The Returns
I'm reclaiming my time.
— Auntie Maxine
Every rooftop. Every cocktail. Every sunrise. Every country.
Absolutely on my own terms — I didn't wait for permission.
I didn't wait until I had it all figured out.
You've done enough for everyone else.
Now it's time to reclaim what is rightfully yours, Sis.
01 · First Stop
Mexico
First Stop · Freedom Song
This was where I exhaled for the first time in almost thirty years. I stayed a year and a half and I am not even a little sorry about it. The colors alone could heal you — hot pink walls, cobblestone streets, marigolds everywhere you look. I snorkeled in water so turquoise it didn't look real. I stood in agave fields that stretched to the sky and learned that tequila is actually a sacred plant medicine before it becomes a party. I ate my way through markets and fell in love with a culture that celebrates life and death with equal devotion and equal beauty. Mexico reminded me to have fun.
Mexico · First Stop After Retirement
Bali, Indonesia
Indonesia
Where the Peace Felt Real
I didn't plan for this to be my life. I just kept chipping away at my financial plan — and this is what happened. Bali didn't ask me how old I was, what I used to do, or how long I had left. It just held me, open-armed, in a rice field, and said welcome, stay a while.
Ubud · Where I Found Peace
04 · The Big Turn
Thailand
Healing · Temples · The Big Turn
Chiang Mai changed me quietly and permanently. I arrived tired in a way that sleep couldn't fix — thirty years of giving everything to everyone had left something hollow in me. Thailand filled it back up. The temples, the monks, the early morning alms giving ceremonies, the way the whole country seemed to move at the pace of intention rather than urgency. I began to write here. I began to dream here. From Lack to Legacy was born in the gentle, golden light of northern Thailand and I will be grateful for that for the rest of my life. Some places don't just host you — they transform you.
Thailand · Where From Lack to Legacy Was Born
03 · Futuristic & Ancient
Japan
Futuristic · Reverent · EVERYTHANG
Japan is unlike anywhere else on this earth and I mean that with my whole chest. It is futuristic and ancient all at once — bullet trains and centuries-old temples sitting side by side without any argument. The people are extraordinarily kind and the culture is so deeply intentional it made me want to slow down and pay attention to everything. I visited during cherry blossom season and I genuinely wept at the sight of it. Not from sadness — from the sheer overwhelming beauty of a world that was always out there waiting for me. Also the bathrooms. I am not joking. The cleanest bathrooms on the planet. Japan set the standard.
Japan · Futuristic & Ancient All At Once
02 · Majestic
South Korea
Majestic · Colorful · Natural Beauty
I was not prepared for South Korea. Nothing could have prepared me. The temples alone would have been enough — ancient, breathtaking, wrapped in mountain mist like something from a dream. But then there is the food, the fashion, the kindness of strangers who went out of their way to help me navigate a city I couldn't read. Seoul moved at a pace that was both electric and oddly peaceful. I felt seen here in ways I didn't expect. South Korea taught me that beauty shows up in the most unexpected places when you are finally free enough to go find it.
South Korea · Majestic Beyond Words
05 · Dream City
Malaysia
Dream City · Affordable Luxury
If I had to choose one place to live for the rest of my days it would be Malaysia and I would not lose a single night of sleep over that decision. Kuala Lumpur has everything — extraordinary food from every culture on earth, rooftop infinity pools at five-star hotels that cost less than a Chicago dinner, a pace of life that is generous and unhurried and full of joy. It was also here that I began to heal my body — lost fifty pounds, started moving again, started eating food that actually loved me back. Malaysia gave me affordable luxury and gave me back myself. I have never felt more at home anywhere on this earth.
Malaysia · Kuala Lumpur is My Dream City
06 · Honeycomb Hideout
Vietnam
Soft · Sweet · My Refuge
Vietnam is so soft. So sweet. The easiest country I have ever stepped into — and the one I keep coming back to. I saw beaches and cities and small quiet towns. I was struck by the colors and the smells everywhere I went. Some streets are wild, all motion and sound. Others are narrow alleyways that wrap around you like a warm hug. The food, the lanterns, the light coming through old doorways — Vietnam holds you in a way that is hard to explain until you feel it yourself. This is my go-to honeycomb hideout. The place I return to when I need to seek refuge from the hustle and remember why I did all of this in the first place.
Vietnam · Ha Long Bay · Hoi An · My Refuge
07 · The Adventure
Cambodia
Ancient · Powerful · Unforgettable
Cambodia felt like the wild wild west of Southeast Asia — and I mean that as the highest compliment. The history here is rich and powerful and a little bit heartbreaking all at once. I watched the sun rise over Angkor Wat and stood completely still because some moments demand silence. I visited the temple where Tomb Raider was filmed and felt like I had stepped inside another world entirely. And then there were the pools — resort pools so breathtakingly beautiful they made me want to weep. Cambodia is not a country I would necessarily rush back to, but I am deeply grateful I went. It was an adventure in every sense of the word — and adventures are exactly what this life is built for.
Cambodia · Angkor Wat · Phnom Penh · Once in a Lifetime
08 · Tapas & Wine
Spain
Vibrant · Soulful · Europa at Last
Europe had been on the list for a long time. And Spain — with her terracotta rooftops, golden afternoon light, and the kind of unhurried joy that fills a plaza at midnight — did not disappoint. I sat with strangers over tapas and wine, watched flamenco in a cave, and wandered streets that have been telling stories for centuries. This is what freedom looks like. Not a destination. A way of moving through the world.
España · Funded by the investments I built while still teaching