The Beautiful Loneliness of Becoming: A Mother-Daughter Odyssey
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The truth is, some of us were never meant to run the race. You know the one—the relentless sprint toward a finish line someone else drew decades ago. The one lined with college degrees, job titles, and a retirement plan that promises freedom after you've traded in your best years for stability. But for Savannah Marie Ringard, sitting at the starting block of that race felt more like being trapped in someone else's dream.
"Why is everyone running?"
she wondered, while plucking at the proverbial grass, uninterested in the well-worn path everyone seemed so desperate to follow.
In Episode 5, Season 3 of Uncharted: Your Sidekick for Life, we meet Savannah and her mother, Laura Masters—two women who dared to step off the track and wander into the wild unknown of life. Their story isn't one of rebellion for rebellion's sake. It's about curiosity, trust, and the kind of wisdom that comes when you stop asking, "What's next?" and start asking, "What's here?"
Savannah, known around Austin as "the fairy" who curates art and poetry nights at Riches Art Gallery, never quite fit into the academic mold. Her older brother was a teacher's dream: straight A's, perfect attendance, a model student. Savannah? Not so much.
"I could pass classes, but I just never felt smart. High school drained me. I was in this race I didn't want to be in."
College was the obvious next step, but it felt like a lie. A debt clock she refused to start.
"I watched my brother go into massive debt for his degree. I wasn't about to download an app just to watch numbers climb into oblivion."
Community college felt like high school 2.0, and soon she was skipping math class to cry
in parking lots.
Ps: in case you also like crying in parking lots here is another blog for you: "I cried in the Costco Parking Lot"So she did what scared her the most: she called her mom.
"I told her I was failing math and that it all felt wrong. And my mom said, 'Okay. Come home. We'll figure it out.'"
Trust. That's the word that lingers here. Trust between a mother and daughter. Trust in the unknown. Trust in the whisper that says life doesn't have to go according to plan to be meaningful.
Laura, who runs a neuroeducation practice and coaches people around the world, knew something that many parents fear: letting go.
"I had traveled solo when I was younger," Laura said. "I knew what it was like to sit on a train station platform in India and realize no one on Earth knew where I was. And I knew how much that moment taught me."
So when Savannah said, "I think I want to go to Nepal," Laura didn't blink. "Let's get you there," she said.
Nepal wasn't just a dot on a map. It was Savannah's personal "backpacking in Spain" moment—a reference to a teacher, Ms. V, who once told her class:
"Whatever your backpacking in Spain is, go do it."
So she did. She signed up for a volunteer program with The Third Eye Foundation, where she helped cook meals for children in Kathmandu. Within days, she was enchanted: by the chaos, the colors, the dogs that walked her home at night like four-legged guardians of wonder.
"I was sitting there in a city I'd never been, with people I'd just met, and I realized: I'm okay. More than okay. I'm alive in a way I hadn't been before."
From Nepal to Australia to Austin, Savannah followed curiosity like a breadcrumb trail, meeting strangers who became mentors and mentors who became lifelong friends. There was Peter, the Aussie bar owner in Nepal who dispensed life wisdom with cold beers. And Julia, the backpacker who saw Savannah's spark and convinced her to follow her to Australia.
And then there was Rich, the Austin gallery owner who gave Savannah a chance when she pitched an event called "Too Much Tuesday."
"I'd been told my whole life I was 'too much. Too loud, too curious, too emotional. I wanted to celebrate that."
Rich didn't just say yes. He gave her a key to the gallery.
Laura watched all this unfold with the awe of a parent who both guides and learns.
"Mentorship," she said, "isn't about telling someone what to do. It's about seeing them fully and standing beside them as they figure it out."
Standing beside—not pulling, not pushing. Just being there. Like the day Laura met Ms. V, Savannah's high school mentor, after graduation.
"I saw her across the room and just burst into tears," Laura said. "Because I knew she was the one who had seen my daughter when she felt invisible."
The episode ends with a reminder: Life doesn't hand us a map. We draw it with each uncertain step, with every call home, every plane ticket bought on faith, every moment we choose curiosity over fear.
"The trembling of anxiety is the same as the trembling of excitement," Savannah said, quoting Alan Watts. "You just have to shift it."
So here's the question for you, dear reader: What is your version of backpacking in Spain? And what's stopping you from going? Ps: I had the privilege of sharing an intimate conversation with Savannah—one of those rare talks where you feel the world pause. We laughed, we reflected, and she laid her soul bare. Her blog captures that same magic—a raw, soulful testament to turning pain into art. Dive into her story: The Art of Being with Savannah Marie
Listen to Laura & Savannah's full episode on Uncharted: Your Sidekick for Life Podcast—Season 3, Episode 5.
Laura is a personal and professional coach known for helping individuals achieve greater joy, success, and fulfillment. Combining neuroscience, coaching tools, and intuition, she guides clients to clarify their goals, explore creative strategies, and take purposeful action aligned with their core values.
With over 35 years of experience as a Learning Specialist, Laura uses methods like Orton-Gillingham, Lindamood Bell, and Precision Teaching to support students with language and processing challenges. She also coaches families to foster positive progress at home. Laura teaches locally and online on topics including anxiety, resilience, habit formation, and how the brain learns. She holds a Bachelor of Education in Special Education from the University of Alberta and is active in nonprofit and community work.
Natalie Peyton: Peyton studied theatre and film in Australia, New York and LA and performed stand-up on the “three coasts.” She honed her podcast executive skills over the last 4 years developing and producing dozens of podcasts and even hosts a children’s mindfulness bedtime program. If you would like to listen to her work, here it is: Snoriezzz
Leon Vanstone: Leon brings his curiosity and sharp interviewing skills to the table, facilitating insightful discussions with our mentors, extracting valuable lessons and insights to empower listeners on their own path to growth and achievement.
Dan Dillard: Dan, with his thoughtful approach and engaging style, delves into the minds of our mentors on the podcast, crafting compelling interviews that uncover the wisdom and experiences driving their success and impact.
This blog was written by Anais Schmidt, one of the hosts of the Uncharted Podcast in charge of the Gen Z segment. Anais is also a musician. When not in her studio, she tours Europe with Monte Mai.
If you would like to join the conversation email us at anais@foundingup.com
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