Work Less Play More Podcast

Living the Digital Nomad Lifestyle as a Freelancer

• Lindsay Johnson, The Radical Connector • Season 2 • Episode 22

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If the 40-hour workweek stuck sitting in an office makes you break out in hives the digital nomad lifestyle of a freelancer might be right for YOU!

Episode 22 with Sam Laliberte, Freedom Lifestyle Podcast

Something about the 40-hour workweek with someone looking over Sam’s shoulder and micromanaging the way she spent her time and controlling the choices in her life never sat well for her. 

Turning her skills and passions into a freelancing career and becoming a lifestyle entrepreneur soon allowed Sam to live by what she valued most, the freedom lifestyle that came with being a digital nomad and the freedom to choose.


Listen in as Sam and I dive into all things freedom lifestyle, including

  • Is freelancing the way to create a positive workplace while also living the digital nomad lifestyle?
  • The difference between freelancing and a lifestyle entrepreneur
  • What does it mean to be a digital nomad beyond the freedom to live and work around the world?
  • Surprise perks to having total freedom over your schedule when it comes to adulting
  • How Covid work from home has given us a taste of the freedom lifestyle and led to the great resignation of 2022
  • Sam’s Feels Good or Feels Bad exercise to help you get clear on how to live a more positive and intentional life


"My freedom philosophy is having the flexibility to create my own day. I realized there's cool sh!t I want to do and I value the flexibility to CHOOSE each day." - Sam Laliberte


BONUS RESOURCES

Podcasts You Need to Hear

 
Books & Blogs You Need to Read

  • Digital Nomad Jobs You Could Start Tomorrow Read Here
  • What Is a Digital Nomad? Pros and Cons of Digital Nomad Life Read Here
  • What is a Lifestyle Entrepreneur and How to Become One Read Here
  • Majority of workers who quit a job in 2021 cite low pay, no opportunities for advancement, feeling disrespected Read Here

 
Sam's Podcast Course!
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Sam Lalibert

[00:00:00] Sam: What's your free, like, how do you define freedom?

[00:00:02] Sam: And I realized that it was such a broad definition and that it transcended much more than, Hey, I want to be on the beach with a laptop and a cocktail at 2:00 PM. I've really been around people now who are defining freedom and success and crafting their days in so many different ways.

[00:00:19] Sam: And it's completely inspired me and it's completely expanded what I think is possible for my own freedom journey, what I even want and made me just realize that it's the whole point is the freedom to choose. 

[00:00:30] Welcome to the work, less play more podcasts for busy entrepreneurs who are ready to ditch the hustle. Stop burning on busy work and get back to having a life. My name's Lindsay Johnson, AKA The Radical Connector, and I spent the last 10 years teaching first time entrepreneurs, how to get customers and make money.

[00:00:51] Listen in, as I chat with other hustle, recovering business owners, as we share our top tips, for you guessed it working less and playing more. Let's do this.[00:01:00] .

[00:01:02] Lindsay: Sam welcome to the podcast. How are you doing? 

[00:01:05] Sam: I'm doing great. Now I've had a very busy morning of talk, talk talking, but this is a different type of talking.

[00:01:11] Sam: This is fun. This is casual. This is my vibe. So thank you for having me. 

[00:01:15] Lindsay: Right? Yeah. You're so welcome. I'm glad that you're here. I love how we have come full circle, uh, after being on your podcast, not once, but twice. And taking your podcast course not once, but twice. And then buying the virtual version. 

[00:01:31] Sam: Technically we, I interviewed you twice on my show because the first time we lost the recording audio, remember that day where.

[00:01:40] Sam: This is so good, but can we start over? I was such a newb, but I didn't know how to work my microphone or the tech. It was a disaster. So thank you for being patient with me as I was learning, 

[00:01:50] Lindsay: it was, it was, it was very exciting. I actually think it was my first podcast interview as well, because I remember thinking, 

[00:01:58] Lindsay: I talked so [00:02:00] much. And then when I heard the final product, I was like, Sam is a wizard. How she got all of those things I said into this succinct, lovely podcast. 

