Why You Need to Build a Remote Business That Serves Your Lifestyle, Not the Other Way Around with Sophie Biggerstaff | Ep 26

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Are you tired of living for the weekend while watching friends work from tropical beaches?

Ryan Mellon sits down with Sophie Biggerstaff, who transformed her life from corporate fashion burnout to thriving entrepreneur living on a Thai island. They dive deep into the realities of the nomad life, from choosing locations that match your personality to the surprising affordability of living in paradise.

Sophie shares her journey from working 14-hour days in London's fashion industry to running her own business from Koh Phangan, Thailand. She reveals the exact steps she took to break free, including how she manages her work schedule to prioritize morning beach walks and yoga sessions while still earning more than enough to support her lifestyle.

Chapters:
00:02:42 - The shocking moment she discovered laptop workers in paradise
00:13:32 - The real cost of living on a thai island
00:18:38 - Her morning routine that changed everything
00:22:40 - The business pivot that finally set her free
00:36:00 - #1 mistake most new nomads make

Sophie addresses how to create a business that works for your life rather than trapping you in another unfulfilling grind. You'll learn practical strategies for finding community abroad, staying healthy while traveling, and building a sustainable routine that prioritizes what matters most to you.

Listen, learn, and gain a clear roadmap for transforming your current skills into a mobile career, finding your ideal destination based on your preferences, and creating your own version of freedom.

Connect with guest: https://www.instagram.com/sophiebiggerstaff/?hl=en

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DISCLAIMER:
Listening to stories of beachside zoom calls, mountainside work views, and island-hopping entrepreneurs may cause severe wanderlust and an irresistible urge to turn your laptop into a passport to freedom. Side effects include daydreaming about tropical coworking spaces, working with Ryan to learn how you can start working and traveling and buying a one-way ticket to Bali. Get ready to start living your dream life today!

Chapters

• 2:42 The moment she discovered laptop workers in paradise
• 13:32 The real cost of living on a Thai island
• 18:38 Her morning routine that changed everything
• 22:40 The business pivot that finally set her free
• 36:00 #1 mistake most new nomads make

Transcript

[00:00:00] Ryan Mellon: What if the key to success wasn't grinding harder, but slowing down? Imagine building a business that fits your lifestyle instead of constantly reshaping your life around your workday. Today I sit down with Sophie Biggerstaff. She shares how she went from the high pressure world of corporate fashion in London to running a freedom first business from a tropical island in Thailand, all without burning out or going broke.


[00:00:21] Ryan Mellon: Learn why her unproductive mornings actually make her more successful. The real cost of island life and what most digital nomads get wrong about budgeting and how to find hi hidden digital nomad community anywhere in the world. Stick Around until the AM for her pick of the most underrated nomad spot in Europe. It's got palm trees, surf yoga and offers everything Bali does, but remains mostly undiscovered. [00:01:00] today. I'm Sophie Biggerstaff. Welcome, Sophie.

[00:01:52] Sophie Biggerstaff: Thank you for having me. I'm excited to be here.

[00:01:54] Sophie Biggerstaff: ~For sure.~

[00:01:54] Ryan Mellon: ~So, so, very cool.~ So ~tell us about,~ take us back to,~ um,~ your old life, corporate,~ uh,~ life.

[00:01:58] Ryan Mellon: And [00:02:00] was there like a specific time or place that you realized like it wasn't for you and, and that you needed to make a change?

[00:02:08] Sophie Biggerstaff: Yeah, definitely. So I never went to university. ~Um, ~I worked since I was 16 years old,~ um,~ and kind of got into my career very early. So I started working in my first like proper career job, which was as a buyer's admin assistant at Ralph Lauren when I was only 18 years old. And then I kind of very quickly like climbed this career ladder really fast and within three years I'd been promoted twice and was like, already like deep in my career at the age of like 21 kind of thing.

[00:02:38] Sophie Biggerstaff: ~Um, ~and I then started looking back and was like, oh, hang on a minute. I haven't got any like real life experience. I didn't go to university. Yeah, I'm working, but all I was doing was working because I was so career driven. Even when I was at,~ um,~ college, I would have like a part-time job and an internship.

[00:02:53] Sophie Biggerstaff: So I was working seven days a week. So I was like so hungry to make money and like build this career,~ um,~ that I hadn't really then left home or [00:03:00] like traveled or done anything. So I actually quit my job when I was,~ um,~ about 21, 22 and I came to Southeast Asia. ~Um, ~I went to Australia, New Zealand and I started traveling and that's where I started like being.

[00:03:12] Sophie Biggerstaff: Opened up and exposed to this world of travel. And in 2014, the year I did that, nomad life wasn't really a thing. Or maybe it was, but in a different capacity. ~Um, ~so I wasn't exposed to it then, but then I always knew that I wanted travel to be part of my working life. So when I went home, I actually ended up moving to Italy and living in Italy for work.

[00:03:31] Sophie Biggerstaff: So I was, I was kind of getting that travel fixed. Through my jobs, through my career, and I worked in a corporate fashion job, like working remotely wasn't a thing. Go. Like the only way I was gonna be able to do it is if I was traveling with work. So. All of my jobs after that were jobs where I was able to travel.

[00:03:48] Sophie Biggerstaff: So I lived in Italy. I worked for Kate Spade where I was,~ um,~ working between London and New York offices. Then I worked for Burberry and I was traveling all around Europe with them. So it was very much like, I've always had this like travel and [00:04:00] work experience. But in more of a corporate capacity. And to be honest, I knew quite early on in my career, corporate life wasn't for me.

[00:04:08] Sophie Biggerstaff: I never really fit in because I'm very outspoken. I'm not afraid to say what I think. I come up with lots of new ideas. And in a corporate world, if you don't fit into their box and you don't fit into their structure, you don't fit. You don't have a place there. They don't like that. So I would often kind of be put back in my bo in my box if you like.

[00:04:26] Sophie Biggerstaff: ~Um, ~and I would always wanna like spring back out of it. So I knew probably like. in my second job that I shouldn't be in corporate world, but I didn't know what else I could do. Like that was just, that was the only thing that I knew how to do. So I carried it on, carried it on, and then just before the pandemic hit, I was on working on a contract and a maternity cover contract.

