Down by the River: Conversations from life on the road

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 a new culture and different norms half a world away from her home ignited a lifetime of taking off on new adventures.

As an adult Melissa has traveled to dozens of countries engaging in active travel experience from hiking to cycling and everything in between. Melissa is a firm believer that the people you meet along your travels have a deep impact on the experiences and memories you carry forward and has recently published a book all about the people she met along the way during a four-month trip around Southeast Asia that she took in her mid-thirties.

Melissa and I talk all about her book, developing her travel rhythm, some of her favorite and most challenging travel experiences and how travel ego can hurt more than help the adventure. We get into the details talking about how to fine healthy balance while traveling, how to avoid travel fatigue, and how to get the most out of each experience.

If you are interested in getting a copy of Melissa’s book or learning more about her travels check out the links below:

The People you Meet – Luxury, Leaches, Love, and Lao-Lao With a Host of Interesting Characters in Southeast Asia, By Melissa Rodway

Instagram: @fly_travel_media

Website” flyrodway.com

Please consider following and reviewing this podcast wherever you listen and join us on Instagram @DownbytheRiver_Podcast for bonus content, updates and more.

If you would like to follow along Maggie and my travels join us on Instagram and tiktok @VanosaurandMaggie.

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 evolved over the years influenced by her love of animals and the environment. She currently lives in the DC metro area and loves the incredible food diversity of her surrounding community having fun exploring flavors and bringing them into the creativity of her kitchen

Cait and I dive deep into her journey with food and how her convictions made the choices easy but still left her with plenty to learn as she rounded out her plate every meal. As we chatted Vegan eating, we talked about so many food profiles, cookbooks and places where she has drawn inspiration. As a primarily plant-based vanlife girly I loved getting to sit down at Cait’s table for a week of tasty dinners expanding my own vegan recipe book while visiting her during my east coast spring.

After chatting with Cait I got to snag her partner and my friend Matt for a few minutes to talk to him about his own experiences since meeting Cait with becoming a primary plant-based eater as well.

If you are interested in any of the books or blogs mentioned by Caitlin check out the check out the links below for websites, titles and author details.

Post Punk Kitchen: www.theppk.com

I can cook Vegan – by Isa Chandra Moskowitz

Norah Cooks - www.noracooks.com

East: 120 Vegan and Vegetarian Recipes from Bangalore to Beijing – by Meera Sodha

Dinner: 120 Vegan and Vegetarian Recipes for the Most Important Meal of the Day by Meera Soda

Amrikan: 125 Recipes from the Indian American Diaspora by Khushbu Shah

Please consider following and reviewing this podcast wherever you listen and join us on Instagram @DownbytheRiver_Podcast for bonus content, updates and more.

If you would like to follow along Maggie and my travels join us on Instagram and tiktok @VanosaurandMaggie that’s V A N O S A U R and Maggie.

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 learned to appreciate needs vs. wants and the value of a dollar. As college students she put that learning into practice and got jobs that helped her to graduate debt free while still finding funds to enjoy experiences. Early in her Marriage to husband Jason she took on the task of learning how to manage the family finances and plan for the future they wanted to build together. And in recent years She has become a go to for many friends also taking that leap into financial planning.

Stacey and I get real talking about how we developed our relationships with money growing up with incredible parents who prioritized education and needs while also having the tough conversations about what was available. We then dive into understanding the foundation of knowing your income, building a realistic budget and setting goals for yourself or your family. Then we get into the nitty gritty discussing types of accounts, pre and post tax contributions and understanding how to make your money work for you. I hope you all enjoy learning more about financial health with me as Stacey breaks it all down in an easy to understand way.

Financial Health is an important part of health as stress over money can have some very real impacts on your physical, emotional and mental health.

If you are interested in learning more about the resources Stacey mentioned during our conversation check out the links below:

USAA Budget Worksheet: https://static.usaa.com/content/dam/digital/documents/pdf/enterprise/ent-usaa_budgetworksheet.pdf

AIA 50/30/20 rule resources: https://www.aia.com/en/health-wellness/healthy-living/healthy-finances/Budget-planner-templates

Goals Worksheet: https://www.opploans.com/oppu/financial-literacy/financial-goals-worksheet/

Rocket Money Financial Tracking: https://www.opploans.com/oppu/financial-literacy/financial-goals-worksheet/

Please consider following and reviewing this podcast wherever you listen and join us on Instagram @DownbytheRiver_Podcast for bonus content, updates and more.

If you would like to follow along Maggie and my travels join us on Instagram and tiktok @VanosaurandMaggie that’s V A N O S A U R and Maggie.

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 Tiffany recently started her own practice called Liminal Therapy. Her connections with the local therapeutic community have already brought others to join her at her new practice supporting the local Lincoln community with many specialties as they continue to grow.

