Travelling solo in South America, parenting and truly being open with Amy Vespa

Amy travelled solo through South America in her 20s and really deepened her relationship with open-mindedness. She now travels with her daughter and instils this lesson in her.

About Amy

When asked 'what do you want to do when you grow up,' 10-year-old Amy knew that all she wanted to do was travel. She loved the thought of different cultures, learning new languages, and nature adventures that were worlds away from her New York City suburb home. Amy spent years travelling abroad and, most recently, all over the USA.

As a Holistic Health Coach and nutritionist, Amy has combined her love of nutrition with her love of travel and helps women feel great and love life while also continuously exploring. Amy now has a co-explorer, her 6.5 year-old daughter, who has also caught the travel bug!

“I realised that people are so open and so friendly and want to get to know you.”

— Amy Vespa

In the episode...

• Amys adventure to a small town in Chile

• Letting go and learning something new.

• Communicating with body language.

• Travelling through her home country, the US and the differing regions.

• How Amy was able to lean into openness and look at things with new eyes.

• The series of experiences that helped Amy to realise how putting judgements on everything leads to not having the ‘full’ experience of a new place.

• How having expectations and ideas of a place can taint your experience.

• What Amy took from travel and her relationship to openness and applied it to her parenting.

• The way Amys openness has filtered down to her 6-year-old daughter.

Why Amy continues to seek out travels and adventures…being immersed, feeling the energy and trying to understand the different way people live and experience life.

Links

Website www.amydegen.com

Instagram @amyhealthandsoul

Podcast Health and soul Podcast

Stepping into her passion after travelling the world with Chloe Santarossa.

Chloe started travelling the world after a break up and after returning home and dabbling in a few jobs she decided to set up her own health and wellness business.

About Chloe

Chloe Santarossa is a Holistic health coach, yoga teacher & personal trainer. She believes that life is meant to be lived to the absolute fullest! Along side health and fitness, she loves to travel and live freely enjoying life and everything it has to offer.

It is Chole’s mission to inspire you to live a life full of passion so that you are motivated to jump out of bed everyday feeling amazing with the confidence to do ​anything your heart desires. She is here to empower you in making healthy sustainable choices through full body nourishment so you can feel strong, sexy and confident.

Chole set off on her first soul searching adventure after ending a long term relationship. She headed for Europe and her travels unfolded from there.

“Just do it [Travel] because you will not regret it at all.”

— Chole Santarossa

In the episode...

• After coming out of a long term relationship, Chloe went on a soul searching journey to rediscover herself, which she confesses, in the beginning, her intention was just to party and have fun meeting new people.

• How easy it is to meet like minded people and talk about common interests.

• Chloe and I met in Central America.

• Having an intention when you travel and a way to give back.

• Chloe went on a 26hour bus ride to work on a conservation project deep in the amazon. They had to trek into the project, crossing 14 rivers along the way and lived in a cage, hiding from monkeys in an extremely primal and unique way.

• Travelling meant she had to step outside her comfort zone and face her fears many times having to figure out ‘little things’ like boarder crossings, language barriers, currency etc. Its all about working towards an end goal. This mimics life as there are so many times when you are faced with uncertainty and fearful situations that you need to push through to reach the end goal.

• The fear mongers that scare you when you are going to travel on your own or to a country slightly different.

• Staying smart when travelling, you can avoid many problems that a lot of people face.

• Live a life thats inspiring and passionate. Have a career and community that you are passionate about and that you are excited to come home to.

• Chloe worked through my life coaching program where she had an incredible transformation which reignited her spirit to set up a life which she is passionate about and doesn’t have to ‘run away’ and travel all the time.

• We are the creators of our lives if you are willing to do the work, hold the vision in your mind and keep taking the steps towards what you want.

• Chloe now travels for a month at a time with her partner. They have relationship goals and always sets and intention and purpose for their travels.

• You can choose to live a life that inspires you.

• Chloe was excited to come home and tell all her friends and family about her travels but realised that they had not had the same experiences that she had and it would be difficult to have those conversations. She also felt lost and unable to find her place.

• Its ok to outgrow people, look for the people that have similar interests, attend workshops so you can up-skill yourself.

• Chloe’s advise to people who are holding back about having travels and adventures - Just do it as you will not regret it. It will help you to have more confidence and expand your experiences that will later help you in your life.

