Episode 204 - Christine Winebrenner Irick, Gratitude in 2024
In this episode of Soul of Travel, Season 6: Women's Wisdom + Mindful Travel, presented by @journeywoman_original, Christine shares a soulful solo conversation in gratitude of the Soul of Travel colleagues, friends, and supporters.
First, we acknowledge that American Thanksgiving is also recognized as a Day of Mourning, and that the day many of us in the US have grown up celebrating is a one-sided telling of history that doesn’t recognize the indigenous voice or experience. Christine shares, “Growing up with a large family that lived near one another, It was always a time for us to connect. We also lived on a reservation in Montana, so that adds to my own personal struggle to understand and define what this means to me and others.”
We invite you to look for other resources, and recommend reading the article Understanding Thanksgiving from Our Side of the Table, published on FirstNations.org.
Adventure Travel Trade Association
The largest global network of adventure travel leaders. Unlocking the potential of outdoor and active travel to change the world.
One of the first organizations she became involved in after entering the tourism industry years ago was the Adventure Travel Trade Association. “They were having conversations around sustainability, conservation, impact, and purpose,” shares Christine. She remains grateful for the continued connections and support from this incredible community.
When she ran a women’s coffee event at the Adventure Travel Trade Summit in Panama this year, Christine gathered some of the women of ATTA to speak to the challenges in adventure travel for women, some of the ways that we can continue to support one another, and larger-scale initiatives that women might gather together to support in the industry.
Listen to the episodes…
Transformational Travel Council
The TTC is a school, consultancy, and community catalyzing travel to improve lives, businesses, and communities.
At the beginning of 2020, Christine was getting ready to launch her women’s transformational travel company, searching for another organization speaking about travel as a tool for growth. She found the TTC. Christine counts these conversations with the founders, heralds, and leaders in the TTC as foundational for her work at Soul of Travel and Lotus Sojourns.
Listen to the episodes…
wmnsWORK
The tourism industry's award-winning business accelerator program for early-stage women/non-binary entrepreneurs.
A graduate of the award-winning business accelerator program (read the blog post here!), Christine shares immense gratitude for founder Iris Serbanescu and her colleagues, Christine’s cohort of travel professionals, and her continued connections through wmnsWORK.
Listen to the episodes…
RISE Travel Institute
RISE is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with a mission to create a more just and equitable world through travel education.
Christine has loved supporting RISE Founder Vincie Ho and their team over the years, and is thrilled to share that she is now serving a more formal capacity as a board member!
To donate to RISE Travel Institute and support their mission to create a more just and equitable world through travel education, visit RISE on the web.
Learn more about the Flagship Program and Certificate in Sustainability & Anti-Oppression in Travel.
Listen to the episodes…
Meet our Podcast Amplification Allies!
Carolyn Ray and JourneyWoman
JourneyWoman is the world's largest and most trusted travel resource for women over 50. Since Christine’s initial interview with CEO Carolyn Ray, Carolyn has looked for ways to bring more listeners to the podcast and grow its impact.
Congratulations to JourneyWoman on your continued success and new programs!
Listen to Christine’s interview with Carolyn Ray here.
ConVerGente
Carly Oduardo of ConVerGente is leading the charge to support travel businesses and creators in building, growing, and maintaining their brand’s complete web presence, from website building to hosting and content marketing (including blog posts, podcasts, email campaigns, and more).
Learn about ConVerGente and inquire here for more information.
More thanks to…
Vincie Ho of RISE Travel Institute
Mollie Busby of Arctic Hive
Sahara Rose De Vore of The Travel Coach Network
Vanessa Karel of GreetHer
JoAnna Haugen of Rooted
“I always have more love to share, but I hope this gets you in the spirit of giving and gratitude as you move towards the end of this year and move into the next.
I hope we can all find our own ways to create a moment of positivity and shine a little light.”
