Meet Kristin Wilson | Author, YouTube Creator, Podcast Host, and DJ

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kristin Wilson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kristin, putting aside the decision to work for yourself, what other decisions were critical to your success?
The single most important decision I made in my life was to travel. Experiencing life in foreign countries and immersing yourself in foreign cultures will change your perspective, prompt you to answer new questions, and provide endless inspiration for your art and work.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m a multi-passionate travel content creator with a YouTube channel, podcast, book, and a speaking and consulting career. My mission is to help people travel the world and live life on their own terms as location-independent remote workers, digital nomads, or retirees.

My content gives tips on long-term travel, living abroad, and finding ways to earn an online income from anywhere, whether it’s through a remote job, freelancing, or entrepreneurship.

I’ve traveled to more than 60 countries in the past 20 years, documenting them as I go. I was born in Vero Beach, Florida, but my family is from Miami and its been my home base for the past few years.

Initial Challenges:

Growing up, I always thought I had to have a traditional 9-5 job. I didn’t think of myself as an artist, likely because of the stereotypes and misconceptions around art and creativity in US society.

But, ultimately, I decided to face the reality that my life’s purpose is to create and all humans are creative. Also, that I could support myself through my art.

Once I allowed myself to be an artist, I hit the ground running, pursuing all my ambitions at once: photography, video, writing, podcasting, and music (even though I had zero experience in any of them). That combination soon became what makes me unique in my field.

Career:

Over the past 5 years, I’ve dedicated myself to helping share what I know about travel, living abroad, and adapting to foreign cultures.

To accomplish this goal, I decided to build a personal brand and educational platform to distribute information to people searching for it.

I started a YouTube channel called Traveling with Kristin and launched a podcast called Badass Digital Nomads, where I interview people who live unconventional lives. We just published our 200th episode in March.

I also wrote the book, Digital Nomads For Dummies, which provides a step-by-step guide for achieving a location-independent lifestyle.

The hardest part of my job is overcoming fear and self-doubt to show up every week and be consistent. But when you strongly identify with why you do what you do, you can persevere. Like everyone, I started with zero subscribers or experience. But today, my work has generated 80 million views online and hundreds of thousands of people have joined my community.

Time management is also hard, but I’ve learned to how to lean into project management software, such as Asana and Trello. I also hire help and delegate tasks to freelancers on Fiverr, Upwork, and Zip Recruiter.

A book that helped me get started in my career is, The Artist’s Way, by Julia Cameron. I would recommend it to anyone who has a big idea but doesn’t know where to start.

Later on, biggest aha moment for me was hearing the second half of the following quote.

We’ve all heard the saying, “Jack of all trades, master of none.” But what most people don’t know is that the rest of the sentence says: “often times better than master of one.”

That mindset shift of giving myself permission to pursue multiple passions (and knowing it would help me and not hurt me) has changed my life.

I’m grateful that I can work in my passion for travel during the day and DJ at night. DJ’ing is something that I wanted to do since I was in middle school, but it took decades before I worked up the courage and patience to learn. After studying at Shyft Studios in Miami during the pandemic, I played my first gig in December of 2021. Since then, I’ve played nearly 50 shows in 5 countries and am so grateful to Differ, the Saint, and Tony Guerra for helping me get started. Next up, I’m moving to Europe to focus on Music Production while working remotely in my day job.

I’ve also just accepted a position working with International Living Magazine.

If I could leave people with one takeaway, it would be to take the first step in whatever their dream is and don’t give up. Think of reaching your goals as a journey and a lifestyle rather than a destination to reach. “There” doesn’t exist. Just be here, now.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
There are so many unique spots to discover in Miami. My top things to do would include:

1. Spending time in Coconut Grove: I lived here for two years and still felt like I was always uncovering new restaurants and corners of the Grove. There’s something for everyone. For sunset happy hour, check out Monty’s or Bayshore Club. For a night out, bar hopping down Grand Ave is always fun.

Tip: follow Coconut Groove on Instagram for the best music and dj’s in town.

For breakfast, I love taking in the views from Bellini at Mr. C.

To get out in nature, rent a bike and ride down to the Fairchild Botanical Gardens.

For some R&R, have a picnic in Peacock Park, a date night in Cocowalk, or just curl up with a book at Books & Books.

You can also get a great workout at Anatomy or OM Movement, to work off all the ice cream you may be tempted to eat. There must be 10+ places to get ice cream or gelato in the Grove!

2. Key Biscayne: Besides biking around or lounging on the beaches, I absolutely love going to lunch at Rusty Pelican or hanging out with friends in Virginia Key. Bill Baggs State Park is also quiet and relaxing.

3. The Vizcaya Museum & Gardens is a must-see when in Miami. Tip: they also have a farmer’s market on the weekends.

4. Pool day in Miami Beach: Check out Resortpass.com for day passes and table reservations as the best pools and day clubs on the beach.

5. Haulover Sandbar: When I lived in North Miami we took boats out to the Haulover Sandbar every weekend. It’s definitely a colorful and quintessential Miami experience! You can also rent boats and jet skis at nearby marinas.

6. Best Bakery in Miami: If you haven’t been to Madruga Bakery yet in Coral Gables, you’re missing out.

7. New World Symphony: there are always unique events going on here.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to dedicate this shoutout to my parents, who have always supported and encouraged my decision to live an unconventional life.

Website: https://www.travelingwithkristin.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristinwilson.dj/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/travelingwithkristin

Other: My podcast: https://www.badassdigitalnomads.com/

Image Credits
Courtesy of Traveling with Kristin