Beachside Banter w/Bee

From Pageants to Passports: Ms. World Traveler’s Guide to a Life Well Traveled

• Bee • Season 1 • Episode 12

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Ever wondered how one trip could change your life forever? On this episode of Beachside Banter with Bee, meet Kerry, affectionately known as Ms. World Traveler, who turned a college graduation trip with her mother into a lifelong passion for exploring the globe. Kerry recounts her solo travel adventures, sharing tales of empowerment and the sheer joy of discovering new places and cultures. From cooking classes to dance lessons, she immerses herself in local traditions, with a special highlight on her deeply moving visit to the ruins of Ephesus in Turkey.

Kerry's adventurous spirit was molded by the strong, influential women in her life—her mother and grandmother. She offers a treasure trove of tips on selecting travel destinations and juggling practicalities like weather and budget while hunting for the best deals. Kerry also gives us a peek into her popular YouTube travel show, produced with her niece. The show seamlessly blends her love for fashion, history, and architecture, showcasing local female entrepreneurs and bringing viewers stylish, inspiring episodes.

The episode also dives into the transformative world of pageantry, emphasizing the sisterhood and personal growth it fosters. Kerry reflects on the joy of coaching young women, celebrating their journey of self-improvement and newfound confidence. Closing the episode, Kerry shares insights into balancing multiple passions and building a supportive community. Join us for this enriching conversation about travel, personal growth, and the joy of following one's passions. Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and engage with us on social media!

You can find Ms. World Traveler on YouTube: @ms.worldtraveler5897

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Speaker 1:

hey, hey everyone. It is b. Welcome to another podcast of beachside banter with b. I'm here with carrie today. She is miss world traveler, y'all. I'm so excited to speak with her. She's been to 130 different countries, all 50 states, which is a huge accomplishment in itself. Beyond that, she's been in pageantry. She's had design, fashion, jewelry, you name it. She is it. I am so excited. So, miss World Traveler, carrie, you want to introduce yourself. Let us know who you are. I don't know how I could do better than that.

Speaker 2:

Thank you so much, I'm excited to be here.

Speaker 1:

Well, let's start with how many countries you've been to 130 countries, that's a huge accomplishment. What made you decide you wanted to travel so much?

Speaker 2:

Well, it's over 130. I actually quit counting about then. So I would have too. But you know what? I've been doing this for over 40 years. My very first trip abroad my mom took me as a college graduation. I didn't know that and I just sort of fell in love with the adventure and seeing things new and I had always loved history, even in school I loved it and I was pretty good at it. But it really wasn't alive until I was part of it and saw a sort of living living history and that was sort of the hook that got me. And then my mom and I traveled for about 10 years together and I started doing it on my own and that gave me another hook, because it was my sense of adventure, yeah, and to be able to go where I wanted to go and I wanted to do, and so that really sort of took me to the next level.

Speaker 1:

That's awesome. So it's very empowering to be able to do, you know, any kind of solo travel at all. But being it yeah, really being able to build your own story is is very, very empowering and and exciting, you know, because you actually get to like build your own story.

Speaker 2:

I love that with someone and you're like, well, what do you want to do? I don't know what do you want to do, and it's this back and forth thing. Not that there's anything wrong with that, with going someone For me it was kind of nice, not to have to worry about it.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I agree. So it finding somebody to travel with is is so hard because, first of all, I mean, usually people have completely different aspects of what they want to do with travel anyways. You know, some people want to go and lay at the beach, other people just want to do a lot like more exploring and that sort of thing. So I love going with people who do like to do that exploring, in that I like to do more of like a cultural immersion when I go. So I'm like the person who's taking all the cooking classes and trying to do the dance classes and all that kind of fun stuff. You want to go and experience? Yeah, I just go and visit. I want to like be in it, but a lot of times people don't really want to go that far into it. But a lot of times people don't really want to go that far into it. So when I do find somebody who does, I'm like you're my new best friend.

Speaker 2:

I love that. I love that and I think that's a great way to truly get it down into your bones. You don't have to take a picture to remember it. You remember it because you used all of your senses, used your hands and your eyes and you know everything kind of worked together to give you a sensory experience.

Speaker 1:

Yes, exactly, I think that's what I love most about it, and plus, you also get to meet a lot of really cool people, and being able to like pick their brains and know what makes them tick, I feel like it is a huge motivator for me too, so I love that. We share that passion Awesome. So, out of all the places that you visit, is there a particular memory or memorable trip that stands out in your brain? What are you thinking?

