The People You Meet: Travel, Growth & Coming Home with Melissa Rodway

What if the most important travel skill isn’t packing light—but knowing when it’s time to come home?

In this episode, we sit down with author and traveler Melissa Rodway to explore the deeper side of adventure: travel ego, judgment on the road, solo travel for women, and the quiet courage it takes to leave, and to return.

Melissa shares how travel strips away identity labels and reveals who we really are. We talk about backpacker one-upmanship, solo dining, solo female travel safety, boutique group travel, and why brief connections with strangers can feel more intimate than long friendships at home.

You’ll hear how a winter alone in Quebec City became a five-week masterclass in presence, the moment a long trip shifts from joy to job, and how endings matter—not just in travel, but in life.

We also discuss:
 • Solo travel vs small group travel
 • Travel and aging (including hikers in their 70s and 80s!)
 • The emotional friction of life on the road
 • How to create adventure when money or time are limited
 • Turning raw travel emails into a published book

Melissa is the author of The People You May Meet, a powerful reflection on identity, connection, and growth through travel.

If you’re feeling stuck, disconnected, or restless, this conversation will remind you that sometimes the next adventure begins with a simple one-hour walk.

Listen now, subscribe, and share this episode with someone who needs a nudge toward their next chapter.

Instagram; https://www.instagram.com/fly_travel_media/

Website and radio/podcast interviews: https://flyrodway.com/

Amazon: http://bit.ly/44s5JX9

If this conversation stirred something in you… good. That’s where change begins.

Make sure you’re subscribed, share this with someone who needs it, and if you’re ready to tell your story, step into your voice, or build a life that actually feels like yours… You’re in the right place.

I’m Julie Fairhurst, and this is where stories turn into power.

Go to my website if you would like to be a guest on the Women Like Me Stories & Business in the toolbar click Let's Podcast

Julie's Website

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:16

Hi everyone. Welcome to another episode of Women Like Me Stories and Business. And this lady has lots of stories to share with us. Let me tell you. I'm going to tell you a little bit about her and then

Meet Melissa Rodway

SPEAKER_01 0:29

we'll just dive in. So today's guest is Melissa Rodway. She's a traveler, a storyteller, and she's an author of the book, The People You May Meet. So we'll have links and everything in the show notes, but that book is available on Amazon. Melissa doesn't just travel for scenery, she travels for soul, for connection, for the conversation with strangers that somehow feel more honest than the one she's having at home. Through her journey, she explores ego, judgment, purpose, aging, adventure, and what it really means to know when it's time to come home. I just love that. When it's time to come home. So today we're going to dive in about how traveling shapes identity, why adventure matters at every stage of life, and what happens when we stop using our talents and start feeling uncomfortable in our own skin. This is just not about travel. This is about who we become when we leave and who we are brave enough to return as. Ooh, it's going to be good. Thank you so much, Melissa, for being here. I appreciate it. Do you want to tell everybody a little more about yourself?

SPEAKER_00 1:40

Yeah, sure. Well, thanks, Julie, for having me. It's a lovely introduction. But yeah, my name is Melissa. I live in Toronto, and I'm basically I'm a very normal person. I have a nine to five job, but I have been able to carve out moments for myself to lead a fairly adventurous life when I can. And that can be travel, that can be writing a book, that can be doing what you're doing. I had a radio show, Turn Podcast for many years. So yeah, that's I kind of just like to keep trying new things and evolving and pushing the envelope. But uh, I'm a pretty normal person, so I'm very relatable.

SPEAKER_01 2:21

Okay, beautiful, beautiful. Well, let's just dive right in. So, what does travel ego mean? What does it mean to you?

SPEAKER_00 2:31

So, travel ego is a really interesting thing that I don't think a lot of people talk about. But when you're out there on the road, I think in many

Travel Ego And Judgment

SPEAKER_00 2:41

different types of travel, but certainly with backpackers, there is a lot of competition, you know? How long have you been on the road? Everyone likes to say they've been out there even a few more weeks or months longer than the person beside them. How many countries have you been to? Have you been here? Have you done this? But have you done it like this? Like there's a lot of that chatter that exists in the old travel world, which I've always noticed but never really spoken about. And I just find it really silly because we're travel is a very subjective experience. We're all out there for our own reasons, and what speaks to me may not speak to you, and our shelf life out there, you know, it's it's different for everyone. So this whole ego and judgment that exists out there is a really fascinating topic that I don't think a lot of people talk about.

