I’m finally ready to share my gifts with the nomad community, something I’ve dreamed about since getting on the road. IT’S TIME!
Hello! My name is Mary Ellen Telesha, nomad and author of the popular book, Wild Women on The Road; A Woman’s Guide To Nomadic Freedom In The Modern Age, as well as several other nomad related books. Along with my Life Coaching and Reiki credentials I’m also an author, mystic, tree hugger, and consciousness junkie! If you’re interested in more of my nomad life, check out CosmicNomadVoyager on Facebook and Instagram. For a deep dive into the wild ride that got me on the road, nomad philosophy, and practical tips for nomad life, check out Wild Women On The Road.
The Short Story
I’d spent years caring for my Mother as she slowly lost her life to Alzheimer’s Disease. It woke me up. It was a poignant lesson on how short our lives really are, and it was the catalyst to re-evaluate my own life. It was an awakening to realize that I’d never felt much joy, or experienced deep intimacy with anyone, including myself.
I renewed my commitment to my spiritual path, working with a Master Reiki Teacher to finally get my Master Level Reiki training. I’d completed level I and II Reiki training and regularly used it in my life, and in 2007 received my Master Level Reiki after a year of mentorship and training.
Sometime after that I discovered Life Coaching when Martha Beck’s book, Finding Your Own North Star: Claiming the Life You Were Meant to Live. came into my life. (The book is an affiliate link, I get a tiny commission from Amazon if you click and buy!)
I read that book when I was in an unhappy marriage, with no goals for the future and no vision that things could get better. After reading just the first chapter, I felt the first glimmer of hope, and started thinking more positively about life! When an opportunity came to enroll in Martha Beck’s Life Coaching program, now called Wayfinders, I jumped on it. It was a 9 month intensive program and when I finished the program in 2009 I started my own Life Coaching business. I LOVED IT!
I found the courage to leave a very unhappy marriage and rented a sweet little apartment. Unfortunately, years of stress and trauma finally caught up with me and I developed a chronic illness that completely stole my functioning. Once an active person that hiked, worked out, juggled two jobs as a single Mom, I eventually couldn’t even drive. I hung on to my Life Coaching business for a few years, but eventually my functioning deteriorated and when I became permanently disabled, I couldn’t manage the coaching plus the practical end of running my own business.
As the years went by I searched for answers, trying various treatments and meds that never helped. Then, when I gave up trying to heal, I had a remission in symptoms! It was a second chance at life, and I decided to follow my heart and become a nomad. I bought a mini-van to convert, gave up my cute little apartment and hit the road in 2017! I’ve never had a regret, nomad life agrees with me and seems to keep me young and healthy. Not to say the life is stress-free, but the freedom, variety, and challenges keep me engaged and fulfilled. And you just can’t beat a desert sunset, something I would have probably never seen if I’d stayed in my apartment!
I’m far from perfect and as they say, the struggle is real. I’ve had lots of my own therapy, including treatment for trauma. One of my struggles has been a tendency to hide my quirky, spiritual, tree hugging authentic self, but it feels like the time has come to step up and offer my gifts!
You can read more about my nomad life and how I got there in my books, and keep up with my nomad life on my website, CosmicNomadVoyager.