“What’s Possible Now?” Turning Midlife Disruption Into Your Next Chapter with Teresa Fox - EP 257

What happens when the plan you thought you were building your life around suddenly changes?

In this episode of the Diamond Effect Podcast, Maggie sits down with Teresa Fox, a former corporate leader who reinvented herself in midlife and is now a luxury travel advisor based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Teresa shares a grounded, honest look at what it really takes to go from corporate structure to entrepreneurial life and how to turn disruption into an opportunity doorway.

This conversation is for the high-achieving woman who’s done “the right thing” for years… and is now asking a new question: What now?

In this episode, we talk about
- The identity shift from corporate expert to business owner, and what Teresa carried over from corporate that helped her succeed fast, and what she had to relearn from scratch
- How structure, routines, and boundaries can actually create more freedom when you work from home
- Teresa’s relationship-building “secret sauce” (and why curiosity is a business advantage)
- Making the best of unexpected circumstances: how COVID, early retirement, and a delayed franchise plan opened a new path
- Decision-making, intuition with how Teresa thinks about saying yes to opportunities — without saying yes to everything

The conversation ends with a peek into Teresa’s world of luxury travel: what all clients really want now (hint: it’s not just nicer hotels)

Listen for these moments:
The mindset reframe that helps Teresa move from disappointment to possibility
The subtle difference between being “busy” and being responsible for your own results
Why returning to familiar places (in travel and in life) can still be a form of growth


Connect with Teresa via website: https://slyfoxtravels.com


If you’re in a season where something didn’t go to plan — a job change, a pivot, a life transition — let this episode remind you that disruption doesn’t have to mean derailment.

Your next chapter might not be what you planned… but it can still be the right one.

Listen to the full episode on your favorite podcast platform (and on YouTube), and if you do,  share your biggest takeaway.

More about my Guest:
Teresa Fox knows that reinvention doesn't come with a roadmap. After building a successful corporate career spanning more than two decades in sales and leadership, she made the bold decision to pivot into entrepreneurship and luxury travel, creating a business that aligns with her values, strengths, and vision for the next chapter of life.

Today, Teresa is a luxury travel advisor and entrepreneur who designs extraordinary experiences for discerning travelers around the world. She also serves as South Florida Chapter Lead for Fora Travel, where she builds community among local advisors and fosters relationships with global travel partners. Her work is rooted in the belief that meaningful connections and transformative experiences have the power to change lives.

Drawing on her own experience navigating uncertainty, career change, and personal growth, Teresa brings a practical and refreshing perspective to what it really takes to pivot in midlife and build a life that feels more authentic than the one you left behind.

In this conversation, Teresa shares lessons on embracing change, trusting yourself through transitions, and finding opportunity in unexpected places.

Transcript

Teresa & Maggie - Podcast interview

Maggie Perotin: [00:00:00] Hello, everybody. Welcome to the next episode of the Diamond Effect Podcast, and today we're gonna have a fabulous conversation with my new guest, Teresa Fox.

Welcome, Teresa. Thank you for doing this with me. 

Teresa Fox: Oh my gosh, thank you, Maggie, for having me. I'm excited to be here, and I look forward to our conversation. 

Maggie Perotin: So before we get started, if you could introduce yourself to everybody, I would really appreciate it. 

Teresa Fox: As you said, I'm Teresa Fox.

I am a luxury travel advisor, but this is a new career for me that I started about three years ago. And I live in Fort Lauderdale, Florida with my husband and our 15-year-old Portuguese water dog. And, we enjoy a very, very nice life here, and I get to work from home and do something I truly enjoy.

Maggie Perotin: I love travel. We'll get [00:01:00] into that at some point. But let's start, because you've mentioned, it's a new career for you, and I know that you've been in multiple careers, but definitely, just like me, you spent quite some time in the corporate world, right?

So let's talk about reinvention, because I think going from corporate world of many years career to building something of your own requires that reinvention, right? From corporate expert maybe to business owner. If you can share how it's been that for you as an experience, whether it's emotional side or on the skill side, how did that look like for you?