SPEAKER_01 3:31

Ah, interesting. I never I never thought about that before, but that would, I bet that would make complete sense that that's conversations some people are having. So have you ever caught yourself judging others on the road? But I guess you've probably been felt judged because based on what you just told me.

SPEAKER_00 3:51

Certainly, certainly. I also feel judged because I do a lot of group travel. So I I go on trips often on my own with companies where you're with 10 to 15 other people. And so, you know, you're you're traveling with like-minded strangers, and a lot of people will react to me saying that that's not real travel, or they judge you because you're not out there on your own. And and I do both. I've done many trips where it's just me, myself, and I. I've done trips with a partner, I've done these kind of organized trips, and yeah, everyone certainly has something to say about it, and and it's just you know what, to each their own, because you know what again speaks to me, may not speak to you. But certainly I have judged, you know, people when it comes to probably cruise ships and all-inclusives, although that's looking kind of appealing sometimes at the moment. Yeah. But yeah, of course, we all have this built-in thing. But I over the years have tried to not be that way. And and I just think, you know what, if people are out there doing what they love and they're not hurting anybody, then who cares as long as they're out having an adventure? So that's more of my mindset as I get older for sure. Yeah, yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_01 5:09

So this one I'm I'm curious about, and I've done a fair amount of traveling, and I have traveled once by myself a long distance. So, not that I've done that much traveling or on my own, but I'm

Solo Trips And Group Travel Dynamics

SPEAKER_01 5:21

curious what you're what you're gonna have to say. So, what does what how does traveling stip strip away identity in ways staying at home never does?

SPEAKER_00 5:33

I think there's something really beautiful about being away, and I think when you are on your own, it's even more beautiful. I mean, that comes with its highs and lows, and I'm never one to say that travel is all butterflies and rainbows because it's not, and I think the more we talk about that, the better as well. But what I think happens to you is, you know, when we're at home, we're very influenced by our routines, by the people that we know are gonna move in and out of our our lives each day or each week or even each hour. We're in our communities, we're very kind of stuck in our how we get to work, what we're doing on Monday, blah, blah, blah. When you are away, there is something that happens to you, especially when you're alone, that you are no longer influenced by all of these things that I just mentioned. You don't owe anybody anything, you're meeting new people who have no idea who you are. And so, in some ways, you become your most authentic self, I think, because again, you you aren't trying to impress anyone, you're not trying to fall into any identity categories, and the way that you speak to people and that you receive people and experiences is very different than when you're at home. When you're you can control things more, and when you're away, you can't, and things happen all the time. Nothing is as it's going to go, and nothing is seamless, and just so yeah, your reaction to people, to situations, to whatever can be very raw and very interesting and very revealing, really, of who we are.

SPEAKER_01 7:18

What was your favorite trip that you ever did on your own?

SPEAKER_00 7:23

My favorite trip that I've ever done on my own. Well, it depends. Like if we're talking about my own with you know, a bunch of strangers or my own, my own. I can tell you actually. The best thing I've

How Travel Strips Identity

SPEAKER_00 7:35

ever done is I went to Quebec City. You're from Canada, so this might resonate with you. Uh, in 2023, I took a year off and I did a lot of trips around the world, but I also decided to go and live in Quebec City for five weeks in the winter on my own. And that's one of the best things that I've ever done in my whole entire life. So I love winter. So I was there in January and February, and that's all I did. I embraced winter to the max. Every day I was out

Quebec City Winter Reset

SPEAKER_00 8:05

cross-country skiing or ice skating or uh snowshoeing or downhill skiing or whatever it is. Every day I did something. I was pretty much outside all the time. I loved the snowstorms. Quebec City knows exactly what they're doing in terms of shoveling and plowing, but I loved digging out my car. I lived along the St. Lawrence River, so I spent a lot of time down there just like watching the ice flows. I did a lot of things in the city as well. And then I also lived near Nordic Spa. That was also pretty awesome. So my day was basically like being outside doing something wintry, often going to the spa at night or like reading a book or having a bath and going to bed. And it was the time of my life. I had I went to a French school for a week. I speak French, so that helped. But I really had no social life and I loved it. So that was one of the most beautiful time periods I've ever had in my life.

