Bold Journeys Podcast

Denali wasn't supposed to be the hardest mountain on her journey. But for Louise McEvoy, it became the one that kept saying no. Across twenty‑one years, two ACL repairs, multiple shutdowns, and three failed attempts, she kept coming back. In this conversation, Louise takes us inside the patience, grit, and quiet courage it took to finish the Seven Summits — and the mistake on summit day that nearl...

Colleen Clifford spent decades fishing in Alaska, working long shifts on factory trawlers and living a life most people only see in documentaries. But beneath the rugged adventure was a wound she carried from age nineteen — a moment of shame that quietly shaped the next forty years of her life. Binge drinking became the way she buried that wound, a pattern that looked manageable from the outside b...

Try to imagine sitting across from your doctor with stomach pains and hearing the words, "You've got stage 4 cancer and less than a year to live." Episode 26 features Gary Young, a cancer survivor whose story is difficult, honest, and anchored in faith. Gary grew up on a Michigan farm where hard work and resilience were part of everyday life. Those early lessons became essential when he was diagno...

In this episode of Bold Journeys , we continue our conversation with Appalachian Trail thru‑hiker Jason Turner , whose 2,000‑mile trek reshaped his faith, his resilience, and his understanding of what truly matters. Known on the trail as Fancy Feet after a stumble that turned into a quick recovery, Jason's story is equal parts grit, humility, and spiritual awakening. This second part dives deeper...

In Part 1 of this two‑episode conversation, adventure seeker Jason Turner opens up about the raw, unfiltered reality of hiking the Appalachian Trail — 2,197.9 miles from Georgia to Maine. This isn't a highlight reel. It's the honest story of doubt, loneliness, faith, and the grit required to keep moving through the pain.  Jason shares the emotional lows that hit early, including the moment he call...

Chances are you know someone in your family or circle of friends and colleagues who has battled an addiction. This week on the Bold Journeys Podast , Cesar Wurm — author of The Powers of Addiction — opens up about his battle with alcoholism, the generational patterns that shaped him, and the moment he finally chose sobriety. From growing up with an alcoholic father in Brazil to living a double lif...

In Part 2 of my conversation with endurance athlete and performance coach JD Tremblay, we go deeper into what it really takes to break through the barriers holding you back — physically, mentally, and spiritually. JD opens up about the systems he built through ultra‑endurance racing, the faith that kept him moving when everything in him wanted to quit, and the moment he realized his "normal" wasn'...

Part 2 of my conversation with John Graham picks up where the chaos left off. After years of chasing danger, John finally has to face the fallout. He's led on a spiritual journey and a moment at sea that forces him to choose what kind of man he is going to be. This episode gets into the turning point: how he confronted his past, how he rebuilt himself, and how he committed to a life of service ins...

In Part 1 of my conversation with adventurer John Graham, we dig into his early years where adrenaline drove his decisions and danger became his drug of choice. John's early life was shaped by a need to prove himself. That led him to mountain climbing, revolutions, and war zones. The more extreme the situation, the more alive he felt—and the further his moral compass drifted. This episode sets the...

In this episode of Bold Journeys , we dig into one of the most important questions anyone wrestling with faith eventually faces: Is there real historical evidence for the resurrection of Jesus? New Testament scholar and author  Dr. Mike Licona shares his personal battle with doubt, the research that reshaped his faith, and the historical case that convinced him the resurrection wasn't just a belie...

In this episode of Bold Journeys, we get real about what it means to push yourself — not for bragging rights, not for a medal, but because sometimes your life depends on it. For some people, a daily workout is enough to stay grounded. For others, like JD Tremblay, the dial has to be turned all the way up. That's how he ended up taking on 10 Ironman triathlons in 10 days — an extreme challenge that...

Do you question your calling in life? What if your calling isn't what you planned? In this episode, I sit down with Norrie Steyn to talk through the twists and turns that have shaped his life. He grew up in a small South African town, moved across the world to play college golf, and eventually stepped away from a stable career path to pursue ministry. We talk about the moments that pushed him out...

This is Part 2 of my conversation with Christian "Boo" Boucousis. We move beyond his origin story and into the mindset of a fighter pilot. As the CEO of Afterburner, Boo teaches teams how to implement a practical, no nonsense approach to clarity, accountability, and performance — the same principles that kept him alive in the cockpit. This fighter pilot's guide is something we can apply in busines...

