how to build self trust through discomfort + growth (why i solo travel)

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But my heart knowing like, no, no, I am just going to be present in what this is. This is an invitation for me to release that need within me to run back to my comfort zone. On this four-hour motorbike excursion to the border, it was pouring rain for the whole first half of it. So I was wet and uncomfortable and freezing and also terrified that we were going to fall. But I was like, this is the juice of the adventure. I am just going to soak this up in this moment. I've learned time and time again. That true growth is through the discomfort. Wow, look at what I just did. And beyond what I did on the surface, look at who I became through that. But the best part is, this isn't just when we travel. We literally look at each other. We're like, where the hell are we? So I just got back from a three-week solo trip in Thailand just about a day ago. It was about a 30-hour trek home. And I am still definitely transitioning and recovering. But I'm finally immersing myself in reflecting and creating from all the inspiration that I received and gained over the last three weeks. And the first episode that I want to share with you is why I went on the trip, specifically why I went on the trip alone. Because I was actually pretty surprised as to how many times I was asked the question both before my travels, during my travels, and after my travels, why'd you go on this trip alone? Why did you go to the other side of the world, totally solo? Especially when people found out that I'm in a relationship and they're like, why didn't he go with you? And it's interesting because when I was over there, I met so many backpackers who were traveling for like three months minimum, some of them even up to or over a year. And so for me, three weeks is such a drop in the bucket. But because I was asked this question so many times from so many different people, it made me recognize that the idea of solo travel is really far off for a lot of people. Maybe even the idea of spending time alone, let alone, going to another part of the world alone. But it's an experience that truly has changed my life in a lot of ways. This recent experience in Thailand, which I'm gonna get into, but also all the other solo travel that I've embarked on. And today I wanna share with you what I told these people when they asked me this question. I wanna share with you why I find it so powerful and why I do it despite how scary and uncomfortable it can feel at times. I wanna share my personal experience with you. To inspire you if you're feeling that nudge to do it yourself. Maybe you're feeling call to adventure, to experience another part of the world, to just learn to love yourself and gain this independence in a new way. Maybe you're feeling this desire to experiment with it, but maybe there's this massive fear and discomfort of the idea of spending that much time alone and going to an unfamiliar part of the world. But also this doesn't need to look like going to another part of the world. This can be something smaller. So today I wanna share with you why I still love travel. And I'm specifically gonna reference a lot of ways that this specific experience in Thailand given that it's most recent and fresh from just two days ago has deeply impacted me. But before I share all of this with you, if you are new here, welcome to Fifield. My name is Camille and I am so grateful that this show found you and the specific message found you today. If you are new here, take this quick moment to press follow or subscribe. This doesn't cost you anything, but it assures that you catch every episode both Mondays and Thursdays whenever I release them to inspire and support you on your growth journey. And if you are returning, thank you as always for tuning in. Again, press follow or subscribe if you are not already and leave a rating or review wherever you are watching or listening. Or if you've already done that, maybe send this episode to someone who might need to hear it or maybe send this show to a friend who might need to hear the inspiration today. I'm so grateful that you're all taking this time and space for you. Hopefully by the end, you will be booking your solo travel ticket. Or maybe just feeling a little inspired for when that time comes. Or maybe you just wanna hear some stories as to how this trip in Thailand really impacted me and why the heck I went on it. So let's dive in. First thing I wanna share is solo travel is not necessarily a vacation. The word vacation was thrown my way recently, specifically by my parents actually. They're like, "Enjoy your vacation." And they're probably listening to this episode, which is funny. Hi guys. But the reality is it really doesn't fully feel like a vacation. You know, I'm not just going to the beach and just popping there all day and just like totally relaxing. I'm actually leaning into a lot of discomfort and leaning into experiences that are totally unfamiliar, totally uncertain outside of my comfort zone. And that doesn't necessarily often feel relaxing. When I think of a vacation, I am somewhere on a beach, kicking my feet up, maybe sipping on a piniacolata. And I totally didn't go to the beach. Honestly, specifically for that reason. I felt cold to go on this trip because I wanted to challenge myself because I wanted to have experiences that put me outside of my comfort zone. So while of course there were a lot of moments of enjoyment where I watched the sunset and had a glass of wine or just popped around town with no plans listening to music, got a lot of massages because they were literally often less than $10. Yes, that is true. You know what, I enjoyed a lot of the time, but I also felt uncomfortable a lot of the time and a