March 11, 2025 • 40 mins
How do faith, wellness, and travel intersect to create a fulfilling life? Dr. Alaine Ainsley, a Maryland-based primary care physician, joins The Random and Wonderful Podcast to share her journey of faith-driven purpose, patient-centered care, and personal growth through travel. Tune in for insights on staying spiritually, physically, and emotionally well—no matter where life takes you.
Getting to know today's guest:
Dr. Alaine Ainsley is a faith-driven primary care physician in Maryland who specializes in patient-centered healthcare for all ages. Passionate about medicine, wellness, and travel, she believes in holistic healing—spiritually, emotionally, and physically. When she’s not caring for patients, Alaine is growing in her faith, exploring new places, and embracing purpose in every season of life.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hello, travelers. My name is
Grace Simmons, and this is
the Random and Wonderful
podcast. Settle in and listen
to stories of wanderlust and
transformation as you gain
tips to inspire your next
travel experience. The Random
and Wonderful is brought to
you by the Amethyst PalabaHut, LLC.
(00:22):
Hi, everyone. Welcome to the
Random and Wonderful. My
guest today is Elaine
Ainsley, and I am so excited
for you all to meet her.
We're going to get into a
little bit about her wellness
and travel, but I'm going to
let Elaine introduce herself
to all of you. Hi, everyone.
As stated, my name is Elaine
Ainsley. I am a family
(00:43):
medicine physician in
Maryland. I love to travel,
I love Jesus, and I'm so
excited to be here. Yay.
There's two shout outs, one
for Jesus and two for travel.
I mean, and the doctor, we
can't knock you thing. Oh,
doctor. That's a third salute
right there. All right. So
(01:05):
you talked about-- you and I
talked before, you haven't
talked about how travel is
like a hobby, but you enjoy
the hobby. But what I like
that you mentioned was being
able to come up with an idea.
And then actually seeing it
come to fruition. So what is
your process like?How do you
even plan a trip?Great
(01:25):
question. So yes, traveling
is probably one of my
favorite hobbies, if not my
favorite hobby. It's
definitely on the, you know,
top two of the list. If there
was a list, how I kind of
come up with my travels is
really based upon what the
purpose of the travel is. Is
it for leisure business, like
for example, right now?I'm
currently in Arizona for a
work trip for a conference,
the AAFP FMX Family
(01:47):
Experience Conference. So
being here is a little
different from my regular
trips because you can kind of
like plan certain things, you
can figure things out. This
is more specific where it's
like it's at, you know, you
need to be near a convention
center, you need to be near
this. It's not as as fluid
and flexible like my typicaltrips, but I
usually use Expedia.com.
(02:10):
That's just my go-to when it
comes to picking my travel. I
get some points, and
sometimes those points help
to get extra things, like
maybe in the future getting a
rental or upgrading on
certain things. So that's
usually where I kinda start.
And then my processes, yeah,
really just based upon
leisure versus business. This
one's more of a business. I
don't have a leisure trip
coming up anytime soon. I am
traveling again next week,
(02:31):
but that's family-related,
just for a wedding. Right. So
I'm hoping in the near future
I can plan a leisure trip. So
the most recent one I would
say was Canary Islands back
in in July. So that was like
a fun trip, family trip. So
you kind of you have this
idea of where you want to go,
you figure outaccommodations, you figure
out the travel in terms of
the flights and then you just
(02:52):
figure out your itinerary.
And that's probably one of my
favorites. Are you like very
specific in detail when it
comes to all of those
different pieces?So do you
plan?Like hour by hour or do
you have like a list of
things that you want to do
and then kind of tick the box?
I feel like it depends on the
trip. OK. Like for example, I
did a Euro trip with my
girlfriends from like middle
(03:12):
school, like high school a
few years ago, maybe like two
or so years ago. And that
trip was more like we planned
like the tea on Monday,
which I appreciate. Looking
back, I'm like that was a
trip that now set the bar for
other trips. Like if I'm ever
that level, just because. It
was so planned not in the
sense of like where are you
(03:32):
going to eat. Like food is
one of those things where
it's like if you have a
restaurant in mind and we're
there for a couple days,
we'll figure it out. But in
terms of for sure, for sure
activities you want to do,
you're in a certain area in a
certain city, you actually
really want to experience
this particular thing. We
made sure to have that set
out and also paid for an
advance. So it was very easy
going when the went about
(03:52):
because when it on Monday
morning, there's no question
of, well, what are we doing
to?No, we know. Everybody
knows. itinerary was
set and made versus the most
recent trip to Canary Islands
in Europe and more of like,
this is ideally what we could
do throughout the time that
we're, really just depends
on, maybe on Tuesday we feel
to do this and then on
Wednesday we feel to do that,
(04:13):
but there is still at least
an objective. Yeah. Where did
this love of travel come from?
Yes, so my parents are
travelers. So when when
people look at me and say,
Man, you travel a lot, I'm
like, You have not met my
parents. Though I think...
travel from them, they kind
of introduced that to me at a
very, very young age. And
(04:33):
it's one of those things I've
just kind of taken along. And
now it's like a part of my
day-to-day in terms of always
having a trip planned, or at
least a night planned. Yeah,
in my head, at least. Yeah.
What's like a favorite travel
story that you have?Umm
Favorite travel story?That
is a good question. I'm
trying to think. Favorite
(04:55):
travel story. I would say
One of my favorite travels
was last January. It was a
family trip to Belize and we.
America before that time, so
it's nice to kind of just go
somewhere new. Belize is a
very unique country because
although it's predominantly
like, although it's like
Spanish speaking, there's a
(05:15):
lot of English speaking
individuals. So it's one of
those places where you if you
don't speak Spanish, youdon't have to feel
uncomfortable of not being
able to speak and engage with
the with the residents of the
area. So that will. I, we we
ate the foods. We did like
various activities that we
did zip lining. Zip lining
is, love zip lining.
(05:36):
Cave tube. That was just a
fun excursion related trip.
We went to, is it Quay
Cockner, I believe, or
Cockner Quay, which is like a
separate island off of the
main island or main country,
off of Belize basically. And
that was. sparkling with the
reefs and seeing the
stingrays. So that to me,
just in terms of like having
(05:57):
just an activity-filled trip,
that one was very, very, very
memorable, for sure. Did you
say you went cave tubing?Yes.
What is that?So cave tubing
is basically a, you're in a
tube, just like when you
park, you're in one of those
big tubes, and there's a
cave, it's like, basically
it's like river water that
(06:17):
you're kind of following. The
only down-- I wouldn't say
downfall. The only thing I
wish I knew in advance just
to mentally prepare is that
that water is freezing. Ice.
Oh. Because you're in the
cave. So when you really
think about it, you're like,
this is water that doesn't
have access to sunlight.
Great. Water is freezing
cold, so it's kind of like an
experience of being able to
(06:39):
go through the cave, and then
you're like cold, and it
splashes on you. And then, of
course, some of the guys
would like splash the water
and you're like, No! Yeah, it
was justPlease, no!
I am shivering.
But it was a very-- yeah,
that was a fun trip. That was
a fun experience. Nice.
(06:59):
Wait, this was a group trip
as well, right?Correct. What
was something-- so you-- as
far as, like, the planning
and knowing how to-- there's,
like, a balance, I think,
even between the different
group trips that you've
talked about so far, where
There needs to be a little
bit more specific direction
in what people are doing
versus all right, let's kind
of space things out a bit.
(07:20):
What are some other lessons
that you've learned traveling
with a group?I have learned
to make sure I'm very clear
on who I'm traveling with and
how they travel. It's very
know how people travel. In
terms of do you want to do
actually like before any
planning is out, it's a
question of what do you want
to do. I'm the type of person
(07:41):
that I'm down for everything.
I can chill at the beach or
chill at the poolside or I
can do the craziest of
excursions. So for me, I
don't really have like, I
always say I don't have like
a vote in this. Like I don't
really. It's not really
something that I'm not gonna.
Please don't come to me for
to try to break. I'm be like,
yeah, look at the group and
say what is it you guys want
to do?What are things that?
(08:01):
And then of course you do a
search and then you kind of
figure out, OK, collectively,
is this something you're
interested in?And that's just
a matter of itinerary
logistics. If certain places
are too far, do you want them
earlier in the trip?If
certain places are closer, do
you want to do later in the
trip?And then kind of out. So
it's not like activity after
activity after activity.
Certain things it's nice to
kind of have already
organized in advance. So it's
(08:22):
in terms of what to wear. I
feel like that's always the
biggest thing when it comes
to trying to figure out, OK.
Is this-- should I bring a
sweater?Should I bring boots?
Are we going hiking?Like,
what exactly should I prepare
for?Yeah, trip planning is
really just dependent on the
people that you're traveling
with. I think that's the
first thing to figure out.
Some people in certain trips
want to just relax. Some
(08:42):
people really want to do a
whole bunch of activities and
trying to find a happy medium
between the two. Yeah,
OK. So switching gears a
little bit, I'm curious about
howBecause something that we
talked about as well is like
confidence. But I want to
kind of bridge that gap
between where is your
(09:02):
foundation of confidence and
how does that-- maybe how
does that show up in travel
or work?But what's your
foundation of of confidence?
