Freedom! The joy of working as a digital nomad, with writer, speaker, and strategist Lauren Razavi

07/25/22 • 34 min

Digital nomad and future-of-work strategist Lauren Razavi talks about how she lives and travels, how she crafted a life that works just right for her, and what a "country on the Internet" would look like.
Lauren’s bio: Lauren Razavi is a writer, speaker and strategist working at the intersection of technology, business, policy, and human behaviour. She is author of the book Global Natives and writes the Counterflows newsletter about borderless living. Lauren was an early adopter of remote work and has lived as a digital nomad since 2013. Currently, she is executive director of Plumia, the mission to build an internet country for digital nomads, at the Y Combinator alumni company SafetyWing.
Choice quotes from the podcast:
"For me, it's never an ambition to make a separation between my work and the rest of my life. But instead, to make sure that those two things are very much in balance, in harmony, and I'm able to feel really fulfilled, whatever I'm doing."
"The rise of freelancing and self employment is really interesting, if you consider it in part as a response to traditional companies lack of flexibility around remote work."
"It's all about priorities. What do you want to spend your mental energy and time optimizing for?"

Previous Episode

How big moments of change are a chance to cultivate joy, with communications consultant Christina Monaco

Independent communications consultant Christina Monaco reflects on switching from a corporate career to self-employment in the midst of the pandemic.

Christina’s bio:

Christina Monaco is an independent consultant and communications specialist who collaborates with clients to develop executive messaging, company narrative, and employee engagement programs.

After her most recent corporate position was eliminated in the Fall of 2020 as a result of a company reorganization, Christina founded Christina Monaco Communications LLC in early 2021 and serves as Principal consultant. As part of her role leading a consultancy, she partners with leadership teams in a variety of sectors to support them with developing the communication needed in order to create connectivity throughout an organization, inspire employees, and inform audiences.

Christina has a wide range of experience that includes Communications, Event Marketing, and Public Relations roles at some of the world’s most recognized global brand organizations, including LVMH, Condé Nast, and Hearst. During her time at LVMH she worked within the Mot Hennessy North America portfolio of Wines & Spirits brands to create and deliver corporate programs and company messaging for internal colleagues and external stakeholders. Christina has led the Communications and Event Marketing strategy for champagne brands Veuve Clicquot, Dom Pérignon, and Moët & Chandon, as well as for Belvedere Vodka, Navan Cognac, and 10 Cane Rum. Throughout her 16 years working at Mot Hennessy North America she received awards for outstanding performance in Teamwork, Innovative Partnerships, Connection to Employees, and Best in Class Events. She was also an integral part of the company’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives where she co-led the Women @ MHUSA Employee Resource Group that offered inspiring programs to advance equity and equality in the workplace.

Christina has held creative services and promotional marketing positions at renowned consumer magazines including GQ, Harper’s BAZAAR, Talk, and BRIDE’s where she created initiatives for beauty, fashion, jewelry, and lifestyle advertising partners. In addition to developing multi-platform programs to increase revenue, Christina was a national magazine spokesperson where she commentated events, videos, and branded commercials to showcase advertising partners to consumer audiences.

Christina began her career at Chiat/Day Advertising in New York in the Media Buying Department.

Originally from Long Island, NY, Christina is an ongoing participant of memoir writing workshops and enjoys spending time with friends and taking walks with her dog.

Find Christina online at on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/christina-monaco-4a88201a/ or on Instagram at @christinamnyc

Notable quotes from the interview:

"At a certain point in my life, I realized that I can do whatever I set my mind to do, no matter what people either thought of me in terms of my entrepreneurial ability, or what expectations I have on myself."

"I was always told I didn't have a mind for business... So for me, one of the most joyful things was knowing I could start my own business."

“All it takes is one person, one new client, one job, and then you're on your way."

Next Episode

Why work-life balance is a waste of time and other words of wisdom from graphic designer and brand strategist Gage Mitchell

Gage Mitchell, graphic designer and brand strategist, discusses why a good brand is like a movie, why work-life balance is a waste of time, and how "I can't" is really "I'm scared" in disguise, among many other things.
Gage’s bio: Design has the power to bring about massive change. That power comes with a responsibility. Whether designing an object, a business, a community, or anything in between, Gage believes that both the process and the solution must aim to bring about a better world – for all. His work, thought leadership, and commitment to this ethos have garnered countless awards, features, interviews, and speaking engagements. Gage's passion lies at the intersection of design, business, sustainability, and food.

A few current projects:

Modern Species: helping better-for-the-world brands launch, evolve, and grow through strategic branding, packaging, and web design.
Evolve CPG: a podcast and community for purpose-driven leaders of CPG brands who not only believe in a better, but actively pursue it.
Path to Impact: guiding design, business, and community leaders through an inclusive process of designing for measurable, sustainable impact.
Kindship Group: a collaborative full-service marking agency elevating purpose-driven brands and helping them grow for good.

Notable quotes from the episode:
"I've been a big advocate for life design. Design your life to be more fulfilling."
"My theory is that the most time-saving thing you can do is to marry your passions with your work, so that every hour you spend working benefits your life, and every hour you spend making your life rich and fulfilling benefits your work."
"When you have to say no to a project that's not ideal, you create space for a more ideal project to show up."