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Digital Nomad Stories
Digital Nomad Stories
Discovering The Digital Nomad Lifestyle
Meet digital nomad under construction Paulina, a digital marketing freelancer and coach who swapped the security of a 9-to-5 to the freedom of the digital nomad life. Tune in to hear about Paulina's work-life balance while traveling, nomad friendships, and getting settled in new destinations.
Connect with Paulina:
- paulinahermann.com
- @paulinahermanncoach on instagram
Connect with Kendra:
- @selflove_journey_ on instagram
- On her website
- Leave a review or voice message at digitalnomadstories.co
Hey Nomads, welcome to Digital Nomad Stories, the podcast. My name is Annik Klaassen and, together with my co-host, kendra Hasse, we interview digital nomads. Why? Because we want to share stories of how they did it. We talk about remote work, online business, location independency, freelancing, travel and, of course, about the digital nomad lifestyle. Do you want to know more about us and access all previous episodes? Visit digitalnomadstoriesco. All right over to Kendra for today's interview.
Speaker 2:Welcome to Digital Nomad Stories, the podcast. My name is Kendra and I'm your host today. Today I'm joined by Paulina and she she is working as a freelancer in digital marketing and, as well, she's growing her coaching project to support future entrepreneurs, or, as she likes to say, entrepreneurs under construction. I love you to be here today, paulina. How are you? Hi Kendra, I'm fine and you Good. Thank you, and I love this term, term under construction. And now, before we started recording, you said you also feel like a digital nomad under construction. I love this. Maybe we just start directly with this, like how would you define yourself currently when you say you're like a digital nomad under construction?
Speaker 3:yeah, okay, why I call me under construction? I mean, I use this term it's just because maybe sometimes I I still like think that I'm not a digital nomad, I like a real digital nomad. So I say, oh, I'm digital nomad under construction because actually I'm a newbie, so maybe it's because of that. But also I use this term when I knew something totally new for me. So it's like, okay, I'm not an expert, so I'm something under construction. So right now I feel like I'm a digital nomad under construction because I'm still like discovering this new, new lifestyle beautiful and since when did you start discovering this new lifestyle?
Speaker 2:when was the first time you left?
Speaker 3:okay. So it was, uh, last summer it was like 2023 summer so I left my job. I worked in an agency as a paid media specialist in digital marketing. So since September, I'm traveling and I'm a digital nomad.
Speaker 2:Great, and where have you been traveling?
Speaker 3:So I started in Mexico and then I spent three months and then I went to Colombia, when I met you, yeah, and then, since two weeks, I'm in Spain, in Madrid.
Speaker 2:Great. So yes, it's almost like more than half a year now.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's like seven months, something like that.
Speaker 2:And now, when you're looking back at the seven months, how do you feel? What is this feeling of being a digital nomad? What do you like about?
Speaker 3:it Well. So in the beginning I was a little bit confused because six years ago I also did a journey, but it was like more backpacking journey. It was like three months I was backpacking in Asia, in South Asia. So when I started this new life, I was this backpacker mentality. So I started like traveling for like changing a lot of uh times the place when I when I live, it was like okay, I was three days here, 10 days here, five days here, but it was so exhausting.
Speaker 3:So in the beginning was was really difficult for me because I had like a lot of projects. I was also doing a master's degree in coaching, then I have my coaching projects and also my book, because I'm also writing my autobiography. So it was like a lot of work to do. And then I also wanted to travel and visit new places, new, new people. It was like wait, wait a moment, because you're not a big baker.
Speaker 3:So for me the opinion was real difficult and I finished like a really exhausted and I had to stopped and after more or less one month of traveling and decided to choose a place and settle for for a while. And then I find a little island in La Riviera Maya, holbox and then I spend there like almost two months and then I realized that, okay, so this new life, new lifestyle, it's really interesting, but it's also really difficult. It's not a perfect life and I think it's not for everybody, because you have to be really flexible, because you have to change many times the place you live, your friends. Many times. If you have some problems, you have to deal with that with yourself, because if you, for example, I was in Latin America, so the zone, the time zone was different and there were like seven hours of difference with my friends from spain. It was sometimes was difficult to deal with that.
