Live Well, Live Wild

I knew this was a very big deal for Jenifer as tears filled her eyes. For the twenty years she and I have been together, Jane has been a steady force in her life. As she said, “Jane Goodall lived a deeply authentic life. I was introduced to her work through National Geographic as a child growing up in Alaska. I was in awe of her closeness to the chimpanzees and her ease around them. She made a lasting impression on my relationship with nature for fifty years.”

In 2024, Jenifer told me she was traveling to Atlanta to hear Jane speak during her An Evening with Dr. Jane Goodall tour. When she returned home, I could tell it had been a meaningful experience. “I grew quiet in her presence,” she told me. “I was asking myself, ‘What did she know that I did not? What was she going to tell me that would lead me into the next fifty years of my life? How could my life reflect such authenticity and significance as Jane’s had?’”

These were powerful words coming from Jenifer, considering she’s one of the strongest, most authentic women I have ever met. I asked her what Jane had shared in the presentation. After a long pause, she said, “Jane asked what each person in the audience would do to make a difference in their own world. ‘What is your impact on the planet—on people, animals, the environment? Remember, hope is a human survival trait… never give up hope.’ I left thinking, ‘Thank you, Jane, for inspiring me over and over again, for as long as I can remember.’”

Jane’s impact has been felt not only by the women in my life, but also by their daughters.

When I asked Brittney’s ten-year-old daughter, Olivia, what she thought of Jane, she told me, “I loved Dr. Jane Goodall. Because of her, I will always try to find a way to protect our wildlife.”

Jenifer Kuntz, Arix Zalace, Peter Knights, and Laurie Hood

As Jenifer and I stood in the conference room at the Jackson Lake Lodge, watching attendees crying and hugging, it became crystal clear to us the impact Jane’s life had globally. Here is what several who knew her well shared with me about her impact on their lives:

“Jane had a way of making you feel special, especially if you were out there trying to make a difference. During her travels, she always found time for me, even after long days of events and meetings. We shared a love for dogs, our favorite animal. She’d toss peanuts for my Argos, laughing as he chased them across the room. Dear Jane, I’ll look for you in every wild being, in every dog’s eyes I meet.”

—Andrea Crosta, Founder & Executive Director of Earth League International

She made you believe that changing the world began with changing yourself—and that no action was ever too small.

“Jane was my mentor, my second mother, my guiding star. No one outside my family has shaped my life more. She set me on my path. In 2008, in a tent in Greenland over a cup of whiskey,she leaned in and whispered, ‘Don’t you want to make films that can really matter, that can have an impact on this world?’ This was the moment that changed my life, and I will be forever grateful.”

—Richard Ladkani, Award-Winning Filmmaker & Cofounder of Malaika Pictures

“Jane signing a book for me in 2012 changed everything. Together we can change the world, she wrote. ‘Where are you from?’ she asked. ‘Chile,’ I said. She smiled and said, ‘We don’t have a Jane Goodall Institute in Chile—yet! Let’s talk.’ Jane was not only inspiring; she was a strategist. Only a year later, at Jackson Wild, we had already been together in three countries planning her first visit to Chile. ‘See you in Chile next month,’ she said. That was Jane’s force to make things happen.”

—René Araneda C., Award-Winning Filmmaker & Creative Director of Nedo Films

“Jane changed my life. I was a Tanzanian kid in her Roots & Shoots club, and she taught me that small actions matter. Years later, I had the honor of filming with her in Tanzania, and just two months before she passed, we shared a whiskey and spoke about death and her joining the ‘cloud contingent.’ I carry her legacy forward through my films, reminding other Tanzanians, as she reminded me, that even the smallest actions can transform the world.”

—Jigar Ganatra, Award-Winning Nature & Culture Filmmaker

An American black bear at Yellowstone National Park | Photo by Arix Zalace

“Jane was an icon—there’s no other word, and even that feels small. Her story struck women so deeply because she forced open doors that were slammed in her face, enduring sexist headlines and trivial requests while reshaping science and how we see the world. She never yielded, and that fierce determination is the kind of freedom and purpose many of us long for. People will say she made everyone feel special, and she did. But her true gift was moving us to action. She cut through noise and excuses with a single conversation. She made you believe that changing the world began with changing yourself—and that no action was ever too small.”

—Elizabeth Leiter, Award-Winning Director & Producer

I found it impossible to write this article without asking myself: Am I doing enough? What more can I do? When a person’s life story compels people, many of whom have never even met them, to ask these questions, that is the mark of a truly powerful legacy.

As Elizabeth Leiter said, Jane’s greatest gift was her ability to move people to action. So, I leave you with two questions I am certain Jane would have asked all of us:

What is your impact on others, on animals, on the environment, and on the planet?

What can you do to make a difference in your own world?

— V —

Learn more about The Paper Bear and find the screening schedule at ThePaperBear.org. For more on Dr. Jane Goodall and her legacy, visit JaneGoodall.org.