EP 33: Midlife Rebirth, Transformational Travel, and Doing Hard Things with Christina McEvoy

In this episode of The My Outdoorsy Mom Podcast, I’m joined by Christina McEvoy, founder of Your Limitless Adventures, a company that leads transformational travel experiences for women around the world.

I had the opportunity to travel with Christina to Guatemala earlier this year—and this conversation is a reflection of that experience, the growth that happens when women step outside their everyday lives, and why midlife might actually be the most powerful chapter yet.

We talk about identity shifts, motherhood, doing hard things (hello, volcano hike), and why stepping away from your routine—even briefly—can reconnect you to yourself in ways you didn’t expect.

This episode is for the woman who feels a quiet pull for something more… but isn’t sure what that looks like yet.

Where to find Christina:

Instagram: @your.limitless.adventures

Website: Your Limitless Adventures

Where you can find me: 

Instagram

Read the blog

Shop my activity guides and free downloads

Transcript

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Julianne 0:00

Welcome to the My Outdoors E Mom Podcast. I'm Julianne, Mom of Three, Outdoor Play Advocate, and the voice behind My Outdoors E Mom. Here we talk about raising outdoor confident kids, the kind who build forts, explore creeks, solve problems, and grow into capable humans through real play and real adventure. Each week you'll hear conversations about outdoor play, childhood independence, family travel, and the simple rhythms that help kids thrive. If you want to raise kids who spend more time outside and less time on screens, you're in the right place. Let's get outside. Today's guest is Christina McAvoy, the founder of Your Limitless Adventures, a company that leads transformational travel experiences for women around the world. Christina specializes in creating intentional group trips designed especially for women in midlife, women who may be navigating transitions in identity, motherhood, career, or purpose, and are craving adventure, connection, and a deeper relationship with themselves. I actually had the privilege of experiencing one of Christina's trips firsthand earlier this year when I traveled with her to Guatemala, and I can say from personal experience that the way she curates these experiences is incredibly thoughtful and powerful. These trips are more than just travel. They're about stepping outside your normal environment, reconnecting with nature, building community with other women, and creating space for reflection and growth. Christina, I'm so excited to have you here and for you to share more about the work you're doing. Welcome to the podcast.

SPEAKER_00 1:23

Thanks, Julianne. This is an honor to be here. And especially because now I know you in person and have traveled with you. So that always makes it extra special.

Julianne 1:32

I'm so excited to talk all things Guatemala with you. But before we dive into it, I'm curious where are you headed next?

SPEAKER_00 1:40

I'm actually headed to Bali in about three weeks, I think. Three weeks. We are doing our spring break there and then followed by a couple's trip. So that's kind of why we we plan to go to Bali because um I'm leading a couples trip starting the 13th of April. And we're just like, you know what? Let's just go to Bali for spring break and just make it easy. And, you know, already going to be there. I already know the country or the island pretty well. And I've got a driver there, and it's just amazing. And so yeah, we're doing Bali there. And then I have a couples trip in Bali right after that. And then I have a trip in a women's trip in Vietnam right after that. So I'll be gone the whole month of April.

Julianne 2:15

Wow. I love hearing about all the places that you're going and that you're doing both women's trips and couples trips. I know we'll dive a little bit deeper into that later on, but first I want to start with your story. I know you've been doing these trips for quite some time, but what first inspired you to start leading travel experiences for women and then for couples?

