December 6, 2023 • 34 mins
Meet Lisa Jansen, a fearless digital nomad who chose the open road over societal expectations. At 33, she discarded conventional norms—marriage, kids, and traditional careers—for a five-year escapade across New Zealand, chronicled on her blog, Life Done Differently. She's also the creative mind behind three books: "Life Done Differently," "The Nomad's Ultimate Guide to NZ," and "One Size Does Not Fit All."
In this candid conversation, Lisa shares how breaking free from societal norms led to a rich and fulfilling life on her terms. Swapping her hectic Auckland career for a camper van, Lisa shares the joy she found in simplicity and the valuable life lessons she learned along the way.
Get ready for insights that resonate, challenges that inspire, and a journey that defies the ordinary. Tune in to redefine your concept of a life well-lived.
https://www.lifedonedifferently.com/
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to Voices of Inspiration.
I'm your host, amelia Old.
Today, we embark on explorationinto the unconventional journey
of a New Zealand-based writerand digital nomad.
In 2017, at 33, lisa Janssenmade a courageous decision,
bidding farewell to a thrivingcareer, seeking a life
(00:22):
unburdened by societalexpectations.
For five years, she venturedthrough the enchanting
landscapes of New Zealand,dwelling in her camper van and
unraveling the mysteries ofexistence.
This remarkable odyssey ischronicled in her third book,
life Done Differently OneWoman's Journey on the Road Less
Traveled.
(00:42):
She's also the author of OneSize Does Not Fit All Discover
your Personal Path to a HappierLife and the Nomad's Ultimate
Guide to New Zealand.
Beyond the covers of her books,she also shares captivating
narratives on her blog,lifedundifferentlycom.
As we immerse ourselves in thisconversation, I'll let you in
on a little behind-the-scenesmoment.
(01:04):
Towards the end of theinterview, we did encounter a
minor hiccup on the video side,but all of the audio was
preserved and you will not missany of Lisa's profound insights.
This is just the unpredictabledance of technology.
Join me in extending a warmwelcome to our guest, lisa
Jansen.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
Everyone has a story to tell.
We connect and relate to oneanother when we share our
stories.
My name is Amelia Ove and I amyour host of Voices of
Inspiration.
Join me as I share stories thatfriends, family and strangers
will my everyday life andtravels.
We will laugh, possibly cry.
We'll walk away feelingconnected more than ever to
those around you and ready to bethe change our world needs.
(01:49):
Everyone has a story to tell.
What's yours?
Speaker 1 (02:03):
I really appreciate you joining me today.
I know that it is Saturdaymorning for you, so you're a day
ahead, and I appreciate youtaking time out of your Saturday
morning to be with me.
Speaker 3 (02:14):
No worries at all, and thank you so much for having
me.
I'm really excited to have achat.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
So we were just talking about, yesterday for you
was the anniversary of wherethis journey for you began.
So first of all, I want to saycongratulations, because it's an
incredible story that I can'twait to share with everyone.
But it's been six years sincethis started.
Can you take us back to themoment when you decided to leave
(02:40):
your job and explore lifebeyond the conventional path of
a marriage and kids andmortgages and things like that?
Speaker 3 (02:49):
Yeah, happy to, and it was a bit of a process that
took a few months, but basicallywhen I was 33, back in 2017, I
kind of got to this point in mylife where everything was really
great.
I had a great job and I hadgreat friends and great hobbies
and life was good and I startedto ask myself what's next?
(03:14):
I think something a lot of usdo.
Somehow, we're always seem tobe like what's next?
What's next?
And, of course, being 33 at thetime, looking around me, what I
saw was everyone was gettingmarried or had already gotten
married, started to have kids,buying houses, really career
focused and it was kind of greatto see that for my friends, I
(03:36):
enjoyed being part of it forthem but it didn't feel like the
thing that I wanted to do, andso really started to ask myself
okay, what else is there?
What do you do with your lifeif you don't want to follow that
traditional path of marriage,kids, mortgages, careers?
And at the time, I wasn't reallysure if I definitely didn't
want it or if I just didn't wantit yet.
(03:58):
But I just wanted to be able toanswer that question like
what's the alternative?
And I think a lot of us when wehave these sort of thoughts,
you know, the idea of travelcomes up right.
There's something about travelthat really, I think, sort of
expands your mindset and yourhorizon and opens, you know,
your mind and your heart toother ideas, and so that's kind
(04:21):
of where I started.
So I was like, okay, I want totake some time out of my, you
know, busy, career focused lifein Auckland and I want to just
travel.
And so initially it wassupposed to be just a summer.
Take some, take a summer offwork and I'm going to travel and
I'm going to figure out, youknow, what I want to do with my
life.
And so that's then led to thedecision to buy the camper van
(04:42):
and set off for a summer, andthat summer has now turned into
six years.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
So that's incredible.
So what if your family andfriends think about this?
When you just sprung this on,you know like, hey, I'm going to
leave my life and just startanew.
Speaker 3 (04:59):
Yeah, good question.
So I live in New Zealand but myfamily is mostly in Germany, my
sister's in the UK, so there'sa lot of distance, kind of
geographically which, and it'sbeen like that.
So I've been in New Zealand 17years now.
Even back then it was, you know, 10 years, and so they didn't
(05:20):
have that day to day role in mylife and so for them it was, I
think you know, it was just okay.
You know that's just somethingshe's doing.
And again, because I said I wasonly going to do it for a summer
, it was sort of easy for them,I think, to wrap their head
around it and similar withfriends.
I think, you know, at thatpoint I've already sort of
(05:41):
figured out that I'm maybe, youknow, a little bit sort of
looking for something differentin life to most people.
And so no one was all thatsurprised when I said I'm going
to take a summer off to travel.
And then, when it, you know,extended beyond that summer, I
think everyone just saw how muchI was loving it and what a
great time I was having and howgood it was for me.
(06:03):
And yeah, so I have to say I'vebeen really lucky, everyone's
been really supportive and I'msure there've been some, you
know, some sort of oh what thehell is she doing?
Kind of you know moments andthey probably don't always
understand my choices, but I'vebeen very lucky that you know my
friends and my family havealways respected them and always
supported it, so very gratefulfor that.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
Having that support is incredibly important.
And also, you know, I thinkthat you're lucky that you have
that support because you know, Ithink that in my younger years,
if I had sprung that on any ofmy friends and family, while
they might not have beennecessarily surprised, because
they're used to me coming outwith outlandish ideas, they, I
(06:47):
think that they would have beena little bit more concerned.
What has fired you to choosethat specific lifestyle and how
do you think it shaped yourperspective on life?
Speaker 3 (06:58):
You know that's a really good question and
honestly, I don't really know orlike the idea to live and
travel in a camper van came outof nowhere.
You know, it wasn't that at thetime I had seen, you know,
friends or family do it, or Ididn't, you know, even know that
this whole van life thing was athing on social media and
whatnot.
So yeah, it's very popular herein New Zealand.
(07:20):
There's a lot of, you know, thewhole camping and RVing,
motorhomes, a big thing.
So that's probably had a littlebit of an influence.
But it was just one of thosethings where, you know, I had
spent months trying to figureout what I want to do and then I
had this idea and it just wasright.
