Happy 8th Podversary to Journey to There! Life is a journey full of twists and turns, and this podcast is no exception. New adventures, new lessons, and even some  life lessons from Finn! Catch up with Journey to There podcast host, Traci DeForge as she reflects on her journey through life's highs and lows and shares her musings on love, light, and joy

Before I officially titled this episode I asked myself… is this new iteration of the J2T podcast a reboot or a renaissance? I felt like it was the latter but honestly, I had to look up the definition to be certain! 

Ren·ais·sance

/ˈrenəˌsäns/

a revival of or renewed interest in something.

noun: renaissance; plural noun: renaissances

Alas, it is a true renaissance! 

Today is the 8th Podversary of Journey to There and with any anniversary comes reflection. Some of which are bittersweet. Why did I let some much time lapse? What if I had kept it moving forward? Is it worth bringing it back? 

I need to reign in the negative self-talk that’s ramping up fast because I want to indulge in some good ole fashion flogging with thoughts like, “I own a damn full service production company. How could I let this happen?” The answer is I didn’t “let” anything happen. Life happened. 

So, let’s catch up! 

The pandemic impacted everyone individually and collectively. I’m still sorting through the whirlwind effect it had on our lives including the fact that I still don’t have my full ensemble of taste buds back but I digress. 

My husband and I left the South Florida seaside life for the mountains of Taos, NM in 2020. This literal journey came with high expectations and ended with some bottomed out emotional disappointments. 

My salve of course was to bury myself neck deep in Produce Your Podcast which resulted in 3X growth. Yay! But if you’ve listened to any previous episodes of this podcast then you know…building successful businesses has never been my challenge. Building a successful personal life is my never ending life lesson. Times haven’t changed that much. 

We left Taos and made a pit stop in Tucson, Az for a year. I was so checked out of my life that I literally justified the decision to live in a town that held no interest for me and wasn’t remotely close to any of my friends and family. My brain told me none of that mattered because my focus needed to be on growing the business and that was all I was planning on doing anyway. Never underestimate the power of a work addicted brain. 

And now, a new adventure has begun with an International move to Mexico. I’m reconnected to my seaside life which I affectionately refer to as my sea -soul life. Although, I’m still not remotely geographically close to friends and family- they are a lot more likely to visit me here. We also added a new addition to the family. His name is Finn and he is a 100lb Golden Doodle who everyone should take their life lessons from… 

1. Always be up for an adventure 

2. Every day brings a new chance to experience joy 

3. If you live for naps and snacks the rest will take care of itself. 

It’s fair to say I’m still on my journey to there; thus the renaissance of the podcast. I’ve learned a few new lessons along the way and come through the other side of some stuff aka sh*t and ready to share my musings with you. 

I’m looking forward to this next chapter of the pod. I want us to connect, hang out and learn from each other. I'm rebooting without putting any pressure on myself. I’m not setting any specific goals on how many episodes there will be and when they will be released. I’m giving myself grace. I’m giving myself permission to be creative in the medium I love the most without getting all caught up in (what I know first hand) it takes to build a successful podcast. 

But really, isn’t the definition of success relative? 

I look forward to reuniting with some old friends from the podcast audience. I’m beyond giddy with anticipation of meeting the new friends I’ll make along the way. 

I’ll sign off with one of my fav quotes that is one of my own. The life we create is based on the choices we make. Let’s make choices that bring us love, light and joy and if we don’t- let’s ask for the courage to embrace the detours. 

Cheers to what’s possible! 

Traci