Choices

I really believe in travel. I believe in a gorgeous itinerary, staying in lovely places, eating beautiful food, meeting extraordinary people. I also believe in happenstance, serendipity, in the value of getting lost, of getting turned around, getting in a taxi, ‘cause there’s a conversation that can only be had with a taxi driver who isn’t trained how & when to talk to the American guest. I believe in being a little uncomfortable, I do! I actually believe in not having a plan every waking moment of every single day. Not knowing where you’re going to dine that night, and so glad about it because there was a cute little place you walked past earlier, peaked into the window, got giddy about returning that night. A giddiness that just doesn’t come from reading the itinerary and seeing it there. A giddiness that can only come from within you. And not from god forsaken Instagram. Trust me when I say this. But somewhere along the way I started washing all that from travel for people. I started orchestrating perfection. And I had to take a long hard look at that. Can I continue to orchestrate perfection for travelers. Yes. Do I want to continue to orchestrate perfection for travelers? No.As humans we need on a biological level, healthy tension. If everything is easy, there’s actually discord. Counterintuitive, but it’s very true. I remember the first time I traveled abroad. It was to Florence, Italy. I have a bit more money than I did back then, you probably do too. Hostels served their purpose. They make us appreciate the boutique hotel now. But I had a paper map, a small suitcase, a camera, and nothing else but a loose plan. As my agency turns 14 next month, that’s the energy I’m playing into. I’ve built a reputation the past 14 years, a taste level & style. I’ve built strong reliable networks of access and hospitality in every nation on earth. That is the capital travelers will come to me for. Travelers can google, or get their AI to answer a travel related question, even generate an itinerary … but their AI doesn’t have inherent taste, style, and network within that. People will come to me – and to you if you’re a travel professional – for who they know us to be & for the people we are made to know because it’s our job to know. Everything else is fluff.That’s the energy. Beautiful itineraries for travelers … to a point. And that point is probably further back than it has been. Healthy tension. Discord. Intentionally. But you’ve trusted me. Keep trusting me. The rest is up to you.

When it comes to this conversation with Stephanie, she does a beautiful job of introducing herself, her background being born in Ecuador of an English father & an Ecuadorian mother, raised in Quito. Educated in England, she returned to Ecuador in her early 30’s on holiday with her husband Michael, at a time when they were both sort of at a crossroads in their life where they both had an appetite for change, for risk, for something different that their life in England wasn’t providing. The timing was impeccable. As the timing always is. They fell in love with the Galapagos Islands during that trip, a particular piece of land. They didn’t come from a hospitality background. They didn’t have preconceived notions of what a hotel or a place where travelers lay their heads, what that ‘should’ look like. They loved Africa, the romanticism of the tented camps. Neither of them liked the experience of being in a hotel. They dreamed of the creation of something that was romantic, comfortable, immersed in nature, and special. A redefinition of luxury.When they opened their doors, they were the first tented camp in Latin America.I hope you all enjoy this conversation, and if this topic is something you’d like to hear more about from another hotelier with a similar ethos, go back and listen to my conversation earlier this year with Hall Cannon who owns Otahuna Lodge in New Zealand. Same same. And as always, thank you for being here.

My guest this month is Tracey Harlowe, who owns a hotel representation company. Tracey & I met about a dozen years ago, traveling through Italy. We were fast friends and she's someone in our business whom I admire. She's remained for decades under the radar. Success on her own terms, never selling out. Big hotels have always called, dangling larger retainers, more exposure, more money, but she knows her compass. Which points her toward hidden gems, truly the gems where travelers lay their heads and remember that feeling that feels so different to most other places they’ve laid their heads around the world. I wanted to have this conversation with Tracey because you all know that I’m in love with hindsight. I adore autobiographies for this reason. And I suppose in this moment I’m really drawn to document the words and thought of those around me before it’s too late. Last year a couple of friends passed away and I wish I would have said more … or had them say more. Yeh, that draw.

