House and pet sitting is quietly transforming how women in midlife travel—and in this conversation, Belinda Coker explains why. From cost savings and safety to living like a local, we explore how house sitting offers a powerful balance between freedom and security. Belinda also shares candid stories from her own global experiences, including what she’s learned about trust, comfort, and redefining home.

• Why house sitting creates both financial and emotional security while traveling

• How staying in real homes changes your experience of a city or country

• What midlife women should know about trust, safety, and choosing the right sit

• Long-term vs short-term house sits—and which works best for different lifestyles

• Cats, dogs, and the realities of pet care while traveling

• How house sitting reshapes your idea of “home”

This episode is for women who want to travel thoughtfully—without giving up comfort, confidence, or independence.

Listener’s note: This conversation was recorded at 5:00 a.m. Belinda’s time and 9:00 p.m. mine—proof that meaningful conversations don’t always wait for optimal brain function (you may notice!)

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Away from the boardroom, she also spearheaded humanitarian projects that brought clean water to rural communities in Malawi and Zambia, an experience that deepened her commitment to meaningful, sustainable impact.

After stepping away from her corporate life, Belinda began long-distance hiking full-time, a pursuit that eventually inspired her blog Soul Treader, a platform dedicated to multi-day hikes, wilderness safety, and the empowerment of women through adventure. Immersed in this lifestyle of slow travel and self-reliance, she discovered house sitting as a way to continue travelling responsibly while maintaining a sense of home and purpose between trails.

What began as a personal transition quickly revealed a broader need: professional training for sitters who wanted to be seen as reliable, ethical, and rebookable.

Built on the belief that trust should be earned, The Collective helps sitters and homeowners alike approach house sitting with professionalism, respect, and confidence. Each course is designed to teach not just the how, but the why: why language builds trust, why preparation matters, and why integrity leads to repeat bookings.

Today, The House Sitting Collective offers a suite of structured, experience-based courses, including Words That Work, Booked Solid!, and House Sitting Fundamentals. Each course reflects the same core values of preparation, integrity, and continuous learning, and is grounded in real-world experience rather than theory.

Belinda’s goal for The House Sitting Collective is simple: to professionalise house sitting, empower people to succeed through trust and excellence, and create a community that treats the privilege of house sitting with the respect it deserves.