SPEAKER_01 8:59

It just listening to you explain it sounds beautiful. It sounds so peep so peaceful.

SPEAKER_00 9:05

It was, and if you enjoy your own company, that's sometimes a really beautiful thing to do for yourself. It's a real treat to live like that. Yeah. Wow. That sounds great.

SPEAKER_01 9:17

So, what's something traveling about traveling that has humbled you?

SPEAKER_00 9:23

I think you know, the world is a humbling place, you know. Even when you're I've done a lot of hiking trips and cycling trips. So whenever you're in the mountains, you realize

Humbling Lessons From People And Nature

SPEAKER_00 9:35

how small you are, you know, that you know we're not that important. And and that that people say that a lot in the scenery. Sometimes you just realize, you know, how much bigger mother nature is than we are. But I think it's it's usually about people because again, we don't realize like our reaction, what our reactions to people are going to be. And I think the thing about traveling is that you know, we lose all judgment. Like I think at home you can kind of, as I was saying earlier, control who comes into your environment. But when you're away, people of all walks of life, all ages, all shapes and sizes come into your world. And I think it's that where like you can have a moment where you start to judge somebody by anything, and then you and then you start to talk to them and and it all goes away, you know, and you just see these people as people, and everybody has a story, and everyone's interesting and everyone is unique. And I think that it's always it's always that, you know, someone catches you off guard or surprises you with who they are, and and that those are humbling moments for sure.

SPEAKER_01 10:47

Yeah. So do you take people on tours or you just go in groups with other people? Like like I know you go in all sorts of different things, but do you organize tours at all for folks or no?

SPEAKER_00 11:00

People always tell me I should do that, but I actually hate trip planning. No, I use um

Safety, Loneliness, And Eating Alone

SPEAKER_00 11:05

I use companies like G Adventures or Intrepid or Exodus. These are I usually just do active travel trips now. So these are organized with like 10 to 15 people, they know exactly where they're going. But no, I have never ever led a trip, and I don't know that that's ever gonna happen.

SPEAKER_01 11:24

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I was just curious with all that you've done, whether or not you're the, you know, you've what about friends?

SPEAKER_00 11:32

It's interesting. I don't love to travel with friends in this way. I do really like meeting new people and having new experiences, but I have done a few trips where they've come along and it's fine and it's fun and you have new memories. But I would say my preference is always to go on my own to meet someone new.

SPEAKER_01 11:54

I know exactly what you're talking about because my husband and I were talking about that one of our trips ago, and and that's the thing, like we have each other. So there's no, you know, we eat together, we do this together, we're over here together, we're wandering together. But when you're alone, you're you're looking for other people. What the on the trip that I went to, I yeah, I was yeah, it was just interesting how you're just you're alone, but yet all of a sudden here's a bunch of people that are also traveling.

SPEAKER_00 12:27

Yeah, and it doesn't mean you like everyone. I mean No, yeah, so uh I have found too that when I'm on group trips, I mean, those are special because you're with very like-minded people and you just feel like an instant connection to them. But I was in Mexico in 2023 on my own, completely on my own for a couple of weeks, and there I was doing the odd day trip, like a two-hour walking tour or you know, a day trip off to see some ruins. And in those situations, you're just with people for anywhere from two to five, maybe 10 hours sometimes. Yeah, I find that a little bit more challenging because I'm not I don't really I'm not interested in short-term investment, you know, with people. So I I find that a little bit more challenging, and that can actually feel quite sometimes a bit

Practical Advice For First-Time Solo Women

SPEAKER_00 13:17

lonely those days because you know it's very fleeting, but again, it's all what you put into it, and yeah, it just again, you could meet someone fascinating and hang out with them for three hours and never see them again, or you just might not feel any chemistry with someone for a day or two, you know. It's it's so interesting how it all works in the universe.

SPEAKER_01 13:37

Yeah, you know, I think that women, I don't think men have this problem, but women have problems eating alone in restaurants.

SPEAKER_00 13:47

Sometimes.

