Episode 9
Faith, Wellness, and Travel: Living with Purpose with Dr. Alaine Ainsley
How do faith, wellness, and travel intersect to create a fulfilling life? Dr. Alaine Ainsley, a Maryland-based primary care physician, joins The Random and Wonderful Podcast to share her journey of faith-driven purpose, patient-centered care, and personal growth through travel. Tune in for insights on staying spiritually, physically, and emotionally well—no matter where life takes you.
Getting to know today's guest:
Dr. Alaine Ainsley is a faith-driven primary care physician in Maryland who specializes in patient-centered healthcare for all ages. Passionate about medicine, wellness, and travel, she believes in holistic healing—spiritually, emotionally, and physically. When she’s not caring for patients, Alaine is growing in her faith, exploring new places, and embracing purpose in every season of life.
Transcript
Hello, travelers. My name is
Speaker:Grace Simmons, and this is
Speaker:the Random and Wonderful
Speaker:podcast. Settle in and listen
Speaker:to stories of wanderlust and
Speaker:transformation as you gain
Speaker:tips to inspire your next
Speaker:travel experience. The Random
Speaker:and Wonderful is brought to
Speaker:you by the Amethyst PalabaHut, LLC.
Speaker:Hi, everyone. Welcome to the
Speaker:Random and Wonderful. My
Speaker:guest today is Elaine
Speaker:Ainsley, and I am so excited
Speaker:for you all to meet her.
Speaker:We're going to get into a
Speaker:little bit about her wellness
Speaker:and travel, but I'm going to
Speaker:let Elaine introduce herself
Speaker:to all of you. Hi, everyone.
Speaker:As stated, my name is Elaine
Speaker:Ainsley. I am a family
Speaker:medicine physician in
Speaker:Maryland. I love to travel,
Speaker:I love Jesus, and I'm so
Speaker:excited to be here. Yay.
Speaker:There's two shout outs, one
Speaker:for Jesus and two for travel.
Speaker:I mean, and the doctor, we
Speaker:can't knock you thing. Oh,
Speaker:doctor. That's a third salute
Speaker:right there. All right. So
Speaker:you talked about-- you and I
Speaker:talked before, you haven't
Speaker:talked about how travel is
Speaker:like a hobby, but you enjoy
Speaker:the hobby. But what I like
Speaker:that you mentioned was being
Speaker:able to come up with an idea.
Speaker:And then actually seeing it
Speaker:come to fruition. So what is
Speaker:your process like?How do you
Speaker:even plan a trip?Great
Speaker:question. So yes, traveling
Speaker:is probably one of my
Speaker:favorite hobbies, if not my
Speaker:favorite hobby. It's
Speaker:definitely on the, you know,
Speaker:top two of the list. If there
Speaker:was a list, how I kind of
Speaker:come up with my travels is
Speaker:really based upon what the
Speaker:purpose of the travel is. Is
Speaker:it for leisure business, like
Speaker:for example, right now?I'm
Speaker:currently in Arizona for a
Speaker:work trip for a conference,
Speaker:the AAFP FMX Family
Speaker:Experience Conference. So
Speaker:being here is a little
Speaker:different from my regular
Speaker:trips because you can kind of
Speaker:like plan certain things, you
Speaker:can figure things out. This
Speaker:is more specific where it's
Speaker:like it's at, you know, you
Speaker:need to be near a convention
Speaker:center, you need to be near
Speaker:this. It's not as as fluid
Speaker:and flexible like my typicaltrips, but I
Speaker:usually use Expedia.com.
Speaker:That's just my go-to when it
Speaker:comes to picking my travel. I
Speaker:get some points, and
Speaker:sometimes those points help
Speaker:to get extra things, like
Speaker:maybe in the future getting a
Speaker:rental or upgrading on
Speaker:certain things. So that's
Speaker:usually where I kinda start.
Speaker:And then my processes, yeah,
Speaker:really just based upon
Speaker:leisure versus business. This
Speaker:one's more of a business. I
Speaker:don't have a leisure trip
Speaker:coming up anytime soon. I am
Speaker:traveling again next week,
Speaker:but that's family-related,
Speaker:just for a wedding. Right. So
Speaker:I'm hoping in the near future
Speaker:I can plan a leisure trip. So
Speaker:the most recent one I would
Speaker:say was Canary Islands back
Speaker:in in July. So that was like
Speaker:a fun trip, family trip. So
Speaker:you kind of you have this
Speaker:idea of where you want to go,
Speaker:you figure outaccommodations, you figure
Speaker:out the travel in terms of
Speaker:the flights and then you just
Speaker:figure out your itinerary.
Speaker:And that's probably one of my
Speaker:favorites. Are you like very
Speaker:specific in detail when it
Speaker:comes to all of those
Speaker:different pieces?So do you
Speaker:plan?Like hour by hour or do
Speaker:you have like a list of
Speaker:things that you want to do
Speaker:and then kind of tick the box?
