At the heart of Unsettled lie bold, inspiring, provocative, human-centric stories. At the end of each retreat, while we do say goodbye to our participants, we also create bonds, friendships and connections that stay with us indefinitely. In our ‘Living Boldly’ series, we highlight members of the Unsettled alumni family who have been an integral part of our story. These are the people from over 65+ countries who we’ve shared adventures with, had late-night conversations about love, life and politics with, and also shared a new Unsettled ‘home’ with. Today, we continue to live boldly with the same crew. 

This week, meet Claire Sanders.

Homebase: 
London and Cornwall

Unsettled destination:
Bali, Indonesia

What do you do for work:
I’m a marketing consultant.

What makes you feel most alive?
Traveling. That second you walk out of an airplane and are greeted with new sounds, smells, language, and sights. It’s the moment when all my senses come alive and I feel truly in the moment.

Describe what it means to “never settle” in your own life? 
Unfortunately I ‘settled’ for far too long before making some big changes in my life. I left a marriage that was no longer making either of us happy. Then, once I’d rebuilt my life, I looked to my job, and took a voluntary redundancy which turned my working life upside down. The lessons I have learned along the way is to trust your instincts and don’t follow what everyone else is doing. This is your life, and only you know the best way to live it. Don’t be influenced by other people’s expectations of what you should be doing.

What was the most defining moment of your Unsettled experience in Bali? 
After my Unsettled experience in 2017, I took the rest of the year off and was finally brave enough to pursue a freelance career. I used the month to explore a ‘trial run’ of working independently as a consultant, and having access to the community of like-minded people, the co-working space and all the development activities as part of the programme gave me some much-needed headspace and time to reflect.

What in your life has changed, or have you committed to changing, since your Unsettled experience? 
My life has totally changed! Not only have I made a success (so far!) in my freelance business, I have also allowed myself to open up to a new relationship, which wouldn’t have been possible in my structured, corporate life. He lives 5 hours away from London in Cornwall, so I now manage my work life to fit around visits to the coast, where I have started to build a new life. In fact, I am planning to move there in the Autumn. None of this would have been possible if I hadn’t been brave enough to take a leap of faith.

What’s your favorite quote that you think the world needs to see?
Love this one by Rumi: “Respond to every call that excites your spirit” It’s on my business cards… Too often we get stuck in a rut and forget what drives us. Think about when you’re most passionate, most excited, most energised, and what situations give you that feeling. Then do more of that.

JOIN CLAIRE, AND OUR HUNDREDS OF OTHER ALUMNI WHO’VE TAKEN THE LEAP TO LIVE BOLDLY, AND START YOUR NEXT ADVENTURE…