Blossoming Beyond the Office: A Floridian turned New Yorker traded the city’s hustle for laid-back life in Barcelona

A new series to reimagine new models of working and living.

How can we promote and invite the beauty of diversity in work and life, and cultivate a culture that embraces unconventional paths and creative approaches to drive a prosperous and fulfilling future for all?

As our current way of working and living reaches its limits, we are starting to search for alternatives and different paths and approaches, pondering profound questions such as "What do I enjoy in life? What do I really want? Which and whose path am I heading down? and what’s the role of work in my life?"

One danger of our current culture and ways of operating is the replacement of diversity with "monocultures," which structurally embeds competition, makes the system only work for a few, and leads to a loss of diverse perspectives and ideas.

In his book " The Pathless Path," Paul Millerd highlighted a Gallup survey where 97% of people said that their personal definition of success included being "the best they can be at what they cared about most." If we believe that, people desire a path that aligns with what matters uniquely to them. When asked about how they believe others define success, only 8% gave the same answers. Instead, 92% felt that other people defined success as follows: A person is successful if they are rich, have a high-profile career, or are well-known. Gah.

What's most interesting to me about a personal definition of success is that the real benefit of this orientation toward personal metrics of success is that we are not comparing ourselves to anyone. With this in mind, Paul Millerd encourages us to move away from the "ambitious journey" where we already know our values, which are often learned from the "default path," such as making money, and instead follow a slow process of "trying on the values that we hope one day to possess."

Branching Out: Exploring Diverse Paths of Life

Embracing diverse paths of working and living requires us to move away from traditional linear thinking, where the only goal is to climb the corporate ladder, and instead adopt a more holistic approach. We must celebrate and invite diverse ways of thinking, being, and working that can drive a thriving and desirable future for all.

By celebrating diversity in all its forms, we create a culture where people feel valued and respected for who they are, rather than for what they do or how much they earn. This, in turn, fosters a more inclusive and collaborative environment

With a new series, we are gathering perspectives, stories, and resources with the intent to help us imagine different paths, non-traditional models of work, and alternative working and living styles, which open up different possibilities of work, honor differences, and create novel narratives. In this first conversation, we spoke to Ashley Weinaug, a Floridian turned New Yorker, who traded the city’s hustle for laid-back life in Barcelona by the sea. ⁠Ashley is also the creator of our Barcelona City Guide, which you can download here.

How has your work life changed since moving to Barcelona?

AW: Majorly - when I was growing up in Florida, it felt like my entire life was defined by my career aspirations. Kids my age were already incredibly invested in their future career goals, and that pressure was very real. I wanted to make sure I took risks, though, so I moved to NYC after graduating college. I wanted to explore other possibilities and be open to people, cultures, and experiences that weren't available back home. Living in NYC opened my eyes to so much more, and I cherish that experience to this day.

Did anything, in particular, make you aware that the standard way of approaching work wasn't suitable for you, and when did you start to accept and adopt this mentality?

AW: I think there were a lot of little moments that led up to a big moment. Traveling with my dad and brother to different continents every year of high school exposed me to different ways of thinking and cultures, and helped me see beyond the typical American Dream. We would go to different continents every single year I was in high school. By the time we graduated, he wanted us to go to all seven continents, and so that was an amazing experience for me to not only travel and learn but also expose myself to different ways of thinking and cultures, and of course, grow in my relationship with my brother and my dad.

“I think it's gaining that perspective from other people and hearing their stories, learning about how they've set up their lives, and realizing that not everything has to look the same. Actually, the world is a better place when people are doing different things.”

I had a life-changing trip to Israel before graduating. I only had maybe a semester left. I fell in love with a guy that I met in Israel, and I was determined that when I graduated, I was going to move to Israel. He said, “I don't understand you Americans. It's like you grow up, you go through your childhood schooling. After you graduate, you have to get into college. After college, you have to get to college. After college, you have to get a job, and that is what defines your success and not your life. Your life is already all completely laid out for you.”

It’s so true, and that's what made me open my eyes to have someone else's perspective and many other people's perspectives. I definitely believe in the saying: “a reason, a season, or a lifetime,” and this guy that I fell in love with at that moment was there for a reason – not a lifetime, that's for sure haha.

But I had to constantly fight the American expectation of “when I graduate I need to have a good job, make money, and be successful.”

I've come to find, especially in New York City, that the first question that people ask you when they meet you is “What's your name, and what do you do for a living?” It's always about your career, so it goes back to defining yourself by your career. I realized after being in Barcelona for some time that people were asking me that question very little. Instead, it’s more about yourself, who you are, what you're passionate about, your hobbies, etc. That was a moment where I was like, “Oh wow, there is more to life than your job.”

I believe that redefining our metrics of success is one of the game changers of our modern times. Have you found a way to start measuring success differently than you used to?

AW: That's such a difficult and unique question because my definition of success has changed throughout my life. When I was younger, success was defined by my career and how much money I was making. Especially after moving to New York and working for Gary Vaynerchuk, who coined the term "hustle culture," it was hard to shift my mindset. Now, I prioritize my happiness and making others happy in relationships. Although I love my job, I'm content with where I am and grateful for the opportunities I've had.

