Featured image: Dr. Sian Proctor celebrating Space Camp graduation with the Proctor Foundation for Art and Science Space Camp Scholars (photo credit: Space Camp)
A powerful conversation about creativity, joy and storytelling
Some people see the world from the ground. Others see it from orbit, or through a camera lens, and share stories that change how the rest of us look at the world. In this candid Q&A, we’re bringing together two such women — astronaut and geoscientist Dr. Sian Proctor and travel photographer and storyteller Lola Akinmade Åkerström, who have spent their lives doing just that. They’ll share what they’ve learned about the power of storytelling, the value of diverse perspectives, and why, now more than ever, women should never give up on their dreams.
Dr. Sian Proctor’s life is full of firsts. She is the first artist and poet selected to be an astronaut. She’s also the first African-American woman to pilot a spacecraft on SpaceX’s Inspiration4 mission. Her accomplishments also include being a geoscientist and space artist. So, when it comes to the importance of travel, Proctor offers a perspective only a select group of humans can offer, one gained from viewing Earth from orbit.
“For as long as I’ve known Sian, she’s been creative,” says Lisa Young, Executive Director, The Proctor Foundation, which encourages community college students—with a special focus on Black, Indigenous, and People of Color—to pursue careers in human spaceflight and STEM through experiential learning that blends science with the arts and humanities. “Sian use her space to inspire, to bring joy and connection to people, through Space Camp Scholarships and STEM and Arts Integration. She champions a term called “J.E.D.I.” space (just, equitable, diverse, and inclusive), using art, poetry, and humanities to make science and space exploration accessible to everyone.”
Interviewing Dr. Proctor will be international author, photographer and visual storyteller Lola Akinmade Åkerström, who is the embodiment of the modern-day fearless, fantastic, inspirational globetrotter. She’s photographed and dispatched from more than 80 countries for a long list of publications, was one of eight Hasselblad Heroines in 2022, and in 2018 was the Travel Photographer of the Year Bill Muster Award recipient for SATW. She was recognized as one of the Most Influential People of African Descent (MIPAD) in Media & Culture, and she runs her own online academy, Geotraveler Media Academy, dedicated to storytelling.
Speaker Biographies: How to Make Your Dreams Happen
Space to Inspire: Space Poet Dr. Sian Proctor shares her Wings to Soar poem at the Forbes Women’s Summit in 2026 / Credit Forbes
A Fireside Chat with Lola Akinmade and Dr. Sian Proctor
“Talking about dreams, how we achieve them, and how we expand them with a trailblazer in Dr. Sian is an absolute delight!” — Lola Akinmade
Sian looking at the Earth from space/ Credit Dr. Sian Proctor
About Dr. Sian Proctor
Dr. Sian Leo Proctor is a visionary poet, artist, educator, and space explorer. In 2021, Dr. Proctor made history as the first artist selected to become an astronaut with the SpaceX Inspiration4 mission. She is also the first woman commercial spaceship pilot and the only African-American woman to be a mission pilot. She engages in strategic conversations that unlock clarity, alignment, and forward momentum—enabling individuals and organizations to let their EarthLight shine. From personal growth to nonprofit leadership and corporate innovation, She guides transformational thinking through creative insight, systems awareness, and intentional strategic momentum. She is an immersive artist creating engaging planetarium shows such as the renowned EarthLight World experience playing at the Boston Museum of Science. She is also an international speaker and was the 2024-25 U.S. Department of State Science Envoy for Space. Her SpaceX Inspiration4 spacesuit is currently on display at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.
Dr. Proctor is
About Lola Akinmade
Lola Akinmade Åkerström is an award-winning visual storyteller, international bestselling author, and travel photographer. She has dispatched from 70+ countries and her work has been featured in National Geographic, New York Times, The Sunday Times, The Guardian, BBC, CNN, Travel Channel, Travel + Leisure, Lonely Planet, Forbes, and many more. She has collaborated with commercial brands such as Dove, Getty Images, Mercedes Benz, Intrepid Travel, Electrolux, ASUS, and National Geographic Channel, to name a few – www.akinmade.com As a storyteller, Lola is on Condé Nast Traveler’s Women Who Travel Power List. She was named one of the Most Influential Women in Travel by Travel Pulse, a Hasselblad Heroine (partnership with prestigious Hasselblad camera brand) and Bill Muster Travel Photographer of the Year bestowed by the Society of American Travel Writers. She was also honoured with a MIPAD 100 (Most Influential People of African Descent) Award within travel, media, and culture and a Newsweek Future of Travel Storytelling Award, to name a few recognitions. She has also been featured in several solo and group exhibitions around the world, including most recently Hasselblad Foundation’s Fotosalongen, Liljevalchs Vårsalongen, and Photoville New York.
Her book, Due North, received the Lowell Thomas Gold Award for Best Travel Book, and she is also the author of international bestselling “LAGOM: The Swedish Secret of Living Well” available in over 15 foreign language editions. Her internationally-acclaimed novel, “In Every Mirror She’s Black”, was a Good Morning America (GMA) Buzz Pick, Apple Editors’ Pick, Amazon Editors’ Pick, and Independent UK “Best Thought-provoking Story”. Her novel, EVERYTHING IS NOT ENOUGH, is an NAACP Image Award Nominee for Outstanding Literature, Jennette McCurdy Book Club Pick, a Washington Post, Sunday Times, and Amazon Editors’ Pick, amongst others. Her novel BITTER HONEY was one of only 10 Amazon Audible UK Best of 2025, Glamour Magazine SA Pick, Amazon Editors’ Pick, People Magazine, Essence, and Stylist Best Book Pick. As an entrepreneur, she runs the Stockholm-based creative storytelling agency Geotraveler Media and the online academy, Geotraveler Media Academy, which runs travel experiences around the world and is dedicated to visual storytelling and helping the next generation of travel storytellers put the heart back into the craft. Learn more here.
About “The Ageless Adventuress Virtual Summit for Women Over 50: Making Our Own Rules”
“The Ageless Adventuress: Making Our Own Rules”, on November 14–15, 2026, is JourneyWoman’s first-ever virtual travel conference, created just for women over 50, supported by our partners Intrepid Travel, TourRadar and Airalo. We’ve curated travel industry leaders, trailblazing women, and fellow JourneyWomen This is the space we’ve always wished existed: two days dedicated entirely to why we travel, how we travel, and the incredible women doing it at every age — 50, 60, 70, 80, even 90. You’ll hear real stories, practical wisdom, and the kind of encouragement that makes you want to book the trip and go. Let’s face it: we’ve never waited for anyone’s permission and we’re not going to start now. Together with an extraordinary lineup of women from around the world, we’re redefining what it means to travel at every age.
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