November 26, 2024 • 32 mins
Summary:
In this inspiring episode, Grace Simmons chats with Michelle Plante, a travel advisor and pioneer in alcohol-free luxury travel for women. Michelle shares her journey to sobriety, her passion for creating meaningful travel experiences, and the transformative power of travel. From Boston to Costa Rica, Michelle’s focus on mindful connections and personal growth shines through as she discusses her luxury alcohol-free retreats and how travel can inspire change and self-discovery.
Guest Bio:
Michelle Plante is a travel advisor and a recent pioneer in organizing luxury alcohol-free trips for women. A dedicated member of the Wellness Tourism Association and the Transformational Travel Council, Michelle blends luxury, adventure, and wellness to create experiences that allow women to connect, thrive, and be their best selves.
Key Topics Discussed:
- Michelle’s journey to sobriety and how it led her to curate alcohol-free travel experiences.
- The importance of setting intentions for meaningful and fulfilling travel.
- How to find joy and connection while embracing an alcohol-free lifestyle.
- Michelle’s favorite self-care practices for wellness, both at home and during travel.
- Highlights of Michelle’s upcoming alcohol-free luxury retreats in Costa Rica and India.
Key Quotes:
- "It’s not about what you can’t do when you’re sober—it’s about the thousands of incredible things you can do."
- "Travel isn’t just about seeing new places; it’s a way to grow, connect, and rediscover yourself."
- "Set your intentions before you travel. Knowing how you want to feel afterward can transform your trip."
Takeaways:
- Sobriety can unlock a new perspective on travel and life, offering deeper connections and meaningful experiences.
- Setting clear intentions before a trip enhances its purpose and allows travelers to appreciate it fully.
- Simple self-care practices, like prioritizing sleep and disconnecting from devices, contribute to overall wellness while traveling.
Resources Mentioned:
Michelle Plante’s website: michelleplante.com
- Alcohol-Free Luxury Trips in 2025:
- Costa Rica: TBD
- India: TDB
Instagram: @michelleplantetravels
Connect with Michelle:
You can find Michelle on Instagram at @michelleplantetravels or visit her website for more information on her luxury retreats and travel advisory services.
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 Palaba Hut, LLC.
(00:24):
Hello, everyone, and welcome to the
Random and Wonderful. Today, my guest is
Michelle. I'm really excited for you all
to meet her. And I'm going to let her
introduce herself, and then we'll get
started. Thank you, Grace. So excited to
be here. Hi, guys. It's so good to see
you. My name's Michelle Plant. I live in
Kansas City, Missouri. I'm
sober, period. That's what I'm excited to
(00:46):
talk about. I love wellness. I love
travel. I was recently connected with
Grace through a friend, Rena. And I
know that she's all about wellness and
travel, so just really looking forward to
having a good conversation today. Yes.
I am excited. So let's get into--
first off, your first declarating
statement was, I'm sober. How have
(01:08):
you found this new, I guess,
chapter of life?Were you always sober?
No. Or do you always plan to be that way?
Or how did you get for that to be
your welcoming statement?Oh, my
gosh. Well, I've just been really excited
about it lately, and I'll share why. I
have not always been sober, but it's been
(01:28):
nearly six years. And I use the words
sober and alcohol-free interchangeably.
So I might be saying alcohol-free or
sober. And there's this
thing called intuition. And I kind of had
an idea at some point that I would
stop. Like, I used to joke and say that I
would stop blacking out, and I quit
(01:48):
drinking when I was 29. So I kind of
always knew. It wasn't intentional,
though. I just woke up with a really
bad hangover one day, like I had many
times. And I said, never
drinking again. And this time, thank
goodness, it stuck. And so I've just
been really, really excited about it.
(02:09):
Well, congratulations on your six years.
Thank you. Yeah, I love it. So one of the
things, especially when it comes to
traveling, right, you want to jump into
the fun and. I don't know, merriment of
being in a new place. How do you
balance that?Like, how do you
maintain being sober, being alcohol free,
and actually enjoy your trip?Because some
(02:30):
people feel like, you know, even if
you're needing to relax or something,
like alcohol is a part of that relaxing
or social behavior. How do you
distinguish and set those boundaries?
Totally, 100%. And, you know,
travel is my profession now, and
I love helping people have really
intentional trips without alcohol.
(02:53):
And for me, that's getting
super settled into the place. So that's
taking a second, not feeling rushed. I
love going to parks anywhere and
visiting. I just got back from Boston and
Boston Public Garden was so beautiful. I
hung out there for like two hours, but it
just, it took a minute, you know, as,
(03:13):
as I started to travel.
More and feel more comfortable. I
learned that there's so much to do. Like,
it's not about what you can't do. It's
there's thousands of things to do
when you're sober. Yeah. So traveling
is your profession. Can you dive a little
bit more into that?How do you conduct
(03:34):
these trips and why is travel that
leading vehicle for you?Oh, man, it's the
best thing ever. It is. I mean, I'm
not going to disagree with you. No.
And I will share, it took me a while to
get here. I worked in a Fortune 500
company for a long time before, you know,
finding the confidence to
(03:55):
pursue a passion. And
so I work as, you know, a lot of people
call them travel agents. I refer to it as
a travel advisor. And
I love just, I'm obsessed with
hotels. Like I'm obsessed with hotels,
I'm obsessed with flights, I'm obsessed
with learning about other cultures. I
also love learning aboutother cultures'
(04:16):
wellness practices. So I'm really
into it, like Japan, I just love.
And I've learned that through
travel, we can also experience
transformation and have this
beautiful personal growth
experience while traveling. And
so for me, travel, like
(04:38):
it's obviously fun, but it's also like
this path to where I get to better
understand myself. And I've really
enjoyed that. Yeah. Going back to what
you said, actually, about the the parks
and finding wonderful parks. So
one of my favorite stories when I was in
Portugal was I was supposed to be
(04:59):
wandering and going somewhere else and
happened to just stop by this park. And
like you said, you ended up spending like
two hours, three hours just
being there, right, in the park and just
relaxing and just immersing yourself in
that peace. SoI
think people limit themselves sometimes
when it comes to the things that you can
do. And for some reason, that always
(05:20):
equates to active or activity or
something grand. And just being
still and in the moment is also
beneficial. Yeah, that's so beautiful.
I'm so glad you shared that. And that's
so cool because, you know, you're in this
beautiful country and still one of the
highlights was spending time in a park,
just being in nature. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.
(05:43):
I love that. It's so beautiful.
Michelle, what are-- what's like a a
favorite travel story that you can share?
Oh, my goodness. I just
really find so much
beauty and
self-exploration through travel.