[00:02:10] Sam: I think that is my gift. And I think that's great because when you're interviewing someone, sometimes you can feel a lot of inner angst oh no, this is taking a long time or they're really rambling on everyone's interviewed someone or they're just taking a really long time to do an answer.

[00:02:23] Sam: It's chill because I'm like, you take your time, I'm editing half this out. I'm like, you know, multitasking in the background, letting them finish. So I think it's great. It makes me a good podcast or because I can just let the guest just. 

[00:02:36] Lindsay: Yeah. Well, and I love that. You're like, oh, just do other things in the background.

[00:02:39] Lindsay: Like that's some serious pro-level podcasting right there. 

[00:02:43] Sam: Well, I couldn't with yours because we were in person and you weren't a rambler. You just have great stories. You had a lot of stories to share that day and all the stories made it. I think just maybe more tightened down. 

[00:02:53] Lindsay: Yeah. It is more tightened and I can get kind of ranty.

[00:02:57] Lindsay: I Just recorded a podcast on when to quit your job [00:03:00] and more important question of asking about where am I going? Because people often set quitting their job as the goal, and then they get to that goal and then they fall apart. It's like, where are you going? And so I'm listening to this podcast after I recorded it.

[00:03:13] Lindsay: And I was like, oh, jeepers, I really ranted. I got really ranty.

[00:03:17] Sam: No, I think that's, it's, you're passionate. What you have things to say? I think so. I think that when you're passionate about something, you can't help yourself sometimes. I was recently listening to a podcast called the beef with beef and it was about vegans.

[00:03:34] Sam: Like, how do I be friends with people who eat beef? Like I'm finding myself like having an angst with them and you know, it's been a long time for me. It's been 15 years. So I've learned to cope with that, but it's a thing when you feel passionate and you like have so much to say, and you can be a little ranty, but sometimes people need that to quit the job and take the plunge, which it sounds like you were.

[00:03:53] Lindsay: It was, it was well, and I'm always about like, get serious, take your business, seriously. Learn the skills, do the thing. [00:04:00] Make lots of money. Go do cool. Shit. 

[00:04:02] Sam: Yeah, go do cool shit.

[00:04:04] Lindsay: Go do cool. Shit. Well, and speaking of doing cool shit, uh, you have been in the space of podcasting for four years, but I got to imagine in the space of freedom and doing cool shit for much longer than that.

[00:04:16] Lindsay: Tell us a little bit about your philosophy on life. What does that mean when you say do cool sh!T to. 

[00:04:22] Lindsay: you 

[00:04:22] Sam: It doesn't mean having a nine to five office job. I've identified that that's, that's not the vibe for me, but I tried it. I really did. You know, I went to business school, I got my marketing job, corporate communications.

[00:04:34] Sam: I tried it. And every time it was the same thing. I'd last a year. One time only lasted eight months and I'd quit and I'd feel angst. And I would feel unalignment with, not even how the company necessarily what they stood for or what the product was. In fact, I always found myself in roles where I loved what we were building and selling and our customers.

[00:04:56] Sam: And that was often the hardest part to leave. What I had issues with [00:05:00] was the 40 hour work week and having to be in the office and having accountability look like someone's seeing you and watching you work and making sure it's 40 hours. That was very broken to me. And I wanted to do much more with my life than spend 40 hours a week in an office chair, around colleagues who aren't necessarily my friends. If they're your friends bonus, but a lot of the time it's just, someone's brought you all together.

[00:05:23] Sam: So I think my philosophy, of freedom. Is having the flexibility to create your own day. And since so much of our lives have to do with work, it really started with flexible work. Yeah. Right. How do we start businesses? How do we transfer my skills in the job market to a freelance career? How do I create products that are passive, but then it really made me evolve to flexibility over lots of things in my life when I'm not working 40 hours a week.

[00:05:50] Sam: Like other people are, what can I do with that extra time? And I realized there's cool. sh!t I want to do. I learned slacklining this year. So I've been doing [00:06:00] highlining and I have, you know, family who I love dearly and I'm trying to learn Spanish and all these things that I wouldn't have time for frankly, if I was just trying to work most of my life and just maintain that.

