Matt & Alison Moody took a year off of working as CRNAs to live and travel in Spain with their then 4-year old daughter.

This is part of that story.

The two were living and working as CRNAs in Asheville, North Carolina when they caught the idea to take a year off of work and live in Spain. Their journey to Spain went from the fall of 2023 to the fall of 2024 and over the last few months, they’ve been re-integrating back to the United States and Western North Carolina and back to their careers as CRNAs. Part of their inspiration to take a year off work came from listening to the episode I did with Kyle & Jen Steen on their decision to sell everything, build out a sprinter van and hit the road. That story is in episode 73. Side note: Kyle & Jen took about 18 months off from work before Kyle returned to his career in anesthesia through locum assignments. They’re still in the van full time and still crossing off new places to live & explore. I hope to have them back on the show soon!

Matt & Alison wanted to head to Spain to work on their Spanish language skills and take time to connect with each other as a family. What they discovered along the way may surprise you. In this conversation with Matt, he walks us through what they set out to do and how that changed over time – from before they left through how their experience evolved while they were over in Spain.

I think you’ll enjoy this story and hopefully find some inspiration for yourself to think outside of the box and consider what might be possible in your own life. It doesn’t have to be taking a sabbatical or selling everything and hoping in a custom built Sprinter van. It might be about re-prioritizing your work-life balance in other ways. It might be going back to school or picking up pottery like my wife, Kristin. It might be about moving to that area of the country you’ve always wanted to live in or finding a new way to explore your passions. Finding a way to prioritize your own story, dreams and aspirations along the way is possible and I loved chatting with Matt to hear how he & Alison arranged their life to pursue their goals.

Matt grew up in coastal North Carolina; went to college and nursing school at UNC Chapel Hill; and then received his CRNA degree at Wake Forest. His heart and soul have always belonged in the Pacific Northwest, so after graduate school he moved west and started his career at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle, WA. Eventually, the pull of family brought him back to NC, and he has called Asheville home since 2017. Thus far in his career, Matt has had the fortune to gain experience in many practice areas – from major trauma hospitals to small surgery centers – and has experience in many subspecialties of anesthesia.

In his free time, Matt loves to spend time being active outdoors, but he’s especially passionate about rock climbing and skiing. Lately, he and his wife, Alison, have been experiencing the joys (and frustrations!) of introducing their 5 year-old daughter to these activities.

While in Spain, Alison created an Instagram page that they invite you to follow. It’s @ La Moody Aventura. @lamoodyaventura Matt also offers his email to anyone who might have questions about how they did what they did. In the show, he talks about how they felt like they were the only ones crazy enough to do something like this but then actually met several folks abroad – including another CRNA family from the States – who were pursuing similar dreams. Matt would love to help you take the next step and you can reach him at [email protected].

And with that, let’s get to the show! – Jon

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Jon Lowrance | Anesthesia Guidebook