Your adventure awaits!

When I traveled to Africa in 2020, I was full of excitement!

First, I was finally reconnecting with a good childhood friend who moved back to Zambia in 2015. I hadn't seen her in 5 years! I would also be exploring other countries on my bucket list, like South Africa and Tanzania.

The trip was everything I could imagine: I was introduced to amazing people, cultures, food, and experiences. 

But the trip also opened my eyes in a way I didn't imagine: I gained a profoundly deeper understanding of my history as a descendant of people with a rich legacy of innovation, ingenuity, creativity, and entrepreneurial prowess.

If I'm honest, when I left the U.S. to travel to Africa, I still had some limits on my mind about what was possible for me, especially as a Black woman. But when I left Africa to return to the U.S., I was no longer consumed with thoughts about what I couldn't do. My mind was opened to new, exciting ideas about what I could do!

“No longer was I consumed with thoughts about what I couldn’t do. My mind was opened to new, exciting ideas about what I could do!”

I returned to the U.S. in March 2020, when everything began to shut down because of COVID-19. Interestingly, it was my learning about innovation, adaptability, and pivoting while in Africa that sparked my idea for Hey Auntie! It gave me the courage I needed to enter the Well City Challenge, a city-wide social impact competition for innovative ideas to improve health and well-being. I submitted my idea in late 2020. After a seven-month rigorous incubator program, accelerator program, and two pitch competitions, in 2021, I was announced as the Grand Prize Winner.

I share this because, of course, we're focusing on travel this month because we need rest and restoration! But also, and even more importantly, traveling invites you to immerse yourself in new experiences, gain fresh insights, and think outside the box in every area of your life.

So whether you're planning a grand adventure, quiet getaway, a staycation at home, or maybe you haven't considered traveling at all, whether you have a travel fund, need to travel on a budget (or have no budget — lissen, I get it  ), we at Hey Auntie! have you covered. Unleashing our travel goals will be our topic in our monthly Lela’s Corners on May 21st and our Auntie’s Porch on May 30th!

Friend, your adventure awaits! Let's embark on this journey together!