Piper Anderson

Unsettled destination:
Bali, Sailing Croatia and Tuscany

What do you do for work?
Founder and CEO of Create Forward, a social impact consultancy that uses the arts, culture, and design tools to deliver inclusive trainings and products for justice and equity within communities across the U.S.

What in your life has changed since living Unsettled?
My first Unsettled experience was Bali in 2016. Before Bali, I spent most of my time with with head down focused on building my company and completing a TED residency. I wanted to travel but couldn’t imagine taking time off so the idea of working and living remotely in another part of the world really appealed to me. Also, having spent time with Jon and Michael (the founders of Unsettled) in the TED residency, I was really curious about this thing they were building together. Living Unsettled in Bali taught me about the importance of wonder in my life. In my work, I’m often supporting people as they tell stories about the worst thing that ever happened to them. When I’m doing that work I want to be present and compassionate but by the time I arrived in Bali was emotionally exhausted and needed to find ways to replenish myself. Since 2016 I’ve been on three Unsettled trips. Each journey has been an opportunity to return to my life with a renewed capacity to see beauty and possibility in everyone and everything around me.

What do you value most about the Unsettled community?
In the Unsettled community, I’ve found unexpected friendships, new mentors and even donors to support my work. The people in this community want to support each other in any way they can, whether it’s offering a couch to sleep on or helping you build a website for your new project, you will always find an abundance of support amongst the people in the Unsettled community.