If you’ve ever seen the film ‘Planes, Trains and Automobiles’ — that classic tale of travel gone wrong — consider this my real-life sequel.
But don’t bail yet! Because buried inside this story (somewhere between the snowstorm, the cancelled flights and a very questionable hotel breakfast) is something you’ll really want to know…
If you caught my travel diaries on socials, you know the chaos: US government shutdowns, cancelled flights, snowstorms, lost luggage — the works. You name it, I faced it! For those who missed the drama, here’s the highlight reel:
I started in Ottawa, Canada, presenting with the brilliant Dr Zali Yager — my Co-Executive Director at The Embrace Collective — at the High Commission. We shared our latest body image research and resources with health stakeholders and government officials and it was a big success.
Job done, big week. Next stop: New York City for podcasts and meetings. With a rare weekend off in between (hallelujah!), I convinced Zali to hop on a train to Niagara Falls to get on one of those boats where you get drenched and connect with nature before braving the madness of NYC.
Cue the travel plot twist… On our way to Buffalo airport, our phones ping: flight cancelled. No biggie, we’ll rent a car… or so we thought. It started snowing, like proper snowing. I’ve never seen snow before, so naturally my inner child was so excited and I ran outside, squealing with strangers, and then promptly decided maybe driving ten hours in the snow wasn’t the best idea.
Then, a miracle! Or so we thought — two seats to NYC via Chicago become available. Two hours west to eventually go east? Makes no sense, but whatever, we’ll be in New York tonight! Until we weren’t. We boarded, we waited and we waited some more. My Platinum status meant nothing in seat 27E, in the middle, right next to the toilets. After three hours on the tarmac, the flight attendants timed out and we were officially grounded in Chicago.
Two and a half hours later, we still had no luggage. I suggested pooling for a bus to NYC, until a kind local warned us that there was many inches of snow coming. So off we went to The Comfort Inn, which, let’s just say, was optimistically named. Also, in Chicago, an airport hotel can be classified as an airport hotel when it’s 17kms away… go figure.
Come morning (when I was in the same clothes I’d been in for 24 hours), I spotted a Target across the road — salvation! Fresh undies, deodorant, clean clothes… it really was the little things at this point. Zali messaged me to say “Come down for brekky, it’s good”, but I’ll let you be the judge of that…
We finally snagged flights to NYC via Pittsburgh. Smooth. Seamless. Until… another cancellation. At this point, we entered resourceful woman mode (you know the one). Any flight that got us close to New York, we’d take it! We grabbed tickets to Philadelphia, then trained it to NYC.
40 hours after leaving Niagara, we arrived. No luggage, just travel insurance and a newfound appreciation for fresh clothes (thanks again Target). After some emergency NYC shopping, all was well in the world again… all because I wanted to see Niagara Falls. Gah!
Here’s what this means for you…
So, here’s the point of this rather long-winded (but hopefully entertaining) story… sometimes, the detour is the real story. The delays, the curveballs, the chaos — they’re all part of the journey. And speaking of journeys…
While I was busy surviving my own rendition of ‘Planes, Trains and Automobiles’, the Embrace You foundation memberships quietly closed. I had every intention of going live, posting more and doing all the things, but somewhere between Buffalo and Chicago, I ran out of time (and clean undies).
So here’s what I’m doing: I’ve extended our foundation memberships until the end of November 2025. Not because it’s a clever sales tactic (blergh 🙄), but because I know more of you are meant to join us. For just $47 USD (approx. $70 AUD), you can join Embrace You — my global community helping you reconnect with your body, rebuild self-acceptance and truly embrace yourself, exactly as you are. 2026 is the year to Embrace, but you have to put in a little bit of effort. Not much, but I promise it will be fun, and I promise that future you will thank present you for investing in yourself.
Already onboard? Amazing — tell your friends, your mum, your neighbour or anyone who could benefit from a healthy dose of self-compassion.
PS. That photo of me posing in the brown dress? Yep, that’s the highlight reel. But behind every glossy pic, there’s always some grunge — lost luggage, Target undies and one very sweaty pleather dress (which, FYI, only works for perimenopausal women in freezing temps. Take it from me).
