Girlfriends, today we're going to talk about one of the things that truly makes me happy - travel. We're going to keep talking about travel because it gives us hope. And Miranda and I want to give you hope today. I want to remind everyone of trail magic and how wanderlust can get us in a position to be ever present in our lives. And the joy of travel brings the excitement of planning. It extends to the experience itself and it lives on in the memories we make. And as we share our experiences with others, we get to experience our travel all over again. And we're going to keep talking about travel because I know we're under COVID, but this too shall pass.

And the fact is the travel and tourism industry supports one in 10 jobs worldwide and generates about 10% of the global GDP, it's through travel that local communities are supported. And when we cross borders, we gain a sense of connection and understanding across cultures. And we need the sense of unity now, more than ever in our world.

So you guys have heard me talk to Miranda Peterson once before, she has joined me here once again. Miranda is the owner and founder of Namaste in Nature. It's a North Carolina based tour company based out of Asheville, and it curates fun and creative and family friendly outdoor adventures for all kinds of guests. They combine yoga and hiking and meditation, and this is all combined with some of the best mountain top views and waterfalls in western North Carolina. So Miranda, thanks for joining me today.

Miranda: [00:02:30] Thanks for having me.

Kelly: [00:02:32] So Miranda, you're a travel bug like I am. Miranda, why do you like to travel?

Miranda: [00:02:37] There's a few different reasons, I guess. It helps me get outside of my comfort zone. The first time I did a really big trip by myself, that was part of the goal, was getting out of my comfort zone and experiencing other cultures, other countries. And, that was when I worked for Whole Foods Market. We had a team member volunteer program. And I actually got to go to Kenya, Africa and volunteer there, and I just met so many amazing people that lived so differently than we do.

And it was the first time it really dawned on me that most people in the world don't live like we do in the U S

Kelly: [00:03:13] So, now, was that a group trip or by yourself, do you prefer to travel in groups or do you, or would you rather travel alone?

Miranda: [00:03:21] Oh man. Well, I've done a lot more solo traveling than in groups, but that particular trip, it was a little bit of both.

So we were from all over the U S and Canada. We had one person from Canada that went on that trip. And so we all traveled by ourselves, but we met there in Nairobi and then we drove out to where we stayed. We worked with a company called Ubuntu and we helped to do some construction and painting and helping to build this cafe that was going to provide jobs for the local community because they grow a lot of coffee in Kenya, but they don't have much of a coffee culture.

So they were trying to develop that there. And there was also a school for handicapped children and they employed the moms, to sew bags and coffee sleeves and things. So, yeah, it was a really interesting trip.

Kelly: [00:04:12] You know, I just, you're talking about all this and man, I miss travel. I really, I mean, you know, the corona virus, the pandemic has brought travel to a near stand still.

And you know, I do think it's changed the way we'll think about exploring in the near future. And you know, I've already gone through grieving about trips that I've had to postpone. But, you know, I do know that they're going to be back on my calendar soon, but until then I do think there's ways that we can channel our travel passions.

And that's one of the reasons why I wanted to talk to you because Miranda is one of the most entrepreneurial women I know. And she quickly adjusted to an online experience community and became a part of the Airbnb Experiences. And so for people who do not know what I'm talking about, Miranda, tell everyone and give us the inside scoop of what you were doing through your health, healing, and happiness at Airbnb experiences. Tell everybody what we're talking about.

Miranda: [00:05:17] Yeah. So like you mentioned the beginning, the yoga hikes was my regular offline experience. I got about 20% of my bookings through Airbnb experiences and I'm the leader for Asheville. So I had some experience with that. And when COVID happened, they immediately shut down all experiences.

And I was really impressed with how quickly they set up the online experience platform. And they invited me to be one of the initial hosts on the online experience platform. So I really had to change the experience a lot. I initially was just trying to translate a yoga hike, which is hiking, going to a waterfall, doing yoga, meditating outside.

It just wasn't possible to bring that online because you don't get a signal out in the mountains. You just can't interact the same way. So I made it a lot more interactive. That was kind of the key to it. I know we're all familiar with Zoom by now, and they didn't want people to just talk at the guests.