Teresa Fox: Oh. There's so many aspects to that. So I was in the corporate world for, I don't know, 24 years. But, being in the corporate world, I was often a manager and I led teams, but I was also an [00:02:00] individual contributor.

So there's those two aspects to it, to think about. And how do you make the shift even within the corporate world- Yeah ... between those two levels of contribution and also risk and reward too. But moving from the corporate world to owning my own business, wasn't entirely a huge shift.

What carried over for me were some things, like High stakes decision-making. Of course- ... at the level I was performing in the corporate world, high stakes decision-making was important. And obviously working independently and owning my own business, that was something that was carried over.

Having strategic vision, of course. And primarily what I think was, has been part of my success was about building relationships. Yeah. And understanding at the end of the day that most of it is not purely transactional, regardless of what [00:03:00] business you are in or what the scale is, whether it's a major corporation or if it's a small business that you launch.

Now there were some things that, of course, I had to reframe for myself or build from scratch that I didn't have to put much thought around when I was in corporate America. There's a framework. There's a structure. and you know what are the performance indicators, what is it that whoever it is up here is expecting you to deliver.

That goes out the window Yeah ... when you start your own business, right? Definitely. It's okay, y- and there are those days when you're sitting behind your desk at a corporation, you're going, "Oh my God, if only I didn't have this boss." But then when you work independently, and some days you don't know where to start, you wish you ha- you didn't have that ambiguity.

Maggie Perotin: I was just walking, earlier [00:04:00] before this recording, and I was thinking about that. But one of the things- that I think I carried successfully for myself from the corporate world was the structure. Because I thought okay, I'm used to working certain hours, and it's not like I exactly took that, but if I keep that routine, it will help me focus and, do the things that I wanna do.

And because my kids are at school Monday to Friday anyways, I kept that structure, and it's definitely allowed me to have a certain routine. And with the routine, I find that I'm able to focus better, I'm able to plan my work better, and then follow through. Or sometimes, even with my clients, I have to help them reestablish a certain routine so that they're effective with their time.

Because as you say, we throw the baby out with the bathwater sometimes when we move from [00:05:00] corporate to- To business, but then it's so much harder to figure out, okay what do I do now, and how do I work, and how am I not wasting time- ... between, I don't know, . And actually being productive and working on my business. 

Teresa Fox: Yeah, no, I agree with you there, and that's where I had a leg up from some other people because I had worked remotely. I had managed teams remotely, and I had worked remotely since... almost 15 years.

I think it was 2011 or 2012 that I started working remotely. So I had already been in the pattern of, okay, it's a work day. I get out of bed, I make my bed, I get myself dressed, shower- ... dressed, whether I'm leaving the house or not, and I've always found myself... there are those days when you don't feel like it, and I'm sitting behind my computer in my bathrobe, and I find that those days when I have more structure around it, certainly I feel more productive and I [00:06:00] feel, a bigger sense of accomplishment and self-worth- yeah. So I've always recognized that getting up and, getting prepared for the day as if I had to get in the car and go to an actual office, that structure is important. And also scheduling in the things. Okay, yeah, maybe you do wanna shop, or maybe there is a load of laundry or something to do.

And not that I would actually put doing a load of laundry on my calendar, but blocking in personal time to take care- Yeah ... or making sure my exercise is scheduled in because it's too easy when you work from home to say, "Oh, okay maybe normally I would have to go to a 6:00 AM Pilates class, but now that I'm not on that schedule anymore, I can go whenever I want," and whenever doesn't happen if you don't 

Maggie Perotin: if 

Teresa Fox: you don't make the plan for it.

Maggie Perotin: So I wanna ask you about building relationships because- Okay ... you've mentioned, that's something that you've carried through from your corporate world. That's a skill you developed over time. [00:07:00] So what is your secret sauce to building some great relationships, if you can share?

