Meet Kerry Damiano

We were lucky to catch up with Kerry Damiano recently and have shared our conversation below.

Kerry, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

It found me! It was there all along, but it took 22 years (and really even longer if I’m being honest) for Ms. World Traveler to reveal itself. I left a “regular” job in 2000 as a President/COO of 2 multi-million dollar companies in different states, where I commuted between them, to start my own business. My initial endeavor was as a professional entertainer, but soon added pageant coach, wardrobe consultant, Christian speaker, my own television show (2 years), and a women’s fashion line (3 years). Some of the ventures were more successful than others, but I was busy and loved what I was doing. However, I always knew something big was coming. As each new element was incorporated, I would wonder, “Is this it? Is this what I’ve been waiting for?” And until June of 2022, the answer was always No.

But one day, it was like God removed the scales from my eyes, and I could clearly see what the big thing was, what I had been searching and hoping for the last 20+ years. As I looked back over that time, each of the various ventures gave me the experience, skills, network contacts, the funds, the technology, and basically everything I needed to finally take on the challenge of Ms. World Traveler. All the waiting was so that I would be ready.

My first overseas trip was in 1984, and since then, I have been to over 130 countries and all 50 states, so calling myself Ms. World Traveler, the Queen of Travel and Shopping (TM), was a perfect fit. Ms. World Traveler is also a YouTube web series, where we explore great shopping destinations across the country and around the world to discover style, design, fashion, art and antiques, with the mission of inspiring women to travel and shop local. Each segment highlights women (and some men) designers, artists, entrepreneurs, and independent businesses by telling their stories, how they got started, and what inspires them.

When we started less than 2 years ago, I had never been on social media, and now, the whole business is based on it and utilizes a digital platform to share our content. I’m late to the party…..but it’s never too late to try something new.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

When the idea materialized about Ms. World Traveler, I spent a lot of time researching what other travel vloggers and bloggers were doing, and what I found was excellent tips and advice, recommendations on where to stay, where to eat, what to do, how to save money, and the like. So, I knew that I had to do something different. With my background of over 40 years in the pageant industry, a graduate degree in Fashion, 20+ years as a designer, entertainer, speaker, and wardrobe consultant, combining my professional expertise with my passion for travel seemed like a no-brainer.

Wearing my Ms. World Traveler sash, which is a nod to my love and involvement in pageantry for over 40 years, gives the brand an element of glamour and shtick, as people stop me on the street to take photos and ask questions. It has also been our single most effective marketing tool, in addition to setting us apart from everyone else.

And because I’ve had my own business for 24 years, it was important to me to bring in the element of other women small business owners, designers, artists, creatives, and innovators. Each segment, we feature the history and culture of the location, as well as highlighting the stories of independent shops, studios, and galleries. Watching something being made right in front of you, learning about the process, and hearing the story behind the inspiration fuels our curiosity and hopefully, motivates viewers to shop local.

One of my challenges is to shop a whole city, craft a story and write a script all in 2 days, and then film everything in one day. It is very fast paced and stressful, as I really want to find the hidden gems, but this is what the budget allows. By being careful with our time and the budget, we can go more places!

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

3 Important skills or qualities:
1. Time – It took years to gain the experience I needed to be effective as Ms. World Traveler! One doesn’t travel to over 130 countries, all 50 states, and 6 continents overnight, nor does one acquire the skills for running a business without actually doing it. I’ve been in business 36 years, 24 of it self-employed, and I can say from these years of hard knocks, that it takes time to mature, to gain wisdom and experience, and now, in my 60’s, I’m reaping the rewards.
2. Passion – I love what I do, and I wake up every morning excited about what the day will hold (even if it is just going to my office to put out fires, plan, and handle all the details of running a business). To me, it’s not work, even though there are deadlines, bills to be paid, etc., because doing what I love gives me the energy and enthusiasm to manage the everyday tasks.
3. Joy – My motivation to be the best I can be, to be content with whatever happens, and the peace of knowing God will provide comes from the joy in my heart. There is joy in the mundane and joy in the adventure. My joy is not based on circumstances, because there have been plenty of things that did not go as planned, or endeavors that weren’t successful, but they didn’t rob me of my joy.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

Collaboration:
We are still fairly new and still growing our viewership, so one of our priorities is to get the word out about Ms. World Traveler. I’ve been doing television interviews whenever possible, dozens of podcasts, speaking engagements, and online articles, in addition to partnering with the shops we feature on the show. But we are really trying to gain YouTube subscribers (Youtube.com/MsWorldTraveler) and Instagram followers (@kerrymsworldtraveler). Yes, I’ve become one of those who asks for followers, not because it is a sign of how good the content is, but because, before we can seek corporate sponsorships, we have to hit a threshold.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.MsWorldTraveler.com and www.KerryDamiano.com
• Instagram: @kerrymsworldtraveler
• Facebook: /msworldtraveler
• Youtube: /MsWorldTraveler

Image Credits

One Fine Day Photography