The Trail Less Traveled

This week the trail leads to the coldest capital in the world, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Join me for an interview with a modern day Mother Teresa, Didi Kalika. In 1993 Didi Kalika, an Australian Yoga teacher was moved by the plight of the children living on the streets of Ulaanbaatar & started taking care of vulnerable babies and children, many of which were forced into prostitutio...

This interview was recorded in a rickshaw navigating the busy streets of a major Indian city before we were forced to find shelter in order to keep the equipment dry during recording due to a tropical monsoon 100' from the Arabian Sea. This interview features Amir Izadi, Amir is a child of the revolution who was born right after the Islamic Republic of Iran took over. Amir is a refugee living in W...

Jon Turk earned a Ph. D. in organic chemistry at the University of Colorado, in 1971. The same year, in honor of Earth Day 1, he co-authored the first environmental science textbook in the United States. Jon is the author of 25 text books and 4 adventure books. In addition to circumnavigating Ellesmere island, solo kayak missions in the Solomon islands, biking across Tibet to the birthplace of the...

Danielle Maniere knew she wanted to be an astronaut when she was five years old. She started skiing when she was two and studied Aerospace Engineering at the University of Bristol in the UK. After graduating, she worked as a field engineer on oil rigs based out of Iraq and over a period of seven years, she worked in over four countries. Danielle purchased land on an island in Indonesia and built a...

"Guitar Steve" hasn't owned a T.V. since the 60s & he relayed on a bicycle to get around the world for over twenty years. Steve Smith is an artist, musician, poet and cat loving adventurer who has been living on the beach in Baja every winter with his cat for over two decades. Steve studied film in London and did Peace Corps in Ethiopia before retiring into what he calls the "Simple LIfe". You...

Recorded in a small stall in a labyrinth of markets within Jemaa el-Fnaa square in the Medina (old city) of Marrakech. Jemaa el-Fnaa was also known for its public executions dating back to 1050. This interview features Mohammed, Abdul and Aziz. Mohammed and Abdul are two young men who run a shop with Aziz, an older family friend. Aziz was born in a mud hut, began smoking hash when he was 12 and sp...

Join Mandela as she wanders around a chaotic cooking competition in Southwestern India a stones throw from the Arabian Sea. Mandela interviews numerous chefs from all regions of India in regards to their geographic location, technique, favorite spices, lineage & available ingredients. Covering masalas, doshas, roti, biryani, alcoholic coconut beverages, vegetable curries & tandori meats. H...

Recorded on location in South Africa, this episode features a series of interviews featuring diverse cultural perspectives on Apartheid and South African history. During the Apartheid regime, humans were classified into three categories: 1. White 2. Coloured 3. Black We will speak with individuals representing all these categories and learn about their unique perspective on Apartheid, South A...

Recorded on the land of the Gubbi Gubbi tribe in eastern Australia, we join an elder on top of a mountain where smoke signals were used between surrounding tribes for communication. We learn about the numerous similarities between Indigenous Aboriginal Australians and the First Nations Peoples of the Americas. We then walk down into the jungle to sit on the edge of a creek beside an ancient path w...

We are invited into the home of a female elder by the name of Aunty Hope O'Chin. We will take a cultural, historical and musical look at some of the 250 unique groups of Indigenous Aboriginal Australians. She also explains how to coexist, respect and heal communities and the planet. Aunt Hope was kind enough to share her family's tragic history inside government camps and her peoples fight for hum...

This interview features Mourad El Baggare, who was born in the desert of Western Sahara. Mourad came to Marrakech at age 14 to become a businessman. Mourad now travels through North and West Africa collecting ceremonial masks which he sells to tourists and art collectors in Morocco. Mourad plays traditional music from the Sahara to end each segment after speaking eloquently regarding nomadic lifes...

"Doc" Steve Nicholson was a part of the early rafting descents of the Omo and Blue Nile in Ethiopia in the mid 70s. He started running the Grand Canyon in the early 70s and has run rivers in California, Oregon and Idaho. Doc often is seen rowing a wooden dory. Doc continues to guide whitewater expeditions well into his 70s. Doc practice dentistry for 35 years, he has his private pilot license and...

