She Hit Refresh

Welcome to Season 4 of the She Hit Refresh podcast. A podcast for women age 30 and up who want to break free from routine and start a life of travel. Specifically women who want to move abroad or travel the world long-term. I sit down with women who have made their refresh dreams come true and discuss how and why they moved abroad or hit the road to travel.  

This episode is a special one as it's a recap of our 2022 She Hit Refresh Mijas, Spain retreat that I hosted in April. I sit down with Astrid Provence who is an experienced global facilitator, coach, speaker, and performance artist from South Africa who joined me at the retreat to help facilitate sessions throughout the week. Come listen as we give you an insight into what the retreat is all about!

What we discuss

• The origins of the She Hit Retreat
• The purpose of the retreat
• What kinds of women attend the retreat
• Why they attend the retreat
• Where the retreat took place
• The workshops we led
• What excursions we had
• What we all did in our free time during the week
• and much more!
  

About Astrid

Astrid Provénce (She/Her) is an experienced global facilitator, coach, speaker, and performance artist from South Africa, now based in Madrid, Spain. 

She has spent over 8 years studying personal development, leadership, and spiritual principles. She has worked internationally, having developed and led workshops in over 10 countries. 

Having studied with The International Coach Federation (ICF), Landmark Worldwide, and great teachers like the late Shakti Malan at Shakti Shiva Academy and Mary Morrisey at The Brave Thinking Institute, she has honed her skills in holding groups through deep processes. 

Like many women, she grew up in a culture that did not guide, celebrate, or support her sexual development. She embarked on her own sexual awakening in her early thirties that helped her shed layers of shame and disconnection from herself. This led her on a journey to find her passion as a guide to support women in their own re-membering of their pure and empowering erotic nature. She coaches women in sensual wellness, to find their confidence from within, and live a joyful and juicy life.

Welcome to Season 4 of the She Hit Refresh podcast. A podcast for women age 30 and up who want to break free from routine and start a life of travel. Specifically women who want to move abroad or travel the world long-term. I sit down with women who have made their refresh dreams come true and discuss how and why they moved abroad or hit the road to travel.

In this episode I speak with Siobhan Farr who is 65 years young! In early 2020, right before the pandemic, she was embarking on her solo adventure of ‘6 Countries x 6 Months’ in her 60s! She had planned to spend 3 weeks in Ecuador but due to the pandemic that turned into 13 months! She became an unIntentional Digital Nomad which led her to start Digital Nomads Beyond 50; an online community for people in their late 40s+ who are currently travel/working, planning to, or just curious.

What we discuss

• How and why she embarked on her 6 countries in 6 months at 60
• What it was like to get be in Ecuador for 13 months during the pandemic
• How she became an unintentional nomad
• How she makes a living as a digital nomad
• Her advice for women 50+ who feel like it's too late to change their life
• Her community Digital Nomads Beyond 50
• and much more!

About Siobhan

In 2019 she started selling off 30 years of her Dallas, Texas life to begin her nomad years on 4 March 2020. Siobhan was looking forward to adding new countries to the 34 she had already visited. However, the pandemic locked her in the first destination of her ‘6 Countries x 6 Months’ 2020 itinerary. Those initial three weeks in Ecuador stretched to 13 months!

As a result, Siobhan pivoted her plans to market and manage her business full-time remotely; she became an Unintentional Digital Nomad. In search of others who are older Location Independents, her personal experience growing a meet-up to 1300 members led her to become the Spark Originator of Digital Nomads Beyond 50.

DNB50 is an online community for people in their late 40s+ who currently travel/work, plan to, or are just curious about this life. She turned to her previous profession in corporate Learning & Development to organize the DNB50 Virtual Summit June 2021, 30+ topics presented by 28 experts. This June in Medellin, Colombia she’ll host the first Digital Nomad CoLiveWork specifically designed for older nomads!

Siobhan is truly a home-free Digital Nomad. She has no permanent base; her home is wherever I lay my head on the pillow that night.

September - December she's back in Dallas to work in-person Medicare and ObamaCare Annual Enrollment. The other eight months of the year, from various global locations, she serves her clients via internet.

Welcome to Season 4 of the She Hit Refresh podcast.  A podcast for women age 30 and up who want to break free from routine and start a life of travel. Specifically women who want to move abroad or travel the world long-term. I sit down with women who have made their refresh dreams come true and discuss how and why they moved abroad or hit the road to travel.

In this episode I speak with Jessica Ellerbrock who is 45 years young and originally from Ohio. Jessica moved up the ranks in retail buying working for large corporations like The Men's Warehouse and Sears but when she was unexpectedly let go after a 10 year run she not only lost her job but also her identity. So she did what any refresher would do in times of uncertainty, she hit the road to travel! Travel has taken Jessica all over the world and has led her to find her purpose and passion. Listen in as Jessica tells us how her road of refreshes led her to London where she currently works as a Sales & Operations Manager for a social enterprise that employs women in creative arts.

What we discuss

• How losing a job in corporate America led to a loss of identity
• The healing process of Walking the Camino de Santiago 
• Losing her mom at 27 to breast cancer and how (and when) she dealt with the loss
• How hitting brought awareness to her trauma and allowed her to seek help
• How a Kiva fellowship to Rwanda in microfinance set her on a whole different path
• Her subscription box Wanderkarma 
• Doing a masters at age 41 and changing careers 
• How she went to volunteer in Greece at a refugee camp and ended up getting a job in London
• How she found her passion from her refresh journey
• What helped keep her moving forward during the uncertainty
• and more!
  

