Episode 93- Season 3 In Review with Christine
Christine Winebrenner Irick, Host of Soul of Travel reflects on season 3 and some unexpected topics the came up with many of the guests.
She also announces the launch for Season 4! Thank you for your continued support of these soulful conversations. We look forward to sharing them again soon.
Christine is not only the host of this podcast, but regular listeners also know she’s the owner of Lotus Sojourns, where Christine designs and guides mindful adventures for women in the US and around the globe.
She launched this podcast to create a community that celebrates the ways that travel can create a positive change in the world. Christine wanted us to be thinking about why we should be fighting for the return of travel. When in that moment, it seemed to many of us like it might never return.
Throughout this season, Christine has found out that this podcast has become a very important part of her personal and professional journey. And she will be ever grateful for this experience and the time and the space she’s been given to connect with women she admires from around the world.
Christine being able to share her story and this experience has helped her to solidify the value in someone sharing their own story. And that there's a way we share ourselves in deep and meaningful conversations that is so different than in quick conversations.
She loved getting to know so much about each of her guests, and really loved sharing that with each her listeners.
As Christine wraps up season three, she looks back on her favorite parts from this season and talks about how far we've come in this community. From the beginning of this season, fall 2021, when we were all still very much in the midst of a global pandemic to the women she has spoken to that have been a constant source of inspiration as she sees the work they are doing to create change in countries all over the world.
And that source of inspiration is what keeps Christine moving forward. Speaking with women from all over the world has been really fun to see the podcast spreading around the globe.
As Christine heads into Season 4, she’s daring to dream even bigger. She cannot wait to share the stories of the women who join her for these conversations and watch this global community grow.
In this episode, Christine recaps:
How the theme for season 3 and the interviews made a huge impact not just on this community but globally
What listeners learned from some of the amazing guests on season 3 who shared their stories
How travel has changed her guests and how that has inspired them to create a change in the world
How to support and contribute to the Soul Of Travel Podcast
The launch of season 4!
Resources & Links Mentioned in the Episode
Get feature that in our 100th Episode celebration!!!
If you value this content, I'd love to hear about it! You can leave a review on Apple Podcast or send a video or audio comment to my email connect@Lotussojourns.com. I'd really love to hear what you love about the podcast!
You can also show your support by making a financial contribution, either monthly or making a one time donation that will be put towards the professional production of this podcast.
LOVE these conversations...support the production of this podcast by making a donation here!
Join me for my Women’s Wilderness and Yoga Retreat in Alaska in March 2023!
We’ll be traveling 63 miles north of the Arctic Circle to stay at Arctic Hive, owned by my friend Mollie Busby and her husband Sean. This boutique property nestled in the Brooks Range is way off the beaten path and also off grid. We’ll stay in beautiful cabins built by hand by our hosts, practice yoga in their yoga dome lovingly referred to as The Hive, with gorgeous views of the surrounding nature.
We’ll explore the wilderness by snowshoe and dog sled, connect with members of the local community to learn about living in this remote environment, enjoy daily yoga practice and vegan meals all while keeping our eye out for the beautiful northern lights that like to show off their magic this time of year.
I only have 6 spaces for this unique adventure and a few are already taken. Hop over to the Lotus Sojourns website to book yours today.
Please share this experience with anyone you know would love this restorative adventure.
Want to learn more, you can listen to my Soul of Travel conversation, episode 67 with Mollie Busby
Visit www.lotussojourns.com/journeys to join this unique travel experience today.
To watch this interview on YouTube HERE.
Learn more about Lotus Sojourns
Looking for ways to be a part of the 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 or @souloftravelpodcast
LOVE these conversations...support the production of this podcast by making a donation here!
Support the show (https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=Y76XFGFWCMEV8)
WE WON A BESSIE AWARD! The Bessie Awards recognize the achievements of women and gender-diverse people making an impact in the travel industry. To view the complete list of this year’s winners, visit bessieawards.org.
About the Soul Of Travel Podcast
Soul of Travel honors the passion and dedication of the people making a positive impact in tourism. In each episode, you’ll hear the story of women who are industry professionals and seasoned travelers and community leaders who know travel is more than a vacation. It is an opportunity for personal awareness and it is a vehicle for change. We are thought leaders, action takers, and heart-centered change makers.
The guests work in all sectors of the tourism industry. You'll hear from adventure-based community organizations, social impact businesses, travel photographers and videographers, tourism boards and destination marketing organizations, and transformational travel experts. They all honor the idea that travel is more than a vacation and focus on sustainable travel, eco-travel, community-based tourism, and intentional travel.
These conversations are meant to educate, inspire and create community. They are directed to new travelers and seasoned travelers, as well as industry professionals and those who are curious about a career in travel.
