Most people spend their lives working towards a future that may not have a shape or form, but they hope one day they’ll finally “arrive” to whatever it was. They go through the motions of normal life, and the cycles of the seasons, day in and day out, not really sure what they are working for.
That was us a few years ago. Follow the rules, work hard, buy things and wait for weekends, vacations, or traditional retirement to feel the relief of time, rest, or joy.
Then we asked the real, hard question… “What are we working for?” The answer changed everything. We thought we were working toward a “better life” measured by the American standard we were so used to following, until we arrived at the answer that shifted the mindset: we wanted, more than anything in the world, to work for freedom.
But what if freedom isn’t something you find at the end of the road?
What if it’s something you build—little by little—through your daily choices?
That’s when our Wholesome Freedom philosophy changed our lives. It’s not a fantasy or a fluke. It’s the intentional life we’ve designed after retiring at 50 from our 9-to-5 jobs—not to do less, but to finally do more of what really matters.
The lifestyle we get to enjoy now isn’t just about money (though financial freedom plays a role). It’s about designing every part of life—from how we spend our mornings to how we age, travel, connect, and create—with clarity and intention.
Our Wholesome Freedom is rooted in five powerful pillars:
- Achieving financial freedom
- Owning our time
- Fueling our body and mind
- Pursuing our passions
- Thriving in our relationships
All while having the discipline to protect what we worked so hard for. We are at the point that we intentionally live every single pillar, every single day, and they’ve transformed everything.
What follows is our personal blueprint: the Wholesome Freedom Formula that worked for us. These are the principles that helped us go from stressed and overextended to energized, connected, and free.
Our hope is that they’ll help you begin building your own version of freedom—starting now.
1. Financial Freedom: Simplicity = Power
This was the catalyst of everything, and what shaped the way our lives look right now.
We didn’t win the lottery or strike it rich overnight.
We just got radically clear on what actually mattered—and stopped spending on what didn’t. For example, when I realized that if I invested the $80 a month I was spending on fake nails instead of getting the nails, that “insignificant “ amount could become $13,760 in 10 years. The nails budget was gone before you could say “done.”
I started seeing every expense for what it could become if invested. With the nails example, $13,760 pays for 4-6 months of full living expenses in Colombia. Seeing what the money of today could do for me tomorrow, for the old me, was the mindset that provided the compass.
By budgeting with intention, investing in low-cost index funds and retirement accounts, and travel hacking our way around the world, we built a life where money fuels our freedom instead of controlling it.
We debunked the myth that you need millions to live richly by realizing that what we needed was clarity, intention, and the courage to go against the grain.
Once we realized that our money could buy us freedom instead of just stuff, everything shifted. We stopped “YOLO-ing” our paychecks on lifestyle upgrades, new cars and toys, takeout, and impulse buys. Instead, we redirected those dollars into building the life we dreamed of. And we did it year, after year, after year, after year.
Financial freedom isn’t a mystery, or something reserved for the lucky few. It’s math. Simple but mind-blowing math available to anyone willing to play the long game, and not just for those with 6 figure incomes (fun fact: many high income earners are broke as shit because they spend it all on toys and status symbols. They have it all but they owe it all).
We started our journey $40,000 in debt. Yes, our net worth was in the negative in 2008. After a terrifying job loss in 2011, we vowed to never ever experience that feeling of insecurity again. We destroyed the house of cards, and got so focused on paying off the debt and to start saving – small at first and then it snowballed as the paychecks increased and second jobs came along. Our lifestyle stayed pretty much the same, except for a few stupid mistakes here and there, but the focus remained intense.
Fourteen years later, we achieved the net worth we had in mind in order to walk away from our steady paychecks—without college degrees or six-figure incomes for most of that journey. Basically, our nest egg now works for us instead of the other way around.
Our secret?
A plain, simple, boring strategy:
Spend less than you make. Avoid debt. Invest the difference.
And here’s the magic: the more margin we found, the more inspired we were to invest it.
