58 | Bigger Business, Smaller Team – AI, Freedom and the Turtle Nomad Life

58 | Bigger Business, Smaller Team – AI, Freedom and the Turtle Nomad Life

What if growing your business does not have to mean building a bigger company? In this episode of the Nomad Summit Podcast, Palle Bo sits down with Gal Tzhayek – entrepreneur, speaker, software founder, and what he calls a "turtle-like nomad," currently traveling with his wife and three children. Gal has built, acquired, and scaled education businesses that reached more than 30,000 students and generated millions in revenue. But after growing one company to around 100 people, he realized something uncomfortable: the bigger the business became, the further he moved away from the work he actually loved. Today, Gal is focused on a different kind of growth – using AI, automation, systems, and smarter business design to create more impact with fewer moving parts. This conversation is especially relevant for digital nomads, freelancers, consultants, speakers, and remote founders who want to build meaningful businesses without accidentally creating a new office, a heavier life, and a job they no longer enjoy. Gal also shares how his company Speaka helps speakers find paid speaking opportunities around the world, why public speaking can be a great fit for location-independent professionals, and how AI agents can help match speakers with the right events and companies. We also talk about slow travel with a family, why not every business task should be automated, how to use AI without chasing every shiny new tool, and why deep expertise may become more valuable – not less – in the age of artificial intelligence. Key Takeaways * Growth is not always the same as freedom. A larger team can sometimes create more complexity, more management, and less personal flexibility. * Many entrepreneurs start businesses to do work they love, but end up spending most of their time managing people, processes, and internal problems. * For digital nomads and remote founders, the goal should not just be a remote business – it should be a business light enough to support the life they want. * AI and automation can reduce the need to hire, but only when used with proper systems, processes, and clear goals. * Gal warns against chasing "one prompt wonders." Instead, he suggests thinking about AI like hiring a person – define the role, train it, test it, and monitor the output. * The best tasks to automate are recurring tasks that do not require your unique expertise, taste, judgment, or "genius zone." * Deep domain expertise still matters. AI can help with surface-level work, but experienced humans still provide the insight, nuance, and strategic judgment that make projects succeed. * For freelancers and solopreneurs, Gal suggests thinking of yourself as a business made up of different roles – CEO, accountant, marketer, assistant, creator – then identifying which "employee" you dislike being the most and automating tasks from that role first. * Public speaking can be a strong nomad-friendly business model, especially when it leads to corporate work, consulting, products, or other paid opportunities beyond conference exposure. Relevant Links * Gal's speaker page: https://gal.speaka.io/en [https://gal.speaka.io/en] * Gal's LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/galtzhayek/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/galtzhayek/] * Gal's company website: https://speaka.io [https://speaka.io/] * Nomad Summit: https://nomadsummit.com [https://nomadsummit.com/] * Episode produced by RadioGuru: https://radioguru.co.uk [https://radioguru.co.uk/]

57 | Jungli – Inside India's First Digital Nomad Festival

In this episode of the Nomad Summit Podcast, Christoph Huebner is back on the road – this time in India, deep in the jungle near Dandeli, at Jungli The Nomad Village. He's there for the very first India Nomad Festival, a small and intentional gathering of digital nomads, co-living founders, remote workers, creators, and community builders from across India and beyond. Christoph sits down with Geetika, also known as Geet, the Marketing Manager and Tribe Queen at Jungli, to talk about what happened at the festival, why India has a branding problem as a nomad destination, and how Jungli is trying to create a softer, safer landing for people who want to explore the country. They also talk about the Jungli Trail – a curated network of nature-based co-living spaces with good Wi-Fi, community, and a focus on safety, especially for solo female travellers. Along the way, Christoph meets Bharti, Jungli's head of food, who explains why food is the "social glue" of the community. He also speaks with Mayur from NomadGao, Mohit from RAAN Guhagar, Arjen from the Jungli creative team, and honeymooning attendees Vishesh and Samiksha. This is an episode about India, yes – but also about community, hospitality, safety, collaboration, remote work, and what happens when people stop building in isolation and start building together. Key Takeaways * Jungli hosted India's first digital nomad festival at India's first digital nomad village. * India has strong potential as a digital nomad destination, but still faces challenges around perception, safety, and awareness. * Jungli positions itself as "India on Easy Mode" – with food, community, pickup support, and a softer landing for international and local nomads. * The festival brought together many of the people building India's remote work and co-living scene, many of whom had only known each other online before. * Food plays a major role at Jungli, not just as hospitality, but as a way to create connection three times a day. * The Jungli Trail is designed to help nomads explore India through curated, trusted places that share similar values. * For Indian attendees, the festival also opened up a new awareness of global remote work and location-independent living. * The episode shows how India's nomad scene is still emerging – but already full of energy, collaboration, and potential. Relevant Links * Jungli The Nomad Village: https://www.junglithenomad.com [https://www.junglithenomad.com/] * NomadGao: http://www.nomadgao.com/ [http://www.nomadgao.com/] * RAAN Guhagar: https://raanguhagar.com [https://raanguhagar.com/] * Jungli Trail: https://www.junglithenomad.com/trail [https://www.junglithenomad.com/trail] * Nomad Summit: https://nomadsummit.com [https://nomadsummit.com/] * Episode produced by RadioGuru: https://radioguru.co.uk [https://radioguru.co.uk/]

56 | Having a Baby as a Digital Nomad – Pregnancy, Healthcare & Family Life in Chiang Mai

