The Life Affairs Podcast - echte levensverhalen (EN/NL)

On The Road With Rosie: The Chronicles Of Her Van Life And Conversations On Freedom, Discovery and Liberation.

April 27, 2024 Guest Rosie Burrows Season 2 Episode 7
On The Road With Rosie: The Chronicles Of Her Van Life And Conversations On Freedom, Discovery and Liberation.
The Life Affairs Podcast - echte levensverhalen (EN/NL)
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The Life Affairs Podcast - echte levensverhalen (EN/NL)
On The Road With Rosie: The Chronicles Of Her Van Life And Conversations On Freedom, Discovery and Liberation.
Apr 27, 2024 Season 2 Episode 7
Guest Rosie Burrows

In this episode of the Life Affairs Podcast, I explore the liberating journey of Rosie, a high achieving academic who chose to pursue her dreams over societal expectations by living and working from her Van while traveling around Australia. Rosie shares her story, highlighting the catalyst of her mother’s death and how it spurred her to embrace a nomadic lifestyle despite initial obstacles like the breakup with her partner. She delves into the challenges of converting her Van into a livable space without prior experience, the importance of community in the van life, and how minimalism has influenced her happiness. The episode also covers the technical and emotional aspects of living a non-traditional life, emphasizing self-discovery, the value of communities such as the Free Spirited Sisterhood, and the deeper connections fostered by this lifestyle. Rosie’s story is a testament to finding freedom and fulfillment by courageously pursuing one’s dreams against conventional norms.

 

00:00 Introduction to the Life Affairs Podcast

00:41 Meet Rosie: A Journey to Freedom and Van Life

02:05 Rosie's Life-Changing Decision: From Grief to Van Life

03:11 Navigating Challenges and Embracing Change

04:33 The Breakup That Paved the Way for True Freedom

09:22 The Minimalist Van Life: Letting Go and Living More

13:51 Learning Through Trial and Error: The Van Conversion Process

18:04 Exploring New Horizons: Rosie's Travels in Australia

19:03 Embracing Van Life: A Journey of Discovery

19:13 Finding Inspiration and Fulfillment on the Road

20:01 The Challenges and Joys of Van Life Solitude

20:47 Building Connections in the Van Life Community

21:58 Van Life Conversations: Beyond the Surface

24:04 Navigating the Practicalities of Van Life

26:53 A Day in the Life: Van Life Routines and Work

32:10 The Power of Community in Van Life

32:46 Breaking Stereotypes: The Free Spirited Sisterhood

37:37 The Pursuit of Freedom: Rosie's Podcast and Community

38:47 Closing Thoughts and Invitation to Join the Community

You can follow Rosie on  https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosie-burrows/
Listen to her podcast on https://pursuit-of-freedom.captivate.fm/

(EN) If you like this episode, please subscribe and share with your friends and family. I look forward to read your life affair on my email Roula@thelifeaffairspodcast.com

you can also follow me and send me a DM on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/roula_abou_haidar/

Or Follow me on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/roulaabouhaidar

All music on my episodes are credited to https://pixabay.com

Show Notes Transcript

In this episode of the Life Affairs Podcast, I explore the liberating journey of Rosie, a high achieving academic who chose to pursue her dreams over societal expectations by living and working from her Van while traveling around Australia. Rosie shares her story, highlighting the catalyst of her mother’s death and how it spurred her to embrace a nomadic lifestyle despite initial obstacles like the breakup with her partner. She delves into the challenges of converting her Van into a livable space without prior experience, the importance of community in the van life, and how minimalism has influenced her happiness. The episode also covers the technical and emotional aspects of living a non-traditional life, emphasizing self-discovery, the value of communities such as the Free Spirited Sisterhood, and the deeper connections fostered by this lifestyle. Rosie’s story is a testament to finding freedom and fulfillment by courageously pursuing one’s dreams against conventional norms.

