Are you ready to stop living a life of shoulds and expectations and FOLLOW YOUR SPARK?

What’s “following your spark” all about??

It’s about noticing what sparks an inner urge…

Could be a spark of curiosity. Or inspiration. Or longing for change.

It’s about noticing what makes your whole body, heart and soul LIGHT UP and then GOING AFTER IT!

For me… I’d always wanted to go on a pilgrimage. Something always called deep to my soul… this yearning to explore.

So back in September 2020, when I picked up the book “To Shake the Sleeping Self” by Jedidiah Jenkins in Barnes and Nobles, I got the intuitive download that - now is the time.

Lessons from the Road!

July began visiting family in Florida, saying my goodbyes in Baltimore, ALL the packing, and finally heading out on the road. Then my first three weeks in Detroit were JAM PACKED.

Even though it was all good things that lit me up like starting to record my podcast, spending time with old & new friends, exploring the city, etc… by the end of July I felt scattered, distracted and unfocused. Finally I sat down and asked myself – Gina – what do you need??

And I heard it…

It’s time to MAKE SPACE FOR SPACE.

Space for unplanned, unstructured, no agenda, moments. I have to remind myself again and again - it’s in these moments that creative solutions pop up, magical synchronicities occur, and energy gets refreshed.

Curious to hear more about my first month on the road? Check the SNAPSHOTS here.

This month was a bit of a roller coaster. I found myself running around like crazy trying to SEE ALL THE THINGS. All the things in Yellowstone. And the Badlands. And the Black Hills. And Glacier.

Constantly asking other people - what should I see here?? What should I do??

And then following their advice because I thought, I can't pass through this area and NOT go see Yellowstone, right? WRONG. 

I realized I was getting caught up in other people's expectations and designing my plans around what THEY would do vs what I truly wanted and needed.

Finally I paused and asked myself - what is MY intention?

And I heard - “To follow my spark and connect with others who are doing the same.”

So I redirected my course and got myself back on track. Do you ever do that ? Design your life, your career, or your relationships according to what you think would impress other people or live up to someone else's "ideal"?

If so, I invite you to do what I did. Pause. Reflect. And ask yourself... 

Who's steering your ship right now? If it's not you, grab the wheel and get yourself back on track. 

Want to hear more stories from this jam packed month? Check out the SNAPSHOTS here: Madison and the Twin Cities, and the Badlands, Black Hills, Yellowstone & Kalispell.

It can be hard enough to slow down and ask yourself what you really need. This month I realized the REAL practice is can you actually listen and graciously give it to yourself? What I found myself craving this month was presence, humor, empty space, sleeping in, slowing down, play time, and self care.

I said yes when new friends wanted to throw me a Podcast Launch Party. I canceled meetings in exchange for facials. I binge watched Ted Lasso. I sat at cafés for hours drinking tea and reading. I ALMOST said no to a glorious bath because I didn’t want to inconvenience my host (thank god I said yes!).

Realizing the clearer I am on what I value, the easier it is to make choices, set boundaries, manage my energy and fill my cup.

What about you friend? What do you need? How can you give yourself a little more of that today?

This month was also filled with all kinds of adventures! To hear more, check out the SNAPSHOTS: Seattle, Portland, WWOOFing in Oregon, WWOOFing, Redwoods & Sacramento

November offered up all kinds of lessons in LIVING MY TRUTH. Both in reflecting for myself what that is (and being ok if it changes) and expressing that truth to others.

• I changed plans and stayed in Baltimore longer when I realized I needed more rest and reconnection.

• I took take twos in conversations when I understood myself and my feelings better.

• When I got back on the road, I skipped San Francisco (which felt too overwhelming) and headed straight down the Pacific Coast Highway.

• I went on dates, and then got clearer on what kinds of connections I’m really looking for. 

• I sat with emotions about Thanksgiving and navigating how I can have a positive impact in combating racism.

• I took extra time for reflection and connecting with nature when I felt lost.

I experienced a whole spectrum of emotions this month… from confusion, frustration, impatience and doubt to exhilaration, joy, connection, love and trust.

It also felt real and human and true.

Want more behind the scenes stories? Check out the SNAPSHOTS from November: Auburn and detour home to Baltimore

December came with a lot of question marks…

•  Will my passport arrive on time?

• Will I find somewhere to stay over the holidays?

• Will my Peru trip be canceled?

• Will I get COVID???

and the list goes on…

With all these questions came a lot of sleepless nights, anxiety, fear and mind drama.

Not because of the uncertainty of it all, but because of the endless rumination and constant focus on everything that could go wrong.

