Juliet Cutler shares how a volunteer experience in Tanzania transformed the course of her life and inspired her work as an author, storyteller, and museum consultant. In this episode, we talk about purposeful work, listening deeply, and the ripple effect that education and storytelling can have across generations.
Check Out These Highlights:
When Juliet Cutler traveled to Tanzania as a young volunteer, she thought she was simply offering her skills to help support girls’ education. What she didn’t expect was how deeply the experience would reshape her understanding of purpose, storytelling, and the impact one person can have on an entire community.
In this episode, Juliet shares how witnessing extreme poverty, resilience, and the transformative power of education changed the trajectory of her life and work. She opens up about the reverse culture shock she experienced returning home, the winding path that eventually led her into museum interpretation and experiential storytelling, and why curiosity and listening are at the heart of every meaningful story.
Toby and Juliet also explore the idea of “getting quiet” enough to hear the inner voice guiding you toward work that matters. From Maasai girls’ education to museum curation, Juliet’s story is ultimately about paying attention to the stories that deserve to be told, and recognizing that purpose can create a ripple effect far beyond ourselves.
If you’ve ever questioned whether your work is making a meaningful difference, this conversation will leave you reflecting on impact, intuition, and the power of using your skills in service of something bigger.
About Juliet Cutler:
Juliet Cutler is an author, storyteller, and interpretation consultant whose work focuses on cultural storytelling, museums, parks, and educational experiences. Through her books and her work with Nomad Studio, she helps bring overlooked stories to life while advocating for education and community impact initiatives in Tanzania.
Connect with Juliet:
🌐 Websites: www.julietcutler.com and www.nomad-studio.net
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julietcutler/
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cutler.juliet
💬 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/juliet.cutler/
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My guest today is Juliet Cutler, author of Among the Maasai and Lessons in Hope, and founder of Nomad Studio. Juliet's story begins with an unexpected yes, the chance to teach English at a school for Maasai girls in Tanzania. What started as a volunteer teaching experience became a lifelong connection to the women, girls, and communities she came to know there. In this conversation, we talk about the ripple effect of education, what it means to tell stories across cultures, and why listening first is at the heart of Juliet's work. We also talk about how her time in Tanzania shaped her books, her exhibit design work, and the way she helps museums and cultural institutions tell stories that create understanding and connection. It's a conversation about purpose, curiosity, and the stories that stay with us long after we first hear them.
Toby Myles: Hey, Juliet. Welcome to the podcast. Hi, Toby.
Juliet Cutler: Thanks for having me.
Toby Myles: I'm excited for this conversation. So, um, I usually share how we know each other, and we met recently. We were introduced by Laura Ted, who, um, was also on the podcast. And I always ask the women on my podcast to introduce me to other women with amazing stories.
And the reason that this podcast even exists is that I'm so curious, I always say I'm naturally nosy, but I'm curious, to put it more politely, um, about things that I know nothing about. And so, um, and that was absolutely the case when you and I first met. It was one of the reasons why I wanted to meet you after Laura introduced us.
Um, and so that is how we ended up here. And I'm excited for this conversation because I have a feeling like this will be something new for a lot of our listeners. So I would love for you to kind of take me back to a moment in time, or maybe it's several moments, where you feel like really kind of put you on the path that you're on right now.
Juliet Cutler: Sure. Well, I think I'll talk about maybe a couple different moments. The first moment I'll talk about is the one that led me to, well, almost 25, more than 25 years now of, uh, engagement in Tanzania with the Maasai community. So that moment started when I was in my mid-20s, and I was in graduate school, and I wasn't terribly happy at the time.
I was living by myself, and it was kind of a lonesome period for me in many ways. But I was teaching, um, CO150, like composition, to freshmen as a graduate student. And I was going to school at the same time. And I remember, uh, an evening where I had, like stayed up till 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning grading papers and, like reading student essays, and I kind of went in the bathroom and I had like tears, a lot of tears.
