You Deserve Luxury

This month, I have been in the luxurious position of hosting visitors in my garden, forest, and lakeside world here in Finnish Lakeland.

Together, we have followed the movement of rainbow catchers dancing in the breeze and sparrows building their nests.

We have listened to young owls calling from the evening forest, picked and preserved spruce tips, gathered nettles, prepared the herb garden, collected horses from their pastures for forest rides, rowed to 5,000-year-old rock paintings, heated the wood-burning sauna, and swum from the shore beneath the midnight sun.

Most importantly, we have paused for meaningful conversations along the way.

Why are we here?

Why does the lake call us more strongly than the forest path today?

What is it about a particular flower, tradition, scent, or place that awakens a memory or stirs something within us?

The Caretaker's View

Looking from another perspective, I am also the caretaker and keeper of this place.

I mow the grass, trim the forest, carry firewood, water seedlings, rake leaves, plant flowers, clean rooms, prepare meals, and varnish terraces.

Yet there is beauty in all of it.

It is the kind of quiet happiness many of us in Finland seek.

There is something deeply satisfying in slowly heating the lakeside sauna, making a birch whisk for a gentle blessing in the steam, arranging wildflowers on the terrace table, or watching the garden flourish through the season.

When I work with my hands, I feel connected, to nature, to myself, and to something much older than either.

I am reminded of both my smallness and my responsibility.

In caring for my surroundings, I restore a little of myself as well.

Giving Attention

When visitors arrive, they receive my undivided attention.

Whether we are walking to collect the horses, preparing dinner together on the terrace, making birch whisks, exploring island landscapes, or sitting quietly by the lake, there is space to simply be.

It is remarkable to think that people travelled these same waters over 5,000 years ago.

Lake Saimaa was the highway of the first settlers.

Along its shores, they left us messages in stone; rock paintings depicting people beneath the waves and hunters pursuing moose for their livelihood.

The waterway was important then, and it remains important now.

It is where the midsummer sun sets in a blaze of red before rising again just a few hours later.

It is where stories have always travelled.

What Luxury Really Means

To me, luxury is not found in excess.

Luxury is breathing in the fresh wind.

Walking barefoot through the morning dew.

Taking a swim when the feeling arises.

Picking chanterelles or berries along the trail.

Napping on a warm terrace.

Listening to waves beneath a pier.

Watching salmon slowly cook in a traditional smoking pot.

We do not need very much.

The greatest luxury may simply be presence.

Being fully present with yourself and with those around you.

No roles.

No expectations.

No performance.

Just being.

Meeting Yourself Again

This is midsummer in Finland.

This is what happens during the reflective moments of the Luontopolku – Back to Your Senses® method.

This is what my Finnish Happiness Camps are about, whether you join for an afternoon nature walk, a day retreat, an overnight stay, or a longer slow travel experience.

Because it is not only me that you meet here.

After a long time, you may also meet yourself.

Creating Space for What Matters

I believe in creating high-value, sustainable experiences that respond to the growing desire for wellbeing through authentic places, meaningful encounters, and a genuine connection with nature.

Rather than trying to do more, I focus on helping people do less, with intention.

To slow down.

To restore themselves.

To reconnect with what truly matters.

You can find my services through The Journey Studio or through the Travel Coach Network.

Alongside my Finnish Happiness Camps and Slow Travel Horse Holidays, there are still a few dates available this summer for reflective nature experiences and private retreats.

I am also beginning to share more stories from this corner of Finland through my YouTube channel, documenting the landscapes, traditions, wildlife, and everyday moments that inspire this work.

Until then, I wish you a beautiful Finnish midsummer.

Take a moment to pause.

Listen to the wind.

And believe in a little magic again.

Mirka Kristiina Bruun
Founder, The Journey Studio

Discovering Your Life’s Purpose: On How to Align Your Goals with Your True Self

I was honoured to be featured by Authority Magazine in a conversation about purpose, transformation, and the journeys that quietly change us.

This blog post was created alongside the interview published on 29 May 2025 and continues the reflections we explored there; how intentional travel, nature, and moments of pause can help us reconnect with ourselves and create lives that feel more aligned from within.

At The Journey Studio, I believe the most meaningful journeys are rarely only about the destination. They are about returning to your own direction, values, and way of being.

Thank you so much for your time! I know that you are a very busy person. Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?

I come from Finland, the world’s happiest country for 8 years running, where I have always returned for its grounding calm after studying and working in the USA, Europe, and Asia.

After a successful leadership career in marketing and tourism, I experienced burnout. I needed a pause, distance from everything I had been responsible for.

When I applied for a sabbatical, I began to see light at the end of the tunnel and started preparing for my first solo adventure. I am a mother of two adult sons and had already been separated from their father for several years. During my six-month intentional reset, I combined some family travel with my sons and parents across Iceland, Peru, the USA, Spain, Belgium, the UAE, Thailand and Finland, naturally. For the first time, I felt a clear calling to also travel solo, returning to meaningful places and people along the way.

I did not fully understand the transformative journey I had embarked on until I found myself paused at Machu Picchu. Walking through the ancient ruins, with a butterfly suddenly appearing beside me in the Andes, I felt more alive than I had in years. As I exited through the gate, I knew I was heading in an entirely new direction.

Later, I drove across Spain in a manual Fiat and visited the Alhambra, where I had once been young and in love with my fiancé. This time, walking alone among the autumn colors, I stepped forward with a sense of peace and understood that I was truly okay on my own.

One realization led to another. My connection to myself led me to The Travel Coach Network, where I became engaged. While studying transformation, I returned to my home woods, where I finally began to hear myself and understand the simplicity of it all. Within the following year, I became a certified transformative travel coach (ICF/CCE), created my Luontopolku Back to Your Senses® nature-based methology, left my career, finalized my divorce, and founded The Journey Studio.

Today, I am grateful to have found myself again, leaving behind what no longer serves me and building a life around authentic connection, while helping others pause and reconnect with themselves.

None of us can achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person that you are grateful for, who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?

The person I am most grateful for is my father, whose encouragement and example have given me the courage to explore and grow.

Simply put, growing up as his daughter, I never felt limited by being a girl. I didn’t realize there were expectations about how one should or should not be because of gender. He was always present, engaging with me, with my horse, and later allowing me to grow by working in his business as a teenager.

I admired his way of working: leading by example, understanding the trade from the ground up, and being available to his customers, even on weekends if they needed him.

There were no limitations placed on my vision, and no expectations for me to take over his business. Instead, he encouraged me to study for a business degree, believing I could do anything.

As I later moved from West to East during my studies and career, I came to understand what a privilege this upbringing was. It has shaped my path, and I have found deep meaning in empowering women and girls first through lecturing at university, and now through my coaching work.

You are a successful leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?

I come from a country of sisu: the Finnish concept of quiet persistence and inner strength that carries you through even the hardest moments.

We all face times when we are alone on our path, encountering changing conditions, much like the weather in Finland or the unpredictability of business. There are obstacles, uncertainty, and situations where things do not go as planned. While challenges can be solved together, you must also learn to manage yourself. In those moments, you draw on something deeper.

Sisu is not aggression, nor is it simply endurance. It is the quiet decision to continue with responsibility when conditions are not ideal. It is also the wisdom to step aside when needed. It is a form of self-leadership, and it has been the most important characteristic in my journey.

When I was building Star Cineplex, Bangladesh’s first multiplex cinema, the early years were difficult. We were introducing an entirely new concept, educating audiences, and creating a safe, welcoming environment for families. There were many challenges, but I stayed committed as Managing Director, building connections, leading the team from ticket counters to management, and continuing the work step by step until it began to succeed. Today, Star Cineplex is the largest cinema chain in the country.

Secondly, courage has guided me throughout my life. It has taken me to new countries, new roles, and opportunities I did not hesitate to embrace. I have learned by doing, and I have also learned to listen to trust the expertise of others when needed. Courage grows through action, and even through uncertainty.

