Somewhere between back-to-back tasks, building a business and the quiet question of where to call home, some people realise they are not looking for more hustle. They are looking for a way of working that actually fits the life they want to live.
Linda had already changed careers once, walked away from a job that could never be remote, learned a whole new skill set and started building a business that belongs to her. Coliving and remote work did not appear as a radical break, but as the natural next step in a life that refuses to be fixed to one place.
This is Linda’s story: from optician to entrepreneur slow travel, community, and why POMAR feels like home
Meet Linda: from optician to remote creative
RBefore Linda found her way into coliving and creative self-employment, her life looked very different.
She worked as an optician. A stable, hands-on job. One you do in a shop, with people, in a fixed place. Not something you can take on the road.
In 2019, she went travelling. Then Covid happened, and everything stopped. But that pause changed something. Once she had seen another way of living, she couldn’t unsee it.
She knew she wanted to work remotely. She just didn’t know how yet.
So she started over. She studied communications, moved into marketing, and slowly built skills she could carry with her. In 2023, she finally managed to work remotely for her former employer. It felt like a win. But it wasn’t the end of the story.
Not long after, she quit and went fully self-employed.
She began with copywriting and online marketing, then added photography, and eventually started building her own fashion brand. Each step felt natural, like following a thread rather than forcing a plan.Choosing colivings and coworkings wasn’t a big leap.
It was simply the next logical step in a life that was already changing.
A life without a fixed base
Right now, Linda doesn’t have a place she calls home. She moves every one to three months, and that freedom is a choice she’s made consciously.
Switzerland is where her roots are. Where she goes back to breathe, to rest, to feel grounded. But it’s not where she wants to stay still.
Slow travel fits her better. Staying long enough for a place to stop feeling new. Long enough to learn its rhythm, its quiet moments, its everyday life.
Coliving makes that possible. Not as a stopover, but as a way of living. A place to work, to belong for a while, and then move on when it feels right
What she loves and what she finds challenging about coliving
There’s a lot Linda loves about remote work and coliving.
She loves meeting people from everywhere. People with different lives, different rhythms, different ways of seeing the world. She enjoys the shared flat feeling, the spontaneous dinners, the evenings that start casually and end in long conversations. Being part of a community, while still having her own room and her own quiet when she needs it, is what makes coliving feel right.
Slow travel deepens that experience. When you stay longer, a place stops feeling temporary. You’re no longer just passing through. You start to feel the everyday life, the small routines, the human side of a place.
Of course, it’s not always easy. There are moments of decision fatigue, times when her social battery is empty, and the goodbyes that come too often. And when she feels that, she listens. She switches to an Airbnb, slows down, and gives herself space before the next chapter begins.
The project she is most proud of: she shapes
Out of everything Linda is working on right now, there’s one project she lights up about immediately: her new fashion brand, SHE SHAPES.
The idea didn’t come from some big business strategy.
It came from something very normal: getting dressed and thinking, “Why does nothing ever fit the way it should?”
Most clothes are made for one “standard” body type that almost nobody actually has.
And if you’re a woman with a smaller chest or bigger boobs, it’s even harder. You can love the style, love the fabric, love the look… but the fit is always a battle.
So Linda decided to fix the problem instead of complaining about it.
SHE SHAPES is built around modular sizing, so the clothes adapt to the woman wearing them… not the other way around.
And she’s building it the way she wants to live:
slow fashion, small drops, thoughtful production.
Designed between Switzerland and Germany, produced in Portugal.
A mix of places that reflects her life right now too.
What’s important for her is that this brand doesn’t turn into the classic “founder burnout story.”
She doesn’t want to chase growth for the sake of growth. She wants to build it well, take her time, and keep enjoying the process.
That’s actually one of the reasons she came to POMAR in the first place… to work seriously, but without the pressure.
To focus, breathe, and create from a good place instead of running on stress.SHE SHAPES started because clothes didn’t fit her.
But it’s becoming something bigger: a brand that lets women feel like their bodies were finally considered.
Choosing POMAR and falling for OG
Linda discovered POMAR the way many nomads do, through photos that somehow feel like a postcard from the life you want.
She was scrolling without much intention when she saw the space and the garden.
Something in those images stopped her.
Not because they were perfect, but because they felt alive and warm.
She remembers thinking, almost out loud: I need to go there.
So she booked POMAR OG. No big strategy, no overthinking. Just a quiet yes to a place that felt right.
From the moment she received the first emails, the experience felt personal and professional. When she finally walked through the door, she realised that the photos hadn’t exaggerated anything. The details were thoughtful, the atmosphere was welcoming, and the house felt calm in a way that made it easy to settle in.
During her time in the Algarve she naturally moved between the different houses, spending time at POMAR na Serra and at POMAR na Praia. Each place had its charm. Each place had its own rhythm.
But if you ask her which one feels like hers, she smiles and answers without even thinking:
“OG forever.”
It is not about the layout or the pool or the colours.
It is something quieter.
Something that happens when a place matches the season you are in.
For Linda, POMAR OG is where everything clicked.
A house that gave her space to breathe, people to connect with, and just enough routine to make her projects move forward without forcing anything.
A place that felt like home for a little while, and maybe again in the future.
What she wanted to build during her stay
When Linda first came to POMAR, she had a clear intention. She wanted to work a bit less and build her career less around hustle culture.
The POMAR rhythm supported that. Community activities, movement, CrossFit, shared experiences. Enough structure to feel part of something, enough freedom to protect her own pace.
That intention now extends to her clothing brand. She knows that building a brand is work, but she does not want she shapes to become a constant grind. Limited editions, slow fashion and a thoughtful production process match the way she wants to live and work.
