Hello there fellow traveler, my name is Dr. Molly Stillwell and this is my story.

 

I completed my undergrad in 2012 and started my Master’s program where I researched the connection between indigenous perspectives and their ways of healing through the environment and then compared this to Western medicine. 

 

During this, in the summer of 2013, I got the opportunity to visit Singapore as part of a team I was working for at Oregon Health & Science University. On that team, we were conducting a survey on the course “Being a Leader and the Effective Exercise of Leadership” where I not only studied the course, I actually got to take it as well! 

 

This experience completely changed my life.

 

It opened my eyes to a whole new world of possibility for myself and motivated me to make traveling a fundamental part of my life....it also was a total punch in the face realizing all of the crap I had been carrying around and how much I had developed behavior that was holding me back in life.

 

From here, I worked my way onto the production team for that leadership course and was able to work on another 7 courses (held all over the world) which resulted in me traveling to Bermuda, Mexico, and South Dakota, as well as Abu Dhabi & Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

 

There isn't much more to say than, I worked my ass off to prove myself and maximize the opportunities I was given here.

And, despite having never traveled alone before.... I seized the chance to add some extra time and stopped over in places like Paris, London, Iceland, Vienna, and Amsterdam while I traveled to and from volunteering for these courses.

 

As a result, what I took away from that first experience in Singapore was the foolishness of wasting my time waiting for “later”. I realized I had a lot more power over my life to achieve the things I am most passionate about....and that is something we all have available to us.

 

There was just one challenge….well, there were many, and overcoming those obstacles is a major part of what this space is about – but one of the biggest issues I had was the fact that I was still in graduate school, now studying for my Ph.D.

 

This was a little more manageable for me because the university I attended had a hybrid program where I was able to complete my studies at a distance, from anywhere in the world. As long as I had an internet connection and a computer, I was good to go! 

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In this unique position, I have learned a lot of things I wish I had known from the start.

Things that seem like common sense now that I know them. 

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From Iceland, Austria, Amsterdam, and Dubai - to New Zealand, South Africa, Costa Rica, and Argentina - traveling through over 27 different countries has challenged me to push beyond my comfort zones, insecurities, and preconceived notions to achieve something bigger than myself. In return, it has left me with some pretty amazing stories to tell and an incredible appreciation for life

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I truly believe that if everyone had the opportunity to travel - and travel with a purpose - the world would be a very different and far more peaceful place.

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And that is why the Educated Traveler is a space dedicated to empowering your explorations and elevating those adventures to something that leaves you with more than a photo album when it's all said and done. 

 

Happy Educated Travels!

 

❤