Soul of Travel Christine Winebrenner Irick, hosted by Lotus Sojourns

“It’s the adventure that makes you travel within as well as outside, by the connection you have with the environment you’re in and where it takes you and how it makes you grow and change.” - Elyse Mailhot
In this episode, Christine hosts a soulful conversation with transformational travel proponent Elyse Mailhot. Elyse is the Founder and CEO of EM Adventure Marketing, a boutique consultancy specializing in integrated marketing and communication in transformational adventure travel. Elyse brings over 25 years of industry experience and an impressive global media portfolio, having worked with some of North America’s most innovative tourism organizations and DMOs, including Destination Canada, Tourism Vancouver, Destination BC, and leading adventure tour specialists around the world.
Christine and Elyse discuss:
The transformational power of travelCreating micro-travel experiences in our everyday livesThe power of saying “No” to create more balance in our lives and businessesThe concept of awe and what it means in travel and our livesCreating a positive impact through responsible storytellingJoin Christine now for this soulful conversation with Elyse Mailhot.
LOVE these soulful conversations? We rely on listener support to produce our podcast! Make a difference by making a donation to Lotus Sojourns on PayPal.  
Are you a Soul of Travel subscriber? Click here to subscribe to Apple Podcasts, so you don’t miss the latest episodes!
Listener reviews help expand our reach and help us rise up the ranks! Rate and review your favorite episodes on Apple Podcasts or your preferred podcast app.
🌎​​​​​​​​
To learn more about Elyse and EM Marketing, visit the website at http://emadventuremarketing.com/.
Connect with Elyse on LinkedIn!
Follow EM Adventure Marketing on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook! 


Looking for ways to be a part of the Lotus Sojourns community? Learn more here!
Find Lotus Sojourns on Facebook, or join the Lotus Sojourns Collective, our FB community for like-hearted women.
Follow us on Instagram: @lotussojourns and @souloftravelpodcast
To read a complete transcript, see full show notes, and access resources and links mentioned in this episode, head to https://www.lotussojourns.com/podcast-episodes/episode121.Credits. Christine Winebrenner Irick (Host, creator, editor). Elyse Mailhot (Guest). Original music by Clark Adams. Editing, production, and content writing by Carly Oduardo.


Support the show

“Women around the world want a solution to navigate safer or to know that they have trustworthy contact wherever they're going. And to me, that drove me. It still drives me.” - Vanessa Karel
In this episode, Christine hosts a soulful conversation with Vanessa Karel, CEO and Founder of Greet Her, a travel startup that helps women travel safer. Vanessa is a serial entrepreneur, storyteller, and creative producer and was recently named one of the 100 Rising Latinx Startup Founders to Watch. Vanessa is also currently leading Girls in Tech San Francisco as their managing director. In 2020, she finally realized what had been lacking throughout her solo journeys while traveling alone, being stranded in Morocco in the middle of the pandemic, which led her to found Greet Her. In our conversation, Vanessa shares her draw to entrepreneurship, her travels, and her passion for bringing more girls and women into tech.
Christine and Vanessa discuss:
Entrepreneurship and resilienceBuilding a business from idea to executionNavigating safely as a solo woman traveler Utilizing technology inclusively and globallyCreating opportunities for women worldwideBreaking down barriers for women to enter techImproving accessibility for global travelersMentorship and community in entrepreneurshipJoin Christine now for this soulful conversation with Vanessa Karel.
LOVE these soulful conversations? We rely on listener support to produce our podcast! Make a difference by making a donation to Lotus Sojourns on PayPal.  
Are you a Soul of Travel subscriber? Click here to subscribe to Apple Podcasts, so you don’t miss the latest episodes!
Listener reviews help expand our reach and help us rise up the ranks! Rate and review your favorite episodes on Apple Podcasts or your preferred podcast app.
🌎​​​​​​​​
To learn more about Greet Her, visit the website at https://www.greether.com/.
Connect with Vanessa on LinkedIn.
Follow Greet Her on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook! 


Looking for ways to be a part of the Lotus Sojourns community? Learn more here!
Find Lotus Sojourns on Facebook, or join the Lotus Sojourns Collective, our FB community for like-hearted women.
Follow us on Instagram: @lotussojourns and @souloftravelpodcast
To read a complete transcript, see full show notes, and access resources and links mentioned in this episode, head to https://www.lotussojourns.com/podcast-episodes/episode120.Credits. Christine Winebrenner Irick (Host, creator, editor). Vanessa Karel (Guest). Original music by Clark Adams. Editing, production, and content writing by Carly Oduardo.


