Next Chapter, Anywhere - Field Notes on Culture, Travel, and Starting Again

We just got back from Italy and we have thoughts.In this episode, Antonina and Cynthia reflect on leading their first group trips to Sicily and Tuscany and get honest about the gap between what travel looks like on Instagram and what it actually feels like on the ground. Spoiler: you cannot do pilates in a vineyard. You should not try.But beyond the highlights and the laughs, this episode is really about what happens when you slow down enough to actually be somewhere. The woman at the vineyard who moved people to tears talking about springtime. The conversation at the long table that nobody wanted to end. The moments that don't photograph well but stay with you for years.We talk about what worked, what we would do differently, and why "Instagram is inspirational, not aspirational" should be on a t-shirt. We also get into the pressure to perform the perfect trip versus the deeper thing people are actually hungry for when they travel.If you have ever looked at someone's travel feed and thought, I want that feeling, this episode is for you.Next Chapter Anywhere is hosted by Cynthia of Sojourn & Soirée and Antonina of EMBODY by Antonina.

What does travel really teach you that you can’t learn the same way at home?In this episode, we move beyond surface-level takeaways and talk about how travel shifts your perspective in a deeper way. Nina shares a powerful experience traveling through Israel and the West Bank, and what it revealed about identity, place, and the common threads that connect people across cultures. Cynthia reflects on how travel strips away your usual context, and what happens when you are no longer defined by your role, your title, or your routine.A conversation about perspective, discomfort, and the quiet ways travel changes how you see the world and yourself.

What happens when the thing that defined you no longer fits?Cynthia reflects on leaving a decades-long career in government and diplomacy, and the identity that came with it. Nina shares what it feels like to build something new while still holding onto a more traditional path.This is a conversation about transition, uncertainty, and learning to answer the question “what do you do?” in a new way.

Hosts Cynthia (former diplomat) and Nina (curator and founder of Embodied by Antonina) discuss travel experiences that truly changed them. Cynthia shares how a semester abroad in Cairo became four to five years, sparked her love of Arabic and the city’s energy, led to formative travel in the Middle East including visiting the West Bank during Palestinian elections, and ultimately inspired her to join the Foreign Service after meeting a diplomat. Nina reflects on traveling to Poland with her mother, connecting with her heritage through Krakow and Warsaw, visiting Auschwitz, and experiencing unexpected hospitality from locals they met on a train, which reinforced the idea that being open to human connection creates meaningful experiences. They invite listeners to share trips that changed them and to follow along for future conversations and travel.

A former diplomat and longtime educator explore what it looks like to reinvent your life and follow new paths, through the lens of culture, travel, and the ways we experience and come back to ourselves along the way. Together, they reflect on how stepping outside familiar roles can reshape how we see the world and ourselves. Follow us on Instagram: @sojournandsoiree and @embodybyantonina

A former diplomat and longtime educator explore what it looks like to reinvent your life and follow new paths, through the lens of culture, travel, and the ways we experience and come back to ourselves along the way. Together, they reflect on how stepping outside familiar roles can reshape how we see the world and ourselves. Follow us on Instagram: @sojournandsoiree and @embodybyantonina