Full Transcript for Walking Post podcast 53: What is a travel coach?

Olivier in 1907. On that 00:02:29.490 --> 00:02:33.530 very same day in 1907, Hergé, the illustrator 00:02:33.530 --> 00:02:36.629 of Tintin. I had a Belgian friend who used to 00:02:36.629 --> 00:02:39.669 get very irritated whenever I would say Tintin, 00:02:39.710 --> 00:02:42.830 which made me do it all the more. Also, George 00:02:42.830 --> 00:02:45.930 Best, the greatest football or soccer player 00:02:45.930 --> 00:02:49.770 that I ever saw play in person, was born in 1946. 00:02:50.590 --> 00:02:52.629 There are actually quite a lot more, but you 00:02:52.629 --> 00:02:55.229 watch next week, there won't be any that I recognise. 00:02:56.370 --> 00:02:59.150 speaking of george best who was from northern 00:02:59.150 --> 00:03:02.250 ireland last week we talked about northern ireland 00:03:02.250 --> 00:03:05.229 and the new peace camino this week we're headed 00:03:05.229 --> 00:03:08.710 back to the u s for a conversation about a job 00:03:08.710 --> 00:03:12.710 that of travel coach and that is a new one on 00:03:12.710 --> 00:03:17.349 me so we'll find out all about it shortly Before 00:03:17.349 --> 00:03:19.469 we get going, if you do have news, guests or 00:03:19.469 --> 00:03:22.349 even subjects to cover or comments or you want 00:03:22.349 --> 00:03:25.349 to advertise, please get in touch via walkingpost 00:03:25.349 --> 00:03:29.530 .com or just email me directly at jim at walkingpost 00:03:29.530 --> 00:03:40.610 .com. Okay, let's go through some of the headlines 00:03:40.610 --> 00:03:43.009 of the news articles you may have missed that 00:03:43.009 --> 00:03:46.729 we had on walkingpost .com in this past week. 00:03:47.050 --> 00:03:51.430 A £3 .2 million bridge in Radcliffe opened to 00:03:51.430 --> 00:03:55.270 improve access and reconnect communities. Academics 00:03:55.270 --> 00:03:58.990 are helping hotel guests to go digital free with 00:03:58.990 --> 00:04:02.189 hand -drawn maps, just like the good old days. 00:04:02.370 --> 00:04:05.689 And a Nordic walking scheme in Ribble Valley 00:04:05.689 --> 00:04:10.449 is looking for participants. RSVR debuted its 00:04:10.449 --> 00:04:13.150 hydration system, and there's a new interactive 00:04:13.150 --> 00:04:16.250 trail celebrating the pencil -making history 00:04:16.250 --> 00:04:20.009 of a district in Nottingham. In the US, the organization 00:04:20.009 --> 00:04:23.949 Leave No Trace is providing free materials to 00:04:23.949 --> 00:04:27.970 celebrate 250 years of America's public lands. 00:04:28.250 --> 00:04:32.269 A new wearable device provides cooling and heating 00:04:32.269 --> 00:04:35.949 technology, although not at the same time. And 00:04:35.949 --> 00:04:39.170 the Outdoor Innovation Award winners were announced. 00:04:39.569 --> 00:04:42.569 And you can read all of these and more at walkingpost 00:04:42.569 --> 00:04:47.230 .com. OK, let's get to this week's conversation. 00:04:47.810 --> 00:04:51.129 I heard from a hiker and lover of the outdoors

00:04:51.129 --> 00:04:55.050 in California who changed jobs and has trained 00:04:55.050 --> 00:04:58.170 as a travel coach. I've heard of life coaches, 00:04:58.170 --> 00:05:01.970 but never a travel coach. And so Courtney Rosiak 00:05:01.970 --> 00:05:05.480 -Quinto can tell us more. Hi Courtney, so good 00:05:05.480 --> 00:05:08.220 of you to join us and tell us about travel coaches 00:05:08.220 --> 00:05:12.360 and your own personal journey. So what's a travel 00:05:12.360 --> 00:05:15.680 coach? So a travel coach is a really interesting 00:05:15.680 --> 00:05:19.139 and new concept. A lot of people will think that 00:05:19.139 --> 00:05:21.740 we are what you consider like a travel agent 00:05:21.740 --> 00:05:25.230 or a travel advisor. And the real difference 00:05:25.230 --> 00:05:28.470 between the two is strictly legal and licensing 00:05:28.470 --> 00:05:31.250 in the sense that a travel agent or a travel 00:05:31.250 --> 00:05:33.970 advisor can actually physically do bookings for 00:05:33.970 --> 00:05:37.509 a client. A travel coach is approaching it more 00:05:37.509 --> 00:05:41.250 from the mental wellness aspect. And so a lot 00:05:41.250 --> 00:05:44.410 of us that are travel coaches will actually specialize 00:05:44.410 --> 00:05:47.230 in certain things. For me, it's women who are 00:05:47.230 --> 00:05:49.389 leaving their corporate lives to pivot into a 00:05:49.389 --> 00:05:53.149 new career and using travel, scheduling travel. 00:05:53.480 --> 00:05:56.160 in a way that it's actually purposeful and meaningful, 00:05:56.240 --> 00:05:59.560 allowing them to expand. And so you'll get travel 00:05:59.560 --> 00:06:02.060 coaches that work with that for disruptors in 00:06:02.060 --> 00:06:04.040 life, such as like being diagnosed with cancer 00:06:04.040 --> 00:06:06.639 and like having like a terminal life sentence. 00:06:06.779 --> 00:06:08.600 And so they're like working with the client to 00:06:08.600 --> 00:06:11.560 like live out travel dreams. So it's been a really 00:06:11.560 --> 00:06:14.079 interesting way for me to combine my background 00:06:14.079 --> 00:06:16.500 in psychology. I always thought I was going to 00:06:16.500 --> 00:06:18.680 be a marriage family therapist. I did not go 00:06:18.680 --> 00:06:21.920 that route, but here I am again in my next chapter, 00:06:22.000 --> 00:06:24.339 my second chapter. chapter of life, revisiting 00:06:24.339 --> 00:06:26.740 this topic I was passionate about as a student 00:06:26.740 --> 00:06:29.519 and utilizing that opportunity to help connect 00:06:29.519 --> 00:06:33.480 women themselves in a way that is a little different 00:06:33.480 --> 00:06:36.000 than most people think about when they travel, 00:06:36.100 --> 00:06:38.139 which I know we'll talk about in a bit. And the 00:06:38.139 --> 00:06:40.540 coaching world is just so interesting because 00:06:40.540 --> 00:06:43.620 it is a little bit of the wild, wild west, but 00:06:43.620 --> 00:06:46.339 there are certifications, which I am ICF certified, 00:06:46.420 --> 00:06:49.959 of course, but it allows me to practice that 00:06:49.959 --> 00:06:53.500 piece of the I won't say therapist because that's 00:06:53.500 --> 00:06:54.899 a very different thing. Again, that's like a 00:06:54.899 --> 00:06:58.220 very medical perspective of a person. It allows 00:06:58.220 --> 00:07:02.040 me to practice helping people grow and helping 00:07:02.040 --> 00:07:04.600 people transition, which is really what I wanted 00:07:04.600 --> 00:07:07.319 to do to begin with. And so it's very, it's funny. 00:07:07.459 --> 00:07:09.439 People are always like, this is so new for me. 00:07:09.500 --> 00:07:11.189 I'm like, no, it's not. I was in high school 00:07:11.189 --> 00:07:14.129 and I was taking peer counseling classes. I was 00:07:14.129 --> 00:07:16.730 learning how to have conversations. I was learning 00:07:16.730 --> 00:07:20.910 how to, you know, follow a client through a problem 00:07:20.910 --> 00:07:23.930 that they had from a very young age. I just never 00:07:23.930 --> 00:07:28.029 acted on it in my career until now. And so what 00:07:28.029 --> 00:07:30.589 was it that made you decide, okay, I'm going 00:07:30.589 --> 00:07:33.389 to do this because that's not what you were doing 00:07:33.389 --> 00:07:38.610 before? No, it's not. I think that I will try 00:07:38.610 --> 00:07:40.829 to keep this somewhat short, but I think really 00:07:40.829 --> 00:07:44.529 COVID had a profound effect on me as it did for 00:07:44.529 --> 00:07:47.629 a lot of people. And it gave me this opportunity 00:07:47.629 --> 00:07:52.149 to truly pause and ask, am I doing work that 00:07:52.149 --> 00:07:55.769 is aligned with what I want to leave in terms 00:07:55.769 --> 00:07:57.910 of the legacy and the impact that I have on the 00:07:57.910 --> 00:08:00.250 world. I found out that was not the case. I briefly 00:08:00.250 --> 00:08:02.629 mentioned I worked in the music industry. So 00:08:02.629 --> 00:08:05.029 I worked for a large corporation that hosts a 00:08:05.029 --> 00:08:08.949 online music service. And I loved that work until 00:08:08.949 --> 00:08:12.509 I didn't. And then once I didn't, and COVID was 00:08:12.509 --> 00:08:15.769 taking its toll on us as a society, I had to 00:08:15.769 --> 00:08:19.339 ask myself, What do you want? You have this opportunity 00:08:19.339 --> 00:08:23.259 to truly completely pivot at this point. I had 00:08:23.259 --> 00:08:26.199 an 18 year career with this corporation and I 00:08:26.199 --> 00:08:30.060 just, I had to follow something that I felt was 00:08:30.060 --> 00:08:32.879 calling me. And so I did, I stepped into the 00:08:32.879 --> 00:08:35.100 unknown. It was the scariest thing I've ever 00:08:35.100 --> 00:08:38.240 done and will continue to tell people it's very 00:08:38.240 --> 00:08:40.840 scary, but very worth it on the other side. And 00:08:40.840 --> 00:08:44.600 I just followed this calling to help.