You know, when you just havethat, that idea and you just
(07:41):
know in your heart like, yeah,that's it, that's the thing I
want to do, so, yeah.
So I don't really know where itcame from, it was a bit random,
but you know it's definitelyfelt right from the beginning
and how it's shaped myperspective, you know, in so so
many ways it's honestly beensuch a transformative journey
(08:04):
and you know, from one of thefirst things I kind of, you know
, learned living in the van.
So I went from living in arelatively modern house in
Auckland, which is New Zealand'sbiggest city, with, you know,
lots of stuff closet full ofclothes and shoes and all that
stuff that you have right andthen I downsized from that to a
little van and really only sortof the basics and and that was
(08:28):
incredibly liberating.
You know, getting rid of stuffand really downsizing to only
what you need, it just wasincredibly liberating and
freeing.
And then that sort of made merealize how little I actually
need to be happy, because, youknow, there I was less stuff
than I ever really had and I washappier than ever and life was
(08:49):
simple and and sort of I wasfocused on the right things
rather than all thesedistractions that I used to have
.
You know, living that kind ofcareer focused life in Auckland,
and so that was sort of thefirst big mind shift.
You know really made me realizehow distracted I had been in
many ways before and and thenhaving that clarity, yeah, was
(09:13):
just incredibly and incredibleand really helped me sort of
connect to who I am, who I wantto be, how I want to live my
life, rather than, you know,just being distracted and just
sort of chasing after thingsbecause everyone else is chasing
after them, or society tells usthat what, that's what we
should be chasing after.
Yeah, and in so many more waysthat it's shaped my life like I
(09:34):
would probably spend the nexthour just answering that
question.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
What do you think that you missed the most from
before?
Speaker 3 (09:44):
That's a really easy question to answer now and and
you know it's I wouldn't havesaid this three years ago, but
now that it's been six years,it's a sense of community and
belonging.
So it's been so amazing totravel and to see New Zealand in
a way that you know a fewpeople have and anyone who's
ever been to New Zealand or, youknow, seen photos, like you
(10:05):
know everyone else is anabsolutely incredible and
amazing place and and I've had achance to see all of it and
really explore in depth, whichhas been awesome.
But the big downside of livingthis way for six years now is
that I'm I don't really have asense of belonging or community.
I still sort of Auckland, stillthe closest thing to home I
(10:26):
have, but even that isn't reallyanymore.
You know a lot of my friendsthere have now actually moved on
as well and and so I misshaving that you know regular
group of people around me.
I also, you know, miss littlethings like being able to join a
tramping club or, you know,volunteering somewhere or just,
(10:47):
you know, going to that cafedown the road where they know
your name and how you like yourcoffee because you come all the
time right.
So that's yeah, that'sdefinitely the the thing I miss
the most.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
What are some of the rewards you've gained from your
new lifestyle?
Speaker 3 (11:04):
So so many, and you know it's definitely so far the
good stuff outweighs thechallenges by a long shot, and
so I would say, you know, thebiggest is what I already talked
about earlier, the sense of,you know, I don't need a lot to
be happy.
And what that, you know, meantfor me, as an sort of extension
of that, is that I realized,look, I don't have to work 40
(11:27):
hours plus a week in an officeto be able to afford the kind of
life I want.
So that's that to me is freedom.
You know, time is freedom andand other rewards are, you know,
a really a much better sense ofwho I am, who I want to be, a
sense of a real confidence and,you know, trusting myself,
(11:50):
trusting my gut, doing life myown way.
Lots of amazing people, youknow.
I've met so many amazing peopleon this journey and had
conversations with people who Iprobably wouldn't have crossed
path with in with a normal life.
Like, I think, sometimes wedon't realize how much we tend
to surround ourselves withpeople very similar to us and
(12:11):
how that automatically happensjust based on how you live your
life and then when you step outof that and you step into a
completely different community.
You know, all of a sudden, youmeet people from very different
kind of walks of life.
So that's definitely been ahuge, huge reward.
And New Zealand you know I keepgoing on and on about it, but
(12:33):
New Zealand is the best place inthe world and being able to,
you know, see it in the way thatI have, it's just been
absolutely amazing.
So many awesome you knowadventures, hiking and pedal
boarding and surfing and surfing, and just like seeing you know
these amazing places.
Yeah, so it's probably more youknow rewards.
It's just, yeah, it's been suchan incredible journey.
Speaker 1 (12:56):
So what is a typical week or month look like to you,
how long are you in a specificarea and what makes you choose
that area?
Speaker 3 (13:07):
It's something that's really changed a lot over the
years.
So when I first set off in myvan, I was really, you know, I
wanted to travel and I wanted tosee as much as possible.
So I'd often only stay in oneplace for, you know, a couple of
nights, maybe sometimes threenights, often only one night.
So I really was kind of, youknow, go there and go there, and
go there, and I would choosethe places a lot based on where
(13:30):
I hadn't been in New Zealand atthat point.
You know, there were a fewregions where I just hadn't been
yet or, you know, favoriteplaces to go back to, and really
I love the outdoors and nature.
So I would often look at, youknow, where are good hikes or
good spots for kite surfing orpedal boarding or those sort of
activities.
You know where's the weathergood.
(13:51):
So it was all kind of very,very loose.
And then as time went on, itstarted to slow down a little
bit and I would spend, you know,more time in one place.
I'd travel slower.
I started to house itoccasionally.
So then I would have, you know,sometimes three or four weeks,
or even your five or sixoccasionally, in one place,
(14:12):
house sitting, and that was, youknow, just yeah, I think just
the initial excitement was goneand so I slowed down a little
bit and got really interested ingoing to those really off the
beaten track places.
So that kind of became a big,you know attracting big drive
for me at that point.
And then over the last year itsort of changed again, because
(14:35):
last year I actually sold thecamper van and since then I've
been a full-time house sitter.
So now I move around thecountry often sort of every you
know four to six weeks.
I had a three months house sitin one place this winter, which
was the longest I'd been in oneplace in over you know six years
.
But yeah, so now it's where Igo is very much sort of
(14:58):
determined by where I can findhouse sitting jobs.
Speaker 1 (15:03):
What are some of your favorite hidden gems that
you've come across?
Speaker 3 (15:06):
So many good ones.
I love the kind of remote, offthe beaten track places and so I
always like to, you know, drivedown the long gravel road and
see what's at the other end.
We're lucky to still have, youknow, a few of those in New
Zealand.
So, yeah, so many differentones, like I love.
(15:27):
In the North Island, at thevery top, we have a place called
Spirits Bay and there isanother sort of place up North
called Cabringa, which is verypopular.
Lots of you know people, lotsof tourists go there.
But then you sort of turn offand you follow a gravel road for
, you know, 45 minutes and youget to this beautiful, remote
beach at the top of the NorthIsland called Spirits Bay.
(15:47):
There's the East Cape, also inthe North Island, which is a
really beautiful, you know moreremote area.
It's got the East CapeLighthouse, which is the first
place in the world to see thesunrise each day.
So that's pretty special, Ireckon, to go and you can say
it's like on that day I was thefirst person in the world to see
the sun.
And then, yeah, on the SouthIsland it's probably even more
(16:10):
remote places.