Once the snowball started rolling, it got addictive to watch the “bamboo grow”—slowly at first, then suddenly.
✨ Try This:
Start tracking every dollar.
Before you spend, pause and ask:
Is this buying me freedom—or costing me peace? For every “fixed” expense you make monthly, multiply that amount by 173. That is what it would become in 10 years if invested because of compound interest (google “Rule of 173 – it’s so simple it’s scary). Your $50 a month Dunkin run can become $8,650 in 10 years and your $700 car lease payment would become over $120,000 in 10 years if invested instead! If you can eliminate unnecessary expenses (like I did with the nails, for example) and redirect that amount towards paying off debt or investing, you’ll start to get your own snowball rolling.
2. Time Freedom: Owning Your Hours Again
For years, our calendars belonged to someone else.
We were ruled by alarms, commutes, deadlines, and meetings that had little to do with our joy or life purpose. We both were pouring our hearts into meaningful work—but still, our best energy was spoken for. By evening, we were running on fumes, just trying to recover before doing it all again the next day.
Now I wake up without an alarm most days.
In a few days once Josh leaves his work for good, we will ease into the days with intention, coffee in hand, sunlight on our faces, presence in our bones. Our hours are ours again. And let me tell you: that kind of freedom hits different.
Sometimes it looks like slow mornings with a book. Sometimes it’s planning our next adventure. Other times it’s working on passion projects that light me up (like this blog, because if I can guide someone else to build their freedom path, it did its job).
The wake up call came when we had the realization that we were trading our best years for money. We were purposely sacrificing our most precious, non-renewable resource (our time) for a paycheck, just to buy more stuff.
We didn’t want to wait until we were too tired, too burned out, too sick, or too old to enjoy the freedom we craved. So we started treating our money like a tool: the tool we needed to buy back our time.
Every dollar we saved and invested was a brick in the foundation of freedom. Every smart choice was a deposit into our future.
And slowly, veeeeery slowly, the tide turned. Once we defined how much was enough, we went from survival mode to soulful living.
Now we have the space to be curious. To nap in the afternoon. To hike on a Wednesday. To write, create, connect, build. I’ve never worked less and never felt more alive.
Because time freedom isn’t about doing nothing. It’s about doing what matters with the people you love, on your terms, in your rhythm.
✨ Try This:
Ask yourself: If I owned every hour, how would I redesign my life?
Buying your time back is possible, believe me.
3. Healthy Living & Aging: Investing in Vitality
Getting diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes could have broken my spirit, and it did for a little while, but then gave me my second wake up call. It forced me to confront my own fragility and face this truth head-on:
What I feed my body today shapes the quality of my life tomorrow. Do I want “future me” to be healthy or to be sick? Do I want to lead an active life in my older years, or be forced to slow down because I am in pain?
Adopting a low-carb lifestyle, staying active, and practicing intermittent fasting weren’t just wellness trends. They became the non-negotiable pillars of my vitality. And while these shifts may sound like common sense, they hit differently when your life depends on them…. literally.
There’s no secret that chronic illness is incredibly common, especially as we age. Don’t believe me? Here is a scary stat for you:
- About 60% of U.S. adults live with at least one chronic condition, and
- 42% live with two or more.
- Among adults aged 45–64, over half are managing multiple chronic conditions.
(Source: RAND Corporation)
Let me say this again for the people in the back: Over half of adults 45-64 are managing multiple chronic conditions.
These conditions—like heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, and hypertension—often develop quietly. By the time you get the diagnosis, your body’s already in crisis mode. So here is a very hard question to ask yourself: Why wait for a diagnosis to start treating your body like it matters?
I wasn’t willing to let that be my story.
Even though Type 1 diabetes is an autmoimmune disease and I didn’t cause it because of lyfestyle choices, I knew I had to make drastic changes if I wanted to beat the statistics, and that became my mission. Through strength training, yoga, low-carb eating, and mindful living, I began building a life designed to protect my energy, clarity, and long-term health.
And along the way I learned that health isn’t just a side goal. It’s the foundation of our freedom.