These are some great
questions. I do my best.
Foundation and confidence, I
would say, comes from my
faith in God. Knowing and
believing that I'm worthy of
(09:23):
all the things that I have
and all the things that I
desire. Knowing that I'm
enough is from is
like the first part of that
confidence. And then just
believing that because that's
easy to be like, well, you
know, I serve a God that says
that I'm this, and I serve a
God that says that I'm
fearfully and wonderfully
made, and I serve a God that.
Says that I'm the head and
not the tail. You know, all
(09:43):
of these wonderful things.
But it's like you can recite
these things, but then
there's also believing these
things. And then there's also
lying these things to your
life. So I can definitely
look back on certain moments,
of course, of being of
knowing that I was not that
confident. Believe it myself.
I didn't have the bolt. These
are things I still, I don't
wanna say struggle with that
(10:03):
I'm still growing through
right now. Because when your
life changes, certain
situations change, it's like
you're at a different level
of like, different level of
confidence. I'm not mean.
I'm in a room and I'm like
just socially butterflying
and just going around just
talking to everybody. I'm
much more the person that's
like, I'm great one-on-one.
(10:24):
Right. That crowd gets a
little-- it's like crowd.
It's like,I usually tend to
kind of keep to myself. So
it's one of those things that
I'm actively learning and
trying to grow in right now.
What's an example of maybe
your newfound confidence
being put into action?Like
maybe an instance where
you're like, huh, I may have
(10:46):
struggled with that or I may
have hesitated at that and
I've just completely, you
know, stepped over what used
to be a boundary for me. Yes.
Just a few days ago at the
beginning of this conference,
I stepped out in between the
sessions, and because the
convention center is cold. So
I stepped outside to defrost.
And stepping outside, I was
about to go back inside to go
(11:06):
to a different session, and I
saw two ladies coming in
outside to where I was. And
so I had to pass by them to
go to the door to go back
inside. So of course the
quite The thing is, could the
thought process was like, OK,
you could go inside, go to
your session, you know, live
your best life or you can
just stop and see like do any
(11:28):
of these ladies want to have
a conversation?Because I
don't know anybody. Yeah, I
definitely try my best to of
course put myself out there,
put you have to be in the
room and then actively do
things while you're in that
room. So I'm like, let me see
if like this could be an area
of just being able to just
have a conversation. It
doesn't have to lead
anywhere. It just could be
like, hi, how are you doing?
How's your day going?How's
the conference?Yes. So, okay,
(11:49):
one thing I'm learning is eye
contact. So I'm really
learning that when you're
walking, 'cause I'm typically
a person that, at least let
me let me start speaking in
the past tense. Before, I was
a person that could walk into
a room and I'm kind of just,
I'm just looking general. I
don't look into people's
eyes, I don't look at their
faces. You could be a person
I've known all my life and I
(12:11):
would never even notice
you're in the room because
I'm not checking, like I'm
not that observant in that
regards. So recently, I've
been trying my best to look
look in the eyes. So how are
you going to know if this is
going to be an opportunity to
speak if you're not looking?
If this is like, they seem
cool, OK, let's start. So
long story short, I look them
(12:31):
in the eyes. And just said,
hey. And then be honest, we
just-- the conversation kind
of kept on going, going,
going. We were talking for so
long. That an individual
actually came out for the
same reason to defrost and
basically said, hey, you
know, they actually have
lunch. So we're like, oh, we
didn't realize that we were
talking for like an hour and
a half. Oh my goodness, nice.
(12:53):
And we went in, grabbed lunch
and sat down and proceeded to
continue talking. And then
we're talking even more and
to the point that the
conference is like the the
sessions are finished.
There's no more sessions at
this point. So it's a matter
of perhaps we should separate
and and go to our separate
places of accommodation. So
we go outside, and as I'm
(13:13):
outside, I am hungry. And
regardless of if I'm with
them or not with them, I need
some food. Sorry if I'm, it
looks like I'm on my phone,
but I'm just trying to see
what food is in the area
because I'm starving. And
they're like, we're starving
too. So then we proceeded to
go out to, I don't know
anybody. I'm just here to,
I've been with these, like,
this is from about 11
or 10:15, 10:30 is when I
(13:34):
initially met with them. And
went to dinner, didn't get
back in until about 7:00 PM,
7:30. So I was with these
individuals for hours. Wow.
Caring as individuals that
are also in the, of course,
in the medical field,
physicians, we're all in
different like areas and
spaces in terms of where we
are at in our career. So it's
nice to kind of talk with
individuals and we're in
(13:55):
different parts of the
country. One was in Georgia,
another was in Pennsylvania.
So it was like interesting to
get their perspectives on
life and just share. So that
I would say it's probably.
experience of like putting
yourself out there and just
having the conversations and
not being afraid to to speak
up. Yeah. Has
that confidence ever-- well,
(14:16):
I know this was like a
business travel, but has that
sort of trickled out into
maybe a more leisurely trip?
Not putting yourself out
there, but trying things
maybe that you wouldn't have
done. I feel like that
happened to me. On a trip,
maybe like two or so years
ago, there was a certain part
of this where I was initially
with the group and then the
(14:36):
latter parts I was by myself.
So I ended up meeting this
random lady just and ended up
talking about a whole bunch
of stuff just randomly. And
then we ended up like being
friends on Facebook. So once
in a blue moon, we'll kind of
reach out to each other and
say, hey, you know, how are
you doing?Are you ever going
to be back in the area?
Because she's in Europe, I'm
in the US, so we're all. Ever
(14:59):
in the area, you know, let me
know kind of thing. So I feel
like I am definitely trying
my best, especially now more
recently, to be more
intentional when it comes to
speaking, when it comes to
networking, when it comes to
just sharing the experience
of life with others. Nice. I
like that. Sharing the
experience of life with
others. Very cool. And then
(15:20):
when it comes to wellness and
either taking care of
yourself or being a bit more
mindful about maybe when
you're on a trip or you're
doing it, like you mentioned,
even though you were having a
great conversation with these
people, you needed to eat,
right?So how often are you
able to say, you know what?I
need to take care of myself
in this instance. How does
(15:41):
wellness show up for you?
Wellness, for me, it shows up
in my nutrition and in my
physical activity. So I'm a
vegan. I have been since
October of 2017.
And the vegan journey back
then is a little bit
different than it is now.
Like, I feel like back then
it wasn't as, you know,
wasn't as pronounced now.
(16:02):
There was no oat milk. Like,
that wasn't a thing back
then. There wasn't all these
alternatives. When I actually
started being vegetarian many
years before that, the only
thing we had was, like, rice
milk. We didn't even have
almond milk. Been an
interesting journey to see
the transitions when it comes
to the alternative options
for individuals who don't
consume animals or animal
(16:22):
byproducts. So more recently,
I've been a little bit more
adamant to make sure that I
stick to my
nutritional decisions of in
terms of you go out to your
coffee shop, they have
croissants. I'm a croissant
lover. And so you just order
the croissant. And it's like,
well, this croissant was
(16:42):
likely, unless it literally
says vegan, is likely made
with those same animal
byproducts that you don't
consume on a regular basis.
You can't when I go, oh, I'm
just gonna have this lovely
pastry, but then it's like,
it doesn't really align. So
being very consistent with
the things that I'm saying.
So that's something I'm much
more adamant about doing now.
In terms of physical
activity, I think my word
(17:02):
right now, or a couple words
that I have that's in my mind
of like things that I'm
really working towards is
discipline. So for physical
activity, I would say, you
know, I'm an active person.
I, you know, I work out. But
then when you look at the
week, you're like, so how
many times do you go to the
gym?So like one and a half
times, you know, I feel
like-- Not the half. The
half, 'cause you know, you
(17:24):
you kind of just, yeah, I
went there for like a couple
minutes and now, you know,
I'm tired, you know, at home.
So one of those things where
it's like, if you sit for an
active person, physically
I'm. There needs to be a
level of discipline and
consistency. So it's, it
can't be, well, I'm tired.
I'm, I just don't feel like
it today. No, if you're an
active, you just have to do
(17:45):
it. So now I've just kind of
come my, my regular routine.
I'm a morning workout person,
ideally just 'cause it just
works better for my work
schedule. When When work is
finished, the idea and
thought of then working out
after that is just not
realistic. I feel even more
excuses. So usually at 6 AM
every single morning, I'm in
the gym. Just because I'm
(18:06):
here at the conference, my
timelines have been a little
bit changed just because some
sessions are very early. Like
the session for this morning
was at 7:00, so I was in the
gym from about 5:20, 5:30,
just trying to get my
physical activity on. There's
a place to hike very close to
where I'm staying. So one of
the mornings I woke upinstead of doing the
traditional going to the gym
and lifting weights or
whatever I decide to do for
(18:27):
that day, I went on a hike. I
do love hiking, so. Physical
activities is one of those
things I value, and it's now
just become a staple when it
comes to my regular routine.