 

00:00 Introduction to the Life Affairs Podcast

00:41 Meet Rosie: A Journey to Freedom and Van Life

02:05 Rosie's Life-Changing Decision: From Grief to Van Life

03:11 Navigating Challenges and Embracing Change

04:33 The Breakup That Paved the Way for True Freedom

09:22 The Minimalist Van Life: Letting Go and Living More

13:51 Learning Through Trial and Error: The Van Conversion Process

18:04 Exploring New Horizons: Rosie's Travels in Australia

19:03 Embracing Van Life: A Journey of Discovery

19:13 Finding Inspiration and Fulfillment on the Road

20:01 The Challenges and Joys of Van Life Solitude

20:47 Building Connections in the Van Life Community

21:58 Van Life Conversations: Beyond the Surface

24:04 Navigating the Practicalities of Van Life

26:53 A Day in the Life: Van Life Routines and Work

32:10 The Power of Community in Van Life

32:46 Breaking Stereotypes: The Free Spirited Sisterhood

37:37 The Pursuit of Freedom: Rosie's Podcast and Community

38:47 Closing Thoughts and Invitation to Join the Community

You can follow Rosie on  https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosie-burrows/
Listen to her podcast on https://pursuit-of-freedom.captivate.fm/

(EN) If you like this episode, please subscribe and share with your friends and family. I look forward to read your life affair on my email Roula@thelifeaffairspodcast.com

you can also follow me and send me a DM on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/roula_abou_haidar/

Or Follow me on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/roulaabouhaidar

All music on my episodes are credited to https://pixabay.com

Roula: 

My guest today is the first person I know who shouts from the rooftops of her community and social media and her podcast that pursuing our freedom means taking one step at a time without fear.  She is building her dream life and I am on the sideline cheering for her because in a way she's paving the way for me to be brave and pursue my freedom too. 

 

She is a high achieving academic, a valedictorian to be precise.  Her smartness could successfully lead her to many normal paths, but she is not settling for this. She's settling for her societal freedom, believes and fosters her action in building a meaningful life by challenging the status quo. And believe me, she is not a weirdo and not living on the edge of the society.

 

She lives in her van and travels around Australia and works from wherever she is. She uses the best tech to achieve her goals. Join me to learn what it takes and what it means to be brave and live our journey towards our dreams. I'm having my cup of tea as usual. Rosie is on the other side of the world in Australia.

 

I'm not sure what she's drinking. I didn't ask her. Here we go with our conversation. 

 

Rosie's Life-Changing Decision: From Grief to Van Life

 

Roula:

Tell me Rosie, when you knew for the first time  that this, you want to live in a van and travel around the country.  

 

Rosie:

Yeah, that's a really hard question. I think that feeling's always been there, but the biggest bucket moment was when my mom was dying.

 

It really brings into perspective. Life's short. She was only 60. It was out of the blue. Anyway, you know what, what am I doing working in a job that makes me really miserable? Fuck this. I've always wanted to travel around Australia. I've always wanted to convert a van.  And maybe two weeks before I died, before mom died, I went out and bought a van and it was like, right, let's do this.

 

Roula:

How long time ago is this? 

 

Rosie:

Uh, yeah, well, this is the interesting part. It was September, 2019 and my partner at the time, we're not together anymore, but I said to her.  I'll have it converted in six months,  and then we're leaving. That's it. We're living in the van.  It took me four years. 

 

This sounds like a big change of plans.

 

Navigating Challenges and Embracing Change

 

Roula:

You are now pursuing this dream alone, and right before it started,  COVID strikes in 2019.  How did it affect your planning?  

 

Rosie:

You know, we were really lucky in Australia. It had minimal impact, but it was kind of scary. It was unprecedented, right? As everybody listening knows.  And then I started studying because I kind of listened to someone else's advice, which I shouldn't have, you know, trying to please others and not listening to my heart. 

 

And it kind of just got put on the back burner. I had this fierce dream, you know, mum was dying, she died. I'm like, yes, let's do the van. We're leaving. I don't care about society, anyone's expectations. And COVID hit, I started studying a master's. Um, of business administration, and I just got caught up back in that rat race or whatever you want to call it, you know,  caught up in life and the direction that society was pushing me.

 

So it was taking me away from my dream to live in my van.  

 

Roula:

And then what happened? How did it hit you that, okay, I'm going back to my original plan to go in the van? 

 

Rosie:

It was slow.  It took me a while to get back there. 

 

Roula:

Can you take me with you and tell me how did you get back on track? 