SPEAKER_01 13:48

Sometimes, yes. So do you have you like have you dealt with that? Or you can just walk into any old restaurant now and plunk yourself down and and have a meal, or or does it still feel uncomfortable?

SPEAKER_00 13:59

It depends where I sometimes I don't love it. I when I don't love it is when you're in areas where there's couples everywhere, and it's not because I feel I mean you know what if you have a phone or you have your book, I mean it's easy, but sometimes I just don't want to be around that. I just feel like I'd rather just eat by myself somewhere like on a picnic bench or looking out at the ocean. Like I just sometimes don't enjoy that environment, but yeah, I I do agree that I don't love that part of traveling alone. Like I think eating is much more fun with people, and and that part is a challenge. But I I yeah, if you have a phone or a book or whatever, I mean anything's possible. A distraction, yeah, totally.

SPEAKER_01 14:45

Yeah, yeah. So what would you say to women that are you know thinking about traveling? I mean, when I tr when I went on my trip alone, nobody just nobody was available to come with me. And I thought, I'm just gonna go, whatever. I'm I'm going on my trips, and I did, but but you know, and a lot of people thought, oh, you're crazy to be doing that. And you know, but I thought, well, whatever, you know, it's I don't think I'm crazy. But so what would you say to woman who's thinking about like, should I go, should I not go? What should you know, nobody can go with me, or nobody really wants to go with me? What kind of what advice would you give them?

SPEAKER_00 15:24

Well, personally, I would be thrilled if no one wanted to go with me. I think that uh it should not stop you, it should not hold you back. Because I've actually also I traveled with two friends, they were not my friends, they were friends, they were on a cycling trip that I did, and they struggled because one of them really wanted to like kind of meet new people in our group and the other one didn't. And so sometimes going with friends isn't great, right? And you know, maybe you're not friends afterwards, but I don't think you should let it hold you back. And I think if you're nervous, then do one of these trips that I do, like go with G Adventures, go with Intrepid, go with wherever, because you're not you're alone, but you're not alone. But if that's not if that's not appealing, and again, it's not like you're like on a bus with 40 people, it's like 10. That's a good size. Yes. Um,

Deeper Bonds With Strangers

SPEAKER_00 16:18

but if that doesn't appeal, then I think traveling for women is as safe as it's ever been. I think you're never gonna get lost. We have you know GPSs on our phones, it's always easy to find your way, and then it's just like what I was saying. There are so many day trips that you can do. You could line up a whole week full of stuff to do. I have a friend that just went to Japan on her own. Two hours after she landed, she was like with a hiking group for the day, going off into the mountains. I did the same thing. I was in Bogota in Colombia. As soon as I got off the plane, within a couple hours, I was on a day trip going around the city on a bike. Like there are lots of things you can do every day with people that will make you not feel alone, and then and then you can have your alone time too after that. It's like it's all what you want, but it's really easy. There's no you're not gonna be alone, you're not gonna be searching for people. The world is not built like that anymore. It used to be harder, I think, but now there's just so much to do that you like, I think there's no excuse.

SPEAKER_01 17:22

Yeah, and I guess, and I guess when you're joining that that biking tour or or walking tour or whatever it is that you're doing, they're all there for the same reason. So you're all sort of in the same mindset and uh ready to enjoy and explore.

SPEAKER_00 17:36

Yeah, and that's that's part of the fun of these people. That's part of the reason I called my book The People You Meet, because the people you meet on trips like this are different than I've done things with strangers around the world that I've never done with some of my best friends, and it doesn't detract from my relationships with my best friends. I love them. But when you've like hiked an active volcano or hiked through the jungle, or you know, done all the crazy things that you do traveling, and you start you do that almost from the minute you meet them. There's an instant bond and an instant connection, and yeah, they get you, they get you in ways that your people at home will never get you. So you're starting in a different place with them. You tell them things, maybe it's because you think you'll never see them again. But I think that there's also like a connectivity, there's a same-mindedness, there's an understanding that no one really talks about. They just know that it's there. And again, it doesn't mean you love every person that comes your way, but you are on a different path and a different territory than you are with other people. And it's very liberating, and these are can be very beautiful connections.

SPEAKER_01 18:49

Yes. So, what happens when we stop see seeking adventure? Have you ever had a time in your life where you couldn't travel or you couldn't be adventurous? And what what what starts to happen there?

