Working Towards Our Purpose

Welcome to working towards our Purpose, a podcast that

offers a different perspective on what a job can be. For everyone

out there that's heard that voice in the back their head, asking for

something more. It's time to listen to it. I'm your host,

Gino, and join me as I interview people who have decided to

work in their own purpose. Together, we will learn, become

inspired, and hopefully find our own path towards working in our

purpose.

Joining me today is Chelsea Paquin, who is an astrologer, a full

time band lifer, a podcast host, and a certified microdose

Practitioner Among Other Things. Chelsea, welcome to Working Towards Our

Purpose. How are you doing today? I'm great. Thank you for having

me. Yeah. I'm excited that you're here, and I have so many things I wanna

ask you about. But I guess the first question would be, like,

how would you describe yourself and, like, what what do you do in your own

words Oh. And, you know, kinda go from there. Yeah.

So, I mean, you summed it up perfectly in your intro.

So I am a van lifer. I feel like first and foremost,

that is how I live my life. Day to day is in

My beautiful van. You know? And then I also work

full time in marketing. And then on the side, I'm an astrologer. I

do a lot of Natal chart readings and just working with people

to kind of understand their lives in a different way

or put different language to it than They have before. And then

through astrology, I have also discovered podcasting for

1. So started a podcast And then also the

certified microdosing practitioner. So those are kind

of all connected. And One of the big things I'm actually working on

now and I would say for the last, like, 6 months is how to combine

all of those things. I've learned astrology brought me to all of them, and

now I'm like, Okay. How do I put them all together?

Very cool. So I'm definitely interested in, like, the whole

man life thing and how you got into it. There was a certain point in

my life where I was, like, really interested in it, and I think we both

followed the same passion. Because I remember you brought it up in your podcast one

time. Can't remember her name. Is it Sydney, Divine on

the Road? Yes. Yeah. Yeah. I so I followed her for a while, and then

I remember, like, watching all these YouTube videos and stuff about it. I never did

it. But Yeah. How did you, like, originally get into it, and what was

the, like, process like? And how long have you been doing it? Yeah.

So today is actually our 4 year van life

anniversary. So Congratulations. Thank you.

Halloween of 2019, we moved out of our apartment.

So, yeah, we got into it though. So it was my boyfriend and I.

We had been dating about a year, I guess, at that point. We had been

friends before that, but we were dating about a year living up in New

Hampshire, And it was winter. I remember it. It was, like,

December of that year, and we were both

kind of like, I'm so sick of this winter. I'm so sick of snow. I'm

so sick of the northeast. Like, let's move. So we were looking at where

we wanted to move. We knew we wanted to go somewhere warm. We knew we

wanted to day in more urban areas, you know, whether it was

a big city or a small city, just somewhere with something to do.

We really couldn't decide. We bought a huge map and put it on the wall,

put pins in everywhere we might wanna move, and then we were

like, Well, I guess if we visit all of these places with our

2 weeks of PTO that we have every year, in

30 years, we'll know where we wanna move. And

so we were, like, really grappling with that. And we were like, do we just

move somewhere that we think we'll like? We talked a lot about, like, Southern California.

We talked about Nashville. Talked about Atlanta, I think, at one

point, Austin, you know, all these, like, up and coming, like, cool

cities. And then, Yeah. I came across it was on

Pinterest. We were actually just talking about it the other day. I don't know what

I searched on Pinterest, and divine on the road

came up For van life. And we actually knew someone who had done van

life before that, like, in our own lives. And I

remember, you know, it was, like, 2 years Before we were thinking about it, and

I remember being like, Carla and Jake are insane for doing this.

Like, this is so bizarre. Why are they doing it? I did not get it

at all at the time. And then seeing Sydney's post on

Pinterest, I was like, Now this is a way to get

around our 2 weeks PTO and going to visit everywhere we

want to in the country. And so I brought it up to him. He

originally was, like, not that into it. He was pretty open, but he was

like, I don't know. Like, you're gonna do this. It's so not

like me to be into this van life thing. We We're

like, let's just go look at vans. We went to the dealership, found

1 we liked, and then bought it. And we were

like, I remember I cried the whole way home. It was like such a

one, it wasn't impulsive necessarily, but it was definitely,

like, all ideas. And then when we bought it, I was like, oh

my god. Like, now we own this van, and now we have to live in

it. Yeah. I, like, cried the whole way home, and I was like, can we

return it? And he was like, You gotta be fucking kidding me. No. We bought

this van. We're doing it. And so we built it out. We thought we were

gonna do it for a year, And here we are 4 years

later, still doing it, loving it, rocking it.

So, yeah, that was kind of how it started.

That's awesome. So did you, like, how did

that work in with, like, the work that you were doing? Like, did you did

you already work remote at that point, or did the both of you? Yeah. So

we were both working full time jobs in marketing

In New Hampshire, so 9 to fives every day,

normal, like, jobs, and the plan was to just freelance.

So once we bought the van, we started trying to find clients and do

it on the side. And I actually

Ended up getting fired from my job, like, 2 months after we bought the

van, yeah, which was, like, a total shock

To my system, I was like, I'm such a good worker. This is so not

like me. It had no reflection on me as a worker. It's taken me a

very long time to, like, come to terms with that, but I was, like, Shook.

