How did you start working remotely? Was it something you sought out or stumbled into?

I started freelancing more or less full-time as a writer, editor, and coach when I left my teaching job of ten years back in 2014. The location-independent part was just a dream back then. In 2016 I broke with my former life and became an intrepid vagabond. I spent 9 months housesitting around the New York metro area. Now I’m in Montreal for a month. I would like to be in Europe next.

What do you do for work and for fun?

How odd that these are the same question. For work, I’m a writer and editor, mostly for the education and hospitality sectors, and a manuscript coach for the nonfiction and memoir genres.

In cities I enjoy visiting museums–especially art museums–getting to know new places by wandering the streets and strolling through parks, people watching in coffee shops, dancing, hearing live music, and seeing performances. I enjoy hiking in the woods and mountains, meditating by streams, and finding hidden waterfalls to swim in. My yoga practice is important to me.

What cities do you call “home” and why do you want to be a Workfrom ambassador?

New York

Any tips you’d like to share for others wanting to or already working remotely?

Housesitting/petsitting is a great way to live for free in a new place.

Any tips for those wanting to visit and work from your area?

New York is a ridiculously expensive place to live, and not just for rent. I didn’t pay a penny of rent in nine months, but I had to leave because food, transit, and entertainment expenses were killing me. The subway system in New York is a wonder of engineering and covers all of Manhattan quite efficiently. It also can be infuriating and frustrating because of service changes, especially on the weekends. New York is bigger than you think. It takes a long time to get from one part of the city to another. It’s also the most vibrant, diverse, exciting, culturally expansive city I’ve been to. If you haven’t been, you definitely should go.

What do you like most about Workfrom, and what would you like to see above all else come from us in the next year?

I am new to Workfrom, so I don’t yet have a sense of how it will affect my life, but my hope is to meet other nomads who are living and working remotely wherever I am, for a sense of community and connection. Otherwise, I get lonely.