2021 has been a year of uncertainty, and further changes are coming our way. But challenges also present opportunities for growth and exploration. Join us for a conversation on embracing the unknown with Michael Youngblood. Michael Youngblood is the co-founder of Unsettled, a global community for remote workers and travelers who embrace the unknown and value human connection. He is a lifelong entrepreneur in adventure travel and has researched, published, or taught innovation at MIT, George Mason University, Harvard, and on behalf of the U.S. State Department. Michael’s work has been featured in dozens of media publications including the NYT's, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Outside Magazine, Innovations Journal, TED, and many more. He's a regular speaker and thought leader on topics related to remote work, distributed teams, the future of work, and lifestyle design. Michael is a member of the inaugural TED Residency, a member of Sandbox, and, of course, a regular participant in Unsettled’s retreats everywhere. You can find him on Instagram at @mbyoungblood and @beunsettled. We talk about adventure and exploration, the future of work, and how to enhance remote collaboration by simply being human.

Books mentioned:
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth

Follow @EmbraceTheUnknownPodcast on Instagram for updates on new episodes and words of wisdom from our awesome guests.
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How do you make great things happen online? Join us for a conversation on remote collaboration and our creative process. Embrace the Unknown is co-created with Mercedes living in Stockholm and Ylva Linn in the Swiss Alps. After 1.5 years of working together, we thought it would be helpful to share our insights on making virtual collaboration fun and fruitful. We discuss tools and mindset, building trust, and how to stay invested in a passion project. Other topics in this episode:
- Daring to be vulnerable.
- Doing your best while letting go of perfectionism, as in “done is better than perfect.”
- The value of catching up and chatting about non-work stuff, because a) you can not work all the time and b) the personal connection is what makes teamwork, well, work.
- How to give your venture a solid foundation by clarifying expectations, goals, and personal objectives at the beginning.

Finally, we are proud to announce that we are now offering support for people and organizations who want to understand, ideate, and test how to build sustainable structures to thrive in remote collaboration. To find out more, please send us an email at etupod@gmail.com
Follow @EmbraceTheUnknownPodcast on Instagram for updates on new episodes and words of wisdom from our wonderful guests. 

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What happens when, after twenty years working in the same place and living life by the rules, a mother of two decides to take the leap and take a well-deserved year for herself to travel the world? Olga Gonzalez Berchelmann, founder of “Mamas que vuelan” - an online community for mothers - did exactly that. In this episode, she talks about the process of change and how being mindful of her choices and trusting her gut helped her design a life that is more in tune with her inner self. “You start by making small changes and then one thing leads to another. By starting small, you are being gentle with yourself so that your mind does not resist that much. And it makes things easier for the people around you as well.” You can find Olga on Instagram at @mamasquevuelan and you can learn about her services here https://www.mamasquevuelan.com/

Follow @EmbraceTheUnknownPodcast on Instagram for updates on new episodes and words of wisdom from our awesome guests. Are you also preparing to leap into something new? We want to hear about it. Send us an email to etupod@gmail.com

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“Entrepreneurship is such a wonderful way to live life. And yes, I often think that it is much easier to have a corporate job because you can hide behind other people, every hour doesn’t count in the same way as it does when being an entrepreneur. But when you learn to say no and yes to the right things, when you make mistakes and you don’t beat yourself up too much, you just do it again and you have some tenacity—it is a wonderful way to live. And it allows you to be your most flexible when things change.” Meet Lynne Scullard, also known as Scully. If you think that sounds like some badass pirate boss lady, you are right. Scully is a Global Experience leader for Unsettled and also has two companies of her own. Scully Scooters has so far brought almost 2000 previously unemployed South African youth into jobs or their own business-on-a-bike, but the company was actually launched in a moment of crisis. Are you feeling a bit stuck and in need of motivation? This episode is for you! Scully has some great advice on how to gain clarity on what you want to create, and how to deal with the three major dragons that stop you from turning your dreams into reality. Other topics: running a business with zero employees, making travel a priority, and how to know whether to persist or walk away when things are not working.

https://www.scullyscooters.co.za/

Books mentioned:

Loving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life by Byron Katie

Redirect: Changing the Stories We Live By by Timothy D. Wilson

Follow @EmbraceTheUnknownPodcast on Instagram for updates on new episodes and words of wisdom from our awesome guests.

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Warning. This conversation may cause you to ditch your comfortable, well-organised life in exchange for freedom and exploration. And the good news? You don’t need to be rich or retired to do so. Marielle Jauring is a Swedish adventure-seeker who decided to follow her heart and her wanderlust. She has built a life around her passions - snowboarding, surfing and bike touring - by doing seasonal work and being smart with her money. She is courageous, strong, and fiercely independent. After biking across the USA from coast to coast with a friend, Marielle decided to circuit Australia. On her own. We talk about setting priorities, dealing with fear, and how her big bike trips have made her realize what really matters in life. As Marielle said, humans are not meant to sit in little concrete boxes, so get out there and go explore!

You can find Marielle on Instagram at _the_biking_viking_ and follow her bike adventures on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVa76IcXs9zwyS0xu2E0J0g/videos

If you enjoyed this episode, you will probably like this book:
The Dirtbag's Guide to Life: Eternal Truth for Hiker Trash, Ski Bums, and Vagabonds by Tim Mathis

Music by https://www.purple-planet.com

Follow @EmbraceTheUnknownPodcast on Instagram for updates on new episodes and words of wisdom from our awesome guests.

This episode is all about finding your tribe. If you want to grow - on a personal or business level - you need to surround yourself with persons who raise your energy and support who you are trying to become. Mercedes and Ylva speak to Meghan Rutigliano about making friends in new places and strategically reaching out to people that can help you along the way. Megs also explains how some of her most valuable mentors were personalities she initially disliked. Other topics: Chicago's underground party scene, the Golden Nugget game that helps you talk to people at networking events, and how going out of your comfort zone is much like working out.
Meghan Rutigliano is a performer, producer, and director in the arts and culture sector. She is the founder and CEO of Globally Curated - a company that offers creative direction, event planning and production.

https://globallycurated.com

Music by https://www.purple-planet.com

Follow @EmbraceTheUnknownPodcast on Instagram for updates on new episodes and words of wisdom from our awesome guests.

Imagine someone gave you both the time and money to do a course, anything you desired. Would you learn something just for fun? Would you expand your current skills? Would you try something you never did before? We talk about the reasons to pursue further education, our own experiences, and list some points to consider when deciding what course is right for you. Mercedes explains the benefits of ditching "safe" studies in favour of play and experimentation. Thinking of going back to school to change career? Ylva shares how volunteer work and short internships can give you valuable hands-on experience before going all-in. Other topics in this episode: snowboarding, building career capital, prototyping your life, and how our brains don't like uncertainty—except in play.

Books mentioned:

• So Good They Can't Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love by Cal Newport
• Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans
• Deviate: The Science of Seeing Differently by Beau Lotto

Music by https://www.purple-planet.com

Join us for a fun, kick-ass conversation on daring to shift gears no matter what your age is, nor what other people may think of the new you! In this episode, we talk about finding your calling and making changes late, or at least “later” in life. Dale Barr and Kathryn Weichel had successful corporate careers, but they wanted work that gave them more meaning and purpose. One found her calling in astrology. The other is now tackling poverty challenges in the developing world. Do you have a similar story? Write to us at etupod@gmail.com

https://www.willandwands.com

https://wild-saffron.com

Music by https://www.purple-planet.com

Follow @EmbraceTheUnknownPodcast on Instagram for updates on new episodes and words of wisdom from our awesome guests.