Be A Free Range Human

Be A Free Range Human Plot Summary

Introduction

Ever feel like you're trapped in a career cage? That nagging sensation that you were meant for something more than fluorescent lights, endless meetings, and counting down to weekends? You're not alone. Millions of people worldwide wake up each morning with a quiet dread, following a path they never consciously chose, wondering if this is truly all there is to life. But what if there was another way? What if you could design a life where work doesn't feel like work, where Monday mornings excite you, where you can travel when you want, create what you love, and still pay your bills? This isn't some distant fantasy—it's a practical reality for a growing tribe of individuals who've broken free from conventional career paths to create remarkable lives on their own terms. They are the Free Range Humans, and in these pages, you'll discover exactly how you can join them.

Chapter 1: Discover Your True Calling Beyond Career Limitations

Finding your true calling isn't about chasing the perfect job title or following someone else's definition of success. It's about uncovering what genuinely lights you up and designing a life around it. The conventional approach teaches us to pick a career path and stick to it, suppressing our multifaceted interests in favor of becoming a specialist. But this one-size-fits-all approach rarely works for dynamic, creative individuals. Take Melissa Morgan, for example. She was earning a comfortable salary in education in London, but something was missing. She dreamed of making and selling beautiful vegan cupcakes, opening a successful shop without debt, and eventually writing a cookbook and hosting a TV cooking show. Despite having no formal culinary training or business experience, Melissa took a bold step. Instead of waiting for permission or the perfect moment, she created a persona—Ms. Cupcake, "a 1950s housewife who calls everyone gorgeous"—and started baking. "In the office, if someone was having a leaving do, I'd volunteer the cupcakes," Melissa explains. "Every birthday or dinner I went to, I'd bring the cupcakes as Ms. Cupcake." She even went to nightclubs dressed as her alter ego, giving out free samples. Without quitting her job immediately, she tested her recipes, built her brand, and gathered feedback until she felt ready to launch properly. When she finally took the plunge, Melissa overcame her lack of business experience by "reading up on everything I needed to know and learning on the way." Within months, she had her first market stall, a distinctive brand, and hundreds of loyal customers. Her cupcakes weren't just food—they were oversized, generous creations that embodied her brand values. Within a year, she had thousands of fans, a thriving social media following, and enough revenue to open a physical shop—all self-funded from her market stall sales. The most remarkable part? The rest of her dream manifested too. Three publishers competed to offer her a book deal, and television opportunities followed. All this from someone who simply dared to pursue what she loved rather than staying confined to a conventional career path. To discover your own true calling, start by asking yourself what activities make time fly by for you. When do you feel most alive and engaged? What did you love doing as a child before society's expectations kicked in? The answers often reveal clues to what you're truly meant to do. Remember, you don't need to choose just one thing—many successful Free Range Humans create portfolio careers combining several passions. Action steps for uncovering your calling include creating a "Head in the Clouds" exercise: set a timer for 12 minutes and imagine your ideal day without constraints of money, responsibilities, or experience. Where would you be? What would you be doing? Who would be around you? The patterns that emerge will reveal themes you can build a free range life around. The journey to discovering your true calling isn't about finding the perfect job—it's about creating a tailor-made career that accommodates all aspects of who you are. When you honor your diverse interests and strengths rather than trying to fit into someone else's box, you'll find a level of fulfillment that no conventional career path could ever provide.

