Help Kickstart My Travel Channel: Wander Wing Needs You!

Hey everyone,

I rarely ask for help, so this is very uncomfortable for me to post.

The Backstory

I was laid off last January as a part of the mass tech layoffs of 2023. The job search was the toughest one ever. I thought I made it through when I joined a startup last September. But the promised investment fund kept being delayed for months and then never arrived. Long story short, our startup along with others fell victim to an investment fraud. Our lawyers filed lawsuits to get our deposit back, and my CEO is trying to raise new funding.

While all this is still happening, I’m embarrassed to share that I haven’t received a paycheck since last January…

A few months ago, I finally overcame the embarrassment that I was in this situation for as long as I had and put myself back out on the job hunt (I’m looking for a product marketing role if anyone has any leads!). It’s still a very tough market out there. I’m grateful to be getting weekly interviews, but I haven’t received an offer yet. However, I refuse to let the job search and pessimism consume me!

What Keeps My Spirits High

One thing that keeps me going is that, amidst my job situation, I recognize that every other aspect of my life is still great. I’m grateful for Mark and Willy (who’s sick now :-\), my friends, my savings, my health, and my clarity about my purpose.

Earlier this year, I wrote a birthday post about my 3 intentions this year, all aligned with my purpose “to ignite the light and love within me so I can help others ignite theirs.” One of those intentions was to launch my travel YouTube channel, Go Wander Wing.

Launching Go Wander Wing

I thought at the time that I would have an income by now to invest in the equipment to get this started. But that didn’t happen. However, I didn’t want to use that as an excuse. So I used what I had. I explored on my bike, used my phone to film, and taught myself to edit. I released a couple of videos (this is my latest one).

And I’m excited to announce that my Go Wander Wing channel is live!

It’s actually a lot of work creating these videos, but I’ve never felt more exhilarated, aligned and in flow. I’m more certain than ever that this is what I want to invest my time and energy in over the next 3+ years, turning this into a side business and eventually a full-time career.

Hitting a Roadblock

I’m realizing that my iPhone isn’t cutting it for the long-form travel videos I really want to create. For that, I need a proper travel vlogging camera, specifically the Osmo Pocket 3 Creator Camera. Given my situation, I can’t fork out $950 to buy one, along with other tools. This is where I could use some help.

How You Can Help

If you can chip in $25, $10, $5, or any amount, I’d be incredibly grateful.

I feel weird to ask for donations for something like this. Until now, I’ve considered waiting until I land a new job and purchase it myself. But instead of seeing this job search situation as a problem, I see it as an opportunity I might not get again once I start working. I am never going to have as much free time and energy as I do now to get my side YouTube business off the ground. That's why I've finally decided to put this GoFundMe out now.

My Promise to You

For everyone who donates, I’ll give you a shout-out in the first video I film with the new camera!

Know that I will make great use of this camera, discovering, filming, and sharing cool, hidden gems in the Bay Area.

One of my first series will be BART destinations, showing you the hidden gems, neighborhoods, parks, and sights all accessible by BART!

My bigger intention is to inspire people to present moment, live life more fully, and realize that we don't need to travel far to experience awe.

When Go Wander Wing reaches millions of subscribers, you’ll know you played a crucial role in making it happen! ;-)

Other Ways to Support

Even if you can’t donate, you can still support my channel by subscribing, liking, commenting, and sharing my videos on YouTube (Instagram and TikTok too). Your engagement really helps boost the algorithm’s reach to more viewers!

Thank you so much for reading this far! I would be really grateful for any support you can provide.

With deep gratitude,

Wing