We had the good fortune of connecting with Ciara Turner-Ewert and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ciara, every day, we talk about how much execution matters, but we think ideas matter as well. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
Ever since I was a little girl, I knew I wanted to travel the world. Now, twenty plus years later I’m doing just that. My vision started as a desire to travel the world, but blossomed into so much more. After college, I graduated with two things: a college degree and a traumatic brain injury from playing collegiate sports. With a new found injury and a desire to travel, I wasn’t sure how I could do both. At the time, I had severe migraines, dizziness, and was in constant pain throughout my entire body. Doctors said the outlook for a full recovery was grim, but I knew I could do it. I just needed to take it one day at a time and give my body the space (and tools) it needed to heal. I knew that if I wanted to travel, I had to find a way to heal my brain and body. Fast forward a couple of years after my diagnosis, I found the right doctors, did a ton of research, and completely changed my lifestyle, making my travel dreams possible again. That’s when Wellness Travel Diaries was born, a blog dedicated to wellness travel! I like to define wellness travel as traveling to improve some aspect of your health and well-being. It’s a form of healing that can boost your health: spiritually, physically, mentally, emotionally, and more. An aspect of it could be deep relaxation, recharging and adventuring, as well as much more. The best part is, wellness travel is unique for everyone. My blog aims to share just that. It inspires, encourages, and educates others on how to have their own transformational travel experiences through adventure stories, travel hacks, wellness tips, allergy-friendly travel guides, and outdoor guides. Now I’m a certified wellness travel coach, and I recently expanded my blog to include a wellness travel coaching program to personally help others design their dream trip to help heal and grow their mind, body, or soul. Being a certified travel coach and blogger has been a dream come true, and I can’t wait to help even more people travel to their dream destinations, boost their energy and feel their healthiest self yet.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?

I currently own two businesses — a blog and a coaching program. My blog, Wellness Travel Diaries, is a wellness travel blog that aims at inspiring and educating people about how to travel with a wellness-focused. On my blog you’ll find stories, travel guides, travel and wellness tips, travel recipes, workouts and more, all geared around how to improve your well-being while traveling. My coaching program, called the Rise & Restore Academy, is a personalized program that helps travelers and future travelers transform their body, mind and soul through transformative travel experiences. It’s goal is to help you heal your body from pain, alleviate stress from travel, discover who you are, deeply immerse yourself at your destination and build wellness routines that skyrocket your energy.
Getting to where I am today has been a journey, one filled with zig-zags, low valleys and high mountains. I’ve loved every second of it, but understanding that pattern has been one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned around starting a business. After having a traumatic brain injury, I learned the value of rest and peace in regards to life balance, but building a successful blog and coaching program has taught me patience and peace in regards to work balance. It takes time for anything good to manifest. I’ve learned when I set my intentions, then give them space to grow and stay consistent, everything I dream becomes a reality. The mantra, “the more I rest, the more I can grow, love and serve” is ingrained in my story, my brand, and my businesses. If I want the world to know anything about me, it’s that — wellness is for everyone and we all deserve to achieve our wildest dreams.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.

There are so many hidden gems in Los Angeles and the Greater Los Angeles Area! If I had to create a week long itinerary exploring this area, my go-to would be a mixture of relaxation, tasty food excursions, sweating in the great outdoors, exploring the late night vibes, and off the beaten path destinations/attractions. Starting off with beachy vibes, we’d head straight to Orange County to soak up some rays at Newport Beach exploring the nearby eateries, playing some spike ball and ending the evening with a glorious bonfire. The next day we’d spend the whole day at Disneyland and California Adventure, eating sugary churros and aimlessly wandering around the epic new Star Wars attraction.

Day three would consist of a slow morning getting breakfast or an early lunch at Anaheim’s Packing District. From there we’d drive up the coast towards Malibu to spend the afternoon hiking Malibu Creek State Park. After, we’d grab food at the Malibu Farm Restaurant, and possibly head back to the State park for camping under the stars.

The next morning we’d head to my favorite bakery in LA, Erin Mckenna’s Bakery. They serve gluten-free and vegan pastries baked to a sweet perfection. You’ll find donuts, cinnamon rolls, cookie sandwiches dipped in chocolate and savory pastries like jalapeño cheddar biscuits. After breakfast, we’d explore LA museum scenery visiting the place that best fits our vibes — The Broad, LACMA, or The Ghetty. Next, we’d grab dinner at a new vegan spot that opened up downtown, like Kale My Name, then make our way toward the Griffith Observatory for stargazing.

The following day we’d take a deep dive in the vegan and gluten-free food scene in LA. Grabbing spicy Thai food at Bulan Thai Vegetarian Kitchen, burgers and kombucha floats at Plant Power Fast Food, and soul food at Souley Vegan LA. After all that food, we’d probably be in a food coma, so a late afternoon nap would be high priority before setting off to experience LA’s nightlife.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are so many people I would love to recognize and give a huge shoutout to. From encouragement, mentorship, love, support, endless phone calls and text messages, courses and collaborations, I wouldn’t be where I am now without the help of others. Some of my biggest cheerleaders have been my husband Evan, my parents, brothers, my in-laws, cousins, best friends, aunts and uncles, Dr. Justine Bellefeuille, Cindy Mayer, Kevin and Marguerite Ross, Urwah, the Superstar Blogging Course, High Performance Habits, all the travel groups I’m in, my growing audience and many more. I appreciate each and every one of you so much. Thank you to everyone who reads my blog, shares my blog and supports my small business. You are the reason why I do what I do and your support means the world to me!

Website: https://wellnesstraveldiaries.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wellnesstraveldiaries/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ciara-turner-ewert-018406a1/

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/wellnesstraveld

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Wellness-Travel-Diaries-108682191439433

Other: Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/wellnesstraveldiaries/ Coaching website: https://www.subscribepage.com/transformativetravelcoach

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.