Chapter 2: Create Your Personal Brand That Stands Out

Creating a distinctive personal brand isn't about flashy logos or marketing gimmicks—it's about authentically expressing who you are in a way that resonates with the right people. While conventional wisdom pushes us to appeal to everyone and avoid alienating anyone, true free range success comes from daring to stand out, even if it means some people won't get you. Consider Luke Milton's story. With a background as a professional rugby player in Australia, Luke could have easily followed the standard personal training business model when starting his own fitness venture—serious, intense, and focused exclusively on physical results. Instead, he decided to bring his authentic Australian personality to the forefront: "The whole reason I loved playing rugby was the camaraderie—like having a family to go to who you had a great time with. We Aussies like to joke and laugh and not take ourselves too seriously—we make everyone welcome." Luke gathered people in Central Park, New York for a bootcamp and called it "Training Mate." This evolved into a thriving business in Sydney and Los Angeles, with classes named things like "Thunder Down Under," a kangaroo painted on the wall, and workout sessions filled with jokes and laughter alongside serious fitness training. Rather than trying to fit into the standard model of what a fitness business "should" be in image-conscious LA, Luke created something that reflected his genuine personality. The result? Training Mate became one of the most booked workouts in the city, developed a loyal community, and even landed Luke on television as a celebrity trainer. What might have seemed risky—being playful in a serious industry—became his greatest strength and differentiator. To create your own standout brand, start by identifying what truly makes you different. Ask yourself: What's my natural style? What aspects of my personality do people consistently respond to positively? What would I say or do if I wasn't worried about being judged? Your 1% difference—the small but significant way you naturally differ from others in your field—can attract 100% of the right clients to you. When developing your brand, focus on authenticity rather than perfection. Write down 20-30 words that describe what you're really about, then cross out any words you included because you thought you "should." Use your favorite remaining words to brainstorm brand elements that capture both your approach and personality while being immediately understandable to someone who encounters it. Remember that your brand is every single experience people have of you—from your visual identity to how you communicate, what you offer, and the feeling people get when interacting with you. The goal isn't to appeal to everyone but to strongly attract the right people while repelling those who aren't a good fit. As one free ranger puts it: "If you don't love what I have to say, I want you to hate me... because that means my message is clear and strong enough that it will get under the skin of someone else—someone who will love my message." The most successful free range brands aren't trying to please everyone—they're boldly expressing a unique perspective that attracts their ideal audience while giving others permission to look elsewhere. When you build a brand that genuinely reflects who you are, you'll naturally attract people who appreciate exactly what makes you different.

Chapter 3: Master the Art of Self-Marketing Without Selling Out

The art of marketing yourself without feeling sleazy centers on one fundamental principle: genuine enthusiasm for how you can help others. Many aspiring free rangers struggle with the idea of "selling" because they associate it with pushy tactics or manipulation. However, effective self-marketing is actually about connecting your natural talents with the people who need them most. Benny Lewis, founder of Fluent in 3 Months, provides a perfect example of this approach. Despite not being naturally talented at languages (he did poorly with languages in school), Benny created a thriving business teaching accelerated language learning. What makes his approach effective is his honesty: "I don't even like the process of learning! What I love is to get the learning over fast so I can speak fluently, travel and hang out with the locals." This authenticity resonated with thousands of people who felt the same way but thought they weren't "language people." By openly sharing his struggles and progress—including videos of himself learning Mandarin from zero—Benny created content that people naturally wanted to share. His approach contradicted traditional language education methods, which actually helped him stand out: "All these bloggers who dislike what I do will write about me and link to me: 'Benny is an idiot because... link'! So they send traffic my way. They have helped expand my readership by not liking me!" To market yourself effectively without selling out, embrace the four Es: Enthusiasm, Engagement, Equanimity, and Ethics. Enthusiasm means genuinely believing in what you offer and communicating that passion naturally. Engagement involves understanding your audience's real needs and speaking directly to their challenges. Equanimity means approaching your marketing from a grounded place of confidence rather than desperation. Ethics involves treating others as you'd want to be treated and only selling something you truly believe is good. For practical implementation, start by identifying who would benefit most from what you offer. Rather than trying to appeal to "everyone," focus on a specific niche where you truly understand the problems and desires. Rachel Papworth, for example, had become "embarrassed" about her love of decluttering and organizing until she realized these skills were valuable to many people. She launched Green and Tidy and now gets paid for something she used to hide away. When communicating about your offering, avoid generic "business-speak" and speak human instead. Listen carefully to the actual words your ideal clients use when describing their problems, and mirror that language back to them. This creates an immediate connection where they think, "This person gets exactly what I'm struggling with!" Remember that most people don't buy based on features; they buy based on outcomes and how they'll feel afterward. On a fresh sheet of paper, identify 5-10 benefits your client will get from working with you. Focus on outcomes like "feeling confident in social situations" rather than just "three coaching sessions." The most powerful marketing happens when you genuinely care about solving problems for the right people. When you market from this authentic place, it doesn't feel like selling—it feels like sharing something valuable with people who genuinely need it.