I was like, holy shit. So I immediately I was like,

alright. I guess I'm freelancing now. Like, I guess I'm

diving head first into it, Which ultimately, like, it all

worked out, obviously. I found some clients, and then

he went maybe, like, a month before we moved into the van

Full time, he had gotten enough freelance clients and quit his

job. So it was definitely a transition period. And

then I ended up The day we moved into the van

was the same day I started freelancing for the company that now I

work full time for. So it all kinda, like, comes full

circle in that way. Awesome. So I'm assuming that, like,

you went to college for marketing and that sort of thing. And, like, is

that still something that I imagine you can use in, like, all the other things

that you do too? Marketing is, like, such a useful skill that

I'm I'm learning as I'm going on my own, and know nothing about.

Did you yeah. Did you always, like, want to get into marketing and, like, we're

interested in it? Or No. No. Honestly.

I changed my major, I don't know, like, 8 times In

college, when I went to college, I had no idea what I wanted to do.

All I knew was I really liked to read and write. So I

went in undecided, and then I Was like, oh, I'll be an English major.

Pretty quickly, I was like, I like to read and write,

but not, Like, these academic books. I'm like, I just

kinda like to read more leisurely, and I don't wanna have to write papers on

it. So then I was like, maybe I'll be a journalist. I think

I was an anthropology major at one point. I have a

minor in psychology and English, and then I ended up in communications.

And, basically, the only reason I landed there was if I changed my major one

more time, I would not have graduated on time. So I was

kinda like, I guess I'm doing this. Nice. So what did it look

like when you graduated college? Like, did you go out job

hunting like, you know, any other college kid or, like I remember,

like, for me, it was, I took, like, a bunch of time

off and, like, I didn't, like, initially get a job and I, like,

waited for a long time. What what did that look like for you

when you graduated? Yeah. So I graduated from

Yukon, And then I actually was lucky

enough that one of my internships I had an internship for a nonprofit,

like, the summer Before my senior year, I guess, and I

actually worked for them all through my senior year part time. So it was

nice when I graduated. I I had that job with them, so I was able

to just kinda, like, Go right into it. I was running events for them, which

I loved. I loved that job. I would have never left if it

were up to me, but it was just part time. So, eventually, it got to

the point. I was living at home. I was commuting from from my

parents' house, which is in, like, Northwest Connecticut Down to

Hartford. So it's like an hour 15 drive

each way. Sometimes further, but I got to travel a

lot With them, which is really cool, I went, like, all over the country running

events for them, not getting paid very well with it being a nonprofit.

And, eventually, my mom Was like, okay. I think

you need to, like, get out of the house. You need like, let's find you

a real job. Let's do it. And so I ended up applying at the company

she worked Which was headquartered up in New Hampshire, and that's how I ended

up in New Hampshire, was I got just like a

marketing associate job there. I moved up. I knew Silly no one.

It was the scariest thing I've ever done to this day

was getting in the car and driving up there With no apartment, no place to

live, the company put me in a hotel for, I think, like, 6 weeks.

Yeah. It was just great. And then I moved in with 2

guys who I met through like, a girl at work was like, I

heard you need an apartment. I know these 2 guys who are looking for a

roommate. And And I was like, not really how I pictured

it, but at this point, like, I guess, I went and met them.

They are, like, 2 of my closest friends To this day, it's how I met

my boyfriend. So it all ended up, like, working out.

I couldn't have asked for more in the end, but it was definitely a leap

of faith to, like, get there. So when you first

got into, like, working for a marketing job and you we were up in New

Hampshire, was it something that, like, you enjoyed and, like, you felt like you

were learning and because my experience, like, once I got

into jobs from college. I was just like

confused. And I I mean, definitely different industries,

but I w I went from like learning so much information

and, like, always being challenged in college to then, like,

getting this job where there was, like, so little required of me, and I was

just, like, always confused. What was what was your experience from, like,

going to college to working full time? Yeah. So I think

in some ways, it sounds like that, and in other ways, it was very

different. So it was a medical device company, And so I

was always confused, but I was always confused

because I had no idea what the fuck I was talking about

and, like, having to market this device and having to learn

all these things about your respiratory system. I was, like, so

far in over my head in that way that I was like, I don't even

know how to, like, market any of this stuff because I don't even know what

it does. I I'm so confused. I'm so lost. It

was a small company. They were private at the time

working on going public. The CEO was

difficult to say the least. Every time I had an interaction with him, I would,

like, have to go home crying. So it was tough.

It was very tough. I felt like in college, I

felt smart. Like, I felt like I was good at things. I felt

like I can do anything I put my mind to, and I feel like that

job, like, shattered any sense of confidence I had.

So in that way, it was pretty bad. But I did learn a lot about

marketing, I will say. It was definitely like a crash course of, like,

here's what the real world is like, and here's how you actually have to

do like, this is what you actually have to do. So that was good. And

so I did learn a lot of skills then that I still use

now, Which is good. But And then that also brought you

into, like, being able to freelance and and kinda do it on your

own? Yeah. So I left that job and then had another job

In between marketing arts and crafts. And I was like felt like

it was the best. I was like, oh my god. This Could not be

easier compared to a medical device company. Now I just get to tell people,

like, here are different crafts you can do with your paint.

