June 24, 2024 • 34 mins
Michelle Maree is the founder and CEO of The Nomad Escape, which runs retreats around the world for digital nomads. She recently launched a digital community, exclusively for location independent entrepreneurs.
As a member of Michelle's "Inner Circle" I felt well-placed to explore the strategic thought behind launching her community - including group size and price point. Why now was the right time to launch, and how running retreats and being at the heart of her own online community impacts her social wellbeing.
During our interview, Michelle shares her unique experience of the pandemic, when a two week retreat turned into a five month co-living experience, and we delve into the importance of creating healthy boundaries to maintain sanity whilst hosting and facilitating workshops for entrepreneurs in beautiful locations around the world.
About Michelle Maree
As the founder and CEO of The Nomad Escape, in the last six years, Michelle has hosted over 1,000 professionals across 35 retreats and 40 events worldwide, fostering growth, networking, and skill enhancement.
Michelle believes that success is built on relationships. Passion drives her to connect and transform the lives of remote professionals, teams, and entrepreneurs.
Website: https://thenomadescape.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-maree-32274a84/
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Hello and welcome to Rediscovering Connection.
I'm Shelley Doyle and today I'mhere with Michelle Marie, and
today we're going to delve intoMichelle's inner circle.
We're going to talk about thenomad escape.
We're going to talk about AI,community connection, belonging
and how all of this impacts oursocial well-being being part of
(00:24):
a community like this.
So welcome, michelle.
How are you?
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Thank you.
Well, I'm super excited to behere.
Your energy is contagious andI'm always happy to connect and
share with people, like withyour energy.
So for me this is fun, so I'msuper excited.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
Let's start with the inner circles.
I'd love to know, like how itcame about and why you decided
that now was the time to launchthe inner circle is something
that was created veryorganically or existed at the
end very organically.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
It's an extension of what I've created over the years
and as an extension of myself.
So for the last six years, I'vebeen running the nomad escape
and we started basically as,let's say, just digital nomad
travels and trips, which endedup becoming more a business and
(01:21):
travel and network club, andmany people knew that or know
and that know me that I travelaround the world, I have a very
big network and that I'mconstantly engaging and
connecting with otherentrepreneurs that are always
seeking for new opportunities,new business partners, new
collaborations.
(01:42):
And, as people knew me, um, andmy network as well, people kept
on asking me like, hey,michelle, um, can I pick your
brain?
Can I get access to this personin your network?
I am looking for a marketerthat can help me grow my, let's
say, coaching business, orsomeone who's building a SaaS
(02:04):
product and focusing on, like,the needs of the community and
knowing that they need likeintroductions and I know, for me
, when I first saw the pricepoints and I was I was like an
immediate heart, yes, like Ididn't have to hesitate.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
You made it very accessible for, I guess, the
right people to be in the room.
And and was there much thoughtthat went into a price point?
And also the number ofparticipants, because I don't
know if you've heard any of myinterviews with Robin Dunbar or
Richard Bartlett, but there's abig thing about um scale and the
(02:48):
number 50 is actually a reallycritical number.
So I wonder if there was muchthought behind the that, that
number 50 being being what youdecided upon yeah, oh, a very
interesting question actually.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
Yes, there was a thought behind and that was
actually the target 50, uh,because I think it's a very good
number to create, um, yeah, avery good number of brand
ambassadors.
So basically, we made it veryaccessible for people to get in,
people who don't understand thevalue for them it's expensive,
(03:25):
they're like what I'm gonna pay,you know whatever 500 bucks to
get into this network.
It's just online and these arealready not a good fit.
But people like you understandthe value of one potential
connection or just, uh, let'ssay, a business advice from a
fellow entrepreneur.
Um, you understand the valueout of it and you know we wanted
(03:47):
to create that, like this is ano-brainer for the right people.
So we knew 50 is feasible andwe knew at this price point,
that would be, for sure,feasible.
So it was really well thoughtthrough and we got actually the
exact results that we wanted.
So, yeah, and I think also,like, with a network like this,
(04:08):
it's very important to firstgive that first group so much
value that they are so excitedthat they naturally come with so
much great feedback andtestimonials, because actually,
if you look in the WhatsAppgroup, you know people are
posting constantly like oh mymichelle, I had a conversation
with this person was amazing.
(04:29):
I hired yousef, I had did thisis this and what I do with all
these messages.
First of all, I am super happy,like my heart glows.
And when I see that I'm likewow, I gave these people value
way, you know, like way abovethe number that I charged,
basically.
So I over delivered.
So people are happy.
But then also for me it's likea testimonial.
I start it and I screenshot itand I can show that to other
(04:53):
people.
Right, so you guys are the best, uh, yeah, uh, marketing for me
, because I do a great job.
People are happy, people starttalking and it makes it easier
for the network to grow.
And also for you guys like, thisis a new framework.
What we've, like I've beendoing um strategic introductions
(05:14):
and community for multipleyears, but not within a
framework, a technical frameworklike this.
So for us it's uh, in thatsense, like from a technical
aspect, a beta, and you guysknow that as well.
That's like, hey, it's notperfect yet technically, but the
value is there, but we're stilltesting out, you know, in the,
(05:34):
in the technicalities and, as itis, at this price point you
guys are like okay, that's fine,you know so if, if we would
already charge like the 5k,whatever we will go to at a
certain point, then it has to besmooth and it has to be slick,
and now it's fine if there's aglitch, and all these things
right.
So it gives us a space todevelop, to get our feedback to
(06:00):
improve and, as we go, increaseand offer even more value and a
more customized experiencebeautiful, beautiful and as it
does evolve.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
Do you see that number 50 remaining or do you
see it expanding in in numbers?
Speaker 2 (06:17):
yes, so basically we are gonna soon do another launch
, basically.
So the the second batch ofpeople and the minimum
participants that we want to getin is again 50 up to 100, and
but that will be a separategroup, that's like a standalone
(06:38):
from the current group, or wouldit be intermixed?
it's going to be one big groupand that is a great question,
because we have spoken aboutthat a lot in the team.
Um, because you guys know eachother and it feels trusted.
Now a new group of people comesin, so we thought about this.
The smart thing to do, um, ithas its pros and cons and I
(07:02):
think that the pros are biggeras we let them in into your
group is because you wantnetwork expansion, you want to
have new energies, you want tohave people who are excited and,
like you have spoken to manypeople in the network now that
were already valuable for you.
So how long?
Yes, you can collaborate, andthat's the whole intention to
find the right people.
Let's say, from the 50 people,maybe you find maybe two or
(07:26):
three people that you reallycollaborate with.
Like, there's also a limit tohow many people you can
collaborate with.
We all have business.
