It's been five (well, now six) months since my first and only travel update! So I'm here to talk about why I felt weird talking about my travels, how I spent way too much money in Paris, and why I chose to quit two jobs and go work on farms. Let's get to it!

"Livin' in bliss!" Check out my fun and personal conversation with 20-year-old Amber Cashman from Australia. We talk about her journey including:

+ Initial regrets or things she would do differently within her first four months of travel

+ Living and working on a blueberry farm

+ How the support of her parents totally changed her mindset when she decided to drop out of university

+ How she discovered a new way of life while living off-grid 

+ Living with anxiety and panic attacks and how travel has helped with her depression

+ How she chooses to stay happy and go with the flow

She's currently traveling solo (but always making friends along the way!) for an undetermined amount of time with no plans yet to go home. We also talk a little bit about money and how she made this trip possible.

Hot quotes from this episode: "You can go everywhere, but if you can't manage what is inside your head, you will take that with you everywhere you go." "If you have a problem, you will put it in your backpack with you." DAMN!! Meet Sara Villanueva, who is dropping some truths in this episode!

She's on her second solo trip and we met while volunteering at the permaculture farm, Bogata Šuma, in Croatia. Sara and I sit down to chat about:

+ The lessons from her second solo trip

+ The balance between slow travel and staying longer in places rather than hopping around

+ How she felt not going to university straight away

+ Her secret to finding the courage to do these things (spoiler, it's not telling anyone else what she's planning) and staying loyal to yourself

+ Acting on impulse and the magic of saying YES to opportunities that come her way

+ How her and her long-distance boyfriend work things out when they don’t speak the same first language and what this relationship has taught her

+ Connecting with her feminine energy and how it’s changing the way she’s approaching life

Sara is filled with straight-to-the-point wisdom and I hope you enjoy this fantastic episode!

In this episode I sit down with SunnyStar Barraza from California to chat about:

+ How Sunny felt selling everything she owns, quitting her secure engineering job, and moving abroad to travel for over a year.

+ She also talks about her first accidental solo trip that taught her a lot about herself, shitty boyfriends, and the power of doing things by yourself.

+ Then we chat about how she got into photography and what being behind the camera means to her.

This episode was recorded in a noisy hostel common area, sorry for the background noise!

I sit down with KC Fong who I had the pleasure to spend 3 months with in Paris, France over the summer. We chat about:

- How he defines home and finds community

- How performing in circus has changed him and has changed throughout the pandemic

- The magic of learning languages and communicating with people from different countries

- What traveling and these experiences have taught him about himself

And so much more!

Today I am holding space for the 10-year chapter I chose to close in Portland, Oregon. During the episode, I spend some time sharing gratitude for the people and things in my life that have given me so much happiness and joy. I know that amazing things are happening to me and I have so much to be excited about, but I wanted to be real and share the fact that I also lost some things when I chose to move abroad. I talk about:

+ My 3-year relationship

+ The Fam

+ My dog <3

+ My possessions

+ My father :)

At the end of the episode, I challenge listeners to give space to whatever emotions that they are feeling, and that to remember that it's possible and totally ok to be both sad and happy. Life is confusing, let's talk about it.

Find the transcript/written version of this episode on my blog: https://www.cassidymae.co/post/travelupdate1

This was such a great conversation with a close friend of mine, Savannah. I feel like I know her so much better and now you get to as well! This short chat is chocked full of goodies, including:

+ How she went from growing up in an ultra-religious family to finding her own thoughts on god/God - and what she now believes

+ Relationships with her brother and sister and how they taught her about relationships with women 

+ Getting into UX and UI and the benefits of the daily UI challenge. And the fact that it’s ok to not do something consistently for 100 days!

+ Her reaction to the pandemic and how it’s affected her personal habits as well as the things she regretted not doing

+ Being 25 and wanting to take advantage of her physical youth by challenging herself with aerial silks

And don't miss out what she would go back and tell her 12 year old self, I think its something we all need to hear at any age!

I sit down with my ex-coworker Felicia Kang and talk about how much she's learned about life from her partner of 10 years (!), her two amazing sisters, and her parents. We also chat about:

+ How she balances owning Fei Goods (https://feigoods.com/) and how they stumbled into entrepreneurship

+ How her older sister showed her unwavering support and love when they were teenagers (who knew green paint would cause so much drama!)

+ What she's learned in her relationship of 10 years

+ How important her family is and the responsibility she feels for taking care of her parents

Get to know Felicia in this awesome conversation!

I sit down with Caitlyn, a friend I met early in college when she moved from southern California to Portland, Oregon. Caitlyn talks about her decision to move away from her family for college and how it completely transformed her and her path. We also cover:

+ Advice for young students wanting to go to college out of state and taking on student debt

+ Work that she's done that was incredibly impactful and meaningful (TW: Mention of sexual assault and bystander intervention. There is no mention of the act, just work within the field. Starts at 10:20 and ends at 16:10). Learn more about Illuminate at https://www.pdx.edu/health-counseling/illuminate

+ Caitlyn's desire to build a community surrounding the topic of health, sexual wellness, and sex education

+ Navigating capitalism while desiring to build something authentic but that can also support her financially (the ultimate conundrum)

+ The decision to move to yet another unfamiliar city and life lessons from the pandemic

This podcast was recorded on the stolen lands of the Multnomah, Clackamas, Cowlitz, and Kalapuya First Nations, currently known as Portland, Oregon.

For my first interview, I sit down with my cousin Chloe and talk about a recent experience she went through at her first "professional" job and how she was discriminated against. We cover:

+ How the experience changed her thinking

+ How her new job has changed her mindset

+ How she's finding confidence in her new relationship

+ The unexpected advice she gives to pet owners

It's a conversation you don't want to miss!

This podcast was recorded on the stolen lands of the Multnomah, Clackamas, Cowlitz, and Kalapuya First Nations, currently known as Portland, Oregon.