Unveiling Nest & North: A Founder’s Story of Reinvention (Part 2/2)
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For those balancing ambition with care, this story is for you: a journey toward becoming your own source of validation, defining success around what truly matters.
📌 TL;DR: After years of fast-paced building and identity-unraveling transitions, I’m launching Nest & North, a venture born from reinvention. It blends community, storytelling, and transformational experiences to help people design lives rooted in clarity, creativity, and care. Read the full story here →
At home with Lucas. Photography by my friend @aliciaseeleyphoto
I believe that stories create possibilities.
We need more narratives that reflect real becoming: not just highlights, exits, or wins. By sharing my journey, I hope others might see a reflection of their own. Especially those balancing ambition with care, wondering if there’s room for both. There is.
Storytime: From Flight to Nest
"Every woman has to learn where her true source of validation is." —Maureen Murdock, PhD, in “The Heroine's Journey: Woman's Quest for Wholeness”
In 2017, I had just exited my first startup. I was serving as mentor-in-residence at Malaysia’s largest accelerator, island-hopping in chase of surf breaks, and speaking, moderating panels, and emceeing at large tech conferences across the world.
Life was fun. Work was life.
From September to November that year, I flew from Kuala Lumpur to Penang, Johor Bahru, Singapore, Alexandria, Madrid, Mexico City, Dubai, Mexico City (again), Barcelona, Lisbon, then Porto… where it all began to change.
Emceeing at Web Summit (between 2017-2019)
But with all that adventure-seeking, something was missing.
In November, I embarked on a 300km pilgrimage from Porto to Santiago de Compostela: walking through autumnal landscapes, pouring rains, and icy mornings; sleeping in pilgrim refuges; scarcely finding a warm shower.
As shared in this article from 2022 (link):
“[the pilgrimage] led me to a burst of clarity and to a path I couldn't ignore: to feel whole, I needed to let go of my identity represented by my career in Southeast Asia. That meant leaving behind strong personal and professional connections.
Somewhere on that trail, I committed to walking toward my most sincere self.
Following a proverb that reminded me, ‘Successful or not, a sincere approach is the only way,’ I needed to let go of the identity I’d built in Southeast Asia. A successful one. A beloved one. But no longer the right one.
I’d built myself a powerful community in Southeast Asia, which included key players in its tech startup ecosystem—from emerging and seasoned unicorn founders, to VCs and C-level executives whose voices helped define the zeitgeist of an era.
Letting go of that community felt like letting go of myself. But I understood: they were part of my journey, not the end of it.
By early 2018, I had sold everything in my Malaysian apartment and left a rising career to be closer to family—and closer to the next chapter.
Pilgrimage: on my way to Santiago de Compostela, 2017
Becoming Your Own Source of Validation
“Transitions imply reviewing intricate details that define our identity. They trigger a series of small (or not-so) deaths— of things or ideas we are attached to, such as a career, lifestyle, or relationship.” —Laís’ Substack Article in 2022, link
Fast-forward to 2025.
Life had been quietly busy at our home in Jersey. Well—maybe quiet isn’t the best word to describe a house filled with books, toys, and the laughter of an energetic toddler… and a dog who insisted on defending us from every mailman.
At the start of the year, I was still hiding behind the scaffolding mesh of (yet another) impressive job title: Head of North America at a trendy, fast-growing startup. It gave me external validation and a sense of stability.
While I’ve always been wary of “borrowed identities”, resisting the lure of validation stamps from big-name brands like Meta or AWS, I wasn’t immune to seeking legitimacy in other ways. I had often chosen to build or bet in early stage ventures, rather than join giants.
But external validation comes in different shapes. Mine included.
But inside, I was still “under construction.”
From the outside, I had accomplished a lot since 2018:
Published my first book (Hacking Communities) in two languages;
Led successful initiatives at fast-scaling startups, while also building my own community strategy and innovation business;
Went from nomadic explorer to rooted life near NYC: living in our own home, growing a family with a loving partner, an energetic toddler, a baby on the way, a dog, and a budding garden.
But look closer, and there were losses.
Yes, I’d built a lot. But many things faded. Others I walked away from.
At least 3 times, I began rebuilding myself while building something new.
At least 3 times, I paused or compromised that vision for a shiny job offer.
At least 3 times, I hit a wall—besides achieving external success.
Call it failure or fear of full transformation: it’s all part of becoming.
Now, in May 2025, after seven years of identity-unraveling life transitions, I’m finally weaving my own story, colors, and passions into something relevant that rekindles my love for personal growth, experience design, storytelling, and community building.
Born from this long arc of reinvention, I started a venture to help others design fulfilling lives of their own.
Setting a New Pace
“Not all those who wander are lost.”— The Riddle of Strider, J.R.R. Tolkien
Not all ambition looks like speed.
Since the beginning, my career has unfolded serendipitously—led by curiosity, creativity, and a desire to add value. That’s how I went from law school dropout in 2010 to founder, community builder, and author.
At the core, some things haven’t changed.
I’m still:
1. Curious, creative, ambitious.
2. Designing experiences that connect people.
3. Persisting on living a life that encompasses both love and legacy, balancing care and career success;
But I’ve chosen to grow roots before rising, raising little humans along the way.
