What is your life’s purpose?
Bring empowerment and community to badass maverick women by providing a platform to creatively share life stories and tales of adventure.

How are you living your purpose?
I share my stories of being a nomad and solo traveler, along with my life experiences through creative storytelling: weekly blog, monthly YouTube videos, stop animation, and lectures.

As long as life has been, stories have brought us together. Teaching us about the past, motivating us in the present, and comforting us for the future. A traditional Native American winter count is a hide recording of the year’s most memorable events. Chinese shadow puppetry is a tradition used to tell stories during celebrations. Griots are the poets, musicians, and storytellers in West African cultures who often use music to tell stories. I’m in LOVE with all the artist ways to tell a story and have just started exploring and playing with this art!

I’m excited to announce that I’m launching a new section of my website! This section will showcase other women’s life stories or adventures that have brought them empowerment. I also will provide tools and tips on how to get creative with storytelling. I can’t wait to experience these stories of creativity and empowerment.

Part of what I do is push myself almost beyond my limits! Doing things that others may not do, like bike 3000km solo across New Zealand for 30 days. Which brings me to my newest epic adventure, Tour Aotearoa. For 30 days I will bike an average of 86 miles a day, I’ll be sleeping in a tent and supporting myself (aka carrying everything on the bike: food, shelter, clothes, etc.). I will be documenting this experience through video, photos, and journals to further my mission of sharing my stories with others. Maybe, hopefully, this will spark a girl to rebel against what she is “supposed” to do and follow her heart. I’ve created a Rebel Heart Girls Kickstarter to help spread the message. This includes a fun stop animation I made telling about my journey from van life to now. Wanna help? Then join the rebellion!

How did you find your purpose?
I come from a LONG line of storytellers. My grandmother is a writer whose stories always transported me into our family’s past, while my granddad uses quick-wit as the centerpiece to his memories.

Even though I am a writer, I never saw myself as a storyteller. Road life would change that, along with EVERYTHING else in my life. After living on the road for two years, solo, in a van with my dog, mountain bike, and art studio, I learned through struggles what is important in life; what really matters; that humans are capable of so much—all we have to do is find our passion, live it, and embrace others. Lead with the heart!

This lifestyle opened my eyes to how different life is for men and women. The struggles of travel are different for women; the challenges we face in life are different. We are faced with what happens when you’re in the middle of nowhere and your period is kicking your ass. We are faced with why others think a female is brave for solo traveling but see solo male travelers as adventurous. Even though, at times, this stuff pissed me off, I also found it empowering—especially when I faced all the challenges the road threw at me. I began to read books about other ladies solo traveling, finding comfort and guidance in their stories.

Stories popped up more and more as my travels continued. When I met others on the road, the first thing we shared was our stories. Our history, our present, our future! We connected through these stories.

At one point, other women started reaching out, asking advice, and sharing their stories of life and empowerment, struggles and adventure. I realized that no matter if she was a CEO, a stay-at-home mom or a world adventurer, ALL women faced the same struggles I did. This brought mad fuel to my empowerment fire and creativity. I began to expand into creating videos and then creating music for these videos. I found that we learn by sharing, we thrive by sharing, we empower by sharing! I’m now addicted to sharing stories, finding creative ways to express them, and listening to others share their tales.

What advice do you have for purpose seekers?
Don’t try to appease the masses. Find what makes your heart sing and what YOU are REALLY good at. What can you do better than anyone else? Then STICK with it for the long haul, go with your gut, take risks when you need to, and remember to be authentic, lead from the heart, give back, and embrace your inner BADASS.

 

What resources do you recommend?
Books:
Tracks: A Woman’s Solo Trek Across 1700 Miles of Australian Outback by Robin Davidson
Rowing the Atlantic: Lessons Learned on the Open Ocean by Roz Savage
Maiden Voyage by Tania Aebi
Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business by Gino Wickman, which helps you find your core values and plug them into a business system that keeps you on track!

Ted Talk: “The Happy Secret to Better Work” by Shawn Achor

Badass Lady Musicians: Pussy Riot, Bikini Kill, Patti Smith, Peaches, The Warning

Websites/Badass Ladies: She-Explores, Roz Savage,

Apps: Gender Fair

Connect with Casey Sheppard
Email: caseofthenomads@gmail.com
Website: www.caseofthenomads.com
YouTube Channel: Case of the Nomads
Instagram: @caseofthenomads
Facebook: Case of the Nomads
LinkedIn: Casey Sheppard
Rebel Heart Girls Kickstarter link

After leaving a successful career in Los Angeles for an unexpected adventure, nomad Casey Sheppard spent 2 years living in a converted van traveling across the US. Finding her calling as a professional speaker and storyteller, Casey has inspired thousands, all by sharing her story. Her current talk “The Life Lesson’s Learned from Solo Traveling” incorporates Casey’s experience and expertise as a solo female traveler that inspires, empowers, and motives audiences of all ages, races, gender and stature. These lessons validate that you don’t have to live in a van or travel the world to change your insight and outlook on life.

Casey’s purpose is about bringing female empowerment. “Case of the Nomads” is in the midst of transforming into a creative storytelling platform for other maverick women to share their stories of life and adventure in a variety of ways. Through sharing our stories we learn, we thrive, we empower!!!