It's like hard to pick one. You know,
when people are like, what's your
(06:03):
favorite movie?Actually, what's your
favorite movie is like an easier
question. All right, while you're
thinking, what's your favorite movie?Joe
Dirt. Okay. That's
so good. Or the sweetest thing. Well, I
could keep going, but I I spend a lot of
time in Mexico, so I I love going to
Mexico. I love street food. So just
(06:25):
where I can just have a lot of street
food. But usually a lot of my favorite
trips are the ones where I put my phone
away. And I have been doing less and less
of that, but there will be a trip in the
future. But recently I've really been
enjoying trips where I travel with
people. I used to travel solo a lot and
now I'm starting to travel with people
(06:46):
and I'm just finding so much more
connection and community in that way.
Okay. Is that because it's through your
business or these are other trips that
you plan?Both. Okay. Yeah.
YeahWhat about you, Grace?I want to hear
about a trip that you love. So
usually I talk about my-- Portugal is
probably like a high for me, and Iceland
(07:08):
is usually my favorite because that was
my first one. But I went to Mexico this
year, actually, and I was in San Miguel
de Allende. Yeah, I was going to bring it
up. That's where I did have my phone for
a week. Yeah, I could see it. Like,
I love a beach. I love being near
the water. I'll take a river, OK?I love
being near water. But somethingkept
(07:30):
pulling me to go visit this place. I saw
it on like a a travel show, and I
wanted to go there. Like
So I was staying in the central, and then
I got to walk a little bit outside to, I
guess, like an old fabrics factory or
where that used to be. So it's a little
bit outside of the town. It's probably
like a good 20-minute walk one way. But
(07:52):
typically, I think I'd try to like get a
taxi or an Uber, especially if I'm going
outside of the the city area. But just
walking through and you can kind of see
like the different layers between being
in the city that's super crowded and
populated. You go out a little bit and
you start to go into the community. You
can see the schools, the homes, a little
bit more residential. And then go out
further to, I mean, what is another kind
(08:13):
of a tourist spot. But even that walk was
absolutely beautiful. And then again,
I, in my mind said I was going to spend
like one or two hours there. And I felt
like the path, the hallways just kept
leading to another room. And this is a
very artistic collection. And so
there were galleries, there were just
(08:34):
different people who were showing off
their little, they had little shops and
little posts and whatnot. There was a lot
to entertain your eyes
walking around in there. So that I
thought was really fun. It was quite a
reward for making that little track and
walking back. But yeah, I think that was
kind of a favorite moment, like, yeah,
let me let me see what's going on down
there. That's awesome. That sounds
(08:54):
amazing. Yeah, San Miguel's the best.
Cool. I'm so glad you shared that. Thank
you. Wait, so have you been to to
San Miguel?Yes. I went
for some serious healing. So
I went to a house
pretty much where-- I mean,
the short version is that I was going
(09:14):
through a breakup, OK?And
I was like,I need help. And so,
you know, friends connected me with
friends, and it's pretty much just like a
couple who supports you. Like, OK, it
sounds weird when I explain it now, but
it wasn't. It was like perfect. And I had
met that woman a couple months before, so
it was just pretty divine, if you will.
(09:37):
Yeah. So I turned my phone off. It was
over Christmas. I had skipped Christmas
that year too, because it was just like,
it was very clear, you know, it's never
about the breakup. It was just about
everything else that presents itself when
you're going through that. And so I was
like, okay, I'm ready to
shed a lot of this. So I just
turned the phone off. I probably read
(09:58):
like a couple books. I didn't bring any
of my own. They only, they had a lot, so
I just read books and then I
journaled for days at a time and cried,
of course. But I obviously got to
explore a couple of days, and they would
just drop me off, and I would just walk
around without a phone, like, boop, boop,
boop. You know, like, where am I going?I
(10:19):
had no idea. They're going to pick me up
in two hours. I hope I can get back.
Yeah. So it felt like a true adventure,
but it was really cool. Yeah, it's a
beautiful, beautiful city. If there is a
time where I kind of put my phone away a
little bit, there are these things called
getaway-- they're like little mini
cabins. And they're like
(10:41):
converted trailers. And so it's just a
cute little-- they've got like one or two
bedrooms, something like that. But they
are a community of these little
wooden cabins or trailers. It's like the
extent of camping that I think is my
limit, right?You still have access to all
the amenities, flowing water, but you're
(11:01):
in the middle of nature and they give you
a little lock box to put your phone in
and justEnjoy being there and the
entire idea like there's like, we have no
Wi-Fi. Again, we have no Wi-Fi. Just
enjoy yourself. But the way they've
designed it was just to take a wonderful
break. I think it was like my start of
(11:21):
what a personal retreat is,
how needed that is, you know, just to
take a break. I still long for I need to
do that again. And I find like, oh, I'll
go somewhere else. And San Miguel was
actually supposed to be my finally
fulfilling that, like, I need a personal
retreat, but. I think that was definitely
something I want to do again. Be in the
quiet, put your phone away. No
(11:43):
Wi-Fi. No Wi-Fi. Well, that's
cool. And you have that-- yeah, you have
that to go to whenever you know the time
is right. You'll be prepared. You'll know
exactly where to go and when. That sounds
awesome. Take me with you.
Essentially, I tell so many people about
it, and I'm like, I don't understand why
it's been years since I've been back.
(12:05):
It's all involved. I'm sold.
It's great. Can you tell me a lesson or
some experience that left a you know good
impact on you?Whoo.
Thousands. I mean, I use--
I believe that every person is a teacher
in our lives. So I'm always trying to
(12:27):
learn a lesson. And
my experience is that you will keep being
presentedwith the lesson
until it kind of clicks. And
so, whew, I
think, I mean,
honestly, this is like very
vulnerable and embarrassing, but it's
(12:49):
about having healthy relationships with
men like that. It's not something
I share a lot about, but
so here we are being random and
wonderful, but- Here we are.
It's, yeah, I had to learn that lesson a
long time, and now I'm in a super healthy
relationship with an incredible man. And
it took me a second,
(13:11):
but it was worth it. And of course, like,
I'm still learning. But that was
something I had, you know, spent a lot of
time and energy on. I like that
phrase. Everyone is a teacher. Yes.
Because one of the things I really try to
encourage is making sure you share your
story. because other people benefit, like
(13:33):
that's the entire reason why this podcast
exists is because so many people have
incredible stories to share,
advice that maybe they don't realize is
advice. They're just sharing their
experience and another person's like, oh
my gosh, I was going through that and I
was wondering about that or I was
struggling with that. And you never know
what people have gone through and how it
can help you depending on where you are.
(13:54):
So I'm glad you were
vulnerable and shared that. Well, thank
you, Grace. I felt safe to do so. And I
love that that's what you're doing here
because it hasn't been until
very recent where I've, you know, felt
confident in sharing about my sobriety.
