THE WANDERLUSTERS MIND PODCAST

Abby Lewtas 9/10/18 Abby Lewtas 9/10/18

Understanding identity after travelling the world with Jema Patterson.

Jema spent 8 years as a full-time international travel writer. This year - 2018 - she's experimenting with part-time travel life and having a home base. She spends her time writing about transformational travel at Half the Clothes dot com and co-hosting a podcast about how to be a content creator without losing your mind or selling your soul. She blames all her failures AND all her successes on being struck by lightning at the age of 18.

Travelling for 8 years continually teaches Jema about patience, letting go and forming her identity.

About Jema

Jema spent 8 years as a full-time international travel writer. This year - 2018 - she's experimenting with part-time travel life and having a home base.

She spends her time writing about transformational travel at halftheclothes.com and co-hosting a podcast about how to be a content creator without losing your mind or selling your soul.

She blames all her failures AND all her successes on being struck by lightning at the age of 18.

“I wish that I would have been more willing at the time to ask for help.”

— Jema Patterson

When coming home...

Emotions Jema faced - Joyful as well as jarring.
What changed for Jema - Had a different perspective on things like ‘how big the roads were,’ ‘What she could and couldn’t find in the grocery story,’ ‘driving on the other side of the road.’ Having an identity shift.
- Jema explains the Theory of identity development
  - Identity Diffusion - have not created an identity.
  - Identity Foreclosure - absorb the culture around you and you.
  - Identity Moratorium - unsure of what is really happening.
  - Identity Achievement - coming to terms with who you are.
How Jema supported herself - Accept and realise that her identity has changed. Journaling on some questions that spring to mind. Ask your friends to help you. Have faith. Trying to find podcasts or videos or structures to support you.
- Ted Talk - How to quit your life and reboot.
- Ted Talk - How to find your life purpose in 5 minutes.
How Jema used her mindset - More patience with herself, more willing to change expectations. Learning to let go.
3 Lessons learned from travel and reverse culture shock

Having patience.
The perspective shift.
Travel has taught Jema to rest.

Advise to herself for returning home - Its ok to ask for help. Being humble and worthy of the support around and people willing to help her.

“I love the perspective shift that comes with travel, I don’t know if I’m ever going to settle down.”

— Jema Patterson

Links

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Abby Lewtas 2/10/18 Abby Lewtas 2/10/18

Life changing education in the Solomon Islands with Mellita Jones

Mellita is a lecturer in Science Education. Her involvement in overseas teaching and learning experiences began in 2010 when she led a small group of six pre-service teachers on a 4-week teaching practicum in the Solomon Islands.

Ten years later the program, which runs for the month of November every year, has grown to 20 pre-service teachers, three university staff members and two schools in Solomon Islands. It is a program close to Mellita's heart, and her work in the space has led to a number of other international engagements including writing the teacher education program fro the Pacific Region through UNESCO, working in Fiji and Kiribati with students and teachers, and recently, an appointment as the coordinator for international community engagement at her university.

Mellita took a trip to the Solomon Islands for a teacher education program where she met Esther who completely transformed her life.

About Mellita

Ten years later the program, which runs for the month of November every year, has grown to 20 pre-service teachers, three university staff members and two schools in Solomon Islands. It is a program close to Mellita's heart, and her work in the space has led to a number of other international engagements including writing the teacher education program for the Pacific Region through UNESCO, working in Fiji and Kiribati with students and teachers, and recently, an appointment as the coordinator for international community engagement at her university.

Mellita is in the process of starting up a Foundation - the Esther Education Foundation - which will be a charity to raise money to support the education of women and girls in Solomon Islands. As the name suggests, meeting Esther, hearing her story and sharing her journey has inspired the creation of this foundation.

“You realise how quickly we judge things by exetrnal types of appearances and yet how often that can just be so miss placed, those judgments.”

— Mellita Jones

When coming home...