Her time at POMAR helped confirm that. It showed her that it is possible to work hard without spinning into unhealthy hustle, especially when you are surrounded by people who are also choosing a more intentional path.
Working with the POMAR team
When the conversation shifts to the team, Linda doesn’t hesitate.
She smiles, shrugs almost playfully, and says:
“Claire is the GOAT.”
It is a short sentence, but it carries a lot behind it.
What she means is that from the moment she booked to the moment she checked out, she felt taken care of. Not in a loud, performative way, but in the quiet, consistent way that makes you feel welcome without needing to ask for anything.
She jokes that maybe she is just an easy guest, but the truth is simpler.
People recognise genuine care when they feel it.
From her broader experience in colivings and coworkings around the world, she has noticed one thing that many places miss. The events, the discounts, the group chats, the occasional yoga class… those are easy. They look good on Instagram. But they are not community.
What makes a place meaningful, she says, is the deeper work.
The patience. The intention. The small rituals that make strangers feel comfortable enough to become something more.
At POMAR, she could feel that work behind the scenes, in the way people naturally connect, in the balance between privacy and togetherness, in the ease that grows when a house is cared for properly.
Those details matter more than people think.
Moments that stay and wishes for what comes next
When asked if there is a specific moment she wants to share, Linda laughs.
The kind of laugh that says: there are way too many.
Choosing just one would mean leaving out twenty other tiny memories that also deserve a place.
So instead of a single story, she talks about the overall feeling.
Breakfasts that turned into long conversations.
Evenings that started with “maybe” and ended with laughter.
Walks, workouts, spontaneous plans.
Looking ahead, her wishes for POMAR are a mix of humour and heart.
On the playful side, she imagines her dream scenario: a private concierge, a chef, a weekly massage, and one hundred euros in cash every week to spend on activities. She knows it is a fantasy, but the way she says it reveals something honest about the nomad lifestyle.
Everyone dreams of a little more ease.
On the practical side, she has suggestions that reflect the way she travels.
She would love to see more local secrets on the blog and in the newsletter.
Hidden gems, founder stories, behind the scenes of how new destinations are chosen.
More depth, more personality, more real Algarve. Not the generic lists found everywhere online.
That is exactly how Linda moves through the world.
Slowly, intentionally, with curiosity rather than urgency.
Her journey through POMAR fits that rhythm perfectly.
Moments that stay and wishes for what comes next
Linda’s story is not about escaping work. It is about reshaping it.
From optician tied to a physical location, to communications and marketing, to remote work, to self employed copywriter, photographer and founder of a slow fashion brand. All of it while living without a fixed base, moving every few months, holding Switzerland as a destination rather than a permanent home and seriously considering the Algarve as the next step.
POMAR fits into this journey as a place where all of that can coexist. Work, rest, connection, creativity. A shared flat feeling when she wants it, peace and privacy when she needs it.
If her story sounds like the kind of reset you are craving, you might find that POMAR gives you the same thing it gave her. Space to work, space to breathe and the feeling that you do not have to choose between building something and living well.
There are limited spots at POMAR’s houses in the Algarve across the next months. If you want to explore a workation or a longer stay, this might be the moment to look closer at what POMAR offers.
Get in contact with Linda
private / founder content: @lindamilow_
clothing brand: @with.sheshapes
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/linda-kalberer/.
Registered company name: Milow Studios GmbH,
Photography website: https://www.milowstudios-content.ch/
Clothing website: https://www.she-shapes.com/
Frequently Asked Questions: Coliving for entrepreneurs in Algarve
Coliving combines the comfort of a home with the ease of a built-in community. Instead of booking a place and figuring everything out alone, you’re joining a shared living setup where people are also working remotely, exploring the area, and open to connecting. For entrepreneurs, it can feel like the best of both worlds: your own rhythm, plus a social layer when you want it.
Yes, especially if you want a work-friendly setup without the corporate coworking vibe. Laura describes coliving as “the perfect balance between a shared apartment and a coworking space,” and highlights that reliable Wi-Fi and quiet spaces for calls were essential for her workation sprint.
POMAR has multiple locations in the Algarve, close to the coast and local villages, ideal if you want beach access, nature, and a slower pace, while still being able to stay focused on work. It’s designed to help you settle in quickly and make the most of the region.
Absolutely, if the space is designed for it. Laura notes that her work involves “heavy platforms” and crawling websites, so bandwidth matters, and she often needs a “private, quiet space” for video calls. The right coliving setup makes it easier to concentrate during the day, then switch into a more social mode after work.
The community is one of the biggest differentiators. Laura points out that the group size stays intentionally small, making it natural to “hang out together afterwork.” Guests also use a WhatsApp group to share essential info and organize activities like hikes, yoga sessions, or movie nights.
Your days can be as structured or as spontaneous as you want. Depending on the group, you might join a hike, a yoga session, or a casual dinner—or explore the Algarve at your own pace. Laura’s favorite memory was going to Tavira’s Inverno festival with a small group, with music, food stalls, and local businesses.
Not at all. POMAR is a great fit for entrepreneurs, freelancers, creatives, and anyone who works remotely and wants a change of pace. You don’t have to live “nomad life” full-time to benefit from a workation sprint in a new environment.
It depends on the vibe you’re after. Laura describes POMAR Na Praia as a “typical Portuguese country house” with views of the Ria Formosa, while POMAR One stands out for its “thoughtfully curated interior design” with Portuguese details like blue tiles and clay pots—plus “room to breathe.”
Beyond the basics, bring what supports your work rhythm: noise-canceling headphones for calls, a portable laptop stand, and anything you rely on for deep-focus sessions. If your work is bandwidth-heavy (like Laura’s), it’s also worth planning key tasks around your most reliable working hours.
