• 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…

  • 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…

  • MONTANA | Experience Overload

    August 30, 2018 - By 

    I had to acknowledge that my brain and heart can’t capture the quantity and magnitude of these experiences in such a short amount of time without mindfulness, documentation, and carving intentional time to reflect and breath.

  • MONTANA | Savor the Journey

    August 17, 2018 - By 

    The girl on the plane described Montana as “the most beautiful place in the country” and I smiled politely but was not convinced. We arrived at Big Sky at night, and upon opening the curtains the next morning… I got it. Rolling hills, rock formations, mountains, meadows, forests, lakes… and all huge. The sheer number of beautiful landmarks everywhere is staggering. It’s truly our country at its finest, and I’m so happy to say I’ve experienced it firsthand. I was eager to get out and do some hiking, and it wasn’t until we were being dropped off at the trailhead…

  • Michigan west bay old mission

    Hustle vs. Drift: When to take your hands off the wheel?

    July 29, 2018 - By 

    I heard a podcast once that spoke about fighting the “drift.” It advocated not being swept up in life, but instead to seize it. I have the exact opposite problem: I seize it so hard that I don’t always let life unfold organically.   Who do you trust when you take your hands off the wheel? And how often do you trust it/her/them? This is a work in progress for me. I’ve seen time and time again my patience be rewarded with a scenario that was far better than I could have envisioned, but I also fear the complacency of too…

  • Colorado mountains, handling uncertainty

    COLORADO: Finding Calm in Travel Uncertainty

    July 20, 2018 - By 

    Most mornings I wake up feeling like I know next to nothing about the conditions I’ll face or how the day will unfold. This level of uncertainty is waring, and has created a need for me to be that much more diligent about the things I can control. Honestly, rather than this crazy travel year making me more relaxed, I feel like it’s given me a certain amount more to “worry" about, because being overly-prepared is often the only way I’ll stay healthy, reasonably comfortable, and get things done in the face of so many unknowns.

  • Life is short – Go to LA

    June 15, 2018 - By 

    I crash-landed onto my bandmate’s couch after an exhausting but rewarding day of teaching. I had finally stopped, but my brain continued its inner debate about whether a last-minute trip to California simply to “relax” was a good idea. It seemed so silly, yet I found my “reckless brain” fighting hard to convince my “rational brain” to book the flight. I was torn. A series of events had brought the idea for this short visit to the surface, and my curiosity to re-experience this particular city wasn’t letting go. It was a warm Michigan evening and still light out at…

  • IRELAND | Keeping Perspective

    April 25, 2018 - By 

    My last posts touched on the importance of staying passionate and keeping a perspective on my role in the world, not just my day-to-day travel life (link here.) This helps me keep moving forward in a globally relevant way, and also keep a clear view of how incredibly lucky I am. I sit pretty high in the world. Perseverance and hard work have a lot to do with it, but there are also many things that I was handed and I think it’s important to acknowledge them. I am vacationing in Ireland at the moment, perched in a recliner overlooking…

  • MADISON | Slow Down to Stay Passionate

    April 11, 2018 - By 

     We had a short time and busy schedule in Madison, WI, so we resigned to pretending we weren’t actually there. The Moxie Strings fell in love with Madison after performing at the Mad Gael Music Fest the summer before. We found it to be a fun, fit, open-minded community that appreciates art and great brunch. I wish we could say that on this trip we toured the stunning Capitol Building and jogged the expanse of trails, but there just wasn’t the time. We spent most of our time teaching and then retired to our quaint Air BnB outside the city.…

  • NASHVILLE | Commit and Enjoy

    April 2, 2018 - By 

    Brilliant photographer Sean Fisher and I chose the coldest day of the year for this photo shoot, and to explore the Tennessee beauty outside the city. Sean is a driven and inspirational artist who I’m lucky to call a friend! (www.fisherai.com) He’s also one of my favorite IG follows: @mr.bootstraps The pictures turned out beautifully thanks to Sean, but the story of that particular day is hysterically bad. I woke up at 5am in a fit of stress about the amount that needed to be done as The Moxie Strings finished booking our summer months. I watched in annoyance as the…