June 25, 2025 • 57 mins
What happens when a single mom chooses to reject conventional norms, embraces van life, and takes her daughter out of traditional education? Vanessa Woozley joins us to share her inspiring story of courage, resilience, and transformation.
Vanessa’s adventure began with short trips, gradually evolving into full-time worldschooling in a van. She dispels myths about needing significant resources or a traditional two-parent household to pursue a life of travel and alternative education. Vanessa reveals how her daughter thrived after leaving conventional schooling, becoming self-motivated and deeply engaged in learning through genuine interests.
We explore the practicalities of single-parent van life, covering everything from managing online education and co-parenting arrangements to handling van troubles and finding community through worldschooling hubs. Vanessa's insights on facing fears, handling uncertainty, and embracing resilience offer powerful encouragement to anyone considering a similar journey.
Vanessa also shares her holistic approach to health and well-being on the road, highlighting the simplicity and importance of maintaining healthy routines and nutrition despite the nomadic lifestyle.
🗓️ Recorded June 19th, 2025. 📍 Åmarksgård, Lille Skendsved, Denmark
🔗 Connect with Vanessa Woozley
- https://www.facebook.com/thelifesutras
- https://www.instagram.com/thelifesutra
- https://www.youtube.com/c/VanessaWoozleyTheLifeSutra
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/thelifesutra
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Jesper Conrad (00:00):
Today more about that.
First of all, I want to say awarm welcome.
Thank you for taking the time.
Vanessa Woozley (00:16):
Thank you for having me.
Jesper Conrad (00:19):
So let's go back to Vienna.
We attended a World Schoolpop-up hub in Vienna, vienna,
and our neighbor at the campsitewhere we were were you and your
lovely daughter in a van.
And one of the questions weoften get about world schooling
is this oh, it's actually peoplein my.
(00:41):
The way I look at it sometimesI think that people are maybe
making excuses for themselves.
We are getting a.
Oh, you can do it becauseyou're two and Cecilia can be at
home.
And often I say to them hey,you know what?
I've met a lot of moms outthere world schooling with their
kids.
It is actually doable, and Igot the question once again
(01:04):
recently.
I saw one asking but how do Iget started?
I'm, as a mom, alone with mykids, how do I get started?
And then I was like I reallyliked Vanessa, let's invite her
and ask her.
So let's turn back time.
How did you get started?
What happened in your life thatmade you want to trot the path
(01:25):
of traveling and also havingyour daughter at home?
Vanessa Woozley (01:29):
So I guess it all happens in stages, doesn't
it often?
So we've always traveled sincemy daughter was tiny, started in
Europe and then we did longdistance, longer travel.
When she was about three, weused to go to India every
Christmas and spend three, fourweeks there, and people thought
(01:50):
I was a bit bonkers then, but Idon't know.
I have always had that feelingthat I wanted to travel and I've
often felt safer in most othercountries than I have in England
often, so I just don't letthings hold me back.
In fact it was funny.
I went to Morocco this year,and it doesn't happen very often
(02:15):
but this guy said to me, how onearth can you travel without
having a man or a partner withyou?
And I said well, what am Igoing to do?
Wait, wait for one.
I'm not going to let mycircumstances hold me back.
I just I love traveling andyeah, it just wasn't an option
to stay home lockdown.
(02:45):
I think a lot of people did.
I saw what she was learning atschool and I was a little bit
horrified at how dry and boringit was, and so I wasn't going to
make her do the things that shewas learning, because I just
thought this was awful and wesort of did it in steps.
So actually we decided to go toa Steiner school.
So we moved house, went to aSteiner school Rudolf Steiner.
She loved it there.
(03:05):
It was great.
But I've always had the travelbug in me.
So after we'd done that for ayear I was like let's try
homeschooling.
So we did that and we've beentraveling ever since, for the
last three years, I guess, a bitmore full time.
Jesper Conrad (03:22):
And then the question we get is but how is it
possible?
You are just one person and onechild.
How do you make ends meet?
How is it doable at all?
Vanessa Woozley (03:34):
I guess maybe it would be different if I had
lots of kids.
You know there are differentsituations.
I have one and I think whatreally changed me and it was
something that I was reallynervous about, actually about
taking my daughter out to schoolwas that I was going to have to
do all the schooling and that Iwould have to be supporting her
and it would take all my time.
But actually she became reallyself-motivated because we just
(03:57):
let her learn what she wanted tolearn.
So we found some amazingprograms with loads of different
subjects and I just let her trythings so she could try.
We use one called Learn LaughPlay and they're like three
pounds a class the startingprice, so they're really
amazingly inexpensive.
(04:18):
And I was just like just tryloads of them and she sort of
fell in love with certainsubjects and teachers.
I was just like just try loadsof them and she sort of fell in
love with certain subjects andteachers.
And since then I've never hadto sort of ask her to do
schoolwork or monitor her,because it's been her following,
her passion and what she'sinterested in.
So it's always difficult toknow because you don't have
(04:38):
other children to compare it to,and it certainly wasn't my
experience at school, but I liketo think it's because she's
actually fully interested inwhat she's learning.
So that frees me up with timeto work.
So I try and work around herschedule a little bit so while
she's studying I'm working.
What's also good about theprogram that we're doing is she
can join it live, but also theclasses are available for two
(05:02):
weeks after.
So it means that they they dothem.
But it also meant it gave usthe flexibility to travel and
she can just catch up when shecan, because obviously sometimes
we were on the road andtraveling and that didn't always
work and yeah, and then thesame for me.
So I would just fit in.
My client calls around beingstationary somewhere and around
(05:24):
her schooling and you just finda way.
Don you find a rhythm if you,if you love it and you and it's
your calling, I don't know youjust make the routine work for
what you want to do and what youlove yeah, word I think.
Cecilie Conrad (05:38):
But that's really.
I mean, we get the same kindsof questions and and it's, I
think, the general picture fromour experience and when we talk
to other travelers is, if it'simportant enough, you find a way
.
And sometimes you have to bevery adaptable and very crazy
and do things in very differentways and sometimes maybe not
(06:00):
sleep so much for that week, butwhatever.
And then at the end, as yousaid, you, we have different
circumstances, all of us, youhave one set of circumstances
and you made things work insideof that.
I've seen single moms travelwith more than one child.
So yeah, it's just if it'simportant enough.
(06:21):
I think that's the conclusion.
Vanessa Woozley (06:25):
Yeah, I think so too, and actually, you know,
I often get the comment oh mygoodness, you're so brave, but
actually it would feel far more.
It doesn't feel like a choice.
It would feel far more stiflingto be at home and stationary,
that would make me unhappy.
So actually it's a feel brave.
It just feels like I've got todo this.
This is what brings me joy,this is what makes me happy,
(06:46):
this is where I'm at my happiest.
I work better, my daughter'shappier, and find more community
, more like-minded community.
So so, yeah, absolutely right,you just find a way to do it.
Jesper Conrad (06:55):
I would like to talk a little more about bravery
and fear and handlinginsecurity, because that is also
one of the things people say tous is, oh, you must be so brave
, and I actually sometimes feelvery insecure about our life and
(07:16):
what we do.
But I know that I can workthrough whatever challenges in
front of me.
That's one of the things I'velearned of this life.
But sometimes when I look atwhat's going on I can be like,
oh my God, what is the rightnext choice?
But how do you work with it inyour life?
(07:37):
Or are you just very content inthat life will treat you with
love and kindness?
Vanessa Woozley (07:44):
A little bit.
Yes, I do think traveling makesyou more resilient, for sure.
Nothing quite goes to plan andyou know I don't want to paint
it totally rose-tinted glasses,because there are situations
that have come up.
I drive a van, like you guys,and I remember when I first got
into Greece and we're trying tofind a driving place in the
(08:08):
middle of the night and we gotstuck in the mud on the edge of
a road and the front tires ofthe van were sinking into the
mud.
My daughter actually was morepanicked than me.
I don't know.
I think I've learned over theyears.
I've just learned like italways goes out.
You just got to keep the calm.
You can't do anything about thecircumstances.
(08:30):
You'll find a way.
We did have to walk an hour inthe dark with just my phone
torch to a farm, met the mostbeautiful Greek farmers who
didn't speak a word of Englishand they eventually towed us out
.
So you know it's not likethings don't.
Circumstances don't always goyour way and things do come up
and happen, but they make thebest traveling stories.
(08:53):
You know we can laugh about itnow.
Maybe we weren't laughing atthe time, but you do learn that
actually what I have foundthrough traveling is, you see,
the best in humanity.
People generally on the roadare really happy to help you out
.
I've had things go wrong in thevan many, many times In fact.
I think when I was with youguys in Vienna, my water pump
broke and we managed to find aneighbor who helped me fit one.
(09:18):
So, yeah, I guess that's what Idon't get nervous about these
things, because I always thinkthere's nearly always someone
who will help you out if youlook at things with the right
mentality.
Get me wrong, but I havelearned that actually, normally
(09:46):
when I'm feeling a little bitnervous about going to a new
location, it normally means it'sgoing to be the best experience
.
So it's a little bit of sort offeeling the fear and doing it
anyway.
I've always had that feeling oflike oh, that little bit of
trepidation where I'm goingsomewhere brand brand new, and
normally when people are alittle bit like, oh, are you not
worried about going to such andsuch a country?
I certainly like that aboutMorocco, um, because lots of
(10:07):
people have these preconceptionsand actually it was one of the
safest, most beautiful, amazingcultures that I've been to.
So, yeah, I, I guess I don'tlet the fear hold me back is is
the honest answer to that, but II do feel it a little bit
sometimes too yeah, but that'sthe thing about being courageous
, is it's.
Cecilie Conrad (10:27):
It's not about not feeling the fear yeah that's
a misconception of courage.
It's not that you're notfearful or nervous or can feel
some sort of butterfly or worry,or at least some thoughts about
what am I really doing here.
It's the doing it anyway.
(10:48):
That's courage and I think youcan.
As you said, you becomeresilient.
You also become more courageous.
You have that.
As you mentioned, you're coolin the situation.
I think we have that too, andit's not because we're very cool
, it's because we've tried somany things.
Now.
Vanessa Woozley (11:08):
The panic doesn't help, does it?
Cecilie Conrad (11:11):
It's not going to help if we freak out and if
we start fighting about it, orit's okay, shit, just hit the
fan and you breathe a little bitand then you think a little bit
and then you wipe off a littlebit of shit and then you think a
little bit more, and then atthe end of the day, you always
(11:31):
resolve it one way or the other.
Yeah, has anything.
So what would you say, havesurprised you the most?
Was there some troubles orobstacles in the van life?
Single, long traveling homeschool set up that many people
dream about, that you hadn'tseen coming?
(11:52):
I'm not saying problems, butjust some things to manage that.
Vanessa Woozley (11:58):
Oh, there's that uh, nothing that I couldn't
resolve.
I would say the biggestchallenge is probably things
going wrong on the van thatcomes up.
But I would say it's the sameas they go wrong in a house.
You know, that's not really anydifferent.
(12:19):
You live in a house, this is mysituation, and then I've had
the boiler go wrong on ChristmasEve.
It's the same, it's just thatfor me something goes wrong in
the van and normally I'm in anice warm location and I'm quite
stationary and I'm there andsomebody can help me.
