Wisdom & Wanderlust: Travel Tales & Life Lessons Explorer X

In this episode of the Wisdom & Wanderlust Podcast, Michael and Robyn talk with Hannah Gresser, a soulful, audacious and compassionate traveler. Hannah was struck with wanderlust at the age of 15 during her first international travel experience in Brazil with her father. Since then, she has dedicated her life to transformation and helping people evolve and become the best versions of themselves through plant medicine and most recently, breathwork.
Hannah shares how her lifelong battle with anxiety and depression led her to plant medicine, which then helped her discover the power of breathwork for her healing. She walks us through some simple tricks to calm the mind and body in a few short seconds. She also discusses her new home in Hawaii and the wisdom she is learning from the indigenous cultures there.
 
"With breath and with creating these really short mini practices, that’s actually creating a more sustainable longer term change like domino effect than these huge breakthrough meditations that go on for a week. Those are great and I have so much fun and I have profound insights that come from them, but it’s the daily practice of breath and the daily practice of yoga and movement that really sinks in to a whole other level of being and embodying." - Hannah Gresser [05:56]
 
"I realized that breath can do exactly the same thing that all of these medicines can do, but almost… I don’t need to go and reach for anything. All I have to do is *takes a deep breath* and that’s the medicine." - Hannah Gresser [15:53]
 
"Breath is always available and always possible." - Hannah Gresser [20:13]
 
"I just want to tell everybody and share this simplicity of what I’ve learned: that it can go as simple or as complex as you like. And at least at this point in my journey, simplicity is what’s been the most helpful." - Hannah Gresser [23:41]
 
"The Hawaiian culture is deep. This culture is so deep and it’s so rich. And being here even just for the two months that I’ve been here, it’s taking me on this wild journey of realizing how much myth relates to the life." - Hannah Gresser [44:50]
 
What You Will Learn:
[00:01] Intro
[03:16] How to make it too small to fail
[08:37] Meeting Hannah Gresser
[09:46] Her different adventures and journeys before Hawaii
[13:17] Where her interest in plant medicine came from
[16:50] How breathwork superseded plant medicine to her
[21:35] If there was a breathing technique she had a master
[23:56] The simplest expression of breathing
[32:39] Five qualities or breath
[35:16] How to remember to breath
[40:37] Correlating different personality types with different types of breath
[41:55] Resources to learn more about these practices
[43:38] Where to contact Hannah Gresser
[47:32] How she’s changed her outlook about plant medicine
[52:14] What is Holotropic Breathwork
[55:27] Outro
 
Resources:
Hannah Gresser’s website
Email Hannah Gresser
Master John Douglas
Wim Hof
Journey to the Heart: Daily Meditations on the Path to Freeing Your Soul by Melody Beattie
Science of Breath: A Practical Guide by Rudolph Ballentine and Swami Rama
Himalayan Institute
Optimize.me
Breathing on Optimize.met
Grof Transpersonal Training’s Holotropic Breathwork

In this episode of the Wisdom & Wanderlust Podcast, Michael and Robyn talk with Lena Papadopoulos, an award-winning intercultural educator, facilitator, speaker, life transformation coach and aspiring astrologist. Lena’s approach is a unique alchemy of her educational and professional background in sociology, psychology, cultural anthropology, international education, experiential learning and leadership development. Using intercultural learning as a catalyst for self-discovery, she works with her clients to help them break free from cultural conditioning so they can reconnect with themselves, embody their unique potential and make a positive impact in the world.
Lena discusses the intersection of intercultural education and life coaching and how the two complement one another. She talks about Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions and whether people can change from introverted and individualistic tendencies to extroverted and collective tendencies over the course of a lifetime and places lived. She also talks about the differences between our life, soul and right now purposes and how to find these for ourselves.
 
"All the change that we want to see in the world and in bringing people together and in bridging cultural divides and differences and whatever, it all starts with the self." - Lena Papadopoulos [10:03]
 
"So many people use difference as this way to reinforce division or some kind of divide, but it’s such an amazing learning opportunity, right? The most innovative things are created when very different types of people come together because they bring different perspectives." - Lena Papadopoulos [16:43]
 
"I think that our core life purpose, our true truest purpose, is to return to the truth of who we are." - Lena Papadopoulos [40:49]
 
"Why does that matter to me? Because I was always the weird Greek girl. I was always sort of like I don’t belong here in this place. I don’t make sense here. This place doesn’t make sense to me, and also stuff with my family and things that I experienced at school. Like all these things made me feel othered, made me feel not wanted somehow or too much in some way or not enough in some way, right? So of course, yeah, I want other people to not feel that." - Lena Papadopoulos [43:58]
 
