Happy Valentine’s Day to You

A different kind of love story

It’s a day we may love or hate, celebrate with friends the Finnish way or with someone dear to us.

Over the past year, I’ve often spoken about a love story when sharing my path of leaving and returning with purpose. Not the kind of story we usually expect, but the one that changed everything.

For years, like many of us, I gave and gave. I handled, managed, waited.

Until one day I realised: it was me who had to let something go.

Choosing time

When I took my sabbatical travels, I gave up a lot. Income, yes. Certainty, maybe.

But time? That was priceless.

There was no other way I could have bought the learning, clarity, and courage that came from travelling solo. I needed that time out.

And the love story I found was the most profound one of all: finally choosing myself.

Doing what I had long wished to do.
Investing in my own wellbeing.
Getting a little lost, only to find my way back home, within.

That journey was the best wellness retreat I could ever have given myself.

From travel to transformation

It’s been a year since my sabbatical ended, and so much has changed. Clarity has formed.

Travel gave me new insight, not only about the world, but about ourselves. That curiosity led me deeper into my Travel Coach Network studies.

Once a travel director, I now design experiences that don’t just take you somewhere, they take you deeper into yourself, into place, into culture.

Once a manager and supervisor, I now guide people to pause. To listen inward. Whether travelling far or simply walking a familiar forest trail.

Sometimes we look at ourselves in the same mirror for too long. We swim in the same fishbowl.

But when we step into a new environment or meet someone who truly sees us, our vision clears.

Reshaping life gently

Last year, I gently reshaped my life. Not overnight, not dramatically, but consciously. I built a structure that supports a lifestyle “on a journey every day.”

I started telling my story. Asking for help. Preparing ahead.

And interestingly, when we speak from the heart, the right people appear.

Not everyone needs to change their life completely, move countries, or leave their job.

But everyone deserves more peace. More balance. More small moments of happiness.

Courage looks different for each of us

Sometimes it’s a sabbatical.
Sometimes it’s a mindful morning.
A new hobby.
A quiet weekend trip.
Or simply a gentle pause.

Small acts of self-love, repeated throughout the year.

If you ever feel the call to create space for yourself to reflect, reset, or redesign your path, I’m here to walk alongside you and share what I’ve learned.

We don’t need to carry heavy bags.

Awareness leads to courage.
And courage grows step by step.

With love

Sending love to you this Valentine’s Day.