Alexa Rome, Online Educator and Copywriter
Alexa Rome is a Peruvian-American online educator. Though she got her start in paleogenomics and archaeology working at Emory University and Harvard University, she's fallen into a nomadic lifestyle around the world as a childhood educator in science and history.
She also writes a newsletter for aspiring digital nomads to help them start their location-independent lifestyle.
What is your favourite social media platform, and why?
Twitter. I'm new to it, but I've found it to be an incredibly supportive place to share ideas and connect with others. It's also been great to meet other nomads virtually.
Tell us about you and your current role or area of interest.
I'm currently an online educator, but my real passion is travelling. I live and work as a digital nomad all over the world. Digital nomads have remote jobs that allow them to live anywhere.
So far, I've worked on four continents and hope to add more soon. When I'm not teaching, I learn new languages, explore new cities, and meet people worldwide.
What do you like about your career or area of focus?
I love my freedom. I'm able to make my own schedule and itineraries. If I want to go to a new city, I just go. I'm not tied down by any responsibilities beyond my job and bills, so I'm letting myself enjoy that.
Eventually, I'll settle down, but I'm appreciating this freedom now. For the first time, I can say that I truly love my life. Of course, there are positives and negatives like anything, but that freedom brings me a lot of happiness and joy.
Before this, I felt a bit trapped. I had wanted to work in archaeology since I was three. I had planned my life ten years out and told many people I felt stuck in that plan, even when it was starting to not work for me.
The pandemic blew that meticulous plan out of the water, and I'm incredibly grateful for it. Now, I spend most of my days doing things I like, which I could never say before.
What is the best advice you have ever received?
It's going to sound stupid, especially since this advice came from the sleaziest guy I've ever met. One night, he told me, "If your life sucks, make your life better. Change is a good thing." Something in my mind clicked at that moment.
There are so many things in life we can't control, but what about the things you can control? I realized that I had to take control of the parts that I was able to. Then, by sheer force of will, I could make things better for myself if I really wanted to.
Even if that meant a small change, like reading books for pleasure instead of productivity or eating better, it's such a simple lesson, but something about that place, time, and person made me ready to accept it fully.
The universe wasn't going to save me, but it was throwing me opportunities to take my destiny by the throat. We change every single day, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. But embracing that change has become a key part of my life.
I change cities every few weeks. I adapt to new places and new friends every month. I grow the most when faced with discomfort. Change has become the one constant in my life, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
What inspires you, motivates you, or helps you to move forward?
Exploration. I want to learn and experience as much as I can in this short life that I get. I love seeing other cultures, meeting interesting individuals, learning new languages, and reading books that better me as a person. Knowing I can see more and more of the world gets me through a bad day at work or a bad day of travelling.
My parents always told me that experiencing the world was more important than anything. So, they brought me to Peru every year so I would experience living in another country and culture. That experience was very formative for me in wanting to learn more about the rest of the world.
What are you proud of in your life so far?
I'm proud of myself for putting myself out there and trying many new things. It brought me a remote business, a location independent lifestyle, and friends all over the world. I hesitate to call myself brave, but I think I am.
When I talked to my father about this interview, he said very few people have the balls to do what I do: going to new countries every month without knowing anyone just for the experience. I've always thrown myself wholeheartedly into experiences.
In university, I was barely surviving. Everyone in my family was suddenly sick, myself included. My mother, grandfathers, and great-aunt all had cancer. Some of them lived, some of them didn't. I was undiagnosed with multiple physical disabilities and struggled to make it through my classes and care for myself.
The thing that kept me alive was forcing myself to experience the world. Meeting new people, travel for internships, and learning as much as possible.
Those were the glimmers of joy and hope that helped me get through it. I'm proud I made it through that. I wish I could show my younger self what my life is like now and how beautiful it has become.
What is your preferred way to meet new people/network?
I prefer meeting people the old-fashioned way: in person and by chance. The universe brings the best people my way. I like getting to know them personally and meeting their eyes.
My father always said that you could tell everything about a person with one look in their eyes, and I've found this to be true.
I do love meeting people online as well, though. I've seen a supportive community in places like Twitter.
What skills or qualities do you feel have helped you?
I think my ability to take the leap on things is what has helped me the most. Without that personal bravery, I wouldn't have started my business, travelled the world, or done this interview.
I'm usually terrified, but I make myself do it anyway. It's brought me so many beautiful experiences and exciting opportunities. Every good thing in my life has come because I took a chance on it.
What do you wish you had known when you started out?
I wish I knew how much I would love my life today. I was chronically unhappy and depressed in university. Living nomadically has totally changed my outlook on everything.
The world used to seem horrible and grey, but now it's bright, beautiful, and full of opportunity. I wish I knew that I would find a way to live a life that was truly fulfilling for me. I wish I knew it was even possible.
Who do you most admire in business, academic or creative circles and why?
I really admire the author, R.F. Kuang. She's my favourite author because she creates incredibly impactful books. Her books so far have explored so many important themes in our own world like colonialism, war, and responsibility through imaginative fantasy worlds.
