PAULA, the multicultural social activist

@paulitajefe

4/5 committed to her flexlife

7/10 feels confident she is living the lifestyle she wants everyday

3 years and running

Works from her office in Paris and remotely while abroad

Inspired by @wanderlikeanegyptian @thecatchmeifyoucan

Paula was born in Cairo to an Egyptian mother and Finnish father. She grew up in Finland, but visited Egypt every year, and she loves both cultures and countries. She’s always been very curious about different cultures and languages, and always felt the need to move around and explore. When she was 19, she decided that her path was going to be unique and she wouldn't care what people thought about her decisions; good or bad, the decisions would be all hers. ✨

First, her studies took her to the Netherlands. It was perfect for her growth and becoming independent - she was based in Central Europe, and could travel easily to many countries by train to discover the diversity of Europe. She ended up also studying in South Africa, which still remains one of the most impactful experiences of her life. After school, her path took her back to Central Europe, to France, and she’s been living in Paris for 3 years now. She finds meaning not only from traveling around but more in her work towards more inclusive societies and enhanced intercultural dialogue. She’s found a way to combine work that she’s passionate about, living in her current home in Paris, but also working remotely from Finland and/or Egypt. This way, she gets her healthy dose of Finnish nature and nurtures herself with delicious Middle Eastern food.

Paula was a consultant for a UN agency for a couple of years, and now, she works for an organization where she can work on social inclusion in a multicultural setting. Through her work, she gets to visit different countries, countries she never thought she would even visit and this has helped her see the world from a completely different perspective. She says:

“I think it's important to stay open-minded, to exchange with people with different opinions, and laugh with people who don't share the same language. In the end, we are all human beings, individuals, and we all have a different story to tell - we just need to listen and learn from each other.”

Paula’s priority is working on things she’s passionate about; this includes social issues like gender equality, education, youth civic engagement, and inclusion of people with disabilities. She’s a communications specialist, so she gets to be also creative in her work. For her, it's important that her work gives her the opportunity to learn and travel, and work remotely when needed.

Paula’s flexlife is interesting because it is a combination of many different things. She has an office in Paris, which is important, since she likes working in an office, meeting colleagues and discussing face-to-face. But she also travels a lot for work and works remotely from Egypt and Finland when she can.

She’s currently dreaming about more adventures and photographing more for her personal projects.

#MASTERTIPS Be confident and courageous - in the end, it's YOUR life, and you should live it as you want, not how the society pressures you to live it!

SIMONE, GEORGE, and MARLON, the traveling family

@hello.coeurage

5/5 committed to their flexlife

8/10 feel confident they are living the lifestyle they want everyday

2 years and running

Left their business running at home

Inspired by @taza

➡www.tabevents.ch

Simone is from Switzerland, lived in Brazil for one year and is now on a trip around the world.

She is traveling with her family of three - herself, her husband George, and their tiny little rebel son Marlon. Marlon is a lucky little 4-year-old, who happened to be a little too young to start kindergarten this year so he got to go on a year of adventure with his crazy parents.

George is the most well-traveled of the team; he lived abroad from his early twenties and during his travels, he discovered kitesurfing and fell in love with it. He started his own kitesurf business in Belgium during the summer and he surfed in Brazil and Venezuela for the rest of the year. Simone met George during her kitesurfing vacations and then they started to travel the world together.

Simone is a marketer and she runs a business with her husband called @tabevents. Seven years ago they decided to settle down in Switzerland to start this venture. Through their business, they run company events focusing on digitalization and gamification. They were successful with it but decided that happiness does not come from financial success but from experiences and adventures with your closest ones. More recently, they felt like they needed something new so they chose to go on a world trip to find new inspiration for the future. Leaving their business in the hand of our crew was another important learning experience and a lesson in letting go. Simone says:

“I am sure that the road is gonna be bumpy, but I am willing to try to relax into the insecurity. Coca-Cola sold 25 bottles in their first year, so whatever I will start next, it will be ok.”⠀⠀

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#WORDSOFWISDOM

Simone says:

“I feel sad for all the people who tell me that I am fortunate to do what I do. I strongly believe in self-responsibility . You are the master of your life, so do it.”

Currently the little family is sharing their journey via Instagram - giving people an inside look into how they are leaving their comfort zones, finding inspiration and maybe a new plan for life. They admit they don’t really know where they are going, but they will definitely figure it out by having some fun.

Simone is most grateful to be able to wake up whenever her body feels recovered and she is proud that she is able to create a life for herself, her partner, and her son that is full of surprises, action, adventure, and love.

#MASTERTIPS Take risks, go all in, and if it goes wrong, look for another door that is opening for you.

CHELSEA, the biker + artist

@unusmundusproject

5/5 committed to her flexlife

10/10 feels confident she is living the lifestyle she wants everyday

2 years and running

Works as she travels

Inspired by @lyndonposkitt @artsandfood_nyc @me.and.tu

➡ www.unusmundusproject.com

“This isn’t a trip - it is my life, and it’s an Odyssey.”

An odyssey is defined as an extended adventurous voyage, a long series of wanderings marked by many changes in fortune; a person’s progress from one stage of life or set of beliefs to another.

Chelsea travels the world solo on her motorcycle building large scale art as she goes. She’s metalworker and a glassblower, who uses sound and light in all of her work. She runs a YouTube channel and is very active on social media. She is sponsored by a few well-known motorcycle companies and she’s been on the road now for almost 2 years and she never plans on returning to the United States to live. She makes her own schedule and plans her own projects in the countries that she travels, earning money as she goes. Her long-term plan is to slowly travel all the way around the planet leaving installations zigzagging in her wake, building relationships with people and establishing herself as an international artist.

#FLEXLIFELAUNCH

Chelsea traveled across America on her motorcycle solo twice to 45 of the 50 states before embarking on this Odyssey. She worked in metal fabrication for many years in San Francisco before leaving, where she saved money to establish her new nomadic life. She also learned how to completely repair and build motorcycles before she crossed into Mexico and she began building her social media accounts right away.

When asked if she’ll ever go back to a less flexible life, Chelsea says:

“Nope! I never plan on going back and I love what I’m doing. It is my dream life and biggest passion - it’s what I was born to do in this life.”

Chelsea is most grateful for the freedom to create the art she is inspired to build with incredible people from all over the world. And for her motorcycle, whose name is the Phoenix. #badass

#DAYINTHELIFE

Depending on if she has an ongoing project, Chelsea may be completely on the road traveling on her bike, connecting with people she meets, extending her network and collecting and writing stories. If she has an ongoing project, she will be temporarily based in some city close to where she is building the work and generally she will work on it nearly everyday to finish the piece. Small trips and adventures with friends are always mixed in even if she has a project in the works. When she completes a project, she packs up her bike and moves on to another country and to other projects.

She’s currently dreaming about finishing her art project in Guatemala after which she will continue south through Central America for other projects and eventually make it to South America continuing her journey.

#MASTERTIPS Keep focused on your dream. Take big risks. The world isn’t a scary place.