Welcome to Lotus Sojourns
Hi! I’m Christine, Founder of Lotus Sojourns
Welcome!
I am excited to be creating my first blog post for Lotus Sojourns! I have been dreaming of this business in one form or another for the last 15 years and am happy to be in a place to create this dream come true. As I set down to create this blog and was sifting through my digital files, I realized I have set out on this path many times before...in fact there were at least four other files that outlined one vision or another for a travel program. One of these was purely educational travel, one was family travel, one was a program geared towards homeschool and hybrid education paths as a student and family travel program. While I think all of these would have been enjoyable, and had potential to be successful, none of them created enough momentum for me to invest the time and energy it would take to really launch those businesses.
A little over a year ago my family relocated to Denver, CO. This move was the fourth in a series of moves taking us from one state to the next. I have to admit, I did not want to come. I was a fine example of a toddler-adult kicking and screaming, and digging in my heals. I loved the community I had created in California, the place I thought was to be our forever home. This move triggered a real breakdown for me. I put big walls up around myself, I was not going to allow myself to become so connected and invested; I just couldn’t do it again. I’ll be honest, I was very broken, in a way I couldn’t fully understand. Then, as it often does for me, the universe stepped in. Denver is the home to Threads Worldwide, a business I have been working with for almost three years. Threads partners with women in Fair Trade artisan collectives in 15 countries around the world, and creates a larger marketplace for them to seek their beautiful handcrafted goods. Through my established connections with these incredible women who are soul mates and world changers, I slowly started to leave my bubble and brave the world again.
I was asked by Threads to be a vendor at a Healing Days event. I had no real idea what this meant, I just knew that healing is what I desperately needed. Immediately upon entering the beautiful space created by the event team, I knew I was going to find what I was looking for to heal. And I did! (I’ll elaborate on this magical experience in another blog post!) I left knowing Denver was going to be a place where I found a community different than any other I had previously experienced.
At Healing Days I met a women who helps you align your business by helping you “Spark your True Purpose.” I had a one hour call with her and she pointed out what had always been present but not so obvious for me; she helped me connect dots that had been popping up since I was a child. At the end of that call I knew what I wanted...needed...was to combine my passion for empowering women, for helping women find their voice and amplifying it, for creating community, and connecting with a global community; I would do this through culturally immersive travel. I was TERRIFIED! I had never felt so powerfully drawn to something, I knew in the deepest corners of my soul that this was the path that I would take and there was not going to be a file left untouched on my computer hard-drive, another dream not dared to be dreamt.
While I didn’t know it at the time, I also met another woman who would become essential to my ability to move forward with this dream. She bought a beautiful pair of Threads earrings from me and I had written a note, incorrectly, to follow up with her to host a showcase. When I followed up with her, she so clearly told me that she wouldn’t have mentioned that to me because one of her friends is already involved with the company and she had supported her and would continue to if she wanted to attend a showcase. Normally this would have felt very personal and I would have shut-down; this time I was in awe of her strength and certainty, and her ability to easily communicate what she wanted. I wanted some of that...I wanted to say “no” to things that weren’t in alignment for me...thought I didn’t even know what the word alignment meant, or what was or was not in alignment for me. I ended up scheduling a call with her to find out how she helps women create their most soul-aligned lives and power up their personal and professional lives. This woman has been a tremendous gift and catalyst for the birth of the woman who could finally launch Lotus Sojourns. (I’ll share more about this experience in another blog post too!)
These experiences of authentic and vulnerable connection in communities of women focused on growth and transformation, finding their inner strength, and following their passions, are what led me down this path towards creating Lotus Sojourns. I had always known I would be involved in the tourism industry, and known I would incorporate components of educational travel, responsible or sustainable tourism and making investments in the communities in which I traveled; but when I connected this last missing piece, transformation and authentic connection amongst communities of women…I found what I had always been looking for in shaping my dream business.
Lotus Sojourns offers women the opportunity connect to themselves and to others as they set out on an inner journey of personal transformation as well as a physical journey around the globe. These women form community with their fellow travelers as well as the women they meet in the destinations they visit. Traveling, by its nature, removes you from your comfort zone and forces you to participate in experiences outside of your day-to-day life. Combining this navigation of a new area with the intention to be fully present and mindful of your experience makes this type of travel very powerful and creates room for growth and transformation.
I am excited to set out with each of you on your own personal Sojourn to see where it will take us!
Christine Winebrenner Irick
Founder, Lotus Sojourns
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