Isn’t it peculiar how one encounter with someone can radically change the trajectory of your life? With a word, a smile, their essence, or even the way they live their lives, somehow, someway, a stranger or someone in your life can have the power to change your perspectives and alter the course of your life. This is exactly what happened to 24 year old Destiny Villarreal. A chance encounter with a couple on the Greek isles inspired Villarreal to sell her home in San Diego, California, pack her bags, and start her journey as a digital nomad. After returning back to San Diego after four months in Mexico, Villarreal hopped on a call with me to talk about this chance encounter alongside keeping your curiosity alive, self-evolution, and more.
From my understanding, you moved from California to Mexico. How did this come to be?
Have you ever heard of EF Ultimate Break? That’s like a travel group company for young people (like 18 to 30 or something like that). So I went on one of their trips to Greece — that was kind of a solo trip but not. And I met some guys on Skyros, an island in the Greek isles. And one of the guys — he lived in Greece part-time, but I think he was from Sweden — was a competitive surfer and a competitive snowboarder, so he just spent half a year in both countries. And he had a partner there, and he was from South Africa and… he got his degree in South Africa and everything and he graduated and he decided, “You know, this is not the life I want,” and he just moved to Greece. And literally the moment I met them I said, “Okay, once my lease is up with my apartment, I’m getting rid of my apartment, [and] I’m going to Costa Rica. They have no idea they changed my entire life.
So I just kind of started doing digital nomad life. I am in San Diego right now, but I’m just kind of traveling full-time. When I am in San Diego I stay with my parents and any money I use for the rent and things I just use towards like hostels and Airbnbs now. I have spent the most time in Mexico. I’ve spent, like, four and a half months there. That’s how it came to be.
Whenever you decided to sort of become a digital nomad or travel whenever you can, was your family supportive of this lifestyle?
My parents thought I was a little crazy, but I’ve always just kind of had a relationship with my family that they just know they can’t tell Destiny what to do and Destiny has her dream and she’s gonna go for it. And so, like, telling me not to do anything doesn’t even cross their mind. So in that way, supportive.
I think my mom and dad were both scared a little bit, but they’re also very quiet people, so they kind of didn’t really say anything. I think my mom is very supportive of travel and she really values those experiences. And then my dad, he’s never left the country, nor has he even traveled too much within the country, so it’s a very foreign world for him. But I think the more I do it and the more I tell him, you know, different stories, I think he is going to appreciate those things. And I think he is planning a trip to Mexico now, and he literally would never have done that before.
Something I’ve observed is that you have a learner’s mindset — from learning headstands to Spanish to surfing. I want to know: where did this mindset come from? Or how did you cultivate it?
I think my mom is very education focused and we’ve always had learning as part of growing up. I think my mom encouraged us to try a lot of different things, but also in a way that wasn’t guilting either. It was just like, “Oh, I found this in class. If you want to try it, you try it. And if you don’t like it, you just leave.” And I think I still have that mindset today. I do a lot of different things. And I stick with some of them, and I don’t stick with others. I see that now, especially because I have a younger brother and I’m watching her raise him. And so it makes me reflect. He does a ton of different things also.
And honestly, when I’m not learning new things and trying new things, I get bored. And I remember right after I graduated college (because that’s a big milestone, you know?) And when you’re involved, you’re doing so many things all the time. You’re literally so busy. And I graduated, I got my job, and I was so bored. I was kind of miserable. I feel like nobody talks about that, but I was like, “No, I need goals. I need something to work towards,” just because my job wasn’t challenging me in those ways, and it also wasn’t as dynamic as the college experience. So yeah, I just started on goals and I found I was a lot happier. And then I started traveling, and I think those combinations have just made me a hundred times happier, really.
You just mentioned your yoga teacher training, and I want to touch on that as well. What role did yoga play in your journey? How has it influenced it so far?
Yoga is very meaningful for me. The training I took was a trauma-informed training. So essentially, when I’m teaching, I want to help people move through their traumas through yoga as well. So it’s a little bit different than traditional yoga. They have different aims. Traditional yoga is all about self-realization and reaching, you know, Samhati and things like that. And trauma-informed is more like just to help people feel better and build traumas and kind of like release them.
In terms of travel, I just got my certification and I’m just diving into that world. There’s so many travel yoga opportunities, so I’m planning on starting there. I also have a lot of volunteer opportunities here in San Diego, because I already have my community there. So I’m grateful for that. I plan on volunteering at the hospital and at my mom’s school; she works with special ed kids.
With your journey so far with building this lifestyle and integrating yoga and your passions — what is one thing you learned about yourself?
That’s hard because I feel like, honestly, in the past year I’ve changed so much, and sometimes you don’t notice because you’re with yourself 100% of the time and you don’t notice the little changes throughout the day. I guess one thing I learned about myself is [that] I needed a lot more adventure than I would’ve got before. Not that I thought my life was boring before — I just kind of stuck to my same hobbies and I was relatively happy with that. But when I have adventure built in, I’m literally so much happier.
Also, I am mixed: I am Mexican and Filipina. [I] grew up in California, and when I went to Mexico, I kind of had a feeling like I might be a little bit excluded, not only because I’m mixed but also because I grew up in California and I wasn’t raised with the language. But I was pleasantly surprised that I was so welcomed with open arms, and I’ve had some of the most beautiful experiences. That acceptance, it’s literally priceless. And I feel like I grew a lot more within my culture as well.
This series is called “On My Terms” because it features individuals who are creating and living a life on their terms. So, I want to ask: For life to feel and look authentic to you, what terms are required?
I’m learning freedom is huge for me… just because I feel like we’re all brought onto this earth and we all have our individual journeys. Freedom, exploration… [and] kindness. I can’t tolerate anybody who doesn’t have kindness in their heart. That’s always been big for me… approaching the world and myself in that way as well.
I’m Just Curious — rapid fire questions
What has been your favorite thing about Mexico?
I have to go with the cheesy answer and say the people. People are just so kind. Like I know I can just go walk on the street and if I’m gonna need something — if I’m gonna need directions, if I’m gonna need a ride, if I’m gonna need guidance — I know it’s just gonna come to me. I know somebody is going to be willing to help me in that way.
What is your favorite type of yoga?
I love many different types of yoga for different reasons, but I think I’m most passionate about Yin yoga.
What is an affirmation or mantra that you can’t live without?
My first mantra ever was, “Everything you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear,” and I got that from Will Smith. But my mantra I came to myself was, “Love is as abundant as water.” And I like it because… people like to talk about it like it’s scarce. I kind of flipped that around and was like, “No love is as abundant as water. It’s in everything. It’s the plants that provide oxygen for us. It’s in the people walking down the street that would say “hi” to you. It’s in your friends, it’s in your family, it’s in yourself. I think living in that way really changed my perspective.
What is next on your list to learn?
It’s mostly languages right now. I guess I’m also learning how to instruct. But the Spanish is coming along well; I’m reaching the advanced phase (I’m very happy about that). So I think after, I’m gonna go into Italian or potentially Greek. In terms of yoga, what I’m learning right now is called acupressure.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Tune of the week: Como Si Fueras a Morir Mañana by Leiva
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