Episode 236 - Christine Winebrenner Irick, Soulful Summer Solo Show
In this episode of Soul of Travel, Season 6: Women's Wisdom + Mindful Travel, presented by @journeywoman_original, Christine hosts a summer soulful solo show full of inspiration, book recommendations, and reflections on rest, community, and purpose.
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“Every part of our human experience is serving us in our soul’s journey.”
Soul of Travel Episode 236 At a Glance
In This Episode, Christine shares:
The value in mindfully taking a pause
Sharing women’s wisdom and travel abroad with the IWTTF
The soulful call of Montana for Christine and the beauty of shared spaces with friends
Soulful book recommendations for summer and fall reading
Opportunities to spread the word about what’s important to you through Soul of Travel sponsorship and advertising
LOVE these soulful conversations? We rely on listener support to produce our podcast! Make a difference by making a donation on Buy Me a Coffee. To discuss advertising or sponsoring an episode, reach out to Christine at souloftravelpodcast@gmail.com.
Resources & Links Mentioned in the Episode
New listener? Welcome!! Get to know Christine here on the Soul of Travel website and take a listen to past episodes and more.
Visit Christine’s summer & fall book recommendations below!
Rise Sister Rise: A Guide to Unleashing the Wise, Wild Woman Within
Sacred Contracts: Awakening Your Divine Potential by Caroline Myss
Your Inner Physician and You: CranialSacral Therapy and SomatoEmotional Release by John E. Upledger
About the Soul Of Travel Podcast
Soul of Travel honors the passion and dedication of people making a positive impact in the tourism industry. In each episode, you’ll hear the stories of women who are industry professionals, seasoned travelers, and community leaders. Our expert guests represent social impact organizations, adventure-based community organizations, travel photography and videography, and entrepreneurs who know that travel is an opportunity for personal awareness and a vehicle for global change.
Join us to become a more educated and intentional traveler as you learn about new destinations, sustainable and regenerative travel, and community-based tourism. Industry professionals and those curious about a career in travel will also find value and purpose in our conversations.
We are thought leaders, action-takers, and heart-centered change-makers who inspire and create community. Join host Christine Winebrenner Irick for these soulful conversations with our global community of travelers exploring the heart, the mind, and the globe.
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Credits. Christine Winebrenner Irick (Host, creator, editor). Christine Winebrenner Irick (Guest). Original music by Clark Adams. Editing, production, and content writing by Christine Winebrenner Irick
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WE WON A BESSIE AWARD! The Bessie Awards recognize the achievements of women and gender-diverse people making an impact in the travel industry. To view the complete list of 2022’s winners, visit bessieawards.org.
Soul of Travel Episode 236 Transcript
Key Words: women’s travel, transformational travel, sustainable travel, social entrepreneurship
Christine: Hey listeners, it's Christine, your host of Soul, a Travel podcast. I hope you have had a nice summer. If you are in the Northern Hemisphere here with me, if you're regular listener, you have probably noticed that I ended up taking July off from the podcast. This was something I was considering and. I think because I created space for that possibility, that possibility just snuck right in.
Um, I think I have mentioned on the podcast before, but my producer, Carley Eduardo was moving from Colorado to Spain, and so. Her schedule was different. She was also traveling beforehand, and then I'm traveling with my kids. I have returned back to Colorado, but there was a lot of back and forth and up and down, and in the end we just decided that we really needed to recognize and honor.
Our need for space and time. And so we just went ahead and gave ourself that moment to be with our families and be a part of those transitions and really enjoy our family time together. So that said, I'm back and I'm really excited to kick off with some new episodes beginning next week. But as I mentioned, um, this summer I was traveling with my daughters.
Um, I began my summer of, uh, with a pretty quick trip to the uk. I went to attend the I-W-T-T-F, um, in London, and that I mentioned, I know a couple episodes ago, or I guess. Um, probably last episode, the way this is airing, and, um, that's an event that I really, really love to attend whenever possible. It brings together such great minds, um, incredible women in the industry and allies of women in the industry.
