DG Speaks: Diverse Perspectives Through Storytelling
DG Speaks is a storytelling platform exploring culture, travel, food, wellness, identity, pop culture, and social impact through diverse and underrepresented perspectives.
Founded by Mercedes Diane Griffin Forbes in 2009, DG Speaks began as a personal blog documenting travel experiences, creative work, and the people shaping communities around the world. Over time, it evolved into a digital media platform dedicated to honest storytelling, cultural commentary, and meaningful conversations.
Today, DG Speaks brings together stories that challenge perspectives, inspire curiosity, and encourage people to live more boldly and authentically. From independent film and global travel to wellness, entrepreneurship, and women’s empowerment, the platform highlights voices and experiences that are often overlooked by mainstream media.
More Than a Media Platform
DG Speaks is rooted in authenticity, inclusion, and truth-telling.
We believe storytelling has the power to connect people across cultures, spark important conversations, and create space for growth and healing. Through articles, interviews, commentary, and personal reflections, DG Speaks amplifies the voices of women, creatives, entrepreneurs, and marginalized communities navigating life on their own terms.
Our contributors cover a wide range of topics including culture, lifestyle, social justice, wellness, technology, food systems, and travel. Every story is approached with curiosity, honesty, and a commitment to diverse perspectives.
Our Team:
Meet the Founder
My name is Mercedes, and I am the voice behind DG Speaks.
I am a storyteller, consultant, traveler, and advocate for women choosing to live out loud. Born in Panama and raised in North Carolina, I am Black and Latina, shaped by culture, motherhood, travel, and a deep curiosity about people and place.
Over the years, life has carried me across industries, countries, and seasons of reinvention. Through those experiences, I learned that healing is not linear, reinvention is not selfish, and our voices deserve to take up space.
DG Speaks became a way for me to reclaim my voice while creating space for others to do the same.
What It Means to Live Out Loud
Living out loud is not about being the loudest person in the room. It is about choosing honesty over performance and truth over fear.
It means embracing growth, trusting yourself enough to evolve openly, and giving yourself permission to become fully who you are without apology.
That philosophy continues to shape everything we create at DG Speaks.