Getting Back to Yourself with Amanda Riffee

In this episode of Soul of Travel, Season 5: Women's Wisdom + Mindful Travel, presented by @journeywoman_original, Christine hosts a soulful conversation with Amanda Riffee.

Amanda is an Internationally Certified Executive Coach for Women. She is a thought leader and event speaker with a business degree and 17 years of corporate experience. Amanda is also the host of the Unleashing You with Amanda Riffee podcast, a happy wife, and a mom of two. Her mission is to help women unlock their mindset, see their worth, and create a career (and life) they love—no burnout required! Amanda resides in Colorado with her family and loves traveling to new places while spending time with other powerhouse women who are passionate about personal growth and enjoying this beautiful life!

Christine and Amanda discuss:

· Creating a business that aligns with your purpose 
· What may be holding us back from the ‘big dream’ version of our lives
· Creating spaces for women to gather and support each other
· How travel and retreats support connection and growth

Join Christine now for this soulful conversation with Amanda Riffee.

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To read our episode blog post, access a complete transcript, see full show notes, and find resources and links mentioned in this episode, head to the Soul of Travel Website. 

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Visit ACR Professional Coaching to connect with Amanda and discover executive and success coaching tips.

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Credits. Christine Winebrenner Irick (Host, creator, editor). Amanda Riffee (Guest). Original music by Clark Adams. Editing, production, and content writing by Carly Oduardo.

Transcript

Christine: Welcome to Soul of Travel podcast. I'm Christine, and this is going to be a fun episode for us today. I am really excited to be bringing a guest in who is a little outside of the travel industry. But there is some great tie ins nonetheless. And we met earlier this year. year when you were looking for sponsors for your events.

And I'll introduce you in just a second. But and I was really at a time where I was looking for some in person events. I wanted to find some kind of like hearted communities of women and Honestly, I don't even remember exactly how we connected, but it was just a really great initial connection of me being really excited about your business and you being really excited about mine.

And then like, as the day arrived to finally come to this event that I ended up joining as a sponsor, I was sick and I couldn't even come. And today has a similar kind of crazy energy, but we're going to ignore that. But to get the conversation going, I want to welcome you, Amanda, to the podcast.

And I'm going to give you a minute to introduce yourself, tell our listeners a little bit about who you are and what you do, and then we will kick off the rest of our conversation.

Amanda: All right. That sounds good. And thank you so much for having me on. I am really excited to dig in to this topic today and just have this really good discussion. So as you mentioned, my name is Amanda Riffey and I am a certified executive and career coach for women. And I have just kind of a little bit around my background.

I have worked in corporate for 17 years, and I was a corporate girl through and through just moving my way up that corporate ladder until about two years ago, where I was just feeling that itch to do something different. And I still wasn't really thinking about pivoting my corporate career. I was thinking, okay, how can I maybe add on to what I'm already doing?

And so we can get into that a little bit more if you want to. But in a nutshell, I found coaching as a side gig that I wanted to start to just bring in another stream of income for myself. And the more and more I got into it, the more and more I was like, This is it. Like this is what I'm really meant to do.

And so fast forward two years later, I have completely pivoted my corporate career. I now do corporate leadership coaching with VPs and above while I'm also growing my own business focused solely on private coaching events, retreats, all of the things with career driven women who want to be able to create their own version of success without the burnout.

So I'm super excited to be here.

Christine: Yeah, thank you. And just in that introduction, I'm like, Ooh, yeah, we've talked about defining your own definition of success, like living in alignment. So many guests in the past who also were on that corporate track and their pivot led them into travel. So I think that we have so many things that we'll be able to talk about.

With within the context of what you just shared the thing that I was really excited about to with the timing of this conversation is I'm getting ready to do a presentation for the travel coaches network in a couple weeks on creating out of the box businesses that are aligned with your values because so many of my guests have Like our conversations will start something like this.

I have a travel business Well, it's a travel business, but it's not really about travel or I have a coaching business Well, but it's not really a coaching business It's about this or I have a nutrition business that also does retreats, but it's really more about and it's that like gray area that I think is really important in the alignment part.

And so then inherently every business is really out of the box because I think that's the whole point is like, we have all stood there inside the box and looked outside and we're like, I don't think I like it in here. And so this is kind of what I want to talk about with you is this kind of Finding and creating businesses that honor like your own unique superpowers and passions.

And then also I think the other thing is so many of us Start to feel a disconnect that we don't feel like what we're doing feels purposeful or you know, we want a deeper sense of purpose. So I think this is what, where we're gonna start our conversation. And I would like to kind of begin with talking about what are the, some of the things when you've been working with women in the past that.

kind of hold them back from making this transition. And then we're gonna follow that up with talking about discovering our superpowers and then also connecting to purpose. So let's start with like, what do you hear when people are having this moment? We'll go back inside that box and they're looking outside thinking like, how do I get there?

How do I do something that feels better to me? What keeps them from like making that transition?

Amanda: Yeah. That's such a good question. And what I think the really short answer to that is mindset. It's, and I had the exact same experience myself, so I can speak to this firsthand, plus working with clients, we don't, a lot of times, let ourselves dream big enough, and so we do keep ourselves in a specific box.

