Belinda David, founder of Soul Treader and house sitting expert, looked in the mirror one day and didn't recognize the vibrant woman she used to be. Overweight, exhausted, consumed by corporate life and caregiving—she bought hiking boots and joined a meetup. That first hike nearly killed her. Today, she hikes 8 months a year across the world's most stunning trails and teaches women in their 40s and beyond that the best is truly yet to come.
In this episode, Belinda shares her transformation from corporate burnout to hiking 200+ kilometers solo through Greenland's Arctic Circle Trail, reveals the exact safety tools that keep her alive on remote trails, and breaks down how house sitting allows her to fund a location-independent lifestyle without draining retirement savings.
If you're waiting for "someday" to travel, stuck in the when-the-kids-leave-I'll-finally-live mindset, or convinced your best years are behind you, this conversation will show you that life at 60 can mean waking up overlooking the Mediterranean Sea on your birthday.
Code for discount SOPHIA15 on all housesitting courses. housesitting101.com
Free Resource: Download Hike It Right: Health, Safety and Hygiene on the Trail at soultrader.com
TOPICS DISCUSSED:
- The mirror moment: recognizing you've disappeared while caring for everyone else
- Solo hiking the 230km Arctic Circle Trail in Greenland
- Health, Safety & Hygiene on the Trail: the free resource every hiker needs
- House sitting as the secret to affordable long-term travel and cultural immersion
- Why our bodies won't stay active forever—and why "later" might be too late
- Early retirement at 60: choosing life over endless work
Want to learn more about Belinda’s work? Visit her website at soultreader.com
BEST MOMENTS:
"One day you look in the mirror and that youth is gone. You've given yourself to everything else."
"I saw these men and women in their 60s climb that mountain far easier than I, and I thought—you are so healthy."
"I just remember the lack of sound, the lack of interaction with any other people, and just this sparse tundra with lakes—it was really quite insane."
"I think I've got another 10, 15 years of doing this. Our bodies aren't this active for the rest of our lives."
"I want to wake up on my 60th birthday overlooking the Mediterranean Sea watching either a perfect sunrise or a perfect sunset."
CONTACT THE HOST
- Website | www.thereikihealingcoach.com
- Instagram | @sophia_i_got_ig
- Instagram | @createlifeyourway
- Facebook | www.facebook.com/sophia.e.754
- LinkedIn | Sophia Elcock
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.