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.
Care for Yourself
A warm cup of coffee resting on a wooden pier, overlooking the tranquil waters of Lake Saimaa. Morning light shimmers on the lake, inviting a moment of calm, reflection, and connection with oneself.
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.
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.