Guilt Trips: Mindful Travel in an Unequal World

A required reading for today's travelers

Anu is the author of Beyond Guilt Trips: Mindful Travel in an Unequal World, a book that puts our movement across the world in a larger context of systems of power.

This book gives us the language and concepts to think about the world with care, humanity, and gentleness that Anu’s work is known for.

Learn more and pick up a copy here.

Check out our interview on YouTube →

➡️
What you can do right now:
• Follow Anu on Instagram: @dr.anutaranath
• Read Anu's book, Beyond Guilt Trips: Mindful Travel In an Unequal World
• Check out Anu's column at AFAR Magazine
• Watch our panel: Travel, Power, and the Role of Creators in a World on Fire
"The good news is that neither you nor I are directly responsible for the way the world is today. The bad news is that this history has everything to do with me and everything to do with you." – Dr. Anu Taranath
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