The Divergent Path with Rollie Peterkin

In this episode I speak with Cristen Hemingway Jaynes, who is the author of Ernest's Way , a travel biography about her great-grandfather, Ernest Hemingway. The book traces Hemingway's world travels and life abroad. Each chapter is dedicated to a different place like Key West, Paris, or Venice. And she takes you through all his favorite haunts, where he lived, where he ate, and of course, where he...

Mark Cirino has written and edited many books about Ernest Hemingway, including Reading Hemingway's Across the River and Into the Trees, One True Sentence: Writers and Readers on Hemingway's Art, Ernest Hemingway and the Geography of Memory, Hemingway's  Spain, and Ernest Hemingway: Thought in Action. He's the editor for Kent State University Press Reading Hemingway series. He's also the author of...

In this episode I speak with my friend Nancy Da Campo. She has some of the most amazing travels around the world and shares her great perspective on travel. Nancy just recently returned from 3 months in Iran. Then she traveled to Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Nancy shares what her experience was like as a solo female traveler around the Middle East. She also has an amazing Instagram with her architectura...

Madison Tuff is an amazing human being. Born and raised in Canada, but truly a citizen of the world. In my travels I have met many adventrous travelers, but she takes it to another level. In this episode, she explains how she became interested in traveling to off the beaten path places and fell in love with experiencing new cultures. She visited North Korea, Afghanistan, Sudan, and many other plac...

In this episode I finally get the chance to chat with Nathan Pettijohn who has a really crazy story. He left LA, where he was firmly established for years, and packed his stuff in his car, along with his dog Rafa, and drove south through Mexico and Central America and into South America. 

Dave is the best Spanish speaker that I know and someone who is deeply thoughtful about languages and language acquistion. In this episode we talk about the best way to learn a new language and some tips and tricks for practicing. And the big question: Why learn a new language?

In this episode I speak with my friend Irina who is a tour guide in Moldova. We met a few years ago and have become good friends since then. We talk about what to do and see in Moldova. Since this is called the Divergent Path podcast, I feel it's fitting to talk about a place not many people visit but they should! 

My friend Inna joins us on this episode and shares her experience traveling around the world to crazy places like North Korea, Iran, and Chechnya. We talk about he war in Inna's home country of Ukraine and what it means to be Ukrainian. She is someone who inspires me 

In this episode I chat with my frien Illimani about our travels around the world and experiencing different cultures. We talk about learning about the history and traditions of a place and how that leads to deeper travel and understanding. 

I've been waiting a long time to get the chance to talk to Lauren! She is a fascinating person and had led a truly Divergent Path. Lauren is a falconer who has worked with may species of birds of prey around the world. She even trained with Kazakh hunters in rural Mongolia. I mean, come on! Who does that? Lauren does. I was so happy to finally speak with her and hear her story. Website: https://ro...

In this episode, my old friend Andy interviews me about my recet travels. Andy was a atural in his podcast debut and it was such a fun conversation. YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GkYmtbVAuw Website: https://rolliepeterkin.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rolliepeterkin Andy: https://www.instagram.com/ohhebandy/

In this episode of the podcast, I get the chance to speak with legendary music composer Jonathan Wolff who wrote music for 75 primetime series, including the theme songs for 44 TV shows. Most famously, he wrote the iconic theme song for Seinfeld. Jonathan is a fascinating and thoughtful person and it was such a pleasure to speak with him!

Quint Clarke had a successful career as a lawyer. And he admits that he hadn't led a very adventurous life before he decided to book a trip to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. And his life was never the same. So profound was Quint's experience that he came home, quit his job, and spent the next year traveling the world. Since then, Quint has been teaching history at Blair Academy for the past twenty years...

Ryan Warner is the host of the  Wrestling Changed My Life podcast. He is one of the premier voices in the wrestling community and has interviewed all of the greats. He most recently produced the 7-part audio docuseries The Smiths which follows John and Pat Smith, two of the most successful American wrestlers. In this episode we talk about some of the challenges of producing the documentary and som...

Dr. Coyte Cooper is a former university professor at UNC, holds a PhD, was a Division I All-American wrestler, speaker, and has authored three books. It seems like he's done it all. But Coyte and his family have recently embarked on a new adventure: they sold all of their possessions and bought an RV. Together with his wife and two children, they have been traveling around the country for the last...

Mark Neilan never ran cross country in high school. And he wasn't very into sports. But now he runs 100-mile races regularly. Find out how he made the transition to becoming an endurance athlete, how he trains, and the mentality he uses to survive such grueling tests of willpower. Mark is the owner of Excel Fitness Center. IG: @excelfitnesscenter @mark_neilan Find me here: Website - https://www.ro...

Tommaso Ferrari hails from Verona, Italy, of Romeo and Juliet fame. Tommaso played guitar in a heavy metal band as a teenager, but soon found that he was paying more attention to the sound equipment and acoustics. He became so passionate about audio engineering, that he decided to pursue a career in the field. Tommaso wanted to work on films and TV. So he worked as a driver whenever people from th...

Jake Hunter is the Chief Operating Officer of Wrestling Mindset. But this episode is about so much more than wrestling. We talk about Jake's career path from high school teacher to mindset coach to a fulltime job with Wrestling Mindset. Jake and I nerd out a little bit about Roman history also. It was great catching up with Jake! Read more about Jake here: https://www.rolliepeterkin.com/jake-hunte...

D'Juan Owens is a professional MMA fighter with 35 fights of experience, even though he never played any organized sports growing up! D'Juan has a fascinating perspective and such a great attitude in everything he faces. In this episode he talks about dealing with losses and why he fights. He also discusses the 14 trips he has taken to the African continent, where he has led projects teaching self...

Justin Jenny is a photographer who specializes in exploring abandoned buildings and quarries. He has some crazy stories about sneaking into rundown asylums at night and run-ins with police and metal scrappers. Check him out on Instagram @justinjenny

Enrique "El Fuerte" Barzola es un pleador de MMA Peruano que tiene un record de 16-5-2. Barzola fue campeon del The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America 2  y ganó un contrato con el UFC. Despues, entrenó en los EEUU en Florida con American Top Team, y luego en California con AKA. Ha tenido muchas experiencas en el deporte y nos comparte en este episodio. Lee mas aqui: https://www.rolliepeterkin.com/enr...

Donald McNeil grew up wrestling in Massachusetts and won a state championship his sophomore year. But that summer, tragedy struck. While wrestling in an off-season tournament, he got thrown on his head and fractured two vertebrae. He couldn't move or feel his body. He spent over a month in the hospital and a year rehabilitating. But despite the traumatic experience, he returned to wrestling. And h...

Chris Stefanou is a shark fisherman who is well-known for catching massive sharks from the beach in Long Island. He talks about the techniques he uses and how he got into it. Chris is passionate about the conservation of these animals and works with NOAA to tag the sharks and release them so that they can be studied and tracked. Instagram: @lisharkman Read more about Chris here: https://www.rollie...

Alix Seyfarth was working for a tech company in Boston when a typhoon hit the Philippines and she decided to go volunteer and help to rebuild local communities that were devastated. She didn't realize it would change her life forever. That was six years ago, and Alix is still working in the disaster relief field. Alix spent 14 months in the Philippines, living in conditions without electricity, Wi...

Andy Valenti is a member of the band Oh He Dead. Their song Lonely Sometimes was described by the Washington Post as "an infectious, groove-based track about yearning for human connection." They had a major tour booked right before the pandemic hit, but have been trying to make the most of the downtime to write and record new songs. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2nLlWcvMIIGHHnDOQMi0h6 B...