[00:04:47] Sophie Biggerstaff: So, and it was coming to an end and I had two options. I could either extend it. Or I could,~ um,~ I could leave and like go and do something else. And I was like, this is not for me. Like I have to make a change here. Like [00:05:00] this doesn't work for me anymore. And prior to that, I had actually been on holiday to Bali.

[00:05:05] Sophie Biggerstaff: This was in 2017. And that was when I started getting exposed to like the digital nomad lifestyle because one of my friends was actually living there. And I was like, how on earth is my friend living in Bali? Like that's. So far fetched, like so crazy. What's she doing? ~Um, ~and it happened to be that she was working, like she was a graphic designer and she was working remotely and was based there because her boyfriend,~ um,~ was setting a up a company there.

[00:05:26] Sophie Biggerstaff: So when I went to Bali, like I was seeing all these people working on their laptops in the middle of the day and I was like, well, what the hell are you doing? Like, that's so foreign. It's such a foreign concept to me because I wouldn't be allowed to do that in my job. So what are they doing to allow them to do that?

[00:05:40] Sophie Biggerstaff: Then that sparked something in me. So when I then came to quit my job,~ um,~ working at Burberry and I was like, I don't wanna do this anymore. I think I'm gonna go traveling and reflect what I wanna do and then maybe come back, start business or like figure something else out. I'm not sure, but I know that travel is something that I want to do and I know that the end destination is Bali because I want that life, [00:06:00] um, that I saw that person ha my friend, have him.

[00:06:03] Sophie Biggerstaff: ~Um, ~so I did quit, but I would quit before the pandemic started, before we even knew about, like covid or anything. But I had a three month notice period. So my, my three month notice period ended the day we went into lockdown in London. ~Um, ~so I was kind of like left with like, no job going into Covid, had a mortgage to pay in London, like had bills and things coming outta my bank account, but no money coming in.

[00:06:24] Sophie Biggerstaff: So I very quickly like. I couldn't go, obviously realized I couldn't go traveling. Like I'd actually had like this whole itinerary for going to Mexico and Costa Rica and going down to Columbia. Like I had this whole thing planned out for a four month trip and it was never gonna happen. So I had to very quickly like think on my feet and be like, right, okay, what can I do?

[00:06:42] Sophie Biggerstaff: So I started, ~um. ~Basically offering the services based on my skills. So the skills that I'd been using in my, in my jobs. And luckily in the pandemic, everyone was starting e-commerce businesses and obviously that's where I've been working in retail and e-commerce for such a long time. At this point, I think I was, [00:07:00] when we went into pandemic, I was 28, so I'd been working in that world for like almost 11 years and, ~um.~

[00:07:06] Sophie Biggerstaff: We, yeah, I basically just used all of my existing skills, shifted my LinkedIn profile and was like, right, okay, let's, let's just see what I can do here. Started accidentally building this business, but with the end goal of right, I'm gonna move, I'm gonna be able to build this business remotely so that I can end up in Bali.

[00:07:25] Sophie Biggerstaff: Or like go traveling or do whatever. 'cause I knew that travel was such a big part of my life. And then fast forward 18 months, there I am like moving to Bali,~ um,~ on a one-way ticket. And I haven't really looked back since. And that was almost four years ago. So it's been a bit of a journey to get there.

[00:07:40] Ryan Mellon: I love how you're, you know, you being,~ um. ~Just dissatisfied with your, your corporate job, you know, helped lead you there and then everything kind of fell in place. Like obviously it wasn't perfect timing for covid to happen the same time you quit your job and, and you had to think quickly on your feet and couldn't travel there for a [00:08:00] bit.

[00:08:00] Ryan Mellon: But it sounds like all the, all the doors opened at the right time to get you to where you wanted to go, 

[00:08:06] Ryan Mellon: which is really amazing. Yeah. 

[00:08:08] Sophie Biggerstaff: a bit of a blessing in disguise because I think if I hadn't have been like to the point where I had to make something work, like I needed to make money in some way, and bearing in mind the retail industry was a mess. There was no shops open. So like obviously e-commerce was booming, but they weren't hiring because.

[00:08:24] Sophie Biggerstaff: E-commerce was the only thing holding up the retail industry. The retail and e-commerce industry. So no fashion jobs that I would normally have applied for would've hired me anyway because they were all on spend freezes. So it wasn't even like I had the option to go back into the jobs that I was previously working.

[00:08:39] Sophie Biggerstaff: So actually that happening at that moment in time was a blessing in disguise because it gave me the space and the time to actually figure out what I could potentially do.

[00:08:48] Ryan Mellon: That's amazing ,~ I'm very excited as well.~ So, I recently saw on your Instagram you were in Koh Phangan are you still in Koh Phangan.

[00:08:55] Sophie Biggerstaff: I'm definitely still in Koh Phangan. Yeah, I'm currently based here for the foreseeable [00:09:00] until I decide I don't wanna be anymore.

[00:09:02] Ryan Mellon: Okay. And the last time I was there, I think it was before Covid, you know, it's home of the, uh.~ uh. ~Full moon party and,~ um,~ jungle party, and there's a big,~ uh,~ party scene there. I'm just curious, like, do you have any trouble, like with all the things and fun that there is to do like staying,~ uh,~ productive and working and while being on an island that has so much,~ uh,~ distractions?

[00:09:27] Sophie Biggerstaff: So I don't really party anymore. Like my party days are very much like over. ~Um, ~like yeah, I'll obviously go out every now and again, but I, I don't drink, I don't take any substances. Like I'm very much like. ~Um, ~in my like wellbeing era if you like. So the main distractions for me are yoga or like the spiritual events, to be honest.

[00:09:47] Sophie Biggerstaff: ~Um, ~more so than the party scene. And I haven't even been down to Hadron, which is where all of the party stuff happens most of the time. I Hadron Banty never been there since I've got back here, so I did that [00:10:00] all. What was it about 2014? I did the last of the full moon party when I was a backpacker. So,~ um, ~no, to answer your question, I don't get distracted by the party scene.