[00:06:14] Sam: So I think that's where it really comes down to is the flexibility to choose each day. 

[00:06:18] Lindsay: Yes. Oh, the flexibility to choose each day. Yes. I need it. I literally need a moment to process that, think about that. The flexibility to choose each day, every day, you wake up and having that flexibility to choose, to choose what you do to choose how you show up to choose who you're connecting with and working with.

[00:06:38] Lindsay: When I started my first business years ago, one of the most important things to me was that I got to choose who I worked with. And that came off the backs of working with people I didn't want to work with. And being forced to. Your comment about being in an office and , you know, maybe they're your friends.

[00:06:53] Lindsay: Maybe they're not, that is my version of hell. I do not like playing well with others. I don't like being on teams and I [00:07:00] hated it. And I was so determined that whenever I would build a business, I wanted to be with people I would love spending a week on the beach with Who are the people that I love.

[00:07:08] Lindsay: So when I think about choosing my day, the people that are in it is a big part of that. 

[00:07:12] Sam: A hundred percent. Like there's a reason why I'm not close with my previous colleagues. We were close at the time, but a lot of the time we connected over commisery. We bonded over how bullshit this place is and how unfair things are.

[00:07:25] Sam: And it was a very toxic way to bond. And I think there's a quote of there's no quicker way to bond to people than mutual hate of someone or something else. I'm, I'm not, I'm not getting the quote a hundred percent, but I think it's like 85% there and you get it and it's true. And that's what we would bond over is this is ridiculous or, oh, you know, what are you actually doing right now?

[00:07:48] Lindsay: That's such a good point bonding over our shared hatred of things. I remember one of the last jobs I had, uh, right before leaving to do The Radical Connector to my current business, full time. Um, [00:08:00] my teammates, my coworkers, that was kind of how it was the only thing we really talked about was like, you know, throwing shade at this person or complaining about that client or this and that.

[00:08:10] Lindsay: It becomes a toxic work environment very quickly when that's all you have to bond over. And so for folks that are out there that are thinking, you know what it is kind of toxic where I am, whether it's my job, whether it's friends or family, even on social media, what is your advice, if any, on how to flip out of that mode and get back into alignment of being positive and being around positive.

[00:08:34] Lindsay: people 

[00:08:35] Sam: I think it's really hard to do when you're in what I think, I wouldn't be, as bold to say is, is the norm. I think that's more common than not. And I find it rare and refreshing when I meet somebody who has almost only positive things to say about their nine to five office traditional job, and are so [00:09:00] connected to the culture and respect the leadership and feel so free and empowered in their role.

[00:09:06] Sam: That is rare. I find. You know, my solution for it has been to carve your own path in terms of your own career. And I understand that entrepreneurship isn't for everybody, but before we started this, we were kind of talking how freelance is a really great way to have both. You can have that traditional employment experience where it's someone else's

[00:09:28] Sam: risk for the most part and someone else's innovation. If you're feeling like I don't have a creative idea, well, you can still serve a company and make money and have a career while having freedom. And so I think contract work and freelance work is a great option. Yeah. As you said, it's a nice midpoint where you still have some autonomy, some freedom, you get to choose what, who you work with, what projects you work on, the types of work you do.

[00:09:55] Sam: Uh, but there's no, there's no risks. There's no inherent risks as a risk when you're owning your own business. [00:10:00] And for some folks, you know, it's funny cause they would call themselves a freelancers, but not call themselves an entrepreneurial. What are your thoughts as a cause you started as a freelancer, correct?

[00:10:11] Lindsay: Right. Did you consider yourself an entrepreneur back then? 

[00:10:15] Sam: It had been at traditional entrepreneur prior, so I'd already had a taste of the freedom lifestyle, which is what I call it because I had had a business I had run for three years an ecommerce business where I was completely my own boss and had co-founders.

[00:10:29] Sam: And after that ended hopped back into the job market. And so I had previously identified as an entrepreneur. I think at that point I was very much an aspiring entrepreneur, but didn't have my next idea and didn't really know what I wanted to create in the world yet. And so freelance was that perfect option.

