Ever come home from a trip needing a vacation from your vacation? In this episode I sit down with California licensed psychotherapist Kim McLaughlin, author of Feed Your Soul, Nourish Your Life, to talk about why so many of us can't actually relax when we get away, and what to do about it.

We get into setting real boundaries with work while you travel, why food routines matter more than people think, how living in an Airbnb instead of a hotel changes the way you experience a place, and why letting go of expectations is the fastest way to actually enjoy your trip. Kim also shares her own process for managing travel anxiety before every trip, even after years of traveling.

If you've ever put travel on the back burner or come home more drained than when you left, this conversation will shift how you think about your next trip.

About Kim Kim McLaughlin, MA, LMFT, is a California licensed psychotherapist, speaker, author, and host of the Feed Your Soul with Kim podcast. In her psychotherapy work she helps individuals, particularly high achieving women, navigate anxiety, overwhelm, burnout, relationships, emotional eating, and the challenges that can get in the way of truly enjoying life. She is the author of Feed Your Soul Nourish Your Life: A Six Step System to Peace with Food and is passionate about helping people stop putting themselves last and start creating lives that feel more fulfilling.

Therapy Website: https://feedyoursoultherapy.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KimMcLaughlinLMFT/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/feedyoursoulunlimited/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kim-mclaughlin/

About Your Host, Sandy Sandy is a luxury travel advisor, author, and podcast host who has traveled to 39 countries, speaks three languages, and has made it her mission to help women 50+ travel the world without the overwhelm. From leading small group tours through the Christmas markets of Germany and France to sharing hard-won travel wisdom in her book The Travel Lounge Life, Sandy specializes in curated, confidence-building travel experiences for women in midlife.

👉 Christmas Markets Germany and France, December 2026, just 8 spots available, currently $600 off in honor of my 60th! https://justtravelwithsandy.com/christmas-markets-2026

👉 Just Travel with Sandy Facebook Community. The go-to space for women who want hidden gems, real travel experiences, destination guides, luxury travel tips, and first access to small group trips around the world. https://www.facebook.com/groups/luxurytraveladvisorsandy

👉 Book a Virtual Coffee with Sandy https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/bookings/workwithsandy

Follow Sandy: Facebook Community: facebook.com/groups/luxurytraveladvisorsandy Facebook: facebook.com/sandyjcolling Instagram: @justtravelwithsandyllc TikTok: @justtravelwithsandy YouTube: @sandystravelounge LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sandyjcolling

Learn how to travel with confidence and ease with luxury travel advisor Sandy. Get practical inspiration for your next trip.

What happens when your family history spans Russia, China, Japan, Hawaii, and the United States?

In this personal episode of Just Travel with Sandy, Sandy shares the fascinating global story of her family and the discoveries she has made while exploring her roots. Her Russian grandmother, her father Solomon Raphael Colling—born in Shanghai in 1919 and raised in Tientsin (now Tianjin), China—and his years in the Merchant Marine reveal a family history shaped by migration, travel, multiple cultures, and a rapidly changing world.

Sandy explores what it means to grow up with a family story that crosses borders and cultures, and how old photographs, postcards, documents, and memories can reveal connections between generations.

From Russia to China and beyond, this is more than a genealogy story. It's a conversation about cultural identity, family history, migration, travel, and the ways our ancestors' journeys can shape our own understanding of the world.

If you've ever wondered where your family came from, how cultural heritage shapes identity, or what old family photographs and documents can reveal, this episode will give you plenty to think about.

About Your Host Sandy

Sandy is a luxury travel advisor, author, and podcast host who has traveled to 39 countries, speaks three languages, and has made it her mission to help women 50+ travel the world without the overwhelm. From leading small group tours through the Christmas markets of Germany and France to sharing hard-won travel wisdom in her book The Travel Lounge Life, Sandy specializes in curated, confidence-building travel experiences for women in midlife.

👉 Christmas Markets Germany and France, December 2026, just 8 spots available, currently $600 off in honor of my 60th!

https://justtravelwithsandy.com/christmas-markets-2026

👉 Just Travel with Sandy Facebook Community. The go-to space for women who want hidden gems, real travel experiences, destination guides, luxury travel tips, and first access to small group trips around the world. https://www.facebook.com/groups/luxurytraveladvisorsandy

👉 Book a Virtual Coffee with Sandy

https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/bookings/workwithsandy

Follow Sandy:

Facebook Community: facebook.com/groups/luxurytraveladvisorsandy

Facebook: facebook.com/sandyjcolling

Instagram: @justtravelwithsandyllc

TikTok: @justtravelwithsandy

YouTube: @sandystravelounge

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sandyjcolling

Learn how to travel with confidence and ease with luxury travel advisor Sandy. Get practical inspiration for your next trip.