SPEAKER_00 2:35

Interesting question. So I actually kind of manifested this about a decade ago. You know, and I don't want to get too much into all the things, but but I I remember when we've when I first was thinking about starting kind of a family travel brand, I guess you could say. Uh this was, yeah, just about 10 years ago. I envisioned like, well, I envisioned a lot of things, but one of the things that I thought would be really cool was in my head, I called it an expedition company. I don't know why I called it that, but but that's basically what I was thinking would be so awesome one day was to have my own group expedition company where I would take people on these amazing expeditions all over the world. And I don't know why expedition was the word that kind of came to my mind, but um, but that's kind of what I envisioned. And and then, you know, it was kind of one of those things that was like, yeah, way down the future. You know, it wasn't something that I was thinking about immediately and obviously did not happen immediately, but um, I started my business with travel photography and travel content creation and had a background in photography. So that was kind of natural for me. And so I started building an audience on social media. I launched a blog. Um, I did that for quite a while. Um, and then I got into like digital products about six years ago. Yeah, six years ago is when I launched my first digital product, and that was an online course for travel content creators. And I did that for five years essentially. I'm just closing that program down um in a couple of months, actually. And then I started Your Limitless Adventures. It wasn't called that initially, I didn't really have a name. Um it was just kind of part of the brand. But I started doing the group trips in 2022, which is interesting because uh initially we had planned a group trip while we were traveling full time. So our family traveled full-time for about two and a half years, um, focused on Latin America. So we did 12 countries in two and a half years, and a year and a half of that was during COVID. And we launched a family, a family group trip to Peru in early 2020. It was like February of 2020. We all know what happens that year. But um basically a month later, COVID happened. And of course, we didn't know at first how long COVID was gonna last. I think initially we're like, oh yeah, group trip's not till August. I think we'll be fine. We'd already had, you know, one family sign up, you know, we just launched it. Um, but then pretty quickly after that, I would say around May, we were like, yeah, I don't think that traveling to Peru is gonna happen for many people right now. And so we we canceled our group trip and um and just decided, and this was 2020, and just decided, let's just wait until we get home and things kind of settle down. And so, so yeah, came home in in the middle of 2021. I launched my first group trip for April of 2022, and that was a family trip again to Costa Rica. It's actually the only family trip that I've run. Um, and I don't plan to do more family trips just with especially the dynamics of our of our family now with our kids being older. Um, and they're just harder to fill. Marketing-wise, it wasn't the best business decision. But yeah, I did my first trip there in Costa Rica, and then I ran a content creator retreat that spring um in Canab, Utah, and then a women's trip in Iceland of that year of that summer. And it was after that women's trip in Iceland that I was like, okay, I think women's trips are gonna be my jam, especially because they were easier to fill. Because, you know, it's one person that has to go on the trip. It's not a whole family, you know, so not as many variables that have to factor into being able to sign up for that. And I really, really loved the connection with women. I found it very soul-filling. And uh yeah, I just thought I think this is kind of the direction I want to go. And so the following year in 2023, I did four trips. And so that was successful. All of them sold out. One of them was a couple's trip, and then three were women's trips that year in 2023. Um, and then 2024, I did six trips. Um, and then 2025, I did six trips. So I kind of, yeah, just gradually have kind of been building that. Um, mostly I focus on women's trips, but I'm starting to do, you know, a few more couples trips because I do have the interest for that. And I think a lot of people in my audience are like, well, I my husband wants to come too. You know, they had the husband has FOMO. And so I'm starting to do a few more couples trips, but I think the majority will will continue to be women's trips. So that's in a nutshell. But it's so cool how like 10 years ago I had this dream of like leading these small groups to destinations all over the world. And here I am. Never, never would have expected it, but it's it's been a it's been a beautiful process to learn. And and now it's the main focus of my business. Um, and that was just a decision that came last year. Um, so yeah, a lot of things happened last year for things to kind of fall apart before kind of get, you know, coming together. But essentially I feel very led in this direction. And I've had so many signs and synchronicities that show me I'm on the right path. And so I'm just trying to trust it, even though it's scary sometimes. I'm like, what the hell am I doing? And can I really do that many trips this year? Like, can I feel that many trips? And but I'm building an amazing team. And I think that's the part that gets me really excited is building a team of women and couples, I guess, too, that I think hold the same vision and can lead these experiences just as well. Um and bring their own magic to it. And so, so that's kind of the direction I'm going now is kind of building out a team and um and doing more trips. And so this year I have 12 trips on the calendar. I'm leading half of those. And then I have other people leading the other trips. Um, and then next year, my plan and goal, and it still is feels a little bit scary to me, um, but my plan is to double that even, which is like, can I really do that? You know, it's more about I know I can execute that many and I and I trust the team. My doubt really lies in can I feel that many trips? That's kind of where, you know, my doubts come usually. But I keep thinking, like, well, if God gave me the vision, then it was placed in my heart, then I need to just trust it. And like the saying goes, if you build it, they'll come. So I'm like, okay. Absolutely. So I I yeah, I'm I'm thinking next year will be about 20 to 24 trips. Um, again, I will lead a small number of those. Um, I think six is about my max, you know, without burning out. I want to build to not burn out. Uh, and I have the team to do it now. Um, so so that's kind of the plan. But again, it's a little scary. You know, just just trying to trust, just trying to trust the process. So this year is all about getting all of my systems really dialed in. So I right now I'm kind of in this big process of re revamping, just up-leveling my systems, because in order to operate 24 trips a year or even more than that, you've got to really dial in your systems. And um, so and I had good systems, but they were really built for just like one person to handle myself. Now that I am building a team and I'm I'm hoping by the end of the year, well, definitely by the end of the year, I'm gonna hire an operations manager who will operate all the back end of the trip. So I will still plan and curate the experiences, but she, or he, but most likely a she will handle all the bookings, all the communication with vendors, communication with the participants, just all the little details that happen behind the scenes because to operate 24 trips a year is is a lot. And I don't really want to do that all myself, nor should I, you know. And I definitely can see myself getting burned out if I were to try to do everything. So this year I'm really trying to get really super organized, dialed in so that I can hand over that part to someone else to kind of run the back end and, you know, so that I can focus on the vision, you know, I can focus on growing, I can focus on the marketing, I can focus on still curating the experiences because that's super important to me, and really, really building an incredible team. That that's kind of where I want my role to be in the company. Yeah. So I don't know if that was answering your question, but that's that's in a not so small nutshell. Absolutely.

Julianne 11:23

I love too how transparent you've been on your social media inside of these group trips about entrepreneurship as a woman and how you've pivoted. And I think it's worth mentioning, I actually found you back in 2023 through one of your content creator courses.

SPEAKER_00 11:40

Yeah. Yeah.

Julianne 11:41

And I think it out of all the things that I've ever taken or invested in to just to be, you know, just to be able to operate as a content creator, your course was probably the most valuable to me because it really emphasized valuing my worth as a content creator, as a creative, and you know, kept me from taking every free thing that was offered to me. Your community really helped me to kind of stand up for my worth and my time and has helped me to grow my brand. So I really appreciated that. But it's also been this beautiful witnessing of your journey as an entrepreneur, going from, you know, your family brand to digital products to now your limitless adventures and just the amazing places that you're taking it. And I know that when we were in Guatemala, I got to hear you talk a lot about how you're feeling called to work with women in midlife.