Speaker 2:

Well, I've obviously had many great memories. I bet Just sort of pops into my mind is this was a number of years ago. I didn't know that it was the first time, I can't remember if it was the first time, but in Turkey, in Ephesus have you ever been there? To Ephesus, the beautiful ruins there, it's just incredible. And even from the first time to the next time that I went, they had uncovered quite a bit more. So it was a very different experience because it's so much more to see. Anyway, one of the times that I went there, they had this incredible amphitheater and it was where the Apostle Paul stood and he spoke to people and it seats 24,000 people. And so they did this little experiment Somebody stood at the bottom and it was clapped and no matter where you were, you could hear. And so I had this just amazing sort of spiritual experience of imagining Tlal standing there and speaking and every single person could hear what he said.

Speaker 1:

Oh, that's so neat. Yes, yes, I love that. So I think I had kind of that spiritual existence too when I did my first time oh, what is it called? It's not skydiving parasailing. The very first time I ever went parasailing over the ocean was in Jamaica, and I got up there and I was looking down over like the whole entire ocean and I teared up because I was just like this is absolutely incredible. It's one of those experiences that like, yeah, you go parasailing in Florida and stuff, but I don't know there was something about being there in the moment and just you know feeling, I don't know.

Speaker 2:

feeling alive, I guess, so to speak. So, and creation, just sort of seeing the beauty of creation laid out in front of you, that's amazing.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, it was a really great experience. It's something that I hold near and dear to my heart, so definitely always talk about that as much as I can. You said that your, your mom, kind of inspired you to do like this traveling and stuff. You started out as a child with her um, is there anything else that you could think of that like really kind of motivated you to get out there or keep going with it or, uh, are you ever going to stop, I guess?

Speaker 2:

well, I suppose when I get to the whole lose my memory so I don't know where I am.

Speaker 1:

Nope, so never I got it, got it.

Speaker 2:

My grandma. On my mom's side. She was quite a way ahead of her time. You know, like during the depression, when my grandfather he had to go far and wide to find work and he was a machine operator like big heavy equipment, and so she was alone a lot of the time and she just packed up her two little kids, my mom and her brother, and took off and went places. And so my mom inherited that spirit of adventure and I think it sort of passed its way down to me too. So I feel like we come by it naturally.

Speaker 1:

It's running in your genes both step and alley. You know, did I get?

Speaker 2:

my adrenaline rush from speed or mountain climbing or any of those things. So I'm pretty conservative in terms of the types of adventure that I like to do. You know I'm not really seeking, you know, an exhilaration experience, but I do love figuring it out. You know somewhere new to go and how do I get around, and you know just figuring out how to eat, right. So there's so many things like that, but it's still part of the adventure isn't it?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, absolutely. I think that's one of my favorites. I love trying different kinds of foods. I call myself a foodie I don't know if I really am or not but that like being able to go out, adventure, walk the streets, you know, and mingle with the people who are there, the locals, all that. I love talking to them too, like you know, like servers and that sort of thing. People are helping you out. I'm like tell me all the deets, and they usually get into good conversation about that. That's like my favorite part of all of it. Yes, how do you go about choosing your travel?

Speaker 2:

destinations. Well, there's several different things. Certainly, for Ms World Traveler it's a little bit different because we're filming and I'm traveling with my niece she goes with me because she's behind the camera Okay, so for that I do a lot. With weather, like, for example, it's hard to find a place to go in January and February, because the city shows so much more beautifully when the sun is shining and it's blue and it's beautiful, right? Yes, absolutely.

Speaker 2:

It's dark, early and it's heading gray, you know, get your huddled, it's show as well. Yeah, it's dark, early and it's heading gray, you know, get your huddled busy for it right up, Right, it's show as well. So, whether you know what time of year, does it make sense to go somewhere? It's part of it. Obviously, budget is a factor. So, for example, this was a number of years ago I wanted to go to Costa Rica and started looking at what does it cost in out of Phoenix? And it was like $1,500. And it just sat there for months and months and months and finally it dropped to $450. I'm like, okay, I'm going Done deal Right. So I do watch to see to try and make good choices in terms of budget as much as possible, because we want to be able to go more places right?

Speaker 1:

Yes, absolutely, Absolutely. I'm the same way. So I don't know if you've heard or not, but I'm this huge points person. So anytime that I could get any kind of like credit card or anything that's going to give me some sort of points, I am on. It's my favorite way to travel. For sure, you said that your niece is behind the scenes, so tell us a little bit about your recording and what you've got going on with that.