Like, people, you know, over time
(14:15):
have made me feel like it's this bad
thing, like, oh, you had a problem. I'm
like, what?Okay, it doesn't even matter.
Like, I just made a decision for myself.
And I've found that through sharing,
I feel better. Like I feel
more excited about it. And that's how I
just rolled up here. I was like, I'm
sober. Like my, it's my favorite thing
(14:36):
about myself. And so I'm glad you can
take that back with you, that every
person is a teacher because too, I've,
you know, I've been to a couple, you
know, like personal development seminars
or or whatever over the years. And like,
One of my favorite is like when the
speaker will be like, okay, picture
someone you are so angry with.
(14:58):
And I'm like, yeah, like I'm, I'm
mad. And then like, I'm like, oh my God,
I need to like text them like whatever.
And the speaker will be like, that person
is a precious child of God.
And I'm like, umm
come on. Yeah. I'm like.
(15:18):
Okay.
Why'd you brow me up?Like, I'm
like, okay. What do you do now?
But it always like sinks like
so deeply, so like
every time. And I'm like,
and that has been a really beautiful
(15:40):
lesson for me too, Grace, is just like
having that belief and, and treating
people like that and
seeing the value that everyone can
provide in your life, like whether it's
tangibly or not, and most of the time
it's not, and just being open to that.
Yeah. I was talking to somebody about how
travel has been a great teacher of like
(16:03):
emotional intelligence, where I think
traveling, especially when I started
doing solo travel, was because I
initially was like, I'm trying to prove
that I can do this on my own. And then of
course there was a learning experience,
which is just like, you justNeed time
alone. That's different. And even on that
experience I connected with so many
(16:23):
people there and
learning how to. really
communicate, right?Get in touch with your
actual feelings and digging in and
learning those lessons in a way where
it's like, hmm, other people are
children of God, right?Like other people
have entire lives and we happen to meet
on a few points. And I don't know, it it
(16:45):
definitely helps your perspective, how
you engage with other people, how you
think about certain situations. Yeah,
that's a needed reminder. Yeah.
At what point did you connect travel and
emotional intelligence?I
studied emotional intelligence for my own
help. A couple years ago, I was going
(17:07):
through a really rough time, and I could
not figure out why I was so
frustrated and
angry and hateful towards myself. But it
was also coming out at other people, and
I couldn't really put those two things
together. And so after
my first trip to Iceland. It
was just like a an awakening. So,
(17:30):
okay, let me go back. Before the first
trip was skydiving. Skydiving is like my
life saving, get yourself together, sis.
So during that internal, just
internal hate seriously, and that was
coming out of other people and there were
things that were outside of my control
and I could have, I needed to change, but
(17:50):
there was no reason for me to feel the
anger that I was feeling. And so with
going to therapy and trying to rebuild
and find myself again and reconnecting
to the church, I've never stopped, but
like actually being present with my
church and actually being like, Hey God,
sorry, we have not had an honest
(18:10):
conversation in a long time, my bad. All
of that. And when I was in Iceland
then I started thinking about
how I could dig into who
I am and my emotions and actually like be
honest about what I was feeling and be
truthful about why was I feeling
frustrated. And the frustration came from
I felt like I didn't have control. And so
(18:33):
going on a solo trip is like, all right,
now you have control. What are you going
to do, right?I'm so
glad. This is amazing. Yes, keep going.
And so you're like, all right, here we
go. And II learned
great things from it. I learned to you
know be clear in what I wanted to say and
be respectful of my own boundaries
(18:55):
and let people know what those boundaries
are, because how are people supposed to
know?So that is kind of the
tie-in. So then when I came back, just
for me to learn a little bit more of
myself and then help people put into
words what I had learned, I started
studying emotional intelligence, and
there's so many different componentsthat
your emotions affect and can
(19:18):
impact. And if you don't have a good
handle on any of them, like your
finances, to social, to friends, to
food, your emotions can impact all
of that. And so if you aren't aware of
it, I think that's like the foundation
for me is my emotional intelligence as
well as my spiritual health. Those two
(19:39):
needed to be nursed back to health.
Whoo, amen. Yeah. I mean, I'm so
happy to hear all of that because how
easy would it have been for you to
continue going down the path of
self-hatred and outbursts
and not clearly checking in with
yourself. And you make-- it's a hard
(20:00):
decision to pay attention to your
emotions. It's not easy. It is not.
And it sounds like you've made so much
progress to where you're having
conversations internally and externally
You're able to identify and establish
boundaries. And you're like, I'm back.
Like, I'm good. That was weird. Like,
we're here now. So I'm
(20:23):
just so happy to hear that that is really
inspirational, because I feel like
it's so worth
the discomfort
of going through those really
challenging experiences of, like, going
in. It can be hard. Yeah.
It is. And thankfully, it's worth it.
(20:44):
Though that was weird, is legit a feeling
that comes up every once in a while.
Like, why was I so-- wow,
all right. I don't know who she was. But
yeah, it was something that needed to be
dealt with. Yeah, Yeah that's awesome.
Really cool that you can share that. Um
What is some advice
(21:05):
that you would give a traveler to
help them appreciate their
trip?So like when they get back, how do
they appreciate what they've gone through?
Yes. Set intentions like
first. And sometimes
what you're looking for may not
even be a trip in the first
(21:27):
place. So it's like, I feel like,
you know, I'm obsessed with this and I
just feel like a lot of times people are
like, oh, I need a vacation. I'm like, do
you need a vacation or do you need rest?
Or do you needto check in?Do you
need a new job?Do you need a new
relationship?Or do you just need to sleep?
Umm Maybe you just need to sleep, you
(21:49):
know, like before you go. And it's like
with anything in life, when people are
like chasing, chasing, chasing, you
know, like saying, this will make me
happy. And people project that onto
vacations too, and trips. Like as soon as
I get back, things will be fine. Yeah
And I'm like,That'd be really cool.
(22:10):
I don't think it's the case. I think when
you set intentions and you say, you know
this last trip that I went on to Boston
with my boyfriend was to celebrate his
birthday. And I was like, the
intention here-- and you can do this like
with friends or with your partner or with
yourself, you know journaling and just
saying, I want to explore the
history, I want to eat a lot of seafood,
(22:31):
and I want to be super present with my
boyfriend, I don't want to be lame or
whiny or just you know belike an annoying
girlfriend, like if like my feet hurt or
whatever, like I just want to really
honor him and make him feel
really special because it's his birthday
weekend and just remind him how cool he
is. And of course we
(22:52):
did. And something I always try to think
of before going on a trip too, is how do
I want to feel after?You know, when I get
back, do I want to feel inspired?
Do I want to feel rested?Do I want to
feelexcited?Do I want to
feel maybe a little nostalgic for that
trip?And planning that, like having the
vision for the entire time, in my
(23:15):
experience, has been really helpful when
it comes to traveling. I like that.