Speaker:I feel like it depends on the
Speaker:trip. OK. Like for example, I
Speaker:did a Euro trip with my
Speaker:girlfriends from like middle
Speaker:school, like high school a
Speaker:few years ago, maybe like two
Speaker:or so years ago. And that
Speaker:trip was more like we planned
Speaker:like the tea on Monday,
Speaker:which I appreciate. Looking
Speaker:back, I'm like that was a
Speaker:trip that now set the bar for
Speaker:other trips. Like if I'm ever
Speaker:that level, just because. It
Speaker:was so planned not in the
Speaker:sense of like where are you
Speaker:going to eat. Like food is
Speaker:one of those things where
Speaker:it's like if you have a
Speaker:restaurant in mind and we're
Speaker:there for a couple days,
Speaker:we'll figure it out. But in
Speaker:terms of for sure, for sure
Speaker:activities you want to do,
Speaker:you're in a certain area in a
Speaker:certain city, you actually
Speaker:really want to experience
Speaker:this particular thing. We
Speaker:made sure to have that set
Speaker:out and also paid for an
Speaker:advance. So it was very easy
Speaker:going when the went about
Speaker:because when it on Monday
Speaker:morning, there's no question
Speaker:of, well, what are we doing
Speaker:to?No, we know. Everybody
Speaker:knows. itinerary was
Speaker:set and made versus the most
Speaker:recent trip to Canary Islands
Speaker:in Europe and more of like,
Speaker:this is ideally what we could
Speaker:do throughout the time that
Speaker:we're, really just depends
Speaker:on, maybe on Tuesday we feel
Speaker:to do this and then on
Speaker:Wednesday we feel to do that,
Speaker:but there is still at least
Speaker:an objective. Yeah. Where did
Speaker:this love of travel come from?
Speaker:Yes, so my parents are
Speaker:travelers. So when when
Speaker:people look at me and say,
Speaker:Man, you travel a lot, I'm
Speaker:like, You have not met my
Speaker:parents. Though I think...
Speaker:travel from them, they kind
Speaker:of introduced that to me at a
Speaker:very, very young age. And
Speaker:it's one of those things I've
Speaker:just kind of taken along. And
Speaker:now it's like a part of my
Speaker:day-to-day in terms of always
Speaker:having a trip planned, or at
Speaker:least a night planned. Yeah,
Speaker:in my head, at least. Yeah.
Speaker:What's like a favorite travel
Speaker:story that you have?Umm
Speaker:Favorite travel story?That
Speaker:is a good question. I'm
Speaker:trying to think. Favorite
Speaker:travel story. I would say
Speaker:One of my favorite travels
Speaker:was last January. It was a
Speaker:family trip to Belize and we.
Speaker:America before that time, so
Speaker:it's nice to kind of just go
Speaker:somewhere new. Belize is a
Speaker:very unique country because
Speaker:although it's predominantly
Speaker:like, although it's like
Speaker:Spanish speaking, there's a
Speaker:lot of English speaking
Speaker:individuals. So it's one of
Speaker:those places where you if you
Speaker:don't speak Spanish, youdon't have to feel
Speaker:uncomfortable of not being
Speaker:able to speak and engage with
Speaker:the with the residents of the
Speaker:area. So that will. I, we we
Speaker:ate the foods. We did like
Speaker:various activities that we
Speaker:did zip lining. Zip lining
Speaker:is, love zip lining.
Speaker:Cave tube. That was just a
Speaker:fun excursion related trip.
Speaker:We went to, is it Quay
Speaker:Cockner, I believe, or
Speaker:Cockner Quay, which is like a
Speaker:separate island off of the
Speaker:main island or main country,
Speaker:off of Belize basically. And
Speaker:that was. sparkling with the
Speaker:reefs and seeing the
Speaker:stingrays. So that to me,
Speaker:just in terms of like having
Speaker:just an activity-filled trip,
Speaker:that one was very, very, very
Speaker:memorable, for sure. Did you
Speaker:say you went cave tubing?Yes.
Speaker:What is that?So cave tubing
Speaker:is basically a, you're in a
Speaker:tube, just like when you
Speaker:park, you're in one of those
Speaker:big tubes, and there's a
Speaker:cave, it's like, basically
Speaker:it's like river water that
Speaker:you're kind of following. The
Speaker:only down-- I wouldn't say
Speaker:downfall. The only thing I
Speaker:wish I knew in advance just
Speaker:to mentally prepare is that
Speaker:that water is freezing. Ice.
Speaker:Oh. Because you're in the
Speaker:cave. So when you really
Speaker:think about it, you're like,
Speaker:this is water that doesn't
Speaker:have access to sunlight.
Speaker:Great. Water is freezing
Speaker:cold, so it's kind of like an
Speaker:experience of being able to
Speaker:go through the cave, and then
Speaker:you're like cold, and it
Speaker:splashes on you. And then, of
Speaker:course, some of the guys
Speaker:would like splash the water
Speaker:and you're like, No! Yeah, it
Speaker:was justPlease, no!
Speaker:I am shivering.
Speaker:But it was a very-- yeah,
Speaker:that was a fun trip. That was
Speaker:a fun experience. Nice.
Speaker:Wait, this was a group trip
Speaker:as well, right?Correct. What
Speaker:was something-- so you-- as
Speaker:far as, like, the planning
Speaker:and knowing how to-- there's,
Speaker:like, a balance, I think,
Speaker:even between the different
Speaker:group trips that you've
Speaker:talked about so far, where
Speaker:There needs to be a little
Speaker:bit more specific direction
Speaker:in what people are doing
Speaker:versus all right, let's kind
Speaker:of space things out a bit.
Speaker:What are some other lessons
Speaker:that you've learned traveling
Speaker:with a group?I have learned
Speaker:to make sure I'm very clear
Speaker:on who I'm traveling with and
Speaker:how they travel. It's very
Speaker:know how people travel. In
Speaker:terms of do you want to do
Speaker:actually like before any
Speaker:planning is out, it's a
Speaker:question of what do you want
Speaker:to do. I'm the type of person
Speaker:that I'm down for everything.
