🌏 Q&A – Asia 2025: The Truth About Digital Nomad Life, Healing & the Hidden Side of Paradise

Hello everyone. Hello. Hello. This is— yes, we are live. We are live. Come on in. I'm just going to get right to it. And if you happen to be watching this at another time, please do let me know where you are in the world right now. It is 8:15 PM, May 30th, because I'm in Hoi An, Vietnam, and I'd love to know where you are in the world right now and what's happening for you. What time is it? I mean, I think that's the biggest piece is I always feel like I'm in the future, and now it's confirmed. So here we go. All right, so, um, the last— I feel like I've been traveling for 6 months, honestly. Um, but, uh, really I wanted to share how Thailand is no longer the quiet healing sanctuary it once was. Um, Gentrification, overtourism, and unrest are changing everything. And as a 50-plus slow traveler, you need to hear this. Now, you don't have to be 50-plus, you could be any age, but, um, I really— just a little context, um, about me, uh, the community, Soul Healers. That's who we are, that's why we're here. Um, did I start out as a soul healer? I, I'm pretty sure I did. Even as a child, I was watching, reading. I saw auras, I felt energy. Um, I had this conversation with my soul sister in Japan— a shout out to Julia— and she had has her own YouTube channel if you're interested in— she channels the Galactic Federation. I'd be happy to link her information below, but, um, she has been a soul sister, and, and we were just reflecting on, um, you know, that nothing's been confirmed, but we feel this resonance that we've had a past life together. Um, long story short, and back in 2020, I sold everything and, uh, just decided to do what I wanted to do for a change instead of living on everybody else's agenda, expectations, time clock, whatever it happens to be. And yeah, I was in soul-sucking job. I think many of us are caught in that, or they still have— you still have kids, maybe you're taking care of your parents, so they call that the sandwich generation. Um, maybe your family is expecting you to be a doctor and lawyer and you're an artist. And that's not what you feel called to do. I get it, I really do. So all walks of life are welcome here, all denominations, whatever you believe in, whatever you don't believe in. We hold space for you, whatever that happens to be. So yes, I, I am 50 plus. Now, um, I, I don't believe age really matters. It's what's in here, the mind, and what's in the heart. And that's why my podcast is called Heart Led Soul Fit, truly. Uh, and why do I travel? Because I find it healing. Because I find adventure wherever I go. I meet new people, I learn about the culture, I try to learn the language. And speaking of languages, Japanese so far is the easiest for me. Who knew? Who knew that would happen? Um, and but really it's, it's, it's intention, it's slow, it's healing, it's focused. It's revealing. It's, it's a whole bunch of things. But these are things that money cannot buy. Memories. Memories, right? It's, it's like music. Music is the timeline of your life. If there's a certain song that comes up, I don't know about you, but I can tell you exactly where I've been. What was happening. And apparently now science confirms that. But here's the thing, I don't need science to confirm what the soul already knows, right? So I'll talk a little bit about the beautiful side of Thailand. It's affordable compared to other places in the world. Europe, North America. However, it is changing, it is shifting. Why? Because of people like me. Yeah, I'll throw myself in there. Uh, there definitely is a lot of warm community, especially in the smaller unknown places, right? Tends to be the spiritual hotspot, like the temples, the nature, the healing retreats. I think of Chiang Mai in northern Thailand, for example, and then the Thai food. However, I think Vietnam has Thailand beat in regards to the food and the flavors. Just, I mean, I had the most amazing spring salad rolls today. Mind blown. Um, so yeah, that, that, that's some of the beautiful pieces of Thailand. The not so beautiful pieces of Thailand— I mean, that, that's life. Yin and yang, light and dark, opposing forces, foreign gentrification, meaning fancy condos are pushing out locals, spiritual centers are turning into corporate and greed, just like anything else. Um, and I get that. I saw that at Nai Yang Beach in Phuket, Thailand specifically, but I know Koh Samui, which is a beautiful island is now running into that as well, right? It's starting to be overrun because people hear about it and then they're like, oh, we need to go there because it's not as busy, it's not full of tourists. Well, when you have people come in, what do you think happens? It becomes busy and full of tourists. Hello! Um, And it's, you know, Spain is actually talking about doubling the prices of Airbnb because of this very specific thing that locals can't even afford to live where they, they grew up, where they raised their family. So balance and everything, right? Um, and then they're In Thailand, I noticed the baht— that's their, um, currency— I— people are like, oh, it's so inexpensive, inexpensive. And I'm like, I don't agree. I found it expensive. Once it, you know, it once was a budget haven. It's now inflated, especially in expat zones. And what I really don't like I mean, I've been in sales for 20 years. When they see me or any foreigner, for example, they start running towards you and asking