A solo female travel experience is incredible for the soul — at any age.

I am deeply passionate about this and believe it to my core. Providing safe and meaningful opportunities for women to experience travel is the intention behind Dare to Detour and it's at the root of our mission.

In spite of the global pandemic, things are looking up around here! The sun is shining, the sandhill cranes and robins have returned, and the best news of all - I AM CANCER FREE!

I am working to view cancer as an invitation. An invitation to have the hard conversations, to be open to greater possibilities, to reach out to those who I’ve been meaning to but haven’t, to be more present. To continue to explore and try new things. To be vulnerable. To love deeply without hesitation💥

Here are some of the ways I try and take to stay happy and healthy as the seasons shift and the cold weather sets in (hello, Montana winters!).

October is revving up the familiar day to day cycles that we are all accustomed to and that is where we can let our newly gained summer perspective and good habits fall to the wayside.

How do you want to approach this new season? What are your intentions? How do you want to spend your time and where do you want to focus your energy?

For Karen, fly-fishing is a place to do the often-difficult work of freeing her mind and sinking into her true self. As someone who admittedly struggles with yoga and meditation, the river is a place where she can access calmness and inner quiet.

While summertime would seem to be an ideal time to nail down these routines, take ‘er easy and sink into self-care, things like road trips, camping weekends, family reunions and all the other exciting routine breaking that happens this time of year can interrupt our self-care.

We all know that staying on top of our mental wellness can be a challenge, but tools like therapy, yoga and meditation help us stay on track, right? Despite all the evidence (and advertising!) in support of self-care tools like these to help stay sane amidst the chaos of everyday life - we aren’t always paying attention to our brain health… are we?

As the founder and CEO of ANGEL AID, Cristol is working tirelessly to offer antidotes to the adversity and challenges faced by families affected by rare diseases.

Rare diseases impact more people on the planet than AIDS and cancer combined - 350 million people, half of whom are children. [Source: Global Genes]