Becoming a Trailblazer: My Journey from the Wrestling Mat to Uncharted Beginnings.
What happens when a teenage girl dares to break gender norms and steps onto the all-boys wrestling mat? I, Alessia Tenebruso, will share my journey from those high school wrestling days to becoming the trailblazer I am today. Wrestling wasn't just about the rounds on the mat; it was a test of endurance, focus, and grit that shaped my character and mental fortitude. This transformative journey wasn't without its struggles, but they only fueled my determination to emerge stronger.
What's more, this episode won't just be about unfolding my story; it's about inspiring you to blaze your own trail. If you're ready to step out of your comfort zone, harness that passion burning within, and venture into the unknown, then this talk is for you. It's about recognizing your potential, surrounding yourself with individuals who share your drive, and not being afraid to take calculated risks. It's about developing that relentless focus and persistence that's at the heart of every trailblazer. So tune in, and let's embark on a journey toward shaping our destinies and becoming trailblazers in our own unique ways.
Join the One Girl Travel Mailing List to receive the monthly newsletter and my free: 10 Tips to Begin Solo Traveling Guide as a thank you!
If you enjoyed this episode of the One Girl Travel Podcast, then I invite you to follow me on Instagram. That's where all the fun is happening! @ONE_GIRL_TRAVEL
Becoming a Trailblazer: My Journey from the Wrestling Mat to Uncharted Beginnings.
What happens when a teenage girl dares to break gender norms and steps onto the all-boys wrestling mat? I, Alessia Tenebruso, will share my journey from those high school wrestling days to becoming the trailblazer I am today. Wrestling wasn't just about the rounds on the mat; it was a test of endurance, focus, and grit that shaped my character and mental fortitude. This transformative journey wasn't without its struggles, but they only fueled my determination to emerge stronger.
What's more, this episode won't just be about unfolding my story; it's about inspiring you to blaze your own trail. If you're ready to step out of your comfort zone, harness that passion burning within, and venture into the unknown, then this talk is for you. It's about recognizing your potential, surrounding yourself with individuals who share your drive, and not being afraid to take calculated risks. It's about developing that relentless focus and persistence that's at the heart of every trailblazer. So tune in, and let's embark on a journey toward shaping our destinies and becoming trailblazers in our own unique ways.
Join the One Girl Travel Mailing List to receive the monthly newsletter and my free: 10 Tips to Begin Solo Traveling Guide as a thank you!
If you enjoyed this episode of the One Girl Travel Podcast, then I invite you to follow me on Instagram. That's where all the fun is happening! @ONE_GIRL_TRAVEL
Welcome to the One Girl Travel Podcast, episode number 50.
Speaker 2:
Welcome to the One Girl Travel Podcast, your passport to the world of solo travel With certified life and travel coach, alessia Tenabrusso. Join Alessia as she shares her own journey of self-discovery through solo travel, while also focusing on topics such as life coaching insights and travel tips along the way. Now here's your host, alessia Tenabrusso.
Speaker 1:
Hello, my friends, and welcome to episode number 50 of the One Girl Travel Podcast and welcome to our last month of August. I can't believe that September will be here Friday. It has gone by so fast, but I love fall. I'm excited for the things to come. I am working on a second One Girl Travel group trip, so that will be announced soon once I have all the details squared away. But I'm so excited to start traveling more with all of you, because I know that everybody has their preferences of the time of year, the budget, the location. I want to get as many of you traveling with me as possible. I can't wait for that experience. So I am here for you and I hear you and I am doing whatever I can to make these trips accommodating for as many of you as possible, so we can all experience solo travel together to get your foot out the door and get you on your way, so you will eventually feel comfortable traveling by yourself after the experience. And let me just remind you, there are three spots open still for the Malfi Coast trip. It's Naples to Sorrento. It's April 2024. I cannot wait for this trip. It is the first ever One Girl Travel group trip and I would absolutely be honored if you joined us. Again, there's three spots left, so don't sleep on this. I am sure this trip is going to sell out. Everybody is so excited about the Saitin Rari. We are going to have an incredible experience and there is already a group of amazing women that I cannot wait to be in Italy with. And we already have our private community going and we're going to have our virtual chat soon so we can discuss everything. So if you're interested in this trip, sign up now so you can be a part of the conversation and you can start making friends with everybody and get excited about this adventure.
