Reinventing Her Life in Her 30s: How Volunteering Helped Build Her Remote Business with Juliana Majusama Saavedra | EP 30

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What if changing your environment could help you rediscover who you are?

Ryan Mellon sits down with Juliana Saavedra, a former wedding planner and digital marketing manager who completely reinvented her life in her 30s starting with nothing more than savings, a journal, and a willingness to volunteer abroad.

Juliana shares how a personal health scare, divorce, and burnout pushed her to reevaluate everything. What started as a leap of faith turned into a new lifestyle spanning 13 countries, and eventually, a remote business offering online courses, and group travel experiences.

Chapters:
00:10:30 – Burnout and Breaking Point
00:16:12 – Starting with Savings, Not a Plan
00:21:40 – Building a Business While Traveling
00:27:36 – Reinventing Herself in Paris
00:30:15 – Finding Community Abroad

She brings a deeply personal, yet practical perspective on what it takes to rebuild your life with intention, especially when it feels like you're starting from zero. Whether you're looking to travel, switch careers, or reconnect with what matters most, Juliana's story gently opens the door to possibility.

Listen and learn how small choices can lead to big change and why you don’t have to wait for the perfect moment to begin.

Connect with guest: https://www.instagram.com/majusama/

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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

• 10:30 Burnout and Breaking Point
• 16:12 Starting with Savings, Not a Plan
• 21:40 Building a Business While Traveling
• 27:36 Reinventing Herself in Paris
• 30:15 Finding Community Abroad

Transcript

[00:00:00] Ryan Mellon: Have you ever felt like you're living a life someone else chose for you?

[00:00:03] Ryan Mellon: Today I sit down with Juliana Mahu Sama, a solo female traveler who left behind a high stress life, two jobs, and even a divorce to explore 13 countries in one year and build a remote lifestyle from scratch. She's here to talk about how she started with just her savings, volunteering around the world to make it work.

[00:00:20] Ryan Mellon: Now earns income through coaching and content creation, all while inspiring thousands of women to do the same. You'll walk away with real steps you can take right now to start your digital nomad life. Even if you're scared single or starting with almost nothing say until the end of here are number one, money saving tip that can help you travel longer and give back while doing it.

[00:00:42] Ryan Mellon: This might just be the story that pushes you to make your final move.

[00:00:46] 

[00:00:53] Ryan Mellon: / Hey guys. Welcome to another episode of Digital Nomad Nation. Today I have Juliana Mahu Sama. Welcome, [00:01:00] Juliana.

[00:01:00] Juliana Saavedra: Hey Ryan. Hi. Thank you so much for this invitation.

[00:01:04] Ryan Mellon: So I saw that you were recently in Thailand, but now you're in Bali. So why the change?

[00:01:12] Juliana Saavedra: Many things changed in the, like in the last year actually, I have been traveling for a year. And yeah, I was just spending some months in Europe and then the winter started and I came here. I mean, Asia. And right now my base, my home base is Valley. So many stories to to tell you about it.

[00:01:34] Ryan Mellon: Awesome. So one year traveling. Do you know how many countries you had been to in the past year?

[00:01:41] Juliana Saavedra: Around 13, Yeah, and more than think around 45, 46, cities.

[00:01:48] Ryan Mellon: Okay. Okay, awesome. So you did, a trek through, Spain. So how was that? It looked pretty awesome.

[00:01:56] Juliana Saavedra: Yeah, it was great. Well, actually that's, El [00:02:00] cam, which is like a spiritual, Let's say trekking Road that you have, and you can make it from France, Vermont, or from Portugal side. I did France only for 10 days.and to me it was like, let's say the end of the, of the first chapter, I start as a MA traveling with sweetness.

[00:02:24] Juliana Saavedra: That's my personal brand. So it was great. Yeah. I was saying bye to Europe that way. And then I just came here to Asia, so it was perfect. It was very hard because I was walking for nine days, or nine hours per day. Crazy.

[00:02:42] Ryan Mellon: Wow, 

[00:02:43] Juliana Saavedra: I had, I had a lot of time to think about my, like my, my whole journey, you know?

[00:02:49] Ryan Mellon: I can imagine, and you were doing it solo.

[00:02:52] Juliana Saavedra: Yeah, well that's something beautiful about this trip or Camino Santiago, because I met, I [00:03:00] had, I had 10 days, free in Spain. And then I saw, my friend, doing the same thing and I was like, okay, I'm just gonna be with you. I'll meet you in Pomp, whatever. then we met and I was going to do it with him, but at the end. You realize that you are walking always all by yourself. we were living at the same time at, I don't know, six in the morning, but, and then he was faster than me and after eight or nine hours we were meeting, so we had the

[00:03:31] Ryan Mellon: Okay.

[00:03:32] Juliana Saavedra: but different, you know,

[00:03:33] Ryan Mellon: Different, different paths, different experiences, and then you got to meet up at the end of every day and kind of share your experiences of that day. Yeah.

[00:03:44] Juliana Saavedra: Yeah, the personal experiences. Yeah.