I just was not very happy, and I thought, "Why am I doing all of this?" Hmm. And at that moment, I had this really vivid memory of an experience while I was working in Montana as a backpack guide. I had a gentleman I took on a week-long backpack who served on the board of a nonprofit organization called Operation Bootstrap Africa.
And he knew at the time that I was about to finish my undergraduate degree in English education, and he started telling me the stories of Maasai girls and women in Tanzania, East Africa. And these were really dramatic and, in some cases, heartbreaking stories of young women who had very few opportunities, who lived in really deep poverty, and of a special school that had been established by some Maasai elders to try to turn the tide of that poverty for women, and they needed a volunteer English teacher.
And at the time, like, I couldn't really figure out how I was gonna make that happen, and, um, I kinda shelved it. But this particular night, it came back to me, and I thought, "You know what? I'm gonna, I'm gonna explore that. I'm gonna do that." Mm-hmm. And so I did. I reached out to the headmistress of the school, and, um, over a series of sort of months, got invited to come as a teacher, went through the process of getting a work permit and all the things you have to do to live abroad.
And I spent the next two years teaching English at this school for girls in East Africa. And those two years, I think were, um, were eye-opening, uh, I think would be a way to put it mildly, but I- they really, um, impacted me in a lot of ways, and I think sparked in me a lifelong commitment to, uh, doing what I could to support the women and girls and, and the community that I came to know and love in Tanzania.
So that was 1999 and 2000. Um, we're in 2026. I was at the school when its first class graduated, so it was under construction still while I was there. And I wrote about those two years, uh, as a volunteer teacher in my first book, Among the Maasai. And, uh, in the last three years or so, Operation Bootstrap Africa, which is that nonprofit I referred to, invited me to go back to Tanzania to honor the school's 30th anniversary, uh, by interviewing graduates of the school.
Wow. And when I went back, I... You know, and I've gone back and forth many times over the- these years, but these, these trips were, were for work. You know? I was there- Mm-hmm ... to do interviews, and I traveled with Tanzanian photographers and videographers, so we documented all the interviews in photographs and video.
Um, and I didn't really know when I took on the project what it would become, and I think as a writer, it became obvious to me pretty quickly that, that this, these stories were impactful, they were important, they needed to be out in the world, that these women, like, much like the work you do with your podcast, these women wanted to share their stories.
Mm-hmm. Um, and so it became a second book, which is called Lessons in Hope, and it's much different than the first one in that it's a collection of these stories and portraits of these women. And it was such a rewarding experience for me to... I didn't know all of these women, but I did know many of them- Mm-hmm
um, to sit across from women who I had seen, like, arrive at the school literally with nothing but the clothes on their back. Yeah. And to talk to them about what education had done for them, where they are now in their lives. Um, and, and I think more broadly how education has, um, served as a springboard for them to work on issues in their own community, uh, in terms of dress- addressing women's empowerment issues, addressing issues of poverty.
These are women who are working for all kinds of non-profits. They're healthcare providers, they're educators, uh, they're religious leaders. Um, they're civic leaders. Two have run for parliament. Wow. So that's, um, that's that bit of the story I think. And, and maybe I'll save the other moment in time for a little bit further down the road, which, uh, g- gets more at how this experience in Tanzania has shaped my life sort of professionally and what I do now.
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm. Oh, my gosh, there's so much there. I feel like... I feel like that it could be the entire podcast, 'cause I have so many questions for you. I'm not even sure where to begin. But okay, so the thing I, I just need to say right now, because it really struck me as you were sharing this, is that you went there as a volunteer.
So to me that means you weren't getting paid. That's true. There was s- something that called you to do this, maybe partially because you were, like you said, like, "What am I even doing?" Like, "Why am I even doing all of this?" You weren't, didn't feel that connection to the work that you were doing at the time.
