Is digital nomad life actually good for your mental health, or are we just lying to ourselves? I got Paul McDougal on the podcast, a friend of mine who runs crazy distances to raise money for kids affected by parents with alcoholism, and we ended up having one of the most honest conversations I've had on here about whether this lifestyle actually helps your mental health or just distracts you from it.

We talk about:- the real pros and cons of digital nomad life

- why some digital nomads might be lying to themselves about escaping their problems

- how having too many choices can make it harder to be happy

- growing up with an alcoholic parent and learning to talk about it after years of silence

- Paul's next challenge, running the entire coastline of England to raise money for kids affected by parental alcoholism

Paul, known online as @the_geordie_challenger, runs extreme physical challenges to raise money for Nacoa, a charity supporting children of alcoholics. He previously ran the full length of the Newcastle Metro system, 118 km, in under 24 hours, and is now planning to run the entire perimeter of England in 2027. Donate to his fundraiser here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/run-the-metro

Hi, I'm Ebba. The host of Being a Lot podcast. I'm a mental health survivor who decided to leave everything behind to start the digital nomad life. I started this podcast to open up the conversation about how to become a digital nomad and how to navigate nomad life when you are or have been struggling with your mental health.

Follow on Instagram: @being.ebba & beingalot.podcast

Reverse culture shock can be unexpected when you start out as a nomad. In this episode I sit down with returning guest and friend Julie Martin, licensed marriage and family therapist for expats and nomads. She actually lived my old dream of being a therapist in New York before leaving it behind for nomad life. We talk about what living in New York was really like, why she left, and what going home feels like once you have.

We talk about:

• reverse culture shock as a digital nomad
• what living in New York is actually like
• why going home feels harder than leaving
• quitting a stable job to move to Bali with no plan
• getting sick alone in a new country
• building an international therapy practice for nomads and expats

Julie Martin is a licensed marriage and family therapist who works with expats and digital nomads all over the world, based between New York and Southeast Asia. Instagram: @therapy4expats

Hi, I'm Ebba. The host of Being a Lot podcast. I'm a mental health survivor who decided to leave everything behind to start the digital nomad life. I started this podcast to open up the conversation about how to become a digital nomad and how to navigate nomad life when you are or have been struggling with your mental health.

Follow on Instagram: @being.ebba & beingalot.podcast

Using travel to escape yourself is easy but it won't heal you. In this episode I met up with my Swedish friend Arvin at the beach in Da Nang. He went from solo traveling to settling down in Da Nang for a while to rest and heal.

We talk about:

• using travel to escape yourself without realizing it
• what solo travel forces you to face when you're isolated and alone
• why meditation retreats and healing routines can become another form of avoidance
• how traveling can become too intense
• healing away from home versus healing back home
• why a lower cost of living abroad gives you more time to actually heal
• putting down boundaries as a digital nomad without feeling like a bad person

Hi, I'm Ebba. The host of Being a Lot podcast. I'm a mental health survivor who decided to leave everything behind to start the digital nomad life. I started this podcast to open up the conversation about how to become a digital nomad and how to navigate nomad life when you are or have been struggling with your mental health.

Follow on Instagram: @being.ebba & @beingalot.podcast

A vlog-style episode from when I went to Cham Island to relax after feeling like my stress levels were too high. Avoiding burnout as a digital nomad means catching the warning signs before it is too late. In this solo episode I take a trip to Cham Island, a tiny island outside of Da Nang, where I've been living as a digital nomad.

Two years ago I came to Da Nang recovering from being close to burnout, and this time I'm recognizing the same warning signs again, so I'm forcing myself to rest before it happens a second time. Come along as I yap from the island and the beach about:

• avoiding burnout as a digital nomad
• physical signs of burnout you shouldn't ignore
• taking a solo trip to Cham Island to recharge
• living as a digital nomad in Da Nang, Vietnam
• why it's hard to rest when you love your work
• the pressure of being your own boss with no one to make you take a break

Hi, I'm Ebba. The host of Being a Lot podcast. I'm a mental health survivor who decided to leave everything behind to start the digital nomad life. I started this podcast to open up the conversation about how to become a digital nomad and how to navigate nomad life when you are or have been struggling with your mental health.

Follow on Instagram: @being.ebba & beingalot.podcast

Being alone doesn't mean you're lonely, especially as a digital nomad. I sat down with my friend Kieran, a British English teacher living in Danang, Vietnam, to talk about why he craves alone time, wearing a mask as a teacher and in life, and why men's mental health is still so hard to talk about.

We talk about:

• the difference between being alone and being lonely
• why he needs alone time unlike most digital nomads
• why nomad life means constantly performing, from teaching to socializing
• why he moved to Vietnam to teach English
• the privilege of choosing this lifestyle
• men's mental health and why British men struggle to talk about it
• overtourism in Vietnam and how to be a respectful nomadKieran is a British English teacher who has lived in Vietnam on and off for six years, now teaching online from Danang. He's also an incredible writer, you can read his work on Substack: https://substack.com/@kieranmccormack93

Hi, I'm Ebba. The host of Being a Lot podcast. I'm a mental health survivor who decided to leave everything behind to start the digital nomad life. I started this podcast to open up the conversation about how to become a digital nomad and how to navigate nomad life when you are or have been struggling with your mental health.

Follow on Instagram: @being.ebba & beingalot.podcast

Elizabeth created online friendships that saved her mental health as a digital nomad, long before she ever met them in person. That's what pushed her to build an online community for young female founders. I sat down at a café in Da Nang with Elizabeth to talk about online community, friends online and friends in real life.