Speaker 3:So then you have to. You have to think that, okay, when you have this new lifestyle as a digital nomad, so sometimes you have to deal with lonely life, or then maybe you have to when you choose a place to settle for a while. So you have to also think that, okay, is there another digital nomads, people like me, because I I met a lot of bake bakers. So it was like very difficult to to have a friendship with that people because they spent like two days or one week in the place where I was settled for a while. So sometimes was it was difficult because of this also yeah, yeah, I get you.
Speaker 2:That's something like we also. We are humans, right, and we want this human connection, this meaningful connection. And that's something that also takes time, or sometimes maybe you build it by way but, then it's not easy to find the people and how. It's like a little bit lack and happiness.
Speaker 3:You said that it takes time. I think this is the most important thing, because when you're traveling and it happens to me in the beginning I was like my life was really fast and I wanted everything really fast. So patience is very important quality when you become a digital nomad because also when you change the place, place, so you have to adapt yourself to this new place, the people, and then if you knew something, somebody knew, so also you have to take your time to know this person and also this person has to take the time, the his or her time, to know you. So you have to be patient and I think the patience is the most important thing when you become a digital nomad.
Speaker 2:Yeah, thank you. I love this, and now I'm thinking maybe it's also when we are already digital nomads. We always need to activate again this talent of patience when we go to a new place, Because I feel always going to a new place where we have never been before, it's like starting again, being a little like in that place. You know you need to also understand how everything is going, the logistics, create new community dealing with loneliness. Maybe in the beginning organize your denouement again.
Speaker 3:Yeah it's everything. Because before I started this lifestyle, it was like, okay, you just travel and that's it, you're in your place and that's it. But no, because you have to what you say. Okay, I have to find a nice place Because if I'm traveling, I want to live in a nice place for me when I feel comfortable, to live in a nice place for me when I feel comfortable.
Speaker 3:Also, it's very important, the place with a good internet connection, because, as we are digital nomads, we need internet and sometimes in some places, as we both know very well, especially in Latin America, if you're in a small town, so there is a lot of issue with that. So, also, you have to find a good place, comfortable for you, with good connection to the internet, and it's not always so easy. Also, you have to find like your cafeteria places, restaurants or supermarkets or like everything, and you have to get used to this new place. So it takes time, it's not that easy and in the beginning you can feel strange in this new place. So it takes time, it's not that easy and in the beginning you can feel strange in this new place and many times you can miss the last place where you have been settled.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, you have to take it in in their account and I'm just thinking now because I I will have this next week also that I'm changing new places and just also remind that for the listeners. When we are like digital nomads, we can work from wherever right and we are not really taking holidays. But then what sometimes stress me? Changing a new place that I want to keep with my working routine. You know, like with all the to-dos, I have doing it.
Speaker 2:The same week we're moving to a new place. We're needing to find, like all what you say where, where do is good? Where's good internet maybe? How is the wi-fi working, whatever? And maybe to calm us and we put in that we could take a little bit off from our plate of working to do's, because I feel, as soon as we established our cell, then we have more energy to thrive because we are like in a new place where we like to be. You know we, we it's also the beauty of the freedom. We have more energy to thrive because we are like in a new place where we like to be. You know we, it's also the beauty of the freedom we have. We can go to places where we feel we have like good energy and then maybe we are more productive after.
Speaker 3:Yeah, this is very interesting what you're telling right now, because it's also happened to me. In the beginning I was also this employee mindset. It's like okay, I have to work, work, work. But when you work for a company, so you have like a concrete task, your schedule, but when you work for yourself, so it's like never-ending task, so you work like every day, like whole day and every day, including weekends. It happened to me it was like so difficult to stop and no, enjoy, because you need your energy, you need recover you and get like more fresh energy to be more productive, because if not you're, you cannot be productive.
Speaker 3:So the most important important project for you, it should be you yourself, you have yeah, you have to quit out yourself take good care of yourself take care of yourself that's the word. So yeah, and sometimes when you're, when you became a digital nomad, so you can like make this mistake to work too much.