Speaker:I can chill at the beach or
Speaker:chill at the poolside or I
Speaker:can do the craziest of
Speaker:excursions. So for me, I
Speaker:don't really have like, I
Speaker:always say I don't have like
Speaker:a vote in this. Like I don't
Speaker:really. It's not really
Speaker:something that I'm not gonna.
Speaker:Please don't come to me for
Speaker:to try to break. I'm be like,
Speaker:yeah, look at the group and
Speaker:say what is it you guys want
Speaker:to do?What are things that?
Speaker:And then of course you do a
Speaker:search and then you kind of
Speaker:figure out, OK, collectively,
Speaker:is this something you're
Speaker:interested in?And that's just
Speaker:a matter of itinerary
Speaker:logistics. If certain places
Speaker:are too far, do you want them
Speaker:earlier in the trip?If
Speaker:certain places are closer, do
Speaker:you want to do later in the
Speaker:trip?And then kind of out. So
Speaker:it's not like activity after
Speaker:activity after activity.
Speaker:Certain things it's nice to
Speaker:kind of have already
Speaker:organized in advance. So it's
Speaker:in terms of what to wear. I
Speaker:feel like that's always the
Speaker:biggest thing when it comes
Speaker:to trying to figure out, OK.
Speaker:Is this-- should I bring a
Speaker:sweater?Should I bring boots?
Speaker:Are we going hiking?Like,
Speaker:what exactly should I prepare
Speaker:for?Yeah, trip planning is
Speaker:really just dependent on the
Speaker:people that you're traveling
Speaker:with. I think that's the
Speaker:first thing to figure out.
Speaker:Some people in certain trips
Speaker:want to just relax. Some
Speaker:people really want to do a
Speaker:whole bunch of activities and
Speaker:trying to find a happy medium
Speaker:between the two. Yeah,
Speaker:OK. So switching gears a
Speaker:little bit, I'm curious about
Speaker:howBecause something that we
Speaker:talked about as well is like
Speaker:confidence. But I want to
Speaker:kind of bridge that gap
Speaker:between where is your
Speaker:foundation of confidence and
Speaker:how does that-- maybe how
Speaker:does that show up in travel
Speaker:or work?But what's your
Speaker:foundation of of confidence?
Speaker:These are some great
Speaker:questions. I do my best.
Speaker:Foundation and confidence, I
Speaker:would say, comes from my
Speaker:faith in God. Knowing and
Speaker:believing that I'm worthy of
Speaker:all the things that I have
Speaker:and all the things that I
Speaker:desire. Knowing that I'm
Speaker:enough is from is
Speaker:like the first part of that
Speaker:confidence. And then just
Speaker:believing that because that's
Speaker:easy to be like, well, you
Speaker:know, I serve a God that says
Speaker:that I'm this, and I serve a
Speaker:God that says that I'm
Speaker:fearfully and wonderfully
Speaker:made, and I serve a God that.
Speaker:Says that I'm the head and
Speaker:not the tail. You know, all
Speaker:of these wonderful things.
Speaker:But it's like you can recite
Speaker:these things, but then
Speaker:there's also believing these
Speaker:things. And then there's also
Speaker:lying these things to your
Speaker:life. So I can definitely
Speaker:look back on certain moments,
Speaker:of course, of being of
Speaker:knowing that I was not that
Speaker:confident. Believe it myself.
Speaker:I didn't have the bolt. These
Speaker:are things I still, I don't
Speaker:wanna say struggle with that
Speaker:I'm still growing through
Speaker:right now. Because when your
Speaker:life changes, certain
Speaker:situations change, it's like
Speaker:you're at a different level
Speaker:of like, different level of
Speaker:confidence. I'm not mean.
Speaker:I'm in a room and I'm like
Speaker:just socially butterflying
Speaker:and just going around just
Speaker:talking to everybody. I'm
Speaker:much more the person that's
Speaker:like, I'm great one-on-one.
Speaker:Right. That crowd gets a
Speaker:little-- it's like crowd.
Speaker:It's like,I usually tend to
Speaker:kind of keep to myself. So
Speaker:it's one of those things that
Speaker:I'm actively learning and
Speaker:trying to grow in right now.
Speaker:What's an example of maybe
Speaker:your newfound confidence
Speaker:being put into action?Like
Speaker:maybe an instance where
Speaker:you're like, huh, I may have
Speaker:struggled with that or I may
Speaker:have hesitated at that and
Speaker:I've just completely, you
Speaker:know, stepped over what used
Speaker:to be a boundary for me. Yes.
Speaker:Just a few days ago at the
Speaker:beginning of this conference,
Speaker:I stepped out in between the
Speaker:sessions, and because the
Speaker:convention center is cold. So
Speaker:I stepped outside to defrost.
Speaker:And stepping outside, I was
Speaker:about to go back inside to go
Speaker:to a different session, and I
Speaker:saw two ladies coming in
Speaker:outside to where I was. And
Speaker:so I had to pass by them to
Speaker:go to the door to go back
Speaker:inside. So of course the
Speaker:quite The thing is, could the
Speaker:thought process was like, OK,
Speaker:you could go inside, go to
Speaker:your session, you know, live
Speaker:your best life or you can
Speaker:just stop and see like do any
Speaker:of these ladies want to have
Speaker:a conversation?Because I
Speaker:don't know anybody. Yeah, I
Speaker:definitely try my best to of
Speaker:course put myself out there,
Speaker:put you have to be in the
Speaker:room and then actively do
Speaker:things while you're in that
Speaker:room. So I'm like, let me see
Speaker:if like this could be an area
Speaker:of just being able to just
Speaker:have a conversation. It
Speaker:doesn't have to lead
Speaker:anywhere. It just could be
Speaker:like, hi, how are you doing?