bit lonely and homesick at times. And at times I was like, what the hell am I doing here? Especially the first day or two I got there and I'm like, I don't know if I necessarily like it here and I'm freaking exhausted and I don't even have an accommodation book tonight. Like it is more of an adventure and a spiritual journey for me because it is not just me staying in my comfort zone or a bubble. In fact, I specifically felt called to go on this trip to step outside of my comfort zone. I wanted to immerse myself in a totally unfamiliar culture and have experiences I've never had before. Meet people that open my eyes to new perspectives. It often feels uncomfortable because there's a whole lot of uncertainty and there's a whole lot of me stepping outside of my comfort zone. But that is exactly honestly what I expected and wanted because I knew that the growth and expansion that I felt called to comes from that discomfort, comes from these new experiences. Right, like why go to another part of the world if we're not gonna lean into new and uncomfortable and unfamiliar experiences? Why go to another part of the world and just go to the same restaurant over and over again and never try the local food? I think of like actually all inclusive resorts at Mexico. That's the example that came up and preparing for this. It's like I always felt confused when people would go to these all inclusive resorts and literally never leave the resort. And they would just eat American food and stay on the beach and never even maybe even see the local people in the town or the village. And yeah, maybe that's the kind of vacation that some people desire, but it's totally different than the kind of travel that I desire and the one that I specifically they didn't do on this trip and other trips. So it's this kind of interesting case where I actually almost found myself like seeking discomfort or just totally embracing it when it was there because I was like, okay, this is me just having the experience. Like I'm in here and I'm doing the thing and I leaned into it and embraced it. And the reason why is because I knew that that was allowing me to grow and expand in the ways that I wanted to. Like specifically, okay, going to the silent meditation retreat and leaning into silence for two and a half days without speaking to anyone and without even reading or journaling and just really being with myself. Like that definitely brought about some discomfort and something that I've never experienced before. But I also could feel that it was a really transformative experience in increasing my ability to be more present or going on a spontaneous motorbike excursion up to the border of Thailand and Myanmar, which to be fully honest with you, I didn't even know was a country before going here. But that's just probably my lack of geography knowledge. So I was wet and uncomfortable and free. freezing and also terrified that we were gonna fall. I am just going to soak this up in this moment or at the discomfort honestly of like the different food. Like I, a lot of mornings just wanted regular breakfast food, but when I was at the silent meditation retreat, for example, or on this excursion to like pretty remote places, the only food available was literally like noodles and spicy food for breakfast. So I leaned into that and I just went for it because I'm like, this is the culture, this is what they do, you know, they don't have the smoothie bowls in this moment and the oatmeal or whatever I would have maybe had at home. But that's why I was there, right? Like I was there to lean into those adventures and the new experiences. And despite a lot of them feeling a bit challenging and uncomfortable in the moment, they were some of my favorite memories because I was like, wow, look at what I just did. Look at the resiliency that I built and the blocks and limits that I've released improving myself that I don't need to stay my comfort zone. Proving to myself that I could step outside of it and have a new experience that I actually also really, really enjoyed. And in leaning into all this discomfort and stepping outside of my comfort zone, I found myself caring a lot less about just small things, right? Like when we're in our routine and when we're in our comfort zone, we often dwell on really small things. At least I find myself dwelling on small things, right? I'm like, oh, I wanna make sure this meal is perfectly clean and you know, my being as productive as possible and how do I look, girl, what am I wearing? Like wanting everything to look a certain way and be orderly or whatever. I find that when I'm in a totally other part of the world in often these very unfamiliar environments and just totally outside of my comfort zone, all of those focuses on the tiny little small things fall away because when I'm focused on are the bigger picture things as to like, okay, am I safe in this moment? And I also let go of the need to be feeling good and blissful in the moment and instead focus on who I'm becoming through that experience. Focus on showing myself love through whatever I'm feeling and navigating those experiences instead of needing it to always be super comfortable. I've learned time and time again and as I've shared on here time and time again, that true growth is through the discomfort and going to another part of the world being surrounded by people I don't really know or at least I've just gotten to know there and having experiences that I've never had with total uncertainty, that is surely a way to guarantee some discomfort. And it's interesting because it was this constant kind of battle at times between my mind trying to seek out the comfortable but my heart knowing like, no, no, I am just going to be present in what this is. I don't need to listen to the mind's resistance to this