Meet Cara Thomas of Serenflipity

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cara Thomas.

Cara, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My journey started out as a personal quest to get “unstuck.” I was living in New York, working in consulting and living on a plane. I was burned out and had just ended a long-term relationship.

I knew something had to change, and that travel would be the perfect way to find answers. But I didn’t just want to travel and be a tourist — I wanted to be spontaneous, really connected to new cultures, and have an adventure. Plus, from years of working with large corporate clients, I’d seen how adventure and playfulness could boost creativity and collaboration.

So I convinced 90 friends, clients and strangers to write 90 adventures for me to complete while I traveled solo through India and southeast Asia. I got on a plane to Mumbai with a giant backpack and a small deck of cards and spent 90 days living at the whims of these challenges.

Every day, I’d flip a card, do whatever it said, and blog the tale. (I even ended up asking Steven Tyler for a mantra!) It fundamentally changed the way I looked at my day — I started to feel optimism, hope and joy again.

I discovered that people were doing the same adventures back at home. A new friend reflected me how much I’d changed, and challenged me to turn the project into a product that would help others get unstuck and find adventure anywhere. And that’s how Serenflipity was born!

Has it been a smooth road?
Every obstacle has been a challenge that’s helped me grow. Starting a business is inherently risky, and I grew up being pretty risk-averse, and somewhat of a perfectionist.

To grow my capacity for risk, I started to look at everything as an adventure — because if it’s all an adventure, you can’t fail. Every bump in the road is something to learn from, and ever struggle is something that builds my capacity to handle more, just like exercise.

The biggest area of growth has been about building my own resilience — learning to pick myself up and keep going when the chips are down, and also getting back to work after a big win. For me, it’s all about continuing to create, no matter what.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Serenflipity – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Serenflipity started as an adventure game designed to help people get out of their comfort zones and try new things.

Our mission is to help people to create adventure and connection anywhere — especially in everyday life. A lot of times, we think we need to travel far and wide (I certainly did!) to have those “aha” moments — I believe that with the right attitude, life-changing moments can happen anywhere.

The company started as a deck of adventure cards (based on my original adventure and story), and we found the product became a great icebreaker for people and a way to spark a connection. We recently beta’ed a text message adventure concierge, where a real person sent users on adventures. We had huge engagement, as well as heartfelt stories from users who shared that this helped with depression, anxiety and led to better connections with friends.

As our line expands (to decks about relationships, family, work, etc, as well as into the digital and media spaces) we want to help spark connection and adventure anywhere. As a founder, I am most proud of the stories from our community — hearing about how people are pushing themselves to get out of their comfort zones, confront fears and grow is always inspiring.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
Los Angeles is a city that gives permission to explore — creatively, personally, spiritually, professionally and more.

Growing up in New York, which is a vertical and linear city, I always felt like I had to follow a certain path. Los Angeles, from the crazy way it’s laid out to the people who are attracted here, feels expansive and limitless.

It’s a place where reinvention is celebrated, and where your craziest dreams are welcome. And did I mention the beach?

Contact Info:

• Website: www.serenflipity.com
• Email: cara@serenflipity.com
• Instagram: @serenflipity
• Facebook: @serenflip

Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.