Ep. 287: How This Freelancer Travels The World As A Virtual Consultant with Emily Fang
In this episode, I speak with Emily who is the founder of Asian Wander Women, a vibrant, tight knit online 1,100+ community of remote entrepreneurs, creators, and builders from all over the world.
She is also a YouTuber, a podcaster, and community strategist at Stripe. Originally from San Francisco, she spent the last two years in Singapore, using SG as a launch pad to explore SE Asia. She has since transitioned to become fully remote to travel as a freelancer and consultant.
Listen on to find out how Emily travels the world as a virtual consultant.
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Transcription:
Debbie:
Hey, everyone! Thank you so much for being here, I am really excited to speak with my guest today.
I’m here with Emily.
Hi, Emily! How are you?
Emily:
I’m good. I’m so excited to be on this podcast!
Hi, Debbie!
Debbie:
Hi! So can you tell us about you, Emily? And why you live an offbeat life.
Emily:
Basically, in 2020, during the covid pandemic, I actually quit my startup job in San Francisco, moved to Singapore and I was going to take a gap year to travel, covid hit and then I wanted to stay in South East Asia.
So, ultimately, I decided to stay in South East Asia, find a job and then it ended up a 3 year stint and then now, I’ve started my nomadic journey, which is a 4 point, city rotation, around New York, San Francisco, Singapore and Taiwan. This is something that I wanted to do but I think a lot of people think this is a very strange thing to have and to build out but this is something that resonates with me, and so this is the offbeat life that I’m living now.
Debbie:
That’s pretty awesome and during the few years that we’ve had the pandemic, so many people’s lives have changed and yours seems like it has to, now you’re able to do it nomadically, was your job remote or did you want to do something that would allow you to be more nomadic and that’s kind of what drove you to do this?
Emily:
Yeah, those are good questions, when I was in Singapore I had worked for 2 tech companies and both of them had work flexibility, so it could be remote if I wanted to, however, I had to be in Singapore and that didn’t really allow me the flexibility I wanted to like, you know, kind of travel and go overseas and what not and it wasn’t until, I guess the second job, when I was working at Stripe, which is a fintech company, there was little bit more flexibility in that role and I had a taste of the kind of freedoms that I could have like on the weekend or when I had time off, I could go to Vietnam or I could go to Bali but I realized that like this is amazing and maybe it doesn’t make sense for me to just be stuck in one place when I can do my job anywhere in the world and I, yeah, basically left Stripe after a year or so to also kind of just take a breather and figure out what my next plans were, but right now I am doing consulting work, so it’s like 20 hours for my previous manager at the Startup I used to work at, it’s very flexible, I can have 20 hours whenever, on whichever day in the week, and then on the side I am building my own media business, with my co-founder, Ivy, and so that’s what I’ve been up to these days.
Debbie:
Yeah and it’s great because you do have that background that allows you to do that because most of the time when people want to start doing this their 9 to 5 is something that can’t be taken on the road, maybe they don’t know how to do that but because of what you were doing, it kind of is just a perfect combination of what you’re doing now and you’re able to kind of balance it between still being a consultant and working with you know, people that you already know, and now you’re doing your business, can you tell us a little more about that and what made you or even drove you to start your own company?
Emily:
Yeah, definitely, and I also want to preface too, like I think working in tech has its privileges as well and I recognize that, like honestly, I don’t want to say like everyone can do this remote life thing and it’s hard, you know, so I accept and I understand, I just want to like put that there first so, yeah, but I think tech has allowed me to do that and I think I’ve been in community operations, community like strategy and management for a very long time, it’s been my background within tech, like doing like open source developer communities, building out tech networking communities, my social communities, so I think this career progression naturally just led me to think about building one of my own.
