Is Travel & Adventure Your Missing Ingredient in Midlife? with Natasha Muslih

If you follow me on social media, you’ve likely seen some highlights from this year’s Midlife & Menopause Food and Body Joy Retreat in Spain. These retreats offer a refreshing sense of community, meaningful connections, exciting adventures, well-planned itineraries, amazing food, and plenty of laughter! (Like when we got caught in torrential rain on an e-bike ride!)

While I bring midlife and intuitive eating energy to the trips, the rest of the experience is made possible by Natasha Muslih, also known as the Voyagiste. Once a journalist and dedicated mother, Natasha now curates exclusive retreats all over the world, including the ones I’ve co-hosted in Italy and Spain. As a midlife woman herself, her story highlights the power of stepping out of your comfort zone and embracing both solo and group travel.

Natasha faced a challenging season in her 40s, feeling lost and sidelined by perimenopause. During this time, she found new purpose through travel and connection. A friend’s simple advice—to meet someone new every week—sparked her journey of transformation. This led her to become an exceptional travel planner, dedicated to helping others find joy and new experiences.

A major theme in this episode is the transformative impact of solo travel for midlife women. Many who join Natasha's retreats leave behind their families and routines, initially hesitant about traveling alone or with strangers. These fears are quickly eased by a supportive environment and shared experiences. Participants form deep connections and relish the freedom to simply be themselves. (What a concept!

A hallmark of Natasha’s retreats is that they are always filled with memorable moments. One favorite story from our most recent retreat involved a seemingly endless Italian meal (seriously, I’m talking four hours!), which became the source of many inside jokes. I also reminisced about the ceramics workshop we took in Spain this year, led by a talented local artist. It was a powerful experience that challenged us to step out of our comfort zones. These are just two examples of the joy of connecting with fellow travelers and local artisans.

Another key aspect of the retreats is having someone else handle all the planning. Natasha's meticulous organization allows participants to relax and enjoy the journey without worrying about logistics. I intentionally chose not to do much research about the details of our experience because being surprised added to the joy of the moment.

If you're feeling inspired by everything Natasha and I shared in this episode, I would love to invite you to our next Food and Body Joy Retreat. You can check out my Instagram @menopause.nutritionist for the latest updates or find a link to trip details or the waiting list right HERE!

If you sign up, I'll be available for Zoom calls to answer any questions and help with practicalities like flights. Our next retreat is set for April 8th to 15th, 2025, so mark your calendars! I can't wait to share this journey with you!

To learn more about Natasha, be sure to follow her at www.thevoyagiste.com or follow her on IG @thevoyagiste. 

Join the waiting list for the 2025 Food and Body Joy Retreat HERE! ➡️ https://www.menopausenutritionist.ca/retreatwaitlist

TRANSCRIPT

Jenn Salib Huber: 0:00

Hi and welcome to the Midlife Feast, the podcast for women who are hungry for more in this season of life. I'm your host, dr Jen Salib-Huber. I'm an intuitive eating dietitian and naturopathic doctor and I help women manage menopause without dieting and food rules. Come to my table, listen and learn from me trusted guest experts in women's health and interviews with women just like you. Each episode brings to the table juicy conversations designed to help you feast on midlife. And if you're looking for more information about menopause, nutrition and intuitive eating, check out the midlife feast community, my monthly membership that combines my no nonsense approach that you all love to nutrition with community, so that you can learn from me and others who can relate to the cheers and challenges of midlife.

Jenn Salib Huber: 0:46

Hey, everyone, welcome to this week's episode of the Midlife Feast. We are doing some fun today. We're switching it up. We are still talking about midlife and we're talking about menopause, but we're also talking about fun and trips and travel, and I am so excited to bring you this conversation with the Voyagist, also known as Natasha, who is the mastermind behind the last two Food Joy and Body Joy retreats and the upcoming one in 2025. We share some details of that. More details to come soon, depending on when you're listening to this.

