I feel so blessed to now be enjoying my life so fully, and to be able to empower women globally to do the same. Back when I was a psychotherapist, in the office all day, all week, seeing client after client, I was rather uninspired by the need to be in one location for a certain amount of time to be making money. Then 
when I became a transformational coach, I was excited to be able to work from anywhere. However I came to realize that my business would need to be at a high level before I could pay rent, and buy a plane ticket, and book a hotel room, and do it all in a way that I absolutely loved.
Today, the reason I’m able to balance work, play, business and travel so well is that I’ve mastered how to make it a pleasurable experience. I didn’t start out traveling the way I do now, but at some point I had to
start asking for more for myself. I remember the last time I ever flew economy class, and I made a decision: “From now on I will not take the flight if I cannot at least fly business.” (One day I intend on up-leveling that to “private,” but we’re not there yet!)
Of course the 9-to-5 life is what has been modeled for us. It’s what we know to do. Traveling around the world running your own company? Not exactly an experience many of us grew up being told we could have.
What’s amazing to see today is so many rising women entrepreneurs who share the dream of a meaningful
career and a luxury lifestyle, who are together redefining what’s possible for women globally. So, if this is your dream too, I’m here to share what works for me. Running a business that sustains world travel at a high-level is a nuanced job with a lot of moving parts. It’s been an ongoing process for me to learn to master the balance, so I’ve put together my best advice to get you there faster.
Travel like a Girl Boss
First things first, if you desire to live at a high vibration and have a major impact in the world, you have to become comfortable with how much money it’s going to take for you to live that dream. Travel isn’t cheap, and especially not 
luxury travel, but if it’s your dream, then you need it to make sense for your business financially. Otherwise, it’s just a very expensive hobby. So for me, I price my programs accordingly. If a program comes with live events around the world, the pricing covers the production costs, and that includes airfare and hotel rooms for me and my team. Divine Living is a luxury brand and my programs are high-end experiences, so they attract clients who want the best for themselves. It’s a business model that supports my desires while also inspiring my clients to go after theirs.
Start Every Trip With a Few
(or Five!) Days of Play
When I’m working, I want to be at my absolute best. So I give myself the time to get there. For this recent trip to Florence for example, I was going to have nine back-to-back work days, a mix of intensives and live events, and
of course there was no way I was going to hop off the plane and begin the live interaction the next morning. Instead, Glenn and I flew into Paris a week before to just acclimate, recover from jet lag, and enjoy being in Europe. We rented a car in Nice, drove down to the Italian Riviera and spent several divine days unwinding at a fabulous old school spa hotel. Since we work together, it was a wonderful time to strengthen our bond and relax before heading into what would be a fast-paced nine days. From there, we drove down to Florence to the beautiful Villa Cora where all the events were taking place. Even then, we checked in a few days early to settle in and get focused before everyone arrived.
The Suite Life
I know many women have a thing about not wanting to impose, spend too much money on themselves or take up too much space in the world. Well, I’m here to tell you: You deserve to take up space! I used to look for just the standard room,
I thought a suite was just extravagant, but when you’re traveling and working you really do want to feel at home, and the bigger your operation, the more space you need.
So for this time at the Villa Cora, I was going to have not only nine days of live events, but after that, photo and video shoots. We booked a large suite as there would be hair and make-up and team meetings, and we would be there for two weeks and needed to really establish a home base. Wherever I’m going, I call ahead and ask for additional hangers to be in my hotel closet upon arrival, and this time I actually had them deliver two rolling racks for all my wardrobe needs. Something Glenn taught me that we live by is to unpack immediately after check-in. We really move in and establish our presence, getting everything from the technology to the toiletries settled. Have the confidence to know what you need and take up space in the world.
The Entrepreneur’s Entourage
A large part of why I’m able to do everything I do is because of my team. It takes a group effort to work with the amount of women that we do, and to produce the amount of content that we do here at Divine Living. Yes, flying team members out
for events and shoots incurs a price, however it’s all designed to make financial sense. When you’re showing up big time in the world, it is a blessing for many other people. I’m honored to have built a company that not only has created jobs, but allows my team to travel and see places they’ve never been before. It’s a real joy and so satisfying, and we always have a lot of fun together!
However while having your own team out on location with you is definitely worth it, sometimes you should also embrace the local hire! On many of our photo shoots in particular, the local staff have been invaluable, knowing the ins and outs of the city and making great contributions. And on the day-to-day side, hiring a local personal assistant through a trusted concierge service can be a great alternative to flying out your own.
How to get Work done
in your sleep
It’s very important as a woman leader that you get your team to work around the schedules you set, rather than vice-versa. And you don’t have to be the devil-wears-Prada to be a feminine leader and get your team on board with supporting you.
I have different departments in my company, so while my coaching team might be on location with me for an event, the magazine team might be back in California needing me for decisions, edits, or approvals. Balancing these different parts of the company would be impossible if I did not set black-out dates—times when my team knows they will be unable to reach me, because I’m on set, on stage, coaching all day, or having some unplugged time with my husband. Enjoying work and play to the fullest requires presence, and nothing creates burn-out like trying to do everything all at once.
So my team knows to get what they need from me before my black-out dates, and to organize their rhythms around my schedule. This works well when it comes to being in different time-zones too. It doesn’t have to be an issue if everyone simply agrees on getting certain things done by a certain time. And when you’re half-a-day apart, it can actually be great to have a full day to meet each-other’s needs. So when I wake up, my inbox is full of work my team has done and prompts for what they need from me. By the time they get to work the next morning, they’ll find all their questions answered.
Know When to be Anti-Social
When you’re working with clients day after day on the road, you have to take care of your energy. Be aware of how much you’re giving out, in front of clients, an audience, a camera, or a film crew, and make sure you take time 
to receive, be and rest. My 9 back-to-back days with clients in Florence required a lot of my energy, so naturally about 5 days in I felt my body getting quite tired. So to keep myself balanced and able to keep giving my best, I opted out of team dinners. For the last several nights, I went up to my room, enjoyed a massage, ordered room service, and went to sleep early. Once all the programs had wrapped, Glenn and I took several days to relax unplugged before the magazine team arrived for the next round of production.
Milan or Missouri? Go Where
You’re Most Inspired
You can create a life that you love by standing for and doing only what you are inspired by. I live by this in many areas of my life—like I will not buy a pair of shoes because I need them for a certain occasion, only if I absolutely LOVE 
them—and when it comes to work and travel I think it’s so important. You have to love not only the way you travel, but the places you’re going. I’ve heard friends of mine who travel for work at corporate jobs lament that they have to shlep to less-than-exciting minor cities, and wish they could be jetting to Milan or London. And that’s the thing, it has to be fun for you, or you won’t be excited about it, and you won’t be lit up to do your best work. If we women entrepreneurs are going to be working this hard and giving so much of ourselves, then of course we deserve to end the day with a fresh porcini pasta on a balcony overlooking Florence! Trust me, when you allow your true desires to lead you, life will start to arrange itself around them.