Chapter 4: Design a Flexible Business That Works for You

Creating a business that truly works for you means designing it around your unique personality, strengths, and lifestyle goals—not forcing yourself to fit someone else's model of success. The traditional approach to business often revolves around rigid structures and conventional wisdom, but free range businesses thrive on flexibility and personalization. Peter Shankman exemplifies this approach. Despite having ADHD (which he calls his greatest Achilles' heel and greatest strength), Peter has built multiple successful ventures including HARO (Help a Reporter Out), which grew from a small Facebook group to a million-dollar business in under a year. Rather than trying to overcome his natural tendencies, Peter designed his businesses to capitalize on them while working around potential challenges. "I screw up my appointment calendar all the time: things like booking two dinners on two different continents at the same time! I actually did that once," he admits. "So now I have an assistant who keeps track of these things for me. But even before then, when I was doing it all myself, I still managed to keep things going. Everyone has a weakness. Find ways around them and accentuate what you're good at." This philosophy extends to all aspects of business design. For instance, instead of assuming you need a physical location or expensive equipment, consider what type of free range business model might work best for you. Options include service businesses (like coaching or consulting), virtual products (like online courses), advertising-supported content, physical products, or experiential offerings like events and retreats. Many successful free rangers combine several of these models for variety and multiple income streams. When designing your business, start with what you have and focus on the outcome rather than the wrapping. Amy Day launched her waterproof phone case business SwimCell while recovering from losing her grandmother, job, and apartment in a short timeframe. Rather than assuming she needed significant startup capital, she found manufacturers online, got samples, and secured pre-orders from shops before committing to her first big order. "From the first week I've pretty much hit target," she reports. "Today I pay myself a salary, have more freedom and flexibility than I dreamt of, and my business now runs itself even if I don't have internet access!" To create a business that truly works for you, identify your "Free Range Style"—the approach to attracting clients and income that aligns with your natural tendencies. Are you an "Attractor" who naturally draws people to your ideas and content? A "Connector" who thrives on relationships and partnerships? Or a "Trusted Person" who builds deep expertise and individual connections? Understanding your style helps you focus on strategies that play to your strengths rather than forcing approaches that drain your energy. Remember that you don't have to be an all-rounder who excels at every aspect of business. Focus on what you do best and find ways to delegate, collaborate, or simplify the rest. For tasks that need to be done repeatedly but don't align with your strengths, consider hiring a virtual assistant or finding a collaboration partner who complements your abilities. The beauty of a free range business is that it can evolve with you over time. You're not committing to one rigid model forever—you're creating a flexible vessel that can adapt as your interests, circumstances, and goals change.

Chapter 5: Build a Life of Freedom Through Location Independence

The freedom to work from anywhere in the world isn't just a dream—it's increasingly becoming a practical reality for Free Range Humans who structure their work to be location-independent. This lifestyle allows you to travel extensively, live in multiple locations, or simply work from your favorite local café instead of being tied to an office. Jon Morrow's remarkable story demonstrates the life-changing potential of location independence. After a car accident that left him with multiple broken bones, Jon reassessed his life and decided to quit his job to start a blog. Within months, his new venture was attracting thousands of visitors daily and led to opportunities with major websites like Copyblogger. Despite having spinal muscular atrophy that prevents him from moving below the neck, Jon created a thriving online business that allowed him to relocate from the United States to Mexico. "I'd been sitting in my pathetic apartment, wrapped up in blankets to keep warm, trying to get some work done on the computer, when it struck me how monumentally stupid it was," Jon explains. "I was a full-time blogger, for God's sakes. I could do my work from anywhere in the world." This move wasn't just about enjoying a beautiful location—it was a practical necessity, as his medical expenses in the United States had reached $127,000 annually. After relocating to a beachfront condo in Mazatlán, Jon built a business helping writers and businesses with their content strategies. The freedom to work from anywhere transformed not just his quality of life but his financial situation as well: "Not only am I making more than enough to take care of myself, but a couple of months ago I got uppity and bought my father a car. Do you understand how precious that is? For a guy who can't move from the neck down to buy his father a car?" Creating your own location-independent lifestyle starts with choosing or adapting your business model to be portable. Service businesses can be delivered remotely via video calls, virtual products can be sold while you sleep, and even physical product businesses can be structured to run without your daily presence. Phil Van Nostrand, for example, built a photography business he could run while traveling, and later added a physical product line (La Rousse) that brings in $15,000 monthly while being fulfilled by a third-party company. If full-time travel isn't your goal, you might prefer what some call "time-flexible income"—work that allows you to be based in one location part of the year while traveling during other periods. Karen and Paul maintain a home base in London where Karen works as a corporate trainer for part of the year, while spending the rest of their time traveling and growing their travel blog. For those concerned about family responsibilities, many Free Range Humans successfully travel with children. Jennie Harland-Khan moved her family from the UK to the French Alps, and then to Bali: "We moved to Bali not despite the kids but because of them—there's a school there we wanted them to go to, where they would be meeting people from all around the world." The beauty of location independence is that it can look however you want it to look. Some Free Rangers maintain a home while taking extended trips, others live nomadically for years, and some simply appreciate the freedom to work from different spots in their hometown. The common thread is designing a lifestyle that prioritizes freedom and personal fulfillment rather than being tied to a single location out of habit or perceived necessity.