Recently, courage meant stepping away from a well-established director role and beginning again as an entrepreneur. During my burnout, I felt I had lost that courage. I went searching for it during my sabbatical travels. Relearning to drive a manual car and navigating my way across Spain became unexpectedly empowering. Alongside meaningful conversations with a coach, I began to reconnect with myself. At 54, I realized that courage had not disappeared, but it had simply changed form. My experience and wisdom now carry me forward, and courage continues to grow step by step.

Thirdly, my connection to nature and my inner senses has been a guiding force throughout my life. Growing up close to nature gave me a strong sense of awareness of seasons, emotions, and intuition. I developed an inner knowing of what feels right or not, often without needing to analyze it.

This connection has helped me meet the right people, be in the right places, and sense when to move forward or step back. However, during the most intense years of my career, I lost that connection. I became overwhelmed, disconnected from myself, and no longer listened to my inner voice.

Looking back, I feel compassion for that version of myself, constantly moving, holding everything together, yet no longer present or enjoying life. My body eventually responded, as it often does, forcing me to stop.

During my sabbatical, that connection began to return, step by step. I found my way back home within myself.

Today, I do not regret the journey. I may have let go of certain roles, possessions, and even relationships along the way, but I have regained something far more valuable; myself, and a renewed connection to my inner sense and direction.

Ok, fantastic. Let’s now turn to the crux of our interview. Was there a defining moment or experience in your life when you felt a clear sense of your purpose? How did it influence the goals you set from that point forward?

In January 2025, I profoundly knew that my life was changing. My sabbatical was nearing its end, and the return to the office and to my old ways was approaching.

All the inner understanding I had gathered during my travels had been building up. I had enrolled in the Travel Coaching program, and suddenly, I began to see again.

When I returned to Finland and wandered in the forests, I understood what nature had given me all these years: the silent support, never leaving me alone, awakening my senses. My recovery, returning to my senses, came through reconnecting with nature, and with my own nature.

This is now the root of my coaching method, and to me, it is also the root of Finnish happiness.

Walking along the nature trail at my Lake Saimaa villa, I remember breathing in with a clear sense of purpose. That was where I began building my Luontopolku Back to Your Senses® method. Luontopolku means nature trail in my native language.

Not only did I see, but I felt it. It was as if the ground beneath my feet was shifting as I stepped onto a new path, letting go of the old and moving forward in my relationships, work, and life.

I was still scared, but also triumphant, relieved to be moving on, almost as if walking a few feet above the ground. I felt free again, yet deeply conscious of my choices.

From that point, I began to map out my actions for the year ahead. I created space and processes to begin something new, while ensuring that my previous responsibilities were handled with care and continuity.

I was able to let go, no longer needing to feed my ego or maintain a certain image. Life became simpler. I began to enjoy connection, conversation, presence, and being back in nature, in tune with my own nature. My curiosity and creativity returned.

I found myself doing what I love again: creating, exploring, and pushing boundaries. I became deeply interested in what nature does to us and the inner connection it can awaken.

At the same time, I made a quiet but firm decision: I would no longer stay in situations that do not serve me or live out of alignment with who I truly am.

I chose to focus on what is meaningful. To do less, but with more intention. To help others while also living in peace myself.

And in that moment, I realized something simple yet profound:

I no longer needed to escape my life or travel far to find myself.

I was already home.

What practical steps can someone take to begin uncovering their life’s purpose if they feel lost or unsure about their direction?

It is okay to feel lost at times. It happens to all of us. But in truth, we are never completely lost, the inner knowing is still there.

I believe that much of the busyness we have created for ourselves, this constant doing and performing based on what we think we are supposed to do, can lead us away from our true path. By losing our connection with nature, we often lose connection with ourselves. Yet I also believe we can always find our way back home.

The Luontopolku Back to Your Senses® method I developed during my Travel Coach studies does not require you to travel far. It requires listening.

In Finland, we say:

“The forest answers what you shout into it.”

Research in Finland shows that even 10 minutes in nature can calm the heartbeat, while time spent walking in nature lowers cortisol levels, supports burnout recovery, helps prevent depression, and enhances mindfulness.

In simple terms: go out for a walk in nature on your own and listen. Feel the wind, touch what draws your attention, and allow yourself to wander. Notice the small things that catch your awareness as these are often cues guiding you forward.

If you wish to explore this more deeply, you can use reflective walking resources or join a guided walk. Taking distance and immersing yourself in new surroundings can also bring clarity. When we travel intentionally, we often begin to see more clearly who we are, what we miss, and what we no longer need.

I believe that giving yourself time, being alone with intention, and following your calling in small steps will gradually lead you toward clarity, and toward your purpose.

How do you differentiate between external pressures—like societal expectations—and the inner calling that aligns with your true self?

I believe that we carry the answers within us, and by questioning ourselves intentionally, we begin to receive sensory affirmation on our path.

To better listen in, I recommend setting off solo, preferably on a nature trail, with a question or issue in the back of your mind that you need clarity on. As you walk, nature begins to show signs that only you can truly understand.

Starting to pay attention to what arises intuitively brings us closer to clarity. The more we tune into our sensory reflections, the more we learn to trust and believe in them. If something does not feel right, we feel it.

When walking and talking with friends or family, it is important to remember that the perspectives they share are reflections of their own experiences and expectations of us. If we feel that we do not wish to share something with someone, that is often a cue, an invitation to recognize that differentiation.

Can you share an example of a time when you adjusted or abandoned a goal because it no longer aligned with your deeper sense of purpose? What did you learn from that experience?

I spent years building the Lake Saimaa brand and destination in Finland. I stepped into a role I had been headhunted for with strong ambition, establishing connections and growing visibility in our target markets. I come from this region and have always felt a deep love for it, along with a desire to bring it to the world stage.

As the work progressed, I was given more teams, responsibilities, and overlapping boards and projects. I am a connector and a doer, someone who ensures everything is taken care of but along the way, I forgot to pause myself. I lost my creativity, which had once fueled my marketing work and authorship, and it was no longer present.

I have always valued bringing people together and enabling others to succeed. Yet over time, I found myself doing my own work last and gradually losing myself during those intense years. At the same time, global external factors were affecting the region’s performance and accessibility, adding further pressure.

At one point, in the midst of prolonged stress, I was no longer courageous. My thinking became blurred, my clarity and vision faded, and I lost connection to my own inner sense.

For a long time, I kept performing, operating in a haze, repeating what I knew, until I finally found the courage to stop and step aside. I took a sabbatical to distance myself from something I had once deeply loved.

I chose not to return to my role. Instead, I stepped into entrepreneurship, where I now continue to represent the Lake Saimaa region in a different, more aligned way.

What I learned is that working in a way that disconnects you from yourself is not worth it, for you or for the work you do. When we are no longer able to give what we truly can, something essential is lost.

Only working is not living, and too much of anything becomes too much. We need to remain in tune with ourselves, to pause early enough, and to maintain balance in our lives.

This is the main question of our interview. What are “5 Ways to Align Your Goals With Your True Self”? (please share stories or examples)

Thank you for this opportunity to share how I approach alignment.

Through my Luontopolku – Back to Your Senses® methodology, I use nature as a framework for reflection, allowing nature to guide us back to our own nature.

It is a nature-based transformational wellbeing and travel method designed to guide individuals back to clarity and inner balance. Rooted in mindful presence, sensory awareness, and reflective guidance, it creates a structured yet intuitive path for personal insight and purposeful change.

The approach integrates movement in nature, reflective exercises, intentional pauses, and meaning-centered travel coaching into a holistic experience.

It follows five stages: pause, sensory awareness, threshold recognition, integration, and forward direction.

1. Pause

Meaningful change begins when we slow down.

Take time alone. Step away from your roles and responsibilities. Just be.

Ask yourself: Is this the life I am meant to live? Who am I without these roles?

I meet many high performers who never allow themselves to pause. Yet even ten minutes alone in nature can shift perspective. One executive told me that sitting quietly on a fallen tree, time stopped, and they wondered why they had never allowed themselves that before.

2. Sensory Awareness

Once we pause, we begin to notice.

Walk intentionally in nature with a question in mind. What is missing? What needs to change?