Soul of Travel Episode 204 At a Glance
In this conversation, Christine shares gratitude for:
The Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA)
The Transformational Travel Council (TTC)
Vincie Ho & RISE Travel Institute
Jennine Cohen, Catherine Gallagher & Women Travel Leaders
Sahara Rose De Vore & The Travel Coach Network
Joanna Haugen & Rooted Storytelling
And our podcast Amplification Allies:
Join Christine now for this soulful solo show.
LOVE these soulful conversations? We rely on listener support to produce our podcast! Make a difference by making a donation via Buy Me a Coffee.
Related UN Sustainable Development Goals
Sustainable Development Goal #5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.
Resources & Links Mentioned in the Episode
Understanding Thanksgiving from Our Side of the Table, FirstNations.org
About the Soul Of Travel Podcast
Soul of Travel honors the passion and dedication of people making a positive impact in the tourism industry. In each episode, you’ll hear the stories of women who are industry professionals, seasoned travelers, and community leaders. Our expert guests represent social impact organizations, adventure-based community organizations, travel photography and videography, and entrepreneurs who know that travel is an opportunity for personal awareness and a vehicle for global change.
Join us to become a more educated and intentional traveler as you learn about new destinations, sustainable and regenerative travel, and community-based tourism. Industry professionals and those curious about a career in travel will also find value and purpose in our conversations.
We are thought leaders, action-takers, and heart-centered change-makers who inspire and create community. Join host Christine Winebrenner Irick for these soulful conversations with our global community of travelers exploring the heart, the mind, and the globe.
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Credits. Christine Winebrenner Irick (Host, creator, editor). GUEST NAME (Guest). Original music by Clark Adams. Editing, production, and content writing by Carly Oduardo.
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.
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Become a supporter of Soul of Travel!
Join the 2024 Soulful Book Sojourn
Lotus Sojourns offers transformational travel experiences for women, as well as being a hub for a global community of women. We offer a virtual book club, the Soulful Book Sojourn, to inspire travel, create cultural awareness, and offer personal growth experiences from the comfort of your home (or wherever you may be lucky enough to be in 2024!). In this year-long journey, we will read a new book every other month, which will offer you the opportunity to have many of the same types of experiences you would have on a Sojourn and create a space for personal awareness and transformation. Learn more about the Soulful Book Sojourn here.
Like any personal practice, the Book Sojourn curates the opportunity for you to reconnect with yourself, with others, and with your dreams.
This online book club for women provides the opportunity to read books written by inspiring and empowering women, specially selected to create this impactful and soulful journey.
Join the Soulful Book Sojourn!
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 2022’s winners, visit bessieawards.org.
Soul of Travel Episode 204 Transcript
Women’s travel, transformational travel, sustainable travel, women leaders in travel, social entrepreneurship
Hey listeners, it's Christine. Since it's Thanksgiving week here in the U. S., I'm here with a special solo episode to share a bit of gratitude with you. Before we begin, I want to take a moment to acknowledge that the American Thanksgiving is also recognized as a day of mourning, and the celebration many of us have grown up with is a one sided telling of history that doesn't recognize the Indigenous experience.
It is something that I wrestle with as for me it was a very special gathering with my family and a very important part of my childhood and continues to be today. Growing up with a large family that lived near one another, It was always a time for us to connect. We also lived on a reservation in Montana, so that adds to my own personal struggle to understand and define what this means to me and others.
I am by no means an expert, so I encourage you to look for other resources, such as FirstNations. org for more information. I'll link their article, Understanding Thanksgiving from our side of the table, in the show notes for your reference. They also include several other recommended resources. In this episode, I want to focus on gratitude.
This month, I began sharing some of the responses I've received from guests when I asked them the last question in our Rapid Fire series, which gives them the space to recognize one woman they want to acknowledge and celebrate on their own episode of the podcast. This started as a way to just grow and expand our impact, bring other women into the conversation, and Find new women to connect with to interview for the podcast and really celebrate all of the women who are part of this industry that I might not yet know about.
