In times when most of the world hasn’t taken a flight or a vacation and all that one has is internet, news and videos to look at, Asian Voice reached out to Lisa Francesca Nand, to know more about what it is like to be a woman in broadcast journalism and a travel expert, the challenges as well as the opportunities that come with it. Lisa Francesca Nand is a broadcast journalist and travel expert. She is host of chart-topping The Big Travel Podcast and produces podcasts for many other clients. Her father is Indian-Fijian and her mother is English but she was brought up on the Wirral and in Spain.
Please talk about how you decided to pursue journalism as a career.
As a child I loved acting, singing and dancing but I fell into events (in music at first, which I loved) but then got side-tracked into corporate events. It was a good job, I travelled a lot and went to lots of glamorous events like the BAFTAs but I felt I had missed my calling in performing. I decided to train in broadcast journalism as, having always loved writing and talking, that combined many things I am passionate about.
Do you think women journalists, especially in the travel industry, get equal opportunities?
It's hard to know for sure but I think in any industry we often have to battle to be taken as seriously as the men, especially when you're young. I was the first ever female presenter on talkSPORT national radio and that of course was a very male dominated environment. When I've worked in other organisations such as the BBC there has been a stronger presence of women although unfortunately not always at the top. Travel is quite a female industry but as is often the case the top jobs seem to be mainly male-dominated. Hopefully this is changing.
What are the challenges of being a woman who pursues travel journalism and how do you juggle between personal and professional life as a woman in such a demanding role?
On the Big Travel Podcast I interview a lot of well-known people and if I am going to ask anyone the question as to how they manage to travel so much and have a family I make sure I ask it of both men and women! It has however been especially difficult in recent times when there has been homeschooling to cope with. Trying to homeschool as well as work and manage all the extra domestic activities that come from having all of you at home all the time has been a real challenge. I have been very busy reporting on travel news rather than actually travelling.
What is your perspective on feminism and pay disparity? Have you ever faced any kind of racism or gender discrimination at work?
We all need to be much more open about what we are paid. I work in an industry where rates are often pre-agreed or agreed for you. I do hear that this hasn't always worked out well for women but I hope that some high-profile campaigning is helping change this. I don’t think I have experienced any outright racism in the workplace but then it doesn’t always have to be outright of course.
As a broadcaster and a podcaster, what kind of women related issues or topics do you think are most watched/listened to and why?
What I love about being a woman is we often open up to each other quickly and comfortably; I have found this especially so since becoming a mother. I love how we can talk about health concerns and feelings and get to the point straight away.
In the post Covid world, where unemployment will remain a burning issue, do you think women will stand a fair chance at procuring full time jobs in demanding careers like journalism?
I love how Covid has made it more acceptable for both women and men to be working from home and open about their child care issues. I feel this is something that, especially for those of us who are freelance and work from home, previously we felt more of a need to hide. Many of my female friends out-earn their male partners and are the main earners in the family but I am aware that in general women often take the brunt of the childcare difficulties and this has been especially so during the Covid crisis. I hope more flexible working might support all parents more with their careers.
What would be your message or advice to young women who want to be like you one day?
It took me a long while to get to where I wanted to be because I didn't see a pathway. I wanted to work in TV but didn't have any family in the industry or know how to get in. I spent a long time feeling like an outsider. It wasn't until I did a postgraduate degree in Broadcast Journalism that I felt doors started to open for me. My advice would be to train professionally as soon as you can because often it is about 'who you know' and if you don't come from a social circle or family that has those sort of contacts it can be harder to break into journalism, sad as that is.
