Meet Lea Gober | Minimalist Coach & Traveler

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lea Gober and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lea, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
A Minimalist Traveler helps the community by showing women, particularly women of color, how living a minimalist lifestyle can help you find passion and adventure through travel. The goal is to show women how living intentionally will take you farther. You don’t need to be rich, have a certain career, or image to live a life filled with experiences. In fact, through the practice of minimalism you get to identify what truly matters. You learn to say no to what does not align and move you towards your goals. This aids women that may be feeling overwhelmed, uninspired or simply looking for a change. For me, becoming a minimalist helped me towards my travel goals. Through living a minimalist lifestyle I have been able to travel multiple times a year while fully employed to taking a 1 year sabbatical to live in Spain. Right now more than ever, women need the opportunity to explore and see what the world has to offer outside the confines of America. It’s a big world out there and we can create the circumstances which allow us to experience it. It’s what we need right now!

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?

Sure, the mission of A Minimalist Traveler is to show women how they can get more travel in their lives by living minimally. There are many different ways to travel and how you travel should be a reflection of who you are. That’s what sets my business apart. I met you where you are, who you are now and guide you on identifying where you want to go. I coach women on their minimalist journey with consultations, private 4 weeks programs and an E-book set to be released this month. My goal is to provide a range of resources for women to start their journey of travel and living with intention. In fact, my experience comes from doing this journey myself.

In January 2020 I quit my job, left NYC after 10 years and moved to Barcelona, Spain. It was during this time off I was able to reflect and identify what I really wanted for career and life. I knew I wanted to show other women of color that were going through the same burnout and exhaustion that taking time for yourself to explore hobbies and travel is necessary.

Through my business I teach women about minimalism past the knowledge of design. They learn about minimalism and how this practice can improve their lives from travel to reclaiming their time. Through the different approaches I offer we collaborate to find what works for you from defining your minimalist style and decluttering to finances and travel. The end goal is to learn how to eliminate anything that inhibits you from living the life you want. So, if you’re looking to make a change, try something new, or just simply rest I help get you there. I get no better feeling than seeing women say no to what’s holding them back and experiencing the world on their terms.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

Barcelona is a great place to live! Where else can you get amazing weather, food and community all in one place? My favorite neighborhood is El Born. Situated in the old city district of Barcelona it has tons of restaurants, bars and museums to explore. I highly recommend Casa Lola for lunch. It’s an elevated tapas restaurant known for their sangria, which is a must have. After, take a walk over to the Picasso Museum to view works of the Spanish artist Pablo Picasso. Then finish off the evening with cocktails at Dux Gins & Cocktails, a craft cocktail bar with great vibes and live music.

You can’t experience Barcelona without wandering the narrow streets of El Born to do some shopping. Pop into Blended Concept Store, a black woman owned boutique that offers curated clothing and accessories from local designers. Plus they recently added home goods to their product offering. For dinner get yourself some ramen from Koku Kitchen Ramen & Gyoza Bar which is some of the best ramen I’ve had outside of NY. Complete the night with drinks and music at Mr. Robinsons where the DJ spins everything from Latin Pop to Afro Beats.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I have been incredibly blessed to have some amazing women in my corner from education and personal development to business. I would have to dedicate my shoutout to my mentor Camisha Ables-James. She has been my mentor since elementary school and still continues to provide guidance and direction to me as an adult. From the time I was 11-years-old she has assisted me with my education, helping me to apply to college to guiding me through adulthood from career and love life. She has done this all while starting her own family and becoming an educator in the public school system. She has helped countless young adults in the DC area individually and through College Bound where she was a mentor and site coordinator for many years. College Bound is a Washington, D.C. based non-profit organization that offers public school students mentorship and resources to prepare them for college. Since the time I’ve met Camisha at College Bound to today, she continues to be a source of knowledge, love and support to myself and the student community around Washington,DC.

Website: https://www.aminimalisttraveler.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/a.minimalist.traveler/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lea-gober/