So, like, if I think about myself, I was and I was someone who had had really created a lot of my own positions within my corporate career, which I know many people, you know, don't necessarily have the ability to do. But I have been able to do that. But even with that, my view was very limited in thinking.

Okay, if I want to do something more, all right, I can get my boss's job, or I can move to this department, or I could do this team, or, you know, so it was still very limited in thinking Within my own company, within what I can see right now, what's possible for me. And it wasn't until I read a book, it's called Money, A Love Story by Kate Northrup.

I would highly recommend it. Even got my wheels turning enough to say, Oh, maybe there's a possibility to do something outside of your corporate career. And it was still thinking in addition to this box that I put myself in, maybe I could have. one to two clients here, they're on the side as an additional income stream.

And so that was what just kind of was the catalyst to get my wheels turning. And when I decided, you know, I was just doing. Hours and hours of internet research to say like, okay, what could be the thing that, you know, could be this great supplement to my corporate income. And when I found coaching, it felt so right.

It really aligned with all of my values, all of the things I was looking for. It gave me the flexibility. It was something I could do on the side, you know, When I went through an exercise and looked at the things I did love about my corporate job, it was my one on ones with my team. It was helping their career growth, their personal growth and very involved in business resource groups, which, you know, have such a huge social impact and, you know, like minded individuals and all of those things.

And I was like, this, this is it, like, this is checking all the boxes. And so when you talk about that value, being aligned with your values. I think that was the key for me, but it wasn't until I got into coaching. And when I say got into coaching, I mean, I got coached myself while also learning coaching tools and being coached was really what opened up.

My view, I went within, within three months of being coached. I went from, I could maybe have one to two clients here or there for extra income to, I'm going to change my whole career with this. I am going to do something totally different with this. And. The only thing that shifted was me. The only, there was no external factors that moved.

It was all me and my perspective. And I mean, obviously I'm a little biased because coaching could do so many things, but it truly was that for me. And that was what really lit the passion and be able to see the possibilities of. Where I could go with this now I dream of speaking on big stages traveling the world doing things that like two years ago Me would have been like whoa, whoa, that is for somebody else.

That's not for you

Christine: Oh my goodness, so many good things here. I have to just make a quick note because I don't want to forget. So one of the things that you brought up that I think is so important as people just question that kind of moment of noticing that you're out of alignment is your values. And I think this is something, and speaking of being coached, I want to talk about that too, but I had an experience, this was on one of those exercises and you know, they're like, what are your values?

And if you've never done work like this before, you're like, Oh, you know, my values are like, be a good person or, I don't like everyone is like, I know my values, but you don't have them. You haven't gone through and actually identified them. And there's a big difference between thinking, you know, your values and actually knowing your values and what's really important to you.

And I do this with clients too, that are, I'm coaching regarding travel. So I do something similar, like know your travel values, because if you do, you can find. Travel experiences that are so much more fulfilling and nourishing for you if you really know what you're looking for. And like, you know, you might look at a past trip and be like, Oh, that I really didn't like that trip.

And this one just like knocked my socks off. And like one was probably in aligned with your values and one wasn't. So I think for anyone listening, if you've never played with this, it's, So eyeopening to, you can go all over online. I love Brene Brown's list of values and figure out like what your five top values are.

And I think that is such a barometer then, like you said then to look what you have in your life right now and kind of just say, you know, where do you, where does my job stack up? My relationship stack up where I live stack up. And then you'll be, you can, you can actually start to tweak things because you know, what you're tweaking.

So one, I wanted to just jump in because I feel like that's super important and I don't know if you want to add anything there, but.

Amanda: Yeah, the one thing that and I have you're talking like yep my top five values are right here on my office wall and That's there on purpose because like you said, anytime I feel like I'm faced with a big decision or you know, what should I do? Or I'm feeling out of alignment or things feel hard. I go back to that list.

And like you said, it's okay. How is the thing I'm working on or the decision I'm about to make? How does that align with my values? And when we can go back to that, it is going to, it's like your, it's your North star, right? It's it, that comes from your intuition. It comes from your inner knowing, like all of that then helps guide your decisions.

And one thing I like to talk about when I talk about values, because like, I love that you said, like, you might think like, Oh, be a good person. Or, you know, like I hear a lot like family, friends, love, like those, and those are great things. Don't get me wrong. What I love to do when we do values work is, Dig deeper than that of what are those true core values that then you can apply to all different aspects of your life.

So for example, personal relationships is one of my core values. And so that can apply to my personal relationships with my family, with my kids, with my husband, with my friends, with my colleagues, right? All of those things. Then it's a value that can be applied to all different aspects of your life. And that's so much easier than to be able to guide your decisions, whether it's your business travel.

you know, whatever the thing is that you're trying to make a decision on. So I loved it when I do values work for my clients, it's like, we just keep digging and digging and digging until we find that thing that we're like, okay, yep, surface level. You might've thought it was one thing, but when you continue to dig, sometimes it shows up as something different.

Christine: Yeah, and I love when you like lead you read through the list of words and you'll read a word and you're like no And you're like, oh, I didn't know I had such you know clarity about how much that isn't what I want in my life And it's just such a great process So again, if people all I'll tag it and show notes something where people can get started because I think it's really important the next question I wanted to dig into is how we discover our superpowers.

