Down by the River: Conversations from life on the road

As we reach the end of season three, join Melissa and myself as we chat all about where we have been, where we are going next and all the adventures we have had along the way. Please consider following, rating and reviewing this podcast where ever you listen and join us on Instagram @DownbytheRiver_podcast for bonus content, updates, and more. If you would like to follow along with Maggie and my t...

This week I am joined by my big brother Ben! He and I have so many shared memories or traveling, camping and living abroad during our lives that it was fun to sit down with him and see what he thinks of his little sister living in a van. We sat down and chatted while we were on a recent trip together in Cape Cod and had so much fun exploring, laughing and sampling all the east coast seafood. Pleas...

Doing things a little different again this week and going solo to share how I do health on the road. We get into Community health, Health around Alcohol, Physical health, and Work health. Please consider following, rating and reviewing this podcast where ever you listen and join us on Instagram @DownbytheRiver_podcast for bonus content, updates, and more. If you would like to follow along with Mag...

This week I am very excited to be joined by one of the founders of the company that champions me being a full time remote nomad. Kris Erickson is a co-founder of Workforce Science Associates, mother, author and native Nebraskan. Kris grew up in a small town in Nebraska to parents who instilled in her a love of growth, learning and being your best. She started her career during college with the Gal...

I am so excited to welcome to the podcast this week my friend Michaela. We met back in the early 2010s when she started dating a good friend of mine and have so loved watching them grow their family and footprint on Nebraska. Michaela grew up in Minnesota before moving to Nebraska to own her very own chiropractic clinic. Her experiences in school and in life shaped the type of clinic she wanted to...

Georgia and Melissa are back with another great conversation all about Vanlife Spring on the east coast. From the Outer banks to the Smokey Mountains and back to Nebraska Vanosaur and Maggie have seen it all and experienced so many wonderful moments with old friends and new connections. Please consider following and reviewing this podcast wherever you listen and join us on Instagram @DownbytheRive...

This week I have my good friend Jessica joining us for a very special conversation. Jess and I met in college through mutual friends but our friendship really blossomed after college as we became working professionals. I have seen her move through multiple phases of her career, get married and grow her family to four with two amazing daughters. Jess grew up as a Military kid moving around the coun...

This week I have a very special guest with me on the podcast. Dell and I worked together at the University of Nebraska becoming fast friends and programming partners as we pushed to make change for future scholars. Dell was a person of accountability in my life asking the right questions as the right time to keep me moving forward toward my goals. Dell grew up in Omaha Nebraska learning from an ea...

This week we try something different, I reached out to my family for questions about how I do health on the road. We get into Mental health, Financial health, Food health, and Travel Health. Please consider following, rating and reviewing this podcast where ever you listen and join us on Instagram @DownbytheRiver_podcast for bonus content, updates, and more. If you would like to follow along with...

This week I have a very exciting guest who I first connected with back over the holidays. Melissa Rodway grew up in Ontario Canada and is a lover of adventure, travel and experiences. This passion found its start when she was just 6 years old and her father participated in a teacher exchange taking the family over to Australia for a year to live in a small town outside of Perth. The experience of...

This week I have a very exciting guest who I was fortunate enough to record with in person in her cozy living room with our sweet pups as we talked all about Food, Vegan eating and the creativity of Cooking. Caitlin grew up in a small city outside Ann Arbor Michigan with her brother and parents. From the start she grew up eating a different diet than many of her peers and her chosen diet has evolv...

This week I am very excited to introduce you all to someone who has been a part of my life since I was in college. Stacey and I met working as conference assistants the summer after our sophomore year, our friendship grew quickly and continued to grow as we built our careers, families and lives. Stacey grew up in a small city in South Dakota, as the youngest of four daughters in her family she lea...

