John: Boom, shake the room, Fire Nation. JLD, here, with an Audio MASTERCLASS on Enlightening the Five Senses through Small Group Travel. And, to drop these value-bombs, I have brought Kaylee Boyle on the mic. She's the founder of Gusto Mexico– a travel company that focuses on lighting up the senses through different cultural activities, in captivating pueblos, in Mexico. And, Fire Nation, today we're going to talk about: How, exactly, does one incorporate the senses into your experiences?

Like, traveling is an amazing part of this world that we live in. It's an amazing opportunity for us, as entrepreneurs, to unwind, and to enjoy it, and to make the most of it. It's not just going on a beach, and doing nothing. It's about enlightening all five of your senses. We'll be talking about that, and so much more, when we get back from thanking our sponsors.

Kaylee, say, "What's up?" to Fire Nation, and share something interesting about yourself that most people don't know.

Kaylee: Hello, Fire Nation, and hello John:. Thank you so much for having me on the podcast today. I would have to say that one thing interesting about myself that not many people know is that I have climbed Mount Kilimanjaro.

John: Whoa.

Kaylee: I know, and if I may brag for a second, it is the highest freestanding mountain in the world. And, most people – if they know me, or if they look at my business – they think, "Oh, this girl is a total beach girl. All she does is sit on the beach, and relax, and has to be by the ocean." So, not only was it a huge thing that I overcame, and was a huge challenge for me, but something that pretty much 1 percent of people know about me.

John: Yeah. That's a massive, massive accomplishment for a lot of reasons. I can tell you, having gone to the base camp of Annapurna, myself, in the Himalayas – which isn't even to the level that Kilimanjaro is, that was crazy enough. We spent the night at about 14,900 feet, which is high, but it's not Kilimanjaro high – because, we were just at the base camp. And, I've actually – I just finished a book by this entrepreneur called Bannatyne. He's one of the Dragon's Den guys from over in England. A great entrepreneur, and he actually really went over him hiking Kilimanjaro, and he almost didn't make it.

He was really having a brutal time – and to kind of close this conversation down – not on too somber of a note, but just the realities – you know, I lost a close friend of mine back in 2015. He was on Kilimanjaro. Just a loose rock, at the wrong time, wrong place – and, those kinds of things can happen. So, definitely a big accomplishment. Absolutely. And, I just want to say, Fire Nation, getting out and having these real-world experiences – I mean, I look back to my 12-day Himalayan trek all the time, and I'm like, "That was such an amazing experience." And, you know, in the moment – let's be honest – I was cold. I was wet, at times. I was this, and having altitude sickness.

Kaylee: Absolutely.

John: But, what do we remember, Kaylee? We remember the good times.

Kaylee: Absolutely. And, that's where I discovered cosmic energy in myself. I don't remember my hands being frost-bitten at the time, so I completely agree.

John: I love it. And, that's kind of what our focus is going to be on today, because, Fire Nation, you work hard. You work really, really hard. And, you're gonna build a business, hopefully, that allows you to start taking vacations, and to start taking longer vacations. And, you know, Kate and myself are absolutely committed, every year, to take a minimum 75-day straight trip. And, we've done that now for three years in a row, and we've loved it. 75 days at a minimum. One year, actually, we did a 90-day trek, which was amazing, and it was just a lot of fun.

But, the thing is, you need, Fire Nation, to not just go sit on a beach, like I mentioned in the intro. You need to experience it, and experience life. And, that's why we're going to be talking about enlightening the five senses through small group travel. And, there's no one better to talk about this with than Kaylee because she is the founder of Gusto Mexico. So, talk to us about this, Kaylee. What is Gusto Mexico?

Kaylee: So, Gusto Mexico is small-group experiential travel. And, as you mentioned, we do like to focus on highlighting the five senses. This is because a lot of people, even throughout their daily lives, they go through the motions, and they have their routine. And, it's hard for people to break through their routine, or to try something new, or to go to a new place. And, so, my offering these small-group trips, and this small-group travel, really allows people to break out of their comfort zone. So, allowing them to break out of their comfort zone.