SPEAKER_00 19:03

Yes, I'm in one right now, one of those periods. But the what the major one was after this trip that I the book is about in 2010, I was gone for four months and I had quit my job. So when I came home, I had no money, I had no job, I was it was a disaster. And I didn't really travel for a few years. And that's when I created my travel podcast. It was started off as a radio show. So I created what was called fly travel radio, and that was my way of having adventures and travels for a few years when there was no money. But that was another kind of adventure. So I think if you can't go anywhere, and some of us it's not possible, I think you can also find it in your everyday life. You know, we're all built with certain gifts and treasures and talents, and those in themselves are adventures. So getting on a plane is not actually the right adventure for everybody, and I don't I don't blame people for that. It's not all, you know, sunshine and roses. So we pick our adventures, but exploring your talents. Like I I did a round of stand-up comedy, then I wrote this book. So so I think for me, it's like engaging in in what you've been given to you. That's an adventure all in itself. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 20:24

Wow. Absolutely. I I agree so much. Is that yeah, if you you have we all have so many talents. And and I was just talking to a girlfriend the other day, and she's like, Oh, I'm so bored. I I don't know what to do. And I'm like, Well, you should start painting because you are you're just such a beautiful artist. She's I've seen her paint sheds and stuff, but like big flowers and on them and stuff. I'm like, why don't you paint? And she's like, I was thinking about painting. And I told her, you know what? I don't even know how to paint, but I was thinking about painting. So I agree. I think there's so many things, and also uh travel in your neighborhood, travel in your own area. You know, I can I'm embarrassed to say there's places in my area that I haven't been to.

SPEAKER_00 21:14

Yeah. Well, and I think that's what COVID taught us, right? When we were no one was going anywhere. It's like you start looking around in your backyard and you will discover that there's a lot there that we've never seen before. And that that's so important. Yeah, yeah, for sure. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 21:30

So what do conversations with strangers on the road why do they feel different than at home? What's the difference?

SPEAKER_00 21:41

I think that there I think there's a lightness, you know. I mean, when you're on the road, so people talk about their jobs, but no who really cares at the end of the day about somebody's job when you're meeting somebody. I think that there's I think people who travel have a sense of humor. So I think that there's a lightness, there's a humor, but there's just a trust. There's a an ability to share in a way that I don't think we do as much at home with strangers. I think, but it's also part of that advantage.

SPEAKER_01 22:15

venture right you're like who is this person that I'm suddenly sitting beside on a bus and what am I gonna learn and it's just an openness but I do I do really think that and I think I think the other thing is like when you're meeting someone for the first time and if you've been on you've been on many trips that's an easy starting point where have you been what did you like you know and that sort of that starts a path for many many many conversations so it's having this thing in common from the get-go that opens the door but yeah there is a a it's just fun there's an energy I think that's different yeah I think that people are yeah people are so interesting I have a curiosity I want to know you know who you are why you why do you believe what you believe where did that come from just all of those all of those kinds of things and and it's it's just to understand and to learn because we don't know everything.

SPEAKER_00 23:13

No and the more we learn about other people and other cultures I mean the better off all of us will be yes as we can tell from the world around us. So there's nothing better than meeting new people and being open minded to what they have to tell you. Doesn't mean you you you can agree or disagree whatever you need to do but we we all live differently and it's so important to share that.

SPEAKER_01 23:39

Yes and we all come from such different places in the world and so yeah it makes sense that people that are good they're gonna think differently we're all gonna think differently but but understanding why why do they think what they think you know it I thought I just find that very interesting with people. Have you ever encountered had an encounter that completely shifted your perspective good or bad?