Jenn Salib Huber: 1:28

But what I would love for you to listen to, even if you're like, oh, there's no way I can do a trip or even want to do a trip is just talking about some of the things that we learn about ourselves when we do things outside of our comfort zone. Because that is, hands down, what we hear the most from people who join us on these trips, who have often never taken a trip by themselves, who often had, like hadn't even left, you know North America. So there's a lot to learn by solo travel and traveling with a group of like minded people, and I share a little bit about what it looks like to go on a trip with me. So I would love for you to have a listen and if you have any questions, let me know.

Jenn Salib Huber: 2:10

Welcome, natasha to the Midlife Feast. Hi, it's nice to be here. So people listening or watching, depending on where they're watching this might recognize you as the voyagist and kind of of the um travel planner. Extraordinaire really is what I call you and the, the, the mind, the brilliant mind behind the last two food joy and body joy retreats. So the trip to italy and last year and this year's trip to spain.

Natasha Muslih: 2:40

I cannot take all the credit.

Jenn Salib Huber: 2:42

I'll just interrupt you, but to say that I think you can take most of it, because you would just run ideas by me and I'd say that sounds amazing, let's do it. So I didn't really have much part to do with it, anyway. Okay so, but what I'm excited to talk about today is to just kind of get to know a little bit more about your story, because anybody who's traveled with you knows that you are so good at what you do. You put together these trips that make it just feel like I don't know, we're all on some like luxurious trip and it's just so amazing. But your passion for not just travel but just adventure really shines through. Kind of everything that you do. Like all of the story highlights that you post about your other trips. And so how did the voyagese come to be? How did this all happen?

How This Midlife Woman Became the Voyagiste

Natasha Muslih: 3:29

Man, it's a long story so I'll give you the abbreviated version. I mean, I guess I'll start with saying that my professional background is as a journalist and so I think those things kind of just led to it. I went to grad school, studied journalism, ended up living in London for a while and worked at magazines there and then decided to start a family and so when that happened I sort of took a step back from work and stayed at home with the kids and we also moved around a fair bit, so it wasn't really practical to work. So I spent a good 10, 12 years as a stay at home mom, which I loved.

But then I hit my 40s and I realized, first of all, my kids are going to grow up and leave the nest and like, what am I going to do? Who am I? It was, and at that time I didn't realize that kind of perimenopause was starting. So I felt there were emotions involved and kind of this feeling of being completely lost and not knowing what to do, and I just hit a dark, dark period in my life and I didn't know what was happening.

Natasha Muslih: 4:52

So thankfully I have a fair few friends here in Toronto and I just met up with a friend who you know and I opened up to her and then she told me, you know, what you need to do is you need to just talk to people, meet with someone once a week for coffee, whatever, and it'll make you feel better. And then you'll just wait and see and you'll see something will happen. And I was like really Like meeting people for coffee. And she said, well, well, the the thing is, you can't meet the same old people. You can't just like meet your same old friends every week. I mean, sure, meet up with friends. I mean that's how you're gonna start, but you're gonna want to meet with people and then kind of figure out who the next part like from that person. You're gonna figure out the next person you want to meet up with.

Natasha Muslih: 5:43

And I'm kind of a shy person and I don't really want to put myself out there very much. But I thought, well, I mean, it's now or never. If I don't do something I might have. I don't want to, you know, live this life with regrets. I have to do something, because the way I feel now is not the way I want to feel, you know, for the rest of my life.

Natasha Muslih: 6:05

So I started meeting friends for coffee once a week. And I did make this commitment. You know, like I'm just gonna do this. And then from one friend you know I talk, and then we'd figure out, oh you know, like you should meet so and so, because they're going to be interesting for you to talk to. And so this thing happened and slowly connections were made and I was able to.

Well, basically, the end of that story is I ended up putting a trip together, because one connection I have is someone who's in the fitness field, and then this other connection I have owns a luxury property in the south of France. And I thought, well, people like being active, but why not be active in the south of France? And so we put this trip together and it was such a success and I realized, oh my goodness, I love this and I want to do it again. So I did it again. And then that's how the voyage used to happen.

Jenn Salib Huber: 7:07

And you are so good at what you do. I know that anybody who's been on trips with you is nodding their head right now, because you really just make it feel like comfortable and easy, but fun. Yeah, it's so much fun. I love that story.