Speaker:How's your day going?How's
Speaker:the conference?Yes. So, okay,
Speaker:one thing I'm learning is eye
Speaker:contact. So I'm really
Speaker:learning that when you're
Speaker:walking, 'cause I'm typically
Speaker:a person that, at least let
Speaker:me let me start speaking in
Speaker:the past tense. Before, I was
Speaker:a person that could walk into
Speaker:a room and I'm kind of just,
Speaker:I'm just looking general. I
Speaker:don't look into people's
Speaker:eyes, I don't look at their
Speaker:faces. You could be a person
Speaker:I've known all my life and I
Speaker:would never even notice
Speaker:you're in the room because
Speaker:I'm not checking, like I'm
Speaker:not that observant in that
Speaker:regards. So recently, I've
Speaker:been trying my best to look
Speaker:look in the eyes. So how are
Speaker:you going to know if this is
Speaker:going to be an opportunity to
Speaker:speak if you're not looking?
Speaker:If this is like, they seem
Speaker:cool, OK, let's start. So
Speaker:long story short, I look them
Speaker:in the eyes. And just said,
Speaker:hey. And then be honest, we
Speaker:just-- the conversation kind
Speaker:of kept on going, going,
Speaker:going. We were talking for so
Speaker:long. That an individual
Speaker:actually came out for the
Speaker:same reason to defrost and
Speaker:basically said, hey, you
Speaker:know, they actually have
Speaker:lunch. So we're like, oh, we
Speaker:didn't realize that we were
Speaker:talking for like an hour and
Speaker:a half. Oh my goodness, nice.
Speaker:And we went in, grabbed lunch
Speaker:and sat down and proceeded to
Speaker:continue talking. And then
Speaker:we're talking even more and
Speaker:to the point that the
Speaker:conference is like the the
Speaker:sessions are finished.
Speaker:There's no more sessions at
Speaker:this point. So it's a matter
Speaker:of perhaps we should separate
Speaker:and and go to our separate
Speaker:places of accommodation. So
Speaker:we go outside, and as I'm
Speaker:outside, I am hungry. And
Speaker:regardless of if I'm with
Speaker:them or not with them, I need
Speaker:some food. Sorry if I'm, it
Speaker:looks like I'm on my phone,
Speaker:but I'm just trying to see
Speaker:what food is in the area
Speaker:because I'm starving. And
Speaker:they're like, we're starving
Speaker:too. So then we proceeded to
Speaker:go out to, I don't know
Speaker:anybody. I'm just here to,
Speaker:I've been with these, like,
Speaker:this is from about 11
:15, 10:30 is when I
:initially met with them. And
:went to dinner, didn't get
:back in until about 7:00 PM,
:7:30. So I was with these
:individuals for hours. Wow.
:Caring as individuals that
:are also in the, of course,
:in the medical field,
:physicians, we're all in
:different like areas and
:spaces in terms of where we
:are at in our career. So it's
:nice to kind of talk with
:individuals and we're in
:different parts of the
:country. One was in Georgia,
:another was in Pennsylvania.
:So it was like interesting to
:get their perspectives on
:life and just share. So that
:I would say it's probably.
:experience of like putting
:yourself out there and just
:having the conversations and
:not being afraid to to speak
:up. Yeah. Has
:that confidence ever-- well,
:I know this was like a
:business travel, but has that
:sort of trickled out into
:maybe a more leisurely trip?
:Not putting yourself out
:there, but trying things
:maybe that you wouldn't have
:done. I feel like that
:happened to me. On a trip,
:maybe like two or so years
:ago, there was a certain part
:of this where I was initially
:with the group and then the
:latter parts I was by myself.
:So I ended up meeting this
:random lady just and ended up
:talking about a whole bunch
:of stuff just randomly. And
:then we ended up like being
:friends on Facebook. So once
:in a blue moon, we'll kind of
:reach out to each other and
:say, hey, you know, how are
:you doing?Are you ever going
:to be back in the area?
:Because she's in Europe, I'm
:in the US, so we're all. Ever
:in the area, you know, let me
:know kind of thing. So I feel
:like I am definitely trying
:my best, especially now more
:recently, to be more
:intentional when it comes to
:speaking, when it comes to
:networking, when it comes to
:just sharing the experience
:of life with others. Nice. I
:like that. Sharing the
:experience of life with
:others. Very cool. And then
:when it comes to wellness and
:either taking care of
:yourself or being a bit more
:mindful about maybe when
:you're on a trip or you're
:doing it, like you mentioned,
:even though you were having a
:great conversation with these
:people, you needed to eat,
:right?So how often are you
:able to say, you know what?I
:need to take care of myself
:in this instance. How does
:wellness show up for you?
:Wellness, for me, it shows up
:in my nutrition and in my
:physical activity. So I'm a
:vegan. I have been since
:October of 2017.
:And the vegan journey back
:then is a little bit
:different than it is now.
:Like, I feel like back then
:it wasn't as, you know,
:wasn't as pronounced now.
:There was no oat milk. Like,
:that wasn't a thing back
:then. There wasn't all these
:alternatives. When I actually
:started being vegetarian many
:years before that, the only
:thing we had was, like, rice
:milk. We didn't even have
:almond milk. Been an
:interesting journey to see
:the transitions when it comes
:to the alternative options
:for individuals who don't
:consume animals or animal
:byproducts. So more recently,
:I've been a little bit more
:adamant to make sure that I
:stick to my
:nutritional decisions of in
:terms of you go out to your
:coffee shop, they have
:croissants. I'm a croissant
:lover. And so you just order
:the croissant. And it's like,
:well, this croissant was
:likely, unless it literally
:says vegan, is likely made
:with those same animal
:byproducts that you don't
:consume on a regular basis.
