An Inspired Chat with Sarah Simon

We recently had the chance to connect with Sarah Simon and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Sarah, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: Are you walking a path—or wandering?
I’ve learned that the wandering is the path. For a long time, I thought detours meant I was off-track, but staying present and focusing on what each season was teaching me showed me something different. Growth isn’t linear, but it isn’t random either.

The twists, setbacks, and even the hard parts end up becoming the structure of the journey. It’s less like being lost and more like walking a labyrinth: one continuous path with many turns that still lead you inward. That perspective shapes how I approach my work and the way I think about travel, healing, and personal growth.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m the creator behind Mindful Wellness Traveler, a blog that blends solo travel, wellness, and meaningful storytelling. My work sits at the intersection of ancient wisdom, personal growth, and real-world travel, helping people understand how the places they visit can shape the person they become.

With a background in archaeology and spiritual studies, I bring a unique lens to modern travel by exploring symbolism, history, and inner work alongside practical guides and destination tips. My goal is simple: to help people navigate their journeys—both internal and external—with more clarity, curiosity, and confidence.

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
Traveling and living abroad solo changed everything for me. It made me realize I was stronger and more capable than I thought, and it taught me how to navigate challenges on my own—mind, body, and spirit. But it also pushed me to think beyond myself and the world I grew up in. Experiencing different cultures firsthand expanded how I understand people and the world, and that perspective is at the core of the work I do today.

What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Struggle taught me something I never learned from success: the story we’re sold about how life is “supposed” to go rarely matches reality. A lot of people still imagine a world where things unfold in neat milestones or straight lines, but that’s just not how most real lives work, especially when you’re navigating health issues, unstable systems, or unpredictable circumstances.

Going through difficult seasons forced me to rethink what progress actually looks like. Instead of measuring myself against an outdated idea of success, I started recognizing the strength it takes to get through things most people never see. In many ways, surviving, adapting, and continuing to grow in spite of everything is its own kind of success.

That shift has made me more grounded and more compassionate with myself. And it’s why I see struggle as symbolic — like the twists in the labyrinth where the path turns, not ends. Those turns have shaped me far more than any “wins” ever did. They taught me resilience, clarity, and a deeper understanding of what it actually means to move forward.

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What important truth do very few people agree with you on?
One truth I wish more people understood is that having access to endless information doesn’t mean we actually understand more. If anything, the sheer volume of content we all consume can create a kind of fake confidence — the feeling that we know more than we do, because we’ve heard a lot of opinions that sound convincing.

Real understanding takes something slower and harder: curiosity, critical thinking, listening to people who see the world differently, and sometimes admitting, “I actually don’t know.” And honestly, travel has been the biggest teacher in this. When you spend time in another country, talk to locals, and see how people actually live beyond the Instagram version, you realize how much of what you thought you “knew” was based on assumptions or secondhand narratives.

For me, the point of travel isn’t just aesthetics or expertise — it’s learning to question my own certainty. It’s learning to stay open, listen deeply, and let the world complicate my assumptions. And sometimes the most honest answer is simply, “I need to learn more.”

Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. Are you tap dancing to work? Have you been that level of excited at any point in your career? If so, please tell us about those days. 
There was a time when I worked in a job that let me run around making videos, and it felt like real creative freedom — the kind you wake up excited for. Once you know what that feels like, it’s hard to settle for anything less.

Life took me through a lot of twists after that including the recession, grad school, living abroad, and health issues. Each turn reshaped what I thought my path would look like. I’m grateful for everything I learned, especially the intellectual depth and global perspective, but I’ve also learned that I can’t live without creative work. I need both sides of myself to feel whole.

The hard seasons also taught me that creativity needs oxygen, and survival mode steals a lot of it. I’m still figuring out how to build a life where I can create consistently while also staying healthy and stable — there’s no neat bow on it yet. But I’m proud I haven’t given up on the kind of life I want, even when it’s been messy or slow.

My dream is simple: to keep creating meaningful work, and to have a life that supports that.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mindfulwellnesstraveler.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindfulwellnesstraveler/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahsimonj/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61575874259226
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