After more than seven years of digital nomad life and 37+ countries, Kate Guner thought she knew what freedom, flexibility, and intentional living looked like. Then she got pregnant. In this episode of the Nomad Summit Podcast, Kate joins Palle Bo and Alexandra to talk about what happens when a long-time nomad decides to start a family without completely letting go of the nomad mindset. Kate shares why she never really imagined herself having kids, what changed when she met her husband, and how pregnancy reshaped her relationship with routines, work, travel, and community. The conversation explores what it's like to navigate pregnancy as an expat in Chiang Mai, how to find support when you're far from home, and whether becoming a parent means the end of a location independent lifestyle. They also discuss multilingual babies, healthcare in Thailand, hypnobirthing, traveling with children, and the pressure many people feel to wait for the "perfect moment" before starting a family. Key Takeaways * Why Kate originally didn't think she wanted children * How love, timing, and years of nomad life led to a different decision * Choosing Chiang Mai as a base for pregnancy, healthcare, and community * The loneliness of pregnancy abroad – and the importance of finding your people * Raising a multilingual child with roots in multiple countries * What pregnancy taught Kate about slowing down, expectations, and self-care * Pregnancy, private healthcare, and hospital experiences in Thailand * Why Kate believes babies need love more than expensive gear and perfect conditions * Can you still be a digital nomad after becoming a parent? * Thoughts on traveling, homeschooling, and raising kids in a global lifestyle Relevant Links * Kate Guner on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kateguner [https://www.instagram.com/kateguner] * Kate Guner on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KateGuner [https://www.youtube.com/@KateGuner] * Nomad Summit: https://nomadsummit.com [https://nomadsummit.com/] * Episode produced by RadioGuru: https://radioguru.co.uk [https://radioguru.co.uk/]

55 | From Tech Consultant to Digital Nomad Startup Founder

In episode 55 of the Nomad Summit Podcast, we meet Kex – a German-born techie, digital nomad, and startup founder who has spent the last three years building companies while traveling around Southeast Asia. After starting out in tech consulting, Kex made the leap into entrepreneurship, launching first THRIFTZ – a digital thrift marketplace for fashion lovers in Southeast Asia – and later Fanclip, a creator commerce platform designed to help trendsetters monetize their recommendations while giving brands better insights into creator-driven shopping behavior. In this conversation, we dive into what it really takes to build a startup as a digital nomad. Kex shares why she intentionally went into corporate consulting to learn structure and processes before going all in on entrepreneurship, how she brainstormed a business idea in just two days after moving to Bali, and why she believes Southeast Asia is one of the most exciting places in the world to build tech businesses right now. We also talk about founder mindset, the creator economy, digital nomad life in Bali and beyond, and how entrepreneurship is not just about building a company – but building yourself. Key Takeaways * Why Kex deliberately chose corporate consulting before becoming a founder * The story behind THRIFTZ and Fanclip * Why Southeast Asia is becoming a powerful market for startups and creator commerce * The challenges of building marketplace businesses and reaching critical mass * How creators can better monetize their content and recommendations * Why founder success is deeply connected to personal growth and identity * The impact of solo travel, confidence, and digital nomad life on entrepreneurship * Bali vs. Network School – and finding the right community as a founder and digital nomad Relevant Links * THRIFTZ: https://www.thriftz.app [https://www.thriftz.app/] * Fanclip: https://www.fanclip.me [https://www.fanclip.me/] * Nomad Summit: https://nomadsummit.com [https://nomadsummit.com/] * Episode produced by RadioGuru: https://radioguru.co.uk [https://radioguru.co.uk/]

54 | What Comes After Countries? The Future of Digital Nations & Borderless Citizenship

What if the nation state is just one chapter in human history? In this thought-provoking episode of the Nomad Summit Podcast, we sit down with Vikram Bharati – founder of Draper Nation – to explore one of the biggest questions imaginable: What comes after the nation state? Vikram shares why he believes we may be entering an era of digital nations, borderless communities, and entirely new ways of organizing humans beyond traditional countries and borders. We dive into the history of nation states, how technology shapes governance, and whether ideas like cloud nations, special economic zones, and decentralized communities could become part of our future. Along the way, the conversation goes into some surprising territory. Could digital nations exist without land? Are multinational corporations already functioning like countries? Could governments eventually compete for citizens the way companies compete for customers? This episode is speculative, philosophical, provocative, and very much about the future of digital nomadism, governance, and global mobility. Key Takeaways * Why Vikram is obsessed with answering the question: What comes after the nation state? * The difference between empires, kingdoms, and modern nation states * How technology has historically reshaped human organization * Why special economic zones and decentralized governance experiments matter * The idea of digital nations existing entirely in the cloud * Why Vikram compares multinational corporations to landless nation states * The role of identity, trust, and storytelling in governance * How projects like e-America are experimenting with new models of belonging and citizenship * Why most government services may already be largely digital * What these ideas could mean for digital nomads, global mobility, and the future of human organization Relevant Links * Draper Nation: https://drapernation.com [https://drapernation.com/] * Draper Nation on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/drapernationhq [https://www.linkedin.com/company/drapernationhq] * Building startup societies: https://www.founderstartuphouse.com [https://www.founderstartuphouse.com/] * Experimenting with new types of nations: https://e-america.org [https://e-america.org/] * Vikram on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vikrambharati/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/vikrambharati/] * Nomad Summit: https://nomadsummit.com [https://nomadsummit.com/] * Episode produced by RadioGuru: https://radioguru.co.uk [https://radioguru.co.uk/]