And so, but you did something that you weren't getting paid to do, so I would imagine there had to be some figuring out of how that was gonna work, right? Um, and, and I would love for you to talk about that. But I just have to comment about the fact that, um, how rewarding it must have been to see the ripple effect of the work that you did all those years ago to get this school, you know, to, to teach these young girls and now see the things, some of them who were there at the same time, some of them maybe not, but see the amazing things that they're doing in their communities and for other people, other women.
It has to be so gratifying, I would think.
Juliet Cutler: Yeah. It is. I mean, it's, it's a little bit difficult to put it into words. I think, um, I'm, I'm really proud of the second book, Lessons in Hope, because it, I think it really does- It really does illustrate that ripple effect, that when you educate... I mean, as women, I think we know this inherently.
Mm-hmm. But I think it's worth saying, when we educate a woman, it's, it's not just about uplifting an individual.
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm.
Juliet Cutler: It's about uplifting her family, and it's not just her children, but it's also her parents, her siblings, and even beyond that, it's about uplifting her community, her entire community. So a perfect example of this is the one who's on the cover of the book.
Her name is Martha, and Martha came from, um, you know, like, living in a mud-and-dug-dung hut, like thatch roof, no running water, no electricity, came to this school and, like, went on to establish her own school in one of the remotest parts of Tanzania in Maasai land. And she, she did this, like, all on her own, without...
You know, like- Mm-hmm. I sort of wonder, like, where does this spark come from in people that lead them to do this kind of a thing? Yeah. She, like, built a school on her own that serves, like, 300 children now that otherwise would not have access to school, and she started adult literacy programs. She's doing savings-and-loans programs there.
Um, she has an agricultural program that's feeding the school and her community. So for Martha, y- she really clearly articulated, um, this idea of paying it forward, right? Yeah. Like, "I received this education, and I feel this tremendous sense of responsibility to ensure that not just my children are educated, but that all the children in my village are educated, and that their parents, who maybe don't know how to read- Mm-hmm
have the opportunity to learn how to read. And I know that there's issues of hunger here, and so we're gonna, we're gonna start agriculture." So hers is just one of 24 stories that are in the book, but those were the kinds of ripples that I started to see of, of one educated woman beginning to impact hundreds of other- Mm-hmm
people.
Toby Myles: Yeah. Yeah. I, I just... There's just so much about that that just really kind of strikes me as... I want to say this in a way that's respectful f- of everybody listening who has an online business, who shows up on social media all the time trying to promote their thing, because I'm also one of those people, right?
But in other parts of our world, there are people doing things not online and making these huge impacts, differences in people's actual lives, you know, education, s- food, shelter, all those things, and they're not talking about it online. And I think that, um, you know, for you to write this book and bring these stories to light, like, I don't know, it kind of puts things in perspective, at least for me, and I think that it would for other people as well.
Like- There's good things going on offline too, right? Actual life-changing things.
Juliet Cutler: Yeah, I think that's a common response I hear from people when I talk about my experiences in Tanzania or about this book, is that I think in our country, in the United States, certainly we have poverty, and we have very deep poverty in some cases.
But I think when you talk about people who literally are starving, who literally don't know how they're going to feed their children, who don't have electricity, who don't have running water, um, that's- that's like next level poverty. Mm-hmm. And so to hear the stories and to shine light on the women who are addressing those very basic human needs for people was- was so, yeah, it was so rewarding and moving to be- to be part of that and to have the opportunity to shine a light on those stories.
Mm-hmm. Um, I- it was... Well, and I think I'll circle back to one of your earlier questions, which was around, you know, you- you volunteered, and how did you decide to do this? And I think, um, it- it was in many way... I mean, I think we all yearn in our lives for purposeful work- Yep ... for something that we feel makes a difference in the larger world beyond ourselves.
I think most people would like to have that type of work- Sure ... and would like to feel called to that work, that they're not just, you know, um, stamping a timecard and putting in their time, but that- that what they do makes a- a bigger difference. And I think as a young woman, I- I really acutely felt that, and I don't know if that was part of my upbringing, that it was sort of instilled in me to- to sort of give back in some way.
