Wellness

Learning To Walk In The Most Authentic Version Of Myself

The Therapy Of Travel & How It Helps Fight Depression

My Wellness Journey 101: Tackling Physical, Mental, & Spiritual Health

Crucial Tips To Avoid That Dreaded Travel Weight Gain

3 Simple Resources To Start Your Day On The Right Track

Here’s to new beginnings. Whatever the day, Wha

Here’s to new beginnings.

Whatever the day, Whatever the month, Whatever the year.

May your 2020 be filled with joyful surprise, heartfelt purpose, and divine peace.

𝙄 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖 𝙡𝙖𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙧𝙮 𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙙𝙤 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙫𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙨. •
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Visit the Eiffel Tower, check out the Louvre, and venture out towards the Palace of Versailles would most definitely make the cut.
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But ultimately, exploring the magic of Paris requires a uniquely tailored experience for everyone. And if you're "in the know" of the culture, you can make your experience even more amazing. •
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Check out the latest on the blog to discover the survival tips you'll need to explore Paris like a pro! #linkinbio

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙞𝙩 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙥 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙤𝙣 𝙛𝙖𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙜𝙤 𝙖𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢?

When I was in France, I met with Chrystal, a Parisian, for breakfast. •
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During our time together, I found out some pretty amazing things about Chrystal and France.

Like me, Chrystal left her corporate career to become an entrepreneur. She’s developing this amazing app that would be super helpful to travelers and everyday explorers.

As we discussed the aspects of her business and entrepreneurial struggles we both experience, she shared something with me that seriously blew my mind.

As a French citizen, if you resign from your job to become an entrepreneur, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙝𝙡𝙮 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩, 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙝 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙗𝙚 70% 𝙤𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙚𝙧 𝙨𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙧𝙮. 😱

Talk about a serious boost.

Of course, it comes with stipulations, but the fact the government pays you to work on your business - Where do I sign up?! •
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I did some serious research (i.e., 30 minutes of Googling). I found that French citizens who quit their jobs to become business owners can receive unemployment benefits for up to TWO YEARS. •
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The school of thought is to encourage people to start businesses and “not hold onto jobs for life”. •
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In fact, entrepreneurship in France has surged under this arrangement. •
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The downside, in Chrystal’s view, is the assistance could sometimes hinder the grind if you’re not worried about where that next check will come from. •
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With that said, she knows it would have been more complicated to leave her job if she didn’t have the help.

𝙒𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙝 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙨 𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠, 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙩?

I believe nothing should hinder you from going after your dreams. Where there’s a will, you can make a way.

Its easier said than done, but I’d love to hear your perspective.

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩’𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙤 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙫𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖 𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙘𝙞𝙩𝙮?

After getting settled into my accommodations, the very first thing I like to do is get a feel for the area. ❤️
I walk around on foot or schedule a walking tour with someone that is local to the area.
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It helps set the tone for my trip and gives me an idea of how I want to spend the remaining time I have there.
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What about you? Drop a comment below on how you spend your first few hours in the unknown!

𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝒔𝒕

𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒂 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒑

We’ve got less than a month before the new decade and year, but you don’t have to wait until then to make that next move towards achieving your goals.
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Start with this new week.
Personally, I’ve been slacking on a productive routine, so I’m going to start by using my Law of Attraction planner to get me back on track (link in bio).
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Big or Small - What’s one change you can implement?
𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭, 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐢𝐨 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲!

