Emma was born a nomad. From the age of four, she has moved on average every 1.5 years, travelled to over 60 countries and lived in dozens of towns. During her undergraduate degree in International Development in Canada she went on her first big trip: a safari school camping expedition across Kenya and Uganda. At the age of 25, after a relatively uneventful post University career and an eventful quarter-life crisis, Emma quit her job, broke up with her boyfriend, sold all her furniture and bought a one-way ticket to Thailand. Back then, before social media and the full-blown digital age, she was just known as an unemployed backpacker. Regardless, she thrived as a traveler and explorer: diving in the Philippines, mastering the motorbike in Laos, learning about border crossings in Vietnam and keeping up in Bangkok. After walking 500 miles across Spain, Emma returned determined to find a meaningful career.
Her Masters of Marine Management led to work as a sustainable seafood consultant for a virtual global organization. Between 2011 and 2016, based out of London England, Emma traveled around the world 15 times and visited 42 countries and then, just when she thought it could not get any more extreme, she packed up all her belongings and left her London flat. In the two years since, without a bed of her own, she has travelled over 240,000 miles visiting 26 countries, moving on average every few weeks. Living a nomadic life is not always easy, especially as a busy full time executive, but Emma embraced the inevitable ups and downs.
At the beginning of 2018, Emma visited New Zealand for an epic 6 week solo roadtrip. It was travel goals to say the least. It was during this trip that Emma began to question her nomadic lifestyle and wonder if it was time to try something new: settling down. But where? She had visited countless towns and cities and knew what she was looking for was out there – she just hadn’t found it yet. Until she did. In a very random turn of events, that involved Bumble, a big change plans and a week in Cuba Emma found herself in Santa Cruz California. It was love at first sight and Emma set her sights on home. A long process and many months later, Emma is now the proud resident of Santa Cruz California. She started a digital wellness company focusing on mental health resiliency and is building community – this time in one place. What a complete 180! Emma has not lost her nomad values and introduces herself not just as Emma the Nomad, but as a Nomad-in-Residence (stay tuned for more).
She shares her stories, quirkiness, and lessons learned with the world through her Emma the Nomad blog and her Where is Emma the Nomad? kids YouTube program and her new company Myrth. Emma hopes to inspire others and remind them about the importance of empathy, kindness and self-care in any lifestyle.
