Meet Silvia – your Travel Coach
"Travel has always had the power to shift something in me. But for years, I was using it to escape, not to transform."
Silvia Pineda Ríos
Founder of The Reflective Way
My story
I know what it feels like to live on autopilot.
Wake up. Go to work. Spend most of your day there. Come home exhausted, sometimes too drained to even eat. Collapse into bed. Repeat.
For years, that was my life. I felt disconnected from myself, like I was just going through the motions. And my mind never stopped, thinking through every angle of every situation, solving problems that hadn't even happened yet, carrying a mental load that never seemed to lift.
When it got unbearable, when I couldn't take one more day of that fog, I'd book a trip.
Travel had always been my refuge. It gave me perspective when I needed to make big decisions: whether to stay in a draining job, start my own business, take a risk I wasn't sure I was ready for. It helped me see clearly when everything at home felt too heavy, too close.
But here's what kept happening: I'd plan the trip, then work late, sometimes until the very last minute, making sure everything at work was flawless before I left. I'd triple-check that nothing could go wrong in my absence, leave detailed notes, tie up every loose end. I remember once leaving the office, going straight home just to grab my suitcase, and heading directly to the airport. I couldn't leave anything unfinished; the pressure to be perfect, to not be blamed for anything that might happen while I was gone, was too intense.
My male colleagues didn't seem to carry that same weight. They'd leave for vacation without the late nights, without the anxiety. But for me, it felt like I had to prove I could leave without causing problems.
So I'd escape for a week or two, feel alive again, maybe even gain some clarity… and then I'd get on the return flight.
That's when the anxiety would hit. Palpitations. Stomach pain. The weight of knowing that everything I left behind: the exhaustion, the pressure, the endless mental checklist, was waiting exactly where I left it. By the time I landed, everything beautiful I'd experienced had evaporated.
On some trips, I couldn't even fully disconnect. I'd be somewhere stunning, but still carrying the weight of work worries: what if something wasn't clear enough? What if they blame me for something that went wrong? The trip couldn't fix what I wasn't addressing.
Then I discovered travel coaching, and one question changed everything
"Why do I really want to travel?"
That question, and the ones that followed, shifted not just how I traveled, but how I lived.
I started understanding my triggers. What made my anxiety spike? What patterns kept me stuck in that mental loop of thinking through every possible problem? I learned grounding practices that helped me stay present in my daily life, not just wait for the next escape.
I also started recognizing something I'd never named before: the invisible load I was carrying. The constant mental work of anticipating, planning, worrying, not just about my work, but about everything. That weight that women carry differently than men, the pressure to be flawless, because anything less feels like failure.
Even now, running my own business (which comes with its own overwhelm: all the responsibility, all the decisions, all the uncertainty falling on me), I face stress differently. I don't wait for a trip to feel alive. I bring that renewed energy into my everyday life. And I've learned to recognize when I'm slipping back into that pattern of needing to be perfect, of carrying everything alone.
Through years of research, I found the missing piece: the nervous system. Understanding how our bodies react to stress, why certain places help us relax and others overwhelm us, and why some of us return from trips more exhausted than when we left.
That's why my work is rooted in nervous system-safe travel experiences, not trips that overwhelm you, but journeys that actually improve your life.
Because travel isn't just a temporary break.
It's a mindset.
A way of moving through the world. And that mindset comes from the connection between your body, mind, and spirit.
My philosophy: Why travel can transform
I believe travel holds transformative power, but only when we stop using it to escape our stress and start using it to actually heal.
Here's what I mean: Travel is the vehicle, but the real destination is learning to live differently every single day.
When you travel with intention, when you understand what your nervous system needs, when you bring presence to the journey, you're not just having a good trip. You're learning to regulate yourself, understand your triggers, set boundaries, and access that aliveness in your daily life. At work. At home. In your relationships. Every single day.
And for women, especially, those of us carrying not just our work stress but the invisible mental load, the pressure to be perfect, the guilt about taking time for ourselves, this work is essential. Because we need more than just a vacation. We need practices that help us release what we've been carrying, boundaries that protect our energy, and permission to rest without feeling like we're failing.
It's not about the destination or how many days off you can take.
It's about the awareness you bring. The practices that help you stay grounded. The transformation that turns travel into a way of living, not just a way of vacationing.
That's what I help you discover.
My experience & credentials
I bring together:
- ✓ 15+ years in the travel industry as a guide, entrepreneur, and group leader, including co-founding a family travel business and leading group journeys across Ecuador
- ✓ Certified Travel Coach (TCN, ICF-aligned), blending coaching methodology with deep travel expertise
- ✓ Background in mindfulness and holistic practices, shaped by years of personal exploration and alternative healing modalities
- ✓ Leadership and facilitation experience from guiding international groups and creating transformative travel experiences
This combination of travel knowledge, nervous system understanding, and human connection shapes how I work with every client.
Beyond the coach
Outside of my work, I practice what I teach.
You'll find me journaling about how I'm feeling or the small wins of my day, reminders that each step is moving me toward something bigger, even when progress feels invisible.
I spend time with my family, especially my mom and sisters. We've created a community of women where we all contribute, share responsibilities, and support each other. We travel together, go to the movies. We're very close. That connection, that co-regulation with other women who understand, is essential to me.
I have cats I adore and a dog I play with every day in my yard. Those moments outside, feeling the air on my face, hearing the birds I've learned to recognize by their songs, are my grounding, even if just for a few minutes.
I dance. Tango, flamenco. It helps me listen to my body, feel what it's telling me.
And when I need to relax or find inspiration to write, I listen to instrumental music, especially Ludovico Einaudi, my favorite pianist. Seeing him live was a reminder of how certain experiences, like music, like travel, can shift something in us when we're truly present.
These aren't hobbies.
They're my own regulation practices. The same ones I'll help you discover for yourself.
Ready to begin?
If my story resonates with you, if you recognize yourself in that burnout, that exhaustion from work, that invisible weight you carry, that pressure to be perfect, that cycle of booking trips that never quite fix it, let's talk.