I was pretty scared to write this, it started as an simple Instagram or Facebook post, but then when I finally started writing it, it became long. I figured it may be better as a blog post instead, so here I am. I wanted to reintroduce myself. I feel everyone is going through a transition right now with the state of the world, and honestly, that isn’t a bad thing it just means more time to be introspective. This year has been stressful and moment to moment we all question certain decisions we have made. I have been looking back on my life and for the first time, I am at a point where I see no mistakes. None! How could any of my decisions have been mistakes, they made me who I am today. This is an easy thing to acknowledge to yourself, but to really digest it prove difficult. Looking back, there was a choice in my life that I saw my shift. The girl that got on a plane alone, scared to death to fly overseas in 2004 to work on tomb excavation in Italy. That was the moment I started weaving who I wanted to be. Man, I thank that girl almost every day. A broken heart lead to that decision and it was the best ones I had ever made. Although I didn’t know it then. It fueled my confidence and ignited my travel bug to explore the world with purpose. I have done some pretty cool travels like diving to search for the treasure from the wreck of the Atocha, but my passion became trying to help and make a difference or learn something culturally when I traveled. I started and never stopped my traveling solo for volunteer projects around the world. Restoring a 10th century castle in France, living on a boat to study whale and dolphin migration in Ischia. In Portugal I helped the impoverish by working on homes and learned the art of plastering, I scuba dove in frigid temperatures to clean reefs in the Atlantic, most recently my travels took me to work on a sea turtle conservation in Costa Rica. All of these experiences lead me to create Marta on the Move. I needed an outlet for my curiousity when I was back in my hometown of Pittsburgh and not traveling. But in addition to just focusing on traveling, it became something else- a vehicle for my curiosity. I just didn’t see it. My show topics ranged greatly, and for years I struggled with justifying my shifting topics on my show, and then recently it clicked that the backbone of the show pushes people to “be curious and cut the cord of comfort” This quote is one of the subjects I live by and give motivational speeches on, so why was I suddenly feeling judged.  The funny thing was that I was the one doing the judging. It was all in my own head. I mean, the title of my show is Marta on the Move… it would stand to reason that the topics would vary and change based on what I found interesting. One of our best human best gifts is our love of curiosity! This was something I had to embrace fully in myself and my show. The ability to shift as you change through life and not take myself so seriously. I have never been one to care what other’s think, why was I having these feelings now.  It brings me to this year, and this moment. I felt…. different. More confident and awakened then I had ever been. Truthfully, that took a mini breakdown on my part. As that song says there is “Beauty in the breakdown”, and it is completely true. It causes a shift, and you are forced to rebuild and become stronger. Sometimes this means leaving the past behind to become who you are NOW. This was how I felt and I wanted to see that manifested somehow. I had made a choice to get some photography work done, some shots that were boudoir style (you are so very welcome, Phil), some extravagant and over the top like the picture below. Mainly I wanted nudes. They were my favorite. I needed to shed a skin I was living in, and it felt SO GOOD. I didn’t feel exposed, I have always felt comfortab