[00:10:46] Sam: I think that label are lame. I'm in the nomadic community right now. And some people wouldn't say I'm a digital nomad because I still own a house and have a car and have things, but I'm [00:11:00] here in my house less than half of the year. And I'm traveling for more than half of the year. So I think I'm, you know, pretty nomadic, but I think when you try to put labels on

[00:11:08] Sam: things that doesn't feel good to me. I want to have the flexibility to even just find myself how I want. So if someone is a freelancer and that feels like entrepreneurship for them, I say, go for it. 

[00:11:18] Lindsay: Well, and even within, you know, like even within, uh, uh, Job setting or a corporate setting. This is where that phrase intrepreneur comes from, right?

[00:11:26] Lindsay: Where that taking the attitude of an entrepreneur, taking that, that attitude of somebody who is innovative and a problem solver and takes ownership and has autonomy. I think that the entrepreneurial spirit is what I'm getting at, I guess, is the, it's the spirit of it. And no matter where you are, where do you bring that innovation and that creativity and that ownership over what you're doing.

[00:11:49] Sam: Yeah, I think I definitely tried to do that. I think that before every company I quit, I tried to bring that entrepreneurial spirit and I tried to make the change in the company that I [00:12:00] saw and I had small wins. I remember at the last company, I convinced them to start a culture committee and I was the representative from sales and that was really fun.

[00:12:10] Sam: And we did all these different experiences and things during the work hours that I knew were important to employees and I would have these small wins, but it would always ultimately come back to this same sticking point of, I'm not the decision maker here. And I can try and I'll give it my all, but I think once I realized that this is just how it's going to be, and this isn't what I'm willing to accept.

[00:12:35] Sam: And then at that point you have to go. So I say, try, I think that you can make a lot of change in organizations. I would say I'm not the most diplomatic person I'm not good at playing the political game and I'm not that type of person in an organization. And I think that sometimes you need to have those skills in order to make a change. I'm very much honest, open. I say, what's on my mind. I'm open to [00:13:00] feedback, but I'm not scared to share what I have to say.

[00:13:02] Sam: And I share it right away. Yeah. Not always the most effective way in organization and in a system where you're not the boss. And so I think that I had some areas about my personality that made me unsuccessful. And so I've seen other people like my partner, he has a full-time remote job and he thrives and he loves it.

[00:13:21] Sam: And that's good for him. He couldn't do what I am doing and wouldn't want that. And I wouldn't want to do what he's doing and I'm just so happy that entrepreneurship isn't the only option for someone to, you know, have freedom and flexibility of location and stuff like that. 

[00:13:36] Lindsay: Oh, exactly. There it, it can come in many different ways.

[00:13:39] Lindsay: And I think that. I think that when you have that sort of freedom lifestyle value as a set point, and you let that determine where you work and how you work and what you do. It, it makes a difference like starting with that as a value first. 

[00:13:55] Sam: Absolutely. And everyone defines that differently. And when I started [00:14:00] my podcast four years ago now, just over four years ago, that was a question that I would ask every guest is what's your free, like, how do you define freedom?

[00:14:09] Sam: And I realized that it was such a broad definition and that it transcended much more than, Hey, I want to be on the beach with a laptop and a cocktail at 2:00 PM. And that's cool. And I definitely liked that, and that was what attracted me to it and I started with that being my value. But I've really been around people now who are defining freedom and success and crafting their days in so many different ways.

[00:14:33] Sam: And it's completely inspired me and it's completely expanded what I think is possible for my own freedom journey, what I even want and made me just realize that it's the whole point is the freedom to choose. Yeah, the whole point is the freedom to carve your own day. And that's going to look different for people.

[00:14:49] Sam: And my relationship with my roommates slash fiance just reminds me of that everyday. Like we want to spend our days pretty differently and that's totally [00:15:00] cool. And he likes routine and predictability, and I want to change things up all the time and be spontaneous and variety. And that's awesome that we can both do that every day.

[00:15:10] Lindsay: You had said that your definition of freedom is expanding and what that looks like for you. How has that changed over the years? And what is that expanding into? 