About Jessica

Jessica always had wanderlust, but never had time. At 38 she lost her job in Corporate America and immediately took a refresh backpacking trip through Europe. She spent 2 months in Spain - 1 of those months was spent walking the Camino de Santiago. This journey showed her that she had a lot of work to do on healing from the death of her mother.

Since then, the journey continues from volunteering in microfinance in Rwanda, going back for her masters, and to now working with a social enterprise employing refugee women in creative products.

Her passion is her own small business - Wanderkarma, which is a subscription travel box supporting local artists in a new country each month. 

Welcome to Season 4 of the She Hit Refresh podcast.  A podcast for women age 30 and up who want to break free from routine and start a life of travel. Specifically women who want to move abroad or travel the world long-term. I sit down with women who have made their refresh dreams come true and discuss how and why they moved abroad or hit the road to travel.

In this episode I speak with Christine Job, 35 years young, originally from Atlanta but after experiencing a severe bout of "burnout" she took the leap abroad and landed in Spain where she has been flourishing ever since. Listen in to hear about her journey and how she's been able to create a beautiful life and sustainable business abroad.

What we discuss

• How burnout led her to move abroad
• The life affirming experience of walking the Camino de Santiago
• How she went from teaching English in Spain to Entrepreneurship
• How she helps Black women & WOC create sustainable businesses
• How living abroad can be a pathway to wellness
• Creating a life on your own terms and the work that comes with it
• Why we should listen to the little nudges and ideas that come to us
• Why it's important to stay curious, get clarity, and be honest with ourselves
  

About Christine

Christine Job is a Business Strategist & Host of the "Flourish in the Foreign" podcast which elevates & affirms the voices & stories of Black women living & thriving abroad. Her podcast also explores living abroad as a pathway to wellness. As a Business Strategist, she helps Black women & WOC leverage their talents & expertise into viable & sustainable online businesses. She believes that you can be both professionally fulfilled and financially abundant while you pursue a thriving life abroad. She is originally from Atlanta, but after experiencing a severe bout of "burnout" she took the leap abroad and landed in Spain where she has been flourishing ever since.

Welcome to Season 4 of the She Hit Refresh podcast.  A podcast for women age 30 and up who want to break free from routine and start a life of travel. Specifically women who want to move abroad or travel the world long-term. I sit down with women who have made their refresh dreams come true and discuss how and why they moved abroad or hit the road to travel.

In this episode I speak with Maria Rivera, 48 years young. Maria was born in Puerto Rico and grew up in Alabama and spent the past 22 years of her life in Texas before moving to northern Spain for love! If you are looking for love then this episode is for you! Maria gives us all her best advice for setting yourself up for success to find the partner you deserve.

What we discuss:

• Finding in love at 44 in the most unexpected places
• Dating long-distance between continents
• Moving abroad for love
• Advice for finding love “later in life”
• Overcoming limiting beliefs
• Creating a business model that allows you to work from anywhere in the world
• What life is like living in the Basque Country (northern Spain)
• How her mom followed her to Spain at the age of 73!
• and much much more!

About Maria
Maria Rivera is a former New York City advertising copywriter and University of Texas at Austin lecturer. She is the founder of Haven Abode Properties Group at Team Price Real Estate in Austin, TX (havenabode.com) and lives in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain with her husband and scruffy terrier, Frankie. She writes about creativity, relationships, Spain, guts and reinvention. She loves inspiring women to live their most creative life.

Welcome to Season 4 of the She Hit Refresh podcast.  A podcast for women age 30 and up who want to break free from routine and start a life of travel. Specifically women who want to move abroad or travel the world long-term. I sit down with women who have made their refresh dreams come true and discuss how and why they moved abroad or hit the road to travel.

In this episode I speak to Dr. Kate Green, mother of 5,  who is currently a professor of psychology in the United Arab Emirates. Tune in to hear about her life in the Middle East and how she's chosen to educate her kids as they've moved around the world.

What we discuss

• What life is like in the United Arab Emirates
• Raising a family of 5 around the world
• What exactly is unschooling and worldschooling?
• Advice for parents who want to travel and move abroad with kids
• Why having a safety net, even if you’re married, is so important
• and more!
  

About Kate

As a life-long explorer and lover of learning, Kate Green has lived and worked around the world. She is currently back in the Middle East for a year as a professor of psychology and has moved her family to this region twice before this to help start new universities.

Kate has five children born in various places around the world who are now successful young adults and teens (two still living at home) who have all been worldschooled using an unschooling approach to learning. The older three now live in varying international locations and are now 4th generation Third Culture Kids. As a former Dean and professor of psychology and education, worldschooling has often led to interesting clashes with formal systems versus out-of-the-box learning!

Because of these, she now helps other parents who want to step out of limiting systems to find a new path in their family’s learning journey. The family is currently using a large white board to try and map out where they should move to next summer; getting a PhD was much easier than this. The ideas are numerous!

Welcome to Season 4 of the She Hit Refresh podcast.  A podcast for women age 30 and up who want to break free from routine and start a life of travel. Specifically women who want to move abroad or travel the world long-term. I sit down with women who have made their refresh dreams come true and discuss how and why they moved abroad or hit the road to travel.

