Create – Kayla MacArthur

August 31, 2022

Magic & Mexican Beach Towns: When Vision Board Life Becomes Real Life

When I first visited Sayulita back in May of 2021, there was a particular doorway I would always pass on my way into town. Aside from it being bright red, there was nothing uniquely noteworthy about it, yet every time I walked by, I had a feeling that I had seen it before; like I had known it from some other part of the world. For weeks, I walked past this door, unable to shake the mysterious familiarity. Then, during the last week of my visit, it finally clicked. Ryan and I were walking back from breakfast when I gasped and came to a dead stop on the sidewalk. I...

May 21, 2021

What a Bad Surfer Taught Me About Hitting Home Runs

Create, Explore, Reinvent

I learned something new this week: Ryan is pretty bad at surfing. Most days around 5pm, we close our computers and head down to the beach. While Ryan typically surfs in the gray dawn of morning, on Tuesday, he decided to bring his board. Knowing how fond he is of the sport, I was excited to witness him catch a wave. I mean, he’s surfed in Portugal, Australia, and Peru; he had a business training professional athletes; and he was a YES to Sayulita FOR surfing! He must be good, right?! After picking out an empty spot on the sand, I unfolded my chair, sat down, and scanned the horizon for...

April 13, 2021

Going On a Trip? Bring Conscious Relating to Travel with These 7 Questions

Create, Explore

Before embarking on each new adventure, Ryan and I have a conscious conversation designed to deepen our experience of a trip. It’s something we’ve been practicing since we met. When we first came together as virtual strangers to live as roommates in Mexico, there were a lot of unknowns. What if our personalities and lifestyles were vastly different? What if our daily routines clashed? What if we got on each other’s nerves and there was conflict? The typical response for me—and, I would assert for many others—is to brush these questions under the rug, let the trip unfold, and then deal {or not deal} with whatever comes up. Fear of rocking the...

December 18, 2020

Love in the Time of Corona

Create

“I’m sorry, but I don’t choose you as my person.” I remember Ryan’s face falling from across the table. It was Saturday night—the night before we moved to our separate apartments while his family came to visit. We had been dating for a few weeks and he was curious to know where my feelings were. From the beginning, Ryan was like a laser. He knew what he wanted—he knew I was who he wanted. I’ll never forget when he asked me out on our first date. He said, “you are everything I want in a woman and I’ve been searching the world for you. Can I please take you on...

November 6, 2020

When You’re Not Creating What You Want…

Create

I thought relocating to Tulum would create exponential growth in my business. Turns out, I was wrong.The truth is: I’ve received “no” after “no” since being here, and it’s been disheartening to say the least. Last Thursday, when I had the chance to be coached by one of my mentors, this is what I brought to her. And what I discovered was quite intriguing… When we took a look at what has been behind the “no’s,” I realized that many of the people I’ve been in conversation with have not been crystal clear on the vision of what they want to create in their lives. Therefore, why invest a significant...

September 8, 2020

Butterflies & Spirit Whispers: How I’m Using Travel & Relationship for Growth

Create, Explore, Reinvent

On Saturday, I was biking to the Chedraui when I saw a giant butterfly trembling in the street. I pulled over to scoop up paper wings in my palms. I knew death was near and I couldn’t bear for this magnificent creature to be torn to shreds by the bustle of life. I carried her to the forest, where I laid her to rest and thanked her for blessing the world with beauty, if only for a little while. The next morning, I saw the same kind of butterfly, not once, but twice, on my ride to the playa. Giant wings shimmered iridescent blue and brown as they floated, very much...

August 18, 2020

The Power of Choosing

Create, Explore

July was a slow month. Time crawled and blurred together. Day after day looked the same—wake up, work out, work, watch Netflix. The ruts of routine grew deep and I forgot the feeling of being alive. When this happens; when I fall into a rabbit hole of living a life less than what my heart deeply desires, my emotions spin out of control. I become a twister of confusion and exhaustion until I make something different occur. In a particularly sullen session with my Coach, she pulled this out of me—my own internal alarm system that screams: “WAKE UP! It’s time to course correct!” …“But Leighann, I can’t do what...

June 17, 2020

The Three Gods

Create, Explore

One sunny morning in Canggu when Mark and I were waiting for his surf instructor, a Balinese woman appeared in the open space next to us and began blessing her storefront with the day’s offerings. She laid out colorful woven baskets, filled with flowers, incense, and bits of rice. Curls of smoke danced through the air and tickled our noses. As she bowed her head in silence, I wondered what she was praying about. When she opened her eyes, she dipped a small bristled brush in holy water and sprinkled each offering three times. Mark turned to me and said: “She does it in threes. Once for each of...

March 8, 2020

Bali Silent Retreat

Create, Explore

Mist hangs above the jungle in delicate swathes of silver. Beyond my narrow, single bed and the mesh canopy that fans around it, darkness is beginning to fill the cracks between the trees. The jungle and its night time noises grow louder. And I—I grow lonelier. I’ve spent two days with a group of people I do not know, and can not. We share space, hovering like ghosts at meal times, sitting in circle for meditation, resting soundlessly on cushions and couches that scatter the second floor lounge. We’re here, but we’re not. We’re not here for each other. We’re here for ourselves. Typically, this would be a dream for...

January 21, 2020

How to Get the Best Testimonials From Your Clients

Create

How many times have you asked a Client to write a testimonial, to which they’ve excitedly replied—“of course!”—only for weeks to go by without it appearing in your inbox? This scenario has occurred for me more times than I can count, whether I’m asking for a testimonial or I’ve been asked to write one for someone else. It’s not that our Clients don’t want to share the magic of our work with the world, nor are they unappreciative of our product or service. It’s quite the opposite. Our product or service has had such an impact on their lives, that to capture the breadth and depth of that experience requires a...