 

The Breakup That Paved the Way for True Freedom

 

Rosie:

Yeah, and this will touch on my relationship, right?

 

So we'd been together before we broke up, eight years. It's a long time.  And initially, my partner was really keen to move into the van full time. She was fully supportive of me. And then it came to light, actually, she didn't want to do it. Yeah. And I got really upset, because this, this is what I was being called to do. 

 

But you know, we argued about that a bit, and it felt too hard, so the van wasn't really being converted.  And then, you know, several years passed, and my partner started a new career as a nurse.  And the way that panned out is she had to move away, so we were doing distance for a while.  And the interesting thing is we were both the happiest we'd ever been. 

 

She was really far away.  I was converting the van, feeling amazing. She was doing her thing.  And I just sort of thought, isn't that interesting that now we're apart, we both feel we're able to fully commit to the things we want to do. And so we had to have a conversation saying,  I don't think we want to go in the same direction. 

 

It just gave so much clarity from that point. I was like, right, it's just me and my dog. I'm going to convert the van. I'm moving out of my house. I'm getting rid of 90 percent of my possession.  And within the space of four or five months, I was in my van when I'd been procrastinating for four years. 

 

Roula:

Relationships maintained solely for the sake of meeting expectations and avoiding change can drain us and lead to unhappiness.  Sometimes choosing breakup can open a world of opportunities. I don't take breaking up lightly.  I do compare it like being fired. As harsh as  and inconvenient as it may be, it leads to new horizons and opportunities. 

 

I was talking to this the other day with, um, with a friend. We were talking about relationships, friendships and romantic relationships.  And how we, it's really important to know when we need to walk away, because often we just feel we have to persevere and see it through. And we've got to try as hard as we can, which I did for eight years, but. 

 

I had a realization. What am I doing? I am compromising my core values  for someone that yeah, I used to love, but now it's just we're living together because we've been together for this long and oh well.  But that's nuts.  Absolutely nuts. And so when I was brave enough to end it, it was absolutely liberating.

 

It was scary, I have to say, being single for the first time in eight years. It's terrifying, but  I have never felt so aligned. Here I am living my dream. I'm parked up in the van by a creek. I've got the Starlink satellite internet on my,  uh, the roof of my van. I've got my dog about a meter away from me on my bed. 

 

You know, you can really, you can see my computer screen shoved in the background. I'm in my van. Here I am. I've never had less possessions, less money, but I've never been this happy. 

 

 

Roula:

It's so amazing what you're saying.  But you're an academic person and worked at the university. What are your technical skills to convert a van? 

 

Rosie:

My technical skills? Yes, nothing. I think my, my biggest skill is being curing.  I have no  building background, carpentry background, anything. So it was a trial by fire. I definitely learned  what not to do. I made some expensive mistakes.  But I built my home. It's not super pretty, but it's functional. And I'm proud of that.

 

I think for a while I was a bit ashamed to show people my van because  van life's a really popular thing in Australia. I'm not sure what it's like in the Netherlands.  And so many people have these beautiful, pristine vans. You know, they just look so pretty and mine is not pretty. So I sort of hid it for a bit and I thought, you know what?

 

It's not about being pretty. I'm so proud of myself for persevering for four bloody years  to get this thing finished. And I can,  I've got my air fryer in here, I've got my microwave, I've got my second monitor to edit my podcast.  Here I am with you recording a podcast. I've got my fridge and freezer. It's just, it blows my mind where I am now compared to where I was six months ago. 

 

The Minimalist Van Life: Letting Go and Living More

 

Roula:

Rosie, do you have the personality of someone who would be  minimalistic and live with the minimum possible, uh, not wanting all these material things around you?  Is this who you are? 

 

Rosie:

It's been a learning curve.  I'm a bit of a sentimental person. You know, having lost both my parents, I like to keep things that remind me of them, um, but I've really learned that  an object  Isn't, but it's not my parents, right?

It helps me remember them.  And I've really learned to start letting go of things. When I was preparing to move into the van, I had to get rid of a lot of things from the house.  And it was a process.  You know, I thought, Oh, I can't get rid of this. What if I need it? Just in case. What if I need this one textbook just in case, you know, if I want to do marketing or finance, like silly things. 

