Tag: digital nomad

Podcast

OS64: Jason Moore – Location Independence as a Way of Life

When asking how our lives might look different if we were to follow our hearts and dreams, so many of us point to travel. For most of us, travel represents freedom in one way or another – the ability to do whatever we want to, go wherever we want to, whenever we want to do it. But many of us never do it – or do it only in the limited, accepted, prescribed way – for a couple weeks of vacation a year, here or there. We feel confined to one place, limited by time, money, and location-dependent obligations. No so for Jason Moore. After college, Jason longed to travel – to take off in the spirit of adventure. Despite $20,000 in student loan debt, Jason took a leap of faith that he could support himself on the road, and took off. What he found on his way was that many of the mind stories that stop us from traveling are actually made up of myths. That is, it’s not actually impossible to make money while traveling – in fact, he was able to pay off his student loans while traveling and working on the road. Jason’s own experience learning how to travel and experience freedom and location independence soon became his passion to serve and help others. Along the way, he partnered up with fellow traveler and friend, Travis Sherry, and created an online community, “Location Indie”, for people living this so-called alternative lifestyle. Jason comes through in this interview as a down-to-earth, warm, and easy-going guy, and also a deeply knowledgeable and experienced expert in the art of travel and freedom. Enjoy!

Podcast

OS61: Kathleen Morton – Vanlife, Breaking The Rules & Creating Your Own Life Story

Kathleen Morton never understood why people seem to live by the same unwritten rules. As a child, she most enjoyed the sanctuary of her bedroom, where her natural creativity flourished. Like many of us, when she graduated high school and moved into the larger world, Kathleen believed, as her parents encouraged her to, that a traditional education and career path would bring her happiness, money and success in life. Returning home after college, one potential story of her life flashed before her eyes: hanging out with the same friends, doing the same things every day, in a mechanical urban environment and routine. Something inside her knew there was more to life, and called out for the vast, open expanses of nature, which spoke of unlimited possibility. She moved to Colorado, and soon, the city girl who didn’t know how to hike found herself more and more at home in the outdoors. As she spent more time in nature, she began to question the way she lived, and the footprint she was making on the Earth. To live closer to nature, she bought a pop-up camper with her then boyfriend for $1,800. Finding space with a local family, she and her boyfriend made home there anew. They felt the changes of seasons and morning dew directly through the permeable camper walls, and comingled with the local wildlife. Kathleen wondered – finding more financial and personal freedom – why more people didn’t live this way. What began as an experiment with tiny, off-grid living soon revealed itself as a calling, and a new story for Kathleen’s life: to live closely and in flow with nature, minimize her impact on the environment, and tell her story – and those of others making life this way – to show others that this is, in fact possible, and maybe inspire them to do the same. Today, Kathleen lives and wanders through nature in a 1987 Toyota van, together with her dog, Peaches. She has created a blog and podcast where she tells her story and the stories of other van dwellers, and she serves this community by creating monthly #vanlife gatherings around the country, where the growing community of mobile, alternative home explorers can gather on the frontier, support one another in the lifestyle and movement they are pioneering. She talks in this intimate interview about what it’s really like to live and work all over the country in a van, and why – despite the challenges – she feels endlessly fortunate that she is able to live in this way, enjoy the open freedom of her days, and create her own story of her life each day. Enjoy!

Podcast

OS54: Ross Lukeman – Designing the Unique Home of Your Dreams

Often we accept things we’ve been taught or told, until one day something strikes us as being a bit “off”, and we begin to ask questions. For Ross Lukeman, that something was the traditional story we’ve been taught about home ownership and freedom. That is, if you own a home, you have achieved the American Dream. It struck Ross as strange that people buy homes, believing this story, then design the rest of their lives around paying for that home – staying in jobs they don’t like to pay a mortgage, putting off the things they really want to do, and living that way sometimes for the rest of their lives. He also found it strange that he never learned about any types of “alternative” dwellings in architecture school, only the mainstream ways of building and making a home. So Ross began probing a question that gets to the very heart of how we live and enjoy our lives: What other types of homes are possible, and, specifically, what type of home will maximize a person’s experience of freedom? He created a website dedicated to this question, and traveled across the country interviewing people building and living in all kinds of homes he hadn’t learned about in school: strawbale homes, earthships, and even, vans. As it tends to happen when a person follows their natural interest, a calling emerged for Ross. What he found in his search was that the type of home that will create the greatest freedom depends actually on the individual – and what’s most exciting and expansive for them, specifically. For Ross, what quickly became the most exciting was #vanlife. He started living in his own van, and now he helps people do that – online course, van builds. This is how we learned of him, his van conversion resources that are online (see shownotes for links to all of Ross’ resources). If you’ve ever wanted to live more simply, build your own home, explore another way of living, this episode is for you. Enjoy!

Podcast

OS47: Natalie Sisson – Her Journey from Digital Nomad to “Freedomist” & More

For Natalie Sisson, doing anything which doesn’t feel good for too long sets off an internal alarm. So, some 10 years ago, after too many days of feeling “off” at a corporate job…she quit. What’s remarkable about her decision is that she didn’t have a solid plan for what to do afterwards, but took the leap anyway. What unfolded from there is truly epic: 70 countries in 7 years, multiple online programs helping other digital nomads, a very popular podcast, her own book and a vast array of experiences that many only dream about. And, as she describes in this week’s Ownstream Podcast, she mainly follows the simple breadcrumb trail of her excitement. She is comfortable not knowing what lays past the horizon. This outlook has given her the amazing ability to leap where others might balk. And, it has given her the conviction that others can do the same. She recently gave up the digital nomad lifestyle and now owns land in New Zealand and, with her partner, has a new vision of freedom and service. What’s wonderful about this conversation is that Natalie believes that anyone can do this. The path she has walked isn’t for the few. It’s for those who decide it’s for them. Consider yourself warned: this conversation might give you the clarity and motivation to decide to take the leap yourself. Enjoy!