[00:10:09] Sophie Biggerstaff: I get distracted by other things. More like social events, to be honest

[00:10:12] Sophie Biggerstaff: these days. 

[00:10:13] Ryan Mellon: And I've heard Koh Phangan has been more digital nomad friendly in the past couple years, ~especially since Covid. Um, it's changed a bit,~ so I'm just curious like how it is now and like what, what you like to spend your days doing there.

[00:10:24] Sophie Biggerstaff: It really is. Like there's definitely, I think you'll understand this from being a nomad and living in Bali, like there's certain places that people tend to go to, and Koh Phangan is one of those places, like, if you like the vibe of Bali, for example, you're probably gonna like the vibe of Koh Phangan~ um,~ and Koh Phangan.

[00:10:39] Sophie Biggerstaff: I mean, I wasn't here, I, I last came Koh Phangan two years ago, ~so after Covid, I've.~ Before that, it was like I say 2014. ~So I'm not sure quite what the, uh, the nomad vibe was like around the Covid era.~ But two years ago it, I was living on for a few months, so I'd often come over to Kang and see it. And to be honest, I didn't understand, like everyone used to say, oh, it's a digital nomad hub.

[00:10:57] Sophie Biggerstaff: Like there's digital nomads here. It's the main place in Thailand [00:11:00] other than Chiang Mai, where digital nomads would hang out. I couldn't see it then like two years ago, I did not see that. Like I didn't see that many people working on their laptops in cafes. There was a couple of coworkings, but not, not many.

[00:11:12] Sophie Biggerstaff: ~Um, ~but I did feel like the call to kind of like come back and I was like, I feel like there's something more to explore here. In the past two years, there has been a lot of development, not at the same pace as Bali is developing. I have to say it's not as quick as that, but there has been a lot of development in the past two years, and you do see now way more people in cafes working on their laptops.

[00:11:32] Sophie Biggerstaff: ~Um, ~there's way more coworking spaces that have been open. There's way more like. Business events, coworking events. I've actually just started a community here on the island and we meet every week,~ um,~ to do a coworking session. And it's like kind of blown up here already. We've only been running it for three weeks, but it just shows you that there, there, there is a digital name, our community here, but it's not like.

[00:11:50] Sophie Biggerstaff: In Bali, you'd go to Canggu, for example, and you can see that it's a nomad community Here, it's less obvious, but there's a lot of nomads. But you're spread out because the island's quite [00:12:00] big and you, all of the nomads are kind of spread out across the island. So what we're trying to create actually is like a community of people where everyone can kind of meet each other.

[00:12:08] Sophie Biggerstaff: ~Um, ~and there are a couple of things obviously that, that do offer that as well at the moment, but. There's definitely nomads here and there's more demand for nomad events as well. 'cause people wanna meet everybody. We can't seem to find each other without these events happening.

[00:12:22] Ryan Mellon: Nice. Nice. That's awesome. That's good that the, the community's growing and you guys can put on events to meet each other 'cause it's, you know, really important. ~Um, ~as a digital nomad, having that. At community around you.

[00:12:35] Sophie Biggerstaff: ~for sure.~

[00:12:35] Ryan Mellon: ~I love it. I love it. That's awesome.~ So now that you're in Koh Phangan, how long have you been there and do you have like a home base still in London or do you go back often?

[00:12:43] Sophie Biggerstaff: ~Um, ~so I actually, I did have a home base up until last year. ~Um, ~in the UK I had a, I had owned a property and last year I got rid of it. I sold it. So I no longer have a home base. Like obviously I can go and stay at my parents' house who live in London, but I, I only go back normally once a year because the [00:13:00] UK is not my place.

[00:13:01] Sophie Biggerstaff: ~Um, ~so right now I would say I'm living on Copen Yang. Like that is, this is my home base. I have this house,~ um,~ I have been traveling when I left Bali, I was in Bali. I lived in Bali for almost 18 months. ~Um, ~and when I left, I've been traveling since. ~Um, ~so I've been really, to be honest, burnt out by a lot of like the travel.

[00:13:21] Sophie Biggerstaff: 'cause it's, it, I was moving very fast. I hadn't really been anywhere longer than two, three months at a time. So when I came here, I'm really like trying to shift my,~ um,~ business in a different direction. And I was like, to do that, I'm gonna need a bit of stability. So I came here, I've hi, rented a house for,~ um,~ the next six months.

[00:13:40] Sophie Biggerstaff: ~Um, ~and just trying to like ground here a little bit before I make my next moves or decide what comes next for me.

[00:13:46] Ryan Mellon: Yeah. And I, I think it's a big trend, especially with Digital Nomads who've been been doing this for a couple years to start to slow down eventually. ~Right. Um, ~ we've all done these whirlwinds of tours through countries and made [00:14:00] our work happen in the meanwhile, but it's like very exhausting and it's super easy to get burnout, like you said.

[00:14:07] Ryan Mellon: So tell us like a little bit about like the cost of living there in Koh Phangan on this island in Thailand versus ~um, ~back home.

[00:14:15] Sophie Biggerstaff: I mean, I'm from London, so it is expensive. So pretty much everywhere is like cheaper than London. But ~um, ~Koh Phangan is actually not that. Affordable, I would say like accommodation wise,~ um,~ because it's very high in demand there. Like I say, in the past two years, there has been an influx of,~ um,~ of nomads of,~ um,~ other, other communities from around the world as well that have like come here and landed here and created businesses here, brought up land.

[00:14:41] Sophie Biggerstaff: So it's becoming way more expensive. ~Um, ~it's not crazy. It's not like if I was gonna go back to London and live in London, it's still more affordable. And what you get, the quality of life is. Still pretty high versus what you're paying, but it's not how, like I, I've met so many people here that was like, oh, I came to Thailand 25 years ago and it was so cheap and I got a bunga on [00:15:00] the beach for a hundred euros a month.

