Bringing back the girl boss feature this month with Shayla from Living On a One Way! World traveler, yoga instructor and a growing social media guru!

Originally planned for the March feature, we postponed because, of course, she was off on an adventure!

Always having an obsession with travel, the more exotic the better, I love to follow along with the full time travelers on social media to inspire my next trip! I constantly tell Dan that we should quit our jobs and go travel for a year! Which is why I choose Shayla for this months girl boss feature…it takes guts and control of your own destiny to do what she does! Finally back for a short time we grabbed an hour to hang and get some fun shots of this fab girl!

If you watch her weekly youtube videos then you already know the jist of what she does. You can see her “vlogging” about her most recent adventure every Wednesday on her out tube channel Living On a One Way . But today we get to go inside and find out the how, whys and where’s of a travel lifestyle that has brought many experiences and even a small business!

Shayla went to the University of San Diego and graduated a year early with a degree in Psychology. “Everyone always asks me if I’m using my degree and I tell them no…except every day of my life! I use it in yoga, in communicating and connecting with people, marketing…”. 

How did you start sharing your experiences? How often do you post? “I post my weekly vlogs, every Wednesday. When I started, it was a personal goal I made for myself to just stay consistent. In the beginning it was poor quality, lighting, message… but every time I got better!”  1200+ subscribers on you tube and growing. “I can’t wait to see how much better I can get moving forward as well!” She has been asked to do different projects as a direct result of her travels and social media presence.

She finds jobs wherever she goes and has done everything under the sun! From leading yoga retreats in Nicaragua to being a brand ambassador for Inner Fire to driving art carts at Burning Man. She tries it all. Whatever it takes to make some money and get to the next place! Her favorite place being Alaska, “where the ocean meets the mountains, it’s incredible. Not only just the scenery, the people.”

What have you learned through so many years of travels…about yourself, the world, about whatever! “I have learned that people are inherently good. If you’re genuinely curious you will learn more than you ever thought you could. Enjoy the time you have with people. The value of experience and relationships is 10x the value of any material thing, which is good because I can’t fit too much in my backpack anyway.”

Advice for lady travelers…cheap places to stay, money, safety etc…? “Don’t drink too much, follow your gut or your friends gut (they’re not blinded by that club love). 
Don’t be afraid to travel by yourself. If you’re ever in a position where you’re lost or confused, put on the most confident body language, don’t look at your map, or phone until you’re in a restaurant or somewhere safe. 
Also, if you want to stay in a hostel, you can’t not meet people. Airbnb’s are also great ways to get to know a local who can refer different things to you.” 

Where is your next travel location? “Greece to work in a refugee camp for a month then Ireland “on the way home” for a week, Nashville for the summer, then Burning man and west coast in the hippie van. I’ll come home (via Canada) for Christmas then Australia next year. Ask me again in a month and I could have an entirely different list!”

Where is your next yoga retreat? “TBD, everyone wants Bali, I might finally have to agree. Bali seems too commercial and touristy for me. But next year when I’m in Australia I’ll check out some islands off of Bali just to get away from the touristic chaos.” I would personally love Bali!! Can we get the sleeper seats on the plane?;)

The answer to the next question I asked her encompasses what every girl should think about when she makes decisions in her life.

I asked why she started doing what she does? And her answer….”Why not?! No truly, I always encourage people to live an intentional & creative life. It’s important to understand there is no right way to live. What’s most important is to be self reliant, love with all you have and do what makes you happy. Whenever the question came up “What do you want to be when you grow up?”my answer was someone who traveled making enough money as I go to live and get to the next place!
” “Now when the question comes, if you had a million dollars what would you do? I wouldn’t change a thing!”

There is no right way to live. Be self reliant, love with all you have and do what makes you happy. Words to live by I’d say!