#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.

#228 - Rock bottom isn’t always a single catastrophic night. Sometimes it’s a slow drift: one more drink that becomes normal, one compromise that becomes routine, one secret that feels easier than the truth. Justin Kinney knows that drift firsthand, and he joins me to tell the full story of addiction, sobriety, and rebuilding a life from the ground up.

Justin is a high school strength and conditioning teacher, a coach, a husband, and a dad in a busy blended family. From the outside, he looked like he had everything handled: professional awards, respect in the community, even leadership in church. Behind closed doors, alcohol and drugs were taking control, shame was multiplying, and his marriage and health were breaking down in small moments that eventually became impossible to ignore. We talk about what “rock bottom” really felt like for him, why treatment only worked once he admitted he was powerless, and how the consequences didn’t magically disappear just because he got sober.

We also get practical. Justin shares the non negotiables that keep him steady: a consistent morning routine built on prayer, gratitude, reading, meditation, and movement, plus the mindset of getting 1% better each day. He explains how years of journaling turned into his book, From Rock Bottom to Redemption, a daily-lesson format focused on accountability, integrity, discipline, and the kind of character that’s built through small decisions over time.

If you or someone you love is searching for addiction recovery hope, faith-based sobriety tools, or a clear path to rebuilding after failure, this conversation will meet you where you are. Subscribe for more stories like this, share the episode with someone who needs it, and leave a review to help more people find The Human Adventure.

To learn more about Justin check him out on Instagram @justin_kinney_0609 and to get a copy of his book, From Rock Bottom to Redemption, you can check out Amazon.

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.

#227 - What do you do when the person you love is gone before morning and you’re in a country that doesn’t feel fully like home yet? Chanoa Inez lived that question on the coast of Montenegro after her partner died suddenly overnight. The days that followed were filled with shock, language barriers, unfamiliar systems, and an unexpected web of support, and they set her on a seven-year chapter across the Balkans that would change everything about how she understands grief, identity, and resilience.

We talk about why she chose to stay in Europe instead of returning to Miami, how community and culture shaped her healing, and what long-haul grief can look like when it quietly rewires your routines, your boundaries, and even your health. Chanoa opens up about years of stress and food allergies, searching through meditation, yoga, and retreat work, and the moment she realized the missing piece was self-love. Along the way, we dig into negative self-talk, the “victim mindset” trap, and a powerful practice: don’t let a thought pass that you wouldn’t say to a friend.

Chanoa also shares the core message of her book, Dream On: reinvention is our birthright, and after loss we can learn to dream again, even if the dream has to be different. We explore purpose, imagination, and designing a life that pulls you forward, plus how her “inside-out” approach connects to personal branding and showing up as a real human instead of a robot. If you’re searching for grief healing, self-love practices, rebuilding after trauma, or how to move forward after losing a partner, this conversation is a grounded place to start. Subscribe, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a quick rating or review if the show helps you.

To learn more about Chanoa and her book please visit www.chanoainez.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.

#226 - You think you want to live abroad until you’re standing in a Shanghai apartment you barely recognize, sleeping on a mattress that feels like concrete, and realizing you can’t read a single sign outside your window. Jeff Lewis did exactly that, on a timeline so fast he had to get a same day passport and a same day visa just to make it happen. What started as a recession driven job scramble became four years of international teaching, culture shock, and the kind of growth you only get when your normal tools don’t work anymore.

We talk through the full arc of expat life in China: arriving alone while his wife waits on paperwork, learning the unwritten rules of traffic and daily errands, and figuring out how a newly married couple stays connected when everything around them is unfamiliar. Jeff shares what people romanticize about living abroad and what they leave out, from language barriers and “bad China days” to the strange comfort of tracking down a mediocre hamburger because it tastes like home. He also explains how travel around China worked before smartphones, and how those weekend adventures helped them stay sane and stay close.

Then the story gets even bigger: they move to a better international school, build community, and have their two oldest kids in China. Jeff gets honest about parenting abroad, hospital decisions, transportation challenges, and how cultural differences can complicate even basic support systems. We close with what he brings home to the United States as a social studies teacher, including a stronger world view and a deeper belief in second language learning for his own kids.

If you like stories about China, international schools, moving overseas, and the real psychology of stepping into the unknown, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a friend who dreams of expat life, and leave a review so more people can find The Human Adventure.

Be sure and 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.

#225 - A Baptist pastor walks away from a church he planted… and ends up kicking doors with SWAT as an FBI special agent. That’s the real-life career pivot Eric Robinson lived, and his story isn’t just a wild résumé line. It’s a clear look at how pressure, identity, and responsibility can build slowly until you finally admit the truth: you need a different path.

We talk through Eric’s early years in ministry, the surprising toll of carrying other people’s crises, and why the stress of law enforcement was easier for him to process than the stress of being a pastor. From there, he takes us behind the scenes of a 24-year FBI career: drug squads, gangs, public corruption, organized crime, crimes against children, counterterrorism, and what it means to run human sources who do not have to help but choose to anyway. If you’ve ever wondered what the FBI is really like beyond the Hollywood version, Eric gives an honest and often funny reality check.

We also get into SWAT training and why repetition matters, how agents handle the emotional weight of difficult cases, and what leadership looks like when you’re surrounded by smart self-starters. Eric closes with reflections on faith that’s been refined by experience, plus details on his upcoming book, Irreverend: From Saving Souls To Chasing Sinners In The FBI.

To follow Eric check out his Instagram account @_eric_robinson.

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

Subscribe for more human stories, share this with a friend who’s facing a career change, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show.

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.

#224 - Business advice usually starts with scaling, margins, and “hustle.” This conversation starts somewhere more honest: what is business for, and who does it actually serve?

We sit down with Edi Odura, an engineer turned entrepreneur and fractional COO who helps mission-driven founders build systems that don’t burn people out. Edi shares how growing up Ghanaian American shaped her relationship with security and risk, why operations is really about protecting the human side of a company, and what changes when you stop treating process like paperwork and start treating it like leadership. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by your own growth, you’ll recognize the moment when a great product outpaces the systems meant to support it.

Edi also walks us through the bridge she’s building between Ghana and the US by placing vetted Ghanaian virtual professionals with founders stateside. We get into the practical realities of cross-cultural hiring, communication differences, and how to create clarity without losing kindness. Then we go deeper into regenerative business principles, contrasting them with extractive models that quietly profit from low wages, vague policies, or unequal power. The result is a grounded, actionable look at ethical outsourcing, sustainable operations, and values-driven entrepreneurship.

If you care about building a company with integrity, or rebuilding your own life after a major pivot, you’ll take something real from this. Subscribe for more conversations like this, share the episode with someone who’s building, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show.

To learn more about Edith Oduraa check out her website https://edithoduraa.me/.

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.