Setting your intentions before you go is
so key. Yes. YesVery much. Yes.
Yeah, yeahWhat's your favorite self-care
practice while you travel?Ooh,
waking up early and sleeping.
If a hotel has a bath, man, I am in
(23:37):
that bath.
Yeah. Yes. Like, that is important for
me. And, you know, just little things
that I do at home, I'm really proud of
the progress I've made when it comes to
my daily rituals and wellness. And it's
nothing crazy. Like, I'm just going to
say, it's really simple. But even things
like, I don't get on
(23:58):
my phone or my computer in my
bed. Like, they don't go in
my room. And when I'm traveling, my
phone does not stay next to the bed.
Like, it's, you know, whatever in the
bathroom or on the little
desk. And I do the same with my computer.
Like, just those devices don't belong in
the bed. And so my brain knows that bed
(24:20):
is for sleeping. So I think-- I don't
know if anyone else does that, but I
really like that. I do, too.
Prioritizing sleep and removing those
devices from near your your bed. Yes. So
that you focus on sleep 100%. 'Cause I'm
trying to wake up early and see
everything, you know, like it's a full
day. Yeah, I come back and I just want to
(24:42):
pass out. Like let's do it again
tomorrow. Like this was so epic. I'm
trying to see everything. I want to know
everything. I like that.
Awesome. All right, before I wrap up, do
you have any questions for me?
OohWell, I'm so curious about the
skydiving experience. Oh, yeah.
So, OK, skydiving. Yeah.
(25:04):
My cousin had her graduation in
Florida, and she was like, hey, my
gift to myself is I want to go skydiving.
And I was like, oh, yeah, let's do that.
Just agreed to it. And of course, later,
after I hung up the phone, I was like,
why did I agree to that?It's something I
wanted to do. However, I don't know if I
was ready yet, you know?And of course,
(25:25):
I'm trying to, like, psych myself out.
I'm watching videos. I'm reading
everything. At that time,
the job that I was in, it was this
administrative job that was around the
time where I was just like, I hate
everything. I hate my coworkers. I'm
hating this day. And I was looking
forward to that being like a nice escape.
(25:45):
But like you said, if you don't deal with
the mess before and
you try to hope that a trip is going to
somehowWipe everything clean.
You're in for a very rude awakening. And
so going through all the things that I
was going through, it really became like,
OK, you need to make a decision.
(26:06):
Either you want to live and take on
whatever life has given you, or you give
up. And I was really at a point where I
was trying my best not to admit,
but I think mentally I had given up on
everything. I didn't really see the point
of. Being here, I didn't feel like I was
contributing anything. I didn't see what
a future with grace in it would look
(26:28):
like. And I was like, I mean, I'm just
here, you know?And so her very random
invite was like, all right, sure, I
guess. And so we went skydiving.
And the whole buildup is like, you know,
we're going through this training, and
both of us like, mm-hm, mm-hm, you know,
we're ready. And we get in the plane, and
we're both like, yeah, yeah, we're good,
we're good. And they open the door, and
we were like, why did we do this?Yeah.
(26:52):
rushing fast, and we were like, huhWhy?
Why Who signs us up for this?And the
first couple people went out, and they
were all jumping. And you see them, and
they're just like, oh. And we're like,
oh, my God, OK, here we go. But we
were doing tandem jumps. I think that was
our first jump, of course, so where
you're attached to someone else. And that
is a whole thing of loss of control and
trust, because you are attached to
(27:14):
someone who knows a lot more of what's
happening than you do. And
soMaking sure I'm listening and all that
good stuff was like, okay, I just need to
make sure I don't panic, I don't worry,
whatever. We get out to the edge, and you
have to do like this little curve to fall
out of the plane, and we do,
and we are falling. And
(27:37):
I remember just screaming
for what felt like 10 minutes. I don't
know how long we were falling, but I was
screaming for a minute, like I inhaled
and continued to scream, and we're just
falling, and I'm just like, oh my God.
But that and that moment, it kind of
reminded me of like, yeah, so back to
that question, do you want to live and
(27:57):
enjoy your life or are we giving up?
And I kind of stopped screaming. I just
opened my eyes and I'm looking at the
earth rushing towards me. And I just
thought, this is so beautiful. All of
this is so beautiful. I. I'm
seeing the, you know, we're in Florida,
so there were a couple of like little
lakes around. So there's like mix of like
(28:19):
blue and green and there's the blue sky
that we're in. And it just, the way it
encapsulates the earth. And I was just
like, this is so gorgeous. There's no
way, there's no way that I put me on this
planet to just give up as I
have. And I decided I really wanted to, I
wanted to enjoy this life that I've been
(28:40):
given, this gift of a life that I've been
given. Yep. And so as we're
falling, I had stopped screaming. I'm
actually like trying to look through my
goggles and see everything. And the
parachute opens up, and you know, now
we're just gliding down. And it was such
a feeling of like, I was so
small, but I didn't feel
insignificant. I felt like
(29:02):
small in a way that I belonged
here. There was something completely
outside of me, and I was trying so hard
to take on everything. It wasn't
necessary. It wasn't necessary. I just
needed to chill out, just as I was doing
while we were gliding down. Just be,
right?And so, yeah, just being able to
(29:22):
see the Earth from that view is
incredible, first off, but also just a
great lesson of, like, there are so many
things beyond what you think you can
control and what you're trying to make
perfect. And when it doesn't happen, you
get depressed, you get upset, you get
frustrated. So yeah, we landed. There
were tears in me and my cousin's eyes,
(29:42):
and we were both just like, that was
amazing. You know And we're ready to go
back up, of course. But after that, I
think just that thought of like,
I don't need to control everything. I was
here. I was given life for a purpose,
and I don't want to waste it. And so
something that I have written, like all
(30:03):
my mirrors, I'm choosing to live, I'm
choosing toEnjoy this life. No
matter what comes, no matter what
adventure I have been suited up with for
today, I want to enjoy that life. And for
me, it's evolved into the way I
travel and being mindful, incorporating
wellness. But yeah, that skydiving trip
was a jump start to what decision do you
(30:25):
want to make?So beautiful. Mm-hmm
That was a lot really special.
SoYeah. Before we go, Michelle, could you
please let us know, first off, what are
you working on or what's coming up for
you?And then where can we find you?
Yeah, for sure. Grace, just thank you
again. Like, that was so, so, so special.
(30:45):
Like, I'm going to-- yeah, that
was just really special. Thank you so
much. And
I'm working on, right now, creating group
trips for women who are also
alcohol-free, are sober curious.
So in January we're going to Costa
Rica and in March we're headed to India.