Support the show

“The main point of transformational travel, transformational education, is to help people, to guide them, to facilitate them, to get from where they are to where they want to be. ” ​​​​​​~ Ivana Damnjanović
In this episode, Christine hosts a soulful conversation with Ivana Damnjanović, who is an educator, scientist, and writer working in the transformational travel space. Ivana is an Associate Professor at Singidunum University in Serbia. She focuses her professional interests on sustainable tourism, specifically in protected areas, as well as community wellbeing, amplifying the regenerative and transformational potential of tourist experiences through storytelling, wellness through recreation and adventure, and nature-based tourism.
Christine and Ivana discuss:
The language of transformational travelHow we share transformational travel experiencesWays to bring students and industry professionals into the conversation of transformational travelThe role of education in creating a positive ripple effect How both travel and education are most rewarding as co-created experiences Passport equity and other barriers keeping folks from physical and academic equityJoin Christine now for this soulful conversation with Ivana Damnjanović.
LOVE these soulful conversations? We rely on listener support to produce our podcast! Make a difference by making a donation to Lotus Sojourns on PayPal.  
Are you a Soul of Travel subscriber? Click here to subscribe to Apple Podcasts, so you don’t miss the latest episodes!
Listener reviews help expand our reach and help us rise up the ranks! Rate and review your favorite episodes on Apple Podcasts or your preferred podcast app.
🌎​​​​​​​​
To learn more about The Transformational Travel Council, visit the website at https://www.transformational.travel/.
Connect with Ivana on LinkedIn.
Follow Ivana on Instagram or Facebook! 
Looking for ways to be a part of the Lotus Sojourns community? Learn more here!
Find Lotus Sojourns on Facebook, or join the Lotus Sojourns Collective, our FB community for like-hearted women.
Follow us on Instagram: @lotussojourns and @souloftravelpodcast
To read a complete transcript, see full show notes, and access resources and links mentioned in this episode, head to https://www.lotussojourns.com/podcast-episodes/episode119.Credits. Christine Winebrenner Irick (Host, creator, editor). Ivana Damnjanović (Guest). Original music by Clark Adams. Editing, production, and content writing by Carly Oduardo.
Support the show

“I think one of the major things that has always been the turning point was finding other, like-minded women who were there to help, to support and to build that supportive community that helped me reach this point where I am now today.” ​​​​​​~ Aneeqa Ali
In this episode, Christine hosts a soulful conversation with Aneeqa Ali, Founder and CEO of The Mad Hatters, an experiential travel company for adventure-seekers to journey into some of the less explored areas of Pakistan. She also created Root Network, an organization that strives to create an equitable and inclusive tourism industry in Pakistan. The Root Network sponsors the Women in Tourism Fellowship in Pakistan, supporting recent graduates of travel and hospitality in reaching their goals within the tourism sector.
Aneeqa shares the obstacles women face in Pakistan, both from her perspective as a traveler and a business owner in a male-dominated industry and patriarchal society. 
Christine and Aneeqa discuss:
How travelers can inform themselves to break down misconceptions about placesStarting a travel business as a woman entrepreneurBuilding community connections to promote trustSharing about the places we loveBringing local voices into the travel conversation to limit the adverse effects of tourismWomen in the tourism industry of PakistanHelping travelers prepare for backpack and adventure travel destinationsJoin Christine now for this soulful conversation with Aneeqa Ali.
LOVE these soulful conversations? We rely on listener support to produce our podcast! Make a difference by making a donation to Lotus Sojourns on PayPal.  
Are you a Soul of Travel subscriber? Click here to subscribe to Apple Podcasts, so you don’t miss the latest episodes!
Listener reviews help expand our reach and help us rise up the ranks! Rate and review your favorite episodes on Apple Podcasts or your preferred podcast app.
🌎​​​​​​​​
To learn more about The Mad Hatters Pakistan, visit the website at https://themadhatters.pk/.
To support and learn more about The Root Network, visit https://www.rootnetwork.org/. 
Connect with Aneeqa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-mad-hatters/
Follow Aneeqa on Instagram or Facebook! 
Looking for ways to be a part of the Lotus Sojourns community? Learn more here!
Find Lotus Sojourns on Facebook, or join the Lotus Sojourns Collective, our FB community for like-hearted women.
Follow us on Instagram: @lotussojourns and @souloftravelpodcast
To read a complete transcript, see full show notes, and access resources and links mentioned in this episode, head to https://www.lotussojourns.com/podcast-episodes/episode118.
Credits. Christine Winebrenner Irick (Host, creator, editor). Aneeqa Ali (Guest). Original music by Clark Adams. Editing, production, and content writing by Carly Oduardo.
Support the show

