Freedom Before FI | Life Design, Purpose, Sabbaticals, Coast FI & Financial Independence (FIRE)

I share my story on the Everyday FI Podcast with my friend Meghan Combs. I touch on things like:

• Growing up in an immigrant household in UK
• Growing up with the Migrant Mindset and Frugality
• My journey from London, UK to the Philippines
• Geoarbitrage in South East Asia and Costs of Living
• My Why behind FI and Life Design
• My Life Design Principles
• My Sabbatical stories and the power of them
• Alternative FI Milestones (FU Money, Coast FI, Barista FI)

Related Episodes:

• Ep. 103 From Corporate to Barista FI with Meghan Combs - Link
• Ep. 99 Should You Take a Sabbatical or Keep Working to FI - Link
• Ep. 96 Lean FIRE Abroad: The Faster Parth to FI (Geoarbitrage) - Link

Freedom Before FI Links:

• Free Guides: Download the free ‘Freedom Ideas’ Cheat Sheet and the free ‘Find Your Purpose’ worksheet at: https://freedombeforefi.com/free-guides/
• Website: Check out our resources and services at www.freedombeforefi.com
• Email: If you want to connect, send me a note at [email protected]
• Instagram: or send a DM at Instagram Link 
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@FreedomBeforeFI 
• Linktree (all links): https://linktr.ee/freedombeforefi

Check out EverydayFI Podcast at: Apple Podcast Link

Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice

Scott joins us again to talk about his journey to creating more time freedom through part time consulting, where he works only part of the year. This frees him up to work on things that are meaningful to him, like more time with his partner, passion projects, travel and of course writing. Scott is based in Melbourne Australia, he left full time work and a six figure salary in 2023 to work part of the year and he runs the Scott on Fire blog where he writes about his FI philosophy and how to live a good life. 

Things you’ll learn:

• About his part time consulting work
• The Melbourne local FIRE community
• His FIRE Goal: to make work optional by 40
• His investment portfolio and his fun money
• The 4 ETFs he’s investing in
• The debt recycling strategy (in Australia)
• His investing journey from 2018
• His 50% savings rate for 7 years
• How he was able to save 75% in one year
• His career journey from 2018: Studied accounting
• His first job: data entry as payroll officer
• On never getting promotions, just positive ‘side steps’
• How he got into consulting
• Quitting full time work in 2023
• The challenges of having freedom

Quick-fire round questions at the end:

1. Something he wished they done 10 years ago
2. His daily habits that helped him in life
3. His most important lesson in life
4. His book recommendations
5. 1-2 small things listeners can do this week to get started

Scott on Fire Links:

• Website & Blog: https://scottonfire.com/ 
• X: https://x.com/ScottOnFire
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ScottOnFireDotCom 
• Substack: https://scottonfire.substack.com/ 

Freedom Before FI Links:

• Free Guides: Download the free ‘Freedom Ideas’ Cheat Sheet and the free ‘Find Your Purpose’ worksheet at: https://freedombeforefi.com/free-guides/
• Website: Check out our resources and services at www.freedombeforefi.com
• Email: If you want to connect, send me a note at [email protected]
• Instagram: or send a DM at Instagram Link 
• Linktree (all links): https://linktr.ee/freedombeforefi 

Listen to FBF on Apple Podcasts:

https://podcasts.apple.com/ph/podcast/freedom-before-fi-life-design-purpose-sabbaticals-coast/id1740083285

Listen to FBF on Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/0XxPgEeuGayTqaEwUE19mk?si=cc8639ad8c28474e

Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice

Have you ever thought about living between two countries to avoid the cold winters? Thats exactly how Bex Thomas and her husband are living their life now. They designed a life they love which involves living in Sydney Australia for part of the year and Brittany in France the rest of the year to avoid the colder winters. Bex is the awesome host of the Sabbatical Stories podcast and is a career break and career transition coach.

