Deesha Dyer never thought she’d wind up in the White House. As a kid growing up in Philadelphia, she desperately wanted to travel but it always felt out of reach. Until she landed a coveted internship in the Obama administration, working in the office that arranged all of the president’s travel. Over the next eight years, she would travel around the world with the President and First Lady—in style!—visiting embassies, hobnobbing with celebrities, and yes, traveling alone, much of which she’s chronicled in her new memoir, Undiplomatic.  

She also got a peek into the diplomatic world, where “I would never see any Black people in the U.S. embassies,” she told me. Until she worked in the White House, she had no idea that something like the U.S. Foreign Service existed. And that sparked an idea: To start a nonprofit that would help other Black girls access these opportunities. In 2014, she founded beGirl.World Global Scholars, a two-year program that culminates in a big international trip. In today’s episode, she takes us on that first journey. 

She and her cofounder, Marcella, took 10 girls to London and Paris, a two-week whirlwind that was delightful and stressful, learning a lot about what to do—and what not to do. Plus, in the companion interview on YouTube, Deesha shares all the behind-the-scenes details about traveling with the Obamas, what it’s like to fly on Air Force One, and the delightful challenge of transitioning back to “normal” travel after eight years of diplomatic luxuries. 

Resources

Read the transcript of the episode.

Listen to the episode on YouTube.

Order Deesha’s book, Undiplomatic. 

Learn more about, and support, beGirl.World.

Follow Deesha on her website and on Instagram.

Be sure to subscribe to the show and to sign up for our podcast newsletter, Behind the Mic, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes details of each episode. And explore our second podcast, Unpacked, which unpacks one tricky topic in travel each week.