discomfort in this moment. In fact, this is an invitation for me to release that need within me to run back to my comfort zone. Like an example honestly is back to the food. Like part of me was always kind of searching out the meal that I thought that I needed or wanted, you know, it's like something that was just going to feel comfortable and familiar and good for the digestion system, which was great at times. But also I challenged myself to just expand and soften and just go with whatever the food was. This was especially the case again during that silent meditation retreat but also I did an overnight at a total remote indigenous village at an elephant sanctuary. Essentially, it's a nonprofit elephant sanctuary called Kindred Spirits who partners with this remote indigenous care and community in Thailand. They're the local indigenous people of Thailand, at least one indigenous community. And in this overnight, I literally stayed at one of their homes in their village and we cook a meal with them and it's a really cool experience. Most of them don't speak English and the way that they live is more simple than I've ever experienced and especially anywhere that I've spent a night before. They cook on the floor, their toilet is in the floor and yeah, it was something definitely unfamiliar to me and definitely outside of my comfort zone. But I was also so present in the experience and soaking it all up despite it not being aligned or familiar with how I normally live my life because I knew that it was helping me expand my perspective and interact with people who I never would have gotten a chance to interact with let alone see the way that they live their lives. And so what I let go of in that experience was, okay, this is not a time when I need to worry about, you know, what I'm eating or the good night's sleep that I'm getting or all these small things, you know, that wasn't relevant to that experience. That experience was so temporary that I just wanted to be present for what it was and it caused me to care less about all the other small things. And what that did was overall it just helped me soften and lean into this more open version of myself through the discomfort of experiencing something totally new. And I'm gonna share with you more specific stories and episodes to come, but this is essentially the whole first point here. Is that by stepping outside of my comfort zone, it has helped me grow and expand in ways that I now can fuel the impacts of still. The focus isn't on needing to feel good or blissful on every moment or needing to feel perfectly comfortable in every moment, but to focus on being present and who I'm becoming through that experience. And that was where my focus was a lot of the time. I'm like, who am I showing up as despite the uncertainty here? And despite maybe me feeling exhausted in this moment or me feeling uncomfortable and a bit scared in this moment, who am I becoming and how am I showing up? Progressive's accident response can contact emergency services if you're in a major accident. The only thing worse than someone you love being in an accident is not being able to help them. So progressive is here to help when you can't. So get peace of mind knowing your loved ones are protected with Progressive's accident response. Learn more at progressive.com. Progressive casualty insurance company and affiliates limited availability in California driver is responsible for emergency and towing charges not covered by the policy, coverage subject to policy terms and conditions. (dramatic music) ♪ You better think ♪ ♪ Think about what you're trying to do to me ♪ ♪ You better think ♪ ♪ Freedom ♪ ♪ Look yourself free ♪ ♪ Freedom ♪ ♪ Don't you run, don't you run ♪ ♪ Freedom ♪ ♪ Free at home, leap the original out of the bathroom ♪ ♪ If something's wrong ♪ - And just a quick break for a message from our sponsor. Real growth rarely happens all at once. It begins with a quiet realization about what we need, what we deserve, or what we're finally ready to change. Better help can help you unpack those realizations and explore them with the support of a licensed therapist. A big thing I know so many of us navigate is people pleasing and feeling drained by certain people or energies. Boundaries are such a necessary step in protecting our energy and helping us feel more aligned and empowered. Personally, learning to say no to what feels misaligned has created more space for the things that truly feel like a yes for me. 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Click the link in the description below or go to betterhelp.com/fitfilled to get 10% off your first month of therapy. All right, back to the show. Another really powerful thing that Solo Travel offers me is the connection with people. There is something about traveling in certain places or really just anywhere where there's this openness to just connect with people. And I find myself making these connections and having these conversations with people from all over the world. And it's so cool the different perspectives that I learn from them and that I get to share with them. Like you just never know who you're gonna meet and you never know their story or where they're from and there's so much to learn. And it's kind of beautiful, right? That a lot of these are connections where you might never see the person again, right? The conversation might last five minutes and you just share this exchange of love and connection for that short time. And then you just continue on your journeys. Or some connections, right? Maybe it's friends you make for a couple days or a week or whatnot. Like there was a group from the silent meditation retreat that ended up going up to the same village pie that I was traveling to. And we ended up regrouping there and doing the spontaneous motorbike