This is Why you Need to Travel as Much as you Possibly Can

I remember when I was on Vancouver Island, BC, a few weeks ago and went on a day hike to a giant tree. There were three of us going on the hike, including myself. We proceeded to climb the tree, which at different levels had these big nets attached to it which were also attached to the trees surrounding it. Getting up to the first level was scary. There were three levels and each net got smaller and smaller as you would climb higher. Despite my fear, I pushed past the thoughts and focused on what I was doing in the moment, until I found myself in the top net.

I looked out at treetops and the Pacific Ocean as I sat in that tiny-ass hammock. It was breathtaking. Time slowed down and I realized that this was the best way I can describe how magical traveling can be.

The magic about travel is that is puts us in the position to see the world from a different perspective.  Or maybe just to have more perspective when we didn't have much before. Traveling opens our eyes to beauty, makes us more grateful for the world we live in and allows us to step back from our everyday lives to realize that the things we often stress about are so unimportant compared to the eye-opening experiences, connections and personal growth we create when we get out of our comfort zone.

Traveling is the best education
When we travel, what we learn is for life because we could not be more present to an experience than when we are physically in it. We learn through doing and following our instinct. We learn about people. We learn about survival, budgeting and asking for what we need. We learn about ourselves.

You meet the best people
We can meet amazing people wherever we are, but when I've traveled I've really met some of the most inspiring individuals. One reason is that because when I'm traveling, I'm more open. But also, because meeting other travelers means you meet others who value personal growth and adventure. The people I've met while traveling in the past few years are still in my life and very close to my heart.

Mountains, Rivers, Forests and Beaches
I must say that the people we meet along our travels are what bring meaning and purpose to the adventure. I've traveled on my own, but what makes the trip really real and worthwhile is meeting other adventurers and love-filled souls along the way and being able to share your experiences with these people. However, it is still important to do some research and choose the best adventures. I like planning a bit and asking around. When I go to a place, I want to know what will take my breath away. For example, when I go to Iceland, I definitely want to see the Northern Lights. These wonders exist to be explored.

Traveling sends you into the unknown
The unknown is where the magic happens. It's where we discover what we previously didn't even know to exist about the world, people and ourselves. The reason for this is simply because we are forced to be open. Away from the certainty of our jobs, routines or familiar relationships, we are pushed to look around us and within us with fresh eyes and perhaps see things for the first time. We are reminded of who we truly are, our essence that defines our aliveness itself. And I'm starting to believe that this has a lot to do with being thrown into the unknown, facing our fear and being open.

So I urge you to travel. I promise you, it will change your life.


“We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.”

Heart Wide Open: The Journey of Feeling Real

We can't selectively numb emotions. Either we choose to embrace the whole experience, with all the emotions involved, or we shut down. We numb. And there are many ways we do this- sex, drugs, alcohol, food, over-busying, planning.

I've chosen to be open.

Sometimes it sucks because when we don't numb our emotion,  being open means we take the ups with the downs. It doesn't mean we don't have the power and choice to walk away, say "no" and set boundaries, but it does mean we engage with our truth.

It's important that we walk into the "arena" with tools- faith, good friends who will love us unconditionally, practices that bring us home- but more importantly, we walk in with courage. Deciding to be "all in" takes immense courage. And I can tell you that from my own experience.

There is no greater practice of courage than deciding to engage fully and be present to your truth.

The courage we practice to engage feels vulnerable, but it is also the birthplace of power, creativity, love, connection and belonging. Why? Because when we risk being real, when we can fully embrace where we're at, we also open up to these other parts that bring purpose, meaning and fulfillment to our lives.

Practicing courage may mean we face rejection, failure and hurt, but it's worth it. There will always be the risk, but to live a wholesome and fulfilling life for that risk is well worth it.

In the process of writing this article, I reflect back to a relationship I had in the past that didn't work out and needed to end. It hurt. It was shitty. But you know what? I don't regret one bit of it because I connected to another soul, learned more about myself (what I want and don't want), grew as a human and then walked away with peace in my heart. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. Most of us don't have one perfect relationship for life. We live our lives and experience relationships so we can learn more, decide what we want more of, become more honest and loving beings and grow in the process.

