Travel as Healing: A Conversation with Fabian Cousley

Fabian Cousley, author of How Traveling Saved My Life and host of Surviving the Yellow Brick Road, discusses using travel to heal after his 30-year marriage dissolved during COVID. Fabian explains the “yellow brick road” as life’s challenging journey, fueling exploration and curiosity. Travel, he says, provides a necessary reset. Removing yourself from the environment where trauma occurred allows you to recalibrate, shifting from asking “why” to “what now.” A New York City native, he recounts solo trips from his home in Toronto—starting with Cabo, later Dubai, and a pivotal healing experience at Machu Picchu in Peru—plus advice to on how to research safety and connect with supportive people. We end talking about meeting other men who are also traveling to heal, and moving from surviving to thriving. Contact and find links to the book and podcast:www.sybr-book.com or https://survivingtheyellowbrickroad.com/ Free download sample from Fabian: https://survivingtheyellowbrickroad.com/#Download 00:00 Introduction to Fabian Cousley01:31 Growing Up in Queens and Surviving the Yellow Brick Road04:18 Youth Is Curiosity07:21 Deciding to Travel After the Breakup of the Marriage09:38 You Cannot Heal in the Environment That Broke You11:06 Are You Running Away?12:21 Travel Forces You to Recalibrate and Reset15:49 Solo Trips: Reset Happens Alone17:42 Moving from Why Me to What Now19:07 Deciding Where to Go22:11 Beginning the Journey of Healing in Cabo22:50 Finding Peace25:18 The Map as Mirror28:09 Dubai34:29 Traveling While Black35:53 Safety and Due Diligence as a Traveler38:43 Peru: A Healing Experience42:18 Men and Masculinity47:57 Contact Fabian CREDITSHost and creator: Christi CassidyContact: [email protected] by Phyllis BusellMusic by Eve’s Blue. Post-production help from Auphonic.com.Show notes written with assistance from Descript and Claude.ai. LINKS:More information and to listen to past episodes: https://movingalongpodcast.comPast episodes are here too: https://moving-along.simplecast.com/Tag and like Moving Along episodes on Facebook and Instagram