Welcome, I'm Mai

I am very happy you are here!

My name is Mai. I’m a former elementary school teacher in my mid-20s who loves to travel and try new things. I was born and raised in Arkansas, USA and lived there for almost 30 years. By the age of 26, I had a long-term relationship of 9 years, bought my first house, and established a successful teaching career. This was a life that I thought I was supposed to live, but I was severely depressed, anxious, and lost.

After ending a near decade-long relationship, I went through a massive personal growth journey. I didn’t really know who I was and was very fearful of life outside of that relationship. For the past two years, I’ve been working on discovering who I am and pursuing dreams that I had once given up on. It was during this process that I realized how much I let fear control my life, but I was determined to not let that continue.

In April 2023, I became a licensed skydiver and in September 2023, I turned my life-long dream of living abroad into reality. So right now, I’m traveling and living in New Zealand on the working holiday visa.

MY PHILOSOPHY AND BELIEFS:​

  • Fear exists only in our minds.
  • We are so much stronger than the fears we create in our minds.
  • You cannot know happiness without knowing what sadness is like and vice versa.

TRAVEL STYLE:

  • Budget conscious
  • Minimalist packing
  • Practical wardrobe
  • Exploring the outdoors
  • Unique or unusual foods
  • Will splurge on an adrenaline activity

QUICK FACTS:

  • Introverted (INTP-A)
  • Former primary/elementary school teacher (subject: computer science)
  • Recovering perfectionist
  • Aunt to 3 amazing kids
  • Licensed skydiver (A-108758)

MY COMMITMENT AND PURPOSE:

I want to help you feel confident in yourself to pursue your desires. Often times, people tell me that they are jealous that I can solo travel and jump out of airplanes, but I don’t want them to feel jealous, I want them to feel like they can do this too. People want to do these things but they make excuses not to do it (time and money are the most common reasons). What I’ve noticed though is that if you ask the right questions, you find out that fear is the real reason why they won’t do it.

I will keep it real and share the good and bad. Social media is a great way to connect with others but often people only show the highlights. This can have a negative impact on our mental health and give us unrealistic perspectives on how life is for others and make us feel bad.