Mom Takes Leap of Faith + Finds Connected Life on the Open Road

She Who Wanders

Jan 19

A convo with Gwendolyn from Chaos Kiddos & Harmony

Meet Gwendolyn. A faithful + courageous mom of 3, she and her husband made a bold move to sell their house + land, leave her corporate job behind and hit the road for a life of freedom and adventure. She’s an out-spoken advocate for focusing on simple adventures, and is happiest when she’s in nature with her family. After losing her mom too early in life, she has a true sense of living every moment to the fullest and being intentional with her days. An extreme introvert who (ironically) loves tiny living with her family, Gwendolyn truly exudes warmth as she shares tips on everything from road schooling to national park tips! A true inspiration for other families to get outside the box, leave the self-doubt behind and create their own reality.

Q: It takes a lot of courage to sell everything you own and leap into the unknown with your whole family in tow. What was the driving force behind you overcoming fear and uncertainty and starting this new and exciting lifestyle?

The biggest driving force for taking a huge leap of faith was truly in the word “faith”. It was knowing that there is something much greater than us and putting our faith in “trusting the process”. As scary as it was to do something so bold, so unconventional and so outside-the-box, it felt even more scary to stay put and not trust my gut and intuition as a mother, wife and human. The thought of actually continuing to live my day-to-day the way that we were almost felt suffocating.

Q: The Great Wanderlust is all about moms stepping outside of the box and diving deeper in both travel and in life! The mission is to inspire mamas and families to feel fully alive through adventure and exploration! What is your great wanderlust? What most makes you come to life??

The thing that makes me feel most alive, not only as a mother but as a human, is when I can nurture, connect with, and witness my children stepping into the role of loving and respecting mother Earth. It is simply being outdoors. Each adventure does not have to be epic, it can simply be sitting outside, grounding our feet into the earth. The big adventures are amazing - the epic hikes and stunning locations. But truly just connecting as a family unit with nature is the best. It is what can always recenter us as humans, big and small.

Q: As an introvert, what are your biggest challenges to living in a tiny space as a family and how do you overcome them?

We get this question a lot - how are we living in such a small space and how are we overcoming challenges that may arise? And honest to God the truth is that in the full year we've done this, I have never felt overwhelmed or like I need more space. A big key to our success is we have a routine that allows for different use of space all the time.

Q: What was the hardest part about leaving your home and the lifestyle you had before full-time RV travel? Are there any parts of it you miss?

The difficulty of leaving our home and what is termed a “traditional lifestyle” was basically the judgment that we received from others. And then allowing self-doubt to creep in and question what we were doing! So, as long as we stayed together as a family unit and my husband and I continued to check in with how we both felt, things felt good! Self-doubt can be a really ugly thing, especially when it's projected by others. If I'm being brutally honest, the only thing I truly miss is in my tub!

Q: What does a typical day look like for you as a full-time travel, homeschooling mom of three?

Our days really don't look that much different than when we had a sticks and bricks home with the wonderful exception that we have more time to do the things we love. To start our mornings we wake up slow. We allow the kids to jump into what we call a “learning basket” and pick what they would like to start their day with, and then we come together and have breakfast and coffee. Next, we start our traditional school followed by lunch, a nap and then each afternoon is up for any adventure that we have planned. Our kids still participate in piano on zoom once a week, and our son participates with a speech therapist once a week.

Q: What are some of the key benefits you see in your kids from spending so much time outdoors? Are they what you thought they’d be or have you been surprised by some?

Some of the things I see with our kids spending so much time outdoors are some of the more obvious ones: their love of nature, their love of hiking, and their drive and focus to discover and learn. Some of the things that I didn't think we would see such a huge return on are self-confidence, the ability to challenge themselves, this incredible love of animals and protecting our earth and lastly, this fierce determination and bravery. It is one of the most incredible things that we've been able to witness as parents!

Q: I love how you make even the small things, like playing with your kids around the campsite, an adventure. When you say “adventure is a mindset, not a destination” what does that mean exactly and how does it play out for you and your family on a regular basis?

Adventure is a mindset. To kind of mirror one of the above questions - some of the more epic hikes that you see on social media, fancy photos + drone footage are great. But the days that I will remember the most are the adventures that were around a campsite, a city park, and off-the-beaten-path. The times when we just immersed ourselves into nature with no phones + no expectations - those are the times that I feel we've really bonded as a family. I think we get so caught up in creating this huge adventure for children when it doesn't take a plane ride or an epic location to do that. All our children want is to spend time with us. They don't understand one location from the next but what they do understand is your excitement and joy, and that truly always comes back to mindset.

Q: Is there a question you wish I would have asked or anything else you’d like to share with other mamas relating to travel or life?

I'd love to share something that we always share when we meet people. You don't have to sell everything to buy an RV to travel the world, but you can make small changes every day. You can shift your mindset to where your priority isn't the way your home looks, doing the dishes or cleaning! YOU hold the power to create a shift to spend more quality time together as a family. To not be so caught up in what we are told is a traditional lifestyle. We are so programed to think we need a 9-to-5, a home, two-car garage and two vacations a year. When really you can do whatever you want in this lifetime.

Another thing that truly helped me is when you do something that makes somebody else feel uncomfortable, they will always project what they are missing in their life onto you. It's an important thing to remember! The judgment is not about you - it is about them and where they feel they are coming up short! So GO FOR IT!

Gwendolyn Call @ChaosKiddosandHarmony mom stands in canyon in white dress

Q: Who inspires you to dig deeper in life?

One of my biggest inspirations is my mother. Each day that I wake up I think how would she want me to live my life and what would make her smile. She lived life completely to the fullest and had laughter always around her, and that always inspires me to try as hard as I can to not sweat the small stuff 🙂

I also love Katie from @embraceyourselfwhole