Brandt’s relationship with Mongolia started in 2006 during his junior year abroad, igniting a connection that has shaped his life. In 2008, Brandt returned on a Fulbright Fellowship documenting the nascent LGBTQIA+ movement. He returned in 2011, working on a National Geographic documentary series about wolves. In 2019, Brandt directed his own short documentary in Ulaanbaatar, which premiered in 2022. During his more recent visits, he has explored Mongolian shamanism, which like traditional storytelling, is inextricably intertwined with the natural world.

Brandt brings a wealth of experience in the realms of storytelling and transformation—ranging from journalism in Cambodia, to storytelling in tech and nonprofit, to producing for National Geographic, Discovery and Smithsonian. With an MFA in Creative Writing, graduate studies in theology, and training in Somatic Experiencing®, Breathwork and Collective and Ancestral Trauma Integration—he blends a narrative sensibility with his work as a coach and facilitator.