They want people to really interact with the guests. So I came up with a retreat concept and online retreat. And I do it five days during the week and each day is a different theme. So I brought in nature through the themes of each day, earth, water, fire, air, and space. And each day we do different techniques for journaling and meditation and mindfulness and yoga.

And it's been really cool because I've had people from all over the world -from Canada, from the U S, from South America, from South Africa, from Qatar, I think even from Australia, from Asia. So it's really cool to, and from Europe and to connect with all these different people around the world that I never would have connected with otherwise.

Kelly: [00:07:06] I love it. I love it. I was looking, I was actually looking at some of the reviews as I was gathering stuff for your bio for this podcast. And I'm like, this is so cool that you have like, somebody from Lithuania who is basically in your living room while you know, we're at the stay at home order.

Miranda is just chitchatting with people in France and Australia and Lithuania and all over. I love that. And you know, I think that. You know, that's another reason why, I think travel is so important because it really is a connector of people and cultures. Don't you think?

Miranda: [00:07:44] Oh, absolutely. Yeah. I, when I did my big sabbatical, I call it in 2015. I quit my corporate job at Whole Foods and packed a backpack and went to India to do my yoga teacher training and then volunteered around Southeast Asia. And it was an experience for sure. I mean, I had to adjust to a lot of different things, but, and, you know, some days were lonely. Some days were challenging.

Some days were stressful, but you know, many more days were just amazing. To meet different people and to see these different places and to have these incredible experiences. And, you know, I appreciate it even more now looking back.

Kelly: [00:08:27] Absolutely. And you engaged in travel, basically. You wanted to create more happiness in your life.

And so you use travel as that first springboard to get unstuck and to basically kind of get outside the box, so to speak. And you know, you know, me, I love talking about happiness and I'm doing a little bit of happiness research, for this podcast. And, Wikipedia defines happiness as "A mental state of well being characterized by positive emotions, ranging from contentment to intense joy.".

So I've been doing my research, and doing, some just background of the philosophy and the science of happiness. And I ran across a study from a Columbia University Professor, Burns Smit, and he's done some really thought provoking research. And he says that for basically two and a half millennia, thinkers, like Confucius, Buddha and Socrates, and Aristotle, they've all been philosophizing about what constitutes happiness and what it means to have a good life. And these views really are very different and they vary widely, you know, some advise a religious life, others advise us to stay away from our religion. Buddha taught that happiness entails wisdom and Aristotle claims that happiness is intrinsically linked to ethical conduct and virtues. And I think if we explore the history of happiness, the idea that happiness is something we should have, or that it's a state that we can achieve really is kind of a relatively new phenomenon. And, you know, I wish we could go back and listen to podcast of like the Greeks and Romans of the ancient times we can take a look at language.

And one of the things I've been reading about is, some, some research from a history professor, professor, Darren McMann, he used the history of language to illustrate this point and he explains that in almost every endo-european language, the word for happiness is a homonym for the word luck.

And only in modern English are there two separate words for happy and lucky. And even the old English root for happiness is Hap, meaning, luck or chance. And so I think it's interesting because if you follow this reasoning, happiness is not something an individual can control. Rather, it's just something that happens to you.

And when I take this and take this into the world of travel, I think about some of the best trail magic happens when you go off that carefully curated agenda. And so I am sure in your travels, you have a story or two in your back pocket to share when things did not go quite as planned.

So that was a big tee up about, you know, basically some of your trail magic, you know, that that's happened along the way.  So let's, let's give us a story or two.

Miranda: [00:11:38] Yeah. Well, the first one that comes to mind is when I was in Thailand, I was in Chiang Mai and I was staying at this kind of eco village. They had little bamboo huts and, these had fans and, it was super cute and I actually wasn't having that great of a day.

I was one of those lonely days and, then I heard an American accent outside and I was like, Oh my God, another person, like from my country, I was so excited. And so I went and met him. And cause when you travel alone, you got to make friends everywhere you go. And we started talking and you'll never guess what his occupation was - he was a backup dancer for Taylor Swift and they were on her world tour going through China and Australia. And he's like, well, instead of flying all the way back home, I'm just gonna hang out here. And then, they had some time off and he's like, then I'm going to continue the tour. So we randomly just like rented motor bikes and drove out into the country, tried to find this waterfall.

