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Changing Course Gracefully: Digital Companion
Is travel your escape, or your way back to yourself?
PRAISE FROM READERS:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Not just another travel book; it's a vital handbook for emotional resilience... The PARQS Method is genius—a beautifully simple yet profoundly effective framework.” — Rodger S.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “The tools aren’t just useful for travel either, they translate beautifully into everyday life. I’d recommend this guide to both seasoned travelers and anyone looking to travel more mindfully.” — Alexis
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Felt like a close friend gently guiding me... I'll return to this guide again and again. A true gift for anyone looking for a little more calm.” — Christy
Designed to be a practical field guide you can tuck into your day bag (or phone), this Digital Companion helps you turn long lines, quiet mornings, or unexpected detours into moments of presence and self-connection.
While the main book (Changing Course Gracefully: A Strategic Guide...) shares the strategy, this Companion puts that strategy into motion. It invites you to use your travels as a rehearsal—a real-time testing ground where you can practice moving off “autopilot” and building self-trust when the stakes are low, so you can bring that strength home to where it matters most.
Inside this Digital Companion:
* The PARQS Framework: A portable guide to the five-step personal guidance system (Preferences, Awareness, Right Action, Questions, and Self-Acceptance) to help you notice what you want and stay present in stressful moments.
* 13 Core Prompts: Targeted reflection questions to help you notice, name, and integrate what your travels reveal about your inner world.
* Practical Tools: Immediate exercises for regulation, including “Box Breathing,” the “5-Sense Reset,” and the “Of Course” validation method.
* Integration Support: Guidance on how to use your trip to interrupt “Remote Control Living” and return to who you already are.
Use this guide before, during, and after your journeys to set intentions, navigate stressful moments, and bring home what matters most.
Available for purchase on Etsy
PRAISE FROM READERS:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Not just another travel book; it's a vital handbook for emotional resilience... The PARQS Method is genius—a beautifully simple yet profoundly effective framework.” — Rodger S.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “The tools aren’t just useful for travel either, they translate beautifully into everyday life. I’d recommend this guide to both seasoned travelers and anyone looking to travel more mindfully.” — Alexis
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Felt like a close friend gently guiding me... I'll return to this guide again and again. A true gift for anyone looking for a little more calm.” — Christy
Designed to be a practical field guide you can tuck into your day bag (or phone), this Digital Companion helps you turn long lines, quiet mornings, or unexpected detours into moments of presence and self-connection.
While the main book (Changing Course Gracefully: A Strategic Guide...) shares the strategy, this Companion puts that strategy into motion. It invites you to use your travels as a rehearsal—a real-time testing ground where you can practice moving off “autopilot” and building self-trust when the stakes are low, so you can bring that strength home to where it matters most.
Inside this Digital Companion:
* The PARQS Framework: A portable guide to the five-step personal guidance system (Preferences, Awareness, Right Action, Questions, and Self-Acceptance) to help you notice what you want and stay present in stressful moments.
* 13 Core Prompts: Targeted reflection questions to help you notice, name, and integrate what your travels reveal about your inner world.
* Practical Tools: Immediate exercises for regulation, including “Box Breathing,” the “5-Sense Reset,” and the “Of Course” validation method.
* Integration Support: Guidance on how to use your trip to interrupt “Remote Control Living” and return to who you already are.
Use this guide before, during, and after your journeys to set intentions, navigate stressful moments, and bring home what matters most.
Available for purchase on Etsy
67 pages, ebook
Published November 25, 2025
About the author
Elaina Kelly Smith
3 books1 followerElaina Kelly Smith knows the feeling of "Remote Control Living" intimately.
Elaina Kelly Smith is the founder of Ventures & Bloom Press and the author of Changing Course Gracefully: A Strategic Guide to Building Foundational Self-Trust.
Her life has been less of a gentle journey and more of an emotionally action-packed odyssey. Growing up in a highly restrictive environment, she eventually broke free to travel to all seven continents, building successful businesses along the way. Yet, despite her external freedom, she realized she was still living on "autopilot"—guided by a quiet chorus of "shoulds" rather than her own internal voice.
Elaina spent years navigating the "messy middle" to develop the PARQS™ Framework (Preferences, Awareness, Right Action, Questions, Self-Acceptance). This practical, "brick-by-brick" system is the compass she built to find her way back to herself—tools she continues to use every day to reinforce her own foundation. She shares this framework not as a rigid prescription, but as a way for readers to disconnect from remote control living and build their own path to self-trust.
Beyond the Book
Elaina describes herself as a fellow traveler and a lifelong learner who reads for utility, not just theory. When she isn’t writing, teaching, or cooking for those she holds close to her heart, you will likely find her outside. She has a deep appreciation for flowers—often stopping to take photos of them on her daily walks to share with friends.
She is also focused on direct-impact philanthropy, including supporting centers for visually impaired children in Vietnam and delivering essential supplies to rural families in Cambodia.
Elaina Kelly Smith is the founder of Ventures & Bloom Press and the author of Changing Course Gracefully: A Strategic Guide to Building Foundational Self-Trust.
Her life has been less of a gentle journey and more of an emotionally action-packed odyssey. Growing up in a highly restrictive environment, she eventually broke free to travel to all seven continents, building successful businesses along the way. Yet, despite her external freedom, she realized she was still living on "autopilot"—guided by a quiet chorus of "shoulds" rather than her own internal voice.
Elaina spent years navigating the "messy middle" to develop the PARQS™ Framework (Preferences, Awareness, Right Action, Questions, Self-Acceptance). This practical, "brick-by-brick" system is the compass she built to find her way back to herself—tools she continues to use every day to reinforce her own foundation. She shares this framework not as a rigid prescription, but as a way for readers to disconnect from remote control living and build their own path to self-trust.
Beyond the Book
Elaina describes herself as a fellow traveler and a lifelong learner who reads for utility, not just theory. When she isn’t writing, teaching, or cooking for those she holds close to her heart, you will likely find her outside. She has a deep appreciation for flowers—often stopping to take photos of them on her daily walks to share with friends.
She is also focused on direct-impact philanthropy, including supporting centers for visually impaired children in Vietnam and delivering essential supplies to rural families in Cambodia.
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