My Story

I FELT LIKE SUCH AN EPIC FAILURE.

It was 2017, I was living in Tiburon, California and was a member of The Hivery, a popular women-only co-working space in the next town over. With two teenagers about to graduate high school, I noticed a posting for a class called ‘What’s Next 101’ and decided to sign up. I was part of the first cohort of 9. Besides me, the other gals were all seemingly successful, full-time, career-driven women. And although I worked hard both as a full-time mom and as a pro bono fundraiser successfully bringing in upwards of a million a year, I felt like an epic failure. 

The reality was, I was married (in not the healthiest relationship), I was struggling to keep my son motivated to attend school, already with 57 unexcused absences in his junior year, and I realized I was terrified to be facing the “Empty Nest." I felt stuck.

But at three weeks in, I found myself really enjoying the class. The conversations were interesting, the women were wonderful, and I loved having something to look forward to once a week. On those Thursday mornings, I’d get ready with my kids and head out the door with them as they headed to school, saying to my son, “How about I check in with you at lunch to see how first period went?” (The class he preferred to skip.) 

But on the fourth week of ‘What’s Next 101’ I wasn’t up for getting dressed. I didn't want to go at all. My son noticed immediately. 

“Mom, are you skipping class?!” 

I admitted I was. I didn’t want to go because I didn’t have anything to turn in for the homework assignment we were given: Share a challenge you are facing, or a project you'd like to pitch at work.

I didn’t have a job like the other women did. I felt like such an imposter.

But then my son smiled at me and suggested, “How about I check in with you at lunch to see how it goes?” 

That 16-year-old smartie got me.

So there I was, 45 minutes later, on my way to class, driving and bawling my eyes out. I just kept thinking, “What happened to that girl who dared herself to move to NYC? What happened to her?” Then I got to a stopped line of cars. I looked up and saw a giant DETOUR sign and I thought to myself, "I can’t be the only woman who feels like this?" 

Storming into class late, mascara running down my face, I blurted out, “I need to share first!” 

I told the group I wanted to create something for women like me. I wanted to create retreats and experiences where women could reconnect with themselves, where they could go on adventures, step away from their day-to-day life for a moment, and where they could talk about this feeling. This stuck-ness and “what’s next?” I laid it out for them. At the end, one woman in our group (who to me seemed the most successful and who I was particularly intimidated by), stood up and said, “I want to go.”

I was shocked. “You do?! But why?”

She paused, and then she said, “Because I hate my career, I feel stuck.”

Here I was, thinking that all of these women had their act together, when actually they were really feeling the same as me?!

So I started from there, with my 'What’s Next 101' group. Another classmate, Monique, was the head of a creative department at an ad agency at the time and she ended up coming to my first three retreats, trading to create my logo and first website. I enlisted inspiring women who I knew to lead workshops, and help me plan the Detours. In fact, the two women who co-taught 'What's Next 101,' Linda and Laura, both taught workshops for me at my first few Detours in Montana.

I am so grateful for those women. 7 years later, I’m offering more experiences than I ever have before. In new locations -- in new countries! I’ve listened to countless tales of women sharing their stories and nod knowingly when they realize ‘I’m not the only one'. I’ve watched so many women unfold into the empowerment of what it feels like to embrace the change coming in their life. I've seen them reconnecting with themselves after experiencing travel and allowing that to shift their perspective.

My own participation in Dare to Detour has helped me navigate many life changes: breast cancer, leaving a toxic relationship, and being able to take ownership over my own life direction by getting in step with my values. Travel is a profound way to shift perspective, and I'm passionate about taking moments to do this for myself and share it with others through Dare to Detour.

I'm more excited than ever to share that journey. Wether it be through my daily Detours to the dog park on IG 😝, or exploring new and foreign cultures in 2023 (like Morocco!!). If you're itching for a good Detour in the form of travel next year, I encourage you to check out the calendar and consider joining me.