:You can't when I go, oh, I'm
:just gonna have this lovely
:pastry, but then it's like,
:it doesn't really align. So
:being very consistent with
:the things that I'm saying.
:So that's something I'm much
:more adamant about doing now.
:In terms of physical
:activity, I think my word
:right now, or a couple words
:that I have that's in my mind
:of like things that I'm
:really working towards is
:discipline. So for physical
:activity, I would say, you
:know, I'm an active person.
:I, you know, I work out. But
:then when you look at the
:week, you're like, so how
:many times do you go to the
:gym?So like one and a half
:times, you know, I feel
:like-- Not the half. The
:half, 'cause you know, you
:you kind of just, yeah, I
:went there for like a couple
:minutes and now, you know,
:I'm tired, you know, at home.
:So one of those things where
:it's like, if you sit for an
:active person, physically
:I'm. There needs to be a
:level of discipline and
:consistency. So it's, it
:can't be, well, I'm tired.
:I'm, I just don't feel like
:it today. No, if you're an
:active, you just have to do
:it. So now I've just kind of
:come my, my regular routine.
:I'm a morning workout person,
:ideally just 'cause it just
:works better for my work
:schedule. When When work is
:finished, the idea and
:thought of then working out
:after that is just not
:realistic. I feel even more
:excuses. So usually at 6 AM
:every single morning, I'm in
:the gym. Just because I'm
:here at the conference, my
:timelines have been a little
:bit changed just because some
:sessions are very early. Like
:the session for this morning
:was at 7:00, so I was in the
:gym from about 5:20, 5:30,
:just trying to get my
:physical activity on. There's
:a place to hike very close to
:where I'm staying. So one of
:the mornings I woke upinstead of doing the
:traditional going to the gym
:and lifting weights or
:whatever I decide to do for
:that day, I went on a hike. I
:do love hiking, so. Physical
:activities is one of those
:things I value, and it's now
:just become a staple when it
:comes to my regular routine.
:Nice. Where in Arizona are
:you?I'm in Tempe. So the
:conference is in Phoenix, but
:I'm in Tempe, which is
:probably about like 15
:minutes from-- I don't even
:know if it's even that. Yeah,
:probably about 15 minutes
:from Phoenix. OK, where you
:went to hike, was that like,
:looked like a stairs to
:heaven, like a staircase to
:heaven, and then you-- I'm
:like, oh, you know, what's
:the closest place I can go
:hiking?You know, and they
:said, This is like a, you
:know, mild, you know, hiking.
:I'm like, oh, this
:is gonna get my physical
:activity. This is gonna be
:great. And then I look
:up at this mountain. This is
:Phoenix. Phoenix is just dry
:land. I'm looking up at
:this mountainous being, or
:mountainous thing in front of
:me, and I'm like, Who's going
:up there?The part that I
:actually went up, there
:wasn't any... Well, you're
:actually on an incline
:without any stairs. So you're
:just, you're just. And then
:there's the point where there
:are stairs and you're just
:going up and up and up. The
:The gracious part and the
:part I love about hiking,
:especially when you hike to
:an elevation, is that view
:when you get to the top is so
:rewarding. You're looking at
:the city and you're like,
:wow, there's the airport,
:there's this, there's that.
:You can actually. And then
:coming down is so easy. So
:coming like. Getting up the
:the mountain is always a
:challenge. Coming down is
:simple and straightforward.
:So it was a good time. I wish
:I remember the name of the
:place. Last year, my family
:had a reunion in Phoenix. And
:so they're like, oh, this is
:really, really nice. Light,
:light jog, light truck up
:some stairs. But the view is
:great. And we're like, I
:mean, we likeyou know So all
:of us got our little workout
:clothes on. And you see the
:stairs, and you're like, oh,
:OK. And you're going. And
:they have-- like there are
:places on the steps where
:people are just sitting, like
:trying to catch their breath.
:And I was like, OK, I-- I
:first off, I'm pointing out
:all the different like
:stopping points because, yes,
:but also, why is it so high?
:But then, of course, when you
:get up there, right?You turn
:around and you could see,
:like, this beautiful view of
:the neighborhood and all
:that. And you're like, oh,
:it's so beautiful. As you
:finally, you know, catch your
:breath. And then there's,
:like, another level without
:stairs that's just rock.
:And someone gathered, like,
:their sticks. And I didn't do
:that one. The view where I
:was was great. Wasn't enough.
:Wild physical activity
:experience. That sounds-- for
:US, for me. for me,
:and I kept trying to inch
:towards the stairs to get
:back down. What actually
:pushes you to keep going when
:it's like, this is very
:challenging?And-- Yeah, I
:think at the base is
:going back to the faith. I
:think there is an initial
:drive in me that when
:something is difficult, I
:want to figure it out, I want
:to push through, I want to--
:I will find the answer. And I
:think I have been humbled to
:remember to like calm down
:and pray. And I noticed that
:when I make sure my like
:spiritual wellness and my
:emotional wellness are
:balanced, there's some
:clarity even when the
:situation's really difficult.