Community is the Magic Ingredient to Travel

Natasha Muslih: 7:21

I don't know, but I have to say I mean, thank you so much for saying that, but I think part of the magic is the people that we attract on these trips. So for the trips that I do, I do some where I'm hosting it all by myself, but for the most part, most of my trips, I co-host with other people like you. I co-host with other people like you, and so I think that's kind of the magic ingredient is that you bring a community and you know we combine forces and then you know it's like a bit of you, it's a bit of me maybe, and then it's also where we are and it's the people we attract. So someone on one of my many adventures said you know your vibe attracts your tribe and it's the people we attract. So someone on one of my many adventures said you know your vibe attracts your tribe and that's so much what happens here. So you know there's the tribe that your vibe attracts and then we all get together and it's just magic.

Jenn Salib Huber: 8:19

It is magic.

Natasha Muslih: 8:20

Yeah.

Jenn Salib Huber: 8:21

So the trips that we have done, that last year was in Italy, in the beautiful Abruzzo region. This year we were in Spain Barcelona, catalonia area and kind of came up with this idea of having this food joy and body joy theme, which ties into intuitive eating but also just ties into what I call the pleasure deficit of midlife.

Jenn Salib Huber: 8:45

Like you know, midlife is just such a busy time. It doesn't matter whether you have kids or no kids, whether you're working or not. It feels like everyone I know in their forties and fifties and even their sixties just feel so busy. And so, you know, there's this theory I don't know if people have heard of it before, but you know this U shaped curve of happiness, where people are kind of at the bottom of that in midlife, and so this pleasure deficit, which is exacerbated, fueled by perimenopause and the changes that are happening, and often this identity crisis like kind of what you went through, like a lot of people go through this, like who am I? What am I doing?

Why Midlife is the Perfect Time for Adventure

Jenn Salib Huber: 9:23

I love Brené Brown's quote about midlife. Is when the universe grabs you by the shoulders and says like listen up, because I'm not messing around. Like I really felt, like okay, I really want to do this trip where we're focused on enjoying the company of others who are in a similar age and stage but who are also kind of looking to support this reinvention of their relationship with food. Where we're not talking about diets but we are talking about nutrition. We're not talking about calories and all that kind of stuff, but we are talking about nourishment and we're just moving our body, doing all kinds of fun things accessible on many levels and just enjoying food. Like and when I said that to you and you put together these trips like, I can't even describe how perfectly you executed my vision every time.

Natasha Muslih: 10:19

I'm so glad I mean the thing. The truth is we do move and we eat so well and there's so much. It's not just the food we're eating, it's also the, the pleasure around the company we're with. I mean, at the end of the day we could just be sitting around eating, like if we, if we just ate I don't know like carrots and hummus for dinner, it would be, it would be amazing, because we're just surrounded by these other people and laughter and the surroundings. I mean it's when we're. You know, it's Italy, spain. I mean, of course, it's just going to be beautiful.

Natasha Muslih: 10:57

So but, we do eat well.

Why Solo Travel for Women is Empowering

Jenn Salib Huber: 10:59

So, depending on when people are listening to this, this comes out on Monday, the 24th. By the end of June, we will be announcing all the details of the 2025 retreat. So if you're listening to this after, you can just follow the link in the show notes. If you're listening to it before, the link in the show notes will take you to the waiting list, which we'll hear about the trip first. But we're going to talk more about kind of some of the I think, the highlights of these kinds of trips in a minute. But I want to talk about this trend I call it a trend because I know I've seen it mentioned in other places about solo travel for women and about how popular it's becoming. I have thoughts and observations, but I'd love to hear yours.

Natasha Muslih: 11:46

Well, I mean, it's really become a part of the discussion, like I see it everywhere. All these women it's women in general, but really like a lot or maybe it's just my feed, it's midlife stuff but uh, all these midlife women on solo adventures and this real trend, uh, to do that.

Jenn Salib Huber: 12:07

Um, so it's you know, I mean it's really happening and and I see it, because obviously we attract solo women mostly in midlife we don't mean single Like we're talking about, like often, people who are in relationships, marriages, all that kind of stuff, but are traveling on their own.