Nice. Where in Arizona are
you?I'm in Tempe. So the
conference is in Phoenix, but
I'm in Tempe, which is
probably about like 15
minutes from-- I don't even
know if it's even that. Yeah,
probably about 15 minutes
from Phoenix. OK, where you
(18:49):
went to hike, was that like,
looked like a stairs to
heaven, like a staircase to
heaven, and then you-- I'm
like, oh, you know, what's
the closest place I can go
hiking?You know, and they
said, This is like a, you
know, mild, you know, hiking.
I'm like, oh, this
is gonna get my physical
activity. This is gonna be
great. And then I look
(19:10):
up at this mountain. This is
Phoenix. Phoenix is just dry
land. I'm looking up at
this mountainous being, or
mountainous thing in front of
me, and I'm like, Who's going
up there?The part that I
actually went up, there
wasn't any... Well, you're
actually on an incline
without any stairs. So you're
just, you're just. And then
(19:30):
there's the point where there
are stairs and you're just
going up and up and up. The
The gracious part and the
part I love about hiking,
especially when you hike to
an elevation, is that view
when you get to the top is so
rewarding. You're looking at
the city and you're like,
wow, there's the airport,
there's this, there's that.
You can actually. And then
coming down is so easy. So
coming like. Getting up the
(19:52):
the mountain is always a
challenge. Coming down is
simple and straightforward.
So it was a good time. I wish
I remember the name of the
place. Last year, my family
had a reunion in Phoenix. And
so they're like, oh, this is
really, really nice. Light,
light jog, light truck up
some stairs. But the view is
(20:13):
great. And we're like, I
mean, we likeyou know So all
of us got our little workout
clothes on. And you see the
stairs, and you're like, oh,
OK. And you're going. And
they have-- like there are
places on the steps where
people are just sitting, like
trying to catch their breath.
And I was like, OK, I-- I
first off, I'm pointing out
(20:34):
all the different like
stopping points because, yes,
but also, why is it so high?
But then, of course, when you
get up there, right?You turn
around and you could see,
like, this beautiful view of
the neighborhood and all
that. And you're like, oh,
it's so beautiful. As you
finally, you know, catch your
breath. And then there's,
like, another level without
stairs that's just rock.
(20:56):
And someone gathered, like,
their sticks. And I didn't do
that one. The view where I
was was great. Wasn't enough.
Wild physical activity
experience. That sounds-- for
US, for me. for me,
and I kept trying to inch
towards the stairs to get
back down. What actually
(21:16):
pushes you to keep going when
it's like, this is very
challenging?And-- Yeah, I
think at the base is
going back to the faith. I
think there is an initial
drive in me that when
something is difficult, I
want to figure it out, I want
to push through, I want to--
I will find the answer. And I
(21:37):
think I have been humbled to
remember to like calm down
and pray. And I noticed that
when I make sure my like
spiritual wellness and my
emotional wellness are
balanced, there's some
clarity even when the
situation's really difficult.
(21:58):
An example of that is a
couple months ago, things
were going, like I had a
plan. But things are getting
really difficult. And I
honestly was like, I don't
know what I'm trying to, you
ever seen somebody shuffle
cards and they don't shuffle
well and the cards just go,
okay, that's what it felt
like for a few months. And
then I think just coming back
to, all right, what can I
(22:19):
control?Nothing. What can I
do instead?I can read my
Bible and I can reach out
to people who are maybe doing
something similar or they
know what I'm talking about
and then just asking for
help. reminding myself that
when things are difficult,
it's beyond me, and I need to
(22:40):
be able to just, like, tend
to my garden. Whatever I'm
doing right now, I need to
make sure I focus on, pray
about it. Just when I feel
distracted, I'm making sure
that I'm reading my Bible and
then asking people for help
instead of banging my head
against the wall trying to
figure something out on my
(23:00):
own. HmmOkay.
That's good. And then for
you, what does vision and
purpose mean for you?
Vision in my mind has been
that end goal or like
something that I I hope to
happen. And so with this
podcast and and with my
(23:20):
business, I hope that, you
know, I can bridge a gap for
more people who are
interested in travel, but
they're not sure, and people
whofeel so disconnected from
being bold and confident. And
I want this to be just like a
way for them to figure out
how to do that, right?To me,
that's, I think that's how
(23:41):
I've linked my vision to
what I'm hoping could be. And
then my purpose, I think it's
just the good that I can do.
So what I can do to help
other people, what I can do
to sharing my own experience,
being honest about what I've
struggled with,And sharing
that with other people, I
think, is-- that's that's
(24:02):
been my purpose, is if I can
bring other people with me
and say, hey, look, I know it
looks really bad, but this is
what it could be, or you know
this is what others have
done, and here's what you can
do to help yourself. Yeah,
yeah I think that, to me, is
is my purpose, bringing other
people along despite what
they're going through. That's
beautiful. OK, last and final
(24:22):
question. All right. How are
you cultivating a life with
confidence and boldness
without being perceived as
arrogant and or cocky?
And the reason I asked the
question, I'll give you a
moment to kind of answer. The
reason I asked this question
is during a therapy session,
I'm gonna have to say
sometime within last year,
these are topics that I would
(24:43):
be going back and forth with
my therapists about in terms
of humility versus like
arrogance. Just because it's
for me personally, I'm
typically on the humility
side, very rarely am I like,
well, this is what I do and
this is all the things. Here
are all my accolades andthings that I've
accomplished. It's more so
you're gonna have to like
really consistently ask
(25:04):
questions for me to totally
reveal anything, just because
I don't see those things as
something that, it's not that
it's not important, it's not
obvious I worked hard to get
where I am, but it's just
that I don't want it to ever
be perceived that it was me.
Like, by myself. Like, I just
woke up one day and just
thought, and just-- it just
came to fruition. Like, there
was a process, there was a
(25:26):
journey, and by God's grace,
I am where I am. So I was
just wondering what your
thoughts are when it comes to
the borderline or that fine
line between being confident
and bold, but then making
sure that it doesn't come
across as, like, arrogance. I
think that is--
it's internally driven. So
(25:47):
I can be really confident. I
think confidence is just like
time and experience. And so
if you're able to be
confident in what you have
and what you're able to do,
when it comes to actually
sharing what it is that
you've done and giving full
credit to it, that can also
come off as like a praise to
(26:07):
God. So God gave me this
talent to do this, and this
is what I've been able to do
with it, orI,
you know, came up with this
really great idea. I don't
know where it came from. I
know it came from God, right?
But so I think keeping that
in mind, and maybe it's
something that maybe I would
(26:28):
need to say more often, but
my assumption isn't that I
know that it's only from me.
And I think that's how I've
been able to pull myself
back. And I I do struggle
with that. Sometimes I want
to be that, the humble
person. But I'm also very
driven to speak out against
certain things. And so for
me, I was trying to make sure
that if I am saying
(26:50):
something, it's not because I
want to make myself feel
better. It's because
it's right. And I think
that's that's been like that
grounding question for me
was, is it really necessary
for you to say this right now?
Or is it really necessary for
you to have that reaction?And
if it isn't, then I need to
ask why I'm having that
(27:10):
reaction. But if it is, then
that's a part of that, you
know, that's who I am. And if
I'm standing up for someone
or I'm speaking out against
something that I think
shouldn't be the case, I
don't think that it would be
arrogant because it's coming
from a place of like justice
and empathy versus me trying
(27:30):
to make myself sound better
or cocky. Okay. Yeah. Very
nice perspective. Thank you.
Thank you for answering my
question. Yeah. That's the
switch of an
interview. No joking. Right.
And so this is my co-host.
So, oh, I had another
(27:52):
question about your-- did I
ask you about your self-care
already?I don't think I did.
No. What is a
self-care practice that you
use when you're traveling?Hmm
Self-care practice that I use
when I am traveling.
(28:13):
I would say... Hmm
Well, one thing I definitely,
I love food. Okay. We're
friends. So I feel like
whenever I'm traveling, I
really try my best to go
out-of-the-box. I try my best
to try new foods, try new
food. That makes me very
happy, having my belly full
is a joy. So that's
(28:34):
definitely one. Definitely
making sure I set aside time,
no matter what type of
traveling I'm doing, to just
dwell and be by myself. Like
time of rest. Rest for me
doesn't mean I'm sleeping.
Rest for me mean that I'm
necessarily in the bed. Rest
could be that I'm just
working on something that's
completely different from
what I'm here for. Like, for
(28:54):
example, if this is a leisure
trip, sometimes it's fun to
look at. work-related things.
Although it's not, but it's
not like work. Like for me,
work is medicine. So maybe
it's like I'm reading
something about a topic that
I was just interested in,
wanted to learn more. Or even
right now, I'm trying my best
to do, to be more intentional
about reading. I say, oh
yeah, I read, I read books.
(29:15):
But then it's like, when
people ask me, so what book
are you reading?You're like,
other than the Bible, you
know, it's nothing much.
So all right, right now
I'm rereading 'cause I
started it like,probably like
a year ago, and now I'm
really reading it this time.
Atomic Habits by James Clare.
Yeah. When it comes to like
(29:36):
breaking those habits, being
very clear on like your
objectives. The two words I
would say that define my life
right now is like discipline.
On like if you, being very
clear and very intentional.
