The Power of Looking Up: How Unmapped Contributor Heidi Siefkas Found Strength, Faith, and Freedom

This week on Persistence U with Lizbeth Meredith, meet Unmapped contributor Heidi Siefkas — an author, speaker, and adventurer whose story reminds us that life can change in an instant, but our power to rebuild is limitless. Once a high-powered travel industry executive living what looked like a perfect life, Heidi’s world turned upside down when a thousand-pound tree limb struck her down, breaking her neck and forever altering her path. What followed wasn’t just recovery — it was reinvention. In her essay for Unmapped: Solo Women Travelers – Bold Journeys of Healing, Resilience, and Self-Discovery, Heidi shares how travel became her greatest teacher, leading her from heartbreak to healing and from survival to thriving. After her recovery, she set off alone for Patagonia to test her strength — a journey that inspired her first memoir, When All Balls Drop, and later her global movement built around her mantra: Look Up. That mantra — to shift perspective, find the silver lining, and stay present — helped Heidi through another unimaginable loss years later, when her longtime partner, a medevac pilot, was killed in a crash. From those ashes, she built a new life in Nashville and finished her anthology, Look Up: Global Stories of Resilience, gathering true stories of courage from around the world.  You Will Learn:How travel can restore confidence, faith, and connection after trauma.Why “looking up” — in every sense — can shift grief into gratitude.How Heidi turned unimaginable setbacks into books, talks, and a movement that uplifts others. Half of all royalties from Unmapped benefit the YWCA, helping survivors and families rebuild their lives. Find Heidi’s books, talks, and her Look Up series at heidisiefkas.com, and follow her on social media @HeidiSiefkas. Lizbeth’s links Want to comment on the show? Connect at Lizbeth"s author/podcast Facebook page Wanting great guests for your podcast, or to be a great guest on someone else"s show? Join PodMatch here! Unmapped: Solo Women Travelers – Bold Journeys of Healing, Resilience, and Self-Discovery. Half of author royalties support the YWCA’s work with survivors of domestic abuse and their families, and to combat racism. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FTSNM997 Paperback Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FS9DX6HF Draft2Digital ebook https://books2read.com/u/312rlw Lizbeth"s memoir Pieces of Me: Rescuing My Kidnapped Daughters can be ordered where books are sold, and is now a TV movie, #Stolen By Their Father on Lifetime. Lizbeth"s second book, Grounded in Grit: Turn Your Challenges Into Superpowers is available to order wherever books are sold! Tilka Faces the Odds, One Man at a Time, new release novel https://books2read.com/u/4j760X Sign up to stay in the know on L...