What SheTravels Means to Me
(And why I hope you’ll join us!)
May 4, 2021
All morning I've been a jumbled mix of emotions: excitement, anticipation, and a good amount of anxiety as itineraries and registration for the first SheTravels adventures went live. But I surprised myself when, standing at the sink, toothbrush in my mouth, I just started crying...a lot.
For the longest time I've been pinching myself trying to see when I would wake up from the dream this SheTravels launch has been feeling like...today it's finally sinking in that it's REAL and I'd like to share with you why it's bringing all the feels this morning. So here's a little bit of my story...
I'm 42 and feel like I'm finally moving in my life with purpose. Am I a late bloomer? Probably. But I'm also a black woman with an internalized habit of needing to "prove" my value and worth due to an external world that, time and again, tells me I don't matter. It's no wonder I spent 20 years saying "yes" to career opportunities that offered lots of external validation, yet years of internal misery. I owe my escape to many things, but first and foremost I owe it to the outdoors.
About 8 years ago I went to New Zealand and was in awe of the natural beauty we were immersed in - every corner we turned offered some magical new universe of virtually untouched, awe-inspiring natural beauty. Caught up in the amazingness, for the first time I dared to imagine the possibility of a life centered around nature instead of the stressful corporate environments that chipped away at pieces of my soul.
Looking back, I now recognize two significant things about that moment in time. First, that nugget of an imagined future was the very tiny seed that, 8 years later has blossomed as SheTravels Adventure Company. But more importantly, when I look back I now understand why the seed was able to make itself known in that environment. I now recognize the start of a pattern that has only become more clear as the years have passed: spending time in nature, especially the awe-inspiring kind, connects me to my own humanity, which in turn sets me free.
Some of you will immediately relate to what I'm talking about. How when you turn a corner on a trail and a panoramic view of mountain tops opens up, or when a still lake perfectly mirrors the trees beside it and your finger can send ripples through the whole thing; when the waterfall is so close the mist dampens your face, or when the fog rolling over a hill hides everything but the trail in front of you -- in these moments your brain isn't doing one other thing besides taking it all in. Whatever email you're supposed to send is forgotten. Whatever pressure you're under at work disappears. The dirty bedroom you meant to clean is a lost thought. Nature's beauty is a forcing mechanism and a gift - it pulls you into the moment and gives your brain and heart a much-needed rest.
When I think of the additional weight of navigating oppression that we as black women and women of color carry every day, I know how transformative it can be to experience nature's gift of rest. Vacationing in the outdoors has given that to me enough times that it's changed who I am as a person and how I walk through the world. It didn't happen overnight, but the more moments of rest nature provided for my head and heart, the more room opened up for my humanity.
I started SheTravels with the hope that more women will get to experience nature's gift of rest too; with the hope that despite the very real reservations and anxieties that sometimes keep us from taking advantage of opportunities in the outdoors, we can come together in supportive small-group communities to enjoy the outdoors together.
I have some brilliant and amazing friends who are already plotting for SheTravels to grow into a huge business, and I LOVE them so much for their excitement and support. Yet my drive isn't coming from a business outlook, it's coming from the stories of those same brilliant women and all they carry - stories that might sound a little like yours. It's you all who are on my mind as I find myself brushing my teeth through tears. It's you all I don't want to let down. And it's you all that I hope I get to deliver amazing experiences in the outdoors for. You deserve nothing less.
I hope you'll consider joining an adventure soon - I can't wait to experience all nature has to offer alongside you!
-Melinda
