Why I created The Return Home
I’ve paraglided over the Himalayas in Nepal.
Surfed the coast of Ecuador.
Shared tea in a Bedouin tent in the Sahara.
Meditated at a mountaintop pagoda in China.
Laughed so hard with friends on a Spanish beach that kalimotxo spewed out of our noses.
Rock climbed in Thailand.
Got engaged in a century-old alleyway in Bordeaux.
Explored the Galápagos with students.
Haggled at street markets like a local.
Maybe you have your own list too.
Big and small moments. A night sky you still think about. A meal you still crave. That week/month/year of travel that transformed you. A conversation with a stranger that shifted something in you forever.
I’ve also gotten hopelessly lost, had my things stolen, cried in unfamiliar cities, and had food poisoning in nightmarish locales.
I’ve volunteered abroad with heart and good intentions, but also learned the hard way what it means to show up with humility instead of a savior complex.
These experiences—the joyful, the raw, the humbling—have shaped who I am and left a mark on my soul, my values, and my view of the world.
But back home, I often found myself stuck in the space between wonder and routine. Longing for the next adventure, while forgetting to live like I was still on one.
Sure, you and I both probably already have the next trip in mind, but what about the in-between moments at home?
I don’t believe travel is just something we do.
I believe it’s a mindset we cultivate and a responsibility we carry.
The Return Home is a guided journal for travelers who want to turn global experiences into local impact. It’s for those of us who believe:
Cultural curiosity should lead to cultural consciousness.
Awe should lead to action.
Stories, when shared with humility, can build bridges, not just social media likes.
We’re not here to collect cultures like souvenirs.
We’re here to be global citizens with a local lens—people who carry what we’ve learned into the way we listen, lead, connect, and contribute to a better world every day.
I created The Return Home because I needed it too.
To turn reflection into ritual.
To transform yearning into gratitude.
To reconnect with the most awake, generous, and courageous version of myself (and maybe help you do the same).
Because when we do, we make the places we call home better—more compassionate, more inclusive, and more alive.
This journal is part reflection tool, part storytelling practice, and part reconnection ritual. It’s for the in-between moments:
When the trip is over, but the transformation isn’t
When the world feels far away, but your soul still remembers
When you want to keep discovering, without needing a boarding pass
It’s inspired by my years as a foreign language teacher, study abroad director, vanlifer, and traveler to nearly 30 countries on 5 continents.
It’s rooted in my work as a nonprofit leader, social advocacy professor, and certified global citizenship educator.
It’s built with proven positive psychology that rewires our brains for gratitude and connection.
And it’s grounded in the daily mantra that reminds me to be fully present:
I have arrived. I am home.
In the here, in the now.
I am solid, I am free.
In the ultimate I dwell.
—Thich Nhat Hanh
This is for the travelers who’ve been changed by the world and are ready to live like it.
If you’re craving more meaning, more connection, and more intentional ways to show up at home like you do abroad…
Welcome. You’ve arrived.