And I think again in 2020 when everyone was like very isolated and a little bit depressed with what was going on, my friend and I were like, “Why don’t we just create a Facebook group or we find like-minded women who are interested in building something of their own, likes to travel,”, and it was supposed to be just for fun, and it just kind of grew organically and now we’re, there’s like 1100 of us, so we’re a pretty tight knit community, we do meet-ups in San Francisco, New York, Singapore, Toronto and Taiwan, so it’s something that I think there’s a lot of potential in and I’m really excited to continue watching it grow and so those are the, that’s basically what I’m going to be working on, building out like a multimedia company for this community.
Debbie:
That’s incredible! And you know, you talk about the 4 cities that you go to and most people, usually, when they start going nomadic they choose like the cheapest places and you seem to have chosen the most expensive spots, you know, like the Bay Area, New York City, like, oh my gosh, I’m like, that’s pretty awesome because most of the time people shy away from it or they’re from those areas but you’re like, “Oh no, I love this.”, what made you decide to go for those 4 cities that you’ve kinda been drawn to?
Emily:
I will say, I’m not living the high life or the fly life, just putting that out there, I’m doing this on a budget, like even right now, we’re living in a Brooklyn apartment, right? It’s one bedroom, one bath for $4000, but I’m doing a sublease, so I’m paying $1000 for 3 weeks in this apartment and I’m also sharing it with my friend.
So, there are ways that I’m like, “Okay, I’m just going to be a little bit frugal”, I want to be in the city but there’s like ways to make it work, so, yeah.
I did it for New York because a lot of my friends live here now and there’s a community here that I wanted to build out. San Francisco, particularly because my sister lives there and I can live with her so I don’t have to pay rent and then Taiwan because my parents also live there as well and they’re moving there and Singapore just because I’ve been there for the past 3 months and err past 3 years and will continue building out my relationships there and have some business there so, yeah, I think once I explain it it’ll make sense, but I’m definitely like, these are expensive cities but I make it work under like a very frugal budget so, yeah, it’s like kinda couch surfing, hopping around from place to place, I’m not living in a high rise, in a condo. Yet, no I’m kidding.
Debbie:
Yeah and I’m like, “Oh my gosh, a $1000 for 3 weeks, that’s super cheap in New York City!”.
So , I love that, I love how you’re doing this because most of the time people think it’s impossible to do that and you’re actually doing it on a budget, you know? And either staying with people that you know and trust or you’re finding something that is affordable for you which I think is a shame for a lot of people because all of these cities that you have mentioned usually people try to stay away from because it is so expensive to do but if you can do it and if you’re building a business like you are, Emily, it’s such a good idea because of all the connections that you can get from these areas that you may not necessarily get from other places.
So, I love that! I love that you are able to work around this and you’re like super honest like, “Okay, I’m not spending like a bajillion dollars to do this, I just know how to make it work.”, which is pretty incredible. Is that how you usually travel most of the time? Like, you’re very conscious about what you’re doing, about the places that you’re staying and it’s not just about places to see but also the connections that you’re going to be making from it as well?
Emily:
That’s definitely a really great question because I feel like my style of travel has changed over the past couple of years, right? I think before, it was like oh, scrolling on Instagram, you’re like, “Oh this place is beautiful, I’m just going to go and visit.”, which by no means is like, like it was a way to travel back then, but I think nowadays it’s like, I kinda want to visit people who are already there, who can show me around or like host me, there’s more like intentionality behind like the way that I want to travel, especially because, I mean, travel also can be expensive, so, I want to make sure that I kind of get the most out of my time there.
But yeah, using Hanoi as an example, in Vietnam, I’ve always wanted to go to Vietnam but then I found, like I was choosing between different cities and Vietnam, but I found out that one of my friends, Nok, who I met through my community, she lives there, she’s there, she’s a local, she grew up there and was happy to host us and even find us accommodation for cheaper, so it’s like, things like that that kind of help gravitate and pull me towards a certain place, just because I know that there’s a softer landing pad when I go into this new country, there’s someone who can show me around and like live a very local lifestyle and I feel like I can just have a more authentic experience so yeah, I would say that there’s intentionality behind it now.