[00:15:01] Sophie Biggerstaff: And I'm like, yeah, that's not happening now. So I would say like the average rent now is around 700, 800 euros a month. If you want a

[00:15:09] Sophie Biggerstaff: house. So like I have a house, a one bedroom house, and like, if you want that, I'm paying around 700 euros a month for that. ~Um, ~if you just want like a room in a, in a place, maybe you can pay a bit less, like five to 600.

[00:15:23] Sophie Biggerstaff: ~Um, ~but I would say, to be honest, even when I came to Thailand two years ago, my average monthly spend on accommodation was around 700 to 800 Euros. ~Um, ~but then obviously. The, the, the things that are cheaper are your food and your, like living expenses. If you go to the supermarket, like I don't spend much more than about 20 pound a week on a supermarket shop.

[00:15:41] Sophie Biggerstaff: I can go and get a huge liter,~ uh,~ five liter bottle of water for about 2, 3, 3, I don't know what they are. Three bar, three bar. So it's like nothing pennies. ~Um, ~and then gyms and stuff compared to Bali gyms are way cheaper and you get actually more facilities, like, pretty much all of the gyms Koh Phangan have ice bath [00:16:00] sauna, so you're still getting like a really good high quality.

[00:16:03] Sophie Biggerstaff: But like the living costs are actually pretty cheap. So I'd say an average, I probably spend about $1,500 a month,~ um,~ to live here comfortably.

[00:16:12] Ryan Mellon: ~Uh, ~that's awesome. And you probably couldn't even get a flat in London for that, right?

[00:16:17] Sophie Biggerstaff: Definitely not known. No, no, definitely not. Like the average room rate in London is about a thousand pounds plus bills.

[00:16:23] Ryan Mellon: Yeah, And you're living on an amazing island that has plenty of sunshine and beaches also,~ uh,~ something that London doesn't have, so 

[00:16:31] Ryan Mellon: I'm sure that's a big plus.

[00:16:33] Sophie Biggerstaff: Yeah, exactly. Not as much rain.

[00:16:36] Ryan Mellon: How do you choose your next destination, and like what factors into that as you're like looking forward?

[00:16:42] Sophie Biggerstaff: Yeah, so I think like right now what I, I'm probably moving more into my like Slowmad era, I would say. I'm not looking to travel as fast. I don't feel the desire to kind of like zoom across the world anymore. Like that's just not what I think is in this chapter. For me. I've been doing that for such a long time that I feel like this next chapter is way slower, [00:17:00] but what I can kind of see my life doing is like six months somewhere, six months.

[00:17:05] Sophie Biggerstaff: ~Um, ~and I really know exactly what I want in a location. So I'll generally only go to those locations for long periods of time. ~Um, ~or if I'm going to like one that doesn't fit that criteria, maybe only for like a week or two weeks. 'cause I know that, for example, mountain towns. I like a mountain town, but only for like a week.

[00:17:23] Sophie Biggerstaff: It's not for me. Like, I don't like being inland. I love being by the water. I love the beach. Like if I'm in the mountain town, I actually feel a bit trapped. ~Um, ~so for example, going and living in Chang Mai in Thailand for me wouldn't really work out. Like I could maybe go there for a couple of weeks, but I wouldn't be able to stay there for an extended period of time.

[00:17:37] Sophie Biggerstaff: And I know that from experience of like having gone there and tried it. ~Um, ~so for me it has to have a beach. It has to have like. Good healthy food options. It has to have good gyms, preferably ones with like recovery areas. I really enjoy that. ~Um, ~and some kind of like yoga or spiritual community. Not that I, I'm not like crazy spiritual, but I do like to tap into those every now and again.

[00:17:58] Sophie Biggerstaff: ~Um, ~and I'm a big yogi, [00:18:00] so as long as it's got yoga, well, some kind of like wellness scribe around it,~ um,~ then generally I am pretty happy there. And palm trees, I love a good palm tree.

[00:18:09] Ryan Mellon: Love it. Yeah, it sounds good. Sounds like the perfect,~ uh,~ all the, all the things you need, you know, on an island. Somewhere beautiful for half the price of London, if not more. 

[00:18:20] Sophie Biggerstaff: Yeah, 

[00:18:21] Ryan Mellon: So can you describe like what's a typical work workday look like for you there in Koh Phangan?

[00:18:27] Sophie Biggerstaff: Yes, for sure. Like I generally don't work in the morning, so my,~ um,~ my brain doesn't switch on till about midday, so luckily we're recording this at midday. ~Um, ~so I generally spend like, my mornings pretty much, pretty much for myself. And like, I'll wake up like seventh, eight, eight. I spend the first hour of my day doing, like, I don't look at my phone.

[00:18:45] Sophie Biggerstaff: I will do my little routine, which is. A little bit of journaling and meditation. Usually I pull some, like tarot cards, for example, and then I'll probably go to the gym or I'll go to yoga or I'll do something in my house,~ um,~ or I'll go for a [00:19:00] beach walk. ~Um, ~and then I generally start working maybe either from home or from a cafe or a coworking.

[00:19:05] Sophie Biggerstaff: Around like 11 30, 12 usually. ~Um, ~and then I'll work all the way through till sunset. And then at sunset I'll take a little break, go for dinner, for a walk with my podcast. If I have plans at night, I might not go back to work. Or if I don't have plans, then I'll do another like two, three hours in the evening and then kind of like go to bed around 10, 11:00 PM Try to usually later, but try to aim for that.

[00:19:28] Sophie Biggerstaff: ~Um, ~so it's quite chill. ~Um, ~I probably work like. Six hours a day maybe. ~Um, ~but like try to keep those six hours like focused and that varies day to day. So some days I might have to work longer because I wanna take another day off, for example. So it just really fluctuates for me 'cause I'm in control of my own time.

[00:19:44] Sophie Biggerstaff: So it's pretty nice.

[00:19:47] Ryan Mellon: Yeah, that sounds like a good day. And like slow mornings I think are, are really like something that not a lot of people get. Right. You know, usually everyone's launched straight into like coffee, their phone and like running out the [00:20:00] door to go to work. So it's a luxury that. That I enjoy as well. And I try not to work before like 11:00 AM as much as possible.

