Q+A with Heather Nassler
1– Introducing Heather Nassler
I’m Heather and I am an illustrator and content creator, among other things. I share my story to help inspire others, specifically to make them feel, ask why and question the world around us. I hope by sharing my experiences others are more willing to believe in themselves and step out of their comfort zone. As someone with mental and chronic illness I also believe it’s important to normalize certain things, and so I share those aspects of life as well.
2– Heather’s story
I was always into the arts and moved to the big city in my early 20’s where I did improv and stand up comedy for years, but I also worked in service. I was miserable. Once I met my husband we started backpacking and travelling whenever we could. As much as we loved this, we hated the grind and knew we wanted more from life. So we quit our hospitality jobs, left the city, and bought a Sprinter to convert ourselves. That was just over 2 years ago, and we are just about to finish our rebuild.
3– Tips to aspiring nomads?
It definitely takes a lot of work and will test you in every way. Living your dream life is no easy task and is a huge privilege. But when you do so there is a shift in the way you see the world and it seems much easier to practice gratitude and live in the moment.
It started with a dream but took planning. I love lists, but enjoy a good brain dump/ mind map more. I found when I broke my goals down into actionable, step by step tasks it suddenly became very possible… but also, you have to be willing to pay attention to what the universe is asking of you and do your best to play along… sorry, got a bit hippie there.
4– Do you have any routines that help you make it through the day?
The way my days look can change a lot, but I do practice routines or rituals when I think I need them. I have various mantras for different situations and practice breathwork to help with anxiety and pain management. I also have a bit of a yoga flow that I practice whenever I can or I feel fidgety. I also keep a large weekly planner/to-do list with lots of free space.
5– What are some things that you make time for in a day?
I don’t watch as much tv, I don’t even have a tv. But I tend to fill my time more with activities, hikes or playing board games. I try to make time for screen free time. And time for movement. Even in my tiny van, I have to move a bit each day.
6– What are some of your interests outside of work?
Thankfully a lot of my hobbies are creative and relate to work, but I also hope to learn a lot more about foraging and herbology this year for fun.
7– What are some of your favourite outdoor activities?
It’s hard to stay active in the little van, especially in the winter, but mostly when we can, we are outside hiking or swimming. We tend to be moving more. I’d like to learn bouldering, but that’s to come still.
8– Do you have any favourite hiking trails or parks?
We have mostly been exploring Ontario, Canada in our van. The Muskoka region and north is just stunning wild country. But, I would love to drive down through Baja to the Yucatan. That was going to be the plan this winter. Lol
9– How do you eat healthy living in a van?
We like to keep our meals simple and know each ingredient that goes into them. We tend to eat a lot less processed foods and consume less whole animal proteins as it’s tricky to deal with raw meat & excess fat in the van and in the grey water tank.
10– What are your top 3 luxury items living in a van?
We have a homemade composting toilet, I know a lot of people that don’t have a bathroom and it’s wonderful to have one.
We have a 109L 12v fridge. It’s big for a van and stands upright, but we are both foodies, so it was important to us Our queen bed. We had a double before and this one is so lovely.
11– What is 1 pro and 1 con about tiny living?
Pro- Completely freeing in so many ways… more than just free from stuff
Con- It’s small and that can be really frustrating sometimes, there’s not getting around it. You will hit your head and you will curse the tiny space at times.
For more insight and Vanlife content from Heather follow her on Instagram @travels.of.heather
12– If you could give one piece of advice to the community what would it be?
Don’t take it all so seriously. There is a lot of pressure, mostly from social media, to try and to #vanlife a certain way, and a lot of people don’t think they are doing it well enough.
I am positive they are. We’re all just making it up and going with it, so anyone willing to work for it is capable and deserving.
13– Shoutout to you!
Thanks! You can find me almost always on Instagram sharing real vanlife and other fun stuff. I’m also about to launch a bunch of fun projects that will allow me to share more voices with others in different ways.
If anyone is trying to turn their dream into a business and share their story, reach out. I’m happy to help find your unique voice and share it with the world.