[00:03:46] Ryan Mellon: Awesome. it looked like an amazing adventure. So tell us a little bit about where you're from.

[00:03:52] Juliana Saavedra: I'm from Mein, Colombia. I'm a Latina, traveling around the world, and after one year traveling [00:04:00] around Europe, I came here to Asia because I know most of the people want to go to Latin America, especially from Europe or us. Because that's a good weather, the culture and everything.

[00:04:12] Juliana Saavedra: But I'm from there, so I was looking something I want, I was looking for something different. So that's why I start traveling. I found that Asia is some, it's a, it's a place a, it's a beautiful place. Good weather, also good food friendly people, but different culture.

[00:04:31] Ryan Mellon: Yeah.

[00:04:31] Juliana Saavedra: I think that's why I took this decision.

[00:04:34] Ryan Mellon: Yeah, very different cul culture from Latin America. And what do you, how do you feel about the culture here? Like what are the biggest differences between maybe back home and like Asian culture?

[00:04:48] Juliana Saavedra: About culture. I think here they, here they are more into, I. Like a spiritual lifestyle. I, that's something that I don't see in my [00:05:00] country. they live in a, they live more simple, let's say Colombia or in my city in, I'm from ine. we are always like trying to get more things or pretending different things, and was the life I had. home in Columbia and I just got tired of that life. At some point I was like, okay, I am going to the office from seven in the morning until five, and then I go to the gym and then my day is gone. I'm doing here, you know?so yeah, it's easy just to see how other. Person lives through social media, how can they travel and also work from a different place?

[00:05:45] Juliana Saavedra: And I was like, I would like to do something like that. I would like to have such a life. I can do it. I know I can do it. And also Latina. So get out of Columbia, it's even harder to change Colombian peso to [00:06:00] dollars or. So it was also hard at the beginning, I, I was like, okay, I have, I saved this money.

[00:06:07] Juliana Saavedra: I'm just gonna start traveling and then I'll see. I, I, I just gonna, I, I'm just gonna believe that I'm gonna be okay.

[00:06:13] Ryan Mellon: So tell us about what were you doing previously work-wise and like, Did you have a full-time job? Like what, and what was the point where you were like, I really just need to change, like.

[00:06:25] Juliana Saavedra: So three years and a half ago, I just, got divorced. I started working a lot. I had my, I was working in the company from seven in the morning to five. but at the end of the day I was also, working in my own company. I do macro, so I'm also an artist. And I was, I started this as a hobby, but at end I was like, okay. Many requests for products, and I was also working on this, but also I'm a wedding planner or I used to be a wedding planner for eight years, so I was working during the weekends and I was like full of work all the [00:07:00] time that very inside and I didn't, I didn't, I didn't see it at that point, at that moment. I was like just ODing all of that pain I had at that moment. And then after one year. I got very sick. I got two tumor in my throat and I had to, to, to have a surgery. And after that surgery I got like, it was like, I have been, I have been like a happy person all the time, like every Latina. But at that point I was like very sad without energy.

[00:07:33] Juliana Saavedra: And at that moment I decide to. Something to make actions, to change my reality. And that's what I did. I didn't know what I was going to do, to be honest, Ryan, the only thing I, I, I had clear in my mind was like, okay, you have to leave Columbia right now. And at that moment, someone told me about volunteering, trips. And that's the way I started. so I was volunteering also [00:08:00] pushing myself to be out of my comfort zone because I had a, well, I, I still have a good life, but I had like a, a life in Colombia, very comfortable with my own apartment, car, everything. But I was living, I was going to Europe to live in a different way, you know? And I was also looking for that. I was. also looking to have, I was looking for new experiences, new people, new languages. I start, I start in Germany and then Denmar, Switzerland, France. So I was like, oh my God, if they don't even speak English or say hi, hello, I don't know how I'm gonna communicate. So, yeah. Well, and and I did it and.I was spending my money, of course, but at some point huge community of Latin Americans, women, just women just start growing so fast. And they were asking me, how can they just start doing the same thing? How can they start traveling? And at that [00:09:00] point I realized that, okay, this can be my job. I can be a digital nomad, like I can traveling and. I can, I don't know, give sessions one-to-one, create my digital product, about this volunteering and traveling around the world. So my audience right now, they are Latin Americans looking for not only traveling, not only traveling, not only volunteering, but also I. This kind of womens who are like trying to find their self in a different place. Because that's something I always say, like sometimes we just need to be out of our comfort zone, out of our place, out of our home to see the situation from outside and realize if that's the life you want to live that's the reality you, you still want to. your life with this person. You really want to stay in that job. Are you happy with this? Because is, is going very fast. And sometimes we are just leaving the way that other [00:10:00] person wants to leave. You know? 'cause that what happened to me. So at the end, reality now, and we are in this podcast, tell, I'm telling you this story because. I changed my reality very. It is not easy. It wasn't easy of course, but I changed my reality and I'm having this life. I'm working from any place, any paradise. I have been in many countries, many islands also, because I took, but because I took decisions in life. That's what we have to do. We need to jump.