But I did have a very deep sense of that sort of responsibility to, um, live my life to the fullest, but also to ensure that my life had some impact, uh, beyond me.
Toby Myles: Yeah. I
Juliet Cutler: think that's where the initial impetus for it came, and then when I went there, and I- I witnessed and saw the things that I did, I think, like you just articulated, I was in many ways, like, shocked, but also realized I had maybe an even greater responsibility than I thought - Mm-hmm
Toby Myles: um,
Juliet Cutler: to- to give back.
Toby Myles: Sure. And you had, uh, training, a skill set that you could use, as opposed to, you know, some people maybe don't have that and wouldn't go, but maybe they can donate money for things. But you had an actual skill set that- that was needed at that time and, you know, you raised your hand to do it.
So before we get too far in this conversation, um, you talked about how you were raised. Can you talk a little bit about that? How do you feel like that kind of shaped the path that you chose?
Juliet Cutler: So I grew up in Montana. Um, I was actually born in New Orleans, but my, uh, dad took a job in Montana when I was quite young, and so most of my formative years were, were there, and I have a younger sister.
And I mean, I think I had a very sort of Americana upbringing, you know?
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm.
Juliet Cutler: And my mom, she was a teacher and a school counselor, and I think, uh, you know, I think all those things in- in- influenced my, my sense of... I, I think I had a sense of the privilege in which I grew up in, and that not everyone else had the sa- ha- started at the same place I did in life, you know?
Mm-hmm. I had a, I had a pretty good start in life, and I think I understood that the starting line is not the same for everyone. And, um, you know, and I suppose my parents instilled those values in me and sort of like the, the love your neighbor as yourself and, and-
Toby Myles: Yeah ...
Juliet Cutler: give back.
Toby Myles: Yeah, yeah. Did you, when you were young, I mean, you said your mom was a teacher, did you think that's what you would do?
Juliet Cutler: It's interesting. I don't know. I think, I kinda think of myself as, um, on the cusp of generations in some ways. Mm-hmm. You know, I think there was a time when women were kind of only allowed to be nurses and teachers. Yeah. And that, that was kind of your, your choice. Um, and I think there was part of my sort of very traditional conservative upbringing that led me to teaching because that had been modeled for me, but also because nobody ever really talked to me about what else I might do more broadly.
Right, right. And I think, um, you know, so I think when I went to college, I just assumed I would kind of have the same life my parents had, you know? Mm-hmm. Like, I would, I would, uh, become a teacher. I would have a couple kids. I would be married, all those things. And, um, you know, I was dating somebody with, with whom I thought that would happen when I was in college, and that kind of all fell apart.
And I think, you know, at the time I was sort of devastated by that, but it was probably one of the best things that could have happened to me because it did open up my world a little bit. It did force me to, um, think about how my life might be different, and I think it was in part those thoughts that led me ultimately to Tanzania.
'Cause I think if I had just gone to college and got married and, and started that life, I never would've gone to Tanzania.
Toby Myles: Yeah.
Juliet Cutler: Um, so, so yeah. I, I mean, I think... And, you know, so sort of jumping ahead to where I am now, like, I, I'm not teaching now. When I came back, um, I sort of had a s- a series of jobs. I think coming back from Tanzania was something that was- really difficult for me.
I think reverse culture shock is a real thing.
Toby Myles: Yeah. You
Juliet Cutler: know, when you go from a place where, uh, where I was, uh, you know, where I was, like, taking baths with a, in a bucket kind of a thing and, you know, eating whatever food was around, to walking into an American supermarket, it was just sort of this overwhelming experience for me to come back.
Sure. And so I kinda job hopped for several years because I, I s- just didn't know, I didn't know how to make sense of what I'd experienced and what it meant for my path here in the United States. Mm-hmm. I taught for a couple of years and, um, you know, I think there are teachers who, who are called to that work and who love it, and I realized, I think fairly soon, that that probably was not my life calling.
