CONNECT, a yansisters publication, Summer 2021

Summer 2021

a yanasisters publication

When Did You

Fall In Love

?

With Travel

AN UNSTOPPABLE JOURNEY MI PASIÓN DE VIAJAR OUI, PARIS! FOR THE LOVE OF TRAVEL

17 PLACES to Love

IN THIS ISSUE: WHAT IS YANASISTERS? LETTER FROM THE FOUNDER

by Imani Monica McCullough YOGA IS A PRAYER

by Kellyn McGee 17 DESTINATIONS TO LOVE AN UNSTOPPABLE JOURNEY

by Monique White

2

MI PASIÓN DE VIAJAR

by Tamara Derouselle OUI, PARIS!

by Naomi Vivian Wilson FOR THE LOVE OF TRAVEL

by Faith Knight Myers YANA AROUND THE WORLD PLAYLIST

WHAT IS YANASISTERS?

YANASISTERS is an intergenerational wisdom circle for women — like you.

We’ve created this safe space, this spiritual space, to celebrate our womanhood. Here, with us, you will find healing. You will find happiness. You will find hope.

And most importantly, you will find a new you.

Connection is the essence of our community. Whether through our intimate online group, coaching programs, local meetups or one of our transformative destination retreats, we are here to support you in this season of your awakening. We share our stories, our pasts and our pain — lovingly and openly — to show one another that we are more alike than we are different.

We defy the notion that differences divide us. We are women who are all shapes, sizes, skin tones and swag. But our spirits — our souls — are every bit the same. And we only have one rule. Leave all judgment at the door.

You arrived here today, not by coincidence, but because you know existing isn’t enough. We believe that too, and we want to support you to manifest something meaningful in your life — whether that something is more joy, more freedom, more confidence and selflove, a more fulfilling profession or a better relationship. YANA is as much about recovery as it discovery. As you exhale your pain and inhale your passion and purpose, you will find you can do — and be — anything. But first, Superwoman, you must take off the cape.

When you need love, we’re here.

When you need an embrace for your body or your soul, we’re here.

When you need the freedom to explore those hidden, but treasured, parts of yourself, we’re here.

When you need to free yourself to be yourself, we’re here.

We, your sisters, welcome you with warm, open arms.

BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

3

When Did You

Fall In Love

?

Summer 2021

With Travel

FOUNDER & PRESIDENT Connection Coach, Speaker, Retreat Facilitator, Author, and Attorney IMANI MONICA MCCULLOUGH is a vibrant voice for women worldwide. Through her transformative platform, YANAsisters, she thrives on helping women live more passionate and authentic lives.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF KELLYN MCGEE has a few titles: attorney, mediator, former law professor and Dean of Students, yoga teacher, editor, writer. At her essence, though, she is a learner and teacher.

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

MONIQUE WHITE is an American living in the Netherlands. She is a mom of two and a travel blogger who shares her adventures of traveling and running on her blog, An Unstoppable Journey, and on Instagram www.instagram.com/ anustoppablejourney.

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TAMARA DEROUSELLE is a wife, mom, daughter, and friend with a passion for travel. Her day job is an IT Director for a consulting firm, while she moonlights as a real estate investor, makeup artist, and podcaster.

She loves reading, vegan baking, and financial planning.

NAOMI VIVIAN WILSON is a native New Yorker who calls San Diego home. An event designer and Wedding Planner, she is inspired by her love of traveling abroad. When Naomi isn’t crossing places off of her bucket list, you can find her at home, exploring with her dog, Jake, in tow.

FAITH KNIGHT MYERS is a wife, mom, daughter and sister who loves to travel. A native New Yorker, and resident of Atlanta, Faith’s travels have taken her as far as Asia, Africa, and Mauritius. By day, she is a licensed attorney and compliance officer.

Dear(ATravel Love Letter), The past year has been filled with one challenge after another, and one of the most difficult parts of all is that I didn’t have you to help me get through. It’s made me realize how much I may have taken you for granted, and caused me to reflect on all the beautiful times we shared.