They're with people who are like-minded; people who are trying something new; people who want to experience something that they haven't experienced before – and, by enlightening the five senses through this, this means that we are tasting local cuisine. We are visiting inspiring destinations. We're listening to fun, and lively rhythms of music. We're feeling complete relaxation, and rejuvenation. We're getting cultural, and self-exploration. So, it really allows people to slow down, and appreciate their surroundings; appreciate where they're traveling to, and really become mindful of where they are at that time.

John: Let's talk about your background because you didn't just wake up suddenly, one day, and was like, "I'm going to create this amazing company that's going to incorporate all these senses, and experiences." So, what is your background, a little bit, and kind of lead us up into the foundation, and creation, of Gusto Mexico.

Kaylee: Luckily, for me, my adventures in Mexico began only at a few weeks old. My dad had a restaurant down in Cabo San Lucas. So, I was pretty much spending the majority of my time down in Mexico with my mom, playing on the beaches, being lulled to sleep by the sounds of the surf, and the melodies of the mariachi bands. And, then, once the restaurant was sold, was when I moved to Colorado full-time. So, since that time, kind of through my work experiences, through a lot of volunteering, through some play, and travel – like you said – I've really tried to chase every opportunity to learn about people, and places, around the world.

I've been so fortunate to have traveled to all 50 US states; over 60 countries; all seven continents. And, so those experiences have really allowed me to play to my adventurous spirit, and to tie in everything that I've done on my professional side, as well. So, on the professional side, I've earned a Master's Degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management, and I've worked for a ton of prominent California luxury resorts, providing 5 star services to people. And, then, I've also lived in various Latin American countries, and worked for tourism down in those countries.

So, I feel like I've kind of come full-circle from my childhood in Mexico to operating a business that introduces others to the pleasures of Mexico, which has now become my second home. So, I've kind of utilized both my personal, and my professional experiences to create these unique getaway packages to some of Mexico's most charming spots.

John: We have a lot to talk about, but I just have to ask, before we move on, I mean, you've traveled the world, like you said; you've lived in multiple Latino countries, Central and South America: Why Mexico? Why did you chose Mexico to build this business?

Kaylee: I think, for me, Mexico is a country with such abundant natural beauty, and rich cultural offerings, and it's really a wonderland for the senses. So, for me, I feel like my purpose, and my passion, and my pleasure is sharing everything that I have experienced in Mexico – from just a few weeks old, up until right now, at 30 years old. But, that is my passion, and my purpose it to share it with people who are like me. So, for me, Mexico has a really special place in my heart.

John: Now, the question has to be, do you speak Espanol?

Kaylee: Yes, yes. I am completely fluent in both English and Spanish languages, but it was not without a lot of difficulty, let me tell you. My gosh.

John: Now, for somebody – me – who has lived in Puerto Rico now for four years, and still is not fluent, what is your No. 1 recommendation for me? How do I actually get to a place where I can at least have decent conversations on a regular basis?

Kaylee: You know, one thing that I still do to this day – and, this is after years, and years, and years of speaking Spanish – is I still watch Netflix with Spanish subtitles. So, it doesn't matter if I'm watching Narcos, that's automatically in Spanish, or if I'm watching reruns of Friends, I always have Spanish subtitles on because if it's in Spanish, then I'm connecting what they're saying with the words that are down in the subtitles. And, if it's in English, I feel like I'm learning – I learn new words, I swear, John:, every, single day by doing that.

John: That's fantastic. Because, I do have something I have to admit to is: Back in 2008, after I was done with my tour of duty as an army officer, I went down to Guatemala for four months. And, I went down just because I wanted to get away, and have fun. And, I went to this amazing place called Lago de Atitlan, which is right up in the mountains of Guatemala, in this town called Panajahel. And, I went there to take four hours – every single, day – of one on one Spanish. And, guess what? By the end of those four months, my father came to visit, and I was fluent.

It's like, I could speak the language. I could talk the talk. I could walk the walk because I was fully immersed. The family I lived with only spoke Spanish. It was immersion by fire, 100 percent. But, guess what? A year later – two years later – I wasn't using it all, and you lose it. So, you have to keep those things up. So, I love that you brought that up. That was something I really wish I had done. Hey, let's flip on the closed captioning, and let's put on some Spanish subtitles, and let's kind of keep that learning going.

