Michelle Ardiel

Unsettled destination:
Medellin, Colombia

What do you do for work?
I’m the Global Recruiter & Community Manager for a vacation photography startup called Flytographer.

What are you most passionate about?
I am really interested in people and how things like art and design influence our political, social and emotional realities, from the impact on a community up to the global level. I also love good food and have two teenaged sons who are my world!

What does living Unsettled mean to you?
Being Unsettled means taking risks, big ones and small. It means challenging yourself to grow through new experiences, even if it’s taking a different route to work or trying an exotic fruit that you’ve never seen before. Of course, you win some and you lose some when you take risks, but deciding to be outside your comfort zone on a regular basis is the best way to celebrate and honour the practice of living.

What do you value most about the Unsettled community?
This community is full of people with positive energy. I’m inspired by everyone’s stories and ideas, what they do and what they are passionate about. As someone who also builds community around the world with a team of photographers, I appreciate the effort and passion that Unsettled brings to its group, and the spirit of authentically connecting people for the sake of building a better world, one person at a time. This is a philosophy I strongly believe in, and it’s really amazing finding like-minded people who are also up for crazy adventures and interesting travel. It’s not necessarily easy to be away from your regular routine for a month, but having the ability to work, travel and meet really cool people all rolled into one is everything.

Read: Michelle’s full story of living Unsettled in Medellin!

Reason for joining Unsettled?
I wanted a break from my regular routine to ignite my creativity. Meeting people from around the globe with a variety of interesting skills in a new city was just too tempting to pass up!

What in your life has changed since living Unsettled?
Since living Unsettled, I’ve learned some important lessons: that my skills, knowledge and life view are important, how to set better boundaries, and best of all, to just dance! I have done a fair bit of solo travel, but this was the first time to a country that I didn’t know much about before I went – my Unsettled experience was about jumping in and being open without expectations. This is now my new philosophy towards most things, especially meeting people and forming relationships: keep your mind open and good things will follow.