(31:06):
And these trips are focused on
luxury, adventure and Wellness and just
having mindful connections in community.
They're really focused on experiencing.
the destination from a local's
perspective, but also having like really
nice accommodations, like that balance.
And I'm really excited about
that. And yeah, it's going to be
(31:28):
really special. Looking forward to doing
a lot more in the future, just giving
women an opportunity to connect and get
to see the world with other like-minded
humans. I know I'll add like
your website and your app and all that,
but where's a good place to find you?
Instagram. Michelle Plant Travels.
Awesome. OK. Love what you're doing. Keep
(31:50):
going. Really excited. Same to you. I
think that's a wonderful opportunity that
you're giving people instead of them
having to look for it or or try to make
it on their own. I like that you're
offering it as as your group trip. I
almost wore my Costa Rica shirt. I'm a
little upset. It's sitting out. I
was going to wear it. That's awesome.
(32:12):
Oh, Michelle, thank you so, so much for
being a guest and sharing your story and
your work with us. I'm so glad to have
had you as a guest. Me too. Thank you so
much. 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 the end. Don't forget to
(32:33):
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 Palaba Hut, LLC.
(00:24):
Hello, everyone, and welcome to the
Random and Wonderful. Today, my guest is
Michelle. I'm really excited for you all
to meet her. And I'm going to let her
introduce herself, and then we'll get
started. Thank you, Grace. So excited to
be here. Hi, guys. It's so good to see
you. My name's Michelle Plant. I live in
Kansas City, Missouri. I'm
sober, period. That's what I'm excited to
(00:46):
talk about. I love wellness. I love
travel. I was recently connected with
Grace through a friend, Rena. And I
know that she's all about wellness and
travel, so just really looking forward to
having a good conversation today. Yes.
I am excited. So let's get into--
first off, your first declarating
statement was, I'm sober. How have
(01:08):
you found this new, I guess,
chapter of life?Were you always sober?
No. Or do you always plan to be that way?
Or how did you get for that to be
your welcoming statement?Oh, my
gosh. Well, I've just been really excited
about it lately, and I'll share why. I
have not always been sober, but it's been
(01:28):
nearly six years. And I use the words
sober and alcohol-free interchangeably.
So I might be saying alcohol-free or
sober. And there's this
thing called intuition. And I kind of had
an idea at some point that I would
stop. Like, I used to joke and say that I
would stop blacking out, and I quit
(01:48):
drinking when I was 29. So I kind of
always knew. It wasn't intentional,
though. I just woke up with a really
bad hangover one day, like I had many
times. And I said, never
drinking again. And this time, thank
goodness, it stuck. And so I've just
been really, really excited about it.
(02:09):
Well, congratulations on your six years.
Thank you. Yeah, I love it. So one of the
things, especially when it comes to
traveling, right, you want to jump into
the fun and. I don't know, merriment of
being in a new place. How do you
balance that?Like, how do you
maintain being sober, being alcohol free,
and actually enjoy your trip?Because some
(02:30):
people feel like, you know, even if
you're needing to relax or something,
like alcohol is a part of that relaxing
or social behavior. How do you
distinguish and set those boundaries?
Totally, 100%. And, you know,
travel is my profession now, and
I love helping people have really
intentional trips without alcohol.
(02:53):
And for me, that's getting
super settled into the place. So that's
taking a second, not feeling rushed. I
love going to parks anywhere and
visiting. I just got back from Boston and
Boston Public Garden was so beautiful. I
hung out there for like two hours, but it
just, it took a minute, you know, as,
(03:13):
as I started to travel.
More and feel more comfortable. I
learned that there's so much to do. Like,
it's not about what you can't do. It's
there's thousands of things to do
when you're sober. Yeah. So traveling
is your profession. Can you dive a little
bit more into that?How do you conduct
(03:34):
these trips and why is travel that
leading vehicle for you?Oh, man, it's the
best thing ever. It is. I mean, I'm
not going to disagree with you. No.
And I will share, it took me a while to
get here. I worked in a Fortune 500
company for a long time before, you know,
finding the confidence to
(03:55):
pursue a passion. And
so I work as, you know, a lot of people
call them travel agents. I refer to it as
a travel advisor. And
I love just, I'm obsessed with
hotels. Like I'm obsessed with hotels,
I'm obsessed with flights, I'm obsessed
with learning about other cultures. I
also love learning aboutother cultures'
(04:16):
wellness practices. So I'm really
into it, like Japan, I just love.
And I've learned that through
travel, we can also experience
transformation and have this
beautiful personal growth
experience while traveling. And
so for me, travel, like
(04:38):
it's obviously fun, but it's also like
this path to where I get to better
understand myself. And I've really
enjoyed that. Yeah. Going back to what
you said, actually, about the the parks
and finding wonderful parks. So
one of my favorite stories when I was in
Portugal was I was supposed to be
(04:59):
wandering and going somewhere else and
happened to just stop by this park. And
like you said, you ended up spending like
two hours, three hours just
being there, right, in the park and just
relaxing and just immersing yourself in
that peace. SoI
think people limit themselves sometimes
when it comes to the things that you can
do. And for some reason, that always
(05:20):
equates to active or activity or
something grand. And just being
still and in the moment is also
beneficial. Yeah, that's so beautiful.
I'm so glad you shared that. And that's
so cool because, you know, you're in this
beautiful country and still one of the
highlights was spending time in a park,
just being in nature. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.
(05:43):
I love that. It's so beautiful.
Michelle, what are-- what's like a a
favorite travel story that you can share?
Oh, my goodness. I just
really find so much
beauty and
self-exploration through travel.
It's like hard to pick one. You know,
when people are like, what's your
(06:03):
favorite movie?Actually, what's your
favorite movie is like an easier
question. All right, while you're
thinking, what's your favorite movie?Joe
Dirt. Okay. That's
so good. Or the sweetest thing. Well, I
could keep going, but I I spend a lot of
time in Mexico, so I I love going to
Mexico. I love street food. So just
(06:25):
where I can just have a lot of street
food. But usually a lot of my favorite
trips are the ones where I put my phone
away. And I have been doing less and less
of that, but there will be a trip in the
future. But recently I've really been
enjoying trips where I travel with
people. I used to travel solo a lot and
now I'm starting to travel with people
(06:46):
and I'm just finding so much more
connection and community in that way.
Okay. Is that because it's through your
business or these are other trips that
you plan?Both. Okay. Yeah.
