You'll never know if you can do it until you do it.
— Kerry Damiano, Ms. World Traveler
What if confidence isn't something you need before taking a chance, but something you discover because you took it? Kerry Damiano, better known as Ms. World Traveler, joins The Audacious Living Podcast to explore how solo adventures, faith, independence and the courage to try something new can transform the way we experience life.
Episode Summary
Imagine visiting 146 countries, exploring unfamiliar cultures, navigating unexpected challenges and discovering that the greatest journey isn't necessarily the one that takes you around the world. It's the one that helps you discover what you're capable of.
For Kerry Damiano, known as Ms. World Traveler, travelling has become much more than a passion. It's a lifelong education in confidence, gratitude, independence and personal growth. What began with family trips during childhood eventually developed into decades of solo adventures and a platform dedicated to inspiring women to explore the world on their own terms.
In this conversation with Audley Stephenson, Kerry shares how travelling alone helped her become more confident, why she believes faith plays an important role in navigating uncertainty, and how learning to embrace unexpected circumstances has changed her perspective on life.
She also opens up about finding contentment as a single woman, becoming increasingly comfortable with herself as she gets older, and discovering the value of slowing down to experience a destination rather than simply checking it off a list.
From spending an unexpected night on an airport floor in South Korea to encouraging first-time solo travellers to begin with a simple overnight hotel stay, Kerry offers a practical reminder that personal growth doesn't require a dramatic leap. Sometimes it begins with one manageable decision.
Ultimately, this conversation is about more than seeing the world. It's about trusting yourself, appreciating what you have, and refusing to let fear decide how fully you live.
Key Takeaways
Courage creates opportunities for confidence. You don't have to feel completely prepared before trying something unfamiliar. Kerry explains how each independent travel experience strengthened her belief in her own abilities, making the next challenge easier to approach.
Start small, but actually start. Meaningful growth doesn't require an enormous first step. Kerry suggests that someone nervous about travelling alone could begin with a night at a nearby hotel, progress to a weekend away, and gradually develop the skills and confidence needed for bigger adventures.
Contentment doesn't mean abandoning possibility. Kerry speaks openly about how her life unfolded differently from the marriage and family plans she imagined when she was younger. Rather than allowing those expectations to define her happiness, she has learned to appreciate her independence while remaining open to whatever life brings.
Perspective changes how we experience everyday life. Exposure to different cultures and living conditions has deepened Kerry's gratitude for things that are easy to overlook. She also emphasizes that unexpected setbacks become easier to navigate when we respond calmly, adjust our plans and accept what we cannot control.
Meet the Guest
Kerry Damiano is the creator and host of Ms. World Traveler, a travel and lifestyle platform celebrating exploration, culture, fashion, design and the freedom to experience the world independently.
Having visited 146 countries at the time of this conversation, Kerry draws on more than four decades of international travel to encourage women to overcome fear, embrace new experiences and discover greater confidence through adventure.
Beyond travel, Kerry has spent more than 40 years involved in the pageant industry as a coach, judge and mentor. Her work with young women reflects a longstanding commitment to helping others develop confidence and recognize their potential.
Faith is also central to Kerry's life and her understanding of purpose, patience and personal growth. Through Ms. World Traveler, she combines her interests in travel, shopping and local entrepreneurship while encouraging audiences to experience unfamiliar places and support the people and businesses they discover along the way.
Audacious Insight
Confidence Is the Reward, Not the Requirement
Confidence is often the result of action, not the condition that makes action possible.
We often imagine that confident people are somehow immune to fear or uncertainty. But confidence isn't necessarily something we possess before stepping into unfamiliar territory. It's something we develop through experience.
Kerry's travels illustrate this beautifully. Every new destination, unfamiliar situation and unexpected challenge gave her another opportunity to discover what she could handle. The more she experienced, the more she learned to trust herself.
And that lesson extends far beyond travel.
Whether it's pursuing a career opportunity, speaking up in a meeting, starting a business or trying something for the first time, waiting until we feel completely ready can become the very thing that keeps us standing still.
Audacity in Action
Think about something you've been postponing because you don't feel confident enough to begin.
Instead of focusing on the entire challenge, identify one small action you can take right now.
Make the phone call. Start the conversation. Sign up for the class. Book the experience.
You don't need to know how everything will unfold.
Sometimes the most important thing you can do is give yourself the opportunity to discover what you're capable of.
Audley's Personal Insight
One of the things that really resonated with me during my conversation with Kerry was the relationship between courage and confidence. We sometimes convince ourselves that we need to feel confident before taking action, when the reality is that confidence often comes from having the courage to try in the first place.
I also appreciated our conversation about perspective. I've always enjoyed travelling because it exposes us to different cultures, different ways of living and experiences that challenge how we see the world. Kerry reminded me that those experiences can also deepen our appreciation for the things we already have.
And perhaps that's what being audacious is really about. Not having every answer or knowing exactly how things will turn out, but being willing to take that first step, learn from the experience and keep becoming better than yesterday.
Best Point of Contact
Kerry Damiano official website (kerrydamiano.com)
YouTube: Ms. World Traveler
Instagram: @kerrymsworldtraveler
https://www.youtube.com/@ms.worldtraveler5897
https://www.instagram.com/kerrymsworldtraveler
The home of Ms. World Traveler, with links to her YouTube channel, Instagram, and Facebook. Her YouTube channel, Ms. World Traveler, is where she shares her travel, style, and shopping adventures. Her Instagram, @kerrymsworldtraveler, follows her journeys around the world.
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