Why We Escaped the Matrix: 5 Years of Slow Travel and Life Abroad

Name: Why We Escaped the Matrix: 5 Years of Slow Travel and Life Abroad
Uploaded: 2026-09-16T12:02:40+00:00
Duration: 21 min 10 s
Channel: Lloyd & Mandy

00:00You may have heard the term stuck in the matrix lately, made obviously famous by the movie and even more

00:06recently by individuals like Andrew Tate.

00:09But if you don't know what the matrix is, it's basically like a big psyop, a system programming you to

00:16believe that you are capable of nothing more than clocking into and clocking out of work in exchange for an

00:22amount that the government tells you your time is worth.

00:24Then using the very little free time you have to escape from the life that you don't want to be

00:29living, a life without really any purpose, just endless consuming and working to be able to consume even more.

00:37Most of us don't even realize we're stuck in this cycle until we manage to awaken and find a way

00:43out of it, which is what happened to us.

00:46The matrix refers to systems and structures in society that keep us bound to the traditional ways of living and

00:52working.

00:53These systems can include social norms, cultural expectations, educational institutions and corporate structures that often prioritize profit over people.

01:04Essentially, the matrix is the status quo that many people feel trapped in, making it difficult to break free and

01:11live life on their own terms.

01:13Basically, it's just stopping you from having any sort of free thinking whatsoever.

01:19So for a very long time, we didn't realize that we were stuck in the matrix, but we always felt

01:25like something was just us, like a gut feeling.

01:29And that was what pushed us to make some very drastic changes in our lives.

01:33So in today's video, we're going to be sharing those changes that we made that really got us to where

01:38we are today and made us feel like we successfully escaped the matrix.

01:42It's been a long five-year journey to where we are today, living in Thailand in a very nice villa,

01:49working online, making a decent income.

01:52Mandy's pregnant.

01:53We're about to have our first baby and both of us are going to be home and present raising the

01:58baby, which we're so unbelievably grateful for.

02:01So it all started for us back in 2019.

02:04We were living in Australia and we're running a garden maintenance business together while Mandy was also working from home

02:11as a beauty therapist.

02:12We were renting a house for about $2,500 a month, nothing fantastic, a pretty modest two-bedroom unit.

02:19And we were trying to work towards what everyone's pretty much working towards, which is buying our own home and

02:26becoming financially independent.

02:27But we couldn't seem to get there.

02:29We were definitely living paycheck to paycheck, like it was tough financially, also on our relationship, like it was just

02:39not a easy way of living.

02:42We were pretty much going to a wedding, a box party, a hens party, a baby shower, a birthday party

02:49every single weekend, which didn't leave much free time to work on like a side hustle or even save any

02:55money.

02:55So we were pretty like in a down point in our life, like our businesses were not killing it by

03:02any means.

03:03And just I guess we weren't passionate about the way that we were living.

03:07And at that time we heard all actually Lloyd heard at first was a podcast by Sophie Howard.

03:14I think she was on someone else's podcast just talking about Amazon FBA and this world of e-commerce.

03:21And it was like something just clicked in our brains, like this could be our ticket out of whatever this

03:29life is that we're living right now.

03:31So I'd always thought that owning your own business meant you had escaped the life of an employee and you

03:38could be free to go on holidays and have all this free time because you're on your own business and

03:42you're your own boss.

03:44Until we started our own businesses and realized that it was way more work than working for somebody else.

03:49Even though we felt better because we were actually working for ourselves, it was impossible to get any free time.

03:57And I realized that a business like that, a garden maintenance business, really can only grow to be so big.

04:05And you have to be hands on running that business 24-7.

04:09I think the term is if you have to be working on your business every single day 24-7, then

04:14you have a job.

04:15So one day while we were working, I was listening to a podcast and it really struck a chord because

04:20Sophie Howard was talking about how she was a stay-at-home mom and she managed to build this online

04:26business where she had to put in a lot of work at the beginning, but then it became passive and

04:32she sold that business for a million dollars.

04:34So I showed it to Mandy and Mandy listened to it as well.

04:37And honestly, that is the trigger point that changed our lives.

04:40So after hearing about the podcast and just like sort of having that like incubating for a few weeks, we

04:46went actually to go visit family in Canada.

04:50And at the end of that holiday, we were just at a point where we're like, we need to just

04:55make a change.

04:56We need to do something because we can't keep doing this.

04:58We need to take the leap.

05:00Pretty much when we got back, we just became obsessed with online entrepreneurship.

05:05We started watching so many videos, like we went completely down the YouTube rabbit hole, started watching other channels like

05:13Cara and Nate were a huge inspiration to us early on.

05:16Lost LeBlanc, Rhett and Claire, who we're actually friends with now.