And for me, this was one of those moments where coaching really helped because I think a lot of people see our superpowers for us, right? And they try to tell them, them, they try to reflect them back all of the time. But often the time we're just like deflecting. We are like, no, that's not my superpower.

And I met this coach at a, an event here in Denver, right when I moved here and I was really in this soul searching. time in my life. And I can't remember exactly what kind of consultation she said she was offering, but everything about it was kind of like both a trigger and something I was really curious about.

And at that moment, I didn't even know what the word trigger was, but looking back, I can tell that I was super scared and very curious. And so I just put my business card in her little giveaway thing. And of course she followed up. And I had this session with her and I was like, I don't know what I want to do when I grow up.

I'm just moved here. I have three children. They're all like under the age of seven. Everything in my life feels different than what I thought it would look like at this point. I think I was probably just like right around 40 and. Everything was a question mark. And so she just had the series of questions and she was having me talk and, you know, saying all these things.

And then we got done. And she looked at me. And she's like, so, you know, here's the things I've heard. This is what it sounds like you're really interested in, well suited for. And she's like, have you ever thought about starting a women's travel company that focuses on like social justice issues? I was like, no, but that's the most amazing thing I've ever heard in my entire life.

I was like,

Amanda: I love that so much.

Christine: I'm doing. And like when she just put all those things in a row that I talk about nonstop and now I still talk about it nonstop because it's the things I love. But when she just like took all the puzzle pieces that were literally sitting there and just created the thing out of the pieces.

I, like, there's no words, but she was like, this is just what I see as your superpower. Like you instinctively create community for women. You love travel and every single thing you've talked about in some way has been activism or social justice. And just maybe there's a way to connect those dots. So for you, how do you help people find that superpower or find that thing that is just Kind of like you said, where you noticed, like, these were the areas you shined already every day in your career, but you weren't kind of dialing that up.

That was one aspect, but it was more muted in what you were doing every day.

Amanda: Yeah. Oh, and I love that experience that you just talked about. I mean, how spot on is that? And. And something you said in that is so powerful and the fact that sometimes We do need people to reflect back to us what, what we are really good at, what we are really passionate about. And a lot of times I think, and especially as women, we over time for a variety of reasons have really quieted that inner voice and it's hard for us to hear it sometimes.

And so Sometimes it takes another person to be able to reflect that back or plant that seed in our minds. One, maybe one of the quickest or most tactical things that I could say would be, what are the things that come super easy to you? And again, you might be like, oh, well, that's not that big of a deal because it's really easy for me to do.

But what's easy for you Is not so easy for someone else. And a lot of times it comes very easily to you because it's a superpower and we just can't recognize it because again, we're like, Oh, like nobody needs help with the time management or productivity or, you know, taking action on things. Because like, when I think about taking action, like people ask me all the time, like, how do you do that?

How would you just like have a dream? And then like, Go do it and for a while I didn't have an answer because I was like, I don't know you just you just do Just do it and what I began to realize was While that comes somewhat easy to me. It does not come somewhat easy to everyone and so I think even in that, I was like, what are people asking you for advice on?

What are people coming to you and asking for your thoughts on? Because that is probably a superpower. Again, it comes easier to you and not so much to other people. So really getting in tune with What you're good at, what other people see that you're good at. And then when you're thinking about building that into a business, then you align that with what does the market need?

Where do you see a gap? Where do you see an opportunity? And I love that experience with that coach because she did exactly that, right? She took out of all the things that you said, all the things you were passionate about, all the things you were good at, all the things that came easy to you, and then said, okay, and then here's a gap in the market.

Go create that business. Like that's what you would be so good at. And so I think that especially if we're doing that work on our own journaling on that, reflecting on that, asking other people one thing, one exercise that I did when I was a brand new coach and feeling a lot of imposter syndrome and not really sure, like, how can I be an expert on anything? Somebody said to me, they're like, go to your network and just say, Totally hypothetical, but if I was writing a book or hosting a TED Talk, what do you think it would be about? And then they, all the answers start to come in in the comments and that reflects back to you what your superpowers are. So there's maybe some tactical exercises that you can do to help define that.

Christine: Yeah. I love that. I have done that a few times as well. And it's always like women and travel, women's travel. Now it would probably even be more skewed towards gender equity or, you know, something along those lines where, where I've gotten even more specific. I think the other thing that's interesting, and this might weave a little into purpose, but you know, there's those things that we know we're good at, or the things that feel easy, Yeah.

That maybe, you know, are we can figure out but I think something else I noticed in other women is hidden superpowers or like this identity we long to have and you like for me this exercise looks like when you go Oh Because I'm always going to women's events. So this will probably resonate with you too.

But when you go to that event, who are the women you find yourself drawn to? Like when you read their bios, who are you instinctively curious about? Or when you choose the session, what session do you find yourself going to over and over again? Or you look at who you follow on Instagram or, you know, all this, all these places that you're getting additional inspiration or influence.

Who are those people? Because I think that is maybe sometimes our purpose speaking to us in a, in a like softer, maybe not so soft way. And like the thing about ourselves that maybe For me, it's like the thing that I love, but it's been, it's been hidden. Like it's this, maybe this superpower that hasn't been ready to come out into the world yet.

