THE WANDERLUSTERS MIND PODCAST

Abby Lewtas 21/5/19 Abby Lewtas 21/5/19

Forging a different life path and expanding your mind through travel with Sophie Delightful.

Known by her close friends and family as simply J, she has many monikers - including Kegeleagle as a roller derby player, Sophie deLightful as a cabaret performer and Hussy as a participant in the Burning Man community. A few years ago she made the switch from full-time travel agency manager and part-time performer/producer, to focus on her creative endeavours full-time and change to a home-based travel consultant contract. The lightbulb moment happened while on "leave without pay", travelling through Costa Rica, and she hasn't looked back since.

Sophie Delightful made the switch from full-time travel agency manager and part-time performer/producer, to focus on her creative endeavours full-time and change to a home-based travel consultant contract.

About Sophie

Sophie has travelled on immersive trips to London, St Maarten island, Caribbean, extended travels around Europe and South/Central America as well as SE Asia, Australia, NZ and the USA.

“You have to travel with an open mind.”

— Sohpie Delightful

In the episode...

How travel helped her realise the privileges that she has as a western white women.
You don’t need a lot to be happiness and money does not by happiness.
How Sophie has really taken a different path in her life, following her heart rather than following what is ‘expected’ of her.
Recognising that she is in a very fortunate position to be able to lead the life she wants.
Sophie’s experience working and living in St Maarten, living like the locals and gaining perspective.
Her advise to people who are feeling stuck in their lives.
The stress that drove Sophie to leave her full time job and change her lifestyle.
Sophie’s first experience travelling solo and feeling out of her comfort zone and how it made her feel so independent.
How getting robbed at gunpoint on a tour showed her how strong she could be in a challenging situation.
Learning to rely on yourself when you are travelling and how Sophie brings this back into her life back home.
That nothing needs to be permanent.
How there are simply endless options and ways to live your life.
Why Sophie doesn’t plan long term.

Rapid fire round

The last place Sophie visited - New Zealand
A place Sophie tells everyone to travel to - New Zealand and South America
Scariest place travelled to - Colombia
Favourite thing about travel - Exposure to different cultures, people and ways of living
Sophie’s next destination - Canada

Why Sophie continue to seek out travel and live abroad? There is still so much of the world to see and travel inspires her continuously nourish her soul and expand her way of living

“Travel has changed the way I am as a person and so I cant recommend it enough.”

— Sophie Delightful

Travel for growth and how it impacts our perspective with Aaron Yeak.

Aaron is driven from within. He is an entrepreneur, traveller, and lover of great coffee and people’s stories. His career spans Formula 1, sport and recreation, management consulting and now takes him on a business journey with an unknown destination. Much like his travel he enjoys the journey as well as the destination in life and business and takes every opportunity to see the world through the eyes and footprints of others. Aaron is documenting his business journey to a “destination unknown” and has also written a book about his career transitions from standing track side at motor sport events to inside boardrooms as a management consultant.

Aaron Yeak has been travelling since the age of 2. For him travel is all about how you can grow and gain perspective of others. He loves taking his learnings and applying them into his life and business back home.

About Aaron

From the age of 2, Aaron has been fortunate to have spent multiple periods overseas including studying in China, Austria and Finland. As well as travelling to over 40 countries throughout Europe, Australasia, Asia and North America. Much of his time abroad has been spent exploring the local scene with friends who are locals.

“Your mindset, in the moment, is so important as has the potential to be an enriching experience or something you can grow from and learn from or something you can get stuck on and go on a bit of a negative spiral which you really don’t want to be in when you’re away from your comfort zone.”

— Aaron Yeak

In the episode...

Aaron has always travelled to visit family and friends.
Studying abroad in many different countries.
Aaron likes to travel ‘through the eyes of a local.’
Figuring out the way the locals live and learning to adopt their ways in their country.
How technology has changed the way we travel, the pros and the cons and how we should not let these changes override the purpose and reasons for why we travel.
When Aaron got scammed on his recent trip to Helsinki and how it made him feel.
Why your mindset is so important when you are travelling.
What Aaron learned from the way scammers operate.
The appreciation and different perspective that travel offers you.
How Aaron gets excited for travel, even if its just talking to others about their travels.
Using the learnings from his travel to impact others in their life.
What you interpret as travel and adventure is up to you and may be different to others.
Scratch the itch or inkling for travel because ‘what if you dont?’
How travel has formed who he is.