It's hosted by women in travel, CIC and Alessandra Alonso. Who you've heard from on the podcast. We've done some special collaborations, but I took my oldest daughter with me to London, which was really special to have that time to travel with her by herself, um, for us to have that alone time to together.
She's entering her sophomore year of high school here in the US her second year of high school and starting to think about college, and she is very interested in going to. School internationally. And so we also were able to time this trip to London with an open campus visit to the university in Edinburgh, in Scotland.
And so yeah, we had this quick trip. She was able to come with me to women in travel, CIC, which to the I-W-T-T-F and um. I think that was really valuable for her to be able to hear from some incredible women, um, to meet some of my colleagues and friends who I'm often talking about. Um, for her to just hear the relevance of these topics that I'm always talking about.
Um, she's pretty advanced in her understanding of some of the social issues that face women around the world because of conversations. That we've been having since she was young. But I think it's always helpful for them to hear some of those things from somebody besides their mom. So there was that value, uh, in this as well.
And then traveling to Scotland with her was really great, uh, to see what a capable and passionate and comfortable traveler she is at this point in her life. And to know that. Um, this possibility for her exists. It's just such an exciting time. So that's where my summer began, and then I usually spend quite a bit of time with my family in Montana.
Um, this summer was a little shorter than usual, but that is always a really special trip trip for us. Um, it means a lot to me to be with my family and also Montana is just. After all of the travels I've done to so many different places in the world, Montana is really truly where my soul calls home.
There's a few other places where I will land and it has that same feeling for me energetically. Um, there's parts of Guatemala and parts of Peru that really have offered me that same sense of connection and home and, um. But yeah, every time I return home, I, I am always grateful for that feeling. Um, one of the things that also happened while I was in Montana was a girl's weekend.
Um, for those of you listening, I don't know if you know how impossible it can be sometimes to get groups of friends together and combine schedules and time off and find places, and, um. So it was quite an effort to coordinate for four of us. Um, these are women who I've been friends with since high school or middle school, and we've had kind of varying levels of friendship and connection over the years, um, including my, my best friend, um, who's very, very much been a part of my life, but.
Anyway, we decided, we keep saying we wanna do this thing and we want to do this thing and we wanna create space, but we weren't really creating the space for it. And earlier this year we did a quick weekend and it was fantastic. And so we, we really could see the value in exerting that effort to create the time and space for connection.
And so we set the intention to do something again this summer, put four days on the calendar, which when we were all carving out, that time seemed impossible and all of us were kind of saying, yes, let's do the four days, but I might only be there these two days, and I might only be there these three days.
And in the end, we were all there for the full four days and it was so, so fantastic. And. One of the original taglines for my company, Lotus Sojourns, uh, was slumber Party for the Soul. And that was just this thing that I felt like I was missing was this time for deep connection with women. Like it would go to so many women's events, um, in the business space and the entrepreneurial space, and then gathering with women in the space and context of tourism.
But there are all these kind of fleeting moments, like a one day event, a two day event. Um, sometimes I'm lucky, and those will be longer times together, but then they're very focused on work and maybe not focused on connection and growth and, and kind of this deep soulfulness that I was looking for. And so when I was thinking about a slumber party for the soul, this is, I was just wishing like.
Why can't women still have slumber parties? Those were the best things about our childhood, about my childhood. Um, sometimes they were not the best, but most of the time they were really incredible and that just that space for intimacy and connection. And so when I had started my travel company, this was.
What I wanted to cultivate was this time and space and this saying yes to ourselves and carving out that time, creating that importance around that time and, and I'm just such a huge proponent of intentional gatherings for women. So this was such a special space and, um, we, because we. Know each other so well.
And because over the course of this year, we've been also doing kind of pretty regular zooms. We were really able to dive into all these different conversations for us, things that are coming up that we wanted to draw from each other's experiences, um, talking about health and wellness and wellbeing and spirituality, and all of these different things that are really important in our lives.
So this is just my, I guess, note to you if you've been saying, let's do that someday with your groups of friends, that perhaps you will set the someday date now so that you can have that space in your lives. Um, something that came up during our time together were a few books that I had. I read that I thought were relevant to the conversation that we were having around really kind of embodying this kind of feminine wisdom in our lives, which is something here on the podcast.