SPEAKER_00 12:38

Yeah.

Julianne 12:38

Why do you think this season of life is such an important time for experiences like this?

SPEAKER_00 12:43

Yeah, well, I mean, one, I'm in that season. So, you know, I'm in the thick of it, just like a lot of women are. And so I see the challenges, the um it's a it's an interesting season of life to navigate, you know. I think a lot of women, not everyone, but many women, and I think this is just totally normal, they go through this. I hate the word, I hate the term midlife crisis. I do not see it as that. It's a midlife rebirth. And I think they go through this transition in midlife. And I think it happens mostly in the 40s. Um, it can happen in the 50s too, but mostly I think it happens in the 40s, where you kind of have this identity shift where you're like, okay, who am I outside of all of these roles and expectations and titles that I have held on to for so long? You know, most women are mothers and so they have that title. Maybe they have a partner or spouse. And so there's that title and role, maybe they have a professional career, or maybe they have a business. Yeah. But regardless, I think you hit a point, and almost everyone goes through this where you're just you kind of questioning like, who am I outside of these roles? What do I want? You know, because we're so used to taking care of everyone else's needs. And not that that's a bad thing. I think um, you know, obviously I take my role as a mother very seriously, and it's the most important role that I've had or have, but but I also, it's so, so important to me that I have things or passions and interests that are just mine. And I think a lot of women lose that in these, in the thick of motherhood where they're taking care of everyone else's needs. And so they get to a point, like I said, in their 40s, maybe 50s, where maybe motherhood is shifting for them. Their kids are getting older, either they're either teens or maybe they're shifting into empty nester, you know, a season of life. And they can kind of have this breathing space to figure out who am I and what is what's next in my life. And a lot of women are lost in that season. And I just have felt for a while that that this is kind of my purpose is to kind of help women navigate that season and turn it into the most beautiful second chapter of their life. You know, if you think about like the first chapter of your life, obviously that's a really long chapter, but if you break your life into two halves, you know, I think uh that first half you, you know, is beautiful, obviously. You're learning, you're growing, you're raising kids, you're you're figuring out what you want to do with your life and and all the things. And then you kind of get to this midlife season and it's like, okay, how do I want to rewrite this second chapter of my life? You know, you feel this sense of freedom coming, right? Where you're like, okay, I have a little more breathing space and I can kind of explore, you know, my passions and interests in the second season of life. And I just really love seeing women step into that and just be empowered in who they are and figure out like what lights me up. You know, I've been doing everything for everyone else pretty much, but what what who am I behind all of those roles and titles? And so, yeah, I think uh travel is such a beautiful way to crack you open. You know, that's probably a good way to say it. Because in itself, travel is so transformative, especially when you step outside of your home country and you travel somewhere that's foreign, that has a completely different culture, different history, different landscapes. And you, you, you know, you plant yourself there for a time and and you just your eyes open and you also come alive because you're able to leave those roles and titles and expectations behind that you have at home and kind of get off autopilot and start kind of just being present with yourself in this new environment. And so that in itself is so transformative. And I've known this about travel for decades, you know? And it's one of the reasons why I love it so much. However, I think the when I started my group travel business, I saw how it sparks this aliveness in these women, especially. And how they would come home and they would be like, oh my gosh, like I can't believe how transformative that was for me. I want to continue that. And so yeah, I just felt like there, there's something here. And I and I felt like I had the gift to gift of being able to bring these women together and curate these experiences. Obviously, I'm super passionate about personal development. Like it's been a passion my whole life as long as I can remember. And so I want to bring that into my experiences and and really help the women discover who they are. Um, or maybe just spark that, you know, because obviously, you know, the the I feel like the trip itself is more of a is a reignition, you know, of like who you are, um, and coming back to yourself, like remembering who you are deep down inside and just feeling alive again and reconnected and uh and then hopefully going home and being able to carry that into your your everyday life. So yeah, that's that's my passion, is just helping women navigate that season and like rewrite chapter two as the most beautiful chapter of your life. I think people think, oh, life's over when you get to 50. And I'm like, no, it's not, you know, I think it's just beginning. Like it's just a it's a beautiful chapter to get to own your story and your voice and kind of choose, you know, what you want to do with that second half, kind of reclaim yourself, I feel like. So yeah.

