About the Podcast

Thomas Becher

Thomas brings a GenX perspective to Going Places. Which is to say, he’s savvy with Google Maps but can still read a fold-out map.

Thomas is one of our hosts and plans our podcast content. He’s a transportation geek who has worked in airline communications and has ridden public transportation on six continents. He’s lived coast to coast but has called Virginia home since 2005. When not in full marketing-communications mode, this former journalist enjoys traveling the world, hiking in forests, kayaking or paddleboarding our many waterways, and keeping up with three kids in three locations.

Pronouns: he/him/his

Favorite food: Anything international.

Currently reading: He’s written two aviation books, so anything about things with wings. His oldest son is studying to become an architect – and he’s fascinated by the tiny house movement — so he’s reading “Small Architecture” by Philip Jodidio.

Royall Bryan

A Portsmouth native and current Suffolk resident, Royall brings the GenZ perspective to the podcast (even though she insists she’s a millennial because she unironically used floppy discs in elementary school). On Going Places, Royall typically handles a lot of the production and behind-the-scenes, but she’ll be on the mic sometimes. When not filming for social content, Royall’s usually searching for the next best homemade ice cream shop, sipping on iced coffees or farming on Stardew Valley.

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Favorite food: ice cream 🍨

Currently reading: A Desolate Place for a Defiant People: The Archaeology of Maroons, Indigenous Americans, and Enslaved Laborers in the Great Dismal Swamp by Dan Sayers

Alexis Majied

Alexis, a Virginia Beach native, is the millennial of the group. Although not a regular host, she will occasionally poke her head in the Going Places studio to make guest appearances. When she’s not chauffeuring her daughters to and from dance and gymnastics, she and her husband are trying new restaurants or planning their family’s next vacay. She’s also the head honcho of HRT’s Marketing and Strategic Communications team.

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Favorite food: pizza 🍕

Currently reading: Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

Amy Jordan

Amy hails from the Peninsula but prides herself on being truly regional having lived and/ or worked in eight localities in Hampton Roads. Her dry wit and independent spirit mixed with her eternal optimism and desire for collaboration makes her a true cultural-bridge Xennial. Amy views transit as an essential way to interconnect the region and looks forward to exploring these ideas on Going Places through business, urban planning, and outreach. Outside of work she is a sports mom, avid gardener, collector of sea glass and obsessed with catching a great sunset.

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Favorite Beverage: coffee ☕

Currently reading: The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams, Building a Story Brand by Donald Miller, and Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men, by Caroline Criado Pérez