Today’s project update is a ‘behind the scenes’ kind of look at the way I’ve been tweaking and implementing the ‘Street Teams‘ idea that Skellie wrote about a while back.

Since my “call to action” a few weeks ago, you may been hearing more and more about the concept of Location Independent around the web. In fact on several occasions recently I’ve been in touch with someone and they’ve replied saying “Oh yeah, I checked out your website and realised you’re the guys behind Location Independent…cool!”.

If you’re wondering why that is, much of it is down to a few extremely supportive, hard-working, passionate supporters of the location independent project who I’m really pleased to have as official “Team Leaders” for our Community Outreach Teams (COT) – my version of a street team.

These are the guys who’ve been spearheading the efforts to spread the word about the concepts of location independent living across the web (and beyond) and who I’d like to introduce to you today…

Who are you & what do you do?

Amy Palko: Since the successful completion of my doctorate on the work & career of Stephen King, I have been focusing my attention on community management. I am passionate about creating, nurturing and promoting communities both online and off, and I hope to make this my sole source of income in the next 12 months.

Cath Duncan: Charles Darwin said, “It’s not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” I help people who have high-change work/lifestyles to become more agile and able to change effortlessly and elegantly in response to their changing environment, or their own desire to change aspects of their lives. I help people to discover how their thinking is helping or hindering their progress and teach them the practical tools and technologies for changing your thinking so that you get the best results and so that it feels like an awesome adventure getting there.

Sharon Hurley Hall: I’m Sharon Hurley Hall, a freelance writer, ghostwriter and blogger.

Zoë Westhof: I grew up right outside NYC, but hefty doses of travel and study abroad eventually led me to Thailand, where I’ve been living for a year and a half now. I spend my days writing and creating new media content to advance creativity and social change – with plenty of traveling in between.

Where are you currently based? Any travel plans for the next year?

Amy: I am currently based just outside Stirling in Scotland and it is my intention to move to Edinburgh in the coming months. Perhaps unusually for one who is interested in the Location Independent lifestyle, I don’t have any travel plans, but then perhaps this will be explained by my answer to the next question!

Cath: I’m originally from Cape Town, South Africa and currently based in London with my husband, Andy. Andy is a software development consultant and the fact that I’ve set up a location independent business means that he’s at liberty to take up short contracts and choose the most stimulating projects to work on wherever they are in the world without me “starting all over again” with my business. We plan to also build in a few months of “mini-retirements” in between his projects, where we’ll live somewhere a bit more exotic or remote and get involved in social development projects.

Sharon: I’m currently in Barbados and by the end of this year I will have worked from Cancun, Chicago and Nottingham in the UK. There are a couple of other trips on the horizon, but these are not confirmed yet.

Zoë: I’m currently based in Chiang Mai, Thailand. I’ll be traveling to the UK and the States for about 6 weeks this summer, but I won’t be moving away from Southeast Asia this year.

What does the concept of being “location independent” mean to you?

Amy: My concept of being location independent actually stems from my time living in some of the most remote communities in the north of Scotland. I saw these small pockets of people struggle to make a life for themselves in the area that they loved but, because of a number of economic factors many were unsuccessful and had to leave for the large towns & cities.In fact, one of the main reasons we moved away was because of a lack of opportunities for myself and my family.

Because of this experience, I can appreciate the benefits of location independence to these remote communities, as it could help people find a viable alternative to moving away and thus hastening the dispersal of these communities. And I’m not limiting this to Scotland either; I’m sure it could provide a lifeline to remote communities worldwide.

For me, location independent isn’t only a means by which entrepreneurs can achieve business success whilst travelling the globe – it is also a way forward for those who choose to live where they do, without suffering economically for their choice.

Cath: For me, being location independent expresses what’s most important to me:

• Freedom: not being restricted by unnecessary limitations set up by society or institutions.
• Choice: creating more options for myself (even if I don’t exercise all of them!) and dreaming up different possibilities.
• Diversity: Andy and I are both deeply curious people who love learning new things and meeting new people. So the idea of being able to move around the world and have different experiences, learn different things, see different things and meet different people really appeals to us both.
• Expanding our minds and ourselves: When we got married, the central theme to our vows was “we’ll help each other be more of who we want to be” and being location independent is enabling us to both live our dreams, do the work we love and extend our potentials at the same time – neither of us has to compromise on our dreams.
• Not having a lot of stuff: I feel tied down and constricted when we have a lot of stuff. Stuff has to be looked after, insured, cleaned, maintained – aargh! Having a lot of stuff becomes a big chore and a time sink.

Sharon: For me, location independent is about having the freedom to live and work anywhere, whether you exercise it or not. I first got turned on to this idea when I taught journalism at Coventry University and worked from home once a week.