05:20We watched their videos before we even started.

05:22Just seeing this different world of like digital nomads and learning all what that was all about.

05:29And yeah, it really inspired us seeing regular people doing this thing that seemed so out of reach for us

05:37at the time.

05:38So we really started fantasizing with what it would be like just to work online and live somewhere really cool

05:44like Bali.

05:45And so we actually developed a plan, which was the first step into this journey of escaping the matrix, which

05:55was getting rid of all of our possessions that we didn't need, like the new car that we owned, all

06:01of the stuff that we had in our garage that we just weren't really using, like surfboards, kayaks and bikes

06:07and just the stuff that you accumulate when you're living somewhere that you really don't actually need.

06:12And I think detaching from material things was the first step.

06:15So basically the plan was we sell everything.

06:18We give ourselves 12 months to start this online business and get it to a point where we can make

06:24enough money to go and live in Bali.

06:26And how we did that was we bought a caravan and we bought a really cheap car and we just

06:33went and signed up for this course and started learning absolutely everything there was about e-commerce and Amazon.

06:38The problem was trying to explain that to everybody when you're 30 something years old and you just sold all

06:46of your stuff and you moved into a caravan to start an online business is extremely tough.

06:51Okay, we just need to take a quick break to thank Level 8 for sponsoring today's video and also supplying

06:57us with the best quality luggage for the past two years now.

07:00So if you want to live the nomadic lifestyle, then you'll need luggage that will hold up in all conditions,

07:05which is why we've been using Level 8 for so long.

07:08Like us, Level 8 is all about traveling light and efficient, which is why we recently upgraded our carry-on

07:15to these awesome new hard shell Roadrunner 20-inch carry-on pieces.

07:20Just like the full-size luggage sets, the carry-on luggage is made from durable materials that are also waterproof,

07:26which is super important if you're traveling and you're going to be walking around with your luggage through cities because

07:31you never know when you get caught in a rainstorm, especially somewhere here like Thailand where it rains all the

07:36time.

07:37They also have this cool little compartment for our laptops, making it so much easier to access your electronics when

07:43you're at the airport and going through security.

07:45Honestly, I don't know why they make you take your laptop and your electronics out of your carry-on when

07:50you're going through those security checkpoints, but they do.

07:52It's super annoying, but that's going to be a lot easier now with our new upgraded carry-on pieces.

07:58And having the hard shell on it also means you can rest assured that your stuff isn't going to get

08:03damaged when it's in the overhead lockers.

08:04I know whenever I'm flying and we go through turbulence or like the guy in front of me just slams

08:09his bag on top of my backpack, I'm worried that when we get off the flight, my camera is going

08:14to be in pieces or my computer is not going to be working because it's being damaged during the flight,

08:18but not anymore.

08:20And Level 8 also offers a lifetime warranty on all of their products.

08:24So if you're interested in leveling up your travel game, click the link down below in the description and don't

08:29forget to use code Lloyd and Mandy because you'll get 10% off your purchase.

08:34Okay, so we were living in a caravan and we started realizing as we were like learning all the stuff

08:42for e-commerce that this was going to take quite a bit longer than we had anticipated, but we were

08:47super into it and working on it every day.

08:50However, money started dwindling, so we had to take a part time job at a cafe, which was probably one

08:58of the harder parts, especially from like, like Lloyd came from having quite looked upon jobs, I guess, in the

09:05regular world, like working in mining or he worked on the rigs.

09:10And I had had had a good, good job at a spa, like we had regular good jobs and our

09:16businesses and things and then going and taking a step back and having to work hospitality again was kind of

09:22like a, what's the right word?

09:26It was a hit on the ego.

09:27Yeah, a real big hit on the ego.

09:29So you definitely have to let your ego go.

09:32That's like a huge step in just coming out of this character that you've been playing.

09:38I guess it's the only way that I can explain it.

09:41We were doing just anything that worked around our schedule that we could have as much time as possible to

09:47be able to learn and work on e-commerce, which is definitely, I think, something that a lot of people

09:53just aren't willing to take that ego hit in order to change your life, essentially.

09:58To your peers, it looks like you've just like completely failed.

10:02Again, this is probably one of the hardest things to get through is just all the outside judgment and opinions

10:07that tend to come when you do something different than everyone else.

10:11It's still something even to this day we have to keep working on because we're always changing and evolving and

10:17we're met with criticism every single time we do something.

10:21So it's just, you know, it prepares you for the future as well.

10:25So it is really important to note when Lloyd and I started this, we had no skills, no real knowledge

10:32at all on online business.

10:34Like we had no background in schooling or anything like this.

10:37I had like basic, basic, like computer skills from like a course I took in like grade nine.

10:44Lloyd did not even know how to use a computer.

