THE WANDERLUSTERS MIND PODCAST

Abby Lewtas 19/6/18 Abby Lewtas 19/6/18

Natalie Roberts-Mazzeo - Leaving the corporate world for the Mediterranean, India and a spiritual journey.

Natalie left the corporate world and set off for Europe where she immersed herself in the Mediterranean countries of Turkey and Greece. For six months she lived in a treehouse, swam in the ocean, ate delicious food and learned about the local culture. She then headed to London to start a working holiday visa which didn't quite go to plan. She found herself packing up again and heading to India where she spent 6 months in Rishikesh practicing yoga and planting her spiritual seeds.

Leaving the corporate world to follow her calling to Europe and India, Natalie returned home to pursue her life of adventures and helping Miracle Mamas.

About Natalie

Natalie Roberts-Mazzeo is the founder of Miracle Mama, an online sanctuary that empowers and inspires mothers who are raising special needs children. Through coaching, community and connection, Natalie’s mission is to create a space for women to reconnect with themselves and what is most important to them.

Natalie is also a writer and speaker, based in Melbourne, Australia. She love’s a good chai, mojito and getting out into nature. Natalie also has a background in corporate, and is a qualified yoga and meditation teacher.

What Natalie is really known for is gathering, soulfully supporting and holding space for women who find themselves raising a child with conditions from mild to severe, to life-threatening. She supports them to find purpose and peace in their extraordinarily challenging circumstances, so that they can bring that love and compassion not only to their own families, but also to themselves.

“That sense of adventure and connection to mother nature has just been woven through my life.”

— Natalie Roberts-Mazzeo

When coming home...

Emotions Natalie faced - Unsettling time, the challenge was in merging her two lives together, it was a hard thing to work through.
Biggest stress - Felt like she was starting from scratch again, like her foundation was gone, Finances, pressures from society.
How Natalie supported herself - Get out and explore the cultures she had experienced in Melbourne. Tried to keep her sense of adventure. Yoga and Meditation.
How her thinking changed - learned to keep an open mind and push herself out of her comfort zone.
3 Lessons learned from travel and reverse culture shock

Adaptable and Resilate
Appreciating different cultures and making the most of your time travelling
Getting out of your comfort zone

Advise to herself for returning home - keep your mind open and keep living your life on your times and enjoy the ride.

“I’ve always liked to test my personal limits my limits have always been at the edges of full on fear.”

— Natalie Roberts-Mazzeo

Ways to move through Reverse Culture and Re-Entry shock

Its that common feeling so many face, after returning home from the trip of a lifetime you arrive back home and, as if in a blink of an eye, it feels like your entire life has changed. Initially there is that excitement phase of seeing family and friends moves pretty fast and all of a sudden you thinking to yourself ‘what next?’ For sure everyone around you is asking ‘so, what are you going to do now?’

6 common things people to do help them move through reverse culture and re entry shock.

“Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.”

— Ibn Battuta

Ways to cope with moving home.

Its that common feeling so many face, after returning home from the trip of a lifetime you arrive back home and, as if in a blink of an eye, it feels like your entire life has changed.

Initially there is that excitement phase of seeing family and friends moves pretty fast and all of a sudden you thinking to yourself ‘what next?’ For sure everyone around you is asking ‘so, what are you going to do now?’

After working with and speaking to travellers who had experienced this feeling of Reverse Culture shock, I found a common theme of things they do to integrate back into their home country. Of course with everything, there are pros and cons, take what you like and leave the rest. The 6 most common things, that I have found, people use to move through reverse culture shock are.

6 things you can do to move through reverse culture and re-entry shock

Plan the next big trip.
Get back into routine.
Talk to family and friends.
Get involved with the community and attending events.
Move cities.
Seeking professional help

Megan Norton - A global upbringing as a 'third culture kid.'

Having lived in 10 countries and 5 U.S. States, Megan is no stranger to global mobility and navigating change. She currently lives in the U.S. but travels frequently for work as an English teacher and independent education consultant. After completing her undergraduate degree, she decided to move to Europe. She hopped around a bit in her 20's from Austria to Greece and from Hungary to Poland. Megan completed a Masters in Europe and began her teaching career there.

Megan grew up in 6 countries before she was 18 and continued travelling and living abroad, she now helps others with intercultural transitions.

About Megan

After completing her undergraduate degree, she decided to move to Europe. She hopped around a bit in her 20's from Austria to Greece and from Hungary to Poland. Megan completed a Masters in Europe and began her teaching career there.

