The Atlas Heart

Hi! I'm Mimi.

I created The Atlas Heart with the intention of not only seeing the world, but understanding and writing about cultures from the perspectives of locals – what I call ‘seeing the world through a kaleidoscope lens’.

Popular posts

Things to do in Santa Cruz

101 Best Things to Do in Santa Cruz, California (From a Local)

Bucket Lists, California, North America, USA

101 Best Things to Do in Santa Cruz, California (From a Local)

101 things to do in Sacramento, California | The Ultimate Bucket List

101 Things to do in Sacramento | The Ultimate Bucket List

Bucket Lists, California, North America, USA

101 Things to do in Sacramento | The Ultimate Bucket List

101 things to do in San Diego (from a Local) | The Ultimate Bucket List

101 Best Things to do in San Diego (From a Local)

Bucket Lists, California, North America, USA

101 Best Things to do in San Diego (From a Local)

things to do in Los Angeles

100+ Best Things to do in LA | The Ultimate Bucket List

Bucket Lists, California, USA

100+ Best Things to do in LA | The Ultimate Bucket List

Figueroa Mountain Brewing - Santa Barbara, California - 30 California Breweries to Visit

The 30 Best California Breweries to Visit

California, Food and Drinks, North America, USA

The 30 Best California Breweries to Visit

A Guide to Getting a Work Visa in Australia for Americans - The Atlas Heart

A Guide to Getting a Work Visa in Australia for Americans

Australia, Oceania, Travel Planning

A Guide to Getting a Work Visa in Australia for Americans

Destinations

World Map Placeholder

World Map

38

countries visited

10

Places I've lived

7

years of blogging

my travel essentials

All of my favorite travel essentials in one place! Find out my recommended travel resources, preferred products, and must-have gear that I use in my own travels so you can be prepared for your next trip.

The only thing that makes me happier than a Califo

The only thing that makes me happier than a California road trip? Writing a book about California road trips and sharing my favorite spots around the state with all of you.🤓
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I have some VERY EXCITING NEWS TO SHARE TODAY!!! My California Road Trip guidebook is officially for sale on my blog. [side note - I still can’t believe I get to write that sentence out, I’m an author heyooo]
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This book is my baby. It’s an accumulation of 24+ years of living in California in three different regions and thousands of miles traveled. Did I tell you that I even slept in a van for two months just to see as much of the state as possible? I’m excited to share my book with you, not just because of the hard work I put into making it, but because I really believe it will allow you to see California on another level. 🚗
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This book is almost 400 pages, covering 8 regions, 200+ destinations, and it includes a bunch of Golden State goodies like custom maps to help you plan your itinerary and printable checklists. If you’re ready to have the most epic California road trip ever - check out the link in my bio. I’m offering a presale deal of 25% off until Feb 1st to celebrate the official release date of my book on Feb 8th, 2020.
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Pop the champagne and cue the dance party, here’s to kicking ass and making good on your goals in 2020. More to come about my book soon. Peace ✌️

Hey guys, guess what!? I’m writing my first book

Hey guys, guess what!? I’m writing my first book! I’ve been knee deep in research and writing every day and I’m excited to announce my first nonfiction travel guide will be coming out at the end of January. .
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I’ve been wanting to create my own product for ages, but I always had excuses for why I couldn’t do it right now. But, to be honest, I’m over making excuses for why I can’t do things or be successful in the way I want. It’s a mental block that I’ve worked on getting over for a while, but due to recent events and on and off health issues I’ve been dealing with since October, it has really hit home for me that there’s no time like the present. I can’t think of a better way to start off the New Year than truly diving into what I want to do, regardless of that fear of failure or it not living up to what I want it to be. .
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Here’s to living boldly in 2020 - wishing you all a very merry Christmas and happy end to your 2019. Time to go back into my writing cave for the next few weeks, but I look forward to sharing my book with you soon! See you on the other side. 😎

The older I get, the more I realize how much I lov

The older I get, the more I realize how much I love simple moments in nature and finding daily mindfulness and intention. These moments bring me pure joy, no strings attached. .
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If you’ve been following my stories, you know that my word for 2020 is “Joy”. This upcoming year is all about tuning into what brings me the most joy in life and letting go of the things that don’t. .
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Besides my blog, one of the ways I’m thinking of leaning more into joy this year is getting my yoga teacher certification and leading hiking/photography/yoga tours around the Bay Area. .
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This is only the start. I have so many more plans for 2020 which I’ll be sharing soon, but I think the most exciting part is the feeling that I’m getting closer to my purpose and what I want to give back to this world before I leave it. And, most importantly, how I can help bring more joy to other people’s lives too.
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So tell me - what brings you pure joy in life?

