VoyageLA Magazine Interview

I’m honored to have been featured in VoyageLA magazine as an Inspiring Conversation! We discussed my story and the evolution of my work, challenges along the way, and the role of luck in my life.

Here’s a snippet:

I had been fortunate enough to travel as a child and youth and to say I loved it is an understatement. As I grew older, I recognized my desire to incorporate travel into my career and lifestyle as much as possible, but I didn’t necessarily understand what that would look like in practice. While undertaking my Bachelor’s Degree in International Relations at Boston University, I learned more about international human rights and the possibility of working globally on those types of issues. Once I completed that degree, I moved to Washington, D.C. because that was the place to be if you wanted to work in international development. And I was off! I got an internship and worked at a pub near Union Station to pay the bills. I later got my first “real” job at an international anti-slavery organization and, after living and working in D.C. for two years, I was offered the opportunity to move to Senegal to work for a human rights organization.

Over the next decade, I lived and worked in the Balkans, Central Asia, and East and West Africa. I served on the teams of foundations, nonprofits, and social businesses, and contributed to projects centered on a range of issues, including access to equitable healthcare, environmental sustainability, LGBTQ+ rights, reproductive health, women’s rights, and more. Because of that bubble I grew up in, much surprised me and I found myself learning and unlearning more than I could’ve ever imagined. If you travel with an open mind, you will most likely be humbled by your adventures and encounters.

I had fantastic, life-changing experiences and I loved (most of) the work, but I didn’t always agree with the way it was carried out. Organizational approaches to international development work often involved bringing in outsiders to address local problems, without, in my opinion, properly utilizing the insights and knowledge of the locals. Foreigners often provided assumed, and unearned, expertise.

After ten years in the field, I craved time and space to reflect on and research these issues, so I undertook my Master’s Degree in Human Rights at the University of Sussex. Upon its completion, I concluded that I could no longer work in the international development space in the same ways I had previously, and I explored working on my own terms in ways that aligned with my values. I became more involved in the anti-racism and social justice spaces in the U.S., obtaining my certification as a training facilitator and coach.

I’ve discovered that I’m particularly skilled at helping others to understand the history behind their ways of thinking, the reasons for their biases, and how they can be better advocates and leaders. My unique perspective also tends to resonate deeply with those working globally and cross-culturally. In 2024 I officially launched my business, and I now do coaching, training, and more with individuals and teams who want to do good in the world and could use support along the way. I’m also still moving and traveling, most recently floating between Oceania and Europe.

Read the full interview here: https://voyagela.com/interview/inspiring-conversations-with-rebecca-justus-of-justus-advising-coaching