There's the northern tip of theSouth Island, on the West Coast
, just a super remote and justreally beautiful beaches and,
you know, heartlier, a soloinside.
There's an area on the furtherdown on the East Coast of the
South Island called the Ketlins,which is one of those areas
where there's so many, you know,walks and waterfalls and
(16:32):
beaches, so you can spend, youknow, like a few years ago I
spent four weeks traveling, youknow, probably 120 kilometers.
I don't know what that is inmiles, but it's not a lot.
So you know, it's just so muchto see that you can really take
your time and make the most ofevery day.
What role.
Speaker 1 (16:52):
Do you think that this time to yourself that
you've had, what role has thathad in your journey, both in
terms of inspiration andself-discovery?
Speaker 3 (17:03):
Yeah, interesting to think about that.
In a way, I've always beensomeone who's been very
introverted, so I'm verycomfortable with being on my own
and I have this really richinner world and can kind of
entertain myself for days on end.
And sometimes I look back and Isort of realized that the life
(17:24):
that I was living in Aucklandwhich was very busy, you know,
every day I've been a busyoffice and a busy commute and
lots of people and all theseInfluences and noises and people
and everything around me, and Ican look back and sort of
realize that that wasn't theenvironment that I would thrive
(17:45):
in, whereas the life that I livenow, which is quieter, fewer
people, fewer distractions,fewer sort of external
stimulations, I feel like I'vesort of become a lot more yeah,
a lot more me and I'm a suitsyou know who I am a lot more.
And it's really given me thatOpportunity to do what, what I,
(18:08):
as so many introverts, do sowell, which is, you know, turn
inwards and spend time in yourown head and spend time
daydreaming and and being, youknow, peace with that and in a
way, you know, it's given me areal new layer of appreciation
for the strength of being anintrovert, you know, because
(18:29):
often Sort of in the, in thenormal life so I don't really
like the term normal life butdon't have a battle and either,
but it often is it is very muchget towards extra.
It's right especially kind ofcity life and and sort of
sometimes if when you live inthat environment, being an
introvert can almost feel like aweakness or an issue or
(18:50):
something you need to Work on.
And stepping away from that andliving a life that is really
very well suited to tointroverts is really given me a
new level of appreciation forthe strength of that, you know,
for my ability to Do things onmy own and to not be held back
by not having someone else tocome along with me and and my
(19:12):
ability to think deeply andreflect on my own and and that
sort of stuff.
And so, yes, that's been areally Really good way how to
shift it and my mindset and,yeah, has there been a specific
moment or experience that youfeel that's just had a profound
(19:33):
impact on your journey.
Speaker 1 (19:34):
Probably a few along the way.
Speaker 3 (19:38):
I mean one, you know, one that's certainly been sort
of a massive shift in my journeywas Relatively early on.
Said this point, I had been inthe van probably about four,
five months.
I sort of just gone, you know,past the first summer and
decided to keep going and and Iwas in this beautiful spot
called Hamilton's gap, which ison the east, on the west coast
(20:02):
of the North Island, reallyremote and really beautiful, and
, and so at that point I hadspent the last weeks are read,
last few weeks already sort ofreflecting on my journey to the
state and you know the differentthings and life that had
happened to get me to this point.
But at that point it was reallyjust a more or less random
thoughts and ideas.
(20:22):
And so I was in Hamilton,hamilton's gap, and it was just
really peaceful, you knowenvironment and space, and I got
into a really kind of creativemindset and, without really
intending to, these thoughtsthat had been in my mind turned
into an outline for a book, andso this wasn't something like.
I've always loved books, I lovereading, but I didn't set off on
(20:45):
this journey saying I want towrite a book, right, it was just
kind of something that happenedbecause I was in this, in this
mind space, mindset, and and so,before I knew it, you know, I
had this, this outline just kindof came out of nowhere and and
then that turned into my firstbook and, you know, since
written two more.
So now, you know, publishedthree books and and write a
(21:07):
block, and so, you know, I'venow got this whole new life as a
writer that I don't think Iwould have had if I hadn't, you
know, make the decisions I did,or at least not yet, you know,
maybe it's something I wouldhave done in my retirement or or
something.
So that's, you know, oneexample, really, how it's like,
had a massive impact on my lifeand and I sort of have this
(21:29):
saying that inspired me veryearly on, when I was still sort
of trying to figure out what todo, which is, if you want change
, you have to create space forit.
And that's sort of about.
You know, if you want to changesomething in your life, you
have to get rid of somethingelse.
You know, because a lot of usare so busy In our day to day
that if we keep doing what we'vealways done, then where is the
(21:51):
new gonna come in, you knowwhere's the change gonna fit
into your life, and and so I've,you know, believe that, yeah,
if you want change, you have tosay, you know, get rid of
something and create that space.
And to me, this is like aperfect example Of that.
Because I created that space,you know, I took time out from
work, I simplified my life andthat credit space for, you know,
(22:13):
the creative and me and thewriter and me to you know, rise,
rise to the top and makeyourself heard.
And and that led to, you know,now having this, this career is
a writer, which is reallyawesome, and I love.
Speaker 1 (22:24):
it's really cool when we think our life is gonna go
one way and it just does acompletely 180 takes us in a
completely different direction.
What advice do you have forothers that are navigating
societal expectations andpressures?
Speaker 3 (22:41):
This is a few things so the first thing, that just
has been huge for me, and sothis is something I actually did
in my mid 20s, so before I everset off on this journey.
But in my mid 20s I wentthrough a phase where I got
really interested in psychologyand personalities and values and
did a lot of work to get toknow myself better, and at the
(23:03):
time it was really justsomething that I was interested
in and, you know, curious about.
But I look back now and it'sjust been so and, you know, so
massively impactful andimportant in my life because
it's given me this and, I guess,confidence to know to look at a
decision and know if it is theright decision for me and if it
suits my personality, does italign with my values?
(23:26):
And so that would be my firsttip to anyone who's having
thought similar to what I hadSix years ago Rania, what am I
doing with my life?
And I'm not sure.
And so if you don't feel likeyou have a good, you know,
self-awareness and understandingof who you are and what you
value, then that's where I wouldstart, just because it's, you
know, worked so well for me.
(23:47):
And from there my second adviceand again, this is sort of
something I kind of learned bycoincidence rather than
intentionally.
But start small.
You know, when I set off onthis, I said it's going to be
for a summer.
You know, I'm just going totravel in my van for a summer
and if I hadn't liked it, Icould have just gone back to
Auckland and find a job againand return to my old life with
(24:09):
you know, I might have lost somemoney, but I wouldn't have, you
know, lost a lot and I I'mreally glad that I did it that
way.
It really helped me to easeinto it, it made it a lot less
risky and it made it a lot lessconfrontational to other people.
So for them it was kind of aneasier transition transition as
well.
So that's a, you know, yeah,something I've like learned and
(24:32):
what recommend to others toconsider.
You know, can you make a smallchange?
Can you time box it and say youknow I'm going to do this for a
certain amount of time and ifit works you keep going, and if
it doesn't, you can go back toto what you've done before or
something else.
Right?
And then I think the third oneis you know, just trust yourself
(24:54):
, trust your gut.