[00:10:34] Juliana Saavedra: I always say in Spanish that we need to jump. I, my biggest fear is the ocean. So to me it's like I need to jump to the ocean.

[00:10:42] Ryan Mellon: Okay.

[00:10:42] Juliana Saavedra: I feel that I cannot do it,

[00:10:45] Ryan Mellon: Okay.

[00:10:45] Juliana Saavedra: jump, but like be clear or have, or keep in my mind that I'm gonna be okay. You know?

[00:10:52] Ryan Mellon: Face your fears, get out of your bubble there in Medellín and see what the world has to offer. So [00:11:00] as you were thinking about making your first trip and just getting outta meine and, and basically living off savings without, a digital nomad income right away, like how were you feeling? Like were, were you scared?

[00:11:14] Ryan Mellon: Were, were you feeling like overwhelmed? Like, did you just have faith that it was gonna work?

[00:11:20] Juliana Saavedra: That's a good question. no, didn't know how this, I, I don't know how this start. I look at my Instagram and I was, I'm like, okay, what, what just happened in the past six, seven months? Because actually my community start June, July last year. So I start just sharing my experiences. I started just being authentic always, laughing, also being vulnerable in social media because that's the way we connect as a content creators. just sharing my experiences and. And then, so I was having fun. I was traveling. [00:12:00] I was just showing nice experiences, you know. And then I had to, or at some point I had to make a stop and organize my, even my days, my hours, because my community or my clients are in Colombia. So if I'm in

[00:12:17] Ryan Mellon: Okay.

[00:12:17] Juliana Saavedra: or even in Asia, the schedule is completely different.

[00:12:21] Juliana Saavedra: Right now, I'm in like, in the future, 13 hours in the future. So it's like, okay, at least you need to organize, your agenda or Yeah, and make some. Appointments. So let's say if I'm gonna give sessions one-to-one, I know that the first part of the first part of the day is Colombian is, is like nine time in Colombia.

[00:12:44] Juliana Saavedra: So for me it's morning. So I need to put this the first moment. So it's hard because I need to work in the morning. No, it's not hard. It's a different way living.

[00:12:54] Ryan Mellon: Yeah.

[00:12:55] Juliana Saavedra: I know that I have meetings in the morning or sometimes I need to text, I need to answer [00:13:00] my comments or whatever. Night, but have the whole day to do whatever.

[00:13:03] Juliana Saavedra: I

[00:13:03] Ryan Mellon: Yeah.

[00:13:04] Juliana Saavedra: to have my life here in Bali or just to decide to buy a ticket. What I, just to continue travel because I'm, and I have

[00:13:14] Ryan Mellon: Yeah.

[00:13:14] Juliana Saavedra: freedom to do.

[00:13:15] Ryan Mellon: That's amazing. Yeah, and I, I, I'm 12 hours away, time zone wise from the states, so I know how it is. I, you know, as soon as I wake up, there's work to be done. And right before I go to bed, there's work to be done. But because I. Everyone's sleeping during the day here and in, in Bali. You have pretty much the day to yourself.

[00:13:37] Ryan Mellon: You know, you cannot still, there's still plenty of things to work on, content creation, administration stuff, but as far as like dealing with clients or working with clients, people one-on-one, you need to kind of like put that at the beginning and end of end of your day. So it, anytime you change locations, that's something you need to think about.

[00:13:56] Ryan Mellon: Like, how is this gonna. Change the way I [00:14:00] work as well.

[00:14:00] Juliana Saavedra: It

[00:14:01] Ryan Mellon: So, so it sounds like you're helping other, other people, make the jump as well. So are you doing like one-on-ones with people? What, what are you doing right now to bring in income?

[00:14:15] Juliana Saavedra: I am doing what they are asking for. that's, okay. I have to tell you something. When I was in Columbia, I used to work as a marketing manager

[00:14:28] Ryan Mellon: Okay.

[00:14:28] Juliana Saavedra: but right now that's what I'm doing for my personal brand. So to me and how it works is like, Hey Julie, you just need to listen to your audience and want what they want. So last year, they just need a lot of information about volunteering. Volunteering and that's what I was giving them.right now they, they want me to teach them how to become content creators, like

[00:14:54] Ryan Mellon: Okay.

[00:14:55] Juliana Saavedra: something like that. but they also. But they also want to travel [00:15:00] now, they also want to come to Asia.

[00:15:01] Juliana Saavedra: So I start doing or making, organizing, group trips, for example. So how, how I get money this way many different ways. So, I have my sessions one-to-one.

[00:15:14] Ryan Mellon: Okay.

[00:15:15] Juliana Saavedra: to do it. I also have, digital product. I had a, I create a course six months ago to record like all of the things they always to answer them, all of the questions they have. So how to become a, a, a volunteer. How can they plan their trips? How can they also make money when they're traveling? And,how can they when they are frozen? How can they jump? How can they take the decision? So I also have some, how can I say that? Like some exercise to do it.

[00:15:51] Ryan Mellon: Yeah. To help them, to help teach them and have them interact to learn all these different things because there's so much [00:16:00] to think about when you're gonna jump outta the bubble and go somewhere, especially so far away like Asia and and do something different. Mm-hmm.

