Happiness in the Mess began as a personal journey to reconnect with myself through travel, food, culture, and moments of stillness.
For a long time, I lost pieces of myself while surviving life instead of truly living it. After leaving a relationship where I no longer recognized the person I had become, I found myself starting over at 38 and asking a difficult question: What kind of life do I actually want to live?
The answer kept leading me back to travel.
Before marriage, kids, and the weight of everyday life, I had traveled to more than 25 countries. Travel was always the place where I felt most alive, most curious, and most connected to myself. Early in my career, I even worked as a travel agent because discovering the world never felt like just a hobby to me, it felt like purpose.
There’s a quote I’ve always loved: “If you want to see the bad in the world, watch the news. If you want to see the good, travel.”
And the more I travel, the more I believe that’s true.
This world is full of beauty, connection, kindness, culture, and experiences that remind us there is so much more to life than the chaos that can consume us. Travel reminds me to be present again. To slow down. To savor a meal. To talk to strangers. To wander unfamiliar streets. To feel joy in the small moments.
Through this platform, I share hidden gems, local favorites, travel itineraries, honest reviews, travel tips, recipes, and a lot of food (because food has a way of bringing people together no matter where you are in the world). But underneath all of it is one common theme: finding happiness within the moments that make us feel alive again.
This space is especially for women who feel like they lost themselves somewhere along the way. The women rebuilding. The women learning to choose themselves again. The women who want more than survival mode. I hope this platform inspires you to take the trip, try something new, trust yourself, and stop waiting for permission to live the life you want.
I’m still rediscovering the version of myself I loved before life became so heavy. The woman who had passion, curiosity, courage, and dreams bigger than fear.
And maybe that’s what Happiness in the Mess really means.
Not pretending life is perfect.
Not waiting until everything is healed or figured out.
But finding beauty, purpose, connection, and joy anyway.
Because life is short.
And when my story is over, I want to be able to say I truly lived.
I’m so glad you’re here.