You know I'm so, so glad I did,and it was really hard at times
because, you know, I madedecisions that go against
everything we're told,everything we're raised to
believe, especially as women,what we're supposed to do with
our life and and how we'resupposed to feel about that.
And I have so, so much respectfor moms and I know so many
(25:17):
people who you know have chosenthat path and are so happy with
it and it was clearly the rightpath for them and that's
beautiful, but it isn't foreveryone and and if you're that
person and you want to, you know, do something differently.
It is going to be hard, but Ithink the one thing you know I
often say I think in life thereis no guaranteed path to
(25:39):
happiness, no matter what you do.
But I do think that a fasttrack to unhappiness is not
being true to yourself.
So that's how I look at it.
You know, like following my ownpath is hard sometimes, but you
know, going the other way anddoing something that isn't me
just because everyone else isdoing it, I'm pretty sure would
be even harder.
So, yes, I'd say people, youknow, go for it and and push
(26:02):
through the hard times, it'll beworth it.
Speaker 1 (26:04):
On the other end, that's all such really great
advice, especially when you sayyou know, start small.
I think oftentimes people theywant to do something, but in
looking at the big picture isalways great.
I'm one of those that alwayshas to see the whole big picture
.
However, sometimes it's okay tojust look a little bit ahead of
(26:25):
us and start small, because ifwe are looking at that big
picture, it can cause you to getoverwhelmed, you get scared.
You'd say, okay, never mind,it's too much, I can't do it.
So I think that's all reallygreat advice, yeah totally agree
.
Speaker 3 (26:39):
And also you know these, these sort of decisions,
especially, you know, breakingfree from a normal life and
traveling.
I think you know those of uswho do it can all admit that it
gets romanticized on, you know,social media and other platforms
, and the reality is beautifuland amazing and exciting.
But it is also challenging andhard and it's.
(27:01):
Some people don't enjoy it, andthat's totally okay, right.
So you might, you might thinkyou want to spend five years or
six years like living as a nomadin New Zealand, and then you
try it and you realize actuallyit's not all that it's, you know
, it's a thought it would be.
So by starting small, you kindof give yourself an easy out.
You know you just yeah, youjust stop when you set you word
(27:24):
rather than keep going if you dolove it.
Speaker 1 (27:26):
So you've talked about this a little bit.
In your exploration and withinyour journey, what have you
found to be the most fulfillingaspect of the entire journey?
Speaker 3 (27:39):
Ooh, that's a good question.
The most fulfilling I think itis that that opportunity to be
me, to do life my way,Definitely, you know.
The other thing I would say,something that's been really
fulfilling to me, that's likefills my soul and fills my heart
(28:01):
, is having so much time tospend outdoor, in a nature and
in these beautiful places, Likethat's definitely, you know,
whenever I'm having a bad day,just you know, go to a beautiful
beach or a beautiful sceneryand I just I can feel you know
the energy and the joy andeverything coming back.
So that's another, you knowhuge part for me.
(28:22):
That's really really fulfilling, for sure.
Speaker 1 (28:25):
Yeah, Can you share a memorable encounter or story
from your travels that reallyencapsulates the essence of life
done differently?
Speaker 3 (28:39):
Ooh, so many cool encounters and I share, you know
, in my latest book, which iscalled Life Done Differently,
and I share the journey of thelast six years, and the
encounters are a big part ofthat and how different people I
met along the way brought updifferent ideas and thoughts.
(29:00):
And one encounter that I thinkof still very often is I met up
with a fellow nomad and weconnected over social media, as
you do these days, and then wemanaged to meet up in person and
at the time I was thinking alot about regrets.
(29:20):
Some questions that otherpeople had asked me had just
sort of made me think about youknow what, if I do end up
regretting this, you know, thechoice to kind of walk away from
my career and live this way,the choice not to get married
and have children, all you know,those sort of things were on my
mind.
And so I met this fellow nomad,a woman a few years older than
(29:42):
me.
So you know I say a few years,so she probably would have been
a good 20, 25 years older thanme and we met and somehow this
topic came up and she sharedthat you know she'd gone through
a difficult time in her life afew years earlier, where her
marriage broke down around thesame time that her kids left the
house and then a beloved familypet died, and so she kind of
(30:05):
went, you know, within a fewmonths, from being this mom of
the home, you know, and wife, tobeing on her own and having,
you know, lost, like her partner.
And obviously her kids werestill there, but, you know, they
were living on their own anddidn't need mom as much anymore.
And so she shared that she wentthrough a period where she dealt
(30:27):
, you know, struggled, a lotwith regrets and a lot of, you
know, thoughts about oh, Ishould have done this and I
should have fought harder forthe marriage and I should have,
you know, done more things formyself so that I wouldn't feel
so lost now.
And then I asked her you know,how did you get out of that,
like, how did you stop being,you know, stuck in that that
thinking around regret?
She realized that regrets arewasted effort because you can't
(30:51):
change it anymore anyway andthat there's really no point in
regretting these things thathappen because the past is the
past.
And yeah, and so that to me,was sort of really kind of woke
me up and was really inspiring.
And you know, because she's soright, like regrets and thinking
about the past, you can'tchange it anymore, so you might
(31:15):
as well focus on the future.
So how?
Speaker 1 (31:17):
has your perspective on success evolved?
Speaker 3 (31:21):
Ooh, I like that question, that's great.
So I actually have an answer onthis, because I've thought
about this quite a bit and Ithink in for most people or
society on the whole right, whenwe talk about success, we
usually most people think aboutmoney, fame, titles, you know,
(31:41):
those sort of, I guess, tangible, measurable things.
And you see someone who hasthose and that's a successful
person.
To me, my mindset on this hasshifted quite a lot.
For me, success these days ishappiness.
So that to me, is the ultimate,you know, goal in life, and I
think that most people wouldultimately agree with that right
(32:04):
, because I think most peoplechase after fame and money and
titles, because they think it'llbring them happiness.
So I've kind of decided to kindof shortcut that and just go
straight for the happiness piece.
And so for me now, a successfulperson is, you know, someone
(32:26):
who is really, you know, happyand content in their life.
And when I talk about happiness, really I mean that content,
overall life satisfaction,rather than the joy in the
moment, happiness.
So yeah, so that's, you know, abig shift.
In success these days is aboutbeing happy.
Speaker 1 (32:45):
I love that.
So what projects or adventuresare on the horizon for you?
Speaker 3 (32:52):
Yeah, so I've been thinking about that a lot lately
actually, and I am sort of at apoint where I do crave a little
bit more stability and maybe,you know, having a base
somewhere, and I'm sort ofresisting the, you know,
settling down for real ideabecause that seems like a little
(33:13):
bit too far that way.
So I'd love to find a middleground option where, you know,
maybe I have a base somewherebut I still have that
flexibility to travel a lot.
And so, you know, one idea thatI'm thinking about at the
moment is to maybe get a caravanand have a, you know, maybe a
more or less fixed based at youknow one particular campground
(33:36):
and then just travel from there.
So I have that place that I cancome back to, but I still have
the flexibility and freedom andtime of travel that I love so
much.
So, yeah, so that's kind of,you know, something on the
horizon right now.
Maybe I do tend to change mymind quite a lot about what I
want to do next, so don't holdme too much.
Speaker 1 (33:57):
There's nothing wrong with that.