“I felt I belonged to a professional identity, but how do I feel like I belong to my community and how do I feel like I belong to my friends.”

— Megan Norton

When coming home...

Emotions Megan faced - Paradox. Happy on many different levels, scared, frustrated and scared.
How her thinking changed - Different stages of life. Friends had moved to all over the world.
Biggest Stress - A sense of belonging in the community and in friendship circles.
How Megan supported herself - Self reflection on her identity, having realistic memories of your travels.
4 Lessons learned from travel and reverse culture shock

Reflect - Self reflection to understand who you are.
Reframe - Sometimes you have to reframe your story so it resonates with others.
Reconnect - to a new community.
Reinvent - Reinvent what you have to be to fit into your community.

Advise to herself for returning home - be gentle with yourself.

“Sometimes I have to reframe my story so I am not alienating myself.”

— Megan Norton

Michelle Legge - 3 years 'leggin it' on a motorcycle through Europe

Michele Legge and her husband Ron are a West Australian couple in their 50s who decided not to wait until they retired to have a big travel adventure.

They spent 3 years motorbiking couch surfing house sitting and slow travelling around Europe. Michele welcome to the show and thank you for joining me.

Slow traveling with only 9kg lead and taking time to do the things you enjoy.

About Michele

Michele Legge and her husband Ron are a West Australian couple in their 50s who decided not to wait until they retired to have a big travel adventure.

They spent 3 years motorbiking couch surfing house sitting and slow travelling around Europe.

“I dont feel guilty just sitting and drinking coffee and doing whatever!”

— Michele Legge

When coming home...

Emotions Michele faced - Suffered with the idea of consumerism as she only travelled with 9kg. Realised she didn't need all this 'stuff.'
What had changed - Not much really Michele realised how important her female friendships were.
3 Lessons learned from travel and reverse culture shock

Don't spent your life asking 'what if.'
Life is short so don't take your health for granted.
No adventure is better than any other.

Advise to herself for returning home - Things will sort themselves out. Tears won't change anything.

“You cant get time back and its important to take time to do the things you really like doing.”

— Michele Legge

Mindset - Why its important for travellers.

Mindset is a ‘way of thinking’ and opinions. This way of thinking predetermines your response to and interpretation of situations. How you perceive things.Travelling exposes you to an extensive array situations, people and circumstances that helps you to broaden your way of thinking and approach life with a more open mindset.

Make a choice to achieve something, commit and stay consistent and manifest your success by focussing on your mind.

“Change the way you look at things and the way you look at things change.”

— Wayne Dyer

What is Mindset?

Mindset is a ‘way of thinking’ and opinions. This way of thinking predetermines your response to and interpretation of situations. How you perceive things.

Travelling exposes you to an extensive array situations, people and circumstances that helps you to broaden your way of thinking and approach life with a more open mindset.

Upon returning home its easy to see how much you have changed as many of those around you still have a similar mindset to your old one.

But it can also be difficult if you experience the reverse culture shock, to build a mindset that really supports you through the transition and thats what Im going to be talking about today.

3 steps to creating your mindset

Make a choice of achieve something (a goal) and get clear about what that looks like for you.
Commit and stay consistent.
Manifest your success by focusing your mind.

Dylan Bennett - A passion for languages and addiction to culture shock.

Dylan Bennett was born in Darwin, Australia he has a passion for languages and an addiction to culture shock. He graduated as a teacher because it gave him the best chance possible to travel, have since taught in Indonesia, Spain and China.

After finishing university in Lombok Indonesia and after a year teaching in Australia, spent the next 5 years moving every year; Murcia, Madrid, Darwin, Shanghai and now currently in Melbourne.

Living and working in Spain, following love back home to Australia, moving to Shanghai and back to Australia again.

About Dylan

After finishing university in Lombok Indonesia and after a year teaching in Australia, spent the next 5 years moving every year; Murcia, Madrid, Darwin, Shanghai and now currently in Melbourne.

“Surround yourself with like minded globally aware people.”

— Dylan Bennett

When coming home...

Emotions Dylan faced - saw that there were parts his country/culture was not as great as he remembered. "took of the rose coloured glasses!" Felt bored.
Biggest Stress - Pressure to meet to social norms, feeling like an outsider in his friendship group.
How Dylan supported himself - Focusing on the next exciting chapter and getting back into a good routine.
How did his mindset change - Over emphasise the closing off of his adventure.
Lessons learned from travel and reverse culture shock