“As a woman I have no country. As a woman my country is the whole world.” – Virginia Woolf
Prior to Wild Bum, I founded a business called Wildhive. I’ve blogged about it before – both share a common thread in that at their core lives play, adventure and community! Wildhive has always been very grassroots and while there are some amazing men who come dance with us wild women, it does end up being predominantly women. It is pretty profound to feel the energy of so many women coming together in joy, expression and love (and, really good beats!). From my own experiences, I sought to create a community that truly ignites support and connection – we don’t take ourselves too seriously, it’s not a scene, we dance, we play and we laugh – we might not all become best friends, but we create a supportive environment that empowers each one of us. 
In essence – combining Wildhive and Wild Bum – I planned and guided my first women’s dance + service trip to Guatemala in 2018. Again, I did not intend to make this women only – but, it happened that way and it was MAGIC! That trip consisted of twenty women between the ages of 20s to 60s. It was incredible how quickly we bonded over dancing, adventure and installing water filters and stoves into peoples homes. In 2019, I guided a group of twenty-seven women to El Salvador for a week of dance, surf and renovating a rural school. We returned home on February 10 and I am still feeling the deep connection we created and the life-changing impact that our adventure had on each one of us. Most of the women did not know each other – it literally only took hours before we felt like one. We joke that before we leave everything is “optional”, but only a few hours in everything becomes “mandatory” because we just want to be together.
It is a very special thing to have an experience where we all create space for one another – to let loose, to laugh, to feel free – without judgement. We are not there as a mom, a daughter, a sister and so on – the titles we intensely identify as when we are home. While those are all glorious things, we have our trip together to simply be ourselves. The good, the bad and the ugly. We embrace it. Even celebrate it. Travel has a way of taking us out of the mundane and injecting enthusiasm and excitement into our lives. Combine that with dancing, amazing humans, and especially the service work – it’s a completely euphoric and elevated experience. We come back changed, for the better.
Even now, it is an experience that I cannot put into words. They don’t seem to do it justice. Even the resort was surprised by our wild. See, we aren’t there to be quiet or too serious. We are there to work hard during our service work, but then we are there to let go, to let loose – hard! That means something different for each woman. We are there to dance to noisy music. To laugh, sing, enjoy a cocktail or two…or more 😉 We are there to play games – like Cards Against Humanity and laugh so hard until our bellies hurt! Do crazy things that feel liberating – such as a topless group photo running on the beach (SO uniting – see below!). Sure, we have space to relax, take a nap, read and so on – but, when you are surrounded by so much good energy, so much connection – you are energized in a way that can’t quite be described! It is truly a special experience – women empowering women!
I am blogging about this here, today, in honor of International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month as well as being an advocate for the life-changing power of travel. It is through these magical Wildhive (and Wild Bum) experiences that I have recognized the importance of being a catalyst for women to thrive. To feel good, supported, wild. And, CELEBRATED! I want any person to feel proud to be a part of Wildhive AND Wild Bum.
Never stop the journey to find women who support, who cheer, who are like bright light, who are kind. Who make you want to be a better person.
When I started Wild Bum I could not believe how many amazing women I connected with (most via instagram) to become a Guide Architect. Just that in itself has been the most rewarding part of launching this global platform and community. When a woman you hardly know tells you how proud they are of you [insert heart exploding]…or, you are telling another woman that they aren’t alone and you’re here to support them [insert a virtual hug]…this is what it’s all about – when we come together it is M A G I C !
We can cheer each other on in so many ways and life is never the same again. It is so much better.
“You will never be completely at home again, because part of your heart always will be elsewhere. That is the price you pay for the richness of loving and knowing people in more than one place.” -Miriam Adeney
Photos taken by Kaylee LaMoine and Katie Cannon Photography.