 

And then it just, it's, it's almost contagious. You start giving things away, getting rid of them, and you just can't help but do it more and more and more. I gave away so many things. I did keep some things, sentimental items of, of mum and dad's that you can't replace. Dad was an artist and a carpenter, so I kept some of those things.

 

But I think that's okay, right? So that's in storage, but 90 percent of my stuff is gone.  And you know, I haven't missed a single thing. It's interesting because I went back to the storage unit maybe a month ago,  I needed a particular tool that I wanted to have in the van. And I was looking what was in the storage unit, and I thought, what's in this bag?

 

I pulled out this big bag, opened it up. It was a huge bag, like one of the classic huge bags that sometimes you put clothes in. It was full of coat hangers! I thought, Rosie, why the heck did you think you needed to store coat hangers? That's something that's easily replaceable. So, I'm not immune to hanging on to things you don't need, but it's been a really cool process, and I highly encourage everybody to just do it. 

 

Looking at the items they have around them and go, Hey, does this bring me joy?  Do I actually need this or am I hanging onto it because maybe I'll need it one day. That's the biggest thing for me. I'll go, oh, I might need this one day. It's usually stuff I don't use.  

 

Roula:

I feel you. I'm moving again for the second time in  three, four years.

Um, and I have boxes that they're going to go with me to the new house. I have not opened them  for years. The last time I opened them was to move them to this house. We take them with us, we put them on the shelf, and then when we move again, we take them back. We don't even remember what's in these boxes. 

 

It's for this one day that might happen. And if they are close, they won't fit anymore. We're not the size  10 years ago. 

 

Rosie:

I'm guilty of that one too. And I do wonder why we place such importance  on items. What is that about? Is it because we've been groomed to believe that from society? Like I really, I really, really wonder where that comes from.

 

I don't know where I learned that.  

 

Roula:

The other thing is the fear of losing this thing that we possess. What if we couldn't find it again? For me, it's unexplicable. Is that the right word? I cannot explain it. Why? 

 

Rosie:

No, yeah.  You mentioned fear. I think that's a big one, actually.  We're scared to lose things. And as human, human beings, we're wired  to avoid pain.

 

That's just a natural instinct. And If we feel we're going to lose something,  we're going to try and avoid that.  in our biology. The silly thing is,  we've evolved as human beings and losing a coffee mug is not putting our life in danger.  

 

Roula:

It puts our mood in danger.  It  changes our mood and the other will feel in danger.

 

Learning Through Trial and Error: The Van Conversion Process

 

Roula:

about the construction work you did on? I'm fascinated, you know, At home, I don't do construction work. My husband does all this.  But for you, you did it all yourself. And of course, as women, I am raised not to carry a hammer. Bullshit of course. And look down at if I'm doing this, like I'm not good at it. I will never be good at it.

 

So tell me about you. 

 

 Rosie:

Yeah, 

there was, there was judgment on that. I think from a lot of people.  Are you going to pay someone to do that? I don't know.  I want to learn how to do that and people looked at me like I was mad.  Why would you want to do something you've never done? Like you, you're ridiculous.  But actually, I find trying new things really exciting. 

 

It challenges me because I can be a really impatient person and I absolutely hate being bad at things. I just,  I really don't like it. I think that's true for everybody, but  oh, I don't do well when I'm not good at something.  So doing this van really pushed me to my limits. I would make mistakes every single day cutting a bit of wood too short.

 

or buying the wrong material. For example, I  insulated the floor and I decided to use spray foam that's in this can with a nozzle and spray it. I thought, yeah, I'll use three cans, that's about 80. Ended up using 20 cans, turned into this very expensive thing. And then I learned  You don't really need to insulate the floor in Australia. 

 

It was a waste of time, and I lost about 10cm of head height. And I'm quite tall. I'm 180cm tall, so I need that head height. That's just one example. 

 

Roula:

Hold on, you're 180?  Yeah. What? Living in a van? 

 

Rosie:

Well yeah, and so that was part of it too, I had to choose a van that had the head height. It was non negotiable to me that I needed to be able to stand.