So I've never felt particularlychallenged.
I suppose the biggest challengefor me is is sometimes the
(12:39):
internet with working.
Probably I need to get starlinklike you guys have got.
I will get around to it.
Maybe one day that wouldprobably help Especially in.
England Say that again,especially in England.
Yeah, sometimes England isworse than some of the countries
I've been to.
Sometimes I just have hadbetter internet, actually some
of the best places, like Morocco.
I've had some of the bestinternet in Morocco than I have
(13:03):
back home, ironically the bestinternet in Morocco than I have
back home, ironically.
So yeah, I guess those are, butonly small ones, so I can't say
the challenge has been any realdifferent than they have been
at home.
Cecilie Conrad (13:14):
So no surprises really.
Vanessa Woozley (13:17):
No, I say I suppose what did feel like a big
challenge when I first startedtraveling was finding community
for my daughter.
That was probably a bigchallenge when I first started
traveling was finding communityfor my daughter.
That was probably our biggestchallenge, because I love
traveling and we'd go to theseamazing and I'd take her to
places that she was interestedin.
So we do Greece.
She loved Greek mythology butand we'd sort of find a few
(13:38):
places with actually some of myfriends perhaps not kids her own
age and then we started doingsome world schooling hubs and we
met your kids and we've metlots of other teen kids and
that's really changed things forher because it was finding
like-minded children as well.
I think it's sometimesdifficult to relate to children
(14:00):
back home because the the waythat we live is a little bit
different, so they need to findthings that they can relate to a
little bit more.
So, yes, I would say that hasbeen actually probably the
biggest challenge for me,because when my daughter's happy
, I'm happy, and actually thatwas kind of finding the missing
formula that we sound like now.
Jesper Conrad (14:18):
It made me think about how life was when I grew
up.
How life was when I grew up, Ithink when I look back on it now
I can see that, yes, in schoolI was in a group of 28, 24
people around the same age.
But there's a fun thing aboutthe word relationship.
It is the one part of it thatis to do with do you relate?
(14:44):
Are you on the same frequency?
Do you hang out?
Do you actually really enjoythe people you're around?
And for me, I maybe had onefriend during my school time.
I had a lot of socialinteraction, but it wasn't the
deep, long talks and I don't seeanyone from back then.
(15:05):
Those relationships withfriends first came later, when
it was more based on a choice ofmaybe even workplace.
But there was something incommon between us and I think
that is one of the changes I seewith our kids who are not in
school.
When they meet these otherteens who are also not in school
(15:28):
and when they are kind of onthe same frequency, they just
vibe really good together, likeand talk and talk, and talk.
And I see another kind ofrelationship than I had when I
grew up and I can almost bejealous of what they have,
(15:50):
because I think I got oh yeah,the episode that came out today
when we're recording this waswith the wonderful guy is with
the wonderful guy, jack Stewart,who talks about social appetite
suppressant, and I think thatsometimes being in a school
setting also can quench yourthirst of the deep, really good
(16:13):
dialogues you can have withpeople.
And I wasn't out there searchingfor people to have deep
dialogue with, because it hadalways the thirst for the real
good, deep dialogues.
But like, is it called quenchedwhen you quench it first?
I'm not sure on the word yeah,but by being in settings with so
(16:36):
many people and when I look atit today, look back at it, I can
be like, oh my God, I must havebeen so socially overwhelmed
when I came back home fromschool.
And from school I went tocompetition, swimming, even more
people, the same age, alwaysthis high, high level of energy
(16:56):
being together, and I reallylike to see, of course, their
teenagers as well, our youngones.
But I think they're very quietin their relationships in a very
much more mature way than I waswhen I was 16, 17 or 18.
It was insecure, compared towhat I see now.
Vanessa Woozley (17:17):
Yeah, I agree with that.
I think there's a lot of thingsgoing on with kids possibly
who've been to school and thedifference between kids that
haven't or aren't going toschool, you're right.
One is that I think they findtheir people, which actually
you're right it takes us a whileto kind of find our tribe of
like-minded people.
And I also think the dynamicchanges with adults as well,
(17:42):
because in the school mentality,particularly in England, you
have this kind of fear of adultsand teacher because of the way
that they are, they're speakingto the kids and you don't see
that in our environment, in theworld schooling and
homeschooling, because you'vegot so much more interaction
(18:02):
with parents and your friends'parents and you're interacting
them on a much more equal basis,without the fear, and so I see
much more confident kids.
So they're not only confidentwith the ones that are around
them because they've met morelike-minded kids, but they're
also much more confident aroundadults.
(18:22):
I don't feel any difference inconversation Like I can talk to
your kids and they're also muchmore confident around adults.
I don't feel any difference inconversation like I can talk to
your kids and they are, they'regreat, you know, they just talk
to you like a normal human being, where you don't see that with
with children who go to schoolnormally they're like oh, hi,
you know they're a little bitshy.
Hi, mrs Thingy, or you knowyou're always Scarlett's mom,
you know you're not, you're not.
(18:43):
They're not having a properconversation about life and
what's happening with them andwhere they're going.
And it's lovely, it's lovely tosee that.
I think that's how.
I wish that for every kid.
Jesper Conrad (18:52):
Yeah, Did you see any changes in your daughter
after you took her out or inyour relationship with her?
Because it's kind of fairlyrecent with COVID.
So you remember the before andthe after, I think maybe.
Vanessa Woozley (19:07):
I think that was the biggest thing for me was
the change in how she wasinteracting with adults, and
perhaps if you've not had kidsin school you might not see that
big shift and change but Icertainly noticed it in my
daughter is she was okay on sortof small conversations with
other kids, but she didn'treally interact with other
adults.
(19:28):
So that's been a huge, hugechange for her.
Um, in terms of other changes,I would say, in our relationship
, I would say I guess we've justgrown closer.
When she used to come back fromschool, the big thing for me
(19:49):
was that she used to come homeand explode and she was never
like that at the weekend.
She was very calm and chilled,but I think because she'd just
been holding everything in atschool the whole day, she'd come
home and I just knew for thefirst hour just to meet her and
not interact with her.
If I asked her any questionsshe would just be like you know
(20:11):
quite, and since she's been outof school we don't have that
anymore.
She's just.
I mean, it's not perfect, ofcourse there are situations, but
we don't have that dailysuppression of emotions.
So they're much more free tojust be there and she's much
more chilled.
That's been my biggest shift.
Cecilie Conrad (20:29):
I wanted to remind you, yes, but it's been
five years since COVID started.
Vanessa Woozley (20:34):
I know it's a long time.
Cecilie Conrad (20:35):
It's not that reason when you have a whole
shift.
Vanessa Woozley (20:38):
It's hard to think back.
Cecilie Conrad (20:39):
I mean it's a lot of her childhood.
Jesper Conrad (20:41):
Oh yes.
Cecilie Conrad (20:41):
So how did it?
A lot of things happen in fiveyears, especially for a child
slash teenager.
Jesper Conrad (20:50):
Absolutely, absolutely.
Cecilie Conrad (20:51):
Yeah.
Jesper Conrad (20:58):
Being a single mom.
There is, of course, also thedad out there.
I know from me.
The whole homeschooling wishcame first from Cecilia, and I
get the sense that it's the samewith you.
So how did he take the whole?
Hey, I want to.
Homeschooling wish came firstfrom Cecilia, and I get the
sense that it's the same withyou.
So how did he take the whole?
Hey, I want to homeschool her.
And then, when you later said,hey, I want to travel full time
with her, how had that work beentogether?
Has it been difficult, or doyou have any advice how to do it
(21:21):
?
Vanessa Woozley (21:23):
Yeah, again, it happened in stages.
I always think you're going tosay, right, I'm going to take
them out, I'm going to do this.
I was like, can we try this andsee how it goes?
It's always been my philosophyand if then, if it doesn't work,
we'll try something else.
So that was kind of how Iapproached it with him.
I I did hit resistance,particularly with the school
(21:46):
coming out of school.
So his initial reaction waswell, no one likes school, you
just suck it up.
It's a social, it's a socialenvironment.
And I would sort of gently gowell, maybe it doesn't have to
be like that.
Could we just try it and seewhether she, you know, has an
appetite for learning andoutside of school?
(22:08):
Now he doesn't question it,she's doing, you know, she's
loving what she's learning,she's happy.
There's no question there.
But I would say to people,rather than making an adamant
decision, just exploring it as atrial, let's, why don't we try
this and see what happens andkeep both sides open and happy?
(22:30):
I'm lucky that co-parenting iseasy with my ex-husband.
He's very amenable.
So I'm sure there are certainthings he would do differently
and he's not happy with.
But I think you have to chooseyour battles when you're
divorced.
And as long as you meet in aplace where they both want the
(22:55):
best for the child and they'rehappy, then generally you can
find a place where you can meet.
It was the same with travelingas well.
I said, can we just try it forthree months?
And I'd always sort of traveledfor a month at a time and then
I said, can we just try threemonths?
I mean, obviously he misses hera lot and he doesn't love it,
(23:16):
but also he wants her to behappy and when she's finding
community abroad and meetingother world schoolers, this
really makes him happy.
So and I'm always keeping himvery much in the loop, I always
message him lots and I tell himwhat she's learning and I send
him lots of pictures of herhaving fun and life experiences
(23:38):
and meeting other kids andthat's really important to him.
He really loves that when hejust sees her having a good time
and having fun.
But yeah, it's always a littlechallenging and not easy because
you have different ideas.
He has things that he does athis house that I wouldn't do in
(23:58):
my house, but we've learned tojust pick our battles and
co-parent as much as we cantogether.
Jesper Conrad (24:08):
Makes sense Absolutely.
Cecilie Conrad (24:11):
I kind of want to say that it's a good piece of
advice for those gettingstarted anyway, single or not,
to try a little.
You know, just not think it, asnow I'm going to rearrange my
life and it's going to be inthis new way forever, because
it's just an illusion anyway.
(24:32):
Yeah, it's also an illusion.
Well, any stability is anillusion.
Change is all we we can counton, and it's also an illusion.
Well, any stability is anillusion.
Change is all we can count onand it's just a question of what
changes will happen.
So if someone's out therethinking, ok, I'm a single mom,
I could maybe sell my house, buya van, make it work, maybe just
(24:53):
rent out the house and borrow avan and try three months and
see what happens.
And it's anyway just somethingyou make up as you go so it can
sound the way you said it.
It's beautiful.
But just so there's nomisunderstanding, it's not
(25:15):
necessarily a manipulationstrategy to say can we try?
this for three months, becausethe reality in the beginning I
guess for you as well is thismight be great, but I don't know
.
So now I'm trying it and thenwe'll see what happens.
That same thing for us, we did.
We rented our house out for ayear and after 10 months we had
(25:36):
a family meeting and decided tosell the house and keep going.
But that was not given at thestarting point.
Jesper Conrad (25:42):
I think it's important also to mention I only
said yes to homeschooling forone year.
Cecilie Conrad (25:48):
You actually didn't.
Your first was six months.
Jesper Conrad (25:51):
Maybe it was six months, and now here we are.
Cecilie Conrad (25:53):
I've been pushing it for 15 years.