Outside of her career Tiffany is a daughter, sister, wife, mother,

aunt and friend. It was through these roles that I met her back in 2017 while we were both plus ones at our significant others work event in Las Vegas. She quickly became someone I sought out at gatherings because of her ability to quickly dive into deep and rich conversation with others. Watching her become a mother and find her footing raising her adorable children grow has been such a joy over the years.

If you are interested in learning more and following along

with Tiffs practice you can follow her on:

https://www.theliminaltherapy.com/

Instagram @theliminaltherapy or @therapy.at.tiffanys

Facebook at Liminal Therapy.

⁠https://www.psychologytoday.com/profile/327636⁠

Please consider following and reviewing this podcast wherever you listen join us on Instagram @DownbytheRiver_Podcast for bonus content, updates and more.

If you would like to follow along Maggie and my travels join us on Instagram and tiktok @VanosaurandMaggie that’s V A N O S A U R and Maggie.

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, Mental Health, Community Health, Travel Health and so much more.

Follow @Down.bythe.River_podcast on Instagram for the latest updates and @vanosaurandmaggie on Instagram and TikTok for a deeper look into the adventures of our host Georgia and her pup Maggie as they take on east coast vanlife.

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 this time. If you haven't yet go ahead and give that account a follow and take a peak at our hilarious facial expressions.

Well there was so much good content from that conversation that couldn't be edited down into a 3 minute video that I decided to give you all a bonus extra episode this holiday season.

Please enjoy the holidays with your friends and family. Maggie, Melissa and I look forward to getting back together with you all in Spring of 2026 for season three.

Go ahead and give this podcast a follow and consider rating and reviewing. You can also follow along with Maggie and I as we jump back into travel in the new year by following @vanosaurandmaggie on instagram or tiktok.

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 a family, starting a business and overall living life after changing the rules.

But don’t worry I am already planning for season three and many more adventures to share as Maggie and I take on another year of Vanlife.

Follow @Down.bythe.River_podcast on Instagram for the latest updates and @vanosaurandmaggie on Instagram and TikTok for a deeper look into the adventures of our host Georgia and her pup Maggie as they continue into year two of full time vanlife.

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 Wisconsin USA in a family who loved travel and exploring nature. It was in adulthood that she got the bug for international travel and during an epic honeymoon in Iceland she and her husband fell in love with the country. Within the year they had taken all the necessary steps and arrived back in Iceland to start their life full time living abroad.” Iceland with a View” started as a way to share about their lives in Iceland and has grown over the last decade into a go to travel guide to Iceland for every kind of traveler.

Email: [email protected]

Instagram & Facebook: @icelandwithaview

icelandwithaview.com

Follow @Down.bythe.River_podcast on Instagram for the latest updates and @vanosaurandmaggie on Instagram and TikTok for a deeper look into the adventures of our host Georgia and her pup Maggie as they continue into year two of full time vanlife.

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 leadership through a high school summer workshop hosted by Launch Leadership which grew into a over decade long volunteer commitment, connecting her to future jobs, networks and friends. Multiple positions, a coaching certification most of a graduate degree later Natlie is putting her love of leadership and personal growth into action in every aspect of her life as she helps college students determine where their passions are leading. Natalie recently launched her own coaching business and is in the early stages of figuring out how this thing that she loves can become the job she is fueled by every day.

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @neb_nat

https://coachnataliebecerra.my.canva.site/home

The Holidays are upon us and with that comes a huge focus on gifts. The year as you are out shopping for gifts for those you love, consider giving to those who don’t have as much. Toys for Tots, Angel Tree and many other organizations help make the magic of Christmas real for children in your community who otherwise might not have much under the tree this year.

www.toysfortots.org/

www.salvationarmyusa.org/walmart-angel-tree/

Follow @Down.bythe.River_podcast on Instagram for the latest updates and @vanosaurandmaggie on Instagram and TikTok for a deeper look into the adventures of our host Georgia and her pup Maggie as they continue into year two of full time vanlife.

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 who came at situations with a clam and solution-oriented mind helping to teach me that in almost every scenario just a little patience and attention can go a long way.

In 2023 Charlie retired after 40 years of working in higher education and took on a great adventure to kick off the next chapter of his life. He and a few friends flew to Europe to trek 500 miles of the Camino de Santiago. Along the way they experienced the culture, sampled local dishes and enjoyed the little moments together finding their way into the pilgrimage of a lifetime.

This holiday season there are so many families coming up on celebrations while facing the challenge of food insecurity. Please some time to give back this holiday season through food drives, angel trees and volunteer organizations in your local community. And if you have the means please consider a monetary donation to your local food bank so that they can purchase the good needed to fill in the gaps for families this holiday season.

https://www.feedingamerica.org/

https://www.nokidhungry.org/

Follow @Down.bythe.River_podcast on Instagram for the latest updates and @vanosaurandmaggie on Instagram and TikTok for a deeper look into the adventures of our host Georgia and her pup Maggie as they continue into year two of full time vanlife.