My guest this month is Hall Cannon. I first met Hall in 2015 while visiting New Zealand, and having the pleasure of staying in his small lodge Otahuna located near Christchurch. I wanted to sit and down and talk with Hall for a number of reasons. In this moment, and you’ll see this through the conversations I’ve recently shared, and will be sharing this year, I’m partial to the small guys and gals. In our industry. Those who choose to stay hyper focused on where their feet are. They have the opportunity to expand, to take what they’ve done quite successfully and do it, build it, in another place. And look, there is no right or wrong when it comes to this type of business decision. Whether we’re talking about growing a travel agency beyond yourself & your assistant, to a large host … or growing a 7 room hotel to a 27 or 247 room hotel, because you can. The important thing, and I’ve always talked about this, the important thing is to understand yourself and what makes you joyful, not trying to follow the recipe you see succeeding down the street. Because the cook down there has a different blueprint to yours. Know your blueprint, accept it, trust it, live it, and life, business, just flow.

What do you do when you realize you’re no longer inspired by your job, it’s no longer challenging, it’s missing passion. It was all once there for many years, it’s what kept you so invested, doing anything it asked of you, but it no longer is what it once was. Yet you still have a lot of love for it. You thought you’d be there forever. The minute you stop growing and learning and you’re no longer challenged is the moment to seek transformation, a change. This conversation is with Wendy Blandon, Director of Sales for SHA Wellness Clinic.

A solo episode to cap the year where I talk about the mentors who have no idea they're mentors, why the words that were sent to me by one such mentor: “You are what I was always too afraid to be.” sparked sharing on the topic of life choices in the annual letter I send out to industry colleagues, and how response to that sparked this solo episode. We’re always where we’re supposed to be to get the message we’re supposed to receive.  Wishing you all a gorgeous 2025 personally and professionally. And as always, thank you for your kindness, for your friendship, and partnership. See you out there somewhere.  Keep discovering… 

My guest this month is my friend Chamindra Goonewardene from Sri Lanka. He oversees a portfolio of hotels on his home island, doing sales and marketing. The son of a hotelier, he spent a lot of time in hotels from his earliest years. When it came time to go to university, he came to the US and studied at Duke in North Carolina. He loved the place, the people, the experience. And almost stayed, but just as he was completing his studies, it was about the time that the war was ending in Sri Lanka. A number of his buddies & he decided it would be a ripe time to return home to start their careers. He started in marketing and advertising, but his heart was always with travel .. it was always a magnet. He ended up getting an MBA in Tourism Marketing and worked with a wellness-focused property up in the mountains of Northern Sri Lanka for a spell, then met the folks at Resplendent Ceylon just about 5 years ago and this is where he sits currently.I wanted to sit down with Chamindra because of the pretty unique position he’s in, within his country, in our business. He doesn’t have the backing of tourism boards and governmental authorities, like most other parts of the world do, to sell or tell the story of a place. Let these other entities tell the story, entice people across the world to the destination, and leave selling the hotel piece to the hoteliers and sales directors. Sri Lanka doesn’t have that. At least they don’t at the luxury or highest end, where Chamindra’s collection of hotels sit. So upper 4 and 5* hoteliers in Sri Lanka, are having to not just sell their hotels, but the entire country. And in the case of Chamindra, he’s doing that first and foremost. He considers himself an ambassador of his country. He loves his hotels, he loves his country. He’s able to shape the taste or style of his country in the minds of foreigners. He’s young, he’s cool, he’s stylish. It’s a challenge, but a beautiful position to be in, opportunity to have, in my opinion. And they’re doing a fantastic job at it. Very different to what I see others in similar roles doing around the world because so many have fallen into default … this is how we’ve always engaged with travel professionals. Chamindra and his colleagues have a different challenge, so they come at tackling it rightfully very differently. Creative, out of the box. Bridging, first, the knowing of a place with second, where you choose to sleep and immerse yourself within in a place. With each piece of content, each event, each meeting, it’s high-end, class, elegance, taste. He and his counterparts focus on positioning, destination marketing, liaising with tastemakers and journalists across the world. They’re shaping what Sri Lanka is to someone. And that’s powerful.