And I ended up working, um, for a landscape architect doing a lot of the, um, uh... I did some graph- I, I went back and got some graphic design, um, certifications and, um, he was doing a lot of signage for, for parks mostly. Like, so when you walk up to, for example, I was just recently at the Grand Canyon. When you walk up to the rim of the Grand Canyon, you see these signs that kind of tell you what you're looking at, the geology.
Mm-hmm.
Toby Myles: So
Juliet Cutler: a form of education in some ways- Mm-hmm ... right? Um, but from, from there I sort of went on to consult more globally in this field that's called interpretation, and sort of mu- museum curation. Mm-hmm. So how do we tell stories in a, in a visitor center or in a museum environment or along a trail, um, that help people understand and learn about natural resources or cultural resources.
So I'm still sort of in education, if you will, but in a, in a little bit different avenue of that. Sure.
Toby Myles: Yeah, yeah. I think that, um, something you touched on, um, is that, uh, you've, you've mentioned multiple times, you know, stories, like, in your book, um, but also, um, how do you tell a story when someone comes to, like, the Grand Canyon or a museum or whatever, how you, you tell a story.
And, um, one of the things I know that you mentioned is that, um, uh, it's... Like, first you have to listen, right? And I, that hits home to me because when I teach storytelling inside my mentorship, um, one of the things we spend a lot of time on is noticing, right? Just noticing things around you every single day, um, is to me the foundation for good storytelling, and I think listening also is very much in align with that, where you're not talking, you're not just diving right in, but you're kind of, like, staying quiet and just kind of exploring in depth what's in front of you.
So can you kind of talk about that as it relates to your work, but also, um- The book and the work that you're doing today
Juliet Cutler: Mm-hmm. Yeah, I think that idea of noticing and listening are absolutely critical to storytelling in any form. You know, so a lot of the storytelling I do is in the written form in terms of books, but it's also, um, experiential.
You know, when you walk through a really good museum, you're immersed in a story of sorts, and that's visual, it's words, it's objects, it's lighting. Um, but the foundation, I think, of all of my work is this noticing and listening. Mm-hmm And I'll give you an example of that. So for the last several years, I've been working with, um, the Chickasaw Nation, and they're developing a cultural heritage center in Mississippi, which is their traditional homeland.
They were removed from Mississippi in the 1830s to Oklahoma, but they're in the process of telling their own story of diaspora, of, of their, of their culture, of its strength and its resilience at this visitor center. Mm-hmm. And there's actually no way I could do that work without, um, sort of standing one step behind, if you will, listening, um, encouraging others to share their stories, uh, looking for the kernels of sort of truth that rise to the top.
And I think I also sort of think about stories in layers. Um, you know, there's like, if you think about an aircraft at 35,000 feet, the view of, of what you see below, you see only the, the big things, the big ideas. Mm-hmm. And so what are those big ideas that rise to the surface that need sort of, you know, i- in w- in writing, we call them themes, if you will.
Yeah. Um, a- and then there's sort of, you know, the, the 10,000-foot level, the 1,000-foot, you know, level, the, the minutiae. And in the minutiae are those details that matter, those things you notice. Mm-hmm. You know, like during the conversation, um, I notice the children that are playing behind this woman, you know- Mm-hmm
in, in an interview setting. But yeah, I, I think, like, this idea of noticing and listening and, um, encouraging others, particularly when you're working in a space of, um, telling untold stories or, um, stories that have a particular, um, cultural association, that those really need to come from the cultures themselves.
And so how, as a storyteller, do you embrace that and encourage that as a supporter as opposed to sort of the leader of? Sure. And I think that that was really my approach in Lessons in Hope. I- You know, we, we formed a committee of graduates to identify the women who would be featured in the book. Mm-hmm.
Um, I traveled with a cultural advisor and two photographers who were Tanzanian, and so it was really important to me that it was a collaborative process and that I was part of a team and not necessarily always the leader of the team.