Now, let's get real about some specific examples because I want Fire Nation to be able to picture what a Gusto Mexico experience looks like. Break it down for us.

Kaylee: With Gusto Mexico, my experiences are all inclusive. So, that means that the package price that they are paying, they get a number of different things included in it. So, that includes the accommodation, all of the transportation, normally a welcome dinner, and a farewell dinner, and then a number of different activities. And, each day, each activity kind of brings a sense into awareness. So, I'll just give an example of my Oaxaca tour, which Oaxaca is known as the Culinary Capitol of Mexico.

So, not only, as I mentioned, is the accommodation, and the transportation included, we do a full immersion cooking class, with a famous Oaxacan chef. His name is Chef Oscar Carrizosa. So, we do a full market tour with him, as well as full-blown cooking class. It's a full day experience. We also visit Mount Alban, which is where a lot of historical ruins are located. We will visit a mezcal farm tour. A lot of people have, maybe, either heard of mezcal, or they don't know exactly what it is, or they consider it the cousin to tequila that they would rather not even touch.

So, we'll go on a mezcal farm tour, learn about the process of mezcal, how it's made, what it tastes like, what it goes with. We also have an optional day trip to a place called [Inaudible] [00:11:33]. This is Spanish for, "The water boil." So, it's kind of this set of natural rock formations that resemble cascades of water. It's absolutely beautiful. And, with the high mineral content, these waters are actually thought to have healing qualities. So, each one of those experiences are included in your Gusto Mexico package.

So, that would just be a little example of my Oaxaca tour. And, I do try to keep my groups smaller. So, I try to aim for 12 to 15 people. And, this because that's a number that I feel comfortable with handling – so, that's that. But, then, it also allows for more opportunity. So, when you have a smaller group, you can do things, like having a one on one cooking class with a famous Oaxacan chef, or taking this optional day trip. Or, having a completely private store of this mezcal farm.

But, it also allows people to open up, and feel more comfortable. I want people to feel comfortable traveling by themselves to my Gusto Mexico experiences; traveling in couples; traveling mother/daughter, father/son, groups of friends. Because, everyone who comes all share the same mentality that they want to get out of their comfort zone, they want to experience something new. They want to meet people who are similar to them. So, that's a little bit of a look as to what the experiences entail.

John: So, Fire Nation, you can start to see exactly how you're incorporating all of these different senses into the experiences, but we're really going to be diving into that deeper, as well as I'm going to have Kaylee break down her biggest fear of being an entrepreneur, as well as her biggest thrill. We're gonna talk about the good stuff, too, as well as the steps that she took to get this off the ground. Because, your going to be able to pull a lot of things, Fire Nation, out of what Kaylee did right, and wrong, to help you launch your business. And, then, of course: How do we measure success? She'll be talking about that, too, and so much more, when we get back from thanking those sponsors.

So, Kaylee, we're back, and before the break, I was teasing a little bit about diving deeper into one of these experiences so that you can share with us the different senses that you incorporate into this. Again, you've kind of mentioned a little bit of this, and that, but let's really dive into the full five senses. What does that look like?

Kaylee: So, the full five senses: You have taste. So, as I mentioned, we will be tasting local cuisine. Each specific destination in Mexico, that I have chosen, features different foods that come from that area, or that come from that specific region. So, for taste, we'll be doing – a lot of times – a tasting, or a cooking class, and things like that. Also, tasting tequila, or mezcal.

John: Tequila.

Kaylee: Yeah. Sometimes, things get a little bit out of control, but that's fine.

John: Hey, Fire Nation, whatever they say, never eat the worm. Don't eat the worm.

Kaylee: Sometimes, the worm goes good with mezcal, though. I have to admit.

John: Hey, you heard it from Kaylee first, Fire Nation. You heard it from her first.

Kaylee: We also have smell. So, for example, one of my destinations is actually in Via de Guadeloupe, which is just, luckily for those of us who live in California part of the year – just two hours south of the border. So, it's where 85 percent of Mexican wines are produced. So, a smell aspect, for example, would be going to different wineries, and seeing what the different aspects are in the Mexican wines – which is considered a New World wine, versus Old World wines.

