Meet Peggy.
Badass DIY-er, traveler to the Alaskan frontier, member of Brave Journey, and a woman on a journey to rediscover herself!
🛠️🩷⛺️⛰️🚁
One of my favorite parts about working with women is witnessing their transformation.
When I first met Peggy, she was recently divorced after 35 years of marriage and was in the process of re-imagining and re-creating her life. She craved a community of women who could inspire and encourage her in that process.
As an avid outdoorswoman who loves spending time in nature, Peggy is drawn to exploring beautiful locations. She knew she didn’t want to travel internationally, but she did want to envision a travel journey within the United States.
So when she joined the Brave Journey experience, she focused on getting to know herself again and feeling empowered in the fact that she CAN do hard things and she can plan and take a trip that brings her joy.
Here are some highlights from our chat:
D: Peggy, tell me what your Brave Journey experience was like.
P: I learned so much about myself, and it was amazing!
Having a small group of women who were all going on this same journey together and seeing how we’re each our own unique selves and planning our own unique travel experience. I learned so much. It was invaluable.
To me, it wasn't so much about the travel, even though we did have women going to Macedonia and Thailand and Finland and all these amazing places.
For me, Brave Journey wasn't about those journeys so much as it was about discovering ourselves … learning that “these are the things that are unique to me and this is how I view the world.”
It helped me understand and to have more compassion for myself.
Peggy was kind enough to take time out (SUPER early in the morning due to the time difference ⏰) to chat with me for this interview in the above video.
(If want to be inspired, this is definitely worth your 20 minutes! Just save it on your phone and listen on your next drive to the grocery store or work 😉)
I’ll also be sharing shorter snippets from her interview in the next week.
D: What was your favorite part of this experience?
P: One of my favorite parts was the assessments, actually!
In the beginning, they were so valuable to learn about myself and then to be able to compare notes with the other women about what they learned about themselves.
And all of the prompts that you had us do, the homework after each meeting, that really was part of the journey, to really think about things in a way that I hadn't before.
I really hadn't understood before when people said, “do the work.”
I didn't know what “doing the work” meant.
What it means is thinking about things in a different way. Like, why do these certain things make me anxious? Or why do people get frustrated with me when …
Having that homework each week and then coming back to the group and discussing with the other women what we had learned about ourselves was so valuable.
The way that you guided us and the discussions, to hear the other women talk about themselves helped me think about myself in a different way.
It’s amazing to be 60 years old and for the first time to be realizing, “Oh, I'm that way, and that’s a unique thing about me!”
D: This is an answer I’ve heard from nearly everyone who has gone through the program, and I always find it fascinating!
For background for others not in Brave Journey, I start with a few assessments like StrengthsFinder to not only help each woman understand herself better, but to also help me as a coach to bring out the best in each person.
I provide these because I believe it's so important to do some self-discovery work prior to your travel. It really does kickstart your transformation!
So many times women decide by a ticket and don't think a lot about what they hope to get out of the journey.
I firmly believe that once you get to know yourself a little bit better, you not only learn how to create a trip that really suits you, but you also give yourself more grace in the process.
You learn how you want to approach your travel, which might be a little bit different from your friend who approached her travel another way.
I always say that we can’t just decide to travel and expect to have this transformative experience without doing some work. Because when we travel, we go with ourselves, right?
Travel really does offer space for us to be with ourselves in a different way and the more work we have done or are doing on understanding ourselves, the deeper we can go when we're in those places or when we have that time and space away.
P: I think of it in this way: Going on a trip is such an investment of money and time, and it's important to do the work beforehand so you can get the most out of the experience that you can.
D: Yes, Yes, Yes!
✨ A note to readers:
I want to share Peggy’s story because it shows us all that we CAN re-discover ourselves at any age.
It’s never too late to envision and step into the kind of life that you want.
And for most of us, the trick is becoming BRAVE enough to take that very first step.
Whether you’re part of Brave Journey or not, it doesn’t really matter.
You CAN take that first step, no matter how small it is.