So I'm trying my best to
remove the words like try out
of my vocabulary. So instead
of saying like, I'm gonna try
and be more active, it's
like, no, I'm gonna be more
active. No, I'mYou're just
(29:58):
going to put it into your
regular schedule, make it
something that's not
something you have to think
about. I don't have to put
out my workout clothes in the
morning to know that I'm
going to like, you know that
this is what you do every
morning kind of. And another
thing for me right now is
like pivoting. Being in a new
space career wise, it's given
me the opportunity to really
look around and say there's
more that I could do with my
(30:18):
24 hours. So being mindful of
making sure that you you
appropriate your time as best
as you can. Everybody has.
and make sure that you make
the best of the time that you
have. Nice. How do you
feel your culture has
influenced the way you
interact or think about your
relationship with otherpeople?Hmm
(30:41):
That is, my culture is very
important. I'm Jamaican, so I
was born in Jamaica, lived
there for, I lived there two
separate times in my life, in
my earlier years, the first
couple of years of my life,
and then I moved back in my
early 20s. Completely two
different perspectives. So
that level of culture in
terms of music, in terms of
food, it definitely shapes
the way that I approach life.
(31:03):
Usually we're veryhospitable. If you, if
anybody ever visits Jamaica,
there's always a joy that
they have just because we
just, we just accept people.
We just take people and we're
like, join us. And then we
like throw our culture and
this is our food. Like food
is definitely, I think I get
my food just culturally just
'cause our food is is pretty
delicious. Jerk stuff. We got
(31:24):
jerk chicken and jerk pork
and we have, I don't think
we're the the kings and
Queens of Curry, but I still
think our Curry goat is good.
One thing I love to eat is
Stew peas. We have oxtail
patty like it's a good time.
So definitely I feel like
culturally just because you
you know that this is like
who you are and what you're
you're you come from. It does
show up when it comes to
(31:45):
engaging with others so. I
always find that individuals
who are also from somewhere
else, whether they're from a
different part of the country
or just a different country
in general, I feel like we
understand each other more
just because we know that
there's like this is not
necessarily like home, if
that makes sense. So for
example, right now I call
Maryland home. My home is
(32:05):
also Jamaica. My home is also
this place. My home is also
that place. So I have a
tendency of like really
connecting very well with
individuals who also have
that similar background of of
calling like multiple places
home, so. I feel like it's
just shaped the way that I
view food, the way that I
view, like, my music choices,
and the way that I approach
life. Yeah, I definitely
understand that. My parents
(32:26):
are Liberian, and, like,
Liberia's home, even though I
haven't been there since the
sixth grade. That's
definitely on the travel
list. And living in Maryland,
yeah, it's become like, Yeah,
I've been here for almost 10
years. This is 100% home,
right?So, but
I would also, I think,If I
(32:47):
move somewhere else, be very
comfortable with calling it
home, maybe within a strong
year and a half out. Just
because you, you know, if
you're that type of person
that can adapt and connect
with people, it becomes home.
Yeah, I feel like adapting
is, that's like my my middle
aim. I've been monopol- the
past 12 years, I'm like, at
(33:08):
this point, I'm just like,
there's too many places I
call home. I've lived in
Chicago, I've lived in
Florida, I've lived, of
course, in Canada, Jamaica.
Small stents in Turks and
Caicos Bridge, Virgin
Islands. I'm now in Maryland.
I was also in Michigan. So
for me, home is like when
even when I'm talking to
people like what's where's
where I'm going home. Which
one?Which one?Just because of
life experiences. I'm
(33:29):
grateful to be able to say
that I call a lot of places
home. And then you think they
when you live in a place for
a period of time, you take
like that, you know, you take
a part of or you take a part
of that country with you
because you of all the
experiences that you've
learned and the culture that
you allotted yourself to be a
part of for a period of time.
So. Adaptability, I think, is
a very cool kind of trait
characteristic to have. Yeah.
(33:51):
So what is next for you?Do
you have-- I know you have
like another family trip, but
is there another travel that
you have planned or that's in
the works?Maybe it's pen and
paper. So I definitely have
some pen and paper. So I
literally, as of today, the
ladies that I met recently,
they're from different parts
of Africa. continent of
(34:13):
Africa. It's like, the more
I'm talking to people, the
more I'm like, I don't know
why I'm just meeting a whole
bunch of Africans. And
they're just like, come to
our continents, come to
specifically our country. So
I was looking up just today,
like trip ideas to to like
Ghana, trip ideas to Senegal,
trip ideas to Kenya. So
(34:34):
that definitely is in the
works, just as a matter of
when. So that's one. I would
love to go back to Jamaica. I
haven't been to Jamaica in
several years pre pandemic,
which is very, very bad. So
it would definitely be nice
to kind of go there for a
period of time. So that would
be nice to do sometime in the
new year. But before this
year, I don't think I'll be
doing anything major. If I do
anything, it'll be short
(34:54):
little stints of like weekend
trips, maybe to Houston,
maybe a weekend trip to visit
friends in like California.
But I'm hopeful that 2025
will bring some fresh places.
I definitely am that person
that doesn't like to repeat.
So if I go a place one time,
try my best to just soak it
in, enjoy, do as much as I
want, because there's so much
of this world to see. I don't
(35:15):
wanna just leave it and be
like, well, I'll come back
next year. No, next year I'm
going. So I'm hopeful to see
or excited to kinda see the
new places I'll experience
next year. Awesome. Correct,
this is the most I've been
interviewed on my podcast. So
I do have a question, because
I do see you as the
networking, in my life,
networking queen. We are
(35:37):
always like talking about
this person that you met, you
know, this opportunity that
came about. So as an
individual who would like to
be better in that space of of
networking and talking to
people, what tips and or
advice would you give to a
person?All right. So thank
you. Thank you for your kind
words. I like to talk
now, which is very odd
(35:59):
because I am introverted. So
if I get comfortable, then
things just, you know, I'm
introverted. If I'm
comfortable, you can't stop
me from talking. One of the
things that I practiced
and thought about before I
went to one of my last
conferences was I had gone to
it before and I'd gone to the
sessions and I was trying
really hard to be a good
student, but the sessions
(36:20):
were overwhelming. And so
making sure my goal this
round was networking is what
I had gotten out of it. And
so I went to some sessions,
but I also wanted to like
talk to other people and ask
them questions andEven though
we weren't all in the same
role, I guess, as podcasters,
I learned so much about other
(36:40):
people because podcasting, it
just has so many different
connections, right?The people
are all over the different
types of people, and they
have their own ways. So being
intentional about networking
instead of hoping it would
happen or hoping someone to
reach out to me was probably
the first step. And then
trying to keep my story
(37:01):
simple. HmmSo
I would, when we, you know,
exchange information or, you
know, hey, I'm Grace, da da
da. I tried really hard to
keep, like, I'm here for this
reason, and I want to make
sure that's the only reason
I'm providing. If we're
talking more, then I'll share
a little bit more, like, I
have a business, da da da.
But right now, in this in
(37:24):
this example, I was at a
podcasting conference. I only
talked about my podcast or
the group that I was
representing. And then that
allowed for other people to
talk and we would ask
questions. And they're, I
think, trying to take away
that pressure of like having
to know the right answer or
having to have a fully
fledged, like prepped answer.
(37:45):
I just, a person asked me a
question I just wanted to
answer and then do the same
for them. So being
intentional about networking
by keeping your story simple
and then having some
questions readySo being
curious about other people
and just what can I learn
from this situation or what
can I learn from this person?
(38:05):
And like I said earlier,
being honest about, you know,
if you need help with
something, some people like,
you know, let me know if you
need anything. And some of
them genuinely mean it, some
don't and you'll find that
out really quickly, but
others genuinely do. And so
when you allow yourself to be
vulnerable and say. You know,
hey, this is what I'm working
on. I really wish I could
(38:25):
figure out how to do this.
You just see people's eyes
light up and they're like, oh
my goodness, I know this
person, or I could help you
out with that. And so since
we've met, I think a lot of
the connections that I've had
came from that conference.
But then they're like, it's
been a ripple effect of
people that they know, who
they connected me with. And
(38:46):
then maybe as we were talking
resources that I mentioned I
needed,and they've you know
sent them over to me. So
keeping it simple, being
curious about other people, I
think has been helpful. The
last thing is following up
with people. Whew,
because you can collect a
whole list, right, of people.
(39:07):
And again, for me, now
going through the list,
that's gonna be really
overwhelming. But just taking
your time and just saying,
okay, I can send out like
three emails today. Or I can
add these people on LinkedIn
and just say hey or whatnot.
I think following up with
people, maybe if they can't
help you immediately, they
may be able to help you two
or three months from now,
maybe a year from now. You
(39:28):
never know. So it's helpful.
Also, that's why you want to
keep your story simple, so
that people know if there is
something that they can
connect you with, they know
exactly who you are, what
your purpose is, so they can
say, Oh, I know this person
over here. Those are my my
tips. Thank you. Very, very
helpful. Thank you. All
(39:48):
right, Watlei, thank you so
much for being a guest and
just sharing a little bit
about yourself. I really
appreciate it. Thank you so
much for having me. It's been
a pleasure. Thank you. Thank
you. Hey there,
Grace here. I hope you
enjoyed today's episode and
gained some useful takeaways.
