Cody McKibben from ThrillingHeroics.com - Live the location independent lifestyle
Contact: codymckibb [at] gmail.com
Twitter: @CodyMcKibb
Websites: http://thrillingheroics.com/
Career: Social media consultant and web developer at http://thrillingheroicsconsulting.com
Passions: “I’m increasingly passionate about helping other folks (especially peers around my age and college students) realize that they don’t have to live the template, traditional lifestyle. I’m a proponent of entrepreneurship and personal development, and I also like to educate people about the location-independent lifestyle.”
Cody is acutally one of the first friends I made through the blogosphere. I remember about half a year ago when he announced that he was moving to Thailand to live and work there. At the time, I was completely foreign to location independence, so I thought to myself, “how is this possible?”
How can someone just pick up and relocate somewhere for a whole year?
Cody addresses all of our fears during this interview when he says, “It’s a lot easier than you think.” So much of life is just getting over your fears to do what you really want to do. Don’t let your fear of something be an obstacle for you; let your fear become a source of inspiration to work harder and become a better person.
While Cody was here in SoCal, we had the opportunity to meet up and hang out for a bit. I hope that we’ll be able to hang out again soon. Enjoy the video!
Conversation Breakdown
1:17 - Tell me how you were able to transition away from the “path laid out”
Just like all of us, Cody graduated from a 4 year university and hated his corporate job. The difference is that he was able to act and get himself out of a situation that he did not love.
2:42 - How did you get from the corporate job, to where you are living now in Thailand?
Cody read a lot of blogs and books about entrepreneurship and social media. He decided to create a blog for one of his mentors which later lead to a lot of referral clients. Once the business was stable, he was able to leave his corporate job and make the transition to location independence.
5:02 - How long did it take you to completely become location independent?
It took Cody about a year from when he quit his full-time job. The key to becoming location independent is managing client expectations. Make sure your clients can only reach you through certain channels: Aim, Skype, and email.
6:33 - @20orsomething: How has traveling to Thailand changed you in any way?
Living there for 5 months you really see things you would never see in the US.
Quote of the interview: “It’s like Las Vegas, New York, and the third world all wrapped up in the middle of south east asia.”
8:30 - What are some tips or resources that you would advice to people who want to live location independently?
Moving abroad is scary, but it’s a lot easier than you may think.
http://locationindependent.com/
http://www.businessbackpacker.com/
10:27 - Where do you plan on traveling next?
Cody wants to live in Argentina, Australia, and South Africa.
11:20 - Are you able to have a relationship with someone when you live location independently?
Facebook sums it up best - It’s Complicated!
Awesome video, guys. Really enjoy both the sites. It was awesome to keep to be introduced to Cody in this way, rather than just on twitter. I am really looking forward to venturing out on this lifestyle myself! 4 weeks and counting!
Oh wow, 4 weeks and counting! Keep me in the loop of what’s going on. Your blog is definitely an excellent read and I look forward to having you as a guest once you have those 6 months of experience under your belt
Jun, I am really thankful we had this opportunity to do the interview. It was a really fun conversation too! Thanks everyone for your views and your retweets!
Cody: What a great interview! It’s really cool to hear about all these things you’re able to accomplish, and I have to say that I very much admire your passion for it and attitude towards it. It’s inspiring to see someone living a dream like this, it gives you the courage and motivation to really live that dream yourself (or at least, consider the option as more of a reality rather than a pipe-dream). I like how you say “you have to fight a lot of fear in this world” because it’s so true, but you’re doing it, and it’s inspiring to see. I’m so glad that this has been a positive experience for you, and thanks for sharing all of your adventures on your blog. Best to you.
Jun: Thanks again for having Cody as a guest!
Susan, you rock! Cody had an excellent interview and I know people will really enjoy yours as well!
Thanks for your excellent Twitter question
Baker, thanks for the kudos man, and I wish you all the best with your upcoming transition to location independence!
Susan, thanks for your question via Twitter. I didn’t get to go into as much depth as I’d like, but you’ve seen my reflections on poverty & genocide on Thrilling Heroics. One other thing of note is the recent riots in Bangkok, which were in my neighborhood. Being woken up by automatic gunfire a block away at 5am is a new & scary experience at first, but even witnessing that has contributed to my personal growth. With all that has happened, I still can’t wait to get back in about 4 days!
Cody,
The more stuff I read about you and what you are doing, the more inspiration I get. By the end of the year I am hoping to be out of my job and on the way to being location independent, or at least doing some traveling while I figure out how to actually make some money! And thanks Jun for the insightful questions!