Episode 11 - Carlyn Montes De Oca - animal advocate, unconventional traveler, minimalist, vegan and achiever of dreams.
Carlyn Montes De Oca is an animal advocate, unconventional traveler and minimalist who has not only followed her dreams, she's achieved them!
Carlyn and I used to share an office and when she was there, she was often the highlight of my day! In the past few years she's accomplished more dreams than most of us accomplish in a lifetime. Carlyn proves that we're never too old and we're never stuck to follow our hearts. I'm proud to call her my friend and I know her words will encourage you! And although I am personally not a vegan, Carlyn is and I asked her to expound on that part of her life as well because I find it interesting and encouraging. I know you will too!
You can find Carlyn here:
Carlyn and I used to share an office and when she was there, she was often the highlight of my day! In the past few years she's accomplished more dreams than most of us accomplish in a lifetime. Carlyn proves that we're never too old and we're never stuck to follow our hearts. I'm proud to call her my friend and I know her words will encourage you! And although I am personally not a vegan, Carlyn is and I asked her to expound on that part of her life as well because I find it interesting and encouraging. I know you will too!
You can find Carlyn here:
Carlyn's responses to the questions
1. achieving your dream/s, which are – I’m living my dream as a full-time author, speaker, and animal advocate.
2. unconventional travel which is- when I was younger I used to spin the globe in the library, and wherever my index finger landed, that’s where I went: Egypt, Israel, Chile, Argentina, Peru were some of the countries I ended up in. I also travelled alone because it was the best way to meet new people and have unexpected adventures. When I got married and became a step mom I stopped travelling that way. But now, once the current pandemic ends, I envision myself travelling more with my husband and my rescue dog and look forward to the adventures we can create together.
3. minimalism which looks like... I’m not sure if how I live now is as minimalist as some people, but it’s a lot more minimal than my life was 2.5 years ago when I lived in a two story house in Marin County. Now we live in Santa Fe, New Mexico in a beautiful home half the size but on 1.5 acres of land. We have eliminated everything we no longer need, from careers, to subscriptions we never use, and boy is it freeing! I also grew up in a home where I had hoarders for parents, so living this way, where there is space, wildlife, and sun, feels extremely liberating.
Dreams:
1. what were your dreams and how long did it take you to go after them? – from as early as I can remember I loved animals and wanted to be a writer. I didn’t put two and two together until about 2012 when I began to write my first book, “Dog as My Doctor, Cat as My Nurse,” in 2017 I was published and everything changed. My book won several awards, I appeared on nearly one hundred, television, radio and press appearances and I even did a TEDx talk. Since the I’ve written two more books and am finishing up two more. Whether fiction or non-fiction, my books always have animals in them and how they benefit people’s lives in unexpected ways.
2. what was the deciding factor? Was there a major shift or incident in your life to make you change what you were doing or were you always moving forward in the dream achievement department? – I woke up one day and I realized it was the day of reckoning. I wasn’t happy and I knew I wasn’t happy because I wasn’t on track with my life’s purpose which was to be a writer. So I told my husband, if I don’t do this today, then I never will. That was the day I got serious about being a writer, got a writing coach and have not looked back since.
3. what responses do you get from other people when they find out? Everyone loves animals and they seem to love writers too. So I enjoy having conversations with people about that.
4. What would you tell others who aspire to…be bold, what do you have to lose?
5. Anything else you want to tell people? If you have a dream, you owe it to yourself and the world to reach for it. I think each of us is born with a special purpose, a unique piece of the puzzle. And once we connect with that, life can become so, so much richer.
Unconventional Travel:
1. what type of unconventional traveler are you? –when I was younger I used to spin the globe in the library, and wherever my index finger landed, that’s where I went: Egypt, Israel, Chile, Argentina, Peru were some of the countries I ended up in. I also travelled alone because it was the best way to meet new people and have unexpected adventures. When I got married and became a step mom I stopped travelling that way. But now, once the current pandemic ends, I envision myself travelling more with my husband and my rescue dog and look forward to the adventures we can create together.
2. when did you start? - 18
3. what do you like about it? – the freedom, the personal growth, the realization that life is so much bigger than what you think it is
4. what don’t you like about it/what are your challenges? A woman travelling alone can be challenging especially when it comes to overly curious men. I remember a spice vendor in Egypt telling a male travelling companion who I’d met the day before if he would trade me to him for some spices.
5. what responses do you get from other people when they find out? – I don’t think anyone is ever surprised by anything that I do. Most people that know me know I’m pretty adventurous and I do what I set out to do.
6. What would you tell others who aspire to…I think everyone should take time to travel whether conventionally or unconventionally. The world is a big and beautiful place but you will never see that sitting on your couch eating bonbons and watching Netflix.
Minimalism:
1. what made you decide to become a minimalist or move toward minimalism? – my husband and I lived in Marin County. When he retired, he said, either you have to work harder and longer to afford our home and lifestyle or we can move somewhere less expensive, more interesting, and start a new life. So we moved to Santa Fe New Mexico and live in a beautiful home half the size but on 1.5 acres of land. We have eliminated everything we no longer need, from careers, to subscriptions we never use, and boy is it freeing! I also grew up in a home where I had hoarders for parents, so living this way, where there is space, wildlife, and sun, feels extremely liberating.
2. what has it done for you? how has your life changed because of it? – we love our life here. I love having a small carbon footprint. We are both involved in meaningful work that fulfills us in ways we never thought possible. I’m writing full time and involved with animal advocacy groups who are trying to make meaningful change in animals lives. I’ve never felt more ontrack with my life than I do now.
