Soul Wanderer : Mindful Travel for Women of Color

In this episode I welcome my first guest, Youmie Jean Francois.

Youmie Jean Francois is a transformational speaker, a brand strategist, a money trauma expert, a private pilot, an author, and the proud Founder/CEO of Flex-N-Fly, The Flex Bags, and The Flex-N-Fly Foundation.

Throughout her career, she's dedicated herself to enhancing the well-being of travelers and helping small business owners scale. She speaks 4 languages fluently and splits her time between New York and Colombia.

Flex-N-Fly, her award-winning travel and wellness company, has become a beacon of innovation. They bring wellness studios to airports. Providing stretching, yoga, and relaxation classes to airports, aiming to ease the stress that often accompanies modern travel. They've been featured in Forbes, Travel & Leisure, TripAdvisor, BlackEnterprise, Macy's, Belk, Flying Solo, and More. Youmie's best-selling poetry book, The Sacrifice: When Transition Looks Like Chaos, is available now.

Timestamps:

01:14 Youmie's intro

02:58 Recent trip to Mexico

04:49 Why and how Flex-n-Fly began

07:41 What was needed to start a travel business

10:21 Scaling and starting multiple businesses

11:19 Starting the Flex-n-Fly foundation

17:44 Who Youmie's non-profit serves

20:26 The Flex-n-Fly Foundation's goal for 2025

22:48 Representation of women as pilots and travelers

24:27 Why Youmie's non-profit exists

26:46 An important business lesson

28:07 Business finances

33:36 Having a team and growing Flex-n-Fly

39:12 Detachment in life and business

43:40 Living in alignment

48:25 Worthiness

50:48 Setting boundaries and being tested

51:56 Youmie's most transformative travel experience

54:54 Traveling as a Haitian woman

56:48 A beautiful message about being yourself

58:35 Friendship breakups

01:02:30 Communicating needs

01:03:50 Wrapping up and where to find and connect with Youmie

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Resources:

The Law of Detachment

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• Learn more about Youmie here

• Join the Flex-n-Fly Travel Challenge

•Donate to the Flex-n-Fly Foundation

•Youmie on LinkedIn

•Tune into Youmie's LinkedIn Live in Your Power Series

•Subscribe to Flex-n-Fly

Soul Wanderer is a podcast for mindful women of color who want to travel deeper, not just farther. Each episode blends solo travel inspiration, destination storytelling, and honest conversations about what it means to move through the world with purpose and intention.

From Japan to Portugal, Mexico to beyond, Soul Wanderer centers what mindful, conscious travel looks like for women of color navigating the world on their own terms.

New episodes every two weeks. Come wander.

Join the The Wander Letters

Visit Website: https://www.sequoiaarmstrong.com/

Connect on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sequoia.armstrong/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Happy New Year, travelers!

A brief trailer to share what's ahead for season 2 of Soul Wanderer.

• A mix of solo and guest episodes

• My upcoming workshop about vision boards

• What I'm looking forward to

Episode referenced:

Episode 14: 2025 Travel Planning: A Conscious Approach + Season Wrap-Up

Sign up for the Imagine and Wander: A Conscious Travel Vision Board Workshop this Friday, January 3, 2025.

Join the travel family here and receive a complimentary guide to packing lighter!

Work with Sequoia

• Mexico
• Japan

Do you have an idea, question, or something to share?

DM on Instagram to tell me 😊

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In this episode, I share recent life updates including travel, what's to come for my business in 2025, and ways you can mindfully plan for your travels in 2025.

Including:

• Looking into your Astrocartography chart to figure out why you're drawn to a place or what place is best for you

• Human Design type and authority to help inform you while you think about where to next

Resources:

What is Astrocartography?

