You can find the full episode description, show notes and links at https://edgeofcomfort.com/eocp11/

"Live in the moment. Be a 'Yes Man.' Be aware of your limits but also push your limits."

- Jason Patrick Irish

 Jason Patrick Irish (@jason.patrick.irish) is a professional backpacker, global “Yes Man,” and world explorer who creates his own opportunities, which has allowed him to visit 119 countries and counting.

After graduation from university in 2009, Jason applied to a few odd jobs around the world. One of these was teaching English in South Korea. He received an offer, accepted, and moved across the pond.

Teaching English in South Korea - which was only supposed to be a year gig - he built up sufficient funds and began backpacking. He departed on his journey and didn't stop until his money ran out, which then brought him back to South Korea to teach again.

He continued this process a few times and grew his love for both teaching and backpacking. Jason has now visited 119 countries with no plans of stopping anytime soon.

His backpacking adventures have taken him to:

• Every country in Europe but one

Read the full episode description, show notes, and links at https://edgeofcomfort.com/eocp11/

“Everything we have, everything that is existing, is just right now. Here in this second. Everything else, the future and the past, we are just constructing with our mind."

Ten days of silence.

No cellphones or electronics. No reading, writing, Netflix, or any other external stimulation.

Ten days of practicing meditation.

Sitting cross-legged on a small cushion, walking slower than a sloth, and chanting unknown phrases in Thai.

Surrounded by strangers but not asking typical questions like, “Where are you from?" or "How are you doing today?”

Not interacting more than a smile, frown, or casual, “What’s up” head nod.

This is the setting Jan Lachs and Yannick Klijnsma lived in for ten days at Wat Ram Poeng in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

On today’s episode of the Edge of Comfort Podcast, my co-host Jack Lewis and I talk with Jan and Yannick about their eye-opening meditation retreat despite them having no prior experience, practice or knowledge.

“Why the hell would anyone do this?”

This is what my father texted me when I asked friends, family, and listeners if they had any questions for Jan and Yannick. While it made me laugh, it’s a valid question.

Why would anyone willingly subject themselves to 10-days of silence and deep thinking despite never doing something like this before?

With a daily schedule that involves things like...

• waking up at 4:00am

you’ll probably ask yourself this question again.

I’ll try to answer this without spoiling too much of the podcast.

Thoughts are constantly flowing through our minds day in and day out. Thoughts can distract us from the present moment and people we are with. They can cause us to suffer in imagination. They can seem like a never ending trail in our minds, like water flowing through a river.

Our thoughts can also be beneficial in our examination and understanding of ourselves. Understanding why we feel certain ways, experience different emotions, and recognizing when we are unfocused or distant.

Meditation serves to help us better understand these internal and mental feelings. To let the mind relax from the constant flow of thoughts, to regain focus, recharge, and allow us to examine ourselves.

What better way to do this then by removing everything that takes us away from ourselves so we are forced to begin this examination?

Thus, a ten day silent meditation retreat.

Jan and Yannick expand on this much better than I can. Jack and I both walked away from the interview feeling like we’d discovered a whole new realm in the world.

I hope your mind will be opened up as well.

Thank you so much Jan and Yannick for sharing, and thank you for listening!

Relax your mind, relax your body, focus on your breath, and enjoy the episode...

In this episode of the Edge of Comfort Podcast I talk with my friend Sahan during a return trip to Singapore.

While some might dub Austin Powers the "International Man of Mystery”, this title is actually better suited for Sahan.

Answering the question, “Where are you from?” is often difficult for him to answer.

Sahan was born in Lincoln, Nebraska, moved to New Jersey and then Iowa all before he was four years old. Next, he moved across the world to Kyoto, Japan for kindergarten and first grade.

Sahan then lived in Sri Lanka, where his heritage originates, for the next three years of grade school.

In 2002, at the age of 9, Sahan’s family moved to Nairobi, Kenya. He spent most of his young life here for the next 10 years.

