McGrady is a traveling writer and photography and one of the folks behind Authentic Asheville. She is a small space living, vanlifing, burger eating runner who loves creating community and sharing it. As queer Asian women living in the South, an experience intensified with additional levels for Erin as a transracial adoptee, these elements of her identity impact her daily life. She uses her platform to speak out for historically marginalized voice, pass the mic, and increase representation in the outdoors and travel spaces.
Meet Erin McGrady. Erin is an Asian American photographer, writer, runner, outdoor enthusiast, and lover of good food. She is also the co-founder of Authentic Asheville - a storytelling platform that celebrates local travel by creating inclusive city guides aimed at identifying welcoming places for travelers from the LGBTQ+ community.
In this episode, Erin gets vulnerable as she shares her story, what she’s learning, and how she navigates difficult conversations. She shares the trials she faced when she first came out to her family, how she met her partner, Caroline, and how she balances a compassionate partnership and working relationship with her. We also discuss the world of social media as a creator and storyteller, and why travel writing needs to be a more inclusive space. From embracing difficult conversations to creating happiness through hard work, we hope you’ll be as inspired by this conversation as we were.
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