It was 1977, in a triple-decker apartment building outside of Boston, that my love of nature was born. It was a very "unnatural" place to fall in love with the wild, but our collection of National Geographic magazines let my imagination travel the globe.

One of my favorites was the August 1963 issue featuring Jane Goodall and her groundbreaking account, "My Life Among Wild Chimpanzees."

Her remarkable story was the light bulb moment that sparked my dream to share the wonders of nature with the world. And years later, by channeling her compassion for animals, I was fortunate enough for that dream to come true.

In 2006, while hosting Animal Planet’s flagship series, I got a call asking if I’d like to work with Dr. Jane Goodall. I was thrilled ‒ until I learned she was reviewing the network’s programs and found some at odds with her message.

I braced myself. What if she didn’t like my work? But to my relief, she had singled mine out as work she respected. For a young biologist shaped by her example, it was the highest honor.

That affirmation pushed me to work even harder, just as she had inspired so many others. When I visited a Jane Goodall Institute sanctuary on Ngamba Island in Uganda, I saw how far her influence reached.

There, I met a young, orphaned chimp who had survived........

© USA TODAY