[00:16:13] Juliana Saavedra: many fears because in Latin America it's not as easy as you guys or even in Europe that okay, we are very independent when we are. 15, 17 for us, or especially in our cultures, like we have a family, we're always together. we live with our parents until the 25 thirties, so it's even harder.

[00:16:35] Ryan Mellon: I can imagine.

[00:16:36] Juliana Saavedra: yeah.

[00:16:37] Ryan Mellon: So how, how did your parents take it when you said that you were gonna go on this adventure? Like, did, did your family have any, were they like, don't do it, or were they supportive? How was it?

[00:16:51] Juliana Saavedra: Yeah, well, my mom always support me like, you are crazy, but just do it. She's always pushing me, okay, just travel. Just do this. [00:17:00] Just do what I couldn't, I couldn't do when I was your age.

[00:17:03] Ryan Mellon: Huh.

[00:17:03] Juliana Saavedra: yeah, it's, it's part of the life. And at the beginning she was always asking me, okay, you, you, you okay? Are you eating? well, you are good. You need money. And I feel like, no, like I, I was also open to be out of that comfort zone, and right now I have, I work remotely. I make money in dollars, which is very different to the reality I had in Columbia. And now I have the opportunity to say, okay, mom, just come to Bali and visit me for two months. it's

[00:17:33] Ryan Mellon: Awesome. That's awesome. So will she come visit you?

[00:17:37] Juliana Saavedra: Yeah, she's coming on August, September and October, two months. It's

[00:17:41] Ryan Mellon: That's amazing. That's amazing. That'll be a great experience for your mom, and I always tell family and friends to come visit me wherever I'm at as well. My mom and my aunt came out for like two weeks, about a month ago, and it was a whirlwind because I had to show them all the best places in Bali in like 10 [00:18:00] days and it was a great time and it was our first time in Asia, so it was really cool to see.

[00:18:06] Ryan Mellon: Their experiences of just how different it is from home, you know, and like seeing it, seeing them experience it was, is always rewarding and it's pretty cool. So that's, I'm excited for you to have that experience with your mom.

[00:18:21] Juliana Saavedra: Yeah, it's also nice to show them that we can, we can. It's also good to show them that we can also live in a different way, at least for my parents or for my, yeah. Their reality is different. Like you just live in one place, you have your family, work, and you stay there and sometimes you work and sometimes, sorry, and sometimes you travel. Just for vacations weeks or a month per year. But now I change, like even in my family, they are like, you're crazy. How can you just live that way? And like my, like when I feel like when I need to [00:19:00] work, I need to stay in one place at least for a month.

[00:19:02] Ryan Mellon: Mm-hmm.

[00:19:03] Juliana Saavedra: but my reality is I'm traveling. I, I'm, I'm having this life in paradise all the time. It's not like, like vacations is my life now.

[00:19:14] Ryan Mellon: Yeah, you can experience a little bit of vacation every single day because you're in such a, an amazing place even when you're working. Awesome. so Vietnam is up next. Are you excited about Vietnam?

[00:19:28] Juliana Saavedra: Yes, yes, yes. I think it's cheaper even than here or Thailand. So my plan is to go there at least for two weeks,

[00:19:37] Ryan Mellon: Okay.

[00:19:38] Juliana Saavedra: keep sharing my experiences through social media. I. Keep, making fall in love to all my Latin American audience this amazing continent and just take them here. Why not like helping them to, open their mind and yeah, [00:20:00] just show a different, a different life, a different world, a

[00:20:04] Ryan Mellon: I love that. Yeah. And you do a very good job. I see your stories, you have tons of stories and, and you're, you're posting daily and you're showing everything every day and all the good and the bad. And I think you do a really great job of being authentic and sharing your experiences and showing people just literally what, what's happening and like, what you're seeing.

[00:20:28] Ryan Mellon: And I think that's really inspiring. So. I just wanted to say you're doing a really great job at that.

[00:20:35] Juliana Saavedra: Thank you to me. It is. Yeah. To me it's like sharing day by day, my whole experience, but also send them a good message behind. not only about, okay, I'm in this restaurant posting this food. It's not like that. It's not like I'm pretending to be someone that I'm not.

[00:20:56] Ryan Mellon: Mm-hmm.

[00:20:57] Juliana Saavedra: Hey guys, you can, it's easy. [00:21:00] message is, the big message is, is easy the life you want to live.

[00:21:05] Ryan Mellon: Yeah.

[00:21:05] Juliana Saavedra: be organized. don't think that everything is happiness here.

[00:21:09] Ryan Mellon: Yeah.

[00:21:10] Juliana Saavedra: is just ha like having vacations. No, I mean, I'm a digital moment. I need to take time during the day to work. And I also, and I also show that part of my life because

[00:21:21] Ryan Mellon: Yeah.

[00:21:21] Juliana Saavedra: that's part of me, like, to be organized because if I don't make money this month, I won't get money.

[00:21:27] Juliana Saavedra: The next money, money knowing how I'm gonna live. So it's about, it's about balance

[00:21:32] Ryan Mellon: Yeah.