We all have you know we'redoing our day to day life and
work, so you cannot endlesslycall with people and endlessly
develop new collaborations andproducts and services.
(07:47):
However, after a quarter so wehave almost had a quarter now
with the inner circle um, youwant to get new connections,
because how long can you gowithin the same circle.
You know, in a community isalways you have, let's say, a 30
percent that's super engaged.
Then you have like another 30percent who's engaged, but he
come in, taps in and out.
They have maybe 20 percent.
(08:08):
You know.
You know they're listening onthe background and sometimes
they, you know, send the message, or yeah, I get a message from
them and you have 20 percent whojust bought it and just not
participate, and it's alwayswith memberships and with
courses and that is fine.
Um, you want to have new energybecause I want to feed you new
connections, right.
(08:29):
So that's why we decided tobring everything in one group.
Speaker 1 (08:32):
Yeah, and are there any?
Have you got any kind of rulesof play in the background, like
if people are completelyinactive for a couple of months,
like do you do they need torelinquish their place because
there's only a finite number ofplaces available, or are you
just allowing that membership toride for the duration,
(08:52):
regardless of their presence?
Speaker 2 (08:55):
yeah, I love it that you're asking this question,
because these are exactly thequestions that we discuss in the
team.
Uh, actually, we wereconsidering to tell them like,
hey, you need to be active andyou need to make your profile or
else we're going to remove yourmembership and it's a no refund
policy.
Um, however, I know thatthere's a few people in the
(09:18):
group who are running very bigand very busy businesses and
when you now force them likethey had interests, they want to
be part of something, they wantto be able to fall back on
something.
But when you now force them toengage, well, maybe now is not
(09:39):
the time.
Maybe they are getting likewhatever investment and they're
onboarding new teams and nowthey need to start talking
within a network with otherpeople to find potential
collaborations, but they'realready running multiple
seven-figure businesses andthey're just making mega busy.
Then you could create also,like um, resistance and saying
(10:02):
like, hey, michelle, I, I paidfor this, I want to be part of
this, I am following it and mytime will come when I need
something right.
I want to give people that spaceas well.
It's more like if you're notactive and you don't make a
profile, we cannot connect you,I cannot do any recommendations,
I don't know who you are, whatyou're working on, so, yeah,
(10:23):
you've paid.
And if you're active, the otherpeople are not even missing you
because they don't even knowyou exist.
So ideally, you want peoplethere.
But it's different because thisis not a mastermind program for
six weeks that you have toattend every call.
It's just like a network cluband our biggest promise is you
(10:45):
get, uh, curated introductionsor recommendations to the people
who could be a good match foryou based on the data that we
have about you.
And, yeah, it's.
It's a very good question,because all these questions I've
been thinking about should bevery strict.
We need to text them, but Iknow as well myself.
Speaker 1 (11:04):
I am part of multiple communities and I'm not always
active, but when I need it, Ilike to have access to them
right and, yeah, part of thework that I've been doing is to
really see what our capacitylevels are like, how many
communities we can be aparticipant of, where you know
(11:25):
you get.
You only get as much value asyou give, don't you?
So, um, I've been looking atmine recently and there's one
community that I've been part offor a couple of years that I've
really got a lot out of, butthe last couple of events that I
attended, I did begin to feelthat actually, this isn't
aligned with where I am rightnow, and I'm sad because I love
(11:47):
all the people in it, but I Ijust know that this chapter I
need to kind of be reallyleaning into a few other
communities that I am feelingable to be more of an active
participant of yeah, and there'sno right or wrong in it.
Speaker 2 (12:02):
Like you evolve in your journey and you're part of
communities to grow, to take afew nuggets out, and sometimes
you find a community that youstick with for years, and
sometimes that is a quarter.
You're like, ok, this was great, and now I'm tapping into
another industry or anotherproduct or service or this,
(12:22):
other things in your personallife that come up and you need
to prioritize your kids, forexample.
Right, because outside of allof this, we have also our
personal lives, which we, youknow, don't always have
influence on, and so we need toalso give space to people's
personal lives, because it's notonly the online world, only the
(12:43):
online communities.
I think those are a greatsupport.
Those are, these communitiesare provide a peace of mind in
sense of like I have belonging.
There's a group of people outthere even I've never met them
that understand me or in thesame boat.
I can get the same energy.
(13:04):
Them that understand me or inthe same boat I can get the same
energy.
I can drop a question in thegroup and find solutions or find
support, but it doesn't meanthat you always have to be
active.
It's kind of like having a bestfriend.
You know, you know your friendis there, but you don't have to
call every day, right, so thatthe idea in the back of your
mind that is a group of peoplethat I can fall back on, uh, is
(13:27):
just great, yeah and that reallyspeaks to part of the work that
I've been doing over the lastthree years.
Speaker 1 (13:35):
So when I first moved to Canada um, I'm someone
that's traveled a lot, like I'velived in 10 different places
you know very much speak to youand the community of people that
that you work with, um.
So I have a lot of people in mylife, a lot of different
pockets of communities that I'vecreated and left and um.
(13:55):
But I actually discovered whenI came here to Canada that I
hadn't actually been nurturing alot of those connections for
quite a while and I had beengreat at it, like I was
brilliant at it when I didn'thave to do patron and didn't
have um my own agency and youknow I wasn't juggling as many
plates and and, yeah, I got kindof I got kind of sad about it
(14:19):
that I hadn't been nurturing theimportant people in my life.
So I have been making aconscious change in that.
But even when you said you gotyour best friend in the back of
your mind, like for me, Iactually started mapping the
people in my life and discoveredthat even through that process
(14:40):
like sometimes it did make me alittle bit sad because I'm like
I have these incredible people.
They're kind of on theoutskirts and it doesn't feel
like they're in my life, butactually seeing them on paper
helped to know that they arethere and I know that our paths
will cross again and I can takeinspired action to reconnect
with them, and I have been doinga lot of that over the last
(15:01):
couple of years.
Um, something that's umintriguing me is so far I know a
lot of the people that havecome into the community have
been attendees at your retreatsthe nomad escape retreats um,
have you yet experienced it theother way?
Because if you haven't, thenit's like definitely coming, but
(15:22):
people that have been part ofyour like inner circle that
actually you haven't met yet,and then they're going to come
to a retreat and I'm so curiousas to how this hybrid the feel
of these hybrid relationshipsare going to going to be
experienced yeah, yeah, we hadboth ways and I think that both
(15:44):
ways actually it doesn't reallymatter, because as well online
as offline, we have a certainenergy, I think, and the way we
run the community, how wecommunicate with people, that is
very similar in online andoffline.