10:47So this really took a lot of faith for us to just trust that we'd get better at it.

10:55So after a couple of years, we had just enough income where we thought maybe we could actually go and

11:01live in Bali.

11:01But it wasn't a lot. It was enough to live very cheaply in Bali.

11:06But the plan was, again, to just back ourselves and go to Bali and see if we could focus on

11:11this business like 24 hours a day, if we could actually build it to be something really profitable.

11:16And that's what we did. And we decided that we're going to document all of this on YouTube.

11:21Actually, that was your idea.

11:22Yeah. Lloyd wasn't so keen on, I mean, you were keen on the vlog, but being in front of the

11:29camera was not comfortable at all, really for either of us.

11:33But just something in me said, we should just document this. And I'm really glad we did.

11:40It felt like we were doing something that not many other people were doing, especially traveling to Bali at the

11:45time.

11:45There was a lot of fear around traveling, especially in Asia and for Australians, like we were being told that

11:51it was very dangerous to leave Australia.

11:53Like a lot of people were really scared, but we weren't, even though people were telling us that we were

11:57crazy.

11:58And so I think that's why we decided to document it, because it seemed like we could actually provide a

12:04lot of value to other people like they provided to us.

12:07When we were watching channels like Loss LeBlanc and Cara and Nader, Rhett and Claire, they inspired us.

12:13And so the idea was kind of to inspire other people.

12:15So once we got to Bali, we started documenting everything we were doing as digital nomads and our business was

12:21growing and it was doing quite well.

12:24But our YouTube channel started doing even better and it kind of took on a life of its own after

12:30about six months.

12:31So in May of 2022, we decided we're going to go all in on YouTube because it was working and

12:38we really enjoyed it.

12:39We actually had fun doing it.

12:41The traveling that we were doing and all the people that we were meeting and the adventures that we were

12:45having, plus being able to make a living off it.

12:48We just couldn't really say no to it.

12:49So if you look at our channel, you'll see that we've obviously traveled to a bunch of different places after

12:55that.

12:55We sort of caught the travel bug.

12:57The travel content was going really well for our channel and our business as well.

13:02So we kept that going.

13:04Bali also just didn't end up being the place that we wanted to set up our routes.

13:08At the end, after spending six months there, we wanted to see what else was out there, which I'm so

13:15grateful that we did.

13:16After spending quite a few months in Southeast Asia, we ended up in Mexico and spent an extended period there

13:23as well,

13:24which had always been something that Lloyd and I wanted to do.

13:28So it sort of just felt like we were actually ticking off all these bucket list items that we'd always

13:32spoke about,

13:33saying like, one day we'll go do this, one day we'll go do that.

13:36And I started realizing, like, we're actually doing all the things we said that we were going to do one

13:41day.

13:42Like, one day is right now.

13:43And that felt pretty crazy because, like, you always just assume, oh, it's just going to happen.

13:49One day we'll have a travel vlog.

13:50One day we'll do this.

13:51And, like, our dreams actually started coming true.

13:54And one last thing, I think it was sort of just like a had to scratch an old itch or

13:59something.

13:59I don't even know what the right term that I could use.

14:03But we had to go back to van life.

14:06It was something that Lloyd and I had done in our past and had wanted to relive again.

14:11So we tried van life again in North America and did that for a while.

14:16But it just long term, not ideal.

14:19And especially in the economy that we're in, really opened our eyes to how many people are actually just living

14:25in their cars

14:26and living in RVs because they have no choice, which is really sad.

14:30And, you know, like, we had the choice whether or not we wanted to be there.

14:34But again, we just got to do all these things that we said that we wanted to do and got

14:39to tick them off the list.

14:41We even in that time got to Elope in Vegas, which was incredible.

14:46Felt like we were in a movie as well.

14:48After almost two years of living out of suitcases and in the RV, doing the van life thing,

14:54we decided that it was time to find somewhere that actually could be our full-time home.

15:00And now we had a full-time income from a business that we actually enjoyed working on,

15:06which was pretty much the goal from the beginning.

15:08And we just had to find a home.

15:10So we ended up settling on Thailand for a few reasons.

15:16Number one being it's affordable.

15:18The next reason probably being that it's just a beautiful country.

15:22Like, there's so much to do and see in Thailand.

15:24The beaches and all the cool little islands that are in Thailand.

15:27There's so much to do, especially as content creators.

15:31The fact that there's so many places you can go to from Thailand around Southeast Asia,

15:36and it's so cheap to fly anywhere in this area.

15:39And then the people are just absolutely amazing in Thailand.

15:42It was kind of a no-brainer for us.

15:44We'd been here before, and we'd scoped out a few different places.

15:47So we settled on Thailand.

