From Family Adventures to Working in Paradise
My 3-Week Thailand Workation
“The World Game accepts that the world is full of challenges, cracks, and flaws and, rather than focusing on the problems, calls for society to rise to the challenge and embrace the journey for solutions.
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You know this feeling when you have anticipated something for so long, when the moment has arrived, you’re feeling like a deja vu?
I had the chance to spend three weeks in Khao Lak, close to Phuket in Thailand.
There was two parts to this trip, one was family vacation and the second part was a training and a global conference organized by Erickson Coaching International.
Family Adventures:
The vision behind this trip was for a family to have our first long courier trip together, one that would immerse us in a different culture, climate, and environment.
Thailand had a special place in my heart as it’s the country that previously inspired my entrepreneurial journey as a digital nomad.
We were blown away by the hospitality of the Thai people and enjoyed exciting excursions like the elephant sanctuary, long-tail boat rides, and even a local arts and crafts beach party. One of the highlights each day was to watch the sunset on the beach together.
Professional Development:
The second half of the trip focused on my professional growth. As the culmination of four years with Erickson Coaching International, I participated in The World Game 2024 and received training from the founder, Marilyn Atkison, on becoming a transformative trainer.
Pioneered by Erickson Coaching International, The World Game 2024 (Khao Lak) empowers individuals to prioritize their personal and professional development, both for themselves and for the greater good of humanity. The onsite conference allows for coaches across countries and continents to connect and address individual, societal, environmental, and global challenges.
As part of this, we started a project with 8 other coaches, called RISE. I will share more on this as our project develops and becomes more tangible.
RISE team @The World Game 2024 - Erickson Coaching International
A particularly impactful moment was meeting Shaune Stenning, founder of Living Waters Phuket Foundation (LWPF).
What began as a small family initiative blossomed into the single largest food relief effort during the COVID-19 pandemic. Over two years, volunteers packed and distributed a staggering 2 million "life bags" with essential goods, feeding the people of Phuket and expanding to the whole country.
When the host asked about his "why," Shaun shared a story about him and his son that resonated deeply with me and left a profound impact. Even when I retold the story to my husband later, I teared up again.
My biggest takeaway from Shaun’s speech was that you don’t have to have everything figured out and have a plan (Shaun started in his home with his wife and son), just start where you are, with what you have, help that one person.
Shaun shared that he disliked public speaking, being visible, appearing on TV, and being interviewed. However, he recognized these were necessary steps to scale his foundation and meet people's needs.
This resonated with me, as an introvert who's also highly uncomfortable holding a microphone or being onstage. As business owners, we all wear many hats. There are tasks we dislike, but doing them is essential (and the cost of neglecting them outweighs the discomfort of doing them). So let's roll up our sleeves!
Young volunteer from Sustainable Mai Khao Foundation
Photo credit: Sittidech Mahapo
We had the opportunity to visit the Sustainable Mai Khao Foundation. Founded by Michelle Mouillé, the organization began as a beach cleaning project to engage the entire Mai Khao community and due to the overwhelming amount of trash, quickly expanded their scope to partnering with other organizations to ensure collected rubbish is effectively recycled or reused, giving it a new lease on life and diverting it from landfills.
I was shocked to learn that since 2020, they had collected 22 tones of waste; 8 of which as recycled, and 12 of which were not recyclable, meaning it was incinerated or ended in landfills.
A strange synchronicity: As Michelle presented different types of trash they usually collect, she showed us a Styrofoam cup noodle from Indonesia that the currents kept bringing to their shores. It turned out the former CEO of the company was among us as part of the World Game!
We cleaned the beach together and sorted the 87 kg of trash collected, in buckets and bags. A group of local volunteers were with us on that day (one of which was as young as 4) to welcome us and help us (volunteers in black T-shirt on the photo).
Can you find me in the photo?
Photo credit: Sittidech Mahapo
It was very insightful to clean the beach as you can't simply look away and escape the reality of how much waste we produce and accumulate. I can’t criticize other people who dug a hole in the sand to burry their lunch trash when I’m buying clothes that will end up polluting landfills. This was a big wake-up call for me.
Learning from the master
I took the 4-day training with Erickson’s founder, Marilyn Atkinson, the Arts & Sciences of Transformational Training.
Marilyn embodied transformational training perfectly, blending interactive learning, demos, storytelling, practice time with peers. I felt that my mind was expanding and stretching in so many ways, I was blown away.
Photo credit: Sittidech Mahapo
Working with other coaches, receiving constructive feedback during practices, and learning from their experiences broadened my perspective on coaching applications across various fields.
I can already see how this training is going to be pivotal in becoming a better coach and trainer for my clients and students, and I can’t wait to implement what I’ve learned!
Class of The Arts & Science of Transformational Coaching, with Marilyn Atkinson - Founder of Erickson Coaching International
Photo credit: Sittidech Mahapo
Conclusion
During this trip, I have grown as a coach, trainer, and as a global citizen..
We often get caught up in our own lives, local community, and client work, feeling accomplished with a full plate.
Traveling and connecting with diverse coaches from around the world reminded me of the vastness of our world and the importance of a global perspective.
The image of ocean currents carrying waste from Indonesia to the shores of Mai Khao serves as an irrefutable metaphor for our interconnectedness, reminding me of our shared responsibility for societal, environmental, and global challenges
The on-site training overlapped with our family vacation for a few days. I took every lunch break to return to my son, have lunch together, swim a bit, and briefly introduce him to some colleagues. With my husband, we juggled everything smoothly.
Having my family by my side was incredibly meaningful as they could witness my passion for growth and observe me in action, before they returned home.
In the following months, I’ll be reflecting on this question and working with my team, RISE:
How can we, as coaches, address individual, societal, environmental, and global challenges, leveraging our skills-set, while also taking concrete actions locally?
I wanted to share this trip’s reflections as a testament to my desire of leading a purpose and value-driven life and spotlight the wonderful things some people are doing in their corner of the world, inspiring us to rise to the challenge.
The cherry on top: On my last day, I visited my old friend from Beijing, Dalida Turkovic, who moved to Phuket with her partner. She's the coach who introduced me to coaching!
We shared a delicious meal on the beach, and then she graciously took me to the airport. I couldn't have asked for a more magical way to end this transformative journey.
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About Maika
Maika mentors heart-centered, impact-driven entrepreneurs to build the foundations of their business with her signature Intentional Business Building™ method. Her approach is holistic and integrates the entrepreneur mindset, marketing strategies, and systems to help create sustainable changes and long-lasting results. A lifelong passion for the human psyche, healing arts, and personal growth brought her to mentorship and coaching. She’s French-born in Japan and currently lives in Istanbul with her family.
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