I always try to bring a little bit of that element into each episode and tap into what with the kind of particular zone of genius or. Magic wisdom that each of our guests brings with them. I really try to bring that into every episode and, and so when we were talking with my group of girlfriends, we were, we were in that kind of space of how do we really honor our voices as women, how do we look at the things that we have stifled down?
The things that we were told were not. Valuable or that were outright bad, um, based on social conditioning. And, um, one of the books that came up was Rise, sister Rise by Rebecca Campbell. Um, it's a guide to unleashing the wise wild woman within. And within this book, we were really talking about our path and our purpose, and.
Um, the idea of soul contracts and that every part of our human experience. Is serving us in our soul's journey, and I know for some of you listening, this might be quite a diversion from women's wins, women's wisdom, and mindful travel, but this is something that is always in the background. Speaking of background, there's garbage trucks and air conditioning kicking in, so I apologize for that.
I'm probably not going to be able to edit out either of. Of those noises too. Well, I paused for a moment, but back to what I was saying, um, these are ideas that are always in the background when I'm speaking with women and kind of looking at their story and hearing them talk about the things that have been important to them over their lifetime.
I'm kind of always looking for that thread that is this, perhaps this contract or this path of growth and evolution and kind of witnessing that in. Each guest's journey. Um, for me, I think maybe that's part of my magic and my gift is really looking for that connection. Um, and a couple of my friends have really been struggling with some things that have been really hard in their lives and, you know, using this idea, you know, whether it's.
Something you're open to or something that makes you uncomfortable or however this lands with you. This idea that all of these pieces of our life are not just happening for a reason, not not using that kind of quote or saying, but really happening with purpose. And I think for me, this has helped with understanding things that are.
Really challenging or really difficult, or people who are negative in our lives, uh, whether that's on an individual level or on a global level. Um, on a, on a more social level, um, if you think about this idea that is brought up in Rise, sister Rise is that you, you kind of choose this group of. Souls that are gonna help you grow in the way that you are hoping to grow and evolve.
And so some, people have showed up in a negative way as a part of your growth journey because if you don't have that experience, you're not gonna overcome and grow. And so like for me, it's. Kind of this beautiful idea that they have chosen to know they're gonna show up in a way that you are gonna have resistance or hate or anger towards them and are sacrificing maybe that relationship of love and connection in order to serve you.
And again, I know this is, this is something I have thought about a lot, so I've had a lot of time to like maybe digest and process, but. This was just such a beautiful conversation amongst these friends. And again, this is, I think, something really valuable to be able to kind of throw all of these ideas out there and, and try to understand these bigger questions in life.
And this is why I think these spaces for, particularly me, for me is for women. Um, I hope men are gathering like this. It's not a space I'm gathering, so I can't speak to it, but I know how important it has been for me and my peers and my colleagues to have these. Moments of question and conversation. And so, um, just recommending this book perhaps for those of you listening.
Um, the other book that I always recommend with that, which is I think a lot heavier, takes a little more time to digest, um, but is equally powerful, is to Sacred Contracts, awakening Your Divine Potential by Carolyn Meese. Um, she's also the author of Anatomy of the Spirit, which is another favorite book of mine.
But I think for me, a lot of times I have conversation with women about purpose and somehow this idea of soul contracts or of. Like your soul, knowing what it wants to experience, maybe lets the pressure off of purpose a little bit, because in that way, everything has purpose and potential, and everything doesn't have to be this grand purpose.
Like every, every instance has potential to be purposeful. And now I think I've digressed far enough for this conversation, but. I loved this time with my friends. Recommend these two books. Um, I also was gonna share a couple other things I was reading. I did have some light reading this summer as well, I'll admit.
Um, but the Unseen Body by Jonathan Reisman, MD is a doctor's journey through the hidden wonders of the human anatomy. Um, I just thought this was such an interesting book. Um. Um, to kind of weave together these passions I have of health and wellness and, um, medicine and anatomy and travel because he kind of weaves these things together.