Topics include: Russian heritage, family history, genealogy, Shanghai, Tientsin/Tianjin, China in the 1930s, the Merchant Marine, multicultural families, cultural identity, migration, travel, and bridging cultural gaps.

Karen Gershowitz left home at seventeen, flew to Europe alone, and didn't come back

for three years. That was the beginning of a life built entirely around travel. She has

since visited more than 90 countries, climbed Kilimanjaro, witnessed Berlin shortly after

the Wall came down, and collected stories, friendships, and meals in places most

people only dream about.

She studied ceramics in college but made a deliberate career change to marketing so

employers would pay for her travel. That career as a marketing strategist and

researcher took her around the world, where her skills as an interviewer turned

strangers into storytellers and casual conversations into dinner invitations. She is the

author of two travel books, Travel Mania and Wanderlust, and by her own description, a

travel addict with no interest in treatment.

Karen's Books

Travel Mania: Stories of Wanderlust

A memoir of fifty years of travel exploring how the road can change a life. Available on

Amazon. amazon.com/Travel-Mania-Wanderlust-Karen-Gershowitz-

ebook/dp/B08DXYZZ59

Wanderlust: Extraordinary People, Quirky Places and Curious Cuisine

The follow-up built around the people, food, and surprising places Karen encountered

across 90 countries. 2024 IPPY Awards Silver Winner in Travel.

Available on Amazon. amazon.com/Wanderlust-Extraordinary-People-Curious-

Cuisine/dp/1647425573

Connect with Karen

• Website: karengershowitz.com

• Facebook: facebook.com/karen.gershowitz

About Your Host Sandy

Sandy is a luxury travel advisor, author, and podcast host who has traveled to 39 countries, speaks three languages, and has made it her mission to help women 50+ travel the world without the overwhelm. From leading small group tours through the Christmas markets of Germany and France to sharing hard-won travel wisdom in her book The Travel Lounge Life, Sandy specializes in curated, confidence-building travel experiences for women in midlife.

👉 Christmas Markets Germany and France, December 2026, just 8 spots available, currently $600 off in honor of my 60th!

https://justtravelwithsandy.com/christmas-markets-2026

👉 Just Travel with Sandy Facebook Community. The go-to space for women who want hidden gems, real travel experiences, destination guides, luxury travel tips, and first access to small group trips around the world. https://www.facebook.com/groups/luxurytraveladvisorsandy

👉 Book a Virtual Coffee with Sandy

https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/bookings/workwithsandy

Follow Sandy:

Facebook Community: facebook.com/groups/luxurytraveladvisorsandy

Facebook: facebook.com/sandyjcolling

Instagram: @justtravelwithsandyllc

TikTok: @justtravelwithsandy

YouTube: @sandystravelounge

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sandyjcolling

Learn how to travel with confidence and ease with luxury travel advisor Sandy. Get practical inspiration for your next trip.

Meredith Brace Sloss spent 15 years building content for Netflix, Disney, Lucasfilm, Apple, and the British Film Commission. Three weeks after returning from maternity leave, she was laid off, and instead of retreating, she built something entirely her own.

She is the founder of Wanderous, a travel beauty platform that matches your skincare and haircare to the climate of your destination. She is a solo founder and a solo mom by choice, and she is proof that the best pivots sometimes come from the hardest moments.

Connect with Meredith:

Instagram: instagram.com/meredithbracesloss

Wanderous website: wanderous.ai

YouTube: youtube.com/@thebackupplan

Listener discount: wanderous.ai/pages/podcast

About Your Host Sandy

Sandy is a luxury travel advisor, author, and podcast host who has traveled to 39 countries, speaks three languages, and has made it her mission to help women 50+ travel the world without the overwhelm. From leading small group tours through the Christmas markets of Germany and France to sharing hard-won travel wisdom in her book The Travel Lounge Life, Sandy specializes in curated, confidence-building travel experiences for women in midlife.