We never found it, but it was still super fun anyways. And we were coming back. We heard this music coming from a Buddhist temple. And we pulled over and everyone's really friendly and welcoming us there. Not many of them spoke English, but there were a couple of younger ones that we could communicate with.

And everyone's trying to give us drinks. And even though you're not supposed to drink at temples and we're like, no, we have to drive back. Like we can't drink. And, the, the guy's name was Mason. He ended up having like a dance off with this like old Thai guy. So much fun. Yeah, it was so random. And so we eventually left because the sun was going down and we got a little bit lost on our way back to the city.

But, you know, we got back in one piece and yeah, that was one of the memories that really stands out because I mean, that was not in the plan at all ever!

Kelly: [00:13:30] I love that. I love that. One of my favorite, like off-road, was when I was traveling in Iceland and we had gone from Reykjavik, and we had gone about five hour drive to like the Southern most part of Iceland.

And we arrived at Glacier Lagoon to do some glacier kayaking. That's what was supposed to take place, but there were strong winds and there was danger of the icebergs flipping over on us. And so we had to regroup and we ended up taking a 10 mile hike up onto the glacier itself. We put on those like crampons, like over our or hiking boots and proceeded to walk across the face of the glacier.

And I mean, it was, it was magical. And like the, the glacier lagoon was supposed to be one of like the natural wonders of Iceland. And, you know, I had it all set. Like this was the thing that was the most excited about. And long story short, you know, we literally got up on the glacier and we did so much more and we actually stayed.

That was one of the longest days of the year. And so I think it stayed light until like one o'clock, but we didn't even get off the glacier till like almost midnight. You know, and, and it's the same thing, you know? And I know everybody's having these, these stories and that's, something I think, I've seen like on Facebook and social media, Instagram, as people you have gone through some of the past, you know, there's been a lot of throwback, Thursdays, right.

You know, we're just like scroll through their past, you know, whatever their magnificent view is. And so I just, I just love that. And I love hearing, the stories. So, I do, I do believe, you know, besides just it being off on stories, it is my personal belief that travel can be a positive and transformative power and a force for good, you know, I think as we become global citizens, we have the responsibility to stand up for equality and denounce racism, you know, both at home and abroad.

And I do think that travel embraces all colors and cultures, and it celebrates like the oneness of human kindness, as well as our differences. You know? I mean, like you said, we are different, right?

Miranda: [00:15:44] It's going to go both ways too. It's not just, you know, Americans getting out to experience other cultures.

I have a hilarious story from Germany when I studied abroad there. When I was at college and I was in Hamburg and this was, I think, like 2008 and, Anyways, they had kind of a welcome for all the foreigners who were studying in Germany that quarter. And this guy, this German guy sits down next to me. He's like, "So you're American, right?" And I was like, "Yeah." He's like, "But you're not fat. No? We thought all Americans were fat." I was like, Um, no."

So it was just, it was really funny. It's really funny. Cause you know, like if you know any Germans, they're very like direct and that's just kind of how they are, but it took a little bit of, you know, it takes a little bit getting used to and new cultures and customs and traditions.

But one thing I try to do in every country is I try to learn how to say. Hello, thank you, and please, in that language, don't ask me to do it now.

Kelly: [00:16:45] Follow up test!

Miranda: [00:16:47] I don't remember them all now, but when I was in the country, I knew.

Kelly: [00:16:51] I love it. I had a similar, like again, I traveled, actually traveled to, East Germany. When, when there was an East Germany, I actually spent a summer in communist Russia and East Germany before the Berlin wall fell down. And, you know, as a child, I was "taught" to not say hate, but you know, certainly the communists were bad and you know, we were at war with them and all I can say as an 18 year old, all I saw were the similarities, you know, with these fellow students, you know, they all were interested in blue jeans and music and, actually they didn't have access to chewing gum for whatever reason.