[00:15:19] Sam: It started, as I said, with location independence, right? Like I think in 2017, when I started the podcast, this whole idea of being a digital nomad was very mysterious.

[00:15:29] Sam: And there weren't that many influencers online talking about it or doing it. There was definitely not the adoption of remote work that we've seen since 2020 and COVID. And so it was a time where I thought I could play that role in helping people discover that. I am that and, and achieve it for myself.

[00:15:49] Sam: But then once you achieve that freedom, all these other perks started to happen. For example, when you don't have a commute or you don't have to get ready in the [00:16:00] morning, because, you know, as a woman, I would often put a lot of effort into doing my hair and my makeup and things that, you know, not everybody has to do, but that was the game I was playing.

[00:16:09] Sam: I was in sales. I wanted to look good. There's all this stuff I was doing to have this office job. And it starts with little things like that. Even just small talk in the office can take up so much time. When you're just an outcomes-based worker, which is how it started, you have a lot more time than. Yeah.

[00:16:26] Sam: And so when I started to have a lot more time, it was, how am I going to use that time intentionally? And that's when I really expanded my definition of freedom of the freedom to play. However I want to play, or as much as I want the freedom over my schedule so that I can be opportunistic when the sun is out, which is rare where I'm living right now.

[00:16:46] Sam: And I want to be able to clear my schedule and have that flexibility to go to. Like, I still remember when I was working for my old company, I was in a sales job and there would be professional networking events happening during the week. Like literally like [00:17:00] very related to work. I wasn't asking if I could go to, I'm just saying, thinking Wonderland, something that has nothing to do with work or hedonistic..

[00:17:07] Sam: It was a professional networking event for female entrepreneurs, but it was happening, maybe it started at three, you know, and I would have to beg to go to something like that and try to figure out how this could be related to my job. I want to be able to have that type of freedom and go to those types of things if I want to go to them.

[00:17:25] Sam: And those were things that were all lacking before, where these were all difficult, either conversations or FOMO that I had. 

[00:17:33] Lindsay: Yeah. And it's, it's interesting too. I it's been a heck of a couple of years for everybody, and I definitely experienced a lot of really random physical issues and injuries and things.

[00:17:47] Lindsay: And I've had to schedule time off for surgeries or recovery or rescheduled surgeries and rebook time off. And I thought to myself a lot this year as well, like holy smokes. If I worked a traditional job, [00:18:00] They're like I had already taken a week off for my knee surgery and then it got canceled and I had to do the whole thing again.

[00:18:06] Lindsay: And I thought people would be dipping into their vacation. You know, people would have to be organizing childcare and office is uncovering schedules and I thought. Not only is the schedule freedom, a gift for more play, but even just the practicality of life. And when things come up, being able to be like, yeah, no problem.

[00:18:24] Lindsay: I can take off a week. I got it. No problem. Right. Or, you know, someone's coming to fix the fridge. Yep. No problem. I can be home for you. You know, we had some fidget fringe repairs this year. Uh, but just 

[00:18:37] Sam: It's the little things that you just don't realize that just makes everything so much easier. There's a lot of

[00:18:44] Sam: organizations, government organizations that are only open til nine to five. When you have to do those super annoying appointments, like I just immigrated or this immigration right word from BC to Ontario or Ontario to BC had to get new driver's license, new health cards, all of this [00:19:00] information for buying our house.

[00:19:00] Sam: And a lot of those appointments are during the day. Like just even to do those simple things of being able to go during that time, that's life-changing. The Whistler ski hill is about to open. I don't want to go skiing on Saturday and Sunday when it's going to be so busy and all the city people, or nine to fivers or people who can only go on the weekend.

[00:19:21] Sam: I love that I can go on a Wednesday if I want and take advantage of those types of things. Like these are the unexpected perks that were not driving me before, because I didn't even know how that would change my life, but they are priceless to me now. 

[00:19:35] Lindsay: Well, and that's what we're really seeing right now, because these past year and a half here where people have worked from home and there's been no commute and there's been no two hours of getting ready in the morning and doing makeup and hair and office politics and paying for parking and buying meals.