Upon graduation from high school in 2012, Sahan moved back to the U.S. to attend Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. Arguably, the greatest university in the entire world. Totally unbiased opinion.

During university, he was accepted to the student exchange program at the National University of Singapore (NUS). This is where we met, forged our friendship, and returned to in our interview.

Shortly after graduation from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana, Sahan moved to New York City. He currently lives here and works in consulting.

So, let’s do a quick count…

Sahan has lived in nine different cities in five countries before turning 24! Maybe a bit different from the average person’s young life.

Frequently moving around seemed like the normal thing to Sahan. You’ll hear him discuss this and how it was a shock to discover most people have only lived one or two places in their lives.

Some of the other things we discuss in this episode include:

Unique perspectives gained from growing up in different countries

Why “follow your passion” might not be the best advice

Thank you for listening and enjoy!

You can find the full episode description, show notes, and links at https://edgeofcomfort.com/eocp8/

"Just because you don't know and aren't familiar with it, doesn't mean you should fear it...Try to understand how it's different and what's going on, because it's normal to someone else." - Sophia Iaquinta

While you met Sophia in Part 1 or our conversation, you didn't learn much about her background. Thus, we start by discussing more on Sophia’s story and insights from her travels.

After working as a nurse in a hospital Medical Intensive Care Unit for two years, she looked for other alternatives.

Particularly, alternatives that combined her passions for traveling and helping others.

This led her to apply for and accept a role with the Peace Corps in Guatemala starting February 2018.

Creating a window for four-months to travel before her start date, she packed her bags and began a solo trip around Asia.

• Packing light and efficiently for months on the road

and so much more.

Head to https://edgeofcomfort.com/eocp8/ for the full episode description, show notes, and links.

You can find the full episode description, show notes, and links at https://edgeofcomfort.com/eocp7/

"In Myanmar, there are times when you don't see any other tourists. You feel immersed in the culture and what's going on in daily life...It's also the land of five million trillion pagodas!" - Sophia Iaquinta

You are listening to Part 1 of 2. Listen to Part 2.

Sophia Iaquinta (@smiaquinta) joins the Edge of Comfort podcast during her exploration of Myanmar.

Originally from Nebraska, Sophia attended university in Minnesota to earn a dual degree in Nursing and Sociology & Anthropology. She stuck around Minnesota after graduation to work as a nurse in the Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) of a hospital.

Throughout two years in the MICU, Sophia often worked 12-hour night shifts for six to seven days in a row.

After deciding she didn’t want to spend her career in a hospital, Sophia looked for other alternatives. Ideally, alternatives that combined her love for traveling with nursing.

This led her to look into joining the Peace Corps. She applied to volunteer with them and was accepted mid-summer 2017.

Starting February 2018, Sophia is spending the next two years in Guatemala working as a maternal and child health specialist.

After quitting her nursing job, she had a four-month gap between the end of her lease in Minnesota and the Peace Corps start date.

She decided to pack her bags and embark on a solo trip around Asia.

• Deciding to visit Myanmar despite high political tensions

You can find the full episode description, show notes, and links at https://edgeofcomfort.com/eocp7/

“Traveling alone is something you just have to do...It’s such a good thing to do for your self-esteem and confidence. You will be a whole new person.”

- Isa Lindberg

On this episode of the Edge of Comfort Podcast I talk with Isa Lindberg (@isalindberg) from Boden, Sweden.

Booking a flight to Australia on short-notice, Isa moved to Sydney during November 2016 to find work and travel.

Isa originally planned to only spend 6-months in Australia. Her plans changed along the way and she ended up working multiple jobs throughout Australia over the course of a year.

Throughout her year she explored places like:

• Indonesian islands

She also found a dead kangaroo in an unlikely place while working on a sheep farm.

• Methods to find work abroad

And so much more.

You can find the full episode description, show notes and links at https://edgeofcomfort.com/eocp6/