The first time I really saw you, I was 25 years old. I’d just gotten married and had a trip planned with my then husband. But his military leave didn’t come through, and I decided to go solo. My first day in Cancun alone, I was terrified!! But, five days later, my whole perspective had changed after I snorkeled in the beautiful blue ocean, climbed the Mayan pyramids, and found joy in eating solo. It was then that I knew I was yours forever.

We had many enchanted meetings after then, but none as meaningful as our time in 2011-2012. My mom was dying a slow death after a long battle with Parkinson’s, and I was trying to figure out where I belonged. So, in “Eat, Pray, Love” fashion, I decided to take three mega trips over the course of a year. I traveled with sisterfriends to Bali, where I was inspired by the way spirituality permeates every aspect of life. I traveled alone to Italy to experience the passion of the food, culture, and people. Finally, I went with a new friend to Peru and Brazil, where I saw God in every part of nature — from the incredible ruins of Machu Picchu to the beautiful rainbows and magnificent waterfalls in Iguassu Falls.

You, my dear Travel, helped me heal. And, for that, I am forever grateful.

So, it is with this in mind that I share my love for you, Travel, with our yanasisters. In this issue our Editor-in-Chief tells how her love of travel led her to discover one of her purposes in teaching yoga; we invite you to dance along to songs from our YANA Around the World international music playlist (free on Spotify); and you can travel vicariously through pictures of yanasisters in places they love.

We will also hear from four yanasisters who openly share how travel has helped shape and mold them during the best and worst of times: Monique’s story of reclaiming her love of travel after a difficult divorce, Tamara’s decision to quit her job to move to Spain for six months after being completely burned out, Naomi’s selfdiscovery and career growth when she “leaned in” while in Paris, and Faith’s journey from powdered milk packed in her mom’s suitcases to room service with her own daughter.

Our hope is that these stories will inspire you as you plan your own next journeys across the globe, and that as always, you’ll be reminded that you are not alone.

Until we meet again,

Imani

P.S. Be sure to join our private Facebook group discussion where we’ll be asking (in our best Brown Sugar voice): When did you fall in love with Travel? We want to hear from you!

5

Yoga

is a Prayer

by Kellyn McGee

I was sitting on a beach in Barbados with two friends. Just off-shore a woman was on a paddleboard doing yoga poses. One of my friends got up and started practicing with her on the sand, calling out the poses as she did them. I had no idea what the poses were but somewhere inside was a curiosity about them.

6

A couple of weeks later, a new year, I attended Yoga Fest at a local studio. The weekend offered “sample-sized” classes to introduce the community to yoga and to the studio and its teachers. Although I had specific reasons for wanting to start practicing, I didn’t have a conscious thought about being on that beach watching my friend and the paddleboarder going through what I now know were sun salutations. I do know that it was divine timing and placement for me. I committed to my yoga practice and later that summer I traveled to Jekyll Island for a yoga retreat. A weekend of yoga and meditation by the beach? Sign me up!

Since starting yoga that January, really since that day on the beach in Barbados, I am awed by the places yoga has taken me or, rather, how yoga has traveled with me: • The first class I ever taught, while in yoga teacher training, was for friends on a trip to the North Carolina mountains.

Of course I also practice when I travel; on beaches, in hotel rooms, and in local studios.

Yoga is a portable practice. No equipment necessary, not even a mat; towels, carpet, or chairs will do. Even airports welcome the practice. I’ve flown into San Francisco’s airport innumerable times but I never noticed the signs for the “Yoga Room” near the gate where I usually arrive until I started practicing.

Looking out at that clear, turquoise water in Barbados I would not have imagined that my love of travel would soon be joined by another love: practicing and teaching yoga.

These days I keep a foldable travel yoga mat in my suitcase. And you might find me doing a few sun salutations on a beach somewhere.

In fact, I’m certain you will!

• On YANA’s inaugural trip to Italy, I taught a morning class at our villa, La Chiara di Prumiano. The class was at 8:00 and I got to the outdoor space quite early. Overcome by our view and by the idea of me teaching yoga in Italy, I needed a few moments to take it all in.

