Hi, I'm Emeline, a French adventurer who now calls Sydney home. After spending most of my adult life in corporate in Southeast Asia, I've become a passionate advocate for sports and adventure as transformative forces in our lives. I believe they reignite the spark that our modern lifestyles often dim. ✨

If you ask me, adventure will always be the answer. I believe there's profound power in it. You can find more background in my article "How Solo Travel Heals After Breakups: A Science-Backed Guide to Adventure Therapy" which explains the deeper psychology behind adventure therapy. I've seen firsthand how getting out of your comfort zone can transform hardship into blessings.

But what is it that first nudges us toward these life-changing adventures when we're struggling? Think about it– how many times when things were hard did you rely on yourself only? Or did you get that critical support from your close circle of friends and family? They're the first who come to mind, and they're much more powerful than we think. While adventure heals, it's often our loved ones who first help us find the courage to take that healing journey.

Be the Friend Who Shows Up Differently

When we face our hardest moments, we instinctively turn to those we trust: our parents, siblings, our friends – they're the safety net that keeps you from hitting rock bottom when life gets truly difficult. Pretty much anything genuine helps – the supportive texts, thoughtful gifts, book recommendations, and sometimes even literal shelter. Even better, at the right time, is being the friend who says, "...pack a bag, we're leaving tomorrow."

When I went through some hard times after a breakup, my friend Jade didn't offer platitudes – she invited me to join her on a road trip, surfing the French coast in a little van. Little did I know how this trip would transform my life, teaching me how to surf and eventually pushing me to move to Australia, helping me make crucial connections for my new beginning. These experiences aren't just memories; they're identity-rebuilding moments that opened doors and revealed horizons I never knew existed – and that was exactly what I needed at that time.

The Magic Happens Outside Comfort Zones

I'm always amazed by how adventure recalibrates our reality.

After my friend Margaux lost her mom in a very sudden accident, we decided to go on a kitesurfing trip together – on a remote island in Indonesia – something completely outside our comfort zone. For days, we learned this challenging new skill in a wild and empty location with basic accommodations. My friend was physically and emotionally drained from her grief, feeling disconnected from joy. Around the middle of our trip, she experienced her first successful ride across the water and something shifted visibly within her. That moment of achievement and freedom created a breakthrough. She later told me it was the first time she'd felt true peace in months. By the end of our trip, her outlook had noticeably changed. Years later, she still practices this sport regularly and even organises kitesafari trips to share the experience with others. 

There are countless examples of how friends take you out of your misery, throw some challenges at you that seem impossible, and yet somehow bring out the best in you. Those friends who push you into cold water, drag you up mountains at dawn, or convince you to try something terrifying – they're the ones who often save you from your hardest moments.

Why Adventure Heals Like Nothing Else

Research on mental health and neuroplasticity backs what I've experienced personally. Adventure creates new neural pathways, floods your system with mood-enhancing hormones, and builds tangible evidence of capability. In other words, adventure creates literal physical changes to our brains.

When my sister took me sailing across the Croatian islands, I was still trying to get over my past relationship. I was initially just a shell of myself. But steering that catamaran through open waters gradually reminded me that I could be the captain of my own life again. The stark contrast between obsessively checking my phone for texts that wouldn't come and being fully immersed in navigation created the perfect environment for letting go of. My nervous system, previously locked in fight-or-flight mode, finally began to regulate with the gentle rhythm of the sea and the positive energy of those around me. Later on, I found myself making decisions without the paralyzing doubt that had plagued me during my relationship. The confidence I gained from learning how to sail and drive the cat transferred to steering my life in the direction I truly wanted; rather than following paths I once believed were expected of me. 

The greater the contrast from your daily life, the more opportunity for new perspectives to emerge. Adventure therapy works precisely because it creates what psychologists call "pattern interrupts" – breaking the cycle of habitual thoughts by introducing novel stimuli that demand full presence. This is why adventure heals. While talk therapy helps us understand our patterns, adventure therapy helps us physically embody new ones. 

Adventure also creates serendipity – putting you in the path of unexpected connections and opportunities you'd never encounter in your routine life. By meeting diverse people with different perspectives, you expand your social network, and the potential for opportunities.

Share Your Passion – And Transform Lives

If you have a passion, share it.

If you love the wild nature and have experienced firsthand the transformative impacts of being in it, don't keep that medicine to yourself.

If adventure is your fuel, you already know how good it is when shared with your loved ones.

There's something magical about watching someone you care about reconnect with their strength and pride through an activity you love. When I introduce friends to sailing I'm not just teaching them about boats – I'm showing them a new way to see themselves and the world. That gift is immeasurable.

So share with your friends and family, whoever is going through a hard time or not. It's always the perfect moment to say, "Let's go on an adventure." In fact, I would recommend having at least 10 mini adventures and 2 massive adventures a year!

Help Your Friend Heal Through Adventure

If you're interested in exploring this further, I've created a 3-Minute Adventure Readiness Assessment (focusing on post-breakup situations) that will hopefully help you think more clearly about your own situation vis-à-vis adventure. You will then receive my Heartbreak to Adventure Toolkit , with tools that have helped me tremendously—a few practical exercises and mindfulness techniques specifically designed for healing through adventure.

And in the meantime,  feel free to reach out to start your healing adventure emeline@sailingvirgins.com

With Care

Emeline