other people 00:08:44.600 --> 00:08:46.860 as I've gone through that of course I found that 00:08:46.860 --> 00:08:49.120 there's a certain group of people that I can 00:08:49.120 --> 00:08:51.320 really truly help and that's the people the women 00:08:51.320 --> 00:08:53.940 who are in a situation that I was in like three 00:08:53.940 --> 00:08:56.039 or four years ago and being able to help them 00:08:56.039 --> 00:08:58.919 make this transition but do it in a really meaningful 00:08:58.919 --> 00:09:02.059 purposeful way where they can do it through travel 00:09:02.059 --> 00:09:04.659 where we have all these exceptional experiences 00:09:04.659 --> 00:09:08.590 in general obviously though you don't Just wake 00:09:08.590 --> 00:09:11.009 up one morning and say, I'm going to be a travel 00:09:11.009 --> 00:09:13.710 coach and now I'm going to get business cards 00:09:13.710 --> 00:09:16.029 printed. Clearly, there must be some kind of 00:09:16.029 --> 00:09:18.529 like you have to learn. You have to learn, I 00:09:18.529 --> 00:09:22.370 would imagine. Yeah. So ICF certifications, they're 00:09:22.370 --> 00:09:24.230 all structured a little bit differently. But 00:09:24.230 --> 00:09:26.570 ICF certifications help put the framework around 00:09:26.570 --> 00:09:28.549 coaching and so that you're understanding how 00:09:28.549 --> 00:09:31.590 to operate ethically. So I certainly went through 00:09:31.590 --> 00:09:34.590 my certification program, as I mentioned before, 00:09:34.830 --> 00:09:37.929 being. even a student in high school where I 00:09:37.929 --> 00:09:39.690 was taking peer counseling classes because I 00:09:39.690 --> 00:09:41.870 thought, you know, therapy and psychology, that 00:09:41.870 --> 00:09:44.850 was going to be my path. So it's like I basically 00:09:44.850 --> 00:09:47.789 took this piece of me from college and high school. 00:09:48.070 --> 00:09:51.110 I paused it and then I was able to pick it back 00:09:51.110 --> 00:09:53.509 up. And when I came and picked it back up and 00:09:53.509 --> 00:09:55.450 I decided, OK, this is actually something I kind 00:09:55.450 --> 00:09:57.840 of I'm interested in. There's so many different 00:09:57.840 --> 00:09:59.720 coaches out there. I'm like, is there such a 00:09:59.720 --> 00:10:02.620 thing as a travel coach? Is there somebody who, 00:10:02.720 --> 00:10:05.779 you know, helps people set up their travel in 00:10:05.779 --> 00:10:09.500 a way that they can execute it for a really meaningful 00:10:09.500 --> 00:10:12.700 purpose? So not just traveling to do the thing. 00:10:12.840 --> 00:10:15.539 I'm quite vocal in my coaching business that 00:10:15.539 --> 00:10:18.179 like I actually subscribe to a model of sustainable 00:10:18.179 --> 00:10:21.639 and regenerative travel. So I'm not interested 00:10:21.639 --> 00:10:24.679 in sending people to. large corporation hotels 00:10:24.679 --> 00:10:26.779 where they're behind resort walls. No, we're 00:10:26.779 --> 00:10:30.259 talking about like really getting out into the 00:10:30.259 --> 00:10:32.799 culture, understanding the people, understanding, 00:10:33.039 --> 00:10:36.360 you know, using the lifespan that we've had up 00:10:36.360 --> 00:10:39.340 to that point to help us understand a new portion 00:10:39.340 --> 00:10:41.879 of ourself by immersing ourself in something 00:10:41.879 --> 00:10:45.100 different. And so, and regenerative tourism is 00:10:45.100 --> 00:10:46.960 so much more than that. But like, that's been 00:10:46.960 --> 00:10:50.240 my kind of overall model is, you know, how can 00:10:50.240 --> 00:10:54.120 I get people to have an experience that will 00:10:54.120 --> 00:10:56.820 be able to change them for the better, for the 00:10:56.820 --> 00:10:58.940 people that are seeking that, of course. So yes, 00:10:59.019 --> 00:11:00.840 there is a whole certification program that you 00:11:00.840 --> 00:11:02.460 have to go through. I'm lucky that I stumbled 00:11:02.460 --> 00:11:05.240 upon it and that there is somebody offering this 00:11:05.240 --> 00:11:07.480 out there. So that gives guardrails for the industry. 00:11:07.639 --> 00:11:10.539 But yeah, it just took this like bit of curiosity 00:11:10.539 --> 00:11:13.240 for me being like, Could I do this? I don't know. 00:11:13.259 --> 00:11:15.600 Is there a way to combine travel and my views 00:11:15.600 --> 00:11:18.659 of travel with, you know, the life changes? And 00:11:18.659 --> 00:11:22.139 then certainly, you know, my background of understanding 00:11:22.139 --> 00:11:25.460 the human psyche. So it all kind of came together 00:11:25.460 --> 00:11:28.919 in this lovely mix for me. Who benefits from 00:11:28.919 --> 00:11:33.320 travel coaching? Why would you employ one, I 00:11:33.320 --> 00:11:36.399 guess? With the various different types of coaching 00:11:36.399 --> 00:11:38.600 that there is, a coach is really going to walk 00:11:38.600 --> 00:11:42.220 alongside you. And so a person who can benefit, 00:11:42.360 --> 00:11:46.659 they may not know that a travel coach is the 00:11:46.659 --> 00:11:49.879 right option for them. We often hear people who 00:11:49.879 --> 00:11:51.899 are like, I want something more. I'm seeking 00:11:51.899 --> 00:11:54.860 something more. They're probably not realizing 00:11:54.860 --> 00:11:57.860 like if I went out and I did this kind of crazy 00:11:57.860 --> 00:12:00.720 thing that Courtney's telling me to do or encouraging 00:12:00.720 --> 00:12:03.000 me to do or encouraging me to explore, then like 00:12:03.000 --> 00:12:06.360 they may not realize that. And so it's my job 00:12:06.360 --> 00:12:09.940 to help them see how adventure travel, which 00:12:09.940 --> 00:12:12.600 is my specific activity. It's my job to help 00:12:12.600 --> 00:12:14.720 them see how something that's truly adventurous 00:12:14.720 --> 00:12:17.960 can help them down their path. Then there's a 00:12:17.960 --> 00:12:20.559 group of people that are