[00:20:08] Ryan Mellon: Sometimes I do have early morning meetings or early morning podcasts recordings, and you just can't, you can't do much about that because you're dealing with people in other time zones. But,~ um,~ yeah, I, I, I really like that, that you get the time to have your mornings to yourself and like your schedule works around you.

[00:20:25] Ryan Mellon: You build it around what you want to do, like your energy.

[00:20:30] Sophie Biggerstaff: Definitely like I, I, it's taken me quite a long time to get to that because obviously I went from London where I was working like full pace, like so busy hustle culture and then moved to an island and it's like, okay, you, that doesn't work. Like you can't work in that same way when you move to Bali or, or Kang, wherever, it doesn't work out because you actually end up burning yourself out on hate and resenting the fact that you're here and you can't go and enjoy it.

[00:20:53] Sophie Biggerstaff: So what I learned to do was shift my business in the direction that works more for my lifestyle rather than. ~Um, ~in the way that [00:21:00] traditional business works, like I don't, I don't believe that that works for everybody. And if I look back at my whole, whole life, to be honest, from school into my corporate career, mornings were so hard for me.

[00:21:10] Sophie Biggerstaff: Like, when I was at school, my mom would have to drag me out of bed to get me to school when I had my alarm going off at six 50 to get up and going for my job at Burberry. 'cause I had an hour commute every day. Like, I, I just, I was miserable. I got to work. I was so moody. I wasn't showing up as the best version of myself until way later on in the afternoon.

[00:21:28] Sophie Biggerstaff: And then I needed to eat loads of, or like I would eat loads of sugar just to get me through the day, and that's not healthy. So I try to really like think about like what I need and make my work life fit around that. Basically, I.

[00:21:43] Ryan Mellon: Yeah. Yeah, it's great and it's great that you have the opportunity to do it. It sounds like you're running your own business. So tell us a little bit about like what you do.

[00:21:52] Sophie Biggerstaff: So I previously, as I, as I mentioned, like when I came out of full-time employment and went into self,~ uh,~ self-employment, [00:22:00] I was working with like e-commerce founders and. Consulting and mentoring and offering like online courses and things like that in the e-commerce space. But now I'm actually in the middle of a business pivot.

[00:22:11] Sophie Biggerstaff: I kind of blew my business up and was like, Nope, we don't want to do this anymore. 'cause it wasn't working for the lifestyle that I wanted to achieve. It was a lot of,~ um,~ training time for money, one-on-ones wasn't working for the way that I've been living. ~Um, ~so I have just kind of like burnt everything down to the ground and I'm just rebuilding.

[00:22:27] Sophie Biggerstaff: In the past six months, I've been rebuilding and actually I'm supporting people exactly. Based on this conversation. I'm supporting people build a business that works their life and not one that they work for, because I really strongly believe that that is possible if you, if you structure a business in the right way.

[00:22:43] Sophie Biggerstaff: Like the amount of e-commerce business founders that I worked with, for example, over the past five years. That hated their business because it wasn't actually giving them the results that they thought they could achieve in their lifestyle. Like let's say it was a full-time mom that wanted to create this product business to allow her to have [00:23:00] more time with her child.

[00:23:01] Sophie Biggerstaff: No, it was a complete opposite. It was creating her like. So much more work, and she was actually stable, able to spend less time with her child. So it just didn't work. And then she ends up giving it up because it doesn't, it doesn't work out for her. So my kind of mission at the moment is to help people find,~ um,~ business models that actually work for them.

[00:23:17] Sophie Biggerstaff: Because obviously if, if you're an entrepreneur, you're an entrepreneur, right? Like you have this drive in you that wants to create something. But you, I maybe don't actually understand what to create that's gonna work for your lifestyle. So that's kind of what I'm working on at the moment, is rebuilding my mentor and business, rebuilding my online courses to serve that person that wants to build a business that works better for their lifestyle.

[00:23:36] Ryan Mellon: I know a lot of entrepreneurs, I have a background in real estate as a real estate entrepreneur, and there's so many people that I've,~ uh,~ worked with and seen that are super successful and they always say like, Ryan, I wish I could do what. Do what you're doing, you know?

[00:23:50] Ryan Mellon: And I'm like, you have way more research resources than I do to do it. Do what I'm doing. You know? But like I built my business around [00:24:00] me traveling and from the beginning it was like, here's the goal. Go live in Bali or go travel the world. And so like the business that I built has to meet. A, B, and C so that you can not be trapped in your business, which is what a lot, what happens to a lot of people.

[00:24:17] Ryan Mellon: So it sounds like you're helping people kind of figure out what's the vision first for the business, right? Like what, what needs does it need to meet for them in order to be their definition of success, and then helping them build it out from there.

[00:24:32] Sophie Biggerstaff: Exactly. It's kind of like working out, like what's your vision? Like what's, what do you want your, what do you wanna wake up Like exactly how I've just described my day. That's my dream day right now. Like it might change in the future. Like right now, that is my dream day and I'm getting to wake up every day and lift my dream day out.

[00:24:48] Sophie Biggerstaff: But a lot of people don't. A lot of people are just slogging through and doing the things because they think that's what they're meant to be doing. So my whole work now is helping people identify what does that dream day look like for you, and how [00:25:00] much do you want that? Right? Because if you don't, if you're not that bothered by achieving that dream date, you are never really gonna take the steps to create a business that works for it.

[00:25:07] Sophie Biggerstaff: But if you are like. Desperately wanting to achieve that you are gonna be more hungry to put the right measures in place for to help you get there. Right? So now I am having people identify that and then working backwards from that point where they've identified what that dream life looks like and working back and saying, right, okay, this is the skillset that I've got.

[00:25:26] Sophie Biggerstaff: These are the things that I'm passionate about. Okay, to achieve that, how can we use this skill set and passion to build your business that works for that lifestyle, and then go from there basically, because there is like. I think some very basic things that you can,~ um,~ put in place to help you achieve that, that lifestyle.

[00:25:43] Sophie Biggerstaff: But it just takes a little bit of extra thinking time.