So I'm gonna throw that book out there. And then also, um, I have been experiencing cranial sacral therapy for migraines. Become a chronic migraine sufferer in the past few years. Um, and my practitioner recommended, um, the book that she, um, initially read for her studies, your inner physician and you, um, by John of Ledger.
And so this was something that for me, I don't know if you are very curious about somatic and energy and how things store. Are stored in your body and how that shows up in our health and wellbeing. Um, again, for me, all of these things are so. Connected and really are connected even for me in community and travel because those are the tools that I use for healing, which is something I'm really working on, how to connect those dots for other people because I think it's really, really important and I think it's gonna be really important, um, not only for individuals, but for the tourism industry to tap into.
Not just an idea of wellness and a trend of wellness, but really how it is this powerful tool and what we can do to harness it. So that's a little bit about where I've been this summer. Um, I've kind of, right now, I guess. Pulled back the curtain a little bit on who I am, and there might be a lot of new listeners, so hopefully maybe you're not jumping in as this is your first episode.
Um, if you are welcome, um, and if you are, again, this solo episode is probably pretty different than some of our other episodes so far. Um, but. Definitely go and listen to one or two or three or four other episodes to get a real feel here for the Soul of Travel podcast. Um, but if you are new to me, if I am new to you, I thought I would just take a few minutes to introduce myself, um, and just reconnect with who I am.
And so I am gonna just give you a little. A little more behind the curtain. Um, I grew up in Montana, as I already mentioned, um, in Northwest Montana near Flathead Lake. Um, it was a place I tried very much to escape while I was there and will probably spend the rest of my adult life trying to return. Um, in the great irony that that always is, um, I have a.
Uh, educational background in sociology and in tourism, and I had a long and winding path to get there. I have studied many different things before I landed in sociology, but then realized that was really the lens through which I viewed the world, and it helped me really to understand a lot about, um. The, the way again, that I'm kind of pulling threads and looking at things and just trying to understand the world.
So sociology. Sociology was a great place for me to finally land. Um, I have studied tourism. I have a master's from George Washington University in sustainable destination management and event planning. And also have really consistently been very interested in health and wellbeing and have studied, and have certi have certifications in yoga and reiki and Ayurveda.
So those are all the things I'm always bringing into these conversations I'm having with my guests. Um, the conversations I'm having with you. Professionally, I began my career in tourism as a facts girl, which was the least glamorous position one can hold. I'm very sure. I'm grateful that no one can hold that position today.
I literally spent my days trying to send international faxes to book hotels. Um. I cannot explain the level of awfulness. Like I would spend hours and hours sending faxes that would not go through because they were to people's front desks and not their faxes, and people would be speaking back to me in a variety of languages I didn't understand.
And, uh, anyway, needless to say, it was kind of an arduous introduction to the industry. Um, but I worked there, I worked at Microsoft Corporate Travel where I was just. Packaging tickets for corporate travelers. And when I say packaging tickets, I was not selling tickets. I wasn't arranging travel. I was literally printing and stapling tickets together and then putting to them together by building for the Microsoft campus, which is huge.
All of the tickets, all of these people would be needing to travel to do all the things they needed to do. But in both of those positions, I quickly learned that I wanted to see how things connect together. So we're learning this about me. Um, I love to try to connect the dots and I would end up, like if I was having trouble, a ticket wasn't coming through, for instance, the right way, then I have to go talk to this department.
And then I would see this gap in communication. And so we would help. I would like kind of. Bridge that gap, and then that would lead me into another spot. And then pretty soon I'm cross training into these different divisions, and then all of a sudden I'm writing a training manual for all these different positions.
And this happened over and over and over again. As I moved, I, I started the world of travel working for a temporary placement agency that worked in tourism. So I worked in all these different positions for three or six months, and then I finally. Received a full-time position at, um, what was Special Expeditions, which is now Lin Blood Expeditions.
Um, and that was. Such a great space for me to land. Um, at that point I had started college and left. I hadn't even figured out that sociology was my thing yet. Um, but there I started really learning about educational travel and conservation and corporate social responsibility was something we were really talking about then.