Natasha Muslih: 12:28

Oh, like 90 percent of 95 percent maybe, of my travelers have left their families at home or whoever. I do have travelers who will come. I've had someone bring their daughters, I've had someone bring their daughters-in-law, and I have some trips where we have male partners and men join us as well. So there's all sorts male partners or and men join us as well, and so there's all sorts, but really for the most part, the most part, it's solo midlife women who are leaving, you know, their, their kids, they really, you know, at in midlife. Oftentimes these kids are a bit more. They're not, you know, babies or toddlers, they're more independent.

Jenn Salib Huber: 13:10

so, yeah, you know people are doing this for themselves the groups that we've had the two groups and there was quite a bit of overlap between the two years, but we had somebody on the first trip celebrating her retirement and celebrated it again with us in Spain we had several people who were traveling by themselves for the first time ever really felt like it was.

Jenn Salib Huber: 13:33

You know, I know one person would joke that it really felt like it was. You know, I know one person would joke that it was like a midlife crisis. You know, when she said to her husband I think I'm going to sign up for this trip with this stranger that I've never met before I know.

Jenn Salib Huber: 13:44

And that's right. We had a call and, and you know, I think, once she saw that I was like a real life person, and you know, then you were a real life person, um, and she loved it so much that she also came on the Spain one, um, you know. So I think that the hesitation that a lot of people have, which is understandable, is traveling with people that you don't know but one, yeah, that's one for sure, um, but I also like that you are a travel agent.

So, like this is, you know, provides that kind of consumer level of protection for people who are, you know, thinking, oh my, like this is, you know, provides that kind of consumer level of protection for people who are, you know, thinking, oh my gosh, this is such an investment that I'm giving money to. You are a business, oh, yes, right, as am I. So, like you know, we're we're not just like strangers on the internet, although we were strangers on the internet, but yeah. So I think that for a lot of people that, like, who is this? Like that's a fairly straightforward one.

The Beauty of the Lived Experience

Jenn Salib Huber: 14:36

But I think what surprised a lot of people the most was just how I hate the word transformative, or like transformation, but like just to see a group of eight or 10 strangers who did not know each other even last year in Italy, you and I had never met in person, who did not know each other. Even last year in Italy you and I had never met in person, never. I knew one person on the trip last year like I had met them in person because we actually grew up in the same town, but everyone else I had either worked with online, virtually, or were just people who kind of like found me. We had someone come from Australia, right, I mean. So what surprised everyone and what was really the? I think the. The nice surprise was just how close you can get when you are just experiencing life and adventure and not having to like work real life into that. So you're just traveling.

Jenn Salib Huber: 15:31

You're just hanging out, you're just having fun.

The Freedom to be 100% Yourself

Natasha Muslih: 15:33

We're having fun we're we had lots of like real conversations about things, but like you're just there to just be you, and I think that that is a gift that many of us have not had, maybe forever, but certainly in many, many years oh, it's definitely what we're hearing, or what we've heard you, because for our trips and for all my trips, we'll set up a WhatsApp group and then we text and we keep that open for forever and it's so nice because you have these friendships and you text.

And then I mean, this is what this is, like some of the feedback we've had. It's like it's so nice to just go, and you know, a lot of the people are mothers and they've always been the ones to do the work, but here they, they just go on a trip. Like, once they land, they don't think about anything and that to them, I mean, that's always a gift they talk about. So that's, I think, the thing.

Natasha Muslih: 16:26

The two things that kind of people are hesitant about before they go into this is one is like you know this, I'm going into a group of strangers. Like what's this going to be? It's very intimidating. I mean, I'm intimidated. I've done this so many times. Every single time I'm intimidated by the next group. Like, oh my gosh, who are these people going to be? Is this going to work? Like, is everything going to go as planned? Like I'm scared. And then the other thing that people are a bit hesitant about is treating themselves to this trip.

You know it's not a small investment in themselves and you know sometimes you feel guilty about I do feel guilty about, you know, spending the money on a thing like this. So those are, you know, but then I mean I think it's worth it at the end of the day, and you know you don't like the word transformative, but I mean like no one gets to the end of a trip and they're like, oh well, that was a waste of time and money.