This episode was recorded on a rooftop in the Medina of Marrakech, Morocco. It features an interview with Diego Ibanez, who was born in Arequipa, Peru. Diego is one of the worlds most extreme whitewater kayakers/rafters and has guided on the Futaleufú and Zambezi along with most the class V rivers in Peru. Diego and Mandela guided whitewater together in Morocco's Middle Atlas Mountains. Hosted on...

Tommy Cummins was born in 1944 and grew up in the south. He was shot twice during the Civil Rights and went on to work as a security guard for Ronald Reagan. Tommy has been through a lot in his life, in this interview he talks about his experiences with racism while playing pro baseball for the Pirates in addition to the racism he experienced as an undercover officer with the LAPD. Tommy's son, Ch...

This episode was recorded on an extremely remote private nature reserve at the most southern point of Africa where Mandela grew up and spent much of her childhood. In this episode we speak with Mandela's cousin, Amy Mocke, a school teacher and professional poisonous snake expert and handler. Amy sometimes helps people move cobras and other extremely dangerous snakes when they are in gardens, house...

This show was recorded in the Backpack Hostel, located in the heart of Cape Town, South Africa. Mandela sits down with, Lee Harris, one of the owners of this multi-award winning backpacker & African travel center. Lee shares the story of starting this hostel with her best friend in 1990 during an Apartheid government. The Backpack has won countless awards including Best Hostel in South Africa...

During this interview we speak with Lucy, a refugee from Kenya who makes hand made sandals in Green Market Square, a place where slaves were traded in the 1600s. We also meetup with my good friend, Kipandi, a Rastafarian Olympic long distance runner from Kenya, who now dedicates his life to caring for the pigeons of the city. We will stand on the corner of the Bo-Kaap, an area of Cape Town formerl...

This episode was recorded in the Mojave Desert at the base of the Grand Wash Cliffs, which mark the geological end of the Grand Canyon. Some of the best interviews take forever to record and this one is no different... for ten years, Mandela has been trying to sit down with the legend himself, Mr. Carl Rice. Carl is a professional Hollywood stunt man & Grand Canyon river guide. Carl was the st...

This show was recorded on the nature reserve where Mandela grew up at the most southern point of Africa. This interview features Mandela's cousin, Fleur van Eeden, an award winning world renowned stunt woman who has done the main stunts for Mad Max, Tomb Raider and many more. Fleur specializes in full body burns, cable work, martial arts, weaponry, horse stunts, high falls and much more. During th...

This episode was recorded on my family farm in South Africa's western cape. The interview features my good friend, Elna Fourie, who grew up on a farm located on the other side of the mountains. Elna studied cheese making in France and has been in high demand as a cheese maker in South Africa for the past 18 years. Elna won first prize for best aged Gouda in the country of South Africa in 2019. I d...

Doreen stokes lives in Plains, Montana with her husband on 84 acres. She has been a reforestation contractor for over 30 years, planting trees all over the Pacific Northwest. Her greatest passions are surfing, mostly in Costa Rica these days, although she grew up in New Jersey where she started her surfing adventures. Doreen leads safaris in Tanzania, East Africa... where she has initiated tr...

This interviews features an in depth look at nomadic life in the largest desert on earth. Featuring men from Arabic, Bedouin, Berber & Tuareg tribes who were born and raised in a nomadic family utilizing camels and constant movement as a way of life. From the games they would play as children while herding goats to the staple items one must have in order to survive, including camel milk, dates...

Mohammed Ait Bahadou was born and raised in the Sahara Desert and now calls Marrakech his home. Mohammed grew up in a mud hut in the desert and sold fossils to tourists before starting his own business running cultural tours around Morocco. Mohammad is fluent in 8 languages including: English, French, Spanish, German, Chinese, Arabic, Berber & Italian. He has raving fans who are now frien...

This episode features an interview with three individuals from various backgrounds who reflect on culture in Morocco & the Sahara Desert. Mabrouk was born and raised in the Sahara and gives us incredible insight into how nomads use celestial navigation, camels & turbans. Abdul was born in Marrakech and lived 16 years in New York City... he reflects on the differences between culture in the...

Boo Curry is a native of Missoula who graduated from the University of Montana and works as a bird field biologist. Boo has been studying African culture and music for over 14 years. She is one of the founding mothers of Missoula's very own, "Djebe Bara" African dance and music community. For this interview, Boo interviewed her friend and fellow musician, Oumar Keita. Oumar is a native of Guinea,...