Things you’ll learn:

• Current living situation: Between Australia and France
• The hardships of renovating a 15th Century barn in France
• What a typical years looks like between the two countries
• Her backstory from growing up in UK to moving to Australia
• First sabbatical before moving to Australia
• Her first 5 years living in Sydney
• Her promotion to Director level and it being an anti-climax
• Second sabbatical (8 months): Soul searching and life design
• Their 3 themes of life design: sunshine, freedom and people
• Exiting full time corporate in 2022
• How she got into coaching 
• Passion projects she experimented with
• Finding her Ikigai 
• Finding life balance over 365 days not just per day
• On coaching people to take leaps into the unknown
• Values misalignment: Main issue for students
• Crossroads Program: outline of 6 sessions
• Purposeful Pause Program: outline of 6 sessions
• Advice she gives for people post sabbatical
• About her monthly tech free ‘Joy Day’
• How they set up finances to fund their transition

Quick-fire round questions at the end:

1. Something she wished they done 10 years ago
2. Her daily habits that helped her on journey
3. Her most important lesson in life
4. Her book recommendations
5. 1-2 small things listeners can do this week to get started 

Bex Thomas (Links):

• Website: https://bexthomas.com/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bexthomas/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bexthomascoaching/
• Sabbatical Stories Podcast: Link 

Freedom Before FI Links:

• Free Guides: Download the free ‘Freedom Ideas’ Cheat Sheet and the free ‘Find Your Purpose’ worksheet at: https://freedombeforefi.com/free-guides/
• Website: Check out our resources and services at www.freedombeforefi.com
• Email: If you want to connect, send me a note at [email protected]
• Instagram: or send a DM at Instagram Link 
• Linktree (all links): https://linktr.ee/freedombeforefi 

Related Episodes:

• Ep. 88: Test Driving Retirement by Slow Travel (w/ Not Your Ordinary Plan) Link
• Ep. 77: The 5 Tools For Designing Your Life (If You’re Feeling Stuck) - Link
• Ep. 74: Crafting Your Best Life Now Before FI w/ Justin Peters of the FI Minded Podcast - Link

Listen to FBF on Apple Podcasts:

https://podcasts.apple.com/ph/podcast/freedom-before-fi-life-design-purpose-sabbaticals-coast/id1740083285

Listen to FBF on Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/0XxPgEeuGayTqaEwUE19mk?si=cc8639ad8c28474e

Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice

FIRE SPARK Retreat Teaser: The Retreat will be held in August 2026 on the Gold Coast of Australia. It's a weekend getaway for the FI Community to make new friends, learn from the community and get inspired on their journey to FI. On this special episode I’m joined by the founder Brenda James who will tell us a bit more about the retreat and what to expect (in case anyone is interested to join, links to registration are below). I’ll also be joined by Scott of the Scott on Fire Blog who’ll be speaking at the event. Brenda will then switch into interviewing mode and will be asking Scott and I some questions about our journey and our thoughts on the retreat. 

Come along and meet others on the path to inspire you to keep to your goals, gain insights, and enjoy the journey! 

Things you’ll learn:

• Brenda will give a quick intro to the FIRE SPARK Retreat
• She will then give further details of the day-by-day programme (7-9 August)
• Scott and Brenda give insights of what participants learned on the previous FIRE SPARK retreat.
• Brenda will then interview Scott and myself (for participants to get to know us a bit more)

FIRE SPARK Retreat (Links):

• Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/FIRESPARKRetreat/
• Retreat registration page: https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1476532

Scott on Fire (Links):

• Scott on Fire blog: https://scottonfire.com/

Freedom Before FI Links:

• Free Guides: Download the free ‘Freedom Ideas’ Cheat Sheet and the free ‘Find Your Purpose’ worksheet at: https://freedombeforefi.com/free-guides/
• Website: Check out our resources and services at www.freedombeforefi.com
• Email: If you want to connect, send me a note at [email protected]
• Instagram: or send a DM at Instagram Link 
• Linktree (all links): https://linktr.ee/freedombeforefi 