you what you need and you need a taxi, you need to go. No, please don't do that to people because it's a big turnoff when you're desperate or you're just looking for the next meal train. And I get it. I, I get it. I, I do. I've been in poverty. I have. Um, I do understand that. So, um, let's switch to Grab versus the taxi war. There was also that going on because Grab is so convenient and it shows you pricing. It's transparent, it's safe, it's an app, it does all those things, but it's a double-edged sword because local drivers are Furious. There's airport protests, those are happening. Mass tourism, uh, with that the impact is you lose the loss of culture, the authentic— authenticity in certain places like Phuket, Chiang Mai. It no longer feels authentic, it feels like Disneyland, and well, I didn't come here for that. So, uh, let's switch over to the dark underbelly. Um, the exploitation masked as tourism. So exploiting people in order to make money, in order to cater to a tourist. And yes, I'm a tourist, as much as I would like to think that I am a slow intentional, conscious, eco-friendly traveler, I do have an impact. I do leave an imprint, right? Um, and then there's this other piece that I've seen so much. I've watched so many vlogs and vloggers out there. The spiritual bypassing by influencers, just, you know, it's It's— they make it seem like you all need to live here, and if you don't, well, what's your problem? And you need to sell everything. And I can't remember the name of the YouTube channel, but, um, he called it RAM marketing. And I'm like, RAM? It's, it's the relocation advertising machine. You've seen these people, these— I've seen a lot of women especially touting, oh, I moved to Spain and I sold everything and my life is wonderful. Really? I'd like to see what the true reality is because I call BS. And I'm actually seeing it here in Vietnam. There's a lot of young nomads. A lot of young entitled nomads. Uh, so there's also the visa instability. Thailand's struggling to keep up as Vietnam, Cambodia, and even the Philippines are— and I'll throw Malaysia in there too— are way more competitive and more accommodating, more cutting-edge. But along with that, they're going to see the ebbs and flows and, and the peaks and valleys in regards to this. So, and what I don't want to happen, because I see this in Thailand, is, um, you could tell they were tourism tired, tourism fatigued. They're supposed to be known as the land of happy smiles. I didn't see a lot of smiles. I saw a lot of frustration. I saw anger. I saw disassociation. I saw, yeah, disgust sometimes, depending on where I went. I saw it, but I also felt it. And then part of me felt bad. I felt guilty. Such a weird feeling. Um, and let me know if you've, you know, had this happen to you. Um, and, and actually, it gives me more empathy and compassion for people who are new to the country, and I'm talking Canada. That's where I'm from. That's my home., you know, being thrust into Canada, uh, for the dream. And I'm sure that they— there's some parts that are really good and there's some parts that are not so good. Um, and if you've, um, immigrated to a new country, I'd love to know about it. I'd love to hear about it. Um, because this is a community and we're here to connect. Um, because connection We, like Brené Brown says, we are hardwired for connection, full stop. If you're hiding in your basement and hiding behind a computer screen and never coming out, um, that's a problem. You are avoiding what you need to look at. And it tends to be yourself. So what do you need to know before you go to Thailand? You— where do you— you can still find sacred, quiet healing, uh, Chiang Rai and Pai and parts of Koh Phangan. Hopefully I'm saying that properly. Um, it's also really good how to be a respectful soul-led traveler, um, because in some parts of Thailand, Phuket for example, I noticed there were certain nationalities that were quite rude, very rude to staff, to service people, to myself, like they felt like they owned Phuket, like they own Thailand. And yeah, maybe they bought that condo building with all of their rubles, I don't know. But, um, I think there has to be a little bit of humility. Um, I saw that today after getting an amazing facial, and it's not your typical facial. They massage your face, they acupressure your face. And why? And why? Because the women in Vietnam look amazing for that very reason. They get the chi flowing, they get the blood flowing. And then I had the head, the scalp massage, and my feet. I almost didn't come on live tonight because I was comatose in the very best way possible. And what cost me $25 would have cost $250 in Canada. Now that's disgusting, I have to say. Um, so I guess what I'm saying, and as I was speaking to the lady and you— I, I heard her come in with her boyfriend and she's just like checking in and I'm like, whoa. Rude, number one. I'm— and the lady had to tell her, we're still— you can just wait, please. And you could tell she was mad because she wasn't being served right away. And I'm like, wow, so this is where it's gone to. And I'm not saying that's everybody, but you know what, you're no more important than anybody else. So I guess it's just a reminder on how to be a respectful soul-led traveler. You know, when I go out into the world, I'm sending love and light and peace and compassion to others, and I hope that when I'm doing that, they can feel that being reflected out to them. Because we're all