Meet Mercedes Hickman | License Clinical Social Worker & Travel Agent

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

Hi Mercedes, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
I remember getting my first job at 15 years old while still in high school and playing sports. Then something shifted in me at 16 years old and I picked up a second job to add to all the other responsibilities. From that day forward that became my life: school, work, work, sports, repeat. This continued until I completed my masters degree program, then it just became work, work, and more work. Honestly, it was not until the beginning of the pandemic that I realized I needed to develop a work life balance (I think it was being over 30 that I realized I just couldn’t keep up with lack of balance like I could in my teenage years). Since resigning from my part time job, I now only focus on my full time job and my travel agency business. I create balance by saying no, establishing and committing to daily tasks, and sticking to my set schedules for those tasks. Wellness is now a priority for me, when it wasn’t before. As a business owner and still working full time, it’s imperative that I schedule complete off days. During those days off, I submerge myself in self care activities only. As someone who was solely focused on work, I didn’t realize how impactful working was on my health. To help add a little balance to my life, I purchased a little yorkie named Rocko at the beginning of the pandemic.  My initial thought when I bought Rocko was “he’s so cute, I just want him.”  I didn’t realize how much having him around would help me mentally and physically.  Rocko is exactly who I needed in my life as having him around has helped with my anxiety and he’s pretty active which forces me to be active as well.  Having him actually led me to hiking.  Finding new trails around the state of Georgia has been quite the adventure.  Now that I know better, I think balance is important to our physical, mental, and emotional health (Yes, I am a therapist who believes in therapy, but that’s another interview topic for a different day, LOL).

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Mellow Escapes, LLC is a travel agency business that specializes in Caribbean Islands, Mexico, and All-Inclusive vacations. There are a great deal of travel agents in the world, however, I believe what sets me apart from other agents is truly having my clients financial budget in mind. A lot of travel agents implement agent fees in their packaging that often times increases the price of their travel packages offered. My goal is to organize a stress free, budget friendly escape for my clients as they create memories with their loved ones. I became a travel advisor in 2017 under my personal travel agent at the time (she’s now a great mentor/friend). At the end of 2020 my mentor decided that she was ready to pursue other business ventures and was stepping away from travel. At the time, I was thinking of stepping away myself due to the effect that the pandemic had on the travel business, but she pushed me to keep going. This is how Mellow Escapes, LLC was developed in 2021. The transition to my own travel business was rather easy as I was able to transfer all of my clients over and my mentor referred a lot of her clients to me. To be in business for almost two years, Mellow Escapes is doing better than I could have expected, especially given the climate of the country with the pandemic and inflation. We are living in a day and time where social media rules the world. The hardest lesson I am learning is keeping up with social media as I try to promote my business. Ring lights, reels, Tik Tok transitions, going live, etc. all of these things I find to be difficult. I’m from the era where Facebook required a college email address and posting pictures and not expecting likes was a thing, LOL. There are plenty more lessons that I will learn as I continue to grow in my business and I’m extremely excited about them. As Mellow Escapes continues to grow, I eventually want to venture into specializing in other destinations such as Japan and Singapore (my bucket list destinations). I am also a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a heart of gold. Giving back is something that I enjoy doing. So one thing I would like the world to know about me is that I incorporate travel and paying it forward into one. This year Mellow Escapes donated to two schools. In the past I’ve donated to schools in the destinations that I’ve visited and in 2023 this is something that I will resume.

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?

If my best friend were visiting Atlanta, GA for a week we would engage in several activities.

Day 1: Relaxing & cooking dinner at home (my best friends reside out of town and traveling to each other is a little exhausting)
Day 2: Shopping, not your normal clothes shopping, but Home Goods, At Home, and any other home store around the city. Dinner and live music at The Reserve (located in Conyers)
Day 3: Rosie’s Cafe for a late breakfast/brunch & Siva’s Hookah Lounge for a little night time fun
Day 4: Hiking at Vickery Creek Falls & Chateau Elan for dinner and wine tasting
Day 5: Full day adventure in the city: BQE and other restaurants/bars on Edgewood, Rock Steady & Slush ATL for nightlife
Day 6: JeJu Wellness Spa to partake in all their wellness activities
Day 7: Brunch at Toast On Lenox before departure

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?
Whew! I can honestly say that I have been blessed with a wonderful support system. I will refrain from naming specific people as I do not want to leave anyone out. So, shout out to all of my family, friends, and mentor who continuously support me through all of my endeavors, you all are greatly appreciated.

Website: https://www.mellowescapes.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mellowescapesllc/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mellowescapes