Lifestyle

Radical Lifestyle Redesign III: Time to “Burn The Boats” (Or, Your Moment of Confirmation)

Many people want to change their lives, but few actually do – why is this? Perhaps it’s because they aren’t truly “all in”. What then separates those who succeed from those who don’t? Virtually everyone we have spoken with on the Ownstream Podcast, or just in the flow of life, who has pulled off of the mainstream path creating something truly their “own” have done what we call “burn the boats”. In other words, they have taken irrevocable, and often dramatic, action in the direction of their life’s calling. This sometimes means leaving a job, moving across the world, selling everything and traveling or some other radically different, out of the box, act. In this article, we discuss why this is so and break down the specific steps to successfully designing your own “burn the boats” (or “confirmation”, as we call it) moment.

Podcast

OS28: Stacie Malkus – The Healing Power of Oils + The Rise of Network Marketing

Stacie Malkus never saw herself in sales, much less network marketing. So, when an opportunity to become a rep with an essential oils business came her way, she balked. That is, until she saw how powerful the oils were when she used them to help her daughter’s sleep. After Brooklyn took a 3-hour nap, mommy became a believer. Now, she oversees a 40K member team, selling healthy essential oils to those craving an alternative to the mainstream path of medicine and drugs. This episode began as an exploration of these oils and how wide-ranging and beautifully effective they are in treating all manner of illness and injury. But, along the way, we realized that this episode was also about the return of network marketing as a viable, powerful business for those who’d rather not sit at a desk all day. In the last couple of years, Stacie has grown her business to becoming the lone bread winner in her family (she “retired her husband” a few years ago), and now their family enjoys more time together, enjoying the outdoors (surfing in particular), traveling and more. For those seeking ways to treat pain and illness more holistically AND for people who desire an elegant alternative to working 9-5, then this podcast is for you. Enjoy!

Podcast

OS26: Theresa & Stephen – Come Play With Us This Summer + Other Updates

What happens when you decide to change EVERYTHING about your life? What fears and other challenges arise, and how do you deal with them? This forms the bulk of this podcast episode, where we as co-hosts (Theresa & Stephen) delve into the inner reality of making massive changes in life and how we are successfully managing these challenges and maintaining peace, joy & love through the process. Also, we discuss our general route through the western US from late July ’17 thru Oct ’17 (& beyond) and how you can connect with us in person along the way! This episode was a bit scary for us, as we delve into the intimacies of our inner (and outer) journey. We hope you will listen with an open mind, and see a bit of yourself in our challenges and triumphs. Enjoy!

Podcast

OS22: Andy Austin – Year #1 In His Van, Redefining Freedom, Risk & Home

So, what’s it like living full-time in a van? Scan the hashtag #vanlife on Instagram, and prepare to ooh and aah and the majesty of the earth through the eyes of van dwellers worldwide. You would probably stumble across some of the breathtaking imagery of professional photographer Andy Austin, who for the past year has lived full-time in his 2006 Dodge Sprinter 2500. Traveling throughout the west, and mostly back and forth across his beloved home state of Montana, Andy has built quite the following online and has amassed some amazing stories from his time on the road. We discuss many specifics, namely how does he: eat, poop, sleep, work, relax and make coffee? Where does he park at night? What are some of his favorite places to boondock? What are some of his favorite memories from the last year? What challenges has he stared down and gotten through? We discuss all facets of #vanlife with the very candid, eloquent and adventurous Andy Austin in this episode of the Ownstream Podcast. Enjoy!

Podcast

OS16: Bridget Nielsen – High Vibration Foods, Exiting the Matrix, ETs & …Tim Ferriss?

Something was off and Bridget Nielsen knew it. Her day job had brought her to a breaking point. It was through going within that she found both the answers to why she was unhappy and an entire “other” world that awaited her. Nowadays, she sees herself as a bridge connecting ideas and entities from beyond the “here and now” on earth TO those of us open and willing enough to listen. Yes, that’s right, we’re going to talk about ETs. Real ones. And they have an empowering message for us, if we can open to their message. In this episode, we discuss her connection with ETs and how anyone can connect with them, the interactive adventures she leads to the most beautiful places on earth, the importance of high vibration foods, the divine import of following your excitement, how to exit the “matrix” and detach from the toxic programming around us, and so much more. Enjoy!

Podcast

OS12: Derek Loudermilk – Scientist & Cyclist Turned Artist Of Adventure

Derek Loudermilk’s path in life has been anything but straight, but it has most certainly led him somewhere wonderful. His first career was microbiology. His next? Cycling coach. And now? Online business coach and archivist of adventure. So often, we hold ourselves back given we can’t see from “here” to “there”, but Derek has turned this into his most powerful asset. He’s willing to change directions, give it all up for something else and go for it. In this Ownstream Podcast interview we discuss Derek’s unique definition of adventure, the health scare that powerfully oriented him away from the mainstream, starting a cycling business in Spain, early family travel and his quest to see all 50 states and his current mission to help others run successful online businesses freeing them from the 9-5 in order to more fully live the calling of their own, unique adventure . Enjoy!