Speaker 2 (16:01):
Only offline you receive hugs with it and we hold
each other and we have a lot offun as well, right, and do more
, you know, like, uh, let's say,outdoor activities, um, but the
vibe, the energy, the support,the positivity is very similar.
So that's the feedback that Iget.
Like when people know me fromonline and they meet me in
(16:23):
offline, they're like, oh, mygod, I'm so excited I finally
meet you.
I've been following you.
For me, it's so strange.
I'm like, oh, that's so weirdthat people say that to me.
But the feedback I constantlyget is like, wow, you're exactly
the same as like online.
You know, like, of course, Ipresent in a certain way if I
really need to host a webinar ora presentation, but I have a
(16:46):
very similar energy in real lifeand it feels very trusted.
And the other way around is thatpeople are in the retreats and
they say, hey, I want to get youknow, keep connected and stay
connected.
I want to have this energy,keep on going.
And yeah, then they join online.
So it's a very organic way ofstaying connected.
(17:06):
And we have also people whojoin a retreat and they don't
want to join online.
They're not online people.
And we have people who join theonline community and they will
not attend the retreats because,for multiple reasons, they'd
rather join online because theycan do it from home.
They're busy, they cannotalways travel, for whatever
reason that might be.
Um, so there's something nowfor anyone with any type of
(17:30):
circumstances, as long as theyhave an entrepreneurial mindset
and just thinking about likesocial well-being.
Speaker 1 (17:39):
So this is the area that I'm really interested and
passionate about.
So it it's basically whenthere's an absence of loneliness
, so you're feeling like yoursocial needs are completely met.
And I do wonder, being thebeating heart of this community,
is this community helping tosatisfy your social needs and
(18:05):
your social well-being?
Speaker 2 (18:08):
Very interesting question.
When I started the Nomad Escape, it was from a pain point Me as
an online entrepreneur.
So before I did the NomadEscape, I was a marketer, or I
taught myself digital marketing,let's say like that and I got
my first clients and I traveledthe world and I realized, okay,
(18:28):
in that sense, I made it.
That was my goal to be locationindependent, living in Bali,
having a nice Instagram, youknow like having the dream life,
whatever that might be A lot ofpeople dream about, and I found
out that it's amazing, but itcan become very lonely even
though you're traveling.
And I started talking with manypeople about it and, like they
(18:54):
also experienced totally thesame, and especially for
business owners, because ourbrains are a little bit
differently wired.
Because you're always on,you're always thinking about it.
It's your baby, what can youcreate more?
And you know like, okay, whichcampaign are we going to run?
Or who do I need to hire?
I had a conversation with thisclient and it's still stuck in
(19:15):
your mind.
It just you know, unfortunately, unfortunately, it never shuts
off and you always are cravingfor growth and even though you
go to an amazing event, you meetamazing people.
Having conversations about thisis very particular and for me
personally, even though I met alot of people, that specific
(19:36):
part was not met.
While I was traveling aroundand not meeting the right people
, I met maybe the right people,but then you needed to ask the
right people in.
I met maybe the right people,but then you needed to ask the
right questions to identify thatthey had the same needs or else
it stays quite shallow, andthat's what I did.
I started interviewing peoplelike, hey, what are your biggest
challenges?
And finding out the lonelinessor the need for a, let's say, a
(19:59):
mastermind group, a supportgroup, entrepreneurial support
group, and then, okay, let'screate for people like myself.
Um, that starts, became onecrazy long ride of doing many
trips and retreats back to backfor uh four years, five years,
but in the pandemic we wereforced to stop because of the
(20:24):
pandemic, but we were running atrip at that time.
That trip, the two-week trip,turned out in a five-month trip
with this group who thought theywould join us for two weeks.
They stayed for five monthsbecause no one wants to go home.
The world closed down.
There was official uh lockdown.
I can remember that day soclearly and watch news and like
(20:46):
this official lockdown, state ofemergency, and I am running an
entrepreneur trip on the ZoroastIslands with people from South
Africa, from Italy, from Estonia, from Canada, from US.
Oh my god, I don't even knowwhat that means a pandemic or a
lockdown.
I've never been in this.
And yeah, I told everyone guys,go home, because I don't know
(21:08):
what's going to happen, I don'tknow if you're going to meet
your family or whatever.
And everyone said, no, we wantto stay with you.
So, long story short, thesepeople sticked together and it
became a five-month nomad escape.
So, which we thought was twoweeks, became months.
And then after, uh, the worldopened a little bit.
(21:28):
So I told those people go homenow.
Now you can.
But I started running out offinance because we were not
operational as we were.
So then I thought, okay, I'mgonna run these programs, I'm
gonna run like these networkretreats basically, and I sold
so much back to back, like oneweek on one week off, one week
(21:50):
on one week off, we sold one ofthe other.
We were the only organizationin the pandemic that was still
doing this.
We were crazy.
We were people like, how do youdo this?
But people wanted to get out.
Yeah, they were craving andthen, once they got a flight,
they're like, okay, okay, I'mgoing to go and I'm going to
meet these people.
So that period, that wholeperiod, ended up in doing I
(22:13):
don't know, like 15 retreats,almost back to back, having this
five month nomad escape beforethat building a startup and
after that doing also multipleretreats which brought me
actually to the opposite ofbeing lonely is being
overwhelmed by constant, uh,social situations.
(22:34):
I never had a moment for myself.
I was never alone.
I was always surrounded withother people.
So at a point I was like Ican't do this anymore.
It's too much.
And many people I have they tendto lean towards me because I'm
very helpful, very caring and Iwant to help people.
So people started leaning on mea lot and I had a hard time
(22:55):
with having boundaries there.
So I became kind of like more aentrepreneur, therapist or
social worker, and that's alsomy background.
I'm a social worker and ateacher, so that is within me
deeply rooted.
So I'm naturally always I tendto help people.
But it was not healthy for meanymore.
(23:16):
So I had to step down a lot ondoing all these events and have
a normal private life, because Iwas always surrounded with my
community and then I was like no, I need my normal own house
because we were living inamazing beautiful villas with a
group of people.
But it was never peace of mindfor me because I was always
running that community.
So I had to force myself tohave a, let's say, a normal life
(23:41):
, living by myself, which led toand it's interesting that
you're asking that now actuallythe stage that I'm in.
Currently I start feeling thatloneliness again because I had
loneliness, I had an overload ofsocial and then I stepped back
of hosting so many retreatsbecause I really needed mind
(24:05):
space and also building onlineproducts and services and more
the company retreats that we'refocusing on, which makes me work
a lot alone behind a laptopfrom home or coffee shops or
co-working, and I have greatfriends and I have even family
here and stuff, but I do live bymyself and I work with myself
and I have a remote team, whichis great, but I am physically
(24:27):
alone most of the time and Ifeel and it's interesting that
you said for the last two weeksheavily that sense of loneliness
creeping in again and I do feeldirectly that it's like it
impacts your mental health, like, for example, a conversation
like this I love this, like it'salready given me a lot of
(24:48):
energy, like these, you know,that's why I also have a
community.