Loved it. It that was great. And then that's the job that I

left to go freelance. Mhmm. And and what

did freelancing look like for you as far as, like, how to get

clients and stuff like that? Like, did you have contacts in industry

just because you were working in marketing or, like, how does one go and

get clients? Yeah. So no. I had no

contacts. I used the website Upwork A

lot. Mhmm. So that was how I started. I

was doing mostly social media, just making posts,

Graphics, captions, things like that for some really

random companies. Like, when I think about it, I'm like, oh my god. What was

I doing? There was 1 I just always laugh at. Their logo

looked like it had been made on, like, Microsoft Paint. Like, their logo is

so bad, and they were, like, a driver's ed company in Texas, I think

and the guys were nice. They were just, like, 2 older guys running this driver's

ed school. And I was like, I don't know what you want from me. Like,

I'm doing my best here, but, like, we need there are so many things going

wrong. Like, social media is not gonna help your your cause.

But, yeah, I was using Upwork a lot. I think Indeed Had

some, like, filters and stuff you could do for remote work,

LinkedIn too, but mostly Upwork. I got a lot through Upwork. And

then, yeah, I started the job I'm still at now.

I started, I think, like, 10 hours a week doing, like, Facebook ads

for them, and they taught me everything about Facebook and Instagram ads. I had no

experience, but for whatever reason, they took a chance on me. And now

I'm a VP there. I work there full time and

have a ton of clients. So, yeah, that's been

That's been good, and it's really flexible. So the whole company is remote. We have

people, like, all over the world. It's a really small company. There's

maybe, like, 10 of us Full time there. So it's been great

because it kind of allows me to make my own schedule, and as long as

the clients are happy, no one really questions What I do. And

so that really allows me to do things like the podcast or

do readings on the side. Mhmm. So when you first

started doing like the Upwork stuff, what like year was this in?

Cause I mean, everybody now can like work remote mostly.

Yeah. But, like, was this this was pre pandemic? Yes.

Yeah. It was pre pandemic. So it would have been, like, the summer of

2019. Okay. So that's what allowed you

obviously to be able to step into van life and that sort of thing. Mhmm.

Interesting. Yeah. So I Couple couple directions I

could go in. I guess I wanna ask you more so about,

like, working for the company that you do now. Because

For me, like, I've always with with my college degree, I've

always had jobs that, like, I didn't like

or didn't feel like I was making a difference or, like, there was even a

point in me showing up to work. Mhmm. But since then, like, since

quitting that career and and getting out of those large corporations that I

used to be in. I've worked for, like, smaller companies now and, like,

actually felt, like, you know, a reason to want

to work for this company And that sort of thing. Can you, like I

don't know. Tell me about, like, how how your day your quote unquote

9 to 5 is and like, is it something you ever would

want to leave or is it like a piece of you that you like, would

like to keep? Because yeah, like for some of my side jobs, like I,

right now. I wouldn't wanna leave them because I like I enjoy that piece of

it. It, like, takes you out of the business mindset and, like,

puts you in a different head space that can then They kinda help each other.

You know? So I'm curious as to, like, how that is for you. Yeah. That's

a a really good question.

I do really like it, and I definitely make a difference there, I

think. That being said, it's not really something I'm passion

about. We do lead generation for sales teams.

So that's not to say that it's soulless work,

but it sometimes, I'm like, We're just selling something

to more people and going in circles. You know?

And so I feel like I'm not super passionate About the actual work I

do, I do really like my clients. I have really good clients

typically who once I get to know them, I'm like, oh, I do want

you to succeed. You know, we work with some smaller businesses, and I'm like, oh,

I do wanna help you. This is your dream. So I do enjoy that

part of it. That being said, If I

could, you know, do astrology full time or,

you know, help people, I think, in a more meaningful way, I would

definitely leave the job I'm in now. But Mhmm. Okay.

You know, I think it's a really good and I've learned a lot

too. Like, I sometimes think that I wouldn't even know how to take the

1st step towards, like, leaving a job like that

If I didn't have this job, you know, the 2 cofounders, they started

really scrappy. They started like, they had 1 guy,

I think the story goes, had a studio apartment. The other guy was, like, living

on his couch, and they started, like, shopping around social media and

just kinda, like, Very scrappy and just, like, doing what

they could. And now, you know, not that it's a huge company by any means,

but, like, they have, Like, 15 employees. And so I've

definitely, like, just learned a lot about watching them and how they run a

business. And I really respect them.

And so I've, like, learned a lot, whereas I think the other jobs, I'm like,

I would never want a company like that, and I didn't necessarily respect the

people in charge. So even though I learned, like, technical

skills, I think from this job, I've learned a lot about what I

would want If I ever got to that point of running a company or hiring

employees, I've learned a lot from them, or, like, how to grow a business, things

like that. Yeah. That's a really good point. That that's how I feel with

the small company that I work for. It's, like, I can I have

conversations with the owners and, like, you know, they value your opinion

and, like, you can see how they treat the employees and, like, how they run

their business? And, yeah, for me, it's like a learning experience also. Mhmm. So

yeah. No. I think that's a that's a good point. Yeah. And are

you doing engineering for them? No. Not at all.

I I Completely, like, left the engineering

field with, bitter terms, I

guess, which I I think was

my path for a reason. Like, I worked for huge companies, like, put a horrible

taste in my mouth, and I was like, I'm not ever doing this again. Yeah.

I'm sure there's, like, small engineering companies out there where, like, I could find

a similar experience. But, like, no. My, like, side business now is,

like, something Or side what do you call it?