[00:25:46] Ryan Mellon: Yeah. Yeah. And having someone else from the outside in who's kind of been through it and knows the deal and how everything works, buys you, is such a big. You know, like trying to figure it out all on [00:26:00] your own. A lot of us digital nomads have done it, but it's, it's hard and not everyone makes it, you know, so That's awesome.

[00:26:08] Ryan Mellon: So as you're there in Thailand, what's, what's your visa situation like? Do you have to do border runs? Like how do you work that?

[00:26:17] Sophie Biggerstaff: Yeah, so I am gonna be applying for digital nomad visa. Like I came here on tourist visa just to check out like what,~ uh,~ whether it was something that I wanted to stay. ~Um, ~and so my next time I leave the country, I'll be applying for the digital Nomad visa, which is now available here, and you get,~ uh,~ five years on that digital nomad visa.

[00:26:33] Ryan Mellon: Wow. Is it five years? Multiple entry.

[00:26:36] Sophie Biggerstaff: Five years, multiple entry. So you can stay here. I think it's six months, like without needing to leave. And then you would, you can extend that for another six months. Then you would have to leave and then come back in. ~Um, ~but you are welcome to come back in as many times as you like

[00:26:50] Ryan Mellon: Interesting. Yeah, I love it. And so many countries are, ~uh. ~Rolling out the digital nomad visa. I'm here in Bali on the, their very first digital nomad visa that came [00:27:00] out last year, which is one year multiple entry, but you can stay the whole year and come and go as you like. And, um, the next month they're actually gonna put out what are the requirements to just keep renewing that.

[00:27:12] Ryan Mellon: So, ~um, ~just. The ability to have that is like so much makes so much easier than running on tourist visas and 30 days here, 30 day extension, gotta go to here, you know, jump on a plane and, and reset it. So.

[00:27:28] Sophie Biggerstaff: No, it is a, it is a massive problem and I know that like we both probably come from like more privileged passports, so it's slightly easier, but for like the. There definitely is a huge thing around visas and I don't think I was fully exposed to it until, to be honest, we came, like the UK came out of the eu and now I'm having to apply for visas like in countries that I used to be able to just live in, like in, in Europe, for example, when I moved to Italy when I was 23, like I didn't have to even think about a visa.

[00:27:53] Sophie Biggerstaff: I could just go there. Whereas now I get the same rights as everybody else. In Europe, it's like 90 days. In six [00:28:00] months, which is super frustrating. but yeah, like the visa thing, it makes it much easier if there's an option for you. ~Um, ~it's just about figuring out like where do you wanna put the effort in to get that visa, for example.

[00:28:10] Ryan Mellon: Yeah, just doing your research, knowing what, what you're in for. ~Um, ~because doing border runs definitely can ruin your experience and, and shake things up, so, 

[00:28:20] Sophie Biggerstaff: yeah.

[00:28:20] Sophie Biggerstaff: and it's not right either. Like it's not right for that country. Like it, it, the, the, if you're gonna try and be like a long. Long term sustainable nomad, like the, the right thing to do is get the right visa for the country. Like it's not really there to stay in lingering in another country that you are not even a citizen of and not abide by their rules, for example.

[00:28:40] Ryan Mellon: Yeah, yeah. No, absolutely. That's why I love that. ~Uh, ~more countries are coming out with the option and we can come in and do what we're actually doing, which is working remotely, you know, and, it's all legal and it's all good, and it also helps the local economy. ~Um, ~and yeah, it's, it's, it's a good deal.

[00:28:59] Ryan Mellon: ~Um. ~Tell me about one [00:29:00] of your top experiences during your travels. Anything come to mind? ~Um,~

[00:29:04] Sophie Biggerstaff: So many, like I, I've been like, I dunno how many countries I've been to in the past, I, since I've been a nomad, but like, there's been a lot. I think the best year of my life was by far the best the year that I lived in Bali. Like for sure. I lived there from when I was like 30 to 30. Like nearly 32. Like I went back when I was 32.

[00:29:22] Sophie Biggerstaff: So like, ~um, ~it's, it's, it was genuinely like the best time of my life, like I had. So I think it was maybe 'cause it was the first experience that I'd had in that, in living that way and experiencing that lifestyle. And I was meeting so many more like-minded people that you don't get to meet in London, for example.

[00:29:39] Sophie Biggerstaff: So I loved that. ~Um, ~another one, I did additional name laboratory in Mexico. in 2023 and it was amazing. Like there was 30 of us traveling together, which to be honest, was like a really dysfunctional family. Like there was so much happening all the time, but it was really cool because you felt like you were part of something.

[00:29:58] Sophie Biggerstaff: ~Um, ~and it was all run. I dunno if, you [00:30:00] know, the, the hostile chain in the US that is kind of not, it still exists, but kind of not. ~Uh, ~Selena, they exist in a different form now. ~Um. ~And they were running digital, no retreats. So I went on one of their digital no retreats, and I met some amazing people through that retreat.

[00:30:13] Sophie Biggerstaff: And like, I then went on to Travel South America and ~um, ~central America. And I kept meeting up with all of those people along the way, which is really nice. and then my favorite place in the world, honestly, is Costa Rica. Like Costa Rica is special, very special.

[00:30:27] Ryan Mellon: Well, why, why could, why is Costa Rica so special for you?

[00:30:31] Sophie Biggerstaff: I just think like you can't really match it, like beauty wise, like I think it's one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. ~Um, ~and it. It doesn't necessarily have the infrastructure, I would say, like if you're gonna go in rainy season for digital nomads, because it, the electricity goes out every, every other day.

[00:30:47] Sophie Biggerstaff: But,~ um,~ in terms of like my personal experience there, I just like, I would wake up every day, go on a beach walk and be like, you know when you wake up and you're just wowed by something, like every day I was wowed by the beach and every day it changed and you, [00:31:00] you just saw like nature in its like truest form.

[00:31:03] Sophie Biggerstaff: It was like constantly evolving and changing, especially when it went into rainy season. ~Um, ~so that was like, I don't know, like I felt very connected to nature in, in that moment, and I think that that was like a really grounding experience for me.

