What bulletproof coffee taught me about life

Hey, you!

In last week’s email, I shared how we’re jazzing up the newsletter format by putting a different nomad in the spotlight story each week. You’ll hear straight from the horse’s mouth how they got to where they are, what they do for work, what lessons they’ve learned along the way and more.

To get us started, I thought it would be fitting to open with the SiteSee origin story. 

In other words, mine. 😊

Hey, this is Kelsey, and you’re reading the SiteSee newsletter. Think of me as your Big Sis when it comes to travel, inspiring you to keep going places. You can expect an email from me every Friday filled with nomad stories, tips for living a location-independent lifestyle, and the gear to get you there.

Travel Story✍️

I was all about the bulletproof coffee (AKA butter coffee) craze of 2017. 

It was what made my 45-minute commute to the office bearable. Somehow, forcing myself to down yet another thick, frothy butter-coffee mixture became my masochistic way of amping myself up for yet another day of speaking corporate jargon and pretending I loved my new job in yet another windowless office.

Sure, the Austin startup I was working for at the time had all the cushy perks: a keg in the kitchen; unlimited PTO; company outings with the bar tab fully paid. But when I stepped into that office each morning, I could feel my soul getting sucked (slowly and painfully) out of my body.

I knew this life wasn’t for me.

So, I dedicated one evening to introspection. I asked myself, “When was the last time you felt truly alive?

I didn’t come up with the answer that night. But a few days later, it all became clear. 

The last time I had felt truly alive was when I decided NOT to get a job right out of business school. Instead, defying all the lofty expectations of a top-tier business school (that, by the way, prides itself on its impressive post-graduation job placement), I rebelliously bought a one-way ticket to Thailand, packed a backpack, and set off on an exploration of Southeast Asia. 

From the moment I stepped foot in the airport until the day I eventually returned home to my parent’s house months later with elephant pants and a lingering tan, every fiber in my being was vibrating at a whole new frequency. I was giddy like a school kid. My energy was curious, electric, childlike. And it was palpable. 

I knew if I wanted to get back to this free-spirited state (and stay there), I would need to make my job shape to fit my life. Not the other way around.

The solution? A remote job.

In the end, it took a year before I started working for a fully remote SEO agency underneath an incredibly sharp founder who was living his own nomadic lifestyle in Thailand alongside his cat, Benjamin. 

He (the founder, not Benjamin) showed me that having a serious career AND traveling full-time was possible. He also pushed me to learn the ins and outs of SEO, to shed my imposter syndrome, and to understand that it’s not about knowing all the buttons, but rather, which button to push. And when.

For him, I am forever grateful.

During that first year at the agency, I put all my stuff in a storage unit in Austin and went full nomad. I started off doing solo travel, working remotely from both Central America and Europe. Then, I transitioned to group travel, joining Remote Year and exploring countries such as Colombia, Portugal, and South Africa. 

In hindsight, I’ve affectionately called this period, “The Year of Learning the Tough Nomad Lessons.” Lessons like: 

• DON’T work in a quaint Mexican beach town that’s notorious for having power outages—especially when there’s a crucial presentation with a marketing executive scheduled. 

• ALWAYS plan for tech issues to happen—which is why I now bring a backup iPhone with me everywhere I go just in case of loss or theft (been there, done that).

• AVOID pressuring yourself to see/do everything in a single city. Allow yourself the space to adapt to a new environment and culture, and approach each day one step at a time.

From all these years of travel, the most poignant realization I made was: There are a lot of people (way more than I had thought) embracing this way of life. And we’re all bound by a common goal: to prioritize freedom over everything else.

In July 2021, I left my job at the SEO agency to start my own consulting business. At the same time, I launched the SiteSee brand, hired amazing writers to help me, and started this newsletter. 😉

It’s taken time for me to connect all the dots over the years. But I’ve realized that the nagging feeling I had while working for that startup was trying to tell me something. It was trying to push me to question myself. To ask: Am I downing bulletproof coffee because I actually like it? Or is this just a way to mask the fact that I feel unhappy and need a change? 

You can call it your intuition, a gut feeling, your higher self … Whatever you call it, it’s real. And when you learn to trust it, you’ll see that life somehow always works out for the better.

In the end, trusting my intuition was what led me to my fully remote job at the SEO agency …  which led me to create SiteSee …  which led me to become my own boss and travel the world on my terms.

I’m writing this newsletter from an Airbnb in Cape Town with a view of Lion’s Head, living a life I could have only dreamed of when I was stuck in that windowless, soul-sucking office. All because I listened to the little voice in my head that said, “This life ain’t for you, Kelsey. And you can change it.”

But it took time.

And more importantly, it took trusting myself.

It took one sludgy bulletproof coffee to make me realize that I wanted something different out of life—and that I needed to take the steps to forge a new path. 

All this has led me to my greatest lesson yet: You’re just one decision away from a whole new life.

Gear Check🧳

I’ll letcha in on a little secret: When you become a nomad, you practically kiss your jeans goodbye. And pretty much all other uncomfortable clothing, too, for that matter. I now live in athleisure 24/7, and Outdoor Voices has become one of my all-time favorite brands. (Not to mention the fact that the founder is my idol.) That’s why I’m so happy they’re taking -50% off all sale items right now. I bought these socks, this sports bra, and these retro shorts for a whopping $39 (WITH shipping).

Airport Reads🗞️

• This amazing essay from Paul Graham on achieving excellence in your work. I wish I had read it years ago.

• Two years ago (to the day!), I did ayahuasca at this retreat center in Costa Rica. They recently launched a new center in Peru, and I’m seriously considering going later this year.

• I’m back to doom-scrolling #recipetok (I can’t stop myself), and I just made this sweet potato recipe. It was bomb. (And easy.) 🤤

Last Thing✨

Thanks for being here! Before we part ways, I want to leave you with this quote:

Onwards,

Kelsey

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