• I attended a yoga retreat at a lovely center in the North Georgia mountains. The leader of the retreat overheard me admiring her set of chimes. Giving them to me, she said, “take them, you’re teaching now.” Serendipitously, I taught a class at that same retreat center for YANA about nine months later. And, yes, I used those chimes.

• I recently traveled to wine country in California to celebrate my father’s birthday.

On our last morning, I led my stepmother through a class by the pool. Who knew that the first in-person class I would teach in almost two years would be on a vacation?

7

PLACES 17 to Love YANASISTERS AROUND THE WORLD

, Brazil

ssu Falls i in Igua

Iman

te in t e z o C

8

Julie in Ma

ui

i Duba

Keturah in Maui

Felicia in H o

over Dam,

Cuba Dana in

Nevada US A

abo Kelly in C

y

Gloria in Florence, Ital

Maiysha in

Machu Pic

chu, Peru

Continued on page 16

9

A N

U N S T O P P A B L E

J O U R N E Y

What Travel Taught Me After Divorce

by Monique White

travel was always our thing. In my eyes, a big part of my ex-husband’s betrayal was that he traveled with the woman he cheated with.

Not only did he travel with her, but he took her to places that were special to us as a couple and as a family.

Not long after discovering my ex’s infidelity it came to light that, under the guise of having to work, he skipped a family trip so that he could instead take a trip with the woman he was cheating with. He dropped me and our daughters off at airport departures, picked her up in arrivals, and then went with her on a romantic rendezvous to one of our special places. This incident was like a knife to my heart. However, I was not going to relinquish my joy of travel. I gave up a lot when we divorced, but it was something I was determined to keep.

I travel a lot. It has always been an important part of my life, both before and during my marriage. And after he cheated, I decided travel was one thing I wasn’t giving up in the divorce.

An epic road trip across the US while we were dating; getting engaged in Paris on the Eiffel Tower; moving to Holland and using it as a springboard to travel throughout Europe,

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The ability to continue to travel is a gift from God. On the last trip we took as a family (when I KNEW I was done with the marriage, after sending my lawyer an email that I hoped would greet her first thing after the long weekend) I wrote a bucket list of places I would go when we were divorced. Less than a year later I came across the list while on a plane to Argentina and scrolling through my iPhone notes.

First thing on the list: “Argentina (alone) wine, steak & tango.”

I wasn’t actively looking for a ticket to Argentina, but saw a really good deal and booked it. I had totally forgotten about the bucket list until I was sitting on the plane en route to the destination.

But God didn’t forget. And He still hasn’t forgotten. God has continued to bless me with opportunities to travel, allowing me to mark off many other destinations on that bucket list, and learning important lessons along the way.

1. Travel Fosters Independence – A few weeks after I filed for divorce I took my daughters on vacation. We went on the road trip the family had gone on 8 of the past 10 years, which included one of our special places where my ex took his girlfriend.

It was bittersweet. When we were married, I always rode shotgun; managing the kids, snacks and incar entertainment. But this time, for the first time, I drove. And it was empowering. It was also symbolic that I was now in the driver’s seat of my life and in control of where I was going.

2. Travel Can Provide A Welcome Distraction – In the early days, being in a different environment was a welcome distraction

from the maddening divorce process. And while I would sometimes find myself thinking about and wallowing in the situation, there was too much beauty and too many interesting things to see and do in a different city to keep my thoughts on the failed marriage for very long.

3. Travel Renews My Spirit – Travel serves as my mountaintop where God often reveals things to me; it was while traveling that God revealed to me that He wanted me to share my story; that even though I didn’t have a husband to cover me, that He, my Heavenly Father, was my cover; and that my heart would go on and someday love again.

4. Travel Allows Me To Reclaim Old Places – I was intent on reclaiming places we traveled to together.

It was an act of defiance and a matter of pride. If those places held such little sentimental value to my ex that he could go there with the woman he was cheating with then I was determined to override any romantic memories I had and revisit places without the rosecolored, heart-shaped glasses and enjoy them on their own merit.