[00:21:33] Juliana Saavedra: I think it's about balance. Yeah.

[00:21:35] Ryan Mellon: Do you find it easy to, like build a routine and keep that balance between having fun and seeing things and working?

[00:21:44] Juliana Saavedra: Have been hard to be honest, because. When you are just having fun and going to the beach and have this event, this retreat or whatever, it's like, okay, I need time to work.so that's why I was telling you like, [00:22:00] it's important to, to make some space in my calendars to work, I'm just leaving and it's there.

[00:22:07] Juliana Saavedra: Especially here in Bali, it's very easy to just, just live that way.but I don't know, maybe because of my personality, I'm also like very, I have this structure, which is

[00:22:18] Ryan Mellon: Yeah.

[00:22:19] Juliana Saavedra: to me. and that's why after one year I decide to have my home base here in b to at least have a routine, routines like, okay, to have the opportunity to make my own breakfast

[00:22:34] Ryan Mellon: Yeah.

[00:22:35] Juliana Saavedra: or to go to the gym.but also, how can I just travel from here? I can just go to the beach or go to Uluwatu or go to different city, but also during the weekends, I am very close to Lombok. So let's take a ferry and go to Lombok. So I, I, I feel like, okay, I'm still traveling,

[00:22:51] Ryan Mellon: Yeah.

[00:22:52] Juliana Saavedra: I have a home, you know?

[00:22:54] Ryan Mellon: Home base. Yeah.

[00:22:55] Juliana Saavedra: a, yeah, home base. I can just, buy a ticket and go to Vietnam, or go to

[00:22:59] Ryan Mellon: [00:23:00] Yeah.

[00:23:00] Juliana Saavedra: Cambodia, you know? But it's, it's, I think the secret is to be aware that we need time for everything. single, but maybe tomorrow I'll have someone and. It's also part of the, of the plan, you know? Okay. So work. I also need, time for my partner, but I also need time.

[00:23:24] Juliana Saavedra: Time for myself traveling. Yeah. This kind of things. That's how it works.

[00:23:28] Ryan Mellon: Yeah. And, so being single and dating on the road, I mean, for me, I'm, I'm in the same boat. 

[00:23:36] Ryan Mellon: So how do you find community? As a digital nomad when you're in someplace new, like building friends and relationships 

[00:23:46] Juliana Saavedra: I think to me it's easy because I have this energy and I'm always smiling. So if I'm in a new place, new restaurant, or just having breakfast here, I just smile and I say, Hey, hi, how are you? That's part of my culture, so [00:24:00] to me it's easy,

[00:24:01] Ryan Mellon: okay.

[00:24:01] Juliana Saavedra: can I keep this relationship? How can we became good friends?

[00:24:05] Juliana Saavedra: Or how can maybe just work together tomorrow? Why not? It's not only about sharing a coworking space, no, let's do something together. And actually that's what I'm gonna do in Vietnam. I'm gonna meet a girl that I just met in Thailand, but we are working in, working together to build something together because she's also traveling.

[00:24:23] Juliana Saavedra: But for Brazil,

[00:24:25] Ryan Mellon: Okay.

[00:24:25] Juliana Saavedra: the same business. So how I think a good, a good advice for you guys is to keep. Be yourself, but also stay in the groups. Let's say if you're in a, a specific country like Thailand, I just came from Thailand. There are many groups, many coworking spaces, many events. you can conference also. So you, you should keep going to those places and, and find the right people, but also make your own, let's say events. [00:25:00] Your own meetings because if you go to these kind of places, you can find many people, but know, you can click with some of them. can match with some of them. So if that person is the type of a person you want to keep around you, let's say for me it's important to keep people around with this energy, for example. So I want you in my life, so I'm gonna work on this. I want you like a friend, so, okay, let's, meet this weekend. Let's come to my place, or let's travel together for a weekend, or things like that.

[00:25:35] Juliana Saavedra: Or, or just work together from somewhere. I think to keep in touch. That's important.

[00:25:41] Ryan Mellon: Yeah. And do you find coworking spaces to be a place that you go often to work and and to get that community?

[00:25:49] Juliana Saavedra: Yes,

[00:25:50] Juliana Saavedra: I can work from my hotel or from my place. Yes. But at the end, it is like, okay, spend my day alone here.

[00:25:57] Ryan Mellon: Yeah.

[00:25:58] Juliana Saavedra: it's easy if you just go to [00:26:00] a coworking and just just smile to the girl next to you and just start talking. how I got the, the last friend here in Bali. We were the same co-working. She's also working in marketing.

[00:26:12] Ryan Mellon: Mm-hmm.

[00:26:13] Juliana Saavedra: long term. Okay, let's have

[00:26:14] Ryan Mellon: Yeah,

[00:26:15] Juliana Saavedra: go every day for sunsets. Okay, let's go for a yoga class. And yeah, that's how, that's the

[00:26:20] Ryan Mellon: it's.

[00:26:21] Juliana Saavedra: of start sharing life with someone else.