like. I absolutely want 00:12:20.559 --> 00:12:23.340 to get out. I absolutely want to go and do this 00:12:23.340 --> 00:12:26.580 thing, climb Kilimanjaro or something like that. 00:12:26.820 --> 00:12:29.580 And they'll find us just because they're like, 00:12:29.679 --> 00:12:31.120 okay, I want to do this, but I don't want to 00:12:31.120 --> 00:12:34.039 do it just to do it. I want there to be meaning 00:12:34.039 --> 00:12:36.340 behind it. And so it's been a really interesting 00:12:36.340 --> 00:12:39.039 journey to help educate people about the difference 00:12:39.039 --> 00:12:43.179 between coaching and therapy. travel advisors, 00:12:43.240 --> 00:12:44.980 like people who just book the travel and stuff 00:12:44.980 --> 00:12:47.360 like that. So it's the people who are benefiting 00:12:47.360 --> 00:12:50.559 are often the ones who are the most curious, 00:12:50.639 --> 00:12:54.820 who want to have some sort of sensical meaning 00:12:54.820 --> 00:12:57.820 behind their travel, something that can help 00:12:57.820 --> 00:13:00.159 them grow as a person. To your question of who 00:13:00.159 --> 00:13:03.039 would employ one, I think it's such a new concept 00:13:03.039 --> 00:13:05.360 that I don't think people realize that we're 00:13:05.360 --> 00:13:07.980 out there and that we can help. with these sorts 00:13:07.980 --> 00:13:10.639 of things. And so it's great to be able to talk 00:13:10.639 --> 00:13:12.860 a little bit more about the industry in general 00:13:12.860 --> 00:13:15.700 to help people realize that there is a need and 00:13:15.700 --> 00:13:18.740 travel is not so much about going and checking 00:13:18.740 --> 00:13:20.779 the thing off the checkbox. It really does truly 00:13:20.779 --> 00:13:24.320 transform us. So with something like, just as 00:13:24.320 --> 00:13:27.340 an example, you mentioned Kilimanjaro. If somebody 00:13:27.340 --> 00:13:30.720 said, I want to climb Kilimanjaro or I want to 00:13:30.720 --> 00:13:34.539 do the Inca Trail. obviously you're not a travel 00:13:34.539 --> 00:13:37.759 agent you don't say okay here's the here's the 00:13:37.759 --> 00:13:41.100 plane you get on and this is the hotel you stay 00:13:41.100 --> 00:13:45.620 at what kind of role would you play in that process 00:13:45.620 --> 00:13:49.960 yeah so it's for lack of a better word at this 00:13:49.960 --> 00:13:53.200 point it's almost like a spiritual guide in the 00:13:53.200 --> 00:13:55.940 sense that like you're walking alongside this 00:13:55.940 --> 00:13:58.580 person and you're asking okay why why is it that 00:13:58.580 --> 00:14:00.740 you want to go and you want to climb Carol Manjaro. 00:14:00.799 --> 00:14:03.080 What is it about the Inca Trail? What's calling 00:14:03.080 --> 00:14:06.240 you there? And helping them get a little bit 00:14:06.240 --> 00:14:10.159 deeper into themselves of like, why is that? 00:14:10.340 --> 00:14:12.500 And sometimes people don't know. And sometimes 00:14:12.500 --> 00:14:15.600 people are like, oh, gosh, like I only wanted 00:14:15.600 --> 00:14:17.639 to do the Inca Trail because I saw it on social 00:14:17.639 --> 00:14:19.120 media and like I thought it'd be a fun thing 00:14:19.120 --> 00:14:21.899 to do. And suddenly now I'm kind of like realizing 00:14:21.899 --> 00:14:24.019 maybe that's not what I mean. Maybe that maybe 00:14:24.019 --> 00:14:25.759 I'm craving something different. So helping them 00:14:25.759 --> 00:14:29.279 get to that root cause of what it is behind the 00:14:29.279 --> 00:14:32.019 adventure that they're seeking. That's what I'm 00:14:32.019 --> 00:14:34.019 certainly opening up for these people. But you're 00:14:34.019 --> 00:14:36.419 absolutely right. It's very different than like, 00:14:36.480 --> 00:14:39.220 okay, here's a plane ticket. We are legally not 00:14:39.220 --> 00:14:41.259 allowed to do that. It's more walking alongside 00:14:41.259 --> 00:14:45.580 them to help them dig into exactly what it is 00:14:45.580 --> 00:14:46.940 that they're seeking and who they're trying to 00:14:46.940 --> 00:14:50.679 become. And does your involvement vary according 00:14:50.679 --> 00:14:54.120 to, like, you wouldn't go with them to do the 00:14:54.120 --> 00:14:57.139 Inca Trail, would you? I love that you're asking 00:14:57.139 --> 00:15:01.279 this question because yes, so part, I have the 00:15:01.279 --> 00:15:03.980 coaching business in general, but part of what 00:15:03.980 --> 00:15:07.659 I'm finding is that. the in -person experience 00:15:07.659 --> 00:15:12.019 is so much more powerful. So I'm actually just 00:15:12.019 --> 00:15:15.000 starting to scratch the surface of hosting adventure 00:15:15.000 --> 00:15:17.820 retreats. And I'll give you an example of something 00:15:17.820 --> 00:15:21.259 like that. I love Guatemala. It is one of the 00:15:21.259 --> 00:15:24.679 most magical places for me. So I'm starting to 00:15:24.679 --> 00:15:28.000 set up retreats where I can bring clients into 00:15:28.000 --> 00:15:32.220 Antigua, you know, central tourism hub, but also 00:15:32.220 --> 00:15:35.840 take them around to the various volcanoes. like 00:15:35.840 --> 00:15:39.779 a different energy with each volcano. And it's 00:15:39.779 --> 00:15:42.720 just like to get them to experience that and 00:15:42.720 --> 00:15:45.600 then internalize that providing guided exercises 00:15:45.600 --> 00:15:48.440 such as, you know, mindfulness meditation. I'm 00:15:48.440 --> 00:15:50.480 not a yoga instructor, but perhaps bringing a 00:15:50.480 --> 00:15:53.840 yoga instructor in, getting them through movement 00:15:53.840 --> 00:15:56.500 and through the actual like hiking and climbing 00:15:56.500 --> 00:15:58.500 of the volcanoes, getting them to experience 00:15:58.500 --> 00:16:01.220 the culture. There's various vendors that I'm 00:16:01.220 --> 00:16:03.720 starting to set up to be able to put this together. 00:16:03.799 --> 00:16:06.000 So they have a truly.

