The Human Adventure

#211 - Some histories whisper when they should thunder. We sit down with Jenny Chan, co‑founder of Pacific Atrocities Education, to listen—really listen—to the Pacific Front of World War II and the millions of lives bound up in it. From the euphemism of “comfort women” to the cold precision of Unit 731, from the Bataan Death March to the Rape of Nanking and Sook Ching in Singapore, we trace how vi...

#210 - What if travel wasn’t a checklist but a classroom? I sat with Joy Owens—mother of two, CEO and co-owner of Butler Travel, and veteran of 60 countries—to explore how faith, service, and slow travel can shape a family and a life. From a grandmother who’s visited more than 80 countries to Joy’s first trip at three months old, her story moves through mission work in Zambia and Kenya, a scrappy...

#209 - Conversations feel brittle right now, and disagreements can feel like stepping onto a minefield. We sit down with artist, educator, and traveler David Deighton to explore a different path: using art, curiosity, and face-to-face dialogue to turn political tension into human connection. From a pop-up “museum” on the rim of the Grand Canyon to quiet miles in the backcountry, David shares how i...

#208 - A helicopter door swung open over Vietnam, and years later a trail opened underfoot across the Appalachians. That arc—war to wilderness, adrenaline to stillness—frames Ron Timmerman’s rare story of brotherhood, love, loss, and the long work of healing. We invited Ron to unpack the moments that shaped him: flying Hueys as a teenage door gunner, returning with unspoken trauma, and building a...

#207 - One phone call redirected a life. When Matt Harmody’s father entered emergent dialysis, Matt saw both the power and the limits of modern medicine—and it set him on a path from corporate engineer to emergency physician, living kidney donor, and advocate who ties purpose to action in unforgettable ways. We trace that journey from the earliest signs of kidney disease to a courageous decision t...

#206 - What if the voices you let in are steering your life more than your goals are? That question sparked a wide-ranging, grounded conversation with Sagar Soni—nuclear engineer, creator of Beyond the Speech podcast, and a traveler who learned the hard way that more content and more checklists don’t equal meaning. We trace his path from bingeing self-help at 1.5x to a simple, liberating switch: t...

#205 - Some stories don’t just move you—they recalibrate your sense of what’s possible. Adriene Caldwell grew up in the crosshairs of untreated schizophrenia, constant relocation, and a home life that spun from denial to violence. After losing the grandmother who shielded her, she entered a foster system that should have offered stability and instead delivered degradation: separate dishes, floor s...

Travel gets interesting when you stop speeding past real life. I sat down with Miyuki Seguchi—licensed guide, former journalist, and host of the Japan Experts podcast—to unpack how small cultural details and mindful planning turn a Japan itinerary into a human adventure. From a monolingual childhood in central Japan to studying in the UK and a formative solo trip to Italy, Miyuki shares how early...

#203 - What if the scary dream is the one that sets you free? That’s the spark behind our conversation with singer-songwriter and outdoor enthusiast Emily Hicks—a Midwesterner who found her artistic voice in the shadow of Utah’s mountains and the flow of the Green River. Emily traces her path from a shy choir kid to a piano major, from elementary music teacher to full-time performer, and the many...

#202 - What if one hard rule could change the way you face everything from headwinds to heartbreak? I sat down with author and adventurer Teri Brown to unpack how a 3,102-mile tandem bike ride across America helped her leave an abusive past, reclaim her voice, and build a set of life rules sturdy enough to carry her through grief. Starting in Astoria and crossing Lolo Pass into Big Sky country, Te...

#201 - Some stories hit like a wave and then teach you how to breathe underwater. Our conversation with Zander Sprague does exactly that, moving from the shock of losing his sister to murder to the hard-won wisdom that comes from advocacy, travel, and choosing the next brave step. Zander opens a window into the often-ignored world of sibling grief. He explains why brothers and sisters become invis...

#200 - A new name, a sharper mission, and a story that hits like a drumbeat. Journey with Jake evolves into The Human Adventure, and we mark the moment with Joleen Hyde, a South African guide whose life moved from the weight of apartheid to the work of building bridges through travel, education, and Ubuntu. This is not a safari highlight reel. It’s a tour of how courage, forgiveness, and community...