[00:19:51] Lindsay: And just all of that, we've gotten this whole chunk of time and life back, even for those in the corporate setting. [00:20:00] And now that people are being asked to come back into the office, we're seeing the great resignation or seeing people say no, and just leaving their job because they don't want that anymore.

[00:20:09] Lindsay: They've gotten that taste of freedom, not only for time, but also mental health, physical health. Right. Can I just sleep in more? Have you been playing around in this space of the great resignation? Like, do you have thoughts on that? 

[00:20:21] Sam: Yeah, I remember when the pandemic first started and I had some friends that had had office jobs and they hated the work from home thing. So I think what happened at the beginning was people were not prepared. Not everybody has an office or a proper desk or the proper setup or the way to work effectively at home. And, you know, over the year people have made some investments.

[00:20:45] Sam: They've gotten really creative with their spaces at home. A lot of people have moved out of the city, myself included and prioritize more space. So we've started to adapt. And I remember telling my friends that it's not about working from home. It's about [00:21:00] working from anywhere. And once you can do that, which during COVID, it was a very faux pas.

[00:21:06] Sam: We're not supposed to be even leaving our houses, let alone getting on a plane or going to visit your grandparents, which to me. is is huge. I used to spend maybe four weekends a year with my grandma who I'm super close with. Now. I go and stay at her house for like weeks at a time and I work there and it's totally great.

[00:21:26] Sam: And I can do that from anywhere. And so I would tell my friends it's about working from anywhere. And when you can do that, so many opportunities open up for you. That's I think what's happening. And I think at first we resisted it, but we've adapted because that's what humans do. We've seen the perks and we're excited about it.

[00:21:45] Sam: And we started to dream a little bit about, I never even thought this was possible for my life. And when I think about the new year, and I think about how I want to plan for it, I've just opened up so many options versus my two hour, two week vacation [00:22:00] where maybe I can do something fun. It's what's stopping me from

[00:22:04] Sam: working from X, Y, and Zed. So I think it comes from that a lot of the times is people realizing that this is too good. And, and I'm refusing to go back to that old structure. 

[00:22:15] Lindsay: Well, and something you attached on as well earlier, uh, was, you know, the freer you got, the more you realized how much, like it's like exponential freedom.

[00:22:26] Lindsay: Like you got free here, which led to freedom there, which led to freedom here. And these things you hadn't even thought of before. And, the importance of that freedom of space has been in your life. I think about folks who are in this great resignation folks who are starting new businesses, folks who are becoming freelancers and getting their own freedom and how we're seeing this shift into bigger conversations on a, on a social impact, social change place, because we're no longer exhausted and bogged down in the

[00:22:52] Lindsay: the structure of the, you know, the corporate hamster wheel. And we have this time, we have the space, you have this freedom and we're paying attention more to other [00:23:00] perspectives and other ways of looking at things. Do you think that that does play a role

[00:23:04] Lindsay: when we have more freedom, we have more space to deal with bigger issues.

[00:23:08] Sam: I think it's also been a year of us realizing what matters and us having to see for a lot of people, potentially our lives flashed before our eyes or the lives of loved ones. And what is the meaning of life and how do I want to live on earth and how much time do we have?

[00:23:26] Sam: And things can change so quickly. And maybe I can't bank on 20 years from now living my life. Life is short. It's really brought up a lot introspection and the questioning of time and now, and what's guaranteed in life. And I think those have forced a lot of people to reflect on how they are spending their time and are they okay with that?

[00:23:50] Sam: So I think that's, you know, been a big part of it. And then of course, just having more time to think about things. I think we've all been on social [00:24:00] media a lot more which was maybe more of a negative side of this since COVID and us being at home, you know, there's been a lot of socially charged movements happening that people are weighing in on that are going viral quicker because there's just more people consuming and sharing this content.

[00:24:15] Sam: So I think that's played into a lot more of us just having a greater sense of awareness of issues and of have taken the time to educate ourselves and form an opinion. And so now we're all like mini activists as well. 

[00:24:27] Lindsay: Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. . So, what advice would you give somebody who, you know, back to our earlier conversation around a toxic work environment, toxic news environment, toxic, whatever, what advice would you give to somebody to tap into that positivity within them and create that boundary to keep that vibe.