:An example of that is a
:couple months ago, things
:were going, like I had a
:plan. But things are getting
:really difficult. And I
:honestly was like, I don't
:know what I'm trying to, you
:ever seen somebody shuffle
:cards and they don't shuffle
:well and the cards just go,
:okay, that's what it felt
:like for a few months. And
:then I think just coming back
:to, all right, what can I
:control?Nothing. What can I
:do instead?I can read my
:Bible and I can reach out
:to people who are maybe doing
:something similar or they
:know what I'm talking about
:and then just asking for
:help. reminding myself that
:when things are difficult,
:it's beyond me, and I need to
:be able to just, like, tend
:to my garden. Whatever I'm
:doing right now, I need to
:make sure I focus on, pray
:about it. Just when I feel
:distracted, I'm making sure
:that I'm reading my Bible and
:then asking people for help
:instead of banging my head
:against the wall trying to
:figure something out on my
:own. HmmOkay.
:That's good. And then for
:you, what does vision and
:purpose mean for you?
:Vision in my mind has been
:that end goal or like
:something that I I hope to
:happen. And so with this
:podcast and and with my
:business, I hope that, you
:know, I can bridge a gap for
:more people who are
:interested in travel, but
:they're not sure, and people
:whofeel so disconnected from
:being bold and confident. And
:I want this to be just like a
:way for them to figure out
:how to do that, right?To me,
:that's, I think that's how
:I've linked my vision to
:what I'm hoping could be. And
:then my purpose, I think it's
:just the good that I can do.
:So what I can do to help
:other people, what I can do
:to sharing my own experience,
:being honest about what I've
:struggled with,And sharing
:that with other people, I
:think, is-- that's that's
:been my purpose, is if I can
:bring other people with me
:and say, hey, look, I know it
:looks really bad, but this is
:what it could be, or you know
:this is what others have
:done, and here's what you can
:do to help yourself. Yeah,
:yeah I think that, to me, is
:is my purpose, bringing other
:people along despite what
:they're going through. That's
:beautiful. OK, last and final
:question. All right. How are
:you cultivating a life with
:confidence and boldness
:without being perceived as
:arrogant and or cocky?
:And the reason I asked the
:question, I'll give you a
:moment to kind of answer. The
:reason I asked this question
:is during a therapy session,
:I'm gonna have to say
:sometime within last year,
:these are topics that I would
:be going back and forth with
:my therapists about in terms
:of humility versus like
:arrogance. Just because it's
:for me personally, I'm
:typically on the humility
:side, very rarely am I like,
:well, this is what I do and
:this is all the things. Here
:are all my accolades andthings that I've
:accomplished. It's more so
:you're gonna have to like
:really consistently ask
:questions for me to totally
:reveal anything, just because
:I don't see those things as
:something that, it's not that
:it's not important, it's not
:obvious I worked hard to get
:where I am, but it's just
:that I don't want it to ever
:be perceived that it was me.
:Like, by myself. Like, I just
:woke up one day and just
:thought, and just-- it just
:came to fruition. Like, there
:was a process, there was a
:journey, and by God's grace,
:I am where I am. So I was
:just wondering what your
:thoughts are when it comes to
:the borderline or that fine
:line between being confident
:and bold, but then making
:sure that it doesn't come
:across as, like, arrogance. I
:think that is--
:it's internally driven. So
:I can be really confident. I
:think confidence is just like
:time and experience. And so
:if you're able to be
:confident in what you have
:and what you're able to do,
:when it comes to actually
:sharing what it is that
:you've done and giving full
:credit to it, that can also
:come off as like a praise to
:God. So God gave me this
:talent to do this, and this
:is what I've been able to do
:with it, orI,
:you know, came up with this
:really great idea. I don't
:know where it came from. I
:know it came from God, right?
:But so I think keeping that
:in mind, and maybe it's
:something that maybe I would
:need to say more often, but
:my assumption isn't that I
:know that it's only from me.
:And I think that's how I've
:been able to pull myself
:back. And I I do struggle
:with that. Sometimes I want
:to be that, the humble
:person. But I'm also very
:driven to speak out against
:certain things. And so for
:me, I was trying to make sure
:that if I am saying
:something, it's not because I
:want to make myself feel
:better. It's because
:it's right. And I think
:that's that's been like that
:grounding question for me
:was, is it really necessary
:for you to say this right now?
:Or is it really necessary for
:you to have that reaction?And
:if it isn't, then I need to
:ask why I'm having that
:reaction. But if it is, then
:that's a part of that, you
:know, that's who I am. And if
:I'm standing up for someone
:or I'm speaking out against
:something that I think
:shouldn't be the case, I
:don't think that it would be
:arrogant because it's coming
:from a place of like justice
:and empathy versus me trying
:to make myself sound better
:or cocky. Okay. Yeah. Very
:nice perspective. Thank you.
:Thank you for answering my
:question. Yeah. That's the
:switch of an
:interview. No joking. Right.
:And so this is my co-host.
:So, oh, I had another
:question about your-- did I
:ask you about your self-care
:already?I don't think I did.
:No. What is a
:self-care practice that you
:use when you're traveling?Hmm
:Self-care practice that I use
:when I am traveling.
:I would say... Hmm
:Well, one thing I definitely,
:I love food. Okay. We're
:friends. So I feel like
:whenever I'm traveling, I
:really try my best to go
:out-of-the-box. I try my best
:to try new foods, try new
:food. That makes me very
:happy, having my belly full
:is a joy. So that's
:definitely one. Definitely
:making sure I set aside time,
:no matter what type of
:traveling I'm doing, to just
:dwell and be by myself. Like
:time of rest. Rest for me
:doesn't mean I'm sleeping.
