About

Thank you for visiting InspirNational, where you can find international inspiration in your everyday life. I hope you enjoy my posts, which will include reflections of past trips near and far, insights from around the world, travel tips, and inspiration to live like a traveler every day.

What inspired me to write this blog?

After traveling throughout the world, and especially studying abroad in undergrad and graduate school, I have realized that I would like to live every day like a traveler. I am passionate about exploring my surroundings, learning from others, and inspiring others. In order to combine my passions, I decided to share what I have learned through daily life and travels in order to help others find international inspiration in their daily lives as well. I also invite inspirNational guests to write on my blog to expand the outreach and international experiences.

How do I live like a traveler?

With a traveler’s mindset, or an inspirNational mindset, I am curious, open-minded, and spontaneous. I also:

• Seek new opportunities
• Try new things
• Meet new people
• Think global. Act local.

No matter where I am, I can live with this mindset, which helps me live life to the fullest and make the most of any situation.

“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” -Henry Miller

How did my love for travel begin?

Since I was 6 weeks old, I have had the “travel bug,” thanks to my generous parents, who have made vacations part of my yearly routine. Throughout my growing up years, my family would balance going to new places and continuing several family traditions (trips to western or northern Michigan, Florida, etc.). My first trip was to Clearwater Beach, Florida as a baby, and my first international trip was to Cancun, Mexico as an elementary school student. I have traveled throughout Europe, North America, Latin America, and South America. I studied abroad in Spain in 2011, Chile in 2013, and France in 2016, extending my stays to explore Europe and South America. I have a lifelong goal to visit every continent. I plan to continue traveling as a hobby and having a travel mindset as a lifestyle.

“We travel initially to lose ourselves; and we travel next to find ourselves. We travel to open our hearts and eyes and learn more about the world than our newspapers will accommodate. We travel to bring what little we can, in our ignorance and knowledge, to those parts of the globe where riches are differently dispersed. And we travel, in essence, to become young fools again – to slow time down and get taken in, and to fall in love once more.” – Pico Iyer

Big Island of Hawaii, July 2014

About Me

Crossed the Mason-Dixon line to earn an International MBA at the University of South Carolina and show the world that it is possible for one person (me :)!) to go from Wolverine to Clevelander to Gamecock. After working in sustainability consulting for three years, I gained experience in and appreciation for global sustainable business – helping companies strategize and report how they can have a positive impact on their employees, communities, and the environment.  I have combined these experiences to embark on a journey with Michelin’s Global Leadership Program. I also have a passion for international education, which I have experienced as a Melibee Global Marketing Intern and as an English as a Second Language teacher at El Barrio in Cleveland and at the University of Michigan. I am fluent in Spanish and conversational in French, after studying abroad for a summer in Salamanca, Spain, a winter in Paris, France, and a spring break in Santiago, Chile. In my spare time, I enjoy running, yoga, and exploring wherever I am living or visiting. Be sure to “like” inspirNational on Facebook to see all blog updates and relevant articles.

Where can I go for more travel resources?

• Melibee Global: Trailblazing tools, speakers and professional development for the global education and travel communities.
• One World 365: A directory of meaningful volunteer and travel opportunities worldwide. Our extensive website features hundreds of inspiring trips in over 100 destinations and we help thousands of people travel abroad and do something different every year.
• Pink Pangea: The place where you can get real travel information from women just like you who want to see the world and are already doing it. Post your travel photos, connect to other women travelers, ask questions, share your insights, and get ready to see the world.
• The International Wanderer: A live and travel abroad resource with country guides and information on working holiday visas and how to work, study or volunteer abroad. There’s a global expat community directory, a travel and expat blog and opportunity listings to volunteer abroad, study abroad, work abroad and intern abroad.