Bee Stings Suck

Amanda Black
August 06, 2025

A few weeks ago, a bee sucker‑punched me in the face.

Right by my ear. My cheek ballooned so fast it dragged my neck into the fight.

Half my throat swelled up almost instantly. Not quite “call 911” level, but enough that popping over to the ER definitely crossed my mind.

But I had my dog with me — and she was too busy joyfully rolling in bird sh*t like it was a spa day to care that I might be about to suffocate.

I do have people I could call — but not nearby. And the wild thing? Every single one of them, I met while traveling. Most on our tours. In this community.

That moment hit me hard.
I might’ve been alone in the park, but I’m never alone in the world.
That’s the power of this community.

🐝 THE BEE-STING TRUTH ABOUT ADULT FRIENDSHIP

👉 Not all “friends” are the kind you can call when life gets weird.

👉 Seeing the world changes what you need from your people.

👉 The fastest way to find those people? Put yourself where connection is built-in.

Travel Is the Excuse. Friendship Is the Point.

Joining this community = people to call when the bee kicks your ass

Next week, we’re kicking off our very first Travel Planning Sprint inside the Inner Circle — and if your “someday” trip has been collecting dust in your brain… this is your sign.

This is not another passive workshop.
This is you, me, and a bunch of travel-obsessed women getting sh*t DONE.

Here’s what we’re doing inside:

✈️ Picking your destination
📅 Mapping out exactly when to book flights, stays, and activities
💰 Creating a realistic budget that doesn’t kill your joy
🛠 Using the best tools + hacks I’ve learned
💬 And best of all? Doing it together. With accountability.

Because when you actually plan your trip in community, it’s 10x more fun — and 100x more likely to happen.

The Inner Circle is our members‑only space for women who want more out of travel — more connection, more confidence, and more trips actually booked.

I have great friends, but they’re scattered all over the world.

Some of my closest friends are women I met on our tours. In fact, just last week, I had a 90‑minute call with a SoFe sister I met on our Turkey Trip.

We talked about religion, politics, her probably‑doomed new relationship, and which country we’re going to next.

It was the kind of conversation I crave more in my everyday life — the kind where you don’t have to filter, explain, or tone yourself down.

But that “bee sting moment” reminded me: in my “normal” world, finding that is rare.

I shared this story in our Facebook group and the comments exploded.

Dozens of women said they’d had their own “bee sting moments” — times they realized they didn’t have someone nearby to lean on. Here are some of the comments…

✈️ "Yes. There is a dilemma: We love to be free – but deep inside our human nature, our inner child, longs for the protection of a home and a family...”
✨ "I have this every time I fill in an emergency contact form or similar. I have lots of people. I do not have ‘a person’”
💃 "I have lived alone for 15 years - I have 3 close friends but they have their own lives - it feels like I am always the one organising dinners or checking up on them"

And it made me realize:
This is why I built the Inner Circle. And why our tours aren’t just about travel.

Because connection doesn’t happen by accident. Especially as an adult.
It happens in containers where the whole point is to go deep, have fun, and come home with friends who stick.