Emotions Mellita faced - Feelings of guilt, sadness and despair - how do you help people in poverty. This became an important part of her life.
What changed for Mellita - Having a different perspective on a place and judging a society based on first experience which can be so miss placed. Changed the ways she lived, dietary changes and changes within her family. She changed her family gift giving at Christmas and instead one member of each family shares the story of the charity they selected and why they chose it.
How Mellita used her mindset - She changed personally and professionally and now teaches and shares the stories she has learned in her lectures. She ensures not to preach to other people and understands her students are on their own journey. She has become an activist for education, gender issues, climate change and human rights.
3 Lessons learned from travel and reverse culture shock

The world outside of our own home is an incredibly rich one so take any opportunity to experience and be open to the learnings.
Look at things without judgement and if you do have judgement look to see if there is another way to look at it.
Be kind.

Message for others after returning home - Be kind, reflect on your own life and be equitable and fair.

“Try to be kind and live in a way that refelects kindness to everybody.”

— Mellita Jones

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Abby Lewtas 25/9/18 Abby Lewtas 25/9/18

The 'third space.' Growing up in Germany to a life in Australia with Kati Craythorn

From teenage years on, Kati has wanted to explore Australia but never quite envisaged getting "stuck" here. Kati grew up behind the Berlin Wal, in East Berlin. Travel always had a bit of an exotic allure to Kati and she has now lived almost half her life in Australia, and sometimes she wonders whether her "extended period abroad" will ever come to an end.

Travel became a reality for Kati after growing up behind the Berlin Wall. She has spent time in South Africa for her PHD but now resides in Australia.

About Kati

From teenage years, Kati wanted to explore Australia but never quite envisaged getting "stuck" here. Kati grew up behind the Berlin Wall, in East Berlin. Travel always had a bit of an exotic allure to Kati. She now has lived almost half her life in Australia, and sometimes she wonders whether her "extended period abroad" will ever come to an end.

Whilst still German at heart, Australia has changed her in so many ways that now find parts of the German psyche and mentality alien. Kati loves going back to see her family but admits that sometimes pretends not to be German because it makes life easier. When her family comes out to Australia, she is always struck by what they find curious and remark upon - things she doesn’t notice or take for granted.

“People smile because they genuinely want to smile.”

— Kati Craythorn

When coming home...

Emotions Kati faced - Life has gone on back home and Kati faces conflicting emotions like a deep sense of being home whilst also feeling isolated.
What changed for Kati - Going home felt like going back to normal life. Now, after 18 years she founds very integrated here in Australia. Family and friends change and she finds she is re-building relationships.
How Kati used her mindset - Working on letting go of judgment and letting go of what you see on the surface.
3 Lessons learned from travel and reverse culture shock

You are stronger than you think.
The importance of smile.
How important her family is.

Advise to herself for returning home - Just let go!

“Just let go and go with the flow.”

— Kati Craythorn

Fostering resilience, gratitude and independence during travels with Rowena Mabbott.

Rowena is a Life Coach and writer and was bitten by the travel bug early with her first round-the-world trip at age eleven. Since then she has travelled to attend school in the US, lived and worked in the UK, travelled through Europe and Africa. Rowena loves planning family travel and is now committed to ensuring her two boys are also bitten by the travel bug.

Rowena stepped out of her comfort zone and begun to form her independence. She now helps others through difficult transitions.

About Rowena

As a 16-year-old, Rowena attended school in the midwest of the US over Thanksgiving & Christmas. Then, as an 18-year old she worked as a housemistress in an English boarding school for 12 months on a GAP year, travelling through the UK and Europe on weekends and during the school holidays.

Both experiences tested Rowena's resilience and broadened her view of the world putting her out of her comfort zone and living with people she either barely knew or who were complete strangers. That alone was an adjustment. Rowena also became much more aware of how fortunate and grateful she was to live where she does

“Travelling is really different and it’s amazing but its also quite a good reminder about how fortunate we are that we don’t have to have that experience of living in one space and not know anything about anywhere else.”

— Rowena Mabbott

When coming home...