In this episode I speak to Amy Scott of Nomadtopia. Amy is 46, a mother of two (twins), and currently lives in Mexico. Tune in to hear about her inspiring story of quitting her job at 29 to travel the world and how it changed the trajectory of her life.

What we discuss

• Quitting your job to travel
• How she ended up living in Argentina
• Traveling the world with your partner
• Slowing down a nomadic lifestyle and staying in one place
• What life in Mexico has been like
• Having kids in your 40s
• Raising kids and living abroad during the pandemic
• and much more!

About Amy

Originally from the United States and currently based in Santiago de Querétaro, Mexico, Amy Scott has spent the past 16 years traveling the world and living abroad while running multiple businesses. She’s passionate about helping entrepreneurs, freelancers, and remote workers harness the power of location independence to create freedom in their life and work. As the founder of Nomadtopia, Amy connects and supports people around the globe who are building their own version of a location-independent lifestyle (aka Nomadtopia).

Clients and colleagues call her “the queen of location independence,” “a true travel/work expert,” and “the go-to resource for anyone looking to make their living while traveling the world.” When she’s not sharing resources with her community or interviewing fellow nomads for her podcast, Amy can be found reading books of all genres, tasting local delicacies, and exploring new places or relaxing in the park with her Argentine husband and their Mexico-born twin toddlers.

Welcome to Season 4 of the She Hit Refresh podcast.  A podcast for women age 30 and up who want to break free from routine and start a life of travel. Specifically women who want to move abroad or travel the world long-term. I sit down with women who have made their refresh dreams come true and discuss how and why they moved abroad or hit the road to travel.

In this episode I speak with Jacinda Fuller, an American living in Spain. Jacinda moved abroad just about 6 months after the pandemic hit the world. Listen in to see why she left the U.S., what it was like to move during unprecedented times, and how life in Spain has been!

What we discuss

Welcome to Season 4 of the She Hit Refresh podcast. A podcast for women age 30 and up who want to break free from routine and start a life of travel. Specifically women who want to move abroad or travel the world long-term. I sit down with women who have made their refresh dreams come true and discuss how and why they moved abroad or hit the road to travel.

In this episode I speak to Melanie Hamlett. Melanie from the U.S., 43 and living her best life in France! This was such a fun conversation and I think you're going to love it!

What we discuss

Welcome to Season 4 of the She Hit Refresh podcast. A podcast for women age 30 and up who want to break free from routine and start a life of travel. Specifically women who want to move abroad or travel the world long-term. I sit down with women who have made their refresh dreams come true and discuss how and why they moved abroad or hit the road to travel.

In this episode I speak to Kristin Montgomery a teacher from Wisconsin who has been able to take her profession around the world. She is currently living in Colombia and shares her insights on living in Medellin and teaching abroad.

What we discuss

Welcome to Season 4 of the She Hit Refresh podcast.  A podcast for women age 30 and up who want to break free from routine and start a life of travel. Specifically women who want to move abroad or travel the world long-term. I sit down with women who have made their refresh dreams come true and discuss how and why they moved abroad or hit the road to travel.

In this episode I speak to Lucy Liu, not Charlie’s angels or Ally McBeal, but an equally if not more inspirational Lucy Liu! A fellow podcaster, I met Lucy when we were both on a panel at the virtual summit, Podthon. I'm excited to share her story for many reasons, and especially because this is our first guest who has relocated to Taiwan!
 

What we discuss

• What it's been like to live in Taiwan for two decades
• What are the challenges and opportunities of living in Taiwan
• How she transitioned from being a financial advisor to becoming a life coach
• What is a life coach and what they can do for you
• What it's like to raise a child between to countries and cultures
• Why it’s important to find your community
  

About Lucy

Welcome to Season 4 of the She Hit Refresh podcast.  A podcast for women age 30 and up who want to break free from routine and start a life of travel. Specifically women who want to move abroad or travel the world long-term. I sit down with women who have made their refresh dreams come true and discuss how and why they moved abroad or hit the road to travel.

Welcome to Season 4 of the She Hit Refresh podcast.  A podcast for women age 30 and up who want to break free from routine and start a life of travel. Specifically women who want to move abroad or travel the world long-term. I sit down with women who have made their refresh dreams come true and discuss how and why they moved abroad or hit the road to travel.

In this episode I speak to Marla Stein! I met Marla virtually are few years ago in the the She Hit Refresh facebook group. At the time she was teaching English in South Korea and since then she’s become a moderator for our online community, a content writer for our website, she’s joined us in Morocco on our 2020 retreat, and last but not least she’s become a wonderful friend who I was so excited to finally have on the podcast!

Life has thrown a lot of curveballs at Marla which we'll talk about in this episode and she'll also share how she's been able to find opportunities in every challenge.

What we discuss

• What the non-lucrative visas for Spain process has been like during COVID
• Why she moved to South Korea and what it's like to teach English there
• How being diagnosed with breast cancer in her early 30s impacted her life
• How to transitioned from non-profit fundraising into content writing (she's a writer for She Hit Refresh!)
• How she's turned the adversities in her life into opportunities
• and more!
  