[00:24:46] Sam: Yeah. I remember when I was going through a really bad breakup. It was the first time I had done this. I had taken a piece of paper and I drew a line and it was like things that make me feel good and things that make me feel bad. And the first time I just wrote it down, you know, things that making me feel bad,

[00:24:59] Sam: that was [00:25:00] bad hangovers right. Or not sleeping or over-consumption of social media, certain relationships in my life, reading certain things, comparing certain things. And then there was the things that made me feel good, cuddling with my cat, certain people in my life. Exercise. Watching certain types of shows. Like I'm an advocate for like, if you like TV and want to watch Netflix sometimes, like, that's cool.

[00:25:25] Sam: Like if you want to play games, do it. And I think that maybe that seems so obvious and so basic, but even just having that list for yourself and acknowledging what are those things, and then choosing what you are doing. If you're in an environment, in a work environment where some of your choice is taken away, well, what can you do when you're outside of that?

[00:25:46] Sam: And how can you be really conscious of how you are doing things and spending your time and consuming things and behaving in a way that's going to draw out more of those things that make you feel good. Like there's a way to empower yourself even in a [00:26:00] toxic situation. And I think that would be my tip that can be the most generalized without having an individual person in front of me and like getting to the heart of what their toxicity is.

[00:26:10] Lindsay: Yeah, yeah. Yeah. I think that the, the whole theme of this conversation for me is just, defining what freedom means for you and then creating the life around you and the relationships around you that allow you to live that way, live that lifestyle, and just really staying true to what feels right for you and what feels good for you. So as you head into 2022, what are you most excited for?

[00:26:35] Sam: 2022 is going to be an interesting year for me, where you could say any month and you can give me any date. And I'll tell you where I'm going to be. The entire year has been mapped out already for me, which is such a privilege and so exciting, but I have three destination weddings. I am hosting two company retreats for a company client that one's in Bali, one's in Mexico.

[00:26:57] Sam: So when I started to look at next year, it was already [00:27:00] anchored around where I had to be in certain times of the year. So I think that I'm excited about at least getting ahead of things and being able to be. Go into the year, knowing that I have all these exciting things to look forward to in these iconic, exciting adventures, and then creating more time to do the little things here and there that also make me happy.

[00:27:25] Sam: I think when you're in a very fast paced lifestyle and you're moving around a lot, it's easy to be kind of negative about that. Or I'm always living in a suitcase or I'm always unpacking or I'm not packing or jet lag, or I can't sleep on the road. I've chosen this life. If I didn't want to go to these weddings or I didn't want to take these work gigs, I have the opportunity to say, no, I obviously want this.

[00:27:47] Sam: And so I'm looking forward to just going into the year and focusing on the positive, all of these things and figuring out how to use all the skills I've been learning about self care anywhere, and, you know, growing my [00:28:00] business from anywhere in the world and kind of just mastering this more nomadic freedom-based lifestyle

[00:28:06] Sam: now that everything's opening up again and people are vaccinated and I have all of these adventures coming up, being able to use all of these skills that I've, I've been developing over the last four years. 

[00:28:17] Lindsay: So, what does the future of your business look like? Or even right now, because it has evolved so much since we first met four years ago, like where is it evolved to and where do you see it going?

[00:28:29] Sam: Well, it turns out that getting into the podcasting space four years ago was a really great decision. Podcasts have really gone mainstream and you know, you're on gonna be on your second season. And so you're, of course you're finding success from it. And it's been a great investment in your time and getting your message out there and creating your brand and more and more people are seeing that.

[00:28:50] Sam: So my business has been thriving in terms of people wanting to either launch podcasts and are coming to me to either take my courses or one-on-one consulting, or I have a 12 week [00:29:00] mastermind now, or people who are ready to scale their podcasts. People who've either gone through my program or already have a show in discover me.

[00:29:07] Sam: And they're like, Sam, how do I now grow this thing? How do I leverage my podcast to get closer to a bigger dream I have. How do I monetize it? And so businesses is thriving in that sense. And so I'm excited to keep growing that and to keep creating offers for this particular, um, type of person and this offer while also building more of my personal brand freedom lifestyles coming back for a fifth season, which is really exciting.