Nature begins to offer subtle cues through what draws your attention, what feels calming, what creates a sense of ease or resistance. Some feel drawn to water, others to rock or forest. These are not random, they are signals.

Many people I work with discover a deep need to be near water. By simply honoring that, they begin to feel more at peace. Start by bringing your natural element into your life.

3. Threshold Recognition

As awareness grows, moments of clarity emerge.

These often happen in open spaces; a viewpoint, a shoreline, a place that invites perspective. Something shifts.

You may suddenly realize what you have been holding onto, and why.

For me, this meant understanding that my long-held goal of staying married was no longer aligned with the reality of our lives living in separate countries.

These are threshold moments, the point where truth becomes visible.

4. Integration

Clarity alone is not enough; we need to integrate it into our lives.

This is where reflection and conversation become important. Speaking your thoughts out loud, often with a coach, helps you understand what you are ready to change.

Walking side by side, without pressure, allows thoughts to unfold naturally.

This is often when I hear: “This is what I am going to do.”

5. Forward Direction

With clarity comes movement.

Instead of pushing your dreams aside, you begin to move toward them. Courage grows step by step.

It is no longer about imagining a different life; it is about choosing it, one step at a time. Even small shifts create momentum.

Recently, in a conversation with a coach colleague, I saw this moment clearly, when she turned from responding to an opportunity that wasn’t truly hers, and instead chose to move toward something she deeply desired.

Alignment is not about one big decision.

It is about pausing, listening, and moving forward, again and again, in tune with yourself.

What advice would you give to people trying to pursue their purpose while managing the demands of day-to-day life, such as work, family, and other responsibilities?

Stay true to yourself while also honoring the people you share your life and work with.

Once you begin to understand your purpose and your needs, the next step is to integrate them into your existing life. This may require adjustments, small sacrifices, and finding balance by focusing on what truly matters to you.

Communicate openly: your feelings, your needs, your requirements for space or time. Have these conversations regularly, set your boundaries, and respect those of others.

In the end, you are the most important person in your life. When you are well and aligned, the people around you thrive as well.

How can our readers further follow your work?

You can connect with me through The Journey Studio, my company website at www.thejourneystudio.co, where you can explore ongoing programs, subscribe to my newsletter, or book a discovery call with me.

I’m always open and happy to connect.

Thank you so much for sharing these important insights. We wish you continued success and good health!

Read on if you feel called to explore your own New Beginning.

Returning Home to Yourself

The Quiet Work Beneath Change

I’m a travel coach who doesn’t simply send people away to travel.
And I’m not a mentor handing you another chart to complete or another version of yourself to perform.

What I offer is something quieter.

A space to simply be.
To leave your roles behind for a moment.
To sit without needing to explain yourself.

Sometimes there is only silence at first.
Sometimes a single sentence surfaces.
Sometimes just one word finds its way onto the page of a small notebook.

And that is enough.

I walk beside people when they are ready to move toward who they truly are beneath the expectations, responsibilities, and identities they have carried for years.

Together, we explore the thresholds they are standing before:
the boundaries they long to set, the space they need to reclaim, and the life that quietly asks to be lived on their own terms.

We Always Carry Ourselves Along

So often, we believe change will come from a new location, another country, a different job, or another relationship.

But wherever we go, we still bring ourselves with us.

The confinements surrounding us are not always external. Many are slowly built within our own lives, layer by layer, until one day we realise we can no longer fully breathe inside them.

And when that moment comes, many of us are already moving.

Searching for a way back home to ourselves.
Back to a place where we can care for our own wellbeing alongside everyone else’s.

The Exhaustion So Many Carry

This week, I have felt sadness seeing how tired so many people are.

Trying to meet expectations.
Trying to hold everything together.
Performing, pushing forward, and quietly falling exhausted underneath it all.

It is not worth losing yourself for.

Every one of us deserves a pause.
A space around us.
A moment to step aside and ask:

Who am I without the roles of parent, director, partner, caretaker, or fixer?

Sometimes the most important journey begins there.

Crossing Thresholds

This week, I guided a horse along trails he is only now brave enough to wholeheartedly explore. Two weeks ago, he resisted crossing the stable boundaries.

Watching him step forward in a new country reminded me how familiar fear can feel before growth.

I also had meaningful conversations with people standing at their own thresholds:
conversations about the courage required to claim space for themselves, and about journeys that are not simply wanted, but deeply necessary.

Not to escape life, but to return home within it.

And perhaps the most beautiful part was hearing people speak aloud how they truly wish to move forward this summer.

Listen In to Yourself

I keep walking.
I keep listening.

And this season, I hope you will listen in to yourself too.

Walk gently. Listen deeply. Return to your own nature.

Explore Your Trail.

Horse Energy

There are things that pull us, quietly, yet powerfully, drawing us closer to see, explore, and experience.

For me, that pull has always been horses.

My earliest memory is of holding onto the leg of an old workhorse, hugging him with complete devotion, to the horror of my grandfather, from whom I had escaped. A few years later, I climbed from that same leg onto the back of that great Finnish breed. From there, the path continued naturally: riding school, working at trotting stables, and eventually owning my own mare.

Growing up with a horse

As a teenager, growing up with a horse was an education in responsibility but even more so in relationship.

It meant learning nuance, presence, and trust.
Learning to understand another being beyond words.

My mare became a grounding force in my life. A companion on nature trails, a quiet friend I sometimes even slept beside. We learned to read each other, to respond to the subtle shifts in energy that each day brought.

A thread that follows

Life later took me across the world from studies in the United States to family and work across Asia and Europe.

And still, horses remained.

Sometimes close, sometimes more distant but always there, gently calling me back.
A western saddle, a dressage lesson, a bareback ride by the sea.

Back in Finland, returning to my lakeside summer place in Vitsai, I connected with a neighbour’s horses and began a long relationship with a gentle thoroughbred I rode for fourteen years.

The dream

For years, I had a recurring dream.

A horse in a barn; hungry, thirsty, waiting to be fed.

Each time I woke from it, I felt a quiet urgency. As if something in my life had been left unattended. A responsibility not fully met. A connection not fully seen.

Only later did I understand.

Returning after burnout

After my sabbatical travels following burnout I found myself once again close to horses and their owners. This time, I gave space to riding in a different way.

The more I responded to their presence, the clearer their “voice” became.

I remember guiding a tinker horse who seemed to long for movement beyond the stable. Together with his owner, we returned to the forest trails. It was a quiet triumph for all of us.

Since then, I have continued working with both horses and people supporting courage, presence, and the connection between them.

Horses in the Luontopolku® journey

As my coaching deepened, horses naturally became part of my Luontopolku Back to Your Senses® experiences.

From this, an opportunity emerged to co-create horse holidays with Pegasus.

It felt like a natural progression to bring together:

• slow travel

• Finnish nature

• and the presence of horses

At my lakeside home, Blueberry Villa, built by my father in the 1990s, I now welcome guests to experience this way of being.

Here, on Taipalsaari island by Lake Saimaa, life slows down.

In Finland, horses spend their summers on green pastures. During our 5- and 7-day retreats, we collect our horses from the nearby field, walk together to the stables, and set out onto gently curving trails through birch and pine forests.

There is no rush.
Only presence, rhythm, and connection.

Feeding the inner horse

The dream of the hungry horse no longer returns.

Somewhere along the way, my inner horse was fed.

And perhaps this is what draws people here too.

Not only to ride but to reconnect.
To listen.
To respond to something within that has been waiting.

I hope to meet you there, by the lake, and to gently support you in feeding your own inner horse.

After all, it is a time to trust your energy and follow where it quietly leads.

If something in this story resonated, you don’t need to leave it here.

Each summer, I host Slow Travel Horse Holidays at Lake Saimaa, where you are paired with your own horse and guided through nature-based reflection using the Luontopolku Back to Your Senses® method.

This is not just about riding.
It is about reconnecting with nature, with the horse, and with yourself.