If you want to learn about new destinations, types of travel, or how to be more intentional or live life on purpose, join Christine Winebrenner Irick for soulful conversations with her community of fellow travelers exploring the heart, the mind, and the globe. These conversations highlight what tourism really means for the world.
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Credits. Christine Winebrenner Irick (Host, creator, editor.) Original music by Clark Adams. Editing and production by Rayna Booth.
Transcript
KEYWORDS
women, podcast, travel, lotus, conversations, community, stories, love, create, share, change makers, guests, episode, journey, celebrates, soul, successes, global, season, place
Christine Winebrenner Irick 00:08
Thank you for joining me for soulful conversations with my community of fellow travelers, exploring the heart, the mind and the globe. These conversations highlight what travel really means for the world. Soul of Travel honors the passion and dedication of the people making a positive impact in tourism. Each week, I'll be speaking to women who are tourism professionals, world travelers and leaders in their communities will explore how travel has changed them and how that has rippled out and inspired them to change the world. These conversations are as much about travel as they are about passion, and living life with purpose, chasing dreams, building businesses, and having the desire to make the world a better place. This is a community of people who no travel is more than a vacation. It is an opportunity for personal awareness, and it is a vehicle for change. We are thought leaders, action takers, and heart centered change makers I'm Christine Winebrenner Irick. And this is the Soul of Travel.
Hello, listeners. Welcome to the soul of travel podcast. As you know by now, I'm your host, Christine Winebrenner Irick. And I'm not only the host of this podcast, but regular listeners also know I'm the owner of Lotus Sojourns, where I design and guide mindful adventures for women in the US and around the globe. Or at least that is what I set out to do. That has been a bit of a slow start given I launched my business in 2019, and had my one year anniversary just days before the world shut its doors due to the global COVID 19 pandemic. And that's really why I launched this podcast to create a community that celebrates the ways that travel can create a positive change in the world. I wanted us to be thinking about why we should be fighting for the return of travel. When in that moment, it seemed too many of us like it might never return. And then, much to my surprise, I have found out that this podcast has become a very important part of my personal and professional journey.
And I will be ever grateful for this experience and the time and the space I've been given to connect with women I admire from around the world. If you've had the opportunity to listen to the last two pod swap episodes, then you've gotten to know a little bit more about me. I've loved being a guest on those shows and being able to share my story. And it's been a little bit different. For me to be able to share my story, this experience helped me to solidify the value in someone sharing their own story. And that there's a way we share ourselves in deep and meaningful conversations that is so different than in quick conversations, and the common elevator pitches that you see in business.
I love getting to know so much about each of my guests, and really love sharing that with each of you. So if you haven't listened to the pod swaps, maybe it's because you weren't sure what a pod swap actually is, then I hope you'll download those episodes to enjoy while you're waiting for season four. As we're wrapping up season three, this is always my favorite part to look back and see how far we've come in this community.
The beginning of this season last fall, we were all still very much in the midst of a global pandemic, the energy shift. And really the availability of all of my guests has changed a lot over the years, the women I have spoken to have been a constant source of inspiration as I see the work they are doing to create change in countries all over the world. And it keeps me moving forward as well. Speaking of all over the world, it's been really fun to see the podcast spreading around the globe. So I'd like to take a moment to share that last year I was able to speak to women in 12 countries. I'm so grateful for the way that zoom and other digital conference technologies have allowed this podcast to amplify the voices of women from all over the world. And I'm also so thankful that many of my guests have joined me in the early hours of the morning and late into the evening, just so that their story and journey could be shared here on this podcast. So thank you so much for those of you who took that time to be with me. Solo travel has really become a global space for honoring the work of change makers in the tourism industry.
Over the life of the show, our listeners have come from almost 1000 cities in 75 countries around the world. So I love seeing places that are listening all around the world. I found myself on the top of podcast charts for a moment in the US, which was really exciting. As well as in Guatemala and Romania. It's so incredible to think about the people who are finding the show and resonating with the stories of my guests. When I imagine women listening to the podcast in Nigeria, Pakistan, Iran, Bolivia, Egypt, Sri Lanka, and Morocco just to name a few of the places. I'm so excited to envision the possibilities for connection that is transcending language and cultural barriers. I love thinking about women connecting to the stories, and how that might change what they think is possible in their lives. This is bigger than anything I dare to dream when I set out to create this podcast. As I head into season four, I'm daring to dream even bigger. And I cannot wait to share the stories of the women who join me for these conversations, and watch our global community grow.
