Meet Our Team
"When I founded Sterling Journeys over 13 years ago, I made it my mission to imbue every trip I plan with the spirit of profound connection. Because connection, the kind that changes us, is truly a luxury today."
Lise-Marie, founder
Email: lise-marie@sterlingjourneys.com
Meet lise-marie WERTANZL
Managing Director , Travel Advisor
Lise-Marie is a skilled travel professional and industry leader with a passion for connecting clients with their dream destinations. Beginning at age three, her love for travel ignited when she began living abroad in Norway and traveling with her virtuoso violinist mother. From a young age she immersed herself in the study of ballet, theatre and voice, and later pursued a successful career as a professional performing artist.
While aboard the Crystal Harmony as the lead singer, she met her future husband, who was (and is) a cruise industry executive. From then on, travel became and remained at the forefront of their lives together, both personally and professionally. In 2011, she founded Sterling Journeys, named after her daughter. For the past three consecutive years, she has proudly maintained Sterling Journeys’ spot in Gifted Travel Network’s Top Producer’s Club (the network’s top 10% of agencies). Lise-Marie was recently asked to speak at Gifted Travel Network’s 2024 Annual Symposium: The Business of Selling Luxury Travel, an event in partnership with Forbes Travel Guide. Her unique experience and skill in the luxury space award her the reputation of a true luxury travel expert.
In 2024, Lise-Marie was named a Virtuoso Cruise Icon. This honor is exclusive to Virtuoso advisors who are in the top 1% of cruise sales in the network.
Lise-Marie connects our clients to the people, places, and moments that will leave an indelible mark on their hearts and minds.
While Lise-Marie specializes in all luxury travel products and services, she is most passionate about exotic destinations off the beaten path, such as Africa, Antarctica, Australia, New Zealand, and South America.
Lise-Marie is based in Miami & Cape Coral, FL.
Email: sandy@sterlingjourneys.com
Meet SANDY LIPKOWITZ
Director of Business Development,
Travel Advisor
With over 20 years in the travel industry, and a myriad of awards and accolades to her name, Sandy brings an extensive (and legendary) wheelhouse of skills and service to our agency. As an agency owner and top-producing travel advisor, Sandy’s commitment to white glove travel services that showcase the exceptional wonders of the world are some of the best in the industry.
Sandy founded We Make Travel Easy in 2007. As independent affiliates of Gifted Travel Network, We Make Travel Easy and Sterling Journeys grew immensely over the years in a community fostered by professional collaboration and building effective business synergies. Gifted Travel Network’s Top Producers Club is home to the top 10% of advisors in the network, of which We Make Travel Easy and Sterling Journeys are veteran spot holders.
This positive growth environment, where collaborative professional development thrives, (and the longtime friendship had by Sandy and Lise-Marie) inspired Sandy’s lucrative move to merge We Make Travel Easy with Sterling Journeys. We are thrilled to embark on this new chapter with Sandy, her extraordinary team, and her valuable clients. This is Sandy’s fourth consecutive year as one of Conde Nast’s Top Travel Specialists. Sandy was also voted Best Travel Agent in San Francisco by J Weekly Readers Choice for 8 consecutive years.
Sandy is based in San Francisco, CA.
Email: sterling@sterlingjourneys.com
Meet STERLING WERTANZL
Director of Operations, Travel Advisor
Sterling Wertanzl is a life-long world traveler and natural communicator. As the daughter of two longtime travel and cruise professionals, she understands the intricacies and nuances of the luxury travel experience, especially the notion of genuine connection. From a young age, Sterling embraced her Austrian and Norwegian heritage, forming deep relationships with both people and places throughout her life.
She is passionate about providing high-touch service and designing intricate itineraries for our clients. Outside of travel, Sterling’s passion is exploring human communication, particularly the art of persuasive messaging in media and interpersonal contexts.
She received her Master of Arts degree in Communication Studies from Ball State University in Indiana (2023), and her Bachelor of Arts in Rhetoric from Hillsdale College in Michigan (2021).
Sterling is based in Indianapolis, IN.
Email: narmada@sterlingjourneys.com
Meet narmada ramakrishnan
Travel Advisor
Narmada Ramakrishnan epitomizes integrity, energy, hard work and creative service in every detail of your vacation. Narmada grew up in Pondicherry, India in a well-renowned family and moved to San Francisco Bay area 19 years ago. Her passion for travel started at an early age of ten when her family took her on a trip to Sri Lanka.
She took her love for travel seriously when she went on to study travel management at Centre for Tourism Studies, Pondicherry University along with Certificate of Proficiency in Travel Careers, Foothill College, Los Altos Hills, CA. She is a 22+ year travel industry veteran who has built strong relationships with clients and industry experts through her expertise and experience. Her mantra to use insight and foresight to proactively address details before they become a problem have won her accolades and appreciation. Her love for cooking, arts, and crafts, movies, good friends, and wine are the secret ingredients that make her a true travel specialist.
Narmada is based in San Francisco, CA.
Email: linda@sterlingjourneys.com
Meet Linda Alley
Client Care Manager
Linda Alley has over 32 years in the travel industry, specializing in creating custom trips that go above and beyond the guests’ expectations. She listens carefully, pays attention to detail, and tries to anticipate her guests’ needs. Her love of travel started after high school when she went on her first cruise. After that, she wanted to go everywhere and see everything! Since then, she has been fortunate enough to have been to every continent except Antarctica.
For Linda, whenever she starts dreaming of a new vacation somewhere, it’s always the age-old dilemma: “Do I go back and re-visit the places I enjoyed so much before, when there are still so many other places I have yet to see?”
Linda is based in Seattle, WA.
MeeT BROOKE Devlieger
Creative Communications Specialist
Brooke Hillis is a passionate graphic designer with a background in fine arts and a love for story telling. As a recent graduate of Hillsdale College in Michigan (2024) with a degree in art, Brooke has honed her skills in visual storytelling, using her artistic eye to bring narratives to life.
Beyond her artistic pursuits, Brooke is driven by a desire to understand the intricacies of human communication. Her experiences have taught her that genuine connection is the key to building meaningful experiences, and she’s dedicated to using her skills to facilitate those connections.
Brooke’s passion for art and communication is fueled by her insatiable curiosity and love for creative expression. When she’s not designing captivating visuals or crafting compelling narratives, you can find her exploring the world around her, seeking out new experiences and inspiration.
We are thrilled to welcome Brooke to the Sterling Journeys marketing team. Her creative expertise and thirst for exploration bring a unique prowess to our agency and the travel industry.
Brooke is based in Cincinnati, OH.
Experience the Luxury of a
Life-Changing Journey
We help travelers cultivate connections to the people, places, and moments sure to leave an indelible mark.
Our combination of high-touch service and in-depth destination knowledge informs your keenly crafted itinerary. Our relationships with vetted travel suppliers take you far beyond the ordinary. Whether it’s a stylish stay in Paris or a journey to the heart of the Serengeti, We leave no stone unturned in our search for the most dazzling escape for you, hunting out tucked-away boutique properties or VIP-exclusive tours that define “once in a lifetime.”
Adventure (the kind that doesn’t compromise on luxury) awaits you.
Let Sterling Journeys take you there.
Book your complimentary consultation call with me now to start planning your own Sterling Journey.