Debbie:
Yeah, and you’re right, there’s definitely a change and a shift with the way you travel as you grow older because it’s like when you’re younger you kind of just want to do everything, check off the bucket list and then as you get older you’re like, “Okay, I’ve gone to an X amount of places already, like what really resonated with me?”, maybe you went there and you really loved it and you want to go back or even slow traveling now, right? Because when you’re younger it’s all about like, “I need to get to as many places as possible!”, and now it’s like, “Oh my gosh, it’s too much, how can I actually make the most out of this?”, and I love how you’re doing this and also like, connecting your connections with the business that you have with the people that you know and that’s the thing that most of us are really wary about is that who are we connecting with that we can trust? You know? Especially if you’re on your own, that could be pretty scary for somebody that has not done it before either.
Emily:
Agreed, actually. I think that there’s a lot of wariness and hesitation around meeting people off the internet, to be honest, right? There’s a traveling group called “Subtle Asian Travel”, where you can like meet people and just travel together and I don’t know I guess like during the pandemic I just became a little more open minded to like, to actually like, I don’t know, like doing Zoom calls with strangers or like meeting them in person for coffee chats and what not and maybe it’s like the nature of the business, like you just have to better at like networking or like meeting people but I think I’ve gotten a little bit more open minded to like talking and meeting people online. In terms of safety-ness, I still am diligent and like background checks even the sublease right now that I’m doing, like a friend of a friend, yeah, so, there’s always a little bit of background check that goes into it especially as like a female traveler, there’s a lot of things that my male friends don’t have to go through that I had to, like even in New York like getting cat called on the street like literally 2 days ago, super uncomfortable, or just like people invading your space like on a subway and you’re just like, “that’s way too close”, so, yeah, like as a female traveler, there’s a lot of things to be aware of.
Debbie:
Yeah, New York is a beast on its own and you know when people talk about it, it’s like New Yorkers are jaded we totally are because we pretty much seen a lot of things and it takes a lot to rattle us so, they had like this, I think there was this short video, I forgot where I saw it, either on YouTube or on Instagram where this guy, he was an artist and he put on this suit and like you can’t see his face and it was like it just covered his entire body and then when the subway door would open, he would lay down and people were coming in and it was a busy time and they just walked over him, they didn’t even acknowledge him and then I was cracking up so much because I was like, “That is a total New York City vibe.”, like that’s definitely New Yorkers like we’ve seen so many so it’s just like whatever, just another day with a bunch of like New York weirdos that we’ve come to know and embrace.
Emily:
My gosh, yeah it’s like, it’s just so natural, I think one of the other days, okay, this is terrible, but we saw like a guy lighting a cigarette on the subway and then all of us, I mean I was like, “Whoa, getting smokey in here.”, right? You know? This guy’s like lighting a cigarette, and then no one really says anything they’re just like kind of look at him, roll their eyes and then there’s one lady, she was like, “No, no!”, like super straight up, like super confrontational about it and he like put it away, he’s little lighter and then everyone was like, “She’s the hero we needed on this New York subway.”, so yeah, I love it.
Debbie:
Exactly, it’s either like nobody cares and they’ll just like not pay attention or like it’s the total opposite where it’s like, it’s like it’s crazy, so, it’s funny. Either get one or the other, it’s always an extreme with New York City, which you know, love it or hate it, but you know, you’ve got to live with it.
Emily:
I do like it though! I love it a lot like these qualities of like New Yorkers like I’ve come to appreciate and admire, actually.
Debbie:
Yeah, well, honestly, that’s what I love about New York, growing up here because when you get real New Yorkers and we get a lot of people from out of state and it’s different, right? The vibe is different when it’s people from out of state, when you have like people who are here, it’s so interesting because they’re very straight to the point, they’re like no nonsense but what you see is what you get and they’re so honest with you most of the time and I just love that about New Yorkers because there’s no b.s. and you know, that’s one of the things that I really find so awesome about New Yorkers it’s just like there’s no fakeness to it, they’ll tell you what it is and I’m like, I love that, I love that about New York!