→ Discover upcoming Horse retreats at The Journey Studio
→ Or book a discovery call to explore if this experience is for you

When Nature Becomes a Mirror: A Reflective Walk on the Ruta Ecológica in Benissa

Have you paused lately, I mean truly paused, taking yourself out not to perform, achieve, or respond, but simply to listen within?

On the Ruta Ecológica in Benissa, the landscape quietly reminds us how time reshapes everything.

Walking along the cliffs, you pass old sandstone quarries. Places where stone was once extracted and landscapes were capitalized on. Today they are protected nature areas. We walk through them gently, observing rather than taking.

Time has shifted their purpose.

Small yellow flowers grow through dry soil and rocky ground. Fragile yet persistent, they slowly reclaim the terrain. Spring approaches quietly here. Nature does not rush, but it always finds its way forward.

Watching this, it becomes difficult not to reflect on our own inner landscapes.

Just like the land, our inner nature also moves in cycles. Some seasons are productive and outward-facing. Others ask for restoration, protection, and listening.

We have learned to protect natural environments: to leave them as they are given to us.

Perhaps we need to offer the same care to ourselves.

Pausing, keeping ourselves close, staying in conversation with our inner voice. Noticing what might be quietly sprouting within us again; an idea, a direction, a courage that had been waiting for the right season.

Nature has a remarkable way of reflecting what we carry inside.

When we walk slowly and intentionally, the landscape begins to mirror our own thoughts. A question carried quietly in the mind often finds unexpected clarity along the path.

This is the foundation of my Luontopolku® reflective walk practice: creating space where nature becomes both guide and mirror.

Along the Ruta Ecológica in Benissa we slow down, observe, and listen, not only to the sea breeze, the pine trees, and the rhythm of the waves, but also to what is stirring within.

You may arrive with a question, a transition, or simply the feeling that it is time to pause.

Nature has a way of answering in its own quiet language.

I offer guided reflective walks at the Ruta Ecológica in Benissa for individuals and small groups through The Journey Studio.

If you feel the need to pause, listen, and reconnect with your own direction, you are welcome to walk with me.

Reflective Walk Experiences
📍 Ruta Ecológica, Benissa – Costa Blanca
Solo sessions or small groups

Read more and book your walk through The Journey Studio.

The Circle Closes

This January 2026, I am returning to Helsinki Matka Nordic Travel Fair an altogether different role: as a fellow traveler.

Once a travel executive and promoter of the Lake Saimaa region, I now stand here to tell how travel can take us to places, but more importantly, how it can bring us back home, within. When we travel intentionally, paying attention to ourselves and our surroundings, connecting with people and places, we also journey deeper into ourselves. Travel shows us how else life could be. It takes us off autopilot, sometimes even out of our comfort zones. In doing so, it resets us, supports our wellbeing, and invites reflection: are these new experiences something we want more of in our lives?

Travel as a Counterbalance

While the world speeds ahead and constantly pushes our boundaries with its demands, travel becomes a counterbalance, a resetting force that allows us to slow down and return to something that calls us. A feeling. A place. A moment where we see ourselves glowing again. As travelers, we are free, at our purest. When nobody knows us, we can shed our masks. We no longer need to play roles. We can simply be.

And we do not need to travel far. Or for long. We only need to turn our ear inward and allow ourselves the moments we truly need.

Nature as the Way Back

For me, nature has always been that place of return. It has echoed my answers back to me, allowed me to be alone in safety, and reminded me of who I am. Solo moments in nature; walking trails, slow rituals, quiet reflection, inner conversations bring us back to our own path. The more often we return to nature with a question in our hearts, seeking clarity, the clearer the picture becomes. Our breath softens. Our direction sharpens.

I believe it can be that simple.
Our nature is calling us all.

Listening Instead of Performing

We do not need yoga or breathing techniques, although I know they are wonderful and do much good. We can simply begin by giving ourselves time. By walking. By listening. By allowing what moves us to guide our choices and, in time, our travels.

A Year of Transformation

Last year marked a profound turning point for me as I founded my own business as a transformative travel coach. It has been a year of change, of reconnecting with wonderful people, both familiar and new, and of building wellbeing-focused travel experiences in Finland and abroad.

Returning to Helsinki Matka Nordic Travel Fair

At Helsinki Travel Mart this year, I am speaking as the founder of The Journey Studio, sharing my story and my Luontopolku Back to Your Senses® method. I am also honored to represent my dear partner Aktiv-Resor, speaking about how travel can bring wellbeing into our lives through experiences such as our “Appelsiinipuut kukkivat jo Valenciassa” retreat.

I will be available to meet from Friday 16 January to Sunday 18 January, and on Saturday 17 January from 13:00 to 14:30 you are warmly invited to join us at the Aktiv-Resor stand 7p128 for a connecting hour with my inspiring friend Saimi Hoyer.

Back Where I Belong

Travel and taking time for myself brought me back to where I belong: happy, present, and on a journey I now build consciously, day by day.

I look forward to meeting you at the fair, later this year, or wherever your path may take you. I would be honored to walk alongside your journey.

Happy travels,
Mirka

Read more about:

Appelsiinipuut kukkivat jo Valenciassa retreat.

Plan your own journey.

Pohdi omaa matkaasi kanssani.

A Threshold Between Years

We stand at a quiet threshold between the old and the new, with 2025 turning into 2026 in just a couple of days. This moment invites reflection. There are no New Year promises, no quick fixes, no self-help shortcuts that truly carry us forward. No one else can walk your path, pave the way, or take the steps for you.

There are practices: yoga, meditation, breathwork, deep massage that help us arrive in the present moment. There are also walks we can take, forests we can return to, places where we can finally hear our own thoughts again. These are invitations to turn our gaze inward and listen to our bodies, our intuition, ourselves.

Looking Back at 2025

I walked a long path in 2025. As the new year approaches, it feels natural to look back at the highlights that shaped me. During my sabbatical travels I knew I needed to change something, and in January I felt the earth shifting beneath my feet. After journeying far and walking far, I was finally ready; ready to feel, stand on my own and to understand the inner movement taking place within me.

A Defining Moment in Bernia

One of the moments that comes to mind from 2025 is a hike in Bernia and a powerful question asked atop ancient ruins overlooking the Mediterranean valley. A question so simple and yet so profound, one we all wrestle with:

“Will this make me happy?”

That conversation on the mountain stayed with me. It nudged me deeper into presence and into trusting my own senses. In 2025 I finally understood that letting go is an act of courage, and trusting myself is an act of love.

The Healing Potential of Travel

I also think about the power of travel, its quiet ability to heal and reveal who we are. Sometimes we set out without fully understanding why, only to discover the meaning step by step along the way.

My travel coaching, studies of transformation, Finnish heritage, raising two beautiful adults, and years living across continents have all given me a gentle trust in the world. When we slow down and return to presence, we begin to hear again the world around us, and our own inner voice.

Shared Moments

One moment I cherish this year is riding beside my coachee and her horse after a year in a new country. She had been too afraid to take that first hike with her beloved companion. But she stepped up, and so did I. She faced her fear, and something shifted in both of us.

Another beautiful moment this year was welcoming the Aktiv Resor team and a dear friend into a special collaboration, a holiday that will not end. Our Appelsiinipuut kukkivat jo wellness retreat is already taking shape as the orange trees begin to bloom. This meaningful journey will take place in April 2026, and you are warmly welcome to join us.

I trust the moment now. I trust stillness. I trust the process of working with groups, showing vulnerability, and finding our way together.
I believe in imperfection. I believe in us.
I believe in you.

My Path as a Transformative Travel Coach

Today I live as a transformative travel coach and journey designer, on a journey every day. I have taken my originally author family name as my official name. I design meaningful journeys and help you map your own way. Yes, I have my certification but more importantly, I have done my walk, and I continue to walk it.

I am here for you. I walk beside you, as close as you feel comfortable, listening to what you share as the path begins to form in front of your eyes.

Luontopolku: Returning to Nature, Returning to Yourself

I simply take you to Luontopolku, the nature trail. I guide you to nature so you can reconnect with your own inner nature. You don’t need anything special. No specific equipment, no particular practice, no performance. You simply relax and step out.