Thank you so much for
listening and staying until
(40:09):
the end. Don't forget to rate
the show or share it with
some friends. Have a
wonderful week. Take care.
And remember. Be bold, be
curious, be ready to tell
your story. You never know
who needs it. Bye bye.
Hello, travelers. My name is
Grace Simmons, and this is
the Random and Wonderful
podcast. Settle in and listen
to stories of wanderlust and
transformation as you gain
tips to inspire your next
travel experience. The Random
and Wonderful is brought to
you by the Amethyst PalabaHut, LLC.
(00:22):
Hi, everyone. Welcome to the
Random and Wonderful. My
guest today is Elaine
Ainsley, and I am so excited
for you all to meet her.
We're going to get into a
little bit about her wellness
and travel, but I'm going to
let Elaine introduce herself
to all of you. Hi, everyone.
As stated, my name is Elaine
Ainsley. I am a family
(00:43):
medicine physician in
Maryland. I love to travel,
I love Jesus, and I'm so
excited to be here. Yay.
There's two shout outs, one
for Jesus and two for travel.
I mean, and the doctor, we
can't knock you thing. Oh,
doctor. That's a third salute
right there. All right. So
(01:05):
you talked about-- you and I
talked before, you haven't
talked about how travel is
like a hobby, but you enjoy
the hobby. But what I like
that you mentioned was being
able to come up with an idea.
And then actually seeing it
come to fruition. So what is
your process like?How do you
even plan a trip?Great
(01:25):
question. So yes, traveling
is probably one of my
favorite hobbies, if not my
favorite hobby. It's
definitely on the, you know,
top two of the list. If there
was a list, how I kind of
come up with my travels is
really based upon what the
purpose of the travel is. Is
it for leisure business, like
for example, right now?I'm
currently in Arizona for a
work trip for a conference,
the AAFP FMX Family
(01:47):
Experience Conference. So
being here is a little
different from my regular
trips because you can kind of
like plan certain things, you
can figure things out. This
is more specific where it's
like it's at, you know, you
need to be near a convention
center, you need to be near
this. It's not as as fluid
and flexible like my typicaltrips, but I
usually use Expedia.com.
(02:10):
That's just my go-to when it
comes to picking my travel. I
get some points, and
sometimes those points help
to get extra things, like
maybe in the future getting a
rental or upgrading on
certain things. So that's
usually where I kinda start.
And then my processes, yeah,
really just based upon
leisure versus business. This
one's more of a business. I
don't have a leisure trip
coming up anytime soon. I am
traveling again next week,
(02:31):
but that's family-related,
just for a wedding. Right. So
I'm hoping in the near future
I can plan a leisure trip. So
the most recent one I would
say was Canary Islands back
in in July. So that was like
a fun trip, family trip. So
you kind of you have this
idea of where you want to go,
you figure outaccommodations, you figure
out the travel in terms of
the flights and then you just
(02:52):
figure out your itinerary.
And that's probably one of my
favorites. Are you like very
specific in detail when it
comes to all of those
different pieces?So do you
plan?Like hour by hour or do
you have like a list of
things that you want to do
and then kind of tick the box?
I feel like it depends on the
trip. OK. Like for example, I
did a Euro trip with my
girlfriends from like middle
(03:12):
school, like high school a
few years ago, maybe like two
or so years ago. And that
trip was more like we planned
like the tea on Monday,
which I appreciate. Looking
back, I'm like that was a
trip that now set the bar for
other trips. Like if I'm ever
that level, just because. It
was so planned not in the
sense of like where are you
(03:32):
going to eat. Like food is
one of those things where
it's like if you have a
restaurant in mind and we're
there for a couple days,
we'll figure it out. But in
terms of for sure, for sure
activities you want to do,
you're in a certain area in a
certain city, you actually
really want to experience
this particular thing. We
made sure to have that set
out and also paid for an
advance. So it was very easy
going when the went about
(03:52):
because when it on Monday
morning, there's no question
of, well, what are we doing
to?No, we know. Everybody
knows. itinerary was
set and made versus the most
recent trip to Canary Islands
in Europe and more of like,
this is ideally what we could
do throughout the time that
we're, really just depends
on, maybe on Tuesday we feel
to do this and then on
Wednesday we feel to do that,
(04:13):
but there is still at least
an objective. Yeah. Where did
this love of travel come from?
Yes, so my parents are
travelers. So when when
people look at me and say,
Man, you travel a lot, I'm
like, You have not met my
parents. Though I think...
travel from them, they kind
of introduced that to me at a
very, very young age. And
(04:33):
it's one of those things I've
just kind of taken along. And
now it's like a part of my
day-to-day in terms of always
having a trip planned, or at
least a night planned. Yeah,
in my head, at least. Yeah.
What's like a favorite travel
story that you have?Umm
Favorite travel story?That
is a good question. I'm
trying to think. Favorite
(04:55):
travel story. I would say
One of my favorite travels
was last January. It was a
family trip to Belize and we.
America before that time, so
it's nice to kind of just go
somewhere new. Belize is a
very unique country because
although it's predominantly
like, although it's like
Spanish speaking, there's a
(05:15):
lot of English speaking
individuals. So it's one of
those places where you if you
don't speak Spanish, youdon't have to feel
uncomfortable of not being
able to speak and engage with
the with the residents of the
area. So that will. I, we we
ate the foods. We did like
various activities that we
did zip lining. Zip lining
is, love zip lining.
(05:36):
Cave tube. That was just a
fun excursion related trip.
We went to, is it Quay
Cockner, I believe, or
Cockner Quay, which is like a
separate island off of the
main island or main country,
off of Belize basically. And
that was. sparkling with the
reefs and seeing the
stingrays. So that to me,
just in terms of like having
(05:57):
just an activity-filled trip,
that one was very, very, very
memorable, for sure. Did you
say you went cave tubing?Yes.
What is that?So cave tubing
is basically a, you're in a
tube, just like when you
park, you're in one of those
big tubes, and there's a
cave, it's like, basically
it's like river water that
(06:17):
you're kind of following. The
only down-- I wouldn't say
downfall. The only thing I
wish I knew in advance just
to mentally prepare is that
that water is freezing. Ice.
Oh. Because you're in the
cave. So when you really
think about it, you're like,
this is water that doesn't
have access to sunlight.
Great. Water is freezing
cold, so it's kind of like an
experience of being able to
(06:39):
go through the cave, and then
you're like cold, and it
splashes on you. And then, of
course, some of the guys
would like splash the water
and you're like, No! Yeah, it
was justPlease, no!
I am shivering.
But it was a very-- yeah,
that was a fun trip. That was
a fun experience. Nice.
(06:59):
Wait, this was a group trip
as well, right?Correct. What
was something-- so you-- as
far as, like, the planning
and knowing how to-- there's,
like, a balance, I think,
even between the different
group trips that you've
talked about so far, where
There needs to be a little
bit more specific direction
in what people are doing
versus all right, let's kind
of space things out a bit.
(07:20):
What are some other lessons
that you've learned traveling
with a group?I have learned
to make sure I'm very clear
on who I'm traveling with and
how they travel. It's very
know how people travel. In
terms of do you want to do
actually like before any
planning is out, it's a
question of what do you want
to do. I'm the type of person
(07:41):
that I'm down for everything.
I can chill at the beach or
chill at the poolside or I
can do the craziest of
excursions. So for me, I
don't really have like, I
always say I don't have like
a vote in this. Like I don't
really. It's not really
something that I'm not gonna.
Please don't come to me for
to try to break. I'm be like,
yeah, look at the group and
say what is it you guys want
to do?What are things that?
(08:01):
And then of course you do a
search and then you kind of
figure out, OK, collectively,
is this something you're
interested in?And that's just
a matter of itinerary
logistics. If certain places
are too far, do you want them
earlier in the trip?If
certain places are closer, do
you want to do later in the
trip?And then kind of out. So
it's not like activity after
activity after activity.
Certain things it's nice to
kind of have already
organized in advance. So it's
(08:22):
in terms of what to wear. I
feel like that's always the
biggest thing when it comes
to trying to figure out, OK.
Is this-- should I bring a
sweater?Should I bring boots?
Are we going hiking?Like,
what exactly should I prepare
for?Yeah, trip planning is
really just dependent on the
people that you're traveling
with. I think that's the
first thing to figure out.
Some people in certain trips
want to just relax. Some
(08:42):
people really want to do a
whole bunch of activities and
trying to find a happy medium
between the two. Yeah,
OK. So switching gears a
little bit, I'm curious about
howBecause something that we
talked about as well is like
confidence. But I want to
kind of bridge that gap
between where is your
(09:02):
foundation of confidence and
how does that-- maybe how
does that show up in travel
or work?But what's your
foundation of of confidence?
These are some great
questions. I do my best.
Foundation and confidence, I
would say, comes from my
faith in God. Knowing and
believing that I'm worthy of
(09:23):
all the things that I have
and all the things that I
desire. Knowing that I'm
enough is from is
like the first part of that
confidence. And then just
believing that because that's
easy to be like, well, you
know, I serve a God that says
that I'm this, and I serve a
God that says that I'm
fearfully and wonderfully
made, and I serve a God that.