15:49And we managed to find a villa within the first month of being here in Hua Hin,

15:54which is pretty crazy.

15:56And it's so perfect for us.

15:58It's like you couldn't have made a better home.

16:00Honestly, in 2019, when we started this,

16:03if you had told us in five years this is where we would have ended up,

16:07being in this position and living the lifestyle that we're living,

16:11it would have saved us so much stress and anxiety.

16:16So many sleepless nights, not knowing if we were going to run out of money,

16:19if we were going to have to go home,

16:21if we were going to have to basically do the walk of shame.

16:24Like, we went and tried to follow our dreams, and it didn't succeed.

16:27And to be honest, like, we came pretty close a few times.

16:30Yeah, there were many times that it felt like that's where we were at.

16:35But somehow we just kept pursuing, like, we just kept persevering.

16:40That was it.

16:40We just didn't stop.

16:42I think when you can see that something's working,

16:44even if it's taking a long time, that's just enough to keep it going.

16:48And because we had already figured out how to make money online

16:53and do something we loved,

16:54and the money was coming in and it was growing,

16:58I think that was enough for us to just keep pushing past the pain points.

17:02We pushed ourselves really hard for the last five years.

17:05From taking jobs that we didn't necessarily want to do,

17:10working long hours and working nights just to get our side hustle up and running,

17:14we had to leave a lot of friends back home, which was hard.

17:20But I think sometimes if you want to grow as a person,

17:25you need to be in a growth mindset

17:26and you need to be around other people that are in a growth mindset as well.

17:29Yeah.

17:30Your environment is everything.

17:32That's something that we've learned, especially through travelling.

17:35When we're not feeling like we're in a healthy, supportive environment,

17:41it really affects the work that you're putting out and the quality of the work,

17:45how you feel on a day-to-day basis, how healthy you feel.

17:49It's everything.

17:49So everything that we went through through this entire process

17:53has got us to where we are today and made us into the people that we are today.

17:58Especially the travelling and just seeing how different people live

18:01and seeing that there are many different ways to live.

18:07Financially, not everybody wants the same type of life.

18:11Not everybody wants there to be Western fast food places in their country

18:15or not everybody needs the five-bedroom house with the pool.

18:20Some people are a lot happier with a lot less.

18:23Also, just seeing other countries that prioritise things like family

18:27and your health a lot more, that's influenced us a lot.

18:30Our health has gotten so much better.

18:32We've both stopped drinking.

18:34We're just so much more healthy now

18:36because we actually have the time to focus on our health

18:39as opposed to when we were working and stuck in the matrix

18:43and it literally makes it impossible to take care of yourself the way that you need to.

18:47For me, that's the most valuable thing is your health.

18:50And if it wasn't for watching other people show us that this was possible,

18:54we never would have taken the leap.

18:56We wouldn't be sitting where we are today.

18:58So that's why we feel we need to do our due diligence

19:01and return the favour to these other creators

19:03that have put out this option for us

19:06to hopefully inspire other people to be able to take the leap

19:10and follow your dreams as well.

19:12We are really regular, boring people.

19:18So I hope that can reach someone else.

19:22If you just want to be able to afford to go out to dinner with your family

19:25or be able to spend your morning how you want to,

19:29it doesn't have to be that you want the crazy influencer lifestyle.

19:33Maybe you just want a little bit of comfort

19:35and just to feel proud of yourself and not dependent on a system

19:40or someone else to give you the life that you want

19:43and be able to take that into your own hands.

19:45I guess that's what we're trying to get across.

19:50So hopefully this video got the wheels turning in your head

19:53and if you enjoyed this type of content,

19:55let us know down below in the comments

19:57because we're happy to make more videos like this

19:59going into more detail,

20:01specifically about like our YouTube channel

20:03and how we built it to where it is today

20:05and our other online businesses.

20:08We hope you found this video helpful

20:10and maybe took some inspiration from it.

20:13This is just our story.

20:14Everybody has a completely different story,

20:16but this is how we got to where we are today.

20:19And I know that the whole,

20:21the matrix term can make us seem like a little bit kooky.

20:27We totally understand because beforehand,

20:30like if someone would have been saying things like this to me

20:33back when we first started,

20:35I wouldn't have been as open-minded to the concept

20:39and would have shut a lot of things down.

20:41But I do encourage you to do a little bit more research

20:44just into what the matrix is

20:47and just how free a lot of us aren't.

20:50So just to keep that in mind.

20:52Thank you guys so much for watching

20:54and we will see you in the next video.

20:55Bye.

20:56Run away, run away, run away

20:58Into your escape

21:01Run away, run away, run away

21:04You're never too far away

21:07Run away, run away

Why We Escaped the Matrix: 5 Years of Slow Travel and Life Abroad

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