This is the hardest, yet also possibly the most important episode I’ve published to date.
Together with Ginger Kern from The Traveler’s Mindset and Nathaniel Boyle from Holocene, we explore solo travel as a tool for personal growth and healing, by sharing my own personal story on the heels of my divorce.
Through a number of hard questions and deep topics, and based around a piece I wrote recently: 5 Beautiful Lessons I Learned From Making the Hardest Decision of My Life, we discuss the unparalleled power of change, transformation, and strength that comes with traveling solo.
Meet Ginger and Nathaniel
Ginger Kern is a coach, TEDx speaker, a Fulbright alumna, and the Curator of Global Shapers’ Boulder Hub.
After working in Europe for over three years and traveling to 25 countries around the world by the age of 25, Ginger wanted to bring the ‘traveler’s mindset’ back to the United States. She saw that only 38% of Americans have their passport, she has since founded a non-profit called The Passport Project to change that stat.
Through her transformative travel coaching, The Traveler’s Mindset, and speaking at universities and organizations across the U.S., Ginger’s work creates adventurous people who are confident and powerful on the road and in their everyday lives.
Nathaniel Boyle is an explorer and location-independent digital consultant, and frequent-flyer-mile-collector who’s circumnavigated the globe and been chased by dogs in four different countries.
He grew up in Boston, which has always been his home base. He likes craft coffee, beer, weird food, baseball, Calvin & Hobbes, sharing stories and ideas, and trying anything new.
He is the founder of Holocene, a digital publishing brand, a community for the curious and creative, and an agency for influencers within travel. The Holocene community is home to compelling stories, tools, resources, and experiences for those who travel for more than to see or do things but to find transformational experiences beyond their routines.
Episode 63 Show Notes
- My story on Traveling Jackie: 5 Beautiful Lessons I Learned From Making the Hardest Decision of My Life
- Ted Talk by Taiye Selasi: Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From, Ask Where I’m a Local
- Need help getting a passport? Click here
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15 replies on “BMT 63: Find Your Courage Through Solo Travel: Jackie’s Story”
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Thank you so much for sharing this! I’m not in a position right now to long-term solo, nor do I know that I want that, but I’ve found it doesn’t much matter how you go about it-travel is just transformative. A huge part of my new travel goals is trying to work through grieving the loss of my brother. I hope you continue to grow through this journey and keep sharing – I know I’m not the only one who’s getting something special out of it.
You are right about that. It doesn’t have to be solo at all, travel is incredibly transformative as long as you can give yourself the push out the door. Thank you so much for your comment, and I am so sorry about your brother, I can only imagine. Hugs to you, and happy travels.
Your strength and voracity for life are inspiring!! <3
Thank you, Jenn 🙂
My heart is doing flips for you, Jackie. This was a touching and insightful conversation. <3
Thank you, Brittany!
I teared up listening to this podcast episode! It was moving, insightful and encouraging. Thank you for sharing it with us!
Thank you for appreciating it, Katie 🙂
Jackie- I am not a “feelings” guy, so I wasn’t sure I was going to enjoy this episode of your podcast. And I’m not sure “enjoy” is the proper word. But it was compelling, and I couldn’t help but be moved by your struggle through this difficult transition. I had just a couple of thoughts that I wanted to share.
First, you have my deepest sympathies that your marriage didn’t work out as you had no doubt dreamed it would. When you have the right two people at the right time in their lives, marriage should empower both people to reach their full potential both individually and as a team. That your marriage didn’t provide that empowerment to you is very sad, and you are courageous in taking the steps to get out of an unhealthy situation. (You’ve been very careful not to get into details, and I am very hopeful it was not a dangerous situation).
Second, you mentioned feelings of shame several times, and I am sure there is some of that. Maybe some embarrassment that you “failed” to make a marriage work. One word you didn’t use, that I think might be worth considering, is grief. I think most of us enter a marriage with a lot of hope for its potential and a lot of dreams of what married life will be like. When those dreams come to an end, it is a big loss. It is losing what you thought your life was going to be like. You have several years of emotional, financial, physical investment into that plan. Having to walk away from all of that is a big loss, and I think it would be natural to grieve over that loss. I think that grieving may be a more positive emotion to put on your pain than shame. Grief is a little familiar to us, and the process of moving through grief to the other side maybe feels more healthy and “normal” than feeling ashamed.
I am not a psychologist, and I don’t play one on TV. But these are just the reactions I had to your podcast, and I felt like I needed to share them with you, on the slim change that maybe they can help you find your next self a little bit sooner. Good luck!
Thank you for your comment and your thoughts. You are right, there is definitely grief that goes along with divorce, but it’s a completely different subject than the purpose of this episode, which is not focused on the hardships of divorce, but on using solo travel as a tool to find courage, transformation, and positive change within oneself. Grief may be a well-known feeling, but so is shame, even if people don’t recognize it, and I don’t think either is going to help anyone find themselves.
Rising strong, daring greatly, practicing gratitude, facing fears, and truly listening to yourself, even if that means sacrifice, these are some of the positive things that I believe will help people find themselves and their personal strength and courage. Again, thank you for sharing and listening, I appreciate the conversation.
Thanks so much for sharing. I enjoy your information and i am inspired. Keep it up. Happy travels.
Thank you so much, Cynthia. Happy travels to you, too!
Amazing Podcast,
Very deep and profound.
Thank you very much for sharing.
I love travelling and sometimes I go by myself on short trips, I feel a bit lonely at times, I though there was something wrong with me, but listening from your podcasts I can see that experienced travellers feel the same too..
What a relief 🙂
I started listening to your show 2 months ago and I think I only have 10 left to finish listening all of them.
I feel very inspired by you, and something back in my mind is now telling me that everything is possible, I only have to get out of my comfort zone, face mi fears and fight to make my dreams of travelling the world come true.
un fuerte abrazo .
Muchas gracias
Juan Carlos
De Colombia
Hola Juan Carlos! Thanks so much for your comment and for listening. You are so right, great things happen while facing fears outside of comfort zones. I encourage you to test the waters. Abrazos desde Argentina 🙂