Carmichael Caldwell III has gained a new perspective on the life experience. The Florida A&M graduate is now a nomad who runs to test his mental and physical limits.
Recently, Caldwell stopped by rolling out to discuss his life journey.
At what point in life did you decide to become a nomad?
It actually happened by accident. I started in corporate for like two and a half years or something, and then I started [working] online. I happened to meet some people in South America, and so I started doing some remote type of stuff. I lived in New York, California, and things like that. Then my friends kept asking me, “Hey, my cousin gave me a flight pass,” and I think that was the start of it.
I could go from Cali to Europe quite quickly, easily, and cheaply. All my friends kept asking, “Why are you in the States if you can work from anywhere?” So I went to Chile in Santiago for one month. And I ended up falling in love with being in unfamiliar territory. That one month turned into five or six years now. It’s so crazy. I never thought my life would turn into this.
Do you ever think that you might be running away from traditional living?
I don’t. I wouldn’t say I’m running from anything. I always say I’m running to something. Right? Through this nomadic life, I’ve got to uncover that. There are so many things I’ve been missing, or I don’t know if I’m missing, but I’m just discovering. I don’t think I’m running from anything. I look at it as running to something.
Does the nomadic lifestyle bring you peace?
It’s amazing having that level of solitude. Through the pandemic, everybody was with their families, friends, and things like that. I was still traveling all over different countries. In those times, I was alone maybe 95 to 98% of the time. But that’s when I got quite deep into meditation. I learned a lot about myself, reflecting on my purpose in the world and where I want to go. I think having that solitude really allows you to define your own values and also allows you to think through how you want to go about life. I think oftentimes, we’re quite influenced either directly or indirectly, by our surroundings. So having that solitude just really gives you that clarity of self more so than anything and obviously peace. I’m quite a calm person, and I think this has definitely helped. I spend a lot of time alone, even now.
How did attending an HBCU shift your perspective on life?
I think HBCUs, in general, just across the board, give you a level of confidence and finesse, I would say, that is very hard to really relay. There’s always something you have to figure out, so critical thinking is quite big. The power of community and networking at HBCUs are also constant, as well.