Emily:
Yeah, I do too, I remember like there was like this like kind of grumpy, gruffy looking man, and I was like, “Oh”, he was like opening the door, he like actually held the door for us, like a gentleman and I was like, “Thank you” and he was like, “Hmph”, like okay, I was like, “Thanks”, but like he’s kind but like he’s not trying to be nice, like, so…
Debbie:
Yeah, exactly, he’s just like, “Yeah, I just do this, whatever, leave me alone now, don’t talk to me though.”.
Emily:
Exactly!
Debbie:
That’s pretty much New Yorkers as it is, like they have kind hearts but they don’t necessarily want to talk to you, they just want to be left alone.
Emily:
Yeah, they’re like here for 2 seconds and they’re gone.
Debbie:
Yeah, they’re gone, they’re like, “Leave me alone now, okay, I did my good deed for the day.”, but yeah, I love that you’re able to do this.
Now, why did you decide to leave these jobs that are you know, for most people, like this is what you do, this is kind of like the American dream, you get these great jobs, why did you decide to kind of take yourself outside of that? Get a contracting job and then now pursue something for yourself because that’s a lot harder than just you know, getting a tech job that can maybe allow you to start working remotely, why did you choose the path that you decided to go to?
Emily:
I think it was really down to the idea of controlling time and it’s true, I think the more I was working at that tech job, specifically like the second one, I was on a role that I had to be confined to my laptop, because there were a lot of fires going on, there were a lot of fraud, like I managed a lot of fraud cases, things that had to do with like risk, so I was like constantly watching my laptop like I really, like even using the restroom I felt guilty sometimes, because I was like, I need to be on call, I need to watch my laptop.
So I start talking to like other entrepreneurs and they’re just saying like they had built passive income streams, they were selling digital products that would sell on their own and they got their time back and I was, we just like had a lot of conversations around this and they were just saying like I am very time bound, where I need to be like available at my job from 9 to 6, but for them, it’s like, they had something that continued to make money while they didn’t have to like pay attention to it, and so I realized, what if, you know, I had a little bit more control over my time, like obviously like, building like a business, a digital product business is not easy, it takes years sometimes, right?
So, I think for me, I was like, okay, the easiest way is like, maybe, let me just try to leave this tech job, have some savings up and see what I can do and I think the current situation that I’m in is kind of perfect because it’s kind of like part time paid opportunity and it’s project based so it’s like stable income, right now and the other half is like I’m trying to build as much as I can for this business, but I think a lot of it is also like I’m very risk tolerant, so I think you know, maybe that’s why I was kind of like, okay, like honestly if this doesn’t even work out, if this blows up, I can always go back to a tech job, I think like I have the skill set, I can just go back to one, but at least, I want to, I just want to try, right? I was like, if other people can do it, I can do it. But really, it came down to time, I was like, “this sucks that I’m forced to stare at my laptop”, like Mondays through Fridays, like I felt bad using the restroom, so, I think that’s when I realized like, okay, something needs to change and so, that’s why I’m doing what I’m doing now.
Debbie:
Yeah and that’s a horrible way to live, especially if, I mean there are certain times in your life where you do have to deal with certain things right? Like if you have, you know, a family that you have to support, maybe you’re in a lot of debt and you just have to like do what you have to do but when you have that freedom, you’re still young and you’re able to do that, it’s so much easier but you know, even people who have had like other things have done it before, it’s just a matter of what you’re willing to risk and like you’re saying, Emily, that you’re not afraid to take risks, so, that is something that not many people understand, about being an entrepreneur is that there is a lot of things that go along with it and I love that you have that realistic knowledge and you know anything could literally happen, right? And I think that’s one of the biggest mistakes that I see with people who want to go into this is that, they hear somebody say, “Yeah, you can do XYZ.”, and then they don’t realize that it took these people like 10 years to get to that point and a lot of money and education to get to that and it’s something that has to be said in these things but love that you’re still keeping up with tact because you’re doing contracting jobs just in case anything happens and also you’re still making money for yourself but also balancing it with something that you’re passionate about and that’s something that could become your full time, maybe someday soon, so I love that balance between the two that you’re able to do.