However, this month, as I started creating reels and sharing these clips of these comments, I've really loved the energy around this celebration. It's been so fun to see the excitement and the surprise of the women being recognized by one of their friends and colleagues and peers, to see their communities rally behind them and comment on the posts, share them, and then to have these people who I've not met yet reach out to me and share their gratitude for being recognized on the podcast.
It's been really beautiful and is a That's exactly why this podcast needs to exist. So if you haven't seen those reels, I hope you take a little time to head to Instagram or LinkedIn and hear my Soul of Travel guests recognizing the women who have been an important part of their careers and their personal journeys.
I'd also like to extend thanks to communities that have been an important part of my career and my growth and education. They provide connection and resources and support and shape me professionally and personally as a traveler. One of the first organizations I became involved in after entering the tourism industry over 20 years ago was the Adventure Travel Trade Association.
It was a place I immediately felt at home, and one where I heard other people talking about travel the way I wanted to talk about travel. They were having conversations around sustainability and conservation, impact and purpose. Today, I have many career long friendships that continue to be built upon at these events.
When I'm there. And I met with smiles and hugs and support. I wonder how this can even be my work. Returning recently from the adventure travel world summit in Panama, I am reminded what a special community ATTA is and how important it has been in supporting my career and connecting me with like minded people around the world.
I was also honored to be able to lead. A women's coffee at this event and gather some of the women of ATTA and talk about some of the issues in adventure travel for women. Some of the ways that we can continue to support one another, as well as larger initiatives that women might gather together to support in the industry.
It's just the tip of the iceberg for that conversation and I can't wait to dig deeper. To hear from some of my friends and colleagues in the ATTA, please check out a few of the season one conversations I had with Gabby Stoll and Rob Holmes. And then conversations with Casey Anisko, Kathy Dragan, Malia Asbor, Juliana Medina, and Brianne Kiefner.
These are just a few of the wonderful humans I've been connected with via the ATTA. Next up, I want to Transformational Travel Council. This was another organization where I immediately felt at home. Just before the pandemic, I was getting ready to launch Lotus Sojourns, my mindful adventure travel company for women.
And at the time I really wanted to call it a transformational travel company, but everyone I talked to was confused by the term, wasn't sure what I meant, and it got me wondering how I could really convey the transformational power of travel to my guests and other people. In that search I came across the Transformational Travel Council.
I joined their designer program and became a part of another beautiful community. I've interviewed both Jake Halpert and Michael Bennett, the co founders of TTC, here on the podcast, so I'd encourage you to check out their conversations, as well as conversations I've had with other team members, media heralds, and community members, including conversations with Ivana Demyanovic and Sonia Cruz Oro, Fernanda Villasis, Elyse Mailhot, Elyses Pampanado.
I'm Maria Baltazzi. It's been wonderful to see this community grow, come together, evolve, and continue to create a positive impact in the travel industry. An organization I know you've heard me talk about a lot is Women's Work. They're a podcast ally and a tremendous resource for women and non binary early stage entrepreneurs.
And founder Iris Czerbanescu is both an incredible friend and valuable colleague. I learned so much from her and the women who are a part of this community. I'm excited to see the success of the award winning business accelerator and And my fellow alum of the program. I'd love for you to check out my blog post that talks a bit more about the program and we'll connect you with other interviews I've done with past alum, including founder Iris Cerbanescu, Tara Bush, Bethany Betzler.
Kristen Gardner, and most recently, Julissa Whitley, just to name a few. I recently joined the board of RISE Travel Institute, and I am looking forward to the ways I can expand my impact in the industry while serving this organization that is so closely aligned to my heart. I have loved supporting Vincey Ho and the RISE team throughout the years, and I am honored to do it now in a more formal capacity.
As we near the end of the year, I hope you'll consider making a donation to RISE and supporting their mission to create a more just and equitable world through travel education. You can also join their flagship program and receive a certificate in sustainability and anti oppression in travel. With a long career in tourism and a master's in sustainable destination management, this has been a program that challenged me and offered me the most valuable education of any I've participated in this far.
