Book IWD Speaker: Dr Riza Rasco

Author of The World Is My Mirror, empowering women to cross borders—geographical, cultural & personal—toward reinvention

Dr. Riza Rasco is an author, global explorer, and internationally recognized leader in impact-driven travel and women’s empowerment.

Trained as a scientist with a Ph.D. in life sciences, she spent nearly two decades in scientific research, innovation, and executive leadership before embarking on a journey that would radically reshape her life and purpose.

What began as a response to personal loss, emotional upheaval, and inner disconnection evolved into a decade-long global odyssey that took her to all 193 United Nations member countries.

Along the way, travel became both her mirror and her teacher—reflecting hidden fears, cultural assumptions, and self-imposed limits, while revealing resilience, clarity, and a renewed sense of agency.

This journey forms the foundation of her acclaimed memoir, The World Is My Mirror, a powerful narrative of reinvention in midlife and beyond.

Today, Dr. Rasco bridges science, lived experience, and global citizenship.

She leads both nonprofit and business organizations that harness travel as a force for social impact, community development, and leadership transformation.

Her work demonstrates how personal reinvention can ripple outward into purpose-driven leadership and meaningful contributions to society.

As a speaker, Dr. Rasco delivers grounded, reflective, and deeply human talks that resonate with women navigating change—whether in career, identity, leadership, or life direction.

Drawing from her scientific background and her experiences across cultures, conflict zones, and communities worldwide, she challenges audiences to rethink fear, success, and limitation through a global lens.

Audiences can expect to explore:
• Reinvention as a process, not a moment, grounded in courage, curiosity, and sustained action
• How travel and cross-cultural exposure expand leadership capacity, empathy, and self-awareness
• Breaking through internalized fears, cultural expectations, and invisible barriers
• Reclaiming agency and purpose during times of transition, uncertainty, or reinvention
• Connecting personal transformation with global responsibility and impact

Dr. Rasco is an invited speaker at international conferences and global forums, and her journey and impact work have been featured in National Geographic, Forbes, The Telegraph, The Sunday Times, Esquire, and other international media.

With warmth, authority, and clarity, Dr. Riza Rasco invites women to step beyond fear, cross new thresholds, and reimagine what is possible—within themselves and in the world they help shape.

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