New Kids on the WYCO Block (Part 1)
Last year, WYCO founder & CEO, Nathan Yates, made some claims, the most poignant for this announcement being that WYCO isn’t a tech startup. We don’t rely on a patent deck, or some intricate code to propel us forward. We rely on people. Members and staff alike. Since the beginning of WYCO we have been purposefully cultivating a very specific type of culture as we work, travel, and explore the world as a community. And it’s this culture, largely reliant on the dynamic between staff and our community, that has seen us gain momentum over the last year.
A lot has changed, from our model to our name, but one constant still remains: we are still our people.
We now have four trips simultaneously making moves across the globe and a network of over 120 members actively participating in the WYCO lifestyle. A lot has changed, from our model to our name, but one constant still remains: we are still our people. And the members we attract are largely dependent on who we are at our core.
Well, we are really excited to announce that our core is expanding. That may sound like we have all gained a few lbs (possible/probable), but what we really mean is that we want to introduce you to our bright, creative, and dynamic new WYCO staff members. From a variety of backgrounds, these guys have bought in — they are dedicated to the WYCO vision, are bringing their lessons and expertise from their own stories to our collective one.
Learn a little about three of our newbies. (More to come on the other half of this fresh, new cohort)
Rena O’Brien, Operations & Nova Program Lead
After spending a handful of years teaching English abroad, driven by my love of traveling, I found my place in an international travel agency. There I had a decade-long career of organizing and managing both corporate and retail travel clients, as well as managing extensive portfolios of luxury properties and fleets of vessels for high profile U.S. clients.
In 2013, I became a full-time remote worker, choosing to travel and follow my wide area of interests while developing long-lasting professional and business relationships.
I have a deep love of learning and am a firm believer that the best way to go about experiencing a culture is to fully immerse yourself in it and believe the WYCO team not only accomplished this on a personal level, but also professionally.
Rena’s thoughts on the future of work: If I had a prediction that would be even remotely accurate in 15 years then humanity is doing something wrong. In the next 5 however, I see people challenging conventional 9–5, as well as the office space itself. Working remotely doesn’t have to be a niche idea, and the more we work to make it traditional without soap-boxing, the easier it will be adopted.
Rena’s travel working tip: 1) Packing cubes are life; 2) Working while traveling and need background noise to focus? Here is a site that has music and coffee shop noise: https://coffitivity.com/
Maegan “Mae” Burke, Operations & Polaris Program Lead
My background is the definition of “all over the place”. I started working 15 years ago and in that time I’ve worked at Burger King, at major law firms, at non-profits & NGOs, at my alma mater, at H&M, at startups, in schools from Paris to Chiang Mai — I even got a job as a cleaning lady to make ends meet in Paris when I was 22. I shouldn’t be trusted with cleaning up after people though; I was fired a week in.
For the past few years, most of my career has been dedicated to #startuplife. I live for early stage startups. The big companies trying to fool themselves into believing that they’re still a startup? Not so much.
Prior to this, I was a travel agent for a small startup based in Denver named Pana while working remotely and traveling the world with my backpack, my yoga mat and my MacBook. My diverse work experience, dedication to traveling on my own terms and interest in startups made me a perfect candidate for WYCO. I predicted that this role would play on my strongest strengths while challenging my weaknesses. Now, three months in, my prediction was accurate to the nth degree and I can confidently say that this is my dream job.
I think as society continues to place a stronger emphasis on the importance of mental heath, there will be a stronger focus on how to create balanced lifestyles. I think, over time, we’re going to be viewed as the pioneers in facilitating this. The WYCO staff and its members work really hard, if not more than our peers cooped up in traditional offices, we just get to do it in different cities across the globe. It’s also pretty motivating to crush an eight-hour shift or an all nighter when the reward is wandering a new city or flying to a tropical beach for the weekend.
Mae’s thoughts on the future of work: My hope moving forward is that more people start asking themselves “why not?” instead of “why bother?”
Mae’s travel tip: Travel hacking is my life yo! Stay flexible, open minded and pay attention to flight sales. I’ve ended up in bomb countries that weren’t even on my radar because I spontaneously nabbed a cheap flight that was on offer.
Francesca Burns, Creative Lead
Born in London with a Degree in Fashion Design and Production, I worked for over 5 years between London, Florence and Milan, in both Menswear and Womenswear. For the last 3 years, I was the Creative Lead for various Creative Technology agencies, focusing predominantly on innovation, digital design and generative art, based in London and the UAE. Having just finished the largest generative art piece on the biggest screen in the world it was a poignant time for change. With the experience economy growing rapidly, WYCO is the perfect outlet for creativity on a global scale. I strongly believe that people are at the heart of creativity, and that the WYCO community is at the forefront of cultural transformation.
So why did I join? I have always worked freelance, always been judged on output, and remote working is a perfect fit for my skillset. Getting to experience the world with likeminded people, while developing a innovative tech platform is the perfect harmony of life and work. I also don’t miss the drizzly rain in London.
Fran’s thoughts on the future of work: My prediction for the future of work is simple. It won’t be called work anymore. It will be something you do to enforce a transaction. People will be more engaged through the flexibility of technology.
Frans travel tip: Minimalism is key when packing.
Welcome to the WYCO fam guys. It’s going to be wild.