We also have sight, so with vision it's very important to be – not only aware of our surroundings, but maybe seeing something new, trying a new experience, seeing a cultural dance, seeing how someone dances salsa for the first time.

You also have touch. Touch can be, for example, when we go to Tulum, we go and visit the famous Mayan ruins. An optional day trip would be to go over to Cova. And, this is really allowing you to touch history. So, you're touching something that hasn't been messed with in hundreds of thousands of years.

And, then, finally you have hearing. So, hearing could be hearing the ocean waves crash. Not all of my experiences are on the beach, but some of them are. Some of them offer surf lessons for people who are more of the active traveler. So, you're hearing the sounds of waves crashing in the ocean. So, even though you may think, "Oh, my gosh. You're touching history. That's kind of out there." But, that's the fun of it, right? So, we're really exploring these different places, and we're putting our imagination into things. We're kind of being playful with this idea of enlightening the five senses because it brings a different aspect into peoples' traveling, and it brings more mindfulness into it.

John: Fire Nation, what I love about this entire conversation that Kaylee and I are having is that she executed on exactly what I preach day in and day out on entrepreneurs on fire. Now, what does she have? She has passion. She has excitement. She has curiosity for travel, for Mexico, for experiences, for all this stuff. But, guess what? She also has experience, and knowledge, and skills in these areas, as well. I mean, she grew up there. She's traveled a lot. She's experienced all of these things. She married those together, and she's created this business, Gusto Travels.

Now, she is living and breathing her passion, her joy, her expertise, her skills, her knowledge. But, let's be frank, Kaylee: There's still fear. There are thrills –

Kaylee: Absolutely.

John: – but, there's still these anxiety, stressful moments. So, talk about both. Give us your biggest fear that you have, being a entrepreneur, as well as your biggest thrill.

Kaylee: My biggest fear – as lame for people as it might sound because it's actually not the fear of failure, but for me, it's the fear of what others will think, right? So, in North America, and the United States, and in Canada, for example, a traditional – and, I'm putting air quotes in, even though you can't see them – the "traditional" way of life is still, to this day, is you go to high school, you go to college, you get a degree. You graduate. You immediately dive into a Monday through Friday – a 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. job. You come home. You make dinner, or you go get takeout. You go get in and out. You heat up your frozen thing. And, that's just the way your life is. Then, you retire at God knows what age. And, that's it.

John: And, one thing – I'll jump into that real quick before you continue – is a lot of times, people – especially people who listen to this show – I mean, you have the best intentions. "Hey, I'll work from 22 to 30. I'll bust my butt. I'll get rid of my college debt. I'll do all the things I'll need to do. Then, at 30, I'll start doing what I want to do, and I'll be young enough to enjoy it all." But, then, guess what? Thirty comes. Maybe you're married. Maybe you have a mortgage. Maybe you have a car.

Now, you have a whole different kind of debt, and whole different kinds of obligations, and guess what? You're in this endless cycle of waking up at 65, and being like, "Well, now I can retire, maybe." Maybe, at 70, but what does that look like exactly? I'm not going to be surfing with Kaylee in Mexico, at 70, unfortunately," – for most people. So, that's where I wanted to jump in, and talk about that cycle because, Kaylee, you're talking to Fire Nation. They may be in that scenario that I was in, in my late 20s, for sure. But, they're looking to break out. So, keep going. You got this.

Kaylee: No, absolutely. And, I've been there, as well. You know, even though I've worked primarily in tourism before, I've worked five days a week, and I've had a certain set schedule that I've stuck to for a year, or two years – things like that. And, I enjoyed it at the time, but the main thing is becoming passionate about something. So, me going to a hotel, and managing the front desk, and managing the concierge – yes, it was fun because I was meeting new people, and I had an amazing team, but that's not what drives me to get in my car, and drive to work every day. That's not something that I look forward to every day, and something that I feel like I was not put on this earth to do.

