Natalie Sisson's Quest For Freedom - Experiments In Personal, Financial, Physical, Business, Relationship And Financial Freed

So this April marks a pretty significant moment in my life. I am turning 40 years young. For my birthday, I have decided to gift myself something special. I want to be in the best shape of my life - physically and mentally. Where am I at on that?? Actually pretty close! Which excites me. And it has all come about in the last month or so. I quit telling myself stories that were unhelpful and put myself into the direct spotlight to get serious about committing to this goal. These were stories like: Oh when I am traveling I am surrounded by shitty choices of food Oh I play Ultimate Frisbee and run around so of course I can drink alcohol at tournaments and eat pizza because I am burning it off It does not matter that I am staying up late at night and not getting enough sleep, I am an entrepreneur, I am built tough! Yeah those right there were all big fat lies, told to myself in an attempt to make me feel less guilty about the fact that I was not making any changes in my life. I kept buying chorizo and cheese an

For the last 7 years I’ve been running my business The Suitcase Entrepreneur from all over the world, while living out of the suitcase and going on adventures. This year, in 2017, I’ve decided to fire myself. Yup, that’s right. I am quitting. I am taking a business sabbatical from my own business and instead I am taking YOU on a Quest for Freedom. Your freedom. I'm so freakin excited to do this. To understand why the heck I am, here's a bit of backstory into me. This is actually taken from my TEDx talk last year called ‘The Surprising Truth About Freedom’ (feel free to just watch from 12:12-15:44). Why tune into this podcast? After watching, I hope you can understand why I’ve named this podcast Natalie Sisson’s Quest for Freedom, because as I mentioned, I’m on a hunt to understand what freedom really is. This podcast is part audio journal, part narrative and part ‘choose your own adventure’. It will be divided into Seasons (just like on TV) and each season will be a different quest around freedom. I’m starti

For the last 7 years I’ve been running my business The Suitcase Entrepreneur from all over the world, while living out of the suitcase and going on adventures. This year, in 2017, I’ve decided to fire myself. Yup, that’s right. I am quitting. I am taking a business sabbatical from my own business and instead I am taking YOU on a Quest for Freedom.  Your freedom.  I'm so freakin excited to do this. To understand why the heck I am, here's a bit of backstory into me. This is actually taken from my TEDx talk last year called ‘The Surprising Truth About Freedom’ (feel free to just watch from 12:12-15:44). Why tune into this podcast? After watching, I hope you can understand why I’ve named this podcast Natalie Sisson’s Quest for Freedom, because as I mentioned, I’m on a hunt to understand what freedom really is. This podcast is part audio journal, part narrative and part ‘choose your own adventure’. It will be divided into Seasons (just like on TV) and each season will be a different quest around freedom. I’m start

Each year, I pick one word which explains what I want the next year to look, be, feel and sound like, and focuses me in on those intentions. But this year, after reading a great email from Mike Vardy on this matter, who took it from Chris Brogan, I’m picking three words that will make 2017 the best year ever for me. Before I tell you the three words, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart, dear freedomist, for listening in to my podcast every single week. I can’t believe that this is episode 300, and I wanted to let you know that this will be the last ever podcast in this format. I will be relaunching and rebranding this podcast to Natalie Sisson’s Quest For Freedom this January 2017 (but you won't have to change a thing if you're already subscribed to it as I'm using the same feed on iTunes, Stitcher, iHeart Radio and beyond. It will be a narrative format podcast, where I will talk about topics that I want to and that you want me to, and have conversations with people on topics related to Freedom. I

I’m ready to have a rocking 2017, are you? As 2016 rolls to a close, I thought we could all do with a healthy cocktail of inspiration, motivation, practical advice, and actionable tips. So I reached out to 16 of your favorite previous guests on my show and asked them what their one piece of advice was to have the most successful year ever. From Chris Guillebeau to Michael Port to Jill Stanton to Matthew Kimberley, they all delivered in spades. In this episode I asked the question: What do you need to make 2017 your most successful year ever? Here’s what you’re going to learn: How to figure out how to set goals in alignment with your higher purpose Top advice on reverse engineering your success How to really niche down and stop using a one stop solution for everyone How to develop the capability to create a bigger impact by taking on more responsibility A productivity trick to create a year’s worth of content in just a few days A simple tactic to align your thoughts with your actions so you can achieve big go

Is selling the business you love the only way to achieve whatever you want? Michael Gerber, the author of the New York Times bestseller, The E-Myth Revisited, says it is. He says you should be thinking about scaling and selling your small business, even before you start. No wonder he calls himself the Chief Aggravator! In this final interview on my podcast, it seemed fitting to talk about thinking about selling you business before you even begin it, and why you want to scale and grow your business if you ever want to be successful. There were moments when Michael certainly 'aggravated me' as my thoughts around this, with my impending business sabbatical, definitely differ, but in some areas I certainly agree with his thinking. And so do tens of millions of others who have bought his book and followed his work over the 40 years he's been wanting to change the face of small business, the world over. Michael has always wanted small business owners to think of their business as a turnkey business that can be cust