YeahWhat about you, Grace?I want to hear
about a trip that you love. So
usually I talk about my-- Portugal is
probably like a high for me, and Iceland
(07:08):
is usually my favorite because that was
my first one. But I went to Mexico this
year, actually, and I was in San Miguel
de Allende. Yeah, I was going to bring it
up. That's where I did have my phone for
a week. Yeah, I could see it. Like,
I love a beach. I love being near
the water. I'll take a river, OK?I love
being near water. But somethingkept
(07:30):
pulling me to go visit this place. I saw
it on like a a travel show, and I
wanted to go there. Like
So I was staying in the central, and then
I got to walk a little bit outside to, I
guess, like an old fabrics factory or
where that used to be. So it's a little
bit outside of the town. It's probably
like a good 20-minute walk one way. But
(07:52):
typically, I think I'd try to like get a
taxi or an Uber, especially if I'm going
outside of the the city area. But just
walking through and you can kind of see
like the different layers between being
in the city that's super crowded and
populated. You go out a little bit and
you start to go into the community. You
can see the schools, the homes, a little
bit more residential. And then go out
further to, I mean, what is another kind
(08:13):
of a tourist spot. But even that walk was
absolutely beautiful. And then again,
I, in my mind said I was going to spend
like one or two hours there. And I felt
like the path, the hallways just kept
leading to another room. And this is a
very artistic collection. And so
there were galleries, there were just
(08:34):
different people who were showing off
their little, they had little shops and
little posts and whatnot. There was a lot
to entertain your eyes
walking around in there. So that I
thought was really fun. It was quite a
reward for making that little track and
walking back. But yeah, I think that was
kind of a favorite moment, like, yeah,
let me let me see what's going on down
there. That's awesome. That sounds
(08:54):
amazing. Yeah, San Miguel's the best.
Cool. I'm so glad you shared that. Thank
you. Wait, so have you been to to
San Miguel?Yes. I went
for some serious healing. So
I went to a house
pretty much where-- I mean,
the short version is that I was going
(09:14):
through a breakup, OK?And
I was like,I need help. And so,
you know, friends connected me with
friends, and it's pretty much just like a
couple who supports you. Like, OK, it
sounds weird when I explain it now, but
it wasn't. It was like perfect. And I had
met that woman a couple months before, so
it was just pretty divine, if you will.
(09:37):
Yeah. So I turned my phone off. It was
over Christmas. I had skipped Christmas
that year too, because it was just like,
it was very clear, you know, it's never
about the breakup. It was just about
everything else that presents itself when
you're going through that. And so I was
like, okay, I'm ready to
shed a lot of this. So I just
turned the phone off. I probably read
(09:58):
like a couple books. I didn't bring any
of my own. They only, they had a lot, so
I just read books and then I
journaled for days at a time and cried,
of course. But I obviously got to
explore a couple of days, and they would
just drop me off, and I would just walk
around without a phone, like, boop, boop,
boop. You know, like, where am I going?I
(10:19):
had no idea. They're going to pick me up
in two hours. I hope I can get back.
Yeah. So it felt like a true adventure,
but it was really cool. Yeah, it's a
beautiful, beautiful city. If there is a
time where I kind of put my phone away a
little bit, there are these things called
getaway-- they're like little mini
cabins. And they're like
(10:41):
converted trailers. And so it's just a
cute little-- they've got like one or two
bedrooms, something like that. But they
are a community of these little
wooden cabins or trailers. It's like the
extent of camping that I think is my
limit, right?You still have access to all
the amenities, flowing water, but you're
(11:01):
in the middle of nature and they give you
a little lock box to put your phone in
and justEnjoy being there and the
entire idea like there's like, we have no
Wi-Fi. Again, we have no Wi-Fi. Just
enjoy yourself. But the way they've
designed it was just to take a wonderful
break. I think it was like my start of
(11:21):
what a personal retreat is,
how needed that is, you know, just to
take a break. I still long for I need to
do that again. And I find like, oh, I'll
go somewhere else. And San Miguel was
actually supposed to be my finally
fulfilling that, like, I need a personal
retreat, but. I think that was definitely
something I want to do again. Be in the
quiet, put your phone away. No
(11:43):
Wi-Fi. No Wi-Fi. Well, that's
cool. And you have that-- yeah, you have
that to go to whenever you know the time
is right. You'll be prepared. You'll know
exactly where to go and when. That sounds
awesome. Take me with you.
Essentially, I tell so many people about
it, and I'm like, I don't understand why
it's been years since I've been back.
(12:05):
It's all involved. I'm sold.
It's great. Can you tell me a lesson or
some experience that left a you know good
impact on you?Whoo.
Thousands. I mean, I use--
I believe that every person is a teacher
in our lives. So I'm always trying to
(12:27):
learn a lesson. And
my experience is that you will keep being
presentedwith the lesson
until it kind of clicks. And
so, whew, I
think, I mean,
honestly, this is like very
vulnerable and embarrassing, but it's
(12:49):
about having healthy relationships with
men like that. It's not something
I share a lot about, but
so here we are being random and
wonderful, but- Here we are.
It's, yeah, I had to learn that lesson a
long time, and now I'm in a super healthy
relationship with an incredible man. And
it took me a second,
(13:11):
but it was worth it. And of course, like,
I'm still learning. But that was
something I had, you know, spent a lot of
time and energy on. I like that
phrase. Everyone is a teacher. Yes.
Because one of the things I really try to
encourage is making sure you share your
story. because other people benefit, like
(13:33):
that's the entire reason why this podcast
exists is because so many people have
incredible stories to share,
advice that maybe they don't realize is
advice. They're just sharing their
experience and another person's like, oh
my gosh, I was going through that and I
was wondering about that or I was
struggling with that. And you never know
what people have gone through and how it
can help you depending on where you are.
(13:54):
So I'm glad you were
vulnerable and shared that. Well, thank
you, Grace. I felt safe to do so. And I
love that that's what you're doing here
because it hasn't been until
very recent where I've, you know, felt
confident in sharing about my sobriety.
Like, people, you know, over time
(14:15):
have made me feel like it's this bad
thing, like, oh, you had a problem. I'm
like, what?Okay, it doesn't even matter.
Like, I just made a decision for myself.
And I've found that through sharing,
I feel better. Like I feel
more excited about it. And that's how I
just rolled up here. I was like, I'm
sober. Like my, it's my favorite thing
(14:36):
about myself. And so I'm glad you can
take that back with you, that every
person is a teacher because too, I've,
you know, I've been to a couple, you
know, like personal development seminars
or or whatever over the years. And like,
One of my favorite is like when the
speaker will be like, okay, picture
someone you are so angry with.
(14:58):
And I'm like, yeah, like I'm, I'm
mad. And then like, I'm like, oh my God,
I need to like text them like whatever.
And the speaker will be like, that person
is a precious child of God.
And I'm like, umm
come on. Yeah. I'm like.
(15:18):
Okay.
Why'd you brow me up?Like, I'm
like, okay. What do you do now?
