I’m Veronika Perková, a journalist, podcast host of Nature Solutionaries and author of “Ask Great Questions, Get Great Answers.”
Being a huge fan of solutions journalism, I try my best to write stories that show real, hopeful solutions to the big problems we face.
My articles have appeared in The Guardian, BBC, Scientific American, Sierra, Mongabay, YES! Magazine, Reasons to be Cheerful, Earth Island Journal, and Sustainability Times.
For those who have exactly 113 seconds, you can read the longer version:
While interning at the Embassy of the Czech Republic in New Delhi, India in 2014, I started interviewing interesting people for my blog. These interviews included an astronaut, a diplomat, a war veteran, a Holocaust survivor, an ethical hacker, a former nun, extreme athletes, nature conservationists, and more. Over the years, I have done about 300 interviews and interviewing and writing articles eventually turned from a hobby to a full-time job (proof that you should follow your dreams).
After graduating with a degree in Environmental Studies and International Relations and a short-term job picking up calls in a high-rise corporate building (I’m still asking myself how I ever answered queries about procurement while not having a clue what it is), I jumped into the startup environment. Writing about entrepreneurship, investment, green tech, circular economics, and sustainability was fun but sometimes all the frenzy about Silicon Valley and who will become the next unicorn was a bit too overwhelming.
In 2018, I designed my own course, “Freelancing: How to Do Interviews for Blogs, Media and PR Agencies” and taught two semesters to journalist undergrads at Masaryk University. Around that time, I was playing with the idea of publishing a book that would teach everything about the process of arranging, preparing for and conducting interviews, as well as text, audio, and video post-production and promotion. “Ask Great Questions, Get Great Answers: Your Go-to Guide to Conducting Amazing Interviews” (2020) has earned really good reviews on GoodReads and is available as an ebook on Amazon and Smashwords.
Finally, in 2021, I jumped on the podcast bandwagon and launched Nature Solutionaries. In this environmental podcast, I talk to wildlife biologists who often protect endangered species in rainforests and other biodiversity hotspots about conservation solutions like reforestation, fighting illegal wildlife trade, creating wildlife corridors, and wildlife rescues. I also explore the link between our growing population, its impact on the environment, the incredibly important role that women play in nature protection and ways we can help empower women and give them full rights, opportunities, and access to family-planning methods. In 2022, I also produced Population 8 Billion, a limited series podcast for Population Media Center about the impact of our growing population and consumption on the planet, the environment and the future of our diverse societies.