Episode #218: Bridging the Gap Between Travel and Wellness, Prioritizing Black Mental Health, and Founding Flex-n-Fly with Youmie Jean Francois

Episode Summary

Youmie Jean Francois joins Matt in-person for this conversation in Dakar, Senegal.  They start talking about their time together in Dakar and what they love about Senegal.  Then, they discuss the “Stylish Minimalist Packing” workshop that they co-facilitated for other world travelers on the Remote Year program and give tips on how to travel the world with carry-on luggage only.  Next, Youmie talks about her experience growing up in Haiti and moving to New York City at age 6.  She reflects on coming up in the Bronx during the golden era of hip hop, becoming a professional dancer, and then eventually leaving the industry, becoming a location-independent entrepreneur, and starting to travel the world.  Youmie tells the story of her first solo trip to Montreal, reflects on how she fell in love with world travel, and explains why she now loves Colombia so much.  She then opens up about her own journey with mental health and wellness, and explains why it is such a central part of her life, her business, and her personal values.  She shares advice on travel wellness for nomads, gives specific tips for entrepreneurs, and talks about the overall importance of prioritizing Black mental health and wellness.  Youmie then shares her entrepreneurial journey founding Flex-n-Fly to bridge the gap between travel and wellness, talks about her products, The Flex|Bag and The Flex|Mat, and also shares resources on how to patronize more Black-owned businesses.  Finally, she reflects on what travel means to her.  FULL SHOW NOTES AVAILABLE AT www.TheMaverickShow.com

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Youmie Jean Francois

Youmie Jean Francois is a location independent business owner, Corporate wellness consultant, transformational speaker, and the Founder and CEO of Flex-n-Fly—a travel wellness company that provides stretching, yoga, and relaxation classes to travelers before they board their flights at airports.  Youmie also created and designed Flex-n-Fly’s best-selling minimalist travel products, The Flex|Bag and The Flex|Mats. Originally from Haiti, she grew up primarily in New York City, and has now run her business completely remotely while traveling the world for the past 5 years.  She speaks 4 languages and she travels the world with carry-on luggage only without sacrificing fashion and style.

What You'll Learn
  • Wellness Tips For Nomads, Entrepreneurs, and Prioritizing Black Mental Health
  • How Youmie Founded FlexNFly to Bridge the Gap Between Travel and Wellness
  • Resources for Patronizing More Black-Owned Businesses
Links From the Episode

Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. If you click through any links and make a purchase, you should assume that Maverick will receive financial compensation (at no additional cost to you). We greatly appreciate you using our affiliate links because it helps to support the show and cover production costs of the podcast.

LEARN ABOUT REMOTE YEAR PROGRAMS SO YOU CAN TRAVEL THE WORLD WITH OTHER REMOTE PROFESSIONALS (Get $100 Credit for Your First Remote Year Program)

 SHOP FOR YOUMIE’S STYLISH ANTI-THEFT “FLEX|BAGS” HERE

WATCH MATT’S “STYLISH MINIMALIST PACKING” TRAINING VIDEO:

LISTEN TO CHRISTINE JOB’S “FLOURISH IN THE FOREIGN” PODCAST

OTHER TRAVEL APPAREL YOUMIE USES AND RECOMMENDS:

RESOURCES FOR PATRONIZING BLACK-OWNED AND WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESSES

TOP 3 BOOKS THAT YOUMIE RECOMMENDS

LOCATION WHERE THE INTERVIEW TOOK PLACE

YOUMIE’S TOP 4 TRAVEL DESTINATIONS

YOUMIE’S TOP 3 BUCKETLST DESTINATIONS

YOUMIE’S TOP 5 HIPHOP EMCEES

YOUMIE’S TOP 5 FAVORITE AFROBEAT ARTISTS

R&B and POP ARTISTS MENTIONED

OTHER PEOPLE MENTIONED:

OTHER PLACES MENTIONED

CONTACT AND FOLLOW YOUMIE

Time Stamped Show Notes

**Click the time stamp to jump directly to that point in the episode.

[2:17] Matt and Youmie talk about Dakar, Senegal

[6:00] Stylish Minimalist Packing

[11:44] Growing Up in Haiti and Moving to New York City

[14:08] Hip Hop Culture in the Bronx in the 1990s

[16:12] Becoming a Professional Dancer

[22:20] Falling in Love with Travel

[26:44] What Youmie Loves About Colombia

[30:15] Shout Out to the “Flourish in the Foreign” Podcast with Christine Job

[31:22] Youmie’s Wellness and Mental Health Journey

[35:08] Travel Wellness Tips for Digital Nomads

[39:20] Prioritizing Black Mental Health and Wellness

[46:19] Founding Flex-n-Fly to Bridge Wellness and Travel

[49:58] Developing the Flex|Bag and the Flex|Mat

[52:37] Entrepreneurial Advice and Lessons from Building Flex-n-Fly

[55:28] Mental Health for Entrepreneurs

[59:32] How to Buy More from Black-Owned Businesses

[1:03:31] What Travel Means to Youmie

[1:05:04] The Lightning Round

[1:12:43] Follow and Contact Youmie