Once I went freelance, I would just take my laptop with me wherever I went so I could keep in touch with clients and colleagues. It was somewhat surreal, a couple of years ago, working while on a family trip to Disneyworld in Orlando. Now I am based mostly in one place, so my daughter can attend school, but still travel regularly – have laptop, will travel.

Zoë: More than anything, it’s a mindset. It’s the mindset of being committed to mobility and wide open perspectives, and of not feeling compelled to create anchors with mortgages and unyielding jobs. It doesn’t mean you have to be constantly on the move, but rather that you embrace far-flung possibilities and try not to let physical boundaries restrict your growth and sharing.

How has/could/will being location independent change your own life?

Amy: When I recently visited the remote community on the north west coast of Scotland where I used to live, I was struck by the fact that, if I knew what I do now while I was living there all those years ago, I wouldn’t have felt such an acute need to leave for the more populated central belt of Scotland.

I could have lived a location independent lifestyle – I could have appreciated the wonderful wildness of Sutherland, while creating opportunities for myself and for others. Becoming location independent for me means that the door is open to move back to a remote community at some point in the future, because my location will no longer be dictated by geographically determined opportunities.

Cath: The fact that this lifestyle lets me express and honour so much of what’s important to me is the biggest benefit. We haven’t done a lot of travel yet – this year has been the year for setting up a robust foundation in terms of my business systems and our finances so I’m looking forward to traveling more next year.

Probably the things I’ve enjoyed most so far have been meeting and working with awesome people from all over the world through my online business, and the exposure to learning opportunities in London. Being in London this year has meant that I could train directly under some of the world’s best in the arena of personal and professional development – people who don’t tour South Africa. And we have a list of other people we’d like to meet or train under and things we’d like to learn, all over the world – which forms part of our criteria for deciding where to go next. When I’m old, I want to be able to look back on my life and know that I lived what was important to me, and that no parts of myself were left “un-lived.”

Sharon: I said to someone the other day that I may still be a rat but at least now I own the cage. Location independence hasn’t freed me of obligations and responsibilities, but it has made it easier for me to customise the lifestyle I want.

When I worked in an office, my boss owned my time. Now, I own it which means lunches at the beach, sneaking off for a midday movie or weekends away whenever the mood takes me. What could be better?

Zoë: Living in different contexts has allowed me to evolve in many ways. I’ve become more in touch with the things that truly matter to me, I’ve had the freedom and opportunities to explore certain interests more deeply, and I’ve had my perspectives stretched, expanded, and busted open. On a more practical note, the low cost of living in Thailand has enabled me to pursue more creative projects without worrying how I would pay the bills.

As a COT Leader, what’s the key message you’re hoping to spread?

Amy, Remote Communities Team Leader: The message that I want to spread is that the applicability of the location independent concept extends far wider than the adoption of a digital nomadic lifestyle. It can contribute positively towards facilitating the sustainability of remote communities both by aiding those who are already living in remote communities and by inspiring & supporting those who wish to move to more rural locales.

I want to show that through helping the individual to become location independent, the remote community is strengthened and its viability increased. Location Independent can extend digital lifelines to the rural & remote.

Cath, Lifestyle Design Team Leader: I’d like to spread the message that you’re free to custom-design the lifestyle you want. You don’t have to accept one of the templates that society gives us. The fact that so many people are already doing this successfully and happily is evidence that the only thing in your way is your own thinking.

And by developing a more agile mind, you’ll be able to dissolve limiting societal assumptions about “the way things should be,” you’ll be able to transform your own fears and get really comfortable with uncertainty and change – and you’ll be able to think creatively when you spot an obstacle and see multiple options for getting over, around or through it… so that you can create the lifestyle you want.

Sharon, Freelancer’s Team Leader: Achieving location independence is easy for writers and other types of freelancers because many of our tools are portable or available online. I’d like to help you design your location independent lifestyle because I really believe it’s the key to a happier and more balanced existence.

Zoë, Creatives Team Leader: I feel very strongly that being exposed to new environments and experiences is a huge catalyst for creativity — the LI lifestyle encourages that type of exposure. I also believe it’s a healthy mindset for artists to be more committed to openness and mobility, rather than “stuff” or a certain location.

If you’d like to connect…

If you feel passionate about the concept of location independence and you’d like to join our Team Leaders and help them spread the word – or you’d simply like to connect with them, you can find them in the following places on the web:

Amy Palko:
Website/Blog: amypalko.wordpress.com & Less Ordinary
On Twitter: @amypalko

Cath Duncan:
Website/Blog: Mine Your Resources
On Twitter: @cathduncan

Sharon Hurley Hall:
Website/Blog: Get Paid To Write Online
On Twitter: @SHurleyHall

Zoë Westhof:
Website/Blog: Essential Prose
On Twitter: @zoewesthof