Julianne 18:37

One thing I I will say when we got to Guatemala, and of course, this was my first trip. And so to give everybody, to give the listeners kind of a background, we had several women in Guatemala that have done numerous trips with you. Yeah. Numerous trips. So that one that says something about you and your gift of bringing people and you know, really cultivating an experience for women. Two, I noticed how calm and at ease everyone was. And again, I think that speaks to your gift of bringing women together and the caliber of women together, you know, we're all so different. And you attract women from all over the globe to come on your trips. And so one of the first things I noticed is one, everyone was so calm and at ease and warm. And I know we've joked about this, but yeah, you know, you go on a trip and I didn't know anybody. I was telling people on the airplane, I'm I'm a I'm a mom of young kids. I just left and I'm going on a trip where I don't know anybody. And the the reaction was always this giant smile. And it was usually from another woman I met on the airplane or at the airport, and they were so excited for me. But with group travel, you never know, even with with friends and with, you know, family, you never know the dynamics. And I will say, and I think you would agree, we had no drama on this trip. The women that were on this trip came wide open, warm, ready to have an experience, and like you said, kind of ready to re-spark something, you know, in them that was kind of missing. And I think we talked a lot about this on the trip too, but having this trip um be in January was so powerful for all of us because I think a lot of us were coming off the holidays. We were a little tired, a little weary. And this was just the thing to kickstart 2026 for so many of us. Yeah. And I know as we shared, you know, in a lot of your mindfulness moments, there was just so much transformative work going on in every single woman. And, you know, if you're listening and if you're if you've ever been interested in Christina's trips, I mean, it was truly, I know it gets said a lot, but it was truly transformational for me, but I know transformational for a lot of other women. And one of the things that I want to talk about too is, you know, you curate these trips in such a way that, you know, it's fun, it's adventure. Um, this is not a trip like there's relaxing time built in and you can always opt out. Like, but there's not much. So this is this is for someone who wants to be on an adventure. And what I loved about it, and what so many other women said too, whose this was their first time traveling with you, was that we just got to come along and you had laid out all the plans, you took care of everything. And there were so many of us that were just kind of like, we're here for the ride, we're here to do, we're down for whatever Christina planned, and we knew that it was going to be great. We were waking up early in the morning, but we knew that whatever you had in store for us, yeah, it would be so, so worth it. So I want to know, and I want you to share too why Guatemala was so special for you. But how do you go about intentionally curating a trip that's full of culture and experiences and has the right mix of adventure? And and share with us why returning to Guatemala was really special for you.

SPEAKER_00 21:51

Yeah. Well, okay. So that's kind of a two part question. Yeah. When I am curating a trip, about 75% of the trips that I plan uh for Your Limless Adventures are destinations that I've been to, places that I've loved and just felt were really special for one particular reason or another. And then the other 25% are destinations that I'm just like, I want to go there. I haven't been there yet. Let's do it. You know, those trips are a little more for me to plan, but I really enjoy both for different reasons. I love returning to a place that I just, you know, has a special place in my heart, like Guatemala. And then I also enjoy going to new places, of course. So there's that. But I'm always intentionally trying to plan, you know, of course, I am an adventure traveler. So I really, really love doing outdoor activities, you know, that's that's my jam. It's always been my jam. And I love seeing women push themselves out of their comfort zone in an outdoor environment, whether it's a hike like we did in Guatemala to the up top of the volcano, or whether it's just like doing something new, um, every single trip is intentionally has something planned intentionally that is going to push them out of their comfort zone. Every single trip. Even if it's not physically challenging, like Guatemala was a physical challenge, right? With that hike. Not every hike, not every trip has something that's going to be super physically demanding, but it'll have an element that will be something new that maybe most women haven't experienced that is going to push them out of their comfort zone that's maybe challenging one of their fears, like the fear of heights. We've done a lot of canyoneering experiences on my trips via Ferradas. Gosh, I'm just thinking like, just, yeah, just physical outdoor activities that are going to either push them because it's physically demanding or it's something new they've never experienced. And to me, that's really important because when you push yourself out of your comfort zone, that is where you grow. And that is also where you build your confidence. And so for me, what lights me up so, so much on these trips, I'm like a kid in a candy store. When I see women accomplish something hard or accomplish something that they thought they couldn't do, I am like, oh my gosh. It is like my whole body just vibrates with joy and pride because I love seeing women just get out of their comfort zone and do something that they thought they maybe they couldn't do and just build that inner confidence in themselves. It just lights me up like no other. So I love that. And that and that is transformative, you know, is they're they're growing from that experience. They're realizing, wait, I can do this, you know, I can do hard things. And I just love that. So I always curate an experience that is going to challenge them out of their comfort zone in some way because that is going to lead to that transformation. And then, of course, there's always going to be a cultural element in it because culture and the people that live in that country is such an important part of connecting ourselves and seeing the differences, but also the similarities and how we live. And the more I've traveled, you know, all over the world, the more I see how connected we all are. You know, we might live very differently, but we all really want the same things out of life. You know, we all want love. We all want health for our families, we want safety. And that's that's the most beautiful part of travel is being able to connect to those cultures and learn from them and see that there's more than one way to live a beautiful life. And so I always add some kind of cultural experience. In some countries, it's it's easier to do that, like Guatemala, where there is a rich culture there. I find that there's countries like, and to be honest, it's mostly developed countries that are harder to kind of incorporate the culture element, not that like places like Europe and the US or maybe Australia don't have culture. They definitely do, but it's different. Um, if you go to a developing country, you're gonna get a very different cultural experience than you are in a developed country. And so I really seek out um cultural experiences, especially in developed countries, because that is honestly how most of the world lives. You know, most of the world is a developed, developing country. Um, they don't have the resources, maybe they don't have clean water, maybe they don't have access to the same resources that we do or uh education or opportunities. And I think it's so important that if we are going to travel and we have the privilege of doing that, that we learn how these these people, these cultures live. And it just opens our eyes up, you know, shifts our perspective and it and it helps us just become more open-minded, more compassionate. Yeah. And and that to me is so important, you know. I we need more people like that. They can if every American could travel to a developing country, it would change our politics for sure. Because people would just see how, wait, you know, not everyone lives like this, you know? And it would just give us so much more compassion for humanity. And I think it would solve a lot of problems, honestly. Um, so yeah, culture is important to me and connection, connection with the group, connection with self. So I really try to look at it from how can we push ourselves out of our comfort zones and and be in nature, of course, you know, and then how can we facilitate these unique cultural experiences that are going to help us grow and become more open-minded and compassionate global citizens? And then how can we connect to other women that maybe are different than us, right? But also similar. Um, and then how can we reconnect to self? So that is always how I plan my trips. Guatemala was special to me, and that's why I wanted to go back and plan this trip because that was where our family launched our full-time travels. When we traveled full-time, we started in Guatemala. So we basically bought a one-way ticket to Guatemala and we were like, okay, let's do this. And we ended up spending about two and a half months in Guatemala, and we fell in love with it, of course. And it was the perfect country to start in because it really gave us that cultural experience. We made a lot of great friends there, had some amazing experiences with our kids, you know, like climbing Akantanago and and just doing all the things. And um, I knew I wanted to go back because I knew it had all of those things that I just said. Like it had the adventure, it has the beautiful outdoors, it has the culture. Um, and so I it had all the components of what I think make a great destination for a your limitless adventure trip. And um, yeah, I was excited to go back. And interestingly enough, while we were there, um, it was, you know, six years to the day that we had landed in Guatemala as a family. And so it felt like a full circle moment to me to think about we were here six years ago as a family. This is where we started our adventure, you know, full time. And here I am six years later, leading, you know, these 16 women here. It was like a full circle moment for me. So um, yeah, I just knew that Guatemala would be a great um destination to have a transformative experience, you know. And it was, it was such a special group. And I I think I knew that before the trip even started. I just kind of have that feeling like something's gonna be really special there, you know. And of course, I knew a lot of the women that were coming on that trip already because they'd been on other trips with me. But even the women that I didn't know before, like you, I just was like, yeah, I just don't have any worries or concerns about this group. I think it's gonna be the perfect group for Guatemala. And it was, it was, it was just magical.