 

If I'm living in it full time, I do not want to be hunched over, I want to be comfortable.  But that was a decision making process  and I opted to get what's called an extra long wheelbase. So it's a really long van.  Which, is great. I have room in here for all the things.  But the compromise is, I can't sit in a normal car space.

 

So if I happen to be in the city, and need to go to the shops, it's really hard to park. So it's the things you learn that you never would have thought of when you're building a,  um, But yeah, I, I've taught myself from YouTube. The University of YouTube, that is how I've learned how to do this. There has been a lot of swearing,  a lot of injuries, a lot of  Wanting to give up  has really taught me  to take a breath when stuff's not going my way.

 

It's like, Oh, well, and what are you going to do about it? Because in the past I would have just thrown in the towel, like, fuck this. It's too hard.  Walk away.  But I had this van. I put a lot of money into it. I need to finish it. I need to live in it. My lease is running out at my house.  So I just had to finish it and so I think I've really grown as a person.

 

I've picked up skills. I would not  feel comfortable charging someone for me to make them something because I'm not very good at it,  but I've learned a lot and I've grown as a person. I think I'm more resilient.  I've learned a lot about myself and how difficult I find it to learn, to learn things for the first time.

 

Bye. I thought I was good at trying new stuff and maybe I am, but actually it's really messy. I struggle with it. 

Exploring New Horizons: Rosie's Travels in Australia

 

Roula:

You went back to the storage  and get whatever you need. How is your traveling? 

Are you getting further from your comfort zone, your town, or how does it work for you?  

 

Rosie:

So, people listening might want to look on a map, because I'm guessing most people aren't  familiar with Australia, but I lived in the state of Queensland, in a capital city called Brisbane.

 

So that's  eastern Australia, essentially, like, halfway down. I am currently in the state of Victoria,  which is about a 20 hour drive from where I was. And you know how I ended up here?  is a friend I made  that I met at a van life event. Just two weeks after I moved into a van, a friend I made there  bought a block of land  and she rang me up and said, Oh my God, Rosie, I bought this block of land.

 

I've found a space on the paddock. It's perfect for you and Tilly. And I just went, right, I'm coming right now. And I high, high tailed it down. 

 

Embracing Van Life: A Journey of Discovery

Finding Inspiration and Fulfillment on the Road

 

I didn't stop anywhere to enjoy the sights. I just drove, drove, drove.  And I've been on this block of land for maybe three weeks. I just love it.  

And part of it Number one, I love this person.

 

She's just amazing. She's in her early fifties, so  fierce. She's amazing. So I'm really inspired by her, but I was also really drawn to living on the block of land because as a little girl, that was a dream of mine. I remember as a eight year old  asking my mom to tell me bedtime stories about my block of land.

 

I didn't own a block of land, but I wanted my mom to tell me about this.  block of land that I dreamed of.  So it has been a dream for a long time,  that calling to just  get out of the city, be in nature, do things a bit differently. I think I was just bored with it. It's always been there. 

 

The Challenges and Joys of Van Life Solitude

 

Roula:

Do you get lonely?

 

Yeah, it's, I was  thinking about that actually, driving to the location for us to record.  I think loneliness is an inevitable part of van life.  Because, especially for a single woman like me, I have my dog, but that's a one way conversation.  I want to talk.  And it's very easy to isolate yourself  when you're in a band.

 

You could quite easily not interact with anybody.  And I'm quite introverted, so it's challenging for me, or outside of my comfort zone,  to talk to new people. But I've really had to learn how to do that. 

 

Building Connections in the Van Life Community

 

And I was saying before, the lady who's Landon on, I met at a van life event. And it blows my mind because that's, going to events like that isn't really my thing.

 

I find social gatherings really  intimidating and I think they're really shallow. Let people chit chat about stupid stuff like the weather and let's get a coffee. Like I just hate it. But I took a punt and went to this event, because I'd just started van life. And it was amazing to be surrounded by like minded people.

 

I had never experienced it before. There were hundreds of people,  all living in their vans.  That talk with each other, that go away and have time alone in their vans. Which was amazing, like everybody just respected each other's boundaries. And that's where I made this friend.  So yes, van life is lonely. 