Says that I'm the head and
not the tail. You know, all
(09:43):
of these wonderful things.
But it's like you can recite
these things, but then
there's also believing these
things. And then there's also
lying these things to your
life. So I can definitely
look back on certain moments,
of course, of being of
knowing that I was not that
confident. Believe it myself.
I didn't have the bolt. These
are things I still, I don't
wanna say struggle with that
(10:03):
I'm still growing through
right now. Because when your
life changes, certain
situations change, it's like
you're at a different level
of like, different level of
confidence. I'm not mean.
I'm in a room and I'm like
just socially butterflying
and just going around just
talking to everybody. I'm
much more the person that's
like, I'm great one-on-one.
(10:24):
Right. That crowd gets a
little-- it's like crowd.
It's like,I usually tend to
kind of keep to myself. So
it's one of those things that
I'm actively learning and
trying to grow in right now.
What's an example of maybe
your newfound confidence
being put into action?Like
maybe an instance where
you're like, huh, I may have
(10:46):
struggled with that or I may
have hesitated at that and
I've just completely, you
know, stepped over what used
to be a boundary for me. Yes.
Just a few days ago at the
beginning of this conference,
I stepped out in between the
sessions, and because the
convention center is cold. So
I stepped outside to defrost.
And stepping outside, I was
about to go back inside to go
(11:06):
to a different session, and I
saw two ladies coming in
outside to where I was. And
so I had to pass by them to
go to the door to go back
inside. So of course the
quite The thing is, could the
thought process was like, OK,
you could go inside, go to
your session, you know, live
your best life or you can
just stop and see like do any
(11:28):
of these ladies want to have
a conversation?Because I
don't know anybody. Yeah, I
definitely try my best to of
course put myself out there,
put you have to be in the
room and then actively do
things while you're in that
room. So I'm like, let me see
if like this could be an area
of just being able to just
have a conversation. It
doesn't have to lead
anywhere. It just could be
like, hi, how are you doing?
How's your day going?How's
the conference?Yes. So, okay,
(11:49):
one thing I'm learning is eye
contact. So I'm really
learning that when you're
walking, 'cause I'm typically
a person that, at least let
me let me start speaking in
the past tense. Before, I was
a person that could walk into
a room and I'm kind of just,
I'm just looking general. I
don't look into people's
eyes, I don't look at their
faces. You could be a person
I've known all my life and I
(12:11):
would never even notice
you're in the room because
I'm not checking, like I'm
not that observant in that
regards. So recently, I've
been trying my best to look
look in the eyes. So how are
you going to know if this is
going to be an opportunity to
speak if you're not looking?
If this is like, they seem
cool, OK, let's start. So
long story short, I look them
(12:31):
in the eyes. And just said,
hey. And then be honest, we
just-- the conversation kind
of kept on going, going,
going. We were talking for so
long. That an individual
actually came out for the
same reason to defrost and
basically said, hey, you
know, they actually have
lunch. So we're like, oh, we
didn't realize that we were
talking for like an hour and
a half. Oh my goodness, nice.
(12:53):
And we went in, grabbed lunch
and sat down and proceeded to
continue talking. And then
we're talking even more and
to the point that the
conference is like the the
sessions are finished.
There's no more sessions at
this point. So it's a matter
of perhaps we should separate
and and go to our separate
places of accommodation. So
we go outside, and as I'm
(13:13):
outside, I am hungry. And
regardless of if I'm with
them or not with them, I need
some food. Sorry if I'm, it
looks like I'm on my phone,
but I'm just trying to see
what food is in the area
because I'm starving. And
they're like, we're starving
too. So then we proceeded to
go out to, I don't know
anybody. I'm just here to,
I've been with these, like,
this is from about 11
or 10:15, 10:30 is when I
(13:34):
initially met with them. And
went to dinner, didn't get
back in until about 7:00 PM,
7:30. So I was with these
individuals for hours. Wow.
Caring as individuals that
are also in the, of course,
in the medical field,
physicians, we're all in
different like areas and
spaces in terms of where we
are at in our career. So it's
nice to kind of talk with
individuals and we're in
(13:55):
different parts of the
country. One was in Georgia,
another was in Pennsylvania.
So it was like interesting to
get their perspectives on
life and just share. So that
I would say it's probably.
experience of like putting
yourself out there and just
having the conversations and
not being afraid to to speak
up. Yeah. Has
that confidence ever-- well,
(14:16):
I know this was like a
business travel, but has that
sort of trickled out into
maybe a more leisurely trip?
Not putting yourself out
there, but trying things
maybe that you wouldn't have
done. I feel like that
happened to me. On a trip,
maybe like two or so years
ago, there was a certain part
of this where I was initially
with the group and then the
(14:36):
latter parts I was by myself.
So I ended up meeting this
random lady just and ended up
talking about a whole bunch
of stuff just randomly. And
then we ended up like being
friends on Facebook. So once
in a blue moon, we'll kind of
reach out to each other and
say, hey, you know, how are
you doing?Are you ever going
to be back in the area?
Because she's in Europe, I'm
in the US, so we're all. Ever
(14:59):
in the area, you know, let me
know kind of thing. So I feel
like I am definitely trying
my best, especially now more
recently, to be more
intentional when it comes to
speaking, when it comes to
networking, when it comes to
just sharing the experience
of life with others. Nice. I
like that. Sharing the
experience of life with
others. Very cool. And then
(15:20):
when it comes to wellness and
either taking care of
yourself or being a bit more
mindful about maybe when
you're on a trip or you're
doing it, like you mentioned,
even though you were having a
great conversation with these
people, you needed to eat,
right?So how often are you
able to say, you know what?I
need to take care of myself
in this instance. How does
(15:41):
wellness show up for you?
Wellness, for me, it shows up
in my nutrition and in my
physical activity. So I'm a
vegan. I have been since
October of 2017.
And the vegan journey back
then is a little bit
different than it is now.
Like, I feel like back then
it wasn't as, you know,
wasn't as pronounced now.
(16:02):
There was no oat milk. Like,
that wasn't a thing back
then. There wasn't all these
alternatives. When I actually
started being vegetarian many
years before that, the only
thing we had was, like, rice
milk. We didn't even have
almond milk. Been an
interesting journey to see
the transitions when it comes
to the alternative options
for individuals who don't
consume animals or animal
(16:22):
byproducts. So more recently,
I've been a little bit more
adamant to make sure that I
stick to my
nutritional decisions of in
terms of you go out to your
coffee shop, they have
croissants. I'm a croissant
lover. And so you just order
the croissant. And it's like,
well, this croissant was
(16:42):
likely, unless it literally
says vegan, is likely made
with those same animal
byproducts that you don't
consume on a regular basis.
You can't when I go, oh, I'm
just gonna have this lovely
pastry, but then it's like,
it doesn't really align. So
being very consistent with
the things that I'm saying.
So that's something I'm much
more adamant about doing now.
In terms of physical
activity, I think my word
(17:02):
right now, or a couple words
that I have that's in my mind
of like things that I'm
really working towards is
discipline. So for physical
activity, I would say, you
know, I'm an active person.
I, you know, I work out. But
then when you look at the
week, you're like, so how
many times do you go to the
gym?So like one and a half
times, you know, I feel
like-- Not the half. The
half, 'cause you know, you
(17:24):
you kind of just, yeah, I
went there for like a couple
minutes and now, you know,
I'm tired, you know, at home.
So one of those things where
it's like, if you sit for an
active person, physically
I'm. There needs to be a
level of discipline and
consistency. So it's, it
can't be, well, I'm tired.
I'm, I just don't feel like
it today. No, if you're an
active, you just have to do
(17:45):
it. So now I've just kind of
come my, my regular routine.
I'm a morning workout person,
ideally just 'cause it just
works better for my work
schedule. When When work is
finished, the idea and
thought of then working out
after that is just not
realistic. I feel even more
excuses. So usually at 6 AM
every single morning, I'm in
the gym. Just because I'm
(18:06):
here at the conference, my
timelines have been a little
bit changed just because some
sessions are very early. Like
the session for this morning
was at 7:00, so I was in the
gym from about 5:20, 5:30,
just trying to get my
physical activity on. There's
a place to hike very close to
where I'm staying. So one of
the mornings I woke upinstead of doing the
traditional going to the gym
and lifting weights or
whatever I decide to do for
(18:27):
that day, I went on a hike. I
do love hiking, so. Physical
activities is one of those
things I value, and it's now
just become a staple when it
comes to my regular routine.
Nice. Where in Arizona are
you?I'm in Tempe. So the
conference is in Phoenix, but
I'm in Tempe, which is
probably about like 15
minutes from-- I don't even
know if it's even that. Yeah,
probably about 15 minutes
from Phoenix. OK, where you
(18:49):
went to hike, was that like,
looked like a stairs to
heaven, like a staircase to
heaven, and then you-- I'm
like, oh, you know, what's
the closest place I can go
hiking?You know, and they
said, This is like a, you
know, mild, you know, hiking.