overnight as I mentioned on the border of Thailand and Myanmar. And I became friends with these really awesome people. One was from Italy, one was from Australia and one was from Malta. And we. made these awesome memories together. But now the reality is it's like, okay, will, will our paths cross again? And whether they will or not, of course, I hope they will. They helped make my experience so much more rich and hopefully I've shared things with them that added to their experience. And we shared stories about our lives from these different parts of the world or, you know, stories from our other travels. And it's these connections and people that you meet along the way that also just make it so beautiful. And not to mention, like, especially when you go to the other side of the world totally alone, it's nice to just have these connections as well and to make some friends even if they're temporary. Because yeah, it can be lonely otherwise if you don't talk to people and connect with people. And so going somewhere alone to me inspires me to talk to people even more. And that's also a reason why I didn't go with my boyfriend, right? Because I knew that I wouldn't make the connections and put myself out there if I had him to lean on as a comfort. There is just this openness and confidence that you have when you're traveling solo that when you're with another person, you don't necessarily have because it's easy to lean on that other person, right? Like you have a companion and partner. So therefore you don't necessarily need to put yourself out there, but it's the making these connections and putting yourself out there that I find to be really, really important and powerful in the experience. Another really big thing that I specifically lean to that I specifically leaned into on this trip in Thailand was I had no plan or structure. I booked literally in a combination slash hotel for the first night that I landed in Chiang Mai just to make sure that I had a place to sleep. And then the rest of it was totally open. I had loose ideas that like, okay, no, I want to go spend a couple nights at Pepe this silent meditation retreat. And I knew that I wanted to go to this elephant sanctuary experience. But in terms of when and how long I was going to stay in each place, that I left totally open and all my days in each place were totally open. And I didn't even go in with plans or expectations for any of it. And that definitely made me feel uncomfortable because the type a planner in me is like, oh, maybe I should like really plan some of this and you know, make sure that I have things to do and that I don't get lonely and bored and that I'm making the most of my time. But in my solo travels from the past, I regretted doing that. I regretted over planning and even booking accommodations, not knowing how long I wanted to stay in a place or what part of town I wanted to stay in. So the beauty of going to Thailand when I went is it was rainy season. It didn't rain all that much. But essentially what that meant was that it was pretty dead everywhere you went. Like there were of course still people traveling and people who lived there and people always around. But there was always availability at the accommodations and you didn't necessarily need to book all these things ahead. So a big way that I challenged myself was to go in with no plan and no structure. And not having this plan was so empowering and it brought about this sense of total freedom because I could wake up every day and be like, wow, what am I going to do today? Right? Like the possibilities and opportunities that this day provides is endless. But there's another way to look at it too. And that is the anxiety of not having a plan and the certainty of what the day is going to bring. Right? Especially a lot of us like to cling to that in our everyday lives and routine. We like to have structure and have order and know exactly what we're going to do in the time that we're going to do it and for how long and yada yada. But on these specific experiences, I love leaning into not having a plan in the spontaneity for a couple of reasons. The first is back to all the people that I met. My days and plans ended up totally being based on recommendations I got when I was there or spontaneous plans with again, friends I made when I was there. I almost didn't have to do any research because I just kept getting recommendations and divine guidance from random people I met or just things I came across or even like nudges that I had that morning. I was able to wake up and really listen to my body and trust what I wanted to do that day or trust the excitement I felt when someone shared something that they did and I was like, I would love to have that experience. Like that's how I found this waterfall hike that I'm going to do a whole another episode on because it was quite an experience and a journey that I'm excited to share with you. But a very transformative experience for me. So stay tuned in a future episode. But essentially I was at a coffee shop and was talking to this guy from Australia and he was like, this is the hike that you want. And I was like, great. And I went on that hike literally the next day. And what this openness offers me on a deeper level is this self-trust in trusting my desires and the decisions that I choose to make in that day. And again, if you're on a trip with someone else, you don't necessarily cultivate that trust and that inner alignment and confidence because you're also considering what someone else wants. So you don't necessarily even need to make all the decisions. And maybe you're following along with what they want to do some of the time. But I really had to just trust myself. And I really had to tune inward and constantly check in and listen to my body and be like, okay, what do I