What happens when the life you’ve been intentionally building asks you to slow down instead of speed up?

In the first episode of the year on Transform With Travel, host Kelly Tolliday shares a deeply personal, off-the-cuff conversation about growth, priorities, and choosing presence over productivity.

Kelly reflects on nearly two and a half years of hosting the podcast, the lessons learned through travel, storytelling, and connection, and announces a major professional shift into her new role at Travel Kinship, where she now serves as Director of Sales and Marketing. She also shares an exciting family update, spending three months living abroad in Uruguay through Boundless Life, followed by extended travel beyond.

With honesty and intention, Kelly explains her decision to place the podcast on pause for a few months, not as an ending, but as a conscious choice to honor time, focus, and family. This episode is a reminder that intentional living sometimes means stepping back, trusting the season you’re in, and knowing when enough truly is enough.

You will learn:

1. Why Kelly chose to start the year without vision boards or goal-setting content
2. How the podcast shaped her personal and professional growth over the last two and a half years
3. What a travel representation company does and why Travel Kinship felt like a natural next step
4. How ethical, sustainable, adventure-led travel has guided Kelly’s career decisions
5. Why her family chose to live abroad in Uruguay with Boundless Life
6. What global living offers children through education, community, and cultural immersion
7. Why time is the most valuable resource in intentional travel and intentional living
8. How to recognize when it’s time to pause something you love
9. Why stepping back does not mean stepping away forever

We talk about:

1. 00:00 Intro
2. 01:00 Reflecting on two and a half years of podcasting
3. 02:00 Gratitude for listeners and the growth of the show
4. 03:00 Announcing Kelly’s role at Travel Kinship
5. 04:00 What travel representation companies do
6. 05:00 Why working with on-the-ground partners matters
7. 06:00 Scaling back travel advising and shifting priorities
8. 07:00 Living abroad in Uruguay with Boundless Life
9. 08:30 World schooling, community, and slow travel with kids
10. 09:30 Referral resources and Boundless Life episodes to revisit