Speaker 3:And also what happened to me, what was also difficult, because I suffer from FOMO fear of missing out, like in general in my life, and it was like a big lesson from the life for me because, okay, I decided to change my lifestyle to become digital nomad. So also it's important to like have this pleasure time to do another stuff, not only work. But sometimes it's difficult to say no for some new plans and it's like you have to find a balance because you don't. Sometimes for me it's difficult to say no for some new plans and it's like you have to find a balance because you don't. Sometimes for me it's like, okay, oh, I work too much, or I like have a pleasure time more than I need. So it's like you have to find this balance between the pleasure time and the work, your work. So it's important to organize you correctly and have this routine.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, it's also very important yeah, yeah, that's a great thing what you're saying, this form or this fear of missing out, right, because then we are coming to a new place, also like you want to see everything and also like towards the end, you're thinking, ah, I haven't done this and this and this what I wanted to do here. And I mean, this is not just for the genomics this can always be happening but I think it's also like, even sometimes as a genomic, there's this pressure, there's this one opportunity, maybe connecting with this community, going to this meetup, yeah, that's the thing.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's like I have this like flexible schedule so then I I can do this task tomorrow or in the evening or whatever, and sometimes it's difficult to like organize everything. So you have to just also like know you very well and know how you work in this kind of situation, because if you are like a very disciplined person, so it's okay for you, but if not, so look out, because maybe it could be like a chaos.
Speaker 2:Nice. So, and what were the things you really enjoyed in the last seven months of having taken this decision? Okay, now I become interested in that.
Speaker 3:Oh, good question, what I really enjoyed. Decision okay, now I become an astronaut. Oh, good question, what I really enjoyed? So I think like a new culture. When I spent like this time in Mexico, then I knew I met new people and it was really, really interesting like new, like I met like another digital nomad or another people and they have like their own motivation to change their lives, to travel, so it was like interesting to hear their story Also be in the new places and live in the new places, especially, for example, in Colombia, colombia, when I spent like two months in Palomino. They are still out of indigenous towns, so then I I could met these people and knew this culture and it was like so enriching, enriching, enriching, enriching it was so enriching, enriching, enriching.
Speaker 3:Enriching. It was so enriching because it's like I realized that, yeah, maybe we have different culture, but still our needs are the same, because we need connection, we need love, we need food. It's like we have the same needs Even if we have different cultures. It was so amazing to discover that that's true.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's like there's always this like moments we are, we are getting like this new, enriching insights, that, um, when we are going out of the comfort zone right, when we are like experiencing new things, yeah, cool, cool. Thanks for sharing. And you know what I'm also super curious about? We haven't talked about it yet. What was your motivation to become a digital nomad? Why did you decide to do it?
Speaker 3:Okay. So when I did my backpacking trip six years ago, I realized that I wanted to change my life and in the future I wanted to travel more. So during the pandemic, when I was in Mexico because I spent one year in Mexico my agency sent me there and then I had this introspection and I realized that I wanted to change my life and I had a coaching process and I just find my purpose of my life and I wanted to help other people and I want to do that traveling, because I really like traveling. I really like like met new people, as I told you, new cultures. It was like, okay, what I have to do Because I don't want to travel and that's it. I want to work also Because I wanted to feel like you know, like we feel successful in a professional way and not only just traveling and that's it. So I wanted to find this way to still working in something that I really feel happy and also travel. So I thought, OK, so I can become a digital nomad, why not? So it was my motivation, Great.
Speaker 2:And then, what was your first step to do? So? What were then the steps you did to make it, to realize it, to make it a reality?
Speaker 3:Okay. So after this coaching process, so I decided to first do a course like a training in coaching. So this was like the first step because I wanted to change my profession. So I put the plan in hold on because I was living in After Mexico. I came back to Spain, to Madrid, because before Mexico I was living in Madrid. So I came back to Madrid. I was living in Madrid, so I came back to Madrid and then I felt that I wanted to change and wanted to live in a coast. So when I was starting this coaching course, I decided to move to Barcelona.
Speaker 3:And then when I was settled in Barcelona and I finished this course, so I decided to work in my coaching project. So then I also like find entrepreneur community and with others, future or entrepreneurs under construction. So I did like a lot of conversations, also meetings, so then it was like I think, two years after my coaching process, and then I decided to, ok, now you have this training in coaching, but okay, you want to change your lifestyle, not only your profession, so what you have to do. So then I thought, okay, so I'm working in this agency. So I didn't have like enough time to do to prepare my coaching project. So I decided to save money and then in one year, left my job and start this new digital lifestyle and run my coaching project. So this is what I did I just hold on my project coaching project. I did another training, a master's degree, because I felt that I need more preparation for this new project.