You are already enough, carrying the answers within you, moving toward harmony.

There is magic in the silence of nature.
Walking unlocks the mind’s potential.
Science has shown how walking brings clarity and creative breakthroughs.

Nature begins to reflect answers back to us in shapes, patterns, and moments only we can interpret.

One walk won’t solve everything. But it offers gentle aha-moments that open the way. When we return intentionally to reflective walks, we continue to process, to understand, to move toward what is calling us next.

The Horses That Returned to My Life

My love of horses has deepened this year as they returned into my life ever more. I hear them, seek to understand them, and myself better. Hipico Oliva, the place I visited on my very first solo day in Spain in November 2024 has become part of my working landscape. And my home stables, Vitsai Village’s Kannuskylä Stables is now a partner in mindful horse holidays beginning in summer 2026.

Welcoming the Year of the Fire Horse

Happy New Year of the Fire Horse, 2026: a year symbolizing renewal, bold energy, and transformative momentum. A year of unexpected developments, personal growth, and dynamic change.

And yet, while the world may accelerate around us, the most important thing remains the same: Slow down.

Turn inward.
Take yourself into account.

You mean the most.

May 2026 be a year of presence, clarity, courage, and a return to the path that is truly yours.

I am here for you.

Whether you are in Finland seeking a spring reset under blooming orange trees, or anywhere in the world longing to reconnect with yourself through the silence of Finnish nature, your journey has a place here. Let’s find the right path for you.

Read more about Your Journey or join our Appelsiinipuut kukkivat jo wellness retreat.

Whycation to Youcation; From Another Level to Gravity

While listening to morning news podcasts, I’m bombarded with advertisements about how to capitalize on the transformation AI is bringing to businesses: reducing costs, elevating customer and entertainment experiences, making 3D mainstream, promising leverage to grow.

I shiver a little. I am no longer walking those endless corridors or joining meetings where I was already thinking about the next one unpresent in the moment, and unpresent in myself.

I had another glimpse into the state of today during a sustainability communications training I recently attended. Suddenly our group found ourselves in a shared room, tasked with solving a problem together to be presented in 15 minutes.

I was the only one with my video on, introducing myself and asking for input.
Silence.

I suggested an approach. One voice, calling from a car, said: “Great, and sorry, I’m barely able to participate.”

I solved the issue, shared it with the group who remained quiet, busy with other tasks or unable to face others, and then presented it to the full class.

Today, I am in a privileged position: I choose where to be present.
Not necessarily financially, but mentally and emotionally.

We are expected to grow businesses, utilise the newest tools, and take experiences to “the next level.” But with all these loops, hurdles, and levels, we begin to lose our ground spinning like whirling dervishes.

Presently in Bangkok, between executive speeches about growth and market insights, we heard the Tourism Authority of Thailand share how, in just one year, they shifted from cultural experiences and parties to a new theme:
“Luxury of Healing.”
Soundless nature escapes, singing bowls, natural spas, stories, and sustainability.

Again I was reminded of the balance we all need.
There is a gravity pulling us back: a craving for nature, for simple ways, for nostalgia.

When transforming and growing businesses, we should not lose the most important factor:
ourselves.

Companies and people should invest first in wellbeing, inner connection, and personal growth.
Machines still need humans to learn from: people who can think for themselves and for others, after first taking a deep breath for themselves.

Whycation to Youcation

There are deeper reasons we travel.

Why means more than where.
You mean more than anything.

I walk alongside you, observing and listening. I offer my ear so you can shape the solution you already carry within you, once you start listening in.

You might be amazed by how much you have inside when you lend yourself an ear and quiet the noise.

It may be Thailand, Finland, or another land entirely that wakes something in you, but you are the one who takes the learning home and integrates it into daily life.

My gentle solution is simple:
listen to yourself when you step intentionally into nature, wherever you are. Pay intuitive attention and begin to notice what your inner self is whispering together with a trusted coach, next to you or online, present.

Take a leap, and allow yourself to land for a moment.
You will be happy you did.

Schedule a Complimentary Discovery Call

Your nature is calling you. Luontopolku Back to Your Senses® and I are ready when you are. Book a complimentary call.

Seeking Answers

I still get lost sometimes and need to return to my nature trails to reconnect. Even in the excitement of building something new, there is a mountain of tasks waiting, not always favourites, yet necessary.

What Is Weighing on Me?

This week, between pitching competitions where I got to speak about my Luontopolku Back to Your Senses® method, the way to Finnish Happiness, to the finals and receive supportive feedback from wellness-tourism leaders, I found myself wondering: What is weighing on me?

There is the pressure of things undone, the constant whisper to do more, the old feeling, shared by so many of us, that we still need to prove something. Even after letting go, the echo returns. In conversations this week, we explored that balance: how to stay engaged without losing ourselves, how to understand what is “enough,” and how to find a renewed sense of meaning and direction.

When I Return to the Trail

Every time I return to a trail intentionally and start listening to the nature around me, something shifts.
The stormy waves inside quiet down.
A pigeon lands and meets my gaze.
A poster on a wall brings back a memory of who I used to be.

When I note down the intuitive thoughts that arise, I begin to see what is missing, why I feel the way I do, and what needs to be released or added to feel whole again.

Nature Shows Us the Way

Nature shows us the way if we choose to listen.
But when we are burned out, overwhelmed or moving through transitions, we often don’t hear anything at all. We operate in a trance, not fully present in our own lives.

We need to break that cycle. Step out.
Travel helps awaken the senses and shift perspective, but we are not always able to travel far. In the end, it wasn’t the height of Machu Picchu that changed me. It was the depth I needed. Myself I sought.

About Luontopolku Back to Your Senses®

The Luontopolku Back to Your Senses® method I developed during my Travel Coach studies doesn’t require distance. It requires listening.

In Finland, we say:
“The forest answers what you shout into it.”

Luontopolku Back to Your Senses® is a nature-based transformational wellbeing and travel method that guides individuals back to clarity and inner balance. Rooted in mindful presence, nature practices and reflective guidance, it offers a structured yet intuitive pathway toward emotional renewal and meaningful change.

Finnish research shows that even 10 minutes in nature calms the heartbeat. Nature walks lower cortisol, support burnout recovery, prevent depression and increase mindfulness.

Luontopolku, nature trail in Finnish, draws from ancestral knowledge, Finnish science and global wellness insights, including the principles of Japanese forest bathing.

Slowing Down to Listen

Meaningful change happens when we slow down, tune in and allow nature to support our inner journey. Through movement, reflective exercises, sensory awareness and meaning-centered travel coaching, Luontopolku becomes a gentle companion toward self-understanding and inner clarity.

By following the steps in the Luontopolku® guide, you begin by asking what you wish clarity on. Then you step into nature, holding the question lightly.

Magic happens: answers appear in leaves, patterns, symbols.
You pause. You listen.
You write down the intuitive thoughts that surface.

The more intentionally we return to nature, the clearer the inner voice becomes.

A Path You Always Walk With Yourself

At 54, I gained the courage to change my life.
And so can you.

You are always journeying with yourself: listen closely to know when to stay on your path, or when it’s time to turn.

Wishing you a wonderfully slow weekend.
Take a mindful walk.
And if you feel called to explore your personal journey through a guided session, online or as a reflective Luontopolku Back to Your Senses® walk, you’re warmly welcome to make a booking.

All the Roads Lead to Yourself

Traveling in Different Ways

We are different travelers at different times and need different trips for different moments in life. I’ve learned to travel in many ways: with family, with friends, and alone. Though I’ve always needed my own time, it took me a while to embrace solo travel. It began with trips to visit friends until it grew on me. I’ve discovered the most about myself while traveling alone.

While we all need a friend by our side, it’s equally important to pause, ask questions, and reflect on our own.

Winds, Sunlight, and Self-Discovery

After experiencing winds that bring tears as well as the sun’s gentle caress, I now find myself in a new place of understanding; knowing better who I am and what I enjoy. And once you’ve arrived, it’s precious to find dear travel companions: old friends in new destinations and new friends showing you their favorite places.

