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Craig Whitley was born in Jamaica and spent years building a life in Los Angeles before choosing Mérida, Yucatán, as home. He is nearly four years in. This episode of The Hive follows his story with hosts Eric and Nicole Hatch, from the intensity of city living in LA to the slower, safer pace of life in Mérida, Mexico.
The thread running through the conversation is parenting. Craig talks about realizing he had been parenting out of fear in the US without knowing it, and what it meant to finally put that down. He talks about how leaving Los Angeles changed his mental health and what it looks like to raise a child in a place where that armor is not required.
He also talks about the decision itself: why he chose Mérida over Portugal and Jamaica, what COVID made undeniable, and what the early months of adjustment actually felt like, including the doubt, the reset, and the moment it became home.
Nearly four years in, Craig describes a man still becoming. His relationship grew, his sense of purpose deepened, and he says he and his family are on the quest of the best version of what they were placed here to be.
If you have been parenting out of fear, or carrying a weight you did not choose, what would it feel like to put it down?
Plan Your Scouting TripCraig Whitley
Craig Whitley was born in Jamaica, built a life in Los Angeles, and chose Mérida, Yucatán, nearly four years ago. He came with his family, and the move was a long time coming. This conversation is about what it cost to stay and what changed when he left.
"I didn't realize it, honestly, until I moved here that I was literally parenting out of fear." Craig talks about what COVID made undeniable, why he chose Mérida over Portugal and Jamaica, and what nearly four years of slower, safer living has done for his family and his sense of self.