Side gig Gigs. Yeah. Whatever you wanna call it,

is, like, completely different. So I I was doing, like, various stuff. And

then, like, I kept getting burnt out, and I was like, alright, I need to

do something, like, I want to do for reasons other than money. And I

was like, Always kinda wanted to be a barista, like, maybe I should, like, apply

to coffee shops. I live in, like, a little city, and there's, like, tons of

coffee shops around. So I applied to be a barista, but it's like

a bagel shop. So, like, I did coffees at

first, but then we, like, completely got rid of our espresso machine. And, like, I

started doing different things and then, like, got involved in farmers markets and,

like, found that to be, like, such a cool culture. And, like, I love

farmers markets now and, like, I work Usually, like, 3 week. So that's

like a cool doing at the pharmacy store? Bagels.

For the company. Yeah. Yes. Which is, like, almost its own

little business in and of itself, because you're, like, I'm the only one that goes

to this market and, like, I'm selling the product. And, like, I can see, like,

how much I'm making and, like, I don't know. It's almost like a little mini

business within the business. Yeah. But for me, it's like, I don't have to worry

about, like, the product. I'm just like selling the product now. So it's

like sales and like communicating with people and like, I'm learning all these skills

that like I was weak in. So, yeah, I I now have,

like, understood, like, okay, it it's not a complete failure if you can't,

like, make your soul business or your passion,

like support you 100%. It's almost like more interesting to

have like different pieces of your life because you could go do with this thing

and then you can go do this other thing and not get burnt out in

one of them. Mhmm. So, yeah, that that's been like a big

mindset shift for me recently. Yeah. And

I feel like I mean, like you just said even, like, selling.

You know? Like, sales is such a skill that

You are learning it at bagels selling bagels at the farmer's market, but,

like, you know, eventually or if you're not already, like, you could use that to

sell your your audio, Your editing skills. You know, like, just

Definitely. Even the skills transfer. They do. Yeah.

Yeah. And and certainly, like, I've learned things in

my corporate engineering career that, obviously, I use to

this day. It's just, you know, I I because I'm bitter

about it, I I don't like to think that Yeah. No. Fuck

that. You learned nothing. It was always the time. I'm with you.

Right. Right. But actually, that kinda leads me to, like, I I kinda had

to have that mindset for me to, like, leave it because I needed to be,

like, super angry about my situation passion in order to actually make a

change. So it it was all helpful. It was none of it was, like, not

helpful. Yeah. Everything happens for a reason.

You know? Like, Or maybe I shouldn't say that, but there's always, like, the

lesson. Right? Mhmm. So Oh, always something to learn.

Yeah. Mhmm. So bringing it back to,

like, van life, because I feel like we've cut your work up to, like, the

van life portion. What was it like like, So you just bought, like, an empty

van? Because I'm just because I'm personally curious about van life.

And you just, like, put a mini apartment in it. Like, how did you do

that? Like, did you find stuff frontline. Like, did you know how to do any

of that? Or No. Yeah. So, yeah, we bought an empty

van. We were told that it was an electrician's van when we bought

it, And then we actually just discovered, like, this summer,

the light was hitting it just right on the side, and you can see where

the decal Used to be, and it was actually like a grocery

delivery van. Like a fresh produce van or

something according to the decal, which I'm like, I like that so much more

an electrician van. But yeah. So we bought it. It was completely empty.

It had, like, a 107,000 miles on it, I think,

and it was Reasonably priced. So it was before

COVID. It was before everybody was trying to do van life. I think

now the vans are way more expensive than What they

were. So we got lucky. We kinda got in, like, under the wire, but

we did not know what we were doing. I personally have never built

a thing in my life, I don't think. So I was, like, learning

how to use, like, table saws and stuff.

But my boyfriend is a little bit more savvy with

that stuff, but we watched a lot of YouTube videos and just kinda,

like, we're winging it. We started with 1 layout. We did it

for about a year, and then we switched it up a little bit.

But, I mean, we have I'm, like, looking around at it. We have An

electric stove, like an electric stovetop. We have solar, so

all our energy comes from the solar panels. We have an electric sink. We have

a fridge. So we have maybe half the amenities an

apartment would have. We're missing an oven. We don't have we use,

like, a little camping toilet. We have an outdoor shower,

so we have some things. But, yeah, that's what we did.

And it looks pretty nice in here, I would say, compared to

For doing it all ourselves. Like, we just came from a van fest last

weekend, and, you know, everybody, like, opens their doors. You can look at everyone's,

and You can tell the professionally built ones are just, like,

gorgeous. Like, we can never compete with those. But if you look at other self

Built vans. Like, we definitely compete for some of the

better looking vans, I think. Mhmm. Well, that's

what's important. Yeah. So what was it

like to, like, live in an apartment and then till now

live in, like, a confined van. Like parts of it are

confined, but then I imagine other parts of it are like way more open, like,

you know, like you were saying location dependent in like Being able to be outside

more often, like, was there a learning curve to the passion, or did you just,

like, immediately love it? No. Definitely a learning curve. I

think still, honestly, 4 years in, there's still a learning curve.

Like, yesterday, we so we went to this van fest over the weekend,

and it was right next to, Like a horse

track, I guess. I don't really know, but there were, like, flies everywhere. So

yesterday, we go to, like, our favorite spot in Arizona. So excited to go back.

We haven't been there in, like, 6 months. We get there and, like, we just

have flies everywhere in the van, and it was like, oh my god. Like, this

sucks all day. You're just, like, Trying to get the flies out of the

van. So on days like that, it's really hard to remember why we do it

because we're like, houses don't really have flies like this.

But yeah. I mean, overall, I think we are

definitely, like, used to it, obviously. But moving in, yeah, it was

definitely tough. Preparing to move in was really hard. You know, we had to get

rid of everything. So we don't own anything that's not in the

van pretty much. I think I have, like, a little box at my parents' house.