[00:29:35] Sam: And after taking a year off, I feel like I know where, what I want to say again and how freedom is much more than just location independence.

[00:29:44] Sam: And so, you know, creating more content around that message, building my personal brand, building freedom lifestyle, and impacting people while also having this like successful lucrative podcast consulting business to kind of anchor it all. 

[00:29:56] Lindsay: Yeah. Oh, my gosh. That's so exciting. [00:30:00] The growth and evolution, you know, when folks start out a business, they do not have no idea what's coming in terms of the evolution and their own growth,

[00:30:11] Lindsay: and what, what things we'll expand into and it is so awesome to see how things have just evolved and expanded for you. And I'm so psyched for the 2022 and beyond. It's been good to see you being that anchor for people. Not just for yourself, but for other people who are feeling the same kind of way and giving them things to, to relate and connect and learn and grow and just exist in a space that feels good for them.

[00:30:37] Lindsay: And it's true for them. 

[00:30:38] Sam: Thank you so much. No, it's been awesome, have watching you grow as well in this process. And we connected right at the beginning of my journey. So it's cool to have those people that you met and you've kind of watched them grow in different ways throughout it, or people shift and change.

[00:30:53] Sam: There's some people who we met and were starting businesses at the same time and who that didn't, you know, that ended up not [00:31:00] being their path for them. And I applaud that too. It's just about the freedom to choose and the freedom to craft your own day. And it's not for everybody, but it's about having that space and time to, to reflect on what's good for you.

[00:31:13] Sam: And then the courage to just craft your day and your life yourself. If someone does that, that's all I can ask for it. Doesn't have to look like how I'm living mine.

[00:31:23] Lindsay: Brilliant. Brilliant. Okay. So for folks that want to stay in touch with you, where can they follow? 

[00:31:28] Sam: I'm so easy to find on the internet.

[00:31:30] Sam: Literally you can just search Sam Liberte. Instagram is where I'm the most active. I totally follow back. You know, just let me know. You're a real person. And I have my podcast, The Freedom Lifestyle Podcast. I have about 60 episodes on right now, but season five is coming out soon. And then if you want to launch a podcast or you want to scale a podcast, or if you want to just learn, if it's good for you, I have a series of free resources that can help you decide whether podcasting is a good use of your business or good decision for your business.

[00:31:59] Sam: Or you [00:32:00] can work with me in a more like professional, um, capacity at Launch a Podcast on a Budget .com 

[00:32:06] Lindsay: Perfect. 

[00:32:06] Lindsay: And we're going to have all of that in the show notes. So you'll be able to go and get all the links. If you are thinking of starting a podcast, if you have a podcast, I can not recommend connecting with Sam's mastermind community, working with her directly.

[00:32:18] Lindsay: I've been doing it, uh, connected with and doing it for years, and it has been awesome at helping to break down the podcasting process for folks that are just starting out and thinking they have to buy all this fancy equipment and do all this complicated things, the way you break it down is so simple and so accessible.

[00:32:35] Lindsay: Sam. Thank you so much for hanging out with me today. 

[00:32:37] Sam: Thank you so much for having me bye Lindsay 

[00:32:39] Lindsay: Bye. 

[00:32:39] Lindsay: Friends, thank you so much for joining me today. Remember to check out the show notes for all links to the resources that we shared. Did you know that I have a 12 month coaching program with weekly group coaching on all things marketing, sales and business growth for first time, service-based entrepreneurs called Easier Entrepreneurship Club.

[00:32:59] Lindsay: If you've been [00:33:00] working your buns off and not seeing the growth that you know is possible, you need to come join my club. It is the only 12 month program out there that teaches you real, actionable business skills that work with a business coach, me and a ridiculously fun community of entrepreneurs supporting you every step of the way.

[00:33:18] Lindsay: You can find out more at theradicalconnector.com/club Remember the life is not all about work and I want y'all working less and playing more. Friends, I will see you online.

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Lindsay Johnson

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