Do You Want to Travel More, Stress Less & Make an Impact?
Want to be happy each day and live the life of your dreams?
Change N Focus will help those wanting to escape the daily grind and find life balance. My goal is simply to inspire you to travel as much as possible, discover peace of mind in the great outdoors, and prepare you with essential planning advice, travel tips and recommendations.
Travel Tips & Recommendations
Traveling helps expand our minds, beliefs and culture. You will find tips and recommendations for destinations that I've traveled to as well as places that will inspire you to explore. From budget to luxury travel, and road trips to international air travel, there will be a bit of everything!
Personal Growth & Inspiration
If you are someone that has it all together, then you may just need travel inspiration. However, if you are like me and want to be the best YOU, then focusing on your personal growth is extremely important. Here you can find tips to change or improve your mindset and strategies to wake up each morning with true optimism that makes you believe that nothing is impossible!
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DO YOU FIND LIFE OR WORK STRESSFUL?
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There is nothing that can bring you back to a peaceful state of mind faster than spending time in the great outdoors. Whether you simply find a nature trail near you, find a park bench to listen to the soothing sounds around you or planning a hiking trip to explore new landscapes, time with mother nature can heal your soul and make the stress of life melt away.
Hiking Trails & Adventure Trips
Experiencing something new on a regular basis will give you the exhilarating feeling of "LIVING"! You can explore national parks and other hiking trails and also discover travel stories about fun activities like paragliding the San Diego cliffs, zip-lining & repelling in the Costa Rican rain forest and white water rafting the Ocoee River in Tennessee that will empower the thrill-seeker inside of you to expand your horizons.
Road Trip Maps & Advice
Driving can be a stress relieving experience, if you have the right trip plan. I absolutely LOVE road trips! The drive seems shorter and well worth it when you know what is coming at the next exciting stop. My sister, Hayley and I take annual Sister Adventure road trips and they are some of my favorite trips I've ever taken. Visiting new and diverse cities around the world is fun, but a road trip and off road excursions will provide you with unforgettable memories to some of the most incredible landscapes you've ever seen!
Photography Tips & Reviews
Photos capture your memories and I love sharing mine with all of you! You will find information about cameras, accessories, apps and software that I personally use and recommend. More importantly, if you are interested in capturing some of the best locations, sunsets and sunrises that will make everyone on Instagram jealous, then check out my travel photography tips and suggestions.
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Finally, if you want to purchase inspiration for your office wall or home decor, visit my Photography Art Gallery. I highly recommend metal prints, because the colors will literally pop out at you and give you a better idea of what it looks like in person.
Why I Want to Empower YOU to Conquer Overwhelm to Live the Life of Your Dreams
There is so much mistrust and misinformation in the world right now. My mission is to be honest and vulnerable about my experiences in order to help you heal your soul through nature and travel. Then you can use your many strengths and be empowered to go beyond your ‘limits’ to achieve things you never thought possible.
Each of us fights through adversity, but I believe if you can find your purpose and share that passion with others then adversity, as we think of it, becomes obsolete and our clear and optimistic mindset can help overcome any obstacle the world throws at us. And why not have a community of like-minded individuals that allow you to be vulnerable and empower you to be the best you!
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Have you had a traumatic experience that changed your perspective?
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Do you need a reminder that every day you wake is a blessing?
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I had a surprise surgery in 2010 that completely opened my eyes and brought me a new perspective and you can read more about this dramatic life changing trauma in another article. For me it was a wake-up call that I desperately needed, but the empowering feelings once again got swallowed by work stress. Too many of us are so busy doing what needs to be done that we never step back and think about how we are doing.
In 2020, I finally broke the spell and felt compelled to start my own business in order to share my story, experiences and truly better the world for others. I want to remind each of you, every day, that you can live the life of your dreams as long as you don’t let adversity tear you down, but always remember that you WILL RISE AND SHINE again!
Does something in your life cause you UNNECESSARY stress?
Do you feel like you have no time to decompress or focus on YOU?
Does all the stress cause you to forget what is important or maybe even seem to change who YOU are?