I want Seoul to become a place where we can not only be moved and inspired by these stories, but a place where we begin to see the role we play in creating change. A place where we find role models and mentors, and begin to understand the possibility we have to achieve our own dreams and learn how we can lift others along the way. I love how these longer and more soulful conversations really allow for us to see these women we look up to in a new light, we don't just see the end of their journey, the part that we often see that celebrates their successes, we hear about all of the things that they had to try first, the things that might not have worked, the things that sent them off on another path. When we hear all these parts of the stories, these women become fully human. And this allows us to see ourselves in their story. It shows us a way we can dream bigger, and know that we can set out to create change and become the brightest versions of ourselves.
We can also see that we have permission to grow and evolve. I think we can also find that our success isn't measured by achieving a certain status or a role. It is something we define personally, and that we get to redefine over time. I think this really creates a lot of freedom and seeing this in the stories of the women that we really look up to. Speaking of successes, Soul of travel was honored this year by the wonderful community and I received the Bessie award, the wonderful award for going above and beyond to support, empower and represent women over the past year. For those of you that might not know, Wanderful is a global lifestyle brand that helps women to travel the world. I really love this community. It's been such a powerful place for me for the last two years. And it means a lot to me because wonderful was created by Beth Santos, who is a woman that I really deeply admire for her support of women in travel. I received this award at the women in travel summit at wit's end Kansas this spring, to be in that room in person, which was really exciting in the first place. surrounded by friends and colleagues, and many of my solo travel guests. It was great to hear them cheering me on as I received this award.
Helping me to be brave enough to step on that stage is definitely a moment that I will really treasure. I feel like it was an award that wasn't just for me though it was for everyone who spoke on this podcast, and for the women in our community. I think that spaces that are created for women to celebrate their vision and strengths and achievements aren't only valuable for the women featured in that space. I think that it really ripples out. I mentioned that I'm shooting for some bigger goals in the next season. To do that. I'm going to need your support. I hope you know by now we're almost 100 conversations into soul travel podcasts. And by the way, you'll want to stay tuned for a special episode 100.
I hope that you know me and that you are all here for this community. And as we grow I'm looking to connect with other amazing women who I should feature on the podcast so if you know of someone Somewhere around the world who is working to create opportunities for women who are in the space of travel, I would love to hear about them.
I'm always looking for unique stories to be able to tell and more women to connect with. I am also looking for aligned brands and organizations who would love to amplify the voices of women in the tourism industry by being a financial supporter of the show. So if you have a connection, please reach out. I've talked a lot over this past year with my colleagues about how we get caught up in creating this professional exterior. So we can be taken seriously. And we build this facade that seems so shiny on the outside, that everyone else, what we're really telling them is that we've got it covered, we don't need your help, we don't need your support. But what I really want to do is pull back the curtain and let you know that I am dedicated to the show and telling the stories. I want to be vulnerable and honest and share that I really will need financial support to keep moving.
So if you as an individual listener value this content, I'd love to hear about it, you can leave me a review, or right now you can even send a video or audio comment to my email, which is connected@Lotussojourns.com. And I might even feature that in our 100th Episode celebration. But I'd really just love to hear what you love about the podcast.
You can also show your support by making a financial contribution, either monthly or making a one time donation that will be put towards the professional production of this podcast. You can find the PayPal link in the show notes for this episode and each other episode.
Another way that you can support is share with your friends. Growing the audience really helps me to have the impact that I hope to have learning more about travel but learning more about themselves. I cannot wait to bring you season four. I've already started recording a few of the conversations. And I know that I'm a bit biased, but they are so good. I'm already learning more from these powerful conversations, and I know that you will too.
So I guess this feels like a wrap to this wrap up episode. I look forward to continuing to share this journey with you. See you soon with new episodes that we'll be kicking off in September. That's it for now. I hope until then you'll enjoy your journey.
Christine Winebrenner Irick 14:02
Thank you for listening to the Soul of Travel. I hope you enjoyed the journey. If you love this conversation, I encourage you to subscribe, rate the podcast and share the episodes that inspire you with others. I am so proud of the way these conversations are bringing together people from around the world. If this sounds like your community, welcome.
I am so happy you are here. You can find all the ways you can be a part of the Soul of Travel and Lotus Sojourns Community at www.Lotussojourns.com. Here you can learn more about the Soul of Travel and my guests.
You can see details about the transformational sojourns. I guide women, as well as my book Sojourn which offers an opportunity to explore your heart mind in the world through the pages of books specially selected to create any journey. I'm all about community and would love to connect.
You can find me on Facebook at Lotus Sojourns on Facebook, or join the Lotus Sojourns Collective, our FB community, or follow me on Instagram either @lotussojourns or @souloftravelpodcast. Stay up to date by joining the Lotus Sojourns mailing list. I look forward to getting to know you and hopefully hearing your story.