“Travel is like love, mostly because it’s a heightened state of awareness, in which we are mindful, receptive, undimmed by familiarity and ready to be transformed. That is why the best trips, like the best love affairs, never really end.”
— Pico Iyer
Of all things, it was a documentary about Siberia.
Yes, Siberia.
To many, this is the last place on earth to dream of visiting, much less one which buried itself in the mind of a young, Canadian girl, enchanted by its scope, nuance and epic train system carved into eastern Russia’s expansive taiga.
And yet, after ample time in her legal career, 9 years ago Jodi Ettenberg set out to explore Siberia and its vast railway as a dramatic, opening salvo on a rolling journey which has, to date, never ended. Currently, she resides in Oaxaca, Mexico running her blog, “Legal Nomads” and giving her readers exactly what they want.
It’s a simple model, for sure, but one that has more than propped up a long adventure, highlighted by the ecstasy of new food and the joy of sharing fun and flavor with others.
Jodi Ettenberg’s muse is food, which she photographs wherever she goes (see below). She adores it, and has created a lifestyle where food has become a lens onto the world.
She also loves showing others the many tasty gems she uncovers within a city along one of her “food walks”. Her other offerings range from her unique, hand drawn food maps, a writing class for telling better stories online, social media coaching, content for traveling celiac’s and more.
She has seemingly mastered the entrepreneurial model of build an audience and give them what they want.
In this interview learn how Jodi went to law school “on a bet”, has thrived as a celiac around the world enjoying its many delicacies, went from having stage fright to the keynote speaker at the first “World Domination Summit” and how she has emerged as a leader amongst digital nomads, a beacon for those who might similarly be sitting at a desk, dreaming of…
Siberia.
Enjoy!
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Selected Links from this Episode
Jodi’s world
- Legal Nomads
- The Food Traveler’s Handbook
- Food Maps & more
- Writing course: How to Tell Better Stories in a Digital World
Jodi on Social Media
Recommended books
- A Short History of Everything (Bill Bryson)
- Difficult Conversations (Douglas Stone)
- The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can’t Stand Positive Thinking (Oliver Burkeman)
- The Subtle Art of not Giving a Fuck (Mark Manson)
Miscellaneous
- Jodi’s episode on the Tropical MBA Podcast (where we first learned of her)
Photo credits – top: Jimmy Dau; tacos: Jodi; bottom: friendly tourist