Nov 24, 2021
Travel Gluten Free Podcast
S07 Episode 14
Backpacking Around the World with Katie Barbaro of Casual Ecstasy Podcast
Welcome to the Travel Gluten Free Podcast. Today, I have Katie Barbaro from the Casual Ecstacy Podcast. Katie is an occupational therapist, comedian, and up-and-coming author. She believes that life should be lived like an improv show, and hopes to help others awaken their potential.
Solo Travelling the World
Katie is an extensive traveler. In 2018, she spent the year visiting Thailand, Iceland, England, France, the Netherlands, and other parts of Europe and Asia. She decided to leave her normal life behind because of her life coach, who identified many of her personal values. Katie asked herself, “What would feel the most me?”, and decided that travelling the world with no plan and only her intuition to rely on was the answer.
Katie did much of her traveling thanks to the Workaway platform, which allows volunteers to connect and live with host families in exchange for a few hours of work. Throughout her trip, Katie stayed with friends new and old, meeting many open-hearted people and volunteering at incredible places.
Surrendering to the Present Moment
When travelling Asia, Katie found a different kind of relaxation in her body upon landing. There was a peacefulness in Asia that wasn’t present in Europe or the U.S.. In the West, we’re taught that being busy equals happiness. For Katie, travelling brings her into the present moment. She’s gone into many new and unique situations with the intention of learning and appreciating, as a lifelong student.
Katie talks about the spontaneity of solo travelling with an anecdote of her motorbike rental in Indonesia. She was never someone who would ride anything with two wheels before, but by pushing herself out of her comfort zone, she got to evolve her own idea of who she is. Through traveling, Katie has cultivated her intuition and learned how to be at home with herself, no matter where she is.
Publishing Her First Book
Katie recently published her book, “Fed Up An Illustrative Guide to Food Freedom.” She hand-wrote and illustrated the book to document her recovery from disordered eating. The cartoon-based memoir focuses on her raw and honest experience with over-exercising, calorie-counting, and more.
Katie feels that the harmful pressures of diet culture in the U.S. are inescapable, and strongly believes in speaking out in order to demystify the taboo around eating disorders. If you have any kind of weird relationship with food, Katie says, this book is for you.
Listen in to hear about Katie’s mystery trip, the lessons she’s learned as a solo female traveller, and where she plans to go next.
Connect with Katie on Instagram and find her book on her website
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