Tiffany grew up in the Midwest and started working toward a career in mental health while studying at South Dakota State University for both her undergraduate and graduate degrees. As a therapist she has held many roles, leading groups focused on grief to working one on one with clients struggling with eating disorders. After multiple years serving as the Director at a local practice in Nebraska T...

Season Three is here and we are so excited. Join us for a recap of what life has been since we wrapped up season two. Melissa and Georgia discuss her 2026 travels, how life is different this year and as always the wildlife that has made appearances. This season on Down by the River we are taking on the many aspects of what contributes to a healthy life. We will be exploring Financial Health, Menta...

In November, Maggie and I spent a few weeks in Nebraska visiting friends and one beautiful day we got to enjoy the peace and warmth of Melissa's new house. Between a wonderful Breakfast for lunch and some tasty baked good snacks we sat down with mics and a camera to record some listener questions. If you follow @down.bythe.river_podcast on Instagram you have probably already seen some reels from t...

I can’t believe we are already here, the end of season two! Melissa and I got back together just a few days ago to talk about what where we have been, what next year will be bringing and recap some of the amazing podcast highlights. I really hope you all enjoyed the many fantastic guests we had on this season as they shared about living life abroad, life on the road, taking on retirement, building...

I have talked before about my trip to Iceland in 2017 and how it kick-started my love of campervan travel. Before that trip happened, a friend recommended that I start following “Iceland with a View” to learn all about the hidden gems, insider tips and must see stops in Iceland. Jeannie is the creator of “Iceland with a View” and is my incredible guest this week. Jeannie was born and raised in Wis...

This week I am so excited to welcome Natalie who I met way back in the fall of 2018 when I took on a leadership role within Admissions. Natalie was the intern supporting my team and an invaluable asset to our team. Over the years we have worked together in many capacities forming a deep friendship over our shared love of leadership, personal growth and tasty food. Natalie started her love of leade...

This week I am really excited to introduce you all to someone who’s family came into my life way back when I was starting college and who has only continued to be champions and supporters of my life as I grew and transitioned careers and homes. Charlie and I met through my time at the University of Nebraska while I was starting my career and he was in his final career chapter. He was aways someone...

This week I am really excited to have back on the pod Jonnie owner of Midwest Vanbuilders and host of Jonnie’s Journey on YouTube. Jonnie came into my life early in my own vanlife adventures when I stopped to camp for a night at her van shop in Missouri. Jonnie has created a vibrant community of vanlifers, travelers and nomads both online through her YouTube channel and in person with others she h...

Jordan grew up in western South Dakota before moving to Nebraska to attend college and start building his life. He has always been a person of integrity, intention and deep love of community. Please enjoy hearing from Jordan all about the many times he changed the rules in his own life, how we created his family and the intentional and personal celebrations along the way. This holiday season there...

This week’s mid-season catch up has us answering questions from listeners about cooking in the van, what we appreciate most in and out of the van, how plans pivot while on the road and what we have been up to since September. November kicks off the holiday season and as always, the holidays can be hard on many in our communities. Even more this year as the Government goes into a second month of sh...

Rachel grew up in the Midwest going to summer camp and attending college in Iowa but a pivot at the end of college changing her mind on her future career took her to Germany where she discovered a whole new side to herself. In spring 2016 just days after graduating from college Rachel took off on a one-year immersive experience abroad in Berlin Germany that turned into a decade of finding her true...

Don and Karen have been weekend campers for years in their vintage cruiser camper trailer exploring the Texas countryside and Midwest. In 2024 they took off on a month-long adventure camping their way to Toronto and back seeing many friends along the way. This summer they did it again with the destination of the Big 5 National Parks in Utah, but this trip required changing the rules a bit as many...

Shawn changed the rules of his life when he decided to build out a camper van into a home in 28 days after a change in a relationship gave the push he needed to finally jump into a long-time interest of tiny living. Shawn is handworker and joined the team at Midwest Vanbuilders taking on a role in full van builds and small projects alongside the shop’s owner. On the side he is also a self-taught t...