feel called to do now? You know, am I like forcing this by adding too much, make maybe I want some down and chill time, like keeping it totally open allowed me to trust what I actually desired and trust how the universe was actually guiding me, which again, it really so beautifully did. Like, my days were not empty because I didn't plan things. My days just naturally flowed with what other people were sharing with me and these connections that I made and just spontaneous plans. And it really has helped me unlearn this need to have total structure and to need to plan and control so much because I've seen how beautifully things come together when I don't cling to those plans. So while the anxiety came up at times about how I was spending my time and maybe the lack of structure and kind of the chaos of all the things going on, more so I felt free and grateful for just how it was all flowing and coming together. And again, or so this appreciation for how it was helping me transform and evolve to not need to cling to structure to feel grounded within. I think we can often really manufacture this external order and structure and certainty in order to feel okay within. So it challenged me to cultivate this inner peace and maintain this inner groundedness despite the uncertainty of not having set plans and structure. And what this also means is I really leaned into adventure and new unfamiliar experiences because again, this to me is a really, really big part of experiencing a new place and a new culture like why go if you're not going to lean into all of these things. And to be honest, it was probably more adventure and experience than I would have normally filled my days with. And a lot of the times I found myself being like, I would love to just go sit at a coffee shop and go do nothing for a while. And sometimes I would lean into that. But more so, I actually felt grateful that I felt kind of exhausted and drained at certain times because that meant that I was living fully. And that meant that I was just saying yes to having experiences there. Again, even if those experiences felt uncomfortable and even if I didn't know what was coming out of them or what the purpose was. But I was like, this is just a part of me doing this and me being present with whatever this experience is. When we're just in our routines and where we live, it's easy to just go to the same places and spend time with the same people and do the same things. And maybe you find that that can often get mundane. Maybe you find yourself craving new experiences. And so going to a new place, especially going to a new place solo, is an invitation to open yourself up to this adventure and these new experiences. Maybe something that you wouldn't necessarily do at home. And I'm going to share more adventures with you again in episodes to come. And since I'm going to do a whole episode on the hike experience, another really big one again was this motorbike adventure to me and Mar. Like, I feel so grateful that I connected with these friends and that we went on this spontaneous adventure because it was the most beautiful motorbike drive that I've ever been on up through the mountains of northern Thailand to this total remote Chinese village on the border of Thailand and Myanmar. Yes, a Chinese village like totally random. And this village was literally empty because again, it was dead season and no one was doing that drive and rainy season through the mountains. But we did. And so we found ourselves in this like totally isolated like Chinese village having like Chinese food looking at this like pond with these Chinese boats. And we literally look at each other and we're like, where the hell are we? And then the next morning we went to the border of Myanmar, which is like five minutes down the road. And Myanmar literally has a civil war going on. And so it's just this surreal experience after a surreal experience. And then literally on the drive home, we stopped at this noodle shop that my friend John wouldn't shut up about. Hopefully he's listening to this episode. And I was kind of like in my mind, I'm like, why does he want to go to this noodle shop? And it ended up being this stunning view of just the mountains. And so we were just sitting there eating our noodles just like looking at this beautiful mountain view. We literally just kept saying like, how cool is this? Like how lucky are we that we get to experience this? And if I didn't say us to that spontaneous adventure, I would have missed out on all these experiences that I would have never had otherwise. And another one is when I went to this indigenous village and spent the night there. Like to be honest, I felt really homesick at that place because I was like, most of these people don't speak English, I am very alone here. I am totally away from any of my regular comforts. And I was also just pretty exhausted at that point from all the adventures leading up to that. But that was also a really transformative experience for me because I not only got to see how these people live their lives, but also live among them and learn from them and interact with them. And it honestly opened my eyes to recognize how much we take for granted here. Like their electricity, their electricity is always going in and out. Some of the villages around them don't even have electricity. Their toilet is in the floor. They cook very simple meals and talking to some of these other girls that were on the hike with us, right? They partner with the elephant sanctuary so they came on the elephant hike with us. That's probably very confusing to you. But anyways, we also went on this hike to see the elephants in addition to staying in the indigenous village. In talking to the few of them that spoke English, most of them have never left the village or even went to