5. Travel Helps Me Discover New Places – I did a new thing and traveled to places

I’d never been to before, many of which he didn’t seem particularly interested in going because he was a creature of habit and liked going back to the same places. There are plenty of places I enjoy re-visiting, however, it’s a big world with lots of new places I want to discover.

Most of all, travel reaffirms that my journey didn’t end with my marriage. The honeymoon may have very well been over, but my life was not. I took a page from my ex’s book and dropped him off at departures, then continued on to my next destination.

And, with all of my new adventures, I haven’t once looked back.

11

Mi Pasión de Viajar (MY PASSION FOR TRAVEL)

by Tamara Derouselle I still remember staring in disbelief at the piece of hair that was glued to the bathroom candle. I’d been so exhausted from work that I hadn’t realized how close I was to the candle until it was too late... I was literally and figuratively burnt out.

After my “Michael Jackson moment,” I knew something had to change. So, I packed my bags for six glorious days in Italy. That’s where my love affair with travel began.

My Italy moments included inhaling the most amazing fresh gnocchi and parmesan in a Roman ristorante, trying every possible gelato flavor I came across while walking the streets of Florence, and enjoying a gondola ride outside the Doge’s Palace in Venice. In Italia, ristorantes aren’t rushing you to turn over the table for new customers and everyone shuts down for afternoon siesta to spend time with family. I was completely enamored. And after soaking in the Venetian rain and the Tuscan sun, I realized I did NOT want to go back.

Begrudgingly, I flew home (with a suitcase STUFFED with 12

We left with a round trip flight returning in six months, and a five-day reservation at a Hilton. The whole trip was divine in After a few work-stressed every sense of the word. weeks, I was missing my love.

And the more I pined for travel, There was no way we could the less the corporate hamster have done it, but God. We wheel made sense. I was in found a month-to-month apartment lease (this was my early 30’s, single, no kids, WAY before there was and killing myself for what? I AirBnB), made a list of wanted fun, adventure, and our top destinations, and passion. So, I decided to run away. I planned, took my car proceeded to hit up every place on our immediate savings (I had been eyeing an Infiniti coupe), quit my job and wish list: Granada, Sevilla, & Málaga in España and then ran off to Barcelona, España. to Rome, Naples, & Pompei My girlfriend, Marah, who had in Italia, Dublin, Brussels, gone to Italia with me, was Amsterdam, Morocco, the crazy enough to quit her job Greek Isles…. and run off too.

Italian wine and limoncello) and tried to bring the vibe with me.

Things I missed: My people.

Long hot showers – the water heater in our apartment was not very large so after ten minutes, it was a cold shower.

Good sushi and peanut butter — I’m still mad my peanut butter was confiscated by airport security. And I didn’t find any anywhere there!

An oven. I don’t know how they bake, but the apartments didn’t have ovens.

My books. The internet.

Apparently we needed a NIF (the EU equivalent to a SSN) to get wi-fi in our apartment.

Things I didn’t miss: Work (IKR!?!). Not having a job was a BEAUTIFUL thing!!!

I set a goal to accomplish one thing a day. After that, I was cool doing nothing or just wandering the city.

Driving. Traffic. Car Maintenance. I LOVED the train system, or just walking all over the city.

The phone. Not having my phone ringing or vibrating constantly was wonderful.

Meals on the run. We enjoyed 3-4 course leisurely meals.

You had to ask for the check, and they were not rushing 13

music videos (leading me to discover that I enjoy French hip-hop) rather than touring the city. I loved the Belgian chocolate and Belgian waffles!

Add chocolate, strawberries, and cream (my favorite!), and you have something so sinfully good!

you out. We took a cue from them and started cooking several courses at home (and adding a little Sangria!).

Being uninformed. Europeans follow our presidential primaries (el election sin fin – the election without end, as they called it), and current events all over the world.

