014: Travel Writing and Self-Compassion When Grieving with Jennifer Zollo

Welcome to the sixth episode of Season 2! This season is all about memoirs.

In this episode of The Nature Of Authors, Chrissy interviews Jennifer Zollo, author of When Grief Gets a Passport: Lessons Learned About Grief & Healing Through Solo Female Travel. Chrissy starts with an icebreaker game related to nature and travel and then asks one question related to writing.

Jennifer's memoir, When Grief Gets a Passport, is about when Jennifer, just 19 years old,  was tasked with caring for her grandmother in her final days of battling lung cancer. Six days after her grandmother's passing, she would be left dealing with the aftermath of a murder-suicide that took the life of her only remaining family member, leaving a young woman alone in the world.

When Grief Gets a Passport tells the tale of how solo female travel allowed Jennifer to heal from a traumatic event that most people cannot even imagine. From accidentally needing to navigate down an ice-covered mountain in a car without the four-wheel drive to having a breakdown while simply painting a wall, there are lessons to be learned in all aspects of life. Follow along as Jennifer learns lessons about grief, healing, and strength as she collects passport stamps on a quest to rediscover the woman she always dreamed of being.

Throughout the episode, Jennifer and Chrissy talk about the five stages of grief, how to overcome challenges that grief brings, the writing process, advice on becoming a best-selling author, overcoming knowing when to stop writing, and the greater purpose in her writing.

Then they talk about what she gets out of solo travel and her top tips, and the mindset around traveling and trips, and Jennifer's top travel place: the Galápagos Islands, and her community, the Solo Female Travel Club.  Near the end, Jennifer reads one of her favorite paragraphs. Be sure to check out Dear When Grief Gets a Passport and connect with Jennifer Zollo.

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Until next time, keep reading, writing, spending time in nature, and dreaming up new worlds, my friend.