What You Will Learn:
[00:01] Intro
[02:33] Lena’s life in Oaxaca, Mexico
[05:33] Her favorite and least favorite place to live
[08:17] Where she got her start as an intercultural educator
[11:58] Her definition of culture
[13:56] How culture influences how we see the world
[17:10] If she focuses on similarities and differences while she travels
[19:09] How she prepares for the destination
[22:05] Where she got her spontaneity trait
[24:43] Things she does that helps her connect with people and culture
[28:15] How adaptable are people to certain elements of culture
[33:14] What is Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions
[35:08] How people can learn more about cultural assessment with Lena
[37:49] Shifting to other realms
[41:57] Difference between life and soul purpose
[44:45] What gets in the way
[47:59] Where to contact Lena Papadopoulos
[49:01] Rapid fire questions
[51:48] Outro
 
Resources:
Lena Papadopoulos’ website
Lena Papadopoulos on Instagram
Lena Papadopoulos on LinkedIn
Lena Papadopoulos on Explorer X
Intercultural Intensive with Lena
World Travel: An Irreverent Guide by Anthony Bourdain and Laurie Woolever
Cultural Awareness as a Critical Component of Travel with Lena
Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions

In this episode of the Wisdom & Wanderlust Podcast, Michael and Robyn talk with Mel Miles, a coach, writer and a chief soul officer at Soulcation Coaching and Retreats. Her mission is to give stressed out, overworked professionals the space and information to rewrite their own story and find the freedom they’ve always wanted.
Mel talks about what it took for her to make the transition out of the corporate world into  entrepreneurship and the lessons she gained from a year-long trip around the world. She also discusses how to lean into rest and play as keys to success. Listen as she shares how to build a life you don’t need a vacation from.
Warning: Explicit content
 
"I just want to speak to anyone who’s listening to this who feels stressed out, overwhelmed, burned out particularly in the time of COVID, that those feelings are so valid." - Mel Miles [11:25]
 
"No one ever taught me how to actually feel my feelings and that it was safe to be in sadness and grief and pain, which I know are five core emotions that we as humans have to experience." - Mel Miles [13:38]
 
"I always say when the pain is bad enough that you are finally willing to take action to choose yourself." - Mel Miles [15:55]
 
"When you’re actually going through a season of transformation, how you change your life is not through picking your next job and going all in to kill it. How you do it is lots of iterations and lots of experiments, and it’s the people who are willing to try on different identities, whether it’d be in their work life or their lifestyle, are the ones that can finally land in what’s true to them." - Mel Miles [24:49]
 
"I do believe that people with privilege are ambassadors to support the freedom of others." - Mel Miles [37:01]
 
What You Will Learn:
[00:01] Intro
[01:45] Why Playa del Carmen
[05:28] Melody to Mel
[10:59] The catalyst for what she’s doing now
[15:47] Why she took a year to travel
[18:15] What freedom means to her and Michael
[22:50] A profound moment that changed her life
[26:48] Why she remembers the next yellow arrow
[28:55] The parable of businessman and the fisherman
[31:19] The top five regrets of the dying
[36:24] If freedom is a choice & what prevents people from that choice
[46:27] Some mindsets to adopt while traveling and bring home
[49:39] Mel’s business, Soulcation
[51:50] Rapid fire questions
[56:42] Outro
 
Resources:
Mel Miles’ website
Soulcation Podcast
Mel Miles on Instagram
Mel Miles on LinkedIn
My Ayahuasca Death and Rebirth
Mel’s 7-Step SOULFUL Framework
Free masterclass: Five Shifts to Heal Emotional Overwhelm & Burnout
The Soulcation Planner
This Book Will Make You Dangerous: The Irreverent Guide For Men Who Refuse to Settle by Tripp Lanier
The Camino de Santiago
Small Group Journey: Walking the Camino de Santiago
The Top Five Regrets of the Dying by Bronnie Ware
The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life by David Brooks
The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron
[Travel Better] Lessons from a Lifetime of Travel with Don Mankin (Part 1) (Part 2)

In this episode of the Wisdom & Wanderlust Podcast, Michael and Robyn talk with their colleague and partner Ursula Kordis of Slovenia. Ursula lives in Slovenia and designs adventures for guests visiting the country. She talks about why Slovenia’s central location within Europe makes it such a unique place and how Slovenia gained its reputation as one of the greenest countries in the world. Listen as she shares what you can expect when you visit this country on your next trip.
 
"Everybody is saying, ‘Take advantage of your kids when they’re little, because they grow too fast,’ and they really grow too fast." - Ursula Kordis [09:02]
 
"70% of Slovenia is covered with forests, so we want to preserve this." - Ursula Kordis [29:17]
 
"I think it’s really important that you slow down. And I have to pace myself that I don’t put too much in your itinerary because we want to show you everything. But you also need to breathe and digest everything." - Ursula Kordis [40:09]
 
"Just be yourself and dare to do things you think are right without harming anyone." - Ursula Kordis [52:27]
 