 One day, after staying up all night reading the news and falling into a downward spiral I finally thought…

 “Why am I doing this to myself??”

So I turned to practices like dance, meditation and acupuncture to help me open the pressure valve, release that anxious built up energy and come back to the present moment.

SPOILER: my passport arrived on time, I found the perfect place to stay over the holidays, I made it to Peru and I did not get COVID!

Every time my mind drifts back to worry I remind myself that “worry is just praying for what you DON’T want.”

So what’s the point?

January was a whirlpool of emotions.

There were the fears and anxieties that showed up before Peru, followed by waves of excitement and relief when I finally landed there.

And then the deep well of joy and gratitude for spending 3 weeks with an incredible group of people in a deeply magical place, followed by the depths of shadow and insecurity that showed up for me to heal.

Needless to say, some days I felt like I didn’t know which way was up.

My initial reaction was to desperately try to make sense of it all… to thrash and control and hold tight to the banks of the familiar shore… but the water kept whispering to me…

“Let go my love. Surrender, and trust the flow.”

I did my best to listen.

Peru brought SO many insights, gifts, and lessons and one of the biggest pieces of wisdom came from a vision of my grandmother.

We were sitting in her old kitchen in South Florida and she said to me… “Where are you so in a rush to?? Sit down! Have a cookie and a glass of wine!”

This month it began to click in a whole new way that life truly is what’s happening in THIS MOMENT. We will never find fulfillment by attaching it to some external goal in the future. Having a constant focus on future goals and finding happiness only when we reach them is a recipe for suffering.

While I feel like this is something I’ll need to continue reminding myself of, maybe forever,  I feel like I understand it on a whole new level now.

And looking back on February, there truly were so many moments to savor like…

• laughing and crying with my new soul family in Peru during our last meal together.

• dancing to “Heyyy… Mamma rock me” at a farmer’s market with my Mom in Tucson.

• stopping on the side of the road in Albuquerque to admire the sunset and thinking “Damn, what a life.”

• standing alone on top of the Sandia Mountains with the wind whipping through my hair, feeling a little bit scared, and a whole lot alive.

Feeling grateful for all the beauty that can be found – right here. Right now.

March was all about letting go of the attachment to things working out a certain way and being open to the Universe having better plans than I could imagine.

This doesn’t mean sitting back and doing nothing though…

It’s about that balance of putting an intention out into the Universe, taking action to move towards it, while also being open to things showing up in your life differently than you might have thought.

For me this month that looked like…

- being sick for all of SXSW in Austin, only to make it to the one event I really wanted to see

- getting stood up on a dating app date only to meet someone I vibed with in person unexpectedly

- new client opportunities showing up I had never considered before, yet were totally aligned with my strengths and passions

- struggling to make plans for New Orleans work out, which led to the idea of celebrating my birthday in South Florida with my family

And so many more moments, big and small.

This was a big reminder that…

Even if things feel like they’re “not working out”, maybe it’s just that something more aligned with you is right around the corner.

Around my birthday is always a reflective time for me…

I pull new oracle card themes for the year, take time to look back on the previous year, and spend time imagining what I aim to create during this next trip around the Sun.

What came up for me this time is realizing I’d been looking at this year on the road as this kind of magical closed container, after which I’d be going back to my “real life.”

What I realized though, with some help from Jeanie Baker, is that… this IS my real life.

April was all about fully stepping into and embracing the life I choose to live and actively get to create every day. A life where…

• I have the freedom to travel and live all over the country and all over the world

• I am a courageous entrepreneur who is growing and expanding every day while getting to help others do the same

• I create deep relationships with family, friends and partners no matter where I’m living

• I enjoy exactly where I’m at NOW, while still working towards the future of my dreams

And while it’s not always easy and the path is not always clear, this life I choose to live is always 100% worth it.

During the month of May I was invited again and again to surrender my need to control, be open to changing directions and welcome whatever was showing up in my life, exactly as it is.

This showed up in a million ways, big and small like…

• canceled events that made space for something else

• podcast interviews that fell through with new ones to appear

• a Wild Herb Medicine Internship that was different than I expected

• spending my time at Buddhist Dharma talks instead of going on dates

• it taking longer to find my groove at first in Asheville only to extend my stay a month

• getting redirected or rained out on trails only to find the most magical spot down another path

and the list goes on and on…

In those moments were things weren’t going how I thought they “should”, especially when I felt myself starting to panic and trying to control the situation.. I would tell myself…

B R E A T H E. Nothing has gone wrong here.

What if they turn out better than you ever could have  expected?