After my midlife crisis, I knew I had to change.

About seven years ago, I had a midlife crisis. The effects of my divorce were still lingering, and I began to question the point of living.

I’d gone from slaving for decades to create a property portfolio and build a great life, only to lose everything – my marriage, my money, and a good dose of my sanity.

Relief eventually came in the form of a few choice mentors (and an incredibly patient new wife) who believed in me long enough to pull me through. But the real turning point came when I owned up to my mistakes and began searching for a way to help myself by helping others.

The way I did that was through my first blog, called Midlife Tribe. Through that experience, I was able to put my failings under the microscope and share them with strangers all around the world. The result was a renewed sense of optimism and the resurgence of a feeling – long forgotten – that a more meaningful life was possible.

Over the course of three years, I spilled my guts out and shared the lessons I’d learned about relationships, depression, money and doing work that matters. Although I’ve received many letters and emails detailing the impact this had, I know it helped me more than anyone.

I learned that it’s possible to find purpose, happiness and peace of mind – even in your late forties.

The photo above is me on the way to visiting my mum down the coast – on a Tuesday. I used it because it reminds me how I felt that day (and all the days since), after I figured out how important it is to define success on your own terms; to live life on purpose.

I’ve always been a big proponent of remote work, because work/life flexibility lets you do stuff like that – to spend a bit more time with the people who really matter. However, it’s only part of the story. Thankfully, millions more people now understand just how good it can be – even if the reason that brought them here was a global health crisis.

Most people hate their job. But when they change how, when, and especially WHERE they do it, their life can change. It gives them more options with how they spend their time, and how they deliver value to those they serve.

Not long ago, my goal was to help 1,000 people gain control over how, where and when they work so they could spend more time with loved ones, reduce their stress levels, and pursue – maybe for the first time – something that matters to them.

Well, COVID-19 made sure of that – without any help from me. So now, I’m devoting my energies to the huge opportunity this offers you.

The Chance to Try Something New

Maybe you’re sick of staring at spreadsheets every day.

Maybe you’d like your kids to recognise you when you walk into the dining room.

Or perhaps you’ve had an entrepreneurial seizure (an urge to try something on your own), but you’re sh*t-scared to take the leap because, well, the mortgage, school fees, Netflix, running water…

I get it, and I agree. It’s one thing to go all Jerry Maguire, but it’s another to actually pull it off.

Of course, you could always build a side hustle, where you make a thing, sell a thing or write about a thing. I’m a huge fan of side-hustles; I’ve done many since I was a kid, and a few turned into careers and businesses. The trouble is, how do you figure out what that thing is?

That’s where I come in.

I’ve built side projects for a long time, and I’ve helped others do the same, too. Working from home (and the half-dozen other places I hang out) might be the single best work/life decision I ever made, but it’s the other things I pursued on the side that really made my life so good.

The thing is, it wasn’t until I emerged from my midlife crisis that I realised how important it was to find something I truly enjoyed. Something that was its own reward, whether I got paid for it or not.

That’s why I returned to writing. It’s why, after shooting professionally for magazines then taking a two-decade break, I picked up photography again

So, I started this site to help you figure out your path so you can climb the right mountain.

What do I offer?

• Regular Blog Posts – Not fluff pieces, but properly researched (or lived) articles that’ll instruct, inspire and optimise your life.
• Recommendations – Everyone loves a good tip. That’s how books, movies and restaurants become popular. When I discover something that can help you, I’ll tell you about it – but only if I’ve used it and would recommend it to a close friend. I might have affiliate relationships with some of them, but you can always seek them out independently if that’s what you prefer. Also, see point 3 under “Should you trust me?”. See what I use in the Tools area.
• Email – If you subscribe to this site, you’re welcome to reply to any of my emails with questions about working from home, living deliberately, parenting, midlife, freelancing and more. I often get a few hundred emails a day (granted, many of them are rubbish), so I mightn’t always respond immediately, but I’ll do my best.
• Videos – This is something I want to do a lot more of. You can find videos on some of my blog posts, or check them out on YouTube.

Should you trust me?

No, you shouldn’t – at least not until I’ve proven you can.

You needn’t buy anything, here. There’s no gift shop on the way out. If my ideas help you, then maybe one day you’ll buy something I make. Or you’ll invite me to a TED talk or leave your classic ’93 Honda/Acura NSX to me in your will. But no, nothing here is a ‘must-buy’.

Here’s what I want you to know:

1. I don’t need your money. I keep our family in electricity and vintage cheddar through my job and other work.
2. You don’t need to buy anything from here to learn what I know.
3. If I recommend something to you, it’s because I’ve bought it, used it and benefitted from it. Yes, I might get a small commission if you buy it, but it won’t cost you any extra. Besides, you don’t have to buy it through me if you don’t want to, and if you don’t think it’ll help you, then don’t buy it from anywhere.
4. If I charge for a product like a course or a guide, it’s because a tonne of work went into creating it. Also, we don’t usually value the things we get for free, so sometimes we need to pay for things to get the value out of them. I’ve invested $1000’s in courses, and have completed most of them simply because I paid for them. If they’d have been free, I would’ve given up on most of them before starting.

What now?

1. To learn more about this site and what it offers, check out my blog.
2. To get the free Work Anywhere Trail Guide, see below.
3. If you’ve done number 2 (no, not number-twos), you’ll automatically get an email each time a new post goes live. Read the ones that look helpful and delete the ones that don’t.

Read these.

It’s not too late to change your life. Here are 5 reasons why.
6 Steps to Working and Living on Your Terms
Why I work from home, and why it might be right for you, too.
5 Rules for Working from a Home Office
With these tools, you can work from almost anywhere.
How to find meaning in your life.
Create a business from what you already know.
It’s easier being told what to do… but that’s not what you want.
Why copying your heroes doesn’t work.