Look up your Astrocartography birth chart

Astro Twins at Astrostyle

Human Design Find your design type

Episode referenced:

5. Recommendations for First-Time Travelers to Japan

10. When to Start Planning a Trip to Japan

Soul Wanderer is a podcast for mindful women of color who want to travel deeper, not just farther. Each episode blends solo travel inspiration, destination storytelling, and honest conversations about what it means to move through the world with purpose and intention.

From Japan to Portugal, Mexico to beyond, Soul Wanderer centers what mindful, conscious travel looks like for women of color navigating the world on their own terms.

New episodes every two weeks. Come wander.

Join the The Wander Letters

Visit Website: https://www.sequoiaarmstrong.com/

Connect on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sequoia.armstrong/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, I share some tips and takeaways from my recent visit to Japan :

• IC cards will help make transportation easier in Japan. What are they and how do they work?

• Experiencing over-tourism in Kyoto and what a local friend hopes for

• Visitors to Japan are diverse both in where they're visiting from and age range

• What getting off the beaten path means for you

Episode referenced:

5. Recommendations for First-Time Travelers to Japan

Pack lighter for your travel by grabbing this guide!

Need help planning your Japan trip, let me help you https://www.pueblayorkinc.com/japan

Soul Wanderer is a podcast for mindful women of color who want to travel deeper, not just farther. Each episode blends solo travel inspiration, destination storytelling, and honest conversations about what it means to move through the world with purpose and intention.

From Japan to Portugal, Mexico to beyond, Soul Wanderer centers what mindful, conscious travel looks like for women of color navigating the world on their own terms.

New episodes every two weeks. Come wander.

Join the The Wander Letters

Visit Website: https://www.sequoiaarmstrong.com/

Connect on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sequoia.armstrong/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, I wanted to share suggestions for how you can plan a future mother-daughter trip based on numerous trips with my mom.

I cover these topics:

• What to book first and why

•The value and importance of space and time to yourself

• What to keep in mind for a better and more meaningful travel experience for you both

Soul Wanderer is a podcast for mindful women of color who want to travel deeper, not just farther. Each episode blends solo travel inspiration, destination storytelling, and honest conversations about what it means to move through the world with purpose and intention.

From Japan to Portugal, Mexico to beyond, Soul Wanderer centers what mindful, conscious travel looks like for women of color navigating the world on their own terms.

New episodes every two weeks. Come wander.

Join the The Wander Letters

Visit Website: https://www.sequoiaarmstrong.com/

Connect on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sequoia.armstrong/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, I discuss a concern that solo travelers have about spending during solo trips and how you can be mindful of where and how you spend.

The topics I cover are:

•Using time to your advantage

•Aligning spending to your values

•An effective way to create change in your finances and the world

•Have a dedicated account for travel

•Using debit and credit cards

•Travel hacking

•Accommodation suggestions that can help you save

Episode referenced:

Episode 3 Why You Should Travel Solo

Resources:

The Dirty Dozen Banks

Find a sustainable bank near you BankGreen

Points and Miles Doc Instagram

What is Travel Hacking?

Soul Wanderer is a podcast for mindful women of color who want to travel deeper, not just farther. Each episode blends solo travel inspiration, destination storytelling, and honest conversations about what it means to move through the world with purpose and intention.

From Japan to Portugal, Mexico to beyond, Soul Wanderer centers what mindful, conscious travel looks like for women of color navigating the world on their own terms.

New episodes every two weeks. Come wander.

Join the The Wander Letters

Visit Website: https://www.sequoiaarmstrong.com/

Connect on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sequoia.armstrong/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, I answer an important question: when do you start planning a trip to Japan? I share my work process with past and future clients and more of what it's like to work with me.

I share these aspects of planning your trip to Japan:

• What to keep in mind when planning

• The ideal time frame for planning a trip

• How many nights for a trip

• Holidays and peak seasons to consider

• Flight first vs places first?

• Cherry blossom season

Episodes I reference:

Episode 4 Female Solo Travel in Japan

Episode 5 Recommendations for First-Time Travelers To Japan

Resources:

This blog post is about why fall foliage this year is delayed

Have you wanted to be #teamcarryon and pack lighter? Grab this guide!