Chiang Mai, the local city. And they get married very early and they are just so happy with their lives there. Like they want nothing else for themselves. You know, whereas so many of us are out here just always seeking more. And a big, beautiful lesson there was recognizing like, how much beauty there is in where we are. And what we have, right, with the people in our lives and the roof over our heads and the food that we get to eat, there's certain moments like that that really help us see that we have more than enough. And we don't need to chase all these things out there because you look at these people who've barely left their village, all their lives. And they are just so blissful and happy and content. I think a lot of us are constantly looking out there as to all the things that we should be doing or could be doing or, you know, trips we could be going on. And again, wouldn't be doing this episode if I didn't think it was a really important and powerful experience. But it's interesting, right? I could go all the way to the other side of the world to this crazy remote village I would have never found myself in otherwise. To learn a lesson that I feel so grateful for all I do have at home and to see how content and it piece these people are at home and just happy laughing with each other and connecting and I'm like, "Huh, life is as simple as that." You know, it's just about love and laughter and connection and we truly have that wherever we are. So that was a bit of a side note in tangent. But final shift, final reason, and honestly the biggest thing that I gain from solo travel. Are you ever shopping online and suddenly a discount that helps you save pops up? It makes your day. Sometimes even your week. Want that feeling month after month? Well, new customers who save by switching their home and auto insurance to progressive save hundreds. Queue your happy dance. Progressive casualty insurance company affiliates another insurance not available in all states. Do to me, you better think. Free at home. Leap the original Ode Parfum. Yves Sandochon. And just a quick aside, if you are resonating with today's message, if you feel called to connect deeper with yourself to step into this confidence and alignment and love in the life that you're creating for yourself, but maybe you're currently allowing the external noise and the sheds and fear keep you stuck in the same cycles. Maybe you want change but haven't been able to get there or don't necessarily know how. In my one-on-one life coaching, I help you step into this transformation, not just by taking external action, but truly uncovering what's been keeping you stuck within, to clear those blocks, to take steps into your aligned path and embody this version of you that truly feels confident and in love with their life. Who no longer lets fear lead the way, but lets their heart and inspiration guide them. If any of this change is calling to you, if you just want to learn a little bit more, check out the link in the show notes and you can book a one-on-one free clarity session with me, where we get you clarity right on that call and specifically paint the picture as to what this transformation looks like for you. Trust your art if you feel called to it and let's get back to the episode. Is I truly get to know and love myself on a really deep level? As much as I was meeting other people, it's a lot of time alone, especially because I wasn't doing the hostile thing. You know, it's like I wanted my space and wanted my intentional alone time. You navigate a lot on your own when you go on these trips and I think that's a big part that's scary for people, but there's so much growth and beauty in that. I feel like I developed this true compassion and resilience and confidence within myself because of these uncomfortable and challenging experiences. I literally just had this desire to go back to Asia and experience a new country and just go see and learn from this other part of the world and I brought that to life and I did it and it was full of experiences that I couldn't even have expected or predicted and now that I'm sitting back here, you know, back where I started before I even had the experience. I feel like a new person in a lot of ways because of all these ways that I've opened and expanded and softened through these experiences. When I was over there, everything that I was doing was truly because I desired to and I felt cold too. I was truly creating my journey and there were no Shudds, there was nothing to prove to anyone and that was truly just such a freeing and empowering feeling and experience. One that I think is very unique and special to being in a totally different place where we don't know anyone and where there's not this pressure of our regular routine and the Shudds from our friends and family and co-workers and whatever. It just creates this beautiful space for us to truly be present with what's on our hearts. But the best part is a big thing I'm reminding myself of is this isn't just when we travel. We can strengthen and cultivate this love and this openness wherever we are and so with it only being my second day back, I not only am trying to catch up on sleep and just really ground in being back here right with a 12-hour time difference in huge culture shock and 30-hour travel, but I'm also being really intentional about being present with the ways in which I feel like I've transformed and just because I'm back in my old environment here in Austin and back in my homes surrounded by a lot of the same, I don't have to go back to the same because the truth is experiences like this that transform us in big ways, they stay within us and they truly do mold and shape us, especially these people like I connected with over there who've been traveling for three months or maybe a year. It's