My guest this month is Angelisa Murray from Taos New Mexico. She started her career with the Four Seasons, but realized she needed to be outdoors, so moved to Alaska and led expeditions partnered with Lindblad. As life often does when you’re honestly following your interests, she received an offer to manage a heli-ski lodge in Valdez for a while… then took off to Hawaii to dive into more of the wellness side of travel & learn which launched her down to New Zealand with the slow adventure company Butterfield & Robinson, and eventually a decade long stint with the #1 active travel company Backroads. Through her time at Backroads she also became intertwined with National Geographic as they partnered on educational experiences and programming for guests. Angelisa now owns a company called Heritage Inspirations which provides authentically curated guided tours that take you off the beaten path of northern New Mexico showcasing the diverse and incredible people, the iconic cultural sites and traditions, landscapes and natural wonders. This is where our conversation picks up fromWe dig into the business side of the business. One of my favorite hotels in the country, Inn of the Five Graces in Santa Fe, counts on her and her team to curate experiences exclusively for their well-traveled high expectation guests. She talks a bit about how that collaboration came to be. I was also curious about how travelers find her company. She shares a bit on that topic as well, for others in the travel agency / destination space who may be interested in ideas to generate leads. The usuals. Repeat, referral, editorials, but the one area that I found most interesting was how deep her tentacles run with nurturing local partnerships with the towns in which she is operating within, where the people live who are storytelling. She’ll tell you that as you go bigger with a company, it’s not always the best thing. Another thing we have in common. You want to identify what you are good at and what you want to specialize in. You can’t be all things to everybody, an all too common mistake so many companies – especially in travel, tourism, hotels – make. She takes her company through an honest audit annually, which she’s termed a ‘tour diet’. She sits with her team and they make cuts on the experiences they’re offering – what’s working, what’s not, are you all happy, are you not? She’s really aware of only offering the best of what can be done… not all that can be done.This conversation is well suited for those who own, manage, operate a destination management company, a boutique tour operator. It’ll be interesting to those within hospitality whichever role you may be holding, and who may be dabbling with the idea of branching into a different facet of our vast industry. You can. It’s what I love about our industry – so many directions with which to go, if you want to go. And as a sidebar this is probably the number one topic I’m having right now with peers, colleagues, friends within the travel industry… what’s next for me career-wise, challenge-wise? This conversation will also be of interest to anyone who may be questioning business growth in the traditional sense, meaning growth can look & feel different within your business. There’s also personal growth, and following the crumbs of curiosity, which may have nothing to do with one’s business. Angelisa calls Heritage Inspirations her love letter to New Mexico… informed by her childhood memories at her grandmother’s house, the matriarch of her family. The essence of hospitality, connection with people through food, through stories, through music.

Wrapping up this 3-Part Wellbeing Series this month, 3 conversations with women in my back pocket that touch on the topics of wellbeing holistically, nutrition, stress management, exercise, confidence, choices, how we look as we age, our appearance. The conversation today is with Tayler Landry, a boutique fitness studio owner & nutrition counselor in South Louisiana. I first met Tayler when I was still living in Louisiana, years ago when she opened the first boutique fitness and holistic health studio in our small town. She brought, at the time, a new concept to market. We talk about the highs and the challenges of that process, and where the business is today. We also dive deep into confidence. We also talk about current unhealthy diet fads in America. Keto & Ozempic. We go hard on ‘em.  Which bleeds into a conversation about social media, the ills of filters and instant gratification. I don’t think we can collectively put the jack back in the box. But we can – and what we talk about – we can make choices that we believe are correct, and right, and beautiful. Regardless. When you make different choices to your family, your friends, your colleagues, within your social circles, you will get noticed. Good, bad, indifferent. You’ll stand out. Being different. Having a different opinion or way. Being OK with voicing a different opinion or way. Living a different way. Discovering and then accepting what makes you uniquely you, that no one else can do or think or be exactly like you, and then roll in that, play in that. That is where – to me – where bringing it back to confidence, where I’ve found confidence.I hope you all enjoy these conversations and find connection with them. And as always, thank you for being here.

