THE WANDERLUSTERS MIND PODCAST

Abby Lewtas 23/10/18 Abby Lewtas 23/10/18

Learning from the French by finding joy in 'living' with Alex Morton.

Alex, 25, is a self-proclaimed lifelong explorer who has started her own website design business, Alex Morton Creative, to achieve her dream of working remotely from anywhere in the world. Over on her blog, she delves deep into life- and entrepreneurial stories, and she loves meeting and connecting with other female travellers, business owners, and wanderlusters.

Alex moved to France to study abroad and returned to California for University. She knew this trip was not the ‘be all and end all’ of her travels.

About Alex

Alex, 25, is a self-proclaimed lifelong explorer who has started her own website design business, Alex Morton Creative, to achieve her dream of working remotely from anywhere in the world.

Over on her blog, she delves deep into life- and entrepreneurial stories and she loves meeting and connecting with other female travellers, business owners, and wanderlusters.

Alex, originally from California, has always been called to France - from the language to the culture to the appreciation of the simple things. Her life in France began in 2013 when she arrived in Paris to study for a semester. She later returned and 'cemented' herself into her life in France. Since then, Alex has been au pairing, teaching English, falling in love and is now making arrangements to become a full resident!

“Put yourself out there for opportunities but do not stress out if it doesn’t work out.”

— Alex Morton

When coming home...

Emotions Alex faced - Found it to be like a puzzle on how to fit back in with her community, friends and family, including how her thinking had shifted.
What changed for Alex - Was really excited to come back to take advantage of her university experience. Had a feeling that she would return to France.
The biggest stress - Getting caught up in the different identities that she had in different communities and how she would show up in the world.
How Alex supported herself - Focused on university, found people that she could talk to and who could relate to her. Pick and choose who support you.
How Alex used her mindset - Aimed to feel comfortable and feel grounded in a place that is not her home. Not feeling like you have to stay in the town where you grew up.
3 Lessons learned from travel and reverse culture shock

Be adaptable and be open to experiences.
Cultivate relationships you have with your friends and family.
Treat everyone as an adventure and be ok with not knowing.

Advise to herself for returning home - Dont stress about having a plan in place because everything will change. Put yourself out there for opportunities but do not stress out if it doesn’t work out.

“People are not going to be like you and are not going to do things they way you are used to doing things.”

— Alex Morton

An intuitive journey to Finland and her soul purpose with Tahlee Rouillon.

Tahlee Rouillon is music composer extraordinaire at Sonesence. She helps people become the calmest person they know, through her transformational meditones music. Meditones help produce relaxed brainwaves with a simple pair of headphones, making deep meditation effortless. Tahlee has been described as 'a musical genius', and 'the voice of an angel’.

Tahlee followed her intuition and returned to writing music, meditons and meditation tracks and found herself on an artist residency in Finland.

About Tahlee

Tahlee Rouillon is music composer extraordinaire at Sonesence. She helps people become the calmest person they know, through her transformational meditones music.

Meditones help produce relaxed brainwaves with a simple pair of headphones, making deep meditation effortless. Tahlee has been described as 'a musical genius', and 'the voice of an angel’.

Tahlee went to Finland, travelling solo for the first time to write her meditones album True North. It was based on the silence and stillness of a Nordic winter. She returned to Finland in 18 months later to write my follow up album, Luminous, based on a Nordic summer.

“You have been uprooted. You need to take time and space to take care of yourself.”

— Tahlee Rouillon

When coming home...

Emotions Tahlee faced - Felt very homesick for Finland.
What changed for Tahlee - Moved cities which she thought would be the same things as travelling.
How Tahlee supported herself - Relied on her meditation practice and her meditones. Cried a lot and called friends. Ended up creating a program called gentle transition to help herself and others.
How Tahlee used her mindset - Used the resilience that she had cultivated on her travels.
3 Lessons learned from travel and reverse culture shock

Life is not the same as travel.
People vary and people are different.
Tahlee is a highly sensitive person and needs to nourish in her downtime.

Advise to herself for returning home - Slow down, take your time, there is no rush. Allow things to unfold in divine timing because they are going to anyway!

“We drove past the place that I saw in my meditation that has the glass-domed iglus!”

— Tahlee Rouillon

Understanding identity after travelling the world with Jema Patterson.

Jema spent 8 years as a full-time international travel writer. This year - 2018 - she's experimenting with part-time travel life and having a home base. She spends her time writing about transformational travel at Half the Clothes dot com and co-hosting a podcast about how to be a content creator without losing your mind or selling your soul. She blames all her failures AND all her successes on being struck by lightning at the age of 18.