And, um, I learned a lot about. What I thought travel could and, and should be, um, in that environment. I was not working in their New York office. I was working in their much smaller Seattle office and it, it had a very different energy. I did spend some time in New York, but um, Seattle is where I kind of got my footing really in.
The educational and adventure and conservation travel area. And then from there I ended up going back and finishing college. That's where I found sociology, where I ended up going to George Washington University and studying further on the idea of responsible travel and sustainable travel, which even in that time, that was a new program.
It wasn't something we were talking about. This is early 2000. And after I graduated that program, I started working for the Educational Travel Council, which is now I believe, the Educational Travel Consortium and putting together their annual event and some of their other, um, events for their advisory board.
And again, just started kind of pulling for me all these pieces together about how travel. Heals us, heals the world, creates conversations, creates connections, exposes the interdependence of people and planet and wellbeing. And so this is just how I have moved through the industry and really how I move through the world.
And the other thing that I found, especially after I took a break, I have three daughters. Um, I took some time off. From official work to raise them when they were young, but was always involved in one way or another with many different organizations and communities and colleagues. Um, but I would see that I was constantly creating communities for women adjacent to the things I was experiencing in life.
So I,, was a part of a natural child birthing group, and then I was a part of a, nursing. Um, group of, breastfeeding moms and then I was a part of Montessori school and like all these different things. And then, um, I became on this entrepreneurial track and so I started a group for mom entrepreneurs and we would do these really cool events once a month where all these women were selling like their artwork and, um, different, uh, products and it was a great space for connection.
And so, yeah. I began to see that that was an important thread for me as well. And then as I got back into tourism, I decided I wanted to start my own company, which is Lotus Sojourns, and it really was founded on this idea of combining mindful travel and adventure travel and wellness and wellbeing, and looking at how these things intersect and how sustainable travel and gender equity.
Intersect and then launched my company in 2019 on International Women's Day at this incredible women's event I was at. And then, um, that was kind of like a soft launch, just putting it out to the world, beginning to put my trips together. And then, um, in February of 2020, went to a few big events here in Denver to, that were consumer facing to get travelers.
On my trips for the coming year. And then, as we all know, in March of 2020, um, travel shut down. Pretty much pulled back everything on Lotus Sojourns and then kind of got this nod from the universe to create this podcast. And I mean, if we go back to where we started this conversation, um, it was a real clear message, um, from my knowing from the.
That this podcast should be to tell the story of this way that I view tourism and tell the stories of all these people who have influenced me and inspire me with the action and the brave action they were taking in 2020 to continue to support all of the different people in their, that their company touched throughout the world who were being impacted by what?
You were seeing at that time and, and I mean this was a time for me to really trust that inner compass and stop pushing back against this kind of universal knowledge that I was able to tap into and like this message that this would be, this podcast I should create at a time when I didn't even know what a podcast was.
And then the name. Of the podcast, the first guest for the podcast, it was all kind of delivered to me in this bow, and it seems like it should be so easy. But I was really resisting because at that moment I was going through a point in my life where I was told to trust my voice and used my voice. And I had spent 40 years prior to that trying to be silent and invisible.
Kind of like many women that I've spoken to. And, um, yeah, so. This was the kind of the origin story of the podcast. It was this time where this one big dream I had of starting my company was falling apart. And then this challenge of starting this podcast that I didn't even know what I was doing, like these two things.
It was a very tumultuous time, but also very exciting. Um, so that's a little bit about me a little. Little bit about how the podcast came about. Um, initially the podcast I was speaking with men and women, um, that had inspired me. But pretty quickly, this thread of equity and of bringing women together really took the forefront.
And so from season two to today, I really have been focusing on celebrating women in the industry. Um, I think right now I should have checked, but. For this, but we're probably right around the corner from 250 episodes. That has been my, that was my initial kind of dare to dream goal. Um, so we're about to achieve that, which is very exciting.
I think we're also about to achieve 50,000 lifetime downloads, which was another, like, honestly, 10,000 was my first goal when I hit 25,000. I was really excited to put this 50,000 lifetime down the. Loads marker out there and, and, um, yeah. So those are some goals I have, um, moving forward and obviously still just to really bring these stories out into the world.
