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Written on June 17th, feeling like Summer is finally here in Belgium so I treated myself to writing at a cafe with a nitro cold brew, caffeine coursing through my veins, vibing like I'm a travel journalist in the wild.

Hi Global Minds

Since my new show, Big Little Italy, came out on National Geographic, I've gotten tons of questions about how this happened.

How did I go from YouTube to Netflix, to Nat Geo?

*I'm still shocked that it happened, AHHH!*

But first, a flashback.

It's 2020.

I'm in a small and stuffy audition room, surrounded by the sexiest, most charismatic people I have ever seen in my life.

Some were TV personalities.

Some were models.

Some were musicians.

All auditioning to be a presenter on The World's Most Amazing Vacation Rentals, a new show on Netflix.

And there I was.

Just Jo.

Not Jo from a YouTube channel with over one million subscribers.​

They wanted me to audition solo.

Despite my lack of training.

But what I did have instead of expensive acting classes, connections, or previous experience in TV was something that has been my secret weapon since I stepped out of the womb.

I think you might have it too.

It's something you can grow and cultivate, but it also comes naturally to many.

And when it's natural, the person possessing it rarely even know it's a superpower.

The secret is this:

Curiosity.

So there we are, back in the muggy audition room that smelled of nervous sweat and expensive perfume in a mansion perched on top of the Hollywood hills.

Two by two, the execs called different unexpected pairs to test how well they bounce off each other.

It's called a chemistry test.

Think of it as a blind date, where you have to pretend to have known each other a lifetime, be your funniest and most charismatic self, while occasionally dropping facts you were just informed of one second before the camera started rolling.

You're being filmed and watched on monitors by directors in the other room.

You have to keep talking and playing off each other, competing for attention, until they tell you to stop.

No wonder the waiting room was pungent with BO covered up by designer scents.

Without formal training, and an insane amount of nerves, I leaned on my superpower.

I got curious about my potential cohosts.

I didn't make it about me.

And, surprisingly, that's how I shined.

Because of my questions and genuine interest in whomever was standing in front of me, the execs at Netflix hired me for two seasons of The World's Most Amazing Vacation Rentals.​

I was shocked, honored, and wanted to do a damn good job.

The show came out, it was a top-10-for-multiple-week-success.

But something wasn't right.

While proud of the project and grateful for the opportunity, I was bummed that many of the scenes of me genuinely connecting with locals got cut.

The title said it in the name, so I shouldn't have been shocked.

"The World's Most Amazing Vacation Rentals."

Not "The World's Most Amazing Humans"

There was little room for the human soul that's kept me flying around the world for a decade.

It was a show about homes.

Not people.

And while after two seasons, I mastered TV quality hair, makeup, and wardrobe, as well as pulling energy reserves from the depths of my being while jetlagged and completely exhausted, I couldn't ignore what my inner voice was telling me:

My light on the Netflix show was not fully activated.

Don't get me wrong, I think the show is great.

I just knew that I had 99% more in me that needed to come out.

That's the thing about curiosity, when it's your driving force, you can feel when it's being constrained.

Day after day, not living in your full light feels like a strain. Like unused wings. Ignored potential.

After Netflix, I founded JoClub, unlocking a massive piece of my joy.

It’s a company that asks deep questions; how much closer to curiosity can you get?!

But I still missed being on the street meeting people, hearing their stories, translating wisdom.

So I began working on my own TV show pilot through a Master's program, creating a concept about language and cultural barriers.

And just as I was about to finish the program, Nat Geo came along.

Still so shocked that I got the job without even an audition!!!

If you haven't watched the show yet... you should. Watch episode one here.​

And if you have watched it and commented, thank you!

I'm BUZZING in the show because I feel something is happening.

I'm sliding closer to the corner of life that lights my soul up completely: language, culture, people, heritage, food, and preservation of the wisdom we're losing quicker than ever.

And for those of you who have watched episode one, it seems like you can see the spark has been lit within me too.

What charismatic people won't tell you...

The role of a presenter is to be so engaged in your scene that viewers can't help but be sucked in with you.

To be a good host, you must learn to unlock curiosity in its most potent form.

The mozzarella scene, the sausage making scene, the olive bread scene, I was ALL IN, so the audience came with me.

You can't fake that sort of wonder.

When I'm learning how generations-old techniques are preserved or discovering the story behind a family recipe, that's not performance, it's pure curiosity in action.

It's crazy how after ten years, I'm starting to feel my train is heading towards the right track.

What I’ve learned is that if you listen to your inner voice and take actions that honor its wishes, you'll chisel away at a life so unique, it was quite literally designed for you.

And my path to that bespoke and beautiful life is activating curiosity.

Because the way I see it, curiosity is living fully.

It's getting out of your own head and giving the people and subjects in front of you the purest part of your attention.

It's the difference between passing through life and truly experiencing it.

So I'm curious (staying on brand)...

What doors has being curious opened for you? How can you engage with your surroundings in a more genuine way today?

Who knows where it might lead.

And If you haven't watched Big Little Italy, episode one, watch it here and leave a comment so I know you watched!

I'd love to hear which moments resonated with you, and where you spotted that curiosity in action.

Stay curious,

Other goodies to make this week above average:

Come dust of your language skills with JoClub Fluent! We’re hosting our next free JoClub Fluent workshop on Saturday, June 21st! You can sign up, pop in, and get ready to speak that language you've been saying you want to speak. We'll share our best tips, you'll meet other polyglots, and overall, have a great time. Sign up here.​

📚 Just Finished Reading: What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami - Wow... This book is made for anyone who loves running, writing, or taking the long and painful road. It's a meditative read, and I swallowed it quicker than I expected. I have a feeling I'll read it again and again to remind myself of the kind of person I want to be.

🛠️ Latest Kitchen Obsession: My hand-cranked pasta machine, in the theme of Italy. There’s something delicious about rolling fresh dough through steel rollers, watching it transform from thick to paper-thin. It's tasty before you even have a bite. Slow cook a bolognese sauce, and you'll transport yourself to Italy without needing a plane ticket. But you should go, because it's great.

🎵 Italian Roadtrip Playlist even if you're not roadtripping: A few years ago, I took a road trip to... you guessed it... Italy! I made an epic Italian roadtrip playlist. It's got some hidden gems, old classics, and is guaranteed to give you a good mood. Happy listening.

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