Dualism / Kelley Bahata
Greetings, ladies and gentlemen (the term is to be loosely applied),
Welcome to those new to Serendipity. As always, the premises of these essays can be found in the provenance email. (In short, it's the origin of a secret society with ten times the global influence of the Bilderberg meetings.)
The long winter has ended here in Tucson. We narrowly survived two days of frost and one day where the high only made it to 63°F/17°C degrees. Thankfully, I did not have to use the defrost feature in my car but I stand at the ready if the situation calls for this radical action. My keen intuition senses that you are not filled with empathy for my suffering and any privileged attempt to convince you that all suffering is relative will fall on deaf ears. To that end, enjoy shoveling snow in April.
Lately, I have been exploring the duality of my existence. No, nothing related to René Descartes’ Cartesian dualism or the Gemini gang that I formed with Rosie (daughter #4) where we considered neck tattoos that read “Gemini till I die” but the fact that this year will be my 20th year in the USA after spending the first 21 in the UK.
So much has changed on both sides of the pond that it’s hard to identify with either but in the same breath, I love them equally. Growing up, I learned the value of social competence, the comfort in tradition, and the comradery of friends who became like brothers and sisters. Since then, my entire working life (minus the scarring experiences of paperboy, machine operator, and pot washer) has been in the States. I feel much more comfortable operating at speed, chasing scale, and working with the belief that grit, resolve, and resilience will get you further than family lineage.
Some other distinct preferences are:
USA - Obsessive dental hygiene
UK - Boxing Day
USA - Income tax rate
UK - Shower water pressure
USA - Banking
UK - Cooking Cumberland sausages on an Aga
After innumerable conversations with connections based in the USA and UK, I am determined to foster more serendipitous relationships spanning the two countries closest to my heart because, just like me, they benefit from each other!
This hybrid position also gives me the authority to use whichever versions of spelling I desire without the “You made a typo!” repercussions. For all the antiglobalists on the list, if I say organize, it translates to organise. Savvy? Please note that I have written a stern letter to Grammerly insisting on a setting whereby I don't have to choose between the languages, thus creating horrible red lines all over what are otherwise flawlessly written and punctuated diatribes.
Without further ado.
This month, please meet a digital nomad who straddles both sides of the Atlantic: the industrious Kelley Bahata.
(Pictured above - Kelley Bahata)
Kelley Bahata
I can already hear the groans from the boomers on the list who insist that unless you are in the office, it isn’t work; however, the work-from-anywhere trend is not going away. One conversation with Kelley will have you throwing your stuff in storage, putting the kids up for adoption, letting the mortgage go into foreclosure, and hitting the open road with your laptop and Bitcoin wallet.
As the digital marketing guru for the powerhouse publication Success Magazine, Kelley and the team of 30+ people work from all corners of the globe. She has her finger on the pulse of this growing phenomenon. How is this going to change real estate, booking travel, ideas on homeownership, immigration, taxes, and what are the evolving tech needs of this growing population of nomads?
The topic will fascinate anyone with an entrepreneurial bent looking to get ahead of the next movement. If you want to understand digital nomads further or the management nuances to getting the most out of them, or just live vicariously through Kelley, hit her up here.
Also, you should definitely add her team’s work to your reading list here.