My guest today, Karly, specializes in nonmedical corrective skincare, facials, dermaplaning, makeup application for photoshoots, appearances, weddings, special events, and makeup lessons. She’s a believer in that good makeup always starts with good skin. Same. Our skin is our largest organ, and shows our internal health – so she drives that through first and foremost. The majority of her clients are 35 years old and up, but she also sees quite a few moms bringing their teenage daughters in to learn about skincare and appropriate make up for their age while also allowing them to self-express.This conversation with Karly is most suited for those who like me maybe have never worn makeup and are curious about how it can enhance our natural features, lightly. Or who have been wearing the same makeup for so long who may feel outdated, and want to explore something fresh. We talk about when it’s time to replace your makeup, how to clean your brushes and sponges to maximize the life of them. Karly lays out the 5 pieces that should be in every makeup bag regardless, tried & true pieces – a nice mascara, a nice cream blush, color for the lip, concealer, and spf. And then we talk about confidence. To Karly, confidence is not constant. There are hills and valleys. Especially with the changing beauty standards that are constantly thrust at us from every direction. She makes a really good point that as she gains confidence in her personal life within herself, it makes her more confident professionally. And vice versa. As she gains confidence professionally, gains new clients from referrals, accolades, it bleeds back into her personal confidence. It’s what I always talk about. If you’re confident within your person, within your being, you will have more confidence professionally. It’s circular. We also talk about the parallels that are so often found throughout industry, no matter the industry. Starting a career within a group or team setting so you can learn. That time spent is almost always necessary, and invaluable. And then branching out to fully own one’s business, to swim by ourselves, when the time is right, knowing neither of us would be where we are today without that fundamental start within a team from which to learn.

I’m doing something a little different this month. I have a series of 3 conversations I’m sharing together, or releasing together at the same time. All conversations with women in my back pocket that touch on the topics of wellbeing holistically, from the inside out, nutrition, stress management, exercise, and how we look as we age, our appearance. These are themes that come up more and more in conversation with my good friends and family members, of course. I’ve also had these topics come up when mentoring other women in business. We talk about efficiency and financials, but wellbeing and confidence, or more often lack thereof, dominate. And it makes sense actually. Business success can be tied to personal confidence, how one feels about themselves. And how they feel just in life in general. This first conversation here is with my Naturopathic Doctor, Dr Francesca Quinn, and is most suited for anyone – male or female – interested in knowing more about naturopathy. Finding the root cause of one’s underlying conditions. If, like me, you find that your family physician isn’t asking the right questions or not taking the time with you, and wanting to quickly write a prescription rather than using natural therapies to bring your body back into balance – with nutrition, vitamin supplementation, lots of herbal therapies, acupuncture. If you’re curious about looking into your nutrition, hormone levels, microbiome, how stress is impacting your body, mood, fitness. If you’ve ever been curious about acupuncture. How it addresses the mental, emotional, and spiritual hits that life throws our way and can be a treatment alternative to anti-depressants, anti-anxiety meds, sleep meds, pharmaceuticals. What I love about this conversation – is that we’re having this conversation. Most people see someone like Dr. Quinn for sleep issues. And a mix of gastrointestinal issues – fatigue, anxiety, depression, insomnia, women's hormonal issues. I doubt there’s a person listening who isn’t saying OK, tell me more. And Dr. Quinn does. She tells us a lot.