She says she writes her books like these and includes long lists of further reading for her readers if they want to learn more about how it connects to the real world.
Kuang does all this while being a graduate student at Yale, and I can't wait for her future books. Her storytelling makes me itching to learn more about all the real-world conflicts she writes about.
Outside of your professional/work area, what hobbies or interests do you have or what other areas of your life are of real importance to you?
Learning Spanish has been my recent preoccupation. I grew up speaking it every once in a while but lost what little I had to live in the USA. So, I've been working every day to learn it so I can speak with my family and friends in their own language.
In the last few months, I've gone from barely getting by in the language to speaking to friends exclusively in Spanish. Besides that, I am very interested in the art of all kinds: literature, paintings, dance, and shows. I always seek out the best museums in every city and spend hours reading whatever piques my interest each day.
Since I lived in Colombia, I took up salsa dancing. I always had two left feet, but pushing myself into this new hobby has been really rewarding. My friends and I went to a salsa night in Medellin, and it was one of the best nights I've ever had: dancing with strangers and laughing through mistakes and embarrassment.
I gained new confidence I didn't know I was missing. My other interest is writing. I've been creatively writing for years, and now I'm trying to make it my career as a copywriter. I love putting words on the page and showing the reader something new about the world.
Has the pandemic had a positive or a negative effect on you and/or your business, and how have you managed it?
In a weird way, I have the pandemic to thank for everything I have now. It was horrible for most of the world, but it gave me the chance to build a remote business and the space to focus on my mental and physical health.
I figured out how to care for myself better and become happy with what I had. Without lockdown, I wouldn't be travelling the world the way I am now. I would probably be working in a laboratory or doing a PhD program and would probably still be quite sick.
Instead, I get to live this life that I absolutely love - travelling, meeting new people, and following my interests.
Do you have a mentor, or have you ever mentored anyone?
I try to look at every relationship with my students as a mentoring relationship. My goal is for my students to find their voice and confidence and grow their knowledge in a fun way. I also have a small but committed group of mentees looking to become digital nomads in my newsletter and on Twitter.
I love helping them achieve their dreams with support and knowledge. I try to be the kind of teacher that I had in school. I was blessed with teachers that were incredibly caring and impactful. I still talk with many of them years later.
They encouraged me and let me come into my own when I was an incredibly shy and insecure child. As a result, my classroom is a place where everyone can be themselves and make plenty of mistakes.
What advice would you have for someone looking to get into the same area of work or interests?
My advice to anyone looking to become a digital nomad is just to do it. Take the plunge. Set a date. Book a flight. Take those first steps. Get out there.
Everyone has things holding them back, and it will never be a perfect time. If you dream of travelling the world - do it! The biggest mistake you can make is never pulling that trigger.
I hear from so many people that they want to do what I do… someday. And I've never seen one of those people ever take hold of those dreams and go for it.
What do you feel is the most common reason for people failing or giving up?
I think fear is the biggest deterrent. We're all afraid of failing and coming home with our tails between our legs. But if you don't ever try for fear of failing, you'll never get anywhere. Before I started truly living nomadically, I was wracked with anxiety.
I had an apartment waiting for me in the Canary Islands, and I was so nervous I couldn't sleep at night. But, if I hadn't swallowed my fear and booked that one-way ticket to Spain, I would have missed out on so many beautiful experiences and relationships.
Is there a phrase, quote or a saying that you really like?
It's silly, but I love the phrase "por que, no?" It's Spanish for "why not?" I say yes to nearly every opportunity that comes my way. A friend invites me to a remote jungle location for the weekend? Por que no?
A stranger on Twitter asks me for an interview? Por que no? I use this philosophy to inform most of my life. If an offer piques my interest even a little bit, I do it. It doesn't matter if I'm scared; I go all in.
What companies, brands, or institutions do you like or do you think are getting it right?
Any brand with a focus on sustainability and truly helping their customers. I've yet to find many of them. I also really respect grassroots organizations that are working to create change in their communities.
How do you define success, and what lessons have you learned so far that you could share with our audience/readership?
I define success as satisfaction. If I am satisfied with my life, then I feel like I am successful. So, for me, it's not about being happy every day but being glad to be alive and enjoying as much as I can.
It's about continuing to learn and grow every day and pushing myself to reach new heights. Most of my peers are at Ivy League graduate schools or working at Fortune 100 companies. Sometimes I envy them for having such prestigious careers. However, many, myself included, would say they are objectively successful in life.
And then I hear from one of them, and they're jealous of all the places I'm able to travel to. They're jealous of my freedom. The grass will always be greener. To me, the important thing is: are you enjoying your life?
I've slowly learned this lesson. I spent years envious of my seemingly more successful peers. And truly, I'm proud of and happy for them. But I don't think I'd be happy in their role. So, I've had to learn that my happiness and satisfaction are more important than looking good for others.
Because that's what life was about for me: status. Not happiness, not joy, not betterment. I'm the most important person to me now. My opinion matters the most. And if I'm enjoying my life, then I'm successful.