He passion it. His are just kinda like pictures and,

like, what's the word for it? I don't know. Like, emotional mementos. Mementos.

Yeah. Like, Little things that are just kinda like, you don't wanna throw them out,

but you can't keep them in the van. So, yeah, everything we own is in

the van, which If I were to, like, tell myself 5 years ago

I was gonna get rid of all my clothes and all my shoes to move

into a van, Like, I probably would have passed out. I would have been like,

no way. That's not me. So that was definitely I feel like

moving into the van was very difficult. Like, just the lead up of being

like, Holy shit. This means I have to get rid of everything. Trying

to sell it, what to donate, what to keep. That was really

tough. And then Yeah. I think once we moved in too, it's just

all of a sudden you're spending every 2nd of every day with the

same passion. And luckily, I mean, neither of us are fighters,

Which is great, but still, sometimes you can definitely tell. We're, like, get on each

other's nerves. 1 of us will be like, I'm just gonna go work outside.

Don't come after me. I just need my alone time.

But, you know, I think it also forced us

Pretty early on to, like, deal with some of those things,

and, like, how do we like to communicate with each other, You

know, what's important, what's worth kind of fighting over, what's not,

when to give each other space, when to not. I think we had to figure

that out Pretty quickly once we moved into the van. Compared to if we

were in an apartment, it's you know, especially working 9 to 5, like, we're

with each other all day and then you just come home at the end of

the day, like, it might be a little bit easier to avoid those conversations,

whereas in the van, it's like, we have to talk about it or

It'll just fester, I guess. I mean, it get miserable

for everyone. Right. There's no hiding. They can't really

Yeah. Go too far. Yeah. Seriously. So

something also that I'm interested about van life is, like, the community

aspect of it. Because, like, Yeah. You're out alone, but just like you were saying,

like, there's festivals that you go to and, like, there's other people. And I

imagine, like, the first time you meet somebody who else is doing the same thing,

like, you immediately have so much to talk about because you're, like, you

know, not not that many people do it. So when you run into somebody, it's,

like, probably super exciting. What's the, like, community of van life's

like? And I guess how has it changed since you started it? Yeah.

So I feel like It is different than

what I expected it to be like. So I kind of expected, like, based on

social media, I'm like, oh my god. Look. Everyone who lives in a van are

friends, and they all hang out all the time. That's not has not been

our experience. I think that is the experience for some people, but we'll go to

gatherings. We'll talk to purpose. We'll meet them, but we don't,

honestly, don't really have any van life, like, friends

that we are like, oh, are you going to this festival? So are we. Let's

meet up. Like if it happens by chance, it happens by chance.

But I feel like the community now so when we first got

in the van, it was right before COVID. We moved in, like, I guess, like,

what, 6 months before COVID? 5 months before COVID?

And I think the van life movement was

growing, But it definitely was not like it was

in, like, 2021. I feel like then it was like,

holy Like, everywhere we went, tons of vans, tons of RVs,

and now it's, like, starting to kinda peter out. I think people are having to

go back to work. People at that point, if you moved in in

2021, like, now it's been 2 years, I think people are

kinda ready to give it up After that amount of

time, I think it's pretty rare, especially now. It's pretty rare

for us to meet someone who's done it longer than us. Like, looking

at younger people under, like, 40. You know? We meet retirees

who are like, oh, yeah. We've been in our RV for 20 years or whatever.

But I feel like people around our age, Most of them have not been doing

it as long as us. So I feel like in a way, the community is

kinda shrinking again, which Has its

pros and cons. Sometimes we'll go to a spot and it's just, like,

totally trashed. That was kinda tough. That was a really big thing in the community

for a while. It was, like, All of a sudden you have these people moving

into vans and they don't know, like, the quote, unquote

etiquette of how to treat a place. So that can be kinda tough, but I

feel like as it's shrinking, we're kinda getting back to the people who are doing

it for, like, the I I don't I don't even know how to word it.

So I don't wanna say, like, the right reasons, but almost like the right

reasons. You know? Yeah. So do you, do you ever see yourself,

like, wanting to get out of it or, like, to stop doing it or, like,

what is that thought process like? Do you think about that? Yeah.

I Personally, I think about it every day because I am

always looking for, like, the worst thing in the world to happen. So my biggest

fear is that the van is gonna break down, and we're not ready for

it to break down completely. We've had to, like, put some

serious money into it over the years to keep it going, And we just

hit, like, 200,000 miles, like, a few months ago, and I'm like,

oh my god. Like, it's just gonna break down any day now, and then

what? So I'm always, like, catastrophizing. So I think about it

constantly, what we'll do. Depending on the day, I do

think I can't imagine not having Some sort of

vehicle that allows us to travel. So I don't know if we'd build another

van, but maybe, like, a small RV, we'd start

looking for I think the freedom it's

given us, I can't imagine giving up.

Like, the thought of Still, I mean, we've been traveling to all these places for

4 years to, like, find a place to live. I'm still like, I

wouldn't wanna live any of these places full time. Like, even the

only place I'm, like, maybe San Diego because San Diego is, like,

beautiful weather every day. But, otherwise, I'm like,

I wanna be in Arizona in the winter, but I wanna be Northern

California in the summer, and I wanna be in the northeast for the

holidays and The fall. You know? So

I don't know. We talk about it a lot, but I honestly have no idea

if or when We would settle down.