SPEAKER_00 24:06

Yes this could lead into another topic so when I was on my trip in Southeast Asia I met this woman and she was probably in her 50s I was 35 and

Knowing When It’s Time To Go Home

SPEAKER_00 24:19

she she was the one who taught me about knowing when it was time to go home. And that is a lesson that I have kept with me for many years. So we were in northern Lao I believe we were trying to buy a ticket to get on a boat to go to the next village and she was this fascinating woman who had lived a million lives and traveled everywhere. She was traveling at that point with her like 10 year old daughter I think and she stopped talking for a minute and was looking at these two young girls that were in their 20s and she looked at me and she said they need to go home. It's over for them they're done and I thought what are you talking about and she just said you know in every long haul trip be it you know more than three weeks be it several months there's a moment when you need to recognize that it's over and you're done and you've seen too much you're no longer having fun it's becoming a job you're in a bad mood and that's the moment when it's time to go home and she said that's as important a moment as even deciding to go on the trip because you're not doing that country any favors to keep staying there. And and that's also part of the ego and this judgment thing that it's like we also like we also want to prove to ourselves and to others that we stayed out there as long as possible. But if you're not loving it then it's time and your body is telling you that it's time and I am so glad she taught me that and when I got to month four of my journey I was like I am done I'm I hate this I'm tired missing home I'm missing eating like my own food my own bed all of it and so now when I plan trips I always have that in the back of my head knowing that I have a shelf life of you know a month or five or six weeks at the most and and then it's time and so I think that's a really great message that is not just about traveling it's about a lot of things you know I think we don't always listen for various reasons but our body knows when it's done with certain things.

SPEAKER_01 26:31

And our nervous system knows and yeah yeah no I think that's yeah that's a fabulous lesson that you were able to pick up from her. And and it makes sense. I mean I'm you know we've my husband and I you know we've we haven't ever gone anywhere for a month that's kind of the goal one day but even for us sometimes we hit that 12th day and we know we've got two more days we're like ah yeah I know the feeling it's like oh I think we I just want to go home now I'm tired of this food and you know the we usually we're at hotels so it's a repetitive right you know every Monday is back to taco Tuesday or something right yeah totally yeah yeah so but but I know that I I don't know that feeling in depth if if it was months you know I but but I certainly get it on the short on the shorter term as well.

SPEAKER_00 27:22

So what do the people we meet reveal about ourselves do you think I think that yeah I think again it's like this

Age Is Not A Limit

SPEAKER_00 27:34

it's it's like whether you're willing to pay attention you know I was in Bolivia a couple years ago and there was a man there that was 83 from Australia and he's back totally backpacking didn't speak Spanish. 83 yep wow he was just yeah he was incredible and and it's stories like that right it's reminders that there's no age limit on adventure and you know we we tend to live in an ageist culture I think in Canada and when you go out there and you just see people that are just pushing their boundaries and their limits it's a very good reminder. Last year I was in Italy on a hiking trip and I at 50 I was 50 at the time was one of the youngest people on the trip. There were people in their late 60s and early 70s and we were hiking in the dolomites and that is not easy terrain and they were in incredible shape. They were way faster than I was getting down the mountain every day. And so I think these people remind you of what's possible and they're inspiring and you know I still some of these people I'll never see again and some of them I'll probably never even be in touch with them again but they pop into your head at random times you know as as reminders and as goals and just to like keep things alive that these things are still possible. It's just the random people that you come across on your travels that taught you something about yourself and or even there was a girl I was traveling in South America a few years ago and for some reason she just irritated me and it wasn't her it was me. So it was like why like I'm away I'm in the mountains you know what is what is this about yeah so it's even things like that sometimes where we have the best intentions to go away and be open and and receptive and then there's something that just triggers you and it's like I still think about that like what what was that all about so yeah it's fascinating right who ends up in your lap when you travel and what they teach you.

SPEAKER_01 29:50

Yeah yeah my husband and I went on a a a tour where we do zip lining and all that kind of stuff and you know and going into a cave and just it was a lot of fun. And there was a a family there was uh two two boys and a girl with their father who was very disabled and I thought how the heck is this guy who can hardly walk gonna get up those ladders and he did with his and the like I just get shivers even remembering so I know what you're talking about. Yeah and and it sticks in that that was years and years ago and it's still I remember that.