About Marla

Originally from New York, Marla is a wanderlust who thrives on adventure and new experiences. To date, she's traveled to close to 40 countries and has lived in London, Tel Aviv, San Francisco, Boston, and South Korea. At the moment, she's eagerly waiting for her visa for Spain to come through so she can hit refresh in Europe.

Marla holds a Bachelor's in Psychology and a Master Degree in International and Intercultural Studies. She's also a former non-profit fundraising director and has worked for health, education, and international focused organizations.

While she's hit refresh numerous times, one of her most "extreme" changes was saying goodbye to her career and social life in San Francisco to teach English as a Second Language in a small town in South Korea. Since then, she's launched Marlita's Atlas Writing Service and creates content for clients in T.H.E (Travel, Health, and Education) industries. Her clients include one of the largest travel information sites in the United States and She Hit Refresh.

Welcome to Season 4 of the She Hit Refresh podcast.  A podcast for women age 30 and up who want to break free from routine and start a life of travel. Specifically women who want to move abroad or travel the world long-term. I sit down with women who have made their refresh dreams come true and discuss how and why they moved abroad or hit the road to travel.

Welcome to Season 3 where I speak to women in the travel industry who are making an impact and helping others live their best lives. We talk about everything including corporate runaway stories, remote work tips, grief and travel, planning for retirement, solo female travel, moving abroad, building generational income, and much more!

In this bonus episode I speak to She Hit Refresh member Lori Tharps about her upcoming move from the U.S. to Spain with her husband and two children. At the time of recording this podcast Lori was just 9 days away from hopping on a plane and making her life abroad dream with her family a reality! 

Listen in as  Lori gives us an insight into those last final days of closing up shop on your life in one country and prepping for a big move with your family to another continent. Is she packed? What do the kids think? Did she quit her job? Is she nervous? Where will she live and so much more!  What makes this episode really special is that in 6 months we’ll be checking in with Lori to see how her life has unfolded in Spain since we last talked!

Lori L. Tharps is an author, journalist, educator, and podcast host who uses her words to spark conversation and change around issues of race and diversity. She is the author of the book, Hair Story: Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America and the memoir, Kinky Gazpacho: Life, Love & Spain and she has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, Essence and Glamour magazines. Lori is the mother of three, can say, "I Love You" in seven languages and considers any independent bookstore her happy place.

Welcome to Season 3 where I speak to women in the travel industry who are making an impact and helping others live their best lives. We talk about everything including corporate runaway stories, remote work tips, grief and travel, planning for retirement, solo female travel, moving abroad, building generational income, and much more!

Welcome to Season 3 where I speak to women in the travel industry who are making an impact and helping others live their best lives. We cover everything including corporate runaway stories, remote work tips, grief and travel, planning for retirement, solo female travel, moving abroad, building generational income, and much more!

In this episode with my friend, mentor and source of inspiration, Sienna J. Brown. Sienna is the founder of Master Your Move Abroad where she teaches women how to find the clarity, career and community they need to build a life abroad on their own terms. Her mission is to empower and elevate women in their personal and professional lives. She's been featured in international publications like Vogue, CNN, Travel & Leisure, TEDx and more.

What we discuss

• Her move from the U.S. to Spain
• Her life and career pre-Spain including a stint at Vera Wang
• How she went from teaching English abroad to getting hired by a Spanish company and founding her business
• Her advice for those who want to live abroad but don't want to teach English
• The challenges she's faced abroad
• How she's been able to create a life she loves
• What a typical day in Javea for her looks like
• What holds most people back from success
• and much much more!
  

About Sienna

Sienna J. Brown is the founder of Master Your Move Abroad where she teaches women how to find the clarity, career and community they need to build a life abroad on their own terms. Her mission is to empower and elevate women in their personal and professional lives. She's been featured in international publications like Vogue, CNN, Travel & Leisure, TEDx and more

Welcome to Season 3 where I speak to women in the travel industry who are making an impact and helping others live their best lives. We cover everything including corporate runaway stories, remote work tips, grief and travel, planning for retirement, solo female travel, moving abroad, building generational income, and much more!

Welcome to Season 3 where I speak to women in the travel industry who are making an impact and helping others live their best lives. We cover everything including corporate runaway stories, remote work tips, grief and travel, planning for retirement, solo female travel, moving abroad, building generational income, and much more!

In this episode I speak with Rachel V. Hill. Rachel is a trailblazing Travelpreneur, Speaker, and Published Author who joins us to talk about moving and living abroad during the pandemic. 

This is a question that comes up a lot in our community! People want to know if they can move abroad, if they should move abroad, and how to move abroad during these unprecedented times. Rachel will cover all this and more (she even takes a few community questions)! And share with us her own move abroad – to Mexico in the midst of COVID.

What we discuss: 

• Her “retirement” from corporate America and how she launched a successful six-figure travel influencer brand
• How she prepared to travel the world long-term
• Her advice for women who want to hit refresh but are paralyzed by fear and the unknown
• If moving abroad during the pandemic is possible
• How she moved to Mexico in 2020
• What you need to be aware of before making the leap in the current state of the world
• How to find official COVID-19 protocol resources in your new country
• How to deal with COVID-19 related challenges on your own abroad?
• and much much more!

About Rachel

Named one of the “11 Influential Black Women in Travel You Should Know” by Travel Noire, Rachel V. Hill is a trailblazing Travelpreneur, Speaker, and Published Author. With a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) in Marketing, she has merged her expertise in Tech and Digital Marketing and passion for travel into a global brand.

