I was raised on stories of far-off places, leaving me hungry for passport stamps. After university graduation, I postponed the desk job and opted to see the world.

I waitressed my way to a one-way ticket, packed a rainbow Cotopaxi, and spent the next two years collecting memories.

I lived and worked making bagels in Sydney, lived in a van and went skydiving in New Zealand, found the cheapest place on earth to ride a hot air balloon in Laos, and lived with a local family in Sapa, Vietnam.

Some say delaying the 9-to-5 was a risk; I hope it was the best investment I’ve ever made.

Whether it was navigating foreign bureaucracy, befriending total strangers, or connecting with locals through heart rather than language, I emerged with a newfound sense of grit, resilience, empathy, and inspiration that now bleeds into every aspect of my life.