Yet, we knew very little about their systems. I hadn’t realized just how self-focused Americans are…

Alarms! I got up when I felt like it (usually around noon) and went to bed when the mood struck (usually around 4pm & again at 1am). I have never been so rested in my life, and it was AMAZING! Things I learned: Greece: Touring Athens, Patmos, Mykonos, Kusadasi, Santorini, and Crete, I was awed by the construction of the ancient cities. Everything 14

was beautiful, but Patmos left the biggest impression on me. Maybe it was the spiritual aspect of being in the place where St. John had the Revelation. Or the mountains. Or the sea. The combination of it all was incredible. Walking up the mountain to the St. John Monastery, I could smell the eucalyptus while watching the sea and surrounding islands.

Right outside the “Cave of the Apocalypse” there is an amphitheater. I mean, wow! Can you imagine church service in an amphitheater overlooking the breathtakingly blue waters of the Aegean Sea? Talk about experiencing God. Simply calling the waters blue is the best justice I can do it, as no color adequately describes it.

And Greek food is delicious!

Morocco: One of the things that impressed me most was their faith. There is a citywide call to prayer five times a day, and there are prayer rooms in the train station and open-air markets. It made me recommit to the action of my beliefs. And while reading through the entire Bible for the first time, my spirituality and self-image were slowly but surely being refined.

It amazes me how many people have said they wish they could do what I did or that they were living vicariously through me. Why? Why not just do it? There is no time like the present.

If you leave this earth right now, will you regret not traveling? If so, start NOW. I will always have my wanderlust, my passion for travel, and my love of water.

And I will always be grateful that I took the leap of faith and trusted God that everything would work for my benefit...

Did I mention that I got a better job when I returned, refreshed and renewed?

Brussels: We actually spent half a day in the hotel watching I’m just saying...

Want To Be More Connected?

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PLACES 17 to Love Continued from page 8

YANASISTERS AROUND THE WORLD

Angie in St ic

in Dom n i -Yin Kuan

lic

epub an R

Lita in Florence, Italy 16

. Thomas U SVI

Kellyn in T ur

ks & Caicos

aly

t Venice, I n i a r a Tam

Iyandra in Naussau, Bahamas

Vanessa in South Afric a

Sh

enya erri in K

17

Oui,

photo by Andre Teixeira

Admittedly, I am a modern nomad. Staying in one place for too long is not my preferred state of being.

Having a home base to come back to is ideal, but travel calms my naturally wandering spirit.

As a child, we often traveled to various Caribbean islands to visit our family; but I always wanted to see more. I spent many hours daydreaming of the places I would visit one day and often dreamed about walking the cobblestone streets of cities in Europe to discover hidden courtyards and cafés.

Little did I know that as an adult I would see those cities and more, or that travel would help me find my true self.

I was on a plane to Paris with my then-husband when I 18

Paris!

by Naomi Vivian Wilson

read about the elusive Hotel Particulier Montmartre. The article said the hotel is hard to find, but the photos were amazing and something about it “called” to me. I had to see it for myself. So, the day after our arrival, we searched for the hotel. After several tries, we finally found it.

not to allow a negative thought to enter my mind, so I kept reciting one of my favorite mantras: “If the Universe brought me to it, it will get me through it.”

Although I’m usually not the type to contact people I do not know, the next day I reached out to a wedding I rang the front bell and a dress designer that I had Parisienne Princess Diana written about on my blog, look-alike came to the asking if she would show me door. She told us we could her shop and maybe a peek not tour inside the hotel of her latest collection. At the because Vogue was shooting end of our visit, I asked if she an editorial that day. would be interested in doing Without thinking it through, a photoshoot. She asked if I I asked if I could schedule could come back in October an editorial at the hotel. and without giving it any She gave me her card so I thought, I said, “Yes. Of course!” could email her after I got I knew I wanted the editorial home to get the rates. I am a to take place at THE hotel wedding planner specializing but there was no way I in event design, but I’d never could afford the thousands done an editorial in Paris! of dollars I was sure it However, I was determined would cost. Miraculously —

That October, I returned to France to shoot my first European editorial in my favorite city – all because I leaned into my vulnerability and stepped out of my comfort zone. If that wasn’t enough, after the shoot, a friend invited me to the opening of the new atelier in Paris, where I connected with a world-renowned wedding photographer. Two months later, he contacted me and asked if I was interested in being the creative lead on a coastal editorial with him and his girlfriend (who happened to be a famous wedding dress designer). The editorial was beyond beautiful and was featured in a prestigious industry magazine.