If you're planning a trip to Japan, you might consider getting a JR Rail pass

Soul Wanderer is a podcast for mindful women of color who want to travel deeper, not just farther. Each episode blends solo travel inspiration, destination storytelling, and honest conversations about what it means to move through the world with purpose and intention.

From Japan to Portugal, Mexico to beyond, Soul Wanderer centers what mindful, conscious travel looks like for women of color navigating the world on their own terms.

New episodes every two weeks. Come wander.

Join the The Wander Letters

Visit Website: https://www.sequoiaarmstrong.com/

Connect on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sequoia.armstrong/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, I lay out ways to avoid contributing to overtourism in an area/city/country that is experiencing overtourism. As conscious travelers, we want to be mindful of overtourism and how we can help avoid it, instead of contributing to it.

I go into:

-When to visit

-The importance of working with local experts or guides

-Get off the beaten path and out into nature 

-How to know where to stay 

What I mentioned:

Liz On Leave Experiences

Blog post about why this year's fall foliage in Japan will be delayed

• DM me on Instagram

Soul Wanderer is a podcast for mindful women of color who want to travel deeper, not just farther. Each episode blends solo travel inspiration, destination storytelling, and honest conversations about what it means to move through the world with purpose and intention.

From Japan to Portugal, Mexico to beyond, Soul Wanderer centers what mindful, conscious travel looks like for women of color navigating the world on their own terms.

New episodes every two weeks. Come wander.

Join the The Wander Letters

Visit Website: https://www.sequoiaarmstrong.com/

Connect on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sequoia.armstrong/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, I share how I became a lifelong traveler, my upbringing, education, visiting grandparents, and what I wanted to become as a child.

-How Human Design has helped me

-My first flight

-The closeness I had to my Japanese grandparents, particularly my grandfather

-Growing up bilingual

Episodes referenced:

Episode 7 Choose Quality Over Quantity

Episode 2 How Women Impact The Travel Industry

Resources:

Find your Human Design chart

Erin Claire Jones Instagram

Find out your Love Language 

Sustainable Aviation Fuel https://www.iata.org/en/programs/sustainability/sustainable-aviation-fuels/

Soul Wanderer is a podcast for mindful women of color who want to travel deeper, not just farther. Each episode blends solo travel inspiration, destination storytelling, and honest conversations about what it means to move through the world with purpose and intention.

From Japan to Portugal, Mexico to beyond, Soul Wanderer centers what mindful, conscious travel looks like for women of color navigating the world on their own terms.

New episodes every two weeks. Come wander.

Join the The Wander Letters

Visit Website: https://www.sequoiaarmstrong.com/

Connect on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sequoia.armstrong/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, I share why I recommend choosing quality over quality when traveling.

-How to choose quality over quantity

-What questions to ask yourself

-Environmental benefits

-How this has guided me in other areas of my life

-Cultural contrast around friendship

-Heritage travel

Episodes and resources referenced

• Episode 1 What Does Conscious Travel Mean?
• Episode 6 The Trip That Changed The Way I Travel
• The size of US homes grew by more than 300% in 50 years

Podcast I mention

Yulia Denisyuk's podcast

• Going Places Season Finale: What Europe Gets About Rest (and the US Doesn't)

Soul Wanderer is a podcast for mindful women of color who want to travel deeper, not just farther. Each episode blends solo travel inspiration, destination storytelling, and honest conversations about what it means to move through the world with purpose and intention.

From Japan to Portugal, Mexico to beyond, Soul Wanderer centers what mindful, conscious travel looks like for women of color navigating the world on their own terms.

New episodes every two weeks. Come wander.

Join the The Wander Letters

Visit Website: https://www.sequoiaarmstrong.com/

Connect on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sequoia.armstrong/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.