That was always a big thing. We actually brought a lot of chewing gum and gave out chewing gum, wherever we went. But you know, all the conversations that I had even during the time that, you know, the programming was, you know, that the communists were the enemy. But, they were all about... Unity. And they were all about how we weren't deeply divided and I do think that travel unites and I do think that's part of where I think, travel is going to continue to go in this new climate and, you know, I want to bring up something that you promoted on your social media. We Hike to Heal. Can you speak to this? Can you tell people more about it?

Miranda: [00:18:14] Yeah, that was the Outdoor Journal Tour, and they're based out of Atlanta. I believe it's Kenya and Michelle, let me double check their names. on my phone - Put me on the spot why don't ya, Kelly?!

Kelly: [00:18:27] I should have told you before we, these, these podcasts are unscripted!

Miranda: [00:18:33] Yeah, it's Kenya and Michelle. and I, they, they did this We Hike to Heal event. And, they started a few years ago and I think there is it's their fourth year doing it, but yeah, I volunteered, or I led a hike in Asheville and it was just all about coming together in nature. They're very like, they're focused on empowering women to get outdoors and enjoy time in nature.

And encouraging mindfulness with journaling and meditation. So, I mean, it just totally coincided with my values with Namaste in Nature. So I wanted to be involved with that. And then as time goes on, you know, I get busier with my own thing and can't do as much for other things, but yeah, it's, it's awesome.

You should totally follow them on Instagram, the Outdoor Journal Tour.

Kelly: [00:19:18] So what are some of your favorite outdoor places to explore?

Miranda: [00:19:24] Oh, my gosh. I mean, that's why I live here in Asheville is I'm outside as much as possible. And, yeah, pretty much anywhere outside. So it's funny when I, quit my job and had my sabbatical, I felt like I had to see the world and go to these exotic places and, you know, the farther away the better.

But now that I live in Asheville, I'm like, there's so much to explore just here within an hour's drive. There's so many trails. So I went from kind of a macro level to a micro level. And now I want to know all the trails, all the flora, all the fauna. I want to be able to identify anything I see on the trail.

So it all depends on your perspective. So even if we can't travel abroad or, you know, even that much around the country, like with COVID, you can, there's still plenty to explore where he live.

Kelly: [00:20:13] I know, I know I, and you've been to Peru, which is definitely on my bucket list. And I think one of my favorite outdoor again has to be a Patagonia.

But yes, there, we can go far and wide, but you know, I invite everyone not to forget what's in their own backyard. You know, I do think we're going to see like the great American road trip, you know, exploration this summer, don't you. And you know, when it's helped people, you know, if you're in our area, and want to experience a little bit of Namaste in Nature, I have to get a plug in - Girlfriend's Guru and Namaste in Nature are partnering up for a few waterfall experiences. And the next one is on July 31st. So Miranda, tell everybody about sort of what we do on a Namaste in Nature Waterfall Experience.

Miranda: [00:20:58] Yeah. So it's our relaxing waterfall, yoga hike.

And we meet in the parking lot and we hike about a mile and a half to the falls and we do a meditation there. And if you never meditated next to a waterfall, it should be on your bucket list. It's incredible. It's, it's just. I've like the meditation is just on such a higher level when you're like surrounded by nature and the sounds and the negative ions and everything.

And then after we spent some time at the falls, we hiked down to a little secret spot off the trail and do a yoga class outdoors. And again, you know, it kind of elevates the practice, being surrounded with, the fresh air and the sunshine and the birds chirping and all the mountain energy.

Kelly: [00:21:45] It's amazing - we've done it before we're doing a little forest bathing.

And again, Girlfriend's, the next experience is July 31st. So go to GirlfriendsGuru.com, go to my website for more details and make sure you use the promotion code GIRLFRIENDSGURU for discount pricing. And I just want to tell everybody that Namaste in Nature - every yoga hike donates some dollars to plant trees, which offset our carbon emissions and ensures the preservation of our planet is sustainability is, Namaste in Nature is very much a sustainability company.