Teresa Fox: I think the first thing is being genuinely curious. I- for- t- being generally curious, whether it's about- people, whether it's about the line of work that they do, there's something, I think there's a touchpoint that you can find with everyone that will resonate, and being curious and listening well, and being warm.

My husband always tells me, "Theresa, you're someone that's very approachable," right? Yeah, that- that's... And I don't know how you develop that skill, but I think curiosity is probably a key factor in that. I was just at a networking event all last week. It was actually j- a trade show, and we had scheduled appointments where I was meeting some people I've done business with before.

Other people I was meeting for the first time. [00:08:00] And some people, some of my appointments we weren't, mutually matched. Maybe they had asked to meet me or it was a slot filler, so they just- ... said, "Okay, Theresa, we're gonna have you meet with these people from Rwanda." And I don't I'm not saying I won't book Rwanda, but I don't.

But approaching that conversation with an openness- ... I think is also something that's really im- really important. Now, it takes on a different, It takes on a, I don't know what you would call it, but it's at an event like I was at last week, that's the expectation, right? You go there knowing I will be meeting people. I am there. to network. So that's a little different approach than maybe you would have just walking around in your life. I live in a high-rise and when I'm in the elevator I smile at everybody. I'm the weirdo that smiles at everyone or I might just y- you know, say good morning or have a nice day.

[00:09:00] I find that leads to conversations down the road, and I do have a few clients in the building, and I have some friends, and that's the way, that's the way I made them. 

Maggie Perotin: Yeah. I love that because especially like in our businesses you never know who you meet, right? And potential clients or referral partners or whatever could be walking next to you or riding in your elevator every day or multiple times a week, and if you don't have a way to just strike natural conversation you'll never know.

Teresa Fox: Now, for me, that comes a little more naturally because growing up, we moved every three years. I was always the new kid. So either- ... you're the new kid shy in the corner, or you're the person who makes a friend.

Maggie Perotin: I can, I definitely can see how that lifestyle, because your parents, I guess- ... had that, helped you- 

Teresa Fox: Yeah ... 

Maggie Perotin: [00:10:00] figure out how to build relationships very quickly. That's awesome. So let's talk about, making the best out of the circumstances you're given, right? You've lived through some disruption, and during our conversation before, podcast, you really inspired me by showing me how you took that disruption, maybe circumstances that you didn't plan for, that you weren't asking for, and turned it into your advantage, whether it's through, , having to leave corporate or COVID or, not finding the right location for the original business you were thinking about.

If you could talk about that. Yeah. I think having a resourceful mindset is really what's important there. So no matter what the change is, and I... And if you'd I'll share a little bit about my story with your listeners. But being resourceful rather than, being [00:11:00] reactive, with a why is this happening, why is this happening, f- like the sky is falling mindset, to, wow, why is this happening, and given the new reality, w- what's possible?

Teresa Fox: What's possible here? When the rug gets pulled out from under you, you can look at the rug and go, what are you doing to me, rug?" Or you can look toward the window or the door and think, "Okay what's next?" So when I left corporate America, it was as a result of COVID.

My company- ... I worked for a Fortune 400 company that, instead of laying people off, it was a great PR move for them to offer early retirement for people who had some tenure with them, which I did. And initially, when I applied for it, the company said, "Nope, you're an essential worker, so we need you to stay."

And they didn't end up with enough people, submitting for that severance package. I got a [00:12:00] nice severance package. They did another round. They gave that to me. So I had some time to figure out what was next. I had the cushion, of that severance package to figure out what was next.

So what I did, a- as you do when you leave a job and you can leave with a smile, I played some tennis, I had some lunch with my friends, I did some traveling. And Maggie, six months into this I said, "I'm not cut out for this. I need-" I need to keep this mind working. I need somewhere to go. I need something to do every day.