𝑰𝒕’𝒔 𝒆𝒙𝒉𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒂 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒘𝒆’𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒐𝒐 𝒂𝒇𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒄 𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒗𝒆𝒔.
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Someone recently asked me how I became more comfortable with being the truest version of myself. -

The truth is, I had no choice. -

I learned the lesson that walking through life as a generic version of yourself is one of the quickest ways to experience burnout, anxiety, and depression.
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I took the difficult route to get to that conclusion, but the point is, I got there.
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And if you’re reading this and can relate, know you can get there too.
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Check out the link in my bio for more on how how I transitioned into this new walk in my life. #linkinbio

⠀ 𝑾𝒆𝒍𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉

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𝑾𝒆𝒍𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒐𝒓𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝑬𝒖𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒆!⠀
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As part of my visit to Portugal, I ventured an hour west of Lisbon to what's known as the westernmost point of Europe - Cabo da Roca.⠀
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Time really is at a peaceful stop when you visit a beautiful place like this!
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Strong word of advice: If you're doing a day trip to Sintra to see the Palace of Pena, add Cabo da Roca to the schedule! ⠀
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Does anyone else find water like this as calming and peaceful as I do?! ⠀

𝑳𝒆𝒕'𝒔 𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒐 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒍!⠀
Yes, It's true. It's a healthy dose of self-reflection, empowerment, liberation, and independence.⠀
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Now let's get into the side effects- Homesickness and the more than occasional feeling of loneliness.⠀
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Ah yes, the fine print we rarely acknowledge or discuss.⠀ •⠀
You could experience the liveliness of being in a bar with a group of people you just met or taking in a live view of the Mona Lisa. But the reality is – many of us aren't immune from the isolating feelings, including me.⠀ ⠀
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How to deal with it?⠀ ⠀
Acknowledge it. ⠀
Accept it. ⠀
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It's okay to miss the comfort of your bed and your routine settings. It's also totally okay to find lack of consistent and familiar company being uncomfortable. Truth is – solo travel is not the ordinary way we were trained to go about our lives, so of course, you'll have a "reaction".⠀
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Give yourself a moment to cry and/or call your family/friends for some added encouragement (̵̵̵r̵e̵s̵u̵l̵t̵s̵ ̵m̵a̵y̵ ̵v̵a̵r̵y̵ ̵b̵a̵s̵e̵d̵ ̵o̵n̵ ̵w̵h̵o̵ ̵y̵o̵u̵ ̵c̵a̵l̵l̵)̵.⠀
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Finally, remind yourself why you're doing it in the first place. Then, go out into the world and press on. ⠀
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And as with any challenge in life, remember these sage words:⠀
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𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔, 𝒕𝒐𝒐, 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒔. ⠀
𝑰𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒚 𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒂 𝒌𝒊𝒅𝒏𝒆𝒚 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒏𝒆, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒏𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔, 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒔.⠀
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⠀ 𝑶𝒍𝒂 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝑳𝒊𝒔𝒃

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𝑶𝒍𝒂 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝑳𝒊𝒔𝒃𝒐𝒏!⠀
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Lisbon is a melting pot of people from all over, and I was pleasantly surprised to see a lot of black and brown faces that were residents. I met people from Cape Verde, ran into people from Brazil, and a few from London. Overall, everyone was incredibly kind and very proud to be Portuguese.⠀
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But one of my favorite things about the city has got to be the colors. If you were following along my stories, you’d see the vibrancy of the city, the food, and people. ⠀
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Check out my Portugal highlights for the recap!⠀
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Tchau!

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑰𝒎𝒑𝒖𝒍𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒐

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑰𝒎𝒑𝒖𝒍𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝑻𝒓𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒍 𝒊𝒔 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝒔𝒚𝒎𝒑𝒕𝒐𝒎𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆. – 𝑨𝒈𝒏𝒆𝒔 𝑹𝒊𝒑𝒑𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒓
Right around the beginning of fall, it never failed that I started to slide into a clinical depression. Something about the changing weather, the dying leaves, and the longer nights made me want to burrow in the confines of my home until the first sign of spring.
I've discovered one of the best things I could do during this time was to pluck myself out of my familiar setting and drop myself into a completely different environment - i.e., Travel.
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It works wonders on my mood, gives me an energy boost, and renews my perspective on life.
But it doesn't stop there.
Check out the latest on The Golden Life for all the benefits travel can have on your mental health. #linkinbio
Where’s your happy place?

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