Both experiences taught me that nothing I put my mind to is impossible.

Whenever I doubt my ability to make something happen, I remember that time in Paris when I bet on myself and won.

Yes, travel has offered me so much more than the photos I take or the trinkets I bring back home. With every trip, I learn something new about myself. In a way, every trip has been a unique

photo by Naomi V. Wilson

or Divinely — when I got back to California and contacted the hotel to offer professional photos of the hotel in exchange for a few hours to shoot the editorial, they agreed!

journey of self-discovery.

Travel is an investment, but the return from that investment comes from what it does to the individual. It is transformational. It has opened me up to experiences that allowed me to grow past my comfort zone. Had I not challenged myself to experience different cultures, customs, food, and unfamiliar surroundings, I would have missed many opportunities to grow and learn.

As humans, it is our nature to explore, seek, and understand. The more of the world and its people we see, the easier it is for us to be compassionate towards people we may not understand or have related to before. Immersing oneself in a culture and communing with its people allows us to see how beautifully different we are but fundamentally very much the same.

When we let go of our apprehension in experiencing the unfamiliar, we find

commonality not only in the practices tied to our cultures but by understanding and respecting the sacredness of their origins. When we take those experiences with us, we are forever connected to them in our moments of reverie.

It has been six hundred days since I last traveled abroad due to the recent global pandemic.

Fortunately, I have collected priceless memories that allow me to revisit the places and people I encountered on my travels.

While recollecting these moments, I can recall how each trip allowed me to grow. My desire to experience more of the world and its people has become an addiction that fuels my creativity, spirituality, and empathy.

I leave with a better sense of the world, but most importantly, a better understanding of me, and that keepsake is priceless.

19

For the

LOVE of TRAVEL

BY FAITH KNIGHT MYERS

small trade-off to help ensure the safety of my family, my friends and the broader community. But in the back of my mind, I did wonder how a family that typically took trips every 3-4 months would manage?

There’s an old saying, also found in a few songs, that goes something like “you don’t know what you’ve got til it’s gone.” That’s true for many things, but for me, travel just isn’t one of them.

20

I’ve loved travel ever since I can remember. With the onset of COVID, and the heart wrenching loss of so many lives, the reality that travel would be off limits indefinitely seemed like a

My first memory of travel was a family trip to Europe when I was about 18 months old.

Of course, I don’t remember a lot of details, but several images are still etched in my mind. The men in bright red jackets with white stripes and big black fuzzy hats. (But for the love of God, please don’t move. I’m fascinated, but if you move, I might have to jump out of this stroller!)

The big church with the fancy ceilings and statues. The monkey that grabbed the ice cream right from my hand.

The hotel room with the bright red bedspread. And finally, my older sister, who was no more than 6 years old at the time, jumping on the bed shouting “Now THIS

is living!” I don’t know what exactly made her say that, but I remember laughing with her and thinking “I like this too. A lot!”

We were neither rich nor poor, but travel was a staple in our household. We excitedly traveled down south from New York City every summer. We visited family in Alabama and stopped along the way in various parts of North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia. We also took an annual beach trip to places like Miami, Jamaica, Puerto Rico and Aruba. Half of my mom’s suitcase held the standard

fare – powdered milk, a box of cereal, cans of tuna fish, packages of mayo, a box of crackers and if we were lucky, some potato chips and cookies. I didn’t know “real” room service was a thing until many years later. My fondest memory obviously wasn’t the suitcase restaurant; it was the excitement of being somewhere new and different, meeting new people, hearing new accents, and realizing there was a world outside of New York City. And the best lesson I learned was that I didn’t need to be rich to travel. I just needed a destination and a plan.

As soon as I was old enough to travel on my own, I did.

I participated in two study abroad programs. If a friend moved to another city or abroad, I’d figure out a way to visit. When a friend decided to get married in her hometown of Mombasa, Kenya, I purchased an airplane ticket within two days of knowing I could break away from work. So, when I met the man who would eventually become my husband, it was a shock to my system that he had never been outside of the country.