Travelling for 8 years continually teaches Jema about patience, letting go and forming her identity.

About Jema

Jema spent 8 years as a full-time international travel writer. This year - 2018 - she's experimenting with part-time travel life and having a home base.

She spends her time writing about transformational travel at halftheclothes.com and co-hosting a podcast about how to be a content creator without losing your mind or selling your soul.

She blames all her failures AND all her successes on being struck by lightning at the age of 18.

“I wish that I would have been more willing at the time to ask for help.”

— Jema Patterson

When coming home...

Emotions Jema faced - Joyful as well as jarring.
What changed for Jema - Had a different perspective on things like ‘how big the roads were,’ ‘What she could and couldn’t find in the grocery story,’ ‘driving on the other side of the road.’ Having an identity shift.
- Jema explains the Theory of identity development
  - Identity Diffusion - have not created an identity.
  - Identity Foreclosure - absorb the culture around you and you.
  - Identity Moratorium - unsure of what is really happening.
  - Identity Achievement - coming to terms with who you are.
How Jema supported herself - Accept and realise that her identity has changed. Journaling on some questions that spring to mind. Ask your friends to help you. Have faith. Trying to find podcasts or videos or structures to support you.
- Ted Talk - How to quit your life and reboot.
- Ted Talk - How to find your life purpose in 5 minutes.
How Jema used her mindset - More patience with herself, more willing to change expectations. Learning to let go.
3 Lessons learned from travel and reverse culture shock

Having patience.
The perspective shift.
Travel has taught Jema to rest.

Advise to herself for returning home - Its ok to ask for help. Being humble and worthy of the support around and people willing to help her.

“I love the perspective shift that comes with travel, I don’t know if I’m ever going to settle down.”

— Jema Patterson

Links

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Abby Lewtas 2/10/18 Abby Lewtas 2/10/18

Life changing education in the Solomon Islands with Mellita Jones

Mellita is a lecturer in Science Education. Her involvement in overseas teaching and learning experiences began in 2010 when she led a small group of six pre-service teachers on a 4-week teaching practicum in the Solomon Islands.

Ten years later the program, which runs for the month of November every year, has grown to 20 pre-service teachers, three university staff members and two schools in Solomon Islands. It is a program close to Mellita's heart, and her work in the space has led to a number of other international engagements including writing the teacher education program fro the Pacific Region through UNESCO, working in Fiji and Kiribati with students and teachers, and recently, an appointment as the coordinator for international community engagement at her university.

Mellita took a trip to the Solomon Islands for a teacher education program where she met Esther who completely transformed her life.

About Mellita

Ten years later the program, which runs for the month of November every year, has grown to 20 pre-service teachers, three university staff members and two schools in Solomon Islands. It is a program close to Mellita's heart, and her work in the space has led to a number of other international engagements including writing the teacher education program for the Pacific Region through UNESCO, working in Fiji and Kiribati with students and teachers, and recently, an appointment as the coordinator for international community engagement at her university.

Mellita is in the process of starting up a Foundation - the Esther Education Foundation - which will be a charity to raise money to support the education of women and girls in Solomon Islands. As the name suggests, meeting Esther, hearing her story and sharing her journey has inspired the creation of this foundation.

“You realise how quickly we judge things by exetrnal types of appearances and yet how often that can just be so miss placed, those judgments.”

— Mellita Jones

When coming home...

Emotions Mellita faced - Feelings of guilt, sadness and despair - how do you help people in poverty. This became an important part of her life.
What changed for Mellita - Having a different perspective on a place and judging a society based on first experience which can be so miss placed. Changed the ways she lived, dietary changes and changes within her family. She changed her family gift giving at Christmas and instead one member of each family shares the story of the charity they selected and why they chose it.
How Mellita used her mindset - She changed personally and professionally and now teaches and shares the stories she has learned in her lectures. She ensures not to preach to other people and understands her students are on their own journey. She has become an activist for education, gender issues, climate change and human rights.
3 Lessons learned from travel and reverse culture shock

The world outside of our own home is an incredibly rich one so take any opportunity to experience and be open to the learnings.
Look at things without judgement and if you do have judgement look to see if there is another way to look at it.
Be kind.

Message for others after returning home - Be kind, reflect on your own life and be equitable and fair.

“Try to be kind and live in a way that refelects kindness to everybody.”

