Hosted by Joanna Filmer

Transformational Travel Educator and Lifelong Explorer

What if midlife wasn’t a crisis… but a calling?

This podcast is for women who are ready to step out of the roles they’ve outgrown and into the adventure of rediscovering who they truly are.

Hosted by Joanna Filmer, each episode is a journey into the heart of midlife reinvention. Through raw reflections, soulful conversations, and powerful stories from women around the world, you’ll explore how travel, transitions, and truth-telling can transform your life from the inside out.

Whether you’re longing for your first solo trip, dreaming of leaving behind “shoulds” and starting fresh, or simply seeking inspiration to reclaim your voice—this is your space.

✨ Come for the stories.
✨ Stay for the sisterhood.
✨ Leave feeling inspired.

Tune In; 

Watch the latest podcast edition. 

EP1.

Welcome to Butterfly Journeys: Midlife Adventures

This podcast is about courage and reinvention in midlife, told through the power of travel. I believe travel is the most powerful tool for transformation — it helps us awaken, emerge, journey, and evolve.

In this short trailer, I share my philosophy, The Midlife Butterfly Effect™, and why midlife isn’t the end, in fact it is the beginning of your best chapter yet!

EP2.

Embracing Uncertainty in Midlife

What happens when you trade a successful law career in the Netherlands for a life of freedom, nature, and sisterhood in Spain?

In this inspiring conversation, Gwen shares how she followed her intuition, moved her family to the Spanish countryside, and eventually launched Chica Travel, a boutique travel company for women in midlife.

We talk about:

✨The courage to embrace uncertainty

✨Building soul-sister connections abroad

✨How travel fuels reinvention in midlife

✨Advice for women ready to take their own leap

Whether you’re dreaming of moving abroad, starting over, or simply craving more “me time,” this episode will remind you that it’s never too late to reinvent your life.

Beyond her personal story, Gwen now helps other women create their own unforgettable experiences through her boutique company, Chica Travel.

 
Each trip combines:
✨ Charming hand-picked accommodations
✨ Hidden-gem restaurants and local flavors
✨ Time for relaxation, reflection, and connection
✨ Rich cultural experiences — from villages and vineyards to coastal escapes
✨ A sisterhood of like-minded women to share it all with

Every detail is tested and chosen with care, so you can arrive, exhale, and feel at home while exploring the beauty and joy of Spain. Whether you crave rest, adventure, or simply a glass of wine in the sun — Gwen makes sure your experience is unforgettable.

🌍 Follow Gwen’s Chica Travel:
Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/chicatravel_

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/chicatravel

Website
https://chica-travel.com/

EP3.

Trusting the Leap

When everything fell apart, Gina did something bold — she booked a one-way ticket to Paris for her 40th birthday.

What began as escape became a powerful rite of passage. From heartbreak to healing, from Egypt to Bali, Gina shares how travel helped her rebuild her confidence, reconnect to joy, and eventually create Wanderlust Solo Women Tours, guiding other women to do the same.

In this conversation we explore:
🌍 How travel can be the ultimate reset in midlife
💔 Turning heartbreak into empowerment
💫 Why group tours do count as solo travel
🧭 The courage it takes to trust the leap

This episode is your reminder that courage doesn’t wait — it begins the moment you decide to trust the leap.

EP4. What’s the Worst That Can Happen?

When her long legal career came to a sudden halt during COVID, Heather found herself at a crossroads. Instead of retreating, she asked a simple question that has guided her ever since: “What’s the worst that can happen?”

That question led her from the courtroom to the Sahara — and into a new life built around freedom, connection, and travel. From Bhutan to Morocco, Heather shares how stepping into the unknown helped her rediscover herself and create Moroccan Escapes, a boutique travel company designing meaningful journeys for women in midlife.

In this conversation we explore:
🏜️ How travel creates the space to rediscover who you are
💫 Starting again after a long career
🧭 The power of curiosity and courage in midlife
👭 Why community and connection matter when we travel

This episode is a reminder that freedom often begins with one simple question — what’s the worst that can happen?

Watch the Midlife Butterfly, as seen on....