So where can our listeners findyou online?
Oh, yeah, so.
Speaker 3 (34:03):
I have a blog or a website called it's life done
differently dot com, and I'm onFacebook and Instagram as life
done differently NZ for NewZealand at the end.
I've also just published mylatest book, which is called
life done differently onewoman's journey on the road less
(34:24):
traveled, which shares thewhole story of the last few
years of my life following thatpath.
Welcome to Voices of Inspiration.
I'm your host, amelia Old.
Today, we embark on explorationinto the unconventional journey
of a New Zealand-based writerand digital nomad.
In 2017, at 33, lisa Janssenmade a courageous decision,
bidding farewell to a thrivingcareer, seeking a life
(00:22):
unburdened by societalexpectations.
For five years, she venturedthrough the enchanting
landscapes of New Zealand,dwelling in her camper van and
unraveling the mysteries ofexistence.
This remarkable odyssey ischronicled in her third book,
life Done Differently OneWoman's Journey on the Road Less
Traveled.
(00:42):
She's also the author of OneSize Does Not Fit All Discover
your Personal Path to a HappierLife and the Nomad's Ultimate
Guide to New Zealand.
Beyond the covers of her books,she also shares captivating
narratives on her blog,lifedundifferentlycom.
As we immerse ourselves in thisconversation, I'll let you in
on a little behind-the-scenesmoment.
(01:04):
Towards the end of theinterview, we did encounter a
minor hiccup on the video side,but all of the audio was
preserved and you will not missany of Lisa's profound insights.
This is just the unpredictabledance of technology.
Join me in extending a warmwelcome to our guest, lisa
Jansen.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
Everyone has a story to tell.
We connect and relate to oneanother when we share our
stories.
My name is Amelia Ove and I amyour host of Voices of
Inspiration.
Join me as I share stories thatfriends, family and strangers
will my everyday life andtravels.
We will laugh, possibly cry.
We'll walk away feelingconnected more than ever to
those around you and ready to bethe change our world needs.
(01:49):
Everyone has a story to tell.
What's yours?
Speaker 1 (02:03):
I really appreciate you joining me today.
I know that it is Saturdaymorning for you, so you're a day
ahead, and I appreciate youtaking time out of your Saturday
morning to be with me.
Speaker 3 (02:14):
No worries at all, and thank you so much for having
me.
I'm really excited to have achat.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
So we were just talking about, yesterday for you
was the anniversary of wherethis journey for you began.
So first of all, I want to saycongratulations, because it's an
incredible story that I can'twait to share with everyone.
But it's been six years sincethis started.
Can you take us back to themoment when you decided to leave
(02:40):
your job and explore lifebeyond the conventional path of
a marriage and kids andmortgages and things like that?
Speaker 3 (02:49):
Yeah, happy to, and it was a bit of a process that
took a few months, but basicallywhen I was 33, back in 2017, I
kind of got to this point in mylife where everything was really
great.
I had a great job and I hadgreat friends and great hobbies
and life was good and I startedto ask myself what's next?
(03:14):
I think something a lot of usdo.
Somehow, we're always seem tobe like what's next?
What's next?
And, of course, being 33 at thetime, looking around me, what I
saw was everyone was gettingmarried or had already gotten
married, started to have kids,buying houses, really career
focused and it was kind of greatto see that for my friends, I
(03:36):
enjoyed being part of it forthem but it didn't feel like the
thing that I wanted to do, andso really started to ask myself
okay, what else is there?
What do you do with your lifeif you don't want to follow that
traditional path of marriage,kids, mortgages, careers?
And at the time, I wasn't reallysure if I definitely didn't
want it or if I just didn't wantit yet.
(03:58):
But I just wanted to be able toanswer that question like
what's the alternative?
And I think a lot of us when wehave these sort of thoughts,
you know, the idea of travelcomes up right.
There's something about travelthat really, I think, sort of
expands your mindset and yourhorizon and opens, you know,
your mind and your heart toother ideas, and so that's kind
(04:21):
of where I started.
So I was like, okay, I want totake some time out of my, you
know, busy, career focused lifein Auckland and I want to just
travel.
And so initially it wassupposed to be just a summer.
Take some, take a summer offwork and I'm going to travel and
I'm going to figure out, youknow, what I want to do with my
life.
And so that's then led to thedecision to buy the camper van
(04:42):
and set off for a summer, andthat summer has now turned into
six years.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
So that's incredible.
So what if your family andfriends think about this?
When you just sprung this on,you know like, hey, I'm going to
leave my life and just startanew.
Speaker 3 (04:59):
Yeah, good question.
So I live in New Zealand but myfamily is mostly in Germany, my
sister's in the UK, so there'sa lot of distance, kind of
geographically which, and it'sbeen like that.
So I've been in New Zealand 17years now.
Even back then it was, you know, 10 years, and so they didn't
(05:20):
have that day to day role in mylife and so for them it was, I
think you know, it was just okay.
You know that's just somethingshe's doing.
And again, because I said I wasonly going to do it for a summer
, it was sort of easy for them,I think, to wrap their head
around it and similar withfriends.
I think, you know, at thatpoint I've already sort of
(05:41):
figured out that I'm maybe, youknow, a little bit sort of
looking for something differentin life to most people.
And so no one was all thatsurprised when I said I'm going
to take a summer off to travel.
And then, when it, you know,extended beyond that summer, I
think everyone just saw how muchI was loving it and what a
great time I was having and howgood it was for me.
(06:03):
And yeah, so I have to say I'vebeen really lucky, everyone's
been really supportive and I'msure there've been some, you
know, some sort of oh what thehell is she doing?
Kind of you know moments andthey probably don't always
understand my choices, but I'vebeen very lucky that you know my
friends and my family havealways respected them and always
supported it, so very gratefulfor that.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
Having that support is incredibly important.
And also, you know, I thinkthat you're lucky that you have
that support because you know, Ithink that in my younger years,
if I had sprung that on any ofmy friends and family, while
they might not have beennecessarily surprised, because
they're used to me coming outwith outlandish ideas, they, I
(06:47):
think that they would have beena little bit more concerned.
What has fired you to choosethat specific lifestyle and how
do you think it shaped yourperspective on life?
Speaker 3 (06:58):
You know that's a really good question and
honestly, I don't really know orlike the idea to live and
travel in a camper van came outof nowhere.
You know, it wasn't that at thetime I had seen, you know,
friends or family do it, or Ididn't, you know, even know that
this whole van life thing was athing on social media and
whatnot.
So yeah, it's very popular herein New Zealand.
(07:20):
There's a lot of, you know, thewhole camping and RVing,
motorhomes, a big thing.
So that's probably had a littlebit of an influence.
But it was just one of thosethings where, you know, I had
spent months trying to figureout what I want to do and then I
had this idea and it just wasright.
You know, when you just havethat, that idea and you just
(07:41):
know in your heart like, yeah,that's it, that's the thing I
want to do, so, yeah.
So I don't really know where itcame from, it was a bit random,
but you know it's definitelyfelt right from the beginning
and how it's shaped myperspective, you know, in so so
many ways it's honestly beensuch a transformative journey
(08:04):
and you know, from one of thefirst things I kind of, you know
, learned living in the van.