Yeah. It's kind of a a nice, I think, aspect of

living like that is, like, the unknown part of it. Like, you're

saying, like, you can just break down and then now you have to deal with

it. And it's like I don't know. I kinda like the aspect of

being forced to have less control over your life. Because at the end of the

day, like, we really don't have that much control. We think we do, but,

like, it it's almost like a little bit of letting go, it seems

like for me. Obviously, I haven't done it, so I'm imagining, but it seems like

part of that is, like, being able to go with the flow and, like, having

to deal with situations as they arise.

Mhmm. Yeah. It's definitely a practice in surrender

for sure. Mhmm. And, like, you know, we I think a lot about

it happened earlier this year. I don't even remember why we

went. Something was wrong with the van, but we didn't think it was gonna be

a big deal. We were like, oh, okay. A few

Oh, what does that mean? And they were like, it means you owe us

$5,000, and we are gonna have to, like, replace the whole bottom of your

van. And it's like, shit. I mean, I guess. Like, I guess

we have to do that. Right. And so I feel like and then it's like,

oh my god. Now we have to, like, go live in a hotel for days

and Whatever. Yeah. I mean, it's just always something, and it does make you

realize that we have zero control. We have no

idea what's going on, what's gonna happen next.

Like, you could be our engine light came on a few days ago. Our

door handle broke off, like, 2 weeks ago. We still haven't fixed it. So,

like, now I usually, my boyfriend drives, so, like, I'll get in the

passenger seat and, like, have to open the door from the inside for him. Shit

like that. It's just always An adventure, for sure.

Yeah. No. That that's really cool. That's

one way to put it. Yeah. Yeah. No. I I I like, that is interesting

to me. Like, I think that that's that's a cool cool way to live.

Yeah. We're definitely, like, always problem solving. I feel like the problem

solving Part of my brain has probably grown, like,

500 sizes since moving into the van. You

know? Like, there's no Landlord to call if something

breaks. There's no it's like if something happens, like, we have

to fix it. You know? Mhmm. Yeah. Right. That's true. I guess

I didn't think about that. That that's kinda, like, the nice thing about living in

an apartment is you don't have any responsibilities really except for paying

your rent. It's like Yeah. Something can break. It's like, whatever. I don't care. Just

hap I'll call somebody and they'll fix it. Mhmm. Yeah. So that's

funny. So kinda changing topics

and and getting into the other major part of Your

life, I guess, is astrology. And, like, how when did that start in relation

to van life? And, like, how did that start? Yeah. So it started,

I guess it was late 2020, I think.

And Alyssa, the cohost of the

Or the ex cohost, I guess, of the podcast. That's so hard to say.

She and I have been friends since college, and She just texted me and was

like, hey. I just signed up for this astrology class. Do you wanna do it

with me? And it was virtual, and I was like, Yeah.

Sure. Why not? I feel like it was still kinda COVID, so, you

know, not everything was open. Definitely still, like, keeping to yourself more

than Usual, and it was like, sure. Why not do this thing on, like, a

Tuesday night? And I just fell in love with it.

I casually liked astrology before. You know? Like, I would read

horoscopes. I knew, like, I was an Aquarius, but I had no idea

really anything else about it, and it just seemed like, people

say astrology is, like, its own language, and I feel like it was just

something I, like, picked up immediately. And I was like, this just

makes so much sense to me on a sole level. Like, why

this matters, how it works, why it's important, You know,

without even getting into, like, all the technical aspects of it, because, like, even I

mean, I don't, like, touch the surface, you know, of all the knowledge of

astrology, but I was just like, I know in my gut, like,

this came to me for a reason, and, like, I'm supposed to,

like, spread the word about it, you know, and Teach other people

about it if I can. Yeah. I mean, you definitely

have done that for me, your guys' podcast. I mean, We originally met each

other through your podcast, and I obviously have to

listen to the podcast when I'm editing it. And it's been, like, a

huge inspiration, I guess, to me. And then you did my 1st astrology

reading, like, maybe a year ago. And, yeah, I've just been, like, more

and more and more into it as well. So you have done that.

Yeah. Thank you. I'm honored. So yeah. Like, what

I guess, like, where Do you wanna go with that?

Or, like, I don't know. I mean, you do readings now and, like,

there's there's so many things that I think people don't know about astrology. And, like,

some people either have, like, an opinion about it or maybe not an opinion about

it. But, yeah, I don't know. I I I wanna be able to, like,

have people who have bad opinions about it to maybe 2nd 2nd guess

that thought. I I know that's a horrible question to ask you, but to put

out my friend. But No. I mean, I feel like I come up

against a lot of people who are like, oh, astrology, that's so stupid.

Horoscopes aren't real. And I feel like I even have, like, family members

who are kinda like, Alright. Whatever. That's cute little kid thing

you're doing. But I feel like what I would say

to Anyone who is questioning it or not sure or not

liking it is that there is a huge difference between so

I was trained in it's called esoteric astrology, so it's very,

like, soul based. Whereas, I think if you are

reading about, You know, if you're reading your horoscope in People

magazine, like, that's great and that's a start, but that's very, like,

surface level pop Astrology. And so, you know,

the way I think of astrology and the way I think of my readings is

it's very interactive. I try not to be prescriptive

necessarily, So there's a lot of give and take. There's a lot

of questions. You know, people have told me it's almost more like a

therapy session. I've given readings to therapists before, and they're

like, oh, this is kind of how I, like, run my sessions too. And

to me, I'm like, oh my god. That's the highest compliment I could, like, ever

receive. But yeah. So, you know, and I guess

too, like, I try to make it actionable. So I don't wanna

just be like, Oh, you're a Capricorn man?