The future is here. Most of the things we used to think of as science fiction are slowly becoming a reality. (Okay, maybe we aren’t anywhere close to traveling back in time, like Marty McFly and Doc Brown, but you know what I mean) Artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and self-driving cars are all here. Within a few years, these new technologies will permeate every part of our lives; just like smartphones and the internet today. With the rate at which innovations are coming, does it even make sense to create a business plan? For all you know, your business model might cease to exist next year. In 1998, Kodak had almost a monopolistic control on the photography industry. But they went bankrupt a few years after that, and are just known as the photography pioneers of the bygone era. I bring all this up because I received an email about what’s headed our way in the future. And it got me thinking about my business and planning my ideal year. In this episode, I will share with you the email that got me thinki

As we head into 2017, it's the time of year where you want to shake things up, shift your mindset and start off the New Year with a bang. December is the perfect time to stop, reflect, and make changes for the coming year based on what you've found did and didn't work in 2016. You also want to look at setting meaningful goals that you will actually achieve and there's no better way to do this, then to look at what you set for yourself this year - and whether you hit those or fell short. An important part of this, which goes beyond creating a "wish list" for 2017, is a deep dive into looking at the beliefs that you hold, that guide your actions and then, consider which ones may have been holding you back this whole time. What stories have been telling yourself that are no longer serving your purpose? For me, with the new website, new systems, and my upcoming business sabbatical, it's actually helped me clean up over 6 years of business files, products, plans and processes, as well some of my beliefs. It has be

Writing and self-publishing a book can feel BIG and OVERWHELMING can't it. That's why 95% of people never get that idea out of their head and into a book. But it doesn't have to be. There are over a million books on Amazon that people have written and published. Regular people just like you and me are behind those books. You don't have to be a great writer,  you don't have to be a super master expert on a subject, and you don't have to have a fully fleshed out idea to get started. The key is to have a system to break down the process in actionable steps - wherever it is that you're starting. Chandler Bolt is has the self-publishing process dialed in. He's a five–time best–selling author and helps others plan and write books as well. In today's podcast episode, Chandler and I talk about everything from limiting beliefs to his three step writing process. We chat about success and failure, and accountability and doing more of what works. Listen in to this episode to learn about: Chandler's journey from c level

Mindset is everything. Am I right? It's one thing to know your mindset needs work, and another to put in the work to look at things in a different way. Inner demons, disempowering stories, a "lack" perspective - these can all be part of the default human condition if we let them. But, we don't have to let our beliefs hold us back. In fact, we can shift our beliefs at anytime we choose. In today's podcast episode, Danny Flood shares his journey with shifting his mindset and taking control of his life and business (not to mention a few awesome travel hacks).   Listen in to this episode to learn about: How to flip the script on your internal dialogue and mindset Why perspective is everything and what you can do to change yours How to set specific and purposeful goals What do if you're doubting your path What mindstorming is and how to do it Subscribe: iTunes | Android | RSS [Tweet "Does your mindset need a check in?"] Key Resources I mention or add value to this podcast: Check out Danny's work at Open World M

What does your best year ever look like in 2017 for you? More of the same? More reacting, more chaos, more wishing you had time for the things you really love? Planning can seem, at times, to fly in the face of spontaneity and adventure but I challenge you to think of it in a different way. Planning actually makes space for spontaneity and adventure.  When you plan properly, you can create space in your life and business so you can really enjoy your free time. In this episode, I share some reflections on 2016 and my big announcement for 2017 (Facebook Live video) and how planning your ideal year can set you up for, exactly that, your ideal year! Listen in to this episode to learn about: Why planning out your year is absolutely crucial My big announcement about my what I'm doing with 2017 Why gratitude continues to be central to everything Why you can't ignore that quiet inner voice Subscribe: iTunes | Android | RSS [Tweet "Do you have your 2017 plan dialed in?"] Key Resources I mention or add value to this

It's one thing to get by with your business moving around the globe - it's another entirely to co-build a thriving business like Copyblogger from a laptop. Sonia Simone has been absolutely killing it in the copywriting world and has recently moved her life to Rome. Making her way from freelancer to co-founding Copyblogger was no easy task and in this week's podcast episode, Sonia shares her journey as well as some of her top tips for getting more clients and how relocating has shifted her business. Listen in to this episode to learn about: Sonia's journey from a corporate world to copywriting as a freelancer and building up a business in a very competitive niche How to differentiate yourself and get more clients What prompted her to move to Italy and how that's affected her business, working style, and daily flow How she became a co-founder of Copyblogger How to get acquainted and settled in a new country The pros and cons of being location independent Subscribe: iTunes | Android | RSS [Tweet "How to upleve