Welcome to Season 3 where I speak to women in the travel industry who are making an impact and helping others live their best lives. We cover everything including corporate runaway stories, remote work tips, grief and travel, planning for retirement, solo female travel, moving abroad, building generational income, and much more!

Welcome to Season 3 where I’ll be speaking to women in the travel industry who are making an impact and helping others live their best lives. We’ll be covering corporate runaway stories, remote work tips, grief and travel, planning for retirement, solo female travel, moving abroad, building generational income, and much more!

In this episode I speak with my friend and mentor Jakiya Brown Thiaw who I met in 2018 at a Blogger’s Bootcamp in Javea, Spain. Jakiya left the corporate world in 2016 to travel the world and since then has gone on to create her own brand The Traveling Fro where she helps transform aspiring entrepreneurs into to business owners.

What we discuss

• Her corporate runaway story, going from a lead brand manager to successful business owner
• What freedom means to her, especially as a Black-American woman
• The highs and lows of the entrepreneurs journey...and how to keep going when you want to give up
• How travel changed her perception of what was possible in life
• Why she moved to Senegal
• The importance of knowing the impact you want to make
• Why helping the Black community create  generational income is important to her (and how she does that)
• Lessons learned from a unpredictable 2020
  

About Jakiya

In 2016, Jakiya left the corporate side of beauty as a lead brand manager for brands like Giorgio Armani, Lancôme and Philosophy to pursue her dream of traveling the world.

Along the way, she reconnected with her unique gift of highly-engaged storytelling, built a community of over 20K, was featured in publications like Oprah Magazine and worked to grow hundreds of companies and personal brands with her fresh branding strategies and techniques.

She now consults tired 9-5ers, entrepreneurs, influencers, full-time business owners, and everyday 'grammers a-like, on strategies and systems she's used on $4M-$400M businesses to transform aspiring entrepreneurs into to business owners, ideas into income, and stories into impact; by building a solid business around their story, skillset & expertise.

Welcome to Season 3 where I’ll be speaking to women in the travel industry who are having an impact on the travel industry and helping others live their best lives. We’ll be covering corporate runaway stories, remote work tips, grief and travel, planning for retirement, solo female travel, moving abroad, building generational income, and much more!

In this episode I speak to Nanette Fairley who I met in 2019 at the Digital Nomad Girls Retreat. She has gone on to co-found WhatNextology which is a diverse community of inspiring individuals who are getting ready to or have already retired. Listen in as we cover moving into your Third Age.

What we discuss

• Her corporate runaway story from large corporate roles and entrepreneurship to traveling the world in her 50s
• What her role as a business psychologist in her former life actually entailed
• The inspiration behind WhatNextology
• What to think about when planning for retirement...and why it's so much more than finances
• How does one know if they are financially ready to retire?
• Advice for those who are over 50 but aren't financially where they need to be to retire?
• Her perspective on being childfree

About Nanette

Nanette's plans for her Third Age which involves travelling in slo-mo around the globe, are currently on hold with the current health crises. However, she has been SO lucky to be spending COVID non-travel time in Australia with her family, something, as an expat, she has not done in 28+ years.

A business psychologist by training, Nanette has more than thirty years’ experience in the corporate world, primarily in management consulting and the aviation industry. Her role has varied from culture and change projects to supporting individuals make the most of their talents and careers through leadership development, talent management, and developmental assessment.

Since leaving full-time employment Nanette founded WhatNextology, a resource for those wanting to make the most of their life after full-time work and family commitments. WhatNextology provides community,  support, ideas and inspiration for those planning their what's next in their Third Age.

As well as working in large corporate roles, Nanette set up a bricks and mortar business in 1998 which was acquired in 2018 by a dynamic US corporate with global expansion plans.

Welcome to Season 3 where I’ll be speaking to women in the travel industry who are having an impact on the travel industry and helping others live their best lives. We’ll be covering corporate runaway stories, remote work tips, grief and travel, planning for retirement, solo female travel, moving abroad, building generational income, and much more!

In this episode I sit down with Yaa Priscilla Birago to talk about her exciting new venture Femmebnb. Yaa is a mentor, speaker, IT consultant, philanthropist and a social entrepreneur. She is the Co-founder and CEO of Femmebnb Inc., the first social networking vacation and short-term rental platform that allows women to rent their spaces to other women in hopes of maximizing safety, comfort, and peace of mind.

What we discuss

• The inspiration behind Femmebnb
• Do female only spaces discriminate against men?
• Where her passion for passion for travel technology, women travel safety, and improving women’s travel experiences across the globe came from
• How she made the leap from Criminology and Sociology to Information Technology and Travel
• How FemmeBnB addresses diversity and inclusion in the travel industry
• As a business owner does she ever face imposter syndrome
• Traveling with and without kids

About Yaa

Yaa Priscilla Birago is a mentor, speaker, IT consultant, philanthropist and a social entrepreneur. She is the Co-founder and CEO of Femmebnb Inc., the first social networking vacation and short-term rental platform that allows women to rent their spaces to other women in hopes of maximizing safety, comfort, and peace of mind.

She created the company to provide a safe space, peace of mind and a community for women travelers after she had a terrifying experience as a solo traveler in Rome. Yaa holds a B.A degree in Criminology and Sociology from the University of Windsor but her passion for tech, women and children advancement has led her into the Information Technology and Non-Profit sector for the past 10 years.

