Welcome to Issue #021 of Sojourn. Each week, I share two original essays to help you slow down, reconnect, and rebuild with intention (hence ‘sojourn’), in a private community that uses travel as a path to reinvention.
THE PLACE THAT HELD ME
Some places change you.
Not with grand gestures, but with the right kind of silence, space, and care.
For me, that place was Casa Saint George, on the coast of Troncones, Mexico.
It wasn’t where the trip began, but it’s where something in me finally settled.
Not in the spa or the view, but in the way the space held the experience.
That’s when I realized:
This wasn’t just a stay, it was a shift.
A quiet return to myself, made possible by design.
ARCHITECTURE THAT ANCHORS YOU
We talk a lot about reinvention as this big leap.
But sometimes, it’s slower than that.
→ A chair that feels like a conversation.
→ A quiet corner that asks nothing of you.
→ A material that doesn’t demand perfection.
→ A view that doesn’t interrupt, invites.
We underestimate how much our environment shapes us.
But this place reminded me:
We don’t just feel different because we’re in a new location.
We feel different because we’re being received differently.
WHY DESIGN CHANGES THE STORY
The first few days of my trip were zen-like, as I was attending a group yoga retreat in Zihuatanejo.
It wasn’t until I got to Casa Saint George that the insights caught up to me.
Because it was quiet enough to hear them.
Simple enough to feel them.
Thoughtful enough to hold them.
There was no design-for-show here.
Only design for depth.
That’s when I realized:
The moment you slow down is rarely random.
It’s crafted.
REINVENTION BEGINS WITH THE ENVIRONMENT
We think clarity comes from thinking harder.
But sometimes it comes from placing yourself somewhere that doesn’t demand more.
Casa Saint George reminded me that true transformation often begins with subtraction.
Fewer distractions.
Fewer angles.
Fewer reasons to perform.
The outcome?
More internal space.
More reflections.
More truth.
YOUR NEXT CHAPTER MIGHT BEGIN WITH A CHAIR
Design like this doesn’t announce itself.
It doesn’t shout “luxury” or try to impress.
It simply meets you, wherever you are.
→ After a long career you’re ready to reimagine.
→ After raising kids and realizing you’ve changed.
→ After burning out and wondering what else is possible.
Whatever the story, the right space doesn’t just house the transition.
It supports it.
THE GIFT OF ARCHITECTURAL EMPATHY
There’s a certain kind of care you can feel…
Not from staff, but from structure.
Not from a brand voice, but from the way light moves across a room.
I believe that’s a form of empathy.
And it changes things on the inside.
Because when we feel safe, we soften.
And when we soften, we can hear what’s next.
PROMPTS FOR THE WEEK AHEAD
→ What’s one corner of your world that feels truly yours?
→ When life gets loud, how and where do you go to listen inward?
→ How might you design your next chapter with less noise and more clarity?
THE SHIFT
We think reinvention starts with a big decision.
But it often starts with something smaller:
A space that holds you differently.
A seat that lets you rest without guilt.
A pause that doesn’t expect performance.
This is what Casa Saint George gave me.
And it’s what I hope more of us start designing for.
Not a new identity, rushed.
But a new rhythm, revealed quietly, over time.
Because when the environment changes, so does the story we’re willing to tell.
~Ana
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