struggling in our own way, right? Even the lady today who was really rude, who knows what was going on with her, right? However, I've always said weakness, you know, is, is not an invitation, uh, to walk all over me. And don't mistake my kindness for weakness. Yeah, um, and then why visas matter now more than ever. Things are shifting fast, like Cambodia, you have to apply for a visa, you have to pay for it. Um, Thailand, same thing. Uh, Vietnam, same thing. You, you need, and you gotta, every country is different and you have to check. And there was a lady That was panic because she booked her flight the day before coming into Vietnam. Well, they let her in because they knew that she's just there for holiday. That's fine. But me, I was on their radar. That's why they keep track of the passports, because they're— they are talking to each other. And they— and when they're looking through my passport, they're like, oh, you've been to all these countries. So I'm glad I had my e-visa for Vietnam. Because that might have been a problem, just saying. And really, I'm always on the lookout for community and not conquest, not conquering things, not like Instagrammable and all that other stuff. Um, and hey, I have over 2,000 subscribers. It only took me 7 years. I'm going to celebrate that, and I want to thank you because I believe the video about the animals in the Philippines is what really drove my engagement. So if you want more videos about animals, animal communication, all of that good stuff— what does my dog say, why does my cat do this— I am an animal communicator, and I do teach people how to communicate with your pet or your animals. And let me say, it's, it's energy, number one. They feel you. That's what animals do. They feel you. They smell you sometimes a mile away. So yeah, I'd love to help you with that. So have you noticed these shifts in Thailand? Are you a nomad in Thailand? Do you live in Thailand? Drop a comment, I want to know. And I also invite you to subscribe as well. I'm leaving this chat open. If you have any questions, send in your chat. It could be about travel, it could be about healing, it could be about mental health, it could be about money. It could be about anything, anything. Um, and I've also left a couple links below to join my newsletter, to join my community of Soul Healers where I have exclusive member-only content. I do have a store, I do have merch, I do have my oracle deck, Empath's Journey. Look at this, isn't it pretty? I love that one, the jaguar, the rose. Um, and I do teach, uh, how to read tarot and oracle cards because I get that question quite a bit as well. I have a gratitude journal that I curated And I do write in it every day because gratitude is my attitude. Then I have my book, Intuition Saved My Life, and there's also soul work in here. So it's not just read it and go, oh, that's nice. No, you will actually— there will be activations in here for you and where you make connections because the connections is what opens you up to spirit, to yourself, to your soul. And that's really where we need to live from. That's really where we need to live from. That and dream journal. Dreams. Who remembers their dreams? I know people that have repeating dreams. Scary dreams, dreams of falling, they're all signs, they all have messages. So yeah, these are just some of the things, other things that I create, created, working on my second book because I do love to write, I do love to speak. I believe that's why I'm here in this lifetime is to speak. And to lead and to guide. So yeah, I would love to hear from you either way. And the next video coming out will be— well, we've got June energy coming up. So if you're interested in what's happening for June, I believe June is a, is a pivotal point. It's also like the midway of 2025, right? It's 2025, the year of the snake. It is also a 9-year in numerology, which translates to completions and wrap-ups. And I'll also be recording a video all about Vietnam and how they're outpacing Thailand fast and I'm just gonna say this, don't tell anybody, or maybe tell somebody, but I've been to Japan. Japan is definitely my number one favorite so far, my travels. Philippines, Thailand. I'm in Vietnam. Vietnam is a close second to Japan, so you'll have to Subscribe, hit the notification bell, and stay tuned for the next video called the Hidden Gems of Vietnam. All right, well, thank you so much for joining me today. If you happen to miss this live, you're going to have to subscribe and not miss the next one. And if you have any questions, drop them below. I would love to hear about it. Wherever you are in the world, I'd love to hear about it. Drop your questions. Um, I know that there's people who are desperate to get out of Westernization, that lifestyle, that materialism. I mean, the age of materialism is done, is done, and we're seeing this everywhere in the world. So drop your questions on, because I hear like, well, how do I get rid of all my things? And how do I just move somewhere? And how do I like— first of all, we overcomplicate by having too many things. Start with one thing and then move on to the next. I always say, go stay somewhere. For a bit and see if you like it. And maybe that's why I've moved around so much, and I have not been slowly, intentionally traveling in Asia, because I could not find my footing until I landed in Vietnam. Japan and Vietnam, very interesting. All right, well, take care of yourselves, and I'm sending you lots of love. Bye!