Graduate Stefan Kollenberg’s reflections as a digital nomad
After working in the industry as a startup founder, Stefan Kollenberg (Marketing Management) decided he needed a change and turned to dedicating his life to positive social change. Here, Kollenberg shares how the pandemic transformed the workplace and inspired him to leave Toronto and embrace life of a digital nomad.
In the northeastern part of Spain’s Canary Islands sits the city of Las Palmas, where the winters are warm enough to make me forget what it feels like back home. Home might not be the right word anymore. One morning in Toronto, I woke up, looked around me and realized I wasn’t happy with what I saw.
It took eight years in Toronto and a global pandemic for me to decide that I want a hand at designing my life, in thought and practice. The city brought me to where I am today, growing as a young person in school, starting a career and overcoming demons that not everyone survives. The truth is, I hate the cold. I like being outside and I like eating fresh fruit.
Fresh fruit is good enough of a reason to pack things up and head to the airport.
There’s an irony to being a nomad. Nomads come from far-off places, speak different languages and tell the stories that led them to leave. A nomad, by definition, moves to and from, but in their travels look for the same thing — connection.
I prefer to think of myself as a digital nomad, because as romantic as it may seem, most nomads still have to work. I’ve been able to travel because of my work in client success at Volley (external link) , a company that helps clients book sales meetings and grow their customer base. Volley has always been remote-first, having begun operation during the pandemic. With over 40 of my co-workers already based in Nigeria, navigating time zones is the only challenge I face jumping between locations.
Las Palmas was my first destination. On the first night, I asked myself if I would be able to meet people. On my second night, I met a group of four, each from a different corner of the world. You tend to skip the small talk when you don’t know anyone in your new home, regardless of how temporary it is. Nomads get deep and connect quickly.
It’s a misconception that we’re not looking to build meaningful relationships. I’m not looking for a place to settle, and my actions reflect my intention to explore, but I stay in destinations longer than when I used to travel for work trips. Instead of jumping back and forth with one suitcase, I stay longer and form friendships.
The structure of life in Toronto did not translate to Las Palmas. It didn’t work in London either. Countries like Turkey and Nigeria encouraged me to broaden my perspective of the world, adjust a belief system and worldview that was shaped by my sole experience in Canada. What I lacked in structure I made up for in routine — yoga, daily walks and Spanish lessons. Placemaking helps find my footing, regardless of how foreign my surroundings were.
I stayed in Las Palmas for three months, extended from my original plan of staying for just one. I have that group of four to thank. Support group is a stretch, but the longer I stayed around them the easier it was to let go. Living in the moment is something we always talk about, but I’ve discovered that it takes a willingness to step outside of what you planned to find the moment.
As my travels continue and my community of fellow nomads around the world grows, my interest in the unfamiliar becomes a mindset of its own. Community and belonging is no longer tied to my location.
