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.
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.
Setting Intention
Intentional travel begins before the journey itself. In this post, I explore how setting a clear intention can shape not only where we go, but how we experience it—and ultimately, what we carry home within us.
Transformative Travel Coach Mirka is seen stepping off the road by the Golden Gate Bridge. Finding the courage to drive on U.S. highways was an empowering experience.
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
Spending time alone in a Finnish lakeside cabin, I didn’t find silence—I found alignment. This post reflects on how stillness, space, and nature revealed what burnout had hidden, and how solitude can guide us gently back to ourselves.
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