• How to Travel with an Injury

    March 18, 2019 - By 

    Or in my case, several injuries. Poke around this site and you’ll see plenty of posts outlining my quest and strategies for maintaining mental wellness, but this is often despite physical pain as well. (More here) It’s not easy, but respect for my injuries and taking intentional time to care for them can make travel far more comfortable.Here are my daily practices that make it easier to travel with an injury: 1. Do your exercises. It can be hard to prioritize while traveling, but setting aside mandatory time daily to stretch and do physical therapy exercises helps both mentally and…

  • Everybody Hurts

    February 22, 2019 - By 

    Despite pain making life more difficult, it has also given me what I consider to be one of my greatest strengths. I’ve learned to “default to empathy”in all situations, and it has truly changed the way I live my life. For years my pain made me bitter and resentful, but now, it makes it that much easier for me to identify with others and have compassion for anyone else suffering in any way. This took a conscious shift in mindset and certainly isn’t fool-proof, but now I believe my history of pain allows me to have empathy readily available in…

  • Part 2: What Fills Me Up

    February 8, 2019 - By 

    Your Passion Picks You The start of 2019 has been exhausting. The Moxie Strings have been doing mostly school performances and workshops, which leaves us a different level of exhausted. Often we find ourselves zombie-eyed between clinics, sitting for the first time in 3 hours, dreading the bell ringing and another onslaught of students entering because it means summoning the energy to get up from the chair and give all our energy to providing a peak, meaningful experience… for the 4th time that day. It feels insurmountable in the moment; but when we start performing for the students, the exhaustion…

  • What fills you up?

    January 27, 2019 - By 

    This year of travel has offered me some profound learning experiences, none more than this simple lesson: impermanence teaches you what you want to be permanent. When everything is temporary, it gets obvious what you want to keep around. Traveling full-time often means energy reserves are low and sleep is minimal, so I’ve become acutely aware of who and what requires energy, and who and what refills my reserves. Motivation is a scarce resource, and only certain activities that you’re truly passionate about can keep you going. These activities form a kind of “energy symbiosis;” they may drain you, but…

  • Crazy Facts From My Year of Travel

    January 15, 2019 - By 

    My travel year isn’t officially over quite yet, but the holidays were a fun time reflect on the craziness so far. I’ve been talking with friends and family about a “rest year” after this year of nonstop traveling is over, and I guess this recommendation isn’t a surprise. I’m pretty torn. On one hand, I know that a year to be grounded and give myself the chance to form some routines will be incredibly healthy, mentally and physically. On the other hand, going from 100mph to 0mph is a daunting idea, and will definitely have its own complex set of…

  • My Top Travel Buys of 2018

    December 21, 2018 - By 

    Just in time for the travelers on your holiday shopping list!I find myself having lots of similar conversations about products people are curious about, so I’ve created this list to have somewhere to send them! I pride myself in a “minimal stuff, maximum efficiency” lifestyle, and these products help make it possible and enjoyable. (I’m not sponsored by any of these brands. Just love them!) Goat Cell Phone Case My favorite find this year.  I’m pretty sure it’s magic! Peel the cover off and stick to any shiny surface, but the actual case isn’t sticky to the touch.  I’m told…

  • Paris | Keep it Real

    December 8, 2018 - By 

    Paris was beautiful in so many ways. You can order 3 types of bread and 2 desserts all at once and no one bats a single judgmental eyelash. They practically have a cigarette hanging from their mouths as they serve the table anyway, like a beacon of their disregard. Parisians live on croissants in the morning, wine at lunch, cheese for dessert, cigarettes all day, and another baguette as they walk home. They stand confidently in their own skin, and I heard very few comments on each others’ appearance. There was a perpetual sense of shrugging and saying “you do you.”…

  • IRELAND | Caring for Creativity

    November 19, 2018 - By 

    I’m sitting in an Irish hotel room after a full Irish breakfast, rain and wind blowing outside, and warm lamplight fills the room. I don’t have anywhere to be until 6pm, and I got my gym workout and computer work done before breakfast. This is the first time on this Irish tour I’ve been able to find all necessary ingredients to sit and be creative. No schedule pressure, work pressure, or appeal of nice weather outside… all is finally quiet, internally and externally. I consider myself an inherently creative person and feel lucky to have a life and career that…

  • 10 Tips for Packing Light & Thinking like a Minimalist

    October 19, 2018 - By 

    Less stuff = less stress. Period. Packing fewer things means fewer decisions to make, less to carry around, and less to clutter a hotel room. Packing light doesn’t mean I spend the trip wishing I’d packed something; the total opposite! It has as much to do with my mental approach to travel as it does my actual preparedness; a combination of developing thoughtful strategies to adapt in the moment and also finding key, versatile items. (See post on staying mentally flexible while traveling here) Learning to pack minimally has been one of the most beneficial aspects of this travel year. Here’s…

  • YELLOWSTONE | Say Yes to Self-Care

    September 23, 2018 - By 

    I sat in the back of a comfy SUV with two of my beloved road moms in the front. We were on our way to spend the afternoon at Yellowstone National Park, and as we drove I felt my “peace zone” spread over me. Without a home base, I find myself feeling relaxed and experiencing the comforts of home in many different places, usually in the care of others, and usually as the result of prioritizing care for myself. I had left the after-party early the night before to ensure a good night’s sleep, ate a good breakfast, and did…