What You Will Learn:
[00:01] Intro
[02:41] Ursula’s life during the pandemic & how she thinks things will change post-pandemic
[11:22] Meet Ursula Kordis
[13:00] How she got into the travel industry & what inspired her sense of wanderlust
[19:09] One of her meaningful travel experience & what she learned about herself
[23:50] What she loves most about her work
[24:11] Slovenia and where it’s been in the past 30-40 years
[28:54] What is going on in Slovenia today outside of the pandemic
[31:50] Where the passion for conservation and sustainability come from
[37:56] What kind of experiences can people have in Slovenia in a two week trip
[43:03] Her favorite time of year in Slovenia
[44:43] Where she sees Slovenia in 15-20 years
[48:44] Rapid fire questions
[53:39] Outro
 
Resources:
The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who've Lived the Longest by Dan Buettner
Explorer X’s Small Group Journeys
Explorer X’s Adult Study Abroad
Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent by Eduardo Galeano
Slovenia on Explorer X

In this episode of the Wisdom & Wanderlust Podcast, Jake Haupert joins Robyn in the conversation with Gordon Hempton, also known as the Sound Tracker. Gordon is an acoustic ecologist who has circled the globe three times over the span of 35 years.
Gordon talks about how he turned listening into a career and his inspiration behind creating quiet parks around the world. He also discusses the importance and benefits of getting out of your comfort zone in a place like the Amazon and how he takes people on sound journeys through the Amazon Awakenings trip.
 
"So in the listening to nature’s music or own music, it lets us know that listening is actually a performance." - Gordon Hempton [35:53]
 
"But in the quiet, because quiet is healthy, you can feel yourself heal, become healthier in that quiet." - Gordon Hempton [38:17]
 
"This is really heartening because we all have a right to quiet. Quiet is no longer a luxury. Quiet, just like health, literacy, food, is something which we need to achieve our birthright of being who we are. Basic human rights." - Gordon Hempton [40:45]
 
"Not only do all roads lead to quiet, but many roads are different lengths." - Gordon Hempton [43:53]
 
"When I let go of control and let it happen, then it was this aha moment in my life that I realized that was the problem. In my personal life and in my business life is I was working under the assumption, the myth, that if I want anything to happen, I have make it happen, but in the Amazon, I understood that no, what you do is you let things happen and that allows you to observe what is really happening and then you move with it.” - Gordon Hempton [53:52]
 
What You Will Learn:
[00:01] Intro
[03:43] Meet Gordon Hempton
[07:44] How he got into acoustic ecology
[11:42] Spending time in church with Jake
[14:02] A story about swimming at night
[17:54] Behind the name “The Sound Tracker”
[24:12] How he differentiates sound vs noise
[31:13] Ways to truly listen day to day
[33:58] What is a sound portrait
[37:08] How we can protect these quiet places
[43:45] What Gordon means by all roads mean to quiet
[45:38] What makes the Zabalo region special to Gordon
[53:15] One real transformative moment in his life
[56:32] What he’s learned through challenging experiences
[1:03:11] One piece of advice to Gordon’s 20 year old self
[1:07:28] Outro
 
Resources:
Gordon Hempton’s website
Quiet Planet’s website
Gordon Hempton on LinkedIn
Afar article: The God of Silence Speaks Up
Quiet Parks International
Amazon Awakenings: Exploring Ecuador with Gordon Hempton

In this episode of the Wisdom & Wanderlust Podcast, Michael and Robyn talk with David Alport, a certified personal and professional development coach who helps his clients navigate through life’s transitions and live with more intention. Before he became a coach, David spent more than 20 years in the travel industry and founded Out & About, a company that provided guidance for LGBTQ travelers through print and digital media.
David talks about a trip to India that changed his life and how he approaches travel. He also talks about the similarities between the Burning Man festival and a refugee camp in Kenya. He shares why he goes back to certain destinations more than once and what it means to travel and live with intention. 
 
"The real magic of travel is how it changes your perspective." - David Alport [47:54]
 
What You Will Learn:
[00:01] Intro
[02:44] Working with a coach
[05:02] David’s strengths as a coach
[08:16] Meet David Alport
[10:02] What it’s like coaching during the pandemic
[15:59] How his focus has shifted and where he wants to go after the pandemic
[20:58] Where David’s sense of wanderlust comes from
[21:08] His first international travel experience and some favorite travel experiences
[24:14] David’s experiences traveling to India
[33:57] What he’s learned exploring the human condition
[35:28] The emotional overlap between the refugee camps in Kenya and Burning Man
[41:42] Why he chooses to revisit places
[44:51] The perspective circle exercise
[48:08] How to bring intentional mindset to traveling
[54:34] Three key tools/hacks for traveling with intention
[1:02:15] Why David doesn’t have friends who don’t like to travel
[1:07:54] Rapid fire questions
[1:19:58] Where to contact David
[1:21:02] Outro
 
Resources:
 
David Alport’s website
David Alport on Twitter
David Alport on LinkedIn
David Alport on Facebook
The Transformational Travel Council
Burning Man
FilmAid
Kakuma refugee camp
The Dadaab refugee complex
The perspective circle exercise
The Overstory by Richard Powers