Impressions from Lisbon

Last week I explored Lisbon. As an authenticity lover, I asked my copilot to suggest what I should see when my travel companion, a Lisbon aficionado, asked what I wished to explore.

My happiest moments were spent visiting the world’s oldest bookshop and the candle store Caza das Vellas Loreto (where photos aren’t allowed indoors). The dark wood interiors and glass cabinets filled with tall, imaginative candles are imprinted in my mind.

We also wandered through the front and back streets of Chiado, Alfama, and Belém, tasting flavors and returning to the best viewpoints. We don’t always need photos of views, but rather meaningful mementos and images within. My trip continues now for as long as my beautiful candles burn.

Turning Toward Spring

This week I glow as I turn my gaze toward spring, where a new joyous way of traveling awaits. With a dear friend, I’m happy to open our arms to welcome new travelers to begin their own journeys and join our Orange Trees Are Blooming Already in Valencia mindful travel package (Appelsiinipuut kukkivat jo Valenciassa merkitysmatka) this coming April.

We’ve both traveled our paths, left and returned, each time stronger. Now we embark on a new journey together.

A Journey Home Within

This is an opportunity to connect with supportive, spirited fellow travelers amid the blooming surroundings of Valencia. As we gently explore the Mediterranean valley, we also begin a journey that takes us to a home within.

✨ Read more about Appelsiinipuut kukkivat jo Valenciassa (in Finnish).
Explore your own personally coached journey.

Live for Yourself While Being There for Others

I had a meaningful encounter this week while called to a particular trail. Walking along the hilly Montgó side street, I stopped under a tall eucalyptus whose scent filled the air. As I admired its wide, textured trunk, an elderly lady appeared as if invited to the same spot.

In the golden setting sun, we began to talk, a blend of English, Spanish, and German unfolding between us. I learned that she had recently lost her husband of decades and was now alone in his country, far from her own circle. I listened, feeling that my role was simply to be there, assuring her that community and connection would return if she reached out.

Before parting ways, we hugged, she with her little dog, patiently waiting. Two strangers meeting under an old tree, both reminded that we are never truly alone.

Choosing Ourselves, Too

We are fortunate when life grants us long partnerships that shape who we are. Yet while we choose our partners every day, we must also remember to choose ourselves: to nurture our own paths, friendships, and independence.

One day we may stand alone, and if we’ve never practiced it, solitude can feel overwhelming. For me, learning to let others care for me has been just as important as learning to stand on my own. When we’re too used to someone else arranging things, it can take time to rediscover our own rhythm.

Solo hobbies, short trips, or longer adventures benefit both ourselves and our partners, offering space to reflect on who we are and what we seek in each other.

Redefining Our Roles

This week’s conversations reminded me how universal these transitions are; losing a partner, separating, or watching children move out. Each change reshapes our lives and redefines our roles.

That’s why it’s so vital to pause and ask:

Who am I beyond these familiar patterns? What still defines me?

Nature as a Way Back

For me, nature walks have always been my way back: sorting thoughts, reconnecting with myself, and grounding in the moment. Movement in nature unlocks emotions that words often hide.

Set out intentionally with a question to yourself. Walk in silence. Reach for a tree, feel the wind, notice the scent of the earth. When we engage our senses, emotional truths unfold, and sometimes they make us cry, sometimes laugh.

Have a wonderful weekend. Step out, even for a short while, and let the path remind you of yourself.

If you are interested in try the Luontopolku reflective walk guide.

To the Lovestories

Autumn means learning to let go after holding tightly to the lingering morning mists, marvelling at the gorgeous hues, and rising onto your toes as migrating birds glide overhead at the pier.

A New Chapter with The Journey Studio

This year, after finishing my work in Finland, I emptied my drawers, packed my bags, and took off myself. My year of transition reached its final turning point as I embarked on my full-time journey as an entrepreneur at The Journey Studio.

Upon returning to my newfound second home in Valencia, I was privileged to welcome a dear friend, a soulmate from my Lake Saimaa woods, along on a journey that has no end. I returned to a haven I had once discovered on a mountain hike through the surrounding valleys. Together with the gentle owners of Castell de la Solana, we hosted a partner team for an unforgettable, meaningful long weekend.

Stories Around the Long Table

As we gathered around the long table, I sensed it would hold the many stories that would unfold there during our first lunch. The heartfelt tales of finding a place, a purpose, each other, and courage all spoke of love — as did mine. Love for oneself, the courage to step out, move on, listen deeply, and embark on one’s own path. My divorce, fittingly, also became final that very day.

Transformation Through Travel

Travel is a beautiful, powerful tool, a path to wellbeing and connection when pursued with intention. The sense of belonging and embrace we felt among the olive groves during the Luontopolku reflective walk, in that valley where the storm gave way to radiant daylight, reflected transformation itself. In the days that followed, we shared our souls, roamed the nature trails with the wind in our hair and the sea whispering its greetings, turning the moments into a beautiful metamorphosis.

Who Are You, Beyond Your Title?

I often ask a simple question: If not defined by your position, who are you?

The intuitive answer is deeply revealing, one only needs to understand it within. I am a connector, now surrounded by dear friends who also know who they are, and that shared awareness brings assurance and clarity beyond the norms of this world.

Freedom, Connection, and the Home Within

I am humbled to have created the trust that allowed us to come together to experience something beautiful and carry meaning home. Wet with rain and tears, we hugged one another, carrying the knowing that this was only the beginning. There are journeys yet to unfold; journeys that take us beyond trips, to the home within restoring and healing us beyond wellbeing as we know it.

I have been told that I create a sense of freedom simply by being myself. Feeling free has always driven me: moving me from one country to another. Now, I no longer need to move to feel free. With my concept of life: traveling every day, I am free within myself.

As part of this transition after my divorce, I am now officially taking my author’s name, Bruun, as my registered name. My grandparents’ name carries deep meaning for me, a return to my roots and to the family pillars that have supported me throughout my life.

Would you like to embark on your own lovestory?

Drop me a note or read more at Life Chapter Reinvention or Travel Coaching in Finnish at Mukana matkallasi.

Care for Yourself

We often feel responsible for everyone but ourselves. We take care of children, family, spouse, parents, and work. At work, we leave nothing unfinished and ensure others have answers; at home, we make sure everyone else takes their breaks.

It’s admirable to be reliable, the person everyone can turn to but who do you turn to? Who allows the leave for you? There may even be the option: adequate holidays, understanding supervisors who won’t push you for yet another achievement—but do you allow yourself to take it?

Fear Wears Many Faces

Fear can appear as being unheard, missing out, becoming left out, forgotten. Perhaps the hardest: facing yourself without structure, after so long taking care of others, managing responsibilities, following routines.

Being alone with your thoughts can feel bewildering, yet it’s here you can start listening. You can question the weight in your backpack and ask yourself:
“Do I really need to carry all this anymore?”

Start Gently

Care for yourself a little at a time.
Pay attention. Turn your ear to the journey waiting. Accept that you also need time, space, and peace.

Allow yourself to unwind in ways that feel natural. Travel and leisure trips are not challenges to conquer, achievements to measure, or races to win.

Beauty lives in the moments in between, in the truths hidden under ordinary stones. Mindful walks in nature, strolling through an unfamiliar street on a work trip, turning your gaze inward all can spark small aha moments, giving depth and clarity to your reflections.

Time is precious. Connecting with yourself begins the journey toward your natural calling. It may smoothen your experience where you are or eventually lead you somewhere entirely new but the most important thing is that you are steering.

Walking Together

As a certified travel coach and fellow traveler, I walk with people who are questioning the weight of their backpack and what to carry forward.

The journey is yours, and I’m here for the moments you need. I’ll walk alongside as you map where you wish to go using travel as your vehicle.

Pause. Reflect. Consider what you truly want.

Together, we can plan your journey back to your senses whether it’s a personal reflection path, a solo adventure you long to embark on, or a wellness retreat where you wish to immerse fully. Just book a discovery call to chat about your desires.