I'm like, oh, this
is gonna get my physical
activity. This is gonna be
great. And then I look
(19:10):
up at this mountain. This is
Phoenix. Phoenix is just dry
land. I'm looking up at
this mountainous being, or
mountainous thing in front of
me, and I'm like, Who's going
up there?The part that I
actually went up, there
wasn't any... Well, you're
actually on an incline
without any stairs. So you're
just, you're just. And then
(19:30):
there's the point where there
are stairs and you're just
going up and up and up. The
The gracious part and the
part I love about hiking,
especially when you hike to
an elevation, is that view
when you get to the top is so
rewarding. You're looking at
the city and you're like,
wow, there's the airport,
there's this, there's that.
You can actually. And then
coming down is so easy. So
coming like. Getting up the
(19:52):
the mountain is always a
challenge. Coming down is
simple and straightforward.
So it was a good time. I wish
I remember the name of the
place. Last year, my family
had a reunion in Phoenix. And
so they're like, oh, this is
really, really nice. Light,
light jog, light truck up
some stairs. But the view is
(20:13):
great. And we're like, I
mean, we likeyou know So all
of us got our little workout
clothes on. And you see the
stairs, and you're like, oh,
OK. And you're going. And
they have-- like there are
places on the steps where
people are just sitting, like
trying to catch their breath.
And I was like, OK, I-- I
first off, I'm pointing out
(20:34):
all the different like
stopping points because, yes,
but also, why is it so high?
But then, of course, when you
get up there, right?You turn
around and you could see,
like, this beautiful view of
the neighborhood and all
that. And you're like, oh,
it's so beautiful. As you
finally, you know, catch your
breath. And then there's,
like, another level without
stairs that's just rock.
(20:56):
And someone gathered, like,
their sticks. And I didn't do
that one. The view where I
was was great. Wasn't enough.
Wild physical activity
experience. That sounds-- for
US, for me. for me,
and I kept trying to inch
towards the stairs to get
back down. What actually
(21:16):
pushes you to keep going when
it's like, this is very
challenging?And-- Yeah, I
think at the base is
going back to the faith. I
think there is an initial
drive in me that when
something is difficult, I
want to figure it out, I want
to push through, I want to--
I will find the answer. And I
(21:37):
think I have been humbled to
remember to like calm down
and pray. And I noticed that
when I make sure my like
spiritual wellness and my
emotional wellness are
balanced, there's some
clarity even when the
situation's really difficult.
(21:58):
An example of that is a
couple months ago, things
were going, like I had a
plan. But things are getting
really difficult. And I
honestly was like, I don't
know what I'm trying to, you
ever seen somebody shuffle
cards and they don't shuffle
well and the cards just go,
okay, that's what it felt
like for a few months. And
then I think just coming back
to, all right, what can I
(22:19):
control?Nothing. What can I
do instead?I can read my
Bible and I can reach out
to people who are maybe doing
something similar or they
know what I'm talking about
and then just asking for
help. reminding myself that
when things are difficult,
it's beyond me, and I need to
(22:40):
be able to just, like, tend
to my garden. Whatever I'm
doing right now, I need to
make sure I focus on, pray
about it. Just when I feel
distracted, I'm making sure
that I'm reading my Bible and
then asking people for help
instead of banging my head
against the wall trying to
figure something out on my
(23:00):
own. HmmOkay.
That's good. And then for
you, what does vision and
purpose mean for you?
Vision in my mind has been
that end goal or like
something that I I hope to
happen. And so with this
podcast and and with my
(23:20):
business, I hope that, you
know, I can bridge a gap for
more people who are
interested in travel, but
they're not sure, and people
whofeel so disconnected from
being bold and confident. And
I want this to be just like a
way for them to figure out
how to do that, right?To me,
that's, I think that's how
(23:41):
I've linked my vision to
what I'm hoping could be. And
then my purpose, I think it's
just the good that I can do.
So what I can do to help
other people, what I can do
to sharing my own experience,
being honest about what I've
struggled with,And sharing
that with other people, I
think, is-- that's that's
(24:02):
been my purpose, is if I can
bring other people with me
and say, hey, look, I know it
looks really bad, but this is
what it could be, or you know
this is what others have
done, and here's what you can
do to help yourself. Yeah,
yeah I think that, to me, is
is my purpose, bringing other
people along despite what
they're going through. That's
beautiful. OK, last and final
(24:22):
question. All right. How are
you cultivating a life with
confidence and boldness
without being perceived as
arrogant and or cocky?
And the reason I asked the
question, I'll give you a
moment to kind of answer. The
reason I asked this question
is during a therapy session,
I'm gonna have to say
sometime within last year,
these are topics that I would
(24:43):
be going back and forth with
my therapists about in terms
of humility versus like
arrogance. Just because it's
for me personally, I'm
typically on the humility
side, very rarely am I like,
well, this is what I do and
this is all the things. Here
are all my accolades andthings that I've
accomplished. It's more so
you're gonna have to like
really consistently ask
(25:04):
questions for me to totally
reveal anything, just because
I don't see those things as
something that, it's not that
it's not important, it's not
obvious I worked hard to get
where I am, but it's just
that I don't want it to ever
be perceived that it was me.
Like, by myself. Like, I just
woke up one day and just
thought, and just-- it just
came to fruition. Like, there
was a process, there was a
(25:26):
journey, and by God's grace,
I am where I am. So I was
just wondering what your
thoughts are when it comes to
the borderline or that fine
line between being confident
and bold, but then making
sure that it doesn't come
across as, like, arrogance. I
think that is--
it's internally driven. So
(25:47):
I can be really confident. I
think confidence is just like
time and experience. And so
if you're able to be
confident in what you have
and what you're able to do,
when it comes to actually
sharing what it is that
you've done and giving full
credit to it, that can also
come off as like a praise to
(26:07):
God. So God gave me this
talent to do this, and this
is what I've been able to do
with it, orI,
you know, came up with this
really great idea. I don't
know where it came from. I
know it came from God, right?
But so I think keeping that
in mind, and maybe it's
something that maybe I would
(26:28):
need to say more often, but
my assumption isn't that I
know that it's only from me.
And I think that's how I've
been able to pull myself
back. And I I do struggle
with that. Sometimes I want
to be that, the humble
person. But I'm also very
driven to speak out against
certain things. And so for
me, I was trying to make sure
that if I am saying
(26:50):
something, it's not because I
want to make myself feel
better. It's because
it's right. And I think
that's that's been like that
grounding question for me
was, is it really necessary
for you to say this right now?
Or is it really necessary for
you to have that reaction?And
if it isn't, then I need to
ask why I'm having that
(27:10):
reaction. But if it is, then
that's a part of that, you
know, that's who I am. And if
I'm standing up for someone
or I'm speaking out against
something that I think
shouldn't be the case, I
don't think that it would be
arrogant because it's coming
from a place of like justice
and empathy versus me trying
(27:30):
to make myself sound better
or cocky. Okay. Yeah. Very
nice perspective. Thank you.
Thank you for answering my
question. Yeah. That's the
switch of an
interview. No joking. Right.
And so this is my co-host.
So, oh, I had another
(27:52):
question about your-- did I
ask you about your self-care
already?I don't think I did.
No. What is a
self-care practice that you
use when you're traveling?Hmm
Self-care practice that I use
when I am traveling.
(28:13):
I would say... Hmm
Well, one thing I definitely,
I love food. Okay. We're
friends. So I feel like
whenever I'm traveling, I
really try my best to go
out-of-the-box. I try my best
to try new foods, try new
food. That makes me very
happy, having my belly full
is a joy. So that's
(28:34):
definitely one. Definitely
making sure I set aside time,
no matter what type of
traveling I'm doing, to just
dwell and be by myself. Like
time of rest. Rest for me
doesn't mean I'm sleeping.
Rest for me mean that I'm
necessarily in the bed. Rest
could be that I'm just
working on something that's
completely different from
what I'm here for. Like, for
(28:54):
example, if this is a leisure
trip, sometimes it's fun to
look at. work-related things.
Although it's not, but it's
not like work. Like for me,
work is medicine. So maybe
it's like I'm reading
something about a topic that
I was just interested in,
wanted to learn more. Or even
right now, I'm trying my best
to do, to be more intentional
about reading. I say, oh
yeah, I read, I read books.
(29:15):
But then it's like, when
people ask me, so what book
are you reading?You're like,
other than the Bible, you
know, it's nothing much.
So all right, right now
I'm rereading 'cause I
started it like,probably like
a year ago, and now I'm
really reading it this time.
Atomic Habits by James Clare.
Yeah. When it comes to like
(29:36):
breaking those habits, being
very clear on like your
objectives. The two words I
would say that define my life
right now is like discipline.
On like if you, being very
clear and very intentional.
So I'm trying my best to
remove the words like try out
of my vocabulary. So instead
of saying like, I'm gonna try
and be more active, it's
like, no, I'm gonna be more
active. No, I'mYou're just
(29:58):
going to put it into your
regular schedule, make it
something that's not
something you have to think
about. I don't have to put
out my workout clothes in the
morning to know that I'm
going to like, you know that
this is what you do every
morning kind of. And another
thing for me right now is
like pivoting. Being in a new
space career wise, it's given
me the opportunity to really
look around and say there's
more that I could do with my
(30:18):
24 hours. So being mindful of
making sure that you you
appropriate your time as best
as you can. Everybody has.
and make sure that you make
the best of the time that you
have. Nice. How do you
feel your culture has
influenced the way you
interact or think about your
relationship with otherpeople?Hmm
(30:41):
That is, my culture is very
important. I'm Jamaican, so I
was born in Jamaica, lived
there for, I lived there two
separate times in my life, in
my earlier years, the first
couple of years of my life,
and then I moved back in my
early 20s. Completely two
different perspectives. So
that level of culture in
terms of music, in terms of
food, it definitely shapes
the way that I approach life.
