How a mother-daughter team turned grief into global impact
BY LA Stories Staff Malibu
PUBLISHED 5:00 AM PT Jan. 26, 2026
In a new episode of “LA Stories,” host Giselle Fernandez sits down with Kathy Eldon, founder of the Dan Eldon Center for Creative Activism, and her daughter Amy Eldon Turtletaub to explore a life shaped by global adventure, devastating loss and transformative purpose.
Kathy recounts her journey from Iowa to Africa, where she found her calling as a writer, journalist and activist, and reflects on the enduring presence of her son Dan, whose spirit continues to guide her work decades after his death.
“I think that when we’re actively doing what we love and there is an intentionality to do it not only for ourselves but for others, amazing things can happen,” she said.
The conversation turns deeply personal as Kathy revisits Dan’s fearless journalism in Somalia, the powerful impact of his photographs and the unimaginable moment she learned of his death.
Through grief, illness and upheaval, Kathy describes how a near-death experience led her to found Creative Visions, transforming pain into global action that now supports journalists and storytellers in more than 35 countries.
“He realized that storytelling could mobilize people,” she said. “It could inform them, it could inspire them, and it could empower them to go after positive change.”
Amy joins the conversation to reflect on how her brother’s death reshaped her own life and mission, shifting her focus toward peace-building and storytelling that unites rather than divides. Together, the mother and daughter speak to the urgency of protecting journalism, nurturing the next generation of storytellers and grounding activism in shared humanity and hope.