10 Digital Nomads Who Inspired Me To Pursue Freedom

Beginning your digital nomad lifestyle isn’t going to be easy but it is possible.

5 min readApr 13, 2022

Sometimes we need a little guidance to get started. Some nomads start off working a remote job and others have aspirations of creating their income through entrepreneurship. There are many paths to a freedom lifestyle but entrepreneurship creates more opportunities for those seeking the lifestyle. Here is a list of influential entrepreneurs that have inspired me to take action and create a freedom lifestyle.

1. Jubril Agoro

I first discovered Jubril back in 2011 on Youtube. He was creating content in Bangkok, Thailand with an old cell phone. Now he has an entire team of videographers to record his adventures. What drew me to him was obvious, he was a black dude traveling the world. It was foreign to me to see someone who looked like me live this lifestyle.

Jubril’s Brand — Passport Heavy
Jubril’s Expertise — Facebook Ads
Jubril’s Current Base — Bali, Indonesia

2. Kristin Wilson

I first discovered Kristin on a podcast called the Maverick Show. I found her relatable because she answered questions from the podcaster in a way I would have answered them. If I had to bet, I would bet she is an introvert like me. She has been on the digital nomad lifestyle for almost ten years. She not only discusses the entrepreneurial aspects of a digital nomad lifestyle but other aspects such as social and mental health aspects as well.

Kristin’s Brand — Traveling with Kristin
Kristin’s Expertise — Helping average people become a digital nomads
Current Base — Miami, Florida

3. Danny Flood

After browsing through an app called Stitcher, I discovered Danny from his podcast Openworld Magazine. He had guests who were traveling all over the world. These people were so interesting to me because not only did they find a way to fund their nomadic lifestyle but they were all about self-improvement as well. Danny is all about life hacks, financial hacks, business hacks as well as travel hacks.

Danny’s Brand — Openworld Magazine
Danny’s Expertise — Business, Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Self-Development
Danny’s Current Base — Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

4. Olumide Gbenro

The Maverick Show once again has given me great exposure to influential people I can learn from. This is where I discovered Olumide. The beginning of the digital nomad journey is challenging because you don’t know where to start. Listening to Olumide’s struggles at the beginning of his journey made him relatable. Now he is a six-figure entrepreneur running a digital nomad community online called Globoversity.

Olumide’s Brand — Globoversity and The Conscious Club
Olumide’s Expertise — Helping entrepreneurs become public figures
Olumide’s Current Base — Bali, Indonesia

5. Matt Bowles

Like many others, I discovered Matt while rummaging through random podcasts. I have mentioned his podcast before, The Maverick Show. It was his podcast and the diverse group of guests he had come on his show. To me, Matt exemplified one of the benefits of being a digital nomad. This benefit is being a very cultured individual. His cultured worldview had me listening to his podcasts on repeat like my favorite rap song.

Matt’s Brand — Maverick Investor Group
Matt’s Expertise — Creating location-independent businesses
Matt’s current location — North Carolina, USA

6. Matthew Kepnes

Matt was the first person I saw on the internet living a life that I found appealing. Before I found his blog, Nomadic Matt, he was the only one I discovered who loved travel just as much as I do. When the term travel came up, most people only found it synonymous with going on vacation to places like Las Vegas or pretty much anywhere in Florida. Not only does Matt expand people’s minds about travel, but Matt also has one of the biggest travel blogs on the internet. Matt has built his niche in the budget travel area along with his blog.

Matthew’s Brand — Nomadic Matt
Matthew’s Expertise — Budget travel and turning blogs into businesses
Matthew’s Current Base — Austin, Texas

7. Andrew Henderson

My first exposure to Andrew was on Danny Flood’s podcast. Andrew was different from all of the other digital nomads. The difference was the other nomads may have had the experience but none of them talked about what the end game was. Andrew’s content exposed me to another side of being a nomad. He talked a lot about permanent residency, building wealth as a global citizen, and taxes. It’s not that other nomads didn’t discuss these topics, he just seemed to be an expert at it.

Andrew’s Brand — The Nomad Capitalist
Andrew’s Expertise — Wealth building strategies for 7–8 figure entrepreneurs
Andrew’s Current Base — Bogota, Colombia

8. Debbie Arcangeles

Once again Matt Bowles’s podcast has been a gold mine for aspiring or beginner digital nomads. This is where I heard Debbie’s story. On the podcast, she shared her story about her three failed businesses until she hit the jackpot with her podcast, The Offbeat Life. She turned her podcast into a business. For me, this was new exciting territory because it was the first time I have heard of a podcast being monetized as a business.

Debbie’s Brand — The Offbeat Life
Debbie’s Expertise — Starting your own podcast, online businesses, finding remote jobs
Debbie’s Current Base — New York, New York

9. Eric Richard

I am not sure where I first heard of Eric. Well, to be honest, it was the fact that we have the same name that got my attention. I am not sure where it was when I discovered his content but it was his passion for discussing the financial journey of a digital nomad. He also dabbled into the typical nomad topics such as travel, business, and entrepreneurship. He also talked about this acronym called FIRE. I had never heard of it until his podcast, The Nomad On Fire. FIRE stands for financial independence, retire early.

Eric’s Brand — Nomad On Fire
Eric’s Expertise — Financial independence, retire early
Eric’s Current Base — Austin, Texas

10. Lydia Lee

The Maverick Show has hosted many people that have inspired me. Once again, this is where I first came across Lydia’s content. Her content spoke to me. It was around a time when I first started to consider the digital nomad lifestyle. She talked about reinventing yourself. I related to her story about burnout from work. Her brand is easily recognizable due to her infatuation with pineapples. It makes her stand out. She also helps people live a life of freedom as a coach.

Lydia’s Brand — Screw the Cubicle
Lydia’s Expertise — Work Reinvention Strategist
Lydia’s Current Base — Bali

There are always people living the life we want showing us the way. We just have to create our own map.