It doesn’t matter if you spent years overseas running global health programs, coordinating joint operations with allies, or hustling on the pitch to score goals for your adopted country… you came back home with stories.
During our latest Career Pivot Live, I sat down with Hannah Peterson, Executive Director of Wonder Productions and the Wonderlust Storytelling Institute, to explore her journey over the last 18 months. What started as a personal outlet to process grief and anger has evolved into a thriving mission focused on empowering people to share stories from their cross-cultural experiences with the world.
Like thousands across our community, Hannah’s 14-year career in international development came to a sudden halt when USAID was shuttered. After spending over a decade managing education and health programs across Latin America and Eastern Africa, she found herself at a crossroads.
Rather than succumbing to despair or immediately jumping back into a saturated job search, Hannah tapped into her creative reserves. Reflecting on the painful immigration struggles of her colleagues in Central America, she decided to write a play. It only took her three days.
“I had a lot of feelings right now that I want to put somewhere... the minute I sat down, it poured out of me.”
She rallied 25 friends—many of them fellow displaced global development workers and immigrants—to rehearse and perform Vacate. In April, they booked Joe’s Movement Emporium in Maryland and completely sold out all 150 seats. The overwhelming audience response proved that these human stories were desperately needed.
Throughout her career, Hannah navigated new cultures, built rapid trust in unfamiliar rooms, and listened deeply to local stakeholders. Those exact capabilities allowed her to write authentic characters and nuanced narratives.
“It’s taking the elements of what I loved from my travels, from all that I’ve learned in all these different places... By telling those stories, we’re able to immediately humanize people.”
Years spent navigating foreign environments, actively listening to stakeholders, building instantaneous trust, and managing complex human relationships translate directly into authentic character development and compelling dramatic dialogue. Long story short, you don’t need an MFA to tell an unforgettable story.
Building a new venture out of the ashes of a former career requires overcoming massive imposter syndrome. Hannah recalled walking into Hollywood executive workshops and high-level production spaces where she initially felt like an outsider.
Yet, by owning her unique background rather than hiding it, she realized industry veterans were starving for the fresh, humanizing perspectives that global workers carry.
“I just have to be brave and go in with confidence and own that this is what I’m doing now.”
Hannah didn’t have a degree in playwriting or contacts in Hollywood. Yet, within 18 months, she launched a commercial production company and a non-profit institute, attended executive workshops alongside top showrunners, and pitched projects at Universal Studios.
Her advice to anyone considering a bold shift? Start with a big vision.
Reflecting on a recent presentation by a deep-sea explorer, Hannah shared a core takeaway that guides her work:
“Dream big and then compromise down... don’t start little, just start with that big dream.”
Hannah founded the Wonderlust Storytelling Institute to help people with deep cross-cultural experiences refine their stories and share them with the world.
Launching this September, the institute’s inaugural creative Incubator is a 12-week educational program for aspiring storytellers which includes expert instruction, hands-on training, and collaborative workshopping.
Who It’s For: Designed specifically for individuals with lived experience abroad—former development workers, diplomats, military families, third-culture kids, and immigrants—who are new to dramatic writing but hold a story bursting to get out
What You’ll Learn: Foundational scriptwriting, story structure, character development, and dialogue, guided by prominent playwrights and guest lecturers from Hollywood.
Hands-On Mentorship: In the second half of the program, every participant will work one-on-one with a professional director to complete a full play script.
The Final Showcase: The program culminates in December with a public staged reading featuring professional local actors, performed at a D.C. theater in front of industry executives, producers, and the public.
You don’t need prior writing experience or a finished draft to apply—just an inkling of a story that is bursting to get out.
If you’ve been holding onto a story from your time abroad or feeling a creative energy brewing as you navigate this next chapter of your life, this program was built for you.
Learn More: Check out the Program Overview, the Curriculum & Syllabus, and FAQs to get the full understanding of the incubator and what’s involved
Application Deadline: Submit your application before Friday, August 7, 2026, at 9:00 PM EDT.
Community Discount: Wonderlust is offering a few need-based scholarships if the price is a barrier to joining the program. On top of that if a Career Pivot subscriber is selected for the cohort and decides to enroll, they’ll receive a $500 scholarship toward the program fee!
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