Julianne 29:32

I know you talked about the group as a whole. I mean, as someone who hadn't been on a trip with you, it was like I said, I was blown away at just how warm and welcoming and also we all just jived. Like we all come from different backgrounds from different parts of the world.

SPEAKER_00 29:53

Yeah.

Julianne 29:53

And there are things about, you know, some of the women that I I was learning new things like every day, right? And it's just funny how we like we had so many commonalities, but also so many things that make us different and unique and beautiful. And I felt personally like it was getting a glimpse of life ahead, you know, like you mentioned welcoming women in midlife. And I'm not I'm nearing, right? I'm approaching 40, but it was just a beautiful glimpse of, like you said, watching women in midlife do cool, amazing, hard things like kicking butt and talk about doing something hard. I mean, that hike uh Katanango, okay. So, like I'm from Michigan. We don't have altitude, we don't have mountains, we don't have really any way for for me to have physically prepared for this hike other than the stairmaster at my local gym. You were doing it though, bro. I was doing it, and you know what? I knew that that for me would be like that would be the hardest thing, right? Like I can I can get along fine with everybody. I was excited for that to meet people. I wasn't nervous about meeting the women. I wasn't nervous about much else. I wasn't nervous about traveling to a different country by myself, but it was the the physicality of that hike. And it was so beautiful because there were, you know, different women that you go, you kind of go along these different stretches of the hike with. And we just lifted each other up. We just encouraged one another. We moved at the pace that we needed to move.

SPEAKER_00 31:24

Yeah.

Julianne 31:25

And it was so, so beautiful because I mean, it took us how many hours? Five or six hours.

SPEAKER_00 31:30

Yeah, I think.

Julianne 31:31

And yeah, around six hours to get to close to six hours. Yeah. And you know, you go through a lot. You do your own personal thinking, you're having conversations with women on the trail.

SPEAKER_00 31:40

Yeah.

Julianne 31:40

And for me personally, yeah, with the guides, and it was like getting to just even just to base camp. I know, you know, we didn't sum it, but for me, I I felt like I've done everything that I've wanted to do. I felt like getting to base camp for me was such an it was truly such an achievement. And it was just such a I mean, what talk about a beautiful backdrop to remember that we can do hard things. You know, women are gifted with so much, and we can we can return to the things that we once loved and like that, you know, made us feel alive. We can still have those experiences, you know. Like I have three young kids. My oldest is about to turn nine. And so this was a big kind of handoff to my family to say, hey, like I I want to go have this experience, and they were so supportive. Yeah. And there was a lot of other women like that on the trip, similar to me, with young children who wanted to come and like travel, and you know, traveling abroad, that was what lit them up before they had kids. And it was kind of like a return to this passion and this feeling of being alive when you experience something new and a new setting outside of your normal life. So I would say like that was, I mean, the hike was so transformative, the connection, and it was just a lot of fun. I mean, we were laughing. I mean, I laughed so much. So much. We were just kind of hooting and hollering and just having a great time. It was really such a beautiful experience.