Humans Travel For—and With—Humans

Travel is all about wellbeing, and we are different people on different journeys. Whether traveling together or solo, we are always seeking something deeper: space, time, togetherness, distance, or connection. But these are not the words we typically hear when booking a trip. Instead, we see the glimmer of well-known destinations with iconic sights and sunsets flashing at us online.

Yet often, it’s the offbeat trails, the smaller towns, the cobblestone villages that leave a lasting imprint. Cultural immersion, nature connection, and authentic human encounters—these are what turn a trip into something truly transformative.

What Is Calling You?

It’s good to ask ourselves why we want to go somewhere. What is calling us? Sometimes we feel the urge to do something, to be somewhere—but don’t yet know where or why. Maybe there’s a way of traveling we’ve never tried, or a destination we’ve held back from because of what we’ve heard or assumed.

Maybe there’s more we could bring back from our holidays—insight, peace, presence—if we started with intention and allowed ourselves to follow the deeper cause behind our desire to journey. Maybe it’s finally time.

My Journey to Solo Travel

Looking back, I’ve progressed from family trips to traveling alone with my children to meaningful destinations. It took years to realize I didn’t need to wait for someone else’s availability.

Solo travel, for me, began as a way to meet someone—my own quiet escape. But somewhere along the way, I realized I didn’t need a reason or a person to justify going. I could simply travel for myself.

As I began following my own interests—horseback riding, nature trails, slow mornings in unfamiliar places—I found something surprising: serendipitous encounters, spontaneous joy, and a renewed sense of self.

It’s Not the Destination

It’s never just about the destination. It’s the journey—the transportive moments along the way—that remind us who we are. These experiences have the power to reconnect us with our inner compass and support us in becoming fully empowered, content individuals—wherever we happen to be.

Fast-track search engines and AI can get you the ticket, but not the clarity you’re looking for. That comes step by step: through conversation, reflection, presence, and paying attention.

Travel Can Be Your Tool

Helping others find clarity and confidence has become my calling—especially when they don’t yet know the exact direction, only that it’s time.

I hope you find that time for yourself too.

Use travel as your tool. Not just for escaping, but for returning—to your self-esteem, your rhythm, and the connections that nourish you.

🌿 Begin with intention:

Download my intentional travel guide:

Luontopolku – A Nature Trail Back to Your Senses

📞 Feel something calling?

Book a free discovery call to explore how your next step might look.

🧭 Want to travel solo—together?

Join us for a transformative retreat in Alicante, October 9–12.

Limited spots available.

Nature Trailing

A Journey Back to Your Senses

My childhood summers always began the same way—by kicking off my shoes in June.

I spent those days wandering Finnish forests, following winding trails, collecting natural treasures, and diving into cold lakes. Many of us recognize the exact same things.

I’ve always loved the promise of a nature trail: it might lead to a blooming meadow, a blueberry-covered hill, or a quiet peninsula. At my Finnish lakeside villa, I cherish the short walk down the nature path to the shore.
The trail, woven with pinecones, roots, and soft moss, holds immense transportive power.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve followed trails—always toward water.

Walking helps us process what words cannot.

During my sabbatical, I found myself on many more nature trails—from the physically demanding climb to Machu Picchu to gentle, reflective walks through paths I once knew in my youth in Spain. I joined a group at Caminito del Rey and revisited familiar Alhambra paths, processing life as I walked.

I remembered how walking had always helped me think—sometimes running, sometimes foraging for mushrooms. Mostly alone.
In movement, the answers often reveal themselves.

The trail that changed everything

While walking and driving across Spain, reconnecting with myself, I realized how much clarity I gained simply by moving. I stumbled upon a real estate agency in a historic old town—because they had a hillside home for sale that caught my eye. It wasn’t the one, but the agent kept talking about the nearby hiking trails.

Eventually, I visited the green belt of Dénia, at the foot of Montgó mountain.
And I stopped.
There, right in front of me, were trails leading into and around the mountain.

Since then, my journey has continued—up the Montgó, across surrounding valleys, and deeper into the beauty of presence.

A new path opened at Castell de la Solana

One trail in Alcalalí led me to Castell de la Solana, a boutique hotel run by a Finnish couple. The moment I stepped onto the property, I heard running water. The olive grove, the mountain backdrop, the peaceful paths—it all transported me.

In another twist along this virtual trail, I discovered the Travel Coach Network, a global community of professionals helping others use travel for wellbeing.

As travel becomes increasingly tech-driven, so grows the desire for meaning—destinations and connections that truly nourish us.

Luontopolku

A Life Reconnection Program by The Journey Studio

I believe in the power of following nature trails.
My journey has taken many unexpected turns, and now as a transformative travel coach, I want to empower others to take their own first curious steps.

When we walk with awareness, clarity follows—and soon after, the courage to move forward.

What is Luontopolku?

Luontopolku means nature trail in Finnish.
It’s also the name of my signature program at The Journey Studio—a moving, grounded journey that gently leads us back to ourselves.

And it doesn’t need to happen in Finland.
Your trail is already there, wherever you are.
It’s simply waiting.

The program is for anyone ready to:

• Reclaim presence

• Navigate change
• Seek clarity
• Feel fully alive again

Whether it begins on a trail near home or at a retreat far away, I’ll walk beside you.

What you’ll walk away with:

• A deeper awareness of how your senses guide you
• Daily practices to root, soften, and grow
• A clearer connection to your direction and voice

Join us this October 9–12

I’m returning to Castell de la Solana to host our first Transformative Luontopolku Retreat in Alcalalí, Spain.

Together we’ll explore trails and villages filled with stories of reinvention, meet local entrepreneurs who have reshaped their lives, enjoy warm cultural experiences, and find peace in a deeply restorative setting.

The retreat blends nature, movement, stillness, and story—creating space to realign with what truly matters.

The nature trail is never a fixed route.

It begins the moment we take the first step.

If you’re curious about the retreat—or simply ready to begin your own intentional path—I’d love to tell you more.

Luontopolku Retreat Info -)

📩 Let’s connect: Contact The Journey Studio

Setting Intention

If you’re not happy, chances are—no one around you is truly happy either.

When I started my sabbatical, I often heard from others: “I’d love to do the same... but I just don’t have the time.” They’d pause, exhale, and whisper maybe one day—but not yet.

Inside, though, something was already stirring. A quiet knowing that something needed to shift. That we were tired, burned out, worn thin. That we weren’t in it anymore.

Still, we’re often so good at postponing ourselves. Throwing our needs into another project, another year, another reason why not now. We choose everything—except ourselves.

For many, there’s even shame in doing something alone. Traveling solo can feel too bold. Or we convince ourselves we can’t afford the time or space to step away. There’s a fear of disappearing from the lives we’ve built—of being forgotten if we’re gone too long.

But in the end, it’s not about the time, the cost, or the distance.

It’s about doing something with intention.

I knew I needed space—so I set the intention to go far. And it gave me clarity.

You don’t need to take a three- or six-month sabbatical. Just steal a little time for yourself. A mini-break in a new environment. A solo day trip. A few retreat days to immerse yourself in something new. Or even during work travel—between the closing speech and the evening dinner—slip into a nearby park, gallery, or modern art exhibition.

When we’re alone, even briefly, our gaze shifts. We no longer relate through others—we come back to ourselves.

✨ See what happens when you give yourself space.

✨ Notice what you start paying attention to.

✨ Take mental snapshots. Jot a note. Sketch what caught your eye.

By giving ourselves time, we start craving more of these immersive, sensory moments—the ones we want to linger in.

Try a solo weekend. If that feels too much, stay an extra day after your business trip and explore slowly, mindfully. If solo isn’t your thing, join a peaceful retreat. Connect with locals and fellow travelers who are also creating space for something different. Traveling solo—together—can still give you your space.

Intentional travel lifts the weight off our chest.

Reflective moments can transport us farther than the road ever could.

And when we start paying attention, we begin to listen—to ourselves. That’s when clarity begins.

From there, the path back to yourself becomes visible. You may find the courage to take your next step—aligned, intentional, and true.