Things have been a bit quiet around here and that’ll probably last through most of the rest of the year. I’ve been taking a much needed break from social media to reconnect with my goals, my business, and mindset. After almost a month and a half of living in Puerto Vallarta, my time in Mexico is coming to an end for now. 2019 has been an interesting year, one where nothing quite went as planned but because of that it allowed me to grow in more ways and I’m grateful for that. It has also set me up to make big moves in 2020 that I probably wouldn’t be making if all those things hadn’t fallen apart. I’m really starting to believe the old saying that things fall apart so better things can come together. .
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I realize that I’ve spent the last month in Mexico and haven’t shared hardly anything about my time here. It’s been nice, actually, to just have this trip to myself, but I did want to share a few thoughts about life in Puerto Vallarta and Mexico in general. These are my takeaways after living in PV for a month and a half: .
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🇲🇽Mexican culture is incredibly vibrant and alive. It’s a culture I’ve always been surrounded by and lived adjacent to growing up in California, but I’ve been able to experience it in a new way this trip. The Mexicans I’ve met here live life fully and have a whole lot of fun while they do it. I love that about this culture. It has reminded me to stop taking life so seriously and to just enjoy this crazy journey while I can.
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🇲🇽The food is amazing. I already knew this would be the case before I arrived, but I’m glad it was confirmed as soon as I got here. I’ve had tacos almost every day and I’ve fallen in love with mole enchiladas and al pastor anything. .
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🇲🇽I haven’t had this much intense attention from local men since I was in India. However, it’s much more forward in Mexico. Mexican men in PV have this tendency to stop a few feet in front of you and literally watch you as you walk past, heads turned and eyes looking you up and down. Then, of course, there are the usual catcalls, the come from the windows of cars that slow down as they pass you by. — > CONTINUED IN THE COMMENTS 👇

Cheers to the freakin’ weekend from Mexico. 🇲

Cheers to the freakin’ weekend from Mexico. 🇲🇽🏖 Girls trip to kick off my last weekend in Puerto Vallarta for a while. More thoughts on Mexico soon, but for now let’s just say I’m grateful for what this month and a half has given me. A Full heart, clear mind, new friends, and a belly full of tacos. 🌮
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#puertovallarta #puertovallartamexico #sanpanchonayarit #sanpancho #sanpanchobeach #rivieranayarit #nayarit #nayaritmexico #jaliscomexico #puertovallartajalisco #womenwhotravel

The humid air enveloped me as I stood on the rooft

The humid air enveloped me as I stood on the rooftop of my new apartment. It was a welcome respite after San Francisco’s cool chill that left me full of love but unprotected from the needlelike cold. There was a storm in the distance, rain falling in a place I hadn’t yet explored. I wondered what they might be doing over there. I imagined dancing in the street as the rain picked up so you could truly feel the omnipotence of nature fall down around you. That’s how I remember Laos, a parallel time and place. When kids danced in the torrential rain happy to be alive and free, while I looked on laughing with them and their sheer joy that infected me too.
Alone and full in my contented space. Already steadfast in my decision to walk away from a past that had no place in my present. The thunder came near my rooftop and I wondered if I would be struck down where I stood. I watched with glittering eyes as it danced around me, testing fate as I always have. When you go, you go. And when you know something isn’t right for you, you know. Is it possible to feel equally lost and at home in a place? Because that’s how I felt long before I left for Mexico. An attempt to create a life of stability on swampy ground. A shallow grave, everything floated to the surface with the first hint of the rain.
Without the feeling of breaking free from a cocoon that has suffocated you for so long, you would never know just how much further you could fly. I think I’ll stay a little while in this tropical place, where life is easy and palm trees sway to twinkling lights with the sound of jazz across the street. The world keeps spinning and grace is staring me right in the face.
I’m a runaway like so many others who have come here before, ready to build something that is completely my own.
Something that feels like dropping my keys in the bowl after a long trip away. Something that is home.
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. **excerpt from my latest post on the blog**

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© 2019 The Atlas Heart | made in collaboration with Ink & Honey Design Co. + Michelle Robins Creative