SPEAKER_00 33:10

It really was. And you mentioned earlier, like how there was no drama. And it's so interesting because I just don't get that on my trips. And I'm so grateful because if I got drama on every trip, I don't know if I would be expanding my business. I'd be like, do I really want to do that? But no, I think uh the women that come on these experiences and the couples too. I will, I have to give credit to the couples too, because all of the couples' trips that we've led have been equally incredible in terms of the dynamics of the couples that come, just easygoing people. They're just happy to be there, happy to not plan the trip. You know, they're just like, I'm just here. I don't have to deal with kids and jobs and all the, you know, things that keep us busy at home. Uh it's so important to show up and to just let go. I think for a lot of, especially women, I think that can be hard because they're the ones that are used to being in control and in charge. And we have to be, right? We have to be as moms and let's be honest, like usually the people that are running the household, you know. And uh, and if you have a job on top of that, you know, you might have roles where you're in charge there. And and I think for some women, it can be hard to kind of let go of that control of I'm not in charge of this itinerary. And but I think in the end, it is so freeing, you know, to be able to just surrender that control and just let yourself be, let yourself be present. Um, and there's so much, there's so many beautiful lessons that come from surrender. And uh I love seeing women just truly surrender to the experience, you know, to just allow that to happen. And so, you know, I yeah, I think having women that come on these trips that are just easygoing, obviously it's easier for them to surrender, but occasionally I do get some real strong type A's that are still easygoing, but but it's you can tell that, well, what are we doing next? You know, and I'm like, don't worry about it. Like literally, I want you to just enjoy the moment, you know, just enjoy the moment and just feel what that feels like to not have to be the one in charge. Yeah. So it's it's really cool to just see women kind of let their guard down and just, yeah, kind of like reconnect with the young, their younger self, you know, the younger self that I mean, think about yourself in like your 20s, you know. I I think about myself in my early 20s especially. I was so carefree and just, you know, fly by the seat of my pants and spontaneous and, you know, just no care for the world, you know, just no, no worries and concerns for anything really. I think it's beautiful to be able to allow or, you know, facilitate an experience where the women can kind of do that again, you know, to kind of just be carefree again, because we don't really get to do that in our everyday life.

Julianne 36:01

I know you talk about surrendering, and one of kind of like a vivid memory or bank of memories I have from Guatemala is thinking about every woman and remembering the relaxed smiles on their face. It's like everybody took a deep breath and their shoulders were released of tension. You could see the actual physical release and the ease of every how just how easy-going everybody felt. Like I that is ingrained in my brain, just the relaxed smiles of all the women. Yeah, it's a good thing. And I think, I mean, it's absolutely true what you said, just like this surrender that every every woman felt in Guatemala. And when I think about the faces, when I would look around, it's like these the smiles of just pure joy and pure joy and relaxation. That's something that I will always remember. And I think it would be fun. I kind of want to pivot because I think it would be fun to do some quick rapid fire questions about Guatemala. I'm gonna do a whole episode about my experience in Guatemala, but I thought it would be kind of fun to ask you some questions about Guatemala, or maybe if not about Guatemala, about your adventures in general since you have traveled the globe. But this is gonna be like rapid fire. So we're gonna be like, I'll do my best. Are you ready? Yep. All right, so one word that describes the Guatemala trip. Fulfilling. I like that. Okay. Favorite moment from the trip.

SPEAKER_00 37:25

I think, I mean, that's really hard because there was lots of favorite moments for me. But the first thing that came to mind, because it's just again, first thing that came to my mind was seeing all the women get to base camp from Akantanago, you know, because I know how hard that was for so many of them. And, you know, I think some of them may have doubted themselves. And every single one of them made it to the base camp, which was pretty much, you know, almost the summit. And it was just incredible to just see their exhaustion, but pure joy in being able to achieve that. Yeah. I mean, that was one of my favorite moments.

Julianne 38:01

I agree, you know, and we have great pictures too that G took like every woman, you know, crossing into base camp. That's definitely uh a top memory for me, too. How about the moment you knew the women had really bonded?

SPEAKER_00 38:14

Day one. Yeah. Day one. Yeah. It was uh in our opening circle on the first night before we went to dinner. I I always do this on every all my trips, but we kind of have a kind of opening circle to kind of, you know, get to know each other a little bit deeper. And I give everybody a welcome gift. Um, and that that opening circle was so incredibly powerful. It was the first time on a group trip where I felt from every single person there. It, you know, because normally I would feel it from probably the majority of the people, but maybe there's a few that are kind of holding back just a little bit, you know, night one, they don't know anyone, right? And I get that. But on this trip in particular, every single woman shared their heart and why they said yes, which was, you know, why they said yes to coming to Guatemala. And I told them specifically, I don't want to hear that, oh, well, I just always want to go to Guatemala, or I want to hike this volcano. No, I want to hear the deeper reason why you felt called to come to Guatemala. And every single one of those women shared something so powerful. It brought me to tears. And I couldn't even sleep like for two hours that night because my whole body was just vibrating with like, oh my gosh, this is insane. Like, this group is just so aligned and so ready for this experience. And it was like the biggest affirmation for me. I can't even tell you how affirming that was. It was like God putting his arms around me and saying, This, this, this is what you're meant to do. And every one of those women, it was because of what every one of those women shared, it was so perfectly aligned with why I created these trips and where I want to go with these trips in the future. And it was just so powerful. So yeah, that connection happened day one, which I know I'm always grateful for.

Julianne 39:59

I was blown away at how open and vulnerable every single woman was went around the circle. When when women started, I was kind of towards the the second half of the circle. Once women started sharing, I was like, my jaw was on the floor. I'm like, these women are not kidding, like they're not joking around, like they're here for the real thing, they're here for depth. They want craving, like deep connection with other women. Yeah. And it was so apparent on night one. I know I felt it too.