Vanessa Woozley (26:00):
Yeah, that's so true and and and the same of
now.
People will say to me I thinkif you live this kind of life
where you you think you've goteverything mapped out and
planned, people will often sayto me back in england, so when
are you going to stop traveling,are you going to settle down
and are you going to?
You know, are you going to buya house?
And?
And I'm always like I don'tknow, I'm just happy with what
(26:21):
I'm doing at the moment.
It might change, I mightsuddenly feel like I want to put
some roots down somewhere, whoknows?
But at the moment I'm veryhappy with how my life is set up
.
So you're right, you absolutelydon't know what's around the
corner.
Jesper Conrad (26:38):
Just take it as the moment arises.
I think I have startedsometimes having difficulties to
answer when people ask so wherehave you been?
Because it sometimes can soundso overwhelming, because this
year we were Denmark January,then February, france, barcelona
in March, then Vienna, thenBudapest and now Denmark, and
(27:02):
for people it sounds like I wasalso a stint in Prague.
Cecilie Conrad (27:07):
That's not that big.
No, we did Prague as well.
Jesper Conrad (27:11):
Yeah, but.
I was at a meeting yesterday atmy old job and have a lunch with
them while I'm in Denmarkvisiting, and it was super cozy.
And then they asked and I justI kind of get afraid of it
sounding like, oh, you're justsitting here and working and
(27:31):
I've just been out exploring theworld, exploring the world and
I have little difficulties how Ishould share it and talk about
it, because I find my lifepretty awesome.
I'm very happy with what we do,but I don't think it's
necessarily for everyone.
I'm not sure they actuallywould enjoy it and I also see
(27:53):
when they that what I see intheir eyes maybe is that they
think it's vacation and it's not.
It's life.
We are, you're working, I'mworking, we are sitting and
working.
Many of the hours it's notbeing on vacation.
How do you talk with peopleabout these things?
What is your take on it?
Vanessa Woozley (28:14):
I honestly, I think I feel into where the
person's at.
Normally if it's someone whoI'm asking, because it really
varies.
Some people will say how wasyour holiday, in which case I
may change the conversation tosomeone who's like how was the?
How was traveling, whichcountries did you go to?
So I kind of change myconversation normally to who I'm
(28:40):
talking to if I know them welland I think that's being a
little bit adaptable because forsome people, you're right, it
triggers them and they feel that, all right, it triggers that I
wish I was doing it and they canget a little bit upset about it
.
So, yeah, I think it's beingadaptable to the person that you
(29:04):
can normally tell how they'retaking the information that
you're giving them and then Ican decide how much information
I can give them.
I normally find even those withchildren at school are super
interested in knowing what's outthere and actually I wish I'd
had that because I didn't.
(29:25):
I didn't have anyone who washomeschooling when I was
thinking about it, so I hadnobody to refer to and it felt
felt like a huge, particularlyactually, as a single mom, I was
trying to think about how Icould make working and schooling
(29:47):
together possible and that feltlike a huge, overwhelming shift
and I was like I just don'tthink I can do it.
Once I'd done it, I was likewhy didn't I do this sooner?
Because it was so much easierthan I thought.
So, yeah, I get.
Those are the conversations Iget, more probably than the
(30:09):
traveling ones.
Some people are superinterested but I get more
questions about because mostpeople are pretty unhappy.
I haven't met many parents whoare happy with their children in
school.
They are very rare.
Most parents are doing it outof what they think is necessity,
(30:30):
or they're worried about familyand friends.
We'll say or they're worriedthey don't have enough time, or
they think their kids are alittle bit too wild and they
won't be able to manage them.
Those are the kind of reasonsthat they think that they can't
do it, rather than oh, I'm superhappy with my school and I'm
really glad my child is in theschool system.
(30:52):
So those are the conversations Ihave more of.
Jesper Conrad (30:54):
Yeah.
Vanessa Woozley (30:56):
I don't know if you're the same probably.
Cecilie Conrad (30:59):
I don't know what conversations we have most.
We do get the where have youbeen question.
We get a lot of educationalquestions.
We get the finance question.
We often get that's funny.
That's funny.
Do you often get the how do youdecide where to go?
Next question I get that allthe time um no, I normally.
Vanessa Woozley (31:24):
Where are you going next?
Well, where we're going.
Jesper Conrad (31:27):
We are going to uk we're coming over yes good
well you oh yeah, there's someislands and something on the way
.
Something on the way?
Cecilie Conrad (31:35):
yeah, we're going to going to Germany and
then Amsterdam and then England.
Jesper Conrad (31:38):
Oh, yeah, yeah, but yeah okay whatever.
Cecilie Conrad (31:41):
No, it's just funny.
It's because the questions weget are sometimes not.
Those are not the things thatare hard to decide.
Those are not the actualobstacles.
Those are the things that aremore or less given.
Jesper Conrad (31:57):
And then there are other things where we have
to stop and think a lot.
So that's just different.
One of the things that, um mymind is pondering a lot around
these days is, um, the norm, thenorm of normality, what
everyone does and how we havegrown up to think that the
normal life is going to school,living in vicinity of the school
(32:22):
, close approximately around it,going to work, have a job, be
there for 40 years and then youretire.
If you're lucky, you retireearly.
And, having lived outside thiskind of norm for the last seven
years, I am starting to tryingto become better at and I'm not
(32:46):
doing a really good job of itnow, I know, but trying to see
if I can explain what I see fromthe outside.
So, you who have been outsideof the norm for the last five
years, what are you seeing?
Cecilie Conrad (33:02):
Besides parents not being happy about having
kids in school, that's a goodpoint.
How many parents do you meetthat are happy about the school?
I mean, that's a question topick up for the listeners, maybe
.
Yeah, ask them.
Vanessa Woozley (33:16):
I haven't met them yet are there other things?
Cecilie Conrad (33:20):
you see, now that you're more out, I mean,
you were probably a little bitoutside before I think your
mindset was I was very outside,yeah but what do you see in the
mainstream that you can pointthat now that you see, you think
you see because you're outsideof it oh, I mean, I think it
happened before I was traveling.
Vanessa Woozley (33:41):
I think I was feeling this way for probably
about 15 years and not reallyfeeling like I could relate to
most of what was happening insociety.
If I'm honest, I think that's awaking up process though, isn't
it?
For a lot of people, is you'reliving the sort of program of
(34:01):
the nine to five and puttingyourself into debt to buy a
house, to buy a car, to go onholiday four weeks of the year I
mean, that's the traditionalway of living your life and
putting your kids in school andthen there becomes a point for a
lot of people you're like therehas to be more, and that's
often the waking up process, Ithink, for a lot of people.
(34:23):
Where and when that happens,you suddenly go oh my goodness,
what dysfunction you're livingin, and it becomes harder to
relate to that lifestyle andperhaps integrating.
It becomes easier to relate topeople who are living that
lifestyle, because you start tounderstand the dysfunction that
(34:45):
they're in and perhaps howthey're not feeling happy with
it, because it's often thatfeeling of like there's more,
there's more, which people aretrying to dumb down with alcohol
or food or whatever theiraddiction is.
And then, when you see itdifferently, you live your life
(35:08):
differently and you don't letthose norms continue.
Jesper Conrad (35:13):
Continue.
When I look back at being 18,19 years old, I was standing at
Roskilde Festival up in front ofthe big orange tent and
shouting, together withthousands and thousands, tens of
thousands of other youth to aRace Against the Machine concert
, where it was fuck you, I won'tdo what you tell me.
(35:34):
And we saw the matrix a littleafter.
It's like, oh yeah, it's just adream, this kind of reality.
We want to break out and befree.
And now sometimes I can be likehey, we were standing there
together.
Where are you now?
You meant it then, you felt it.
Then what happened?
I think one of the things thathappens is conformity.
(35:56):
I think one of the things thathappens is conformity.
(36:20):
It's really dumping us down ormaybe medicating or something.
And I have lived the life ofgoing to an office for many,
many years.
I had this young, rebellioussoul, like I think all of us
have.
When we are young, we'd want todo something different than our
parents and do somethingdifferent than the system.
We watch Matrix, we sing alongwith the songs, and then
something happens that makes uschoosing different tools of
(36:44):
zoning out, and I can just seeafter we, the last seven years,
have been following our dreamsmore, living more in according
with our values.
I can see how that also haschanged, that I live more in
according with my values of howI should treat my body and what
(37:07):
I should eat, and that's achange I didn't see coming.
When I was young I had a lot ofallergies, so I had like a long
list of all the stuff youcouldn't eat, of all the
additives in the food that wasallergic or could give allergies
.
I saw that and I was eatingvery pure when I was young.
(37:29):
And then came all those yearswith crappy food and meat plus
25 kilos.
And now, the more I try to livein accordance with our values,
then I've also come back to thisyou can almost say pureness of
the heart I had as being a youngboy.
I think we are actually quitepure when we are young and then
(37:53):
something happens.
Cecilie Conrad (37:55):
Should we talk about health and the healthy
life?
Because?
one thing I was thinking beforewhen we started traveling full
time.
One of my worries as a mom of Ihad four children.
Unfortunately only took threewith me, as one happened to be
an adult.
So I was taking three childrenon the road and for the past
(38:16):
seven years they've been growingup traveling full time.
And one of the things I worriedabout and thought I have to put
some energy in here is how dowe stay healthy?
Because lots of people whotravel only for vacation, they
know how it slips.
You know, you have a little toomuch ice cream, you have a
little too much of the goodwhite wine, you have a little
too much of whatever.
You come home you have to go ona diet and do some cleaning up,
(38:43):
or maybe not, and then it'sworse next year.
So but we've been neighbors and, uh, I think we do pretty well,
but you certainly do better Imean, it's my passion.
Vanessa Woozley (38:51):
Um so say that again.
Oh, talk about it, talk aboutabout it.
Cecilie Conrad (38:57):
How do you super health from a van?
Vanessa Woozley (39:02):
I mean, it's my all encompassing passion, so
I love talking about health, ifanyone asks, I guess my journey
happened when my daughter wasborn and she had I'd been
interested in health before that, but she got really severe
eczema all over her body and Ihealed it with food and
(39:22):
lifestyle changes and gettingthe chemicals out and toxins and
I've never really looked back.
And I think it's a reallyimportant question.
I guess it depends on how youtreat traveling.
If you treat traveling likeit's a holiday and therefore
what a lot of people do is theylet go on holiday and then they
(39:43):
just eat all the crap that theywant, eat out for dinner, eat
lots of sugar and ice cream anddrink lots of wine, then that
can become a really unhealthyhabit over a longer term if
you're traveling, a reallyunhealthy habit over a longer
term if you're traveling, Idon't More from the fact of the
(40:03):
point of view which I know we'vetalked about is I want to feel
good all of the time, and how Ihave learned through trial and
error is that certain foods andcertain things in terms of how I
manage my health make me feelreally good and if I don't do
that, then I don't feel good.
So it becomes from.
(40:23):
That becomes the driving factor, and I would say I had quite an
addictive personality, but thehealth thing it worked in my
favor.
You know, it became a bit of a.
I turned all those unhealthyaddictions towards health and
nutrition and food and it becamea bit of a.