It lights me up.
If I would do only stilldigital marketing of another job
, that I would not be in touchwith people as I am now, I'm not
sure if I could do this, Iwould probably find another job
and, I don't know, maybe be ateacher, what I was before.
(25:11):
Only the complexity there is.
I tasted the freedom lifestyle,you know, and I know there's
way more freedom, way moreopportunities, way more like a
financial growth possible therethan when you are a teacher and
work every day nine to five.
Maybe you have school holidays,which is great.
So that's a bit like theconfusing part.
(25:33):
Once you have the taste of thislifestyle, it's too good to be
true, it's, it's limitless, butit's also can become lonely.
So this for me is a very goodmiddle ground of still being
connected with people and beingfree and working online.
But now, personally, I'm alsolike hey, I I feel now the urge,
(25:56):
which I didn't have for a longtime, to travel.
So I'm now actually going forfive months nonstop traveling,
becoming really a digital nomadagain, which I haven't done for
a while, wow so, and I hope toget more inspiration there again
and create communities also inthe places where I am and host
(26:21):
events where are you going?
where are you going?
Uh, I go first to Bulgaria toNomad Bansko Fest, to actually
one of the keynote speakers toopen the events.
And then I go to Mindvalley inTallinn uh, also there host
workshops.
And then I go to my mom in thenetherlands, then I go to dubai
(26:43):
for networking and meet friendsand then I go to thailand to
host actually and I have notannounced that yet in the nomad
escape, but I did marketresearch to do uh, to host a
luxury retreat for single andsuccessful entrepreneurs,
because I see such a big needfor it in our community.
(27:06):
In every retreat that we have,there's multiple very successful
people that have a hard timefinding a partner or friends who
can travel with them in thatway.
So we're in the yeah, it's inthe creation phase and I already
have the first clientsbasically for that.
So that would be yeah.
Then Thailand, and then I'minvited to go to Buenos Aires to
(27:29):
experience how Buenos Aires isfor a retreat destination.
So the government they want toattract, like people who run
retreats and digital nomadsrelated stuff.
And then morocco there's amindfulness retreat for
entrepreneurs and then I need togo back to madeira island to
host my own retreats and thenwith island fest.
Speaker 1 (27:49):
Yeah, wow, wow wow, wow, what a year.
It's crazy, yeah, maybe.
Maybe the sign is just embracethis moment, whilst it does feel
a little bit lonely, just useit to just really reconnect with
self.
And actually that's the firststep in my program.
(28:12):
Ask yourself all the kind ofquestions that you would want to
be asking to a new best friendand, like, really melt into this
time with you that you have,because it's gonna get busy,
then you need sometimes to tastethe opposite again to uh
(28:32):
realize what you had right Ithink the last question, kind of
building on that last point, onkind of the loneliness thing,
but also the professional andpersonal and the boundary, or
the zero boundary that therepotentially is, because I
(28:52):
imagine all the people thatyou're having on your retreat,
they're the kind of people thatwhen you're living in Bali you
would have wanted them to beyour best mates, but then you as
the facilitator, as the host,it's like finding that boundary
between the two.
How have you navigated that orhow are you navigating that?
Speaker 2 (29:10):
yeah, uh, well, that was actually the story that I
just shared with you from beinglike overload of community and
social interactions made meactually pretty, not distant,
but like, hey, I'm here tofacilitate, I'm here to help you
, but besides that, this is mybusiness and it's my work.
(29:34):
It's hard to see for peoplebecause it feels like a leisure,
like we're facilitatingworkshops, but then at the beach
and oceanfront and beautiful,then we party and we go all
doing fun stuff and out fordinners.
So it feels like it's free time, but there's a whole framework
behind it and a lot of peoplewant to hang out and then travel
together and then I'm likesometimes just pretty distant
(29:59):
and I don't answer my phonealways because there's so many
people wanting to be my friend,which is great and I would love
that, but mathematically it'sjust like impossible.
I do have my own friends andactually a big part of my own
friends right now is from thenomad escape as well.
So my best friends are at theend from the nomad escape and
like I think 10 of them live nowhere in madera island, which I
(30:22):
see, uh, on a consistent baseand became really my best friend
and my core, but all the newpeople coming in.
Yeah, potentially from everygroup.
There's one, two people thatI'm like, hey, you know, like
this is like really cool, um,but it's just impossible, time
wise, to maintain contact witheveryone.
So so me not living with themin a house, that's already very
(30:45):
like having the boundary,obviously, and just going home
and then after the retreat it'slike okay, until 12 o'clock and
then it's done.
I say sorry guys go back get outInstead of hanging down at the
pool and going there and anotheroutdoor exploration, because
then it never ends yeah, andfrom from my conversation with
(31:06):
robin dunbar.
Speaker 1 (31:07):
So he he identifies the different spheres of
intimacy that we have with ourfriends and he said it's our
closest, 12 to 15, who have thebiggest impact on our health and
happiness and we should bespending about 60 percent of our
social time on this core of 12to 15 people yeah, that's very
(31:31):
important, yeah, and that's whyit's so.
Speaker 2 (31:34):
I think, like the whole core of the nomad escape,
it's all about your network andcommunity and your environment
I'm being very conscious about.
Okay, like, who do you spendyour time with?
It's a very cliche sentence formost people in entrepreneurship
, but like, you are the averageof the five people that you
spend most time with.
(31:55):
So study those people and thenyou understand the stage that
you're at and then it's up toyou to assess and to find out is
this aligned with the goalsthat I have, or a situation that
to be in?
And there's no hard feelingaround that that doesn't have to
(32:17):
.
You know, there's no judgmenttowards the other people, but
it's more an assessment on yourown situation of like, where am
I now, where do I want to be?
And the people around me?
Does that contribute?
And I believe that people likeus, we are constantly,
constantly seeking for growth,and everything, um is constantly
(32:43):
changing for anyone andeveryone in the world, but
specifically for the people whoseek growth.
And then it's inevitable thatyou sometimes will leave certain
social situations orenvironments, or else you're
kind of stagnant.
So where are you going to grow?
Right, um, and it's our ownresponsibility, I think, and
(33:06):
then that is where growth canhappen, if you're open to it 100
.
Speaker 1 (33:12):
I so resonate.
I went to a tedx a couple ofweeks ago and the theme was it's
up to us, and that has reallystayed in my mind and it really
is.