SPEAKER_00 40:27

And like I said, I've I've never had that from every single person on day one. Usually, um, there's like I said, a few that maybe it takes a little bit more to kind of crack them open, but every single woman on that trip was just so open from the get-go. And as the trip leader, I can't even tell you how important that is. Because when everyone shows up with an open heart, it creates that safe container right away. And it just allows things to just flow so much easier. There's no awkwardness, there's no, you know, judgment. There's it's just, there's no, there's no, I don't know what the word is, but you get the drift. Like, yeah. And what I realized, and actually, um, I had this conversation with Gina, who was our photographer on the trip, and she's been on several, several, several of my trips. So she knows, you know, how these trips have evolved. And I said, I know exactly why every single one of these women was open. And it was because when I launched this trip, this was the first trip that I launched where I put the intention in there and it was in the marketing copy. So they knew what they were getting into when they signed up, that there would be mindfulness practices weaved into the trip. Guatemal was the first trip that I put that intention out there before I launched it. The other trips from last year, I was kind of just experimenting with it, but I kind of like just sprung it on them. I was like, okay, this is what I'm thinking. This is kind of what I want to do and the direction I want to go. And you guys are just gonna be guinea pigs. And they're like, okay. And for the most part, everyone was open to that. You know, so I had some amazing experiences with some of my trips from last year, however. For them all, it was like level two, you know, it was like two dot oh because everyone knew, and I think all the trips this year are going to be the same way. When they signed up, this is what I'm signing up for. It's not just the adventure, it's not just connection with like-minded people, it's not just a new culture and country. I'm also open and interested in seeing what this looks like in reconnecting to myself through these mindfulness practices. And I think that's why these women were so open to that. Whether you guys realize it or not, when you said yes to that, you were saying, Yeah, I think that sounds great. I'm interested to see what that looks like for me. And I think that's why from day one, everyone was so open and honest because they knew that's what this was also going to be for them. And that was so powerful for me. Um, and it was also very affirming, like, okay, I wasn't crazy when I had this nudge two years ago. There's something missing from these trips. And then I figured out what it was, and it was this mindfulness practice or self, I just say self-discovery practices, you know. I knew that's what was missing. And but then last year it was like, okay, let's just kind of see how this goes. And but it was also like my imposter syndrome of like, I don't know, like what if women don't want to do this, you know? And that would kind of get in the way. But with Guatemala, I had zero doubts from day one because of what you all shared that first night um in in the opening circle. And it was just so reaffirming to me. Like, yes, this is this is where we're going. This is where we're going moving forward. And it's just gonna become more and more powerful as time goes on. So I know that was a long winded answer for that question, but that was the answer.

Julianne 43:52

Absolutely. I think that the mindfulness moments should be a standard pillar in your trips because 100%. They are. It was just I mean, it was, I hate to say the, I keep saying the word, but transformative. I mean, it really was like talk about cracking yourself open. Um, and I know a lot of women felt that way too. Yeah. Okay. Definitely. Next question. Okay. One item women should always pack for an adventure trip. Oh, geez.

SPEAKER_00 44:18

One item. I'm like, one item? I mean, that's tricky, but I mean, you got to have a good backpack. Like, yeah, I mean, none of these, like, you know, generic, you need a good backpack for sure. That's the first thing that came to my mind for an adventure trip because likely we're gonna be hiking and you're gonna need something good to carry your stuff in. And I've seen some women bring some backpacks, and I'm like, what is that? You're gonna carry that for eight miles for multiple days, you know? Right. So I I feel that that was the first thing that came to my mind was a good backpack. But there you go.

Julianne 44:52

A lot of other things I would add to that list. All right, one. That's one. Okay. What about sunrise or sunset in Guatemala?

SPEAKER_00 45:01

Well, I love both, obviously, because I just, yeah, I mean, it just makes me so giddy and happy to see a sunrise or sunset. But if I had to choose one, sunrise. Because to me, sunrise is generally more peaceful. It's usually before the world has woken up. And so, you know, of course, there's places where you might enjoy sunrise and it's busy. But I think for the most part, I find sunrise more peaceful. Um, just kind of watch that sun come up. And I also love starting the day that way. Like there's something so special about setting the tone for the day when you were up for sunrise. And and I think about, you know, we we paddleboarded on Lake Gatid Mon and we did this at sunrise. And and I, when I envisioned this experience, I was like, I want there to be like some moments of silence where we can just sit there peacefully on our paddleboards and just take in the environment around us, you know, watching the sun come up, um, just hearing the birds chirp in the background and the water, you know, very softly. Um, you know, the waves are rocking our paddleboards softly. And and just being able to experience that moment of gratitude for, you know, witnessing that. It's for me, a sunrise is is more special in that sense. You know, it's like getting up with the day and starting your day with that. It's like setting the intention for the day.