💛 Wouldn’t you like to belong to yourself too?

Happiness lives within us.

It’s waiting to be found.

✨ Curious about your own journey? Where are you being called to go—near or far?

🌿 Take a look at Back to Your Senses and begin setting your intention today.

From Alone to Aligned: How a Lakeside Cabin Taught Me to Listen

Not long ago, the thought of solo travel—or even a weekend cottage trip—made me pause. I was used to being surrounded: by people, work, responsibilities, the constant motion of a busy life. But before I even realized burnout was knocking, I sought space and solitude. Not just physical distance, but emotional space. Space to hear my own thoughts again.

I returned to something deeply familiar: the Finnish lakeside. A simple Blueberry Villa my father built in the 1990s. A silent forest—or so it seemed. I used to hate driving there alone, getting busy with the garden, treating the terraces and pier, or clearing the forest. We’re self-sufficient there: wood-burning oven, fireplace, and a lakeside sauna tucked into our own woods.

At first, I brought all my thoughts with me—the mental noise, the pressure to produce, the urge to fill the silence. But over time, the quiet worked its way in. While exhausting myself outdoors, I noticed the gentle fall of a pinecone, the texture of birch bark, the whisper of the lake, the humming of the tall pines on our land, a place we call the Pineman. The forest was not so silent after all.

I began to relax during my weekend getaways, becoming mindful of the path with its exposed roots leading from the villa to the lakeside, listening to the waves while sitting on the pier, simply enjoying the stillness. The traditional sauna ritual—throwing water on the hot stove, listening to the fire crackling beneath it, and dipping into the cold lake between steam baths—was profoundly calming. I swam in icy water, and something in me softened. I didn’t need to speak to belong. Nature welcomed me without needing me to be anything more than I was.

I realized I was alone, but I wasn’t lonely. I was part of nature—something bigger. I was beginning to feel again. I started journaling—not because I had to, but because my hands wanted to remember what my heart was trying to say.

Though the awakening during my sabbatical journey changed me, I realized I had already taken the first steps earlier. Transformation isn’t a single event; it’s a series of quiet, essential shifts. The times spent at our lakeside cottage reawakened my senses and kept me going. They gave me clarity—then and now. They reminded me of something vital: the journey back to ourselves often begins with the simplest acts of presence. Since I managed alone there, I could manage journeying anywhere. Everything beyond that only added to my contentment.

This experience became the foundation for my signature program at The Journey Studio: Back to Your Senses.

It’s a guided path to reconnect with what you may have lost touch with—your body, your emotions, your sense of wonder, and the clarity that comes from being truly present once you start to listen.

The program is built around five natural elements:

• Earth for grounding and physical awareness

• Water for emotional flow and softness

• Fire for courage and personal ignition

• Air for mental clarity and breath

• Space for stillness, intuition, and trust

You can begin with 1:1 coaching from anywhere in the world. Or, you can join me in Finland at a peaceful lakeside villa, embracing the roots of Finnish happiness—or in Spain, where we walk and reflect among mountain paths, citrus groves, and ancient watchtowers. Each experience is curated not just to inspire—but to help you listen.

Because when you start to listen, you start to return to yourself.

If you're navigating a life transition, healing from burnout, or simply feeling called to explore your next chapter more consciously, this program is for you.

Learn more about the Back to Your Senses Life Reconnection Signature Program or schedule a free clarity call at www.thejourneystudio.co

Solo Travel: From Fear to Freedom

After years of traveling with family, I found myself in unfamiliar territory—alone. My children had moved out, and I had separated. Business trips on my own had always been manageable, but the thought of solo leisure travel made me cringe. I remember driving to our family cottage, teeth gritted, struggling to embrace the solitude.

And yet, looking back, I realize I’ve always enjoyed little solo moments—even on trips with others. Whether sneaking off to a museum, climbing a hill to explore a fortress, or wandering through a park, I’ve always found joy in those spontaneous encounters with nature, art, and culture. Still, there was a quiet hesitation about taking a full trip alone. As a woman, it didn’t quite feel natural. There’s a saying that you shouldn’t travel with someone you don’t love—but even when love is there, schedules rarely align.

Maybe I had simply sat with my solitude long enough. Maybe I had grown. Or maybe the title “sabbatical journey” sounded just grand enough to give myself permission. Whatever it was, I felt ready—excited, and terrified.

From the start, there were challenges: language barriers, navigation issues, strange door locks, power outages, and the ever-present need to plan for safety and timing. But I’ll never forget the thrill of that first full day—driving across Spain, meeting my deadlines, and finding my way. When I finally reached the Valencian coast before sunset, I unpacked in a tiny Airbnb and walked down to the beach. The sea whispered softly, the wind gentle against my face. I wept—not out of fear, but from relief, joy, and pride. I had made it. On my own. And it was more than okay. It was beautiful.

Solo travel became a grounding, empowering experience—one that now strengthens how I move through daily life. I learned to ask for help, to adapt, to trust. Gradually, the anxiety faded. I found myself meeting wonderful people, stumbling into unexpected experiences, and noticing things I might never have if someone had been beside me.

That’s the magic of solo travel: your attention shifts inward and outward at once—not toward someone else, but toward yourself and the world around you.

Now, I recommend solo travel to everyone, especially those navigating change. Whether it’s a weekend away or a long sabbatical, go when you're ready, and let the road meet you where you are. We are different travelers on different journeys, each one leading to another. Traveling solo to meet friends or join a retreat is a beautiful way to begin—traveling alone, together.

As a transformative travel coach, this is one of my passions—supporting others through life transitions or reflective chapters to plan and embark on solo journeys. I offer guidance before, during, and after the trip, helping travelers integrate their insights and carry them home.

Because the real journey often begins the moment we return.

Learn how you can begin your journey.

How the journey began

The first step wasn’t Machu Picchu. It was exhaustion.

I had been running on empty. My days were filled with responsibility, achievement, and the subtle weight of being everything to everyone—except myself. I knew something had to shift. My body knew it before I did. My spirit had started to whisper what my mind tried to ignore: You’re burned out. You’re disconnected. You need more.

People take breaks for all kinds of reasons and spend them in countless ways. For me, it was clear from the start—during my sabbatical, I would travel. But not just anywhere. And not to escape. I would travel to reconnect, to recover, and, if possible, to rediscover who I was beyond my roles, routines, and responsibilities.

The Route

I’d been planning the journey for a year—maybe longer, if I’m honest with myself. The decision to apply for a sabbatical came from a deep inner nudge that kept growing louder. I needed self-love and self-care. I needed soul searching. I needed to feel alive again, to build back the courage I feared I had lost.

I mapped my route with intention: Peru, where I would climb Machu Picchu—something I had dreamed of for years. But before that, a meaningful stopover: Iceland, a place that called to my curiosity and solitude. It would be a journey between two sacred landscapes. I’d travel alone—but not to isolate. I still longed to meet people, to see the world through fresh eyes. I just needed to begin on my own.

What I Carried

Before I fully understood what I was doing—or what it would do to me—I began stripping things away.

• My car: a symbol of status and control.

• My jewelry, clothes, and career wardrobe: curated identities I no longer wanted to perform.

• My environment: even my organization changed during my leave, as if life was quietly aligning with my internal shifts.

Transformation isn’t always a thunderclap. It’s often subtle, layered, and slow. There wasn’t one moment of change, but many. Moments of truth, of pause, of awakening. Some came before the trip, others mid-flight, and many more are still unfolding.

What I Sought

I didn’t just want a vacation—I needed to feel something new, to step away from the familiar, to find zest for life again. I longed to be inspired, to discover who I was without the structure of my career, my relationships, or the labels I had worn for so long.

I was curious. I was afraid.
But I was ready to move.

Transformation, for me, meant creating space to ask:
What makes me feel alive?
What do I need to feel like myself again?
What would happen if I followed that?

This journey wasn’t just about geography. It was personal. And though I didn’t yet know it, I was beginning something that would change how I live, love, work—and travel—forever.

Learn how you can begin your journey as well.