Listen to FBF on Apple Podcasts:

https://podcasts.apple.com/ph/podcast/freedom-before-fi-life-design-purpose-sabbaticals-coast/id1740083285

Listen to FBF on Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/0XxPgEeuGayTqaEwUE19mk?si=cc8639ad8c28474e

Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice

Meghan quit her high paying corporate tech job and downshifted to Barista FI and now works part time as an actual Barista in a coffee shop. She now has a less stressful job and has time to explore other hobbies like book writing and spending more time with her hubby. Meghan is the host of the awesome Everyday FI Podcast where she explores the lives of everyday people on their financial independence journey and she's based out in North Carolina, US.

Things you’ll learn:

• About her part time Barista job 
• Her FI Progress and Investing Strategy
• Household income with husband
• Savings rate after transitioning to Barista FI
• Net worth and portfolio split
• How she’s enjoying the journey now before getting to FI
• Where she heard about FIRE
• Career pivot from art historian to tech
• Art historian salary v her tech salary
• How she went from 55k to 150k in salary
• Being a couple on the FI journey
• How therapy was one of the best decisions for her
• Why and how she quit her high paying tech job
• Dealing with toxic bosses
• Writing a post on Linkedin about quitting 
• Getting depressed after not working 
• What she does now outside of part time work
• Perks of working in a coffee shop as a barista

Quick-fire round questions at the end:

1. Something she wished she done 10 years ago
2. Her daily habits that helped her in life
3. Her most important lesson in life
4. Her podcast recommendations
5. 1-2 small things listeners can do this week to get started 

Meghan Combs (Links):

• Website: https://everyday-fi.com/ 
• Podcast on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/everydayfi/id1747124228 
• Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0FihxuhxKG9j4xBChlsLtj?si=dd017fcee8bb412c 
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@EverydayFIpodcast 

Freedom Before FI Links:

• Free Guides: Download the free ‘Freedom Ideas’ Cheat Sheet and the free ‘Find Your Purpose’ worksheet at: https://freedombeforefi.com/free-guides/
• Website: Check out our resources and services at www.freedombeforefi.com
• Email: If you want to connect, send me a note at [email protected]
• Instagram: or send a DM at Instagram Link 
• Linktree (all links): https://linktr.ee/freedombeforefi 

Related Episodes:

• Ep. 88: Test Driving Retirement by Slow Travel (w/ Not Your Ordinary Plan) Link
• Ep. 77: The 5 Tools For Designing Your Life (If You’re Feeling Stuck) - Link
• Ep. 74: Crafting Your Best Life Now Before FI w/ Justin Peters of the FI Minded Podcast - Link

Listen to FBF on Apple Podcasts:

https://podcasts.apple.com/ph/podcast/freedom-before-fi-life-design-purpose-sabbaticals-coast/id1740083285

Listen to FBF on Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/0XxPgEeuGayTqaEwUE19mk?si=cc8639ad8c28474e

Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice

One of the ways you can enjoy your path to FI is by finding work you enjoy. That might involve quitting a career thats not serving you, or making some changes in your current work place. Today, we’ve got Ben Fox on the show to talk to us about career transitions. Ben is a career coach - based in New York - and his coaching niche is primarily helping senior software engineers break free from the golden handcuffs and into careers they love

Things you’ll learn:

• Quitting his job and going full time as a solopreneur
• First year as a solopreneur and struggles experienced
• The power of joining online community / group programs
• The power of having the right people around you when starting businesses
• How he niched down to coaching tech professionals
• Reasons why people go to him for coaching (their initial career struggles)
• Coaching clients: example case studies
• Case study 1: Garth: accountant of 23 years in toxic environment
• Case study 2: Mel: mid 30s, 2 kids, 15 years in sales, but does not like it
• Why we find it hard to quit jobs we hate
• Advice for people struggling to leave the golden handcuffs
• The risks of staying in a bad job
• His coaching process outline
• Creating healthy boundaries in your current job 