Speaker 2:

Ms World Traveler is sort of a combination of all of the things that I've done, you know, and the things that I love to do. So, yes, I wear my banner that says Ms World Traveler on it. It's a little bit of a shtick. It's also an homage to my 40 plus years in the pageant industry. So, you know, when I started this, it was like what can I do? That's different than what thousands of other travel bloggers are doing and they give great advice on restaurants and where to go and what to do and that sort of thing. There's a lot of that out there. So how do I set myself apart to be different? Well, my interests are different. You're interested in style and fashion and glamour and architecture and history and you know, kind of melding all of that together. So that's sort of how that came to be and I pitched my niche. You know, do you want to just travel all over the world with me and, you know, get paid to take pictures?

Speaker 1:

Absolutely yes. So she didn't have to think about that very long, right? That's awesome. So how long have you all been doing this? What is it? It's a YouTube channel, right? Yes, it is.

Speaker 2:

Yes, it is. So it's like a little mini travel show. You know we'll go to a city and we'll have several different segments. We'll go to some different shops, we'll talk about the local, the history and the culture and then go to a shop and then you get to meet somebody. You know somebody who you we try to have it be a woman, if at all possible artist, designer, entrepreneur you know somebody who's very local, is doing something, making something or, you know, being, is some kind of a creative, so that you meet someone, you see something being made and you're inspired.

Speaker 1:

Yes, absolutely. I've had a lot of conversations with you, know just random vendors who'll come you're hanging out on the beach or whatever. They'll come up and they'll be like oh, look, what I got. I try to do everything I can to support every single one of them that come and approach me, even if it's just a simple hey. I don't really have enough to buy a whole thing from you, but here's five bucks because I really enjoyed this conversation, or something along those lines.

Speaker 1:

I feel like once you do that and you start to put your head behind like a lot of people aren't putting themselves in other people's shoes, right, so they're not. They're being annoyed because I'm on vacation and why are you here and you're bugging me and all that. But if you really like, you stop and you put yourself in that person's shoes. That's what they do for a living, like that's that's how they make their ends meet. So by supporting them and and helping them out yeah, you're not, you're not buying from one of the shops, you're doing it because you're, you care about that person I feel like that is missed often, um, more often than not, I feel like when it comes to vacation, and that's that's kind of my whole stance behind it and kind of why I started the podcast and stuff is I wanted to try to bring people together from all sorts of life.

Speaker 1:

We go in, we have these experiences at these beaches and they're amazing, but we don't really stop and appreciate the people who are living there and their environment and their surroundings and that, and I feel like being able to immerse yourself in their culture. And also I love volunteer-cations. Those are my favorites, so I try to spend a day where, yeah, I volunteer, either like a local animal shelter or a school or something along those lines, so I could try to give back something you know for them to share their beauty with me. It's kind of the way I look at it.

Speaker 2:

You know you're also supporting them economically. And what's a couple dollars to you? You know, somebody sent a little bracelet that they made and it's two bucks. Okay, really, what's two dollars to you, Whereas for them it could feed their family for a day. Exactly, Exactly. I love that you're doing that and you're supporting the local economy.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I wish more people would do that, instead of thinking, ah, they're annoying or whatever you know, just be like, hey, I'm on vacation, but this is an opportunity to meet somebody, to talk to them, get to know them a little bit, learn about their culture. Anyways, I love that we share that. That's huge. It's near and dear to my heart. So I love that you decide on the content kind of based on where the locations and stuff like that. Is there something that kind of sparks that makes you like, oh, I need to go here for shopping or I need to go here for restaurants.

Speaker 2:

You do research ahead of time I do a lot of research. In fact, we're leaving for Oslo and Stockholm on Monday and I finished my Oslo research and I'm now in the middle of my Stockholm. So I really got a lot to do before we leave. But I work to be prepared ahead of time to understand the history, to sort of have part of my script written, so that also I know where to send my niece. You know, she while I'm shopping the city, finding the stores and the people she's out, getting the background shots, so she sort of needs to know what are we going to be talking about? So what do I need to go get?

Speaker 2:

So yes, I do a lot of research ahead of time and it's a little easier, obviously, to do it in the US because more people have websites and that sort of thing. But there's also a sense of when I get there, then I just have to feel it, so I don't tell them I'm coming. And I've gotten turned down a number of times because people said, gosh, if you'd given me more notice we could have done it. They don't want to, because I want to go into the store, I want to meet the person, I want to see what they're doing, I want to get a sense of it, because what you see online is not necessarily what you're going to see when you get there. So I like to be a little anonymous, I like to say do it. And then sometimes I walk in and I go this is it. This is exactly what my viewers, what my audience, what my brand. It's going to be the right Love that.