Uh, I turned all thoseunhealthy addictions towards
health, the nutrition and foodand it became this sort of
spiral and I and I started sortof changing, changing more, more
(40:43):
things and feeling better,having more energy, not having
dips, not having crashes, notgetting sick, and so it doesn't
feel like a huge chore for me tomanage my health in the van.
I do carry some health toolswith me as well and it makes it
(41:04):
me a better because I'm anindustrial therapist.
It makes it easier to see myclients, because when they say
things to me like I can't do itbecause, or there's certain
situations where I can't managethis and I can't, I always say,
well, if I can do it while I'mtraveling and I managed to do
this, then anybody can.
It becomes a an overridingchoice to feel good in every
(41:30):
moment and that's what aspiresme to eat well and look after
myself.
So I do.
I do carry some things like ablender and a juicer in my van,
but it's interesting to me howmost people would prioritize, so
I know you guys do.
We'll prioritize a coffeemachine, or you know having a
(41:52):
wine fridge, or three, or a winefridge you know those.
In most houses those become thepriority, and for me the
priority becomes the otherhouses.
So it depends where yourpriorities sit and align.
Cecilie Conrad (42:08):
So, just for the record, I'm carrying three
coffee machines and a blender.
Vanessa Woozley (42:13):
Yes, she does.
She does mitigate it with theblender and you have a lot of
health.
Cecilie Conrad (42:18):
Coffee is part of my health regime.
Jesper Conrad (42:21):
I can assure you that.
How can you win life without ahigh speed blender?
I don't know.
I don't know how people do it.
Vanessa Woozley (42:27):
You find a way .
You need a bigger battery pack,but it's amazing how people
will find a bigger battery packfor other things.
To me, it's just as importanthaving it helping you, because
if you don't have your house,you don't enjoy anything.
I mean, I know you guys knowthis too.
You've had some life situationswith health challenges Most of
(42:48):
us have and I don't want peopleto get to that place in order
for them to reprioritize For me.
I know that everything in mylife goes much better when I
feel good, feel healthy, feelalert, have energy.
I'm not sick, you know.
Everything just goes better.
(43:08):
So that's a priority for me.
I hope that more people willget there, but we're not quite
there yet so now you said whyyou do it.
Cecilie Conrad (43:17):
Yeah, how I do it.
I worry seven years ago was howdo I do it?
Okay, how do I bring my blenderin my bus?
yeah how do I get the freshorganic stuff to put in the
blender?
Yeah, where's the clean water?
What do I serve the freshorganic stuff to put in the
blender?
Where's the clean water?
What do I serve my kids?
When the bus is actuallydriving, I have only 20 minutes
(43:43):
for cooking, so my challenge wascooking for more than two
people.
So I'm just curious what's yourregime?
How do you make?
Do you take extra time out forthis?
Is there a weekday where youwould drive to an organic?
One of my things is I can'tfind organic produce many places
and I end up buying things thatare sprayed and after 10 days I
(44:03):
start feeling it in the joint.
Vanessa Woozley (44:08):
It's pretty rare for me not to find organic.
I have been to a couple ofplaces where I haven't.
Then I always buy things withskin on or I do my best to
manage it and then I'll do a lotof juicing to kind of mitigate
that.
I do notice the difference andthe effects.
But most places I actually findit's better than England.
(44:31):
Often I can find organiceverywhere.
So it does mean I go out of myway a little bit Sometimes.
You've seen me do it.
Sometimes we've been traveling.
But people will prioritize otherthings For me.
I will prioritize findingorganic.
Am I particularly I'm notparticularly routine driven in
(44:53):
terms of I have really healthyroutines in my day?
Do I food prep?
Do I have a specific day whereI go to the shop?
Not really, it's when I'mrunning low.
I'll go find the place, but Iwill search until I find it.
I mean, we're so lucky.
Now.
My daughter always thinks it'sincredible how we ever managed
without Google Maps.
(45:14):
But Google Maps will find youan organic place wherever you
are in the world, which is quitephenomenal.
It's changed the way.
I mean if you think how ourparents traveled and how we can
travel now, it's just completelydifferent.
You can find places gluten-freecafes, vegan cafes, whatever
(45:35):
your preferences are anywhere inthe world at the touch of a
button.
So as much as I hate overuse oftechnology, it has brought
around this amazing use of beingable to find healthier places
and healthier things to do.
How do I do it?
So I mean I have a big cupboardwhere I have my Vitamix, I have
(45:56):
my juicer and I also I can'tthink what else I did.
I mean I do take a bit of apantry with me.
So before I go, I know if I'mgoing to go for three or four
months.
I will stock up on things likea clean water filter.
I will stock up on supplements.
(46:19):
I will stock up on, say, somegreens powders, things that I
know will be a little bit morechallenging and probably a
little bit more expensive abroad.
Some things aren't, so that doesmake, I guess, the packing
perhaps a little bit morechallenging.
I do sometimes envy thosepeople who just pick up a
passport and some clothes andjust go.
(46:42):
I don't perhaps travel likethat.
I put a little bit more thoughtprocess into it of how am I
going to manage my water, how amI going to manage my
supplements, how am I going toand then I will pack the van
with you know, nice, but then ina way I always that's why I
love being in a van I haveeverything with me, whereas how
(47:02):
I used to travel was I'd turn upat a place and I'd try and find
certain ingredients and certainthings and try and pack it all
in a suitcase.
Now I have all of my healthtools with me and I actually
very rarely like going andstaying anywhere else because I
really lost my van space.
I love, as you guys know, it'shard to get me out of it and I
(47:26):
love the outdoor.
I mean, we're not always in thevan, but I love that outdoor.
That's why I like being in thewarm countries.
I love that outdoor lifestyleof just being outside in the van
, but I love that outdoor.
That's why I like being in thewarm countries.
I love that outdoor lifestyleof just being outside of the van
but having everything in my vanand my home with me.
It wouldn't be for everyone, Itotally get that, but for me
it's a great lifestyle and Ilove it.
Cecilie Conrad (47:44):
Isn't it also?
So this is just my experienceand I'm not doing as well as you
are not trying to be smarteraround the healthy lifestyle,
but I think, for traveling shortterm or full time trying to
stay healthy, we are going toeat anyway.
(48:06):
So if we put just a little bitof thought into it before we get
hungry, it doesn't have to bethis you know Instagrammable
food prep stack of perfectlyprepared stuff, but just a
little bit of.
Okay, we are going to eat.
What do we want to eat and isit available?
That's not a big process.
(48:30):
That's something like 10minutes in the morning just
scanning.
For me it is how many people amI feeding today?
What are their preferences?
What do they need?
Do I more or less have it?
How can I make sure I have itat the right time?
Do I need to do any prepping orcan we just make it up as we go
?
If I just do the salts, applesare pretty easy to prep by
(48:53):
opening the box.
Or can we just make it up as wego?
If I just do the thoughts?
You know, apples are prettyeasy to prep by opening the box.
Vanessa Woozley (48:59):
So yeah, and some things travel.
You're right, some thingstravel better than others, don't
they?
You kind of learn that I'msomeone who always has to have a
full fridge.
So if my fridge is running lowI'm going to always go and find
the organic shop and have italways full, because I don't
like to be in a situation where,well, either one of us are
hungry and we haven't gotanything to eat, so we've always
got a full fridge.
(49:20):
But you're right, I mean fruitstravel.
I can put them in a box in theback of the van mostly, and have
huge amounts of fruit in there.
Some vegetables, like rootvegetables, travel very, very
easily, Maybe the salad stuff.
You only have to top up thatstuff in the fridge.
But you kind of learn how youcan shop in a really good way.
(49:42):
So quite often in the van I'lltry and buy things that I know
will last a little bit longerand I can keep a good supply in
the back of the van too.
Jesper Conrad (49:49):
I would like to talk a little about comfort food
, as I recently have taken up anew challenge of no shitty
snacks, no crap food bought insupermarkets.
And then it's inspired by this12-year-old daughter of the
house here and she's just likeso clean about it and I was like
(50:10):
, oh, if she can do it, I can doit.
But to talk about comfort foodbecause there's something fun
around it, I find it interestingthat I have had a mentality
that could be like oh, I'mstressed out, it could be really
good with a glass of wine toget the shoulders down, or oh,
(50:33):
it has been busy, or this hasbeen difficult.
I would eat some crisp or somechips or some other food that it
actually works in the momentbecause it does something, but
then I feel more shit the dayafter because I feel a little
more fat or a little feel thecarbs negatively, I don't know
(50:55):
what it is.
But what do you do for comfortfood now that you are quite
clean in your way of living?
Vanessa Woozley (51:04):
Honestly, I would say that a big part of my
journey and it's kind of whereI've been helping people is
support with the emotionaleating.
So don't get me wrong, there'sa huge part of enjoying food and
ceremony and eating nice foods.
But if you're eating foods froman emotional perspective, then
(51:26):
that's normally somewhere that Itry and help people.
That's normally somewhere thatI try and help people because no
amount of food is ever enoughto help, that.
It might feel like it for thatinstant, but you'll know that
it's not really worked becauseyou'll keep eating and that's a
big sign that it's become anemotional crutch, like any other
(51:47):
crutch in life.
And I think it's very, verycommon and actually one of the
more accepted additionaddictions I think we have in
society more than perhaps someother things, and it's a real
shame because this is why we'vegot a huge obesity crisis,
because people don't necessarilylook at it as an addiction.
They think that people are lazyor, you know, they get all
(52:12):
these sort of other tarnishedthings.
But I think tackling separatingthe ceremony and the beautiful
comfort foods as you sort oftalked about, you know there's a
time for a celebration, a partyand having a cake and having.
I know we've enjoyed going outfor healthy cake and a coffee
and that feels like a really,really nice celebration, but if
(52:34):
you're using it as a crutch tosupport stress or emotions, it
might be something that you wantto look at oh, I am looking at
it.
I mean you specifically, but Iwould say you know, I mean it's
everybody.
It's very prevalent in societyand it was definitely something
a huge part of my journey tooyeah, I was stroking everyone
(52:55):
has it.
Cecilie Conrad (52:56):
I don't think you should feel judged if you
listen and you feel, oh, maybesometimes I eat my emotions, or
I eat for emotional reasons, orI mean it's everyone has some of
it yeah, absolutely, it's justa question of how do we cope
with it, and that could actuallybe our.
How do you get in touch withVanessa, because she can help
(53:18):
with that.
Jesper Conrad (53:19):
Yes, because, vanessa, it is time to round up
the podcast.
It has been really wonderfulhanging out with you and I look
forward to doing it again, maybeparked up next to each other
somewhere, well maybe inTarragona, maybe in Tarragona,
maybe in Tarragona.
Cecilie Conrad (53:35):
Oh no, no, we're seeing each other in England
first.
Vanessa Woozley (53:38):
Yes, I know it's going to be lovely yeah.
Jesper Conrad (53:40):
But, vanessa, for people who have listened to us
talk, listened to your knowledgeabout food and health, how is
it you are of service to theworld.
Vanessa Woozley (53:52):
So I have a coaching container.