But I also knew that he was in the majority; I wasn’t.

Imagine my surprise when he suggested that we take 21

got married. After checking into the room, we walked the resort and sat down by the pool. Apparently, that wasn’t good enough because she sat down in the pool (a shallow area) fully dressed.

We knew right then that our family travel adventures would be golden.

a trip to Mexico while we were dating. That was over twenty years ago, and we’ve been packing our bags ever since.

We got married in Cancun, Mexico a few years later and had our rehearsal dinner at a tequila museum/ restaurant. That was his idea. We honeymooned in Paris and Mauritius. That was mine. He prefers allinclusive resorts. I prefer a la carte options and exploring the surrounding area. We both love a good meal and a great cocktail.

He doesn’t mind driving in foreign countries or on the opposite side of the road.

Although he tends to be quiet and reserved around people he doesn’t know, he becomes the mayor of 22

We have taken more than two dozen domestic and international trips since then, and she probably has more passport stamps than most adults. While she doesn’t have to eat from the suitcase restaurant, we want her to remember that travel is always accessible. And whatever resort or hotel that the world is far bigger we visit. We’ve met people than what she sees on a from around the world and day-to-day basis and full of sampled tequilas that we interesting people, places wouldn’t have known existed and things. She recently told because of “The Mayor.” us that she wanted to go to college or live in Japan, which When our daughter was makes us think the message born, we were determined might be sinking in. to get her accustomed to flying at a very young age So how long did a family that because we thought it would travels often manage not to thwart travel tantrums later. travel during the pandemic?

Our primary strategy was to Exactly one year. After a take as many flights as we unanimous family vote, we could without paying for a packed our suitcases and third seat. Her 1st trip was headed out for another to Washington, DC to visit trip, this time to Puerto family, followed by a trip to Vallarta. We left like thieves NYC a few months later. She in the night and didn’t even handled both flights like the tell anyone we were going seasoned traveler she was until we were almost back destined to be. So, on our home. But we made it there 5th wedding anniversary, and back safely. And, we’re at 18 months old, we took already looking forward to her to the beach where we the next adventure.

Have you ever felt lonely?

As if you were in a sea of people, yet somehow still all alone?

If so, get your copy of the book that started it all.

This compilation of inspirational thoughts reaffirms that there is no hope, dream, or fear that someone else hasn’t experienced.

Whether it’s your quest for purpose, the illness or loss of a loved one, the desire for a loving relationship, or just the nagging feeling that there’s something more — take comfort in knowing that you are not alone.

“Not since Acts of Faith have I read a book that speaks to my every day life. There’s something in this book for everyone.

Questions, answers, and a calm knowing that none of us are in this alone... You’ll truly find yourself wishing that it didn’t have to end.”

Travis Hunter, Best-selling Author of The Hearts of Men

Click here to get your copy www.yanasisters.com/products/ youarenotalonebook

YANA Around the World We invite you to travel with us through music! Simply search for “YANA Around the World” on Spotify to join us!

Playlist

1. Dread River (Jordan River) – Burning Spear 2. I Don’t Know What the Weather Will Be – Laura Mvula 3. Que Sera Sera – Corinne Bailey Rae 4. Shape of You – Ed Sheeran 5. Is This Love – Bob Marley & The Wailers 6. Free Me – Joss Stone 7. Auld Lang Syne – Mairi Campbell 8. You’re Not the Only One – Third World, Damian Marley 9. August Day Song – Bebel Gilberto 10. Maybe (Ayo Blues) – Ayo 11. Sparrow – Emeli Sandé 12. River – Ibeyi 13. One Life – Regi Myrix, Hil St. Soul 14. It’s A Summer Vibe – Maxi Priest, Bounty Killer 15. Que lo Que – Sensato, Papayo 16. Blowback – Galimatias 17. The Big Unknown – Sade 18. L.U.V. – Idris Elba, , Shaznay Lewis 19. I Want You Around – Snoh Aalegra 20. One of a Kind – Ronan Keating, Emeli Sandé

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