“My work has changed everything I think I know about life… it's really allowed me to figure out who I am as a person and what my values are, but also to allow things that I haven't known before to influence what I am going to be going forward.” ​​​​​​~ Shivya Nath
Christine’s guest this week is Shivya Nath, bestselling author and founder of Climate Conscious Travel. Shivya creates stories at the intersection of travel, the environment, and local communities on her blog and in publications like BBC Travel, The Washington Post, and Lonely Planet. She also launched the digital storytelling platform Voices of Rural India. At age 23, Shivya quit her nine-to-five corporate job with a dream of traveling the world and gave up her home, sold most of her belongings, and began living the digital nomad life. Shivya is a storyteller, writer, photographer, digital nomad, Instagrammer, social entrepreneur, solo traveler, vegan, and environmentalist. But in her heart, she's just a girl who believes in the transformational power of travel. 
In this week’s episode, Christine and Shivya discuss:
Climate awareness and what it means to travel for past, present, and futureThe human connection to storytellingTaking a moment to be present and celebrate our efforts as entrepreneursHow to bring values of slow, sustainable, and regenerative travel into your travel experiencesTraveling while practicing a vegan lifestyleCreating content consciouslyUtilizing social media to create impact with your storytellingJoin Christine now for this soulful conversation with Shivya Nath.
LOVE these soulful conversations? We rely on listener support to produce our podcast! Make a difference by making a donation to Lotus Sojourns on PayPal.  
Are you a Soul of Travel subscriber? Click here to subscribe to Apple Podcasts, so you don’t miss the latest episodes!
Listener reviews help expand our reach and help us rise up the ranks! Rate and review your favorite episodes on Apple Podcasts or your preferred podcast app.
🌎​​​​​​​​
To learn more about Climate Conscious Travel, visit the website at  https://www.climateconscioustravel.com/. Connect with Shivya on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Facebook! Read Shivya’s blog here.
Looking for ways to be a part of the Lotus Sojourns community? Learn more here!
Find Lotus Sojourns on Facebook, or join the Lotus Sojourns Collective, our FB community for like-hearted women.
Follow us on Instagram: @lotussojourns and @souloftravelpodcast
To read a complete transcript, see full show notes, and access resources and links mentioned in this episode, head to https://www.lotussojourns.com/podcast-episodes/episode117.Credits. Christine Winebrenner Irick (Host, creator, editor). Shivya Nath (Guest). Original music by Clark Adams. Editing, production, and content writing by Carly Oduardo.


Support the show

“Through building the community, connecting those leaders and having a place where they're learning from each other and growing together…it helps to spread the ripples further.” ​​​​​​~ Catherine Gallagher
In this episode, Christine hosts a soulful conversation with Catherine Gallagher, UK-based travel business coach, social entrepreneur, and mastermind facilitator and co-founder of Women Travel Leaders. After spending the first decade of her career in recruitment and talent development, she followed her dreams and set up her own travel business, which she led for the next decade. She loved arranging ethical experiential travel for high-end clients, but she felt lost in the wilderness of entrepreneurship. She wished there was an industry-specific trusted community that she could call upon for support, and now she's excited to be helping shape just this kind of community with Women Travel Leaders. Catherine passionately believes in the transformational effects that travel can bring and is committed to supporting leaders that share this belief.
Christine and Catherine discuss:
The importance of community, especially for women in businessHow entrepreneurship and business creation are a type of creative expressionExperiencing community in travel with Women Travel LeadersHow community can reinforce your valuesHow to align travel experiences with personal transformationCreating work in alignment with your valuesDesigning and encouraging transformational experiences through travelBringing children into the travel experienceJoin Christine now for this soulful conversation with Catherine Gallagher.
LOVE these soulful conversations? We rely on listener support to produce our podcast! Make a difference by making a donation to Lotus Sojourns on PayPal.  
Are you a Soul of Travel subscriber? Click here to subscribe to Apple Podcasts so you don’t miss the latest episodes!
Listener reviews help expand our reach and help us rise up the ranks! Rate and review your favorite episodes on Apple Podcasts or your preferred podcast app.
🌎​​​​​​​​
To learn more about Women Travel Leaders or to become a member, visit the website.
Connect with Catherine on LinkedIn, and follow Women Travel Leaders on Instagram or Facebook.
Looking for ways to be a part of the Lotus Sojourns community? Learn more here!
Find Lotus Sojourns on Facebook, or join the Lotus Sojourns Collective, our FB community for like-hearted women.
Follow us on Instagram: @lotussojourns and @souloftravelpodcast
To read a complete transcript, see full show notes, and access resources and links mentioned in this episode, head to https://www.lotussojourns.com/podcast-episodes/episode116.Credits. Christine Winebrenner Irick (Host, creator, editor). Catherine Gallagher (Guest). Original music by Clark Adams. Editing, production, and content writing by Carly Oduardo.
Support the show