Speaker 1:

I don't even know what to say to that one. I think that's amazing. So it's super authentic, basically. So you're going for authenticity. That's like the most important piece of it. I love that.

Speaker 2:

Just that has a local taste to it. I really want that local flavor. So we don't cover anything that is like an international brand or anything you would have heard of before. That's not what I would do, because you can buy it anywhere. Yeah, how does that inspire you to go to this place if it's something you can buy in every city in the US?

Speaker 1:

Absolutely no, that totally makes sense. Yeah, so when you take home like a sweatshirt or something that is made from Costa Rica, for example, you're actually taking home a piece of that person and not just like a name brand.

Speaker 2:

So I totally understand and supporting an artist, like you said, you know supporting somebody who made that that's the best part and the best feeling.

Speaker 1:

So do you have a favorite episode so far that you've shot?

Speaker 2:

Well, I would say the Paris content that we did. We got Okay, seven segments out of that. I was there for five weeks and that had at least been a bucket list. I don't care, I've been hoping I could carve out six months but that was completely unrealistic. I can't get away that long. But I carved out five weeks and did like a local, shopped at the grocery store and had an apartment and you know I was not in the center so I wasn't doing touristy things, but what it allowed me to do was go to so many different neighborhoods that I never would have gotten to see that. You just have, you know, four or five days Because you know you're so focused on getting things done. So it really was a bucket list item for me and I felt like I got more depth and more breadth.

Speaker 1:

Yes, time is that's one of those. I mean, we in America we only get, you know, seven days if we're lucky, and that's including the weekend. So, being able, I know, like in Europe they usually take two or three weeks at a time, and I feel like that's what we need. You finally, like day four, you finally started to get the, you know the rhythm of everything and feeling how it's going. And then five, six, okay, well, now I got to go home. Dang it, I got to go home.

Speaker 2:

You know your last day or two you're like okay, what do I have to do? When I get home? You know you're already working on your list, so you kind of lose that day too.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, so let, did you first get into the pageant?

Speaker 2:

Well, that's an interesting story. You know, I just felt kind of a calling in my spirit to do that. I was very into my studies, I was in college and I was very into my studies and I was into athletics, and so you know this girly, girly thing, you know the whole, yeah, and I felt that I didn't like being girly. I did. It just seemed a little goofy for me. Yeah, you know, this call just wouldn't go away. It just kind of kept at me and kept at me and I finally said, you know, okay, god, do this. You send somebody, because in those days there was no internet, so it was. You had to know someone or know where the yellow page is to look, to be able to look it up and make a bulk of it. So it just so happened, a kind of a weird event.

Speaker 2:

This woman showed up to this day. I don't know why she was there, but she was connected through the pageant industry. That helped me get started, and so I just started with a couple of little small ones and kind of went up from there but got addicted. And if you and I say that, a lot of people don't understand what we get addicted to, and there's a couple of different things.

Speaker 2:

One is the sisterhood, because, if you can imagine, it's a little bit like men who serve in a foxhole and there's a brotherhood there that it doesn't matter what branch of the military you're in, if you served, there's a brotherhood and pageantry is like that as a sisterhood for women, because you're really trying to improve yourself, and that's the other thing women get addicted to. Is this carrot that dangles in front of you that helps you work on your self-development, improve your speaking skills, you know, gain some confidence in how you walk and how you present yourself, you know. So there are several things that draw women to it, as well as the ability to have a voice. Yeah, you know, if you get a title, then you get to speak about the things that are passionate you're passionate about.

Speaker 2:

For a lot of women, that's the reason. So there's a number of things that you get addicted to, which I did. All of them, all of them.

Speaker 1:

I don't know if it's a common misconception, but I personally have always thought that the pageantry like sisterhood, that was always really cutthroat and it wasn't necessarily like a coming together. So that's awesome, that it's completely different than what I expected.

Speaker 2:

So yeah, it is a misconception. Now, keep in mind sort of like Little League, most of the parents and the kids are very supportive and they help each other and it's all about the kids, the love is the trouble, yep, there's one that ruins it, for everyone.

Speaker 2:

But most of the women are in this because, you know, we're all nervous, we're all nobody. Nobody wants to get in a swimsuit and high heels in front of everybody who is clothed. Everyone else has their clothes on and you don't. You know, nobody wants to do that. It is hard and it's something that you conquer. You're conquering a fear to be able to do that and then, when you're done, you're like okay, what's harder than that?