Julianne 46:26

So that's why I'm a sunrise, I'm a sunrise girly too. I you said the word intention. I think it takes a lot of intention to get up with the sunrise. I think it is work. I think that it it is, it does require work and intentionality. And even when we lived in the city, there were many days I'd have to wake up and I would see the sunrise along Lake Michigan. And it was just like you said, a quiet time in the day in the city, especially when it's like hustling and bustling. And it always felt like I had kind of stolen this moment of just getting up with the sunrise and like running along the lake. It is special, it requires a little bit of work, but the payoff is always, always worth it. Yeah. And then you mentioned too our sunrise paddle board. That was oh, that was so special to me. Yeah. I loved it. I mean, hiking, hiking Akatenango was amazing and spectacular. And then we did that paddle board, the sunrise paddle board on Lake Atilan. And that to me, like being close to the water, I know I talked about it during the trip, but like close to the being close to the water for me is like a return to home base. It's like, how can you not? There's just something so, you know, nervous system regulating about water, about being out on the open water. And then not to mention, our dude Marshall was like playing some really great jams and just I know. Yeah, it was just such a vibe. I loved it so much. And I just I think I had this permanent smile looking around. I we were paddleboarding, I'd look to my left and to my right, and everybody just looked so peaceful and so joyful. And like everybody was kind of having their own like vibe and moment.

SPEAKER_00 47:58

Yeah.

Julianne 47:58

And that to me was like one of the most memorable moments of the trip. It was so much fun. Like, I mean, it was pitch black when we got out there. Yeah. And we had to wait for kind of a long time for like us to all be able to go out on the water because there was what, 17 of us going, going out on the water, and it was so worth it. And the photos that Gina got are really, really special.

SPEAKER_00 48:22

Yeah. That was a I was sitting as a favorite moment for a lot of women, including myself. And yeah, I just loved waking up with that that sun coming up over the mountains, over the lake, you know. I mean, it was just so peaceful and beautiful. So yeah.

Julianne 48:37

So before we wrap up, Christina, I always ask every single guest to come up with an outdoorsy challenge that you would give women, especially who are listening, or anyone who's listening, but what's like one simple action that they can try this week that would get them outside or get them out in nature and kind of having like even like a mini transformation or just something that helps them feel steadier? What would your outdoorsy challenge be for listeners this week?

SPEAKER_00 49:05

Well, I think um my challenge would be obviously we know that nature is so healing. It is medicine for sure. I would challenge women to not only get outside at least once a week on their own, even if it's just a walk around the neighborhood. It doesn't have to be in mountains or in a forest. I mean, obviously, if you live near that, you know, if you live near the ocean or a lake or mountains or forests, awesome. But not everyone has that, you know. Maybe you live in a big city like New York or somewhere like that. Maybe go to a park or just walk around your neighborhood, anywhere where you can find some kind of nature, even if it's just trees in the neighborhood. But I would challenge women to take that time for just themselves. And I think normally we would reach for, you know, our AirPods and we would put some music in or maybe a podcast or an audiobook. And not that that's bad, but I would challenge them to just do it without any noise. Yeah. Just complete stillness. Now, granted, if you live in a busy, busy city, it might not be, you might not have some quiet, but there's something so powerful about being in nature with just your own thoughts. Um, and I have had some of the most profound downloads and moments of clarity when I've done that so many times. So many times where, you know, I normally would like try to kill two birds with one stone. Okay, I'm gonna listen to this book that I've been trying to finish or listen to my podcast or whatever. And not that those are bad, but but there's something so profound from tuning out all of the noise and just allowing yourself to just be present in nature. Um, to me, that's the best medicine. And also, stillness is where you can hear yourself again. It's where you can reconnect to your higher self, your intuition. And it's hard to do that when you've got noise around you, you know? So even if it's good noise. So I would challenge women to once a week just take some time, get outside, and just create that moment of stillness for yourself because it'll be transformative for sure.

Julianne 51:12

Love that. Listeners, your outdoorsy challenge is to get outside, even if it's just one time this week, and be present and still in your thoughts and go without the AirPods, go without your cell phone if you can. Yeah. And just be present and still. I love that. I do that quite a bit. And, you know, there's such a temptation to bring the things with you. Like, oh, I could, I could really knock out this podcast or knock out this, you know, audiobook that I'm reading. But there is something so awakening and powerful about just being outside with nothing in your ears but just whatever's the birds chirping, the wind, you know, the breeze. It's really beautiful. So I love that, I love that you shared that.

SPEAKER_00 51:51

Yeah.

Julianne 51:52

Christina, this conversation has been amazing. And I think it highlighted something that so many women need and it's space and permission to step away from their routines, to reconnect with themselves and with other women, and to experience the world in a new way. And having experienced one of your trips firsthand, I can say how powerful it is to travel in a way that invites reflection, connection, and growth. And so if listeners want to learn more about Christina and the trips she leads, you can visit max-explorer.com.

SPEAKER_00 52:24

Yeah, you can find some info on my trips there. Um I'm I'm revamping and actually creating a new website right now, and that's gonna take a couple months. But um, but yeah, eventually it'll be your limitless adventures.com. You can also just go to my Instagram. I have an Instagram handle, your limitless adventures, where you can find out info about the trips, you know, upcoming trips that I have open spots for, or just learn in general what these trips entail, which I think we gave a pretty good summary of that today. But yeah, there's lots of good information on my Instagram too.

Julianne 52:54

And I'll make sure to put it all in the show notes. Christina, thank you so much for joining us. You're so welcome. It's been so fun. Thanks so much for spending part of your day with me here on the My Outdoorsy Mom podcast. If this episode resonated with you, it would mean so much if you followed the show, shared it with a friend, and left a five star review. That's the best way to help more parents discover these conversations and raise kids who love being outside. You can find me over on Instagram at My Outdoorsy Mom, where I share simple ideas to help kids play outside more every day. Thanks again for listening. Now go open the back door.