Quick-fire round questions at the end:

1. Something he wished they done 10 years ago
2. His daily habits that helped him in life
3. His most important lesson in life
4. His book recommendations
5. 1-2 small things listeners can do this week to get started 

Ben Fox (Links):

• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benfoxcoaching/
• Website: https://benfoxcoaching.com/ 
• Reverse Engineering you Job Search Video: https://benfoxcoaching.kit.com/jobsearch 

Freedom Before FI Links:

• Free Guides: Download the free ‘Freedom Ideas’ Cheat Sheet and the free ‘Find Your Purpose’ worksheet at: https://freedombeforefi.com/free-guides/
• Website: Check out our resources and services at www.freedombeforefi.com
• Email: If you want to connect, send me a note at [email protected]
• Instagram: or send a DM at Instagram Link 
• Linktree (all links): https://linktr.ee/freedombeforefi 

Listen to FBF on Apple Podcasts:

https://podcasts.apple.com/ph/podcast/freedom-before-fi-life-design-purpose-sabbaticals-coast/id1740083285

Listen to FBF on Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/0XxPgEeuGayTqaEwUE19mk?si=cc8639ad8c28474e

Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice

We’ve reached the 100 episode milestone at Freedom Before FI! Over the course of two years I’ve been sharing tips and strategies to help you find your version of freedom before getting to Financial Independence and I’ve also interviewed some amazing guests from different areas of the FI community. In this episode I’ll be sharing some of the biggest takeaways that could help you on your journey to creating and living a life that you love.

Related Episodes:

• Ep. 75 The One Superpower that Saving and Frugality Gives You - Link
• Ep. 35 How to Find a More Meaningful Career, with Career Coach Lisa Hoashi - Link 
• Ep. 20 Career Change, Purpose, Geoarbitrage, with Kenneth Reyes-Lao - Link

Firespark Retreat (Australia):

Link below for more info:

https://www.facebook.com/FIRESPARKRetreat/

Freedom Before FI Links:

• Free Guides: Download the free ‘Freedom Ideas’ Cheat Sheet and the free ‘Find Your Purpose’ worksheet at: https://freedombeforefi.com/free-guides/
• Website: Check out our resources and services at www.freedombeforefi.com
• Email: If you want to connect, send me a note at [email protected]
• Instagram: or send a DM at Instagram Link 
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@FreedomBeforeFI 
• Linktree (all links): https://linktr.ee/freedombeforefi

Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice

How do you design a life you don’t want to retire from? Jess is one half of the awesome Fioneers platform which started in 2018 with her husband Corey and their aim is to help answer that exact question. On this episode we discuss the step-by-step framework on how to design your life so you can enjoy it before getting to FI. 

They coined the term Slow FI and popularised Coast FI. Since starting their blog, they’ve taken sabbaticals, reached Coast FI, quit work to focus on passion projects, renovated a camper van to experiment with van life and they also relocated from to the city to the mountains to be closer to nature. 

What I love about what they’ve done is they’ve gradually designed a life they absolutely love while still on their journey to FI.

Things you’ll learn:

• Jess’ FI progress and overall financial strategy (Coast FI journey)
• Why she hasn’t been tracking her progress to FI
• Why Life Design is important for someone on the path to FI
• Lessons from early retirees who wished they took a slower path
• Her ‘Design a Life You Love’ life design programme
• Her life design process (the 3 step framework)

• How she used the life design process to create her life now
• How life design can be used for other life areas and not just work
• Life design student case studies and examples of transitions
• The barriers holding people back on taking leaps 
• The power of experiments to reduce fears
• Her Slow FI Retreats and what’s involved
• How ‘Aha!’ moments come when off the grid and outside of normal routine
• The experience she’s trying to curate for people on retreats
• The importance of finding your tribe on the FI journey
• How the FI journey is better as a ‘team sport’ than a ‘solo sport’
• Importance of getting inspiration from other unconventional stories
• Potential Fioneers book in the future