The more flexible, strong, and energized we are, the more we can explore the world, pursue our passions, and show up fully for the life we’re building.
We stopped being afraid of aging. Instead , we are redefining it.
✨ Try This: Choose one keystone habit this week—like swapping a sugary drink for water, doing a 10-minute morning stretch, or adding a walk after dinner. Start small, stay consistent, and watch your energy shift.
4. Passion & Purpose: Creating What Lights You Up
Quitting our 9 to 5 jobs at 49 after achieving our “enough” was not an exit strategy. It was an entrance.
With time, money and space finally on my side, I grew my photography business to a level I only dreamed of. I made it into something that allows me to continue my passion while giving me the opportunity to travel and experience the world.
To be frank, I don’t really want to stop working. I am doer and an overachiever, and I also know that “living with purpose” doesn’t necessarily mean starting a business. It simply means making space for the things that make you feel alive. I follow people that retired from their stressful, soul-sucking jobs after achieving financial independence, and they find meaning through fun part-time jobs, crafting, or volunteering. I am just lucky that for me, photography is the work that lits me up 🙂
Over the past 18 years together, Josh and I navigated financial struggles, chronic illness, life pivots, growth as a couple, and the long game of building freedom. Through it all, we’ve gathered tools, wisdom, and clarity, and we believe it’s too valuable to keep to ourselves. We wanr to pour our hearts into building our Wholesome Freedom platform as our way of sharing what we’ve learned about designing a life of intention even if we never, ever make a dime from it.
That’s why we’re writing. That’s why we’re building.
That’s why we’re welcoming new friends, dreamers, and freedom-seekers into our world.
Sharing this passion has become our purpose—
a spark that was always there but finally has room to breathe.
This is what happens when you reclaim your time:
You don’t “retire” from life.
You finally step into the one you were meant to live.
✨ Try This:
Ask yourself: What would I do if I had full control of my time?
Now carve out 20 minutes this week to start doing just that—even if it’s messy or small.
Passion needs practice. Purpose grows with space.
5. Strong Relationships: Protecting Our Most Valuable Asset
Just like financial independence, a happy marriage is not an accident. It’s the sum of countless intentional acts that prioritize connection over convenience.
We’ve built our lives to protect and nurture that connection – whether it’s investing time in our marriage, planning the next adventure, or welcoming guests into our lives.
But it wasn’t always smooth sailing. We’ve had rough patches (many of them!) but we made the commitment to be active participants in our relationship and to take radical responsibility for our part in it.
We learned to be fully present with one another, to feel joy in the now, not just in the outcome. My stubborn optimism rubbed off on Josh, who was the person always wondering “what if it doesn’t work?” He learned that “what if it doesn’t work“ is a terrible reason not to try, and we just go for it.
We began focusing on what we wanted most rather than what we wanted now.
Before we reached financial freedom, we’d often say: “If we lost it all tomorrow, we’d still have fun in a cardboard box.” That’s how deep this connection has become.
Now, we’re far beyond that box. But the truth remains:
Your relationships are your real wealth.
They require time, presence, and attention to grow, and they can’t wait until “we have more money” or “a bigger house” or “retirement.”
Building deep, connected relationships must happen alongside your journey to freedom—because what’s the point of time and money if you don’t have people to enjoy it with?
✨ Try This:
Schedule a phone-free date night or a soul-deep conversation with someone you love.
Ask them what freedom means to them—and listen, fully.
6. The Power of Now: No More “Someday” Living
One of the most powerful shifts we made was learning to live our dream now—not later, not when the stars align, not after we had “enough.”
Now.
But again, this didn’t happen by accident.
We didn’t stumble into time freedom or start jet-setting on a whim. We were intentional. Strategic. We used the tools available to us—like travel hacking, geoarbitrage, and a conscious decision to stop “busy-ing” away our weekends—to start creating the life we wanted before we fully retired.
We realized that living in the now didn’t mean blowing money or going into debt to “feel alive.” It meant the opposite.
