35: Dina Mishev on Chasing Dreams and Taking the Scenic Route to Get There

Today, travel writer Dina Mishev joins us and we’re going to talk about finding and pursuing your passion, not the direct route, but taking the scenic, if not altogether, more difficult way of getting there. Dina deferred entry to law school to move to Jackson Hole with the hopes of learning to ski and running into Harrison Ford. The detour opened new doors for her that eventually led to her becoming a travel writer for magazines and online publications such as Sunset Magazine and the Washington Post. We get to learn more about that and what the creative process is like. When the media landscape began to shift in the past decade, she shifted accordingly. When cancer struck, again, she had to adapt.    A few things really struck me with the conversation and I think it bears repeating here. She sent out 1483 queries for her first travel writing assignment and instead of being discouraged by the single assignment she received , her reaction was “their loss” to the “NOs” and the unresponsive. I would have decided then and there I’m not good enough but there is something to be said for perseverance and self-confidence (or the naïveté of the young?) When Dina says, on dealing with cancer and MS ”It’s crazy what your body can get used to.   Physically, my body can get used to a new normal - much quicker than mind and emotions can.” I thought about that when I was listening to the interview during editing. I wish I had noticed it when we were talking so we could have discussed it more. It’s so true - our minds and the story we tell ourselves can be destructive. That’s something I talked about a few episodes ago in my backcountry ski trip, when I let my mind spiral myself into insanity.    Listen up and gear up for what’s next!   Where to Find Dina Instagram Blog/website   Resources At the Grand Canyon, a cancer survivor rises to the challenge of a rim-to-rim-to-rim hike Book recommendations:  Emerald Mile by Kevin Fedarko Tim Cahill’s anthologies Tim Cahill - Pass the Butterworms