I'm a nutritional therapist butI do other things, so I do NLP,
I do EFT and I also do familyconstellations so looking at
ancestral health patterns thatrun through the family and I
take people either in a three ora six-month coaching container
(54:13):
and you can find out moredetails on my website and please
do get in touch and you canalso have a free 20-minute
conversation and see whetherit's something that you would
like to work with me on and seewhether we are a good fit, first
of all, to work on together.
Jesper Conrad (54:28):
So we will put the website in the show notes,
but for the people justlistening, vanessa, please share
it.
Vanessa Woozley (54:36):
My website is thelifesutra, like the Karma
Sutra, but thelifesutracom.
Jesper Conrad (54:42):
Fantastic, easy.
It has been a pleasure.
Thanks a lot for your time.
Vanessa Woozley (54:46):
Oh, thank you so much.
Lovely to see you both.
Today more about that.
First of all, I want to say awarm welcome.
Thank you for taking the time.
Vanessa Woozley (00:16):
Thank you for having me.
Jesper Conrad (00:19):
So let's go back to Vienna.
We attended a World Schoolpop-up hub in Vienna, vienna,
and our neighbor at the campsitewhere we were were you and your
lovely daughter in a van.
And one of the questions weoften get about world schooling
is this oh, it's actually peoplein my.
(00:41):
The way I look at it sometimesI think that people are maybe
making excuses for themselves.
We are getting a.
Oh, you can do it becauseyou're two and Cecilia can be at
home.
And often I say to them hey,you know what?
I've met a lot of moms outthere world schooling with their
kids.
It is actually doable, and Igot the question once again
(01:04):
recently.
I saw one asking but how do Iget started?
I'm, as a mom, alone with mykids, how do I get started?
And then I was like I reallyliked Vanessa, let's invite her
and ask her.
So let's turn back time.
How did you get started?
What happened in your life thatmade you want to trot the path
(01:25):
of traveling and also havingyour daughter at home?
Vanessa Woozley (01:29):
So I guess it all happens in stages, doesn't
it often?
So we've always traveled sincemy daughter was tiny, started in
Europe and then we did longdistance, longer travel.
When she was about three, weused to go to India every
Christmas and spend three, fourweeks there, and people thought
(01:50):
I was a bit bonkers then, but Idon't know.
I have always had that feelingthat I wanted to travel and I've
often felt safer in most othercountries than I have in England
often, so I just don't letthings hold me back.
In fact it was funny.
I went to Morocco this year,and it doesn't happen very often
(02:15):
but this guy said to me, how onearth can you travel without
having a man or a partner withyou?
And I said well, what am Igoing to do?
Wait, wait for one.
I'm not going to let mycircumstances hold me back.
I just I love traveling andyeah, it just wasn't an option
to stay home lockdown.
(02:45):
I think a lot of people did.
I saw what she was learning atschool and I was a little bit
horrified at how dry and boringit was, and so I wasn't going to
make her do the things that shewas learning, because I just
thought this was awful and wesort of did it in steps.
So actually we decided to go toa Steiner school.
So we moved house, went to aSteiner school Rudolf Steiner.
She loved it there.
(03:05):
It was great.
But I've always had the travelbug in me.
So after we'd done that for ayear I was like let's try
homeschooling.
So we did that and we've beentraveling ever since, for the
last three years, I guess, a bitmore full time.
Jesper Conrad (03:22):
And then the question we get is but how is it
possible?
You are just one person and onechild.
How do you make ends meet?
How is it doable at all?
Vanessa Woozley (03:34):
I guess maybe it would be different if I had
lots of kids.
You know there are differentsituations.
I have one and I think whatreally changed me and it was
something that I was reallynervous about, actually about
taking my daughter out to schoolwas that I was going to have to
do all the schooling and that Iwould have to be supporting her
and it would take all my time.
But actually she became reallyself-motivated because we just
(03:57):
let her learn what she wanted tolearn.
So we found some amazingprograms with loads of different
subjects and I just let her trythings so she could try.
We use one called Learn LaughPlay and they're like three
pounds a class the startingprice, so they're really
amazingly inexpensive.
(04:18):
And I was just like just tryloads of them and she sort of
fell in love with certainsubjects and teachers.
I was just like just try loadsof them and she sort of fell in
love with certain subjects andteachers.
And since then I've never hadto sort of ask her to do
schoolwork or monitor her,because it's been her following,
her passion and what she'sinterested in.
So it's always difficult toknow because you don't have
(04:38):
other children to compare it to,and it certainly wasn't my
experience at school, but I liketo think it's because she's
actually fully interested inwhat she's learning.
So that frees me up with timeto work.
So I try and work around herschedule a little bit so while
she's studying I'm working.
What's also good about theprogram that we're doing is she
can join it live, but also theclasses are available for two
(05:02):
weeks after.
So it means that they they dothem.
But it also meant it gave usthe flexibility to travel and
she can just catch up when shecan, because obviously sometimes
we were on the road andtraveling and that didn't always
work and yeah, and then thesame for me.
So I would just fit in.
My client calls around beingstationary somewhere and around
(05:24):
her schooling and you just finda way.
Don you find a rhythm if you,if you love it and you and it's
your calling, I don't know youjust make the routine work for
what you want to do and what youlove yeah, word I think.
Cecilie Conrad (05:38):
But that's really.
I mean, we get the same kindsof questions and and it's, I
think, the general picture fromour experience and when we talk
to other travelers is, if it'simportant enough, you find a way
.
And sometimes you have to bevery adaptable and very crazy
and do things in very differentways and sometimes maybe not
(06:00):
sleep so much for that week, butwhatever.
And then at the end, as yousaid, you, we have different
circumstances, all of us, youhave one set of circumstances
and you made things work insideof that.
I've seen single moms travelwith more than one child.
So yeah, it's just if it'simportant enough.
(06:21):
I think that's the conclusion.
Vanessa Woozley (06:25):
Yeah, I think so too, and actually, you know,
I often get the comment oh mygoodness, you're so brave, but
actually it would feel far more.
It doesn't feel like a choice.
It would feel far more stiflingto be at home and stationary,
that would make me unhappy.
So actually it's a feel brave.
It just feels like I've got todo this.
This is what brings me joy,this is what makes me happy,
(06:46):
this is where I'm at my happiest.
I work better, my daughter'shappier, and find more community
, more like-minded community.
So so, yeah, absolutely right,you just find a way to do it.
Jesper Conrad (06:55):
I would like to talk a little more about bravery
and fear and handlinginsecurity, because that is also
one of the things people say tous is, oh, you must be so brave
, and I actually sometimes feelvery insecure about our life and
(07:16):
what we do.
But I know that I can workthrough whatever challenges in
front of me.
That's one of the things I'velearned of this life.
But sometimes when I look atwhat's going on I can be like,
oh my God, what is the rightnext choice?
But how do you work with it inyour life?
(07:37):
Or are you just very content inthat life will treat you with
love and kindness?
Vanessa Woozley (07:44):
A little bit.
Yes, I do think traveling makesyou more resilient, for sure.
Nothing quite goes to plan andyou know I don't want to paint
it totally rose-tinted glasses,because there are situations
that have come up.
I drive a van, like you guys,and I remember when I first got
into Greece and we're trying tofind a driving place in the
(08:08):
middle of the night and we gotstuck in the mud on the edge of
a road and the front tires ofthe van were sinking into the
mud.
My daughter actually was morepanicked than me.
I don't know.
I think I've learned over theyears.
I've just learned like italways goes out.
You just got to keep the calm.
You can't do anything about thecircumstances.
(08:30):
You'll find a way.
We did have to walk an hour inthe dark with just my phone
torch to a farm, met the mostbeautiful Greek farmers who
didn't speak a word of Englishand they eventually towed us out
.
So you know it's not likethings don't.
Circumstances don't always goyour way and things do come up
and happen, but they make thebest traveling stories.
(08:53):
You know we can laugh about itnow.
Maybe we weren't laughing atthe time, but you do learn that
actually what I have foundthrough traveling is, you see,
the best in humanity.
People generally on the roadare really happy to help you out
.
I've had things go wrong in thevan many, many times In fact.
I think when I was with youguys in Vienna, my water pump
broke and we managed to find aneighbor who helped me fit one.
(09:18):
So, yeah, I guess that's what Idon't get nervous about these
things, because I always thinkthere's nearly always someone
who will help you out if youlook at things with the right
mentality.
Get me wrong, but I havelearned that actually, normally
(09:46):
when I'm feeling a little bitnervous about going to a new
location, it normally means it'sgoing to be the best experience
.
So it's a little bit of sort offeeling the fear and doing it
anyway.
I've always had that feeling oflike oh, that little bit of
trepidation where I'm goingsomewhere brand brand new, and
normally when people are alittle bit like, oh, are you not
worried about going to such andsuch a country?
I certainly like that aboutMorocco, um, because lots of
(10:07):
people have these preconceptionsand actually it was one of the
safest, most beautiful, amazingcultures that I've been to.
So, yeah, I, I guess I don'tlet the fear hold me back is is
the honest answer to that, but II do feel it a little bit
sometimes too yeah, but that'sthe thing about being courageous
, is it's.
Cecilie Conrad (10:27):
It's not about not feeling the fear yeah that's
a misconception of courage.
It's not that you're notfearful or nervous or can feel
some sort of butterfly or worry,or at least some thoughts about
what am I really doing here.
It's the doing it anyway.
(10:48):
That's courage and I think youcan.
As you said, you becomeresilient.
You also become more courageous.
You have that.
As you mentioned, you're coolin the situation.
I think we have that too, andit's not because we're very cool
, it's because we've tried somany things.
Now.
Vanessa Woozley (11:08):
The panic doesn't help, does it?
Cecilie Conrad (11:11):
It's not going to help if we freak out and if
we start fighting about it, orit's okay, shit, just hit the
fan and you breathe a little bitand then you think a little bit
and then you wipe off a littlebit of shit and then you think a
little bit more, and then atthe end of the day, you always
(11:31):
resolve it one way or the other.
Yeah, has anything.
So what would you say, havesurprised you the most?
Was there some troubles orobstacles in the van life?
Single, long traveling homeschool set up that many people
dream about, that you hadn'tseen coming?
(11:52):
I'm not saying problems, butjust some things to manage that.
Vanessa Woozley (11:58):
Oh, there's that uh, nothing that I couldn't
resolve.
I would say the biggestchallenge is probably things
going wrong on the van thatcomes up.
But I would say it's the sameas they go wrong in a house.
You know, that's not really anydifferent.
(12:19):
You live in a house, this is mysituation, and then I've had
the boiler go wrong on ChristmasEve.
It's the same, it's just thatfor me something goes wrong in
the van and normally I'm in anice warm location and I'm quite
stationary and I'm there andsomebody can help me.
So I've never felt particularlychallenged.
I suppose the biggest challengefor me is is sometimes the
(12:39):
internet with working.
Probably I need to get starlinklike you guys have got.
I will get around to it.
Maybe one day that wouldprobably help Especially in.
England Say that again,especially in England.
Yeah, sometimes England isworse than some of the countries
I've been to.
Sometimes I just have hadbetter internet, actually some
of the best places, like Morocco.
I've had some of the bestinternet in Morocco than I have
(13:03):
back home, ironically the bestinternet in Morocco than I have
back home, ironically.