It meant being awake to what actually mattered—and redirecting our energy and resources toward that.
We stopped cramming every weekend with plans, outings, and purchases that didn’t actually recharge us. We saw how often we used “doing things” as a way to justify our hard work—when in reality, that constant hustle kept us too tired to truly live.
Instead, we started saying “yes” to space. To slowness. To weekends that didn’t cost a dime but added depth.
We began using credit card points to fly for free.
We discovered that living in beautiful places like Colombia, Mexico, or SE Asia for a fraction of U.S. costs—geoarbitrage—gave us the flexibility to work less and live more. We spent the last 10 years living with less and enjoying life more because we had a very clear goal, so it was only reasonable to enjoy the journey towards it.
These strategies weren’t just clever tricks—they were freedom multipliers. They allowed us to stop postponing joy and start experiencing life while we were still young enough to dance through it.
Because here’s what we know now: You don’t need to wait until you’re retired to live fully. You just need to stop waiting.
✨ Try This:
What’s one “someday” dream you’ve shelved because of time or money?
Look for your freedom levers:
- Could travel hacking get you there sooner?
- Could geoarbitrage make the lifestyle more affordable?
- Could letting go of busy weekends free up time, money and energy for what really matters?
Small shifts today can unlock your “now” faster than you think.
7. Discipline: The Gateway to Freedom
Let’s be real—discipline doesn’t sound sexy. It’s not glamorous. It’s not always fun. And for most people, it’s one of the hardest things to hold onto.
But for me, discipline became the most powerful tool in my life—not because I’m naturally good at it, but because I had to be good at it.
When I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at 46, it hit me like a freight train. At first, I spiraled. I had my short-lived pity party when I thought “What’s the point of saving for retirement if I’m just going to die young?” That thought wrecked me… but only for a moment.
Then I decided to get up, dust off, and take control of the only things I could control.
That’s when discipline stopped being a punishment and became a gift.
I didn’t change overnight. But I did get painfully clear on my why:
I wanted to live a long, happy, vibrant life. A life where I could feel good in my body, age with strength and grace, and have the freedom to chase big dreams without being held back by preventable complications.
And that “why” carried me through the hard days.
Through the cravings.
Through the temptation to give up.
Through the voice that said, “just this once…”
I applied the same mindset to our finances. Sticking to a budget, tracking every dollar, reviewing our spending, running numbers, and forecasting our future wealth. It sounds rigid on paper (and in real life, too), but it gave us freedom. The more we stayed disciplined, the more power we gained.
Discipline gave us results.
Results gave us momentum.
And momentum made it easier to keep going.
We didn’t have to be perfect, but we had to be consistent.
And here’s the part I really want to emphasize:
Discipline becomes easier when you stop seeing it as deprivation and start seeing it as devotion.
Devotion to your future self.
Devotion to the life you say you want.
Devotion to the people you love and the moments you don’t want to miss.
So no, we didn’t win the discipline lottery either. We trained it like a muscle.
And even now, we still fall off track sometimes but we always come back to our why.
✨ Try This:
Take 10 minutes today to write down your “why.” Not the surface-level one—the one that makes you tear up a little.
Tape it to your fridge, your mirror, or your lock screen.
Discipline becomes doable when the mission matters.
💛 Final Thoughts: Freedom Is Built, Not Found
We didn’t stumble into this life. We intentionally created it.
Through discipline, clarity, and choosing purpose over comfort, we built our wholesome freedom one decision at a time.
It wasn’t always easy, but it was always worth it.
And here’s the best part: you can do it, too.
Whether you’re just starting to dream of more, or you’re already taking steps toward early retirement, better health, or a life you love—we’re here to walk with you.
Because real freedom isn’t just about time or money.
It’s about owning your choices, honoring your values, and living in alignment with what matters most.
O us, Wholesome Freedom means living fully: healthy, connected, on purpose… and on your own terms.
Follow us on Instagram @wholesome_freedom for real-time insights from our journey.
🧭 Your freedom starts now—not someday. Let’s build it together.
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