No matter what stage you're at in your business, it's a pretty safe bet that your website is front and center on your task list on an ongoing basis. Whether it's security, design, opt-ins, or conversions, when your website is your storefront it's bound to occupy a huge chunk of your time and business headspace. But, there are some ways to make sure that your digital house is in order without spending all your time and energy worrying about it. In today's podcast episode, I give you an overview of my website redesign project but also some insight into how I plan, organize and manage my multiple sites to streamline as much as possible. Listen in to this episode to learn about: Why you need to back up your site STAT How to streamline your hosting and website management What you need for ongoing website security What I'm planning for my exciting website redesign Subscribe: iTunes | Android | RSS [Tweet "Is your website properly protected?"] Key Resources I mention or add value to this podcast: Check out Kasia'

I realized something recently. I was pouring over the annual survey results, loving all the feedback and learning more about my community, and I was surprised by some of the results. I realized that I want to do even more to help you find freedom. I want to take you from where you are to where you want to be. So, I got to work in planning the next 10 actions I need to take to make that happen. It turns out that a few of those items relate to the technology and tools I use in my business. It became clear that some of my technology was no longer keeping up with the way that I want to help people. So, I turned my attention to finding tools that could really help me level up in my business. There are SO many options for technology to help you run your business. So. Darn. Many. Researching technology could be a full-time job (I'm sure it is). But, after a lot of research and a lot of discussions with other entrepreneurs, I decided on three key tools to help me streamline my systems so that I can delive even more v

One of my favourite things to talk about here on the blog and in my podcast is sexy systems. Why? Early on in my business I learned that if I organized my business processes and automated as much as I could, I could get more done in less time with less effort. Which means, you got it, more FREEDOM. Maybe you're not a systems person, and that's ok. I didn't think I was either but as soon as I realized how crucial smart systems are, I couldn't get enough of them. I dedicate a lot of time and space to them in my flagship program, The Freedom Plan, because they can help you truly create freedom in business and adventure in life and I'm living proof. Even though I've long valued systems, there's always room for improvement which is why I brought Amy Mitchell onto my team earlier this year to help refine and tweak mine. Amy looooves systems. She loves to find ways to tweak and improve any business process to save as much time and effort as possible (which means more freedom and often more revenue too). In today's p

Systems have a bit of a bad reputation. You probably think they're pretty boring at face value, but it's what they can do for you that make them sexy and exciting. Systems can mean more time, more money, and more freedom to do what you love. They can mean peace of mind and ease in your business. And, if you're committed to do what's necessary to create freedom in your business, trust me, you're going to need smart, sexy systems. You're going to want to figure out exactly what's holding you back in your business and create a system to solve it. In today's podcast episode, Mandi Ellefson shares tip after tip on how to find more time and freedom in your business. After working with plenty of high level CEO's, Mandi has worked out exactly how to pinpoint the bottlenecks in your business and break through the barriers with smart systems. Listen in to this episode to learn about: The most important system to focus on in your business How you can find at least 5 extra hours in your week What a success map is and ho

What are we all doing here anyway? Pretty deep question, I know, but this is something that keeps coming up for me. When it comes down to it, we are all looking for more purpose, more depth, and more meaning. But, practicing and creating habits that make every single day more rich is a mission of mine, and Jonathan Fields shares that sentiment. In today's podcast episode, Jonathan tells us about his new book and shares his approach on creating his best life which includes a simple daily check in to create awareness and guide behaviour. He talks about how he's able to reserve time for vitality, connection, and contribution and how maintaining those areas of his life has become non-negotiable. Listen in to this episode to learn about: What the Good Life buckets are and how you can use them to create a better life Why optimizing systems are the key to freedom How forming habits can impact your quality of life Why gratitude is one of the greatest influencers of happiness What a gratitude visit is and how you can

  I recently was introduced to the Kanban method and it piqued my interest for many reasons. One, it's the final quarter of the year and I am about to go into a big audit of my business - what's working, what's not, what pots of gold are we sitting on and how best can I use my team to help uncover these. Two, I'm all about continually improving what I do, and who I am, and this is one of the key principles behind the Kanban method. The Kanban Method, as formulated by David J. Anderson, is an approach to incremental, evolutionary process and systems change for organizations. It was originally developed by an engineer in a Toyota Factory to overhaul their systems and delivery. It uses visualization via a kanban board of intangible work items - an important aspect of Kanban since it allows a greater understanding of both the work and the workflow. It also advocates limiting work in progress, which as well as reducing waste due to multitasking and context switching, exposes any operational problems your business

Freedom doesn't always mean living out of a suitcase and jumping from country to country around the world on a whim. For the past 6 years that has definitely been how I've chosen to design my lifestyle, but over the past year, my Freedom Plan has been evolving. And, the more my Freedom Plan evolves, the more people I meet that are seeking Freedom on their own terms. And that's really it, isn't it? Freedom is whatever you want it to be. It's unique to YOU. It's whatever suits your desires, allows you to live the way you want to, and do work that lights you up that supports your lifestyle. In today's podcast episode, Joel Zaslofsky talks about the moment that led him to seek his unique Freedom Plan and his journey to achieving his goal to leave the corporate world. He shares some of his daily rituals and how he uses gratitude and meditation to love his work and be present with his family. Listen in to this episode to learn about: Joel's morning routine that helps keep him on track for his goals Why you deserve