Like, you'll never fall in love. No one will ever love you.

Alright. Pay me And move on. And, like, now you get to

be toxic your whole life. Like, I would never do that. I always try to

walk away with, like, actionable, You know, actual items, I guess, that

people can do, and try and make it really

relatable to you, I guess. And so

Everybody's chart has I, you know, I start ever reading with, like, a

little spiel, and part of it is that every chart has parts that you're

gonna hear, and you're gonna be like, yep. That's me. That's Great. Love that about

myself. Woo hoo. Love this. And then there are gonna be other parts of the

chart that I bring up, and you're probably gonna be like,

Oof. Like, yeah, I hate that part about myself. You know? Oh, I

don't relate to that. And, you know, I think the biggest thing, and this

is the basis of the podcast is just being curious about that.

Everyone's chart is perfect for them. It's our energetic

blueprint. Our souls chose that chart

when, you know, it chose to come down to this world, to this

life, to this body, And so it's just,

you know, getting curious about your chart, and why do you have

such a reaction To those parts that you don't like. Why does that trigger you

so much? Really sit with it. Because at the end of the day, like, everyone

is perfect. Right? So it's just becoming familiar with

those parts of yourself and leaning into it a little bit more. And

also real you know, I say everyone's perfect. That does not mean that

we are not without faults, but that means, like, we can always

keep building and learning, if that makes sense. Yeah.

Definitely. That's for sure, like, true with me. And, like, especially when

you're saying, like, there's certain things you hear and either you don't like it or

you're, like, triggered by it. You're, like, oh, that's That's not true. That's, like, the

first reaction is to just be like, oh, that's just not true. That's why. But,

like, if you if you approach it with a more curious

mindset and just, you know, think about, like, well, why is that making me upset,

or why is that angering me? Or Mhmm. Then maybe it's like, you

know, a shadow side of you or something that you don't really realize

that could be a trait or a negative trait. So, yeah, I I think it's

all It's all interesting to me and like all,

I more so now like go into it like that open minded and think like,

how how could this apply to me? Cause like, It's interesting too, because, like, I

have this app that tells me stuff about me, and,

it's called The Pattern, which is a cool app if nobody's used it.

And, like, sometimes I'll read something and I'll, like,

not like it. Or sometimes I'll read something and be, like, oh, that, like, perfectly

applies to this situation that I'm in, but then I'll think about it. And I'm

like, well, though like, it doesn't know that I have this situate. Like, I'm the

one making that connection. So, like Mhmm. At the end of the day, it's not

like this I I don't know. I feel like some people are scared of it

because it's just telling you, like, who you are, but, like, you're also the one

that's connecting it to, like, your experience here too.

So it's like it's through your lens, but, like, I don't know, just

like guidance almost. Yeah. Yeah. And I feel like something one of the

bigger things that people One of the biggest critiques of

astrology is it's like the power of suggestion. You know,

that it's so vague that it could apply To anyone and, like so

I put that in quotes. I don't think that's necessarily true, but I

think everybody does have all 12 zodiac signs

In their personality. Some are just way stronger than others.

But if I say something and you're like, oh, yeah. That relates to me, and

then I can give you a way to move through

situation or if I say, you know, do you typically

how do you typically handle conflict? You know, you're a

Gemini, so Your way of handling conflict

is sometimes maybe you're gonna yell and sometimes you're gonna, like, shy away.

You know? Is that true for you? And then if they say yes, then we

can, like, talk about ways To move through that or learn from that. If

they say no, then it's like, alright. How do you handle conflict? And then

we can talk about it from there. You know? Like, So I think it just

becomes a new perspective of looking at

things. I think we get pretty caught up in The

way we view ourselves and the way we view the world. And so I think

a lot of people come to astrology with a certain

idea of what it means. And then when they have a reading, they walk

out of it like, oh, wow. It actually means something completely

different. And now I'm thinking about myself and situations In a

different way. Mhmm. Yeah. Definitely. I could I could

agree with that. Mhmm. So we are getting a little close

to the end of our time here, and I did wanna talk Podcast and also

talk about the transition that your podcast is going through. But I guess start

with, like, maybe telling us how the podcast started. Yeah. So the

podcast started about a year ago. So it was Alyssa and

I who we've been friends since college. We met in a sorority

there, So which is a whole story, but we came out

of it friends, and then we've been friends ever since. And I feel like the

2 of us just always have been interested in the same things.

You know, we're always, like, looking at, you know, like, wellness, and,

obviously, she's the one who even got me into astrology even though she never

really stuck with it. You know, she's the one that got me into that. I'm

taking a somatic class right now because of her. You know? Like, I

feel like we just really influence each other and teach each other a lot.