Speaker 1:

Absolutely yeah. So there we go back to that empowerment again. I love that. That's amazing. So what do you think is the most rewarding thing from pageantry? It's not winning for you, obviously.

Speaker 2:

It's more the sisterhood, it's the journey because you have to work so hard to be prepared, like these Olympians. I'm watching the Olympics. I love it. Only three people are going to win medals, right, that doesn't mean that the people who went didn't have one an amazing experience. Two met amazing people. Three it's something they will talk about the rest of their lives.

Speaker 1:

Well, yeah, that's an amazing opportunity, no matter how you look at it. So the same way with pageantry.

Speaker 2:

I feel like yeah, it's the same way with pageantry. You did it, you got up there, you had your family supporting you. This journey that you've been on and maybe it was a weight loss journey, Maybe it was a get up and speak in front of people journey you know, whatever it is that you worked on and did it and you say now now I've done that. You know there's something about that that you take with you, regardless whether you win the crown.

Speaker 1:

Absolutely, I can see that. So the most memorable moment from being you're a pageant coach as well, right? What would you say would be like your most memorable moment from all of that? Was it watching somebody or, in specific, or just being a part of it?

Speaker 2:

Well being a part of it. But something that's really important to me is sewing into the lives of young women. You know, I feel like I've had years of this, and so now you know it's time to give back. And so getting to watch young women be calm, who they're going to be and watch their road to improvement, I mean there's so much joy, just so much joy in that. You see, I always hope for my girls to win, but if they don't, for me it doesn't matter, because I got to see their progress, watch them just be calm.

Speaker 1:

And grow as a person. Yeah, that's amazing. My son has this group of boyfriends that he hangs out with all guy friends or whatever and I've literally like who's known him since they were in kindergarten, like he's been best friends with them since. So I've literally been able to watch them all grow up. And they just graduated high school this year, got to go to the graduation, watch them and it seriously like it wasn't just my kid being there, it was like all six of my kids. So I totally get what you're saying. I'm going to let you know I just I'm so proud of them. So, yeah, I could totally see watching these girls, you know, start out from the very beginning and not necessarily knowing what they're doing, to being able to stand in front of people and have that voice, like you said, and grow as a person and being a part of that, I feel like would be very, very rewarding.

Speaker 2:

So and you know, I never, I never married and never had children. So these girls they become like my daughter, are your girls.

Speaker 1:

Yes, I get that Absolutely. That's so cool and they probably also feel like you're. You know a second mother figure to them as well, because you're there, you're supporting them, you're giving them what they need and nourishing them, and that you know being able to have that from somebody who's not your parental figure is Exactly and you hit that on the head Dee.

Speaker 2:

Yeah is exactly. And as you hit that on the head d? Yeah, because a lot of times that's why I get a call and I'm not telling the girls anything. That's that much different from what their moms told them, but it's totally their brand when it comes from somebody else, right?

Speaker 1:

yeah, yeah, that's one of the things that I've learned with with these kids is that, uh, you know they'll come to me and they'll be like, hey, you know I need advice over this. And I'm like, well, you, I'll give it to you, but you should probably also talk to your parents too. And they're like, no, we need a different opinion. And I get it because it's outside perspective. You know, mom's not necessarily, and you know, and so being a different, second mom or whatever to them is, I don't know, I love it. I can't tell you enough how proud I am of those kids, so I can see how you know, and do you stay in touch with them too afterwards?

Speaker 2:

I do. In fact, in about three weeks, two or three weeks I've got a wedding of one of my girls to go to and then a number of other girls that I worked with again that sisterhood they're in her wedding. So it's going to be a wonderful reunion of a few girls that I worked with, you know, a few years ago and stuff.

Speaker 1:

That's awesome. That melts my heart. I love hearing stories like that. In addition to your travel ventures, you're also a freelance fashion and jewelry designer, so what kind of sparked your interest in that?

Speaker 2:

Well, I've always loved color and style and that sort of thing, and then I got my graduate degree in fashion from the American College of Fashion in London. So again, it's sort of a combination that, you know, travel, go somewhere, live somewhere else and study fashion, which I really, really enjoy. But I don't really, you know, I don't design things who sell them. I design a lot of my own things and then I design for my pageant girls. So I do a lot of their earrings, gowns, interview outfits, things like that. So it's what targeted, because, as you know, time becomes an issue, right, right, and if so many things you want to do, you sort of have to. What are my highest priorities? What's my second? You know, make time for those things. But you know, I haven't really made a business out of it, it's just something that I enjoy doing with my girls and for myself so what kind of uh can you describe like the design process and where you draw like your inspiration from?

