Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Christine Winebrenner Irick. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Christine, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?
Lotus Sojourns was born out of a desire to be connected to self, other cultures, and a community of like-minded women scattered around the world.
I first encountered the lotus symbol in a significant way while traveling in Thailand. This was during a particularly challenging period in my life when I made the decision to leave a difficult relationship. I went to Thailand seeking healing and personal growth; I was searching for a new path. During this time, I learned the lotus represents awakening, enlightenment, and rebirth, and I became very connected with this imagery. I took it to be a symbolic representation of my own transition.”
Many years later, I came across the lotus flower again…this time in Egypt. I was walking through an area where a lotus was growing, and my guide explained to me the significance of the lotus flower in her culture; how it grows in muddy water and rises above the surface to bloom with remarkable beauty and how this symbolizes the journey from darkness to the light of knowledge or wisdom.
Moving from dark to light to wisdom, a period of growth moving towards enlightenment and rebirth has always stuck with me. As I began conceptualizing what a transformational journey would look like, it immediately came to me as a symbol of this process.
When I first heard the word “sojourn,” I loved how it sounded. I wanted a different way to think about travel. A way to express how we can move about the world in a more intentional way: I think of a sojourn as a temporary stay reached by a journey; a brief but intentional immersion in another culture. This word captures curiosity and paints a more purposeful, healing, or interconnected picture of travel…it says, “This experience is open to all possibilities.” It brings the magic of travel to life!
When I later launched my Soul of Travel Podcast, I also wanted to capture something greater than travel. Reflecting on my own story and the stories of many of my colleagues, I realized that they were often driven by something greater than wanderlust and curiosity about the world but by something deep within them. That space is where I think we tap into the true Soul of Travel.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I find it so interesting when I reflect on my childhood and see all the seemingly obvious things directing me on my path, which were, for so long, overlooked. When I was young, I remember I wanted to grow up to be a movie star — not to be famous, but because I saw it as a way to earn a lot of money and give myself a loud voice and a highly visible platform that I could use to create change; I could have a more significant positive impact on people. I have always cared deeply for people and wanted to make the world an accepting and abundant place for everyone.
Somehow, along my journey, travel found me. As I brought my sociology education and my passion to understand the world and create an impact, I began to see how travel could weave all of this together. I noticed that my most powerful and transformational travel experiences revolved around soulful connections with women. I knew I wanted to create a different kind of travel company that was purpose-driven and experience-driven, not focused on place. I wanted the journey to be our focus and this journey to be internal as much as external. I wanted to invite women to gather, honor their journey, reconnect to themselves, and grow through community and travel. I knew I could do this and create a positive impact by supporting local, women-owned businesses and social impact projects focusing on gender equity.
I launched Lotus Sojourns on International Women’s Day in 2019. Lotus Sojourns is still evolving to focus more on personal growth, impact, and gender equity. I have guided experiences in Guatemala, Peru, Colorado, and Alaska and a year-long women’s book club known as our Soulful Book Sojourn. I am developing experiences in Borneo, India, Peru, and Uganda and plan to return to Alaska in the spring of 2025. In my next evolution, I would also like to offer custom journeys for women that provide the same pillars of sustainability, healing, and equity but allow travelers to choose from more destinations and flexible departure options.
I also launched a podcast to tell a different story about tourism. To celebrate the women who are making a positive impact around the world. Today, Soul of Travel Podcast: Women’s Wisdom + Mindful Travel is in its fifth season, and I have hosted over 160 soulful hour-long conversations that have been listened to in 113 countries and over 1600 cities. As we reach 30,000-lifetime downloads of the podcast, it is incredible to think of the lives touched and stories shared and how that may ripple into the future.
I have completed a Transformational Travel Designers course, the RISE Tourism Institute’s Flagship Program in Sustainability and Anti-Opression in Travel. I also have 200 RYT Yoga Teacher and Reiki 1 & 2 certifications and am working toward a Travel Coaching and Ayurveda certificate. I cannot wait to combine all these pieces to create even more powerful and healing travel experiences for women.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
My entire business journey has been one of resilience. So many of us in tourism have that story related to the pandemic or other political or climate challenges. As I mentioned, I finally launched my dream business after 20 years in the industry and quickly came up against the challenges the sector faced with global closures in 2020. As the trip dates approached for what would have been my first full year in operation, I was less disappointed by not operating trips and more disappointed by the lack of community and financial support that my trips would have created. I launched a t-shirt brand called Lotus CommuniTees. I found myself wearing t-shirts with inspirational messages to keep me feeling grounded and hopeful, and I thought others might feel the same way.
I began designing t-shirts with empowering messages and found a manufacturing and printing company with values aligned with Lotus Sojourns and offered ethically made products. Each shirt I designed gave $10 to local social impact projects I worked with in Guatemala and Peru. As well as partnerships with Days for Girls, supporting menstrual equity, and Open Hearts Big Dreams, which offers literacy and leadership opportunities in Ethiopia and other countries. I was able to provide my community of travelers a way to give back and able to offer some of the financial support my travels would have created.
The podcast came out of this same time and has been an essential part of my mission to create a world where women know themselves as equal and valuable members of our global community.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
The books that have inspired me over the years tend to lean toward philanthropy, personal growth, and impact-driven business. One of the first I read that got me thinking about our impact is Leaving Microsoft to Change the World by John Wood. Others I love to recommend are Do Less by Kate Northup, The Soul of Money by Lynne Twist, Jumping the Picket Fence and Light Through the Cracks by Lydia Dean, and Beyond Guilt Trips by Dr. Anu Taranath. A few more common reads I have loved are Atomic Habits by James Clear and Dare to Lead by Brené Brown. I am a big fan of podcasts and find myself listening to the Marie Forleo Podcast, Goal Digger by Jenna Kutcher, The Cathy Heller Podcast, Financial Feminist, and How I Built This. My favorite podcast, which isn’t business-related but offers so much personal awareness that I think it is vital in my professional journey because of its insight and growth, is Pulling the Thread by Elise Loehnan.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lotussojourns.com, https://www.souloftravelpodcast.com
- Instagram: @she.sojourns, @lotussojourns, @souloftravelpodcast
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lotussojourns, https://www.facebook.com/SoulofTravelPodcast
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinewinebrenneririck/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SoulofTravelPodcast