You Do You – I’m At My Best When I’m Just Me

There’s a moment in life that comes quietly, the kind that slips in without asking for attention. Mine arrived over a simple cup of coffee. I sat across from a friend who knows me well, someone who doesn’t need small talk to fill the air. We had planned to set up a backdrop for a travel video supporting Project Pride, and instead, we ended up talking about everything else. Somehow, the conversation became the day’s real purpose. We laughed, shared updates, and spoke honestly about what had changed since we’d last sat together like that. It reminded me of the kind of connection that doesn’t need technology or noise to stay alive. It only needs presence.

That moment became the seed of what I’ve started calling You Do You. Not in the self-help, “treat yourself” sort of way, but in the quiet truth that life works better when we stop trying to be someone else’s version of whole. Conversations like that remind me how rare a real connection has become. We text more, we scroll more, but we touch less. It’s easy to drift apart even when we share the same room or live in the same city. A cup of coffee with a good friend can bring all of that back into focus.

Travel has shaped much of how I see the world. I’ve wandered through small towns, big cities, mountain passes, backroads, coastlines, and places most people haven’t heard of. With every new destination, I met people whose lives didn’t look anything like mine, yet somehow felt familiar. That variety is stunning. It’s beautiful. In some ways, it’s healing. Once you’ve seen the world from the outside looking in, you start to notice what happens at home with a sharper eye. You recognize when people are hurting. You notice when the world feels more divided. You sense the distance between strangers and the way kindness begins to thin out when we guard ourselves too closely.

The past few years pushed many of us into a different kind of stillness. It wasn’t always peaceful. It forced reflection, and in that reflection came a new type of perspective. I learned that healing isn’t only about rest. It’s about connection. It’s about finding those little pieces of understanding in unplanned conversations. It’s about showing up for people in simple, human ways. And it’s about accepting that joy can coexist with uncertainty.

As I sat with that warm cup of coffee, something subtle happened. I remembered what it felt like to be grounded. I remembered how connection helps us stay whole. When we lose that, we become guarded without even realizing it. We stop leaning into moments that could bring us back to life. Fear takes root. Safety becomes an excuse to shrink. And slowly, we forget how to reach for each other.

You Do You is a reminder that connection matters more than comfort. It’s a reminder that nobody needs to live locked inside a version of themselves built out of protection. We can let people in again. We can talk. We can laugh. We can be awkward, vulnerable, hopeful, confused, and perfectly imperfect. Real life happens between people, not screens.

I’ve spent a good portion of my life creating experiences for travelers. My XO Adventures is the heart of my daily work now, based here in South Dakota. The Black Hills and Badlands have a way of tapping you on the shoulder and asking you to look around. The wind carries history. The sky stretches out farther than your thoughts. Wildlife moves across the land like it has all the time in the world. When guests come here, they’re not just signing up for a tour. They’re giving themselves the chance to reconnect with something they might have forgotten: their own sense of wonder.

Every week, I meet people who are carrying their own stories. Families reconnecting. Friends are trying to shake off heavy seasons. Couples rediscovering each other. Travelers searching for meaning or peace or simply a break from the noise of daily life. It’s incredible to witness what happens when they step into nature and let the land do its work. They talk more. They breathe deeper. They look up. They slow down. That’s not tourism. It’s healing.

Some years back, I stood outside a cruise ship holding a sign that said “Free Hugs.” Hundreds of strangers passed by. Some hesitated, some approached right away, and many just smiled as they walked. But the ones who stepped forward stood there for a moment longer than I expected. There was something tender in those exchanges. That small act turned into dozens of reminders that we crave connection even when we don’t say it out loud. If I stood outside today with that sign, I’m not sure how many people would come close. But I know some would. And I’d hug them just the same.

Travel is one of the most human things we do. It pulls us out of isolation and reminds us we share the world with people who think, live, and dream differently. It’s one of the simplest ways to reconnect with ourselves. The instinct to explore is older than language. It’s wired into us. When we honor that instinct, we remember who we are and who we’re trying to be.

I’ve put down roots in South Dakota for now, running private tours and showing visitors the landscapes that changed my life. Every sunrise on the prairie, every picnic among the pines, every moment under the night sky gives people a chance to reconnect. These experiences create space for people to feel again. That’s the heart of My XO Adventures. You’re not just going somewhere. You’re coming back to yourself. We encourage “You Do You” along the way. 

But my story doesn’t end here. I’ve always had a bit of wanderlust in me. Maybe next year you’ll hear from me in Alaska. Or along the edge of Patagonia. Or sitting in the back of a pickup near Glacier National Park. The road keeps opening, and I’m open to following it.

What I do know is this: when the moment arrives for you to travel, I’ll be here. Or there. Or somewhere between mountain shadows and open prairie light, ready to guide you into a place that will remind you who you are.

Because You Do You isn’t about self-indulgence. It’s about authenticity. It’s about reclaiming the parts of yourself that got quiet. It’s about finding the courage to live gently, honestly, and fully. It’s about connection. And it’s about remembering that we become better human beings when we let ourselves grow.

Travel helps with that. Nature helps with that. People help with that.

And you help with that, just by showing up and choosing to be yourself.

You Do You. The world needs exactly that.