Where we have a choice is in whether we grow from the experience or not. Whether we are willing to see the lessons that an experience is there to teach us and then apply these lessons to our lives and the choices we make.

This is what being engaged in the journey (while we carry the tools and supports that bring us home) is all about. It's about paying attention to how an experience makes us feel and then deciding if its aligned with our path or not. Then we get to choose what we do with this information. A question we might ask ourselves in this process is, "Is this _______ (job, relationship, habit..) making me a stronger version of myself?" Then we can choose to stay or walk away.

Climbing Lone Cone Mountain: Realizations 2,434 feet Above Ground

On my final days in British Columbia, about three weeks ago, I spent two nights on Vancouver Island. One in Tofino, a small coastal surf town and the second on Meares Island, where the 2,434 foot mountain called Lone Cone stands. I got there by water taxi in the early afternoon and dropped my bags at the only human settlement on the island, a small campground and hostel run by native people. I was on my own and I had to get started ASAP. The sun would be setting before 7pm. The hike is meant to take about 2 hours up the mountain and this was my first so I knew I had to hustle.

It would be me and the mountain. Literally.

I was the last one to go up.

The climb challenged me in so many ways, physically, mentally and spiritually. I wanted to give up. I cried. I got back up. But the key was that I faced myself, found greater faith and grew as a result. It was a process and I want to share some it with you.

The first third of the climb was quite easy. A good workout. And then I questioned my ability. The phrase "You can't do this Julie" came to my mind. And at first, I listened to it. I stopped hiking and broke down in tears. The shitty voices of people who discredited my dreams because of their own limiting beliefs came. The stigma and judgement around mental health and sensitivity came flooding. And then I realized I had a choice. I could let those voices define me or I could choose to see that I am more than someone's shitty opinion. I am more than judgement that is said by people who don't have experience around that which they are judging.

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena,....who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.”

And so I chose to continue climbing. My legs hurt, but something in me knew I needed to do this. And if I wanted to get to the top, I didn't have much time to linger. I had a transformation to go through and it wasn't ending halfway up the mountain.

I ran into the last two people to go up who were now coming down. They said I'd be at the top in about 30 minutes. Phew! It was good to have some reassurance. I was almost there and super sweaty.

When I was about 10 minutes away from the top I wanted to give up. Again, a silly thought that I could choose to believe or not. From my breakdown further down the mountain, I was starting to realize that I was more than those thoughts. I had continued to climb and I was choosing to believe in myself and listen to the voices of those who have supported and believed in me.

And so I continued to the top. What a feeling of accomplishment. I was following pink tape tied to trees and finally the trees cleared to make way to a cliff that literally overlooked a straight drop down 2, 434 feet. It was scary, but here I was doing something pretty crazy and I was proud of myself. I reflected on how much I've grown in the past few years and how my journey of personal growth has allowed me to open up to so much. I'm so grateful. Going on adventures like these has challenged me beyond who I thought I was to become who I really am.

Being open to life experiences is the best advice I would give. 
We need real, raw, heart-filled life experience to grow and become more of who we are.

I remember hiking down the mountain, smiling to myself.
"We are more than our mind-created doubt and the voices of people's shitty opinions."

Yes, I had those thoughts. Yes, I remembered some shitty opinions. But they weren't about me. They were about them. Because I kept climbing to the top anyway. And what counts at the end of the day is our willingness to do the things that scare us, despite the doubt. We become stronger because we do and in the process realize that the only person who gets to decide what you can or can't do is you.

14 Comforting Mantras to Remember When S*#T Hits the Fan

The other day, I was talking on the phone with a good friend about recent transitions, changes and hurts I've been experiencing. Before I even had a chance to realize it, I found myself going through a breakup and moving to another living space while the seasons changed. And no, the two aren't related! Although I believe that what happened was meant to be, everything happening at once is a lot to process for anyone. In this phone conversation I had with my friend, we talked about feeling exhausted and overwhelmed and how these feelings often accompany a time of transition. We also talked about the importance of the "how" we handle these times. It is through self care, reaching out and surrounding ourselves with support and love no matter what we're going through. These habits make the process of healing from hurt and adjusting to transition much easier. We are more open to learn and grow if we can practice kindness to ourselves and realize that we are so worth it no matter what we are going through.

