#231 - A passport full of stamps can look impressive, but what if the real point of travel is the people who crack you open and change how you see your life? I sat down with Melissa Rodway, author of *The People You Meet*, for an honest, funny, and surprisingly practical conversation about travel, connection, and what happens when we step outside our normal routines.

We talk about the strangers you never forget, including the bold older travelers who prove adventure has no expiration date. Melissa shares why travel can make you feel lighter and more present, and how a single day can swing from pure gratitude to deep loneliness. We also dig into why certain places feel like home, why others do not, and how your body knows the difference even when you cannot explain it.

Then we get real about travel ego and travel fatigue. If you have ever pushed a trip too far because you felt like you “should,” you will recognize the moment Melissa describes when travel starts feeling like work. We compare solo travel versus group travel, the hidden workload of constant decisions, safety concerns, and why active group trips with strangers can turn into a temporary family fast.

If you love adventure travel, solo travel stories, and conversations about living with more intention, this one will stick with you. Subscribe to The Human Adventure, share this episode with a friend who needs a nudge to do something brave, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

You can get a copy of Melissa's book, The People You Meet, on Amazon here. You can also follow Melissa on Instagram @fly_travel_media.

To learn more about me and see clips from past, present, and future shows give me a follow on Instagram @humanadventurepod.

Want to be a guest on The Human Adventure? Send me a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/journeywithjake

Xploreum connects you with authentic wilderness expeditions led by trusted local experts. Browse real adventures, book directly with experienced guides, and get $200 off your first trip using code HumanAdventure2026 at xploreum.io/humanadventure.

#230 - Ten Ironman distances in ten days sounds like a headline, but JD Tremblay treats it like a case study. JD is a military veteran, ultra-endurance athlete, and founder of Hungry Warrior Academy, and he joins me to explain how he became one of the rare finishers of the Epic Deca across the Hawaiian islands and why the real secret is not heroic motivation. It is structure, repeatable systems, and the decision to follow them when your mind is loud and your body is tired.

We get into the myth that the military “gives” discipline, and JD’s sharper take: the military gives structure, and you choose whether you live inside it. From there, we talk about building high performance without burning out, including energy regulation, nervous system shifts from sympathetic fight-or-flight to parasympathetic recovery, and why rest is not a reward but part of the plan. JD also shares his lens on starting versus quitting, the difference between DNS and DNF, and how a simple non-negotiable can become the first brick in a better life.

JD opens up about faith, identity, and community, including the moment his son reshapes how he thinks about who he is beyond titles and achievements. He also tells the rawer side of the Epic Deca journey: going into debt, selling his house to fund the race, and hitting a breaking point that forces humility. We even had to pause mid-interview due to an electrical outage, which ends up fitting the theme perfectly: adjust, come back, keep going.

If you want practical mindset tools, endurance training lessons, and a clearer definition of discipline you can apply to work, fitness, or family, hit play, then subscribe, share this with someone who needs encouragement, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

To learn more about JD and his work with Hungry Warrior Academy please visit www.hungrywarrioracademy.com. You can also follow along with JD on Instagram @jdtremblaytri and to learn more about his book, Hunger For More In Life, you can visit www.hunger4more.com.

To learn more about me and see clips from past, present, and future shows give me a follow on Instagram @humanadventurepod.

Want to be a guest on The Human Adventure? Send me a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/journeywithjake

Xploreum connects you with authentic wilderness expeditions led by trusted local experts. Browse real adventures, book directly with experienced guides, and get $200 off your first trip using code HumanAdventure2026 at xploreum.io/humanadventure.

#229 - He was face down in the ocean, paralyzed, and running out of time. Patrick Yalon went out for a routine surf at San Francisco’s Ocean Beach and never came back the same person and he’s honest about how close he came to not coming back at all.

We talk through the full arc: the low-tide wipeout that breaks his neck, the foggy scramble that ends with his friend finding him blue in the water, and the CPR that brings him back. From there it’s ICU uncertainty, brutal nerve pain, and a nine-and-a-half-hour spinal fusion from C3 to C5 with titanium hardware. Patrick doesn’t skip the dark parts: identity loss, depression, and the exhausting question of whether his body will ever work the way it used to.

Then the story pivots from survival to purpose. Patrick chooses a wildly specific goal for spinal cord injury recovery and resilience: Moab 240, one of the toughest ultramarathons in the world. He lines up just months after the accident, grinds out 144 miles in 2024, then travels to Thailand to keep healing through daily Muay Thai training, time in the mountains, and a search for meaning and faith. He also shares why helping others with similar accidents matters so much, and how finishing Moab 240 in 2025 through storms, mud, lightning, and sleep deprivation becomes a shared victory with the friend who saved his life.

Patrick is writing a memoir called Still Here and continues raising money and awareness for people impacted by spinal cord injuries. Subscribe to The Human Adventure, share this with someone who needs a reason to keep showing up, and leave a review if Patrick’s story hits home.

To follow along with Patrick's journey you can give him a follow on Instagram @bodiezepha415. For those runners out there on Strava just search for Patrick Yalon.

To learn more about me and see clips from past, present, and future shows give me a follow on Instagram @humanadventurepod.

Want to be a guest on The Human Adventure? Send me a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/journeywithjake

Xploreum connects you with authentic wilderness expeditions led by trusted local experts. Browse real adventures, book directly with experienced guides, and get $200 off your first trip using code HumanAdventure2026 at xploreum.io/humanadventure.