immersive cultural experience? 00:16:06.720 --> 00:16:09.019 Yes, to your question. That is something that 00:16:09.019 --> 00:16:11.299 I'm very interested in doing. I don't currently 00:16:11.299 --> 00:16:13.019 do it, but as you can hear in the excitement 00:16:13.019 --> 00:16:15.460 of my voice, it's something that I think is, 00:16:15.480 --> 00:16:18.639 it's so powerful. It's so powerful. And you can 00:16:18.639 --> 00:16:21.019 go and have these experiences without a travel 00:16:21.019 --> 00:16:22.960 coach. Of course, you could just be a regular 00:16:22.960 --> 00:16:25.080 traveler and just go and do these things. But 00:16:25.080 --> 00:16:27.220 again, it's a specific person who's looking for 00:16:27.220 --> 00:16:30.639 something that they can't quite grasp by themselves. 00:16:31.159 --> 00:16:33.019 Those are the folks that will be interested in 00:16:33.019 --> 00:16:35.279 these retreats that I'm pulling together. I guess 00:16:35.279 --> 00:16:39.080 it's in its infancy. So how do you find clients? 00:16:40.139 --> 00:16:44.899 Yeah. So, you know, it's primarily through referrals 00:16:44.899 --> 00:16:48.879 because these are people that are, you know, 00:16:48.879 --> 00:16:51.779 it's like any therapy or, you know, psychotherapy. 00:16:52.019 --> 00:16:55.200 These are people that are obviously in some sort 00:16:55.200 --> 00:16:58.960 of. transition or a fragile state. There's people 00:16:58.960 --> 00:17:00.899 that, again, who don't even know that this is 00:17:00.899 --> 00:17:02.379 what they need. And they might find you through 00:17:02.379 --> 00:17:04.240 social media or through the SEO that you put 00:17:04.240 --> 00:17:06.579 together in your website. And so I have to create 00:17:06.579 --> 00:17:09.940 content to be able to attract that set of people. 00:17:09.980 --> 00:17:12.519 But then otherwise, it's referrals and people 00:17:12.519 --> 00:17:14.579 who are kind of like, well, you know, I'm really 00:17:14.579 --> 00:17:16.559 challenged by this. And it could be as simple 00:17:16.559 --> 00:17:19.759 as like. a woman who is feeling like she's just 00:17:19.759 --> 00:17:23.240 completely overwhelmed and sitting behind a computer 00:17:23.240 --> 00:17:26.440 all day long and staring at a screen and being 00:17:26.440 --> 00:17:31.039 like, I just need to not do this, but I don't 00:17:31.039 --> 00:17:33.720 know how to do something different. And so it 00:17:33.720 --> 00:17:36.460 could be that where someone's seeking something 00:17:36.460 --> 00:17:38.220 and they're kind of like, well, and then they'll 00:17:38.220 --> 00:17:40.220 find me and I'll be like, well, have you thought 00:17:40.220 --> 00:17:42.970 about going outside? Like, have you thought about 00:17:42.970 --> 00:17:45.450 getting out of the cubicle? And, you know, like, 00:17:45.529 --> 00:17:48.490 what's your idea there? And then people kind 00:17:48.490 --> 00:17:51.029 of latch onto that and they say, oh, that sounds 00:17:51.029 --> 00:17:53.750 exciting. Like, I've never tried to, you know, 00:17:53.750 --> 00:17:57.809 go hiking in the mountains or I've never camped. 00:17:57.809 --> 00:17:59.690 I've never done something outdoorsy. I've never 00:17:59.690 --> 00:18:02.789 even thought that I could go on a raft down the 00:18:02.789 --> 00:18:04.970 Colorado River and camp along the way and have 00:18:04.970 --> 00:18:06.690 a guide that does that. So like helping them 00:18:06.690 --> 00:18:10.039 connect the dots of like, You're here and you're 00:18:10.039 --> 00:18:12.779 not very happy about this particular part of 00:18:12.779 --> 00:18:15.200 where you're at. Here's some different options. 00:18:15.740 --> 00:18:18.299 Which one of these looks the most exciting to 00:18:18.299 --> 00:18:21.660 you? And then let's pursue that one. So a lot 00:18:21.660 --> 00:18:24.099 of different ways for people to find us. And 00:18:24.099 --> 00:18:27.819 again, very new in the industry. So very new 00:18:27.819 --> 00:18:31.799 in the space in general to travel is. a very 00:18:31.799 --> 00:18:34.380 old industry, but to have someone come in and 00:18:34.380 --> 00:18:36.019 say, I'm not going to do your booking for you, 00:18:36.059 --> 00:18:38.240 but I am going to help you down a spiritual journey 00:18:38.240 --> 00:18:41.220 of whatever it is that you're seeking. That's 00:18:41.220 --> 00:18:43.440 a very new concept. And so I think that we have 00:18:43.440 --> 00:18:46.259 work to do there as coaches and helping educate 00:18:46.259 --> 00:18:49.460 around what it is that we can provide. So I assume 00:18:49.460 --> 00:18:53.799 then that the. motivations and the actual experiences 00:18:53.799 --> 00:18:58.700 vary depending on the person absolutely it has 00:18:58.700 --> 00:19:01.339 to be tailored to what that person wants we we 00:19:01.339 --> 00:19:04.339 as travel coaches we have to have some sort of 00:19:04.339 --> 00:19:06.839 expertise in our area so let's just we'll focus 00:19:06.839 --> 00:19:09.740 on what i do which is adventure travel I'm not 00:19:09.740 --> 00:19:12.460 going to be able to work with someone who needs 00:19:12.460 --> 00:19:16.700 like the relaxation of like a European spa or 00:19:16.700 --> 00:19:19.319 wine tasting. I actually, I don't drink at all. 00:19:19.420 --> 00:19:22.960 So for me, I'm like, I couldn't send you to wineries 00:19:22.960 --> 00:19:26.000 in Italy. And that would be unethical for me 00:19:26.000 --> 00:19:28.119 to be able to try to put that together for a 00:19:28.119 --> 00:19:31.039 person. I can help them get to a point where 00:19:31.039 --> 00:19:33.220 they can then maybe work with a travel agent 00:19:33.220 --> 00:19:36.539 to do that. But I'm not operating in that space. 00:19:37.079 --> 00:19:39.660 So, yes, everybody has certain things that they 00:19:39.660 --> 00:19:42.859 come to us thinking that they want as we dig 00:19:42.859 --> 00:19:45.579 in. We're kind of like, well, it