3. where do you see yourself in the future in regards to minimalism and “stuff" – we’re pretty minimal at the moment, and we don’t have a lot of “stuff” but at some point we will probably only have one car.
4. what responses do you get from other people when they find out? I don’t know what people think. Though my husband and I recently were on the cover of a local magazine and when the photographer came into our house he said, I love the minimalist look. Having grown up with parents who were hoarders, I thought that was an amazing compliment.
5. What would you tell others who aspire to… "Less is the new sexy"
You Can Find Carlyn Here:
Website – AnimalHumanHealth.com
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/CarlynMDO
Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlynmdo/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/carlynmontesdeoca/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/carlynmdo
1. achieving your dream/s, which are – I’m living my dream as a full-time author, speaker, and animal advocate.
2. unconventional travel which is- when I was younger I used to spin the globe in the library, and wherever my index finger landed, that’s where I went: Egypt, Israel, Chile, Argentina, Peru were some of the countries I ended up in. I also travelled alone because it was the best way to meet new people and have unexpected adventures. When I got married and became a step mom I stopped travelling that way. But now, once the current pandemic ends, I envision myself travelling more with my husband and my rescue dog and look forward to the adventures we can create together.
3. minimalism which looks like... I’m not sure if how I live now is as minimalist as some people, but it’s a lot more minimal than my life was 2.5 years ago when I lived in a two story house in Marin County. Now we live in Santa Fe, New Mexico in a beautiful home half the size but on 1.5 acres of land. We have eliminated everything we no longer need, from careers, to subscriptions we never use, and boy is it freeing! I also grew up in a home where I had hoarders for parents, so living this way, where there is space, wildlife, and sun, feels extremely liberating.
Dreams:
1. what were your dreams and how long did it take you to go after them? – from as early as I can remember I loved animals and wanted to be a writer. I didn’t put two and two together until about 2012 when I began to write my first book, “Dog as My Doctor, Cat as My Nurse,” in 2017 I was published and everything changed. My book won several awards, I appeared on nearly one hundred, television, radio and press appearances and I even did a TEDx talk. Since the I’ve written two more books and am finishing up two more. Whether fiction or non-fiction, my books always have animals in them and how they benefit people’s lives in unexpected ways.
2. what was the deciding factor? Was there a major shift or incident in your life to make you change what you were doing or were you always moving forward in the dream achievement department? – I woke up one day and I realized it was the day of reckoning. I wasn’t happy and I knew I wasn’t happy because I wasn’t on track with my life’s purpose which was to be a writer. So I told my husband, if I don’t do this today, then I never will. That was the day I got serious about being a writer, got a writing coach and have not looked back since.
3. what responses do you get from other people when they find out? Everyone loves animals and they seem to love writers too. So I enjoy having conversations with people about that.
4. What would you tell others who aspire to…be bold, what do you have to lose?
5. Anything else you want to tell people? If you have a dream, you owe it to yourself and the world to reach for it. I think each of us is born with a special purpose, a unique piece of the puzzle. And once we connect with that, life can become so, so much richer.
Unconventional Travel:
1. what type of unconventional traveler are you? –when I was younger I used to spin the globe in the library, and wherever my index finger landed, that’s where I went: Egypt, Israel, Chile, Argentina, Peru were some of the countries I ended up in. I also travelled alone because it was the best way to meet new people and have unexpected adventures. When I got married and became a step mom I stopped travelling that way. But now, once the current pandemic ends, I envision myself travelling more with my husband and my rescue dog and look forward to the adventures we can create together.
2. when did you start? - 18
3. what do you like about it? – the freedom, the personal growth, the realization that life is so much bigger than what you think it is
4. what don’t you like about it/what are your challenges? A woman travelling alone can be challenging especially when it comes to overly curious men. I remember a spice vendor in Egypt telling a male travelling companion who I’d met the day before if he would trade me to him for some spices.
5. what responses do you get from other people when they find out? – I don’t think anyone is ever surprised by anything that I do. Most people that know me know I’m pretty adventurous and I do what I set out to do.
6. What would you tell others who aspire to…I think everyone should take time to travel whether conventionally or unconventionally. The world is a big and beautiful place but you will never see that sitting on your couch eating bonbons and watching Netflix.
Minimalism:
1. what made you decide to become a minimalist or move toward minimalism? – my husband and I lived in Marin County. When he retired, he said, either you have to work harder and longer to afford our home and lifestyle or we can move somewhere less expensive, more interesting, and start a new life. So we moved to Santa Fe New Mexico and live in a beautiful home half the size but on 1.5 acres of land. We have eliminated everything we no longer need, from careers, to subscriptions we never use, and boy is it freeing! I also grew up in a home where I had hoarders for parents, so living this way, where there is space, wildlife, and sun, feels extremely liberating.
2. what has it done for you? how has your life changed because of it? – we love our life here. I love having a small carbon footprint. We are both involved in meaningful work that fulfills us in ways we never thought possible. I’m writing full time and involved with animal advocacy groups who are trying to make meaningful change in animals lives. I’ve never felt more ontrack with my life than I do now.
3. where do you see yourself in the future in regards to minimalism and “stuff" – we’re pretty minimal at the moment, and we don’t have a lot of “stuff” but at some point we will probably only have one car.
4. what responses do you get from other people when they find out? I don’t know what people think. Though my husband and I recently were on the cover of a local magazine and when the photographer came into our house he said, I love the minimalist look. Having grown up with parents who were hoarders, I thought that was an amazing compliment.
5. What would you tell others who aspire to… "Less is the new sexy"
You Can Find Carlyn Here:
Website – AnimalHumanHealth.com
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/CarlynMDO
Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlynmdo/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/carlynmontesdeoca/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/carlynmdo