Guidelines, Demanding situations, and Anecdotes From a Tech Nomad: An Interview With Lauren Cool

by | Jan 20, 2023 | Etcetera | 0 comments

At Kinsta, we live and breathe flexibility. We’re a remote-first, work-from-anywhere company, and we love to empower our group of workers to make an have an effect on from wherever their heart calls them to transport.

A couple of people are adventurers at heart, like Lauren Cool, our Legal Operations Administrator. A couple of year up to now, Lauren adopted a nomadic way of living, traveling all through the united states in an RV along with her partner and her dog. Those 300 and sixty 5 days spotted her refining the paintings of working on the freeway with a time table tailored to her needs as she encountered tough eventualities, professional memorable moments, and took in breathtaking views.

Be told on to know further about Lauren’s unique experience and the tried-and-true pointers she uses to are living her dream life as a traveling professional working for Kinsta.

Table of Contents

Q1: How did you land an absolutely far-off process?

A: I studied global politics on account of I wanted to trip the sphere and artwork for nonprofits, and that’s what I did. I loved working in that field.

Previous to Kinsta, I was going to take a couple of months off and floor myself previous to my next career step, on the other hand a friend of mine, Shannon Lam, knowledgeable me there used to be as soon as an opening at this really awesome company she used to be as soon as working for as a Technical Editor and Frontend Developer. She discussed how the oldsters at Kinsta have been wonderful and it used to be as soon as a really flexible place of job, so I performed, and I ended up starting working there immediately.

That’s how I joined Kinsta as their Operations Administrator and in the end used to be their Legal Operations Administrator. What I do right here’s, I try to make everybody’s jobs just a little bit more uncomplicated. I smoothen and simplify our processes, create standard workflows, and maintain the chief artwork so that the whole thing’s taken care of and folks can focal point on their artwork without worrying quite a lot of regarding the bureaucratic facet of things.

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A laptop outdoors on a coffee table with a view of a fountain and ivy-covered walls.
Art work view in Charleston, S.C.

Q2: Flexibility and great colleagues. Used to be as soon as there something else that guided your solution of turning into a member of Kinsta?

I needed to to find an environment that used to be as soon as each and every stimulating and peaceful. Previous to turning into a member of Kinsta, I was working at a nonprofit crew where I might simply lend a hand folks dealing with extremely tricky scenarios. It used to be as soon as immensely rewarding to be a part of their journey, on the other hand far and wide the pandemic, I witnessed such a fantastic collection of folks struggling that I started taking my process space.

When I came upon it, I started in search of someplace where I might simply have the benefit of the artwork I was doing and, at the end of the artwork day, close my laptop and truly really feel grounded. At Kinsta I’m in no way bored, and it’s an environment this is serving to me protect my steadiness.

A rock range in Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, CO., beneath a blue sky filled with clouds
Garden of the Gods — Colorado Springs, C.O.

Q3: For the way in which long have you ever ever been a digital nomad?

I’ve been doing this for a year, and I wish to trip further. I’d really love to experience global places outside of the U.S., too.

I’d recommend the digital nomad way of living to any person. If you have the risk to do it, go for it! It makes your life much more vibrant, although it’s no longer all sunshine and rainbows. There are little hiccups along the easiest way, on the other hand it’s conceivable you’ll as well be doing something fun while you maintain those!

This fall: What sparked your wish to are living a nomadic life?

I believe I’m merely a type of those that gets antsy after 3 or 4 years in one spot. It took me a while to resolve that out.

After my first couple of years at school, I started feeling stressed out and I moved. 4 years later, I was packing all over again; that’s after I moved to San Diego, on the other hand that got old-fashioned too. And then we moved into our RV.

A modern lighted suspension bridge over a river at sunset.
Charleston, S.C.

Q5: It sounds as if like yours used to be as soon as a gentle transition from a geographically forged life to this new, adventurous path.

That’s true, and a big part of it’s that I’d easiest ever lived in California — that’s where I was born and raised.

I’d lived in a large number of parts of this state on the other hand in no way outside of it previous to this cross backward and forward. I’d studied global politics and I’d traveled, on the other hand I’d in no way really spent any essential time period outside of the state, and California is a bubble. I needed to see further of the country.

America of The united states could be very huge, and I’d puzzled why Californians had such different ideas of the easiest way that problems will have to artwork compared to the reviews of folks living in other places.

I figured I’d have to appear that for myself. That used to be as soon as my huge spark: I wanted to go away the country, on the other hand previous to I did that, I wanted to clutch my own.

Q6: What have been your favorite places and studies out of the whole thing you’ve spotted far and wide your year-long, cross-country cross backward and forward?

Our first holiday spot used to be as soon as magical. We spent two weeks in surprising Puerto Peñasco, in Mexico. We started our cross backward and forward on January 1st, 2022. You already know — new year, new us!

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We jumped on our RV and stale we went to Mexico. Part of our excitement originated from the fact that this holiday spot marked the beginning of this incredible experience of ours, on the other hand part of it used to be as soon as on account of being parked correct on the coast.

A woman sitting on the hood of a Jeep on a rocky beach, with a black dog looking out the window of the driver's seat.
Lauren, Nikan, and their Jeep in Puerto Peñasco, Mexico.
A Jeep and an RV parked next to each other in a parking lot with a view of the ocean..
Lauren’s RV and Jeep parked on the seashore in Puerto Peñasco, Mexico.