Speaker 2:

well uh for my girls I build things right on them, and really I do for myself too. I'm inspired by beautiful fabrics, beautiful colors. So it's not so much I'm trying to do a particular design, it's more I see something and it's like, oh, that's so beautiful. I don't know what I'm going to do with it yet. Okay, no, I'm going to because it's so beautiful. Sometimes I see a fabric and it just there it is. I know what I'm supposed to do with it. So you know, inspiration comes in different ways. Yeah, you come here, we're going to build on you because that way, oh, you need a little bit bigger shoulder, you need a little bit more like it, you need a little bit. I can build it right on them, that's part of the fun for me.

Speaker 1:

Yes, that does so. Then it's tailored specifically for that person. That's awesome, so okay. So you've got this. You're doing this fashion design. You've won awards. You've won awards. How many awards have you won? Is it a lot? Ooh. I've won a few awards, but you know I'm not really counting. You can brag a little bit, it's okay, nobody's going to judge.

Speaker 2:

You are allowed to brag a tiny bit Several Global Beauty Awards, which is that's kind of like the Academy Awards for the pageant industry. It's people who are working in the industry. Sometimes you might not even know they're the people behind the stage auditors, judges, choreographers, producers. You know the people who are not in the front getting the crown on their head right, got it, but you can't have a pageant without those vendors. You know all of those things. So few words for that which, again, after being in the business for 40 plus years, it's nice to be recognized.

Speaker 1:

There it is. I think it's amazing that you've got all these awards and you've been recognized for all this stuff. I just I don't know. I like I said, I'm not kidding you, I'm like a little school girl over here. I'm so excited. Well, I could you have to be careful.

Speaker 2:

I could talk pageantry like travel, you know, I could talk about it all day, so that's awesome.

Speaker 1:

So I see somewhere that you've won the legacy award. Can you tell me a little bit about that?

Speaker 2:

That is for over 25 years. Contribution to the pageant industry. So it's kind of saying you know people who have just been working years and years at it. You know we have rookie awards too for various things, so people who are new to the system, to the pageant world. But this is just saying you know, we appreciate the fact that you have been doing this for a long time. Love it. I was very pleased with that. That was very dear to my heart to be able to win.

Speaker 1:

That one sounds like. It's kind of like a lifetime achievement type award that you would get A little bit like that we actually have a different lifetime achievement award at the Global Beauty Awards.

Speaker 2:

But it's right along those lines. So you hit that one on the head.

Speaker 1:

Okay, awesome, I love that. So can you tell us more about, like, your scripture memorization, your ministry, the amazing word yes, well let me go back even a little bit further.

Speaker 2:

When I was young, like maybe 10, 11, 12 years old, I was part of this youth group at my church and they had different activities for kids to do and you could win these little medals to put on a sash. And I wanted that, I wanted those medals. Apparently I had an obsession with sashes, anyway. So I was going like bananas and the members of me were like you're going too fast, you got to slow down. They wanted me to for a while, so I quit and I never got started back doing it again until the year 2000.

Speaker 2:

And so as an adult kind of came back to it and then did it a little bit differently. Do it in terms of books and chapters and books, so that it's kind of the whole thing, the whole story, rather than just one year verse thing, the whole story rather than just one verse here, one verse there. And then you try and remember and it's actually harder. It's easier to remember when things are in order. It's a story In your mind, you can put it in order and you also, all right, it's a little bit different. Do this one, then you add this one, and then you repeat and then you add the third and so you have more repetition and that allows you, I think, to remember it longer. So, yeah, I've been doing that for over 24 years now and I have 22 books memorized and a whole bunch of chapters.

Speaker 1:

Wow, that's awesome. I think my brain can memorize. I mean I'd be lucky if I memorized like the normal stuff like social security number and that sort of thing.

Speaker 2:

Well, what I really enjoy is then getting to present it, Because you know people say to me oh well, you must be good at it or it must be easy for you. It's not Right, it's hard for everyone to do it. It's around Tisha is doing it out loud. He's doing it over and over and over again. But I think what the gift for me is being able to present it in front of people, and it's a little bit like hearing the story from the person who wrote it. It like jells off the page, it's coming out of your heart and therefore different than when you're just reading it.