[00:26:23] Ryan Mellon: Yeah, it's so much easier than I think, in home as at least, especially in my home country, like just making friends here. You know, it's so easy to just talk to a stranger at a coworking space or, a host or a co-living or just even at, at a tourist spot like the beach or something. Like, Hey, where are you from?

[00:26:45] Ryan Mellon: Then it just goes from there. And if you click, you know, and it's another solo traveler usually as well, or a couple solo travelers, you know, Hey, let's go have drinks tonight. Let's go climb a volcano. Or, go, you [00:27:00] know, do something cool. I was just white water rafting in ood. A couple days ago, which I didn't know existed, down the river, with a couple friends and made some friends along the way.

[00:27:11] Ryan Mellon: And, uh, it was an awesome experience. So there's so much and so, so many ways to make connections. So tell me about one of your top experiences that you've had during all of your travels. Is there anything that sticks out in your mind as.

[00:27:26] Juliana Saavedra: I have many countries, many experiences. but I can tell you, let's say, some places that just change my, the way I was thinking

[00:27:38] Ryan Mellon: Okay.

[00:27:39] Juliana Saavedra: start traveling as a, as a solo female traveler. So I think the first one was, okay, thinking about this Latina coming, like going or running away from Columbia. Get just, I, I got divorced two years ago, so I was like, okay. Very heartbroken. And I was

[00:27:56] Ryan Mellon: Aw.

[00:27:56] Juliana Saavedra: waiting for the right place to go somewhere [00:28:00] with that new partner. I think,It was a beautiful feeling or experience to sit down in front of the in Paris and talking to myself, Hey, girl, why you didn't give you the chance before to create this reality for yourself, while you have to wait for the right person while you have to wait for the right moment to start traveling. While you have to wait for the right moment to start living the life you really want. 

[00:28:31] Juliana Saavedra: So I spent like a day, the whole Sunday in this garden looking at that huge thing, saying, okay, and also crying. I, I cry very easy. And also like talking to myself, Hey, you made it. You made it, and you are here. And this is just the beginning. And then after that I went to Bali. No, I went to Turkey. I'm sorry. I went to Turkey and at in Turkey, I think it was the [00:29:00] country where I start living the life as a digital moment because when I was in Turkey, my community started growing so fast. So I was volunteering in this place from seven to 12. was like having a schedule, let's say, but, and then I was just jumping into the water, just having free time for writing.and during the nights I was working, I was having meetings, I was talking with my community. So I was like, after, after two weeks, it become a routine. I, I, I, I was like, I like this routine. I mean, it's easy. I'm living in paradise. I'm talking with new people all the time. I'm having different experiences, but I'm, I'm also making money, so

[00:29:48] Ryan Mellon: Yeah. Yeah.

[00:29:50] Juliana Saavedra: and then I, I took a flight to Bali because I didn't want to spend, to stay in winter there, or in that area, in that part of the world.

[00:29:59] Juliana Saavedra: So I came, [00:30:00] I came to Bali. And Bali is a very, PAC Special Island to me, has a very strong energy. So many let's, let's many bad things happen, let's say, or many experiences with opportunities.

[00:30:19] Juliana Saavedra: Like I lost my flight to come here. So I paid three

[00:30:23] Ryan Mellon: Oh no.

[00:30:25] Juliana Saavedra: someone stole my phone twice. A horse hit my face. Like many weird things start happening and I was like having the, the bad karma that they always are talking about. So, okay. At that moment I was very vulnerable, but, and then it's about having clear that. You are in this place. Yeah. Sometimes we are not good. We, we are down, we are, we are having many things in our lives. just keep going. If you know that we at least we have [00:31:00] to have a routine. We can go to the gym, we can do something different. It's. It's the moment to do it. Like just wake up and do it. maybe you're not gonna see anything today, but tomorrow for sure, you're gonna, you're gonna, you're gonna feel better and you're gonna proud of yourself because you are still here, you're still working, you're still having this experience. It's, it's normal to be lonely the trip. And I'm not talking about the trip as those different countries that we visit. I'm talking about the trip we have inside when we are having this kind of life. It's easy. It's, and it's, it's part of the trip. It's part of this journey that we are having. We're, yeah, we are living, oh my God, I'm here.

[00:31:49] Juliana Saavedra: so loneliness is, is part of the, the journey in life. And like a lot of people ask me like, does it get lonely? And like, [00:32:00] traveling And I, you know, I, I've said to them like, does it get lonely at home where you are? Like, I think people get lonely everywhere all the time.

[00:32:09] Ryan Mellon: it happens to us in all stages of life. So whether you're traveling solo or you're at home working your nine to five and you're in the grind and you're in the matrix and you're doing all the things, there's still very lonely people. So I would say honestly, it gets a, there are some times it gets lonely, but there's more opportunity to meet new people and have new connections.

[00:32:32] Ryan Mellon: And I think it's great that. You know, you as a solo single traveler and you just went for it and you didn't wait for the right person to travel with because you know you're gonna find that person along your path and your travels. That person will show up when the time is right. And I think that's something that people should really think about.

