73: "Unsettled" Co-Founder Jonathan Kalan on Building Lifestyle Incubators and Organizing Transformative Travel Adventures

Jonathan Kalan takes us on his journey of international travel, journalism, entrepreneurship, and co-founding “Unsettled”—a global travel community of 2,000+ people from 80+ countries who are redefining the terms of their own work and lifestyle.  ____________________________________ Subscribe to The Maverick Show’s Monday Minute Newsletter where I email you 3 short items of value to start each week that you can consume in 60 seconds (all personal recommendations like the latest travel gear I'm using, my favorite destinations, discounts for special events, etc.). Follow The Maverick Show on Instagram ____________________________________ Jonathan explains how, after college, he moved to Tanzania to open a pizza shop, and eventually transitioned into international journalism for major outlets like the BBC, Al Jazeera, and New York Times. After unexpectedly getting caught up in both the Egyptian coup in 2013 and the Al Shebab attack on the Westgate Mall in Nairobi, Kenya, and seeing dozens of people get killed, he began heavily reflecting on his ‘privilege’ and how he could make the biggest impact on the world. He tells the story of meeting his co-founder and ultimately doing a TED Residency to incubate the idea for his company “Unsettled”, and delivering a TED Talk at the end that. Jonathan then talks about the evolution of Unsettled, the steps taken to prioritize diversity and to ensure that participants are connected with locals on the ground, and how they facilitate that in places like Beirut, Lebanon. He then explains the types of travel experiences currently offered by Unsettled for one-week, two-week, and month-long durations. He then explains Unsettled’s virtual “Lifestyle Incubator” program that helps participants audit themselves, envision their ideal career and lifestyle, and then create an achievable action plan with a timeline and accountability mechanisms to achieve it. FULL SHOW NOTES AND DIRECT LINKS TO EVERYTHING DISCUSSED IS AVAILABLE HERE. ____________________________________ See my Top 10 Apps For Digital Nomads See my Top 10 Books For Digital Nomads See my 7 Keys For Building A Remote Business (Even in a space that’s not traditionally virtual) Watch my Video Training on Stylish Minimalist Packing so you can join #TeamCarryOn  See the Travel Gear I Use and Recommend See How I Produce The Maverick Show Podcast (The equipment, services & vendors I use) ____________________________________ ENJOYING THE SHOW? Please Leave a Rating and Review. It really helps the show and I read each one personally.  You Can Buy Me a Coffee. Espressos help me produce significantly better podcast episodes! :)