Toby Myles: Um-
Juliet Cutler: Mm-hmm ... so I think that's a different way of storytelling than, like, when I wrote my memoir, for example, which was more my own story and was sort of- Right
me, me s- telling that.
Toby Myles: Yeah, yeah. I, I love that visual you gave of, um, like, being in the airplane and y- you know, seeing the, the themes or kind of like the bigger blocks. I'm envisioning, you know, you see a patch of green and you see a patch of brown, right? And as you- as the plane gets closer you say, "Oh, that patch of green is, like...
It's like a corn field," right? And then you get even closer and you can zero in on a single stalk of corn, and now a single ear of corn and, and now the kernels, right? It's that, like, big picture and then really drilling down to that level, um, I think is, is so, um, is so key in sharing these stories, right?
Because it's, it's the details and it's, it's letting people feel like they're in that moment and experiencing that culture or that story as if they are in it with you, um, is, is really, you know, storytelling at its finest, at least in my opinion. I think about, when you were talking about the, the museum experience, I think about the first time I went to the Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC, and, um, I, um...
I'm Jewish and I went to Sunday school, so I knew about, a lot about the Holocaust. It was something we s- studied every year. Um, and so I knew the story. However, going to the museum and the way the museum takes you through the experience from the very beginning, you become one of the Jews in the concentration camp.
You know, they, you get a little card and it says, "This is who you are," and you just kind of follow through and at the end you find out what your fate was, right? And I just remember, you know, being someone who already knew about the Holocaust and someone who was Jewish and very familiar with it, still how moving, um, the experience was, you know, to the point of, you know, being brought to tears a few times, right?
And so I think, again, that is, like, the level of, um, noticing and observing and bringing forth details that is so, so special and so important in storytelling. And so I love, you know, that you, you kind of address that. Um, so it, you also talk about, um- Like storytelling across cultures. And I, I would guess that that plays into how you approach your work, coming in kind of with a beginner's mindset and not assuming that you know anything about what you're stepping into.
What, what is that like? Especially like in the project that you're working on now that you just mentioned. Like, what is that like? Do you do research ahead of time? Are you given a brief so you have some basis, and then you just allow yourself to be fully immersed in the culture?
Juliet Cutler: It does really vary depending on the project.
Um, you know, I, I, I think it's a, it's a combination of, um, stake- what, what I'll call stakeholder engagement. So almost all my projects, even ones that aren't cultural, there's some level of stakeholder engagement at the beginning, and that's really helping everyone who has a stake kinda get on the same page about what stories we're telling and how we're telling them.
And, uh, that can be a really intensive process or it can, or it cannot be, depending on, on the project. Uh, you know, I'm also working on a project right now in Ohio that's about global poverty, and so how do, how do we organize our thoughts? How do we all get on the same page about what we're saying about global poverty, which is a huge topic, right?
Mm-hmm. And so it's the same like for the Chickasaw Nation, um, what are we going to say about Chickasaw history and culture? Like, that's-
Toby Myles: Yeah ...
Juliet Cutler: it's, it's huge. And in, in their case, um, you know, it was kind of a process of stakeholder engagement, but also building trust and- Yeah ... um, then a lot of research and then drafting.
But for that project, the nation really took a lot of the work I did in-house and, um, through a proj- a process of, um, intensive engagement internally, they really took that on. I, I think in part because it's their story, like they- Mm-hmm ... they have to. And, and so many people at the nation have been in- involved in honing that story.
And so I, I would call that, um, you know, sort of a co- a co-develo- a co-curated um- Yeah ... experience. Uh, so it, it, you know, it really does vary depending, depending on what the project is.
Toby Myles: Yeah. Yeah. I, I... It, it's fascinating to me as, as somebody who I shared, you know, in the beginning, I'm naturally curious, naturally nosy.
I love to learn about things I know nothing about. Um, and it's very much one of the reasons why we're here today because I knew- I, I obviously Tanzania, but I did not know anything about Maasai, um, culture. And I'm guessing initially you didn't either, right? Way back when, when you were a college student, right?
