Tunisia with Margarita!

I had the pleasure of getting to know Margarita Rozenfeld as an explorer and mentor. Her adventurous soul captivated my attention immediately, but it was her compassionate presence that made me want to really connect and know more about her.

Margarita is an Organization Development Consultant and Executive Coach. She began her entrepreneurial journey while still in her 20s - two decades ago. Her company Incite International designs and facilitates strategic planning, team-building and leadership development programs for corporate, government and non-profit organizations.

On average, she spends anywhere from 6-8 hours per day on the screen.

While she adores her work and finds it more convenient to connect with people through the screen, she often feels physically exhausted by the end of the day.

“I feel blessed to have this opportunity to be able to work from my computer. To be able to take client calls from anywhere in the world- sometimes from the beach- it’s freeing."

In order to utilize technology to her advantage, Margarita incorporates some very strong habits into her lifestyle so that she doesn’t get burnt out from technology consumption.

While work can sometimes be several hours of back to back calls and video chats, she tries to take long lunches to unwind and eat well.

• She prepares herself for success by only keeping healthy food in the house- so that she is not tempted by snacks that will drain her energy.

• She likes to take outdoor walks with friends anytime she has the chance. These walks help clear her head, connect to other people and breathe in fresh air. They are also big energy boosts that help her show up vitalized in work and in life.

“It’s a work in progress, and I’m constantly learning how to balance it. I’m not perfect, but having healthy habits makes my life much easier”

She has noticed a major difference in the way her body and mind feel when she stops eating unprocessed, whole foods. As an explorer, she loves eating all kinds of dishes when she travels, especially street food. Every bite tastes amazing but it’s not always healthy and afterwards, the body pays the price. While fried foods can be a nice treat for our taste buds, it’s important to observe how we feel after consuming this into our system and get back to our healthy habits when we return from travels.

The thing is, it's all about balance. We may not need optimal energy when we’re not striving for big goals. Traveling to different countries may be a good way to treat our taste buds, since we know it’s only for a specific amount of time. We know when we come back to our regular lives, we will nourish our bodies with what we need.

What inspired you to take this trip to Tunisia?

Every year for her birthday, Margarita travels to a new destination. She planned this trip as a celebration of her life, and as a way to visit her dear friend whom she met in college. For her, this was a magical experience because due to the pandemic, she hadn’t been able to travel for nearly three years. The combination of the Mediterranean climate blended with desert heat was a powerful experience for Margarita. I can imagine how ethereal it must have felt to go from one climate to the other in the matter of hours.

Something that struck her as surprising was how few Tunisian women she crossed paths with during her travel. She noticed that almost every sales clerk, hotel attendant, restaurant worker, and guide was male. Men sat in cafes drinking coffee, smoking and chatting. Where were the women? Despite not having much female contact, Margarita felt like every man she interacted with was extremely hospitable, respectful and helpful.

Margarita wanted to explore as much as she could, so she rented a car and drove across Tunisia by herself. It was a challenging experience because the roads were so chaotic and traffic laws seemed non-existent. Even though she often felt terrified by the carelessness of drivers around her, she came out of the experience feeling empowered and proud of herself for doing something that scared her.

While traveling, did your screen time increase, decrease or stay the same?

Margarita noticed her screen time majorly decreased during the trip. She used her phone for GPS purposes during the day, and just a few minutes during lunch to check in with family and friends back home. She checked her computer before bed for client emails, and to see if anything was super urgent. And, that was it!

Margarita with camel in the desert.

Her body and mind felt great not being in front of a computer, although she didn’t intentionally have to remind herself not to be on her screens. She just wanted to experience the newness, culture and aromas of this trip.

“Travel is about being engaged in real life, I don’t think about it as a lack of technology.”

Do you have any advice for women who want to set out on adventure but don't have the time or funds right now?

“Figure out what adventure means to you. What regenerates your soul, what helps you feel alive and in your full spirit and your full energy. And then do that. Because life is short.”

Sometimes adventure looks like going on a one hour walk in a park you've never been to. Sometimes it's blasting music from your car while chasing the sun down the coast, sometimes it's climbing a tree, meeting a friend for coffee, making a new connection or laying in the grass looking at cloud forms. It isn't always as grand as a trip to Tunisia.

No matter what adventure means to you, make sure you aren't blocking its potential by over consuming technology.

As Margarita so beautifully stated- life is short.

Don't waste away precious adventure time scrolling through your phone.