from the van

Matt is a professional wind tunneler and skydiver with a Guinness World Record. He's also a survivor of one of the nastiest set of injuries I've ever heard recounted. He's leveraged this experience to a thriving place of positivity and gratitude. Talking with this guy really put my melodrama and self pity in perspective. He's recently moved into a van, and will be traveling the country promoting community with his company, Flock Goods. Check him out, and try to hang with him when he's in your town. Time is well spent with Matt.

Mark and Tim came into town to pick up a couple of vans to take them up to his conversion shop in Portland, Oregon. Nomadik Customs converts vans for all sorts of customers. We had a great chat with these guys. They definitely know their stuff, and seem to have a great time working at it.

Shane showed up in our hood while we were gone. He's recently come out from New Jersey, and he's living full time with his pitfalls Millie and Bucky in a giant Mercedes Sprinter that he converted himself. He's been great to hang our with for the last little while, and we had a nice little sit down and chat. Hope you enjoy it.

Jarrod Tocci is a vanlifer, youtuber, and comedian who's just finished his second van build. It's a 2019 Sprinter with as many bells and whistles as I've ever seen in a DIY-ish camper van. He designed the van and did a lot of the work himself, but he got professionals to help him out with many of the more technical aspects, so he calls it a DIY-Assist build. He's also a good friend, so we basically just hung out and bullshitted for an hour and a half on this episode. Here's hoping you enjoy that.

Greg & Jess quit their corporate jobs and moved into a Dodge Promaster on their 5th wedding anniversary. Now they're working seasonally and traveling as much as they can while they navigate making van life sustainable in the long term. It's been a real treat to get to hang out with them while they're around Southern California for the winter.

@drifter.journey

Megan is a nomad accountant living in a converted Mercedes Sprinter. We met when she was between vans in early 2019, and we've been trying to get her on the podcast ever since. We kept missing each other, but winter in SoCal is where all the vanners flock in the winter. Turns out we didn't even need to chase her. But it's been really great to spend some time with her.

Angela owns a house in Phoenix and lives part time in an old Ford Econoline van the rest of the time. We had a wonderful hang. We talked about the pursuit of a nomadic lifestyle, heartbreak, and trying to find a gig that fulfills. Though we had only just met, she was simply inspiringly candid and kind. If you get a chance, you should probably hang out with her too.

Alexa Glazer came to Encinitas for a speaking engagement promoting her book "Livin' the Dream." She's livin' full-time in a Mercedes Sprinter and rolling from place to place for speaking engagements and adventures. We were stoked to get a chance to sit down with her and talk about public speaking, ambitions, and #vanlife. 

@movinalexa

alexaglazer.com/

Ben Carter doesn't live in a van, but he is the Senior Litigation Attorney at the Kentucky Equal Justice Center. He deals with eleventy billion equity issues including affordable housing, which is quite relevant to the various minimal living movements like vehicular habitation and tiny houses.  We visited him in his comfortable stationary house in Louisville, KY earlier this year. And we had such a spirited conversation that I asked him to come on the podcast when he came out to a conference in San Diego. This guy is fucking brilliant and equally compassionate. And I love it when a conversation changes the way I think about a topic. I'm pleased to say that happened in this podcast.