It Happened Over Lunch with Katherine Phifer

The Art of Traveling Well (Part Two)

All of My Favorite Travel Things THE TABLE: Welcome back to It Happened Over Lunch!  I am tuning on from my downstairs living area. Nestled on my green couch and cozy to share some of my favorite travel things.  SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL: Last week, in episode eight, I shared some of my thoughts on travel and how to do it well. This week I am sharing with you all of my favorite travel things- including apps, hotels, and items to take with you. Here are some of the apps I love for making dinner reservations: The Fork, Open Table, Resy. I also love The Michelin Guide for recommendations- especially in Europe.  We have been big Hilton fans the last couple of years, and often find ourselves in Curio Collection hotels. But, we stayed at a gorgeous Marriott property in Seville (The Hotel Alfonso XIII) and we have also stayed in some lovely boutique hotels partnered with Hyatt, Hilton and Marriott. The Michelin Guide is also good for boutique hotel recommendations. I created a list of my favorite travel supplies for you! I am an Amazon affiliate, so if you buy something through the list I will receive a small compensation back. You can check out all of my favorite things here: Katherine's Travel Edit [https://www.katherinephifer.com/traveledit]. SOMETHING TRUE: A happy traveler is the best traveler. THE THOUGHT I AM CARRYING: Where will we go next? Where will we stay? And, what will we bring? THE CHECK: I am off to do some work on my advising offers and then dinner and baseball pickup.

The Art of Traveling Well (Part One)

I have thoughts about travel. THE TABLE: Welcome back to  It Happened Over Lunch!  It's a lazy Saturday and everyone is out of the house. Neffie and I have been lounging and tinkering with projects all day.  SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL: I truly believe that traveling is the ultimate self development. Where else can you learn how to manage stress about things beyond your control, or be exposed to different ways of thinking, or be in the vibration of a new city?  In today's episode I am sharing with you some of my hard earned lessons on traveling well. From traveling with little kids (and funny, embarrassing toilet water stories), to budget travel in today's era, I share with you some of favorite travel secrets.  SOMETHING TRUE: I was not made for budget travel. THE THOUGHT I AM CARRYING: Where will we go next? And, where will we stay? THE CHECK: Next week I will share Part Two of The Art of Traveling Well, which will include some of my favorite ways to navigate cities, my favorite apps to make dinner reservations, where I love to stay, what I love to bring and also how I pack. Also, I mention a fun sweatshirt in the episode today- it's not ready for purchase yet!

Spirit Guides & Patron Saints

Leaning Into Guidance  THE TABLE: Welcome back to  It Happened Over Lunch!  Today I am tuning in from my bedroom. The sun is shining, there isn't a cloud in the sky and the buzz in the air is all about the St. Alfio Fest coming up in early May. Everyone is in a good mood and you can feel the energy shifting.  SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL: I live in a small mountain town on the slopes of Mt. Etna called Trecastagni. "Trecastagni" in Italian means "the three chestnuts." This is a nod to the fact that Trecastagni has three patron saints, and not just one like the usual Italian town has. Each year, Trecastagni holds a very impressive, three day fest (actually it lasts all of May) to honor St. Alfio and his two brothers. People come from all over the world to celebrate, and to honor the saints, who have at a time or two provided miracles for those who pray to them. In fact, if someone has been healed, or had family member healed after praying to St. Alfio and his brothers, they will pay their respects on one of the fest days by walking from sea all the way up the mountain carrying a very large candle on their shoulders. With the buzz of the town getting ready for the Fest this year, I started to think about how Sicilians are connected to their Saints. St. Alfio and his brothers for our town, St. Agata for Catania. People pray when hard things are happening. And they say thank you by honoring the saint on a predetermined fest day.  I didn't grow up Catholic, but my dad did. And I remember my grandmother praying to saints every so often. For me though, I have a deep relationship with my Spirit Guides. In today's episode I dive in deeper to what that means for me, and how we communicate.  SOMETHING TRUE: I am fully available for any guidance and support from the Universe.  THE THOUGHT I AM CARRYING: What would my spirit guides say about my decisions lately?  THE CHECK: As we close for the day, I am off for my own lunch, a turkey wrap. If you have anything you'd love for me to discuss in It Happened Over Lunch please let me know!

The Audacity

Thoughts About Being Bold... THE TABLE: Welcome back to a new episode It Happened Over Lunch. Today I am tuning in from my downstairs living space. Our house is skinny and tall, and on this level we have a kitchen and a hang out area. It's a bit chilly on Mt. Etna today and there is a steady rain falling.  SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL: The other day I was driving down to the Navy Base to meet up with my Sicilian friend. We often meet on the base and then go explore from there. She works on the base, which makes it an easy place to park and meet up. On the drive down to meet her, a guy kind of cut me off in traffic and I thought "the audacity"... the whole experience made me think about what "audacity" even means.  SOMETHING TRUE: Maybe being audacious is just being bold? THE THOUGHT I AM CARRYING: What would it look like to allow myself some audacity?  THE CHECK: I am working on some new things inside my work, I can't wait to share them with you.

Artist Dates and Boston's Mapparium

THE TABLE: Welcome back to It Happened Over Lunch! We took a short two week break while my family and I toured Italy (you can catch the highlights on my Instagram Highlights under “Italy.” (@katherinephifer) It was a lovely trip. We met my parents in Milan and then toured our way down the country. We ate well, saw some beautiful art, and nudged our way through Rome on Good Friday. SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL: I heard about The Mapparium in a course I was taking in my undergraduate program. The professor said “whenever you go to Boston, you have to go here.” So, five months after I moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts, after a long winter of being very cold, I found myself on an early May day taking an artist date to the Christian Science Plaza and The Mapparium. It was a magical day. The concept of artist dates comes from Julia Cameron’s The Artist Way. That winter I spent every morning writing morning pages. I was in the beginning stages of my Master’s degree and would take the occasional artist date scheduled around my classes. And I spent a lot of time reading books and listening to music. SOMETHING TRUE: I love the idea of scheduling a date with myself to wander an exhibit or a museum by myself. I haven’t done it in a long time.  THE THOUGHT I AM CARRYING: There’s something simple and magical about tapping into your thoughts and feelings every single day. THE CHECK: Inside today's episode I mention my Daily Three- a three part grounding practice to bring you back to your magic. You can get it here: https://katherinephifer.myflodesk.com/thedailythree2026 [https://katherinephifer.myflodesk.com/thedailythree2026]