Our social well-being is up tous.
We are the ones that need totake the inspired action.
So I I have so enjoyed thisconversation, michelle.
It's been such a thrill to,like go that level deeper with
(33:34):
you, to really understand yourmotivation and to really get
excited about what's coming next.
So I'm thrilled to be part ofyour community and to really get
excited about what's comingnext.
So I'm thrilled to be part ofyour community and I look
forward to seeing where, seeingwhere it all goes and being with
you on this journey.
Speaker 2 (33:47):
Thank you so much it was really, really an honor to
be here.
Hello and welcome to Rediscovering Connection.
I'm Shelley Doyle and today I'mhere with Michelle Marie, and
today we're going to delve intoMichelle's inner circle.
We're going to talk about thenomad escape.
We're going to talk about AI,community connection, belonging
and how all of this impacts oursocial well-being being part of
(00:24):
a community like this.
So welcome, michelle.
How are you?
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Thank you.
Well, I'm super excited to behere.
Your energy is contagious andI'm always happy to connect and
share with people, like withyour energy.
So for me this is fun, so I'msuper excited.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
Let's start with the inner circles.
I'd love to know, like how itcame about and why you decided
that now was the time to launchthe inner circle is something
that was created veryorganically or existed at the
end very organically.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
It's an extension of what I've created over the years
and as an extension of myself.
So for the last six years, I'vebeen running the nomad escape
and we started basically as,let's say, just digital nomad
travels and trips, which endedup becoming more a business and
(01:21):
travel and network club, andmany people knew that or know
and that know me that I travelaround the world, I have a very
big network and that I'mconstantly engaging and
connecting with otherentrepreneurs that are always
seeking for new opportunities,new business partners, new
collaborations.
(01:42):
And, as people knew me, um, andmy network as well, people kept
on asking me like, hey,michelle, um, can I pick your
brain?
Can I get access to this personin your network?
I am looking for a marketerthat can help me grow my, let's
say, coaching business, orsomeone who's building a SaaS
(02:04):
product and focusing on, like,the needs of the community and
knowing that they need likeintroductions and I know, for me
, when I first saw the pricepoints and I was I was like an
immediate heart, yes, like Ididn't have to hesitate.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
You made it very accessible for, I guess, the
right people to be in the room.
And and was there much thoughtthat went into a price point?
And also the number ofparticipants, because I don't
know if you've heard any of myinterviews with Robin Dunbar or
Richard Bartlett, but there's abig thing about um scale and the
(02:48):
number 50 is actually a reallycritical number.
So I wonder if there was muchthought behind the that, that
number 50 being being what youdecided upon yeah, oh, a very
interesting question actually.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
Yes, there was a thought behind and that was
actually the target 50, uh,because I think it's a very good
number to create, um, yeah, avery good number of brand
ambassadors.
So basically, we made it veryaccessible for people to get in,
people who don't understand thevalue for them it's expensive,
(03:25):
they're like what I'm gonna pay,you know whatever 500 bucks to
get into this network.
It's just online and these arealready not a good fit.
But people like you understandthe value of one potential
connection or just, uh, let'ssay, a business advice from a
fellow entrepreneur.
Um, you understand the valueout of it and you know we wanted
(03:47):
to create that, like this is ano-brainer for the right people.
So we knew 50 is feasible andwe knew at this price point,
that would be, for sure,feasible.
So it was really well thoughtthrough and we got actually the
exact results that we wanted.
So, yeah, and I think also,like, with a network like this,
(04:08):
it's very important to firstgive that first group so much
value that they are so excitedthat they naturally come with so
much great feedback andtestimonials, because actually,
if you look in the WhatsAppgroup, you know people are
posting constantly like oh mymichelle, I had a conversation
with this person was amazing.
(04:29):
I hired yousef, I had did thisis this and what I do with all
these messages.
First of all, I am super happy,like my heart glows.
And when I see that I'm likewow, I gave these people value
way, you know, like way abovethe number that I charged,
basically.
So I over delivered.
So people are happy.
But then also for me it's likea testimonial.
I start it and I screenshot itand I can show that to other
(04:53):
people.
Right, so you guys are the best, uh, yeah, uh, marketing for me
, because I do a great job.
People are happy, people starttalking and it makes it easier
for the network to grow.
And also for you guys like, thisis a new framework.
What we've, like I've beendoing um strategic introductions
(05:14):
and community for multipleyears, but not within a
framework, a technical frameworklike this.
So for us it's uh, in thatsense, like from a technical
aspect, a beta, and you guysknow that as well.
That's like, hey, it's notperfect yet technically, but the
value is there, but we're stilltesting out, you know, in the,
(05:34):
in the technicalities and, as itis, at this price point you
guys are like okay, that's fine,you know so if, if we would
already charge like the 5k,whatever we will go to at a
certain point, then it has to besmooth and it has to be slick,
and now it's fine if there's aglitch, and all these things
right.
So it gives us a space todevelop, to get our feedback to
(06:00):
improve and, as we go, increaseand offer even more value and a
more customized experiencebeautiful, beautiful and as it
does evolve.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
Do you see that number 50 remaining or do you
see it expanding in in numbers?
Speaker 2 (06:17):
yes, so basically we are gonna soon do another launch
, basically.
So the the second batch ofpeople and the minimum
participants that we want to getin is again 50 up to 100, and
but that will be a separategroup, that's like a standalone
(06:38):
from the current group, or wouldit be intermixed?
it's going to be one big groupand that is a great question,
because we have spoken aboutthat a lot in the team.
Um, because you guys know eachother and it feels trusted.
Now a new group of people comesin, so we thought about this.
The smart thing to do, um, ithas its pros and cons and I
(07:02):
think that the pros are biggeras we let them in into your
group is because you wantnetwork expansion, you want to
have new energies, you want tohave people who are excited and,
like you have spoken to manypeople in the network now that
were already valuable for you.
So how long?
Yes, you can collaborate, andthat's the whole intention to
find the right people.
Let's say, from the 50 people,maybe you find maybe two or
(07:26):
three people that you reallycollaborate with.
Like, there's also a limit tohow many people you can
collaborate with.
We all have business.
We all have you know we'redoing our day to day life and
work, so you cannot endlesslycall with people and endlessly
develop new collaborations andproducts and services.
(07:47):
However, after a quarter so wehave almost had a quarter now
with the inner circle um, youwant to get new connections,
because how long can you gowithin the same circle.
You know, in a community isalways you have, let's say, a 30
percent that's super engaged.
Then you have like another 30percent who's engaged, but he
come in, taps in and out.
They have maybe 20 percent.
(08:08):
You know.