(31:03):
Usually we're veryhospitable. If you, if
anybody ever visits Jamaica,
there's always a joy that
they have just because we
just, we just accept people.
We just take people and we're
like, join us. And then we
like throw our culture and
this is our food. Like food
is definitely, I think I get
my food just culturally just
'cause our food is is pretty
delicious. Jerk stuff. We got
(31:24):
jerk chicken and jerk pork
and we have, I don't think
we're the the kings and
Queens of Curry, but I still
think our Curry goat is good.
One thing I love to eat is
Stew peas. We have oxtail
patty like it's a good time.
So definitely I feel like
culturally just because you
you know that this is like
who you are and what you're
you're you come from. It does
show up when it comes to
(31:45):
engaging with others so. I
always find that individuals
who are also from somewhere
else, whether they're from a
different part of the country
or just a different country
in general, I feel like we
understand each other more
just because we know that
there's like this is not
necessarily like home, if
that makes sense. So for
example, right now I call
Maryland home. My home is
(32:05):
also Jamaica. My home is also
this place. My home is also
that place. So I have a
tendency of like really
connecting very well with
individuals who also have
that similar background of of
calling like multiple places
home, so. I feel like it's
just shaped the way that I
view food, the way that I
view, like, my music choices,
and the way that I approach
life. Yeah, I definitely
understand that. My parents
(32:26):
are Liberian, and, like,
Liberia's home, even though I
haven't been there since the
sixth grade. That's
definitely on the travel
list. And living in Maryland,
yeah, it's become like, Yeah,
I've been here for almost 10
years. This is 100% home,
right?So, but
I would also, I think,If I
(32:47):
move somewhere else, be very
comfortable with calling it
home, maybe within a strong
year and a half out. Just
because you, you know, if
you're that type of person
that can adapt and connect
with people, it becomes home.
Yeah, I feel like adapting
is, that's like my my middle
aim. I've been monopol- the
past 12 years, I'm like, at
(33:08):
this point, I'm just like,
there's too many places I
call home. I've lived in
Chicago, I've lived in
Florida, I've lived, of
course, in Canada, Jamaica.
Small stents in Turks and
Caicos Bridge, Virgin
Islands. I'm now in Maryland.
I was also in Michigan. So
for me, home is like when
even when I'm talking to
people like what's where's
where I'm going home. Which
one?Which one?Just because of
life experiences. I'm
(33:29):
grateful to be able to say
that I call a lot of places
home. And then you think they
when you live in a place for
a period of time, you take
like that, you know, you take
a part of or you take a part
of that country with you
because you of all the
experiences that you've
learned and the culture that
you allotted yourself to be a
part of for a period of time.
So. Adaptability, I think, is
a very cool kind of trait
characteristic to have. Yeah.
(33:51):
So what is next for you?Do
you have-- I know you have
like another family trip, but
is there another travel that
you have planned or that's in
the works?Maybe it's pen and
paper. So I definitely have
some pen and paper. So I
literally, as of today, the
ladies that I met recently,
they're from different parts
of Africa. continent of
(34:13):
Africa. It's like, the more
I'm talking to people, the
more I'm like, I don't know
why I'm just meeting a whole
bunch of Africans. And
they're just like, come to
our continents, come to
specifically our country. So
I was looking up just today,
like trip ideas to to like
Ghana, trip ideas to Senegal,
trip ideas to Kenya. So
(34:34):
that definitely is in the
works, just as a matter of
when. So that's one. I would
love to go back to Jamaica. I
haven't been to Jamaica in
several years pre pandemic,
which is very, very bad. So
it would definitely be nice
to kind of go there for a
period of time. So that would
be nice to do sometime in the
new year. But before this
year, I don't think I'll be
doing anything major. If I do
anything, it'll be short
(34:54):
little stints of like weekend
trips, maybe to Houston,
maybe a weekend trip to visit
friends in like California.
But I'm hopeful that 2025
will bring some fresh places.
I definitely am that person
that doesn't like to repeat.
So if I go a place one time,
try my best to just soak it
in, enjoy, do as much as I
want, because there's so much
of this world to see. I don't
(35:15):
wanna just leave it and be
like, well, I'll come back
next year. No, next year I'm
going. So I'm hopeful to see
or excited to kinda see the
new places I'll experience
next year. Awesome. Correct,
this is the most I've been
interviewed on my podcast. So
I do have a question, because
I do see you as the
networking, in my life,
networking queen. We are
(35:37):
always like talking about
this person that you met, you
know, this opportunity that
came about. So as an
individual who would like to
be better in that space of of
networking and talking to
people, what tips and or
advice would you give to a
person?All right. So thank
you. Thank you for your kind
words. I like to talk
now, which is very odd
(35:59):
because I am introverted. So
if I get comfortable, then
things just, you know, I'm
introverted. If I'm
comfortable, you can't stop
me from talking. One of the
things that I practiced
and thought about before I
went to one of my last
conferences was I had gone to
it before and I'd gone to the
sessions and I was trying
really hard to be a good
student, but the sessions
(36:20):
were overwhelming. And so
making sure my goal this
round was networking is what
I had gotten out of it. And
so I went to some sessions,
but I also wanted to like
talk to other people and ask
them questions andEven though
we weren't all in the same
role, I guess, as podcasters,
I learned so much about other
(36:40):
people because podcasting, it
just has so many different
connections, right?The people
are all over the different
types of people, and they
have their own ways. So being
intentional about networking
instead of hoping it would
happen or hoping someone to
reach out to me was probably
the first step. And then
trying to keep my story
(37:01):
simple. HmmSo
I would, when we, you know,
exchange information or, you
know, hey, I'm Grace, da da
da. I tried really hard to
keep, like, I'm here for this
reason, and I want to make
sure that's the only reason
I'm providing. If we're
talking more, then I'll share
a little bit more, like, I
have a business, da da da.
But right now, in this in
(37:24):
this example, I was at a
podcasting conference. I only
talked about my podcast or
the group that I was
representing. And then that
allowed for other people to
talk and we would ask
questions. And they're, I
think, trying to take away
that pressure of like having
to know the right answer or
having to have a fully
fledged, like prepped answer.
(37:45):
I just, a person asked me a
question I just wanted to
answer and then do the same
for them. So being
intentional about networking
by keeping your story simple
and then having some
questions readySo being
curious about other people
and just what can I learn
from this situation or what
can I learn from this person?
(38:05):
And like I said earlier,
being honest about, you know,
if you need help with
something, some people like,
you know, let me know if you
need anything. And some of
them genuinely mean it, some
don't and you'll find that
out really quickly, but
others genuinely do. And so
when you allow yourself to be
vulnerable and say. You know,
hey, this is what I'm working
on. I really wish I could
(38:25):
figure out how to do this.
You just see people's eyes
light up and they're like, oh
my goodness, I know this
person, or I could help you
out with that. And so since
we've met, I think a lot of
the connections that I've had
came from that conference.
But then they're like, it's
been a ripple effect of
people that they know, who
they connected me with. And
(38:46):
then maybe as we were talking
resources that I mentioned I
needed,and they've you know
sent them over to me. So
keeping it simple, being
curious about other people, I
think has been helpful. The
last thing is following up
with people. Whew,
because you can collect a
whole list, right, of people.
(39:07):
And again, for me, now
going through the list,
that's gonna be really
overwhelming. But just taking
your time and just saying,
okay, I can send out like
three emails today. Or I can
add these people on LinkedIn
and just say hey or whatnot.
I think following up with
people, maybe if they can't
help you immediately, they
may be able to help you two
or three months from now,
maybe a year from now. You
(39:28):
never know. So it's helpful.
Also, that's why you want to
keep your story simple, so
that people know if there is
something that they can
connect you with, they know
exactly who you are, what
your purpose is, so they can
say, Oh, I know this person
over here. Those are my my
tips. Thank you. Very, very
helpful. Thank you. All
(39:48):
right, Watlei, thank you so
much for being a guest and
just sharing a little bit
about yourself. I really
appreciate it. Thank you so
much for having me. It's been
a pleasure. Thank you. Thank
you. Hey there,
Grace here. I hope you
enjoyed today's episode and
gained some useful takeaways.
Thank you so much for
listening and staying until
(40:09):
the end. Don't forget to rate
the show or share it with
some friends. Have a
wonderful week. Take care.
And remember. Be bold, be
curious, be ready to tell
your story. You never know
who needs it. Bye bye.
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
Ridiculous History
History is beautiful, brutal and, often, ridiculous. Join Ben Bowlin and Noel Brown as they dive into some of the weirdest stories from across the span of human civilization in Ridiculous History, a podcast by iHeartRadio.