So, I think a lot of that fear comes from – as I was saying – what other people think. Because, when I first started even coming out with this idea, saying, "You know what? I think I'm going to start a travel business, and I'm going to..." Luckily, I have parents who are both entrepreneurs, so they've always told me, "This is how you have the perfect job: You find what you're good at, how you can make money of it, and then you put it together, and that's what you do." So, I kept thinking – And, it was a years, and years, and years long process. I started, probably, thinking about this when I first got a life coach, when I was 22, or 23 years old, writing little business plans, and things like that.

John: And, these, Fire Nation, are the steps that you take. So, keep taking us through those steps that you took to get Gusto Mexico started, but don't forget, we still want to talk about the biggest thrill.

Kaylee: Yes, absolutely. So, the biggest thing is – and, when I started doing work with my coach, she had me figure out: What are my passions? So, that's travel; that's group travel; that's guiding people; teaching people something new. But, it was really funneling it down, right? So, I originally had this big plan to host all of these small group trips in Bali and Costa Rica, and Nicaragua, and Australia, and Mexico. I was all over the place. And, she kept saying, "Okay. Let's funnel that down. Funnel that down. That seems a little outrageous," – at the time. Which, now, looking back, I'm like, "Yeah, that's very true."

And, I just kept having to funnel down that idea. But, when I started to think about this, even when I said, "Okay, one of the main things that I'm missing, from my personal knowledge, in order for me to run a successful international travel business is working more internationally." So, when I was 24, I quit my job. I moved to Argentina. I barely could even point to Argentina on a map. I still wasn't that good at Spanish. I had no clue what I was doing. I knew no one there. So, starting off at that point, even though I knew it was going to help me in my direction to eventually start this business, people thought I was crazy.

They thought, "Oh, my gosh. You're leaving a job. You love California. What are you doing? You're going to be far away from your family." So, that fear of people wondering what I'm doing, or thinking that I'm absolutely crazy following my dreams, or learning something new, or dedicating myself to something different has always stuck with me. And, that even held true when I moved, and worked in Nicaragua. I spent some time in El Salvador, and then eventually coming up to Mexico.

I've had a lot of people who have not been on my side, which at one end, it's like, "Oh, that sucks. These people aren't supporting you." But, on the other end, you're really weeding out a lot of people who don't support you. You don't want those people in your life. You don't need them to be whispering things in the back of your head.

John: Let's be honest, Kaylee: Not everybody can be in your life. There is only so much time, and so much energy that we are going to be able to put into this world, into our business, and our friendships. You're the average, Fire Nation, of the five people you spend the most time with. So, I mean, choose your five wisely. So, keep going through that process.

Kaylee: Yes. Absolutely. So, basically, just allowing myself to come full-circle. I hate using that term again, but I really did because I spent so much time in Mexico. I literally traveled and lived all throughout Latin America before ended up back in Mexico once again. I quit the job that I was working in, helping to manage a huge surf school, and adventure school, down here in Puerto Vallarta.

And, I spent, probably, two or three months back at home, where I sat down, and I said, "Okay. I've learned everything that I feel like I've needed to learn for this journey. I have done everything that I have wanted to do. I have all of the things that I feel like I need to start this business, and now I'm going to carve out this time," – which, for me, like I said, was two to three months for me to really dedicate, and stay on it. So, the amount of beers that I drank with my brother [inaudible] [00:24:00] ideas, and tag lines, and what the website was going to look like is a very large number, but really taking that time – And, I understand not everybody has the opportunity, or the means, to take that much time off of a full-time job that they might have right now.

I am very fortunate, and I think I'm very grateful every single day for the opportunities that I've had. But, even if you have a full-time job, and you carve out an hour every afternoon, and you say, "Okay." Or, you carve out three hours on the weekend, and you say, "In these three hours, I am going to dedicate all of my energy, and all of my thoughts into my project, and into my passion." It's going to come true. Little by little, everybody has a different process. For me, this whole process has taken seven years.

John: Wow.

Kaylee: Right? So, you don't think – And, that was literally from the moment that I even had the idea planted in my mind that I wanted to start a travel business to today, which is where I have the travel business. I'm successful. I run multiple trips a year, and things like that. And, it's a long process for people. Some people think that, "Oh, in one year, I want to be this." And, it doesn't happen, so they get discouraged with themselves, and then they stop. But, that's not how it works. You have to be truly passionate about what you're doing, and you have to have that drive to keep going, and to keep going.

