What Does it Take to Travel to All 50 States in Less than a Year?

52 weeks. 50 women. One country. Unforgettable, life-changing conversations.

Hit the road with friendship expert and author Shari Leid as she travels to all 50 states over a nine-month period, where she’ll share a meal with 50 different women (one woman per state) searching for their commonalities.

Having kicked off in Albuquerque, NM in January and ending in Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska at the end of September, she just visited her 10th state in the nearly year-long adventure. With The 50 States Project, Shari will showcase the art of starting conversations that lead to meaningful connections, despite different beliefs and backgrounds. And she’ll highlight how the world becomes a better place when women come together.

Moved to take action and find connection after witnessing the growing division in the United States over the last six years, Shari is motivated to do her little part to help bring the country together again. “I aim to learn the story that brought each woman to her current state of residence. I want to learn about the community she has created, her thoughts on aging, motherhood, relationships, careers, and any pivotal life experiences she is comfortable discussing and wishes to share,” Shari says. “I am curious about religion and politics – not what her beliefs are – but why she believes what she believes. Does she believe the same as her parents? I’m also curious to learn about her definition of ‘friend,’ and why she agreed to meet with me, a ‘stranger.’”

This project is a culmination of Shari’s life experiences. Orphaned in Seoul, South Korea as a baby, she was born without any identifying information–no birth name, birth place, or even a birth date. All her life, she has sought to find family and a sense of connection–even throwing her DNA into every ancestry and genetic testing company she’s found as well as submitting her DNA to South Korea’s lost children’s bank. After years of feeling like she didn’t fit in anywhere and didn’t belong with anyone, she found her connections in the people she’s met, including her girlfriends.

Shari has been tracking and sharing her travels, experiences, and lessons on both Instagram and TikTok.

ABOUT SHARI LEID
Former litigator, SHARI LEID currently operates An Imperfectly Perfect Life, LLC, a professional mindset coaching business primarily serving clients who feel stuck and helping them to create the life of their dreams. She is a national speaker and author of The Friendship Series, including The 50/50 Friendship Flow: Life Lessons From and For My Girlfriends, Make Your Mess Your Message: More Life Lessons From and For My Girlfriends and Ask Yourself This: Ultimate Life Lessons From and For My Girlfriends. Follow her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and LinkedIn.