Chloe Stead – From Navy Life to Nomadic Living, Caminos, Grief & Choosing a Simpler Way

In this episode of the Tough Girl Podcast, we meet Chloe Stead — 42 years old and currently living in a rustic tiny shack in the bush in Tasmania with her husband — but her journey to this simple life has been anything but ordinary.

Since 2008, Chloe has been living a travelling, nomadic lifestyle. After leaving school at 18 to join the Navy and later working in health and safety in Perth, Australia, she reached a quiet breaking point while staying at the Whim Creek Hotel in 2006. A simple but powerful thought surfaced: There has to be more to life than this.

Within a week, she sold her house, packed up a shipping container, took her dog, and began driving solo around Australia with just $500 AUD — despite being petrified of sleeping in a tent. That leap of faith set the course for the next chapter of her life.

But Chloe's story is not just about adventure — it's about grief, reinvention, and learning to live on her own terms.

After the sudden death of her partner Willy in 2013, everything stopped. In the depths of grief, Chloe stepped away from social media, let go of her old life, and slowly began again. Meditation, yoga retreats, and eventually walking the Camino de Santiago in 2014 became turning points. Carrying everything on her back, she discovered a deep love for minimalism, simplicity, and self-reliance.

Over the years, Chloe has:

• Walked multiple Caminos including the Camino del Norte, Camino Primitivo and Via de la Plata
• Hitchhiked and walked along the beaches of Uruguay
• Taken a 10,000km road trip with her dog Dexter
• Lived off less than $100 AUD per week
• Worked seasonally to fund months of adventure
• Cycled from Alaska to San Francisco (86 nights in a tent!)
• Walked the Wales Coast Path and the Portuguese Camino
• Chosen to stay off social media to be fully present on trail

Now married, Chloe continues to design a life built around freedom, movement, and intentional simplicity. With big adventures planned for 2026 — including walking the South West Coast Path and the GR10 — she shares honestly about navigating partnership on trail, managing knee issues, strength training gains, and why getting to the start line is often the hardest part.

This conversation is about:

• Letting go of possessions and expectations
• Living with uncertainty
• Processing grief through movement
• Creating "trail life" off-trail
• Why you don't need technology to experience adventure
• Trusting that the universe conspires to keep you going
• And why you should "give it a crack and get to the start line."

Chloe's message is simple but powerful:

Life is uncertain. Don't put things off. If there's something you want to do — take the plunge.

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