Marsha GillI’ve always believed that healing doesn’t just happen in therapy rooms or coaching sessions—if it did, we be having a different conversation.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I believe deeply in the power of those spaces. I’ve spent years sitting across from women as a former therapist and coach, holding space for their pain, helping them find their voice, guiding them back to themselves. That work is sacred.
But it’s not the only place healing lives. I believe and have truly lived out...healing happens in motion.
It happens when you’re standing in a place you’ve never been before, realizing just how small your problems feel under a big, unfamiliar sky or the endless ocean.
It happens when you’re wandering through a new city, not on a schedule, not on a mission—just present.
It happens in those quiet in-between moments: sipping coffee on a balcony in a different time zone, watching waves roll in, or walking slowly through a local market where you don’t speak the language but feel at home anyway.
There’s something about getting out of your “regular” environment that helps you see yourself—and your life—more clearly.
The roles you play every day begin to loosen. The noise fades. You’re no longer reacting—you’re simply being.
That’s when the truth rises up. I remember being in Israel, and questions I’d been too busy to ask started bubbling to the surface: Who am I now? What do I want next? What can I let go of? What am I ready to reclaim? Talk about experience, I will never forget.
Travel has gifted me those moments over and over again.
It’s been my reset button, my therapy without walls, my way back to myself.
And I’ve seen it do the same for so many women—especially those who’ve spent years caring for everyone else, carrying silent stories, or trying to hold it all together without falling apart.
This is why I don’t separate my coaching work from my travel business. They’re both about transformation—about creating the space, the support, and the soulful shifts that help you come alive again.
What Do You Get When A Tour Guide, A Chef, and a Therapist Come Together
Funny story. My 50th birthday surprise was a dream trip to Italy. And since we’re friends here, let me share this little gem with you—because I don’t want you to miss out on something truly special…
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Okay, now back to my story.
During my birthday trip—which, by the way, included Croatia (a place I now love, love, love)—my husband and I signed up for a private cooking class right at the port. We met our guide, shopped local markets, learned about the country, and got to know the warm, generous people. It was one of those magical days that felt straight out of a movie.
We had the chef, the guide, and the entire kitchen all to ourselves. Picture it: fresh herbs, sizzling pans, the smell of olive oil in the air… and yes, there was plenty of wine flowing.
Midway through chopping and chatting, the chef asked us the usual “so, what do you do?” questions. I shared that I was a mental health counselor at the time, and, well—that was it. The floodgates opened.
Our sweet chef, who’d never talked to a therapist before, began to share. I mean, really share. He opened up about his life, his stresses, his worries—just unprompted soul-spilling over garlic and wine.
There was a language barrier, of course. His English was good, but we were working with gestures, heart energy, and a lot of nodding and listening. And still—he kept going. He told me that he’d never talked to anyone about his problems before. He was, in his own way, unpacking his emotional baggage while we sautéed vegetables and stirred sauce.
At the end of the class, he looked at me and said, “You don’t know how much you helped me.” It was one of the most unexpected, beautiful moments of the trip.
It reminded me of something I say often: healing happens everywhere.
This wasn’t a formal session. I wasn’t there to coach or counsel. I was just present. Sometimes, that’s all someone really needs.
And this man? He experienced a soulful shift right there in that tiny kitchen overlooking the Adriatic Sea.
That day wasn’t just about food. It was about connection, compassion, and the kind of healing that happens when people feel seen—even in a foreign country, by a stranger who barely speaks their language.
Travel has been my refuge, my reset, and my reminder that life is vast, beautiful, and full of opportunity for growth and connection.
I created MG Coaching Boutique—to support women in unpacking emotional baggage, understanding the impact of their mother-daughter relationships, and stepping into their full, authentic selves. And we’ve launched Next Vacation Travel Group—to offer transformational travel experiences that aren’t just about the photos, but about the inner shift that can happen when you leave your comfort zone behind.
Why Travel is a Powerful Healing Tool
Travel isn’t just an escape—it’s a mirror, a teacher, and sometimes, a gentle interruption to your everyday patterns. It breaks routine. It invites wonder. It softens your defenses. It creates space for reflection, reconnection, and deep inner healing. I was thinking about my journey and my own healing experience with travel, and here’s what I want share.
5 Ways Travel Can Help You Heal
If you’ve been feeling stuck, anxious, or disconnected, here are five ways travel can spark healing and transformation:
1. Let Your Environment Reflect Your Intention
Where you go matters. If your soul is craving rest, don’t fill your itinerary. Choose destinations that meet you where you are emotionally—calm, joyful, wild, or reflective.
Healing begins when we’re honest about what we need—not what looks good on Instagram.
2. Practice Presence
Let yourself be where you are. Don’t over-schedule. Don’t rush through moments. Watch the ocean. Feel the breeze. Taste your food slowly. Be here.
Healing doesn’t rush. It unfolds. Presence creates the space for clarity and peace to rise.
3. Travel with Intention, Not Just for Escape
Yes, rest. Yes, disconnect. But also, ask yourself: What do I want to return home with? Set a gentle intention before your trip—healing, joy, gratitude, courage, clarity—and allow your experience to shape that.
Try this: “On this trip, I’m giving myself permission to feel ___.”
4. Choose Connection Over Performance
You don’t need to impress anyone while traveling. You don’t have to be perfect. Be messy. Be curious. Be real. Let travel be a space where your guard drops and your soul breathes.
Growth happens when we let go of who we think we need to be.
5. Reflect When You Return
Once you’re back home, don’t rush into business as usual. Resist the urge to think…back to the same ole thing. Take time to reflect. Journal about what the trip revealed. What felt healing? What did you learn about yourself?
Remember: You’re not just bringing back souvenirs—you’re bringing back wisdom.
The Shared Mission
Whether I’m guiding you through a mother-daughter breakthrough, personal growth or helping you plan a life-changing getaway, cruises, tours, villas, my mission is the same:
To help women feel seen, heard, and whole. To create spaces—emotional or physical—where healing is possible, joy is present, and transformation is real.
So whether you’re ready to start your inner journey or plan your next outward adventure, I’m here for both.
Let’s travel, heal, and rise—together💚
XoXo,
Marsha D. Gill
oh, here’s what we prepared! Yum!
