In this episode, Nick has a conversation with Brazilian journalist Pedro Andrade about Pedro’s career experiences, places he’s visited, stories from his travels, and his recent work on Unknown Amazon.

Pedro has no shortage of fascinating stories. He originally started his career as a model, using modeling as a means to travel to New York City. He evolved in his career, becoming a television host and later a journalist, and making his way to over sixty-five countries. Through his travels, Pedro has gained a lot of perspective about the world, people, and living well. Most recently, Pedro traveled with CNN Brazil for CNN Latin America to work on a new project on the West Coast. From van lifers to people working with drugs, Pedro had the chance to sit down with diverse populations of people, and to do the thing that he loves most in all of his work - humanize the headlines by putting a face and voice to different experiences.

One thing Nick wonders about Pedro’s broad experience with people and places is whether or not he’s noticed a desensitizing influence of technology. While Pedro can see the answer to that question being both yes and no, he explains his belief that we’re learning to evolve with technology. As experiences such as a time he spent in Myanmar testify, lack of technology that has for people in America become ubiquitous does shift priorities, but this is not necessarily a good or bad reality. Cultures are by nature different, and one of the most fascinating phenomena Pedro has observed is that of cultural collisions. In places like Okinawa, Japan, where an army base brought American influence into an Asian culture, a new, unique culture is able to arise out of the collision.

Pedro’s work requires him to be a close observer of his surroundings, but he has learned to try to bring enjoyment and observation together in all parts of life. He doesn’t want one to exist without the other either on or off the clock, but wants to consistently engage on a thoughtful and present level with the people and places around him. In light of this, it comes as no surprise that Pedro has no intention to fully “retire” from the sort of work he does. There are certain places he doesn’t want to revisit, so as to avoid diluting the special experiences he’s already had there, but he would love to continue exploring and feeling everyday life in lots of different places. As a caveat, though, he clarifies for listeners that all forms of travel are valid, and one doesn’t have to pursue the same kind of full immersion he does in order to be shaped by a place. The one thing to avoid in evaluating a place though, is a conflation of politics and place.

Before the conversation wraps up, Nick wants to take a closer look at how Pedro got into journalism. Pedro roots his career in the influence of his grandmother, whose love of travel was contagious and prompted him to accept a modeling job, study journalism, and ultimately take the steps to becoming who he now is. He and Nick then talk about the necessity of different people and roles, StoryBrand and