Research new possibilities.
Find someone to talk to about your dreams.
Allow yourself to even acknowledge that you have them.
However small your first step is, it’s a first step, and you should celebrate it!
If Peggy’s story has inspired you to take a first step, I’d love to hear what it is! You can comment on this post or hit reply and email me directly.
Let’s all inspire one another to take that first step and celebrate it together!
Peggy’s favorite travel spot:
The ancient cliffside stairs in Arizona. Humbling to see what the original people accomplished there.
What is it like to work with Dawn?
“Dawn has a way of gently leading and encouraging. She doesn’t just tell you things, she guides you through discovering things for yourself.”
Most empowering moment
Driving in busy Chicago traffic, alone. I didn’t think I could do it, but I tried it, and I did great! Overcoming deep-seated fears is amazing.
How have I worked with Peggy?
Peggy was part of my Brave Journey program and has continued on into the BOLD life, which is our community of Brave Journey alumni
What is Brave Journey?
(Instead of an Eat, Pray, Love journey, I like to think of it as Eat, Pray, LIVE! experience).
You can create your own experience and journey of self-discovery like Peggy!
Here are a few basics about BRAVE JOURNEY:
It’s a very high-touch, small group coaching experience designed to help women craft a transformational travel journey with lots of support and guidance all through the process. In this program, you will never be part of a sea of faces on Zoom. You will be known, and you will be loved!
It’s a 6-month, transformative journey that includes 2 group zoom calls each month and 1 individual coaching call with me each month.
You will dig deep and learn more about yourself that you can imagine.
I’ll help you plan the kind of travel journey your soul needs. I’ll first work with you to learn more about yourself and the kind of travel experience that best suits what you need in this phase of life. Then, I’ll help you plan it and execute it — from envisioning your trip, to support during your travels, to debriefing after you return.
When you return, expect plenty of group and individual support to help you integrate your experience into real life.
The community that’s developed in this process is incredible — most women say they’ve met new friends for life! I keep this group small, never more than 6 people, so you all get to know each other really well!
Sign up by April 15, and get $200 off!
THIS SUNDAY!
FREE Female Travelers Zoom meetup
Sunday, April 6 at 3 pm EST!
Lake Ohrid, Macedonia Retreat
Sept. 28 - Oct. 4, 2025!
There’s still time to join me and a small group of amazing women in a villa located in Lake Ohrid, Macedonia — an ancient stone city just north of Greece that surrounds Europe’s oldest and deepest lake. If you’re interested or have questions, please reach out.
To join, I always schedule a call with you first to ensure the program is a great fit. Click the button below to schedule a time with me, and I’ll get you started!
Early Bird prices end April 15!
How can I help you create a transformational travel experience & rediscover who you are? ✨
1. 🌟 (FREE) Download Eat, Pray, Live: A Post-Divorce Guide to finding your way back to yourself and thriving through travel.
2. . 💜(Special $29) Get access to my Solo Travel 101 training, plus a 30-minute coaching call with me. This online training includes 3.5+ hours of interactive inspiration and real-life stories.
3. 🌊 (RETREAT) Sign up for my exclusive 7-day retreat in magical Lake Ohrid, Macedonia. September 28 - October 4, 2025. I only have 4 spots left and the Early Bird Rate is closing on April 15!
4. 🙋♀️ (COACHING) Book your free Get Unstuck Travel Chat with me and explore working 1-on-1 to create your own transformational travel journey. Or go here, and book your sessions immediately!
5. 🌟 (BRAVE JOURNEY) Join the Brave Journey program and create your own magical travel experience. You’ll get all the coaching, mentorship and support you need to create your own transformational travel journey that helps you heal, rediscover yourself and feel alive again.
This is a small-group program (never more than 6 people!) designed to create a REAL & AUTHENTIC community of like-minded women—all with the intention of rediscovering ourselves and cheering one another along in our own travel journeys.
If you’re interested in Brave Journey, simply hit “reply” to his email or schedule a call with me today!
The next cohort begins in Early May 2025!
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