We’ve arrived safely after our long journey from Southern Europe back into the tropics with our kids and animals. We still need to get used to all the bright light and the intense sun, but we’re doing well — we’ve done this many times before.

So as I sit here on the beach, listening to the parrots, hearing our kids laugh in the pool, still feeling the sand from yesterday’s beach day between my toes, I realize once again:

This life is no coincidence.

It’s the result of decisions, courage, dreams — and seven very specific principles that have carried us through 25+ years of world travel as a family. Today I want to share these seven principles with you — the ones we’ve learned over all these years on the road as a big family with animals.

Let’s begin:

1. Dream big – follow your feelings, not “realities”

In the beginning there were no spreadsheets, no career advisors, no “sensible plans” — only feelings. When Katie and I met in New Zealand in 1997, it was immediately clear: we wanted a life beyond the norm. Our background, bank account, or degrees never dictated the size of our dreams.
We learned from our kids: children have no limits. They dream of dragons, islands, adventures — and hidden in that is a deep truth.

We learned that “reality” adapts to our inner vision, not the other way around.

2. Ignore the naysayers – be a trendsetter, not an outsider

When you live differently, you trigger people. Family, friends, neighbors — there were always people ready to explain why what we do “won’t work.”
World travel with kids?
Educational freedom? Online business back when hardly anyone knew what that even meant? 🙃

We understood: we weren’t strange — we were early. If you follow your inner voice, you’re not an outsider. You’re ahead of the curve.
We listen, feel into it briefly — and then choose based on our soul, not other people’s fear.

3. Take action – start stumbling forward

Dreaming isn’t enough. At some point you have to actually book the tickets, buy the camper, build the house in Costa Rica, take the first steps — even when you don’t know how everything will turn out.

We rarely had a “perfect plan.” Instead, we learned to stumble forward: take a step, see what appears, adjust, continue.
Like a child learning to walk — not perfect, but alive.
The next idea, the next opportunity, the next door often only becomes visible once you’re already on the move.

4. Break the rules – do things differently than expected

Our kids never went to school. For many people, that alone is already a radical break from the norm.
We lived nutrition differently, built our business differently, invested in crypto long before others believed in it. For us, breaking rules doesn’t mean breaking laws.

It means questioning whether a rule serves love, freedom, and life. If not — we find our own way. Not to rebel, but to be authentic.
Some rules keep people small. We learned that part of our journey is breaking out of those inner and outer cages.

5. Ask for forgiveness – not for permission

Many of our most important steps would never have happened if we had asked everyone first whether it was “okay.” 😉
Often it’s more powerful to trust your inner guidance, walk your path — and if someone feels offended, you can always reconnect and, if needed, ask for forgiveness.
We’ve experienced that when you move forward with love, you don’t really “owe” anyone anything — except staying true to yourself. Asking for permission keeps you trapped in old structures.
Asking for forgiveness says: I will follow my path, even when it’s uncomfortable — and still stay compassionate.

Just keep moving in the direction that feels right.

6. Learn from successful people

We never pretended we had to figure everything out on our own. Early on, we had mentors — in business, health, crypto, relationships, spirituality. People who were already where we wanted to go.
But we never surrendered ourselves completely to any one philosophy. We take what resonates — and integrate it into our unique family blueprint.

And our highest authority has always been our intuition. Learning for us means: receive gratefully, then check what truly fits our soul’s path.
We’ve had many mentors, but always stayed independent. And now we share all this knowledge with you.

7. Always be grateful

Maybe the most important point of all. After all the years of tropics, travel, beaches, challenges, tears, new beginnings — one thing remains constant: gratitude.

Waking up in the morning, hearing the jungle, watching our kids laugh, being free together — none of that is a given. We’re grateful to life — and also to ourselves, for our courage, perseverance, and love. Gratitude opens the heart, lifts the frequency, softens us. It helps us see the gifts even in pain and crisis, and rise again and again.

Our gratitude goes in two directions: First, to the universe and life itself for making this possible.

Second, to ourselves — because none of this “just happened.” We created it with discipline, resilience, commitment, and the willingness to keep going. For years. These seven principles aren’t theory — they’re lived reality, every day, for 25 years. Educational freedom, location independence, emotional and energetic freedom, a life outside rigid structures — all of this came because we chose these principles again and again.

If this inspires you and you want to go deeper, we’ve prepared something beautiful for you. On our Soulflow Academy site you’ll find a whole collection of free offerings, inspiration, and resources to support you on your own path to freedom — for you, your family, and your future.

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