Natasha Muslih: 17:32

Like, no, hopefully not. Oh my God, nobody, nobody. And what was I going to say anyway? But yeah, nobody, I should hope not.

Jenn Salib Huber: 17:39

So the reason I'll give a bit more backstory too.

Jenn Salib Huber: 17:41

So it was.

LIke Summer Camp for Grown Ups

Jenn Salib Huber: 17:42

I guess it was what three years ago two years, I don't even know how whenever it was that you reached out and said, hey, if you ever want to do a trip, and the reason why I was so excited to do it is because when I moved to the Netherlands, I joined kind of this expat group of traveling moms, I call it, and these are usually just weekends away, long weekends, you know places in Europe, which is amazing because it's so easy to move around in Europe, you know, so easy either by plane, train, automobile.

Jenn Salib Huber: 18:14

And after the first weekend trip, which was like a trip to Poland to buy pottery, and it was 11 hours on a bus, a day of shopping and 11 hours back, so it was like three days and I came back and I was like that was the most amazing trip I've ever done, because just spending time uninterrupted with other people and it was just like it was just like me, right, like well, my sister was there too, but it's like it's just me. I can just relax, and that connection and that concentrated connection, not these like little snippets of conversation, but actually like conversations that you like can pick up and drop, and pick up and drop, like that's what I love seeing in our in our trips, which are seven days typically.

Jenn Salib Huber: 18:58

You know that in the first day it's like fun and exciting and everyone's kind of getting to know each other, but there's still like a little bit of you know nervousness. Usually by supper we're fast friends, by breakfast we're, you know, feeling really comfortable. But it's just to see those conversations, those those threads that we don't often have the opportunity in our busy lives to actually like follow through with, like these layers of conversation. So, whether we're talking about midlife, menopause, intuitive eating or nutrition, whatever it is, it was just this like pick up and put down thread over the course of the week and it was so, so lovely for me and hopefully for everyone else too.

Natasha Muslih: 19:38

Oh yeah, I mean, I've said it so many times that these trips are like summer camp for grownups.

Natasha Muslih: 19:43

You know, summer camp is an intense period where you know kids will. You just become fast friends, and it's intense and then it's over and then you miss your friend Like you've just had such. You've shared these wonderful experiences, and among the experiences I like to add in are things that you know sometimes might put people out of their comfort zone. I mean, going on these trips can sometimes or often be putting them outside of one's comfort zone, but you know, when you do that it's it's and you share that with other people, it's. It's amazing. I mean, that's transformative for something.

The Time We Got Caught in the Rain on E-Bikes

Jenn Salib Huber: 20:27

Let's tell the story of biking in the rain in Italy. Yeah, See that's what I'm talking about rain in Italy. Yeah, see, that's what I'm talking about. So that was a really great like bonding moment and it was.

Natasha Muslih: 20:40

I think our day, our second day, our first well, I mean, if you, it was the day after we arrived it was our first.

Natasha Muslih: 20:43

It was our first full day together. So you know, I mean as the person responsible for planning things and wanting things to go off without a hitch, I mean there's one thing, one ingredient that I can never plan is the weather. And you know, and you don't want things to go wrong, but sometimes things will go wrong and it's those things that go wrong, that kind of make the story great sometimes. Or you know, it's a chat. I like it sometimes because it's a terrible it makes it memorable.

Natasha Muslih: 21:15

So we were on this trip to Italy and we had this bike ride. It was you know, I sold it as this like wonderful, leisurely bike ride along the Adriatic coast. And you know, you see, you're gonna. It's beautiful because you know, um, you've got the coast to one side and and we're just gonna go at whatever pace we want, it's gonna be beautiful and lovely, and and we're just going to go at whatever pace we want, it's going to be beautiful and lovely, and then we're going to end it at this scenic spot for lunch.

We get there and it was fine. And then everyone decided they wanted electric bikes, which I thought really, but then whatever, so we all just went and got electric bikes. So we all just went and got electric bikes, which ended up being the right choice, because as we cycled, the clouds opened up, the skies opened up and it was just down, it was torrential. I mean, I don't know how long. Maybe we'd been out an hour.