 

That's  the price you pay, right, to live in a van. But, it's a choice to put yourself out there and meet new people. So I'm still learning how to do that.  But it's totally possible. There's some really cool people on the road. 

 

 

 

 

 

Van Life Conversations: Beyond the Surface

Roula:

So what do you talk about with Van people, Venn lifestyle people? Because we live, we work, we go to the supermarket, we  do events, we go partying or dinner or whatever, it's a different lifestyle.

So things come to talk about, tell me about Van lifestyle conversations.

 

Rosie:

You know what usually starts the conversation is my dog. She's really cute. And they'll go, Oh, what a cute  dog. And it's a really nice way to start the conversation because I'm not great at starting a conversation. I find that very intimidating.

 

And then you talk about your van, you know, do you live in it full time? Or are you just on a holiday? Did you convert it yourself? What model do you have? How much solar do you have on the roof? What size is your battery bank? All these things that I think everyday people living in a house would go, what?

 

What are you talking about? That is gibberish to me. So it's just, it's cool. And also talking about places they've been that they recommend.  There's so many hidden gems and  I'd like to avoid the really touristy areas if I can. So talking to people is a cool way to learn  about  places that are off the beaten track a little bit. 

 

That's, that's mainly what I do. You talk about your van, where you've traveled, and I guess also your outlook on life. I find the conversations a lot deeper. It's not, what do you do for work?  That's often a sad question when you meet people, I find,  but when you meet a van lifer,  it's maybe how long have you been on the road? 

 

It's a cool question. You know, what, what made you want to move into a van? And so you hear people's life stories.  It's magical actually. I really love it.  

 

 

 

Navigating the Practicalities of Van Life

 

Roula:

Oh, I really love it too. 

 You mentioned that van life in Australia is kind of popular, and people  like their vans are their apartments, their houses, this good they make them.

So this means you easily find places to park your van because I don't, it costs also here in the Netherlands, it's very expensive to park your car or your van somewhere. And some cars, some vans have specific places to park. How can you have the freedom over there to go where you want to go, park where you want to park? 

 

Rosie:

At first, I was really intimidated by that, like, where do people go? Like there's caravan parks.  But that is so not my thing, you know, you pack in like sardines and no, like, I'm not interested in that. And I actually found a phone app that costs 10 and  full of this wealth of information. Everybody in the van life community, people who caravan or camp or tour Australia are all on there. 

 

And they  put a pin on the map of places that are good to say, so there's like thousands of entries on there. So when I was traveling down to Victoria, I needed to rest a little bit overnight on the way down, 20 hours is a long time. So I just went on the app,  found a free place to stay overnight. There was a creek, there were big trees everywhere.

 

There was even a toilet that felt safe.  It was  dog friendly, so I could have Tilly there.  I had this  untapped wealth of knowledge that I didn't even know was there. So what was this big scary thing of where am I going to find where to stay? All of a sudden became really easy  and I've also become more comfortable  with not having a plan.

 

Like I don't have to book where I'm staying every night. In the past, absolutely I do.  If I'm going on a holiday, I want to know exactly where I'm going, when, what hotel, what I'm doing, like  everything down to the minute.  But I've now just learned, hey, go with the flow. And I've even parked up  in a street in front of houses and just slept there and  never would have thought. 

 

I would be the kind of person to do that or even feel safe doing that. But actually I do feel safe and having my dog with me I think is a big part of that. She's only little but she helps me to feel safe. How little? How old is she, Tilly? She  will be turning two in about 10 days, something like that. Um, and she's an Australian Kelpie, so a working dog.

 

They usually work on farms. But she's quite small for that breed, so that breed often gets up to, I don't know, 23 kilos. She's 13 kilos. So she's little and I 

 

love it. She's young and energetic. 

 

A Day in the Life: Van Life Routines and Work

 

Roula:

Can you give, take me through a typical day,  how you wake up, what you do, how your day would end? It's 

 

Rosie:

been really hot  in Australia. 

 

And one thing I've learned, even though I've insulated the van, It gets really hot in the van. Like, it's essentially a metal box, right? So in terms of when I wake up,  when it gets hot in the van, I'm awake and I'm out of there because it's really unpleasant. You know, I take Killy out, she does her business, we'll probably play fetch, she's obsessed with chasing the bulls,  I might eat breakfast, I might be wandering around in my pyjamas for a while, it's My own schedule, but every day kind of looks different and I work on the road that I, for people listening, you don't know me.