Quick-fire round questions at the end:

1. Something she wished they done 10 years ago
2. Her daily habits that helped them in life
3. Her most important lesson in life
4. Her book recommendations
5. 1-2 small things listeners can do this week to get started 

The Fioneers (Links):

• Blog: https://thefioneers.com/ 
• Design a Life You Love Programme: https://thefioneers.com/waitlist/ 
• Slow FI Retreats: https://thefioneers.com/slow-fi-retreats-2026/ 
• Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Fioneers 

Freedom Before FI Links:

• Free Guides: Download the free ‘Freedom Ideas’ Cheat Sheet and the free ‘Find Your Purpose’ worksheet at: https://freedombeforefi.com/free-guides/
• Website: Check out our resources and services at www.freedombeforefi.com
• Email: If you want to connect, send me a note at [email protected]
• Instagram: or send a DM at Instagram Link 
• Linktree (all links): https://linktr.ee/freedombeforefi 

Related Episodes:

• Ep. 88: Test Driving Retirement by Slow Travel (w/ Not Your Ordinary Plan) Link
• Ep. 77: The 5 Tools For Designing Your Life (If You’re Feeling Stuck) - Link
• Ep. 74: Crafting Your Best Life Now Before FI w/ Justin Peters of the FI Minded Podcast - Link

Listen to FBF on Apple Podcasts:

https://podcasts.apple.com/ph/podcast/freedom-before-fi-life-design-purpose-sabbaticals-coast/id1740083285

Listen to FBF on Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/0XxPgEeuGayTqaEwUE19mk?si=cc8639ad8c28474e

Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice

If you’re unsure wether to take that extended break from work or to continue working until you get to FI, this episode may be for you. On this episode I’ll be looking at 3 popular barriers or concerns that arise when thinking about taking a sabbatical (or career break or mini-retirement). I’ll also provide my views on how to tackle these barriers if a sabbatical is something you’ve been yearning to do for a while now.

Related Episodes:

• Ep. 33 The Power of a Sabbatical - with Sabbatical Coach Lyndall Farley - Link
• Ep. 40 Transformative Life Breaks & Sabbaticals - with Career break Expert Katrina Mcghee - Link

Firespark Retreat (Australia):

Link below for more info:

https://www.facebook.com/FIRESPARKRetreat/

Freedom Before FI Links:

• Free Guides: Download the free ‘Freedom Ideas’ Cheat Sheet and the free ‘Find Your Purpose’ worksheet at: https://freedombeforefi.com/free-guides/
• Website: Check out our resources and services at www.freedombeforefi.com
• Email: If you want to connect, send me a note at [email protected]
• Instagram: or send a DM at Instagram Link 
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@FreedomBeforeFI 
• Linktree (all links): https://linktr.ee/freedombeforefi

Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice

On this episode we’ll be focusing on two popular milestones, Coast FI (which you reach before you get to FI) and Lean FIRE (which is the earliest of the FIRE milestone and where you’ve actually reached Financial Independence). I’ll be sharing 5 questions you can ask yourself that can help you choose which FIRE milestone to aim for.

Related Episodes:

• Ep. 36 - How to Find Your Purpose - Link
• Ep. 54 - Reaching Coast FI on a Average Salary - Link
• Ep. 55 - The Risks of Coast FI and How to Overcome Them - Link

Firespark Retreat (Australia):

Link below for more info:

https://www.facebook.com/FIRESPARKRetreat/

Freedom Before FI Links:

• Free Guides: Download the free ‘Freedom Ideas’ Cheat Sheet and the free ‘Find Your Purpose’ worksheet at: https://freedombeforefi.com/free-guides/
• Website: Check out our resources and services at www.freedombeforefi.com
• Email: If you want to connect, send me a note at [email protected]
• Instagram: or send a DM at Instagram Link 
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@FreedomBeforeFI 
• Linktree (all links): https://linktr.ee/freedombeforefi

Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice