Vietnam - The Power of Forgiveness

Tho - a Vietnamese tour guide for international companies for over 20 years, as well as a hotel and restaurant manager - has made hospitality his life's work. His personal warmth, humor, and thoughtfulness, partnered with his love for his country and experience sharing it, make any journey that he curates a memorable one.

Born 50 years ago in a small town outside of Hanoi, Tho always dreamed of traveling, which inspired him to initially study to be a seafarer. Later, he realized his true passion was tourism and enrolled in hospitality school in 1999. Throughout his experience, he's learned that "life is not just about physical achievements; it's about harmonizing our physical existence with our inner selves. My goal is to inspire others to prioritize their physical, spiritual and emotional well-being."

He has a lovely family, including his wife Hương and their two sons: Vinh, who is 21 and studying architecture, and their 10 year old son, who is in primary school. 

Tho is excited to share his love for Vietnam - a country rich in contrasts, history, and warm hospitality! He creates meaningful experiences that go beyond sightseeing, helping travelers immerse themselves in beautiful culture.

Millie is a mother, lover of nature, gardener, yoga practitioner, and mindfulness meditation teacher. She has been meditating for 30 years, first learning Transcendental meditation and gradually felt a sense of calm, clarity, and ease in her daily life. During the next 23 years, Millie attended many retreats and workshops on different forms of meditation, and in 2012 she started focusing more on Insight/Vipassana.

A graduate of the 2-year Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program at the University of California Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center, Millie has also received intensive training from the Awareness Training Institute  Her core teachers are Jack Kornfield, Tara Brach, and Rick Hanson, although she draws on the great knowledge of many other teachers today - Jon Kabat-Zinn, Sharon Salzberg, Kristin Neff, Joseph Goldstein, and Dr. Daniel Siegel. Millie has had training in Mindfulness Cognitive Based Therapy and Interpersonal Neurobiology.

A firm believer that the practice of mindfulness has the potential to bring about a more peaceful coexistence in our world today, Millie has seen meditation open the way to a better knowing of our true nature and create a foundation for thriving throughout life with all its many challenges and beauty. 

Awake, Aware, and Alive!

Marianne is a retired elementary teacher, high school college counselor and willing volunteer. She is a wife and a mother to two adult daughters and a son. She is also a devoted “Mimi” to four grandchildren ages 6, 4, 3 and 2. She and husband Greg followed their adult children to Colorado in 2012 after spending over three decades in Southern California. They love the natural beauty of Colorado and the seemingly endless opportunities to hike, bike and explore outdoors.

Marianne’s passion for travel began at an early age with yearly family trips. Later with her own family, she planned summer vacations to Hawaii, to Europe and to a guest ranch in Arizona. Winter family vacations were focused on skiing. 

She and Greg have traveled the world extensively since retiring and enjoy adding new countries to their growing list of “places visited”. Marianne loves learning about new cultures, meeting new people and discovering what she has in common with others, including her fellow travelers. She loves to share her adventures with friends and encourage them to explore the world. Travel provides Marianne continuing education about the customs, food, history, politics and creativity of others while continuously discovering new things about herself.

Jen loves celebrating and encouraging the beauty she sees in others. She's a gatherer and builder who naturally nurtures community and hosts safe environments for meaningful connection. She believes in our inherent wholeness and need for ongoing discovery, growth and relevance.

After pursuing careers in dance and design, Jennifer recognized that she thrives most nurturing people. She spent almost two decades developing and facilitating programmed trips and events for youth and families, including helping develop a national servant leadership program for teens as director during several of its formative years. As dean of girls at a midwestern boarding school, Jen heard a calling to nurture the kind of sisterhood that defies current cultural stereotypes and expectations. Honest Heart Journeys was conceived during long conversations about strong, gracious womanhood with a sister friend during COVID lockdowns. Jen loves exploring timeless women’s topics in her blogs and on her Honest Heart Podcast hosted on Spotify. 

Travel has always been a passion of hers, and she’s seen firsthand the powerful impact of intentional experiences facilitated within correlative environments and universal themes found in literature. Thus, the birth of Honest Heart Journeys!Wherever Jen's gone, her 'sisters' -- wonderful women with whom she’s built teams, programs, and deep friendships – have been steady, supportive companions. This kind of quality sisterhood is woven through the HHJ experience. It encourages others to give time to nurture their spiritual hearts and gently holds them accountable to seeing and living their fullness, which of course blesses others. 

Jen lives in Colorado and Florida with her husband, Bill, and is mother to three beautiful adult children who have blessed her with the new role of "Nani."