You know they're listening onthe background and sometimes
they, you know, send the message, or yeah, I get a message from
them and you have 20 percent whojust bought it and just not
participate, and it's alwayswith memberships and with
courses and that is fine.
Um, you want to have new energybecause I want to feed you new
connections, right.
(08:29):
So that's why we decided tobring everything in one group.
Speaker 1 (08:32):
Yeah, and are there any?
Have you got any kind of rulesof play in the background, like
if people are completelyinactive for a couple of months,
like do you do they need torelinquish their place because
there's only a finite number ofplaces available, or are you
just allowing that membership toride for the duration,
(08:52):
regardless of their presence?
Speaker 2 (08:55):
yeah, I love it that you're asking this question,
because these are exactly thequestions that we discuss in the
team.
Uh, actually, we wereconsidering to tell them like,
hey, you need to be active andyou need to make your profile or
else we're going to remove yourmembership and it's a no refund
policy.
Um, however, I know thatthere's a few people in the
(09:18):
group who are running very bigand very busy businesses and
when you now force them likethey had interests, they want to
be part of something, they wantto be able to fall back on
something.
But when you now force them toengage, well, maybe now is not
(09:39):
the time.
Maybe they are getting likewhatever investment and they're
onboarding new teams and nowthey need to start talking
within a network with otherpeople to find potential
collaborations, but they'realready running multiple
seven-figure businesses andthey're just making mega busy.
Then you could create also,like um, resistance and saying
(10:02):
like, hey, michelle, I, I paidfor this, I want to be part of
this, I am following it and mytime will come when I need
something right.
I want to give people that spaceas well.
It's more like if you're notactive and you don't make a
profile, we cannot connect you,I cannot do any recommendations,
I don't know who you are, whatyou're working on, so, yeah,
(10:23):
you've paid.
And if you're active, the otherpeople are not even missing you
because they don't even knowyou exist.
So ideally, you want peoplethere.
But it's different because thisis not a mastermind program for
six weeks that you have toattend every call.
It's just like a network cluband our biggest promise is you
(10:45):
get, uh, curated introductionsor recommendations to the people
who could be a good match foryou based on the data that we
have about you.
And, yeah, it's.
It's a very good question,because all these questions I've
been thinking about should bevery strict.
We need to text them, but Iknow as well myself.
Speaker 1 (11:04):
I am part of multiple communities and I'm not always
active, but when I need it, Ilike to have access to them
right and, yeah, part of thework that I've been doing is to
really see what our capacitylevels are like, how many
communities we can be aparticipant of, where you know
(11:25):
you get.
You only get as much value asyou give, don't you?
So, um, I've been looking atmine recently and there's one
community that I've been part offor a couple of years that I've
really got a lot out of, butthe last couple of events that I
attended, I did begin to feelthat actually, this isn't
aligned with where I am rightnow, and I'm sad because I love
(11:47):
all the people in it, but I Ijust know that this chapter I
need to kind of be reallyleaning into a few other
communities that I am feelingable to be more of an active
participant of yeah, and there'sno right or wrong in it.
Speaker 2 (12:02):
Like you evolve in your journey and you're part of
communities to grow, to take afew nuggets out, and sometimes
you find a community that youstick with for years, and
sometimes that is a quarter.
You're like, ok, this was great, and now I'm tapping into
another industry or anotherproduct or service or this,
(12:22):
other things in your personallife that come up and you need
to prioritize your kids, forexample.
Right, because outside of allof this, we have also our
personal lives, which we, youknow, don't always have
influence on, and so we need toalso give space to people's
personal lives, because it's notonly the online world, only the
(12:43):
online communities.
I think those are a greatsupport.
Those are, these communitiesare provide a peace of mind in
sense of like I have belonging.
There's a group of people outthere even I've never met them
that understand me or in thesame boat.
I can get the same energy.
(13:04):
Them that understand me or inthe same boat I can get the same
energy.
I can drop a question in thegroup and find solutions or find
support, but it doesn't meanthat you always have to be
active.
It's kind of like having a bestfriend.
You know, you know your friendis there, but you don't have to
call every day, right, so thatthe idea in the back of your
mind that is a group of peoplethat I can fall back on, uh, is
(13:27):
just great, yeah and that reallyspeaks to part of the work that
I've been doing over the lastthree years.
Speaker 1 (13:35):
So when I first moved to Canada um, I'm someone
that's traveled a lot, like I'velived in 10 different places
you know very much speak to youand the community of people that
that you work with, um.
So I have a lot of people in mylife, a lot of different
pockets of communities that I'vecreated and left and um.
(13:55):
But I actually discovered whenI came here to Canada that I
hadn't actually been nurturing alot of those connections for
quite a while and I had beengreat at it, like I was
brilliant at it when I didn'thave to do patron and didn't
have um my own agency and youknow I wasn't juggling as many
plates and and, yeah, I got kindof I got kind of sad about it
(14:19):
that I hadn't been nurturing theimportant people in my life.
So I have been making aconscious change in that.
But even when you said you gotyour best friend in the back of
your mind, like for me, Iactually started mapping the
people in my life and discoveredthat even through that process
(14:40):
like sometimes it did make me alittle bit sad because I'm like
I have these incredible people.
They're kind of on theoutskirts and it doesn't feel
like they're in my life, butactually seeing them on paper
helped to know that they arethere and I know that our paths
will cross again and I can takeinspired action to reconnect
with them, and I have been doinga lot of that over the last
(15:01):
couple of years.
Um, something that's umintriguing me is so far I know a
lot of the people that havecome into the community have
been attendees at your retreatsthe nomad escape retreats um,
have you yet experienced it theother way?
Because if you haven't, thenit's like definitely coming, but
(15:22):
people that have been part ofyour like inner circle that
actually you haven't met yet,and then they're going to come
to a retreat and I'm so curiousas to how this hybrid the feel
of these hybrid relationshipsare going to going to be
experienced yeah, yeah, we hadboth ways and I think that both
(15:44):
ways actually it doesn't reallymatter, because as well online
as offline, we have a certainenergy, I think, and the way we
run the community, how wecommunicate with people, that is
very similar in online andoffline.
Speaker 2 (16:01):
Only offline you receive hugs with it and we hold
each other and we have a lot offun as well, right, and do more
, you know, like, uh, let's say,outdoor activities, um, but the
vibe, the energy, the support,the positivity is very similar.
So that's the feedback that Iget.
Like when people know me fromonline and they meet me in
(16:23):
offline, they're like, oh, mygod, I'm so excited I finally
meet you.
I've been following you.
For me, it's so strange.
I'm like, oh, that's so weirdthat people say that to me.
But the feedback I constantlyget is like, wow, you're exactly
the same as like online.