Two weeks ago, I came back from traveling. Along my travels, I was in North Carolina where I saw Brené Brown speak live. She is a well-known author, writer and TED speaker. Her talk, "The Power of Vulnerability" is one of the top 5 most viewed! She studies and shares her work on shame, courage, connection, worthiness and vulnerability. Her work has inspired me in so many ways and continues to help me in my own growth. Some of the mantras I mention here come from her work.

Also, I chose this photo of trees for a reason. I was also in British Columbia about two weeks ago for my travels and there, I saw many beautiful trees, as old as 1000 years. It struck me that we are like trees. We may sway in our lives when things happen, but our roots continue to grow and hold us to the ground where our true strength lies.

Be Authentic: When we deny our stories, they define us. When we own our stories, we get to write a brave new ending. Own where you're at, wherever that is.

Reach Out: asking for help is never weakness. It is strength. Connect with close friends (in person) who accept you for who you are. There is always support.  

Be Present: this is about allowing ourselves to feel our feelings (there is great power in dropping the resistance and just letting ourselves feel the hurt, anger, confusion etc. without judgement). All emotions are beautiful. 

Take a Step Back and Slow Down realize that "doing" can wait; feeling good from within is the most important thing. Rest, take a break, a nap, a breath. Letting our body rest is the best way to prevent burnout. 

Practice Self Care Every Day do small things each day to nourish yourself. Feed yourself, take a bath, sleep, exercise, do yoga. 

Take Off The Pressure let yourself be imperfect. Let yourself be silly, weird and not so serious. It's okay to mess up and fall down. We all do.

Be Kind and Gentle Towards Yourself often we can be our own worst critic. Try talking to yourself the way you would talk to someone you love. 

One Step at a Time rather than trying to do it all at once, focus on the one thing you can do right now to feel good. Many of us, including myself, can become addicted to over-busying ourselves. We get busy to numb our emotions. We get busy when we put our self worth into how much we're doing, rather than who we are. There is great power and freedom in doing less, I'm finding.

Focus on What You DO Have Control Over vs. what we don't. What we focus on grows. So when we focus on what we can affect and impact in ourselves, we are truly in charge.

Celebrate Every Single Step rather than steamrolling over the small things to get to the big things. The small things put together are the big things. The small things are the ones that matter at the end of the day.

You are Unconditionally Worthy of Love and Belonging no matter how much you're doing, what you're doing, who you're with or not with, YOU ARE ENOUGH. There is immeasurable love, power and strength within you, even when we may not feel it.

What Can I Learn? each experience is there to make us stronger. Every experience has a lesson in it if we're open to learning. Be open.

Life Loves You God, The Universe, whatever force you believe in, is working in your favor and taking care of you. Trust in your intuitions and the signs life puts in front of you. They are not random. 

This Too Shall Pass No experience, feeling or thought is permanent. No matter it is, it will pass.

Was The Sex Amazing!?

I think that at some point in our lives, we all settle in situations that do not honor our strongest and most authentic selves. Why I preface this post by asking you if you've had amazing sex? Because it is a metaphor for life. Just like we all deserve amazing, wild, mind-blowing, soul-quenching sex, we deserve amazing in all categories in our lives. In our work, friendships, daily routines, plans and travels.

Sometimes we settle for less for a few reasons. Maybe we think amazing doesn't exist. Or even worse, that we don't deserve it. I'm saying this because I know these are the reasons. At least they were mine before I knew what was possible to experience in life and more importantly before I realized that I really am awesome and can do awesome things with my life.

So I get it. It takes experience to believe something to be possible. But it also takes believing it's possible for us to experience it. Both pieces are important and both pieces are sealed by our actual initiative to get out there, act and explore with an open mind.

I wanted to write this post because I know that we are all in this together. We all want amazing, soul-quenching experiences. I want this post to be your permission to take action, your permission to dream and your permission to claim your unconditional worthiness.

This means that you are worthy of everything you want now. No prerequisites required. You are worthy and beautiful and enough as you are, now. You don't need to lose weight, be in a relationship, have a certain amount of money or change anything about who you are to be worthy of amazing.