And, so I looked at purchasing a franchise. Now, there are franchises that exist in the travel world. I did not look into those. I was really thinking about, the intersection of health and wellness and beauty. Because, a lot of the things that you were seeing coming out of COVID were related to

health and wellness. So I bought into a franchise, and I was one of the first franchisees. I was [00:13:00] number nine. And my territory, it was wide open. And, they had an investor who had bought Miami. I'm in Fort Lauderdale, which is north of that. Miami would be considered a major market, Fort Lauderdale a smaller one.

So in the time that I was looking for the property to launch my business, the investor in Miami pulled out, and they had committed to seven stores, which really would have given a good footprint in s- in Southern Florida- ... and would have helped propel my business when it opened. So when the franchisor came to me and said, "You know what?

The situation has changed. The market has changed. We don't want you to launch until we get a foothold in Miami," I said, "Wow, this is not, what I bargained for at all. Not what I was hoping for." But the good news here was that while I was waiting to launch- ... I [00:14:00] started my travel business, really thinking, "This is something I am going to do for fun to keep me busy and active until I am very busy and active owning three locations of this..."

It was a skincare business. And I said, "Okay, maybe this is what was meant to be- is the way that I looked at it. 

Maggie Perotin: I love that. I love the question you ask, what's possible? That you take the situation, you're presented with, and as you say, instead of playing a victim or being like, "Oh my God, I didn't ask for it," you're quickly accepting it and saying, "Okay, what's possible from where I am?"

And at the same time, it's so hard for so many people to do that, to look at opportunity a situation presents rather than what they lost or the challenge the situation created. Yes. And I, I really think that is, having the [00:15:00] resilience, it really is about resilience and thinking, "Okay here are my options here. I can wallow the, in this and say... and frame it as a failure and say, 'Okay, wow,

Teresa Fox: I failed at this. What does this mean for me? Does this mean I'm not... Wow I'm not cut out for doing things on my own. Maybe I need to go find a corporate job again. Does this mean that- something bad? Does it mean something bad, or does it just mean it just wasn't aligned? It wasn't aligned with what, what is meant for me.

Now, okay, I have to point out that of course I had a severance package. I'm married. I have a husband with a good job. I was not in a position where I had to feel like, okay, it's life or death that I have to make something work here. So I did have that bit of comfort. But certainly there are people who are, who have resources who aren't resourceful- and don't feel that level- ... of comfort in saying, "Okay, that didn't work. What are we doing next?" Yeah. "What are [00:16:00] we doing now?" 

Maggie Perotin: Yeah. 

Teresa Fox: And that doesn't mean that there wasn't a level of disappointment with it either. Of course. Because almost two years had passed. I had invested in that. And some of my identity was already started, starting to be tied into that as well.

And that's something that you lose a little bit when you leave a job, when you leave a position or you leave a situation. There's part of your identity that's, that has an attachment to that. And okay, who am I now? 

Maggie Perotin: So tying to that, you have this philosophy of saying yes to things- Yes

and opportunities, right? And maybe that's part of you, the identity that helps you. I'm a person who says yes to opportunities. But if you could talk more about that and give us some example just from your story where you said yes to different opportunities, and where did that lead you?

Teresa Fox: Oh my gosh. So I think one of my best stories around saying [00:17:00] yes, was about a job that I took that led to me moving, liquidating my life and moving. I always, when I was in corporate world, recruiters would call me all the time. And I had a recruiter who had called and explained a job to me, asked me if I was interested, and it sounded perfect for me.

I really loved this opportunity. It allowed me, to build my own team. It allowed me to work remotely. It allowed me to, exercise leadership in a different way than I had been. And then the recruiter said, "And even though you'll be working remotely, they do want you based in..." And maybe I shouldn't say the city.

I was living in Michigan, in the suburbs of Detroit at the time. And I said, "Yeah I don't think that's of interest to me." Yeah ... and I didn't, and I didn't take the interview.

I said no to the interview, although I had gone through the screening process. But, ultimately I decided, no, because if their requirement is that I move there, I don't [00:18:00] want to. So I kinda put it out of my mind. And Maggie, six months later, that recruiter called me and she said, "Hey, Theresa, remember that job opportunity I told you about that was in Pennsylvania?"