You know, like, of course, Ipresent in a certain way if I
really need to host a webinar ora presentation, but I have a
(16:46):
very similar energy in real lifeand it feels very trusted.
And the other way around is thatpeople are in the retreats and
they say, hey, I want to get youknow, keep connected and stay
connected.
I want to have this energy,keep on going.
And yeah, then they join online.
So it's a very organic way ofstaying connected.
(17:06):
And we have also people whojoin a retreat and they don't
want to join online.
They're not online people.
And we have people who join theonline community and they will
not attend the retreats because,for multiple reasons, they'd
rather join online because theycan do it from home.
They're busy, they cannotalways travel, for whatever
reason that might be.
Um, so there's something nowfor anyone with any type of
(17:30):
circumstances, as long as theyhave an entrepreneurial mindset
and just thinking about likesocial well-being.
Speaker 1 (17:39):
So this is the area that I'm really interested and
passionate about.
So it it's basically whenthere's an absence of loneliness
, so you're feeling like yoursocial needs are completely met.
And I do wonder, being thebeating heart of this community,
is this community helping tosatisfy your social needs and
(18:05):
your social well-being?
Speaker 2 (18:08):
Very interesting question.
When I started the Nomad Escape, it was from a pain point Me as
an online entrepreneur.
So before I did the NomadEscape, I was a marketer, or I
taught myself digital marketing,let's say like that and I got
my first clients and I traveledthe world and I realized, okay,
(18:28):
in that sense, I made it.
That was my goal to be locationindependent, living in Bali,
having a nice Instagram, youknow like having the dream life,
whatever that might be A lot ofpeople dream about, and I found
out that it's amazing, but itcan become very lonely even
though you're traveling.
And I started talking with manypeople about it and, like they
(18:54):
also experienced totally thesame, and especially for
business owners, because ourbrains are a little bit
differently wired.
Because you're always on,you're always thinking about it.
It's your baby, what can youcreate more?
And you know like, okay, whichcampaign are we going to run?
Or who do I need to hire?
I had a conversation with thisclient and it's still stuck in
(19:15):
your mind.
It just you know, unfortunately, unfortunately, it never shuts
off and you always are cravingfor growth and even though you
go to an amazing event, you meetamazing people.
Having conversations about thisis very particular and for me
personally, even though I met alot of people, that specific
(19:36):
part was not met.
While I was traveling aroundand not meeting the right people
, I met maybe the right people,but then you needed to ask the
right people in.
I met maybe the right people,but then you needed to ask the
right questions to identify thatthey had the same needs or else
it stays quite shallow, andthat's what I did.
I started interviewing peoplelike, hey, what are your biggest
challenges?
And finding out the lonelinessor the need for a, let's say, a
(19:59):
mastermind group, a supportgroup, entrepreneurial support
group, and then, okay, let'screate for people like myself.
Um, that starts, became onecrazy long ride of doing many
trips and retreats back to backfor uh four years, five years,
but in the pandemic we wereforced to stop because of the
(20:24):
pandemic, but we were running atrip at that time.
That trip, the two-week trip,turned out in a five-month trip
with this group who thought theywould join us for two weeks.
They stayed for five monthsbecause no one wants to go home.
The world closed down.
There was official uh lockdown.
I can remember that day soclearly and watch news and like
(20:46):
this official lockdown, state ofemergency, and I am running an
entrepreneur trip on the ZoroastIslands with people from South
Africa, from Italy, from Estonia, from Canada, from US.
Oh my god, I don't even knowwhat that means a pandemic or a
lockdown.
I've never been in this.
And yeah, I told everyone guys,go home, because I don't know
(21:08):
what's going to happen, I don'tknow if you're going to meet
your family or whatever.
And everyone said, no, we wantto stay with you.
So, long story short, thesepeople sticked together and it
became a five-month nomad escape.
So, which we thought was twoweeks, became months.
And then after, uh, the worldopened a little bit.
(21:28):
So I told those people go homenow.
Now you can.
But I started running out offinance because we were not
operational as we were.
So then I thought, okay, I'mgonna run these programs, I'm
gonna run like these networkretreats basically, and I sold
so much back to back, like oneweek on one week off, one week
(21:50):
on one week off, we sold one ofthe other.
We were the only organizationin the pandemic that was still
doing this.
We were crazy.
We were people like, how do youdo this?
But people wanted to get out.
Yeah, they were craving andthen, once they got a flight,
they're like, okay, okay, I'mgoing to go and I'm going to
meet these people.
So that period, that wholeperiod, ended up in doing I
(22:13):
don't know, like 15 retreats,almost back to back, having this
five month nomad escape beforethat building a startup and
after that doing also multipleretreats which brought me
actually to the opposite ofbeing lonely is being
overwhelmed by constant, uh,social situations.
(22:34):
I never had a moment for myself.
I was never alone.
I was always surrounded withother people.
So at a point I was like Ican't do this anymore.
It's too much.
And many people I have they tendto lean towards me because I'm
very helpful, very caring and Iwant to help people.
So people started leaning on mea lot and I had a hard time
(22:55):
with having boundaries there.
So I became kind of like more aentrepreneur, therapist or
social worker, and that's alsomy background.
I'm a social worker and ateacher, so that is within me
deeply rooted.
So I'm naturally always I tendto help people.
But it was not healthy for meanymore.
(23:16):
So I had to step down a lot ondoing all these events and have
a normal private life, because Iwas always surrounded with my
community and then I was like no, I need my normal own house
because we were living inamazing beautiful villas with a
group of people.
But it was never peace of mindfor me because I was always
running that community.
So I had to force myself tohave a, let's say, a normal life
(23:41):
, living by myself, which led toand it's interesting that
you're asking that now actuallythe stage that I'm in.
Currently I start feeling thatloneliness again because I had
loneliness, I had an overload ofsocial and then I stepped back
of hosting so many retreatsbecause I really needed mind
(24:05):
space and also building onlineproducts and services and more
the company retreats that we'refocusing on, which makes me work
a lot alone behind a laptopfrom home or coffee shops or
co-working, and I have greatfriends and I have even family
here and stuff, but I do live bymyself and I work with myself
and I have a remote team, whichis great, but I am physically
(24:27):
alone most of the time and Ifeel and it's interesting that
you said for the last two weeksheavily that sense of loneliness
creeping in again and I do feeldirectly that it's like it
impacts your mental health, like, for example, a conversation
like this I love this, like it'salready given me a lot of
(24:48):
energy, like these, you know,that's why I also have a
community.
It lights me up.
If I would do only stilldigital marketing of another job
, that I would not be in touchwith people as I am now, I'm not
sure if I could do this, Iwould probably find another job
and, I don't know, maybe be ateacher, what I was before.
