Zentrepeneur Zoë van Liere shares her opinionated vision on conscious living

Purpose Lab likes to shine a light people and organizations that inspire to travel consciously. If it is a mission in life, combining a way to make money with doing the right thing or using your talent: you will find inspiring people with unique stories all around the world and in your own country too, of course.

Zoë van Liere

Zoë van Liere is in the spotlight this time. As Professional Wild Child she shares her own unique vision on conscious living through her blog and YouTube channel. Zoë is also the founder of ModerneHippies, a platform that inspires people on other people and initiatives that make the world a little bit more beautiful. This zentrepeneur has made a big amount of travels and gives attention to the impact on traveling in her content in an honest and personal way.

Interview with Purpose Lab

Purpose Lab interviewed this inspirator about conscious decisions and personal development.

What drives you in your work as travel entrepreneur?

One of my main motives to travel is, by going outwards, you can turn inwards and truly look at yourself on a deeper consciousness point of view. We are all so stuck in our own little 'bubbles' and traveling is one of the most practical ways to break through that bubble. It is one of the most beautiful teachers and mirrors to get to know new cultures, norms, values and people, because it makes you realize that your norm doesn't have to be so normal elsewhere (and vice versa). In this way, you can truly become the best version of yourself, because it helps you define who you want to be and what fits you best. Maybe it's a norm you weren't familiar with, but got to know from somebody else, that truly feels like 'home' and therefore: like you. Only by turning inwards and creating a more conscious, better version of yourself, you can make a better version of the world and - hopefully - leave it a tiny bit more beautiful than how you found it.

What is your most precious travel memory and why?

My first moment of truly breaking through my own little bubble, was when I lived in South Africa and studied at the University of Cape Town. There, I got to meet a completely new life, lifestyle and vision on how you were also able to lead your life. Almost every weekend we were going on a new adventure: there was simply so much to do and so much to see. It was a life that wasn't only revolved around work, but truly living it. That's what I learned over there and what I took with me in who I wanted to become, how I wanted to lead my life and what I wanted to do for a living.

How do you see the ecological, economical and/or sociological impact of traveling?

This is a subject that I truly struggle with. By now, traveling has become a vital part of my media channels, but at the same time: the practicality in it all is in sheer contrast of what I actually stand for. Traveling and simply 'looking around' and discovering new things is simply not what I want to do it for anymore - locations are starting to look alike in that sense. For me it's about the experience, what you can learn from it and what you can take with you for the rest of your life. So it's definitely a subject that I want to work on the upcoming years: I'd prefer to travel less, but mindfully and slow, in which I can truly make a good story - whether it's in writing or a video - and that can truly come in. We made a beautiful video for Latvia for my YouTube channel this year, which is a good example of the direction I personally want to go to. You see the stunning nature of Latvia here, but the country serves as an instrument of the actual story I wanted to share: the one about our relationship with nature.

What is the highlight of your career so far in the area of conscious travel?

One of the highlights was a 'back to basic' stay ini Swaziland, where we didn't have access to water and electricity, where our toilet was a simple whole in the ground and we were simply stuck in the middle of nowhere. Back then, I made a video about it. These kinds of experiences are the ones that truly matter to me: it makes you see how un-normal your own life standards truly are and it makes you see how caught we often are within our own thoughts and expectations.

What can we expect from you in the near future?

More beautiful, deep articles and videos, in which creating awareness will always be the main message. Possibly I will also keep doing this, but expand my horizon the upcoming years in other types of projects.

And last, but not least, what personal advice on a conscious life would you like to share?

Whether you are seeking for adventure around the corner or far away: don't (always) try to stay in your comfort zone, but look for the local, authentic story and how people look at life. Only by seeing things we haven't seen before, only by doing things we're afraid of, only by experiencing the unexpected, we can grow as human beings, love ourselves a bit more and understand each other a bit better.

More about Zoë?

Want to follow Zoë in het dream to live her life as a zentrepeneur? Follow her on her YouTube channel Professional Wild Child or the blog ModerneHippies.