Or it's the thing I most want to cultivate within myself. So I continually seek out the people that are already holding that space. And for me, that I also think is a part of my Purpose and my passion. I see it in front of me and I'm like starting to walk towards that. And I know I'm being vague in what that is, but does that resonate for you as as another way of kind of understanding what this thing is that you might be creating in your life?

Amanda: Yeah, it does. And maybe even a, a, a slightly different take on that too, is one, one of the things that I'd love to ask people in general, but especially women, cause that's who I work with the most. Again, like if you could do anything, anything in the whole wide world, you're guaranteed to succeed at it.

What would it be? And even if somebody has not even like been prepped or thought about that question Immediately something comes to mind Immediately something whether it's oh, I want to write a book or I want to start this business Or I would do this thing or I would do that. It's it's Mind blowing sometimes the the answers that we actually do have within us and those things are top of mind just like you said in terms of like those are the things I'm most drawn to or the speakers or the topics or the areas and I always say like if you have a dream on your heart It is there for a reason and I believe that 100%.

I always say like I have no desire to be a deep sea diver. That is not something that has ever crossed my mind because that dream is not meant for me. That dream is meant for somebody else. But I do have dreams of speaking on big stages and hosting large events and, you know, working with women in all these different capacities.

Even though it's terrifying to me. It is terri like, if you told me tomorrow, Oh, you just did this big gig in this huge auditorium. I don't think my nervous system is ready for that. But at the same time, I know that dream is meant for me. Because otherwise it wouldn't be something that That I seek out or that I'm interested in or again, like you said like that I'm finding other people who are doing that and I think a lot of times we can See those people and almost get that like that comparison Or oh, yeah.

Well, that's good for them, but that's not for me or oh, yeah They can do that because of XYZ like we start to tell ourselves that story and of why they can do it, why we can't do it. And I challenge us all to stop in that moment. Like, like you were saying, like there's something there that that resonates with you or that you wish you were doing.

And that's why you keep being drawn to those people or, you know, that type of topic. And flip that narrative to say, okay, what can I learn from those people? Like, I love to see people doing those things now because I'm like, okay, that's possibility. If that's possible for them, that's possible for me. And let me see how they did it.

Let me see how they got there. And you can continue, you can learn so, so much from people who are doing those things already.

Christine: Yeah. Okay. One thing that came into my mind is another tool. So I feel like hopefully we're giving people good tools, but there's this book that I read. I think it's called Design Your Life. I'll make sure I share it properly in the show notes as well. But there was this exercise where you created this chart and there was like, you know, a three year version of yourself, 10 years, and then like, you know, sometime in the future, let's say 15 or 20 years.

And then you had to write out like what you see yourself doing in three years based on who you are right now, right? And your life experiences, what you know, et cetera. And then kind of, you know, vision that out the two more steps, you know, the 10 years and into the future. And then the next chart is like, based on like the way you.

Imagine yourself growing, or like, if this thing was possible, this is what it would look like in three years, five years, and out. And then the last one is, if everything you did was yes, Everything you wanted to do was yes, just everything. You're like, I want to have Elizabeth Gilbert on this podcast. Yes, of course, that's happening.

Just put that on your little three year plan, right? And then, you know, you vision that out to the 10 years and then into the future and like that version down there. That's the one you want. Like that's the one you're scared of, but that's the one you want. So kind of what you were saying, just like dreaming bigger, getting a hold of what those ideas are, and then figuring out how can you make those a reality?

What steps do you need to take? What do you need to learn? Who do you need to look for? And then the other thing that I was thinking about is because I love this space of gathering women. I love events. I love like retreats. I love this idea of creating spaces for women to be the, like, I just call it shiniest version of themselves.

That all of a sudden that's, that's, So much of the women around me that I then think, well, everybody's pursuing the same dream as me because I have created such a circle around myself. But then what you were saying, you know, I'm not also surrounded by the people who want to be veterinarians or doctors or deep sea fishermen or whatever it is, because there are so many people that are.

Wake up every day and they're like, this is the dream I have. And it's very different than mine. And so I think it can be easy when you're kind of maybe somewhere in the middle of your journey to start to look around and think everybody's pursuing the same thing. And how can I also do it? So there's that.

And then also everybody does the same thing different, if that makes sense. Like, if I lined up all of the women I know who have women's adventure travel companies, None of us go to the same places. None of us hold space energetically the same. None of us are designing the same trip. We could all go to the exact same six cities in Guatemala and nobody would be offering the same experience.

And so I think those are two things that are really important when you're kind of in this process to realize are three things, I guess, right? Like your dream is yours, how you do it is yours. And even if many people have same visions. It's going to come into the world differently. So how, how do you kind of guide people maybe if, if they've come into that space and, and questioned their value and what their voice has to put out into the world?

Amanda: Yeah. Oh, that is such just an important topic and I'm going to venture, I guess, like, I'm sure even it still comes up for both of us to like, you know, it is something that I don't think that work is ever done. And I love the way that you explained it of like, once you have like, okay, now I know I need to surround myself with people who show me that this is possible. You're right. Now your corner of the internet, your corner of the world is going to be filled with representation of that, which is fantastic, right? To normalize those big dreams and all of that. But it can sometimes work in reverse for us, depending on, you know, how we're feeling that day of like, you know, like this is just a saturated market.