Chapter 6: Overcome Fear and Take Inspired Action Today

Taking action despite fear is the crucial difference between those who dream about a free range life and those who actually create one. The path to freedom isn't about waiting until you feel completely ready or have eliminated all uncertainty—it's about moving forward anyway, learning as you go, and adjusting your course along the way. Charlie Haynes exemplifies this approach. She dreamed of creating a writers' workspace in London but couldn't afford the rent and equipment for a permanent facility. Rather than giving up, she pivoted to a more accessible solution. "I was on my way to work one morning and had been mulling over my exercise procrastination issues. I was contemplating doing a fitness bootcamp, and it hit me that all of the things I wanted to get from the fitness bootcamp—companionship and being forced to get on with exercising and actually making visible progress—were the same things I wanted for myself from a writers' workspace." This insight led Charlie to create Urban Writers' Retreats—single-day events where writers could gather to focus on their work. She set up a free website, found the cheapest suitable venue, and invited people to participate as "guinea pigs" for a fee that covered her costs. After each event, she collected feedback and made improvements. When the concept proved profitable, she invested in better venues and a proper website. Today, Charlie runs successful retreat days in multiple cities and has expanded to residential retreats in the countryside and online courses. "Even without the money issue, starting was scary!" Charlie admits. "Just making phone calls to potential venues was hard, but once I'd made a few steps it was easier to keep up the momentum." Her success came not from having everything perfectly planned, but from taking imperfect action and learning through direct experience. To overcome your own fears and take inspired action, start with small, low-risk "Play Projects" that let you test your ideas in the real world. For example, if you think you might want to be a wedding planner, volunteer to help with a friend's wedding. If you're interested in teaching public speaking, find three people to whom you can teach it and actually do it. These mini-experiments provide valuable feedback and build confidence with minimal risk. When facing resistance, learn to distinguish between fear and genuine misalignment. If an idea feels wrong because it doesn't suit your personality or values, it's wise to pivot. But if you're simply experiencing the natural fear that comes with growth, the best approach is often to push through it. As one free ranger puts it: "When you feel that block...dive right into the loss of control, dive into the fear. Do not check Facebook. Do not click away. Dive in. Headlong rush. Past the comfort zone... And hello flow." Remember that perfect timing and perfect preparation are myths. The best time to start is now, with whatever resources and knowledge you currently have. Set a specific date for taking meaningful action toward your free range life, whether that's launching a test project, contacting potential clients, or giving notice at your job. Mark that date in your calendar and honor it when it arrives. Perhaps most importantly, surround yourself with supportive influences. The free range path can feel lonely when those around you don't understand or support your vision. Seek out others who are on similar journeys, whether in person or online. Their examples and encouragement can help you stay focused when doubts arise. Taking action despite fear doesn't mean you'll never feel afraid—it means you'll build the muscle of courage that allows you to move forward anyway. And with each small step, your confidence will grow, your skills will develop, and your dream life will come closer to reality.

Summary

Throughout these pages, we've explored how to break free from conventional career limitations and create a life that truly reflects who you are. From discovering your authentic calling to designing a business around your unique strengths, marketing yourself without compromise, and embracing the freedom of location independence—the path to becoming a Free Range Human is both practical and profoundly liberating. As Jon Morrow so powerfully expressed it: "If I can quit my job, risk the government carting me off to a nursing home because I can't afford my own healthcare, convince my poor mother to abandon her career and drive my crippled butt 3,000 miles to a foreign country, and then make enough money to support myself... what can you accomplish if you really set your mind to it? My guess: pretty much anything." Your free range journey begins with a single step—not someday, but today. Choose one idea from this book that resonated most strongly with you and commit to implementing it this week. Whether it's running a small test project, reaching out to potential partners, or simply blocking out time to clarify what you truly want from life, that initial action will create momentum that carries you forward. Remember that you're not just building a business; you're creating a life—one where work doesn't feel like work because it's aligned with who you truly are. The world needs your unique gifts and perspective. It's time to set them free.

About Author

Loading...

Marianne Cantwell

Read more