[00:32:52] Ryan Mellon: 'cause I think it holds back a lot of people. That are single and don't, that are afraid to solo [00:33:00] travel is wanting to wait for that travel partner that, that life partner and just get out there and do it. And it, you'll find that partner on the road or, or at the right time when it, when it's supposed to happen and have an amazing experiences, on the way and just learning how to have.

[00:33:19] Ryan Mellon: Good experiences with yourself as well, growing and not needing, to have someone to share all your experiences with. I think that's one of the things that you grow as you become more of a digital nomad and more of a solar traveler.

[00:33:38] Juliana Saavedra: Yeah, you say something that you say, you say what? I just left. I also want to share something. You can feel lonely Yes. In your country, but you can also feel like you're traveling. You are having this digital nomad life in your own country. when I start, I started in April 1st, [00:34:00] 2024. I went back to Columbia on August. With a different way of thinking. Like I was already, already at that moment, I visit like eight countries, many cities, and just went to visit my family for a month. But I had the opportunity also to volunteer in my own country travel, to go to the, the coast, side and work from my computer there. So that's also something that we can do. We, we don't need to. The, but of course it's very nice. You don't need to cross the world to, to feel like you're also having this life.

[00:34:36] Ryan Mellon: And it's a good way to test out if digital nomad life is for you, right? It's a little bit more comfortable 'cause you're in your own country. You know what life is like, what the people are like, you know the language. So getting, getting around is gonna be easier. I. And you get, but you can also change up your environment to where you can kind of test like, all right, is this, [00:35:00] is this something I can do?

[00:35:01] Ryan Mellon: Can I be productive? Can I work while seeing these new places? And it's a low cost of way of doing it, right, because you're not buying expensive plane tickets all over the place and paying for visas and stuff like that. So it's always a good way to, to just do a test.

[00:35:20] Juliana Saavedra: There are many things that we need to take care of when we are traveling. One of those is Visa. I don't know. health insurance,

[00:35:29] Ryan Mellon: Yeah.

[00:35:30] Juliana Saavedra: place food,

[00:35:32] Ryan Mellon: stay food. Yeah.

[00:35:34] Juliana Saavedra: Yeah. Many things.and that's part of being out of my comfort zone. I like that feeling like, okay, now

[00:35:42] Ryan Mellon: Yeah.

[00:35:42] Juliana Saavedra: adventure,

[00:35:43] Ryan Mellon: Yeah.

[00:35:44] Juliana Saavedra: but you guys can easily have it in like, a different place or in your home or. Or even like a, a good advice for this is also to stay long-term in a place.

[00:35:58] Ryan Mellon: Mm.

[00:35:59] Juliana Saavedra: because I was [00:36:00] traveling every, every two, three weeks to a different country, country, I was so tired running with my backpack, but, and then I was like, okay, I need a break at least two months in Thailand, two months in Bali, and now

[00:36:12] Ryan Mellon: Yeah.

[00:36:13] Juliana Saavedra: my home base is Bali, but it's like, yes, just

[00:36:17] Ryan Mellon: Yes. Yeah.

[00:36:19] Juliana Saavedra: And create your own routine. Because when we

[00:36:21] Ryan Mellon: Yeah.

[00:36:22] Juliana Saavedra: and that's also something I always say to my community, we get also tired of traveling, and I, and I have been living this in the last couple months. It's like, okay, I'm tired of traveling. I need to stay in one place at least for a month to like, just to settle down and feel like, okay, I'm, I'm connected with myself.

[00:36:42] Ryan Mellon: Yeah.

[00:36:43] Juliana Saavedra: you have like many things all the time.

[00:36:45] Ryan Mellon: Well, it's a lot. It's, it's, it's a second job just figuring out the flights and the visas and where you're gonna stay the first week or whatever. 

[00:36:56] Ryan Mellon: And like learning everything all over again. And then two weeks [00:37:00] later, you gotta start over. So it does get exhausting and I was just, had friends here visiting and I, we were all over Bali, all the cool things to see in like three weeks. And now I'm here for my last, like three weeks and I'm in one spot.

[00:37:15] Ryan Mellon: it's just a less stressful way of, of being, on the road and being a digital nomad.

[00:37:23] Juliana Saavedra: Yeah. That's part of the process and that's part of the life we choose. But you can also be a digital moment in paradise long term. And we don't need to take our about, like, we don't need to think about or we don't need to worry about those things and keep traveling. That's, a way of living.

[00:37:42] Ryan Mellon: Yeah. Slowing down slowmad.

[00:37:44] Juliana Saavedra: Yeah.

[00:37:45] Ryan Mellon: So tell me, what's one unexpected travel item that you would never travel without? Other than your laptop, phone, passport, or wallet. Is there anything that you [00:38:00] use on the daily that. It's not those things that you would never travel, travel without.

[00:38:05] Juliana Saavedra: I would never travel without my notebook, without my Rio in

[00:38:11] Ryan Mellon: Okay.

[00:38:11] Juliana Saavedra: Spanish. think this is, this is me.

[00:38:16] Ryan Mellon: Okay.

[00:38:17] Juliana Saavedra: I'm keeping my toes here, here, and it's the best way to look at myself. 

