A widow, whose husband died suddenly of a heart attack, has relocated with her two sons to Bali to embrace the digital nomad lifestyle.
Kate Marillat, 44, an emotional resilience coach and mentor, lost her husband Nigel, 47, in May 2020.
Left to raise her two boys, Kieran, 13, and Seb, 10, alone, Kate decided to pursue a long-held dream.
Previously working in Paris, Ms Marillat had always aspired to become a digital nomad, working remotely while travelling the world. Family life in Peacehaven, East Sussex, had put those plans on hold.
However, tragedy spurred her to finally take the leap in September, relocating to Sanur, Bali – the same location she and her Buddhist husband had honeymooned in 2010.
Now living in a three-bedroom villa with a pool, Ms Marillat and her sons enjoy a life filled with surfing, snorkelling, and other daily adventures.
She says the lower cost of living allows her money to stretch “three times further”, enabling her to privately educate her sons and dine out more frequently. The move has transformed their lives, offering a fresh start and a chance to thrive in a new environment.
After her husband’s death, Ms Marillat initially felt she was living in an “altered state of consciousness”, but her background as an author and coaching helped her through the hard days, taking her from “surviving to thriving”.
“It was the hardest day of my life when Nigel died,” she said.
“All of a sudden, you go from married to a widow to solo parent, you have these labels, and you think, ‘Who am I now? What do I want to create? What life do we want to lead?’
“Sometimes you need to take a step out of the life you’re in to figure out what that’s going to be when you go back.”
Around a year after her husband’s death, Ms Marillat and the children moved to Saltdean, and she continued to use the techniques she has taught for years, predominantly Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) tapping, which involves tapping on specific points on the body to “clear trauma and emotional distress”, and focussed on self-care.
Ms Marillat later wanted to change her environment to help her and the children “heal”, and she started looking at options to expand her online business globally and fulfil the dream of travelling and working abroad.
She and her children flew to Sanur in September.
She said that Bali has been “wonderful” but “lonely” at times, and she still has to “navigate the emotional waves of solo parenting and financial freedom”.
According to bunq’s Global Living Report, more than a quarter (28 per cent) of digital nomads report saving more, while almost one in four (24 per cent) feel more financially secure – and this has been the case for Ms Marillat.
She said she can get her laundry picked up, ironed and brought back for about £5 per week and food is “so cheap”.
“These things have allowed me to have more time, more space, more self-care,” Ms Marillat explained.
“I can finish my upcoming novel, grow my business and be more present for my kids and send them to private schools, which I couldn’t do in the UK.”
Once her children are grown and settled, she wants to adopt the life of a digital nomad travelling and working across the world – and hopes to visit Australia or elsewhere in Asia next.
Ms Marillat, a published author in seven languages, said the move has brought her and her children closer together and she would encourage others to “step outside of their comfort zone”.
“It’s given me the space to figure myself out again for this next season.
“I’ve definitely got more energy here, I’m feeling more grateful, at peace, and it’s made me ready for this chapter and the next one.”
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