Multimillionaire, 36, who sold her company for $4 million, trades in her lavish eight-story Florida mansion for an $80,000 van – and says she's now 'living the life she always wanted'

A multi-millionaire has revealed why giving up the lavish life and swapping her mansion for a van was the 'best decision' she ever made.

Caitlin Pyle, 36, from Orlando, Florida, once owned a large eight-story house, complete with 18 rooms, before she decided to give it all up to become a digital nomad and live on $30 a day.

After getting divorced in 2019 and selling her proofreading business for a whopping $4 million, she suffered a “breakdown” and decided to adopt a minimal lifestyle.

Now Caitlin is happier than ever after giving up her designer goods and expensive living situation to travel the world in her Mercedes Sprinter van, which has a full kitchen and solar panels.

Caitlin built a successful proofreading business in her 20s and early 30s, earning $100,000 in her first year.

At age 31, she was making $4 million a year, which allowed her to buy a 400,000-square-foot house in Florida with her ex.

Caitlin and her husband separated after eight years of marriage, and their divorce was finalized in April 2019.

She sold her business for $4 million and had to dip into her 'nest egg' to pay off her bills, with $180,000 in maintenance costs for the mansion as she was the sole owner of the property.

Caitlin says money worries, her divorce and having to independently maintain a country house left her feeling depressed and burned out, and she soon had a nervous breakdown.

'Taking care of the household became a full-time job. We built it for us as a couple, we looked forward to entertaining people and maintaining it together. But because I was in it all alone, I was completely swallowed up,” she explained.

'It was always something: you needed someone to maintain the lawn, but that man canceled at the last minute, or your mailbox was piling up and you couldn't bring yourself to sort it.

“I was trying to pay my bills and had my savings as a last resort. I had a total breakdown. Now I had too much freedom and the emotional intensity had not disappeared.'

She felt an overwhelming amount of fatigue and never had any energy. She finally went to her doctor and he diagnosed her with chronic stress and burnout.

She was told her brain needed a break and some 'TLC (tender loving care)' in the form of exercise, healthy food and rest – so she decided to spend four years in recovery and set up a new remote business as a life coach in the meantime.

“My brain and body just ran out of resources. “I had to rest, eat right and strengthen my immune system – the stress was so exhausting,” she recalls.

“I started doing these daily affirmations to help with my financial situation, manifesting abundance and trying to figure out what sacrifices I could make.

“I had been watching a lot of van transformation videos and I decided, maybe I could live and travel in one for a while.”

So Caitlin decided to pull the trigger and ended up buying a Mercedes Sprinter for $88,000, before spending $120,000 on renovations – including a custom kitchen with a full-size fridge, juicer and blender.

It took four months to get her dream van ready, and she still had to deal with her house, so she hired an assistant to take some of the stress off herself.

After her van was finished, she started renting out her house for $25,000 a month, and focused on her new life on the road.

She has now traveled to eight states and spends her days taking on new adventures.

'I set out on the 'land yacht', as I like to call it. I've traveled to Alabama, Florida, Nashville, and even stayed in my mom's backyard for a few nights.

'I've met so many interesting people both on the road and through dating apps – I once dated a guy called Jeff who lives in a yurt. We are still friends now and we go mountain climbing together.

'I like to drive for three to four hours at a time, then I usually park with friends. I exercise, take a shower, use their WiFi for a while to do some work.

“Then I'll leave the next morning.”

Caitlin has even mastered finding the best parking spots using a camping app and has started using picnic tables as makeshift office spaces, as well as solar panels for Wi-Fi.

Although she's been on the road for six months so far, Caitlin has no plans to return home anytime soon.

Caitlin, who now works as a life coach, said: 'I went from living alone in a big, empty house to traveling full-time.'

However, despite the drastic change, she said she was much happier this way.

'This way of life suits me much better. “I used to take several expensive vacations a year, but that wasn't sustainable,” she said.

“Now I live on twenty to thirty dollars a night, and I'm living the life I've always wanted to live. My life feels like a choose-your-own adventure. I do all this to please my inner child. I love traveling – and this is the best decision I've ever made.

'I have become so much more confident, I have made new friends and even gone on dates.

'Life is about growth – and I believe that's what I do.'