Remoter’s Life: Kelly Davis

Meet Kelly Davis who is Director of Data and Analytics and travels the world while working remotely. Currently she is in Lake Atitlán, Guatemala.

5 min readAug 13, 2021

Kelly, can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I was born in Germany, raised on a farm in South Alabama, and lived in NYC for 9 years.
During the pandemic, I put my things into storage and started life as a digital nomad.
From medicine to owning my own company to getting my MBA in Information Systems, I have a background full of jumping at opportunities as they arise.
I believe in challenging yourself and trying new things; playing it safe almost scares me more than whatever scary thing I am facing! I want to make sure that when I am much older, there is nothing I look back on and wished I had done.

Can you tell us more about your job?

I work for a global advertising agency and am currently building the data and analytics capabilities for their health group. This means I work a lot with our strategy team to apply robust consumer datasets to questions we have in order to make decisions for what the creative product will look like and for whom it will be targeted to. It’s fast paced, our clients have a wide variety of challenges, and I’m constantly finding new and innovative ways to solve problems with information.

Do you have a dedicated space to work?

This changes as my location changes! But that is part of the fun of discovering a new place. Wifi has become the ultimate resource. There are generally co-working spaces in whatever country you find yourself in.

What does your typical workday look like?

That depends on what is on my plate. Some days are back to back meetings while others are more flexible where I get to spend time on analyses. There are a lot of emails and video calls, presentations and of course 3–4 cups of coffee. Somewhere in there I try to remember to stay hydrated and eat lunch. I do, however, make sure to end my day and unplug right at 6pm EST. That boundary is essential to maintaining a work/life balance.

What tools do you use to stay productive?

I live and die by my calendar — if it is not on there, it doesn’t exist. But to be honest, travel is what keeps me most productive. Imagine a balance: on one side, there is the unknown of visiting a new place. On the other side, there is the familiar grind of your job. Each side balances the other. When I am exploring a new place, I am excited to jump into my work because of its familiarity; and while I am working, I cannot wait to get outside and explore the unknown.

What’s your favourite unplugged activity

This changes based on what city/country I am in. I try to sample whatever is part of the local culture — dinner every night in a new restaurant is a must. However my favorite thing has become salsa lessons. I’ve taken lessons in 3 different countries now. Looking for the salsa scene is very easy (follow the music) and it helps you connect with locals even if you are not fluent in their language.

What is your current workspace setup?

Me, my Mac, a notebook and a cup of coffee…..and soon to be a hotspot. I had a crazy moment recently at a co-working space where the wifi went out in the middle of a big meeting. It rarely happens, but of course it would be during the most important meeting. I will definitely have a hotspot moving forward to make sure all bases are covered!

What do you like most about working remotely?

The freedom. I love that I can get up and take a two hour lunch, walk around, end my day early or start it early. It really is about the work product being excellent instead of upholding an image of busy-ness in an office. Working remotely is more efficient, authentic and honest in my opinion.