Um, there's something really beautiful about that discovery and then just, I like to say following the breadcrumbs. Like, you're not sure where it's going to lead, but you're curious enough and, and with every step, you know, you have a stronger belief that, yeah, this is the story that needs to be told at this time.
And so how do you, um... Do you have a filter? How do you decide if you're gonna take on a project or not?
Juliet Cutler: Um, you know, I like what you said about curiosity, and I think, um, to do the work that I do both at, both in Tanzania and the work I do with museums and, and parks, you have to have a real sense of curiosity.
And I think when you're curious, you're, you're open in a way. Like, I'm curious, I wanna know more about this. And so you don't come to it with sort of a preconceived idea of what it is or- Right ... what it should be, but you're just kinda saying, you know, "I'm, I'm open. Let's talk about this. Let's be curious about what these stories are and how we might tell them."
So I think that it's a, a stance in many ways, a stance towards a, towards a project, towards a culture, towards a topic in some cases. But, but how do I choose what I take on? Um, well, sometimes it's hard. I mean, y- uh, as a consultant, it seems like it's always feast or famine, right? Like- Yes ... you either have way more work than you want, or you're wondering if you'll ever have work again.
Yes. I
Toby Myles: think that's- And so- ... for all of us- ... as business owners.
Juliet Cutler: Yep. So it kinda depends on what stage people hit me at when they, when they ask me. Mm-hmm. Um, but I think I am always looking for those projects that are, you know, getting back to the earlier conversation, that provide a sense of purpose for me, that, um, there's some, some larger story here that needs to be told, and I wanna be part of telling that story.
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Um, and I think, too, the second part of that is that, that, that there is some level of stakeholder engagement, that it's, um, that there is an opportunity for multiple people and voices to be at the table. I think those are kind of key, key factors I'm looking at when I'm thinking about am I gonna, am I gonna do this?
Is, is it, is it collaborative? Are there multiple voices? And, um, I forget the second one.
Toby Myles: Yeah. Um. Yeah. Yeah. That's so interesting, and the whole feast or famine. I mean, that is just the reality of, um- entrepreneurship, you know, being your own boss kind of a thing, that's, it, it just is how it is. And I think that, um, you know, when they say it's not for everyone, I think really what's more, even more true is that you have to be okay with the uncertainty of, you know, am I gonna make money this month or not, right?
Yeah. Um, so on that note then, I would love... I, I usually ask, um, guests when we're talking about entrepreneurship and how it can be difficult, and, like, we know all those things, but, um, just for our audience who's listening and is listening to some of the stories that you're telling and talking about your books and things like that, is there some, like, some message you would like to put out into the universe to people listening about, um, you know, ways that they can maybe kind of use their skills to make a greater impact other than just, um, running an online business?
I, I would, I would just sort of love to kind of, like, hear that from your perspective, 'cause it's... this is a very different conversation than the ones we usually have on the podcast.
Juliet Cutler: Yeah. I mean, I guess what I would say is that you really don't have to go very far to recognize that we live in a pretty broken world, and that there are needs no matter where you find yourself.
Mm-hmm. There are people who are hungry. There are kids who need tutoring. There, you know, there are families in crisis. Um, so those, those needs exist everywhere, and, um, you don't have to fly to the other side of the world -
Toby Myles: Yeah, right ...
Juliet Cutler: to enga- to engage. Um-
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm.
Juliet Cutler: And, you know, so a perfect example is, um, this past weekend an organization called Community Brickworks was speaking in my neighborhood about the work they do.
Uh, it's a food pantry, um, but I think it's- it's broader than that in, in terms of them offering emergency assistance to people who are, you know, in the winter and in danger of having their heat and lights turned off, things like that. Mm-hmm. Um, making sure kids get to school with the supplies that they need as school starts, those sorts of things.
