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Photo Source: Emmy and Instagram
Occasionally, you come across a magnetic soul that can breathe life into you. Emmy Milan is that person, and she’s also this week’s Travel Crush. Through traveling, Emmy has found her voice, her passion, and purpose; reminding us that travel is not just picturesque locations and delicious cuisines, it is also life transforming. We hope her story is as inspirational to you, as it is to us.
1. Tell us about yourself! Who are you? Where are you from? What do you do? What inspires you to travel?
My name is Kemi Adeoso, but most people know me as Emmy Milan on social media. I was born in Nigeria and came to the United States at the tender age of five. At the time my parents resided in a small borough in New York known as Staten Island. Growing up in Staten Island was not always easy. I was often talked down to by my peers because I was overweight and didn’t have the trendiest looks or fit certain “standards” (But hey cut me some slack I wasn’t born in this country lol). This at times would create anxiety and self-doubt in me which eventually made it hard for me to use my voice to interact with others. Deep down I knew I was a vibrant soul who simply just wanted to have fun and be outgoing, but unfortunately that didn’t seem to be enough to be respected by people who didn’t know the deeper meaning of life and the greater that’s in store for all of us.
Although during my childhood and adolescence I endured a lot of bullying and trauma, I still found strength in New York, and it built my resilience and sharpened my ambition. That’s why I decided to flip the script on my life and turn my experiences into power and my fears into courage. I attended Virginia State University and completed my bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications. I later returned to New York to continue my journey towards empowerment.
I am a lifestyle Influencer, Travel Curator and Entrepreneur that strongly believes in the power of manifesting our truest desires and providing ourselves with adequate self-love. My inspiration to travel stems from my love for nature and art. I also use my passion and knowledge for mental health to attract peace and serenity within my travels. I like to compare myself to a butterfly because it took years of being in a cocoon to finally realize that I have wings to blossom and fly. Traveling and exploring is really a safe space for me to remind myself that we are all truly divine.
2. What was the experience that gave you the travel bug?
I can never forget the time I planned my first girls’ trip to Miami; this was back in 2012. I randomly woke up one day wanting to do something different for a change. I called my cousin in London to fly down for a week and gathered a bunch of my girlfriends to come out for a mini vacation. We were all still so young and carefree and saw Miami like a trip to Aruba or something lol. It was my first time curating a trip and ensuring everyone would be accommodated in a well manner.
There were eight of us in total going on this trip and we began planning about 4 months in advance. During this process I began to naturally develop the skills of travel planning with a high attention for detail. The more scenery I would see the more my spirit would feel alive. I would spend hours on traveling sites visualizing myself by a pool or standing by a balcony with floor to ceiling windows embracing a calm sunset. I was simply intrigued by all the beautiful hotel options and scenery Miami and other parts of the world had to offer and I knew I wanted more.
With three months left to the trip, my vision for Miami started to become very clear to the point I could feel it. This time though I wasn’t visualizing myself as my regular self, but I was seeing an entity of radiance both physically, spiritually, and mentally. That feeling right there would be the start of one of the greatest transformations of my life. I started to become so filled with energy off the simple thought of walking around South Beach freely, smiling, laughing, and enjoying the warm weather that I began to move as such. I started working out six times a week prior to the trip and started eating healthy and taking adequate care of myself mentally and spiritually. I was living life on a positive high because I was amazed by all that is out there to discover and attain.
During childhood I never realized how much power and control we really had over our lives and how we are truly able to attain anything that we want. I felt unstoppable and in control of my own destiny and outcome. I was finally doing things my way, on my time and in my order and it felt amazing. I ended up losing 20 pounds right in time for the trip and had such a blast, the experience still goes down as one of my top 5 favorite vacations.
After the trip I continued to stay with the mindset of a “healthy mind produces a healthy lifestyle” and I ended up losing a total of 75 pounds in the span of six months and became completely unrecognizable both physically and spiritually. The strong visual radiance I saw for myself when I first said “hey let’s go to Miami” was glowing at such a high vibration that I had finally understood and found the power of manifestation and transformation through travel, and it’s been used as one of my biggest inspirations in life thus far.
3. How have you created your travel-focused lifestyle and what is your advice to those who want to do the same?
I created the focus of my travel lifestyle around the importance of my wellness mental health; visualizing my highest self. My story and inspiration are surrounded by the power of faith and knowing that you are worthy of experiencing everything good in this world that you want.
As someone that was so spoken down on and belittled by others at a time, I had to make a promise to myself to never allow my worth to be dictated by the words or actions of others but to stand firm in my truth and how I see myself. Therefore, I love to inspire others to dream big and attract the things meant for you by already seeing it as yours. We must speak the things we want into existence and see ourselves in the position to obtain them. Speak positivity into your life, speak affirmations. What we think is what we become, even if you do not have a clear plan, as long as your intentions are pure your vision will manifest.
Travel reminds me all the time that this world is filled with endless ways of doing things and how important it is that we are not stagnant in one way of living. There are endless options in the world where we can excel and discover ourselves. We are constantly growing. Who I was 5-10 years ago is not who I am today. If the environment or situation you are in right now is no longer appealing to you switch things up, move, change the furniture around. Whatever it is remember you have the power to keep switching things up.
Never limit yourself to one way of doing things, explore the world to open your mind to an endless variety of ways to indulge. Feed yourself the soft life and that is all you will begin to attract. You will feel inspired spiritually and motivated by your personal goals. We must understand that there is so much history and beauty out there waiting for us and it’s important we embrace it. Travel is luxurious, travel is power, travel is knowledge, it provides insight it brings clarity, and it makes you richer. Discovering the power of travel allowed me to embrace art and appreciate the power of God's creative eye. My vision is to always find the beauty in life which also led me to discover the beauty within myself.
4. Was travel content creation something you set out to do or was it something that happened organically?
Travel content creating is something that came to me organically. I always had a strong eye for detail and enjoyed exploring the beauty of nature. The world truly fascinates me and as a person that studied media it flowed perfectly with my craft. From childhood to adulthood, I was always involved in some form of performing arts, photography courses, marketing, business etc. so creating has always been a natural thing for me. Being able to now use my love for travel to capture and create art truly intrigues me and I can’t wait to continue to soar with it and do great things by God’s grace.
5. What's your #1 tip for those interested in pursuing travel content creation?
My number one tip for future travel content creators is to be authentic. Show the behind the scenes, talk about the preparation and share the experiences and lessons with others. The goal is to educate and be informal while also living your best life. Flaws and all, beauty is still found within all. Do not be afraid to post your work or share your experiences. Sometimes I need to remind myself this as well. Take away the pressure of trying to achieve a certain number of views or likes and replace it with intent. Your intention is to educate, inspire and create. Everything else will come on its own, just always stay true to self and remain authentic and consistent with your intentions and craft.
Where else can folks find you?
Here are some more of our favorite travelers and their gorgeous shots.
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