Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
Professional motorcycle racer Shelina Moreda has always liked moving fast. She was just a toddler when she rode ATVs. She fell in love with dirt bikes at the age of 12. Her mother and father — who raced cars and dirt bikes himself — were supportive when she announced her career choice. Moreda, now 27, lives in Petaluma, Calif., one of just three women to race in the AMA Pro Road Racing National Series.
A resident of Santa Barbara, Calif., Chynna Phillips competed last year on “Dancing with the Stars.” She has also released music as part of the Christian pop duo Chynna and Vaughan and does charitable work for organizations such as the Los Angelitos Orphanage in Tijuana, Mexico. An accomplished cook who enjoys preparing meals for her children and her husband William Baldwin — even when they’re traveling — Phillips says she doesn’t like to admit she’s 44 years old because “I’m still 21 at heart.”
Billy Campbell stars as Darren Richmond on the AMC series “The Killing.” Born in Charlottesville, Va., the actor resides in Vancouver, British Columbia, and says he loves exploring Canada. “I go out to Vancouver Island, rent a cabin in Ucluelet, surf all day, then have dinner and a glass of wine by the fireplace in the big room at the Long Beach Lodge,” he says. “Vancouver is the city of my dreams. And at 52, I’m young enough to enjoy the outdoors, but old enough to enjoy me.” Campbell also has roles in the upcoming films “Fat Kid Rules the World” and “The Disappeared.”
Megalyn Echikunwoke lives in Venice Beach, Calif. — a long way from the Navajo reservation in Chinle, Ariz., where she grew up. “There really is nothing like it,” says the actress, whose resume includes TV roles on “House of Lies,” “24” and “CSI: Miami.” She’ll appear next in the feature film “Damsels in Distress.” One of the things she loves about her job is getting to explore the world. “I’ve been lucky to usually have downtime whenever I travel for work,” says Echikunwoke, whose father is Nigerian. “I make it my job to find the best, most interesting locals only-type things the city has to offer.”
Swimmer Amanda Beard won her first Olympic gold medal in 1996 at the summer games in Atlanta. Now 30, the swimming champion — who has won seven medals at the Olympics — is hoping to bring home more gold for the United States in her fifth consecutive Olympiad this summer in London. Beard, who also has a successful sideline career as a model (including a nude spread in Playboy), recently penned “In the Water They Can’t See You Cry” (Touchstone, $24.99). The revealing memoir gives readers a look at the struggles she faced with bulimia, learning disorders and broken relationships.
Born in Mexico and raised in the United States, actress-singer Katie Barberi fondly recalls a childhood where her family moved to dozens of cities in both countries to accommodate her parents’ careers. “I loved it,” says Barberi, 40. “I’m sure my love of travel is tied to all the different places we lived.”
Born in Sao Paulo to Korean parents, author Samuel Park is a dual citizen of Brazil and the United States. “I left Brazil at age 14 (for Los Angeles), so my Portuguese is pretty fluent, even though I don’t have any Portuguese-speaking friends,” says Park, 36. “But I watch Brazilian soaps obsessively every day! So I can understand the language as well as I did 20 years ago. My Korean, incidentally, is quite weak, and much worse than my Portuguese.”
As a kid, Sara Moulton didn’t know she wanted to be a chef, but she says her mother did. “When my parents took me on a trip to Europe, I not only loved all the food we ate but I took notes about it,” says the New Yorker, who may be the only chef whose work has been name-checked by the Beastie Boys. “I even wrote about what I ate on the airplane. I was a typical teenager, but I guess I always was really interested in how food was made.”
There are many lifestyle shows about travel, but Darley Newman has tapped into a unique niche. The host, writer and producer of the Emmy Award-winning PBS series “Equitrekking,” has combined her love of exploring with her passion for horses.
When bill collectors called the Crews house, they talked to Kambri, the hearing child of deaf parents. Today, Kambri Crews, a 40-year-old author, having watched her charismatic father beat her mother, tells her compelling life story filled with love, hope and fear, in her thoughtful and sly memoir “Burn Down the Ground” (Villard, $25). One of the more unique places that Crews travels to is the Texas prison where her father is serving a 20-year sentence for the attempted murder of a girlfriend.