actually sounds 00:19:45.579 --> 00:19:47.759 like maybe this is more your speed. You know, 00:19:47.839 --> 00:19:50.180 is that true or not? And then get them pointed 00:19:50.180 --> 00:19:52.960 in the direction if they're not like someone 00:19:52.960 --> 00:19:55.500 who wants to go and climb a volcano in Guatemala. 00:19:55.940 --> 00:19:57.880 If they're like, that sounded nice, but it turns 00:19:57.880 --> 00:19:59.559 out that's actually not what I want. And if it's 00:19:59.559 --> 00:20:01.220 something I don't specialize in, I do have to 00:20:01.220 --> 00:20:04.759 refer out. Do you have any examples of how you've 00:20:04.759 --> 00:20:08.430 been able to? help people? Or again, is that 00:20:08.430 --> 00:20:11.049 still in its infancy? That's in its infancy. 00:20:11.130 --> 00:20:13.849 But there is a piece of this that is highly connected 00:20:13.849 --> 00:20:17.130 to what your audience is interested in. So living 00:20:17.130 --> 00:20:21.289 in the Bay Area of California, I have a plethora 00:20:21.289 --> 00:20:23.809 of opportunities to work with people who are 00:20:23.809 --> 00:20:28.009 working in a digital space and feeling just disconnected 00:20:28.009 --> 00:20:30.690 to the environment. And so what I've actually 00:20:30.690 --> 00:20:34.450 done as a baby step for me to getting these retreats 00:20:34.450 --> 00:20:37.109 pulled together is I've started to take out women 00:20:37.109 --> 00:20:41.190 who are brand new to backpacking and they have 00:20:41.190 --> 00:20:45.130 never, maybe they've hiked. Maybe they are just 00:20:45.130 --> 00:20:46.710 even brand new to hiking and they're kind of 00:20:46.710 --> 00:20:49.430 like, Ooh, like what, what if I did this and 00:20:49.430 --> 00:20:51.589 bit off a little bit more? So I've actually started 00:20:51.589 --> 00:20:54.089 to lead monthly backpacking trips for women who 00:20:54.089 --> 00:20:56.970 are new to the sport. The women who come out 00:20:56.970 --> 00:21:00.200 are just. so grateful. At least that's what they 00:21:00.200 --> 00:21:02.220 tell me, you know, like they do send me really 00:21:02.220 --> 00:21:04.900 nice text messages and just so, so much, you 00:21:04.900 --> 00:21:07.140 know, graciousness and gratitude of me saying, 00:21:07.299 --> 00:21:10.599 Hey, this is a hard thing to do as a female. 00:21:10.700 --> 00:21:14.019 That's a lot of what my content is, is like how 00:21:14.019 --> 00:21:16.950 hard it is to do this as a female. But then on 00:21:16.950 --> 00:21:19.190 top of that, a female who's constantly trapped 00:21:19.190 --> 00:21:21.450 inside, you're in your car commuting, you're 00:21:21.450 --> 00:21:24.930 in your cubicle, in your office building. Let's 00:21:24.930 --> 00:21:27.650 find a way to get you to immerse yourself in 00:21:27.650 --> 00:21:29.670 nature and feel comfortable with it. And just 00:21:29.670 --> 00:21:32.589 that little bit of support that I give them for 00:21:32.589 --> 00:21:34.549 those like two or three overnighters, you know, 00:21:34.549 --> 00:21:36.789 depending on how long it is, they're just like, 00:21:36.809 --> 00:21:40.690 oh, I can do this now. Some of these women. have 00:21:40.690 --> 00:21:42.710 gone off and they're signed up for like other 00:21:42.710 --> 00:21:45.269 backpacking trips that are you know later on 00:21:45.269 --> 00:21:47.450 in the year and I think that's great so I'm giving 00:21:47.450 --> 00:21:50.529 them that launching pad to be able to feel comfortable 00:21:50.529 --> 00:21:52.450 with themselves and learn to trust themselves 00:21:52.450 --> 00:21:55.470 and be brave when you're faced with something 00:21:55.470 --> 00:21:58.109 like the darkness of the wilderness at night. 00:21:58.789 --> 00:22:03.210 How do you assess expectations because you know 00:22:03.210 --> 00:22:05.809 we're talking about getting people out there 00:22:05.809 --> 00:22:09.940 and it's a fantastic experience and it's a incredible 00:22:09.940 --> 00:22:13.940 goal but if somebody were to say to you i want 00:22:13.940 --> 00:22:18.680 to hike the pacific crest trail and if they're 00:22:18.680 --> 00:22:22.960 not fit enough or not well enough or how do you 00:22:22.960 --> 00:22:26.539 kind of temper their enthusiasm with the realism 00:22:26.539 --> 00:22:30.140 of maybe this isn't for you yeah i don't think 00:22:30.140 --> 00:22:33.279 i mean unless i had a client that had like an 00:22:33.279 --> 00:22:36.099 accessibility need i don't think i would ever 00:22:36.099 --> 00:22:40.539 say that this isn't possible. What I think is 00:22:40.539 --> 00:22:45.000 my duty is to help them prepare for it. So we'll 00:22:45.000 --> 00:22:48.619 take PCT, Pacific Crest Trail, connecting Mexico 00:22:48.619 --> 00:22:53.539 to Canada. That is a huge feat. If you have a 00:22:53.539 --> 00:22:57.119 full -time job, you're probably not going to 00:22:57.119 --> 00:22:59.579 be able to do that. You can do tiny sections 00:22:59.579 --> 00:23:01.200 of it at a time. But if you're telling me you 00:23:01.200 --> 00:23:03.839 want to go from Mexico to Canada or vice versa, 00:23:03.940 --> 00:23:07.309 then if you have a full -time job, Are you ready 00:23:07.309 --> 00:23:10.170 to take that time off? You know, so again, for 00:23:10.170 --> 00:23:12.549 me having a corporate experience, this is exactly 00:23:12.549 --> 00:23:14.170 what I would do with this client. I would be 00:23:14.170 --> 00:23:16.450 working with them on setting up the conversations 00:23:16.450 --> 00:23:18.730 with their employer for the time off. What does 00:23:18.730 --> 00:23:20.650 that look like? Is it a leave of absence? Is 00:23:20.650 --> 00:23:23.549 it a resignation? Are we coming back later? Are 00:23:23.549 --> 00:23:26.789 we set up for financial independence, so to speak? 00:23:27.420 --> 00:23:29.400 if you're taking six months off, like, are you 00:23:29.400 --> 00:23:32.619 ready to not have income generated for that six

00:23:32.619 --> 00:23:35.359 months? And then if we assess physical aspects. 00:23:35.500 --> 00:23:38.880 And so again, if we're brand new at hiking, I'm 00:23:38.880 --> 00:23:40.480 probably not going to recommend this to you. 00:23:40.519 --> 00:23:42.059 What we're going to do is we're going to develop 00:23:42.059 --> 00:23:45.930 a roadmap that. allows you to get used to hiking 00:23:45.930 --> 00:23:48.410 get used to backpacking because they are two 00:23:48.410 --> 00:23:50.549 different things very very different things even 00:23:50.549 --> 00:23:53.789 though they are the same activity backpacking 00:23:53.789 --> 00:23:57.089 is different than hiking through hiking is different 00:23:57.089 --> 00:23:59.990 than backpacking packing up your stuff every 00:23:59.990 --> 00:24:02.410 single day is a completely different experience 00:24:02.410 --> 00:24:05.410 than going and base camping somewhere and like 00:24:05.410 --> 00:24:07.410 being able to do day hikes and that's a completely 00:24:07.410 --> 00:24:10.059 different thing than showing up somewhere in 00:24:10.059 --> 00:24:11.880 your car in the morning and then leaving in that 00:24:11.880 --> 00:24:13.839 same car in the afternoon. And so getting them 00:24:13.839 --> 00:24:15.779 to understand the differences between the two. 00:24:15.859 --> 00:24:18.579 And it's not to say you can't do it. It's just 00:24:18.579 --> 00:24:20.920 to say that there's baby steps along the way. 00:24:20.980 --> 00:24:23.059 So let's build the building blocks to get you 00:24:23.059 --> 00:24:25.319 there. Because if that is a pinnacle dream of 00:24:25.319 --> 00:24:28.140 yours, then you should chase it. I absolutely 00:24:28.140 --> 00:24:30.460 believe that people should try to find any way 00:24:30.460 --> 00:24:33.400 possible, but it could be a really long journey 00:24:33.400 --> 00:24:36.000 for the person who is just starting out. And 00:24:36.000 --> 00:24:38.660 I think that it is my duty and responsibility 00:24:38.660 --> 00:24:41.460 to make them aware of that in a compassionate. 00:24:42.039 --> 00:24:46.039 empathetic way, but to also not tear down the 00:24:46.039 --> 00:24:48.140 dream of you, you're never going to be able to 00:24:48.140 --> 00:24:50.079 do this because people will make decisions along 00:24:50.079 --> 00:24:52.440 the way. And that's a lot of what coaching is 00:24:52.440 --> 00:24:54.279 right back to the question of like, you know, 00:24:54.299 --> 00:24:56.259 what does travel coaching do is helping them 00:24:56.259 --> 00:24:58.160 make those decisions and helping them come to 00:24:58.160 --> 00:25:00.579 their own realizations. And who knows, maybe 00:25:00.579 --> 00:25:03.299 they go out for their first like week long backpacking 00:25:03.299 --> 00:25:05.440 trip and they're like, you know, no, I'm good. 00:25:05.940 --> 00:25:08.339 I don't need, I don't need any more than that. 00:25:08.380 --> 00:25:10.660 That was fun. And maybe they'll come