Emotions Rowena faced - She felt lonely and alone with no friends. She felt like she didn't fit in anywhere. She felt uncomfortable and a sense of longing to head back to the UK.
What changed for Rowena - Willing to meet other people (and her how people) and put your self out there. Being friendly and opening conversations.
Biggest stress - No money and being a complete dependant with no job to return to. Fostering new and old friendships back home.
How Rowena used her mindset - Used mantras like "you can do this." and "it's not so bad." Knowing that she was stronger than she thought she was because of her travelling experiences. Feeling grateful for her family and living in Australia.
3 Lessons learned from travel and reverse culture shock

You never know someone else's story and not to judge people based on your own assumptions.
Change is a constant but we can choose how we approach it.
Travelling is the best way to learn about yourself.

Advise to herself for returning home - Don't stress out, it will all work out. Give yourself time, find your people and it will all fall into place.

“Everybody has got a story and unless you take the time to say hello and greet them, you might not know it.”

— Rowena Mabbott

The one thing to do if you feel in a funk.

There are many things you can do if your struggling with the transitions, that in itself can be overwhelming. But undeniably the most important area of focus is your mindset. You must go to work on levelling up your mindset To create a conscious awareness around your thoughts and start to take control and own what you are thinking about so, if need be you can start to change it.

What do you do if you're feeling stuck, lost or feeling in a funk after your travels.

“Change the way you look at things and the way you look at things change”

— Wayne Dyer

What do you do?

How do you level up your mindset, Change your state and create new beliefs for yourself?

If you are constantly feeling sad, upset, confused, lost or frustrated with certain areas of your life, it is worth looking at what your thoughts are creating around those areas and begin making changes. There are many ways you can start to tap into your mind and create new behaviours and patterns. Ultimately you need to get yourself into alignment.

4 practices to get into alignment

Meditation / Mind awareness
Visualisation
Conscious creation and showing up as you want to be (taking inspired action)
Movement

Final Thoughts

If you are feeling in a funk after returning home from travel or any other challenging situation, start by looking at your mindset. Ask yourself these questions...

What thoughts am I thinking that are making me feel this way?
How do I want to feel?
How can I change my state, at this very moment, to make me feel the way I want to, what can I do that will make me feel joy?

Consciously start to take control and reprogram your mind to a place that serves you better so you can start feeling in alignment.

Live on Facebook - The Wanderlusters Mind

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Abby Lewtas 4/9/18 Abby Lewtas 4/9/18

Finding adventure and adrenaline in the extreme with Kirsten Alexis.

Kirsten Alexis is an outdoor adventure and travel enthusiast who strives to explore the world and document her travels through content creation and media. She is the Founder of This Adventure Life, an online adventure community that strives to inspire people to get out and live their dreams. She is an avid traveler, high-altitude hiker, skydiver, paddleboarder and photographer.

Fuelled by travel, adventure and adrenaline, Kirsten now lives 'This Adventure Life' and inspires others to do the same.

About Kirsten

Kirsten has been travelling extensively since she graduated from UCLA back in 2010. She spent months travelling to different locations and then returned back for a moment to regroup before stepping out onto her next journey. Some of her travels have been months, some weeks, but she has been travelling the world for the past eight years.

“You get to the summit and you see how far you came, from your starting point. Its such a metaphor for life.”

— Kirsten Alexis

When coming home...

Emotions and changes Kirsten faced - Changes for herself in that she is more confident and will challenge herself, even more, she feels accomplished. Life is too short to not follow your passions and dreams. Say yes.
Biggest stress - Her finances and how to can I make more money so that I can have these experiences. Not knowing what to do outside of travel and adventure. Changes that she was faced with when coming home such as rising rent, increasing traffic and different quality of life.
How Kirsten used her mindset - Stay focused on your goals at the moment, if you don't you will stray from them. Keep putting on foot in front of the other. Stay positive and learn from your experiences.
3 Lessons learned from travel and reverse culture shock

I am able to do whatever I set my mind to. Confidence and level up my mindset.
The world is a better place than we all think. Its full of opportunities and amazing people.
There is a lot more to life than just to pay bills and exist. The more people travel and adventure the more they realise this. You might not have as much (in material things) but you will have the experiences and the memories.

Advise to her 16-year-old self to - Follow your dream life, its ok to be you, its ok to have different dreams and goals to other people, its ok to live your athentic life even if others don't agree with yourself. Trust yourself and follow your heart. Happiness does take some work, beleie in yourself, beleive in your adventure and beleive in your purpose.