In this episode, Host Rob Spee sits down with survivor and holistic healer  Deanna Scaldaferri , whose twenty‑year relationship with a narcissist nearly cost her her voice, her safety, and her sense of self. Deanna opens the door on what these relationships really look like — the early love bombing, the charm that fools everyone else, the private chaos, and the slow erosion of identity that keeps...

Christian "Boo" Boucousis flew nearly 1,600 missions as an Australian fighter pilot before life forced him into a completely different path. He talks about what happens when the mission ends—how operating at the peak of the stress curve, mastering the basics until they're automatic, and building identity through call signs shaped the man he became. He also shares how long‑term visualization and re...

Josette Pelatan's story is a study in grit, faith, and the long road back from trauma. Born into addiction, adopted across an ocean, and later navigating life in the U.S. alone at sixteen, she carried years of anger, complex PTSD, and misdiagnosed illness while pushing herself through school, advanced degrees, and relentless adversity. In this conversation, Josette opens up about surviving a drug‑...

Hit by a COVID‑related brain stroke, the doctors told Professor M.S. Rao he wouldn't survive. Then when he does survive, but is left paralyzed on his right side, doctors told him he would never walk again. He refused to accept that ending. In this episode, Rao shares how disciplined self‑talk, a steady spiritual foundation, and a lifetime of resilience helped him rebuild his body and re‑shape his...

In this episode of  Bold Journeys , I sit down with Lisa Robinson, Golden Retriever Wrangler, Weightlifting Enthusiast, and Mountain Climber. Lisa opens up about the long road from people‑pleasing and hidden shame to sobriety, adventure, and a faith rooted in love. Lisa's story is a testament to what can happen when you stop hiding, start telling the truth, and let community and challenges reshape...

Ten episodes in, I'm taking a moment to pause and look at what Bold Journeys has already taught me —about grit, faith, resilience, and the power of simply beginning. Reflecting on the nine conversations with people who've pushed through fear, illness, doubt, and the unknown, I'm humbled and awed by their stories - and their courage to share them. I also want to take this moment to thank you for be...

What makes one person collapse under adversity while another rises? In this conversation, business leader turned sailor and Sailing Life Warriors founder Dave Mortell opens up about a life shaped by childhood abuse, near‑death medical crises, and the loss of his first boat and two dogs in a fire — and how faith, grit, and a long‑held dream to sail the world carried him forward. Dave's journey from...

Transformational leadership isn't something you inherit. It's built through mindset, resilience, and the willingness to do the inner work. This episode of Bold Journeys goes deep into that process with Raj Gupta, Global Head of Partnerships at TCS — a leader shaped not by titles, but by discipline, humility, and purpose. Raj's story begins in a middle‑class home in India, where he watched his fath...

Some people chase adventure. Others build a life around it. Offshore captain Hank Schmitt has done both. In this conversation, Hank traces the long arc of his sailing life, from Long Island summers and high school racing, to oil rig shifts, boat work, deliveries, and eventually founding Offshore Passage Opportunities (OPO). Hank walks through the defining moments that shaped his leadership at sea...

In this Bold Journeys conversation, host Rob Spee sits down with Carlos Hidalgo for a raw, unfiltered story of infidelity, redemption, and God's relentless grace. Carlos opens up about growing up in church, learning to "perform" Christianity, and living a double life—successful on the outside but driven by anger, selfishness, and the need to control everything around him. He shares how casual porn...

What if you could rewire stress from the inside out? In this episode of Bold Journeys, host Rob Spee explores how surrender, resilience, and a science‑backed practice called Physical Intelligence can transform the way you move through adversity. After losing his wife to a sudden brain aneurysm, resilience coach and speaker Rob Swymer found himself rebuilding his life from the ground up. What helpe...

What does resilient leadership look like when the stakes are life‑and‑death? In this episode of Bold Journeys , Rob Spee sits down with MK Palmore — Marine, retired FBI executive, cybersecurity leader, and now founder of his own enterprise risk consulting firm — to explore how true leadership is forged through failure, discipline, and hard‑won experience. From childhood to the Marine Corps to a 22...