back around 00:25:10.660 --> 00:25:13.690 to it. Several years later, who knows? But getting 00:25:13.690 --> 00:25:17.049 them to understand their own limits is really 00:25:17.049 --> 00:25:20.549 my job versus telling them what to do. And as 00:25:20.549 --> 00:25:23.750 a part of that also, obviously, Pacific Crest 00:25:23.750 --> 00:25:27.089 Trail is kind of local to where you are or fairly 00:25:27.089 --> 00:25:30.890 anyway. Correct. But if somebody were to say, 00:25:31.170 --> 00:25:35.170 okay, I want to do... I don't know, the E9 in 00:25:35.170 --> 00:25:38.210 Europe. I would assume that a part of what you 00:25:38.210 --> 00:25:42.789 do is having to research these things and give 00:25:42.789 --> 00:25:45.390 people options. Do you want to do it alone? Do 00:25:45.390 --> 00:25:48.089 you want to do it with other people? Is that 00:25:48.089 --> 00:25:51.849 a part of it, is giving people like a package 00:25:51.849 --> 00:25:55.160 of options? If somebody was to come to me and 00:25:55.160 --> 00:25:57.599 want to hike a trail and, you know, through hike 00:25:57.599 --> 00:26:00.619 trail in an area that I am not deeply familiar 00:26:00.619 --> 00:26:03.059 with, to be totally frank, I would probably try 00:26:03.059 --> 00:26:05.319 to refer them out. But say I couldn't find a 00:26:05.319 --> 00:26:08.130 person who was familiar with that. What I'd be 00:26:08.130 --> 00:26:11.049 working on them with is building their own roadmap 00:26:11.049 --> 00:26:13.130 for the educational journey that they're going 00:26:13.130 --> 00:26:15.289 to take to get there. Let's talk Dolomites. I 00:26:15.289 --> 00:26:17.309 do know Dolomites. A lot of people want to do 00:26:17.309 --> 00:26:19.970 hut to huts and the Dolomites. How does that 00:26:19.970 --> 00:26:22.329 work? How do we find a vendor that's going to 00:26:22.329 --> 00:26:24.670 help you secure the huts? Because my goodness, 00:26:24.769 --> 00:26:26.789 I can tell you from experience working with these 00:26:26.789 --> 00:26:29.269 huts is difficult. Some of them only take wire 00:26:29.269 --> 00:26:31.289 transfers and it takes them like 20 days to get 00:26:31.289 --> 00:26:33.009 back to you in an email because they live in 00:26:33.009 --> 00:26:35.130 the remote place. You know, what's the best route 00:26:35.130 --> 00:26:37.869 for you to take? like lining them up with that 00:26:37.869 --> 00:26:40.430 so that again, they can achieve that dream, but 00:26:40.430 --> 00:26:42.410 they're kind of like, they're doing the work 00:26:42.410 --> 00:26:45.569 along the way. So it wouldn't be me necessarily 00:26:45.569 --> 00:26:48.109 going back to the conversation of a travel agent. 00:26:48.150 --> 00:26:50.609 I wouldn't be booking their travel for them because 00:26:50.609 --> 00:26:52.950 I'm not qualified to do that, but helping them 00:26:52.950 --> 00:26:55.410 understand the steps of how to get there. And 00:26:55.410 --> 00:26:57.869 I certainly would refer out for an area I was 00:26:57.869 --> 00:27:00.799 not familiar with because. Kilimanjaro, for example. 00:27:00.799 --> 00:27:02.640 I don't think I'll ever climb it. I don't think 00:27:02.640 --> 00:27:04.660 I have any desire to do that. But there's lots 00:27:04.660 --> 00:27:07.339 of people who have and lots of vendors that can 00:27:07.339 --> 00:27:09.579 help them. So I would refer out in that aspect. 00:27:09.940 --> 00:27:12.940 I guess there's a lot of different aspects to 00:27:12.940 --> 00:27:16.579 being in the outdoors. There are. There are. 00:27:16.799 --> 00:27:19.519 And maybe I glazed over this too quickly. But 00:27:19.519 --> 00:27:21.680 to answer the question of, you know, in terms 00:27:21.680 --> 00:27:24.119 of when a client does come to a travel coach. 00:27:24.779 --> 00:27:27.480 It is our, again, our responsibility to have 00:27:27.480 --> 00:27:29.440 the discovery session with them to understand 00:27:29.440 --> 00:27:32.559 what their. after and sometimes again they don't 00:27:32.559 --> 00:27:34.799 know and we can see it because you can't read 00:27:34.799 --> 00:27:37.240 a prescription from inside the bottle right so 00:27:37.240 --> 00:27:38.940 it's like we can see it from the outside and 00:27:38.940 --> 00:27:40.420 we can see it well you're talking about this 00:27:40.420 --> 00:27:43.079 and so helping guide them to that but yes those 00:27:43.079 --> 00:27:45.319 questions are always important like why this 00:27:45.319 --> 00:27:48.019 trail right now why this trip right now you know 00:27:48.019 --> 00:27:49.819 what is it that you're feeling so there's a whole 00:27:49.819 --> 00:27:53.099 process of intake that a travel coach would need 00:27:53.099 --> 00:27:56.390 to do and those questions would probably be addressed 00:27:56.390 --> 00:27:59.049 during that time so that you can figure out how 00:27:59.049 --> 00:28:01.650 to best serve that client. If it is, I just want 00:28:01.650 --> 00:28:03.549 to go there because I want to, I want to do the 00:28:03.549 --> 00:28:06.329 thing, then that's okay. But if it's, I want 00:28:06.329 --> 00:28:09.230 to transition from a job, you know, a W or, you 00:28:09.230 --> 00:28:11.769 know, a corporate job, like a paid working for 00:28:11.769 --> 00:28:14.910 somebody else job to a entrepreneur, that's a 00:28:14.910 --> 00:28:18.630 whole other journey. that we need to dig into 00:28:18.630 --> 00:28:21.529 and understand why are we doing this thing to 00:28:21.529 --> 00:28:24.369 achieve this goal? That's where we would address 00:28:24.369 --> 00:28:26.829 a lot of those questions is in that intake process. 00:28:27.210 --> 00:28:30.829 On a personal level, what have either trekking 00:28:30.829 --> 00:28:33.650 or hiking or backpacking, what have they meant 00:28:33.650 --> 00:28:37.329 to you in your own life? Oh my goodness. Well, 00:28:37.549 --> 00:28:41.410 to not have a helpful answer, I would say everything. 00:28:43.180 -->