Yaa is also the Co-Founder and President of Hands of a Hero Foundation (HOHF), a non-profit organization that provides workshop, mentorship, leadership, art and career development programs for youth and children in Canada and Ghana. Under her leadership, the organization has executed many impactful programs and projects. HOHF was a recipient of the Global Impact Award by JIC Awards of Excellence.

Yaa was a recipient of Women’s Courage International Award and she was named as a Black Canadian Role Model and Top 100 Black Women to watch in Canada. She was also selected as Top30 under30 Pioneers by FOG and in March 2020, she was recognized as WOCStar Woman to watch. Yaa is passionate and enthusiastic about youth development, travel technology, women travel safety, sustainable travel, and improving women’s travel experiences across the globe.

Welcome to Season 3 where I’ll be speaking to women in the travel industry who are having an impact on the travel industry and helping others live their best lives. We’ll be covering corporate runaway stories, remote work tips, grief and travel, planning for retirement, solo female travel, moving abroad, building generational income, and much more!

Welcome to season 3 where I’ll be speaking to women in the travel industry who are having an impact on the travel industry and helping others live their best lives. We'll be covering corporate runaway stories, remote work tips, grief and travel, planning for retirement, solo female travel, moving abroad, building generational income, and much more!

This is the first episode of season three of the She Hit Refresh podcast! We’ve taken a long hiatus but I’m so glad to be back with this spectacular season. As you may remember in Season two we interviewed women from the She Hit Refresh community who had hit refresh and started living the lives they had always dreamed of, women in their 30s, 40s, 50s, and 60s.

In this season I’ll be speaking to women in the travel industry who are having an impact on the travel and helping others live their best lives. We'll cover corporate runaway stories, remote work tips, grief and travel, planning for retirement, solo female travel, moving abroad, building generational income, and much more!

This is the last episode of season two. It's been a wonderful season full of personal refresh stories from our members. If you've ever thought about radically changing your life and fulfilling that need to travel or move away you're in luck.

First up we have Lynn Strough, who lived the conventional life of wife, mother, and working in a cubical. After a divorce and job layoff she took the opportunity to forge a new path and travel the world on her own at 56. Then we'll hear from Elizabeth Quintal a Houstonian who was ready to leave Texas for somewhere and chose Madrid as her new home. But she didn't come alone, it was a family affair, she moved here in her 30s with her husband and son.

What We Discuss

• Life after divorce and a job layoff
• What it's like to hit refresh in your 50s
• Facing agism in the workplace
• Taking life on the road for 4 years as a solo traveler
• How to travel on a budget
• What's it like to stay in a hostel
• Leaving the American dream behind for a better life abroad
• What it's like to move abroad with a family
• Moving to Spain without knowing Spanish
• What are the best parts about living in Madrid
• What has been the most surprising thing about moving to Spain
• It's about the journey not the destination

About Lynn

At age 56 after a perfect storm of job layoff, divorce, and giving up her home, Lynn hit refresh by selling almost all of her possessions and taking off with just a backpack to travel around the world solo on a shoestring for a year. This morphed into almost 4 years! She has house and pet sat, stayed in hostels, even couch surfed, in 15 countries, from Australia to SE Asia, to Eastern and Western Europe. Currently, she's back in her home state of Michigan after my daughter had a baby. While she's not sure when, she's pretty sure this won’t be her permanent landing pad, as wanderlust runs through her veins.

Are you thinking of Moving to Madrid? In this episode we hear from two friends of mine who I met in this magical city. Both left North America to see what Spain had in store for them and by moving abroad they've been able to redefine their lives.

What We Discuss

In this episode we’ll here from two women who fell out of love with their careers and changed directions in their 40s. There are two very different journeys but both very inspiring!

What We Discuss

• What it's like to change your life in your 40s!
• Complete career change: working with at risk youth and to helping female solo-preneurs
• Why you shouldn't quit your day job before you start your side-hustle
• Why hitting refresh is easier than you think
• Advice for what to charge for your products and services as an entrepreneur
• What is a money archetype
• How a pattern interrupter like travel can positively effect mental health
• How to go from working for a large consulting firm to freelancing, and then to building an online business
• Why it's important to chase "Buzzwords"
• How to hit refresh with children
• Dealing with a mother's guilt
• Having faith that everything will work out

About Wendy

Wendy mentors committed female entrepreneurs who are established in the marketplace, have a message that makes an IMPACT, and are marketing their business online but are struggling to generate any premium sales.

She coaches them to confidently step into their visibility, reach a wider audience, and create more clients and financial freedom in a way that is easy, fun and feminine.

In this episode I speak to two women in their 60's who have taken control of the narrative of their life. Wanting to fulfill and dream and live a life they love, they took action and made it happen. Both women still reside in North America, which means you don't need to move abroad to hit refresh!

First up we have Janice Tomich, from Vancouver and 62 years young! After a long career as a dental technician she developed an allergy that caused her to leave her career and start anew. Find out how she went from that to a communication specialist!

Next I'll talk to Peggy, who is from the U.S. and 63 years young. She recently retired from a 39 year career in Public Health and started a life on the road as an RVer!

