11 years ago, we did something NOT that crazy, actually.
We got rid of all our non-essentials— ugly sweaters, yearbooks, extra blankets, and toys. We put our furniture in storage and moved into our RV for what we thought was going to be just 5 months.
But over those 5 months, something incredible happened— I discovered FREEDOM.
At the time, we still had a brick-and-mortar in San Diego that we had to oversee, but over those 5 months, we managed to take 3 big road trips:
As we were crossing back into California on August 17, 2015— two weeks before we were supposed to move back into a house— Victor looked at me and said, “You’re too happy. I can’t ask you to move back into a house.”
He was right. I was so incredibly happy because my life was filled with adventure, connection, and nature. But at the root of that was freedom— the ability to choose where I go and what I do.
In that freedom, I discovered so much about happiness, health, and how to really connect with self and family.
Before we moved into our RV on April 1, 2015, our lives were busy. Victor worked long hours, Gabi was in competitive sports, and I was trying to homeschool based on traditional school subjects.
I was still taking really good care of myself— working out, going to yoga, running on the beach, and surfing most days.
But this feeling of freedom was a whole other level of self-care because it wasn’t just nurturing my physical body. It was filling my soul with passion and purpose.
With good self-care habits, you can feel organized and on top of your life, but waking up to chase excitement is a totally different tier of health and happiness.
As you probably know from our about us page, we kept traveling.
We kept pushing the envelope in what is possible.
We chased adventure, challenge, and newness. A month in Costa Rica, Bali, and New Zealand. Six months in Europe. The Tour du Mont Blanc. The Alaska Highway. More road trips than I can count. Ski trips. Surf trips. Mountain biking trips. Rock climbing trips.
Now, the hard truth is that 2020 really hit us hard, and I think I’m only now recovering from it.
At the end of 2019, Gabi and I had a successful brand. We were funding all our travel and were probably really close to being at a place where Victor could’ve pivoted from personal training and joined us here on Nomads to promote health and travel.
But Covid hit, and travel disappeared.
On top of that, I pivoted to mindfulness and consciousness. If I had pivoted more aggressively to “how to live in an RV” or “how to homeschool your kids,” I think the story would have looked a lot different, but hindsight is 20/20.
I really don’t regret it because I’m so happy now. I’ve learned so much, and I really do believe the lessons I had to learn over the last 5 years have given me something the world really needs right now— wisdom on how to raise a family, reinvent your marriage through different stages of life, and navigate change in a pretty chaotic, disconnected, and stressful world.
In 2020, I “woke up” and my perception of the world completely unravelled, and in the process, it brought out the worst in me. Learning the “truths” about the world scared the crap out of me and turned me into a very protective, but angry, mama bear.
Since then, I’ve learned so much about self-development, spirituality, and consciousness, and in living by these new beliefs, I have a much better understanding of what it takes to raise a healthy, happy, connected family.
It’s about so much more than just adventure— although I don’t think I’ll ever not be a proponent of adventure to build confidence and resiliency.
I believe it’s about love, unity consciousness, altruism, empathy, and self-responsibility.
In addition to my own heart chakra healing, I had to go through another identity shift.
If you don’t know, back in 2012, I had my first major identity shift when Victor went through a severe case of adrenal fatigue. In the process of healing him, he started doing jiu-jitsu. I was left at home with all the responsibilities of motherhood while he was out rolling with the boys.
My world unraveled as I felt so lost and alone.
But, in the process of learning not to be so co-dependent, I discovered yoga, surfing, and camping, which then led to rock climbing and full-time travel, but really led to me understanding where self-love really comes from.
In 2022, I had to learn to let go of my best friends (Gabi and Isabelle), and it felt like death at first. Here we went from doing everything together to some days, me not being invited on an adventure. But again, I was grateful for the growth I achieved along the way (even if it was hard at first).
In the end, our family is now even closer than ever, and we have the experience and wisdom to share what we learned through it.
Last, and the most challenging of all the lessons I’ve had to learn over the past 5 years, is learning how to reinvent my marriage.
In old videos, Victor used to talk about how our marriage struggled because of travel and adventure, but I disagree.
Our marriage would’ve struggled with or without moving into an RV because we had such different childhood programming, which meant at the root, we had very different values and beliefs around what is possible in life, self-worth, and mindset.
And I don’t think we are alone in this.
There is a reason why “opposites attract,” and I find that it is very common for one partner to be the more assertive, go after it type and the other to prefer a more simple, comfortable life.
The good news is that Victor and I have some solutions on how to deal with this.
If you asked me 6 months ago, I would’ve told you that there is no hope. I tried complaining, fighting, controlling, begging, fleeing, you name it. But then, I went as far up as I could in consciousness and tried this thing called surrendering.
I learned to accept that I might never get the idealized version of a marriage that I hoped for, while simultaneously embodying gratitude for the security and companionship Victor did provide.
I know, to some this may sound pathetic, but I know I’m not alone here, too.
As women, we want the fairytale— the house, the cars, the kids, the passion, the romance, the adventure, and the six pack! But the reality is often exhaustion, too many bills, snippy comments, and love handles.
Anyhow, these ups and downs have again provided growth and wisdom that I now feel ready to share. Maybe it saves you a fight or two along the way. Or maybe like us, it completely saves your marriage and helps you reinvent your marriage to be a new version of the fairytale you didn’t know was possible.
If any of these life experiences resonate with you, I have exciting news for you.
Our family has started a mastermind group to help families become healthier, happier, and more connected— and since it’s brand new, we are offering it for free for the first 100 families that join.
Exciting, right?!!
Click here to join, and we look forward to seeing you on the inside!
