Before Adrien Behn became a triple threat storyteller — writing, podcasting, and performing live — she worked with baked goods. Specifically, she made pies at a bakery in Portland, Oregon. Disillusioned by her job, her city, and her toxic relationship, Adrien decided to travel from Mexico all the way down to Peru. It was a trip that recalibrated her life entirely. Weeks into the journey, Adrien split from her boyfriend, discovered a passion and aptitude for storytelling, and began recording soundscapes and conversations from her travels — audio that would become her podcast, Strangers Abroad. She boasts that her tales have galvanized women to book one-way tickets and caused grown men to faint.  On this episode, Esme and Adrienne discuss using travel as an escape hatch when life is not going the way you want it to, the joy of traveling solo, and why she loves Utah more than any other state.  

Follow Adrien on Instagram @strangersabroadpodcast to hear about her upcoming comedy shows and learn more about her podcast.  

By the way, that Ira Glass quote Esme and Adrien were referencing will be sure to inspire you: 

“Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years, you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know it's normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions.” 

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