Raluca Șpiac

PERFECT beach read from ❤️❤️❤️

I picked it up from the books left behind by other hotel guests and used every free minute to read it.

Now I am back to the books I brought from home and on the way here. 📚

What are you reading?

I should know a thing or two about fish and fishing given .spiac and his talents 🎣

But I didn’t connect ideas to fish before.

While deep waters scare me, I am very drawn to exploring ideas and go deep and wide in my understanding of life, people, relationships. This kind of exploration brings me so much joy! ❤️

As I sit here while the kids are asleep and the fisherman is gone fishing (for real), I love that this year ends with words. 📖

Ready for the big ideas in 2024 ✨

I love pretty pictures of delicious food.

But for some reason, I find very attractive pictures with tables after the food was eaten. 🍽️

There is something soft, imperfect, intimate, human about them.

These are 3 from dinner at their new location in Cetate, Oradea.

You can tell I loved my choices: truffle risotto and the best fennel salad I have had.

I will make this my art 🖼️

If you enjoy fiction, love a strong and smart female protagonist, get excited at a good mystery book especially when placed in Egypt, then start reading the Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters. 📚🕵️‍♀️

I am through the first one and I am pacing myself a bit so I prolong the joy of reading the 18 books from the series.

It’s that good.🥰

Eternal gratitude for the recommendation to ❤️❤️❤️

It’s December and although it didn’t yet get too cold for more than a day or two, it feels right to use the oven more and enjoy early dinners with the family.

A classic: baked potatoes (apples with cinnamon for dessert) with butter, red onions and a secret Transylvanian spice mix 🤫

From my run today. 🏃‍♀️

Looking ahead and looking behind. Staying present. In silence, with the wind and the crisp air. 0 degrees outside. ❄️

It’s beginning to look a lot like fall. And I couldn’t be happier. 🍁🍃🍂

Check out a new post at the link in bio and tell me what you think.👆

Romania’s branding. ⛰️

Good? Bad?

I share some thoughts on the subject in my posts on

Check the link in bio to read them all, subscribe to get them fresh into your inbox. 👆

has an office with a little garden in the back. 🏡

We have tulips, peonies, daffodils, roses, hyacinths, grapes, apples and figs. 🍎

Today, I took a break and went for a snack and picked some ripened figs still warm from the sun.

It’s such a great perk to get to have all this abundance, a few steps away from my desk.

Don’t you think?

Someone stole my phone (I won’t give names) and took some pictures from and around our mountain cabin.⛰️

See if you can figure out which ones are mine and which ones are taken by someone else? 🙃

And if you want to read smth related to my journey branding Romania, I just posted something new on Substack. Link in bio 👆

Or here: https://open.substack.com/pub/ralucaspiac/p/a-romanian-pilgrimage?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

Have fun! 🍉

Hard to pick which pictures to share from this beautiful family vacation in Istria.

I love the blue, the green and everything in between. 💙💚

I just love the simplicity and rawness of Istria. 🏖️

Pondering spending 1 full month here in 2024.

PS: I wrote a short post about Slovenia’s country branding; much better than Croatia’s in my view. Link in bio ☝️

This week’s post on is about 🏔️

I have been for a long time fascinated and inspired by the founder and his unusual but so down to earth approach to business.

Link in bio ☝️ but if this is of interest, buy his book 📕

The beginning, the end and everything in between.

I don’t always want to go for a run. 🏃‍♀️

But I am always, ALWAYS, happy when I do.

Since I don’t run to achieve athletic heights, I take my time to enjoy what I discover. 💚

It’s the linden trees and mulberries season so while running I get both fresh snacks and amazing scents. 🥰

What else could I ask for?

I have it on good authority that precious stones and red lipstick are a must after 40. 💎💄😆

#40

Just a beautiful poem before the weekend.⁠ 🌼⁠
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They are coming. 🤩⁠
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The travelers we did not have in 2020, had few of in 2021 and a few more again in 2022.⁠
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If 2022 was a record year for travel businesses in so many countries, we suffered because of the war in Ukraine.⁠
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But, as the war became a part of our reality (sadly so 💔), we started 2023 with a constant flow of requests. Nothing too massive for us to handle but a steady flow is perfect.⁠
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We have to cover operational costs, if possible make some profit and who knows...maybe reach that million eur in revenues that we have as a target.🤞⁠
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I write about this but so much more in the weekly newsletters I send. ⁠
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If you want to learn in real time about what it takes to run a small bespoke travel business in Romania, sign up. The link is in bio.☝️⁠
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Couldn't agree more with ⁠
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PS: Sign up to get my weekly newsletters about real life running a small travel business. Link in bio. ☝️⁠
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It’s the most colorful time of the year

💜⚪️💛

Easter is coming. 🐣⁠
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I am a big fan of solo trips.

Yearly or every two years, I love taking some time off without anything on the agenda but to rest and go with the flow.

Alone.

This year’s split trip is in Budapest

Beyond Dracula is in Forbes again, in an article about Transylvania.

With Alexandra and Giulio, THE greatest partners ever.

And with Alex ... Mr Grigorescu himself. 🙏🙏🙏

11 Reasons To Love Transylvania There's so much more to this corner of Romania than Dracula, from design hotels to gastronomy to a marital prison

Made it in Forbes with Beyond Dracula 🥳🥳🥳

Why Bucharest, Romania, Belongs On Your Travel Wish List Now Some people like places that are not obvious—cities with complicated histories, with architecture that is not always lovely, and with a palpable sense of transformation and change. Bucharest is for them.

