You don’t have to escape to a beach in Thailand to Thrive Remotely. True living can happen right in your own backyard.

I discovered Thrive Remotely in 2025 and it totally changed the way I viewed work and life. Although I knew about the attributes that truly let someone thrive remotely like work life integration (link to my story), authenticity in work and life (story link), and remote independence (one more link) I hadn’t applied these things to my daily life. 

I decided to kick off 2026 by pulling together everything I learned.

I traded snow and ice for cacti and sunshine and traveled to the American Southwest for a month of mountain biking and a fresh perspective on work life integration. I was surprised at what I learned, how it changed me, and how it changed my day to day work in Asheville NC.

I hit the ground running and made every effort to move meetings and work around in order to spend mornings mountain biking, afternoons touring desert botanical gardens, and evenings sampling local tacos and margaritas. Why am I only ruthlessly prioritizing work and life while working remotely? Why not apply this same mindset in regular day to day life? 

I came to the conclusion; Your schedule doesn’t rule you, you rule it. Prioritizing your life will help you thrive while also keeping your laser focused and productive at work. 

I came to another realization a few days into my trip; opportunities are created, not found. Asking other people for help when you are out of your element and in a new environment can really help  you get settled. I was surprised at how many friends I made and the opportunities that came up simply by picking my head up and engaging with other people. 

A ‘“Taco Tuesday” night time mountain bike ride? Yes please! 

Acquaintances making connections and sharing knowledge, count me in! New connections to share job opportunities, sounds good to me! This experience taught me I had been keeping my head down at work for far too long! In remote work we can often become isolated with tunnel vision on our own work, not able or even aware that we should be asking for help. 

Look up and speak up, it will enrich your life.

I was hitting my stride and feeling great but my trip slowly came to an end. Spending four weeks amongst the cacti lined trails under the fierce desert sun provided me with a fresh perspective on life, living, and working. I returned home with more productivity, focus and motivation. 

Every minute that goes by in life is a minute you will never get back. 

Taking time to prioritize your life (and producing some killer work while you’re at it!) could be one of the most productive things you can do for your work and your career!