Kristin Winebrenner Eyrick, founder of the podcast “Soul of Travel,” in Antigua, Guatemala.
Courtesy of Kristin Winebrenner Eyrick
One of the most unique and insightful travel podcasts on Apple Podcasts is Soul of Travel: Women's Wisdom and Mindful Travel. Host Christine Winebrenner Irick, founder of women's travel company Lotus Sojourns, engages in deep, insightful conversations with various women in the travel industry. Irick's calm and insightful approach is a rare find in the podcast world, reminiscent of On Being's Krista Tippett. She brings new topics and a fresh perspective to the travel genre.
“When I started Soul of Travel, I was going through a period of personal growth where I was overcoming my fear of being heard and focusing on using my voice,” says Iric. “I honestly heard a whisper from the universe that said, 'You're going to start a podcast and it's going to be called Soul of Travel.' I've always loved interviews and deep conversations and I knew people who wanted to talk about travel so I felt it was important for me to hear their voices as they told their stories. I also wanted my guests to tell their stories and amplify their voices and their work, and I felt this was the best format in which I could achieve that goal.”
Since its launch in 2020, Soul of Travel has aired nearly 200 episodes, or “conversations,” as Irick calls them. Guests range from environmental activist Céline Cousteau, Black Travel Alliance president Martinique Lewis, and Whole Journey founder and CEO Cathy Dragon to Michela Mallozzi, host of the PBS show “Barefeet with Michela Mallozzi,” and Dawn Booker, founder of Pack Right Global, which encourages women to travel the world fearlessly and joyfully. She said her most popular podcast to date has been her conversation with Shay Thayne, founder and executive director of Black Girls on the Go.
Jennifer Spatz (left) of Global Family Travels, Kathy Dragon of Whole Journeys, and Christine … [+] Weinbrenner Eyrick of Soul of Travel in Peru.
Courtesy of Kristin Winebrenner Eyrick
“My guests are visionary, influential and community-minded leaders in all types of businesses around the world,” says Irick. “They are thoughtful, generous and passionate. Their missions are often more important than their end goal. I want to speak to people who are not traditionally recognized in the media or whose stories may not be 'big enough to be told' elsewhere.”
Ayric began her career in adventure travel, working with the Educational Travel Consortium, before founding Lotus Sojourns in 2019 and Soul of Travel in 2020. She holds a Masters in Tourism Administration in Sustainable Destination Management from George Washington University. She founded Lotus Sojourns to “provide women with the experiences they find most rewarding and to curate trips that celebrate and support women around the world. I've been in the industry since 1998 and wanted to create something I felt was missing for female travelers. I offer trips that focus on well-being, healing and growth, sustainability and equity.”
Her podcast is where she is now making her mark and making a difference: “It's a place where I can build on my personal mission of creating space for women and supporting other women on their journeys. A lot of the women who appear on my podcast are self-employed or own small travel companies.”
Many of her guests are lesser known, but they are able to generate the most powerful conversations. Ilic says that “it's nearly impossible to pick just one episode because each one is so powerful and personally relevant,” but she says that the most impactful episodes are the ones where guests “shared not only their professional experiences or impactful mindful travel experiences, but also very personal experiences and questions they've struggled with in their lives. The depth of these conversations and the response to them inspired us to purposefully add 'Women's Wisdom' to the title and direction of the podcast.”
Irick points out that many guests say, “'Do you really want to talk to me? What can I add value to? I'm a one-woman business. I don't know what I can add.' But these small businesses are making a huge impact with their work towards sustainability and gender equality. I think they should be given the platform to tell their stories and be recognized and celebrated. I think this community of women together can be an incredible force for the industry and the world.”
Visit Apple Podcasts to listen to episodes of “Soul of Travel” and visit Lotus Sojourns for upcoming travel departure information.