And I said yeah, I remember." And she said, "They haven't filled that position yet, and, if you wanted to live in the New York Metro" they would be open to that because their headquarters is in New York. They had offices for their group business was in Bethlehem, but their headquarters was on Wall Street.

So they said, "Would you be open to it?" And 100%. So I took the interview. They wanted to offer me the job, but they did want me to move to New York, and they gave me a year. They said, "In a year we want you to move to New York." And I thought, "Look, I'll take the job. In a year we'll decide if we like each other or not.

We'll decide if this is a fit or not, and either I'll go or I won't. What's the worst that could happen?" My children were going off to [00:19:00] college. And that's why I asked for the year, because then I would've been... I was divorced. I would've been a single woman. I wasn't 50 yet. I would've been single in the suburbs, or I could have been single in the city with a great job on Wall Street. Why would I not do that? So that's where saying yes super paid off for me. Moving to New York was a thrill for me. To be able to do it later in my life rather than, being a struggling college student or something, being able to do it later in my life.

Maggie Perotin: Yeah. 

Teresa Fox: It was such a great experience for me. And it certainly did change my life. I met my current husband there. The job was good, and it ran its course, and I have no regrets over that at all. 

Maggie Perotin: I love it. You've mentioned, just in the beginning how you assess the risk and the reward, and I think that also in my career, when I was saying yes to opportunities, I would always say, "Okay, what's the risk- Yeah

and what's the [00:20:00] potential reward?" Even, leaving my own corporate career, I did it on my own. Yeah. Because I didn't know if I would ever get a package, and it was a good time, and I was thinking, "Okay, of course there's a big risk in, going after my own business," where I had, let's say, somewhat stable career, in corporate.

But also the reward was so much bigger. 

Teresa Fox: Yes. 

Maggie Perotin: So how do you determine which opportunity is the right one for you and which isn't? Risk and reward might be one of it, but are there any other criteria that you take yourself through, even if it's subconscious, to say yes to something and maybe no to something else?

Teresa Fox: Oh, I wish I had a good formula to share or to share with you. But I really trust my intuition, and I trust my gut, and I feel like the right things come to me. I just genuinely have a deep set [00:21:00] feeling that the right things come to me. Don't get me wrong.

I have made the wrong decision before, thinking that perhaps it was the right one. But what I've also learned is there are so few decisions that you're going to make that are irreversible. So why not? Why not, if it overall feels right? And certainly I do put it through the filter of what are the pros and cons.

The same thing, risk and reward. What are the pros and cons? Um, and, and certainly if the pros outweigh the cons, that's a good indicator right there. But also just how does it feel, because your body will tell you when you're not in alignment, right? Your body will tell you.

There are signs, right? Sleeplessness or headaches or just a feeling that things are off when you make the wrong decision. And then how do you respond to that? 

Maggie Perotin: Yeah. Yeah, I agree with you. And I've been thinking about what is it in our gut or our [00:22:00] intuition that tells us that?

And of course, I don't think anybody knows everything, but I think part of it at least is the alignment with your values. And whether you took- opportunity to name those values and be very clear on them, or whether they're somewhere buried, but you still have an idea. When things are aligned with whatever you believe in, whatever is important to you, that feels good.

Whereas if the things goes against values or some of the values, then it's almost like our body's telling us, "You know what? That's not for you." 

Teresa Fox: Exactly. 

Maggie Perotin: Now, sometimes we choose to ignore it, or we don't recognize the signs.

Teresa Fox: Or sometimes it's a means to an end, too. "Okay, I need the paycheck. I need the stability. I need whatever it is that I need." 

Maggie Perotin: Yeah. "

Teresa Fox: The trade-off is this, and I can do anything for a year. I can do anything- Yeah ... for two [00:23:00] years, and then I move on." Yeah. "Because there's part of this that I need now, even though the rest of it may not-

be completely aligned with what it is that I want or need." 

