I TURNED 39!

Wildlife ecologist and TV host Rae Wynn-Grant, Ph.D., on trusting your natural instincts

- Christa Lee

Hosting a TV show like Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom: Protecting the Wild has been a dream come true for Rae, but it wasn't always a goal she considered achievable. "I grew up working class in big cities. I watched nature on TV instead of experiencing it," she says. "I had always wanted to be a nature show host, but the lack of media representation made it hard to believe I could." After years of struggle, Rae is now breaking barriers as the first Black woman to host an original wildlife series on TV. "I want people to know you don't have to fit a certain mold to be part of the environmental movement. It's never too late to make positive change," she says.

Life lessons