👉 Christmas Markets Germany and France, December 2026, just 8 spots available, currently $600 off for Christmas in July!

https://justtravelwithsandy.com/christmas-markets-2026

👉 Just Travel with Sandy Facebook Community. The go-to space for women who want hidden gems, real travel experiences, destination guides, luxury travel tips, and first access to small group trips around the world. https://www.facebook.com/groups/luxurytraveladvisorsandy

👉 Book a Virtual Coffee with Sandy

https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/bookings/workwithsandy

Follow Sandy:

Facebook Community: facebook.com/groups/luxurytraveladvisorsandy

Facebook: facebook.com/sandyjcolling

Instagram: @justtravelwithsandyllc

TikTok: @justtravelwithsandy

YouTube: @sandystravelounge

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sandyjcolling

Learn how to travel with confidence and ease with luxury travel advisor Sandy. Get practical inspiration for your next trip.

Amy Graves has traveled to some of France's most beautiful corners, including the fairytale towns of Colmar and Strasbourg in the Alsace region. But beyond the cobblestone streets and Christmas markets, Amy noticed something: food in Europe just feels different. And that is exactly what she has dedicated her career to unpacking.

As a food educator, published author, and founder of Hidden Consumers Consulting, Amy helps health-conscious women understand the connection between what they eat and how they feel. Using her own story alongside peer-reviewed research, she breaks down what ultra-processed foods are, the health risks they pose, and how to spot them hiding in plain sight.

Her book, The Hidden Consumer: Understanding the Power of Health-Conscious Buyers, dives deep into how the food industry obscures ingredients and what we can do about it.

In This Episode We Talk About:

• Traveling through Alsace, Colmar and Strasbourg, and what French food culture can teach us
• What ultra-processed foods actually are and why they are so hard to identify
• The connection between what we eat and how we feel, especially for women in midlife
• Why food in Europe often feels and tastes different, and what that tells us
• Simple shifts health-conscious women can make starting today

Connect with Amy:

Website: hiddenconsumersconsulting.com

Speaking: hiddenconsumersconsulting.com/speaker

Book: hiddenconsumersconsulting.com/the-hidden-consumer

All links: hiddenconsumersconsulting.com/all-the-links

About Your Host Sandy

Sandy is a luxury travel advisor, author, and podcast host who has traveled to 39 countries, speaks three languages, and has made it her mission to help women 50+ travel the world without the overwhelm. From leading small group tours through the Christmas markets of Germany and France to sharing hard-won travel wisdom in her book The Travel Lounge Life, Sandy specializes in curated, confidence-building travel experiences for women in midlife.

Christmas Markets Germany and France, December 2026, just 8 spots available.

https://justtravelwithsandy.com/christmas-markets-2026

Just Travel with Sandy Facebook Community. The go-to space for women who want hidden gems, real travel experiences, destination guides, luxury travel tips, and first access to small group trips around the world.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/luxurytraveladvisorsandy

Book a Virtual Coffee with Sandy

https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/bookings/workwithsandy

Follow Sandy:

Facebook Community: facebook.com/groups/luxurytraveladvisorsandy

Facebook: facebook.com/sandyjcolling

Instagram: @justtravelwithsandyllc

TikTok: @justtravelwithsandy

YouTube: @sandystravelounge

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sandyjcolling

Website: www.justtravelwithsandy.com

Liv had already visited 40 countries by the time she was 30. But it was one trip to South Africa that changed everything. Twenty years and countless journeys later, South Africa is now home, and there is still so much left to discover.

As a bespoke travel curator based in Cape Town, Liv designs effortless, mid to high-end South African experiences for busy, high-performing women. Her approach is values-led and deeply personal, built around how you want to feel, what you want to experience, and what you want to take away. With a background spanning market research, transformational coaching, fitness training, wine education, and safari guiding, she brings a rare and immersive perspective to every journey she creates.

In This Episode We Talk About:

- What it is about South Africa that keeps drawing travelers back again and again

- The philosophy of going deep rather than wide with travel and why it changes everything

- What luxury travel actually means when it is done right

- Why right now through October is one of the best times to book a Kruger safari

- How to travel with confidence when the world feels uncertain

- What it looks like to have every detail handled so you can simply arrive and experience

Connect with Liv:

Website: livlifebiggerexperiences.com

Instagram: @livlifebigger.experiences

Book a call with Liv: calendly.com/liv-livlifebiggerexperiences/30min

About Your Host Sandy

Sandy is a luxury travel advisor, author, and podcast host who has traveled to 39 countries, speaks three languages, and has made it her mission to help women 50+ travel the world without the overwhelm. From leading small group tours through the Christmas markets of Germany and France to sharing hard-won travel wisdom in her book The Travel Lounge Life, Sandy specializes in curated, confidence-building travel experiences for women in midlife.

👉 Christmas Markets Germany and France, December 2026, just 10 spots.

https://justtravelwithsandy.com/christmas-markets-2026

👉 Just Travel with Sandy Facebook Community. The go-to space for women who want hidden gems, real travel experiences, destination guides, luxury travel tips, and first access to small group trips around the world.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/luxurytraveladvisorsandy

👉 Book a Virtual Coffee with Sandy

https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/bookings/workwithsandy

Follow Sandy:

Facebook Community: facebook.com/groups/luxurytraveladvisorsandy

Facebook: facebook.com/sandyjcolling

Instagram: @justtravelwithsandyllc

TikTok: @justtravelwithsandy

YouTube: @sandystravelounge

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sandyjcolling

Charlie Clarey spent two decades leading multi-million-pound marketing projects for global brands including Coca-Cola, Cadbury, Disney, and Samsung. Then she made a decision a lot of women in midlife are making: she walked away from corporate life and built something entirely on her own terms.

Charlie has taken that freedom literally, including a house swap from London to San Francisco, proof that when your business travels with you, the world becomes your office. As a Marketing Strategist working exclusively with ex-corporate women, Charlie helps her clients build businesses that are structured, strategic, and genuinely exciting to run, whether from a kitchen table in London or a borrowed apartment overlooking the Bay.

In This Episode We Talk About:

What it really takes to make the leap from corporate career to running your own business

Why working exclusively with women changes everything about how you show up in your work

How travel and exploration shape the way we see ourselves and our possibilities

Why you don't need a new destination to get a fresh perspective

The role travel plays in helping women rediscover who they are in midlife

Connect with Charlie:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/charlie-clarey-marketing-consultant

Instagram: @charlieclareyconsulting

About Your Host Sandy

Sandy is a luxury travel advisor, author, and podcast host who has traveled to 39 countries, speaks three languages, and has made it her mission to help women 50+ travel the world without the overwhelm. From leading small group tours through the Christmas markets of Germany and France to sharing hard-won travel wisdom in her book The Travel Lounge Life, Sandy specializes in curated, confidence-building travel experiences for women in midlife.

👉 Christmas Markets Germany and France, December 2026, just 10 spots.

https://justtravelwithsandy.com/christmas-markets-2026

👉 Just Travel with Sandy Facebook Community. The go-to space for women who want hidden gems, real travel experiences, destination guides, luxury travel tips, and first access to small group trips around the world.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/luxurytraveladvisorsandy

👉 Book a Virtual Coffee with Sandy

https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/bookings/workwithsandy

Follow Sandy:

Facebook Community: facebook.com/groups/luxurytraveladvisorsandy

Facebook: facebook.com/sandyjcolling

Instagram: @justtravelwithsandyllc

TikTok: @justtravelwithsandy

YouTube: @sandystravelounge

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sandyjcolling

Sustainable travel tips, regenerative tourism, and why slow travel matters. ICF-certified travel coach Courtney Rosiak-Quinto joins Sandy Colling for an honest conversation about conscious travel and real impact.

The travel content flooding your feed every day is curated, filtered, and often missing the full story. And the consequences for destinations, communities, and environments are real.

In this episode, Sandy sits down with ICF-certified travel coach and slow travel advocate Courtney Rosiak-Quinto of Wildly Becoming Collective to talk about the side of tourism most people prefer to ignore and what we can actually do about it.

Topics covered:

• The real dangers of today's travel marketing and social media landscape
• What regenerative tourism and sustainable travel look like in practice
• Why slow travel creates more meaningful and transformative experiences
• Key things to consider when booking your next trip
• How conscious travel can actually improve the trip itself

About Courtney Rosiak-Quinto: After 18 years in corporate life, Courtney left to pursue the adventurous life she always wanted. What she found changed how she travels entirely. As a longtime advocate for slow food, slow travel, and slow living, she uncovered the real impact tourism has on the communities and environments we visit. Now an ICF-certified travel coach, she guides clients through experiences that give back while creating something deeply meaningful for the traveler.