like that is a lot of expansion and a lot of experience and you come back a new person in a lot of ways and I even feel that on a lot of levels just being over there for three weeks with all that I've experienced in that time and just all the different perspectives that I've gained and the ways that I feel myself softening and opening and loving myself deeper. What I'm trying to say here is we take that back home with us. I truly can feel that that is still within me, but not something that I need to just cling onto and hope doesn't go away, but something I can intentionally continue to amplify. In this transition back I'm being very intentional about continuing to stay open in meeting people in leaning into new experiences, welcoming discomfort, seeing it as growth because yes, it's easy to do when you're on a solo trip and in a totally another country, but that just gave me the momentum. I can continue that momentum and strengthen this journey and amplify that right here where I am. So what it did was it really opened my eyes to a new way of living and a new way of being and opening and softening and experiencing life really fully. It's allowed me to really challenge and question the ways that I can often stay in my comfort zone here and I think that we all can write how our routine can just get ahold of us sometimes until we feel like it's so mundane and repetitive that we feel like we have to go block steam on a vacation. But what I believe is that we can invite all of these positive ways of living into where we are now, right? Just like I shared from that insight from the caring community, we don't need to necessarily go to the other side of the world to implement some of these things. Yes, it's really transformative and helpful and powerful. And again, if you are feeling that nudge, I inspire you to consider this episode and take this to heart. But what I also know to be true is all of these things that I've experienced over there, there within my heart and they've impacted me, right? The people, the the adventure, the highs and the lows, all of it. And now I get to be present with that and see where that continues to guide me and see how that continues to amplify and strengthen. Now that I'm back in Austin, you know, it's this kind of beautiful idea as well where we can miss certain experiences, right? And feel nostalgic for how we felt in a place but also recognize that we can tune into that feeling where we are now. We can feel that love and appreciation and gratitude for the time, but also recognize that we have the power to continue to lean into it where we are. So that was my long ramble as to what this time in Thailand really has offered me and how solo travel specifically transforms my life and truly helps me expand and open my heart. And I hope that it's inspired you to go for it if it's a nudge you've been feeling cold to or to just lean into some time and solitude. You guys loved that episode I did recently. So if you're listening to this, maybe that's something you feel cold to as well. Or maybe just opening your heart to new experiences where you are and meeting new people. Like even honestly, this morning at a coffee shop that I was working at, I spontaneously just started talking to the stranger next to me about meditation. And I bumped into another girl that I knew and we connected with and I was like, "Huh, I am having these same awesome connections right here where I am in Austin." And I think a big part of it is because my heart is still really open to just receiving and connecting and just being open to the people I meet and the experiences that I have. So whatever has come up for you in this episode, I invite you to lean into that and get curious about that and save this episode for inspiration and send this to someone in your life who might need to hear it. Again, press follow or subscribe if you haven't already, your support and listening to this episode means the world to me. And just a quick aside, before I leave you today, if you are feeling called to some solo travel, especially after listening to this episode, and if you specifically love the idea of Costa Rica and really reconnecting with yourself, but maybe don't wanna fully go in a solo adventure, maybe the idea of retreat sounds a little bit more digestible. Lucky for you, I am hosting a retreat in Costa Rica at the end of January. This is going to be at a beautiful retreat center called Recenter, right in the rainforest, down the road from the beautiful beach, we're gonna be leaning into daily yoga, meditation and workshops led by me, as well as time to journal, connect with each other and explore the beautiful nature and environment the Costa Rica has to offer. If you feel called to nourish your heart and soul and step away from the hustle of your current environment, this retreat is for you. And there are still spots left, but there's only 12 total spots available. So if this interests or excites you, if your heart feels called to this, check out the link in the show notes. I would absolutely love to have you there and support you on your journey in person. Thank you all for tuning in and I will see you all soon on your journeys to leave. (upbeat music) Are you ever shopping online and suddenly a discount that helps you save pops up? It makes your day, sometimes even your week. Well, new customers who save by switching their home and auto insurance to progressive save hundreds, cue your happy dance. Progressive casualty insurance company affiliates and other insurers, not available in all states. (upbeat music) ♪ You better think ♪ ♪ Think about what you're trying to do to me ♪ ♪ You better think ♪ ♪ Freedom ♪ ♪ Look yourself free ♪ ♪ Freedom ♪ ♪ Don't you want to go ♪ ♪ Freedom ♪ ♪ Free at heart ♪ ♪ Leave the original auto platform ♪ In this life fully.