There's a million people doing this thing. But again, you zoom out and you're like, it's. It's still just our tiny corner of the internet, but that's what we're taking in all day long. And I think the most important thing to remember is exactly what you just said. No matter what, yes, there are so many coaches out there and there's so many coaches that are working with women, but nobody is me Nobody has my same story.

Nobody has my same experience same with you and Especially like if we're thinking about even like results in a business We are in a relationship based economy. So people are buying because of you. Like Yeah, there's a million different coaches that they could line up and be like, I don't know what, who, like, who do I wanna work with?

They're gonna wanna work with the one whose story resonates with them. So I would say just don't be afraid of sharing your own story. That is gonna be a lot of times your superpower in, in your business because that people are gonna. Start coming to me like, I don't know what retreats you've got going on.

I don't know what you're selling right now, but like, I just really want to work with you. And that, that is what I think is going to be so unique when you are building a business or when you start to feel those feelings of like, Oh, this market's too saturated. And I truly believe. That and I had a coach tell me this and it stuck with me I had this posted on my computer for forever that said your success is inevitable If you just continue to keep going if you don't give up and I'll be honest like even the week that we're recording this podcast Like I had doubts this week of like what you know, like am I making an impact?

Am I doing the right thing? Am I making the right, you know We're like those ducks that, like, underneath the surface are just continuing to paddle and everything looks cool on the surface. But that's normal. That's normal for us to feel. And no matter what, those feelings are trying to tell us something.

So, sit with it, process it. Like, it's hard to sit in those feelings of discomfort, but it's there and it's going to be part of your story. And If you just continue to keep going, anything is possible if you don't give up. You just have to keep going.

Christine: Yeah, so good. That's I can't remember. I'm always talking to too many people, so I can't remember exactly where I heard it and when I shared it. But I know a friend of mine had told someone, you know, never quit on a bad day. And so, like, you know, you have to keep going. That idea of just showing up and then also, you know, of consistency and Yeah.

Yeah. small growth is okay. And I, I think about that. I actually just have all these things popped up on Facebook today about saying like next week, and this was four years ago, next week, I'm launching this interview series. I can't wait to talk to some of my friends and travel about what their experiences are like.

And if, you know, we go back four years ago, this is weeks after the pandemic, many of their businesses, we had no idea what was happening. We had no idea what was happening in the world. We. you know, this was such a volatile moment. And I had this call from the universe to just step up and do this thing.

And I, I wanted to resist it in every way possible. And I couldn't, it just kept like, speaking of the thing that you think of when you wake up, like, it was relentless energy. Like the big magic idea that was just like on my shoulder. Like you will not, you have to do this. This is a part of your journey.

You have to do this. And so anyway, I saw that the posts I made in that moment of like, Oh God, here we go. I don't even know what I'm doing. It's some interviews. I don't know what I'm going to do with them. It might be a podcast. I don't even know what a podcast is like, totally scared doing the thing. And so I saw that post.

And then right after that, a year later, it was like, Look, a year ago I launched this podcast and now I have almost a thousand downloads. And I was like, okay, so now here we are four years from then. And I have almost like 35, 000 downloads and 180 interviews from that first six. And it's just that idea that I just kept going.

I'm still keeping going because I still don't know what the end game is. I just know that there's energy here that wants to be moving forward. And so I think that can be really hard too is like, because especially I think of Instagram, there's this pressure to do everything big or to be like, of course, I have to coach six figure women or of course, of course, I have to have a 10k launch or of course, I have to have 30, 000 followers, or of course, I have a But when they look at their Facebook pop ups of when they started their business, they were like this mom who had an idea that they were like, I think I'm going to do this.

And oh my gosh, 15 people came to the first webinar I hosted or whatever, right? Like they started there too. And so this idea of like, The success is inevitable, but you just have to keep moving and like sometimes it's forward, sometimes it's sideways, sometimes you have a day like I had today to get on this call with you, and then it's forward again.

So I think that's so valuable in any context of like chasing our dreams is to like let our big dream be out there, but also know like that doesn't have to be tomorrow.

Amanda: Yes, yes, and we're all doing it scared. Like, we are all doing it scared. I know, I've got the tattoo on my arm now that says, Feel the fear and do it anyway. And So I am just a huge advocate of that messy action. And that's what I heard and what you were saying around like, I don't even know what I'm going to do with this.

I don't know where it's going to lead, but I'm going to do these six interviews. I'm going to interview my friends and travel because this is on my heart and I feel like it's just the next right thing. And I think we put so much pressure on ourselves to feel like, okay, number one, we have to know exactly where it's going.

We have to know exactly the whole plan and we have to feel really, really ready and prepared before we start. And what that's going to do is it's going to stop us from starting at all. And everyone starts somewhere. So yeah, whether you're seeing big posts on Instagram or whatever the thing is, everyone starts somewhere. They, yeah, they were the mom that had this crazy dream that just wouldn't leave them. And they took the action and little by little those messy action steps. Add up to something really, really cool. I think about even the women's event that you were referencing in February. That was not even on my radar until November and I hosted it in February.