John: Well, speaking of that, Kaylee, let's talk about your most thrilling moments to date. Take us to that moment where you're just like, "Wow. This is exactly what I was hoping, or picturing, when I launched this business." And, then, also share with us what exactly you are going to use to measure success for you, and Gusto Mexico.

Kaylee: I think after I co-hosted my first retreat. I actually co-hosted it down in Sayulita, Mexico, which is just a little bit north of Puerto Vallarta. It was the last night that everyone was there. We hosted an eight-day trip. We had 17 people join us, and on the very last day, it seemed so chaotic during the trip because we had to make sure that these people were okay. "Did these people come home last night? This person wants to do this." So, spreading yourself really thin because people think that I'm on vacation for this time, when, actually, it's a lot of work. But, that night, we went to this pizza place that's in the north side of town, and it's probably the best pizza that I've had anywhere in the entire world.

And, we were sitting around the fire, and we were going around – People were breaking off into random conversations, and one person immediately stops everyone at the table, and says, "Can we all just take a minute to thank Kaylee, and Alex..." – who was my partner at that time... "– To thank Kaylee, and Alex, for putting together this amazing experience for us?" And, everybody burst out into thank you, rounds of applause. Everybody then went around the table and thanked us for something. They gave us a highlight of their experience. And, I thought, "Wholly crap, this is real. This is happening. And, these people are thankful for something that I've done." How cool is that?

John: I mean, Fire Nation, that's what we, as entrepreneurs, live for. That is our oxygen. That's why when I get an email that's like, "You know, John, I'm sure you get thousands of these..." – Which, I unfortunately don't. But, they say that, and then they go on to say something kind. I'm like, "Thank you so much." Like, that is exactly why I keep working so hard because that's my oxygen. Like, that is my fuel. And, just one sentence, Kaylee, I'm going to challenge you. One sentence: How would you measure success in your business?

Kaylee: Waking up with gratitude every single day.

John: Fire Nation, I love gratitude. I started the Freedom Journal, and the Mastery Journal – your first entry every, single day. And, one of those is: I am grateful for... Because, if you start the day with gratitude, man, you are starting the day on the right note. And, Kaylee, of everything that we've talked about, give us the biggest takeaway that you want to make sure Fire Nation gets from all of our chats, and how can we connect with you, and Gusto Mexico, and any gift or call to action that you have for us. Share it now.

Kaylee: I think one of the main things that I would like to share with the Fire Nation is to always show up. So, even if you have three followers on your Instagram; even if you host an event, and three people come, and two of them are your parents, it always means showing up. Because, those three followers, or those certain people who show up to your events, or put a like on your post, or who reach out to you, or sign up to your newsletter – those are your people. So, showing up for them; writing blog posts for them; putting out products for them. It is so important because at least those people are going to appreciate what you're doing. So, you can connect with me. My website is www.gustomexico.com. That's G-U-S-T-O Mexico dot com. I'm also on Instagram, which is at gusto.mexico. I post a lot of fun blogs, helpful tips from traveling to Mexico, and then, on my website, is when you can see all of the upcoming trips that I have planned for everyone.

John: Whoa, Fire Nation, let me know if you take any Gusto Mexico trips. I want pictures. I want stories. And, Fire Nation, you know this: You're the average of the five people you spend the most time with. And, hello, you've been hanging out with KB, and JD today, so keep up the heat. And, if you head over to eofire.com, and just type: Kaylee – K-A-Y-L-E-E – in the search bar, her show news page will pop right up with everything we chatted about today – links, timestamps galore – you name it. And, make sure you take her call to action. Check out Gusto Mexico on Instagram. That's gusto.mexico. Check them out on Instagram. And, one more time, Kaylee? What is that url?

Kaylee: gustomexico.com.

John: gustomexico.com, Fire Nation. Check it out. This is going to be an experience, and a trip, potentially, of a lifetime for you. And, Kaylee, thank you for sharing your truth, your knowledge, your value with Fire Nation today. For that, we salute you. And, we'll catch you on the flip-side.

Kaylee: It's been a pleasure, John:. Thank you so much, once again, for having me.