A senior Washington correspondent for the Fox Business Network, Peter Barnes spends a good chunk of the year flying around the world. He’s also a children’s book author and publisher. Barnes, 53, and his wife, Cheryl, are the founders of VSP Books. Their next literary collaboration, “Liberty Lee’s Tail of Independence” — a tale about the Declaration of Independence as told from a mouse’s point of view — will be in stores this May.
Singer-actress Ashley Brown originated the title role of “Mary Poppins” on Broadway. She reprised the role in the national tour, receiving the 2010 Garland Award for that performance. Her television special “Ashley Brown in Concert: Call Me Irresponsible” also won a 2011 Telly Award. Brown is currently performing in Kern and Hammerstein’s musical “Show Boat” at the Lyric Opera of Chicago and “Speak Low,” her CD of American standards, is available now.
Versatile actor David Cross’ plan for world domination is simple: recruit fans at a young age so that he’ll have a steady stream of residuals. He’s kidding, sort of. The star and creator of IFC’s “The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret,” Cross also has a young fan base, thanks to his movie roles in “Megamind,” “Kung Fu Panda” and the “Alvin and the Chipmunk” franchise. Cross, 47, is also known for his work on the TV series “Arrested Development.” Engaged to actress Amber Tamblyn, Cross is an avid traveler whose bucket list includes visiting places such as Moscow, Warsaw and Lisbon.
Brother Guy Consolmagno — a staff astronomer and the curator of meteorites at the Vatican Observatory — travels about 100,000 miles each year, splitting his time between Tucson, Ariz., and Rome. The planetary scientist also gives 40 to 50 talks annually at universities, schools and parishes around the world. “Indeed our founder, St. Ignatius, once said that our vocation is to travel,” he says. “Certainly, I do!”
When Samantha Brown was growing up, her family took road trips to visit nearby family, but that was about it. So when she got the opportunity to work with the Travel Channel, Brown “realized that my input would be as a layman. I wasn’t an expert traveler like Rick Steves or Rudy Maxa, but I could show people that if I could navigate my way around Nicaragua, they could, too.”
Raised in Houston and now living in Los Angeles, actress Erica Dasher is the star of ABC Family’s new series “Jane by Design.” A graduate of the University of Southern California, Dasher also is the producer of the upcoming documentary “Speak Easy.” Of her first childhood trip (to Tucson, Ariz.), Dasher says, “I still have an affinity for the desert and cacti.”
A stage, film and television actor, Stephen Lang, is known for his commanding roles. One of the stars of “Avatar,” the 59-year-old New Yorker may currently be seen in the Fox series “Terra Nova.” Lang’s love of traveling began early. “The first trip I recall was driving with my family to Washington, D.C., Mount Vernon and Williamsburg,” Lang says. “I liked all of it, but my favorite part was staying in motels. I loved motels when I was a kid, particularly the swimming pools and ice machines. My kids were the same way. I imagine most kids are.”
To television viewers, Andrew Zimmern of “Bizarre Foods” fame is known as that guy who’ll eat anything. And he’d like Americans to give it a shot, too. “Open up and expand your horizons, people!” says the James Beard Award-winning chef and author. “My favorite mixed metaphor is, ‘Put on your big girl pants and man up!’ I am unable to comprehend a place on the planet where the food is ‘too different.’”
Henry Winkler is an actor, author, director and photographer, but if he were to pursue a new career, he says he’d become a professional fly fisherman. “There’s no way I’d compare myself to any of the great fishermen out there,” says Winkler, 66, “but what a perfect way to spend your life.” Best known for playing Fonzie on the hit TV series “Happy Days,” Winkler currently has roles on the series “Royal Pains” and “Childrens Hospital.” His latest book — “I’ve Never Met an Idiot on the River: Reflections on Family, Fishing, and Photography” (Insight Editions, $21.95) — is a collection of photographs and anecdotes about his life.
In her debut novel, “Bunheads,” Sophie Flack writes with an insider’s knowledge about the world of ballet. A former ballerina with the New York City Ballet, the 28-year-old artist, author and college student writes of an environment where surreal beauty comes at the expense of personal freedom. Flack, who retired from dance in 2009, resides in Manhattan with her puppy, Zeus, and boyfriend Josh Charles (“The Good Wife”).