— Mellita Jones

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Abby Lewtas 25/9/18 Abby Lewtas 25/9/18

The 'third space.' Growing up in Germany to a life in Australia with Kati Craythorn

From teenage years on, Kati has wanted to explore Australia but never quite envisaged getting "stuck" here. Kati grew up behind the Berlin Wal, in East Berlin. Travel always had a bit of an exotic allure to Kati and she has now lived almost half her life in Australia, and sometimes she wonders whether her "extended period abroad" will ever come to an end.

Travel became a reality for Kati after growing up behind the Berlin Wall. She has spent time in South Africa for her PHD but now resides in Australia.

About Kati

From teenage years, Kati wanted to explore Australia but never quite envisaged getting "stuck" here. Kati grew up behind the Berlin Wall, in East Berlin. Travel always had a bit of an exotic allure to Kati. She now has lived almost half her life in Australia, and sometimes she wonders whether her "extended period abroad" will ever come to an end.

Whilst still German at heart, Australia has changed her in so many ways that now find parts of the German psyche and mentality alien. Kati loves going back to see her family but admits that sometimes pretends not to be German because it makes life easier. When her family comes out to Australia, she is always struck by what they find curious and remark upon - things she doesn’t notice or take for granted.

“People smile because they genuinely want to smile.”

— Kati Craythorn

When coming home...

Emotions Kati faced - Life has gone on back home and Kati faces conflicting emotions like a deep sense of being home whilst also feeling isolated.
What changed for Kati - Going home felt like going back to normal life. Now, after 18 years she founds very integrated here in Australia. Family and friends change and she finds she is re-building relationships.
How Kati used her mindset - Working on letting go of judgment and letting go of what you see on the surface.
3 Lessons learned from travel and reverse culture shock

You are stronger than you think.
The importance of smile.
How important her family is.

Advise to herself for returning home - Just let go!

“Just let go and go with the flow.”

— Kati Craythorn

Paralympic gold medal, 60 countries and a never give up mentality with Richard Colman

Richard was born in 1984 with Spina Bifida. Richard took to sport at a young age he was involved in many sports before the love of athletics took his full attention. In 2006 Richard won a Bronze medal in the T53 800m at the IPC World Athletics Championships in Assen, The Netherlands. In 2008 Richard won a Silver medal in the T53 200m and a Bronze in the T53 400m at the Beijing Paralympic Games.

Paralympian Richard Colman merges sports and travel with passion, energy and refusing to give up to ensure he lives his best life.

About Richard

In early 2009 Richard spent six months travelling Europe competing in a number of countries. During this trip, Richard managed to visit thirty-two countries. Richard has now visited sixty countries with the aim of reaching 100.

Recently at the 2012 London Paralympic Games, Richard won a Gold medal in the T53 800m and two Bronze medals in the T53 400 and in the T53/54 4x400 relay. Richard currently holds a numerous Australian and Oceania Records.

Away from the track Richard has completed a Bachelor of Commerce at Deakin University and has also completed a number of other qualifications. Richard became the first person in a wheelchair to umpire an AFL match when he officiated as a goal umpire in the Geelong Football League in 2007.

During 2014 Richard became the first person in a wheelchair to travel down the famous Death Road in Bolivia during his postseason holiday to South America. Richard is an ambassador for a number of foundations and organisations.

Richard has set himself a number of goals he is slowly working towards not just in the sporting world but in all walks of his life. Richard will continue to try and prove to people that anything is possible if you have a go and always dream big.

“There are a lot of countries that do have a lot of discrimination against people with disabilities there are a lot of third world countries still to this day don’t admit that there are people with disability in their society.”

— Richard Colman

When coming home...

Emotions Richard faced - Sometimes it felt normal, some people around him seemed to be doing the same thing whilst he was achieving my goals. The longer trips seem harder to readjust. What is the next challenge, reassess the next goals.
What changed for Richard - No too much he ensured he weaved adventure into his sporting travels. Made sure he put himself out there to enjoy life and do things that other people wouldn't.
How Richard used his mindset - Growing up with a disability he becomes stubborn and resilient which helped foster a strongly focused mindset. Knowing that success is just around the corner. Taking action and really believing himself. Never give up attitude.
3 Lessons learned from travel and reverse culture shock

Anything is possible.
There will be tough times but you have to believe in yourself.
Don't worry about the money.

Advise to himself for returning home - think about when I'm going to come home so that I dont have to endure a long winter. Go and travel now and don't wait to travel.