Speaker 2:So I did this master's degree and then, during my my first trip as a digital nomad, I was working in this project and this master's degree and was like something like that nice, really inspiring, and I also feel like I did the same, you know, like when I realized I want to do this, I also first did my coaching training when I realized, like talking to you know, when I finished I quit my job, I I kept doing what the coaching saved some money and to then go full in like, yeah, building my own business.
Speaker 3:Oh, that's curious. So maybe this is like the normal way. Yeah, who knows?
Speaker 2:Are we met because of this? So I guess, like there's also this attraction, maybe there's also something interesting, I feel, also on our travelings and also as the genomics we attract sometimes. So people we should meet again, yeah definitely, because I think that it's.
Speaker 3:It's because also of our energy, because we have an energy and we attract the same energy, or the energy. We need to learn something from life.
Speaker 2:Yes, exactly Because I just would say, sometimes we need to meet people who we can call friends or collaborators for work, you know like with a beautiful energy, or sometimes people where we are shocking because we need to learn something. We need to understand something. Yeah, definitely.
Speaker 3:Great and definitely this happened to me in this first trip in latin america. It was really interesting, like also like my intern work. It's not I'm, I didn't only work in my project, but in my own project. As me, it was really transformational that is also something I feel.
Speaker 2:That's like being a digital nom is also an accelerator on your personal development journey, you know, on your personal growth, because so many time you're going, you're going out of your comfort zone or you're spending time with yourself I mean if you do it in a conscious way.
Speaker 2:Also, if you're like, if you are not really like in this type of world, or if you're not really interested, if you're not really in this type of world, if you're not really interested, if you're not really taking this time to sometimes also reflect and understand, then not. But if you're open for it, it's an amazing way.
Speaker 3:Yeah, definitely, you have to be open for that. And also, when you're traveling, everything happens so fast Because you're changing every time, or many times, like you're when you leave, friends, people around you, so there are a lot of new situations.
Speaker 2:So, like everything, it's really really, really fast yeah, and now when you're saying like everything is really fast, when I reflect on my three years and a half now a little bit more like a digital nomad, it's also important and I sometimes forgot to take some time to integrate, so to maybe you know like then you're like from one place to the other, you're building community, you're full in there, but still sometimes I feel, sometimes in my energy, say, oh, you know what, take two weeks just for yourself to integrate everything, because everything has happened so far.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and also it's very important to have vacation, because you know I always listen that okay, if you become a digital nomad, then you will have a vacation all the time. But it's bullshit. It's not true, because you have to work if you want to earn money. But sometimes you think, okay, I'm traveling, so I'm on vacation, but no, you're on vacation when you're not doing your projects or your work stuff. So you have to have this real vacation to assimilate what you lived or just have some rest of everything and recover your energy. So it's very important. And also when you say because when you're traveling so many times, you're surrounded by many people, a lot of events and also you need a space for yourself to, how you say, to integrate with your lived or just to be with yourself, to reflect about yourself, about your life, about everything, to do this introspective work also.
Speaker 2:So it's very important to have this space for you beautiful and in addition to this, I'm thinking it's also important to have the space to be able to take the next decision, because we are all the time in this, in this hassle of needing to take a next decision how long I'm staying when to go? Where to go next? What to do? What is the best decision for our business, for ourselves?
Speaker 3:yeah, definitely, it's very important because sometimes you don't know if you're a drive uh, drive of your emotions or whatever. So sometimes you have to stop and think okay, I, I have to make this decision, but what I want to do really? So you have to stop and think okay, I, I have to make this decision, but what I want to do really? So you have to stop and and reflect about this.
Speaker 2:Yeah, nice like you just mentioned it a little bit, but but maybe you want to talk a little bit more about it that you are writing your own book.
Speaker 1:You read yes, so is it like, is it?
Speaker 2:also like interesting then later for the genomics. Are you talking about your story there? What is it? Do you want to share a little bit about it?
Speaker 3:I'm super curious yeah, of course, why not? Okay, like many people ask me, oh, you're writing a book, you're autobiography, so your life was very interesting. What happened to you? Is this why? Why you're writing a book about yourself? It was like, okay, why I'm writing a book about myself?
