<p>Scott Stillman is a 53-year-old writer, backpacker, and desert wanderer who built his life around walking canyon country instead of working full-time. He’s the author of <em>I Don't Want to Grow Up </em>and seven other books. (<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://scottstillmanblog.com">scottstillmanblog.com</a>)</p><p>Scott traces his evolution from skateboarding teenager to normie bank employee in Ohio to full-time freedom seeker in Colorado. Along the way, he explains why he’s always prioritized time over money, how he and his wife built a life around working as little as possible, and why most people are asking the wrong question when it comes to careers.</p><p>We get into the specific ways he pulled this off, from compressing an insurance sales job into two days a week to negotiating a car sales role down to weekends only. Now living in Durango, Scott earns a living from his books—spending about two hours a day on social media—and spends the rest of his time hiking, backpacking, and disappearing into canyon country. He also explains how writing accidentally became his path to freedom, the role a good editor plays, and why he ditched photography to start documenting his experiences with words.</p><p>We also get into the philosophy behind his work: why “this reeks of privilege” is the most common critique he hears from young people on TikTok, why he thinks that’s missing the point, how starting with a beat-up car and a few hundred dollars can still lead to a life outdoors, and why you don’t need to have your whole life figured out—you just need to go.</p><p>Full transcript: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://dirtbagrich.com/scott">dirtbagrich.com/scott</a></p>