So yeah, I guess those are, butonly small ones, so I can't say
the challenge has been any realdifferent than they have been
at home.
Cecilie Conrad (13:14):
So no surprises really.
Vanessa Woozley (13:17):
No, I say I suppose what did feel like a big
challenge when I first startedtraveling was finding community
for my daughter.
That was probably a bigchallenge when I first started
traveling was finding communityfor my daughter.
That was probably our biggestchallenge, because I love
traveling and we'd go to theseamazing and I'd take her to
places that she was interestedin.
So we do Greece.
She loved Greek mythology butand we'd sort of find a few
(13:38):
places with actually some of myfriends perhaps not kids her own
age and then we started doingsome world schooling hubs and we
met your kids and we've metlots of other teen kids and
that's really changed things forher because it was finding
like-minded children as well.
I think it's sometimesdifficult to relate to children
(14:00):
back home because the the waythat we live is a little bit
different, so they need to findthings that they can relate to a
little bit more.
So, yes, I would say that hasbeen actually probably the
biggest challenge for me,because when my daughter's happy
, I'm happy, and actually thatwas kind of finding the missing
formula that we sound like now.
Jesper Conrad (14:18):
It made me think about how life was when I grew
up.
How life was when I grew up, Ithink when I look back on it now
I can see that, yes, in schoolI was in a group of 28, 24
people around the same age.
But there's a fun thing aboutthe word relationship.
It is the one part of it thatis to do with do you relate?
(14:44):
Are you on the same frequency?
Do you hang out?
Do you actually really enjoythe people you're around?
And for me, I maybe had onefriend during my school time.
I had a lot of socialinteraction, but it wasn't the
deep, long talks and I don't seeanyone from back then.
(15:05):
Those relationships withfriends first came later, when
it was more based on a choice ofmaybe even workplace.
But there was something incommon between us and I think
that is one of the changes I seewith our kids who are not in
school.
When they meet these otherteens who are also not in school
(15:28):
and when they are kind of onthe same frequency, they just
vibe really good together, likeand talk and talk, and talk.
And I see another kind ofrelationship than I had when I
grew up and I can almost bejealous of what they have,
(15:50):
because I think I got oh yeah,the episode that came out today
when we're recording this waswith the wonderful guy is with
the wonderful guy, jack Stewart,who talks about social appetite
suppressant, and I think thatsometimes being in a school
setting also can quench yourthirst of the deep, really good
(16:13):
dialogues you can have withpeople.
And I wasn't out there searchingfor people to have deep
dialogue with, because it hadalways the thirst for the real
good, deep dialogues.
But like, is it called quenchedwhen you quench it first?
I'm not sure on the word yeah,but by being in settings with so
(16:36):
many people and when I look atit today, look back at it, I can
be like, oh my God, I must havebeen so socially overwhelmed
when I came back home fromschool.
And from school I went tocompetition, swimming, even more
people, the same age, alwaysthis high, high level of energy
(16:56):
being together, and I reallylike to see, of course, their
teenagers as well, our youngones.
But I think they're very quietin their relationships in a very
much more mature way than I waswhen I was 16, 17 or 18.
It was insecure, compared towhat I see now.
Vanessa Woozley (17:17):
Yeah, I agree with that.
I think there's a lot of thingsgoing on with kids possibly
who've been to school and thedifference between kids that
haven't or aren't going toschool, you're right.
One is that I think they findtheir people, which actually
you're right it takes us a whileto kind of find our tribe of
like-minded people.
And I also think the dynamicchanges with adults as well,
(17:42):
because in the school mentality,particularly in England, you
have this kind of fear of adultsand teacher because of the way
that they are, they're speakingto the kids and you don't see
that in our environment, in theworld schooling and
homeschooling, because you'vegot so much more interaction
(18:02):
with parents and your friends'parents and you're interacting
them on a much more equal basis,without the fear, and so I see
much more confident kids.
So they're not only confidentwith the ones that are around
them because they've met morelike-minded kids, but they're
also much more confident aroundadults.
(18:22):
I don't feel any difference inconversation Like I can talk to
your kids and they're also muchmore confident around adults.
I don't feel any difference inconversation like I can talk to
your kids and they are, they'regreat, you know, they just talk
to you like a normal human being, where you don't see that with
with children who go to schoolnormally they're like oh, hi,
you know they're a little bitshy.
Hi, mrs Thingy, or you knowyou're always Scarlett's mom,
you know you're not, you're not.
(18:43):
They're not having a properconversation about life and
what's happening with them andwhere they're going.
And it's lovely, it's lovely tosee that.
I think that's how.
I wish that for every kid.
Jesper Conrad (18:52):
Yeah, Did you see any changes in your daughter
after you took her out or inyour relationship with her?
Because it's kind of fairlyrecent with COVID.
So you remember the before andthe after, I think maybe.
Vanessa Woozley (19:07):
I think that was the biggest thing for me was
the change in how she wasinteracting with adults, and
perhaps if you've not had kidsin school you might not see that
big shift and change but Icertainly noticed it in my
daughter is she was okay on sortof small conversations with
other kids, but she didn'treally interact with other
adults.
(19:28):
So that's been a huge, hugechange for her.
Um, in terms of other changes,I would say, in our relationship
, I would say I guess we've justgrown closer.
When she used to come back fromschool, the big thing for me
(19:49):
was that she used to come homeand explode and she was never
like that at the weekend.
She was very calm and chilled,but I think because she'd just
been holding everything in atschool the whole day, she'd come
home and I just knew for thefirst hour just to meet her and
not interact with her.
If I asked her any questionsshe would just be like you know
(20:11):
quite, and since she's been outof school we don't have that
anymore.
She's just.
I mean, it's not perfect, ofcourse there are situations, but
we don't have that dailysuppression of emotions.
So they're much more free tojust be there and she's much
more chilled.
That's been my biggest shift.
Cecilie Conrad (20:29):
I wanted to remind you, yes, but it's been
five years since COVID started.
Vanessa Woozley (20:34):
I know it's a long time.
Cecilie Conrad (20:35):
It's not that reason when you have a whole
shift.
Vanessa Woozley (20:38):
It's hard to think back.
Cecilie Conrad (20:39):
I mean it's a lot of her childhood.
Jesper Conrad (20:41):
Oh yes.
Cecilie Conrad (20:41):
So how did it?
A lot of things happen in fiveyears, especially for a child
slash teenager.
Jesper Conrad (20:50):
Absolutely, absolutely.
Cecilie Conrad (20:51):
Yeah.
Jesper Conrad (20:58):
Being a single mom.
There is, of course, also thedad out there.
I know from me.
The whole homeschooling wishcame first from Cecilia, and I
get the sense that it's the samewith you.
So how did he take the whole?
Hey, I want to.
Homeschooling wish came firstfrom Cecilia, and I get the
sense that it's the same withyou.
So how did he take the whole?
Hey, I want to homeschool her.
And then, when you later said,hey, I want to travel full time
with her, how had that work beentogether?
Has it been difficult, or doyou have any advice how to do it
(21:21):
?
Vanessa Woozley (21:23):
Yeah, again, it happened in stages.
I always think you're going tosay, right, I'm going to take
them out, I'm going to do this.
I was like, can we try this andsee how it goes?
It's always been my philosophyand if then, if it doesn't work,
we'll try something else.
So that was kind of how Iapproached it with him.
I I did hit resistance,particularly with the school
(21:46):
coming out of school.
So his initial reaction waswell, no one likes school, you
just suck it up.
It's a social, it's a socialenvironment.
And I would sort of gently gowell, maybe it doesn't have to
be like that.
Could we just try it and seewhether she, you know, has an
appetite for learning andoutside of school?
(22:08):
Now he doesn't question it,she's doing, you know, she's
loving what she's learning,she's happy.
There's no question there.
But I would say to people,rather than making an adamant
decision, just exploring it as atrial, let's, why don't we try
this and see what happens andkeep both sides open and happy?
(22:30):
I'm lucky that co-parenting iseasy with my ex-husband.
He's very amenable.
So I'm sure there are certainthings he would do differently
and he's not happy with.
But I think you have to chooseyour battles when you're
divorced.
And as long as you meet in aplace where they both want the
(22:55):
best for the child and they'rehappy, then generally you can
find a place where you can meet.
It was the same with travelingas well.
I said, can we just try it forthree months?
And I'd always sort of traveledfor a month at a time and then
I said, can we just try threemonths?
I mean, obviously he misses hera lot and he doesn't love it,
(23:16):
but also he wants her to behappy and when she's finding
community abroad and meetingother world schoolers, this
really makes him happy.
So and I'm always keeping himvery much in the loop, I always
message him lots and I tell himwhat she's learning and I send
him lots of pictures of herhaving fun and life experiences
(23:38):
and meeting other kids andthat's really important to him.
He really loves that when hejust sees her having a good time
and having fun.
But yeah, it's always a littlechallenging and not easy because
you have different ideas.
He has things that he does athis house that I wouldn't do in
(23:58):
my house, but we've learned tojust pick our battles and
co-parent as much as we cantogether.
Jesper Conrad (24:08):
Makes sense Absolutely.
Cecilie Conrad (24:11):
I kind of want to say that it's a good piece of
advice for those gettingstarted anyway, single or not,
to try a little.
You know, just not think it, asnow I'm going to rearrange my
life and it's going to be inthis new way forever, because
it's just an illusion anyway.
(24:32):
Yeah, it's also an illusion.
Well, any stability is anillusion.
Change is all we we can counton, and it's also an illusion.
Well, any stability is anillusion.
Change is all we can count onand it's just a question of what
changes will happen.
So if someone's out therethinking, ok, I'm a single mom,
I could maybe sell my house, buya van, make it work, maybe just
(24:53):
rent out the house and borrow avan and try three months and
see what happens.
And it's anyway just somethingyou make up as you go so it can
sound the way you said it.
It's beautiful.
But just so there's nomisunderstanding, it's not
(25:15):
necessarily a manipulationstrategy to say can we try?
this for three months, becausethe reality in the beginning I
guess for you as well is thismight be great, but I don't know
.
So now I'm trying it and thenwe'll see what happens.
That same thing for us, we did.
We rented our house out for ayear and after 10 months we had
(25:36):
a family meeting and decided tosell the house and keep going.
But that was not given at thestarting point.
Jesper Conrad (25:42):
I think it's important also to mention I only
said yes to homeschooling forone year.
Cecilie Conrad (25:48):
You actually didn't.
Your first was six months.
Jesper Conrad (25:51):
Maybe it was six months, and now here we are.
Cecilie Conrad (25:53):
I've been pushing it for 15 years.
Vanessa Woozley (26:00):
Yeah, that's so true and and and the same of
now.
People will say to me I thinkif you live this kind of life
where you you think you've goteverything mapped out and
planned, people will often sayto me back in england, so when
are you going to stop traveling,are you going to settle down
and are you going to?
You know, are you going to buya house?
And?
And I'm always like I don'tknow, I'm just happy with what
(26:21):
I'm doing at the moment.
It might change, I mightsuddenly feel like I want to put
some roots down somewhere, whoknows?
But at the moment I'm veryhappy with how my life is set up
.
So you're right, you absolutelydon't know what's around the
corner.
Jesper Conrad (26:38):
Just take it as the moment arises.