Jenn Salib Huber: 22:10

It was supposed to be like two, not even, not even. It was supposed to be at least two hours.

Natasha Muslih: 22:15

Yeah, oh, oh, my gosh. Thank goodness for those electric bikes, because we were able to just zip right back. But by the time we got back to the bike place to return the bikes, we were just drenched, all of us. But it's hilarious, I mean, you know, everyone understands, some people were properly clothed clothed, they were, you know, wearing whatever rain gear, and then the rest of us were not. And then we proceed to this beautiful spot for lunch where there was, like another large group, chic, as chic can be. And here we are like wet dogs hanging our laundry in the restaurant.

Jenn Salib Huber: 22:54

I remember it was like people wringing out their stuff and then hanging it on the backs of the chairs because we were. We were that soaked. It was like to the bone, like don't even bother, trying to hope it will dry out.

Enjoying A Four Long Lunch

Natasha Muslih: 23:07

Oh, yeah, but it was also like this extremely long lunch. Oh yeah, but it was also like this extremely long lunch, like maybe a four hour lunch. That was just so much food. So, on top of being drenched in the hilarity of that, just the hilarity of just being fed so much and you know, it was just, I don't. I mean, we just laughed so hard and those of us who are on that trip sometimes will still like WhatsApp each other memories from that day, just to laugh about it again.

Jenn Salib Huber: 23:40

Yeah, and we have a joke. That's not really an inside joke, but at some point, because it was this four hour lunch and the meals just kept coming, and it got to be this inside joke that like it's still not dessert, I know, you know yeah, and the meal made no sense because, I don't know, maybe it was like 18, 20 courses and you know, typically in Italy, you know, you have your starters and then the first course, preemie, is a pasta.

Natasha Muslih: 24:09

So we got the preemie, so we got the pasta, and then you get the second, which would be the main, but no, we got a second pasta and then we got the main and then, like I don't know, seventh course was another pasta and I'm like, oh my God, it was. It was a lot, but it was amazing.

Jenn Salib Huber: 24:28

I mean, I love that meal and super memorable and what I remember from this year's trip, which I think took everyone out of their comfort zone, was the ceramics. We were all excited to do it but, you know, there was, I think, a few people who had some experience with it, but we were all kind of like, ooh, is this going to be like preschool, where we come home with something and it's like, look what I made? Ma I'm not sure, but it was everything about that, I think, is going to be the most memorable thing from the, the artist, the, the, you know, the, the owner of where we were staying and her studio and her story and her passion and just everything that. Like we all came out of that feeling like I don't know, just like nourished, um, you know, for nurturing creativity and just supporting like it was. It was amazing.

Natasha Muslih: 25:11

that, I think, is one of the highlights for me of this last trip yeah, I think so for me as well, and I think that one's a good, uh, illustration of one of the other magic pieces of these trips is that I am all about connection, because that's how, that's what helped me get to where I am now. But, um, connecting not only with the people that are on these trips, but connecting with the people that we meet along the way.

And so a big thing of mine is I really do like supporting or working with women as much as possible. I mean, that's not to say I don't work with men. I mean, you know, if there's a guide, for example, and he's like just it's better with him, I mean I would definitely go with a male guy, but in this, you know, I like to work with women as much as possible.

Natasha Muslih: 25:58

And this ceramicist was so incredible and her story was it just moved us all and that's one connection that I mean. It was just an incredible connection, again, transformative. And then we also got to bring home a souvenir of that day because we all made a lovely ceramic. I think the ceramics were all gorgeous, um, and now we have that somewhere in our houses, yeah, Beautiful.

Just Show Up and Enjoy 

Jenn Salib Huber: 26:30

So you know when I think about you know, going going on vacation, I know that before I did, like these trips with you and and with other kind of solo you know, mom's trips or whatever trips I know that when we're planning vacations, like I'm the planner, my husband's definitely involved, but he's more of like an on the ground guy, so like I do all the lead up till we get there and then he will, you know, take over a little bit.

But what I absolutely love the most is that we just show up and then you're like, go here, be here for breakfast this is where we're having lunch and just that mental space that's created by not being the planner, the organizer, the executor. It just frees up so much space to just like be, you know, and that's what we're there to do, is just to be, and I love up so much space to just like be, you know, and that's what we're there to do, is just to be, and I love it so much.