00:28:47.039 It means everything to me. I am my client. If 00:28:47.039 --> 00:28:49.640 I'm totally transparent, I did feel trapped. 00:28:49.859 --> 00:28:52.819 I grew up in the Bay Area. I grew up with parents 00:28:52.819 --> 00:28:56.000 who worked in tech. I grew up knowing computers. 00:28:56.140 --> 00:28:58.259 And maybe some of your audience will get a kick 00:28:58.259 --> 00:29:00.720 out of hearing the AOL dial -up. I was of that 00:29:00.720 --> 00:29:05.319 generation. So for me to be able to separate 00:29:05.319 --> 00:29:08.420 myself from... everything that I've known all 00:29:08.420 --> 00:29:13.039 my life and go out into wild spaces, go out and 00:29:13.039 --> 00:29:16.440 hike for a day or backpack for several days or 00:29:16.440 --> 00:29:18.900 take on my very exciting adventure at the end 00:29:18.900 --> 00:29:22.140 of the summer here. Like I am, it means everything. 00:29:22.359 --> 00:29:25.680 I have to connect with the wild world because 00:29:25.680 --> 00:29:28.960 I was born and raised in an environment that 00:29:28.960 --> 00:29:31.480 is. It wasn't at the time necessarily when I 00:29:31.480 --> 00:29:33.380 was born, but screens, you know, screens, technology, 00:29:33.660 --> 00:29:36.420 innovation, which are all important parts of 00:29:36.420 --> 00:29:41.140 our society, but really truly do disconnect us 00:29:41.140 --> 00:29:44.140 from the wild world. And I need, I personally 00:29:44.140 --> 00:29:47.400 need to get out. I did. And part of me leaving 00:29:47.400 --> 00:29:49.880 my corporate job was to be able to go out and 00:29:49.880 --> 00:29:51.819 pursue these wild adventures. And I happened 00:29:51.819 --> 00:29:53.880 to find a second career along the way as a travel 00:29:53.880 --> 00:29:56.180 coach. So it means everything to me. It really 00:29:56.180 --> 00:30:00.309 does. When you mentioned that AOL thing, it just 00:30:00.309 --> 00:30:04.509 took me back to the first few years in Canada 00:30:04.509 --> 00:30:07.849 when you would go into one of the big supermarkets, 00:30:07.849 --> 00:30:11.509 one of the big stores, and they would have AOL 00:30:11.509 --> 00:30:15.109 discs in big racks as you walked out. And you 00:30:15.109 --> 00:30:17.089 would pick one up, you know, you could connect, 00:30:17.289 --> 00:30:20.670 you stick it in your computer and sign up to 00:30:20.670 --> 00:30:23.230 AOL with this disc. I'd completely forgotten 00:30:23.230 --> 00:30:26.279 about those, but that's weird. You're welcome. 00:30:27.220 --> 00:30:29.480 I love to sprinkle that in every now and then 00:30:29.480 --> 00:30:31.420 because the people who get it, get it. They're 00:30:31.420 --> 00:30:34.819 like, oh yeah, I remember that noise. And that's 00:30:34.819 --> 00:30:36.960 very much my generation, but my kids don't know. 00:30:37.240 --> 00:30:39.700 They're like, well, I mean, like, it's so funny. 00:30:39.740 --> 00:30:42.440 We'll be on a road trip and my kids, they do 00:30:42.440 --> 00:30:44.200 have devices that they're allowed to watch on 00:30:44.200 --> 00:30:45.559 the road trip, but it doesn't have a cellular 00:30:45.559 --> 00:30:48.329 connection. And so they'll be like, it doesn't 00:30:48.329 --> 00:30:49.970 work. I'm like, yeah, you're only allowed to 00:30:49.970 --> 00:30:52.170 play the games that are on the device. You can't 00:30:52.170 --> 00:30:54.329 just like stream things. They're like, what? 00:30:54.609 --> 00:30:55.890 And I'm like, you have to have an internet. They're 00:30:55.890 --> 00:30:58.410 like, there's an internet? They're so confused. 00:30:59.329 --> 00:31:03.680 So yeah, it's been a wild journey to be. a child 00:31:03.680 --> 00:31:06.880 when the internet first began and to now see 00:31:06.880 --> 00:31:09.759 how that's impacting my kids. I think to go back 00:31:09.759 --> 00:31:11.440 and add to the question that you asked of what 00:31:11.440 --> 00:31:14.960 does it mean to you? It means that my kids have 00:31:14.960 --> 00:31:18.220 an opportunity to disconnect too. Because I think 00:31:18.220 --> 00:31:21.740 that we are just, I'm a parent who's guilty of 00:31:21.740 --> 00:31:25.579 it myself, but we are just so quick to satiate 00:31:25.579 --> 00:31:28.680 a child with a screen or a device. And they've 00:31:28.680 --> 00:31:32.220 forgotten how to use a rock and a stick and use 00:31:32.220 --> 00:31:35.000 their imagination. So a big part of me being 00:31:35.000 --> 00:31:37.700 out in the wild is taking my family out there. 00:31:38.730 --> 00:31:41.089 I want them to have that connection too. It doesn't 00:31:41.089 --> 00:31:42.549 mean that's the only thing that they have in 00:31:42.549 --> 00:31:44.150 their life. You know, there's a place and a time 00:31:44.150 --> 00:31:47.390 for technology and certainly entertainment, but 00:31:47.390 --> 00:31:51.069 I need my children to understand this planet 00:31:51.069 --> 00:31:54.069 that we live on and the environments, the ecosystems, 00:31:54.289 --> 00:31:56.170 how they're all connected. I need them to know 00:31:56.170 --> 00:31:59.690 how that all works and not just watch it on YouTube 00:31:59.690 --> 00:32:02.930 or whatever the thing is. Watch the nature programming. 00:32:02.930 --> 00:32:05.569 I want them to go and see it. It's great that 00:32:05.569 --> 00:32:09.369 the nature programming's there, take on the personal 00:32:09.369 --> 00:32:11.170 responsibility of, okay, great. You're really 00:32:11.170 --> 00:32:13.690 interested in that. Let's go see that. And we 00:32:13.690 --> 00:32:15.890 do do a lot of family travel based off of some 00:32:15.890 --> 00:32:17.769 of the stuff that they see. And then I want them 00:32:17.769 --> 00:32:20.789 to experience it in real life. What kind of trips 00:32:20.789 --> 00:32:25.529 have you taken yourself for hiking? My absolute 00:32:25.529 --> 00:32:29.470 favorite obviously is Guatemala. I did a trip 00:32:29.470 --> 00:32:33.779 from

California. to washington um so a couple 00:32:33.779 --> 00:32:35.920 states over and we kind of just like zigzagged 00:32:35.920 --> 00:32:39.119 back and forth across the volcanic um scenic 00:32:39.119 --> 00:32:41.900 corridor between california and washington that 00:32:41.900 --> 00:32:43.880 was a really cool experience to do with my kids 00:32:43.880 --> 00:32:46.880 um for them to be able to see there's this huge 00:32:46.880 --> 00:32:49.619 it's an organ it's there's this huge obsidian 00:32:49.619 --> 00:32:52.980 field and you can hike through this obsidian 00:32:52.980 --> 00:32:56.200 glass that was a really cool experience for us 00:32:56.200 --> 00:32:58.859 to be able to to, again, be connected to mountains, 00:32:58.900 --> 00:33:02.099 be connected to nature. And then being in California, 00:33:02.259 --> 00:33:04.579 I really do have the Sierras in my backyard, 00:33:04.640 --> 00:33:06.940 which is, you know, world renowned in terms of 00:33:06.940 --> 00:33:10.380 hiking. So I'm very spoiled there. But I am very 00:33:10.380 --> 00:33:13.859 excited about, I will be hiking the Painted Caves 00:33:13.859 --> 00:33:17.480 