204: Remote Year CEO Tue Le on Nomading in Africa, Amplifying Marginalized Voices, and The Rose That Grew From Concrete

Remote Year’s CEO, Tue Le, joins Matt in Cape Town on the opening month of Remote Year’s first all-Africa itinerary. 

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She begins by talking about her parents background—leaving Vietnam, coming to U.S. as refugees, and settling in the San Francisco Bay Area. Tue talks about growing up in a culturally diverse neighborhood, getting into hip hop, and developing her political consciousness as well as her interest in international travel, and explains how she made enough money to take her first international trip to Madrid at age 17. Tue then talks about the evolution of her Vietnamese-American identity, her close connection with the Black community, and her love for HBCU homecoming parties. She also talks about her college experience at Yale, the further development of her politics and identity, and shares some reflections on her studies of genocide. Tue talks about spending over 5 years on the continent of Africa, reflects on her first trips to Rwanda and Sudan, and explains how Remote Year selected the countries for their first all-Africa itinerary. She then tells the story of going back to Vietnam for the first time, going to her dad’s village for the first time, and why she prioritizes connecting with the Vietnamese diaspora around the world. Tue then talks about her transition into the digital nomad lifestyle and discusses the importance of amplifying marginalized and underrepresented stories while traveling. She then talks about joining the Remote Year staff and spearheading their Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) journey over the last 6 years. Tue then explains how Remote Year introduces participants to marginalized communities without participating in poverty tourism, how Remote Year selects positive-impact initiatives without falling into the pitfalls of “voluntourism”, and how Remote Year intends to scale its business without contributing to nomad-gentrification of local communities. She also talks about Remote Year’s partnership with Venture Noire to launch a global accelerator program for Black entrepreneurs. And, finally, Tue shares her vision for the future of Remote Year and offers Maverick Show listeners a credit towards their first Remote Year program by using the link in the Show Notes. FULL SHOW NOTES AND DIRECT LINKS TO EVERYTHING DISCUSSED IS AVAILABLE HERE.

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