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For the past seven years, I could answer YES to all those questions. I worked for two of the worst bosses in the world for someone like me that works hard to not just succeed but truly transform the business or non-profit I work for. I will never understand how those two got their 'leadership' positions. After the first stress-inducing experience, somehow, I stepped into the exact same scenario once again. After two tries and seven years...lesson of life learned! I believe that you will continue to be put into similar situations until you learn the lesson you are supposed to.
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When I couldn’t fully enjoy a trip to Spain, because of a boss, I knew it was time to move on. And somehow God knew the same, because a situation arose that I refused to do what my boss told me and stood up for what I believed was right and supported my entire staff. This would ultimately be the nail in that job’s coffin. I actually told my final boss that I was resigning, she asked why and I was honest in that I had zero respect for how she ‘ran’ the agency, to which she ended up firing me at the end of the conversation.
I felt like I had lost the person I was or wanted to be because of the work stress. The only relief I had during that time was nature and traveling. Being in nature and focusing on the sights and sounds surrounding me, brought me brief moments of peace. And when I went on vacation, I literally felt healthier because I was away from the stress and the boss causing the stress. I always tell myself that I compartmentalize work and personal and to some extent that is true, but when you don't realize a stressful work life is bleeding into your personal life, then your mental and physical health can be compromised. You will discover later why now I feel blessed to have experienced both of those jobs.
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​Drastic change and letting go of something (like a job) that you love, can throw you into a tailspin. However, I leaned on my incredibly supportive husband and he allowed me to travel and time to get my shit back together. I knew immediately I wanted to continue helping others in my career and my love of travel, nature and photography would be the passion for which I could empower others to change their focus in order to live their best lives.
How Nature & Travel Can Heal Your Soul
Spending time in nature and truly listening to the sounds and taking in the tiny details of the world, will remind you that you and your problems are a very tiny part of this universe. That can make your problems feel lighter and with the right mindset you can tackle anything head on. Traveling to new places and experiencing new adventures will provide and renew your hope and help you continue to fulfill your purpose. The world will feel bigger and brighter when you regularly expose yourself to new corners of it.
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Connecting to the peaceful calm in nature can ground your spirit and clear your mind, but you must find time and truly relax and as they say, “stop and smell the roses”. I’ve had a full-time job and still traveled each month. All of my friends ask if I ever work, my response is always, “I work just as hard as anyone, but I prioritize my health and well-being and exploring nature and traveling helps me do that”. I will help you find time and offer tips to save money to travel, but also remind you that a simple walk in nature can be just as powerful.
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While this bio may sound like I have it all together now, trust that I struggle daily with anxiety and thoughts that attempt to hold me back from the life that I want to live. I’ll be open about anxiety, my panic attacks and how I use nature and travel to conquer those obstacles. I hope that you will join me on this journey of life and together we will change our focus to ‘Live Our Best Lives’ and empower others to do the same.
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Peace & Love Peeps,
Meet My Fave Travel Peeps
Solo travel is a must-do experience, but I want to introduce you to my two favorite human beings and travel peeps!
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My sister, Hayley, is 5 years younger, but she is my best friend and the person that absolutely no matter what goes down, she will be there for me. And Lord knows I've been watching over and protecting my sister for her entire life. I even shoved my sister's buttered bread in a girl's face because she was bullying her after school! Our relationship hasn't been perfect, we are family. When I left for college we didn't talk for years, because I would let my parents know what she was doing (that I thought was taking her down the wrong path). Then she moved to Tennessee to live with me for a couple years, where I felt like her mom. But in 2015, we took our first annual Sister Adventure road trip to California and have been super close ever since! I would do absolutely anything for my sister.
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My husband, Wyatt, is the kindest person I've ever met with a warm and giving heart. We married on 11/11/11 in St Marks, Florida with ferocious bugs biting our guests and then after sunset freezing temperatures that we haven't had before or since that November day. Wyatt keeps me laughing, even when I'd rather cry. My life wouldn't be the same without him and I love exploring the world, experiencing new things and just taking simple walks in nature with him.
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I'm incredibly lucky that both my husband and sister get along really well. My sister and I even let Wyatt join two of our Sister Adventures!
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