The top of our RV hanging over the seashore, our dog Nikan operating spherical taking part in at sunset, walking to the seashore to transport eat all of our meals, and the entire delightful folks we met made for a in truth specific experience.

Proper right here’s some other memorable one: Someday, we came upon ourselves throughout the backwoods of Georgia. I knew that my boss, Jon Penland (Chief Working Officer), used to be as soon as based totally there, on the other hand I wasn’t sure about which the city he lived in.

We aimed to meet up if problems worked out, on the other hand since I was traveling with my huge RV, we couldn’t take a chance to meet with no consideration.

I figured, as Georgia isn’t that giant, that he may be easiest a couple of hours away, but when I texted him our location he mentioned it used to be as soon as a 15⊤ energy from his house.

It used to be as soon as this kind of fun accident! My partner, Jon, and I got burgers and had a wonderful time catching up and spending some time together in exact life.

A woman standing next to a taller man, both smiling at the camera.
Lauren and her boss, Jon Penland, serendipitously met in Georgia for burgers.
A grassy green field with a red barn and a large oak tree covered in Spanish moss.
The view in Savannah, Georgia.

Q7: You have been saying that it’s no longer all sunshine and rainbows. What have been some tough eventualities you faced while working on the freeway?

Oh, well, for starters, there are the silly problems, like working within the an identical room as your boyfriend. On a cross backward and forward like ours, you’re regularly confined to a tiny space with anyone else who from time to time has meetings at the same time as you. What happens then is you end up talking over every other along with your headphones on, and by accident raising your voices to drown out the other particular person’s words.

Listed here are some not-so-little tough eventualities we faced: Our AC unit went out. It burned up. We aroused from sleep sooner or later to an horrible smell. We had to learn how to restore an RV’s AC from YouTube tutorials.

Then, in Texas, we professional a freeze, and we had an issue with a pipe. My boss Jon helped us out by means of sharing wisdom on simple how you can restore this issue.

A large RV parked in a snowy parking lot, featuring a large black dog in the bottom right corner.
First snow in Austin, Texas.

Q8: Often when one thinks of the unfavourable aspects of a digital nomad’s way of living, they recall to mind the infamous connectivity issues. Have you ever ever ever professional those?

Now not really. We maximum often stayed at higher RV inns. When we weren’t able to use their Wi-Fi with our VPN, shall we use every other’s hotspots and always have coverage. We have been super!

Q9: How’s it been to are living a nomadic RV life and artwork for Kinsta at the equivalent time?

Oh, it’s been really fun, in fact! Everyone’s been supportive of the fact that we have been traveling. Every time I’m on a call, folks query me, “Where are you these days? And what’s going down?” Now and again I’ll cling my meetings outside for the reason that view is surprising and a excellent mountain background is unbeatable.

Are you aware what’s glorious? Jon Penland, Kinsta’s COO, used to do this too. He used to be as soon as a digital nomad for two and an element years, and Jon, his partner, and their 5 youngsters — ranging from one to eight years old-fashioned — went all over with their RV!

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The fact that Kinsta’s control has a history of digital nomadism tells you all you wish to have to learn about our custom relating to flexibility: As long as you’re hired professionally and your place shall we in it, we’re eager about traveling.

Q10: Did you arrange to meet many colleagues far and wide your cross backward and forward, and does Kinsta facilitate the ones meetings in any way?

Now not as many as I wanted, on the other hand definitely a few. A shoutout to Jon Penland, our COO, however moreover Don Herbe, our Legal Counsel; Roger Williams, Head of Shopper Revel in, who hosted us on his belongings for a whole week; and additional.

Meeting you used to be as soon as wonderful. And to all other Kinstanians: I will’t wait to meet you too!

Kinsta does try to facilitate the ones unofficial meetings with a monthly worth vary. Every Kinstanian can spend up to $100/month for unofficial meetups like the ones I mentioned. That money can cover the cost of a coworking space for the day, a meal, or other fun movements to revel in with those colleagues you don’t get to meet each day.

Q11: Earlier, you mentioned that everyone will have to give the nomadic way of living a go, in the event that they’ve the risk. What kind of advice would you give those brave enough to do this?

To start with, plan ahead. Initially, my partner and I wanted to be spontaneous with the spots we’d consult with. Unfortunately, you do want to plan ahead just a little bit.

I’d advise you to devise for three months at a time. Differently, you’ll get proper all the way down to the wire and good looks where you’ll be living the following week.

Proper right here’s some other piece of advice: Shuttle on the weekends and artwork from one spot from Monday to Friday. This way it’s a lot much less dispersive and hectic — or no less than, that’s what worked absolute best for us.

Something else to believe is, if you happen to plan to be working on the freeway like I did, to you should definitely’re at ease. While we’re talking, I’m sitting at the exact same desk that I had in my RV. It’s a small one. No longer the rest crazy. On the other hand, , it however has space for my additional monitor, along side the whole thing else I would really like.

I lift my place of job chair on my RV trips, too. You’d assume that you simply’ll artwork outside from a table at the campground or your lounge chair outside, and it doesn’t artwork.

What I would possibly recommend is to just remember to create a space on your self where you’re gonna be at ease to effectively do your artwork, and check out to stick that separate from your bed. That’s no longer a excellent mix.

Q12: Where can folks get in touch with you?

You’ll be capable to connect to me on LinkedIn!

The publish Guidelines, Demanding situations, and Anecdotes From a Tech Nomad: An Interview With Lauren Cool seemed first on Kinsta®.

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