[00:31:15] Ryan Mellon: Yeah, I've been to Costa Rica twice, and I will say like compared to a lot of other islands and other tropical places, I've been like, they have hands down some of the best, like wildlife, like the birds and 

[00:31:27] Ryan Mellon: the, the,~ um,~ Sloths and all that stuff, like such cool things that you just don't see anywhere else, you know?

[00:31:34] Ryan Mellon: So you get to see the, the wildlife living in the beautiful nature as well, which is really cool.

[00:31:39] Sophie Biggerstaff: Yeah. And the sloths that that did it for me, like I love sloths. I think they're amazing. So every time you get on like a mini bus, go somewhere, they stop off at sloths sight scene sport, and I'm like, yeah, I love this.

[00:31:51] Ryan Mellon: Yeah, they're pretty cool. So chill.

[00:31:54] Sophie Biggerstaff: Yeah.

[00:31:55] Ryan Mellon: What do you, what's one place in your opinion that you think is underrated? [00:32:00] I know we just talked about a couple places, but is there any place that you've been and you're just like, wow, you know, I wasn't really expecting this place to be this cool.

[00:32:07] Sophie Biggerstaff: Yeah. Do you know what fuerteventura? fuerteventura in the Canary Islands is so underrated as an nomad spot? Like I had no, I, I don't even know how I ended up there. Honestly. I ended up there at the end of last year because I was, like I said, I sold my property in London last year, so I was kind of having to be based in Europe.

[00:32:27] Sophie Biggerstaff: I'd run out of my days in the Schengen zone. So then I was back in London and I was like desperately waiting for these like new  Schengen days to renew. ~Um, ~and by the time it renewed, it was November. So going back to mainland Europe didn't really make sense because the weather wasn't great and I'm a sun baby, so there has to be, there has to be sun.

[00:32:43] Sophie Biggerstaff: ~Um, ~and I was like, well, where can I go that's like close enough because I wanted to come home for Christmas and like I was trying to navigate loads of different logistics and randomly I was thinking about going to Tenerif. 'cause Tenerif is where there is a nomad community. There was no accommodation for like that period of time.

[00:32:58] Sophie Biggerstaff: There was just no, I couldn't find anything that [00:33:00] was like reasonably priced. So I ended up randomly finding this like co-living space on fuerteventura and went to  fuerteventura and. I was amazed by it. Like I absolutely loved it. I had the best time. The, the scenery is some of the best scenery I've ever seen in Europe.

[00:33:15] Sophie Biggerstaff: Like it's so impressive. There's enough of a nomad scene for there to be somewhat of a community if you wanna get involved in it, but equally you don't have to. So there's like a real kind of like diverse. ~Um, ~mix of things that, that you can tap into from like a digital nomad standpoint. Like there were like multiple meetups a week.

[00:33:35] Sophie Biggerstaff: There was like some coworkings, that kind of thing. But also if you didn't wanna do that, you could work in your apartment or you could,~ um,~ go work in a cafe or whatever. So that really surprised me because. I Ventura, no one talks about it. It's not a thing. ~Um, ~and it is a surf vibe as well. Like there's surf towns, there's yoga, like it's, it's the same kind of vibe as Bali, but on an island in, in the Canaries.

[00:33:57] Ryan Mellon: Interesting. Yeah, and I haven't heard of that [00:34:00] one, so that one's kind of go on the list, so 

[00:34:02] Ryan Mellon: very nice. That 

[00:34:03] Ryan Mellon: sounds 

[00:34:03] Sophie Biggerstaff: like surf, if you like to surf, you like yoga or you like really beautiful beaches and for a Ventura is very good for you.

[00:34:11] Ryan Mellon: Okay, cool. Very cool. What advice would you give for someone wanting to start a digital nomad lifestyle?

[00:34:18] Sophie Biggerstaff: I think,~ um,~ get really clear on what you want your life to look like, because I've met a few people,~ um,~ that kind of have this vision of like what a nomad is or like what it, what. They expect their lifestyle to be like, and then they pick a spot and they commit to that spot and they hate it. And then they give up and they go home because they think that that's the be all and end all.

[00:34:37] Sophie Biggerstaff: But maybe that's because they love the beach, but then they found themselves in a city like. I met a girl in Bangkok and she absolutely hated it. But then when she was describing to me her like, dream place, she wants to be by the water. And I'm like, well, no wonder you hate it. Like you're in a massive busy city.

[00:34:52] Sophie Biggerstaff: Of course you're not gonna enjoy it. So I think like get really clear on like what you want your lifestyle to look like, and choose your locations based on your lifestyle, because [00:35:00] otherwise you're not gonna enjoy your experience. Like you're not gonna, and there's different locations that are gonna serve so many different lifestyles, so there's always gonna be an option for you.

[00:35:09] Ryan Mellon: Yeah. Yeah. No, I agree. Getting clear on what you want is super important. 'cause saying you can just, where, wherever you are, just check, get your checklist out of all the things that you're looking for. And if it doesn't check all the boxes you need to keep moving until you find that place, you know?

[00:35:23] Sophie Biggerstaff: Exactly.

[00:35:24] Ryan Mellon: Awesome. do you have a biggest lesson learned or biggest mistake that you've made by nomad?

[00:35:30] Sophie Biggerstaff: I think going too fast. Like I, when I left Bali, I was traveling like really, really fast. ~Um, ~and I didn't really, I. I just kind of went with the flow. Like I didn't have a plan, I just went with it, which I think is the best way to go. Like I'm not saying you need a plan, like I think you can just flow with it.

[00:35:49] Sophie Biggerstaff: That's part of the beauty of this lifestyle. But when you go too fast, like anything, if you go too hard at it, you're gonna burn out. Right? And ~um, ~I think that. [00:36:00] You, you need to listen to your body more than the thing your, your brain. Because like your brain might be like, oh, but I wanna go to Brazil and I wanna go to Guatemala, and I wanna go to Bali and I wanna go to Thailand and I wanna go to all these places.