:Rest for me mean that I'm
:necessarily in the bed. Rest
:could be that I'm just
:working on something that's
:completely different from
:what I'm here for. Like, for
:example, if this is a leisure
:trip, sometimes it's fun to
:look at. work-related things.
:Although it's not, but it's
:not like work. Like for me,
:work is medicine. So maybe
:it's like I'm reading
:something about a topic that
:I was just interested in,
:wanted to learn more. Or even
:right now, I'm trying my best
:to do, to be more intentional
:about reading. I say, oh
:yeah, I read, I read books.
:But then it's like, when
:people ask me, so what book
:are you reading?You're like,
:other than the Bible, you
:know, it's nothing much.
:So all right, right now
:I'm rereading 'cause I
:started it like,probably like
:a year ago, and now I'm
:really reading it this time.
:Atomic Habits by James Clare.
:Yeah. When it comes to like
:breaking those habits, being
:very clear on like your
:objectives. The two words I
:would say that define my life
:right now is like discipline.
:On like if you, being very
:clear and very intentional.
:So I'm trying my best to
:remove the words like try out
:of my vocabulary. So instead
:of saying like, I'm gonna try
:and be more active, it's
:like, no, I'm gonna be more
:active. No, I'mYou're just
:going to put it into your
:regular schedule, make it
:something that's not
:something you have to think
:about. I don't have to put
:out my workout clothes in the
:morning to know that I'm
:going to like, you know that
:this is what you do every
:morning kind of. And another
:thing for me right now is
:like pivoting. Being in a new
:space career wise, it's given
:me the opportunity to really
:look around and say there's
:more that I could do with my
:24 hours. So being mindful of
:making sure that you you
:appropriate your time as best
:as you can. Everybody has.
:and make sure that you make
:the best of the time that you
:have. Nice. How do you
:feel your culture has
:influenced the way you
:interact or think about your
:relationship with otherpeople?Hmm
:That is, my culture is very
:important. I'm Jamaican, so I
:was born in Jamaica, lived
:there for, I lived there two
:separate times in my life, in
:my earlier years, the first
:couple of years of my life,
:and then I moved back in my
:early 20s. Completely two
:different perspectives. So
:that level of culture in
:terms of music, in terms of
:food, it definitely shapes
:the way that I approach life.
:Usually we're veryhospitable. If you, if
:anybody ever visits Jamaica,
:there's always a joy that
:they have just because we
:just, we just accept people.
:We just take people and we're
:like, join us. And then we
:like throw our culture and
:this is our food. Like food
:is definitely, I think I get
:my food just culturally just
:'cause our food is is pretty
:delicious. Jerk stuff. We got
:jerk chicken and jerk pork
:and we have, I don't think
:we're the the kings and
:Queens of Curry, but I still
:think our Curry goat is good.
:One thing I love to eat is
:Stew peas. We have oxtail
:patty like it's a good time.
:So definitely I feel like
:culturally just because you
:you know that this is like
:who you are and what you're
:you're you come from. It does
:show up when it comes to
:engaging with others so. I
:always find that individuals
:who are also from somewhere
:else, whether they're from a
:different part of the country
:or just a different country
:in general, I feel like we
:understand each other more
:just because we know that
:there's like this is not
:necessarily like home, if
:that makes sense. So for
:example, right now I call
:Maryland home. My home is
:also Jamaica. My home is also
:this place. My home is also
:that place. So I have a
:tendency of like really
:connecting very well with
:individuals who also have
:that similar background of of
:calling like multiple places
:home, so. I feel like it's
:just shaped the way that I
:view food, the way that I
:view, like, my music choices,
:and the way that I approach
:life. Yeah, I definitely
:understand that. My parents
:are Liberian, and, like,
:Liberia's home, even though I
:haven't been there since the
:sixth grade. That's
:definitely on the travel
:list. And living in Maryland,
:yeah, it's become like, Yeah,
:I've been here for almost 10
:years. This is 100% home,
:right?So, but
:I would also, I think,If I
:move somewhere else, be very
:comfortable with calling it
:home, maybe within a strong
:year and a half out. Just
:because you, you know, if
:you're that type of person
:that can adapt and connect
:with people, it becomes home.
:Yeah, I feel like adapting
:is, that's like my my middle
:aim. I've been monopol- the
:past 12 years, I'm like, at
:this point, I'm just like,
:there's too many places I
:call home. I've lived in
:Chicago, I've lived in
:Florida, I've lived, of
:course, in Canada, Jamaica.
:Small stents in Turks and
:Caicos Bridge, Virgin
:Islands. I'm now in Maryland.
:I was also in Michigan. So
:for me, home is like when
:even when I'm talking to
:people like what's where's
:where I'm going home. Which
:one?Which one?Just because of
:life experiences. I'm
:grateful to be able to say
:that I call a lot of places
:home. And then you think they
:when you live in a place for
:a period of time, you take
:like that, you know, you take
:a part of or you take a part
:of that country with you
:because you of all the
:experiences that you've
:learned and the culture that
:you allotted yourself to be a
:part of for a period of time.
:So. Adaptability, I think, is
:a very cool kind of trait
:characteristic to have. Yeah.
