Based in Calgary, Lisa Monforton contributes regularly to the Calgary Herald while maintaining a diverse freelance portfolio. Her current work centers on three interlocking themes:
“The best stories live where landscape meets human spirit.”—Monforton on her approach to narrative journalism
We’ve followed Lisa Monforton’s work across three decades, observing her evolution from small-town newspaper reporter to a versatile storyteller at major Canadian publications. Her early career at a Windsor-area weekly honed her ability to distill complex community issues into accessible narratives—a skill that later defined her tenure at the Calgary Herald, where she spent a decade as travel editor while contributing to health and lifestyle coverage.
This immersive 2023 travel piece exemplifies Monforton’s ability to weave gastronomy with adventure. Documenting a helicopter-accessed dining experience at CMH Heli-Skiing’s Bobbie Burns Lodge, she balances vivid sensory details (“cloud-punched peaks framing plates of BC spot prawns”) with insights into sustainable tourism practices. The article’s structure—moving from the thrill of aerial access to the intentional pacing of multi-course meals—mirrors her signature style of using journey mechanics as narrative scaffolding.
Monforton’s 2018 profile of octogenarian skiers at Sunshine Village revealed her knack for reframing aging narratives. By embedding technical details about senior ski pass statistics within personal stories like 83-year-old Jack De Lorme’s post-retirement passion, she creates a textured portrait that challenges stereotypes. The piece’s lasting impact is evident in Sunshine Village’s subsequent launch of senior-specific programming.
This 2024 piece for Troy Media showcases Monforton’s ability to find universal themes in individual journeys. Chronicling an artist’s transition from healthcare to painting after a career-ending injury, she employs a dual timeline structure that contrasts medical precision with creative improvisation. Her interview methodology shines through in the subject’s candid reflections on art as “physical therapy for the soul.”
Monforton consistently elevates stories where tourism initiatives directly benefit local populations. Her Purcell Mountains piece devoted three paragraphs to the lodge’s partnership with Ktunaxa Nation guides—a detail many travel writers might mention in passing. Successful pitches should highlight measurable community outcomes, like percentage of staff hired locally or revenue-sharing models with Indigenous communities.
Rather than pure medical reporting, she explores health through behavioral changes. The senior skiers article used chairlift interviews to reveal how subjects adjusted technique for aging bodies (“I keep my turns wide like spreading butter”). Effective pitches might focus on adaptive fitness programs or intergenerational wellness initiatives.
Her Troy Media piece on the artist-turned-nurse demonstrates interest in non-traditional career arcs. Pitches about artists addressing social issues through their work—particularly those using unconventional mediums or spaces—align with her demonstrated focus on creativity as a vehicle for personal and community transformation.
“The perfect balance between observational detail and human insight”—Travel Media Association of Canada judging panel, 2022
Monforton’s 2022 TMAC award for destination writing recognized her ability to make familiar landscapes feel newly discoverable. Her winning entry about Alberta’s hut-to-hut hiking network was praised for blending route logistics with cultural history, setting a benchmark for Canadian travel journalism.
At PressContact, we aim to help you discover the most relevant journalists for your PR efforts. If you're looking to pitch to more journalists who write on Travel, here are some other real estate journalist profiles you may find relevant:
