What happens when the thing driving you forward is also the thing slowly breaking you down?

In this episode Matt Allen opens up about burnout, identity, and the uncomfortable process of rebuilding when the life you’ve built no longer feels aligned.

For years, Matt’s sense of self worth was closely tied to achievement, productivity, and momentum. Work became more than work - it became identity, validation, and proof of worth. But eventually, the pace, pressure, and constant need to keep moving caught up with him.

This episode explores what happens when burnout forces you to stop and confront difficult questions: Who are you without the work? Without the output? Without the version of yourself you’ve spent years performing?

Matt reflects on stepping away, losing certainty, struggling with the empty space that follows burnout, and learning to separate identity from performance. They also explore masculinity, ambition, external validation, and why rebuilding your life often begins with letting go of the person you thought you had to be.

This is a conversation about identity shifts, grief for old versions of yourself, and the reality that growth rarely feels clean while you’re inside it.

In this episode, we explore:

• How work and achievement can slowly become your entire identity
• The emotional and physical signs of burnout
• Why high performers often ignore what their body is trying to tell them
• The fear of slowing down when your self-worth is tied to productivity
• Losing certainty and struggling with who you are outside of work
• The discomfort of stepping away without knowing what comes next
• Identity shifts during periods of burnout and recovery
• Masculinity, validation, and the pressure to keep proving yourself
• Why rebuilding your life often starts with letting old identities die
• Learning to create a more sustainable and honest version of success

Who this episode is for:

• People whose identity has become deeply tied to their work
• Anyone experiencing burnout, exhaustion, or emotional numbness
• High achievers struggling to slow down without feeling guilty
• Those navigating a major identity shift or life transition
• People questioning success, ambition, or external validation
• Anyone rebuilding after a period of collapse, change, or uncertainty
• Those trying to separate who they are from what they do

About the guest:

Matt Allen is a Creative Strategist with 20+ years of experience across music, media and podcasting. Starting out at the BBC, he spent over a decade building a music services agency from a kitchen table into a multi-national before pivoting into podcasting after the pandemic - a move that felt less like a career change and more like everything clicking into place. He now leads commercial partnerships for an independent podcast network, connecting brands with some of the world's best independent podcasters, while also working with founders and business owners who want to build a real audience.

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What happens when you stop choosing comfort - and start choosing growth instead?

In this episode Nick Thompson introduces us to a life shaped by curiosity, movement, and constant reinvention. From growing up in a small desert town in California with a multicultural background, to moving to Germany as a teenager without speaking the language, to building a career across publishing, advertising, and tech - Nick’s story is one of choosing growth, again and again.

This conversation explores identity, belonging, and what happens when the life you’ve built no longer aligns with who you are. From the glamour of creative industries in Berlin to burnout, health challenges, and multiple cross-continental moves, Nick reflects on the moments that forced him to pause, reassess, and rethink everything.

The episode also considers “taste” in a world increasingly shaped by AI, the importance of mentorship and community, and why real growth often requires stepping into discomfort - on purpose.

At the heart of this episode is a simple but powerful idea: rethinking your life isn’t about having all the answers - it’s about staying curious enough to keep asking better questions.

In this episode, we explore:

• Growing up in a small, culturally isolated town while feeling connected to a wider world
• How curiosity became the driving force behind Nick’s life decisions
• Moving to Germany as a teenager and learning a new language from scratch
• Building a career in publishing, design, and creative industries in Berlin
• The influence of taste, curation, and discernment in a world of infinite content
• Getting caught up in a fast-paced, glamorous lifestyle - and the cost of it
• A health wake-up call that forced a major life reset
• Transitioning into tech and navigating career uncertainty in the age of AI
• Moving between San Francisco, London, and back to California—and what each chapter revealed
• Loneliness, identity shifts, and the challenge of building community as an adult
• Choosing a slower, more intentional life after years of chasing momentum
• Why mentorship and environment shape who you become

Who this episode is for:

• People who feel like they don’t fully belong where they are
• Anyone navigating big life transitions or identity shifts
• Those questioning a career that no longer feels aligned
• Expats, travellers, or anyone living between cultures
• Creatives thinking about their place in an AI-driven world
• People feeling stuck but unsure what their next move is
• Anyone learning to choose growth over comfort
• Listeners in a “liminal” phase - between what was and what’s next

About the guest:

Nick Thompson is a creative leader whose career spans publishing, design, advertising, and technology. Originally from a small town in California, he has spent much of his life living and working across Europe and the United States, building a perspective shaped by movement, curiosity, and cultural exploration. His work has long been rooted in ideas of taste, storytelling, and creative direction, and he is currently exploring these themes through his new platform, Liminal Standard, where he documents life in transition and the space in between.

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What does success look like when it’s no longer about money, titles, or proving anything to anyone?

In this episode, we hear from Fernanda Moreno Harcha about a life shaped by resilience, intention, and heart. Born and raised in Mexico City to Chilean parents, Fernanda grew up in a household where success wasn’t defined by wealth-but by showing up, working hard, and becoming the best version of yourself.

From serving bread and water at the Ritz-Carlton to becoming Director of Operations for a major New York hotel, from arriving in NYC with $1,000 and a suitcase to building a successful real estate career in Miami, Fernanda shares how determination, integrity, and intuition guided every chapter of her journey.

The conversation also explores into grief, motherhood, confidence, and how Fernanda’s definition of success radically shifted after becoming a mom. Today, success means presence, peace, health, and the courage to listen to the quiet voice inside-especially in a world that constantly demands more.

This is a grounded, honest conversation about ambition without burnout, confidence without ego, and building a life that feels right-not just one that looks good on paper.

In this episode, we explore:

• Growing up in Mexico City with a single mother who modelled resilience and love
• Why success was never about money in Fernanda’s household
• Starting at the bottom-and choosing to be the best at every role
• Losing a parent young and rebuilding life after grief
• Moving to New York with no plan, little money, and total determination
• Climbing the hotel industry ladder through intention and work ethic
• Leaving a high-status career to reclaim freedom and joy
• Building a real estate career rooted in relationships and magnetism
• How motherhood completely reshaped Fernanda’s definition of success
• Staying grounded in a city driven by image, luxury, and noise

Who this episode is for:

• People whose careers look “successful” on paper but don’t feel right inside
• High achievers questioning what success really means at this stage of life
• Parents navigating ambition, presence, and identity after having children
• Anyone rebuilding after grief, loss, or a major life shift
• Listeners who want success without burnout, ego, or constant pressure
• Those trying to stay grounded in image-driven or high-status environments

About the guest:

Fernanda Moreno Harcha works in residential and commercial real estate, primarily in South Florida, with experience across the U.S., Europe, and Latin America. She leads a real estate group and investment fund, working closely with buyers, sellers, and investors to help them make thoughtful, long-term decisions in complex markets. Before real estate, Fernanda spent over a decade in the hospitality world, travelling extensively and working with luxury hotel brands across operations, events, and planning. That background shaped her people-first approach, attention to detail, and belief that good work is built on trust, relationships, and showing up with care.

Connect with Fernanda:

https://linkedin.com/in/fernandamorenoharcha
https:/instagram.com/FernandaHarcha
https://fernandamorenoharcha.com 

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What happens when success, security, and achievement stop answering the deeper questions you’re asking about your life?

In this episode, Stephen Ski shares his journey from physiotherapy to high-performing software sales - and ultimately working alongside an indigenous community in Colombia called the Arhuaco to help build the first indigenous-owned stingless beekeeping school in the Sierra Nevada.

After years of suppressing his curiosity and intuition in favour of validation, money, and achievement, Stephen began to experience anxiety, physical illness, and a growing sense of disconnection. What followed was a series of experiences - silent retreats, darkness retreats, vision quests, and time in nature - that helped him step out of the system and reimagine what leadership, impact, and success could look like.

The conversation explores curiosity as a compass, the cost of ignoring your body’s signals, and how creating space - not answers - can radically change the direction of your life. Stephen reflects on identity, masculinity, vulnerability, and why reciprocity, not extraction, now sits at the centre of his work.

This is an honest, grounded discussion for anyone questioning the path they’re on - especially high achievers who sense there must be a way to build success without sacrificing meaning, health, or integrity.

In this episode, we explore:

• What it feels like to succeed on paper but feel disconnected inside
• Suppressing intuition - and how the body eventually pushes back
• From physiotherapy to software sales - and falling into “the system”
• Validation, achievement, and the hidden cost of high performance
• Creating space through silence, retreats, and time in nature
• Why curiosity matters more than having a ten-year plan
• Masculinity, vulnerability, and redefining strength
• Indigenous wisdom, reciprocity, and working with nature - not against it
• Building a regenerative education project with an indigenous community in Colombia
• How small, grounded choices can lead to unexpected life shifts

Who this episode is for:

• Professionals questioning whether their career still fits
• High achievers experiencing burnout, anxiety, or numbness
• People curious about alternative paths to leadership and impact
• Anyone feeling trapped by success they once wanted
• Listeners interested in purpose, nature, and regenerative models of work

About the guest:

Stephen Ski is a former physiotherapist and software sales leader turned impact-driven entrepreneur and facilitator. After nearly a decade in the corporate world, Stephen stepped away to explore leadership, psychology, and human connection through retreats, coaching, and work with indigenous communities.

He is currently working alongside the Arhuaco people in Colombia to help build the first indigenous-owned stingless beekeeping school in the Sierra Nevada - a project focused on education, ecological regeneration, and reciprocity between people and land. Donate to support Stephen's work here.

Connect with Stephen:

https://instagram.com/stephen_wayfinder

https://instagram.com/guardians_laangelita

https://www.linkedin.com/in/theresilienceproject

https://www.laangelita.org

https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/guardians-of-la-angelita

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What happens when you follow the plan, build the career, tick the boxes - and still feel quietly misaligned?

In this episode, Jules Alon shares her journey from high-performing corporate life in Singapore and Bangkok to stepping away from everything she was “supposed” to want. Despite career success, financial stability, and global travel, something inside kept calling her toward a different way of living.

The conversation explores burnout, intuition, identity shifts, and the uncomfortable moment when success stops feeling successful. Jules reflects on redundancy, expat life, nervous system regulation, and why she ultimately chose to leave corporate life to build a sound healing and energy work practice from scratch.

This is an honest, grounded conversation for anyone who feels stuck between comfort and calling - especially high achievers who sense that the life they built no longer fits who they’re becoming.

In this episode, we explore:

• What it feels like when the plan works - but fulfilment doesn’t
• Burnout, anxiety, and the hidden cost of high performance
• Living as an expat and constantly starting over
• The role intuition plays in major life decisions
• Why many people ignore the signs for years
• Mini leaps vs big jumps when changing direction
• Sound healing, nervous system regulation, and modern wellness
• Rebuilding identity after leaving corporate success behind

Who this episode is for:

• Professionals questioning their career path
• High achievers feeling burned out or disconnected
• Anyone curious about intuition-led decisions
• People navigating identity shifts, pivots, or reinvention
• Listeners interested in wellness beyond hustle culture

About the guest:

Jules Alon is a former corporate leader turned sound healer and energy practitioner, now based in Bangkok. After more than two decades in corporate life across Asia, she chose to step away from the version of success she’d outgrown - and build something more aligned, meaningful, and sustainable.

Connect with Jules - https://linktr.ee/anahata_energy_alchemist

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I launched Rethink Travel about 4 years ago! And I love every single one of the conversations I had with the amazing guests on my first 7 episodes. 

They are pioneers in sustainable travel, visionaries and people I admire so much. I am so grateful they trusted me to tell their stories. 

Now, as my life evolved, and my journey into being a human exploring sustainability, kindness, unconventional lives, or self development, I feel like sharing people's stories beyond travel and beyond sustainability. 

I am someone who listens to a LOT of podcasts, and in the last years, I feel like there are about 20 people who keep interviewing each other and live in a silo. 

There are SO MANY interesting people out there, with amazing stories that no one's ever heard. And I want to put a spotlight on them. 

Also, I think most people who listening to podcasts and trying to change the perspective on their own lives, I believe, feel incredibly intimidated by all the podcasters who are multi millionaires and just say "change your mindset". 

Ok, but how? what are the steps? how does someone with a job and who's never left their small hometown actually manages to dream different? Notice I said "dream different", not necessarily big. 

How can people Rethink their OWN lives? How do people figure out what steps to take? How can people relate to people who look like them? or come from a similar background? What are all the other ways of living life? What is normal? What is abnormal? 

These are some of the questions I cannot wait to explore. 

Stay tuned, I'm dropping 5 episodes in November 2025! 

with love and gratitude, Nat

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Rethink Travel highlights the stories of the best people around the world in or around the travel industry dedicated to better tourism around the world.

Powered by The Rethink Hub, where I share inspiring stories of individuals who have dared to rethink and reshape their lives, habits, systems and communities. Join me as we dive into conversations that motivate you to live a more fulfilling and impactful life. Whether it's rethinking a career, lifestyle, or daily routines, our guests provide insights and experiences that inspire you to make positive changes in your own life.

With Rethink Travel, I aim to make it easier for people to understand what sustainability means in the travel industry and its importance in the space.
#sustainability #sustainablehotels #sustainabletravel

EDUCATION IS KEY IN ORDER TO MOVE INTO A MORE SUSTAINABLE WORLD - Rethink Travel's Mission is to empower people to make conscious travel and living the only choice so we created a space for people - travelers - to learn about sustainable and regenerative travel.

Find me on social media under @therethinkhub or @nat_therethinkhub

And subscribe to my Newsletter, The Rethink Journal here https://rethink-hub.com/therethinkjournal/

____________

Beks Ndlovu
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/africanbushcamps/

Beks Ndlovu started his journey as a professional safari guide working for safari companies in Zimbabwe. However, he felt that the safaris being offered were sometimes too structured and stiff, not giving you the flexibility to venture out and explore the wonders of the African wilderness in different ways.

He branched off to start his own camp, a place where guides could be creative and imaginative. Somalisa Camp was born from this dream, the now award-winning camp started as a humble dream to bring guides together to teach guests about Africa.

The safari bug bit Beks and he decided this vision was bigger than just him, he gathered people with the same values to create something incredible. African Bush Camps, aims to be experts in Zimbabwe, Botswana and Zambia.

Support the show

Rethink Travel highlights the stories of the best people around the world in or around the travel industry dedicated to better tourism around the world.

Powered by The Rethink Hub, where I share inspiring stories of individuals who have dared to rethink and reshape their lives, habits, systems and communities. Join me as we dive into conversations that motivate you to live a more fulfilling and impactful life. Whether it's rethinking a career, lifestyle, or daily routines, our guests provide insights and experiences that inspire you to make positive changes in your own life.

With Rethink Travel, I aim to make it easier for people to understand what sustainability means in the travel industry and its importance in the space.
#sustainability #sustainablehotels #sustainabletravel

EDUCATION IS KEY IN ORDER TO MOVE INTO A MORE SUSTAINABLE WORLD - Rethink Travel's Mission is to empower people to make conscious travel and living the only choice so we created a space for people - travelers - to learn about sustainable and regenerative travel.

Find me on social media under @therethinkhub or @nat_therethinkhub

And subscribe to my Newsletter, The Rethink Journal here https://rethink-hub.com/therethinkjournal/

____________

Chef Luis Ronzón – Executive Chef
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luisronzon/

Luis Ronzón is a public accountant by profession, however, he soon changed numbers for stoves. As a disciple of chef Yuri de Gortari discovered the passion for traditional Mexican food. Since then, it has sought multiple courses to extend and perfect his gastronomic practice, taught by famous schools in Mexico and abroad. His excellent performance opened the doors of the best restaurants in the world.

Despite his young age, Luis Ronzón has traveled through internationally renowned cuisines, including innovative restaurants in Denmark and Peru. These experiences have penetrated in the gastronomic experimentation, the local production of inputs and the cultivation of native produce.

Recently, the close collaboration with Chef Jorge Vallejo, in the award-winning Quintonil as Sous Chef for 3 years, which is ranked as one of The World's 50 best Restaurants, consecrated him as one of the great exponents of the Mexican contemporary cuisine. In 2016, he has served as chef instructor of Mexican contemporary cuisine at the Ambrosia Culinary Center. And in this same year he started as Executive Chef of Chable Yucatan named in 2017 Best Hotel in the World receiving the coveted  "Prix de Versailles” Award and in 2018, Luis took Ixi’im, Chable Yucatan’s fine dining restaurant to obtain the award of Best Restaurant in Latin America by the same organization.

Support the show

Rethink Travel highlights the stories of the best people around the world in or around the travel industry dedicated to better tourism around the world.

Powered by The Rethink Hub, where I share inspiring stories of individuals who have dared to rethink and reshape their lives, habits, systems and communities. Join me as we dive into conversations that motivate you to live a more fulfilling and impactful life. Whether it's rethinking a career, lifestyle, or daily routines, our guests provide insights and experiences that inspire you to make positive changes in your own life.

With Rethink Travel, I aim to make it easier for people to understand what sustainability means in the travel industry and its importance in the space.
#sustainability #sustainablehotels #sustainabletravel

EDUCATION IS KEY IN ORDER TO MOVE INTO A MORE SUSTAINABLE WORLD - Rethink Travel's Mission is to empower people to make conscious travel and living the only choice so we created a space for people - travelers - to learn about sustainable and regenerative travel.

Find me on social media under @therethinkhub or @nat_therethinkhub

And subscribe to my Newsletter, The Rethink Journal here https://rethink-hub.com/therethinkjournal/

____________

Be Better Founder and CEO Illana is a sustainable development thought leader, keynote speaker and connector. She believes that the way we speak about sustainability will change dramatically over the next few years so she is committed to pushing the needle on sustainability awareness for C-Suite, community and beyond. Identifying some 20 years ago a gap in genuine knowledge around sustainability she devoted her time to acquiring a deep understanding of the global issues and nuances. She now couples her 30 years in luxury niche marketing with her science knowledge to focus on the paradigm shift in behaviour required for our sustainable future.

Illana created Be Better to bridge the gap between science, business, communities and individuals. The biggest choke point in the adoption of sustainable practices is a lack of access to clear information. Be Better therefore provides fact based, open sourced, cited, content to inspire change. Under that umbrella, Be Better Business is an independent 3rd party agency that specialises in helping organisations to navigate the complexity in the various frameworks for sustainability reporting. Frameworks such as; ESG, SDG’s, GRI, BCorp, GRI and ISO. Working with future thinking organisations they build bespoke roadmaps with an eye on the future to change the narrative and define what best practice looks like (versus greenwashing). Be Better Business can design, write and sign off on 3rd party Sustainability Reports or execute any of the above mentioned frameworks.

www.bebetter.at

Support the show

Rethink Travel highlights the stories of the best people around the world in or around the travel industry dedicated to better tourism around the world.

Powered by The Rethink Hub, where I share inspiring stories of individuals who have dared to rethink and reshape their lives, habits, systems and communities. Join me as we dive into conversations that motivate you to live a more fulfilling and impactful life. Whether it's rethinking a career, lifestyle, or daily routines, our guests provide insights and experiences that inspire you to make positive changes in your own life.

With Rethink Travel, I aim to make it easier for people to understand what sustainability means in the travel industry and its importance in the space.
#sustainability #sustainablehotels #sustainabletravel

EDUCATION IS KEY IN ORDER TO MOVE INTO A MORE SUSTAINABLE WORLD - Rethink Travel's Mission is to empower people to make conscious travel and living the only choice so we created a space for people - travelers - to learn about sustainable and regenerative travel.

Find me on social media under @therethinkhub or @nat_therethinkhub

And subscribe to my Newsletter, The Rethink Journal here https://rethink-hub.com/therethinkjournal/

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Sean Nino has a passion to continuously learn from others and enjoys working around the topics of energy, water, and waste and within the field of sustainable building and development. Currently, he is focused on growing and expanding the Mantra team and their environmental engineering capabilities and raising private investment for material and waste management infrastructure.

Matra offers a wide range of services, these are made available for companies and leaders at any stage of their sustainability journey. Whether they’re simply looking to develop sustainable goals and practices or are planning to build a fully environmentally-friendly destination, Mantra's sustainability consulting, design and engineering expertise will help realise their vision.

www.eco-mantra.com
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