[00:36:11] Sophie Biggerstaff: Let me cross 10 million different time zones and like do all of the things. But actually that's not very good for you.~ Um, ~so I think it's about like really trying to like listen to what your body wants you to do, not what your head wants you to do and just try and. You don't necessarily need to go super slow, but give yourself a bit of time to land in a place because the energy it takes to every single time, like make new friends, figure out which gym you wanna go to, figure out where you're gonna work, like where are you gonna live?

[00:36:38] Sophie Biggerstaff: Like there is exhausting so much energy that you find yourself constantly planning. So if you're going a little bit slower, it allows you to kind of like catch yourself back up, ready to go again.

[00:36:49] Ryan Mellon: Yeah. No, I agree a hundred percent. That's really good advice. ~And um, as we wrap up,~ I have a couple rapid fire questions that will piggyback off what you just said and what's one of the best [00:37:00] ways to make friends in a new city?

[00:37:02] Sophie Biggerstaff: Digital Nomad meetups.~ Um, ~I think if you can find the digital name of meetups, which if you're in a big city, there is always, maybe not in London, but like 90% of the time, if you're in a nomad location, there is gonna be a digital nomad meetup, or I. An event that is of some kind of interest to you where there will be like-minded people.

[00:37:20] Sophie Biggerstaff: ~Um, ~most of the friends that I have made have been through additional n meetups or coworkings and co-living, so anything that is kind of revolved around community building. So.

[00:37:29] Ryan Mellon: Is there a place online that you're looking to find these meetups?

[00:37:33] Sophie Biggerstaff: If you're in a city,~ um,~ you will most likely find them on Eventbrite or Meetup. Like I know for example, in Barcelona there is a huge one that happens every single Wednesday. So like they're usually pretty regular. ~Um, ~if you're going more to like a bit more of a remote location or like an island for example, probably you're gonna find it through like Facebook groups or WhatsApp group.

[00:37:54] Sophie Biggerstaff: ~Um, ~which you normally find the WhatsApp groups through the Facebook groups, for example. So if you can just get into like one WhatsApp group, [00:38:00] ask for the location, the information of other places, they're gonna give you the meetups that are gonna happen.

[00:38:06] Ryan Mellon: Okay. Love it. ~Have you, um, ~have you ever turned a travel experience into a business opportunity? I.

[00:38:11] Sophie Biggerstaff: ~Um, I guess, I guess~ yes, because like, I. Everything. I mean, I've, I've met so many clients through this experience. So like in Bali, I was constantly meeting e-commerce founders who wanted my help with something. So like quite a lot of my clients in that era were coming from people that I met in real life.

[00:38:30] Sophie Biggerstaff: And I guess like me transitioning my business now is all stemming from the experiences that I've had through travel. So yeah, I guess I'm like, I mean, I'm a. Classic entrepreneur come up with like a million ideas all the time, but I'm trying really hard at the moment. Just stay focused on one thing.

[00:38:46] Ryan Mellon: ~Uh, ~it's super easy to get,~ uh,~ all those shiny objects. Right. And,~ uh,~ just staying focused on like what's the most important thing is so challenging as an entrepreneur.

[00:38:55] Sophie Biggerstaff: Very hard.

[00:38:56] Ryan Mellon: ~Are you there?~

[00:38:56] Sophie Biggerstaff: ~Yeah, yeah. Can you hear me? Oh,~

[00:38:56] Ryan Mellon: ~You froze up there, but No worries. Uh, one more question for you and then we'll wrap up.~

[00:38:56] Sophie Biggerstaff: ~Okay.~

[00:38:56] Ryan Mellon: ~Um, ~so tell me what is [00:39:00] your go-to method for staying healthy while on the move

[00:39:03] Sophie Biggerstaff: ~Um, ~I think it's mainly finding the closest gym or yoga class, like wherever I go, usually I'll have done research, ~um.~

[00:39:11] Ryan Mellon: I.

[00:39:12] Sophie Biggerstaff: Around that. Like it's a very big part of my life to be active and like try lots of different activities as well. Like I love yoga, but I also like to go and do Muay Thai or I like to go to the gym or I like to do like very different things.

[00:39:25] Sophie Biggerstaff: ~Um, ~so I think it's about like finding the wellness activity that you enjoy and making sure you already know where it is. In relation to where you're gonna be staying so that you're not, when you get somewhere like frantically thinking, oh, I dunno where the gym is, or whatever, like you can very easily say, oh, I live three minute walk away from the gym.

[00:39:41] Sophie Biggerstaff: Perfect. It's gonna be really accessible for me every day because what I do find, if I'm staying far away from it, I won't go as quickly. So if you can just find that before you get somewhere, I can be really helpful.

[00:39:52] Ryan Mellon: yeah, definitely. ~I'm much more, uh, much more, um, what is the word I'm trying to say? ~Much more likely to hit the gym if I can walk to it, right? If I got a scooter 10 minutes away to it, [00:40:00] it's like, ah, what's the point? You know? So like just having those things in a close radius to your accommodation really make a big difference. So I really like that answer. So where can people find you?

[00:40:12] Sophie Biggerstaff: So you can connect with me on Instagram. It is at it's sophie biggerstaff. ~Um, ~that's probably the easiest way to find me. ~Um, ~or if you wanna check out my website and find out all of my resources linked to my own podcast and things, you can go to www dot. It's sophie biggerstaff.com.

[00:40:27] Ryan Mellon: Okay. Awesome. Well, thank you so much for taking the time, Al. It was a really good conversation and I hope you have an amazing day there in Copen.

[00:40:35] Sophie Biggerstaff: Thank you. Thanks so much. It was great to meet you.

[00:40:37] Ryan Mellon: Thanks for listening to another episode of Digital Nomad Nation. I hope today's stories have inspired you to take the next step towards location independence. If you've enjoyed the show, please share it with a friend and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app. Your support fuels our mission to inspire the digital nomad lifestyle.[00:41:00] 

[00:41:00] Ryan Mellon: Before you go, don't forget to grab your free copy of my guide, Seven Ways to Become a Digital Nomad. It's packed with practical tips to kickstart your nomadic journey. You can find the link in the episode description. And remember, the life you've always dreamed of is just one bold decision away. Until next time, this is the Digital Nomad Coach, Ryan Mellon, signing off.