I love going to events and connecting with people and hearing that they've learned about someone from my podcast and that they have created a relationship with them and they're working together to create a tourism product. Like these things just make me. So proud and so inspired, and that's what I, that's why I do this.
Um, so far, for the last five years of the podcast, I have been primarily self-funded, um, a major goal and really not a goal anymore. Uh, a real true necessity is for me to look at finding secure funding for the podcast. Um, asking for help and asking for money are two things that people often struggle with.
There are things I certainly struggle with. Um, I have gotten much better about asking for help and finding support, but asking for money still makes me very uncomfortable. Um, part of that has been trying to figure out how. Uh, my product of a podcast serves the needs of people who would want to engage with it as a product, um, and not just as a space for community and connection.
So that has been something I've been really working with. Um, but yeah, so really because of that, this has been a primarily self-funded podcast for the past five years. I've had a few sponsors and a few advertisers as well as donors who I. Which I greatly, um, appreciate, but we have really, here at the podcast now, I have hit a wall.
Um, my financial circumstances have changed in the past year. Also, some of my business goals have changed, and so it's really more important than ever for me to find partners who want to support this podcast financially to keep it moving forward. Um, so there are three ways. That are really built into the ecosystem of this podcast.
Um, sponsorship advertising and making donations. Uh, so with sponsorship, for me what that means is making a financial contribution to the show. And I put you on our social media, on the website, in the emails, um, you get advertising space on the podcast, and it's kind of this. Bigger commitment to the podcast, this bigger commitment from your brand to showcase that you want to celebrate and amplify the voices of women in the industry and support gender equity in the industry.
And we can create collaborative campaigns around that. And then you can also just. Advertise on the podcast. So if you have something coming up that is relevant to my audience, um, you can buy Ad Space on the podcast and I really try to do those in a u unique way so that they are still offering value to our listeners.
Um, I spend a lot of time with you. I hope that you trust what we've created together, and I don't ever want to jeopardize that, so I'm only ever looking for. Values aligned advertisers, people who I really think are speaking our language and offering things that are going to to, to better our lives and the lives of others, and.
Yeah, so that is what I'm looking for in terms of advertisement. So if you are a listener who also has a business, this is something that we can chat about. Um, some of the other things I've done in the past that have worked really well have been special event promotion, um, packages where if you have a women's travel event seems to work the best, but a women's.
Business or hospitality event would also work where I can interview some of the guests, um, some of the people in your community, maybe some of your speakers, and create a storytelling piece that you can use to promote your event. But that also adds value here to, um, to you and to the listeners of this podcast and to our community.
Um, that is something we've done. And then I also implemented a, um, a way to make donations via PayPal or buy me a coffee. Um, so there you can just make a one time or reoccurring, um, donation that supports the podcast. So if you're listening and you are like, wow, these. Conversations, these four episodes every month really fuel my soul and that feels equitable to a $40 donation or a $5 donation.
Like I would really encourage you, that makes a huge difference for me to offset the cost of the technology to host the podcast of my producer. Um. It's, it really makes a big difference. So all of these financial contributions are essential and critical, as I said, to moving forward. So I wanna hit two 50 with all of you.
I'd like to hit 300 episodes with all of you, but I do need. Support. So if you are an aligned brand company organization, please reach out. Um, you can reach me at Soul of Travel podcast@gmail.com. You can find me on LinkedIn and Instagram. Um, but I am looking forward to kind of taking that security, that burden and, and tightening it up so that I know that we can just move forward with the show.
Earlier I mentioned my women's Mindful travel company, Lotus Sojourns. Um, this week I made a few updates to reengage with my online community on Facebook, the Lotus Sojourns Collective. Um, so I'm really excited to be bringing that back to life. I've noticed all of a sudden a bunch of people landing in the community, so I thought it was time to bring that back.
Um, this really. Came about, um, also during the time of the pandemic in March, 2020. Um, along with that nudge to start the podcast, I received another one to use my voice and a real strong indication to begin holding some virtual gatherings at 3 33. And again, this was, I think, the universe's way of like telling me.
