I was working a 9-5 job in Canada and I knew it wasn’t for me. I started thinking about launching my own business and sharing my experience in nutrition. I was working with a coach and began launching my own program. I was hating my 9-5 and decided, fuck it, I quit. I decided then and there that I was going to focus on my business and make it work. Never again did I want to go back to 9-5.
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I packed up my life and went back home to France for Christmas. My brother was doing a world tour and I decided to join him in South America. The plan was to tag along on his backpacking trip while continuing to run my business. I was confident that I could make it work. This was the lifestyle I had dreamed of. I even joined a mastermind to hold me accountable and give me guidance.
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I wouldn’t say we were fast travellers, we spent about one month in each country but we were travelling to new places every 3-4 days. It was much more stressful than I expected, even with my brother taking care of all the travel plans. I was always needing to find new places to work with power and the internet. I would run from one place to another to try and make it to client calls. I would miss calls when there was a power cut. I started to feel like I was never fully present when exploring new places, I was always thinking about work. I would have to say no to adventures that my brother was going on because of client work. I was stressed and putting so much pressure on myself. I had no strategy or systems in my business and it was overwhelming.
I think people often romanticize this idea of work and travel. I was meant to be living my dream but it didn’t feel like I was.
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I went and saw an Ayurveda doctor about my stress and struggles with work. She said to me “You are your own boss but if you had a boss who treated you the way you treat yourself, would you like it?” She suggested that I put my health first and stop travelling.
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I didn’t listen. I had a month of travel left and I didn’t want to miss out. The travel was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity but this pace of travel was too much alongside running a business. I decided that travel was my priority and I took a break from my business so that I could be fully present in every moment. I had an amazing final month of travel before basing myself in Medellin for 2 months to really focus on my business.
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Never again will I travel at that pace while also trying to build a business from the ground up. I think spending at least a month in each location is a good balance. I have realised that up until now, my personal life took priority, whereas now I’m in a place where I feel settled here in Australia. I am focusing on building my business and creating strong foundations. I will start to travel regularly again once my business is more established. Figuring out a business that fits into my lifestyle should be my focus because my happiness and my health are my priorities.