Speaker 1:
So let's get to today's podcast episode. I want to talk to you today about how joining the boys wrestling team in high school changed my life and made me a trailblazer in my own life, and how you can become a trailblazer in your life. So let's get into it. So, if you didn't already know, I was the first ever female to join the boys wrestling team in my high school. I decided on a whim that I wanted to join and I ended up joining my junior year of high school. So that's 11th grade and I continued on my senior year for 12th grade and I can say with absolute certainty that that experience changed my life and helped me become the woman I am today. And I'm going to explain to you how that worked out, because I know it's a little odd how wrestling could make me a life coach and a solo traveler and feel confident in who I am and just get to the point that I am today. And I truly attribute that to that one big decision I made when I was a teenager.
Speaker 1:
So I want to take you back to teenage Alessia in high school and I wasn't the most outgoing person. I would feel comfortable with my friends, but I wasn't a very outspoken person. I really kind of just stayed under the radar, I feel. I participated in sports but was never anything like on stage or anything like that. But then my junior year came and the winter season for sports came up and I realized that I wanted to try something different. I wanted to join the wrestling team.
Speaker 1:
Now, before this even thought I did not know much about wrestling. That wasn't something I mean. I knew the WWF, theatrical wrestling and the ring and all that. But this is Greco-Roman style wrestling for high schoolers and I just I made the decision I wanted to join and I showed up to the tryouts or the sign-ups and I remember just standing outside of the gym while I was going on and I'm second guessing myself like I'm crazy. I shouldn't be doing this.
Speaker 1:
I talked myself out of entering the gym and then one of my friends who was on the team, I remember he came out and I spoke with him about wanting to join and he actually encouraged me to go in and speak to the coach and I did and the coach was very caught off guard by my request. They have never had a girl on the guys wrestling team before, so this was a first for him. And what happened was he called my mother and he asked her do you know what your daughter wants to do and are you okay with it? This is a dangerous sport. You can get hurt. And my mom thankfully, she replied let her do whatever she wants to do.
Speaker 1:
And I did and I joined and there was certainly a learning curve because there was the locker room situation. There was the wrestling attire situation with the singlet, which is the uniform, how to manage my hair when wrestling. My coach did not know that there was a special item that I needed to wear on my headgear, so he had created a ace bandage tape bonnet for me to wear on my first match and it was very interesting looking, but I wore it and I think I still have it in a box somewhere. But anyways, even though the team wasn't prepared for me, the coach was not prepared for me, I was not prepared. We just learned as we went, and each day of practice I learned something and I asked questions and I never gave up and that's the biggest takeaway from this I never gave up, even though that was probably the hardest thing I ever did in my entire life.
Speaker 1:
Wrestling is hard. Wrestling is a very, very strenuous sport and requires a lot of discipline and strength, mental toughness, willpower, everything, and I had to cultivate all of that for this new experience that I signed up for, and one of the things I would tell myself was to not quit and never let them see me cry. If I wanted to cry, I'd go in the locker room and I would cry, and it only happened on occasion. I really I was so proud of myself back then and the fact that I joined a second year, my final year of high school, and I learned so much about myself and about who I was the type of person I was and, most importantly, how I can do hard things, and for a teenager to have that lesson is so valuable. And I am just so thankful for the teenage version of myself who had the audacity to sign up for something that no female has ever done in her school that one decision of me joining the boys wrestling team. I became a trailblazer because after me, after I graduated, there has been so many other females who have joined the boys wrestling team and I can't tell you how happy that makes me and how proud it makes me.
Speaker 1:
And sometimes I forget to give myself credit for what I did, because at the time I just wanted to do something that was challenging. I didn't know what impact it would have on others, and I'm so thankful that I did make that decision and how it allowed me to realize what I'm capable of for the rest of my life. From my teenage years until now. I still pull strength from the fact that I was a female wrestler on the boys wrestling team. I did something nobody else ever did in my school I am brave, I am capable, I am strong, I am worthy. Wrestling taught me all of those things about myself, because I have evidence to show that I am capable, I am worthy, I am brave, I am strong All of those things because I put myself out there and I tried it and I succeeded.