Speaker 3:So six years ago, I had like a very difficult moment for me and I decided to write a book about that, about what I lived there, what I feel, feel. So what happened to me? I had like 30. I was 30 years old and I was in a relationship with the guy. What I thought. It was the one, the only one, you know, like a fairy tale, but he decided to broke up with me.
Speaker 3:It it was like. It was like very difficult to me and also my mother had a cancer and she died and also I left the job. No, I lost the job. So it was like three very difficult circumstances for me which happened in the same time and I decided to travel. It was like the motivation to do my first backpacking journey. So I wanted to write about this because I thought, okay, maybe I can, I can be inspiration for anyone who passed for something similar, maybe I can show something to another people. And I also wanted, always I wanted to write a book. It was like okay, I think that I, right now, I want to share my story.
Speaker 2:Beautiful yeah, I'm super excited as soon as it is it. Thank you for sharing this. Anything else you feel I should have asked you? Anything else you would like to talk about? Maybe some of your personal learnings from the last month, something about your story or other recommendations for others, something that's coming to your mind?
Speaker 3:okay, what can I say? I can say all the things. I think it's the most important thing if you have a dream, if you want to change your life, I think do this, even if you have a fear, because I also was really scared before I made this decision, but I wanted to do that and also try to not to have a lot of expectation, because they never become true. So just clean yourself of this expectation and just try this. If you want to become, for example, a digital nomad, so try this new life and if you see if it's not something for you, don't worry about that. Or maybe you can make your own lifestyle, just only for you, and you don't have to follow the same step as another people, as another person.
Speaker 3:But try, try, because I hear, I heard like a lot of stories about digital nomad, about their perfect life, and when I tried it it was like it's not perfect, it's not, it's not what I thought it was, but it doesn't matter because I'm like right now I'm constructing my own digital nomad life. So I said I'm digital nomad, hunter, construction, because I'm constructing this new lifestyle by my own and by my own rules. And I think it's the most important thing Construct your life by your own rules and follow your dreams.
Speaker 2:I love it. It's really like, also, like, yeah, it's a true reality. That it's not like you become a genomic and you will be happy 24 hours a day, enjoying it.
Speaker 2:No, it's like even not life. You know it depends like what life you choose. So it's important how you feel and you just need to find the life side that makes you feeling good, or this life side where you also have the possibility to sit with this emotion that maybe that's a nice, they're just part of life and accepting yeah, definitely, because you can see a lot of images of people with coconut and with the laptop in front of their beds and working.
Speaker 3:It was like it's not the real image. Sometimes you can do that, but not everywhere, because, okay, you have to find the the the right place to do that, and sometimes you have a lot of issues like mosquitoes or wind or whatever, whatever or humidity yeah, yeah. So it's like it's not a perfect life, but find your way to to live this life because it's possible. You have to just find it beautiful, thank you.
Speaker 2:So what is your, your plan after, after spain? Do you already have it or are you first, like now, enjoying your time in spain?
Speaker 3:no, yeah, I'm.
Speaker 3:So I will spend like almost two months in madrid, so the end of april, and then on may I'm going to france to visit my best friend in france, brittany.
Speaker 3:I will spend there one month and after that I want to come back to spain, but to the coast, and spend the summer in Mediterranean coast, maybe in Barcelona or in other place, in Catalonia or in Valencia or I'm not sure and then in the end of summer I'm going to Poland to visit my family and we'll spend also like one month there, and after Poland, probably I don't know if I will come back to Spain or maybe Portugal, I will see and in the end of the year I want to go again to Latin America, but after Christmas, because last year I spent Christmas in Colombia. It was really nice and thanks to my friends who hosted me and showed me like the culture and how they spend the christmas, it was really nice. But this year I want to spend christmas with my family. So I think that I will stay in europe till christmas and after christmas I will go to to latin america, to caribbean, I don't know, but some hot place sounds like an amazing year ahead.
Speaker 2:Thank you, paulina. Thank you for your time, for sharing your story, all your insights. I think it was amazing, really inspiring thank you, it was really nice conversation.
Speaker 3:Bye, it was a pleasure and that's it for today.
Speaker 1:Thank you so much for listening. I appreciate it very, very much. I would appreciate it even more if you could leave a review on Apple Podcasts for me. That way, more people can find this podcast, more people can hear the inspiring stories that we're sharing, and the more people we can impact for the better. So, thank you so much if you are going to leave a review. I really appreciate you and I will see you in the next episode.