About The Studio Journal
The Transformation You Can Expect from Life Reconnection Signature Program — Back to Your Senses
✔ Reconnect with your true self
✔ Gain clarity on what to focus on
✔ Feel empowered to make bold decisions
✔ Take aligned action toward meaningful change
The Studio Journal was born during a sabbatical that became something much deeper—a turning point. What began as a pause from routine turned into a journey of unlearning, rediscovery, and reconnection. I wandered, I listened, I wrote. I stepped into unfamiliar places—both on the map and within myself.
This journal is a space to share what I’ve gathered along the way. It holds reflections from the road, questions from the quiet moments, and the stories that shape how we travel, live, and grow. You’ll find pieces of my journey here, but also prompts, insights, and encouragement for your own.
Because transformation doesn’t happen all at once. It happens in the in-between. And this is a place for that.
A Threshold Between Years
As we stand between the years, this quiet moment invites us to slow down, listen inward, and return to what truly matters. In this reflective piece, I share the defining moments of 2025 from a life-changing question on a mountain in Bernia to the gentle clarity found in nature, horses, and mindful travel. Welcome the Year of the Fire Horse by turning inward, trusting your path, and walking into 2026 with presence, courage, and a renewed connection to yourself.
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.
All the Roads Lead to Yourself
Mirka standing at a Lisbon viewpoint at sunset, smiling against the backdrop of the Tagus River and the city’s iconic red rooftops. A sign beside her reads “Yes, life is good” perfectly capturing the spirit of slow travel, gratitude, and the quiet joy of being present on the journey.
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.