Especially in the US, we're always searching for more, always wanting more. What I realized when I moved to Europe is that in America, you have access to everything all year round. No matter the season, you can find strawberries, bananas, kiwis, every fruit, every vegetable, and every type of food imaginable at your fingertips in the grocery store.

Moving to Barcelona, I've learned to live and eat with the seasons. I was so used to having everything available year-round being the norm, but now I embrace and actually prefer honoring and celebrating the season.

Can you share your experiences on how the concept of seasons has influenced your life and what components and rhythms you find necessary for a creative and regenerative lifestyle?"

AW: Living in Barcelona has taught me to slow down and appreciate the different seasons. I grew up in Florida, where it's always hot and humid, so I never really experienced the changing of the seasons. In August, the whole city of Barcelona shuts down, and locals go out to their beach houses to spend time with their families. This made me realize that I needed to slow down and pay attention to the actual seasons, such as fall and winter. I've also started paying attention to the phases of the moon and how they affect my emotions and physical body. Our bodies are in tune with nature, and we should adjust our work accordingly. It's not sustainable to work the same way year-round. Over the next 3 to 6 months, I plan to make changes and follow the natural cycles, including my own menstrual cycle, to optimize creativity and regeneration. Animals have it right with their seasonal behaviors, such as hibernation and migration. It's important to observe and learn from nature instead of following a constant, unsustainable way of working.

How do you set boundaries for opportunities that may not align with your work style or aren't critical to your goals?

AW: Setting boundaries is crucial when working as a freelancer across different time zones. To be my best at work, I'm not hesitant to set boundaries and plan my time. I want to be as available as possible for my team, but I realized that setting boundaries makes me a better worker since constantly staying up late and working on projects negatively affects me.

Pre-planning my week or month and breaking it down into smaller tasks helps me set and maintain boundaries. For instance, if I need to work X number of hours this week, I plan out my day and allocate time for each task. This approach sets me up to have Fridays completely free. Additionally, working outside the house can provide inspiration and focus. I feed off other people's energy, so when working in a co-work, I am more focused and inspired. At home, it's effortless to get lost in work.

Time-tracking tools prevent me from getting carried away and help me allocate time for each task. I usually set up my week on Friday before the next week, so I'm not wasting time planning on Monday. This way, I can stick to my schedule, avoid unexpected calls and distractions, and have time for myself.

Play and rest are critical parts of our circular lifestyles and cycles of creativity. How do you balance play and rest in your life, and why do you think it's important for creativity and success?

AW: Living in Barcelona makes it easy to have a good balance of play and rest. There's always something going on here, and many digital nomads, freelancers, and people working for themselves are here. But I still have to make time for the things that are important to me. For example, I started my day today with a sunrise movement and breath work session on the beach, followed by coffee with a community of like-minded people. Starting my day like this makes me more energized and excited to work, which ultimately gives me more time to do things outside of work. My friend group here is also very inspiring, and we recently took a trip to the Canary Islands where we balanced coworking with exploring and playing. It's all about finding that balance and prioritizing the things that are important to me.

Let’s do a little bit of dreaming and imagination: How do you envision the future of work and living, and how will your lifestyle reflect those changes?

AW: In terms of work and living on a smaller scale, I think more communal experiences, like the one I just mentioned, co-living and co-learning, will become more popular. I'm excited about that because I think the more we're able to connect with people both professionally and personally, the more we can expand.

What would you like to give our readers on their way?

Even if you don't live in Barcelona, you can still incorporate those little moments into your daily life and find ways to live more creatively. It's possible even if you have a 9 to 5 job. You just need to be intentional, set boundaries, and prioritize your needs over work and distractions like emails.

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Monthly Resources & Ideas

• 📚 Books to read: Paul Millerd — The Pathless Path

• 💡 If working for yourself is something that you've been thinking about, check out the Freelance starter pack, a 10-week program by strtgst that helps people who want to go from full-time to freelance + have a desire to work differently. They cover everything from mindset, business, and marketing to going freelance.

• ⁠If this conversation made you want to go to Barcelona, Ashley is also the co-creator of our Barcelona City Guide, which you can download here.

• 🗺 Out of Office City Guide Minneapolis: Together with contributor Meaghan Mein, a creative copywriter and proud Midwesterner, currently living and working in Minneapolis, Minnesota. We created the perfect guide for your workation in Minneapolis, or the Land of 10,000 lakes breweries, which is sprawling with kind communities, unique spaces to gather, and life-affirming nature. Find all our guides here.

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Friday is Play-Day!
Here are some prompts to think about 💭

“It’s hardest to love the ordinary things, but you get lots of opportunities to practice.”

As we revel in springtime, a period of rebirth and jubilation, allow yourself to recognize the chronicle of ordinary things.

• Where things first began, what they went through, and how they ended up here, right now*
  *=then do the same for yourself

• What matters to you?

• Why do you work?

• What does a “good life” mean to you?

• How do your current decisions change if retirement isn't an option?