SPEAKER_00 30:29

Yeah it's it was so beautiful yeah definitely yeah beautiful people out there doing doing unimaginable things. Yes yeah for sure yeah so what inspired you to write your book so what happened is when I was on that trip in 2010 I was with a partner

Triggers, Mirrors, And Self-Insight

SPEAKER_00 30:50

who had a purpose for being there. So he worked in luxury travel and he was going to create a business one day. So he had set up all these meetings at luxury hotels and with tour operators but when you are the person without a purpose and I was so I was the tag along and we had traveled many like for four years before this so we knew how to travel together and this was not uncommon you know he was always dabbling in that world even though we were backpackers at heart. But when you're with someone for months on end who has something to do and you're just kind of la dida it was hard for me I was 35 and I'm not 25 so that's different. And so yeah I started creating these stories in my head and once a week I would go to an internet cafe and email them out like a massive email to friends and family. And the response I got from that was so positive. People loved it they're like send us more can't wait for next week et cetera and if I was smart I would have started a blog and maybe I'd be sitting somewhere else at the moment but whatever it is what it is. Yeah but that became what I that was my my work after a while. So every week I started doing that. And then it took me many many years obviously I mean it just came out last year and I went on this trip in 2010. So I kind of sat on it off and on was like do I don't I do I don't I and then a couple of years ago I just thought you know what I have this amazing manuscript. I'm gonna I'm just gonna go for it. And so here it is.

SPEAKER_01 32:28

Wow and so what kind of so do you have like this what like what is the is it just is it stories is it is it your interactions what what is it that you're talking about in the book? What did you write about?

SPEAKER_00 32:41

So they're literally taken from emails and it it's they've just these emails were edited a little bit because things you said in 2010 not so popular maybe in 2025. Right right right right um so maybe it's good I didn't have that blog yeah yeah but yeah it's basically it goes through every place we went so anyone that's interested in that part of the world will get an incredible itinerary it goes through adventures people but it's also very honest. It's about how I was feeling about my relationship my thoughts about about being 35 about you know I was not living similarly to anyone else in Toronto that was in my friend group. So basically it's yeah it's just takes you you'll feel like you're on this journey with me through every town and city through all these countries it's very funny. You'll learn a lot about that part of the world and I think it will just it's relatable you know I'm not some supermodel I'm a normal person who decided to do this and there's gonna be adventures in there that you're glad that I did and you will never do them

Why The Book Was Written

SPEAKER_00 33:50

because they are not easy. But um yeah it's just it's fun. It's really fun. So it's a good read. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 33:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 33:57

Well what do you hope that readers walk away with well it's interesting when you write a book because you think that you know it's your experience. So you don't you don't really realize that they're gonna interpret it their way. And you hear like singers will say that all the time. Once you put a song out it's no longer yours. It's interpreted by the public and I didn't really realize that but it is true. So people come back to me I've been to many book fairs and shows and stuff all over since last April and readers will come up to me and just the things they say to me I did not see coming like just you know I guess feeling relatable feeling the honesty feeling like I kind of gave them an outlet to tap into their own admissions and honesty and where they're at in their life or their own kind of adventures. I think there's a big relatability and for me I I don't really care if people want to travel or not I think a lot of people assume that I'm all you know rah rah rah. I love travel it's something that I love to do. But I if it's not for you it's not for you and I hope with this book it inspires you to find your own passion your own adventure your own intuition really that's what it's about for me the rest is it's just a story. But um yeah I think it's I'm sorry go ahead no no yeah I think it's um yeah I love what you're saying.

SPEAKER_01 35:24

It's like well you don't have to be a traveler but again you know find what you're passionate about find uh you know what it is that you need to fulfill yourself because some so many people are people that I know as well are I don't want to say that they're empty but they but you know what else is there? There's work there's TV there's family life there's bad there's work you know we get into that cycle of life which which I'm I'm not saying there's anything bad about it but but it can get bean mundane and and we need to have that excitement we need that we need something to look forward to we need like my girlfriend you know I'm bored to death I'm gonna yeah I'm gonna do that I'm gonna start to paint I mean all of a sudden she got that excited look on her face and she's gonna do it you know so I think there's just you know what can we do?

SPEAKER_00 36:21

We all have something I think it's really sad for you know my generation I'm sure your generation too and I felt as a little kid that nobody taught you or talked about paying attention to the things that lit you up. You know so when I remember being a kid and I loved singing in a choir I loved I remember writing a skit in grade six that went over really well with my teacher that was really funny.

What Readers Take Away

SPEAKER_00 36:53

I remember putting on assemblies in high school but I walked through life thinking that everyone felt the same way that I did and that that wasn't special. And my message to anyone when they're young and even young at heart is like pay attention when you do something and your body is vibrating. It's telling you that you love to do this and you should follow what you love to do because that changes everything. And when we ignore that and we like you know pretend that these things inside us don't exist then life's pretty boring.