So I'm excited about partnering and being outdoors and practicing yoga and meditation because you and I both know, it really supports the immune system by lowering your body's level of stress and stress hormones like cortisol. It's, it's amazing. And if you haven't ever tried it, join us, go to my website. Everything's on there. And I was thinking, yeah, going back to some happiness, I said before I was in Patagonia and I remembered in Patagonia, I read Buddha's Brain and that's the practical neuroscience of happiness, love and wisdom. And it's by the author, Rick Hansen. And I read that on my Patagonia trip and I just, you know, I love to share book tips.

So that's what I'm going to put on this podcast to pick it up, Hansen states that by focusing your mind, you can harness the power of attention to enhance your life and your relationships with others. And, you know, that really speaks to me because I don't know why it's so easy for me to be incredibly present when I'm on vacation.

And I just remember feeling. Like everything at once when I was like in Patagonia and gaze up at those glaciers and the Southern most part of the world that I'll probably ever go. But you know, why can't I do that when I'm at my sink watching my dishes, right?

Miranda: [00:23:42] That's inspiring. I have a book too. I actually just read a really great book that's relevant called The Happiness Hypothesis byJonathan Haidt. That's HAIDT. And that was really interesting, really great. He's like a social psychologist. And so it goes a lot into like psychology and culture and everything, but I found that really interesting and relevant to today.

Kelly: [00:24:04] I love it.

And I do think we're all better embracing. I think people realize outside is better than inside. Open is better than closed, fewer people, maybe better than more people. And of course, we're going to all stay away from sick people. But, you know, I respect that everyone is at a widely different comfort level during this time.

And there are a lot of unknowns and, you know, I don't, I don't know myself, but there are. Still so many ways to expand our horizons while we're being at home. You know, we talked about Miranda and you doing your Airbnb experiences, but another way, that people are kind of getting their international travel fix is through food.

And, I know for myself experiencing, experimenting with new spices in the kitchen has definitely been like one of our family favorites during the stay at home order. I have to share, cause you know, Sun Raised Foods. a few weeks ago we ordered online a leg of lamb from Sun Raised Foods and cooked it Mediterranean style.

And then I turned the leftovers the next day into an Indian dish, a tikka masala, and two dishes that I had never attempted before. I didn't have any background in cooking them, but if I can do it. You can do it. And so if you go, I've got to put a plug in for Sun Raised Foods. So if you go to their website, SunRaisedFoods.com, they have all kinds of recipes on how to prepare lamb.

You know, if you want to keep it even simpler, they created these Charcuterie boxes that have two Sun Raised lamb salamis and two cheeses that match the flavors. They have local honey, local jelly and a baguette, and these gourmet boxes were a great date night alternative for my husband and I, and, you know, going back to the, sort of the happiness of reflecting past travel experiences, we got one of these, Charcuterie boxes, and we opened a bottle of wine from a past Napa Valley trip, you know, one of those bottles that we were saving for that quote special occasion, you know, and I was worried it turned rancid, right. Again, a COVID blessing. What are we saving these things for?

You know? But, I just offer up, you know, taking these little moments and. I don't know, Miranda, do you have any COVID kitchen recipes or, you know, you've been to some really global spots in your travels. What's like the most interesting food items you've ever tasted?

Miranda: [00:26:30] Well, one of my favorites was from Indonesia.

It's called Gado Gado, and it's a bunch of veggies and Tempeh and peanut sauce and like, anything tastes good in peanut sauce, right? So that's like a pretty easy thing to whip up and put together - Gado Gado. Another interesting experience was, somebody who did my Airbnb experience, who was actually Indian.

That's always intimidating when somebody is from India and you're teaching them yoga. And he actually grew up doing yoga in India. But he... Not only did he do all five of my sessions. He did three more in addition to that. And he was like, Oh, I'm so grateful. I've been trying to get back into yoga and doing self care for like 10 years.

And I feel like I'm actually going to stick with it this time. And, I'm so grateful. He's like, have you heard of gujarati dhokla? I said, Oh, it sounds familiar, but I don't remember what it is. And he said, well, you know, back in ancient times, a lot of times the students couldn't pay the Guru in money, so they would offer up whatever they could.