Um, but I think, um, you know, so, so that's something that I'm committed to h- here, right where I live- Mm-hmm ... as well as what I'm, I'm doing across the world. So I, I mean, I think it's a combination of, um, sort of that listening stance, that's, that observing stance. What, what are the, the needs around me, and how might I respond to that?
But I think, too, for me, it's always sort of been about- listening to that sort of still, small voice at your core. You know, and, and I think sometimes you have to get quiet to hear that voice, 'cause it doesn't always shout, it sort of whispers around. And I think that, you know, where we started this story about me sort of in the middle of the night thinking, "Why am I doing all this?"
Mm-hmm. That was that still, small voice saying like, "I think there's something here that you need to pay attention to." And so I'm, I'm always sort of like my radar is up for that. And even in the discerning whether I should take on a project or not, like-
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm ...
Juliet Cutler: if I get really quiet and I contemplate this, is, is this, you know, s- something that, that I, I need to be about in the world?
And I think- Yeah ... no matter where you are you can find those opportunities.
Toby Myles: Yeah, yeah. And that part of getting quiet, I think many people find challen- find a challenge in doing that because there's so much noise everywhere. Um, you know, online, watching the news, all of it. It's, it can be difficult to kind of turn that off and just take some time and just be quiet, you know, without your phone, without a book, without a notepad, without whatever, and, you know, challenge yourself to, to sit quietly for 10 minutes.
I'm not even talking about meditating, I'm just talking about like not with all the external inputs and see kind of what comes up for you. Because, um, just that practice of kind of listening to what our gut is telling us is so underrated. Not enough people take the time to do that. We get in these routines of like, "Okay, I'm, I'm supposed to do this, and I'm supposed to do this, and I'm supposed to do this," without really slowing down enough to, you know, reali- or recognize is this what I am meant to be doing?
Is this even fulfilling? You know, is this serving me? Is it serving the greater good? There's so many questions around that. And so I think that ability to just kind of get really quiet and listen, and then be willing to kind of like follow that intuition, right?
Juliet Cutler: Mm-hmm. Yeah, I think it's especially hard for women, right?
We're mult- multitaskers. We always have 1,000 things going on. Mm-hmm. Multiple balls in the air. But, um, you know, the way I do that is I take my dog for a walk e- every morning in the forest. And I think there's something about being in nature that, um, helps sort of you to be reflective and thoughtful and...
But yeah, I think it's, you know, some people call it meditation, some people call it prayer. W- whatever you call it, I think it's an important thing to carve out in life.
Toby Myles: Um- Yeah. Yeah. I would definitely agree with that. Um, this has been amazing. Um, honestly, I think, like I- Could have a hundred more questions for you.
Um, but I want to give you an opportunity to let people know, um, where they can find you, where they can find your books, um, and any other final words you'd like to share with us.
Juliet Cutler: Sure. Yeah, so I have a website, julietcutler.com, and there you'll find all the information about my work in Tanzania and, um, the nonprofits that are supporting that work too.
So if you're inspired by this and think, "You know what? I wanna send a Maasai girl to school," you know, you can, you can sponsor a girl to do that. Uh, so all that's there. My professional work is at Nomad Studio, um, nom- nomad-studio.net, and, and that'll sort of tell you about my practice in the museum and visitor center world.
My books are available anywhere books are sold, so you can get 'em on bookshop.org, uh, at your local bookseller, um, and also on Amazon, so you can find them there.
Toby Myles: Great. Oh my gosh. Well, I n- I for one am gonna be, um, I'm so interested in your books, reading your books. Um, so thank you so much, Juliet. This has really been amazing.
I think this is gonna end up being one of my favorite episodes just for, um, I, I guess going back to the whole ripple effect idea, um, is, is really intriguing to me. And so I appreciate you, appreciate your time, and, um, appreciate you saying yes to being a guest.
Juliet Cutler: Sure. And I think, like, you have a ripple effect too, right?
Like, you're sh- sharing all these stories of amazing women who are doing amazing things. So, um, yeah. That's a, a great note to end on.
Toby Myles: Thank you. I appreciate you saying that.