Natasha Muslih: 27:17

I've heard this too, and I put all this work into making the itinerary look nice and I'll send this whole thing off to people. And then, you know, what I realized is that people don't always read it, and I kind of love that too, because they'll just like yeah, I, I don't know, read it, and I kind of love that too, because they'll just like yeah, I don't know, I took a quick look at it or I didn't read it, and then it's amazing. I think that's actually a really great thing to do, because they don't even look at it, they don't read it.

They show up and they're like oh, I didn't read, and it's a. I think it's incredible. I love it too because they're just oh, we're doing this today, it's like yep. And then it's like I love it too, cause they're just oh, we're doing this today, it's like yep. And then it's like when you go to a movie and you don't know what the movie's about sometimes, sometimes that's like better, isn't it? I don't know.

Jenn Salib Huber: 28:03

Yeah, I mean, I think I think I scanned it, but even I didn't like, once you sent it to me I looked it over and I was like, yeah, but then I didn't really look at it again because I kind of like that element of surprise too. So I just want to kind of round this all out by talking a little bit about how it works kind of practically. So one of the questions that I often get is well, are there going to be workshops? Like, are we like sitting down and talking about things? And so what we did this year, which worked really well, is that we had a morning set aside that was kind of like a round I'm not going to call it a round table because we were on couches and just having coffee and chatting, but like just like a sharing circle where people could kind of ask me anything about menopause, nutrition, intuitive eating, that kind of stuff.

Space for Meaningful Organic Discussion

Jenn Salib Huber: 28:47

But really where I think most of the learning comes from is through this just organic discussions. Like I don't want people to feel like they're coming to a conference. I don't want them to feel like there's like this structured, you know syllabus of what we're going to cover, but I can also say that anything and everything goes. You know, we were having some really both trips. We had amazing discussions around the dinner table, which are my favorite discussions, talking about experiences, symptoms. You know just basically anything and everything, and so the value and the learning isn't just from me, it really is from hearing everyone else's experiences.

Jenn Salib Huber: 29:26

Yeah, because that's when you realize, oh, I'm not alone, this isn't just happening to me, realize, oh, I'm not alone, this isn't just happening to me, and you can also maybe kind of find or kind of see how other people have moved through a phase that you're feeling stuck in or feel like you lack support. So I think we would probably do that again next time too, is just to have this, you know, like time set aside for a more. You know I don't want to say structured, but just like a discussion time set aside for that. But just know I don't want to say structured, but just like a discussion time set aside for that. But just know that there's all kinds of opportunity for questions and discussion and sharing. There's no lack of talking. I feel like we talk so much.

Natasha Muslih: 30:05

I know, and I think that's really I mean, because there are a lot of trips where it's much more organized, you know, like where you have conference or I don't know what they would call workshops, organized workshops. And what I like about our trips is that we don't really have that, but you're actually coming, you take home with you a lot of the knowledge anyway, because you've learned it more organically. I mean, I prefer that, that form of learning myself, and there is just so much opportunity and you're such a good resource.

So, people, you know, we all become friends, we're all sitting around the dinner table as friends, but you know, you, you do have so much knowledge that we don't have, and we'll just be sitting, eating whatever it is, and then it'll occur to someone oh um, you know, like, I know that chickpeas are full of fiber and stuff, but what else are? What else are they good for, or whatever. And then then you'll start and then it'll, you know, get the discussion going in another, and it's just so valuable that way it's.

A Chance to Practice Gentle Nutrition

Jenn Salib Huber: 31:08

It's learning by doing it is, and in the last two trips I don't know if it's going to be like this on our next one, but on the last two trips we've also done a fair amount of the cooking. So, which I love to do, I love to cook for people, um. So you know, typically like breakfasts and a few few dinners, but that also was a great, you know, just kind of organic opportunity to talk about gentle nutrition and menopause and you know why certain things you may want to invite to your plate more often, without it being about like a rule or you know you have to do this or you should never do this. So there was, there was lots of that too.

