This Big-Shot Lawyer Left Everything Behind to Go Traveling

By
Ronnie H
-

A decade ago, Jodi Ettenberg was a big-shot corporate lawyer on her way to the top. Then, she quit her job and traveled to Siberia.

Jodi was living the life many parents wish for their kids: she graduated from college with great marks, got a law degree, and was working as a corporate lawyer for six years. She basically had it all – a fulfilling career, a stable income, and a bright future ahead of her. But it wasn’t what she wanted – well, it wasn’t all she wanted. There’d been an itch she was dying to scratch for years – and finally, she decided to do something about it.

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On Thursday, I turn 40. How this came up so soon, I'm not entirely sure. I do know I managed to stuff a lot of adventure into those 40 years. Long-term readers know that my tradition has been to climb a mountain on my birthday every year. I've been doing this since I was 13, with a few years break until I moved out and picked up the tradition in earnest as an adult. I thought I'd share some previous birthday mountain posts as Thursday approaches, as I am only climbing metaphorical mountains this year. This was the first one I wrote about on #LegalNomads, a climb of South Sister in Oregon. My friend Peter kindly drove and we camped at the summit. It was MAGICAL. At night, a dark sky full of stars, streaking meteors from the Perseids, which hit in mid Aug, clear skies. And then a lightning storm to cap it all off. Plus marshmallows, that Peter brought in his backpack as a birthday treat. Beats a party any day! Full story and more pics via my profile, if interested. 📷: @photosfrompwc

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Other than her interest in law, Jodi had always been fascinated by travel. In high school, she saw a documentary about trans-Siberian trains and had been longing to travel the world for a year ever since. So, after six years in corporate law, she finally decided to make a change and spend a year traveling. To keep her mom informed, she also started a blog, Legal Nomads.

But the ex-lawyer’s adventures interested more than just her mom, and soon she became a full-time traveler. Today, she’s still traveling the world. getting to know different cultures and having the time of her life. Doing legal work was great – but for Jodi, traveling is her real calling.

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10 YEARS OF LEGAL NOMADS, IN PHOTOS Over the years, I had many opportunities to run Legal Nomads differently. I could have added ads. Made much shorter posts. Taken more press trips. Opened the blog up to sponsored links or guest writing. As travel blogging evolved, so too did the ways to make money. But I decided to write and run the business in ways that would resonate with my soul, my own path through the messy brambles of entrepreneurship. My hypothesis was simple: if I thought my readers were the cat’s pyjamas, then obviously I was writing as my true self. Writing in a true voice was important. Presenting a glimmering version of yourself that doesn’t feel real is an easy path to discontent. You can follow your passion all you want, but if you’re not expressing it authentically, in a way that is indisputably you, the gap will catch up with you. The space between who you are and who you express yourself to be exists in varying degrees. But if it’s too large, especially if your work involves sharing your thoughts creatively, the disparity can easily engulf you. The business philosophy over the years has been simple. Write how you’d want to read, learn as much as you can each day, listen very carefully to what readers tell you, and create the products they feel they need or want in their lives. I’m going share my favourite pictures from the last 10 years of #LegalNomads here on Insta, each one featured in the 10 years of Legal Nomads post in my profile. This picture taken in Bagan by my friend Honza, who I met on a night bus to Mandalay.

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Hi everyone. No update on the health side for now. I’m resting and in no rush to decide on next steps as my body has been through a lot these months. I did want to share some good news, which is that I won a North American Travel Journalists Association award for best independent travel blog (Bronze), and that my #legalnomads post about one of my favourite people in Oaxaca was a finalist for the travel personality category. This is a pic of his tacos. The piece is called the Cow Head Philosopher King of Oaxaca, and while I wish I were there as planned, stuffing my face, I’m glad that the profile about his story was recognized by NATJA. Thanks, as always, for all your support and well wishes during this totally crazy time. 💙🙏🏻

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MAINE FTW!

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BEST DAY EVER. I've long been obsessed with Moochi (@moochithecow) and was thrilled that a conference brought me to his hometown. These are but a few photos of my day. Scroll awaaaaay! Not pictured: Moochi head butting me off the road, or refusing to leave his grazing spot and head butting his mama off a small hill. Hilarious to spend a few hours with his owners and see just how much joy he brings everyone he meets – including horses. He would wait at the stables of his horse friends, knowing they were there. He'd walk up to cars in curiosity and wonder, and he even runs up stairs. I am super thankful T & T took the time to let me meet him and indulge a #legalnomads obsession, since as they don't usually give tours! 🙏🏻 Thanks also to @hungontheworld who took most of these photos where I'm laughing my ass off. Perfect reward after presenting at a conference. Yay!

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