Episode 5: Polly Letofsky

On August 1, 1999, Polly Letofsky left her home in Vail, Colorado, and headed west. She traveled across 4 continents, 22 countries, and over 14,000 miles – by foot – to become the first woman to walk around the world.

As an awareness campaign for breast cancer, survivors and well-wishers around the world came to walk with her. Every day strangers welcomed her into their homes and shared meals. The world had embraced her.

But in the middle of Polly’s five year journey, the world suddenly shifted on its axis when September 11 flung us all into a crossroads in world history. Polly suddenly found herself embedded in a vastly changing world and realized she could never retrace her steps home – they’d vanished in a tide of world events.

Polly’s GlobalWalk has been featured in over 2,000 newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations around the world, including Good Housekeeping, CNN International, The CBS Early Show, NBC’s Your Total Health, and Fine Living Channel’s Radical Sabbatical. Newcastle Productions has recently released Polly’s GlobalWalk, a documentary chronicling her journey.

“Live Rich, Have Fun, Save the World” is available for streaming via the Expensify website and other popular platforms such as Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Stitcher.