I think I have startedsometimes having difficulties to
answer when people ask so wherehave you been?
Because it sometimes can soundso overwhelming, because this
year we were Denmark January,then February, france, barcelona
in March, then Vienna, thenBudapest and now Denmark, and
(27:02):
for people it sounds like I wasalso a stint in Prague.
Cecilie Conrad (27:07):
That's not that big.
No, we did Prague as well.
Jesper Conrad (27:11):
Yeah, but.
I was at a meeting yesterday atmy old job and have a lunch with
them while I'm in Denmarkvisiting, and it was super cozy.
And then they asked and I justI kind of get afraid of it
sounding like, oh, you're justsitting here and working and
(27:31):
I've just been out exploring theworld, exploring the world and
I have little difficulties how Ishould share it and talk about
it, because I find my lifepretty awesome.
I'm very happy with what we do,but I don't think it's
necessarily for everyone.
I'm not sure they actuallywould enjoy it and I also see
(27:53):
when they that what I see intheir eyes maybe is that they
think it's vacation and it's not.
It's life.
We are, you're working, I'mworking, we are sitting and
working.
Many of the hours it's notbeing on vacation.
How do you talk with peopleabout these things?
What is your take on it?
Vanessa Woozley (28:14):
I honestly, I think I feel into where the
person's at.
Normally if it's someone whoI'm asking, because it really
varies.
Some people will say how wasyour holiday, in which case I
may change the conversation tosomeone who's like how was the?
How was traveling, whichcountries did you go to?
So I kind of change myconversation normally to who I'm
(28:40):
talking to if I know them welland I think that's being a
little bit adaptable because forsome people, you're right, it
triggers them and they feel that, all right, it triggers that I
wish I was doing it and they canget a little bit upset about it
.
So, yeah, I think it's beingadaptable to the person that you
(29:04):
can normally tell how they'retaking the information that
you're giving them and then Ican decide how much information
I can give them.
I normally find even those withchildren at school are super
interested in knowing what's outthere and actually I wish I'd
had that because I didn't.
(29:25):
I didn't have anyone who washomeschooling when I was
thinking about it, so I hadnobody to refer to and it felt
felt like a huge, particularlyactually, as a single mom, I was
trying to think about how Icould make working and schooling
(29:47):
together possible and that feltlike a huge, overwhelming shift
and I was like I just don'tthink I can do it.
Once I'd done it, I was likewhy didn't I do this sooner?
Because it was so much easierthan I thought.
So, yeah, I get.
Those are the conversations Iget, more probably than the
(30:09):
traveling ones.
Some people are superinterested but I get more
questions about because mostpeople are pretty unhappy.
I haven't met many parents whoare happy with their children in
school.
They are very rare.
Most parents are doing it outof what they think is necessity,
(30:30):
or they're worried about familyand friends.
We'll say or they're worriedthey don't have enough time, or
they think their kids are alittle bit too wild and they
won't be able to manage them.
Those are the kind of reasonsthat they think that they can't
do it, rather than oh, I'm superhappy with my school and I'm
really glad my child is in theschool system.
(30:52):
So those are the conversations Ihave more of.
Jesper Conrad (30:54):
Yeah.
Vanessa Woozley (30:56):
I don't know if you're the same probably.
Cecilie Conrad (30:59):
I don't know what conversations we have most.
We do get the where have youbeen question.
We get a lot of educationalquestions.
We get the finance question.
We often get that's funny.
That's funny.
Do you often get the how do youdecide where to go?
Next question I get that allthe time um no, I normally.
Vanessa Woozley (31:24):
Where are you going next?
Well, where we're going.
Jesper Conrad (31:27):
We are going to uk we're coming over yes good
well you oh yeah, there's someislands and something on the way
.
Something on the way?
Cecilie Conrad (31:35):
yeah, we're going to going to Germany and
then Amsterdam and then England.
Jesper Conrad (31:38):
Oh, yeah, yeah, but yeah okay whatever.
Cecilie Conrad (31:41):
No, it's just funny.
It's because the questions weget are sometimes not.
Those are not the things thatare hard to decide.
Those are not the actualobstacles.
Those are the things that aremore or less given.
Jesper Conrad (31:57):
And then there are other things where we have
to stop and think a lot.
So that's just different.
One of the things that, um mymind is pondering a lot around
these days is, um, the norm, thenorm of normality, what
everyone does and how we havegrown up to think that the
normal life is going to school,living in vicinity of the school
(32:22):
, close approximately around it,going to work, have a job, be
there for 40 years and then youretire.
If you're lucky, you retireearly.
And, having lived outside thiskind of norm for the last seven
years, I am starting to tryingto become better at and I'm not
(32:46):
doing a really good job of itnow, I know, but trying to see
if I can explain what I see fromthe outside.
So, you who have been outsideof the norm for the last five
years, what are you seeing?
Cecilie Conrad (33:02):
Besides parents not being happy about having
kids in school, that's a goodpoint.
How many parents do you meetthat are happy about the school?
I mean, that's a question topick up for the listeners, maybe
.
Yeah, ask them.
Vanessa Woozley (33:16):
I haven't met them yet are there other things?
Cecilie Conrad (33:20):
you see, now that you're more out, I mean,
you were probably a little bitoutside before I think your
mindset was I was very outside,yeah but what do you see in the
mainstream that you can pointthat now that you see, you think
you see because you're outsideof it oh, I mean, I think it
happened before I was traveling.
Vanessa Woozley (33:41):
I think I was feeling this way for probably
about 15 years and not reallyfeeling like I could relate to
most of what was happening insociety.
If I'm honest, I think that's awaking up process though, isn't
it?
For a lot of people, is you'reliving the sort of program of
(34:01):
the nine to five and puttingyourself into debt to buy a
house, to buy a car, to go onholiday four weeks of the year I
mean, that's the traditionalway of living your life and
putting your kids in school andthen there becomes a point for a
lot of people you're like therehas to be more, and that's
often the waking up process, Ithink, for a lot of people.
(34:23):
Where and when that happens,you suddenly go oh my goodness,
what dysfunction you're livingin, and it becomes harder to
relate to that lifestyle andperhaps integrating.
It becomes easier to relate topeople who are living that
lifestyle, because you start tounderstand the dysfunction that
(34:45):
they're in and perhaps howthey're not feeling happy with
it, because it's often thatfeeling of like there's more,
there's more, which people aretrying to dumb down with alcohol
or food or whatever theiraddiction is.
And then, when you see itdifferently, you live your life
(35:08):
differently and you don't letthose norms continue.
Jesper Conrad (35:13):
Continue.
When I look back at being 18,19 years old, I was standing at
Roskilde Festival up in front ofthe big orange tent and
shouting, together withthousands and thousands, tens of
thousands of other youth to aRace Against the Machine concert
, where it was fuck you, I won'tdo what you tell me.
(35:34):
And we saw the matrix a littleafter.
It's like, oh yeah, it's just adream, this kind of reality.
We want to break out and befree.
And now sometimes I can be likehey, we were standing there
together.
Where are you now?
You meant it then, you felt it.
Then what happened?
I think one of the things thathappens is conformity.
(35:56):
I think one of the things thathappens is conformity.
(36:20):
It's really dumping us down ormaybe medicating or something.
And I have lived the life ofgoing to an office for many,
many years.
I had this young, rebellioussoul, like I think all of us
have.
When we are young, we'd want todo something different than our
parents and do somethingdifferent than the system.
We watch Matrix, we sing alongwith the songs, and then
something happens that makes uschoosing different tools of
(36:44):
zoning out, and I can just seeafter we, the last seven years,
have been following our dreamsmore, living more in according
with our values.
I can see how that also haschanged, that I live more in
according with my values of howI should treat my body and what
(37:07):
I should eat, and that's achange I didn't see coming.
When I was young I had a lot ofallergies, so I had like a long
list of all the stuff youcouldn't eat, of all the
additives in the food that wasallergic or could give allergies
.
I saw that and I was eatingvery pure when I was young.
(37:29):
And then came all those yearswith crappy food and meat plus
25 kilos.
And now, the more I try to livein accordance with our values,
then I've also come back to thisyou can almost say pureness of
the heart I had as being a youngboy.
I think we are actually quitepure when we are young and then
(37:53):
something happens.
Cecilie Conrad (37:55):
Should we talk about health and the healthy
life?
Because?
one thing I was thinking beforewhen we started traveling full
time.
One of my worries as a mom of Ihad four children.
Unfortunately only took threewith me, as one happened to be
an adult.
So I was taking three childrenon the road and for the past
(38:16):
seven years they've been growingup traveling full time.
And one of the things I worriedabout and thought I have to put
some energy in here is how dowe stay healthy?
Because lots of people whotravel only for vacation, they
know how it slips.
You know, you have a little toomuch ice cream, you have a
little too much of the goodwhite wine, you have a little
too much of whatever.
You come home you have to go ona diet and do some cleaning up,
(38:43):
or maybe not, and then it'sworse next year.
So but we've been neighbors and, uh, I think we do pretty well,
but you certainly do better Imean, it's my passion.
Vanessa Woozley (38:51):
Um so say that again.
Oh, talk about it, talk aboutabout it.
Cecilie Conrad (38:57):
How do you super health from a van?
Vanessa Woozley (39:02):
I mean, it's my all encompassing passion, so
I love talking about health, ifanyone asks, I guess my journey
happened when my daughter wasborn and she had I'd been
interested in health before that, but she got really severe
eczema all over her body and Ihealed it with food and
(39:22):
lifestyle changes and gettingthe chemicals out and toxins and
I've never really looked back.
And I think it's a reallyimportant question.
I guess it depends on how youtreat traveling.
If you treat traveling likeit's a holiday and therefore
what a lot of people do is theylet go on holiday and then they
(39:43):
just eat all the crap that theywant, eat out for dinner, eat
lots of sugar and ice cream anddrink lots of wine, then that
can become a really unhealthyhabit over a longer term if
you're traveling, a reallyunhealthy habit over a longer
term if you're traveling, Idon't More from the fact of the
(40:03):
point of view which I know we'vetalked about is I want to feel
good all of the time, and how Ihave learned through trial and
error is that certain foods andcertain things in terms of how I
manage my health make me feelreally good and if I don't do
that, then I don't feel good.
So it becomes from.
(40:23):
That becomes the driving factor, and I would say I had quite an
addictive personality, but thehealth thing it worked in my
favor.
You know, it became a bit of a.
I turned all those unhealthyaddictions towards health and
nutrition and food and it becamea bit of a.
Uh, I turned all thoseunhealthy addictions towards
health, the nutrition and foodand it became this sort of
spiral and I and I started sortof changing, changing more, more
(40:43):
things and feeling better,having more energy, not having
dips, not having crashes, notgetting sick, and so it doesn't
feel like a huge chore for me tomanage my health in the van.
I do carry some health toolswith me as well and it makes it
(41:04):
me a better because I'm anindustrial therapist.
It makes it easier to see myclients, because when they say
things to me like I can't do itbecause, or there's certain
situations where I can't managethis and I can't, I always say,
well, if I can do it while I'mtraveling and I managed to do
this, then anybody can.
It becomes a an overridingchoice to feel good in every
(41:30):
moment and that's what aspiresme to eat well and look after
myself.