And. I, like, if you would have, if you would have asked me at the time in October, let's say, of, you know, or would you be hosting a women's event, I would say, heck no, that is like a far in the future goal. And again, another nod to coaching, like going through coaching and saying, like, I had to say out loud all the reasons why I wasn't ready to host my own event.

And the more I said it out loud, the more I started to recognize, like, I think those are actually excuses. Like, they don't sound that legitimate as they did in my head. And while I went from November to February and hosted this gorgeous event with 50 plus, you know, powerhouse women in the audience, it started with just, okay, I need to find a venue.

I need to name the event. I need to find a way to buy, to sell tickets. That's it. That's all I have to do to get started. And then once you do that, then there's another thing that you can do. And so it just really builds on, on itself, whether it's a project, whether it's a big dream, whatever the thing is.

But to your point, like we have to just keep taking the small actions and over time, that's going to lead to really big results.

Christine: Yeah, I love that. Okay, I'm looking at like the five next questions that I have on my list for you, and then we're going to run out of time. So let me figure out what is the ones that I want to ask you the most. I think what really resonated for me when we, when we first met out there in the world, cyber world where we met that we both really love to create spaces for women to gather and learn and grow and heal and be inspired.

And we do both really love to travel. I know we had some side con, you know, conversation after you look to see what I did and you're like, wait a second, this is so cool. I want to, I want to talk about this when I'm done with this event that I didn't know that you were just putting together. But I wanted to talk about like what happens when you kind of bridge these spaces.

That's, you know, that's what I do with Lotus Sojourns and really with Soul of Travel is like this space for gathering women, supporting them in their growth and their healing and their learning, and then add in travel and with, you know, retreats, creating a space and time that's separate for them to focus on themselves.

to come together to support one another. Why do you think, one, that that's so important, and two what do you think women take away from that space that's unique, you know, outside of our daily actions and gatherings?

Amanda: Yeah. Ooh, I love that. the first thing I'll say, and And when I'm working with clients, like I always say, like I work with career driven women. So some of them own their own businesses. Some of them are in corporate careers. You know, there's a, there are a variety of backgrounds and one thing that I've found, and this kind of goes back to what we were talking about before of like finding what, what you're really good at and then finding where the gaps are.

And what I realized was that especially in the corporate space, There is not a lot of opportunity for things like this, whether it's a women's event that focuses on mindset and personal growth and fun and shopping and like all of the things, like what I had witnessed before with professional development in a corporate space with auditoriums, you know, stick on name tags, icebreakers, suits, all of that.

And I was like, why doesn't this exist for women who aren't taking the entrepreneurial path? Because I had seen a lot of those events. on that side of the house. And I almost think the same way with retreats. You know, the more, when we are doing business ourselves, like we almost seek out community because we know we can't do it alone or it feels really lonely.

And, and retreats are such a beautiful way to do that. And so when I created my retreat, I really want to focus or I am focusing on Corporate women as well. Yes, there's gonna be business owners there, too but this is such a new aspect for many women who aren't taking that path and what I find is Challenging in that is the readiness level of I got to invest that much money in myself.

That is a new concept for so many women, especially if again, they're not used to now normalizing that through investing in their business, investing in themselves. And so that's something that I'm working through with my clients of the importance of Investing in your mindset, investing in your growth, both time wise and financially. And I think travel is just one of the quickest ways to do that. When you can be in person, when you can be in a new experience and a new environment, and then you add in all the goodness of mindset, wellness, right? You name it. I mean, it's true. Like magic happens. And that is what I love so much about retreats.

And, and I love to be the one that can introduce some women that are new to that type of experience and just be able to watch that transformation. For the first time of wow, like there is just so much power in that.

Christine: Yeah. Oh my goodness, I, I could just kind of feel that, that energy of that, that moment of wanting it so bad for somebody else, which I think I really resonate with as well. That's, I think about it all the time. It's. I am creating because I desperately want women to have this experience, you know, and it's not like I don't, I don't do it because I desperately want to sell travel or because I really want to go to Peru or something, you know, it's because I have had these experiences and I just want to witness someone else have it.

And like, Change their relationship with themselves in that way to allow them again to get shinier. This is my new language that I'm just like, what does this mean? I don't know, but let's see in five years what get

Amanda: I love it so much.

Christine: We're like planning to see in the universe right now. Cause that's like really this last week.

I'm like, why do I just keep saying I want to make women get shinier. I'm like,

Amanda: All right, you heard it here first, like, we'll fast forward five years from now and there's going to be something big with that, with that tagline.

Christine: Can I just tell you I actually in the chaos of this morning took my daughter to Chick fil A and all these guys walked in and they had shirts that said shiny on the back.

Amanda: Oh my gosh, the universe is sending

Christine: yeah, the universe is saying something. So yeah, we'll see what that means. But that's funny because we didn't even notice it until we were just talking.

Okay. That was a total sideline, but that's how it happens though. Right, Amanda? Like that's the kind of. Like if we are ignoring it and then there's just so many signs, you're like, okay, how did you miss that sign of 12 guys that had shirts that said shiny on the back? And you're like I don't know.

It didn't seem that obvious to me.