Speaker 1:

And you have such a calming voice and personality, so I bet the way that you present it is probably more impactful than just sitting there and reading the book by itself.

Speaker 2:

People have said that, that they've heard it in a new way. Yeah, so I always love that because there's some inflection and there's some hand gestures and and yeah, I enjoy doing that.

Speaker 1:

That's amazing. I think that at one point in time I might've had, like the nightmare or the night before Christmas that story memorized, but that's the best one I ever got. So 22 books it's amazing to me. I love that. So how do you balance everything? You have so many from different roles, different the travel blog a pageant coach, fashion designer.

Speaker 2:

How do you keep it all balanced? Well, I think because I'm passionate about what I do. Okay, I don't do anything anymore that I don't like to do. So like, for example, I'm not a good cook, I can feed myself. That's about it, okay. So I don't spend a lot of time working on that doing that, because it's not something that feeds my soul, unintended, you know, I want to do the things that truly light me up and that give me fire and passion, give me up every morning energized and ready to meet the day with enthusiasm. So, those things that you mentioned, you know, after a number of years, you know, you just kind of narrowed down to the things that truly, like you know, get you going.

Speaker 1:

And then that's what I've chosen to focus on. I could totally see that because I just hit 40 this year. So I feel like after hitting 40, it was like you start to kind of realize what's important to you, what's not so important, and and you try to also like wait out, like the toxicity and stuff, because you don't like I don't know what it is. But you hit 40 and you're like you know what, I'm done, I'm done, I'm not dealing with any of it anymore. Um, yeah, I'm gonna move forward in in positive way, and if you're not there with me moving positively with me, then I guess I don't need it anymore. So I kind of suck that off Exactly, so I leave it behind. I'm starting to kind of be able to do that a little bit more, but I feel like once I can get to that point where it's fully I don't need it anymore, then yeah, I think that's like the ultimate goal.

Speaker 2:

Yes, I totally agree with you.

Speaker 1:

I'm not gonna lie to you. So, hitting 30, I was like, oh my God, I can't believe 30 is so crazy. And like I had this whole, like I don't even want to, I don't want to, I don't want to see anybody, I don't talk to anybody, it's just like, for whatever reason, it hit me hard. But then I hit 39 and I'm like, oh no, I'm fine. And then 40 hit.

Speaker 2:

And I'm fine. And then 40 hit and I'm like, you know, I got this, it gets better, and I think it's because at a certain point you just I am who I am, I'm going to apologize for it and I'm just going to be who I am, and you just get more and more comfortable with that. And so, like we were talking about, you know you, could you just slough off the stuff that weighs you down?

Speaker 1:

And you know we don't have time to deal with that. Yep, it makes you, uh, yeah, move forward in a more positive light and it's it's easier to just be like I'm done so right, yeah, I love that. I'm not so thankful things are going to get better, but give me a little bit of light and positivity there, so I appreciate that. So what motivates you to keep going with these projects? I know you said that you're passionate about it and that's kind of like how you balance it and that sort of thing. But what keeps you going?

Speaker 2:

I would say joy. Okay, I get a lot of joy from what I do. You know, sometimes you hear women talk about, you know they hate their job, or you know they're depressed because they don't have a child or whatever, whatever it is. So there's a number of different things that can get people down, but I've created a life for myself that brings me such joy that the hard things come and it's okay, you can deal with that because there's just life is good, life is a joy, be grateful for every moment. And then that other stuff it it's just, it's there, it's part of life, but it isn't the thing that gets you down right, yes, I.

Speaker 1:

So I love your mindset on stuff. The being positive, I feel like is is kind of difficult for a lot of people. Um, I have quite a few people in my family who are like that that I won't mention names, but you know how it's just like you trying to be around those people and and having you know a life and and being happy and positive and they're they're all you know, mr Negative or whatever I feel like it's. It's kind of I don't know how do you put up with the negativity Cause I'm sure there's gotta be some people who are saying negative things that you're just like you know what, screw it, there's got to be some people who are saying negative things, that you're just like you know what, screw it.

Speaker 2:

Well, I kind of look at it like big deposits. Normally you want to be around people who deposit into your account that when you leave, you feel good. You feel good about yourself, you feel energized, you feel full. And then there's people who are withdrawing from you. When you walk away, you feel drained, you feel like, well, that was a tough one. And so I try which is possible when it's family members. Sometimes it's not possible to limit the amount of time, as much as you try and use logic to turn them around and try and be positive and keep it up a dose. Let's keep it up a dose of joy and a dose of positivity and maybe it'll help them. Sometimes it just crosses off. So as much as possible, I try and limit my time with people who are a drain.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I get that. Sorry, that was totally off script. I just I feel like if there's something about you you're so calming, like this, mentoring, I feel like needs to happen. So I don't know if that's something that you do on a regular, but it is.