(25:11):
Only the complexity there is.
I tasted the freedom lifestyle,you know, and I know there's
way more freedom, way moreopportunities, way more like a
financial growth possible therethan when you are a teacher and
work every day nine to five.
Maybe you have school holidays,which is great.
So that's a bit like theconfusing part.
(25:33):
Once you have the taste of thislifestyle, it's too good to be
true, it's, it's limitless, butit's also can become lonely.
So this for me is a very goodmiddle ground of still being
connected with people and beingfree and working online.
But now, personally, I'm alsolike hey, I I feel now the urge,
(25:56):
which I didn't have for a longtime, to travel.
So I'm now actually going forfive months nonstop traveling,
becoming really a digital nomadagain, which I haven't done for
a while, wow so, and I hope toget more inspiration there again
and create communities also inthe places where I am and host
(26:21):
events where are you going?
where are you going?
Uh, I go first to Bulgaria toNomad Bansko Fest, to actually
one of the keynote speakers toopen the events.
And then I go to Mindvalley inTallinn uh, also there host
workshops.
And then I go to my mom in thenetherlands, then I go to dubai
(26:43):
for networking and meet friendsand then I go to thailand to
host actually and I have notannounced that yet in the nomad
escape, but I did marketresearch to do uh, to host a
luxury retreat for single andsuccessful entrepreneurs,
because I see such a big needfor it in our community.
(27:06):
In every retreat that we have,there's multiple very successful
people that have a hard timefinding a partner or friends who
can travel with them in thatway.
So we're in the yeah, it's inthe creation phase and I already
have the first clientsbasically for that.
So that would be yeah.
Then Thailand, and then I'minvited to go to Buenos Aires to
(27:29):
experience how Buenos Aires isfor a retreat destination.
So the government they want toattract, like people who run
retreats and digital nomadsrelated stuff.
And then morocco there's amindfulness retreat for
entrepreneurs and then I need togo back to madeira island to
host my own retreats and thenwith island fest.
Speaker 1 (27:49):
Yeah, wow, wow wow, wow, what a year.
It's crazy, yeah, maybe.
Maybe the sign is just embracethis moment, whilst it does feel
a little bit lonely, just useit to just really reconnect with
self.
And actually that's the firststep in my program.
(28:12):
Ask yourself all the kind ofquestions that you would want to
be asking to a new best friendand, like, really melt into this
time with you that you have,because it's gonna get busy,
then you need sometimes to tastethe opposite again to uh
(28:32):
realize what you had right Ithink the last question, kind of
building on that last point, onkind of the loneliness thing,
but also the professional andpersonal and the boundary, or
the zero boundary that therepotentially is, because I
(28:52):
imagine all the people thatyou're having on your retreat,
they're the kind of people thatwhen you're living in Bali you
would have wanted them to beyour best mates, but then you as
the facilitator, as the host,it's like finding that boundary
between the two.
How have you navigated that orhow are you navigating that?
Speaker 2 (29:10):
yeah, uh, well, that was actually the story that I
just shared with you from beinglike overload of community and
social interactions made meactually pretty, not distant,
but like, hey, I'm here tofacilitate, I'm here to help you
, but besides that, this is mybusiness and it's my work.
(29:34):
It's hard to see for peoplebecause it feels like a leisure,
like we're facilitatingworkshops, but then at the beach
and oceanfront and beautiful,then we party and we go all
doing fun stuff and out fordinners.
So it feels like it's free time, but there's a whole framework
behind it and a lot of peoplewant to hang out and then travel
together and then I'm likesometimes just pretty distant
(29:59):
and I don't answer my phonealways because there's so many
people wanting to be my friend,which is great and I would love
that, but mathematically it'sjust like impossible.
I do have my own friends andactually a big part of my own
friends right now is from thenomad escape as well.
So my best friends are at theend from the nomad escape and
like I think 10 of them live nowhere in madera island, which I
(30:22):
see, uh, on a consistent baseand became really my best friend
and my core, but all the newpeople coming in.
Yeah, potentially from everygroup.
There's one, two people thatI'm like, hey, you know, like
this is like really cool, um,but it's just impossible, time
wise, to maintain contact witheveryone.
So so me not living with themin a house, that's already very
(30:45):
like having the boundary,obviously, and just going home
and then after the retreat it'slike okay, until 12 o'clock and
then it's done.
I say sorry guys go back get outInstead of hanging down at the
pool and going there and anotheroutdoor exploration, because
then it never ends yeah, andfrom from my conversation with
(31:06):
robin dunbar.
Speaker 1 (31:07):
So he he identifies the different spheres of
intimacy that we have with ourfriends and he said it's our
closest, 12 to 15, who have thebiggest impact on our health and
happiness and we should bespending about 60 percent of our
social time on this core of 12to 15 people yeah, that's very
(31:31):
important, yeah, and that's whyit's so.
Speaker 2 (31:34):
I think, like the whole core of the nomad escape,
it's all about your network andcommunity and your environment
I'm being very conscious about.
Okay, like, who do you spendyour time with?
It's a very cliche sentence formost people in entrepreneurship
, but like, you are the averageof the five people that you
spend most time with.
(31:55):
So study those people and thenyou understand the stage that
you're at and then it's up toyou to assess and to find out is
this aligned with the goalsthat I have, or a situation that
to be in?
And there's no hard feelingaround that that doesn't have to
(32:17):
.
You know, there's no judgmenttowards the other people, but
it's more an assessment on yourown situation of like, where am
I now, where do I want to be?
And the people around me?
Does that contribute?
And I believe that people likeus, we are constantly,
constantly seeking for growth,and everything, um is constantly
(32:43):
changing for anyone andeveryone in the world, but
specifically for the people whoseek growth.
And then it's inevitable thatyou sometimes will leave certain
social situations orenvironments, or else you're
kind of stagnant.
So where are you going to grow?
Right, um, and it's our ownresponsibility, I think, and
(33:06):
then that is where growth canhappen, if you're open to it 100
.
Speaker 1 (33:12):
I so resonate.
I went to a tedx a couple ofweeks ago and the theme was it's
up to us, and that has reallystayed in my mind and it really
is.
Our social well-being is up tous.
We are the ones that need totake the inspired action.
So I I have so enjoyed thisconversation, michelle.
It's been such a thrill to,like go that level deeper with
(33:34):
you, to really understand yourmotivation and to really get
excited about what's coming next.
So I'm thrilled to be part ofyour community and to really get
excited about what's comingnext.
So I'm thrilled to be part ofyour community and I look
forward to seeing where, seeingwhere it all goes and being with
you on this journey.
Speaker 2 (33:47):
Thank you so much it was really, really an honor to
be here.
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