So I do.
I do carry some things like ablender and a juicer in my van,
but it's interesting to me howmost people would prioritize, so
I know you guys do.
We'll prioritize a coffeemachine, or you know having a
(41:52):
wine fridge, or three, or a winefridge you know those.
In most houses those become thepriority, and for me the
priority becomes the otherhouses.
So it depends where yourpriorities sit and align.
Cecilie Conrad (42:08):
So, just for the record, I'm carrying three
coffee machines and a blender.
Vanessa Woozley (42:13):
Yes, she does.
She does mitigate it with theblender and you have a lot of
health.
Cecilie Conrad (42:18):
Coffee is part of my health regime.
Jesper Conrad (42:21):
I can assure you that.
How can you win life without ahigh speed blender?
I don't know.
I don't know how people do it.
Vanessa Woozley (42:27):
You find a way .
You need a bigger battery pack,but it's amazing how people
will find a bigger battery packfor other things.
To me, it's just as importanthaving it helping you, because
if you don't have your house,you don't enjoy anything.
I mean, I know you guys knowthis too.
You've had some life situationswith health challenges Most of
(42:48):
us have and I don't want peopleto get to that place in order
for them to reprioritize For me.
I know that everything in mylife goes much better when I
feel good, feel healthy, feelalert, have energy.
I'm not sick, you know.
Everything just goes better.
(43:08):
So that's a priority for me.
I hope that more people willget there, but we're not quite
there yet so now you said whyyou do it.
Cecilie Conrad (43:17):
Yeah, how I do it.
I worry seven years ago was howdo I do it?
Okay, how do I bring my blenderin my bus?
yeah how do I get the freshorganic stuff to put in the
blender?
Yeah, where's the clean water?
What do I serve the freshorganic stuff to put in the
blender?
Where's the clean water?
What do I serve my kids?
When the bus is actuallydriving, I have only 20 minutes
(43:43):
for cooking, so my challenge wascooking for more than two
people.
So I'm just curious what's yourregime?
How do you make?
Do you take extra time out forthis?
Is there a weekday where youwould drive to an organic?
One of my things is I can'tfind organic produce many places
and I end up buying things thatare sprayed and after 10 days I
(44:03):
start feeling it in the joint.
Vanessa Woozley (44:08):
It's pretty rare for me not to find organic.
I have been to a couple ofplaces where I haven't.
Then I always buy things withskin on or I do my best to
manage it and then I'll do a lotof juicing to kind of mitigate
that.
I do notice the difference andthe effects.
But most places I actually findit's better than England.
(44:31):
Often I can find organiceverywhere.
So it does mean I go out of myway a little bit Sometimes.
You've seen me do it.
Sometimes we've been traveling.
But people will prioritize otherthings For me.
I will prioritize findingorganic.
Am I particularly I'm notparticularly routine driven in
(44:53):
terms of I have really healthyroutines in my day?
Do I food prep?
Do I have a specific day whereI go to the shop?
Not really, it's when I'mrunning low.
I'll go find the place, but Iwill search until I find it.
I mean, we're so lucky.
Now.
My daughter always thinks it'sincredible how we ever managed
without Google Maps.
(45:14):
But Google Maps will find youan organic place wherever you
are in the world, which is quitephenomenal.
It's changed the way.
I mean if you think how ourparents traveled and how we can
travel now, it's just completelydifferent.
You can find places gluten-freecafes, vegan cafes, whatever
(45:35):
your preferences are anywhere inthe world at the touch of a
button.
So as much as I hate overuse oftechnology, it has brought
around this amazing use of beingable to find healthier places
and healthier things to do.
How do I do it?
So I mean I have a big cupboardwhere I have my Vitamix, I have
(45:56):
my juicer and I also I can'tthink what else I did.
I mean I do take a bit of apantry with me.
So before I go, I know if I'mgoing to go for three or four
months.
I will stock up on things likea clean water filter.
I will stock up on supplements.
(46:19):
I will stock up on, say, somegreens powders, things that I
know will be a little bit morechallenging and probably a
little bit more expensive abroad.
Some things aren't, so that doesmake, I guess, the packing
perhaps a little bit morechallenging.
I do sometimes envy thosepeople who just pick up a
passport and some clothes andjust go.
(46:42):
I don't perhaps travel likethat.
I put a little bit more thoughtprocess into it of how am I
going to manage my water, how amI going to manage my
supplements, how am I going toand then I will pack the van
with you know, nice, but then ina way I always that's why I
love being in a van I haveeverything with me, whereas how
(47:02):
I used to travel was I'd turn upat a place and I'd try and find
certain ingredients and certainthings and try and pack it all
in a suitcase.
Now I have all of my healthtools with me and I actually
very rarely like going andstaying anywhere else because I
really lost my van space.
I love, as you guys know, it'shard to get me out of it and I
(47:26):
love the outdoor.
I mean, we're not always in thevan, but I love that outdoor.
That's why I like being in thewarm countries.
I love that outdoor lifestyleof just being outside in the van
, but I love that outdoor.
That's why I like being in thewarm countries.
I love that outdoor lifestyleof just being outside of the van
but having everything in my vanand my home with me.
It wouldn't be for everyone, Itotally get that, but for me
it's a great lifestyle and Ilove it.
Cecilie Conrad (47:44):
Isn't it also?
So this is just my experienceand I'm not doing as well as you
are not trying to be smarteraround the healthy lifestyle,
but I think, for traveling shortterm or full time trying to
stay healthy, we are going toeat anyway.
(48:06):
So if we put just a little bitof thought into it before we get
hungry, it doesn't have to bethis you know Instagrammable
food prep stack of perfectlyprepared stuff, but just a
little bit of.
Okay, we are going to eat.
What do we want to eat and isit available?
That's not a big process.
(48:30):
That's something like 10minutes in the morning just
scanning.
For me it is how many people amI feeding today?
What are their preferences?
What do they need?
Do I more or less have it?
How can I make sure I have itat the right time?
Do I need to do any prepping orcan we just make it up as we go
?
If I just do the salts, applesare pretty easy to prep by
(48:53):
opening the box.
Or can we just make it up as wego?
If I just do the thoughts?
You know, apples are prettyeasy to prep by opening the box.
Vanessa Woozley (48:59):
So yeah, and some things travel.
You're right, some thingstravel better than others, don't
they?
You kind of learn that I'msomeone who always has to have a
full fridge.
So if my fridge is running lowI'm going to always go and find
the organic shop and have italways full, because I don't
like to be in a situation where,well, either one of us are
hungry and we haven't gotanything to eat, so we've always
got a full fridge.
(49:20):
But you're right, I mean fruitstravel.
I can put them in a box in theback of the van mostly, and have
huge amounts of fruit in there.
Some vegetables, like rootvegetables, travel very, very
easily, Maybe the salad stuff.
You only have to top up thatstuff in the fridge.
But you kind of learn how youcan shop in a really good way.
(49:42):
So quite often in the van I'lltry and buy things that I know
will last a little bit longerand I can keep a good supply in
the back of the van too.
Jesper Conrad (49:49):
I would like to talk a little about comfort food
, as I recently have taken up anew challenge of no shitty
snacks, no crap food bought insupermarkets.
And then it's inspired by this12-year-old daughter of the
house here and she's just likeso clean about it and I was like
(50:10):
, oh, if she can do it, I can doit.
But to talk about comfort foodbecause there's something fun
around it, I find it interestingthat I have had a mentality
that could be like oh, I'mstressed out, it could be really
good with a glass of wine toget the shoulders down, or oh,
(50:33):
it has been busy, or this hasbeen difficult.
I would eat some crisp or somechips or some other food that it
actually works in the momentbecause it does something, but
then I feel more shit the dayafter because I feel a little
more fat or a little feel thecarbs negatively, I don't know
(50:55):
what it is.
But what do you do for comfortfood now that you are quite
clean in your way of living?
Vanessa Woozley (51:04):
Honestly, I would say that a big part of my
journey and it's kind of whereI've been helping people is
support with the emotionaleating.
So don't get me wrong, there'sa huge part of enjoying food and
ceremony and eating nice foods.
But if you're eating foods froman emotional perspective, then
(51:26):
that's normally somewhere that Itry and help people.
That's normally somewhere thatI try and help people because no
amount of food is ever enoughto help, that.
It might feel like it for thatinstant, but you'll know that
it's not really worked becauseyou'll keep eating and that's a
big sign that it's become anemotional crutch, like any other
(51:47):
crutch in life.
And I think it's very, verycommon and actually one of the
more accepted additionaddictions I think we have in
society more than perhaps someother things, and it's a real
shame because this is why we'vegot a huge obesity crisis,
because people don't necessarilylook at it as an addiction.
They think that people are lazyor, you know, they get all
(52:12):
these sort of other tarnishedthings.
But I think tackling separatingthe ceremony and the beautiful
comfort foods as you sort oftalked about, you know there's a
time for a celebration, a partyand having a cake and having.
I know we've enjoyed going outfor healthy cake and a coffee
and that feels like a really,really nice celebration, but if
(52:34):
you're using it as a crutch tosupport stress or emotions, it
might be something that you wantto look at oh, I am looking at
it.
I mean you specifically, but Iwould say you know, I mean it's
everybody.
It's very prevalent in societyand it was definitely something
a huge part of my journey tooyeah, I was stroking everyone
(52:55):
has it.
Cecilie Conrad (52:56):
I don't think you should feel judged if you
listen and you feel, oh, maybesometimes I eat my emotions, or
I eat for emotional reasons, orI mean it's everyone has some of
it yeah, absolutely, it's justa question of how do we cope
with it, and that could actuallybe our.
How do you get in touch withVanessa, because she can help
(53:18):
with that.
Jesper Conrad (53:19):
Yes, because, vanessa, it is time to round up
the podcast.
It has been really wonderfulhanging out with you and I look
forward to doing it again, maybeparked up next to each other
somewhere, well maybe inTarragona, maybe in Tarragona,
maybe in Tarragona.
Cecilie Conrad (53:35):
Oh no, no, we're seeing each other in England
first.
Vanessa Woozley (53:38):
Yes, I know it's going to be lovely yeah.
Jesper Conrad (53:40):
But, vanessa, for people who have listened to us
talk, listened to your knowledgeabout food and health, how is
it you are of service to theworld.
Vanessa Woozley (53:52):
So I have a coaching container.
I'm a nutritional therapist butI do other things, so I do NLP,
I do EFT and I also do familyconstellations so looking at
ancestral health patterns thatrun through the family and I
take people either in a three ora six-month coaching container
(54:13):
and you can find out moredetails on my website and please
do get in touch and you canalso have a free 20-minute
conversation and see whetherit's something that you would
like to work with me on and seewhether we are a good fit, first
of all, to work on together.
Jesper Conrad (54:28):
So we will put the website in the show notes,
but for the people justlistening, vanessa, please share
it.
Vanessa Woozley (54:36):
My website is thelifesutra, like the Karma
Sutra, but thelifesutracom.
Jesper Conrad (54:42):
Fantastic, easy.
It has been a pleasure.
Thanks a lot for your time.
Vanessa Woozley (54:46):
Oh, thank you so much.
Lovely to see you both.
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