So I went from living in arelatively modern house in
Auckland, which is New Zealand'sbiggest city, with, you know,
lots of stuff closet full ofclothes and shoes and all that
stuff that you have right andthen I downsized from that to a
little van and really only sortof the basics and and that was
(08:28):
incredibly liberating.
You know, getting rid of stuffand really downsizing to only
what you need, it just wasincredibly liberating and
freeing.
And then that sort of made merealize how little I actually
need to be happy, because, youknow, there I was less stuff
than I ever really had and I washappier than ever and life was
(08:49):
simple and and sort of I wasfocused on the right things
rather than all thesedistractions that I used to have
.
You know, living that kind ofcareer focused life in Auckland,
and so that was sort of thefirst big mind shift.
You know really made me realizehow distracted I had been in
many ways before and and thenhaving that clarity, yeah, was
(09:13):
just incredibly and incredibleand really helped me sort of
connect to who I am, who I wantto be, how I want to live my
life, rather than, you know,just being distracted and just
sort of chasing after thingsbecause everyone else is chasing
after them, or society tells usthat what, that's what we
should be chasing after.
Yeah, and in so many more waysthat it's shaped my life like I
(09:34):
would probably spend the nexthour just answering that
question.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
What do you think that you missed the most from
before?
Speaker 3 (09:44):
That's a really easy question to answer now and and
you know it's I wouldn't havesaid this three years ago, but
now that it's been six years,it's a sense of community and
belonging.
So it's been so amazing totravel and to see New Zealand in
a way that you know a fewpeople have and anyone who's
ever been to New Zealand or, youknow, seen photos, like you
(10:05):
know everyone else is anabsolutely incredible and
amazing place and and I've had achance to see all of it and
really explore in depth, whichhas been awesome.
But the big downside of livingthis way for six years now is
that I'm I don't really have asense of belonging or community.
I still sort of Auckland, stillthe closest thing to home I
(10:26):
have, but even that isn't reallyanymore.
You know a lot of my friendsthere have now actually moved on
as well and and so I misshaving that you know regular
group of people around me.
I also, you know, miss littlethings like being able to join a
tramping club or, you know,volunteering somewhere or just,
(10:47):
you know, going to that cafedown the road where they know
your name and how you like yourcoffee because you come all the
time right.
So that's yeah, that'sdefinitely the the thing I miss
the most.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
What are some of the rewards you've gained from your
new lifestyle?
Speaker 3 (11:04):
So so many, and you know it's definitely so far the
good stuff outweighs thechallenges by a long shot, and
so I would say, you know, thebiggest is what I already talked
about earlier, the sense of,you know, I don't need a lot to
be happy.
And what that, you know, meantfor me, as an sort of extension
of that, is that I realized,look, I don't have to work 40
(11:27):
hours plus a week in an officeto be able to afford the kind of
life I want.
So that's that to me is freedom.
You know, time is freedom andand other rewards are, you know,
a really a much better sense ofwho I am, who I want to be, a
sense of a real confidence and,you know, trusting myself,
(11:50):
trusting my gut, doing life myown way.
Lots of amazing people, youknow.
I've met so many amazing peopleon this journey and had
conversations with people who Iprobably wouldn't have crossed
path with in with a normal life.
Like, I think, sometimes wedon't realize how much we tend
to surround ourselves withpeople very similar to us and
(12:11):
how that automatically happensjust based on how you live your
life and then when you step outof that and you step into a
completely different community.
You know, all of a sudden, youmeet people from very different
kind of walks of life.
So that's definitely been ahuge, huge reward.
And New Zealand you know I keepgoing on and on about it, but
(12:33):
New Zealand is the best place inthe world and being able to,
you know, see it in the way thatI have, it's just been
absolutely amazing.
So many awesome you knowadventures, hiking and pedal
boarding and surfing and surfing, and just like seeing you know
these amazing places.
Yeah, so it's probably more youknow rewards.
It's just, yeah, it's been suchan incredible journey.
Speaker 1 (12:56):
So what is a typical week or month look like to you,
how long are you in a specificarea and what makes you choose
that area?
Speaker 3 (13:07):
It's something that's really changed a lot over the
years.
So when I first set off in myvan, I was really, you know, I
wanted to travel and I wanted tosee as much as possible.
So I'd often only stay in oneplace for, you know, a couple of
nights, maybe sometimes threenights, often only one night.
So I really was kind of, youknow, go there and go there, and
go there, and I would choosethe places a lot based on where
(13:30):
I hadn't been in New Zealand atthat point.
You know, there were a fewregions where I just hadn't been
yet or, you know, favoriteplaces to go back to, and really
I love the outdoors and nature.
So I would often look at, youknow, where are good hikes or
good spots for kite surfing orpedal boarding or those sort of
activities.
You know where's the weathergood.
(13:51):
So it was all kind of very,very loose.
And then as time went on, itstarted to slow down a little
bit and I would spend, you know,more time in one place.
I'd travel slower.
I started to house itoccasionally.
So then I would have, you know,sometimes three or four weeks,
or even your five or sixoccasionally, in one place,
(14:12):
house sitting, and that was, youknow, just yeah, I think just
the initial excitement was goneand so I slowed down a little
bit and got really interested ingoing to those really off the
beaten track places.
So that kind of became a big,you know attracting big drive
for me at that point.
And then over the last year itsort of changed again, because
(14:35):
last year I actually sold thecamper van and since then I've
been a full-time house sitter.
So now I move around thecountry often sort of every you
know four to six weeks.
I had a three months house sitin one place this winter, which
was the longest I'd been in oneplace in over you know six years
.
But yeah, so now it's where Igo is very much sort of
(14:58):
determined by where I can findhouse sitting jobs.
Speaker 1 (15:03):
What are some of your favorite hidden gems that
you've come across?
Speaker 3 (15:06):
So many good ones.
I love the kind of remote, offthe beaten track places and so I
always like to, you know, drivedown the long gravel road and
see what's at the other end.
We're lucky to still have, youknow, a few of those in New
Zealand.
So, yeah, so many differentones, like I love.
(15:27):
In the North Island, at thevery top, we have a place called
Spirits Bay and there isanother sort of place up North
called Cabringa, which is verypopular.
Lots of you know people, lotsof tourists go there.
But then you sort of turn offand you follow a gravel road for
, you know, 45 minutes and youget to this beautiful, remote
beach at the top of the NorthIsland called Spirits Bay.
(15:47):
There's the East Cape, also inthe North Island, which is a
really beautiful, you know moreremote area.
It's got the East CapeLighthouse, which is the first
place in the world to see thesunrise each day.
So that's pretty special, Ireckon, to go and you can say
it's like on that day I was thefirst person in the world to see
the sun.
And then, yeah, on the SouthIsland it's probably even more
(16:10):
remote places.
There's the northern tip of theSouth Island, on the West Coast
, just a super remote and justreally beautiful beaches and,
you know, heartlier, a soloinside.
There's an area on the furtherdown on the East Coast of the
South Island called the Ketlins,which is one of those areas
where there's so many, you know,walks and waterfalls and
(16:32):
beaches, so you can spend, youknow, like a few years ago I
spent four weeks traveling, youknow, probably 120 kilometers.