Speaker 1:
And it's so important to find the evidence of what you're capable of doing when you think back at a point of your life when you did something hard or you got through a struggling time or you overcame an obstacle in your life, and you use that as evidence to guide you forward and blaze a trail in your own life. Now there are so many trailblazers that we're familiar with. We have Oprah, amelia Earhart, eleanor Roosevelt's Rosa Parks the list goes on and on and on and because of these women who became trailblazers in the world, we have the path ready for us. The path is open because of them. So I want you to think about how can you blaze a trail in your own life, how can you take a risk, challenge the status quo or make a positive impact in the world by doing something for the first time and I'm not saying it has to be the first time in the universe, the first time for you. Blaze your own trail, show yourself what you're capable of, because you're going to impact other people and they're going to see you doing whatever it is that you are passionate about doing, that is important to you, and you're going to inspire them, and they might go and get inspired to go down the same path as you, or they might create their own path, and that's so exciting and it's so important that we, as females especially, take risks on ourself and on the things that we're passionate about and try. All you have to do is try. You're a winner as soon as you take that first step in trying something new. So if you're ready to start being a trailblazer in your own life, I have a few tips for you on how you can get started.
Speaker 1:
Step one is to identify your passion. You need to be passionate about whatever it is you're doing. Do not do something because other people want you to, or you feel like you should do it, or expectations from society, or you feel guilty. Do it because you are passionate about it. You need to have passion behind whatever it is that you do, because that's going to drive you forward when times get tough. So figure out what is it that you desire to do. What are you passionate about? Maybe you are passionate about having a life of freedom and feeling comfortable traveling by yourself. Maybe you feel passionate about sharing your amazing recipes through social media. Maybe you're passionate about sharing parental tips or dog tips or building homes, whatever it is. There are endless things that you can be passionate about, and there is no right or wrong thing as long as you are truly passionate about it. So identify your passion.
Speaker 1:
Once you identify your passion, then step number two is to go all in. Don't go back, don't second guess yourself, don't question yourself. Have your goal in mind, and now it's time for you to do your research, put in the work, read books, attend seminars, join forums, participate in it, do it. Whatever it is that your goal is, you have to start taking action. Then step number three is to build up your network.
Speaker 1:
Networking is such an essential aspect of being a trailblazer. There's events, conferences, meetups. There are Facebook groups, social media groups, there's in-person groups. There's a group for everything and anything, and having a network of like-minded people who have the same interests as you helps immensely. I can't tell you how many of you I have become friends with or networked with through life coaching, through solo travel. Just having that community of like-minded women, especially like-minded women, it's life changing. It is so motivating to see them do their thing and to have that sisterhood where you're sharing what's going on on your journey and not judging anybody, and supporting each other. It's really important, even with solo travel. Yeah, you're traveling by yourself, but there is a community out here to support you on that journey, like One Girl Travel Club. That is so important. Yeah, you're doing it. You're doing it on your own, but it takes a village sometimes and that village can be behind the scenes just cheering you on. Again, there's no right or wrong way to do this, but I do highly recommend that you find your tribe or your community of people that have the same interests as you.
Speaker 1:
And then step number four is to take calculated risks. This is what trailblazing is all about. It's about taking a risk, doing something you've never done before. Trailblazers are not afraid to take risks, and even if they are afraid, they do it anyway because your passion is worth the effort. You're gonna be willing to step outside your comfort zone and just explore new options in your life. Try out new ideas, take the initiative that aligns with your passions and your goals to make your impact on the world through your passion. And I wanna remind you when you do take those risks, think of it as an experiment. You're not guaranteed to be successful with every risk that you take, but you are guaranteed to learn something, as long as you're willing to make the decision to take something from it. Rather than thinking, oh, I failed. If it didn't go your way, think of it as okay, that didn't work, I tried, what can I do differently? Look at everything that you do as an experiment and go easy on yourself. Remind yourself that you're a beginner nobody starts as an expert when they are just beginning something and keep an open mind about how to navigate your thoughts during this process. You're doing something courageous. You're taking action on something you're passionate about that you've never done before. That is a win. Just keep going and keep celebrating all the small successes along the way.