My guest this month is Kirsten Gardner from right here in the United States. I’ve been popping around the world with these conversations, and I’m bringing it back home to the US for this one. After 15+ years in various roles, just two years ago in 2022 Kirsten co-founded her own travel agency called Outlier Journeys, based out of Seattle. She and her partner curate global adventures for discerning travelers predominantly in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. This conversation is probably most suited for travel advisors, those starting out and those more seasoned. There’s a little something for everyone. It’s almost like a Masterclass. It’s not as philosophical as most of my conversations have been. And I knew it wouldn’t be right around the 5 minute mark when Kirsten said something that I knew was going to take the conversation in a totally different direction. In the best way. It’s just a brass tacks, nuts and bolts, conversation. About running an agency. It’s honestly the type of conversation I’d been wanting to record, and share. With so many advisors reaching out to me for advice, with questions. This episode has loads of transparent operational information. It could be one to earmark and refer back to, as it is a long episode. Pause. Take notes. Come back to it. Suppliers of travel, hoteliers, may find it interesting as well, particularly the last 20 minutes or so where we go into a changing industry, ROI, where to spend your time.

My guest this month is Lígia Secco. She lives in Sao Paulo Brazil, and has over a decade of experience spearheading strategic partnerships and sales initiatives in the travel industry. She is currently a Partner at REMOTE Latin America whose mission it is to cultivate a positive and lasting impact on the tourism sector through sustainable practices with importance on, probably more than ever, on emerging destinations throughout Central & South America.

My guest this month is Jake Pickering, from the ultra-high-end travel and yachting brand, Pelorus. He’s worked with some of the planet’s most innovative experiential travel curators and luxury brands. I wanted to sit down and hit record with him because our conversations are interesting, different, they take unexpected turns, and are always, I find, insightful. In this conversation, we talk about personal confidence, taking risks in business, generosity of thought with peers, social media, AI… topics that are current, relevant, and I’d imagine close to mind across locale & industry.

Hello, welcome. This is your host, Lila. It’s good to be back. I took a little break from the podcast this past month to do some traveling and get some separation from the podcast to think about the future of it what I want it to be and how it can fit into my work and schedule. Update on the future of the podcast + recent travel & business of travel take-aways.

My guest today is Kemi, originally from the UK but residing in Vancouver Canada for the past 12 years. In the height of COVID, she decided to launch her own travel agency, Wells Luxury Travel, a boutique collective for advisors specializing in four key pillars: adventure, celebration, sustainability and wellness travel. In our discussion we go into her very candid business thinking behind starting an independent agency versus the more popular route of joining a larger host agency. Kemi is a member of the Travel + Leisure Advisory Board, is a featured A-Lister in their annual awards and sits on Virtuoso’s Global Member Advisory Board and the Canadian Board. She also sits on the advisory board for Lindblad Expeditions - National Geographic. This conversation is most suited for those who are travel advisors, who may be wondering what’s next. Who may look at those running the host agency they’re beneath, wondering could I do that too? Or perhaps there’s a lot of noise, distraction, hard to know what is real or right, can I opt out? Or those like me, who felt like a host agency served them very well for a period of time, who may be looking around saying hey I’ve been here, I’ve given to them, they’ve given to me, it’s time for me to move up and on, and for someone else to fill my spot.  I hope you all enjoy this conversation, this will be the last one for a bit as I head out on some travel abroad of my own. I plan to do a solo episode for you all, recapping my experience with this first collection of conversations, what I’ve learned, what I’ve loved, what topics may continue, what may change. 

My guest today is Sue Kasmar, from Santa Barbara California. She’s been in the travel industry since 1979, starting her career as a ticket agent for a local airline. Then she moved on to Corporate Travel for an agency in her hometown, then on to leisure advising. After battling over one too many $12 differences in Mexico or Hawaii packages, she began to feel like at that time it would be impossible to make a good living at being a travel agent. Then in 1994 she answered an ad from a Travel Executive looking for a Personal Assistant. It was as if the ad was written for her. That’s when she joined forces with a Virtuoso agency and learned the nuances of arranging travel for the very affluent From there, everything changed … and for the last 20 years, Sue has enjoyed a very nice living doing exactly what she loves, orchestrating her client’s travel dreams.  Today Sue’s agency, by the same name, is a full member agency of the preeminent luxury travel consortium, Virtuoso. As is my agency. We're not tethered to a larger host agency. We each operate independently, with our own credentials, our own IATA numbers, our own metrics of success, and our own ways of doing business … uninfluenced. It’s a topic that isn't discussed nor encouraged in our industry. When is it time to leave from an employee position within a larger travel agency, or a hosted Independent Contractor sat beneath a host agency tiered umbrella, and obtain your own credentials your own IATA #, and fly independently on your own. I hope you all enjoy this conversation, Thank you for being here.

