Focusing on inspirational women, I had the opportunity to interview Ms. Pamela Peeters, a pioneer in sustainable media who expands on her talent as a successful environmental economist, sustainability strategist, business consultant, producer and writer. Ms. Pamela kindly gave us her time to tell us about her current work, challenges she overcame, her mentors and inspirational advice to other women.

Joanna Zablocki: Thank you for taking the time to be with us today.
Pamela Peeters: Thank you for having me.
JZ: Tell us briefly how you got started in Sustainable Media. How did you spot the opportunity to develop your idea/pursue your dream?
PP: I like this question because you’re thinking that this was an opportunity [that just presented itself] but I learned to listen to who I am first and it all started with an environmental magazine. At age 12, you don’t see opportunities you are just doing what you enjoy, what you have fun with and what you’re curious about. I enjoyed reading, writing and journaling. I lived in the countryside in Belgium and had a great friend with whom I shared a lot of interests including a very eco way of living. We were members of the World Wildlife fund and Greenpeace and would inform people about green lifestyles through the "Grab the Green' magazine. We raised money and donated it to the fund. This was exciting because I was gathering information that satisfied my curiosity, I integrated my creativity and was able to guide people to a more sustainable lifestyles. Everyone knows what they want to do at a young age. Discover what your passion is and live that. It’s also important to have love and guidance from your parents.

JZ: I read on your website [PamelaPeeters.com] your first international assignment was on expanding bilateral trade between India and Belgium in the environmental tech sector. How did you get involved in something like that?
PP: Well this was my second job. I have a degree in economics and a master’s degree in environmental management because I wanted to be holistic. I wanted to understand how Mother Earth functions, besides learning about the economic market principles and be able to bridge both realities. This made me unique in Belgium. In our country, which is a monarchy, we have an annual competition for economists where a jury would select the top economists of that year who would in turn prepare the state visit for the Prince of Belgium. I prepared a CV, applied and was invited to the examination. There, I was seated in front of a 7 member jury composed of diplomats, experts on foreign trade and financial experts; it was very intimidating. They selected me on the spot saying: " where would you like to go India or Italy?"- and feeling adventurous I said: "let's go to India!" A couple of months later I started the state visit for the Prince of Belgium in India preparing the ground work for his economic mission in environmental technology. I studied the state of the environment, the legislation, I did research on companies that would benefit from a green partner leading to the creation of joint ventures between India and Belgium. This job empowered me very much. I traveled to Bombay, Goa, Madras, Bangalore and Calcutta. I immersed myself in the local culture and created a wonderful journey. It’s all about aligning yourself to follow your intuition. It wasn’t always and easy one, but it was so worth it. You have your path and you have to follow it, no matter how much it takes you out of your comfort zone.