Natasha Muslih: 31:42

And also, you know, because I think that we get so many messages out there in the world like what not to eat, what to eat, what to avoid, and blah blah. Then you know, you go to Italy and you're faced with pasta and some people might be like, oh my god, I, like I'm not allowed to eat this. But then you are, and then when you see that you're eating it, and then the rest, everyone else is okay, that's fine. I almost let the cat out of the bag. You know, like, where we're going next, but, for example, like in where the place we're going next, you know it's a very bread heavy diet and you know, like, eat the bread for breakfast or whatever it is.

Natasha Muslih: 32:23

We're not going to be doing the Jen and I will not be doing the food preparation there, but we will be doing a cooking class. So that's the food prep there will be. But the other, you know, like, we'll see how people eat around the world, like diets from around the world, and that's the beauty also of going to these different places is seeing ingredients that are used and how they use them. And you know, I mean on both of our trips, because we were in Italy and Spain these are very big olive oil producing countries and we've had these olive oil tasting experiences that were so different from one another but both amazing.

Join the Wait List for the Midlife and Menopause Food and Body Joy Retreat in 2025

Jenn Salib Huber: 33:08

I mean just amazing, so much food joy, so much food joy, so I feel like we could like talk forever Just to kind of give everyone you know an idea of how this all works. So if you are interested in joining the next trip if it is before, I guess, if it's sometime next week you can check my Instagram and I will have some things up there. But in the show notes you can also find a link to either the trip information or a link to the waiting list.

And once that kind of goes out to the waiting list, then I usually try and make myself available for like a Zoom call, usually try and make myself available for like a zoom call. Or I might just have like a, you know, open up my, my, my room, my zoom room, and just kind of hang out for people who might want to a see that I'm a real person, ask questions, all the practical stuff, like you know what about flights and that kind of stuff. So that's all a possibility.

Jenn Salib Huber: 34:07

I know that you're an open book as well. You've answered lots of questions from participants in the past, but really it's just a matter of submitting the application which is on the trip signup page, and then you take it from there, touching base with them about kind of all the backend paperwork so we can say that the trip dates next year April 8th to the 15th. So you can mark your calendars for that. And once the group is finalized then we start a little group chat so that we start getting to know each other. We have a Zoom call or two before the trip so that we're all you know, we recognize each other's faces and we start to get the excitement building. But it is so much fun and I absolutely love doing these trips with you. Yeah.

Natasha Muslih: 34:48

And for anyone who's kind of curious what these trips look like um, on my instagram I keep the stories up forever, so you can.

Jenn Salib Huber: 34:58

They're really small but you'll see, yeah, the highlight if you look at the highlights, they're the highlights.

Natasha Muslih: 35:03

Look for spain with, I think, jsh or whatever, and then further that you'll see an italy one too. So you'll, if you click on, you'll see an Italy one too. So if you click on those, you'll see. I mean, I think I keep them up for the people on our trips to go back sometimes and idly kind of relive the trip. It's just so you can imagine what the trips look like or see what they look like.

Jenn Salib Huber: 35:28

And I have highlights for our trips too, but I think that exploring all of the trips that you do is fun to watch. When you're on a trip with someone, I feel like I'm like glued to your stories. I've like taught the algorithm that when you're traveling, it's like your story pops up first because I'm like so excited to see it.

Natasha Muslih: 35:45

And then you can imagine hmm, where should we go next?

Jenn Salib Huber: 35:48

I know so many, so many choices. Thank you so much for joining me today, Natasha.

Natasha Muslih: 35:53

Thank you.

Jenn Salib Huber: 35:54

I can't wait to like release this third trip out into the world and hopefully we've answered questions for anybody who's thinking about it, and I appreciate. I appreciate you.

Natasha Muslih: 36:04

Oh, I appreciate you too. It's always so much fun.

Jenn Salib Huber: 36:08

Thanks. Thanks for tuning in to this week's episode of the midlife feast For more non diet, health, hormone and general midlife support. Click the link in the show notes to learn how you can work and learn from me. And if you enjoyed this episode and found it helpful, please consider leaving a review or subscribing, because it helps other women just like you find us and feel supported in midlife.