Driving Through 69 Countries to Find Home
Russ and I just celebrated our 12th anniversary! Our first date was April 13, 2013 - the day our souls reunited in this lifetime. đź’•
It’s fun on these milestones to look back and to imagine what’s to come. I’m sharing my story with Russ for those who haven’t heard it before and some thoughts on where we’re headed. This email is a little longer than usual, but I hope you enjoy!
5-Year Spirit Journey Around the World
Two weeks after we met, I told Russ that I was feeling stuck. I was done with my 18-year career as an advertising exec and had no idea what to do next. We were at a sushi place in NYC, and I almost choked on my salmon avocado roll when Russ responded:
“Why don’t you quit your job, sell your apartment, and travel the world? I know someone who’d go with you.” He’d just closed his NJ construction company and was ready for something new too.
We spent the rest of dinner listing all the places we could go: Mayan ruins in Central America, the highlands of Ethiopia, Tibetan monasteries, elephants in Namibia… It didn’t take long to sink in. This was really happening.
Three months later, we took off in Russ’s 2-door Jeep Wrangler, El Jeepo. We had no plan. No idea that we’d keep driving for 5 years. Through Mexico, into South America, from South Africa to Egypt, Central Europe up to Scandinavia. Along the way, we took flights to the Middle East and Asia. It was not always easy to live with another human in a little Jeep while sleeping in a rooftop tent. But it was truly epic, expansive and lifechanging. Our takeaway after 69 countries was simple:
The world is safe. The world is beautiful. People are good wherever you go.
Check out our 4-minute Spirit Journey video here.
Landing in the Land of Enchantment ~ New Mexico
How do you top that!? The transition between full-time travel and grounded life was a challenge. We’d been glued at the hip 24/7, but we’d never made a home together. I was very ready to start supporting others to break out of whatever was holding them back. I jumped straight into an intensive year-long women’s empowerment life coach training. Russ was feeling lost. And then there was the question of where to live.
Both of us felt like Citizens of the World but we were unsure of our place in it. We decided to heed the call of the mushroom medicine. In our own ceremony by a campfire in Norway at the end of the Spirit Journey, Russ had received a download: “Northern New Mexico!”
We got back in El Jeepo and drove west. We house sat for 8 months until we were called to Taos - very specially to THIS Land and THIS house overlooking sacred Taos Mountain. Exactly five years ago, in April 2020, we moved in.
That kicked off the next phase of our life, which I call Building the Foundation. I dove into more trainings - public speaking, plant medicine, womb awakening, ancestral healing, Family Constellations, etc, etc. Russ literally Built the Foundation - of a garage. And a fence. A multitude of projects to make our off-grid strawbale home in the high desert exponentially tighter, cleaner, more comfortable and beautiful.
We got to know and love the spirit of this Land, its people and our neighbors: the bighorns, tarantulas, redtail hawks, quails, mountain bluebirds. In partnership with these energies, we started offering personal healing retreats four years ago.
Lucky Year 13 ~ New Love Collaboration
Now our 13th year begins. The intuitive we consult calls it our New Love Collaboration! We’re 4 days into it, so not a lot to report yet.
What I will share is that Spirit has been calling both of us to uplevel. I’m deep into a 101-day mantra practice to purify and empower my womb. Russ and I are halfway through a 30-day cleanse. We’re also cleansing our light bodies with quantum healing ceremonies at night.
We’re learning to be comfortable in the not-knowing until the next steps emerge. We’re clear of our intentions to expand our offerings on and with the Land. We want to build accommodation options in the upcoming years so we can host longer 1-2 person retreats and group retreats. I’m excited to follow the guidance and share more as it unfolds!
In the meantime, if you’re interested in learning more about our 3-night personal healing retreats, send me an email. Russ and I would love to share this magical place with you!