Maggie Perotin: Yeah. And I love what you said, that hardly any decision is irreversible, and I always coach that to my clients. I'm like, "Okay, there isn't... First of all, I don't believe that there's only one right decision for whatever you're deciding.

There is usually multiple options, and there is a better decision for you in that moment than maybe another option. Doesn't mean that other option is wrong or bad. And if we decide one way, and down the line we realize, you know what? That maybe wasn't the better option, we can always go back or pivot or switch in one way or the other.

Teresa Fox: Yeah. Yeah. I think, but some people are cautious about course-correcting, because [00:24:00] maybe they think about, "Okay, so maybe this wasn't the right decision, but am I going to make the right decision now when I change out of this?" There's too much focus on making the right decision.

So I had to do some continuing education so Marriott will allow me to do business with them. And I was taking some of the assessments yesterday. It was multiple choice, and choose the best answer, right? There's five answers there, and of them, three of them were reasonably good.

But one of them was better than the others. So that goes back to what you were just saying. Yeah. There's not always just one solution or one answer. 

Maggie Perotin: Okay, so let's talk about your travel business. I love to travel. Travel is definitely one of the things if I could spend all my money on, that's what it would go on.

Teresa Fox: They say that travel is the only thing you can buy that will make you richer. 

Maggie Perotin: I truly believe that. Richer in experiences and in perspective. And tell me, since you started it- ... what are some maybe places that you've been as [00:25:00] professionally to explore that maybe you've never thought you would go, or places that surprised you, that you didn't expect to be that good or that interesting?

Let's talk about that. 

Teresa Fox: One that comes to mind immediately is because I was just there in April. I went to Chile. I had never been to South America previously. I went to Chile, and it was really an out- an outdoor adventure, experience for me as well, and it was very surprising to me.

Their seasons are opposite of ours here. So first of all, in April, it was fall going into winter, and we went to Patagonia, you're going hiking to see waterfalls, to see glaciers. We went horseback riding, and it was cold. It snowed on us one day.

On our way, we had to hike to go to the boat to get on the, to go to the glacier, and that was really fascinating. And we [00:26:00] also went to the Atacama Desert on that same trip. So we went, we spanned the entire country of Chile to go to the wine country, to go to the desert. And to see how many varied and different experiences you can have in that country was so interesting to me.

And it was also fascinating to me that the city of Santiago, where we landed, was developed the same time, around the same time as my hometown of St. Augustine, Florida was developed. So that was culturally very interesting to me to see, how did they establish this city and what did it look like compared to the way the settlers that came-

to St. Augustine did? So I, that was surprising to me because I didn't know. I hadn't done the research on Santiago, and then when we got there and we went on the tour and they said this was established in, 1560," I'm making that up. But it was- Yeah ... roughly around there, 1560. And I'm like that's around the time St.

Augustine, Florida [00:27:00] was built." And they were very different when I looked at the architecture and, I found that really stimulating. It was interesting to me. Didn't seem to be interesting to anybody else on the trip when I pointed it out. So I also find, and I sent this out in a newsletter that I did maybe last week or the week before- that I'm finding that a lot of my clients and I myself return to the places we know and love, right? We're... okay, so I'm interested in going to see Chile. I wanna be able to introduce that country, that culture and, their traditions to my clients. But also, I am not gonna discourage you if you tell me you wanna go to Lake Como, because I think that's a place you can go again and again, and I don't feel like, "Okay, I can check that box."

It's not surprising to me the attachment that people feel to certain places. 

Maggie Perotin: There, I agree with you. There's definitely places I would wanna come back [00:28:00] to, even though I've been multiple times or more than once.

And then there is also, at least for me, there's this pull to see new places. And I think coming back to places, especially if you don't necessarily go every year, it's just after some time you are a different person, right? There were places in Europe that I visited as a teenager, so going now it would be a different experience. 

Teresa Fox: Yeah. I have noticed that myself. So when, my husband and I went last year, we went to Madrid, and I lived there when I was a child, and shockingly I haven't been back ... since we lived there when I was a child.

