She Let It All Go. And Found Everything.

It was the philosopher and adventurer in me that brought me to buses, trains, boats, and planes, even bikes!

Welcome to the next edition of Reader Stories, where we highlight voices from this wild, soul-seeking community. These are people who’ve chosen the untamed path—not because it was easy, but because it felt right.

Today’s story comes from Astrid Sadaya, whose journey began on a small island in the Philippines called Siargao. What started as a short vacation turned into something much bigger. She gave up a steady job in graphic design, walked away from a national-level rugby career, and chose the ocean. A surfboard. A job that paid next to nothing, but filled her with everything that mattered.

Once she followed that passion, the doors began to open. Not all at once, and not in the ways you might expect. But slowly and steadily, the right people appeared. The right places. The right opportunities. That’s what tends to happen when you begin living in alignment with what makes you come alive. You stop chasing, and life begins to meet you halfway.

Astrid’s journey is proof that you don’t need a perfect plan. You just need curiosity, trust, and the courage to move toward what feels real. The rest tends to fall into place.

I'm honored to share her story with you.

—Scott Stillman

She Let It All Go. And Found Everything—by Astrid Sadaya

I discovered surfing in 2015, at 25 years old, when a colleague convinced me to try it on a small island in the Philippines called Siargao. I remember telling him that one week there felt too long—but he really insisted. After the trip, I loved it so much I joked that I would move there. The next year, I did.

I gave up my job as a graphic designer in the city, passed up opportunities in national rugby football, and took a minimum-wage job as a resort manager on the island. I fell in love with surfing, and my life took a whole new direction after that.

In 2017, I traveled across Southeast Asia and eventually landed a role managing the surf department of a large company, where I stayed for four years. I published a memoir in 2019 about my whole Siargao experience.

It was the philosopher and adventurer in me that brought me to buses, trains, boats, and planes, even bikes! After my trip around Southeast Asia, I slowly began to want more experiences and knowledge of other countries. I was blessed to get hired to work for the largest sporting retail company in the world, and lucky enough to be sent to Singapore and Europe for product trainings. There, I took the opportunity to visit neighboring countries, and in the following years I used my vacation leaves to see other European and Asian countries.

At thirty years old, I was able to add Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia, France, Italy, Spain, Greece, Switzerland, Netherlands, and Malta to my checklist. I visited the famous landmarks, of course, but also went deeper into the cities and towns, ate exotic food, got lost in nature, and stared at beautiful mountains and beaches of different sceneries.

For some travelers, that list might not be so much, but for a girl who grew up in a family of mediocre means in a big city, that was pretty fulfilling, and it felt so damn good.

That was me on top of the Alps. So tiny, feeling so BIG.

And then the year 2020 stopped everything, including my jolly soul. After months of being stuck in a small apartment in the city, I tried to take a bicycle and cycle long distance for the first time, traveling seventy kilometers from the north of Luzon to the south, stopping at food shops during an unexpected typhoon, hoping to reach the beach. I didn’t make it. I was tired, frustrated, and dejected. That was my desperate attempt to be outdoors, and it made me realize how much I wanted to leave.

Finally, I accepted the fact that I couldn’t stay and keep pretending. I resigned from the job I used to love so much and was paying me a decent salary, only to accept a part-time position that paid lower than the minimum wage but allowed me to live in a camper bus and travel near the beaches with empty surf spots.

Yes. THAT was my happiness.

In a way, it was also a good time for me to see more of my country and realize what a beautiful place I’ve been living in. It took a pandemic to rattle my cage and really soar. I’m sure many people can relate to this as well. I’ve heard different crazy lockdown stories, some I envy, and some made me appreciate my situation.

Two years passed and I got to travel outside the Philippines again, this time with bigger love for my country and more appreciation of others’.

No matter how much you try and give your full attention to something, if you aren’t being true to yourself and to others, then skills and hard work will never get you to where you really want to be.

🏄‍♀️🏄‍♀️🏄‍♀️

If Astrid’s story speaks to something in you, feel free to leave a comment below. She’d be happy to answer any questions or share more about her journey.

And if you’ve taken your own leap—across oceans, or simply into a more honest version of yourself—this community of like-minded souls would love to hear it!

✍️Submit your story below to be considered for a future edition of Reader Stories. Your words might be exactly what someone else needs to read.

To support this growing community and help make more stories like this possible, consider becoming a paid subscriber to the newsletter. Your subscription supports future writing projects and keeps this space alive for voices like Astrid’s to be shared.

Happy Wandering,
Scott Stillman