Q&A with Fuckup Nights Co-Founder Pepe Villatoro

Pepe Villatoro is an Unsettled: Bali alum and the CEO of Fuckup, Inc., the force behind Fuckup Nights. 

Fuckup Nights is a global movement and event series (so far held in 86 countries and 318 cities around the world!) where individuals share stories of their failures in front of an audience of strangers. Who hasn’t had a major fuck up? That’s exactly the point. 

What started as a night of storytelling over amongst friends over a bottle of mezcal one night in Mexico City in 2012, is now one of the most active creators movements on the planet.

You can hear Pepe’s full story on a recent episode of NPR’s Rough Translation Podcast – When Failure is a 4-Letter Word.

Here’s his Unsettled story…

Where are you currently? 

I’m in Mexico City. Yesterday I was having quesadillas from a street stand and bumped into Unsettled co-founder, Jonathan Kalan. 🙂

Where is your next travel destination? 

I’m going to spend a month in San Cristobal de las Casas in southern Mexico. For a week I’m going to get in the jungle with local communities. 

When and why did you sign up for your first Unsettled trip?

I went to Bali in October 2017 because my girlfriend and I decided to start experimenting living 1 month away every 6 months. Unsettled was an easy and great way to start doing this.

When do you feel you’re living Unsettled in a positive sense? 

I think it’s a state of mind. I feel I’m living unsettled frequently whenever I question when I’m going next, why I’m living where I’m living, and why I’m doing what I’m doing both on a professional and personal level. 

What helps you maintain a sense of work/life balance?

It might sound like a cliché but what helps me the most is working on something with purpose that helps me live with meaning. I spent more than 10 years iterating my professional life in order to avoid doing things and jobs that felt like a chore, now I feel in peace with my everyday life and my impact/peace-of-mind balance.

Lately, where have you found your sense of awe and wonderment?

In books that teach me amazing stuff, watching the sky, and enjoying the tropical rain of Mexico City.

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Looking to shake up your routine and tell a new story? We got you covered here.