Amanda: right. Exactly. And that's the retreat that I'm hosting in, in Colorado this September. It is all about tapping into our intuition and our inner knowing and being able to listen and look for those types of things. Because to your point, like we will miss it when we're so externally focused. And I think especially as women, we just always are looking outside of ourselves for all of the answers when really, if we can just tap into.

What we truly know to be true. Like it's not going to steer us wrong. Then you do start to see all of those signs continue to pop up. And you're like, where did these come from? They were probably there all along, but now we're seeing them because we're really tapped into that energy.

Christine: Yeah, I love that. Well, speaking of your retreat I wanted you to just share like, what's one of the things you're most excited about for it? Cause I was looking and I was just thinking, Ooh, I'm excited about this and this and this, but I'm curious as you're putting it together, what's the one thing you're most excited about for other people to experience?

Amanda: Yeah. Well, and I think I kind of let the cat out of the bag on that answer, my previous answer. I'm just so excited to be able to. introduce women to this type of transformation. So what I love about it is it's in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. So it's going to be more close to home for a lot of people. But we are just, we are digging so deep into ourselves and you know, a lot of the women that are, are going on this retreat and there is still spots open, but they, I know this is going to be one of the first experiences that they've had with this type of environment.

And, you know, we're used to girls trips. We're used to, you know, those fun things. That yeah, it's gonna be fun and we're gonna have dancing and a private chef and you know Like all of that kind of stuff like it's gonna be super fun, but it's also going to be Transformational in the inner work and the healing that we do Within that space and you know, people are nervous to show up by themselves.

Oh my gosh I don't know anyone and you know, the population's not that big when you go out and retreat So what I know to be true what I know, you know as well is that You're only going to be strangers for about maybe one hour. That's it. You're going to leave best friends and you are going to leave with those bonded experiences because you went through something really major within yourself.

With those women around you and that is what I'm just like so lit up About and I'm just so excited for them to experience.

Christine: yeah, I love that. And I know you use the word transformation a lot. And I think that's even something that sometimes can be sticky for people because they're like, maybe their, their idea is, well, I'm really great. I really love who I am. I don't want to be transformed or like, wow, transformation sounds terrifying.

And I don't want to like arrive at this event as one person and leave as another person. Like that seems. Really intimidating or you know, there's all these different I think ideas and I work a lot in the context of transformational travel So that's one of the things, you know, we're constantly thinking about We believe in it right because we've seen it and then trying to understand or relate what that means to other people And I know for me, I feel like transformation is less about like becoming somebody completely different and changing how you see yourself.

And it's like the, the quote, like, you know, maybe it's not so much about becoming someone new, but it's unbecoming all the things that were never you in the first place. And like, I think that's the, maybe the. The shift in a way of thinking that makes transformation a little bit more digestible because it's already you.

But maybe because you've put on this, you know, 70 hour a week exterior, like, you forgot how much you love to sit barefoot on the floor. because you haven't been able to do it for years. And I say that because I was just looking at Reiki events and I wanted to get my Reiki certification. And I kept seeing pictures of people like standing in rooms around like massage tables and stuff.

And I was like, I don't know. And then someone had a picture of women sitting in a circle, barefoot learning Reiki. And I was like, yep, that's what I want. Like barefoot is probably one of my values, if that can be a

Amanda: I love it

Christine: And but like that idea of just tapping back into someone who disappeared through all of the different evolutions of self, which doesn't mean that those aren't valuable, but somewhere underneath there is just this most alive and kind of Sincere version of yourself that sometimes you don't spend a lot of time with and I think that's where spaces like this are really important because in that space, you remember, you just remember, like, you're not really transforming, you're remembering, and it's within us, which I think is a theme that, you know, throughout this conversation, it's all like, nothing is being invented.

It's just like finding where it already is. And so I think that's where this magic is.

Amanda: Oh my gosh. Yeah, and when you were talking I was like, oh my gosh, I have this idea I've got to write it down right now before and I just felt like it's time to get back to you like so watch out cuz that's gonna be on my Instagram probably later today or tomorrow because You're so right in In And you're right, like, you want to show the huge impact that this is going to have, right?

And for me, that's transformational. And you're 100 percent correct that to some people, that can feel really daunting or scary or thinking like, Oh my gosh, like, I love my husband. I don't want to go home and like, feel like I need to like up my, root my family and quit my job. And, and like, no, that's not what it is.

It is, it's getting back to. You and who you were always meant to be and I always say like Like stepping into the next incredible version of you and that that is really What I think retreats and coaching and all of the above is just all about.

Christine: Yeah, well quickly before we end, I want to hear from you because I don't want to end our time together without actually talking about travel and now there's probably going to have to be a part two because we're barely getting into it. But what was one of the most powerful experiences you had that really allowed you to see what travel is?

can be as a tool for growth and understanding.

Amanda: I mean, I'm sure there are so many experiences that I could pull from. The one that is top of mind for me right now and I think is maybe just a nice package for all the things that we just talked about. Was I took a trip to costa rica with my oldest son and It was something that at the time was just not necessarily in the budget, right?

But so I could have very easily been like, oh, yeah, we'll do that later. We'll do that another time You know, we could I could have excused my way out of it for sure I could have just sent him because it was through a soccer club So that was an option as well, but I was like, you know, like I just I really want to experience this You with him.

