Welcome to Butterfly Journeys: Midlife Adventures Podcast.
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.
Check out Gwen's upcoming tours:
https://chica-travel.com/our-trips/
Use the code MIDLIFE to receive a 10% discount on Chica Travel tours
🌍 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.
Check out Gina's Upcoming tours https://wanderlustsolowomentours.com/retreats-and-tours/
🎁 Use code MIDLIFE for a special community discount on any 2026 tour or retreat.
🌍 Follow Gina Wanderlust Travel:
📸Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/wanderlust_momentum/
📘Facebook:
Wanderlust Solo Travel Tribe-Women’s Travel Empowerment | Facebook
🌐 Website:
https://wanderlustsolowomentours.com
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?
👉 Explore upcoming journeys:
Small Group Tours in Morocco | Moroccan Escapes
Members of Solo Sister Travel in Midlife receive an exclusive discount on 2026 tours — just use code MIDLIFE when you book.
🌍 Follow Heather at Moroccan Escapes:
📸 Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/moroccan_escapes/
📘 Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/moroccanescapestravel
🌐 Website:
www.moroccanescapes.com.au
EP5.
Burnout, healing, and rediscovering freedom through travel
In this inspiring midlife conversation, I sit down with Tammie Day, founder and CEO of Vibrant Women Homestay & Travel, to explore what happens when burnout leads to breakthrough — and how creating time for yourself can reignite self-trust, courage, and joy.
From social worker to travel entrepreneur, Tammie shares how healing her nervous system through yoga helped her rediscover what truly mattered — and how travel became her way to support women in doing the same.
In this episode:
✨ Finding clarity after burnout — the importance of slowing down
✨ The healing power of travel and how to start again in midlife
✨ Creating community and safety for women through her new Vibrant Women Homestay platform
✨ Why time for self is where freedom of mind begins
Whether you’re craving a reset, dreaming of travel, or simply needing a reminder to trust yourself again, this conversation will leave you feeling inspired and ready for your next chapter.
👉 Explore Tammie's upcoming tours:
https://vibrantwomentravel.com/tours
Special Offer for Solo Sister Travel in Midlife Members
Use the code MIDLIFEBUTTERFLY to receive $100 off any Vibrant Women Tour or Retreat.
🌍 Follow Tammie at Vibrant Women Travel:
📸 Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/vibrantwomenhomestayandtravel
📘 Facebook:
Vibrant Women Travel
🌐 Website:
https://vibrantwomentravel.com
EP.6
Courage, Intuition, and Following Your Heart in Midlife
In this powerful conversation, I sit down with Tracey, founder of Follow Your Heart Travel, to explore what it really means to reinvent yourself in midlife — and how listening to your intuition can lead you to the life, the country, and the version of yourself you were always meant for.
From humanitarian work in the Philippines, to life on the Greek islands, to finding a soul-home in Morocco, Tracey’s story is a reminder that it’s never too late to begin again — and that courage grows every time we choose ourselves.
In this episode:
✨ How living across the world shaped Tracey’s resilience, adaptability, and courage
✨ Why Morocco became her place of grounding and belonging
✨ The power of intuition and why it becomes louder in midlife
✨ Creating meaningful, culturally respectful travel experiences for women
✨ Why following your heart is never a mistake — even when it leads somewhere unexpected
Whether you’re dreaming of travel, craving a life reset, or simply needing the encouragement to trust yourself again, this conversation will inspire you to take your next brave step.
👉 Explore Tracey's upcoming tours:
https://followyourhearttours.com/signature-trips/
Special Offer for Solo Sister Travel in Midlife Members
Use the code MIDLIFE to receive your discount.
🌍 Follow Tracey at Follow Your Heart Travel:
📸 Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/fyhtravel
📘 Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/fyhtravel
🌐 Website:
https://followyourhearttours.com/