And now I'm the biggest proponent for it. I tell everyone, "Don't sleep on Madrid, go sleep in Madrid." You need to go, I think, especially I work now because I have, children who are at that stage where- ... they're getting married. Their friends will ask do you think maybe your mother would help us with our honeymoon?"

So I'm working with some young honeymooners who maybe it's the first time [00:29:00] they're traveling outside of the country. If they're looking to go outside of the country, but I have some that think, "Oh okay if I'm going to Europe, I have to obviously I have to go to Rome, I have to go to, Paris, I have to go to London."

And I've been saying, "You know what? I think Madrid is such a soft landing there. It's not as big of a city. It, the people are friendly, the food is great. And so I'm recommending that as an alternative. 

Maggie Perotin: And there is so many places. So many. I think Europe or South America, whatever, Asia, that we can go.

The most popular places, of course they're beautiful, but there's also so many other places that are not as popular and are also beautiful. 

Teresa Fox: Sure. 

Maggie Perotin: And I guess to, depending on what you prefer, do you like crowds or less crowds? 

Teresa Fox: So last week at the show I had this guy I kept bumping into, and he would hand, "Let me hand you my card."

And I'm like, "I met you. I met you yesterday. I have your card." And [00:30:00] he's if you have people going to Mongolia..." I'm going, " no one ever has asked me to go to Mongolia." Maybe they will. Maybe, maybe- ... that's becoming a thing. But I thought that was so interesting that he's really promoting Mongolia. But you know what? There are the people who want the pins in the map. And they would've easily said, "Oh, yeah let's talk about that.

Maggie Perotin: Yep. So one last question before we finish about travel. I would love to know, so what are maybe some differences between, let's say, regular travel and luxury travel? You're a luxury travel expert, so what is it that is different about it?

Teresa Fox: Let me talk about what's common between the two.

What I'm finding with travelers is they really want experiences. And not just experiences like, okay, let's go to the museum or let's go take a cooking class, things like that. They're looking for a connection with the location. So that I [00:31:00] think is common with travelers right now.

We've figured out, think over what we've all been through over the last five, six years, we've all figured out that it's the memories that we're making, it's the people that we're connecting with that, are really important and the things we're gonna take away with us. So in luxury travel, I find my clients want an end-to-end experience.

Even if they could do it themselves, they really want an end-to-end experience. They want service that's anticipatory. They want, the comforts that they have at home. Now, some of them are taking high-end safaris- or they are going on adventure travel. But overall, they want the experience to be tailored to them, not, okay, we go on the website and we pick package one, two, or three, and this is your itinerary.

They want it [00:32:00] customized to them. The not luxury traveler probably wants the same type of experiences, but maybe they're a do it yourself traveler, right? Maybe they need some guidance. They need some validation on, okay, I'm not sure what the internet is telling me here is true, if that's the way- i'm searching for something. So they do need some validation, and they'll often look to a travel advisor as well. Sometimes it's the budgets that define- ... how we look at a luxury versus a non-luxury traveler.

Maggie Perotin: So if people wanted to connect with you and learn more about what you offer or more about your story, where can they find you?

Teresa Fox: They can find me on the web. It's, slyfoxtravels.com. And that would probably be the best way. 

Maggie Perotin: and we'll link that up in the show notes. Before we finish, is there anything that maybe we didn't talk about that you would like to leave listeners with or any advice you [00:33:00] have for people who are maybe thinking about starting a business or early in their journey?

Teresa Fox: I love to talk to people who are thinking about starting a business because I love that for them. I get excited for them and my advice would be listen to your gut and trust in your strengths too. Trust in the things that you know you can deliver in a way that, that is uniquely your own.

Maggie Perotin: I love that because that's definitely something that will help you stand out- ... from whatever you pick and, the market you choose. Thank you so much, Theresa, for doing it with me. Oh. I really appreciate you being here. 

Teresa Fox: Thank you, Maggie. Thank you for having me on.