A Little Bit About Me
I love a good story. As a kid, the adventures of Nancy Drew and Judy Blume’s larger-than-life characters made me feel alive. In college, when I wasn’t looking through the lens of my video camera, I was consuming news. When I saw footage from the first Gulf War, I knew I wanted to be a video storyteller. And a decade later, I became one of CNN’s first video journalists. With just my video camera and laptop, I traveled the world alone - shooting, editing and reporting the news.
I spent twenty years in newsrooms and in the field reporting on everything from local news to national political campaigns to international conflicts. Working a 15-hour day was the norm. I went weeks without showering in an African war zone. I peed in front of a squadron of U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan. (My fun fact: Tina Fey portrayed me in that scene in Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot!) And I traveled around Baghdad in up-armored Humvees and Blackhawk helicopters. My stories aired on CNN, MSNBC and the Fox News Channel.
“The best things that ever happened to me came from the biggest risks I took. I learned the most about myself. What I am capable of. Who I can be.”
Some of my life’s most meaningful experiences have come from the privilege of telling other people’s stories. I am someone who loves to feel. I crave emotion and drama. For me, war reporting is perfect. Working on deadline is heaven. There’s so much pressure, so much tension. You live a lot in a short amount of time. And then you get to start over and do it again. It’s an honor, a sacred space.
I left the newsroom for the classroom when I had my son and joined the faculty of Columbia University, where I became the Director of Video Journalism. I developed the broadcast news curriculum and taught students the full spectrum of reporting on-camera and producing behind the scenes. I also taught at New York University.
After decades of telling other people’s stories, I decided to tell my own and share what I’ve learned about risk-taking and resilience through a blog for Psychology Today called “Risking It.” I write and speak about risk-taking and resilience, and how taking chances transforms us into our bravest, strongest and most authentic selves.
Becky lives in New York City with her husband and son. When she isn’t working, she likes to be outside, especially in Colorado, where she skis and snowboards with her family.