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.
Horses Can Talk
Mirka and Anne-Marie riding horses during the last horse coaching session where she went out on her own horse Jack the first time.
How Jack the Irish Cob and a walk in nature led to courage, connection, and healing
We should walk the walk—not just talk.
I believe our steps can lead us intuitively to where we are meant to go.
Since I began walking—literally and metaphorically—serendipitous events have kept unfolding. I started my sabbatical tour of Spain by driving to Oliva beach in the autumn of 2024. Soon after settling in, I found Centro Hípico Oliva and went riding the very next day.
By January, I had moved to Dénia and, through booking a hairdresser, discovered she kept her horse at the same stables. I returned to ride with her. The natural beauty of Oliva's nature reserve—with water bodies, birds, and wildlife framed by mountains—soon became a grounding space for me. Alongside Montgó, it offered peace.
Meeting Jack
This July, a curious Irish Cob named Jack caught my attention. Observing me with his stablemates, he seemed to seek connection. He was talkative, a little cheeky, and clearly eager to do more. I suggested to his owner that I ride him out, but she was hesitant—terrified, in fact.
Jack had lived in Spain for a year but had never gone out on a hack. His owner only rode him in circles, gripped by fear from a fall when Jack was younger.
A Coaching Journey in the Saddle
Anne-Marie, Jack’s owner, had also recently acquired Novela, an 18-year-old Spanish mare. Longing to ride Jack outdoors again, she agreed to a one-week plan that combined intention setting, coaching, and gentle progress.
I rode Jack while Anne-Marie rode Novela. The horses sensed her nerves, and Jack, being a spirited soul, added a dose of macho energy to our first ride. We rode several times together, gradually increasing the distance, adding gaits, and building confidence. Anne-Marie and I also had one-on-one sessions to ensure everyone—horse and human—felt safe and seen. Jack responded beautifully—curious, expressive, and engaged. On day seven, Anne-Marie rode Jack confidently by my side, a moment she called a triumph.
Walking Toward Courage
Anne-Marie’s dream was to ride Jack to their new home in the countryside. But until we met, she hadn’t found anyone to support her in that journey. Yesterday, she did it—with me walking beside her.
It was exactly what she was meant to do, and she did it with pride. She's now smiling, glowing, and enjoying her horse—and herself—more freely than before.
Let the Journey Lead You
I don’t know how these things unfold—but they do. Since I’ve been walking my walk, staying connected to my senses and inner nature, I move lighter every day.
Would you like to dare something new for yourself?
Don’t let fear hold you hostage. You can walk around it.
Send me a note. Let’s see where your path can take you.
🌀 — Mirka Kristiina
Transformative Travel Coach | The Journey Studio
Humans Travel For—and With—Humans
Training in harmony: Me guiding horse and rider through a peaceful golden-hour session under the trees in Dénia. Riding has always been one of my personal ways to reconnect with presence, rhythm, and trust—both in myself and in the moment.
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.
When You Know, You Know
La Siesta nestled beneath Montgó’s watchful presence
Framed by swaying palms and bursts of bougainvillea, La Siesta rests quietly at the edge of Dénia’s green belt. Behind it, Montgó rises like a guardian—its rocky slopes and pine forests casting both shelter and inspiration. This is where Mediterranean stillness meets the rhythm of intentional living.
How I found my place—and how you can too.
I knew immediately I was home when I visited La Siesta, nestled along the green belt of Dénia. I had come to Spain with a quiet purpose: to find something of my own, something that would root me to this land and bring alive the feeling that had been quietly building inside me. Fear or winter Finland in the back of mind with my worsening Raynard syndrome.
I visited several places with intention. And then, on the last viewing of my last day in Spain—early December 2024—I stepped out of the car and felt it. Montgó’s mighty presence, the Elephant as they call it, stretched out over Dénia like a protective shield. Behind the blooming palms and bougainvilleas of the community garden, I saw the eco-park and its winding pine trails. From the rooftop terrace of the third floor, I could spot the Dénia Castle, wrapped in ancient fortress walls. The old town, the bustling marina, the ferries to Ibiza and Mallorca—all within walking distance. Yet the peace of this place held me.
From there, things moved quickly. One serendipitous moment led to another. Determined to begin this new chapter, I made it happen—I spent New Year’s at my new second home, surrounded by family. With the help of incredible professionals, what began as a bold step became the beginning of something bigger.
Since then, my bond to Dénia has only grown. My interior decorator and real estate agent have become close friends, hairdresser a riding companion, volleyball teammates collaborators. Together with the La Siesta community, we’ve started crafting transformative experiences that reflect the essence of this place.
Because Dénia is unlike anywhere else. Its layered history of Roman and Moorish influence still echoes in its architecture and soul. Since the beginning of tourism in the 1950s, new cultural layers are still forming as incomers arrive—the fortifications and towers now welcoming them in. The gastronomy here is award-winning—think red gambas, black rice, and Valencian paella savored on lively tapas streets. The city pulses with festivals, music, and joy. Cyclists cruise the trails, horses graze near mountain ridges, and the warm locals remind you to laugh at yourself.
They speak Valencian here (which sounds to me like Spanish with a French twist), but they answer you in Spanish—and expect a smile or a joke in return.
I immersed myself from the start. I bicycled the beach side, hiked mountain paths to hidden caves, tasted smoked calamari and local wine, and danced (very poorly!) at a Latin class where the instructor kept repeating “Con mando, mía!” I took part in festivals like the Three Kings and Fallas, visited maritime and archaeological museums, and walked the tunnel beneath fortress breathing it all in.
And perhaps most importantly—I met people. Remarkable people. What happens when you journey alone. Many of them finding their way back to themselves, just like me.
I’ve arrived. And now, I hope to inspire others to give themselves time—to pause, listen inward, and take one small step at a time toward their inner child.
In reconnecting with my own nature, I’ve created something to share: a weekly program of transformative experiences for La Siesta residents and holiday guests of Dénia. These offerings invite you to rediscover presence, joy, and the simple magic of moving through life with curiosity and intention while savoring the essence of the Costa Blanca’s natural beauty and deep cultural roots. From onsite Pilates and fun cooking and Latin dance classes to nature adventures, gastronomy afternoons, and visits to Dénia Castle and the vibrant Friday market, each experience is crafted to invite joy, presence, and reflection.
✨ Book Dénia Experiences here
✨ Want to discover Dénia with me through a curated 1:1 travel coaching journey or join the October retreat in Alicante? Drop me a message—I’d love to walk that path with you.