In this episode, I sit down with one of my best friends and my favorite Argentinian, Madalen Azpeitia. We met working at a heli-ski lodge and later reunited in Nelson, BC. Madi shares her upbringing in a close, immigrant-rooted Argentinian family and strong cultural expectations to attend university and follow a conventional path. After studying international relations and then law, Madi’s holistic therapy work (including Reiki and family-tree-focused emotional work) helped her confront anxiety, build self-love, and close the chapter on pursuing a degree despite social pressure. We discuss her fear and loneliness before buying a one-way ticket to Spain in 2022, traveling through Portugal, securing a New Zealand working holiday visa, withdrawing a sponsorship application due to unhappiness, and moving to Canada in 2024. Madi reflects on high-quality relationships formed through travel, entering a new “in-between” while building a life with her partner, and celebrating uncertainty as a space for choice.
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Holding Patterns Instagram Here! (https://www.instagram.com/holdingpatternspod?igsh=MXB1ajk3ZHhwdjYxMg%3D%3D)
Cover art by Remy Arnold (https://www.instagram.com/remyarnoldxo?igsh=dWx3aWJsMmZheWNx)
Music by penguinmusic - Better Day from Pixabay
What is Holding Patterns?
What if you’re not lost, just living in a part of the story no one talks about? Holding Patterns is a podcast about the in-between. The messy, undefined seasons of life where nothing quite makes sense. Hosted by Ashton Arnold, a deeply curious traveler who is carving out a life beyond the conventional path. Ashton leads guests through the kind of conversations that get honest, intimate, and are rooted in what it actually means to be human. This show is for people who’ve felt unsure, off-course, or like they’re making it up as they go. Each episode features a conversation with someone who has built a life outside the typical script, unpacking the moments where success felt out of reach. From travel and relationships to money and mental health, nothing’s off-limits. Holding Patterns is here to remind you that you’re not behind, you’re not alone, and you’re allowed to figure it out your own way.