It's the last week of December and my nomad journey has officially begun. One of my big goals for 2017 is to decrease my personal social media usage (recognizing that social media for business use can't be avoided) and so blogging will be a key way to share much of my nomadic journey.

WHY 'NOMAD'?

2016 was a year of change for me. Becoming a full time entrepreneur was a whole new kind of adventure and so far it's paying off. As I started to look ahead to 2017, I realized that I was going to be traveling...a lot. In some cases, I had back to back speaking engagements in a given city and it really didn't make sense to go home in between them. I knew a few fellow entrepreneurs (ahem, the Sherwoods) who were doing this whole nomad thing with a tribe of kids in tow, surely I could do it alone? Thus the idea was born.

Much of December was spent purging. I was surprised at how many things I'd never unboxed when I moved into that cute little studio in Bolingbrook and how many things I did use that could be digitized. I began downsizing - a file cabinet became a digital folder on Dropbox, a box of Christmas cards from years past became another folder, tangible books were replaced by their digital friends on my trusty Kindle, and even my much-loved pen collection reduced in size. Soon enough, aside from some essentials I moved to a friend's house in Michigan for safekeeping, my entire life could fit in a carry-on suitcase and a backpack. WHOA. For this self-described Material Girl, it was a huge change.

As I've started to adjust to having less, I find I enjoy each thing I do have more. I only use my favorite pens. I'm not faced with dozens of different notepads I can use, just my trusty favorites. I don't have a closet of clothes I never wear - just 37 pieces that are intentionally chosen to all mix and match. It's so freeing! Never again will I have to pay hundreds of dollars to move my belongings - I don't even check a suitcase anymore.

BUT, WHERE WILL YOU LIVE?!

So here's the thing about going nomad - I'll live everywhere! So far, I'm scheduled to visit no less than 3 countries and 20 US cities. Can you believe that? I'll be staying in everything from hotels to AirBNBs (and even a few friends' couches). It's all part of the adventure, my friends.

20 CITIES? WOAH! WHERE SPECIFICALLY?

Good question! Here's my tentative list of travel dates and locations. Anywhere in between is still up in the air (or I'll be in Chicago or St. Joseph).

January 13-26: San Francisco, CA

February 20-27: Portland, OR

March 3-6: Indianapolis, IN
March 9-12: Lake Geneva, WI

April 6-12: Toronto, ON
April 14-18: HOME (Lexington, MI)
April 20-24: Dallas, TX
April 24-27: Waco TX
April 28-May 4: Phoenix, AZ

Early May: Nashville, TN
Late May: Pittsburg PA

Early June: Virginia Beach, VA

August 15-21 Casablanca, Morocco
Late August / Early September: New York City, NY

October: New Orleans, LA

That's all for now, friends. I'll be back sometime in January to update you on the adventure thus far.