Social Impact Nomadism, Empowering Ugandan Artisans, and Solo-Traveling the World on Passive Rental Income with Stella Airoldi (Ep (Ep 14))

Hear how witnessing inequality abroad transformed solo travel into a mission supporting children and local enterprise. ============================ Get the Monday Minute my weekly email with 3 personal recs for travel, culture, and living beyond borders you can read in 60 seconds. ============================ ON THIS EPISODE Stella Airoldi begins by explaining why she chose to invest in rental properties and how her lifestyle expenses are now covered by her passive rental income. She then shares her journey beginning with her choice to solo-travel the world and how she was regularly confronted with poverty and injustice, raising her social and political consciousness and inspiring her to pursue dual Masters Degrees in International Law and Human Rights and Democracy. Her passion for children’s rights then led her to Uganda with an academic focus on the rights of girl child soldiers. She explains how her time in Uganda allowed her to meet a talented Ugandan artisan, Susan Laker, who was an illiterate, impoverished, HIV-positive mother of 3, who inspired her tremendously. She explains how she and Susan developed a close personal friendship and eventually a business relationship that led to the launch of 22 Stars Jewelry. Stella then discusses the creation of the 22 Stars Foundation that now sends over 300 kids to school, provides a hot meal, runs after school programs, and provides small business training and micro-loans for local Ugandan businesses. She then explains the social impact “co-workations” that she organizes to bring location independent entrepreneurs to experience Uganda and participate first hand in the 22 Stars project. Stella then talks about why she travels, how it has contributed to her personal development, and shares stories about how she used Tinder for alternative purposes while solo-traveling through Africa. She explains how she deals with stress and optimizes productivity, and shares her top tips for female solo travelers. → Full show notes with direct links to everything discussed are available here. ============================ FIND YOUR NEXT EPISODE Explore The Maverick Show Starter Packs — some of my favorite conversations curated by theme so you can easily find the episodes that match your interests. ============================ FREE RESOURCES FOR YOU See my Top 10 Travel Apps See my Top 10 Books that Shaped the Way I Travel See my 7 Keys For Building A Remote Business (Even in a space that’s not traditionally virtual) Watch my Video Training on Stylish Minimalist Packing so you can join #TeamCarryOn See the Travel Gear I Use and Recommend See How I Produce The Maverick Show Podcast (The equipment, services & vendors I use) ============================ ENJOYING THE SHOW? Follow The Maverick Show on Instagram and DM Matt to continue the conversation Please leave a rating and review — it really helps the show and I read each one personally Support the show by buying me a coffee — espressos help me produce significantly better podcast episodes!