SPEAKER_01 37:30

Yeah yeah I yeah I I think that that's such a big lesson for people and it's it's uh it's good advice because yeah we you know and I love what you said about being on stage and feeling that that that excitement and knowing that that's something that you enjoy and it's sad if people aren't finding what they're excited about in the world.

SPEAKER_00 37:54

Totally totally I think that we as we get older and you know when you're going to university it's so young when you're supposed to figure this stuff out and I probably didn't pick the right things I wasn't paying attention to the vibrations. Yeah but it's never too late you know I mean you can still experience these things it might not look like what you thought it would look like when you're 10, but they're still available to you. They're still out there and that was the great message that when I started my radio show I thought well I didn't go to radio school there's no way I could ever do this. And my friend was like just go to the university go to the community radio station they'll teach you and lo and behold that's what I did. I created my own radio show like there's it still exists if you want to find it you know these things that we want to do.

SPEAKER_01 38:46

Wow yeah wow well I just have really enjoyed this conversation it's really made me think about what do I want to do next what's my next adventure so my my husband we are my husband's father is turning uh 75 so we're going on a on a my very first cruise ship and I'm I don't know how I'm gonna feel about being on a on a ship with 3000 other people but I'm just gonna go with the flow. You might love it. I might love it. We'll see we'll see yeah I'm a more lay on the beach kind of girl but that's okay. So it'll it'll be enjoyable. So but yeah there's quite a quite a few of us going so that's that's an adventure that we're looking forward to for sure. Oh yeah you have to keep an open mind right that's right yeah well if anybody's interested in getting Melissa's book or getting more information please don't hesitate to reach out she's gonna have or I'm gonna have her links uh how to find her in the show notes so don't hesitate and and grab her book it sounds like a really interesting read it just it does it sounds and it sounds like it'll get your creative juices flowing.

SPEAKER_00 40:00

It will and it's also really funny if I do say so myself. Everyone says it's funny it's not just me. So if you need to laugh it's good.

SPEAKER_01 40:08

Perfect okay well in closing let's get one more thing out of you. So if someone is listening right now and they feel stuck or they feel uninspired or maybe they even feel disconnected should they book a plane ticket or

Find Adventure In Your Talents

SPEAKER_01 40:25

look inward first? I say go for a walk.

SPEAKER_00 40:29

Go for a walk never mind the plane I think walking for me is the best way to make a decision sometimes is the person you are before you step out on that walk is not the same person as you are coming home. So go for a walk and think about do I want to go on a trip or is there something else in me that I need to explore? And you'll probably have your answer after being outside for an hour. Wow.

SPEAKER_01 40:57

Well let me ask you one last that was supposed to be my last question but I want one more now because you said when you return from that walk you're not going to be the same. What do you mean by that?

SPEAKER_00 41:06

So I find even for me, because I'm trying to write a second book and I'm trying to figure out a few things at the moment and you can get really bogged down with like thinking you're supposed to sit down and figure it all out and I find if I just go outside and I walk around for an hour, by the end of that hour things make a lot more sense and I have a lot more clarity and I'm more creative and you know you don't always do your best thinking sitting down and staring at a computer sometimes you're in the shower sometimes you're on your way to work sometimes you're going for a walk and that's when things you know your problems aren't going to go away but there you might have a little bit more of an idea of how you actually feel about things. And yeah that's how it works.

SPEAKER_01 41:55

Wow well thank thank you for that you have you have given us a lot to think about and and yeah I think I'm gonna get that painting thing that I was thinking about.

SPEAKER_00 42:06

So now I'm thinking yeah I'm gonna try painting who knows what talent I've got in me it's totally and it's relaxing too and relaxing what a good thing to do.

SPEAKER_01 42:17

Yeah well awesome thank you Julie yeah well thank you as well I appreciate you doing this so much so remember all of her information will be in the show notes you'll be able to track her down and buy her book it sounds like before you do anything buy her book and just it'll I think it's gonna help you think so thanks again and thank all of you for being here on another episode of Women Like Me Stories and Business and we will see you next time. Bye