I don't know what that is inmiles, but it's not a lot.
So you know, it's just so muchto see that you can really take
your time and make the most ofevery day.
What role.
Speaker 1 (16:52):
Do you think that this time to yourself that
you've had, what role has thathad in your journey, both in
terms of inspiration andself-discovery?
Speaker 3 (17:03):
Yeah, interesting to think about that.
In a way, I've always beensomeone who's been very
introverted, so I'm verycomfortable with being on my own
and I have this really richinner world and can kind of
entertain myself for days on end.
And sometimes I look back and Isort of realized that the life
(17:24):
that I was living in Aucklandwhich was very busy, you know,
every day I've been a busyoffice and a busy commute and
lots of people and all theseInfluences and noises and people
and everything around me, and Ican look back and sort of
realize that that wasn't theenvironment that I would thrive
(17:45):
in, whereas the life that I livenow, which is quieter, fewer
people, fewer distractions,fewer sort of external
stimulations, I feel like I'vesort of become a lot more yeah,
a lot more me and I'm a suitsyou know who I am a lot more.
And it's really given me thatOpportunity to do what, what I,
(18:08):
as so many introverts, do sowell, which is, you know, turn
inwards and spend time in yourown head and spend time
daydreaming and and being, youknow, peace with that and in a
way, you know, it's given me areal new layer of appreciation
for the strength of being anintrovert, you know, because
(18:29):
often Sort of in the, in thenormal life so I don't really
like the term normal life butdon't have a battle and either,
but it often is it is very muchget towards extra.
It's right especially kind ofcity life and and sort of
sometimes if when you live inthat environment, being an
introvert can almost feel like aweakness or an issue or
(18:50):
something you need to Work on.
And stepping away from that andliving a life that is really
very well suited to tointroverts is really given me a
new level of appreciation forthe strength of that, you know,
for my ability to Do things onmy own and to not be held back
by not having someone else tocome along with me and and my
(19:12):
ability to think deeply andreflect on my own and and that
sort of stuff.
And so, yes, that's been areally Really good way how to
shift it and my mindset and,yeah, has there been a specific
moment or experience that youfeel that's just had a profound
(19:33):
impact on your journey.
Speaker 1 (19:34):
Probably a few along the way.
Speaker 3 (19:38):
I mean one, you know, one that's certainly been sort
of a massive shift in my journeywas Relatively early on.
Said this point, I had been inthe van probably about four,
five months.
I sort of just gone, you know,past the first summer and
decided to keep going and and Iwas in this beautiful spot
called Hamilton's gap, which ison the east, on the west coast
(20:02):
of the North Island, reallyremote and really beautiful, and
, and so at that point I hadspent the last weeks are read,
last few weeks already sort ofreflecting on my journey to the
state and you know the differentthings and life that had
happened to get me to this point.
But at that point it was reallyjust a more or less random
thoughts and ideas.
(20:22):
And so I was in Hamilton,hamilton's gap, and it was just
really peaceful, you knowenvironment and space, and I got
into a really kind of creativemindset and, without really
intending to, these thoughtsthat had been in my mind turned
into an outline for a book, andso this wasn't something like.
I've always loved books, I lovereading, but I didn't set off on
(20:45):
this journey saying I want towrite a book, right, it was just
kind of something that happenedbecause I was in this, in this
mind space, mindset, and and so,before I knew it, you know, I
had this, this outline just kindof came out of nowhere and and
then that turned into my firstbook and, you know, since
written two more.
So now, you know, publishedthree books and and write a
(21:07):
block, and so, you know, I'venow got this whole new life as a
writer that I don't think Iwould have had if I hadn't, you
know, make the decisions I did,or at least not yet, you know,
maybe it's something I wouldhave done in my retirement or or
something.
So that's, you know, oneexample, really, how it's like,
had a massive impact on my lifeand and I sort of have this
(21:29):
saying that inspired me veryearly on, when I was still sort
of trying to figure out what todo, which is, if you want change
, you have to create space forit.
And that's sort of about.
You know, if you want to changesomething in your life, you
have to get rid of somethingelse.
You know, because a lot of usare so busy In our day to day
that if we keep doing what we'vealways done, then where is the
(21:51):
new gonna come in, you knowwhere's the change gonna fit
into your life, and and so I've,you know, believe that, yeah,
if you want change, you have tosay, you know, get rid of
something and create that space.
And to me, this is like aperfect example Of that.
Because I created that space,you know, I took time out from
work, I simplified my life andthat credit space for, you know,
(22:13):
the creative and me and thewriter and me to you know, rise,
rise to the top and makeyourself heard.
And and that led to, you know,now having this, this career is
a writer, which is reallyawesome, and I love.
Speaker 1 (22:24):
it's really cool when we think our life is gonna go
one way and it just does acompletely 180 takes us in a
completely different direction.
What advice do you have forothers that are navigating
societal expectations andpressures?
Speaker 3 (22:41):
This is a few things so the first thing, that just
has been huge for me, and sothis is something I actually did
in my mid 20s, so before I everset off on this journey.
But in my mid 20s I wentthrough a phase where I got
really interested in psychologyand personalities and values and
did a lot of work to get toknow myself better, and at the
(23:03):
time it was really justsomething that I was interested
in and, you know, curious about.
But I look back now and it'sjust been so and, you know, so
massively impactful andimportant in my life because
it's given me this and, I guess,confidence to know to look at a
decision and know if it is theright decision for me and if it
suits my personality, does italign with my values?
(23:26):
And so that would be my firsttip to anyone who's having
thought similar to what I hadSix years ago Rania, what am I
doing with my life?
And I'm not sure.
And so if you don't feel likeyou have a good, you know,
self-awareness and understandingof who you are and what you
value, then that's where I wouldstart, just because it's, you
know, worked so well for me.
(23:47):
And from there my second adviceand again, this is sort of
something I kind of learned bycoincidence rather than
intentionally.
But start small.
You know, when I set off onthis, I said it's going to be
for a summer.
You know, I'm just going totravel in my van for a summer
and if I hadn't liked it, Icould have just gone back to
Auckland and find a job againand return to my old life with
(24:09):
you know, I might have lost somemoney, but I wouldn't have, you
know, lost a lot and I I'mreally glad that I did it that
way.
It really helped me to easeinto it, it made it a lot less
risky and it made it a lot lessconfrontational to other people.
So for them it was kind of aneasier transition transition as
well.
So that's a, you know, yeah,something I've like learned and
(24:32):
what recommend to others toconsider.
You know, can you make a smallchange?
Can you time box it and say youknow I'm going to do this for a
certain amount of time and ifit works you keep going, and if
it doesn't, you can go back toto what you've done before or
something else.
Right?
And then I think the third oneis you know, just trust yourself
(24:54):
, trust your gut.
You know I'm so, so glad I did,and it was really hard at times
because, you know, I madedecisions that go against
everything we're told,everything we're raised to
believe, especially as women,what we're supposed to do with
our life and and how we'resupposed to feel about that.
And I have so, so much respectfor moms and I know so many
(25:17):
people who you know have chosenthat path and are so happy with
it and it was clearly the rightpath for them and that's
beautiful, but it isn't foreveryone and and if you're that
person and you want to, you know, do something differently.