What We Discuss

• Completely changing your career path later in life
• What it’s like to go back to university in your 40’s
• Evolving and extreme growth and how that can affect a relationship
• What it takes to start your own business and succeed
• Exploring travel later in life after raising a family and focusing on your career
• Retiring after a 39 year long career
• The RV life and what it’s all about and how to get started
• How losing the ones we love can be a catalyst to hitting refresh
• Living out your dream when your partner has other plans
• How to stay safe on the road as a solo female RVer
• Tips for preparing for retirement
• Finding your tribe online

About Janice

Janice Tomich is a communication specialist located in Vancouver, Canada that believes everyone has a story to tell...one that people will sit up and take notice of.

Janice works with professionals and executives, either in person or online, to improve their public speaking skills to help them create winning presentations and speeches. She also coaches clients to use powerful, clear language to create a confident presence, which often rockets their business growth or career trajectory.

In this episode we'll talk to two women in their 40s who started a whole new career path and found a way to take their work online. Kelly Rodriguez shares how she went from marketer to a grade school teacher to a fully remote job in education! While she hasn't relocated yet, she found a way to untether her life, take her work with her on the road, and spend summers in Spain. Not every refresh means moving half-way across the world. Bonni Wildesen Hise found her refresh when she lost 100 pounds and went from working as an event planner to becoming a health practitioner. She shares her journey of weight loss and how that changed her life's possibilities.

What We Discuss

• Changing career paths from marketer to educator
• How to take your brick and mortar teaching job 100% online
• Making leaps in life at any age
• What it's like to have a summer home in Spain
• Manifestation and creating a life you love
• The power of community and building relationships to help you realize your dreams
• Following your curiosity to find your passion
• The freedom that comes with aging
• How hitting refresh doesn't always mean moving to the to the other side of the world
• The weight loss journey and how that can change your life's possibilities
• Becoming a Holistic Health Practitioner, Nutritionist, and Fitness Trainer
• Traveling with pets

About Kelly

Kelly is a former marketer turned educator with a passion for personal development in the form of lifestyle design. After twenty years in a traditional classroom, she refreshed her career in teaching to work 100% remotely with high school students in Europe who are earning a second high school diploma here in the U.S.

In addition to teaching, she has dabbled in writing and public speaking, and most recently, spoke a women’s conference leading guests through an activity in visualization and goal setting. She and her husband spend part of every year in northwest Spain, where they plan to set up a home base while they travel and enjoy the flexibility of a remote career. Kelly is a language learner, a lover of all things food, and a morning routine enthusiast.

In this episode you'll hear from two friends of mine that I met in Madrid who have lived in the city since the early 2010's, long enough to call Madrid home. As you know, I love this city and one of the highlights of living here is the incredible community of women that I have met. Listen in as Jo, a 35-year old Canadian, no stranger to hitting refresh has continued reinventing herself here in Spain. I'll also talk to Maria, a 40-year old from Wisconsin, who shares with us how she's navigated the twists and turns of life abroad and what keeps here here.

What We Discuss

• Coming to Madrid without a plan and finding a way to make it work
• The pros and cons of living in Spain
• Why "home" no longer feels like your place in the world
• How hitting refresh is an ongoing process
• Leaving a full-time job abroad to start a passion project
• Take aways from a 5 month motorcycle trip from Madrid to Kyrgyzstan
• Checking in with ourselves from time-to-time to understand what we really need
• Listening to your intuition and making decisions based on where it pulls you
• How a 6-12 month break in Madrid turned into 8 years!
• The feeling of childlike wonder that comes with living abroad
• The differences between the U.S. and Spain regarding societal pressure of a single 30+, childfree woman
• How hitting refresh is a confidence booster
• Why we love Spain!

About Jo

Jo is Canadian, but living in Spain. Her most recent refreshes were leaving her job to create her own employment, shifting the industry of her career and leaving Madrid for 5 months to travel on a bike.

Are you ready to leave your draining corporate job to start your own online business? These two women did just that! In this episode we'll hear from Andreia Olaru who realized there was more to life than a fancy job title and living for the weekends. We'll also hear from Chardét Durbin, whose physical symptoms of stress caused by the work culture in NYC led her to hit refresh and move to the U.K.

What We Discuss

• How a change of environment can trigger buried emotions to surface
• Getting professional help and talking to a therapist to get to the root of the negative emotions
• Reprogramming your mindset and understanding that we are much more than our job title
• What is wealth and abundance? Money vs freedom
• Moving away from a 9-5 to building an online business
• The future of work, remote work, having flexibility in your job, and being a digital nomad
• Growing up a multi-cultured kid in mid-west America
• Moving from the U.S. to the U.K.
• How to get a visa to live and work in the U.K.
• Challenges of hitting refresh and being a "trailing spouse"
• What's like to start a company abroad
• Wanting to move back home to be close to family and friends

About Andreia

"Study hard, work hard, buy a house, live for the weekends, retire at 65." - That's what Andreia knew since she was a child. And like everybody else around her, she thought that this was normality. An unhappy period in her life forced her to snap out of this model. From 9-5 safe jobs to self-employment, the road wasn't easy. She had to re-program my whole set of beliefs and habits.

Now she's doing work aligned with her values and around her lifestyle. She helps young entrepreneurs to establish a digital presence when they launch their businesses. Andreia live in places she was only dreaming of going on vacations and waking up without an alarm is part of her daily routine. She doesn't believe in retirement and she does think we need to work tirelessly to see our dreams a reality now!

