Jane Goodall — Listening to the Wild

Jane Goodall has died at the age of 91. In her honor, I am republishing a chapter I wrote about her from my book series, Take a Genius to Lunch.

If you had lunch with Jane Goodall, the meal would be simple and earthy — grilled vegetables, a rustic tomato salad, perhaps fresh bread with olive oil — dishes that honor the land rather than overwhelm it. She’d choose a quiet, leafy terrace where birdsong hums in the background, preferring conversation that flows at the pace of nature rather than the rush of city noise.

From the moment she stepped into the forests of Gombe, Tanzania in 1960, with nothing more than a notebook, binoculars, and unshakable curiosity, Goodall began rewriting science. Her close observations revealed chimpanzees not as distant relatives, but as beings who use tools, display emotions, and share the threads of family and culture with us. She didn’t just study them — she entered their world, patiently earning trust until they accepted her presence.

Over lunch, you’d find her genius is not only in discovery but in empathy. She embodies patience, persistence, and a quiet conviction that every small, compassionate act can ripple outward into global change. Jane Goodall proves that leadership can be gentle, that influence can come from listening as much as speaking, and that the wild has lessons waiting for anyone…