And we had both separately been thinking about starting a podcast,

and then getting overwhelmed and not doing it, And then trying to do

it again on our own and then getting overwhelmed and not doing it. And, eventually,

we were like, let's just do this together. And that was kind of how it

started, and it was A huge blessing to do it with

her. I mean, it has been, like, the biggest honor of my

life to work with her the last year doing it together, and I

understand why she had to step away, but I

also don't think I I guess I shouldn't say never,

But, like, I don't know that I would have ever started a podcast on my

own. You know? And I think doing it with her for the last year gave

me The courage, the bravery, the knowledge

to continue it without her now that she's had to step

away. Mhmm. Yeah. And and I think it's it's

also a cool idea, I guess, to even have a podcast

together because I think a lot of people start podcasts alone. But, like, to be

able to work together with somebody, like you're saying, purpose somebody

who's, like, important in your life and you feel like You

balance each other out or, like, help each other grow and learn. Like, it was

interesting, like, to hear the both perspectives that you both had,

like, during The course of the podcast. And it's

helpful sometimes to, like, do things with other people instead of just doing

it, like, alone. Like, I guess you can do it alone. Right? Like, I'm I'm

sure you could have done it alone, but it's like it's a it's a almost

a greater thing to do it with somebody else. Mhmm. To, like,

collaborate and create something that you couldn't have created alone or that she couldn't have

created alone. But yeah. So that being said, now

you're gonna do it alone. And, what what's the future of the

podcast, or or where do you want the podcast to be in the future? Is

it gonna be more towards astrology leading now? Or

Yeah. I think because she's a I guess we have to give some background. Yeah.

Because she's a therapist. Right? And and you're the astrologer, and it was kinda like

the both of you coming together to talk about Astrology and and

other things. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I think by default, it

will be. I definitely think It almost gives me

more freedom now, I think, to do it on my own. So I almost see

it becoming more of, like you know, before it was a lot of health and

wellness, which I think it Will still primarily be that, but I'm

almost like, now it would make sense to have on someone

who does van life. You know, whereas before, maybe that wouldn't have made as much

sense. So I think, you know, that's just one example, but I'm

excited to kinda just Follow my curiosity a little bit more and not

have to worry about kind of the box we had put ourselves

in. I feel like now I'll be able to, You know, I can kinda just

do whatever I want because it's mine. Right? And so I think that'll be

interesting to see, like, how I choose to grow it. I don't

Really no? To be honest, I feel like I'm flying by the seat of my

pants just kinda like, oh my god. I guess this is mine now.

But, I definitely think, like, that's what comes to mind is I think

there will be you know, we'll I'll keep the same name, The Moon in Your

Mind. I love the name, So I don't ever wanna change that, but I think

it doesn't necessarily need to fit in that space

all the time anymore. You know? Maybe only 80% of the time. And I

think it'll just be like a natural progression.

Mhmm. Yeah. Definitely. I've I've certainly, I, I guess

there's, there's, helpfulness in like trying to create some sort

of box so you can, I don't know, let people know what you're doing,

but there's also kind of a nice thing to, like, not have a box and

just kind of just go and do the things, like, couple

keywords or something, but, like, Go off on just different things? Like,

that's kinda how I found this podcast to be. It's like I initially

just started, like, interviewing, and I guess I still am. Just interviewing people that I

know and, like, that I think are cool and, like, just trying to learn from

them. And the themes, I guess, kinda

interweave in and out, but, like, I'm I'm talking to people that do very different

things. Like, it's not just 1. It's not just, like, entrepreneurs

or creatives or artists. It's, like, all the

things that interest me. And that's what's kinda cool about podcasting is, like, it

can be everything that you are interested in, and then it helps

you figure out more so what you're interested in. Mhmm. So I think

it's an exciting place to be. Yeah. Yeah. And I mean, the podcast

has taught me so much too and, like, You know, doing it with Alyssa.

We've had guests on who are, like,

heroes of mine, you know, and, like, When would I have ever gotten a

chance to talk to some of them? I would have had to probably pay them,

like, 1,000 of dollars for you know, to, like, talk to them and be one

of their clients, but instead, I feel like the The way podcasts are just

inherently, like, built, I guess. Like, you just get

to sit down and have a conversation with The coolest people. You know?

It's just it's incredible. It's so fun. Like, it's just I

love it. I didn't I knew I was gonna like it. There was a reason

I Felt so drawn to doing it. I did not expect to love it as

much as I do. Mhmm. Yeah. I always say that, like,

it's Even if nobody ever listens, it's so beneficial to me because I

get to have, like, long form conversations with somebody that I'm

interested in what they're doing. And, like, where can you do that? Like, normally, that's

like an ask or a favor. But here, it's like well, it's a

podcast, so it's like it's it's kind of a win win thing, I guess.

Mhmm. Yep. And so so that's been cool. Yeah. So, yeah, we're

like I said, we're coming to the inward time here. So, if people are interested

and they wanna get an astrology reading, which I would highly recommend, where

where should they go and where can they listen to your podcast? Yeah. So the

podcast is called The Moon in Your Mind. It's on every platform,

Spotify, Apple, Stitcher, I think, is another big one.

Wherever. It's everywhere that I could possibly get it. And then you

can follow me On social media, it's Chelsea Winter

Wellness. I'm trying to grow my following. That's, like, another

big project I'm doing, so I'm really out of my comfort zone doing

Reels and stuff recently. And then if you

want a reading, you can email me. It's just chelsea@chelseawinterwellness.com

or go on chelsea winter wellness.com, and you can actually just

book it right on there. Awesome. Well, I would definitely link all that

information in the show notes so people don't have to Remember and

thank you so much for being on the podcast. This was a really fun conversation.

Yeah. Thank you. This is great. Thank you

for listening to working towards our purpose. If you liked today's episode

and are interested in more, You can sign up for my Substack newsletter with the

link in the show notes where I share thoughts, tips, and ideas

that I'm learning along my journey to help inspire you. The

show was produced by Pleasant Podcast at pleasantpodcast.com.