The Day Hydrangeas—and a Word—Changed Everything

I brought flowers.

I didn’t think much of it at the time—just a soft gesture before a big moment. I was on my way to interview Kathrine Switzer, the first woman to officially run the Boston Marathon. A living legend by all accounts. But the moment felt personal. Intimate. Bigger than my schedule would let on. So I picked up a bundle of hydrangeas—soft white and a little floppy—and went.

The interview was incredible. Kathrine was generous, funny, sharp. You could feel the strength she’s carried through decades of being first—first to break barriers, first to be underestimated, first to keep going anyway. She made space for joy and insight and, somehow, for me.

And then, after we wrapped, I got a message from her. A small thing. Just a thank-you. She said the hydrangeas had perked up—just like that. And then she added something else, a phrase I’d never heard before:

“Adventursome journalism.”

Two (or maybe three) words. A little unexpected. A lot powerful.

She wished me luck on the show and called my work “adventursome journalism.” And I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since. Because that phrase—those words—didn’t just describe what I do (but could never quite quantify). They gave it meaning.

I’ve always known I was chasing something. Curiosity? Connection? Truth? All of it. But I never had a name for it. I just knew I didn’t want to learn from behind a desk. I wanted to go. Ask. Show up. Be part of the story—not just voyeur it. And now someone who’s changed the world handed me a mirror and said: “This is what I see.”

If someone of her merit sees that in me… then maybe I am that (or could be). And if I am that, then I will rise to meet it.

I didn’t know I was on a mission. But now, I do.

And it’s this: to tell real stories, with heart and integrity. To keep asking. To bring flowers when it matters. To carry the kind of journalism that shows up in person, listens fully, and stays curious all the way through.

The hydrangeas perked up. And maybe, in that moment, so did I.

Stay tuned—Stay Curious with Audrey Lawrence (a two-time Telly Award-winning show) and the full interview with Kathrine Switzer, coming soon to PBS and the PBS Passport platform.