Tara Tiedemann

Six years ago, I started a small tour company in Central America and I’m currently based in—and operate out of—the South Pacific region of Costa Rica. My work takes me into some of the most biodiverse and ecologically healthy places on the planet. I might be out hiking Monteverde’s cloud forests one day and sitting in a natural volcanic hot spring the next. During the turtle nesting season, I am out at night with my group, walking the beach in hopes of spotting a nesting sea turtle. I am still shocked that I have created this reality and even get paid to live it.

I remember sitting on my sister’s couch back in 2009 having reached a point of disillusionment with the life I saw playing out into the next decade and beyond. I felt like I wasn’t really doing anything to make a difference in the world, and that bothered me.

In the U.S., I had my daily routine. After work, I would head over to the fitness club to take a class or drop by the local yoga studio to balance out my cardio workouts.