Emily:
Yeah, definitely, I think that the advantage of kind of still working at a contract job too helps me stay relevant to the industry and continues to upskill but yeah, I agree, it’s I think, I never, when people ask me questions about how I’m doing it, like I never prescribe anything because I’m like what works for me won’t work for you and vice versa, and to be honest, I think I’m quite transparent too, like about numbers, so like I run a YouTube channel and it took me 2 years, I’ve been doing it for 2 years but it took me 1 year to monetize, and 2 years to even get it up and running in like me getting partnerships, and like for full transparency, even right now, like some of the videos like get a couple thousand views, etcetera, but like each month it’s only like maybe like $50-$100 from Adsense and then the money comes from like affiliate marketing and actual partnerships, but I think people just have like a skewed perception of like, “Oh you run a YouTube channel?”, and like, “You get paid.”, and I’m like “No! I had to work really really hard!” and like even the Adsense is like $50 a month, even after like hours of editing and filming, yeah so I think me actually doing it myself gave me a realistic view of like what entrepreneurship is, it’s a lot of hours, it’s not like, what is the meme? It’s like, “Oh I quit, I don’t want to do 9 to 5 anymore, I want to work for myself!”, and it’s like, “Now I work 24/7!”.
Debbie:
Yeah, exactly!
Emily:
But, yeah, but, I think, I mean for me, I do like doing it 24/7 for myself. It just feels better.
Debbie:
Yeah, well, that’s the difference right? Like with a job you’re working for something that you may not be passionate about and it’s 40 hours or sometimes it’s a little bit more, you know? But for an entrepreneur if you’re doing something that you enjoy, it could be 24/7, but at least it’s something that you enjoy and it doesn’t feel like work and if you can find that balance that’s something that you’re interested in and something that makes you money, those are 2 really good things because, especially for creators, most of the time we just go towards something that we really enjoy then don’t think about how we can actually create income from this or you go the total opposite where you’re just thinking about the money but then you don’t really like it, and then you end up not doing it for a long period of time because you’re just burned out.
So, the perfect balance between the 2 is great, right? It’s like, it can’t be one or the other, it has to have a balance between creating income but also something that you can enjoy but for most people that’s the dream, right? That’s the dream, because it’s hard, sometimes it’s also hard to figure out what you want to do in your life and you’re like, “*GASP* What if I don’t want to do this a year from now or etcetera?”, so yeah…
Emily:
Yeah, I think one of the hot topics that has been circulating around my community or just my friend circles is like the idea of like you go on a nomadic journey, right? Like, you quit your tech job and the you go on a nomadic journey, like a lot of people are worried about like the opportunity costs or even like, you know, you lose time from like people that you’re close with, maybe you’ll distance yourself away from them, you lose out on like a tech salary, you, it’s just like a lot to think about. I think while you’re, I think especially for me too, on this nomadic journey, I think about like, though I love what I’m doing right now, I don’t know if I could be doing this when I’m like, I don’t know, like 40 or 50 because eventually I want to find a partner and I do want to maybe lay down roots somewhere and then maybe we can travel like outwards but these are like the difficulties, I would say, like the internal struggles of being like my identity is changing now because everywhere I go a little part of me changes, my ideas change or like my values change, and then also the people that I’m meeting are changing me and then I’m very confused with who I am or like with what I want to be but I’m taking it day by day and just trying to enjoy it.
