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Turning Setbacks into Comebacks, with Claire Sturzaker

We talk to Claire Sturzaker, a world traveler and creator of the blog Tales of a Backpacker. Claire shares how what seemed like a major setback in her life – getting fired – was actually an opportunity for change, and helped her deal with other challenges in the future.

 
We recorded our interview on March 12; things have changed quite a bit since then and are continuing to change quickly. We’re releasing this as planned because, if you’re like us, you want outlets to take your mind off things.

In the episode, we also discuss how business owners of different kinds are figuring out how to adapt to COVID-19, as well as some themes that are relevant to where we are right now – getting through difficult times, coping with uncertainty, and developing resilience and self-assurance when faced with tough situations.

We hope you’re hanging in there – we’re taking it day by day and using the coping strategies we’ve talked about in the podcast, like Practice the Pause and Soften. We’ve been hosting regular Instagram Live hangouts, so follow @semitogether for updates.

Turning Setbacks Into Comebacks with Claire Sturzaker

Claire Sturzaker is a world traveler and the creator of the blog Tales of a Backpacker. On her blog, Claire shares tips on how to “travel the world on a budget, while still splurging on once-in-a-lifetime experiences.” As a solo female traveler, Claire has visited countries throughout Europe and Central, South and North America – and she has many more destinations on her bucket list.

Claire is one of the first friends Gill met when she moved to Barcelona. We thought she would be a great guest to have on Semi-Together because she has pursued her big dreams and reinvented herself several times in her life – despite some obstacles along the way.

We talk to Claire about how what seemed like a major setback in her life – getting fired – was actually an opportunity for change. It prompted her to pursue her dream of moving from Manchester back to Barcelona, where she’d studied abroad.

And several years later, when Claire was feeling stuck and restless, she decided to quit her job and buy a one-way ticket to Bolivia. She began a new chapter traveling on her own, writing about her adventures, and growing and monetizing her blog.

Claire talks about moving past failure, making time for self-care while traveling, and teaching herself new skills while building her blog and her audience.

Steal This Tip: Claire Sturzaker Edition

Just to remember that nothing is forever. If you’re going through a tough time – this too shall pass. But also, if you want to try something new, don’t forget that it doesn’t have to be forever. Try it out, see if you like it – and if you don’t, then try something else.

Thank you so much for joining us, Claire! We loved chatting with you.

Get It Together / Got It Together

We each share something that we’d like to work on and something that’s going well for us right now.

Melia Get It Together: Not engaging with her 20 for 2020 goals as regularly

Melia Got It Together: Doing “First 15” reading at work

Gill’s Get It Together: Having a minor meltdown about an upcoming trip to the States

Gill’s Got It Together: Feeling good about her pantry meals game

Get In Touch

Tell us about a time when you took a big leap or transformed a tough situation into a positive change. Email us at podcast[at]semitogether.com, or send us a voice memo. You can also leave a comment on Facebook or Instagram.

You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/semitogether and getting all kinds of fun extras. If you haven’t already, please subscribe, rate, and review this podcast on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen. If the podcast has brought joy to your life, why not share it with someone else? And sign up for our e-newsletter.

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