Back then, I launched fast. Chased big ideas. I was the kind of person who’d hop in for a road trip open to exploring, trusting that wherever we ended up, I’d find either a hole-in-the-wall local gem or good waves and a surfboard to rent.
Now, I ask more questions.
Where are we going?
Who’s coming with us?
Are there good restaurants nearby, with high chairs and changing tables?
Both literally and metaphorically, I’m making space for children and creativity to belong in my life alongside my work.
I am planning business launches around the seasons and their birthdays.
While I’m still testing markets and putting offerings out there early enough to feel slightly embarrassed about it, I’m also honing my narrative more deeply, mining for the words that speak resonantly to those I aim to build a lighthouse for.
But I’ve become more cautious. And more intentional. But that old spark? It’s still humming beneath the spreadsheets. Different rhythm, same fire.
Caution isn’t cowardice. It’s the wisdom of someone who’s lugged a few scars and learned to travel with tiny humans in tow.
The Becoming of Nest & North: a Journey-Based Venture
The metaphors of journey, character development, and storytelling are no strangers to my book (Hacking Communities, 2020), along with the concept of becoming a “lighthouse” for your community. Yet some metaphors have shifted.
I began ideating something similar to Nest & North roughly a year ago, before getting in the weeds as Head of North America at Timeleft.
At the time, I had framed it slightly differently:
The outcome of self-awareness is efficiency—as in more time spent creating, building, and doing; less time overthinking each step.”
While those ideas still hold, both my target audience and key metaphors have evolved. Especially after yet another stretch leading a team through ambiguity in a fast-paced startup, I’m less drawn to language around speed:
It’s less about efficiency, more about fluidity.
Less about hard work, more about persistence on a meaningful journey.
Less about agility, more about consistency.
Clarity still fuels simplicity.
But the path now feels less like sprinting, and more like becoming.
In the Long Run
"It is good to have an end to journey toward, but it is the journey that matters in the end."
— Ursula K. Le Guin
As I build Nest & North, I’m gathering learnings and sharpening clarity around a bigger vision: to build an ecosystem focused on the future of work and parenthood—helping new parents (especially ambitious and creative moms) design a life of their own making. One that accommodates ambition, creativity, and care.
By work, I mean any pursuit rooted in ambition or creativity. Anything that fulfills and sustains. Especially when prefaced with words like remote, flexible, fractional, or part-time. Areas I’m curious about:
Parent-friendly third spaces where you can actually finish your latte, a thought, or an insightful conversation while your kids play. (Key players to watch: Workplayce, Matcha & Minis, and more)
A jobs marketplace for ambitious parents to find remote, flexible, fractional, or part-time opportunities. (Key player to watch: Five Hour Club)
A program-based alternative for preschoolers that nurtures entrepreneurial, creative, and collaborative skills. (Key player to watch: Moonrise)
There’s still so much for me to learn on this road. But for now, I’m starting with what I know best: community-enabled, journey-based knowledge sharing.
Making space for inner clarity by designing and offering the journeys I want to experience
Building the community I’ve been craving
Inviting others to walk the path with me
In Hacking Communities, I wrote that “stories create possibilities,” anchored by a key learning that stayed with me while researching startup ecosystems around the world: a founder in Helsinki wasn’t inspired by billion-dollar exits, but by seeing someone like him raise a six-figure seed round.
I call these accessible success stories—the kind that make big dreams feel within reach.
That’s the spirit behind Nest & North: to create and share stories that expand what’s possible, especially for those balancing ambition with care.
Because when we see ourselves in a story, we start believing in new realities—and building them.
Next Steps
It’s the journey that shapes the characters who inspire us most.
I’m on the road (again): becoming.
Will you walk with me?
If this story resonated, hit the button below to send me a message. No pressure for long replies—I just love knowing who’s on the other side of this.
A few ways you can get involved:
Join one of our upcoming journeys (see footnote)1
Share your own reinvention story (even if you’re still in it)
Collaborate on creating transformative experiences for others
And if you’re new here, consider subscribing to follow along.
There’s more to come—more stories, more clarity, more gatherings.
Until then,
L.
Quick snapshot of our inaugural journey offerings at Nest & North:
1. Clarity Journey (Inaugural Cohort Kickoff: June 25th)
What: A cohort-based experience designed for creative, intuitive, ambitious women navigating identity shifts through motherhood, reinvention, or life transitions. This is a 3-month, community-based journey to reclaim, write, and share your story: building your village through it. Each participant will walk away with at least one of the following:
A memoir (or anthology) project
A resonant brand guide
An actionable content strategy designed to attract the people who truly resonate with your story
2. Memoir-Writing Circle (+ other Creative Gatherings)
What: A writing circle for those called to explore the power of personal storytelling. We’ll create a first-person narrative that offers an intimate and personal perspective focused on a about a particular moment (or learned subject) in the author’s life.
👉 Invite only. Reach out to learn more
3. Podcast: Pumping Latte ( Fall 2025)
What: We’re reinventing narratives by collecting and sharing stories of founders, creators, and artists who are building great things while also nursing babies or chasing toddlers.
👉 Check it out
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