Echotopia Mentors: Dr. Jane Goodall & Judy Wicks

Who are your mentors? Echotopia founder Diane has several, and she considers these two extraordinary women to be among them:

Dr. Jane Goodall: When my sons Gabriel and Baird were younger, I knew that they loved animals, as do most children. So we traveled to Virgina to meet Dr. Jane Goodall, who was giving a speech at a local school in McLean. This meeting resulted in extended personal correspondence (how did she find the time?!) initiated by this pioneering, humble, kind, determined & impactful woman! Back when postcards amd letters were a thing! What a thrill it was to receive letters and postcards from Dr. Jane! Years on, as for the connection to Echotopia, check out what was a direct inspiration back then, Dr. Jane's children-focused Roots & Shoots Program, still going strong!

Judy Wicks: In 2006, I interviewed Philadelphia-based Judy Wicks on her groundbreaking work starting a business for good while advancing the concept of local living economies. Now that I look back, I recognize that I first heard about the idea of women leadership in ecobusiness, local living economies, and local food sources, including animals, from Judy. Fast forward: Judy mentored me in a lengthy phone call in 2014 in the run up to Echotopia's opening farmers market season, giving me great advice and contacts. More recently, 2020, I was thrilled to catch up on Judy's news and we produced a second video interview with Judy.