:So what is next for you?Do
:you have-- I know you have
:like another family trip, but
:is there another travel that
:you have planned or that's in
:the works?Maybe it's pen and
:paper. So I definitely have
:some pen and paper. So I
:literally, as of today, the
:ladies that I met recently,
:they're from different parts
:of Africa. continent of
:Africa. It's like, the more
:I'm talking to people, the
:more I'm like, I don't know
:why I'm just meeting a whole
:bunch of Africans. And
:they're just like, come to
:our continents, come to
:specifically our country. So
:I was looking up just today,
:like trip ideas to to like
:Ghana, trip ideas to Senegal,
:trip ideas to Kenya. So
:that definitely is in the
:works, just as a matter of
:when. So that's one. I would
:love to go back to Jamaica. I
:haven't been to Jamaica in
:several years pre pandemic,
:which is very, very bad. So
:it would definitely be nice
:to kind of go there for a
:period of time. So that would
:be nice to do sometime in the
:new year. But before this
:year, I don't think I'll be
:doing anything major. If I do
:anything, it'll be short
:little stints of like weekend
:trips, maybe to Houston,
:maybe a weekend trip to visit
:friends in like California.
:But I'm hopeful that 2025
:will bring some fresh places.
:I definitely am that person
:that doesn't like to repeat.
:So if I go a place one time,
:try my best to just soak it
:in, enjoy, do as much as I
:want, because there's so much
:of this world to see. I don't
:wanna just leave it and be
:like, well, I'll come back
:next year. No, next year I'm
:going. So I'm hopeful to see
:or excited to kinda see the
:new places I'll experience
:next year. Awesome. Correct,
:this is the most I've been
:interviewed on my podcast. So
:I do have a question, because
:I do see you as the
:networking, in my life,
:networking queen. We are
:always like talking about
:this person that you met, you
:know, this opportunity that
:came about. So as an
:individual who would like to
:be better in that space of of
:networking and talking to
:people, what tips and or
:advice would you give to a
:person?All right. So thank
:you. Thank you for your kind
:words. I like to talk
:now, which is very odd
:because I am introverted. So
:if I get comfortable, then
:things just, you know, I'm
:introverted. If I'm
:comfortable, you can't stop
:me from talking. One of the
:things that I practiced
:and thought about before I
:went to one of my last
:conferences was I had gone to
:it before and I'd gone to the
:sessions and I was trying
:really hard to be a good
:student, but the sessions
:were overwhelming. And so
:making sure my goal this
:round was networking is what
:I had gotten out of it. And
:so I went to some sessions,
:but I also wanted to like
:talk to other people and ask
:them questions andEven though
:we weren't all in the same
:role, I guess, as podcasters,
:I learned so much about other
:people because podcasting, it
:just has so many different
:connections, right?The people
:are all over the different
:types of people, and they
:have their own ways. So being
:intentional about networking
:instead of hoping it would
:happen or hoping someone to
:reach out to me was probably
:the first step. And then
:trying to keep my story
:simple. HmmSo
:I would, when we, you know,
:exchange information or, you
:know, hey, I'm Grace, da da
:da. I tried really hard to
:keep, like, I'm here for this
:reason, and I want to make
:sure that's the only reason
:I'm providing. If we're
:talking more, then I'll share
:a little bit more, like, I
:have a business, da da da.
:But right now, in this in
:this example, I was at a
:podcasting conference. I only
:talked about my podcast or
:the group that I was
:representing. And then that
:allowed for other people to
:talk and we would ask
:questions. And they're, I
:think, trying to take away
:that pressure of like having
:to know the right answer or
:having to have a fully
:fledged, like prepped answer.
:I just, a person asked me a
:question I just wanted to
:answer and then do the same
:for them. So being
:intentional about networking
:by keeping your story simple
:and then having some
:questions readySo being
:curious about other people
:and just what can I learn
:from this situation or what
:can I learn from this person?
:And like I said earlier,
:being honest about, you know,
:if you need help with
:something, some people like,
:you know, let me know if you
:need anything. And some of
:them genuinely mean it, some
:don't and you'll find that
:out really quickly, but
:others genuinely do. And so
:when you allow yourself to be
:vulnerable and say. You know,
:hey, this is what I'm working
:on. I really wish I could
:figure out how to do this.
:You just see people's eyes
:light up and they're like, oh
:my goodness, I know this
:person, or I could help you
:out with that. And so since
:we've met, I think a lot of
:the connections that I've had
:came from that conference.
:But then they're like, it's
:been a ripple effect of
:people that they know, who
:they connected me with. And
:then maybe as we were talking
:resources that I mentioned I
:needed,and they've you know
:sent them over to me. So
:keeping it simple, being
:curious about other people, I
:think has been helpful. The
:last thing is following up
:with people. Whew,
:because you can collect a
:whole list, right, of people.
:And again, for me, now
:going through the list,
:that's gonna be really
:overwhelming. But just taking
:your time and just saying,
:okay, I can send out like
:three emails today. Or I can
:add these people on LinkedIn
:and just say hey or whatnot.
:I think following up with
:people, maybe if they can't
:help you immediately, they
:may be able to help you two
:or three months from now,
:maybe a year from now. You
:never know. So it's helpful.
:Also, that's why you want to
:keep your story simple, so
:that people know if there is
:something that they can
:connect you with, they know
:exactly who you are, what
:your purpose is, so they can
:say, Oh, I know this person
:over here. Those are my my
:tips. Thank you. Very, very
:helpful. Thank you. All
:right, Watlei, thank you so
:much for being a guest and
:just sharing a little bit
:about yourself. I really
:appreciate it. Thank you so
:much for having me. It's been
:a pleasure. Thank you. Thank
:you. Hey there,
:Grace here. I hope you
:enjoyed today's episode and
:gained some useful takeaways.
:Thank you so much for
:listening and staying until
:the end. Don't forget to rate
:the show or share it with
:some friends. Have a
:wonderful week. Take care.
:And remember. Be bold, be
:curious, be ready to tell
:your story. You never know
:who needs it. Bye bye.
