By HTE Founder, Erin Hughes.
For many people, Bali is a destination.
A place to switch off, slow down and escape everyday life for a little while.
For Lani Te Hennepe, it became something much more.
Long before she and her husband Simon Te Hennepe built Bali Bible into one of the island’s most trusted travel platforms, Bali was shaping the way she viewed life, family, business and what really matters.
“The first time Bali felt different was when it stopped feeling like a holiday and started feeling familiar,” Lani says.
“There was something about the energy of the island, the softness of it, the spirituality, the warmth of the people, that made me slow down and see life differently. It felt layered. Beautiful on the surface, but with so much depth underneath.”
It was this connection to Bali that would eventually become the foundation for Bali Bible.
But beneath the success of the platform is a story many women will relate to. One of building something meaningful, navigating different seasons of life and learning that sometimes the most important lessons come when we slow down enough to notice them.
Because if there’s one thing many women understand, it’s the feeling of being pulled in every direction at once.
We’re raising children, building careers, supporting partners, managing households and trying not to lose ourselves somewhere in the middle of it all.
Maybe that’s why Bali continues to call so many women back.
Not because it’s beautiful, although it absolutely is.
But because it gives us permission to exhale.
For Lani and Simon, that connection eventually became something much bigger than a love for the island.
Together, they created Bali Bible.
Today, it’s one of the most trusted travel platforms in Bali, helping people discover where to stay, eat, explore and experience the island. But like most successful businesses, the reality behind the scenes looked very different to what people see today.
“The early days were messy, exciting and very real,” Lani says.
“Simon and I both had full-time jobs and Bali Bible was more of a passion project than a business. It all started from a PDF guide we created that unexpectedly went viral.”
What followed were years of learning, adapting and figuring things out as they went.
“We cared deeply about building something useful and beautiful, but there was a lot of trial and error. People often see the finished version, not the years of work, doubt, sacrifice and belief underneath it.”
Together, they spent years building Bali Bible while juggling work, family life and all the uncertainty that comes with creating something from scratch.
It’s a reminder that most meaningful things are rarely built overnight.
Whether it’s a business, a family, a relationship or a life you love, the things that matter most often require patience, persistence and a willingness to keep going when the outcome isn’t always clear.
These days, Bali means something different to Lani than it did when Bali Bible first began.
The excitement is still there.
The inspiration is still there.
But the meaning has deepened.
“Now it represents perspective,” she says.
“It reminds me to come back to what matters. Family, simplicity, connection, health and presence.”
Perhaps that’s what so many of us are searching for too.
Not necessarily more.
Just more of the right things.
More connection.
More presence.
More time with the people we love.
More moments where we feel like ourselves again.
One of the things Lani loves most about Bali is that beneath the beautiful hotels, beach clubs and sunsets is something much richer.
“The heart of Bali isn’t just in the venues, villas or views,” she says.
“It’s in the people, the rituals, the offerings, the sense of devotion, community and everyday gratitude.”
“I wish more people understood that Bali isn’t just there to be consumed. It’s a living culture with real depth and meaning.”
It’s something we can all learn from.
The idea that life doesn’t have to be rushed.
That gratitude can be part of everyday life.
That community matters.
That slowing down isn’t weakness.
It’s wisdom.
As a mum, Lani also understands the pressure many women feel around family travel.
The planning.
The packing.
The expectations.
The fear that it will all be too hard.
Her advice is simple.
“Don’t wait for it to feel easy because it probably won’t.”
“Travelling with kids isn’t always relaxing, but it can still be deeply worth it. Lower the pressure. It doesn’t need to be perfect to be special.”
There’s something reassuring about that reminder.
Because motherhood has a way of convincing us everything has to be perfect before we can enjoy it.
The perfect holiday.
The perfect routine.
The perfect timing.
But life doesn’t work that way.
Neither does travel.
Sometimes the magic is in embracing the imperfection.
When asked what a real Bali day looks like, Lani’s answer is refreshingly honest.
“It’s early mornings, coffee, kids, work squeezed between family moments, stopping somewhere local for food and finding little moments of stillness throughout the day.”
“It’s not always glamorous, but that’s part of why I love it.”
And maybe that’s the lesson.
Life isn’t made up of the highlight reel.
It’s made up of ordinary moments.
The morning coffee.
The conversation with your child.
The quiet walk.
The deep breath.
The moments that don’t look extraordinary from the outside, but somehow become the ones we treasure most.
If Lani could bottle up one feeling Bali gives her and share it with every woman reading this, her answer comes instantly.
“Permission to exhale.”
A reminder that life doesn’t always have to feel rushed.
A reminder that we’re allowed to slow down.
A reminder that who we are matters too.
When reflecting on the journey from that very first PDF guide to the platform Bali Bible has become today, Lani’s advice feels relevant far beyond business.
“Trust the slow build.”
“Not everything needs to make sense at the start. Keep listening to your instincts and don’t be afraid of the messy middle.”
Because the things that matter most often take longer than we expect.
Motherhood.
Relationships.
Business.
Finding yourself.
But maybe that’s exactly how it’s meant to be.
Maybe the journey is shaping us all along the way.
And perhaps that’s the real story behind Bali Bible.
Not just a guide to Bali.
But a reminder that sometimes the most meaningful destinations are the ones that bring us back to ourselves.