Rapid fire round

1. What was the last place you visited? Egypt

2. A place you tell everyone to visit? Croatia, Switzerland, Central America, Colombia, Brazil

3. Scariest place travelled to? San Pedro Sula, Honduras

4. Your favourite thing about travel? The freedom to decide what you want to do and the experiences you want to have.

5. Wheres your next trip? Sri Lanka & The Maldives

Why Chloe continues to seek out travel and adventure? Being fulfilled!

“We are all fearful of certain things and I think a little bit of fear is good, and when you overcome that it helps you grow as a person.”

— Chole Santarossa

Links

• Website - www.chloesantarossa.com

• Instagram - @chloe_santarossa or @_wandering_gypsy

• Facebook - Chloe Santarossa

Andrea Lewtas - Living in joy and helping others through holistic health.

Living, working and travelling in Europe for 2 years returning home. Then living, working and traveling in South America and Canada before settling home and practicing Ayurvedic health.

About Andrea

Andrea is a certified Ayurvedic Practitioner, Yoga teacher and avid traveler. She is truly passionate about Ayurveda, yoga, meditation, travel and life in general!

In 2016 she founded Ananda Ayurvedic Wellness, here it is her aim to help people overcome their health issues and enable them to live their life to the fullest potential.

She grew up in a small beachside town in Victoria, Australia, and after travelling the world for many years, discovering herself and what this amazing planet has to offer. She now finds herself living the beach life once again with my partner in sunny Perth.

“You need to do things that make you joyful in life.”

— Andrea Lewtas

When coming home...

• Emotions Andrea faced - Resisted but ready to come home, knew what she would face when coming home. Starting from scratch with no money. Some anxiety.
• What had changed - Appreciation for Australia and home town.
• Biggest stress - Not having any money. Having to rely on her parents. Finding a job and finding a place to live.
• How Andrea supported herself - Went to family for support and her Aunty who lived where she wanted to work. Spent time with her best friend to reminisce about the travels.
• 3 Lessons learned from travel and reverse culture shock.

1. Everything always works out in the end.
2. Go with the flow - there will be ups and downs in life but you need to be able to work with that.
3. Always choose and adventure in life - keep life interesting.

• Advise to herself for returning home - Dont stress, the stressing wont help the situation. Have a little bit of money in the back when you come home, you will eventually find your feet again.

“I trusted that everything would work out and the stage I was in would always change.”

— Andrea Lewtas

Links

Website - www.anandaayurvedicwellness.com

Andreas Instagram - @ananda_ayurvedic_wellness

Andreas Facebook Page - Ananda Ayurvedic Wellness

Megan Wycklendt - Biking the Americas and connecting with people.

Meeting amazing people on a 2 year bike adventure.

About Megan

Megan Wycklendt is a 28 year old adventure seeker who recently made the shift from a life as a nomad bicycle traveler and travel guide to a school counselor in Wisconsin, USA. 

In 2015 she began life as a full-time traveler when she embarked on a bicycle tour from Alaska to the bottom tip of Argentina. After roughly 2 years on the bike, Megan and her friend Gordon reached their destination and Megan continued the adventure life working as a travel guide in the Indian Himalayas.

Content in the nomadic lifestyle, Megan was contacted by an old friend about a job back home in Wisconsin. Although reluctant to leave the traveling lifestyle, she couldn't let the opportunity pass by so she packed my backpack and moved back to Wisconsin where she is currently living and working.

“I completed my dreams....and now I could think of other dreams”

— Megan Wycklendt

When coming home...

• Emotions Megan faced - Excitement, Mixed emotions.
• What had changed - Her identity.
• Biggest stress - The difference of lifestyle.
• How Megan supported herself - Self compassion and setting small weekly attainable goals.
• How did her mindset change - Continued to lean into Meditation.
• 3 Lessons learned from travel and reverse culture shock.

1. People are good.
2. I am resourceful.
3. Go with the flow.

• Advise to herself for returning home - Not to lose focus on her main source of energy.

“Plans are going to fall through and I have to be open to ....”

— Megan Wycklendt

Links

Website: www.bikelivingtheamericas.com

Megans Instagram: @mindbodybike

Facebook: BikeLiving the Americas

“It’s up to me to form my life”

— Megan Wycklendt