🎙️ Travel, Mental Health & Self-Expression

Free To Be Podcast with Dr. Kachi

Welcome back to the Free To Be Podcast — a space dedicated to exploring alternative ways of supporting mental wellbeing beyond traditional medication and counselling.

On this podcast, we speak with people doing exceptional work in the areas of expression, creativity, movement, healing, and self-discovery.

In this episode, Dr. Olutosin Awoyemi is joined by a very special guest: Dr. Kachi — an NHS GP, travel advisor, business coach, mentor, and founder of Travel For Medics.

Together, they explore how travel can become more than just a luxury — but a powerful tool for:

• Mental reset

• Emotional wellbeing

• Self-expression

• Confidence building

• Connection and freedom

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🌍 Meet Dr. Kachi

Dr. Kachi is not only an NHS GP, but also a husband, father of three, worship musician, mentor, entrepreneur, and passionate advocate for helping people experience life beyond burnout.

Alongside medicine, he founded Travel For Medics, a travel business that helps people travel more intentionally and affordably while also creating meaningful community experiences — including men’s wellness retreats and group holidays.

According to Dr. Kachi, one of the keys to wellbeing is variety.

“The monotony of life can lead to boredom and burnout. Variety is the spice of life.”

He explains how having multiple passions — from music to travel to business — creates balance and helps people mentally decompress from the pressures of work and everyday responsibilities.

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✈️ Can Travel Improve Mental Health?

One of the central themes of this conversation is how travel affects emotional wellbeing.

Dr. Kachi explains that travel is more than entertainment:

“Travel is a tool for rejuvenation, relaxation, and refuelling yourself.”

Research has shown that even planning a trip can improve wellbeing. Having something meaningful to look forward to can reduce stress, increase motivation, and improve mood.

He explains that changing your environment stimulates the brain in powerful ways:

• New scenery

• Different conversations

• Exposure to new cultures

• New weather

• Different perspectives

All of these things can refresh the mind and break people out of emotional stagnation.

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🧠 Why Travel Feels So Liberating

Dr. Olutosin introduces a theory that sits at the heart of Free To Be:

As people grow older, many begin to judge themselves constantly:

• “I’m not good enough.”

• “People are watching me.”

• “What will others think?”

This self-criticism suppresses expression and contributes to emotional distress.

Travel, however, creates a unique freedom.

When people travel:

• Nobody knows them

• Nobody expects anything from them

• They feel freer to express themselves

Dr. Kachi beautifully responds:

“Travel doesn’t necessarily change you. It reveals parts of you that life has suppressed.”

Away from routine, labels, and expectations, people often reconnect with forgotten parts of themselves.

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🏖️ Different Types of Travel Serve Different Purposes

The discussion also explores how different forms of travel impact wellbeing in different ways.

Solo Travel

Solo travel can:

• Build confidence

• Encourage deep reflection

• Develop independence

• Create space for personal growth

Dr. Kachi shares the story of a woman who had never travelled alone before. After helping her plan a safe and structured trip, she returned transformed — more confident and empowered.

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Group Travel

Group travel creates:

• Community

• Vulnerability

• Shared experiences

• Emotional connection

Dr. Kachi describes the men’s retreats he organises through Travel For Medics, where men who initially arrive quiet and reserved often become open, expressive, and deeply connected by the end of the trip.

The holidays create safe spaces for:

• Honest conversations

• Business discussions

• Emotional support

• Brotherhood and connection

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Family Travel

Family holidays create lasting emotional memories.

Dr. Kachi explains how his children still remember moments from family trips:

• Playing in the sand

• Swimming together

• Riding camels

• Laughing and exploring together

These shared experiences strengthen family bonds and become lifelong emotional anchors.

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💰 Is Travel Only for Rich People?

A major part of the discussion focuses on affordability.

Many people believe travel is only for wealthy individuals, but Dr. Kachi challenges that idea.

“Most people don’t have a money problem — they have a strategy problem.”

He shares practical ways people can travel affordably:

• Booking early

• Paying in instalments

• Travelling off-season

• Being flexible with dates

• Using travel bundles and packages

• Taking advantage of loyalty rewards

He also explains how understanding the travel industry has helped him save significant amounts of money on holidays for his family and clients.

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🌱 Travel as a Form of Freedom

The conversation moves beyond holidays into something deeper — freedom.

Dr. Kachi speaks about the importance of building additional streams of income so people do not feel trapped in jobs that overwhelm them.

He explains:

“When people feel stuck, it’s often because they feel they have no options.”

Travel becomes symbolic of something larger:

• Freedom

• Possibility

• Exploration

• Expansion

It reminds people that life can be bigger than survival mode.

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✨ Building a Business Through Travel

Dr. Kachi also shares how he accidentally discovered a business opportunity through travel.

What began as a desire to simply travel more affordably eventually became:

• A successful travel business

• A source of additional income

• A platform helping others travel

• A mentoring opportunity helping others build their own travel businesses

Today, he has:

• Booked over £325,000 worth of travel

• Helped over 100 people start travel businesses

• Created group wellness experiences for men

• Travelled to over 16 countries

He describes it as something that supports both:

• Financial wellbeing

• Mental wellbeing

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🌍 Final Reflection

As the episode closes, Dr. Kachi shares a powerful reminder:

“Travel isn’t something you wait to do when life becomes perfect.
It’s something that helps you reset when life becomes overwhelming.”

Whether it’s:

• A solo trip

• A weekend away

• A retreat

• A family holiday

• Or simply a change of scenery

Travel can help people reconnect with themselves, rediscover joy, and remember that they are more than their routines, responsibilities, or stress.

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🎧 Watch the Full Podcast

Listen to the full conversation and explore more episodes of the Free To Be Podcast here:

👉 https://freetobedancetherapy.com/podcast

✨ You’re free to be. ✨