Michelle Khouri is a natural-born storyteller with a keen eye and inquisitive spirit. A lengthy career in communications gifted her with a mind for strategy and project management. Michelle is a PR veteran and magazine editor whose multidisciplinary communications experience includes planning complex, large-scale events, art directing photo shoots, hosting travel videos, leading media outreach campaigns, and creating thousands of pieces of content. A longtime writer, Michelle is passionate about uncovering hidden stories about the arts, culture and society.
She believes in the power of skilled storytelling. Think of her as a Renaissance woman of modern communication.
Michelle serves as the Atlanta editor and Nashville editor for Where. She has been to 22 countries throughout the Western Hemisphere, and says her next goal is to explore the Eastern Hemisphere. "My parents and grandparents are from a total of five different countries, and I credit my mom for making travel the highest priority in our household." Follow her on Twitter as @michellekhouri and on Instagram as @michellekhouri. She also tweets for @whereatlanta and updates Where's Atlanta Facebook page with awesome content.
Michelle's Take on Atlanta: Atlanta is full of juxtaposition—it is at once rich with Civil War history and bubbling with an innovative population of artists and entrepreneurs. Atlanta both embraces its Southern heritage and strives to pave new roads in almost every industry. I’m dazzled by this city every day.
Michelle's Take on Nashville: Nashville is often pigeonholed as a music city—and in many ways it is. But when you dig deeper into Nashville, you find one of the largest and most collaborative communities of artists in the nation. What I love most about these people is that they aren’t just talented leatherworkers, clothing designers, jewelers or sculptors—they’re brilliant entrepreneurs.
Most memorable travel experience: My mom, sister and I backpacked through Germany, Austria and the Netherlands, and we stopped in Salzburg for a day. I have yet to see a city as small as Salzburg packed so full of history and beauty. After walking through the cobblestone streets and visiting Mozart’s birth home, we sat on the grassy banks of the Salzach river and fell asleep. We napped there for about an hour, bathed in sunshine and enveloped in the city’s floral aroma. It was heavenly!
Last notable trip: London. I created the day’s itinerary each morning, choosing my stops based on the weather and my mood. I also got a tattoo and spent tons of quality time with good friends while I was there. It was heaven!
Place you always return to visit: Colombia. My family is Colombian and I grew up entrenched in the culture. Colombia is a breathtaking, geographically diverse country with some of the kindest and happiest people I’ve ever known.