This blew my mind.🤯

2 hours ago I sent my weekly newsletter about life running a bespoke travel agency (aka Beyond Dracula) during a pandemic.

And bam! 30% open rate.

Not sure if it was the subject line ("0 sales"- is this so catchy?) or the preview ("Feeling slightly sad for Beyond Dracula's bank account...") but 30% of my mailing list opened it. In less than 2 hrs from sending it.

I'm excited and wanted to share this. Ah...I also got some proper replies to it which is always a treat!

And of course, if you're curious, I can forward it to you; just message me your e-mail.

📸 Unsplash

PS: If you suffer from FOMO and really don't want to miss my exciting news, do subscribe and watch your inbox on Thursdays. (check spam too, should my e-mail not find its way to your inbox)

Link here: www.ralucaspiac.com

I have a new article on the blog for you.🥳⁠
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It's about a little concept I find helpful called the minimum viable day.⁠
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In a nutshell...what's the minimum that you need for you to consider every day a good/great one?⁠
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Do you know?⁠
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One thing for me is moving. I need to run, walk or do Pilates to feel that I had a good day.🏃🏼‍♀️⁠
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After realizing this (it happened only last year), I looked for ways to make sure I move at least on 5 of the 7 days of the week.⁠
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How? ⁠
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At lunchtime I take 1 hr to move. I resisted this and I feared I won't have the time to do it.😶⁠
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But I made the time and it has been such a great change that now it's a non negotiable. ⁠
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Check the rest of my list for a minimum viable day here:

https://ralucaspiac.com/2021/05/17/minimum-viable-day/
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What's on yours?⁠
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If you didn't need money and attention, after taking your time to rest/travel/relax/etc. what would you do?😄

When you'd be ready to do something again and be useful to others, what would you do? Really, I am asking.

I have yet figured it out. But tell me what you'd do.

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I have a curiosity today.

What 3 things/virtues/traits/etc do you believe we need as people to live happy, fulfilled lives?

Is it courage? Confidence? Patience? Love?

What else helped you or you wish you had to help you live a happy life?

Let me know. I am very curious about your choices.

I am still figuring out mine :)

PS: Have you read my 1-year in review article about the consulting/coaching business?

Check it out here: https://ralucaspiac.com/2021/04/13/consulting-and-coaching-women-entrepreneurs/

Photo:

I did it.👯‍♀️⁠⁣⁠

It's been a year since I launched the consulting/coaching website.⁠⁣⁠

I did not have it all figured out.😝⁠⁣⁠

⁠⁣⁠Actually a lot of what I thought I wanted when I first started, has changed.⁠⁣⁠

⁠⁣⁠That's the beauty of starting.
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⁠⁣⁠There is only so much you can achieve by thinking things through. ⁠⁣⁠

⁠⁣⁠At one point you have to start testing, implementing, failing.⁠⁣⁠
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Yes, it's scary. ⁠⁣⁠

⁠⁣⁠Before, I hardly posted things on social media. And I didn't write on a blog or sent newsletters.⁠⁣⁠

⁠⁣⁠Now I do. It's still a bit scary. And I still make mistakes. ⁠⁣⁠

⁠⁣⁠For all I know, this will not change and that is fine.⁠⁣⁠

⁠⁣⁠What I do know for certain is that I am a way better person, mother, entrepreneur, and partner after this adventure.⁠⁣⁠

⁠⁣⁠I wrote why and also shared numbers and other practical details in a blog article. ⁠⁣⁠

⁠⁣⁠You can access it at the link below.

⁠⁣⁠If there is one thing for you to take away from this, let it be this: whatever it is you want to do, just start doing it now. As you are, you are ready.🍀⁠⁣⁠

https://ralucaspiac.com/.../consulting-and-coaching.../

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I don’t know about you but growing up I thought a routine is something extremely boring.🤪⁠⠀⁠
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Who wants to do the same things every day, day after day?🤷🏼‍♀️ ⁠⠀⁠
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While I don’t recall how I got to think this, it’s something I must have learned quite early on because it stuck with me.⁠⠀⁠
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Recently though, I came to learn a lot about habits and the power of a routine.💪🏼⁠⠀⁠
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Skeptically at first I also began to test some of the things I read about.⁠⠀⁠
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To name just a few…⁠⠀⁠
⭐ waking up at 6-6:30 am,⁠⠀⁠
⭐ doing a set of activities before looking at my phone in the morning,⁠⠀⁠
⭐ practicing gratitude daily,⁠⠀⁠
⭐ and so on…⁠⠀⁠
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These worked for me. ⁠⠀⁠
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After doing them for a while, I have developed new habits. ⁠⠀⁠
Slowly I began to experience life differently. BANG!🤯⁠⠀⁠
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The major shift for me has been this: instead of living my days rushed from one thing to another, I am now living my days with a feeling of calmness and joy.(most of the time...)⁠⠀⁠
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The source for this shift: my morning routine.⁠⠀⁠
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Do you have a routine? Does it help you?⁠⠀⁠
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PS: If you have not dowloaded my PDF on productivity, check the link in bio below. It will help you create a routine that you can keep easily.⁠⠀⁠
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www.ralucaspiac.com

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