 

I'm a podcaster. I'm a small business owner  and I've chosen to do that on the road. So I need to record my podcast episodes. I need to edit them. I need to be involved in my online community, which is the core of my business. And I do all of that from my van, but I can choose when I do it, which is wonderful because I'm a small business owner and I do all of that from my van, but I can choose when I do it, which is wonderful because It never suited me  to have a really strict routine of you have to turn up the work at this time, leave at this time,  and you better be productive during those hours.

 

Roula:

Otherwise you will be labeled with some kind of disorder  if you don't like it.  

 

Rosie:

I really struggled. Like it's just, I'm most productive at night. I'm a night owl. So working in a traditional job really didn't, didn't suit me. It wasn't great. And for years I tried to.  fit in and adapt to that, but just wasn't working.

 

And eventually I thought, stuff this, why am I trying to change who I am  to fit the mold when there are so many other options, you don't have to be in a traditional nine to five job.  That's just what we're raised to believe we have to do, you don't have to do that. 

 

Especially now that you have met so many like minded people, um, you're learning from them,  you are free spirited and this is, there is nothing wrong with it. 

 

Roula:

In the past you would spend time at Woodstock, but now you're spending time in a life van.  

 

Rosie:

Yeah, yeah. 

 

Roula:

Do you like cooking  

 

Do I like cocaine? 

 

Roula:

No, no. 

 

Do you? By the way? Yeah. 

 

Roula:

Back on track.  I wanted to know if you like cooking and cooking. How is it to cook in your van kitchen? I 

 

Rosie:

love cooking because I love food. The, the part I don't like is the clean up afterwards, but I, I love cooking. So I have outside the van. I've got a gas hook up, hook up so I can cook on a gas stove  and I love being outside so that's nice.

 

It's like having an outdoor kitchen but inside I have an induction cooktop so that's electric.  I've got a microwave because I love having leftovers and it's quicker to reheat it in the microwave.  I've got an air fryer because I love cooking on that. I like making homemade chips. The other day I made a roast pork,  even had a roast lamb as well the other week. 

 

This is luxury. It's just like being in a house. There's, I don't feel like I'm compromising on anything. There's less space in here, but it encourages me to be outside and that's where I'm happiest. So yes, I love cooking,  but I love eating even more.  

 

Roula:

So what, what is your further plan? How long are you planning to stay in the van and how do you see yourself?

 

Not very far future because I don't like this question in five years. How do you see yourself in a few months?  

 

Rosie:

Yeah.  I mean, that's interesting. You know, this five year plan, we're always asked that, aren't we? As if we should know. It's so far away.  But if we're looking  closer, the next few months, I definitely see myself in the van. 

 

I'm loving it. I'm going to keep doing this until I don't love it. How long will that be? I don't know. Maybe it'll be six months. Maybe next week I'll crack the shit and  not want to be in here, but it feels so right at this moment. I could be on the road for the rest of my life. I'm open to that. And I'm open if I'm going to move back into a house.

 

I couldn't think of anything worse at this moment in time, but if I do choose to do that, that's okay.  So for the next few months, I'm going to continue traveling in the van. I'm going to continue releasing episodes on my podcast, meeting amazing people, growing my online community, which you're part of, and it's just, it's amazing.

 

The Power of Community in Van Life

 

I think if we touch on community,  that is such a big part of van life because it would be.  super lonely without community and I don't think it would be lonely in a good way.  So community is, is crucial. That's where we feel connected to people, we learn things,  we can share the good times, the bad times, ask for advice or just have someone to sit with you and listen.

 

I really am a huge advocate for community and I think if community was missing from van life, I don't think I'd last.  

 

Breaking Stereotypes: The Free Spirited Sisterhood

 

Roula:

I think for a very long time I confused community with being with a group of people, then I realized that community is a place to grow, to feel like you are being yourself and you can just say what you want to say, be yourself.