Debbie:
Yeah, I mean that’s, I think that’s the, it’s the worst and the best part of figuring all of this stuff out but the one thing, you know the one thing, I was talking to my cousin the other day and she actually was saying pretty much almost exactly the same thing that you’re saying, Emily, and I told her, you know when I was going through that moment when you’re like questioning everything, I told her to just like try everything that you’re even a little remotely interested in because that’s how you figure out what you don’t want and the more you figure out what you don’t want, it’s going to get you closer to actually what’s right for you because I think sometimes it’s easier to know what you don’t want than to know what you want, you know? It’s like, “Okay I don’t like this, I tried this, I really hated it, I tried this, I hated it. Okay, so now I know.”, because there’s so many things that we’re so afraid to try but then if we just do it, you know? It’s like, “Oh my gosh, now I feel good. I’m not going to be 80 years old and wondering what could’ve been if I just tried it, I know I hated that stuff.”.
But yeah, and also, like going back to what you’re saying about the people you meet and I think that’s also another thing that’s beautiful about being nomadic and traveling and meeting so many different people is that if you just stay in one community, you’re going to have similar values and similar ideas but then when you go off and meet other people it changes you as a person and I think that’s another beautiful thing about being a human being and going through all this process and then you know? You go to 4 different cities, I’m sure you meet a ton of people and everyone’s, you know, even the cultures are so different, even here in the United States, West Coast and East Coast are so different, you know?
Emily:
Oh yeah. Yeah, it’s, I think someone sent me an article about how generally like let’s say you don’t leave a place, right? You just stick to what you know, you are given certain conditions whether it’s like going to the same school with the same people, even like dating within the same pool in your city or like, it’s just, it’s almost like you’re confined by those conditions and if you don’t move or you don’t try a different city or, I think that’s why people gravitate towards big cities too like because they like the change, something to change, especially like if something huge happened to them, they got fired or they went through a breakup, like everyone kind of just like, “F this, I’m breaking the conditions of like what I’m given and I’m going to make a huge, dramatic change.”, because something traumatic happened to them. But I think it’s an insightful article because that made me realize, that’s kind of true, like there are people who just, and it’s totally fine too if you’re happy with the conditions you’re given, but if you don’t really venture out then you don’t learn outside of those conditions. So…
I guess where I’m going with this is if you want something new, you should leave, maybe change the conditions of what you’ve been given and try to create conditions that you want.
Debbie:
Yeah and there’s a lot of possibilities and I also agree like there are certain people, I know certain people that just love where they are like they grew up in a certain area and they just love it and sometimes, you know, I wonder like it must feel really nice to be that secure about where you are, just know that this is a place for you, because for people like us who want different, like a lot of different things, it can get really difficult, you know? Because you’re constantly questioning whether what you’re doing is right, questioning what you’re doing every single time but then there’s certain people that they know exactly what their path is from like day one, you know? It’s not because other people told them to do it, it’s just something that they’re passionate about and I’m like, “Oh my gosh, that’s so nice, that must be so nice!”, to like you know be secure with that.
Emily:
To just know… I know!
Debbie:
Yeah, I’m like, that must be super nice but you know?
Emily:
Yeah, I think someone jokes around, one of my friends, he’s like, “Emily, what are you running from?”, and I’m like, “I don’t know!”. I’m like, “I don’t know!”.
Debbie:
Or maybe you’re running towards something but you just don’t know what it is yet, you know?
Emily:
I’m running in zigzag, like uh-uh.
Debbie:
Yeah, you’re like, “I’m trying to go into every corner, just to make sure I don’t miss anything because you don’t know, you don’t know what’s hiding!”, but yeah, I love that and I think it’s just, honestly, just doing what makes you feel alive and what makes you feel like you have a purpose and I think that’s what we all want in our life, right? Is to find something that you feel like is yours and something that is a purpose that you’re doing in your life and I think when we are having that exist-, you know, like that crisis that we have in our life it’s because you’re not feeling like you’re doing something that is your purpose, what you’re meant to do and for people like us who are always trying to run towards something and people will think we’re running away from something, I think it’s because you still haven’t found it yet and you’re still, you keep trying to look for something but yeah, it’s interesting, it’s fun but it could also be really tiring and exhausting.
Emily:
Yeah, that’s why I’m enjoying the slow, like the slowmad travel. I think there are like different terms, it’s like “Slowmad” where you like travel slowly and kind of live in cities for long periods of time, and then there’s like one called “Homad”, where you’re like you stay in one home and you travel out like for long periods of time but then always have a home to go back to.