If you want to hear more about RISE, you can check out my conversation with founder, Vincy Ho and board vice president, Amanda Kendall. I am so grateful to my podcast allies who help to broaden our community and expand the reach of these soulful conversation. These allies are Women's Work, Women Travel Leaders, and the Travel Coach Network.
I've interviewed all of their founders, and you can find more about them, as well as links to my conversations with Iris Cerbinescu, Janine Cohen, and Catherine Gallagher, as well as Sahara Rose DeVore, in a blog post talking about these partnerships, and I'll be sure to link it in the show notes. I also want to give gratitude to Carolyn Ray and Journeywoman for bringing the podcast into their family and supporting me in elevating the voices of women in the tourism industry.
Journeywoman is the world's largest and most trusted travel resource for women over 50. And since our interview, Carolyn has looked for ways to bring more listeners to the podcast and grow the impact. I also want to celebrate her launches of the Women's Speakers Bureau and continued growth of the Women's Travel Directory.
Both showing her commitment and supporting women in the industry. While I'm giving thanks, I'd like to take time to recognize my dear friend and podcast producer, Carly Eduardo, CEO of Convergente. She and her husband started their own business this year, and I have loved seeing the evolution of their company.
She is also my beautiful writer who creates each of the episode blogs that you'll want to be sure to go back and read for each guest. I also know she has a bit of room on her schedule right now, so if you are a travel brand who wants content support, are starting your own podcast, or are looking to build a custom website, I have loved working with her and her husband and I'm happy to make that connection.
There are a few more people who are on my heart who are also past These include friend and colleague Vincy Ho at Rise Travel Institute. I know I just shared a bit about their organization, but this year I've really gotten to spend a lot of time traveling with her, learning more about her own story, as well as become more involved with Rise.
There are just some really special people that we have the chance to cross paths with and learn from, as well as partner with in uniting our visions. And I just want to recognize what a special part of my journey she's been. My friend and yoga instructor Molly Busby, who I've also interviewed here on the podcast, is someone who's been a really important part of my journey.
I've learned so much from her in terms of yoga, but also in business and in life. Molly and her husband built Arctic Hive in Alaska, which was where I host my Arctic Sojourn, which is a beautiful, beautiful gathering 63 miles north of the Arctic Circle and the most beautiful space to host a transformational gathering because the awe and wonder and connection to nature, as well as the beautiful space for yoga and the nourishing food and space and energy that Molly provides are so perfect for that type of experience.
I'm also looking I'm studying again with her this year and I'm really excited for that part of my journey. I also want to celebrate Sahara Rose DeVore, who showed up recently on my 200 episode celebration and continues to show up for me throughout my podcast journey. She's the founder of Travel Coach Network, who I mentioned is a podcast ally, and she's always there to support me and the podcast and my business.
As well as the business of so many other women in the industry. I really appreciate you sharing your perspectives, your innovations, and connections. And that time and effort and energy doesn't go unnoticed. I also want to thank Vanessa Carroll, who's the founder of GreetHer. She and I have had time for a lot of conversations over the year, , and I have loved the give and take of supporting each other in our businesses.
Lastly, I want to recognize Joanna Haugen. If you're not familiar with her and you're on LinkedIn and you're in travel, be sure you're following her because she is someone who challenges the way I think about travel all of the time, and I deeply value her wisdom. There are so many more, but I just want to call attention to each of you right now for how you are showing up in my life.
Okay, we're nearing the end of this gratitude episode. But I just want to take one more moment to thank the incredible women who have been a part of my soulful book sojourn this year and in years past. This is a beautiful gift of a community that came out of the pandemic and continues to grow and heal together.
We have read so many powerful books by female
These women show up for themselves and each other and have given me a space to grow as a teacher and community leader, and I have learned so much from each of them. I'm deeply grateful. I always have more love to share, but I hope this gets you in the spirit of giving and gratitude as you move towards the end of this year and move into the next.
I hope we can all find our own ways to create a moment of positivity and shine a little light. I look forward to sharing more soulful conversations with you soon. Until then, enjoy your journey.
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.