The compass has shifted—and it points inward. What started as a travel-and-adventure show evolved into a deeper exploration of growth, courage, and connection. I've renamed the show The Human Adventure to reflect what the journey has truly become: not just where we go, but who we become along the way. We look back at conversations that changed our trajectory. A Disney storyteller reframed joy...

#199 - What if the most important part of travel is the part you can’t see? I sat down with cultural intelligence educator Renae Ninneman to unpack the “iceberg” of culture—how the visible stuff like food, transit, and phrases sits on top of deeper values about identity, respect, and communication that truly shape connection. Renee takes us from a formative year teaching in South Korea to years of...

#198 - A story of wild trails, darker nights, and a love that wouldn’t let go. I sat down with author and long-distance hiker Wing Williams to unpack his “howling twenties,” the constant motion that took him across 49 states, and the quiet rituals that hid a growing addiction. From Mount Washington to the Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail, Wing explains how the woods taught him enduran...

#197 - Forbidden stories aren’t just about shock—they’re about truth we’re often afraid to name. I sat down with author Bria Rose to explore how dark romance gives readers a safe place to wrestle with power, consent, and grief, and how a reimagined Beauty and the Beast can turn survival into self‑love. Bria shares how childhood bullying and a lifelong bond with Belle’s courage shaped her voice, th...

#196 - What does it really take to walk away from a peak career, point your bow into headwinds, and chase a goal so big it scares you? I sat down with Malaysian sailor Fabian Fernandez, who circumnavigated the globe on his own terms—eschewing the easy “milk run” to round the Cape of Good Hope and steer straight into the kind of weather that makes legends and humbles egos. Fabian’s story isn’t a mo...

#195 - A bull charges, a crowd roars, and a young teacher in Mexico says yes to the ring. That same man later sleeps on a bare floor in Juarez with his dog, ships bags at night, and turns a sketch into a company people chase through airports. Meet Dave Munson, founder of Saddleback Leather, whose path blends risk, faith, and relentless craft into a life that refuses shortcuts. We dig into the mome...

#194 - What if adventure isn’t something you chase, but something you create? That question sparks a sweeping journey with author and explorer Rick Glaze—from small-town Tennessee roots to whitewater rapids, open-ocean sails, limestone caves, and a treasure map that refuses to sit still. We dig into the stories behind The Purple River, Spanish Pieces of Eight, and Eight Pieces of Eight, and how re...

#193 - Some stories ask for courage. This one demands it. Marine veteran Rand Timmerman returns to share a raw, graphic, and deeply human account of Vietnam—what he saw, what he did to survive, and what it took to live with those memories when the shooting stopped. We open with a trigger warning for good reason: a suicide on his first night in-country, chaotic airlifts into hot zones, and an accid...

#192 - Some moments feel like they’re nudging us forward. Stephen Seidel’s life is full of those nudges: a favorite Eagles player on the flight to a funeral, a foggy window shaped like an eagle on the day of a tribute, a childhood hero literally saving him from choking. We unpack how he alchemized those signs, along with profound loss, into a mission centered on connection, courage, and story. Ste...

#191 - What if your brain could learn to love better? We sat down with Dr. David Helfand—a therapist with a background in neuroscience—to unpack how neuroplasticity, meditation, and focused couples work can turn recurring fights into lasting repair. From breathwork that calms a spiraling argument to thought logs that retrain pessimism, David shows how small, repeatable practices change both your n...

#190 - What if you could trade flat maps and footnotes for sunrise on Sinai and sea spray in your face as you approach a harbor Paul once saw? That’s the world filmmaker Craig Dehut invites us into—where sacred places become cinematic classrooms and faith is strengthened by seeing. Craig shares how Appian Media grew from a coffee-shop idea to a nonprofit producing free, high-quality Bible document...

#189 - A cone head at baggage claim. A prank that makes a whole terminal laugh. And beneath the costumes and skits, a marriage held together by faith, service, and a fierce tenderness forged in grief. We sit down with Troy and Melinda Hicks—Hicks in the Wild—to explore how everyday adventure can coexist with loss and how playful creativity becomes a lifeline. Their love story starts in college, su...

#188 - What happens when a comedian with a camera trades stage lights for sunrise on a dirt road and points his vehicle toward Panama? I sat down with author and traveler Matt Savino to unpack a seven-month run along the Pan American Highway that never reached South America yet somehow delivered everything he was chasing: humor in the chaos, humanity at the barricades, and a clear-eyed love for pl...