Speaker 2:

Obviously, this is with my pageant girls, yeah, and we do a lot of mental, emotional and spiritual preparation. Now, obviously that's sort of for pageant, but it's really for life. Pageantry is a microcosm of life, right? So when you're preparing for that and you're getting your mindset in the right place, you are gaining a skill that you're going to be able to use the rest of your life, not just for this one thing. This just happens to be the vehicle for you to use it. So I spend a lot of time with the girls. A lot of it's on the phone, so they're right in my ear and I'm hearing their heart, what's bothering them, what's going on in their head, and so being able to just ask questions, dig a little bit, get down to the root of what's causing that, and then to watch them go, yeah, I feel lighter, I feel less burdened today, that's something I really enjoy doing too.

Speaker 1:

I love that. That's so cool. So what's next for Carrie? What do you have on the horizons?

Speaker 2:

Well, we're really trying to grow. Ms World Traveler, you know we're less than two years old and we don't have a lot of followers yet, so we're really trying to work with that and you do things like this to try and get it out there, so you get a few more eyeballs and then, once we do that, hopefully there's some partnerships, corporate sponsorships you know different things that that we can do, but I feel like we're still very much in a in a growing, yeah, kind of same same way here with two, with life, love and travel.

Speaker 1:

We're we're 18 months strong now, so almost hit that two year. Yeah, I didn't know where we came up with the name. My, my son was actually my motivator behind it, so I'll go ahead and give him the name for it, cause I don't, I don't know if he came up with it or if I did it or what, but yeah he's. He's been a amazing support system, so that's awesome. So I'd love for you to kind of let everybody know where Miss World Travel can be found and and and you know your social media. So go ahead and take that time and let's do that. Sure.

Speaker 2:

Well, our show is on YouTube, so that's Ms MS Ms World Traveler on YouTube. On Instagram, we are Keri Ms World Traveler, k-e-r-r-y. Keri Ms World Traveler, and we're also on Facebook, ms World Traveler. So we started small because I had never been on social media before this. Yeah, I know I'm late to the party and yeah, it was sort of one of those things. That time I thought about it, it was like this overwhelming sense of yuck, I don't want to do that. I don't want to do that. I don't want to do that. It's just more work. Once the idea for Ms World Traveler came along and I started thinking about it and pitched it to my niece. She handles all of that, so that way I didn't have to learn it from the ground up. I've gotten a little bit more into it because we've been doing it now for close to two years, but I still don't have to do all the day-to-day posting, the scheduling, the editing Right.

Speaker 1:

That's the hard part. It's my strategy. Absolutely yeah, that's awesome. So you see yourself definitely getting. You're going to get some followers from this. I already know. I know, because I'm going to make sure of it. Dang it Awesome, thank you. So the very end of every show, I always ask the same question what does paradise mean to you? Ooh, ooh, yeah, take your time to answer. No big deal, okay.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, do you want something like spiritual or it?

Speaker 1:

could be.

Speaker 2:

Whatever you think, yeah, whatever it means to you it's not a place Doesn't have a state. Yeah, it's a state of mind. Okay, and I think if you do what you love and you surround yourself with people that you love and who are supportive of what you do, that's as close as we're going to get to Paradise. Honor, yes.

Speaker 1:

Awesome. Thank you so much for joining me today. I've had such a great time. I'm seriously like girl crushing over here. You're just just. You're so amazing. You've had so many awesome accomplishments. I can sadness. I can only hope that I am as great of a person as you are when I'm your age, so if you got 20 odd years to work um I will make sure that, uh, all this is posted to all the socials and all of that, and I will keep you posted.

Speaker 1:

And, yeah, wonderful. Thank you so much, appreciate it. Have a great weekend. We'll talk to you soon. All right, bye-bye. Hey there. Beach lovers, that's it for today's episode of beachside banter with b. I sure hope you had as much fun as I did. Hey, don't forget to subscribe and leave a review if you enjoyed the show. You can catch me on all social media platforms, at Life, love and Travel, and if you've got a question or you just want to stop by and say hi, feel free to slide into my DMs and I'll make sure to get those answered for you. Big thanks to everyone who joined me today and for all of you tuned in, and until next time, enjoy your week.