My guest today is Lili who lives in Slovenia's capital, Ljubljana.  She’s many things, but I would say soul aligner sums her up best, for a mostly female clientele. She’s studied in the realms of Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese Massage, Reflexotherapy, and yoga. Over the past decade, she’s delved even deeper into the tapestry of somatic work, release, energy healing, the intricate dance of mind and body, the enchanting power of voice and sound therapy, and the transformative art of breathwork. To guide individuals on a profound voyage of self-discovery. Lili’s genius shines brightest in the creation of her signature retreats, which are nothing short of intuitive and potent sanctuaries grounded in authenticity and presence. Here, individuals are invited to rediscover their essence and rekindle their soul’s mission. Emerging with a better understanding of themselves, their purpose, their strengths, more ready & confident to embrace their fullest potential.  This conversation is deep, can be said a little heavier than the others thus far. This conversation is probably most suited for those interested in alternative wellbeing modalities. Those who are either already familiar with or at least intrigued by astrology and body work. And those in particular who are private travel designers and retreat leaders in the wellness space. It’ll also be of interest to those, like Lili & me, who believe there should still be a larger conversation around what actually happened during Covid.

My guest today is Judith Volker, from Holland originally but residing in Vienna. She’s a hospitality and gourmet expert, who has worked throughout Europe in many different capacities from hotel management and hotel construction management, to event organization, marketing, and communication. Her focus is to create uncommon hospitality experiences and concepts that are interesting, inspiring, and against the norm.  This conversation is probably most suited for those who are travel designers, arranging travel for a clientele who have high expectations, where you as the advisor may be running up against challenges within the traditional hotel framework, of not finding exactly what your guests are needing. For those high-end retreat leaders, again, not finding exactly what you’re needing for your group. Compromising, but at the detriment to the essence of the program, or the guest. Because there is not another solution in the market currently. It’ll also be of interest to those travel advisors who seek authenticity & serendipity in itinerary, but are always balancing that with the expectation of curating perfection.

Welcome. This is Lila and my guest today is Kornelia, the developer of naturopathic wellness treatments and wellness products, more specifically the creator of the SilberQuartzit Experience, shaped by nature, the mountains and forests of Northern Italy, where she’s from and still lives. Since her childhood she’s been fascinated by the hidden treasures of the Alps and the mysterious knowledge of the effects of plants and stones. Knowledge in rural healing traditions that have all been passed down for centuries through her family, and on to her. This conversation is probably most suited for those interested in alternative wellbeing modalities. Those who aren’t freaked out by them, but intrigued. The tell me more types. And those in particular who are private travel designers and retreat leaders, who know their clientele, their guests very well, and with a specialty in sourcing unique and powerful wellbeing experiences that go beyond. It’ll also be of interest to those who are contemplating a change.

My guest today is Anne Biging, the visionary and CEO of Healing Hotels of the World, a collection of nearly 100 hotels in 36 countries and on 5 continents. She is also a co-founder of the HEALING SUMMIT, an annual conference for like-minded individuals to collaborate, raise awareness and inspire change for the better. This conversation is probably most suited for those interested in wellness, in healing modalities. And those in particular who are interested in them in the context of hospitality and programming – within hotels, resorts, private villas, and vessels that receive guests.

Travel, entrepreneurship, health, culture, spirituality. Life. I started this podcast to interview friends, peers, practitioners of modalities, and people that I meet during my time on the road with whom I fall effortlessly into deep conversation. Those whose choices born from intellect inspire us to find more balance, joy, and success. I don’t do small talk. We go deep, layers. Every one of these people I find intriguing in their thought and path, their choices if you will. And it’s ultimately about the choices we make that determine our energy and ease with which life flows. We’re always choosing, how are you choosing?