Trail in Baja. And that's really exciting for 00:33:17.480 --> 00:33:20.240 me because that has indigenous aspects. So again, 00:33:20.299 --> 00:33:22.140 going back to culture and understanding culture 00:33:22.140 --> 00:33:25.319 and understanding employing indigenous locals 00:33:25.319 --> 00:33:27.900 to take me to a place that's really sacred for 00:33:27.900 --> 00:33:30.740 them. Like that is a very exciting upcoming trip 00:33:30.740 --> 00:33:34.519 that I'm looking forward to. But previously I've 00:33:34.519 --> 00:33:36.940 done a lot of really cool stuff and I'm very 00:33:36.940 --> 00:33:40.700 lucky and very blessed to have mountains literally 00:33:40.700 --> 00:33:42.740 two miles away that I wanted. If I wanted to 00:33:42.740 --> 00:33:46.059 go hike, I could. Is there a connection between 00:33:46.059 --> 00:33:49.160 what you love to do and what you've done and 00:33:49.160 --> 00:33:52.160 what you're able to provide for others? Yeah. 00:33:52.519 --> 00:33:55.660 I would not feel comfortable building these retreats 00:33:55.660 --> 00:33:59.339 for clients or advising them on their own adventure 00:33:59.339 --> 00:34:03.059 if I hadn't done it myself and seen the reward 00:34:03.059 --> 00:34:07.019 that I have experienced. And so I think for me, 00:34:07.039 --> 00:34:09.079 it's the easiest to talk about the bravery aspect. 00:34:09.869 --> 00:34:12.469 going from someone who worked in Silicon Valley 00:34:12.469 --> 00:34:16.389 tech, who was very sheltered by these walls and 00:34:16.389 --> 00:34:18.610 these cars and the freeways and everything's 00:34:18.610 --> 00:34:22.389 orderly, even though it's busy, it's all orderly, 00:34:22.389 --> 00:34:27.090 to then go out in the wild by myself, learn to 00:34:27.090 --> 00:34:30.369 trust myself, learn to be brave. That is, again, 00:34:30.489 --> 00:34:32.789 in a female and Western society where, you know, 00:34:32.849 --> 00:34:35.010 there's a lot of messaging that's like, you're 00:34:35.010 --> 00:34:37.150 not capable, you should be scared, you should 00:34:37.150 --> 00:34:39.780 have a male companion, like all this. information 00:34:39.780 --> 00:34:43.639 that we receive as females, that has been incredibly 00:34:43.639 --> 00:34:46.039 transformational. And that is something that 00:34:46.039 --> 00:34:47.940 I want to provide for my clients. So is there 00:34:47.940 --> 00:34:50.599 a connection? Absolutely. I would say that there 00:34:50.599 --> 00:34:53.460 is. It's just, there's no particular one piece 00:34:53.460 --> 00:34:55.360 as much as it is just like everything building 00:34:55.360 --> 00:34:58.940 on top of itself to give me the experience of 00:34:58.940 --> 00:35:00.659 what I've had up to this point. And therefore 00:35:00.659 --> 00:35:03.880 I can turn around and provide that to other clients. 00:35:04.039 --> 00:35:06.539 So yeah, definitely connected. But I would want 00:35:06.539 --> 00:35:08.539 to encourage people to slow down when they're 00:35:08.539 --> 00:35:12.699 out there. And what I mean by that is like really 00:35:12.699 --> 00:35:16.440 immersing themselves. There's simple things where 00:35:16.440 --> 00:35:19.059 I will like, I'll catch myself and I'll be like, 00:35:19.159 --> 00:35:21.400 oh my gosh, there's bird song I've never heard 00:35:21.400 --> 00:35:23.880 of. I'm not a birder, by the way, but I do appreciate 00:35:23.880 --> 00:35:27.300 listening to them. You know, and until that moment 00:35:27.300 --> 00:35:30.119 of like me slowing down, like I'm not hearing. 00:35:30.639 --> 00:35:33.659 that bird song and then when I slow down and 00:35:33.659 --> 00:35:36.519 I'm very mindful about the way I'm doing something 00:35:36.519 --> 00:35:40.300 when I'm in a wild space that's where you really 00:35:40.300 --> 00:35:42.840 get to start to connect with yourself and so 00:35:42.840 --> 00:35:45.900 you'll get like folks that are like ultra marathoners 00:35:45.900 --> 00:35:47.760 and you know like these long distance people 00:35:47.760 --> 00:35:50.780 and like people who want to hike the PCT as fast 00:35:50.780 --> 00:35:53.489 as they possibly can Nothing wrong with that 00:35:53.489 --> 00:35:56.929 by any means. But when we slow down, we get a 00:35:56.929 --> 00:35:59.989 chance to really truly listen. And I think that 00:35:59.989 --> 00:36:03.010 that's important because as much as religion 00:36:03.010 --> 00:36:06.570 takes up a large portion of our society, I think 00:36:06.570 --> 00:36:08.869 that there's kind of this like cathedral of Mother 00:36:08.869 --> 00:36:11.489 Earth, so to speak. She's got a lot of lessons 00:36:11.489 --> 00:36:14.750 to teach us. And I think that slowing down and 00:36:14.750 --> 00:36:17.210 learning to listen, I think is really, really 00:36:17.210 --> 00:36:30.050 important. So taking your time. It sounds like 00:36:30.050 --> 00:36:33.010 a really rewarding job. I'm not sure that it's 00:36:33.010 --> 00:36:34.829 one that's cut out for me, though. You definitely 00:36:34.829 --> 00:36:38.309 need to have a specific personality to be able 00:36:38.309 --> 00:36:40.849 to guide people through life -changing decisions. 00:36:41.429 --> 00:36:43.789 But you can tell that Courtney has that skill 00:36:43.789 --> 00:36:46.329 of relating to people. And it's great that she 00:36:46.329 --> 00:36:48.869 loves Guatemala. I've never actually been there. 00:36:48.909 --> 00:36:52.250 The closest I ever came was probably living close 00:36:52.250 --> 00:36:56.369 to a Guatemalan restaurant in Las Vegas. What 00:36:56.369 --> 00:36:59.789 a great place that was. Happy memories. So that 00:36:59.789 --> 00:37:01.849 will just about do it for this week. It's a public 00:37:01.849 --> 00:37:04.789 holiday again in some parts of the UK on Monday, 00:37:04.909 --> 00:37:08.090 so maybe another quiet news week, although you 00:37:08.090 --> 00:37:11.610 never know. And no school on Monday, so no doubt 00:37:11.610 --> 00:37:14.369 more rain. The weekend looks all right though, 00:37:14.449 --> 00:37:17.210 so we're busy charging equipment as we speak 00:37:17.210 --> 00:37:19.730 in the hope that we can go out and do something 00:37:19.730 --> 00:37:22.530 constructive. If you do have news or suggestions 00:37:22.530 --> 00:37:25.710 for podcast guests, please do get in touch through 00:37:25.710 --> 00:37:29.550 jim at walkingpost .com. And as I always mention, 00:37:29.650 --> 00:37:31.889 we do need guests, whether it's a new trail, 00:37:32.090 --> 00:37:35.409 a new book, a walking festival, or someone with 00:37:35.409 --> 00:37:38.989 a story to tell about walking somewhere. So I 00:37:38.989 --> 00:37:41.250 hope you enjoyed this week's walkingpost .com 00:37:41.250 --> 00:37:44.010 podcast, and I hope you have a great week ahead. 00:37:44.369 --> 00:37:46.769 Hopefully with a walk somewhere, whether it's 00:37:46.769 --> 00:37:50.210 California, Carlisle, or Calgary. Until next 00:37:50.210 --> 00:37:51.590 time. Happy trails.