I think eventually I want to become, it sounds so funny, homad,
Debbie:
I know!
Emily:
Yeah, but eventually I would want to eventually get to that point where I do have a home base and maybe like a little, just a little nook, right? Like a humble abode of my own, that I’m like, “this is mine, this is my safe space and my little, my woman cave.”, that I can you know, travel out, travel in, like however I would want to and maybe that would give me a feeling of a little bit more security and like stability in my life but also give me the flexibility and the freedom to explore all corners of the universe, so, I don’t know, like something you’re doing now, I’m curious too.
Debbie:
Yeah, no, that’s actually what my husband and I do. So, we have a house here in New York, and what we do is like we go and travel like once the weather gets colder, we like, you know, move along because we’re both, you know, we both work remotely and run our business together.
Yeah, so we have our home base here in New York City and then we just go down south, sometimes we go down, you know, to the west coast and then once everything starts calming down more, we’re definitely going to travel outside of the US but yeah, that’s what we do and I love it, I guess, is that what they call it, “homad’? I don’t know, 7I’m like, there’s so many terms now, I don’t even know, I have to keep up with everything. I’m like, I’m just living life, I don’t know, what’s all these terms, sure, I like that.
Emily:
I know! I think I saw on Twitter or something and I was like, “Oh, this is relevant.”, right? Yeah, I do like that.
Debbie:
Yeah, and when you were talking about it I was like, “Yeah, I guess that’s what I do.”, I’m a ho, is it like a hoe or like is it home, I don’t know like either way, whatever, I don’t care.
Emily:
I think it’s a homad actually. Home-mad, I don’t know, we need someone to help us out, emphasis on the ‘home’.
Debbie:
I know right, is it like hoe or home? I’m like either way, hey listen, I don’t mind, you know, I am for everybody, whatever, that’s hilarious, so like, I’m like, “Yeah, I’m a hoemad, okay.”.
Emily:
Okay, don’t quote me on this, on the pronunciation.
Debbie:
Either way, maybe you created something new, who knows? Like Emily created a new terminology in the nomad world but I love that.
But thank you, Emily, so let’s move forward to maybe 40 to 50 years from now and you’re looking back at your life, what legacy would you like to leave and what do you want to be remembered for?
Emily:
Ooh, that is a very deep, inquisitive questions, I think I would like to be remembered as like a connector, like bringing people into a space where they feel welcome, where they find the right people for them, and also just taking the leap of faith or courage to kind of do whatever they want to do. I think with the community that I’m building now, I think a lot of it is like building out the connective tissue and the ecosystem for women to feel safe to be able to build the life that they want, so, I think that’s the legacy I want, like to be remembered as someone who is like helpful and connecting people, yeah and maybe at that age too, maybe I, you know, I think I would be settled down and just happy and still traveling, yeah, but you know, having like, I don’t know, a refrigerator full of those like magnets from all over the world, you know, just hanging out with my dogs and then my dogs travel with me, okay now, I’m thinking too far but that’s the life.
Debbie:
I love that you know, that’s a good way of like looking at it and you know, you’re already connecting with like 4 different huge cities and you’re meeting so many people so you’re definitely on the way there, I love that!
Well, thank you so much, Emily, for joining us today. If our listeners want to learn more about you, where can they find you?
Emily:
Yeah, so I have a blog that I’m building out right now, it’s thefanggirl.com, so it’s just F-A-N-G, I also have an Instagram as well, which is @thefangirl again and my YouTube channel, which is also The Fang Girl, yes, you can contact me on all forms of social media, I will respond.
Debbie:
Perfect, thanks, Emily, we really appreciate you being here!
Emily:
Thank you so much for having me.
Listen to Emily’s extended interview where she talks about dating as a digital nomad.
What you’ll find:
In this episode, Emily talks about what dating is like as a digital nomad.
