“You may be dealt with a poor hand, but where you are today doesn’t have to determine your destiny. Living free is that power of choice, and the inner warrior is the inner fighter, and lover, to guide you there.”
– Sara Quiriconi
Founder and creator of the Live Free Manifesto, Unfck Your Body Series, and author of Living {Cancer} Free, Sara Quiriconi is a 15-year cancer survivor who is living proof that you can move through anything.
A warrior, healer, creator, and determined soul, Sara is the Ambassador of Sanctifly Wellness Travel App, Dafi USA and the Face of Fitness and WellBeing for both Club Quarters Hotel and New York City’s stylish Park Terrace Hotel on Bryant Park.
Sara holds a High Honors BFA Degree in Advertising and Design with over 8 years of experience in the professional corporate marketing world. After struggling with eating disorders and alcohol addiction, Sara was determined to share the message of Living Free.
A sought-after private celebrity fitness instructor, Sara Quiriconi produces content in the wellness, fitness and travel sectors, along with life coaching and motivational speaking, aiming to inspire others to live a life of choice, freedom, and intention.
Wander: What does the perfect Sunday look like to you?
Sara Quiriconi: Waking up next to my husband to the sunlight pouring in a cracked window and gentle breeze grazing a curtain. We have a fresh pot of Columbian Coffee ready in a nearby room, and the aroma exudes right in our direction.
As we open the door to the outside, the turquoise waters and ocean breeze awaken our senses while the warmth of the morning’s sun kisses our skin.
Meditation, coffee, yoga, a beach stroll and a few hours spent creating in some form of writing, photography, filming or painting would top off a perfect Sunday morning.
The afternoons would be spent with friends or family over a collectively prepared meal, featuring plenty of fresh vegetables, fruits, and Italian coffee. Beach volleyball, handstands or playing in the ocean waves to follow.
In the evening, enjoying a post-dinner walk with my husband on the beach watching the sunset, talking and sharing what the week’s adventures and life goals lie ahead.
Tea, shared jokes and laughs until we both have tears streaming from our cheeks, as I fall asleep in his arms reading or watching a movie.
By the way, is it Sunday yet?
Zany (or strange!) travel experience you can share?
In the world of travel, every experience is an adventure! Or, crazy in some way or form.
One that tops the cake: I was invited on a press trip to cover a luxury private island resort in Fiji. Given an extended invite, my husband came along as well. I had never been to a destination so remote before in my life, hopping three planes, a seaplane, and a full 48 hours later, landing in our final destination of Turtle Island.
Everything on the island was sustainably sourced, from the food to the electricity to the vibrant energy the staff and local community hosted. The people of the island had little to nothing (compared to American standards), yet, were some of the happiest and most caring individuals I had ever met.
Now, what made this trip interesting (to add to the beauty), was the trip back home. After missing our first flight out of Fiji International Airport, getting lost en route to a hotel to stay over, dozing off in the lobby of a resort on the mainland of Fiji while waiting for an email confirmation, to later find out there was no reservation ever made.
Back in the van, to the airport, my husband and I slept in and out for the next four hours while waiting for the layover for our next flight.
Rescheduled, we took off to land in SFO. There, we had another delay in our flight, missing the previous one due to the delay that was originally scheduled for us. A quick google search and we realized it was cheaper and more efficient to purchase an Admirals membership for the year then haul to a nearby hotel and pay to use the facilities. A member of the “club” I became.
I kept in mind the entire time the community and staff of the island in Fiji, that how much you have, or how perfect your flights go, has nothing to do with your happiness level. YOU have control of how happy you are, and the perceptive you possess.
After one of the best showers and refuels later, we were on our next flight out of SFO and heading home to our final destination in MIA. While there was nothing extraordinary about our mix-up in times, delays and mishaps, this was one of those “transformational travel” stories that reiterated life flows when we can be resourceful and go with the flow, taking in life’s lessons as they present themselves. Travel is one of the best teachers for
such lessons.
We’re hosting a potluck. What do you bring?
Papayas from Costa Rica. Avocados and nopales from Mexico. Mangoes from Jamaica. Dates from the Middle East. Crisp apples from New England.
Ripe raspberries from Spain. Fresh fish from Portugal. Vine-ripened tomatoes from Italy. Anything and everything fresh from their native lands.
Go-to comfort at the end of the day?
A warm hug and sweet kiss from my husband. Before bed, a cup of tea and some Amazon Prime or whatever book grabs me at the moment.
What’s in your carry on?
Right now, I’m flying from Miami to New York City with carry-on only. In my backpack (way better for your spine than a single-strap bag, by the way), I have a camera and filming equipment, my laptop, hand cream and lip balm, noise-cancelling headphones, a few nutrition bars, and a portable charger.
My rolling carry-on has packing cubes of clothes, travel-sized toiletries, a reusable cup, sleep buds and eye mask, one pair of alternative shoes and a bathing suit. Mainly, it has snacks, fruits, nuts, protein powder, and dates. I pack snacks wherever I go, and will never be left at the mercy of an airport to feed me.
Best wellness or travel tip?
#ownyourweird — don’t be afraid to be the weirdo stretching on a plane, at the gate, or when you land. It’s OK to bring your own food and say “No thanks” to the cookies or aluminum-wrapped meal in-flight. And, never feel uneasy about passing on your co-workers’ after-work drinks to workout instead.
What excites you about your company/influence?
Wellness and Travel are two of the largest growing markets out there at the moment. Each day, wellbeing activities that were once saved for “vacation” or only found in select regions of the world are now being incorporated and accepted as lifestyle habits.
Just think, not too long ago, not many had yoga mats in their homes in the United States, we had never heard of Spirulina and detox meant you were drinking diet soda.
So much has shifted and changed, and we have access to more information on the Internet than ever before.
As a content creator, travel wellness agent, on-camera talent and motivational speaker in the wellness travel category, it excites me to be a leader in sharing and educating others in an on-demand market.
There are content creators in wellness, and then there’s those in travel — I haven’t seen many taking on the category to overlap the two, both of which are my expertise.
How to do envision your legacy?
To inspire as many individuals as possible to understand that: You have the power to choose any life you desire to live.
You may be dealt with a poor hand, but where you are today doesn’t have to determine your destiny. Living free is that power of choice, and the inner warrior is the inner fighter, and lover, to guide you there.
Connect with Sara Quiriconi at saraquiriconi.com, on Facebook @livefreewarriortv and on Instagram @livefreewarrior.
Purchase Living Cancer Free: A Warrior’s Fall and Rise Through Food, Addiction + Cancer at saraquiriconi.com/book.