Speaker 1:
And the final step is to stay focused and stay persistent. This journey, this trailblazing journey, is not easy and you will face challenges along the way, and that's why it's so important to stay focused on your goals and not give up. One of the things I like to do when I'm embarking on a new journey is to think about what challenges will come up for me, because usually you can figure out what might get in the way when you're starting something new, and it could be time management. It could be you know you have a family and you need to take care of them. It could be you're tired or health or money or whatever, and a lot of the times you can plan or what's gonna come up for you, and then you figure out how are you going to navigate that, because those are your circumstances. How can you overcome those circumstances and continue to follow your goals? And that's up to you to figure out.
Speaker 1:
You have to be honest with yourself. How are you going to navigate this? And it might require some changes in your life and your schedule, or you might have to give up something, or you might need to change your schedule around. Whatever it is, if you're passionate enough about this goal, you will do whatever you need to do and again, it might not happen overnight, but when you keep going and you learn and you see how you succeed and the growth that you're getting, that's going to encourage you to keep going and to do whatever you have to do to get there. So now you're equipped with the steps that you need to take in order to become a trailblazer in your life and I'm curious to hear what your passion is and what goal you have around that passion that you want to implement in your life and what's your reason behind it. What is your why? Make sure you know that, why.
Speaker 1:
I say it all the time, but you need to know your why because that's going to keep driving you forward, especially in the difficult moments, and I would love to hear from you and have you share what your goal is and how you plan on getting there and what is the impact that you want to make with that goal, whether it's for yourself or for others. I would love to hear from you, I love hearing all of your successes and if you have a moment to write a review on the podcast you can share there. You can share with me on social media. I'm always hanging out on Instagram, wherever it is. I want to be here for you and support you on your journey, and I can also do that by being your personal coach through the One Girl Travel Club, which is my monthly membership, and we're just wrapping up our 31 day reset for the month of August and for September, we are focusing on how to utilize social media to plan your travel, and I'm so excited for this because it's two of my favorite topics.
Speaker 1:
I love social media. I love teaching people how to utilize social media, and I will be teaching my members how to maximize social media for them to plan the most incredible trips of their lives, so I would love for you to join us there. Also, this month is our quarterly itinerary, which is the Amalfi Coast, so if you're interested in the Amalfi Coast, this is your chance to get a incredible guide with everything that you could possibly need for planning your trip to Amalfi. And, of course, for those of you attending the group trip, this is a great guide for you as well, and I'm so excited to share it with you. And besides the One Girl Travel Club, I also offer one on one coaching, which I'm so excited to be offering now, and I love working one on one with clients. I love seeing you transform your life and dedicating your time to your goals, and just seeing you transform. It is so rewarding, and I'd love to work with you one on one as well, and I am just so excited to be here with all of you.
Speaker 1:
We're coming up on a year of the podcast in two weeks. It has been an amazing journey and I'm so excited for what the future holds. I know that there are big things ahead and I am continuing to be a trailblazer in my life and taking bigger risks that I have been considering for some time, and it is coming up on a time where I need to take chances and just go on to bigger and better things, and I'm so excited to share this journey with all of you as it unravels and we keep moving forward. So definitely stick along with me and I welcome you to join me on this journey. I also would love to hear from you about what you want to hear on the podcast.
Speaker 1:
I want to make sure I'm answering your questions. I am bringing awareness to any concerns you have. I am touching on any tips or tricks for things that you want to know, so please reach out to me. You can send me an email at contact at onegirltravelcom, or just reply to the Monday postcard that I send to you and let me know what you want to hear. I am here for you whatever you need. I got you. So let me know, because I want to make sure I'm providing you with whatever it is that you find useful and that keeps you engaged and keeps you coming back, and I'm so thankful for you and I can't wait to talk to you next week. Have a wonderful day, my friends, and until next time.