[00:38:24] Ryan Mellon: like are you journaling about your travels or just like kind of like daily to get, get things out on outta your mind and on paper? Yeah.

[00:38:33] Juliana Saavedra: Daily. Yeah.

[00:38:34] Ryan Mellon: Yeah.

[00:38:35] Juliana Saavedra: about traveling because it's, yeah. Daily, like

[00:38:39] Ryan Mellon: Yeah.

[00:38:39] Juliana Saavedra: feel. I also have a, a nice exercise that I do every day and it's like, okay, I wake up and I start writing down. What I feel today. Okay. Julie, what do you feel today? I feel headache. I feel I'm hungry, like simple things

[00:38:56] Ryan Mellon: Hmm.

[00:38:56] Juliana Saavedra: How? How your body feels. And then after that [00:39:00] I ask myself, what emotion is that one? So you put like a name to those symptoms.

[00:39:06] Ryan Mellon: Hmm.

[00:39:07] Juliana Saavedra: emotion? That emotion is happiness or is sadness? Is. Anger, how do you feel? What, what emotion you feel today? And after that, when I understand. Okay, and what is that emotion? It's, I don't know, anger. What is anger?or what is sadness? Why are you thinking more about your past than your present? And to me, this is like a daily exercise to keep myself here today. Like

[00:39:37] Ryan Mellon: Grounded. Yeah, it's almost like therapy. And it's funny because I just bought a journal and at the, at this cool little surf shop here in Uluwatu called The Drifter. Like, I saw it and I was like, I need a journal. I've got do it. So what is the best money saving trick you've learned as a digital [00:40:00] nomad?

[00:40:00] Juliana Saavedra: Oof, man. My biggest advice for this is volunteering, like to me as a Latin American, traveling around Europe and now here in Asia is like, girl, you can help someone else. You can get accommodation and food for free, and also have time to work on your things and also have time to just travel around and meet new people and find places. I know this is

[00:40:33] Ryan Mellon: I love that

[00:40:34] Juliana Saavedra: for Yeah. For everyone, but to me it's like this part of. This,

[00:40:39] Ryan Mellon: giving back.

[00:40:41] Juliana Saavedra: Yeah. That, yeah. we have to life we have, we we should have in life to giving back to someone else is like the best experience 

[00:40:50] Ryan Mellon: Where's the best place? Yeah, yeah, for sure. And anger giving back. And you're traveling. So where's the best place to find [00:41:00] these opportunities?

[00:41:01] Juliana Saavedra: Okay. Yeah. I use, an application called it World Packers. Similar to

[00:41:06] Ryan Mellon: Okay. I.

[00:41:07] Juliana Saavedra: Away, but I have this, user in this application. And also you guys, if we want to get any of this account, you can just put SAMA promo code in your

[00:41:18] Ryan Mellon: Okay.

[00:41:19] Juliana Saavedra: or just text me through Instagram and I can help you with this. so yeah, world you just create a profile.

[00:41:25] Juliana Saavedra: You pay a membership, per year, which is like $50. once and then you look for the place you want to go or you want to live or you want to volunteer. That's the way I find it. It's easy. It's just a platform and you find many opportunities there.

[00:41:40] Ryan Mellon: Okay. Awesome. Yeah, I'll have to check that out. And what is the most valuable skill that you've learned since you've become a digital nomad?

[00:41:52] Juliana Saavedra: since I start having this digital moment life, it's to learn how to listen. It sounds simple, [00:42:00] but to learn how to listen to me. To learn how to listen to my audience, to learn how to listen to myself also. How do you feel today? You feel like you need to go to the beach or you feel like you need this day to work? sometimes we decide how we want to live. We decide if we want to have a balance, if we want to have fun only, or if we want to work as you. As I was working in my country from seven to five, that's not the life I want. So to listen to myself, to listen to the way I feel, to listen to the Julie from the future.

[00:42:39] Juliana Saavedra: Okay, girl, where you want to be? I say, so how? What do you have to do today to be there? You know, I think that's my answer to,

[00:42:48] Ryan Mellon: I love it.

[00:42:49] Juliana Saavedra: to learn how to listen.

[00:42:50] Ryan Mellon: Some days we just need a beach day to take it, take some time off and really appreciate where we are and, just get [00:43:00] refreshed and so that we can go back to work and feeling refreshed, you know, so listening to your body, listening yourself, doing the journaling like you said. I think that's awesome.

[00:43:11] Ryan Mellon: Well, thank you so much for. Having this conversation with me today, I really appreciate it. And so where can people find you?

[00:43:20] Juliana Saavedra: Thank you, Ryan, for this invitation. okay. So you can just guide, follow me in Instagram as, um,

[00:43:27] Ryan Mellon: Okay.

[00:43:28] Juliana Saavedra: I'm gonna be there sharing my experiences every day.

[00:43:31] Ryan Mellon: Absolutely. Awesome. Well, again, thanks so much for having this conversation and enjoy Bali and I hope you have a great rest of your day.

[00:43:40] Juliana Saavedra: Thank you. You too. Bye-bye.

[00:43:42]