But it always like sinks like
so deeply, so like
every time. And I'm like,
and that has been a really beautiful
(15:40):
lesson for me too, Grace, is just like
having that belief and, and treating
people like that and
seeing the value that everyone can
provide in your life, like whether it's
tangibly or not, and most of the time
it's not, and just being open to that.
Yeah. I was talking to somebody about how
travel has been a great teacher of like
(16:03):
emotional intelligence, where I think
traveling, especially when I started
doing solo travel, was because I
initially was like, I'm trying to prove
that I can do this on my own. And then of
course there was a learning experience,
which is just like, you justNeed time
alone. That's different. And even on that
experience I connected with so many
(16:23):
people there and
learning how to. really
communicate, right?Get in touch with your
actual feelings and digging in and
learning those lessons in a way where
it's like, hmm, other people are
children of God, right?Like other people
have entire lives and we happen to meet
on a few points. And I don't know, it it
(16:45):
definitely helps your perspective, how
you engage with other people, how you
think about certain situations. Yeah,
that's a needed reminder. Yeah.
At what point did you connect travel and
emotional intelligence?I
studied emotional intelligence for my own
help. A couple years ago, I was going
(17:07):
through a really rough time, and I could
not figure out why I was so
frustrated and
angry and hateful towards myself. But it
was also coming out at other people, and
I couldn't really put those two things
together. And so after
my first trip to Iceland. It
was just like a an awakening. So,
(17:30):
okay, let me go back. Before the first
trip was skydiving. Skydiving is like my
life saving, get yourself together, sis.
So during that internal, just
internal hate seriously, and that was
coming out of other people and there were
things that were outside of my control
and I could have, I needed to change, but
(17:50):
there was no reason for me to feel the
anger that I was feeling. And so with
going to therapy and trying to rebuild
and find myself again and reconnecting
to the church, I've never stopped, but
like actually being present with my
church and actually being like, Hey God,
sorry, we have not had an honest
(18:10):
conversation in a long time, my bad. All
of that. And when I was in Iceland
then I started thinking about
how I could dig into who
I am and my emotions and actually like be
honest about what I was feeling and be
truthful about why was I feeling
frustrated. And the frustration came from
I felt like I didn't have control. And so
(18:33):
going on a solo trip is like, all right,
now you have control. What are you going
to do, right?I'm so
glad. This is amazing. Yes, keep going.
And so you're like, all right, here we
go. And II learned
great things from it. I learned to you
know be clear in what I wanted to say and
be respectful of my own boundaries
(18:55):
and let people know what those boundaries
are, because how are people supposed to
know?So that is kind of the
tie-in. So then when I came back, just
for me to learn a little bit more of
myself and then help people put into
words what I had learned, I started
studying emotional intelligence, and
there's so many different componentsthat
your emotions affect and can
(19:18):
impact. And if you don't have a good
handle on any of them, like your
finances, to social, to friends, to
food, your emotions can impact all
of that. And so if you aren't aware of
it, I think that's like the foundation
for me is my emotional intelligence as
well as my spiritual health. Those two
(19:39):
needed to be nursed back to health.
Whoo, amen. Yeah. I mean, I'm so
happy to hear all of that because how
easy would it have been for you to
continue going down the path of
self-hatred and outbursts
and not clearly checking in with
yourself. And you make-- it's a hard
(20:00):
decision to pay attention to your
emotions. It's not easy. It is not.
And it sounds like you've made so much
progress to where you're having
conversations internally and externally
You're able to identify and establish
boundaries. And you're like, I'm back.
Like, I'm good. That was weird. Like,
we're here now. So I'm
(20:23):
just so happy to hear that that is really
inspirational, because I feel like
it's so worth
the discomfort
of going through those really
challenging experiences of, like, going
in. It can be hard. Yeah.
It is. And thankfully, it's worth it.
(20:44):
Though that was weird, is legit a feeling
that comes up every once in a while.
Like, why was I so-- wow,
all right. I don't know who she was. But
yeah, it was something that needed to be
dealt with. Yeah, Yeah that's awesome.
Really cool that you can share that. Um
What is some advice
(21:05):
that you would give a traveler to
help them appreciate their
trip?So like when they get back, how do
they appreciate what they've gone through?
Yes. Set intentions like
first. And sometimes
what you're looking for may not
even be a trip in the first
(21:27):
place. So it's like, I feel like,
you know, I'm obsessed with this and I
just feel like a lot of times people are
like, oh, I need a vacation. I'm like, do
you need a vacation or do you need rest?
Or do you needto check in?Do you
need a new job?Do you need a new
relationship?Or do you just need to sleep?
Umm Maybe you just need to sleep, you
(21:49):
know, like before you go. And it's like
with anything in life, when people are
like chasing, chasing, chasing, you
know, like saying, this will make me
happy. And people project that onto
vacations too, and trips. Like as soon as
I get back, things will be fine. Yeah
And I'm like,That'd be really cool.
(22:10):
I don't think it's the case. I think when
you set intentions and you say, you know
this last trip that I went on to Boston
with my boyfriend was to celebrate his
birthday. And I was like, the
intention here-- and you can do this like
with friends or with your partner or with
yourself, you know journaling and just
saying, I want to explore the
history, I want to eat a lot of seafood,
(22:31):
and I want to be super present with my
boyfriend, I don't want to be lame or
whiny or just you know belike an annoying
girlfriend, like if like my feet hurt or
whatever, like I just want to really
honor him and make him feel
really special because it's his birthday
weekend and just remind him how cool he
is. And of course we
(22:52):
did. And something I always try to think
of before going on a trip too, is how do
I want to feel after?You know, when I get
back, do I want to feel inspired?
Do I want to feel rested?Do I want to
feelexcited?Do I want to
feel maybe a little nostalgic for that
trip?And planning that, like having the
vision for the entire time, in my
(23:15):
experience, has been really helpful when
it comes to traveling. I like that.
Setting your intentions before you go is
so key. Yes. YesVery much. Yes.
Yeah, yeahWhat's your favorite self-care
practice while you travel?Ooh,
waking up early and sleeping.
If a hotel has a bath, man, I am in
(23:37):
that bath.
Yeah. Yes. Like, that is important for
me. And, you know, just little things
that I do at home, I'm really proud of
the progress I've made when it comes to
my daily rituals and wellness. And it's
nothing crazy. Like, I'm just going to
say, it's really simple. But even things
like, I don't get on
(23:58):
my phone or my computer in my
bed. Like, they don't go in
my room. And when I'm traveling, my
phone does not stay next to the bed.
Like, it's, you know, whatever in the
bathroom or on the little
desk. And I do the same with my computer.
Like, just those devices don't belong in
the bed. And so my brain knows that bed
(24:20):
is for sleeping. So I think-- I don't
know if anyone else does that, but I
really like that. I do, too.
