Strangers to Friends: Meet Michelle, Founder of Michelle Finds Freedom
There's a joke that goes around the kitchen here: you come to Circles either to build something or to run away from something. We sat down with Michelle, who spent almost ten years in sustainability consulting before deciding it was time for a change, to hear why, for her, the answer was both. Below, she shares her story firsthand.
Tell us what you're working on and how it started.
My name is Michelle, and I've worked in sustainability consulting for almost ten years. Recently, just a month ago, I decided it was time for me to make a change. I've started an experiment to try and find a way to earn an income that's time and location independent, and also fun. It's called Michelle Finds Freedom.
I'm taking a year to figure out if I can replace my corporate salary with one that's made from money on the internet. It's completely new to me, I've never done anything like it before, and I think it's going to be a lot of fun. I made a social account to be the container for the whole thing, where I document it, mostly for myself, and learn how to communicate better and how to make content. I'm really early in the story of this journey, but it's been really fun so far.
You've said sustainability has been your passion your whole life. Why step away from it?
I've been really happy with my career so far. I worked in sustainability for almost ten years, and it's been my passion my whole life. And then I just decided that right now, I want to do something different.
I didn't feel like I was energized by my work anymore. I didn't have the kind of impact I dreamed of having. So I wanted to find a way to have more freedom, with the ultimate idea that I want to give back to the world and find a way to do that which best suits the way my energy is. That's part of why I'm taking a year out from my career to find other ways I can earn money online.
Why did it matter so much to be somewhere new while you did this?
There's a huge difference between being here at Circles, surrounded by other founders and like-minded people, and doing this alone.
For a while, I was living in Copenhagen, and there I was trying to start a project of my own. I found it so difficult not to be surrounded by a community of people who thought the same as me. I was sad, I was uninspired, and I was always in the same environments. I think when you're making a change in your life, it's so important to be somewhere new. Being here, in these beautiful, inspiring surroundings, surrounded by like-minded people, I get so much inspiration and so much good energy. It's really just the perfect place for starting a new project and turning a new leaf.
I'm a person who cares so much about a healthy lifestyle and community, and I know I'm strongly affected by my environment. I actually don't produce good work if I'm not feeling good in the place I'm in. That's specifically why I picked Circles.
What's the hardest part of starting something completely from scratch?
Honestly, the hardest thing has been that I've only just started. I don't know how to make content. I don't really know much about what I'm going to be doing. So part of being here has been figuring out a plan, getting inspiration, and kicking the project off.
The best thing about Circles is that I can be doing my work, come out into the kitchen or sit down for breakfast, and right away I can talk to someone about what's on my mind, and they just get it. That's so unique, because you don't have it when you're working by yourself in your apartment, or even in a coworking space where people aren't on this kind of journey. I've had so many conversations here that have changed what I think about my work and how I approach it.
Has your definition of success changed?
Success for me has always meant giving back to the world and to the community around me. I don't think there's anything more satisfying than feeling you're doing something good for people, for the environment, for our world.
But having worked in corporate for a long time, now more than ever I really value my own freedom, and the feeling of expansiveness. The feeling that I'm pushing my boundaries, learning something new, building my agency in the world. That's really the focus of the work I'm trying to do now: understanding how I can be better than I've been before.
For a long time, I actually felt bad about feeling that way, because a lot of people around me didn't relate to it. They thought I was maybe too obsessive, or too hard-working. Then the other day I sat down to dinner with someone here, and I said that expansiveness and having new horizons was so important to me. And he said, no way, I feel the same, that was my word of the year last year. I was like, wow. People all around me see it the same way I do. It means a lot being in a community of people who feel the same way as I do.
What would you tell someone standing where you were a month ago?
If I had to pick one thing I'd tell anyone starting a career shift: get clear on what's important to you and what's empowering to you, and know your truth.
For me, the most important thing has been letting go of what other people think I should do, or what I think society sees as success, and focusing on what feels true to me. When I focus on what feels true to me, I unlock all this energy and authenticity that helps me be a better person and contribute more to the world. As long as I can stay true to that feeling, I think everything is going to go really well.
What's next?
That's a really good question, because I'm still trying to figure that out myself. I'm traveling back to Copenhagen, and then I'll be doing a lot of traveling around Europe, staying in different places and different co-livings. But I imagine that sooner or later I'll be back at Circles, because out of all the places I've stayed, it's somewhere I feel comfortable and productive, and I know I can trust it to get good work done while feeling really good. So I imagine I'll be back sometime soon.
Circles House is an intentional co-living and coworking space located in the tranquil, authentic neighborhoods of Barcelona, Spain, designed specifically for digital nomads, entrepreneurs, remote workers and creative professionals. Built for anyone seeking flexible housing away from the noisy central tourist hub, Circles House provides fully furnished private rooms, high-speed Wi-Fi, dedicated remote workspaces and open communal areas. By combining hassle-free monthly rentals with curated social events, skill-sharing sessions and a built-in international network, it offers residents a grounded, supportive environment to live, work and collaborate while experiencing local Barcelona life.