It is going to be hard, but Ithink the one thing you know I
often say I think in life thereis no guaranteed path to
(25:39):
happiness, no matter what you do.
But I do think that a fasttrack to unhappiness is not
being true to yourself.
So that's how I look at it.
You know, like following my ownpath is hard sometimes, but you
know, going the other way anddoing something that isn't me
just because everyone else isdoing it, I'm pretty sure would
be even harder.
So, yes, I'd say people, youknow, go for it and and push
(26:02):
through the hard times, it'll beworth it.
Speaker 1 (26:04):
On the other end, that's all such really great
advice, especially when you sayyou know, start small.
I think oftentimes people theywant to do something, but in
looking at the big picture isalways great.
I'm one of those that alwayshas to see the whole big picture
.
However, sometimes it's okay tojust look a little bit ahead of
(26:25):
us and start small, because ifwe are looking at that big
picture, it can cause you to getoverwhelmed, you get scared.
You'd say, okay, never mind,it's too much, I can't do it.
So I think that's all reallygreat advice, yeah totally agree
.
Speaker 3 (26:39):
And also you know these, these sort of decisions,
especially, you know, breakingfree from a normal life and
traveling.
I think you know those of uswho do it can all admit that it
gets romanticized on, you know,social media and other platforms
, and the reality is beautifuland amazing and exciting.
But it is also challenging andhard and it's.
(27:01):
Some people don't enjoy it, andthat's totally okay, right.
So you might, you might thinkyou want to spend five years or
six years like living as a nomadin New Zealand, and then you
try it and you realize actuallyit's not all that it's, you know
, it's a thought it would be.
So by starting small, you kindof give yourself an easy out.
You know you just yeah, youjust stop when you set you word
(27:24):
rather than keep going if you dolove it.
Speaker 1 (27:26):
So you've talked about this a little bit.
In your exploration and withinyour journey, what have you
found to be the most fulfillingaspect of the entire journey?
Speaker 3 (27:39):
Ooh, that's a good question.
The most fulfilling I think itis that that opportunity to be
me, to do life my way,Definitely, you know.
The other thing I would say,something that's been really
fulfilling to me, that's likefills my soul and fills my heart
(28:01):
, is having so much time tospend outdoor, in a nature and
in these beautiful places, Likethat's definitely, you know,
whenever I'm having a bad day,just you know, go to a beautiful
beach or a beautiful sceneryand I just I can feel you know
the energy and the joy andeverything coming back.
So that's another, you knowhuge part for me.
(28:22):
That's really really fulfilling, for sure.
Speaker 1 (28:25):
Yeah, Can you share a memorable encounter or story
from your travels that reallyencapsulates the essence of life
done differently?
Speaker 3 (28:39):
Ooh, so many cool encounters and I share, you know
, in my latest book, which iscalled Life Done Differently,
and I share the journey of thelast six years, and the
encounters are a big part ofthat and how different people I
met along the way brought updifferent ideas and thoughts.
(29:00):
And one encounter that I thinkof still very often is I met up
with a fellow nomad and weconnected over social media, as
you do these days, and then wemanaged to meet up in person and
at the time I was thinking alot about regrets.
(29:20):
Some questions that otherpeople had asked me had just
sort of made me think about youknow what, if I do end up
regretting this, you know, thechoice to kind of walk away from
my career and live this way,the choice not to get married
and have children, all you know,those sort of things were on my
mind.
And so I met this fellow nomad,a woman a few years older than
(29:42):
me.
So you know I say a few years,so she probably would have been
a good 20, 25 years older thanme and we met and somehow this
topic came up and she sharedthat you know she'd gone through
a difficult time in her life afew years earlier, where her
marriage broke down around thesame time that her kids left the
house and then a beloved familypet died, and so she kind of
(30:05):
went, you know, within a fewmonths, from being this mom of
the home, you know, and wife, tobeing on her own and having,
you know, lost, like her partner.
And obviously her kids werestill there, but, you know, they
were living on their own anddidn't need mom as much anymore.
And so she shared that she wentthrough a period where she dealt
(30:27):
, you know, struggled, a lotwith regrets and a lot of, you
know, thoughts about oh, Ishould have done this and I
should have fought harder forthe marriage and I should have,
you know, done more things formyself so that I wouldn't feel
so lost now.
And then I asked her you know,how did you get out of that,
like, how did you stop being,you know, stuck in that that
thinking around regret?
She realized that regrets arewasted effort because you can't
(30:51):
change it anymore anyway andthat there's really no point in
regretting these things thathappen because the past is the
past.
And yeah, and so that to me,was sort of really kind of woke
me up and was really inspiring.
And you know, because she's soright, like regrets and thinking
about the past, you can'tchange it anymore, so you might
(31:15):
as well focus on the future.
So how?
Speaker 1 (31:17):
has your perspective on success evolved?
Speaker 3 (31:21):
Ooh, I like that question, that's great.
So I actually have an answer onthis, because I've thought
about this quite a bit and Ithink in for most people or
society on the whole right, whenwe talk about success, we
usually most people think aboutmoney, fame, titles, you know,
(31:41):
those sort of, I guess, tangible, measurable things.
And you see someone who hasthose and that's a successful
person.
To me, my mindset on this hasshifted quite a lot.
For me, success these days ishappiness.
So that to me, is the ultimate,you know, goal in life, and I
think that most people wouldultimately agree with that right
(32:04):
, because I think most peoplechase after fame and money and
titles, because they think it'llbring them happiness.
So I've kind of decided to kindof shortcut that and just go
straight for the happiness piece.
And so for me now, a successfulperson is, you know, someone
(32:26):
who is really, you know, happyand content in their life.
And when I talk about happiness, really I mean that content,
overall life satisfaction,rather than the joy in the
moment, happiness.
So yeah, so that's, you know, abig shift.
In success these days is aboutbeing happy.
Speaker 1 (32:45):
I love that.
So what projects or adventuresare on the horizon for you?
Speaker 3 (32:52):
Yeah, so I've been thinking about that a lot lately
actually, and I am sort of at apoint where I do crave a little
bit more stability and maybe,you know, having a base
somewhere, and I'm sort ofresisting the, you know,
settling down for real ideabecause that seems like a little
(33:13):
bit too far that way.
So I'd love to find a middleground option where, you know,
maybe I have a base somewherebut I still have that
flexibility to travel a lot.
And so, you know, one idea thatI'm thinking about at the
moment is to maybe get a caravanand have a, you know, maybe a
more or less fixed based at youknow one particular campground
(33:36):
and then just travel from there.
So I have that place that I cancome back to, but I still have
the flexibility and freedom andtime of travel that I love so
much.
So, yeah, so that's kind of,you know, something on the
horizon right now.
Maybe I do tend to change mymind quite a lot about what I
want to do next, so don't holdme too much.
Speaker 1 (33:57):
There's nothing wrong with that.
So where can our listeners findyou online?
Oh, yeah, so.
Speaker 3 (34:03):
I have a blog or a website called it's life done
differently dot com, and I'm onFacebook and Instagram as life
done differently NZ for NewZealand at the end.
I've also just published mylatest book, which is called
life done differently onewoman's journey on the road less
(34:24):
traveled, which shares thewhole story of the last few
years of my life following thatpath.
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