Sovereignty can take shape and be expressed in countless lifestyle choices. Off grid homesteading, global digital nomading, high tech, low tech, fast paced, slowed down – the common denomoter is that *you* chose the path because you *own* your life and you have made the choice to exert supreme authority over your existence. No that doesn’t mean you can control your experiences and circumstance. Rather, sovereignty means you are actively archetecting your life from a place of empowerment, and RESPONDING to experiences and circumstance in a values driven way.

Decentralized Geography

Deep roots, in several places is the strategy my husband and I are utilizing to set up our family and future generations of our family. As an international couple living in a state that neither of us were raised in, we have had to get creative and focus our energy very strategically. My husband is from Italy and I am from Missouri (USA). We met in Mexico where I produce an annual liberty conference, and we live in Texas on an intentional community designed around educating children.

We became a cutely aware of how quickly cultures can change during the lockdowns of 2020. My husband’s home country rapidly became a prison state, my Midwest hometown demanded children age two and up cover their faces. We had no idea how we would be able to live in the same country after June 2020 when his Visa was going to expire (my ex would not sign the divorce papers granted by a Judge in January 2020, leaving us unable to legally wed) knowing that if he left the US he may not be able to return for a long time because the US was not allowing visitors from Italy.

It was completely destabalizing. We knew we could get a six month Viisa in Mexico, but neither of us wanted to be locked down in another country where experimentsl medicine was being rapidly deployed to a terrified population. Nor did I want to negotiate with my ex about relocating with or without the big kids. No, we were safe in Texas politically speaking, and we had no idea how to keep our family together without putting one of our legal statuses at risk.

We were already spiritually married in Mexico in February, but we could not have our legal wedding until my ex legally released me, which he apparently didn’t want to do. We knew then we needed access to come and go from as many countries as possible so we never found ourselves stuck in one place or locked out of one place for political reasons. Our family had to create political and legal stability so we could always be together, no matter what was happening in the world. This means residency, citizenship, or nationality in our core locations.

This is how we solidified our plan to decentralize our geography. Mexico, US, Italy. My husband now has his Greencard in the US, and we have our temporary residency visa in Mexico, which has put us on th 5 year path to getting a Mexican passport. Our plan is to manifest a retirement home in Mexico, while we raise our children primarily in Texas at the intentional community we selected. As we establish ourselves in Mexico more each year, we are building a beautiful future to give our children.

Stability

A decentralized geography is an excellent way to create stability for your family. Not only do you have options if the political / legal climates shift as they did in 2020, but you have options if there is a natural or man made disaster in one location and you lose a home due to a storm or other catastrope. Likewise, if the economy in one location starts to boom or bust, you can make appropriate changes to live most abundantly (maybe rent out your home in the booming area and go live more affordably in the busying area). If your season of life shifts, you can gracefully slide into a situation that best suits this period of life.

A decentrslized geography can also help you find creative ways to decentralized your income (which also builds stability for your family). Maybe you winter at your Puerto Rican off grid property while others pay your mortgage or living expenses in Portland by renting your house (this is a real example of friends of mine!). Maybe you Airbnb your condo in Mexico while in the United States, and have other vacationers pay for your vacation / retirement home. Maybe you offer guided hikes during your summer months in the mountains, or run a food truck in the summers in Florida. There are so many ways to create seasonal and regional incomes for you and your family.

World Schooling

another benefit to a decentrslized geography is your ability to continue learning and exposing yourself to new ideas, customs, or cultures for the r st of your life. Even if your geography is decentralized locally and not globally – I grew up in s family with a small business in the city, a lake house a couple hours south of us, and a farm a couple hours north of us. Spending time in those three places introduced me to entirely different cultures and environments growing up!

At the lake house I saw Amish on horse and buggie, learned lake culture, and boat etiquette. I learned the language of fishing and became much more in tune with the sun, the stars, the wind, the clouds, and nature as a whole. I learned how to work and play hard. The whole family participated in the upkeep, and the fun! We played late night card games and went out on the boat at daybreak to fish. I overcame my fear and challenged my mind and body on jet skis, water tubes, and water skis. I cleaned aelgae off boat hulls, and leaves out of gutters. I burned driftwood and picked wildflowers for my grandma. I felt the most at peace and most free at the lake.

Contrast this to my suburban upbringing in an upper middle class neighborhood, and I think you can see how our decentralized geography of just a couple hours exposed me to another way of life that taught me things I otherwise may never have been exposed to. The locals even have a regional accent in lake country. I may have never left the US, but I had seen other ways of living than my own.

Now that my husband and I have applied this concept globally, I am quite pleased with the language exposure the kids have at such a young age. My youngest, Moon Baby we call her, has spent almost two months fully emersed in Spanish when she comes down to Mexico with me. Her Mexican nanny speaks only Espanol, and we have attended two Spanish-only retreats while in the Acapulco area. She is only 16 months old, has her temporary residency in Mexico, is exposed to the language regularly, and will be back for another month this coming February. By the time she is a year and a half she will have spent 16% of her life in Mexico. My hope is that this is creating the language pathways that neurologically last a lifetime.

The big kids began travelling to Mexico with me and their dad at ages 4 and 6. They are now 9 and 11, and have spent 8.5 months living in or visiting Mexico. That puts them closer to 7-8% of their lives spent immersed in another culture and language. I wish I had exposed them at a younger age, but I am also extremely grateful that we’ve been able to provide this opportunity for them. They are just exiting the prime language building years, and I hope our trip in Mexico gives them s boost toward bi-lingual communication..

By the time our children leave the nest, we hope to have unlocked as much of the world as possible for them. We feel this is a gift that is invaluable, and provides our children with the ability to live and work in a huge part of the globe. Once we have set ourselves up in Mexico, we will begin the process of getting my Italian citizenship and the baby’s. I personally have to pass an Italian test, so I’m waiting until I am ñroficient enough to even try!

Do you have a decentralized geography? Tell us about it in the comments! Do you WANT a decentralized geography? Tell me about your goals in the comments!