To say yes and quit questioning everything. So I just did, and I did this thing that I didn't want to do, and I started hosting virtual gatherings in this Facebook community, and we met every day at 3:33 PM here in Mountain Time for months. Um, it was my lifeline. Sometimes I showed up with, you know, hadn't washed my hair.
Uh, so stressed out about where we were at. Um, three kids homeschooling at the moment. I would just get on and just. Talk about something I read or something I heard or talked about where I was falling apart in the moment. Um, and people would join me and then, um, you know, people would share that it wasn't just my lifeline, but it was theirs and that it was a space for them for calm and connection.
Then it really evolved into a place for growth and education and, uh, I was bringing all these other women on to share their expertise to help me in supporting, um, this gathering daily, which, as you can imagine, um, became. Quite a commitment. Um, and so other women showed up and they shared their wisdom and their gifts in my community, and they would lead meditations and breath work and yoga and cooking classes and painting classes, and it was phenomenal.
And this was something. That, you know, my heart we're going back to this kind of slumber party for the soul, this community was that. Um, and then as life got busier again and we returned to the quote unquote normal, if we've ever got back to that space, if we were ever there to begin with, um, it, it fell to the side.
And so. Uh, as I mentioned, I'm kind of, I'm bringing back monthly gatherings, uh, with a new name. These are gonna be our monthly soul circles. They'll be held on the third Thursday of each month at 10:00 AM Mountain. Um, I'll see how that time works. And then I may also add an evening gathering for those who can't step away in the middle of the day, or if you're on the other side of the planet and that time doesn't work for you.
Um, but I'm very excited. So you can, um. You can join us a again on Facebook and the Lotus Sojourns Collective. Um, but I'm also brainstorming ways to put this out into the world. For those of you not on social media, maybe through Eventbrite. Um, but the best way to really stay informed is to be on my mailing list.
So if you are not already there, you can just visit my website, soul of travel podcast.com and sign up. Then you'll get information about the weekly episodes on the podcast. You'll also hear from me when I share special in-person gatherings for solo travel podcast, as well as opportunities that are offered by Lotus Sojourns.
Um, there's often a lot of crossover between these two spaces. Uh, logistically my email list is one. So I know it can be confusing, but I haven't figured out how to separate it. So that is where I live. That's a goal of mine as well. Um, yeah, so I guess, uh, thank you so much for being here, for this recorded ramble, which is a very exciting for me, um, for hearing a little bit more about me, a little bit more about where the podcast came from.
Where we're going. As I mentioned, new episodes are coming back next week, so make sure you're here. Um, I am speaking with, uh, Christine Sperber from MEA, um, also known as Modern Elder Academy. Um. This was an incredible conversation. It was an incredible experience of a conversation for me, so I really hope that you will listen and love that conversation as well.
Um, before I wrap up, I do wanna take a moment to thank some of the people who have supported me and the podcast recently. Through buy me a coffee, as I mentioned. Um, so in the past few months since the last time I gave thanks, I just want to share, uh, gratitude for Anne Becker, Amy Isaacson, Hillary Matson, Jessica Blotter, and Allison Fleece who all have made contributions.
Um, I really appreciate your generosity. Um, it means so much to me, especially if as so many of you have been guests to see you con. Contribute. And those of you who I know that are regular listeners, um, I also really appreciate you. Um, if you'd like to buy me a coffee and make a contribution as well, you can visit buy me a coffee.com/soul of Travel podcast.
You can choose to buy one coffee for $5 up to as many cups as you'd like. Um, and to be clear, while I'd love to have coffee with any and all of you. Um, these contributions do go to covering the hosting and production costs of the podcast. Um, so I think that is it for today. Again, thank you for being with me.
Thank you for honoring the wisdom of women, um, supporting women in tourism and for learning about and taking action in ways that support mindful travel. I look forward to being with you here. On the podcast again soon. Until next time, enjoy your journey.
You can find me on Facebook at Lotus Sojourns on Facebook, or join the Lotus Sojourns Collective, our FB community, or follow me on Instagram either @lotussojourns or @souloftravelpodcast. Stay up to date by joining the Lotus Sojourns mailing list. I look forward to getting to know you and hopefully hearing your story.