
Featured NomadX Resident: Maddalena Di Gregorio
I’ve gotten to the point in my life where I’m leaving my job. I like to help people in different settings grow. I’d like to have a little more freedom again.
Within minutes of meeting Maddalena, you have a sense for her nature: she’s restless, curious, and industrious. She’s constantly looking for beauty in the world while chasing her passions, but also her whims. To her, ideas and experiences make life worth living. And she’s ready for the next adventure.
For the past seven years, Maddalena has directed and produced corporate videos for Sky Italia. Although she’s enjoyed her time, she feels an itch for something new. This kind of life-changing feeling is not new — every few years (or few months), she follows an urgent desire to recreate herself by changing her career or location. Maddalena made her first leap at a young age and has always followed an amusing path of adventure.
“I ran away from home when I was 16… I didn’t want to go back home.”
Photography. Wall Street. Sales. Sculpting. Marketing. T.V. Shows. Throughout her career, Maddalena has done it all. One year, she found herself launching the Fox Sports Network in Amsterdam, the next, she returned to her creative side through videography in Italy. Although an outsider may view her career path as bizarre, to her, it’s completely natural. In her own words, “Life is meant to be lived and not so much worked.” As a result, she finds herself in roles that she finds meaningful, where the work feels like play.

Maddalena’s interests are varied and many, but she continues to return to her first love: photography. She was 21 when she got her first real darkroom. She has been using PhotoShop since its debut in 1988. Maddalena’s camera is an extension of herself. From hidden antique shops to high-end mansions, she’s worked as a professional photographer in numerous countries.

For the next step in her ever-changing life, Maddalena will join NomadX where she will continue her work as a freelance photographer. When asked about her plans, she says, “I just got a new camera. I need some new stimulation… I’ve been thinking about Portugal, I’ve been thinking about working remotely, and it’s like perfect timing.” Although she usually specializes in specializes in still life, industrial interiors, and antiques, she thinks that Portugal will lend itself well to architectural and landscape photography.
Looking forward, not even Maddalena knows where her passions will take her. Does she ever want to go ‘home’? When people ask if she wants to go back to Canada, she has a simple response: “No.” For now, Europe is the best bet. “It’s rich. For someone like me who is so curious, I love the idea that I can get on the plane, it doesn’t cost me very much, and I can land somewhere where I don’t understand a word anyone is saying.” The thrill of a challenge entices her.
“Conventional” isn’t right for everyone. Life doesn’t have to be mundane. With Maddalena as a prime example, finding adventure just requires you to follow your passions.
ABOUT NOMADX
NOMADX is a real estate technology platform developed to meet the needs of the rapidly growing global community of location-independent remote workers, or “Digital Nomads”.
As Digital Nomads ourselves, we know what the market is looking for: trusted, affordable accommodations in highly-attractive locations worldwide at 50% less than AirBNB. We also offer educational masterclasses to help master the lifestyle as well as community events to help foster new friendships.
Please join our community of Digital Nomads and remote workers from around the world:
Instagram: nomadx.experience
Facebook Group: Support Community for Remote Workers
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dave Williams is the CEO and Co-founder of NOMADX with his base in Lisbon, Portugal. Dave is a US pioneer in the digital marketing, advertising, and ad tech industries as a serial digital entrepreneur over the past 20+ years with multiple exits in the early formative stages of the search engine marketing, social media, and ad tech industries.