Plus, I wanted to go to Costa Rica too, but I really wanted to experience this with him. And it was a life changing trip for both of us for a variety of reasons. Even though it was through his soccer club, nobody from his team was going. Which then meant none of the parents that I knew were going. And so for both of us, we only knew each other, and he's 14, so he's not going to want to hang out with me the whole time, or barely.

But, we both went in there knowing not a soul. And we just put ourselves out there and we made new friends and not only did we get to see new cultures, have new experiences, see another part of the world, which I think, you know, is it was really important for me and definitely important for him. It was his first time out of the country in general but just the relationships and the bonds that we were able to make.

in that trip with each other and then with the people who were on that trip. Luckily everyone, even though they weren't on our same team, they were all from Colorado. So we have already, that was in January. This is May. We've seen them multiple times. Two of the moms and women that were there came to my event after the trip.

I mean, like we have seen them so much. We formed those relationships and again, like that's the power of travel and being open and having those life changing experiences. Yes,

Christine: Oh goodness. I love that so much. And I think this is something else we could probably expand on, but when you travel with your children, how much that, how much value that has both for you and for them and like the way you view them. And I took my oldest daughter to Oaxaca, Mexico, this year for a scouting trip and just watching her as a traveler and seeing what got her excited and like the moments where she ate something I never thought she would or she like did the hike that was so hard or like she just was becoming alive and also like becoming herself because she's just very much in that time in her life because she just turned 14.

I don't know if I said that or not already. It was, it was, Yeah, it was just so great. And then for us to spend that time together at more as like human to humans, instead of this like parenting role without other siblings, like it's, it's such a great experience. And I think I so encourage people to be able to travel with their kids, even if that means somewhere close, you know, it doesn't have to mean going far away, but maybe booking a hotel for a night or going to see a friend that lives in the next city over the next state over just with one kid.

If you have more Cause you have so much, so much opens up in that space and it's like, you're kind of stuck together as well. So like you, you have to be with each other in a different way. But I think it's so good.

Amanda: it is. Yes. Oh, I could talk about that all day long.

Christine: Yeah, I know. I'm like, again, okay. Part two, part three. It's the new podcast

Amanda: Right. We're just starting our own now.

Christine: Yeah. Well before we end our call, I have a few rapid fire questions, rapid fire ish questions. So we'll, we'll go through those. The first is what are you reading right now?

Amanda: I am reading, well, I'm reading two books. Because I'm reading one on Audible and one in hard copy. But I'm reading Six Figure Women and Dear Female Founder.

Christine: Hmm. Good. What is always in your suitcase or backpack when you travel?

Amanda: My tennis shoes. I don't know where, this is what I love about this, like who knows why that came up, but my tennis shoes, they are always there.

Christine: to sojourn to me means to travel somewhere as if you live there for a short while. Where is some place that you would still love to sojourn?

Amanda: I'm going to Greece next month for the first time and I am beyond excited about it. I can't wait to be there.

Christine: Yeah, we, my daughter and I were just saying how much we want to go back. We were there last, end of last summer. What do you eat that immediately connects you to a place you've been?

Amanda: That's so good. Oh my gosh, now I can't even think of the actual name of the dish, but it's a rice and bean dish from Costa Rica that we have for every single meal. Quesada? Quesado? Quesado. But it's a rice and bean dish that they have at every single meal. Delicious. I can't eat it at all without thinking of Costa Rica.

Christine: Who was a person that inspired or encouraged you to set out to travel the world?

Amanda: That is such a good question. I think, and I didn't see this answer coming, but I think my dad he was in the military and he has just had so many experiences and been so many different places that I think I just inherently grew up knowing like, I'm going to go see all of these places too. Like it wasn't even a question that I wasn't going to do that.

And so I think that was really just from him of all of his life experiences.

Christine: Yeah, thank you. If you could take an adventure with one person, fictional or real, alive or past, who would it be?

Amanda: Viola Davis.

Christine: Oh!

Amanda: She is just like so amazing and I would love to just have her in a room and just Talk her ear off. And I feel like she would be so much fun on a trip

Christine: Yeah. The last one, Soul of Travel is a space for recognizing women in the industry we admire. I know, again, you're not really in the tourism industry, but there, is there a woman who you would love to recognize here in this space?

Amanda: I think for me and again, she's not fully in the tourism industry, but my actual coach jess williamson she is Just my mentor for so many things and helps me dream what's possible, but she's gone from burnout, having to travel a ton, which was very similar to, to my experience as well. And because travel was such a core value.

Of mine, I actually let it lead me to burnout because I did it not on my terms. And so one thing that really attracted to me, to her and her messaging was just being able to build a business that really works for your life. And she's actually running the Greece retreat that I'm going on next month, and she, you know, takes off months to go to Europe and, you know, all of those things.

And so just those things that I really, really value that. I think she's, she's just killing it when it comes to building a business that works for your life and, and around your values.

Christine: Yeah, thank you. Well, thank you again for this conversation. It's been so fun. I'm so glad that we overcome the obstacles that we needed to to get here and to finally speak in person in this context. It's been really great to share your story and share some of our shared passions in this time together.

Amanda: Thank you so much for having me. I've loved it.

Christine: Thank you.