And he offered to do an Indian cooking lesson with me. So he actually sent me a box of ingredients in the mail. He lives in Boston and sent that to me. And I got it. And we did like a zoom call and he taught me how to cook a dinner and a dessert. It was really cool.

Kelly: [00:27:47] I love that. See - that's amazing! And we are, we're going to keep talking about travel because travel brings connections and it, I mean these conversations and we already know like travel makes life richer, and we are going to travel again.

And you know, again for now, I, you and I are both taking this pandemic seriously, you know, and I'm heeding travel advisories, and I'm going to continue to act responsible, but you know, when the time is right girlfriend, and I can't wait for that day, I am going to continue. I'm thinking and dreaming of travel plans.

You know, maybe in the meantime, I'll be sipping my wine in my backyard with my Charcuterie box from Sun Raised Foods, but I can't wait what's what's next on your travel bucket list?

Miranda: [00:28:47] Well, I do actually have a couple of trips planned that were planned before COVID happened. So we're hoping we'll still be able to do those cause it's not till later in the year, but I'm supposed to go to Alaska for my cousin's 40th birthday.

So it's kind of a family thing, but I haven't been to Alaska yet and that's definitely been on my bucket list. So super excited about that. Cause to see a cool place, to see some family that I haven't seen in a while. And then after that we're going to Montana. For my grandma's... it's going to be either her hundredth birthday or her funeral. We're not sure yet. So we'll see either way. We'll get to see more family,

Kelly: [00:29:12] What a life man, a hundred. Yeah. I want to live to be a hundred. Are you going to live to be a hundred?

Miranda: [00:29:19] Ah... depends. It depends. She's got pretty bad dementia. So, yeah, I don't know what would be, you know, better if your mind or your body goes first, but it's just, yeah. As you can for as long as you can be.

Kelly: [00:29:33] Absolutely. Keep doing yoga. It'll keep your, your body and your mind.

Miranda: [00:29:37] yeah, like Tao, like she was like 101 Tao Porchon-Lynch.

Kelly: [00:29:41] Okay, Girlfriend. So here we are, you know, we're gonna, we're gonna keep doing these online experiences. We're going to connect outdoors when we can, we're gonna connect digitally when we can.

And, we're all gonna try to keep living in the present moment with awareness and gratitude and operate from a place of love, everything that's going on in today's world. And, you know, Miranda, you know, this was a, was a fun, easy Girlfriend's Guru podcast. And I just want to thank you for joining me today and hopefully we put a, a smile on everybody's face. I appreciate you joining me.

Miranda: [00:30:18] Yeah. Thanks for having me, Kelly.

Kelly: [00:30:21] Always and Girlfriends, you know, I wish I had a crystal ball so that I can start imagining what our new world of travel is going to look like. But if you're as curious as me about what the future holds, I'm going to invite you to make sure you hit the subscribe button and go to Girlfriend's Guru and join my mailing list.

Cause you're not going to want to miss my next guest. I am bringing in an astrologist as my next guest, Joshua Robbins of Astral Above is going to join me for a very fun podcast on astrology. Not only is he going to give us a peek into what the future of summer's going to look like, but we're going to lay out New Moon energy and what the meaning behind each sign is.

So if you've never understood astrology or use New Moon energy as a source for healing, you're not going to want to miss this episode. So until next time, namaste, Girlfriend.

Thank you for listening. I hope today's episode has filled you with love and light. It is always my goal of every podcast to touch your heart and help you transform in some way.

And if you are like me, when you find something you love, the thing you love even more is sharing it with another Girlfriend.

To follow and download this podcast, go to GirlfriendsGuru.com as well as iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you find your favorite podcasts. Join the Girlfriend's Guru Gang by subscribing to my website GirlfriendsGuru.com. You'll automatically receive not only my latest podcast, but free yoga and meditation videos delivered right to your inbox. You can also find me on Facebook, Instagram at @girlfriendsguru.

The light in me sees and honors the light lit within you. Together, let's find our wings and fly! Namaste Girlfriends!