Prioritizing sleep and removing those
devices from near your your bed. Yes. So
that you focus on sleep 100%. 'Cause I'm
trying to wake up early and see
everything, you know, like it's a full
day. Yeah, I come back and I just want to
(24:42):
pass out. Like let's do it again
tomorrow. Like this was so epic. I'm
trying to see everything. I want to know
everything. I like that.
Awesome. All right, before I wrap up, do
you have any questions for me?
OohWell, I'm so curious about the
skydiving experience. Oh, yeah.
So, OK, skydiving. Yeah.
(25:04):
My cousin had her graduation in
Florida, and she was like, hey, my
gift to myself is I want to go skydiving.
And I was like, oh, yeah, let's do that.
Just agreed to it. And of course, later,
after I hung up the phone, I was like,
why did I agree to that?It's something I
wanted to do. However, I don't know if I
was ready yet, you know?And of course,
(25:25):
I'm trying to, like, psych myself out.
I'm watching videos. I'm reading
everything. At that time,
the job that I was in, it was this
administrative job that was around the
time where I was just like, I hate
everything. I hate my coworkers. I'm
hating this day. And I was looking
forward to that being like a nice escape.
(25:45):
But like you said, if you don't deal with
the mess before and
you try to hope that a trip is going to
somehowWipe everything clean.
You're in for a very rude awakening. And
so going through all the things that I
was going through, it really became like,
OK, you need to make a decision.
(26:06):
Either you want to live and take on
whatever life has given you, or you give
up. And I was really at a point where I
was trying my best not to admit,
but I think mentally I had given up on
everything. I didn't really see the point
of. Being here, I didn't feel like I was
contributing anything. I didn't see what
a future with grace in it would look
(26:28):
like. And I was like, I mean, I'm just
here, you know?And so her very random
invite was like, all right, sure, I
guess. And so we went skydiving.
And the whole buildup is like, you know,
we're going through this training, and
both of us like, mm-hm, mm-hm, you know,
we're ready. And we get in the plane, and
we're both like, yeah, yeah, we're good,
we're good. And they open the door, and
we were like, why did we do this?Yeah.
(26:52):
rushing fast, and we were like, huhWhy?
Why Who signs us up for this?And the
first couple people went out, and they
were all jumping. And you see them, and
they're just like, oh. And we're like,
oh, my God, OK, here we go. But we
were doing tandem jumps. I think that was
our first jump, of course, so where
you're attached to someone else. And that
is a whole thing of loss of control and
trust, because you are attached to
(27:14):
someone who knows a lot more of what's
happening than you do. And
soMaking sure I'm listening and all that
good stuff was like, okay, I just need to
make sure I don't panic, I don't worry,
whatever. We get out to the edge, and you
have to do like this little curve to fall
out of the plane, and we do,
and we are falling. And
(27:37):
I remember just screaming
for what felt like 10 minutes. I don't
know how long we were falling, but I was
screaming for a minute, like I inhaled
and continued to scream, and we're just
falling, and I'm just like, oh my God.
But that and that moment, it kind of
reminded me of like, yeah, so back to
that question, do you want to live and
(27:57):
enjoy your life or are we giving up?
And I kind of stopped screaming. I just
opened my eyes and I'm looking at the
earth rushing towards me. And I just
thought, this is so beautiful. All of
this is so beautiful. I. I'm
seeing the, you know, we're in Florida,
so there were a couple of like little
lakes around. So there's like mix of like
(28:19):
blue and green and there's the blue sky
that we're in. And it just, the way it
encapsulates the earth. And I was just
like, this is so gorgeous. There's no
way, there's no way that I put me on this
planet to just give up as I
have. And I decided I really wanted to, I
wanted to enjoy this life that I've been
(28:40):
given, this gift of a life that I've been
given. Yep. And so as we're
falling, I had stopped screaming. I'm
actually like trying to look through my
goggles and see everything. And the
parachute opens up, and you know, now
we're just gliding down. And it was such
a feeling of like, I was so
small, but I didn't feel
insignificant. I felt like
(29:02):
small in a way that I belonged
here. There was something completely
outside of me, and I was trying so hard
to take on everything. It wasn't
necessary. It wasn't necessary. I just
needed to chill out, just as I was doing
while we were gliding down. Just be,
right?And so, yeah, just being able to
(29:22):
see the Earth from that view is
incredible, first off, but also just a
great lesson of, like, there are so many
things beyond what you think you can
control and what you're trying to make
perfect. And when it doesn't happen, you
get depressed, you get upset, you get
frustrated. So yeah, we landed. There
were tears in me and my cousin's eyes,
(29:42):
and we were both just like, that was
amazing. You know And we're ready to go
back up, of course. But after that, I
think just that thought of like,
I don't need to control everything. I was
here. I was given life for a purpose,
and I don't want to waste it. And so
something that I have written, like all
(30:03):
my mirrors, I'm choosing to live, I'm
choosing toEnjoy this life. No
matter what comes, no matter what
adventure I have been suited up with for
today, I want to enjoy that life. And for
me, it's evolved into the way I
travel and being mindful, incorporating
wellness. But yeah, that skydiving trip
was a jump start to what decision do you
(30:25):
want to make?So beautiful. Mm-hmm
That was a lot really special.
SoYeah. Before we go, Michelle, could you
please let us know, first off, what are
you working on or what's coming up for
you?And then where can we find you?
Yeah, for sure. Grace, just thank you
again. Like, that was so, so, so special.
(30:45):
Like, I'm going to-- yeah, that
was just really special. Thank you so
much. And
I'm working on, right now, creating group
trips for women who are also
alcohol-free, are sober curious.
So in January we're going to Costa
Rica and in March we're headed to India.
(31:06):
And these trips are focused on
luxury, adventure and Wellness and just
having mindful connections in community.
They're really focused on experiencing.
the destination from a local's
perspective, but also having like really
nice accommodations, like that balance.
And I'm really excited about
that. And yeah, it's going to be
(31:28):
really special. Looking forward to doing
a lot more in the future, just giving
women an opportunity to connect and get
to see the world with other like-minded
humans. I know I'll add like
your website and your app and all that,
but where's a good place to find you?
Instagram. Michelle Plant Travels.
Awesome. OK. Love what you're doing. Keep
(31:50):
going. Really excited. Same to you. I
think that's a wonderful opportunity that
you're giving people instead of them
having to look for it or or try to make
it on their own. I like that you're
offering it as as your group trip. I
almost wore my Costa Rica shirt. I'm a
little upset. It's sitting out. I
was going to wear it. That's awesome.
(32:12):
Oh, Michelle, thank you so, so much for
being a guest and sharing your story and
your work with us. I'm so glad to have
had you as a guest. Me too. Thank you so
much. 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 the end. Don't forget to
(32:33):
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.
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