Today I am speaking with an RVer who redesigned his entire life after a brutal fall required him to learn to  walk, write, speak and even swallow all over again. But, it opened the door for him to become a Workamper for a family-owned RV dealership working as a service advisor.

Jim Bartleman thought he had life figured out. He was working as a service advisor in the automotive industry, planning for the future and preparing to eventually hit the road in an RV.

But, everything changed in an instant after a devastating accident left him in a medically-induced coma and forced him to relearn how to walk, talk, read and swallow.

Instead of giving up, Jim used that life-changing experience as motivation to completely redesign his life around what mattered most to him.

Today, he and his girlfriend, Caryl Kinney, live fulltime in a Class C motorhome, Workamping at campgrounds in Texas during the winter and working seasonally at a New York RV dealership during the summer.

In this episode, Jim shares how he turned a frightening setback into a new beginning.

He also talks about why more RV dealers should hire Workampers and how the RV lifestyle has allowed him to reconnect with family, travel the country and focus on experiences instead of accumulating possessions.

Jim shares his experiences dry camping under massive desert skies and learning French at a campground filled with Canadian snowbirds.

Jimmy Bartleman and a donkey, George, he met at a Hipcamp farm.

Based on his experiences, Jim explains why people should stop waiting until retirement to start living the life they want.

Whether he is working seasonally at an RV dealership or serving as a camp host in Texas, Jim found a way to combine his passion for helping people with a lifestyle built around travel, flexibility and meaningful experiences.

Along the way, he discovered the value of Workamping and the freedom that comes with full-time RV living as well as the importance of making memories while you still can.

Jim also shared practical advice for new RVers and explained why smaller RVs can offer more flexibility.

He talked about the growing number of younger people embracing the Workamping lifestyle long before retirement age.

If you would like to follow Jim’s adventures or connect with him directly, you can find him on Instagram or on Facebook.

Most Workampers, like Jim, have interesting stories to tell about their travels and experiences. If you would you like to be featured in an upcoming episode of The Workamper Show, I encourage you to schedule an interview with me at workampershow.com.

We’d love to hear about your Workamping experiences, how you got started RVing, and what you love and dislike about the RVing lifestyle. You can help others explore all the different ways to live this great lifestyle by sharing your story.

If you are an employer of Workampers, we invite you to be on the podcast, too. Share all of the details of your Workamping jobs in a future episode. It only costs a little bit of your time.

Schedule an interview with me today by going to workampershow.com. You’ll find the schedule buttons at the bottom of the home page.

That’s all for this week’s show. I’ll have another fun interview on the next episode of The Workamper Show. If you like these interviews, please consider leaving a review wherever you download the episodes. Thanks for listening.