Q & A With Doan

1. What Are some rules that you lived by?

• Be free or you'll long for it later. Always answer your heart and chase all the things that your soul longs for. Run until you collapse, get lost when you travel, go camping in the winter, take dance lessons, learn to scuba dive, take Muay Thai. Follow all the things that set your heart on fire. 

• Fearlessness is a choice that you make. The quickest way to change your life is to become an expert at the things that scare you the most. Chase your fears. Do not be afraid to get dirty. Not afraid to get in the thick of it. Not afraid to learn the hard way. Not afraid of discomfort. Not afraid of fear.  

• People are good everywhere and should not be judged by the actions of their government. There’s honesty, kindness, generosity, and respect in every corner of the earth. The world is full of beautiful people and places. Let your heart be one of them. If you open up and listen to the stories of the local people, they will open up to you as well. 

• Seek people who have passion. The dancer on the street, in the circle with a smile, throwing their body around to the music. The DJ on stage, pumping their fist, jumping and dancing with the crowd. Life is risk. You can tremble, or you can dance like them. In my life, I will continually choose to dance. 

• Die making your dreams come true rather than settling for a mediocre life. Figure out what you want to do if you were to die tomorrow and spend every day of your life doing that thing. 

• Spend your life building your own dreams, not someone else’s. Dream big. Ask for nothing and you shall receive nothing. Ask for the world and you will receive the world. The only thing standing in the way of living your dreams is you. Don’t keep trying to climb that corporate ladder, go ahead and climb those mountains and waterfalls. 

2. Book you’d recommend: 

Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts. The journey of a convicted Australian bank robber who escapes from prison and flees to the bustling city of Mumbai, India. The story unfolds against the backdrop of India’s rich cultural tapestry, and explores themes of love, friendship, redemption, and a lost soul’s search for identity as he forms unlikely connections and friendships along the way. Every traveler can connect with Lin on some level as he wrestles with his own personal demons throughout his adventures to seek meaning and purpose, striving to reconcile his past and forge a new path for himself. It explores the human spirit’s resilience and capacity for transformation. I promise that you’ll have a hard time putting this book down. 

3. If you could eat one meal for an entire week, what would it be?

Avocado toast. Oh gosh, and pasta with any kind of noodles. Speaking of noodles, definitely pho. Oh! And poke bowls, and acai bowls, and buddha bowls with peanut sauce. I just love food.

4. Top 3 places that you would visit over and over again. 

Thailand, Brazil, Vietnam. And 4th, my own mind. 

5. Someday I want to… 

Run my own wildlife rescue. Afford the time and freedom to travel freely.

6. What is your spirit animal? 

A jaguar. A shaman in India told me that years ago and it keeps popping up. 

7. What is the meaning behind your sleeve tattoo? 

In life, the end of a story is the beginning of something beautiful. Just like a tiny seed, we know that in order to grow, we need to be dropped into the dirt. That's right, we are all made up of the land. Our sweat and tears come from the ocean, as though we must drink the waves to grow. Little by little, day by day, we acquire knowledge from the earth and become just like the trees. We stay grounded and deeply rooted by reaching for the sky, and growing strong without notice.

Needless to say, nothing begins a beautiful story without growing through the dirt. So here you have it, a tribute to motherland, the earth, air, and sea. All essential elements for life. Everything surrounding the most important thing of all, Gaia, Mother Earth. And where's the fire you ask? The fire is in me. It burns in all of us. Like a moth being drawn to a flame, always trying to find the source of light, the very one that ignites our soul. Never forgetting to chase the flame that's bigger than ourselves.

Chase it hard. Run, fly, and endure bumps repeatedly to get it. Become the light.

8. Favorite movie: 

Hector and the Pursuit of Happiness. He will explain to you that happiness is answering your true calling. 

9. Anthony Boudain once asked, “Is it possible to still be lonely in the most beautiful place on earth?” What do you think? 

Paradise to me isn’t a place, but a moment in time. It is a state of mind. It’s impossible to be lonely if your mind is at peace. So take in that moment to yourself.