Was the sex amazing? It's hard to know if we don't give ourselves permission to believe in it. It's hard to know if we don't say no to shitty sex so that we can actually make space for amazing sex. But it stops being hard when we decide that we deserve and want better. I posted a quote on Facebook today that goes like this,

"The time will pass anyway. You can either spend it creating the life you want or spend it living the life you don't want. The choice is yours." 

I know, it sounds like a tall order, but the thing is that this is your life. And it's not going to last forever. So it's worth the risk, work and discipline when you are actually creating the kind of experiences you want to be living. Either way the time will pass so we might as well make sure the sex is amazing.

Love Your Imperfections

It's been a little while since I've blogged and I've missed it. So I am back with another heart-filled post and it feels good.

Today I want to talk about imperfection and why you need to fall in love with the part of you that fucks up, falls down and gets back up. Yup, I said fall in love. And I know it's possible because I started this journey about three years ago and it's been the most rewarding and fulfilling work I've done in my personal growth.

Our imperfect self is our authentic self. If we want to shine, grow and feel beautiful, this is it.

I know for a fact that if I never let myself fall apart and learned to love every messy bit of myself, I wouldn't be having the kind of perspective-opening and heart-expanding experiences that I do. You know why? Because being imperfect is liberating. It takes away a lot of the barriers that get in the way of living through our passion, love and power.

Embracing our imperfection is the doorway out of isolation and into living wholeheartedly. 

Let me ask you to do something with me now. Take a moment to explore your imperfections- what parts of yourself have you maybe held back out of shame or the belief that in that part you couldn't shine? Because you were afraid that if you showed that part of yourself, it would somehow not be okay or make you "less than."

Well let me take a moment to challenge that belief.
What if you suspended your judgement for a moment and leaned into those very parts with love?
What if you fully embraced those imperfections? What if you realized that those parts make you fucking awesome?

Our imperfections make us human. They make you who you are. And being who you are is insanely attractive.

Over the past few months, I've had a few opportunities to own my story. All of it. My imperfections, messy bits and vulnerability. Those moments have been both powerful and inspiring. Why? Because owning our story gives us the power to write the next chapter. It empowers us.

A few weeks ago I was at a leadership conference. I found myself speaking about mental health and the challenges we face when we go through dark times. To a public audience. Owning my story took courage, but I also got to speak about how we move through these dark times and find our strength and light in them. It was a life-changing moment.

And you know what? I've been realizing that we all want to be our imperfect, human selves, but the pressure we put on ourselves to be this impressive, achieving person gets in the way. Our culture often sets the bar to this way of being. "Do it all and make it look effortless" is the message.Well fuck that. Seriously!

When we hide our imperfections on our chase for excellence so that we can please people who we don't even know, we lose our spirit. It's exhausting and soul-sucking.  

Luckily, there is another way.

We have the choice to be all that we are. Yes, it takes being a bit of a rebel, but in being who we are, we give others the permission to do the same. We give each other permission to be free.

The truth is that perfection had nothing to do with greatness or being our best selves. Striving for greatness is about personal growth, while perfection is about pleasing other people. Totally different ball game folks.

At the end of the day, it comes down to the choice we make to be real. Are we willing to be uncomfortable and take of the mask? I think in a world where our purpose here is to connect, its worth the risk.

Because in our willingness to be imperfect, we open up the necessary space for greater connection and becoming our strongest, most alive and authentic selves.

A Poem for Free Spirits

This is for those of you who want to be free
Who crave it and relish in it,

This is for those of you who need to break the rules and set boundaries,
Who need to quit the job that isn't working and admit to what needs to change,
Who need travel more than once a year and to go to places where the heart calls upon,

This is for those who seek passion and aren't afraid to ignite their fire and seek other beings whose fire matches theirs.

In the name of sharing love, the Universe expects you to grow, shine and express your spirit in every way possible,

You are here to inspire and be the light that you are,
So be wild and dance in raw vibrations,
You are here to sing a new song and lay in rugged pathways under the burning sun,
You are here to love and be love,

You are,
So be.

This is for you, you free, wild spirit,
Stay free in all your glory and keep opening sunlit pathways with your essence,
It is why you are here and where you breathe.