We talk about:

• why online friends can be just as real as the ones you meet in person
• why she felt more alone in Asia than she ever did back home
• how she made her first nomad friends on LinkedIn before meeting them in person
• what made her start an online community for other female founders
• why coworking with friends only works if everyone actually shows up to work
• why people who only trust in-person friendships are missing out
• picking a season of nomading and actually committing to it instead of doing both halfway
• getting fired from a job she hated and why it was the best thing that happened to her

Elizabeth Kershaw runs an online community for young female founders building businesses while living the nomad life.

Instagram: @thatbusinessgirly.

LinkedIn: Elizabeth Kershaw.

Hi, I'm Ebba. The host of Being a Lot podcast. I'm a mental health survivor who decided to leave everything behind to start the digital nomad life. I started this podcast to open up the conversation about how to become a digital nomad and how to navigate nomad life when you are or have been struggling with your mental health.

Follow on Instagram: @being.ebba & beingalot.podcast

In this episode I sit down with Jason Nelson, author of A Balm for Your Soul: The 6 Seeds of Happiness, at one of my favorite cafes here in Da Nang, to talk about finding happiness as a digital nomad and why being kind to yourself is the foundation everything else is built on.

We talk about:

• finding happiness as a digital nomad
• the six seeds of happiness from Jason Nelson's book
• self compassion as a digital nomad
• how to quiet your inner critic
• leaving a successful 20 year corporate career in London for a happier life
• setting boundaries as a recovering people pleaser
• why real friendships matter more than surface connections as a nomad
• what changed after five years as a digital nomad

Jason Nelson is a digital nomad and author of A Balm for Your Soul: The 6 Seeds of Happiness. After 20 years building a career in retail marketing and e-commerce in London, Jason left his corporate life to become a location independent consultant, and now shares practical steps for building long term happiness through self care, self mastery, kindness, boundaries, relationships and connection.

Find Jason on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube: @iamjasonnelson

Website and book at: https://www.abalmforyoursoul.co.uk/happiness-coaching

Hi, I'm Ebba. The host of Being a Lot podcast. I'm a mental health survivor who decided to leave everything behind to start the digital nomad life. I started this podcast to open up the conversation about how to become a digital nomad and how to navigate nomad life when you are or have been struggling with your mental health.

Follow on Instagram: being.ebba & beingalot.podcast

Avoiding burnout as a digital nomad and freelancer starts with setting boundaries with your clients. In this episode I sit down with my friend Camilla, a Finnish video editor and digital nomad based in Da Nang. We talk about starting a business when you don’t know what you want to do and why setting boundaries from the beginning as a new business owner is important.

We talk about:

• how to avoid burnout as a digital nomad freelancer
• setting boundaries with clients when you're just starting out
• why new freelancers get taken advantage of and how to recognize it
• going from one-off gigs to stable freelance income
• designing your work week around ADHD and your cycle
• networking your way to better clients as a digital nomad
• why you don't have to be an expert to get good clients
• learning skills on the go and building your business along the way

Camilla is a video editor and photographer based in Da Nang, Vietnam. She works with SaaS companies on video marketing and has been living the nomad life for two years.

Instagram: @wildlycami

YouTube: @wildlycami

Hi, I'm Ebba. The host of Being a Lot podcast. I'm a mental health survivor who decided to leave everything behind to start the digital nomad life. I started this podcast to open up the conversation about how to become a digital nomad and how to navigate nomad life when you are or have been struggling with your mental health.

Follow on Instagram: @being.ebba & beingalot.podcast

Digital nomad mental health looks different for everyone. For Kesha, leaving corporate life ands starting Digital Nomad life changed everything.

She decided to start an art account with storytelling and made sure it was going to work.

In this episode, we talk honestly about depression, art therapy, living abroad as a digital nomad.

We talk about:

• how depression led to art therapy and leaving the 9 to 5
• digital nomad mental health and anxiety abroad
• moving abroad and building a life that works for you
• slow travel versus constant moving as a digital nomad
• getting your first brand deal as a content creator nomad
• morning pages and journaling for expat mental health
• surrounding yourself with the right nomad community
• when nomad life helps mental health and when it doesn't
• work remotely and design a life you actually want
• expat life, loneliness, and finding your people abroad

Kesha is a Kazakhstan-born artist and content creator currently based in Da Nang. She makes videos about doodling, storytelling, and taking leaps of faith. She started posting in September and landed her first brand deal within two months. Follow her on Instagram: @keshaomarali

Hi, I'm Ebba. The host of Being a Lot podcast. I'm a mental health survivor who decided to leave everything behind to start the digital nomad life. I started this podcast to open up the conversation about how to become a digital nomad and how to navigate nomad life when you are or have been struggling with your mental health.

Follow on Instagram: @being.ebba & @beingalot.podcast

Starting this podcast about digital nomad life and mental health is one of the scariest things I've ever done. I almost burned out trying to make it perfect, I froze, and I couldn't bring myself to publish for months. But it lies so close to my heart that I had to keep going.

So this is a new start. I'm moving out of the polished studio in Chiang Mai and recording Being a Lot from the beach and cafés in Da Nang instead. I don't know exactly what it'll become. It might turn into more of a YouTube show than a podcast, and I'm okay with figuring that out as I go. What I do know is that this is a space to talk honestly about mental health and what nomad life is actually like with friends and nomads I meet along the way.

In this episode I talk about the journey so far and what the podcast will be going forward:

• what it really feels like to start over and show up online
• mental health as a digital nomad
• the reality behind the nomad life
• where the podcast is going from here

Hi, I'm Ebba. The host of Being a Lot podcast. I'm a mental health survivor who decided to leave everything behind to start the digital nomad life. I started this podcast to open up the conversation about how to become a digital nomad and how to navigate nomad life when you are or have been struggling with your mental health.

Follow on Instagram: @being.ebba & beingalot.podcast