Do your parents, grandparents, or even great-grandparents hail from another country? In this episode we have two women from the U.S. who picked up their lives and moved to where their families come from. Paige Dygert moved to the Italian village of her ancestors. Her new home shares a wall with the house where her great-grandfather lived before he emigrated to the U.S. Katherine Maestas Ruiz recently hit refresh and moved to Spain! The birthplace of her mother and is starting a new life just a hop, skip, and a jump from where her ancestors lived.

What We Discuss

In today’s episode I interview two friends of mine that I met in Madrid. Both women are in their 30s, both hit refresh to escape the rat race and build a new life in Madrid. First we’ll talk to Kelly Flowers, a former retail buyer turned English teacher who makes the most of living abroad and her holiday-filled teaching scheduled. Fun fact: Kelly and I were roommates last year! Next up we have Becca Crespo, a New Yorker who wanted something more out of life than the constant work-grind, moved to Madrid, found love and created a whole new lifestyle for herself.

What We Discuss

Have you ever felt there must be more to life than a 9-5, or for some of us a 9-9, to pay the bills and keep up with the Jonses? In this episode we hear from two courageous women who ditched the desk to live a more purposeful life and hit the road with their husbands for full time travel. Ellen McGregor Kortan hit refresh in her 40s and found a way to travel full time on just $24,000 a year, for two people! Tara Marlow moved back to Australia, and with her daughter in college, finally started a life of travel, something she had long planned to do. Both women had wake-up calls which reinforced the truth that tomorrow is not guaranteed. 

What We Discuss

In this episode we'll here from two community builders in their 30s. First up is Jenny Lachs, founder of Digital Nomad Girls (DNG). DNG is a community for digital nomad women around the world which has quickly grown to over 20,000 members in the past 4 years! Jenny shares her fascinating journey from scientist to online business owner and the ups and downs along the way. Next we'll hear from Lou Stokes, a style and confidence coach who runs the beautiful Self Love Sisterhood community. Lou's originally from the UK and she now calls Madrid home. Listen in as she shares her personal journey of self-love and acceptance and how she helps other women learn how to love themselves.

About Jenny

In this episode we’ll hear from Cindy Sheahan, 58 years old, mother of four, originally from Chicago and for the past 20 years has called Denver home. Cindy recently discovered solo-travel and has spent almost two years traveling the world on her own!  We’ll also hear from Barbara Smith, a cancer survivor, mother of two, from the San Francisco Bay Area. She's 56 years old and moved to Thailand in 2016 to start a new life! 

What We Discuss

• Leaving a relationship that no longer serves you
• Learning how to be alone
• First time solo traveling and it's transformative powers!
• What are hostels really like? Are they just for 20 year olds?
• What is house sitting?
• Dating abroad with Tinder
• Surviving cancer and the silver-lining of the hardships of life
• The ups and downs of retiring abroad

About Cindy

After nearly 32 years of marriage, raising 4 amazing kids and working full-time, she hit refresh - and delete.  Cindy left her husband, got an apartment and quit her job to travel full time. Since then, she's traveled (mostly solo) to over 27 countries including Morocco, Madagascar and Turkey. Along the way, she began to find herself, started learning how to be alone, found a French lover on Tinder, walked the Camino, volunteered at an orphanage, housesat at a Tuscan villa, trekked in Nepal, paraglided in 4 countries, made new friends and started a travel blog.

If you've ever thought about moving abroad, changing careers, or just shaking up your life, but felt you were too old or it was too late, this season's podcast is for you!  Come get inspired as we share the stories of over 20 courageous women who took life by the horns and hit refresh! In this episode we'll hear from Jax Sanders, a 39 year old from New York whose experience with solo travel helped her build the confidence to make a drastic change and move to Sri Lanka! We'll also here from Astrid Provence, a curious, free-spirit from South Africa who came to Spain with a partner and found herself facing many unforeseen changes, including a conscious uncoupling, that reaffirmed her own strength. 

Jax

A solo traveler, from the States, and lover of Asia on a personal quest to seek out and explore cultures. Currently living in SEAsia, settled in Sri Lanka, running a B&B as well as working with local businesses, on the vertical of tourism, to assist in implementing modern working practices. Jax’s journey is still unfolding even after almost two years abroad as she focuses on how to live local in a developing country with a societal landscape and daily struggles opposite of her homeland while embracing the growth and raw exposure of the unique emotional experience.

Welcome to our final episode of Season 1 of the She Hit Refresh podcast!  Thank you so much for your support, it's been a great ride! To help us wrap up this season we have special guest Lisette Austin who here to help you lean how to earn free travel. She is an award travel expert and has racked up millions of airline miles and hotel points using regular household spending and travel credit cards, saving herself over $100K in travel costs!  

April 2019, in less than a year and a half of starting the She Hit Refresh online community, we ran our first ever retreat! Annette and I took a group of women to Morocco for a magical week of exploration, introspection, and inspiration. It exceeded every expectation we had! After spending 7 solid days with people you can't help but take away something powerful from the experience. In this episode Annette and I recap the retreat and talk about the 7 lessons we learned after spending a week with 12 incredible women. 

“There are consequences for squandering your gifts. There are penalties for leaving big pieces of your life unlived. You’re halfway to dead. Get a move on.”  Brené Brown