Noelle Poulson

What I learned in March

Now that April is more than halfway over, I finally have a minute to share my insights from last month! March was enlightening for me in many ways. I was able to observe myself and my work habits more objectively – looking closely at what they really are and how I operate – in order to build around who I am instead forcing myself to work the way I think I should. I learned that I work best when I…

Sprinkles and the creative process.

If you were going to make a cake, what would your first step be? Alex Trebek and I will give you a second to think about it. Ok. Whatcha got? Maybe you said you’d need to find a recipe, go shopping, or turn on the oven. Perhaps the more seasoned chefs out there jumped straight into mixing up ingredients. I’m not really a cake baker…

My Happiness List :)

My Happiness List As I mentioned last time, the process of thinking about and writing down a list of things that makes me happy and keeping the list where I can read it regularly has been quite enlightening. I know I said it before, but who knew that thinking about what makes you happy would actually make you happier? It’s a sweet trick. I try to read my list every day, really taking a second to…

What I Learned in February

Well, it wasn’t as successful as last month – by a long shot. I had a few lovely days off to hang out with visitors (reading under palm trees, gorging on delicious food, and wearing myself out with pool games) followed by a week of not as much fun when the builders came and tore out two of our bathrooms. I was locked in the living room with a meowing cat for five days, one of which was my…

I am an only child, but I have siblings. I am a strong, capable, independent woman, but I am currently fully dependent on my male partner. I have a group of friends and family who I love so deeply I still see them around every corner, nearly seven years after I left them for a new destination. I cried so hard at the airport that day that I lost my breath and ran out of tears. But I still got on…

What I Learned in January

Setting up a year of independent study has been an interesting process. I’ve learned what a MOOC is (massive open online course) and about great free learning places like Coursera. I’ve created my own yearly, monthly, weekly and daily schedules. I’ve learned how to bounce back from distractions and off days. And I’ve learned more about myself and how my brain works so I can get the most out of my…

Dear Alex: January 23, 2017

Hello again!

We just talked this morning, but I wanted to say how lovely it is to hear your voice and see you in person (on a screen). I don’t know how our ancestors did it, Al. How can you move across the world and never see or hear your loved ones again? A letter that takes three weeks to arrive by steam ship is romantic and wonderful for a time, but to never be able to react real-time to their…

Hey there!

I wanted to let you know that I recently shifted all my diving content to our blog We Are Divers, which you can find with that link or through the What I Write About section at the top.

My goal with the site is to share the underwater world with non-divers and diving newbies as well as those with lots of dives in their log book, so even if you’ve never set foot in the sea, you might…

Can Science and Religion Coexist?

Despite attempts in my youth to pretend otherwise, science (particularly the mathy branches of science) has always called to me from the deepest parts of my soul. I grew up watching Square 1 TV (of particular importance were Fridays, when the MathNet agents finally solved the week’s mystery), Bill Nye the Science Guy, 3-2-1 Contact, and Nova, among others. I loved reading science books and…

Creating your Mission Control Centre! #quests #goals

Every serious quest needs a base. You know, a big map on a table in the middle of the room where men with heavy brows inexplicably move chess pieces around to plan their next move. Last week, we built the mission control centre for our biggest quest yet: our big dream.

If you haven’t heard, we are working toward opening our own dive centre and guest house somewhere in southeast Asia. We aren’t…

There’s a great big ocean out there, and I sometimes feel like we’ve been dropped right in the middle of it.

In many ways, that’s exactly what we want. We want a sea-filled life, full of fishy wonders and underwater adventure. But attempting to turn our hobby into a business – and doing it in far-flung corners of the world, no less – can sometimes make me feel lost at sea.

We have so much to do

Happy February! Here's a roundup of my #January. How was yours??

I love February. I might be slightly biased because it is my birthday month, but I think it’s a pretty great one. Sure, there is still snow on the ground (not if you live in Oman, though!), but the really dark days of winter start to evaporate, the sun comes out more and, depending on where you live, you might even start to see some signs of life returning to the garden. I hope that wherever you…

A Night on #jabalshams, the Grand Canyon of #oman. What a sight to behold.

A couple of weeks ago we spent the night on Oman’s highest mountain, Jabal Shams (in English, that means The Sun Mountain). It was a remarkable experience and one I won’t soon forget. I haven’t had the chance to show you photos yet but, as I finally have my new laptop (yay!), I can finally give you a glimpse into our camping adventure. Enjoy!

This road doesn’t mess around. While the grade on the…

Just Because is the best reason I can think of to do something you want to do. #creativity #standyourground

I am currently working on a project that has been stirring in my periphery for years. I don’t know why I feel compelled to do it, I’ve just kept coming back to it over and over for so long, and now feels like the right time to take it on.

It’s a project that will probably bring delight only to myself and a very small handful of other very specific nerds. It is taking up hours of time every week.…

Getting my head around my agenda has made decisions a whole lot easier. #creativity #divelife #procrastination

Last week I realised that I have the power to take on work that aligns with my agenda. What I had a hard time pinning down was exactly what my agenda is.

I’m a creative person so, at any given time, I have about a billion and one ideas about what I could spend my energy on. I’ve got ideas for blog posts, podcasts, videos, books, products, businesses, you name it, rolling around in my head…

Being an #expat just means living abroad. The key word? #Living.

There are a lot of things people don’t tell you about being an expat. You see these world travellers, people out there “living their dreams” and it seems like the most romantic, fulfilling life in the world. I’m not here to tell you it sucks. I’m here to tell you it’s just another way of living life.

Expats get a lot of, “Yeah, but you live in London!” or “Yeah, but you live in Oman!” or “Yeah,…

Last week I had #lasik eye surgery. I was so nervous! Here are my words to past me about the future. #writing

Dear past me,

You’re sitting there right now freaking out about what is to come later today. It’s  a frightening and ookey prospect and your fear totally makes sense. But I am going to talk to you about what it means to be on the other side of that. About how remarkable it is that you have the option for this in your life and what it will mean to you after you go through the gross part. You’re…