 

I'm so glad to be part of this free spirited sisterhood community because like from all over the world, we all We don't want to just cut the shit off and be ourselves and these kind of communities that you are building with the sisterhood is, this is what we are trying to do together to grow and move in the direction where we want to be.

 

It's not like another woman supporting woman bullshit, feeling vulnerable and not judged because I think women among each other. They're very scared of being judged. 

 

Rosie:

And it 

 

can be very 

 

lonely being a woman because there's so many standards we're expected to live up to. And if you dare be different, look out, that is not allowed. 

 

And there's also this toxic culture, I think, amongst some women  where we compete,  you know, it's a competition and we, we just have to be better than each other. And I, I've got caught up in that before. I really don't like it. That's no way to live.  And the Free Spirited Sisterhood or any community that I'm wanting to be part of is about  giving everybody a voice. 

 

Give them a voice, a space to feel safe, a space to be heard,  and this is important for me, I don't know about you, a space to be challenged. I like my thinking to be challenged. It can be really uncomfortable. If, if you said to me, Rosie, that's a load of bullshit and here's why. I will listen to that. I might get angry, like, Huh! 

 

No!  Then I'll go away for half an hour and go, Actually, she has a point.  And that is personal growth. So that, I think, the key element to a community, uh,  Yeah, there's this safety component. That sounds a bit boring, but it's important to feel safe. To feel heard, that's also important. People aren't very good at listening, in general.

 

So to have a community where you're heard, listened to,  Game changer. Yeah.  And that challenging component, because if you say the same,  what's life going to look like? I want to be a different person when I wake up tomorrow. That might sound a bit ridiculous,  but I think it's possible. Even if my thinking has changed just a little bit or I've had this conversation with you, I'm going to be a different person tomorrow because I've had this conversation and you're making me think about different things. 

 

And I think what some people call community is definitely not. It's, it's us obsessing about trying to fit in.  The true community  is about a sense of belonging. 

 

Roula:

You and I, we met in an online course and at that moment we were just beginning and we didn't know where we're going. We're trying to learn about podcasting,  start our podcast, learn from the best, of course, Pat Flynn. 

 

And We connected  with, I feel like I'm following you in your journey. And it's so exciting because  we build a friendship  true based on the topic of both podcasting, going deeper in our conversations. We got to know each other. And this is one thing I like about podcasting, how we can go deep in conversations and not just scratch the surface.

 

Rosie:

It was an online course, but  In a way, that was a community too. A different kind of community.  But we found each other because we had something in common. And here we are. Is it a year later? I'm not sure. We're still in touch. You're in the Netherlands. I'm in Australia. We've got different time zones. But here we are.

 

And I think that's beautiful. When you connect with people  who are like minded.  You can't do it alone. break that bond.  And when I say like minded, I don't mean the same life experiences. Like our experiences are so different,  so different. But I think what we value is very similar and what we desire in life,  big picture level is so similar.

 

And that's what draws us together. Fierce women attract fierce women. We're, we're in it together. 

 

Roula:

The big picture. We will keep our eye on it. 

 

Rosie:

I can do that. 

 

The Pursuit of Freedom: Rosie's Podcast and Community

 

Rosie is the creator and host of the podcast, The Pursuit of Freedom. In each episode, she talks with women from all walks of life. They share two common traits. They are inspiring and have rich life stories like you and me. You can listen to her podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. I am also a member of Rosie's community, the Free Spirited Sisterhood. 

 

I mean, come on, isn't the name get you goosebumps of happiness?  It's a space not for ordinary women. It's for fierce women, trailblazers, and anyone who wants to break the status quo and live life  In this community, we share our stories. We learn from experts in many fields. We stay up to date with the latest trends and social media rules and so much more.

 

These are all important for growing our businesses and our personal brands. Join us and become part of our vibrant community. You'll be in good company. Find more details in the show notes.  

 

Closing Thoughts and Invitation to Join the Community

 

Thank you for listening to today's episode. If you enjoyed it, please share it with your friends and family and ask them to subscribe, leaving a rating and review on platforms like Apple podcast can also help boost the podcast ranking your support.

 

Through word of mouth is greatly appreciated.  If you feel I'm encouraging you to tell your story, contact me on Rula at the life affairs podcast. com. You will see my email in the show notes.  I'll see you next time.