Freedom Looks Like This – solo travel back to yourself
Freedom Looks Like This is a podcast for women over 40 who feel restless, disconnected, or tired of waiting for the “right time” to start living differently.
Hosted by Damianne President, the show explores intentional solo travel as a way to rebuild self-trust, stop waiting for permission, and create a life that actually feels like yours again.
Solo travel is just where the story starts. What this show really explores is what happens when women stop waiting, take themselves seriously, and begin making decisions for themselves, without over-explaining or asking for approval.
Episodes dive into topics like:
- solo travel for women over 40
- fear, self-doubt, and the hesitation to go alone
- learning to trust yourself again
- identity shifts in midlife
- choosing what you want and acting on it
Whether you’re planning your first solo trip or simply craving more freedom in your everyday life, Freedom Looks Like This offers real conversations and relateable reframes to help you move forward, whether at home or on the road.
Episodes
21 episodes
I’m Constantly Deciding... Should I Say Something or Let It Go (when traveling alone)
I can feel right away when something is slightly off and I have to decide, quickly, what I’m going to do with it.Do I say something.Or do I let it go.I think you know that moment, the one where you’re still in it, and you’r...
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Episode 21
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16:39
The Way You Change an Experience While You’re In It
Most people think experiences speak for themselves. But something else is happening while you’re inside them.On this trip to Japan, I noticed three very different moments: a sand spa where I couldn’t control anything, a sushi dinner wher...
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Episode 20
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15:55
The Pink Door Moments You Can't Plan For (bring opportunities for delight)
People think meaningful travel comes from big moments, the kind you plan for, experience, and remember as highlights. But some of the days that stay with you the longest don’t look like much at all.In this episode, I share a day trip to...
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Episode 19
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20:22
It's Hard to Leave (even when you're ready to go)
Have you ever stayed somewhere longer than you wanted to… just in case?Just in case something important happens at the end. Just in case leaving early seems rude. Just in case you’re ... fill in the blank.On ...
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19:09
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Unexpected Pressures You Take With You When You Travel
When you travel alone, it’s easy to fall into the habit of accomplishment: the pressure to see more and make the most of every moment.But what if the real question isn’t where you should go next?In this episode of Freedom Look...
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Episode 17
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20:00
What Really Makes a Solo Trip "Worth It"
What actually makes a solo trip worth it?Is it how much you see? How early you wake up? The number of places you fit in? Your distance from home?In this episode of Freedom Looks Like This, Damianne reflects on the subtle ...
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Episode 16
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25:34
Competence Can Make You Invisible
Can competence make you invisible?If you’re a capable woman over 40, the one who organizes, anticipates, manages everything, you already know how to move through the world efficiently. You know how to make things work.But what if ...
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Episode 15
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20:22
The Story You Tell Yourself in the First 30 Seconds
There’s a moment that happens so quickly we almost never notice it.You want something. Something small. Something light. And before you can even finish the thought, it’s already over. A reason has appeared. A story has formed to hold you...
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Episode 14
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16:03
How to Relax Into Solo Travel After 40
I went to Sri Lanka expecting to work a little. To stay alert. To dust off old instincts. I assumed it would feel familiar in the way India once did, manageable, but intense. Instead, it felt easy.That surprised me.In this episode...
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Episode 13
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9:55
Let's Explore a Slower Way to Travel after 40
At some point in midlife, many of us get very good at holding things together. We manage responsibilities and keep it moving. Over time, that steadiness can turn into a kind of muting of curiosity or desire and solo travel can take us out of th...
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Episode 12
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11:21
The Hidden Invisibility Women Over 40 Live With (And Why Travel Brings It to the Surface)
At some point after forty, many women start noticing something subtle but persistent. We're engaged and competent, but yet, in small everyday moments, we're not being seen in the same way.This realization doesn’t usually arrive as one dr...
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Episode 11
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18:04
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What Safety Actually Looks Like for Women When Travelling Alone
Safety comes up for many women long before a trip is booked, sometimes before a place is even considered. It shows up while scrolling and while listening to other people’s stories about what’s “safe” and what isn’t. In this episode,...
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Episode 10
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12:48
Your First Solo Trip as a 40+ Woman Should Be “Wrong” (Yes, Really)
What do you expect from your first solo trip, especially as a woman over 40? A lot of us carry the idea that if we plan carefully enough, choose the right destination, and do everything “properly,” the trip should go smoothly. It sh...
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Episode 9
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12:55
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The Tracee Ellis Ross Effect: Why Solo Travel Is Trending for Women 40+
I watched Solo Traveling with Tracee Ellis Ross and expected to be taken in by the beauty of it — the locations, the ease, the confidence. That part was there, but it wasn’t what stayed with me. What lingered were the imper...
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Episode 8
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14:45
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I Don’t Want to Eat Alone: Solo Dining Anxiety While Traveling
Do you remember the first time you considered going into a restaurant by yourself, and hesitated at the door? For many women, the discomfort around eating alone isn’t really about food. It’s about visibility. About being seen. About...
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Episode 7
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9:55
How to Go From Hesitant to Confident for Traveling Alone
Confidence doesn’t arrive all at once. It’s built quietly, one decision at a time. In this episode of Freedom Looks Like This, I walk you through what I call the confidence ladder, a series of small steps women take ...
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Episode 6
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14:08
Why Midlife Is the Perfect Time to Travel Alone
Many women think solo travel is something you do in your twenties, before life gets busy and complicated. In this episode, I explore a very different truth. Midlife brings a kind of clarity, self-knowing, and freedom that can make this stage of...
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9:14
How to Choose Your First (or Next) Solo Travel Destination
Choosing where to go for your first (or next) solo trip can be the biggest sticking point for women. It is not because the world is too big or because you do not have enough information. Something else is happening underneath the surface, and i...
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Episode 4
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13:30
Becoming a Woman Who Travels Solo (and Trusts Herself After 40)
What if becoming a woman who travels has nothing to do with plane tickets, planning, or confidence … and everything to do with something far quieter? In this episode, we explore the subtle, almost invisible shift that happens long b...
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Episode 3
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13:40
The Truth About Why You Don’t Feel Ready to Travel Alone (Especially After 40)
Most women think they’re not ready to travel alone because they lack confidence, experience, or the “right” personality. But that’s not the real story. In this first episode of Freedom Looks Like This, I’m naming the deeper forces that...
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Episode 2
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12:44