Website: https://www.wildlybecomingcollective.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/they.adventure.slowly/

About Sandy Colling: Sandy is a Virtuoso-affiliated luxury travel advisor, small group tour leader, podcast host, and author. Born in France, raised in Germany, fluent in three languages, and traveled to 39 countries, she helps women plan travel that actually transforms them, not just checks a box. She leads small group tours personally and works one-on-one with clients who want more from their travel experiences.

Sandy's Christmas Markets Small Group Tour (Germany and France, December 2026) is open now. Max 10 guests.

Details here.

Join Sandy's free travel community

Visit Just Travel With Sandy

From COO to the Trail: Building Community for Women in Midlife with Nechumah Getz

Nechumah Getz spent over 25 years leading complex organizations in the corporate and nonprofit sectors, most recently as Chief Operating Officer at Greenpeace and American Forests. Then life threw her a curveball — laid off twice in two years, both times due to leadership changes outside her control.

Instead of chasing the next executive role, she made a different call. She stepped off the traditional path and built something grounded in what had always worked for her: being outside, moving her body, and being in community with other women. That became Better Outside Together, an outdoor community for women in midlife in the DC area.

In This Episode We Talk About:

• What community actually means for women navigating midlife — and why it matters more than most people realize
• The unexpected pivot from COO to founder, and what pushed Nechumah to build something from scratch
• How getting comfortable on local trails can open the door to bigger outdoor adventures and travel
• Hiking destinations that deliver every time for women in midlife
• Where to start if you want to combine travel and the outdoors but have no idea how
• What getting outside actually does for women in this season of life — beyond the wellness buzzwords

Connect with Nechumah:

Website: betteroutsidetogether.comInstagram: @betteroutsidetogetherLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/nechumah-getzFacebook: facebook.com/nechumah.getz

About Your Host Sandy

Sandy has traveled to 39 countries, speaks three languages, and has made it her mission to help women 50+ experience the world without the overwhelm. Whether she's leading a small group through off-the-beaten-path places like the Christmas markets of Germany (coming up December 2026), or sharing the stories behind her book The Travel Lounge Life, Sandy brings real-world experience and genuine passion to everything she does.

👉 Trips and Sips — Sandy's weekly meetup where travel lovers gather, share stories, swap tips, and have a little fun along the way.Come join us!

👉 Just Travel with Sandy Facebook Community — A space for women who want more than the highlights reel. Hidden gems, real experiences, destination guides, and first access to group trips around the world.Come join us!

👉 Book a Virtual Coffee with Sandy

Let's chat!

Follow Sandy:

Facebook Community: facebook.com/groups/luxurytraveladvisorsandyFacebook: facebook.com/sandyjcollingInstagram: @justtravelwithsandyllcTikTok: @justtravelwithsandyYouTube: @sandystravelloungeLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sandyjcolling

What if the most powerful travel experiences weren't the ones everyone talks about, but the ones most people never find?

In this episode, Sandy sits down with Abigail Vacca, writer, storyteller, and host of the Global Treasures Podcast, to talk about UNESCO World Heritage Sites and why they deserve a spot on every traveler's list.

Abigail shares her favorite sites, the stories that make them unforgettable, and reveals the one place she believes deserves UNESCO status, but doesn't have it yet.

In this episode:

- Why UNESCO World Heritage Sites matter and what makes them worth visiting

- Abigail's personal favorites and the history behind them

- The hidden gem she thinks the world is sleeping on

- How immersive storytelling transforms the way we experience travel

- Why travel is one of the most underrated forms of self care

Connect with Abigail Vacca:

🎙️ Podcast: globaltreasures.podbean.com

🌍 Blog: globaltreasurestravel.com

📘 Facebook: facebook.com/profile.php?id=100093258132336

Connect with Sandy:

👉 Backstage Door to China Webinar: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/inside-china-culture-travel-what-most-visitors-never-experience-tickets-1979519163104?aff=oddtdtcreator

👉 Trips and Sips Weekly Meetup: https://www.meetup.com/trips-and-sips-travel/

👉 Just Travel with Sandy Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/luxurytraveladvisorsandy

#TravelPodcast #UNESCOWorldHeritageSites #CulturalTravel #TravelForWomen #HistoryAndTravel #GlobalTreasures #TravelInspiration #WomenWhoTravel #BucketListTravel #MeaningfulTravel #TravelStorytelling #HiddenGems #AbigailVacca #JustTravelWithSandy #TravelOver50