Living on a Farm in Brazil

The purpose of this week’s newsletter is to serve as inspiration to follow your wonder and do the things you’ve always wanted to do. There will be less actionable advice as usual, and more storytelling. I hope you enjoy it.

The Story

2 months ago...

I traveled alone to follow a primal urge —— to live on a farm in Brazil.

This is something that has interested me for the last few years.

Not Brazil necessarily…

But to live on a farm.

I honestly couldn’t tell you how I ended up in Brazil.

If you’d told me a year ago I’d be here living on a farm riding a horse every day I would’ve called you crazy.

I guess it’s a lesson learned that if you take the leap of faith, you never know where you will end up, and in my eyes, that’s the best part about travel.

Alas…

Here I was:

And here’s how I got here:

I’d been in Mexico for around 2 months when this urge hit me.

And when a job came up to work on a farm in Amparo, Brazil I knew I had to accept.

I packed my bags and jumped on a plane - having no clue what I was getting myself into.

Amparo is a small country town situated about 2 hours outside of Sao Paulo that is famous for its lush landscapes and beautiful coffee plantations.

I didn’t know what to expect, but when I arrived…

Any concerns were immediately squashed.

The place was majestic as anything I’d ever seen.

I mean...

Just look at it.

It's not your stereotypical farm,

But it was just what I’d been hoping for.

I'd needed to retreat to nature for a while.

Living in the city had left me:

• Overstimulated

• Uninspired

• Stressed

• Tired

The farm was the perfect place to focus on myself and reconnect with nature to achieve some long-needed clarity.

My days on the farm consisted of:

• Writing

• Farm work

• Horseriding

• Working out

AND...

I also met some of the most amazing people there.

This is the homie Pedro.

The only English he knows is “motherfucker”.

He’s also the one who taught me how to ride Shika.

What a G.

And despite our language barrier, Pedro and I actually became very close - sharing a bond over Zyzz, an infamous bodybuilder from Australia who tragically passed away from a heart attack in 2011.

Pedro would take me on the back of his motorbike into town to hit the gym, and he was also kind of to let me into his home to meet his family and show me some of his most prized possessions.

He was extremely proud of where he comes from and was more than happy to let me into his life even though our conversations were through Google Translate.

Traveling provides you with a lot of things, but one of the most meaningful aspects of travel is the connections you make with people around the world.

I’ve made friendships with the most unlikely people over the last year that I’ll cherish forever.

But anyway.

Back to the farm…

I can't stress enough how therapeutic farm life is.

Life is just so...

...simple.

No one is rushed.

No one is stressed.

No one is overwhelmed.

It's the perfect environment for creativity and resetting an overstimulated mind.

I'd highly recommend living on a farm to anyone who is feeling overwhelmed or wants to experience a different pace of life.

Another one of my favorite aspects of living on the farm was getting to be around a bunch of animals.

There were monkeys, lizards, cows, ducks, dogs, and… MASSIVE SPIDERS.

I shit you not, I saw spiders that were roughly the same size as my head.

Although I’m petrified of spiders, I got over it pretty quickly.

I guess that’s what happens when you’re around them all day.

IF YOU HAVE ARACHNOPHOBIA, DO NOT SCROLL DOWN.

IF YOU HAVE ARACHNOPHOBIA, DO NOT SCROLL DOWN.

IF YOU HAVE ARACHNOPHOBIA, DO NOT SCROLL DOWN.

I look back at my time on the farm fondly.

It was the perfect place to kick off my personal brand journey.

Not only did it give me a ton of stories to write about,

But it provided me with clarity and inspiration.

I mean...

Imagine waking up to this view every day.

I only just left the farm recently.

And I have plenty more stories of my time there.

But for now, all I can say is...

Lean into your curiosity

Go do some cool shit.

Experience life.

This is where the best stories are found.