What if you could stay in a beautiful beach house for an entire month without paying a dime? I know it sounds too good to be true, but today’s guests, Bella & Simmy, have cracked the code on how to do just that.

Bella and Simmy are two best friends who were able to live in beautiful homes across California for 2 months, thanks to the magic of Trusted House Sitters. In this episode, they’re explaining exactly how to travel for free while doing pet and house sitting, how to set up your profile to stand out, and how to make the most of your experience.

Whether you travel full time and want a way to do it on the cheap, or you’re looking to add a little bit of adventure to your weekend routine, you’ll walk away from this episode with a brand new goal.

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After growing up in Christian fundamentalism, Amelia Protiva and her husband left the church and created brand new lives for themselves. From moving to the west coast to the midwest and back again, working in the start-up world, traveling with van life, and starting a family, they have learned to pivot time and time again.

In this episode, Amelia gives an honest look inside these decisions, how she has adjusted to losing people who can’t accept her new life, and why lifelong learning is so essential.

Follow today’s guest, Amelia Protiva, on Instagram. (Instagram (@ameliaprotiva) )

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Wake up. Drink coffee. Draw. Go to the beach. Draw some more. Take the pup on a hike. Repeat. This is the routine that Kinsey Hotchkiss has been able to adopt while owning her own graphic design business. After studying Chinese in college and traveling around the world, she found her niche a little later on designing minimalist, adventure-lifestyle illustrations for musical artists, surf brands, and other rad clients.

And one of those clients last year was No To Normal! In this episode, we’re talking about the new branding Kinsey designed for this show, how she deals with imposter syndrome in the creative space, what it’s like to paint murals in front of festival-goers, and why you should quit your job and buy a one way ticket.

Follow today’s guest, Kinsey Hotchkiss, on Instagram. (Instagram (@kinsey.h.designs)
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(deep exhale) Whew, 2023 is quickly coming to a close! This year felt particularly challenging for me in a lot of ways, but looking back now I can see it as a year of growth and change. That’s why I thought it’d be fun to talk about the 3 biggest lessons I learned this year, both from launching the podcast and just from life in general, with a solo episode!

This will be my last episode of 2023. Weekly episodes will resume on Wednesday, January 3, so see you then!

You can find the full episode transcript from today’s episode at www.notonormalpod.com. Please follow along with the show on TikTok and Instagram @notonormalpod.

Laura Haver has always been good at incorporating play into her life: first as a tennis player, then as a coach, and now as a mom and play advocate. In today’s episode, she talks about leaving her successful (but stressful) career in marketing, training as a pro athlete after having kids, and how she helps women lead more playful, vibrant, and fulfilling lives.

You can find links from today’s episode, more information about the guest, and full episode transcripts at www.notonormalpod.com.‌

You wouldn’t know this just by looking at it, but Jessica McGhee’s beautiful, handmade jewelry is actually made out of trash that she gathers herself!

In this amazing conversation, Jessica shares her love of sustainability, art, and mental health (and talks about how those three things are actually all connected!). She also shares how she has overcome some of life’s toughest challenges while still deciding to focus on the beauty.

You can find links from today’s episode, more information about the guest, and full episode transcripts at www.notonormalpod.com.

If you love the idea of solo travel but don’t want the stress of planning everything by yourself, or maybe you don’t feel safe going alone, then you’re going to love today’s episode. Laura Ericson perfectly curates culturally immersive group trips with solo travelers like you (and me!) in mind.

In this conversation, Laura shakes up the idea of the stereotypical group trips that you’ve probably seen before, shares what it means to go on a “positive impact” trip, and walks through the hundreds of hours it takes to plan amazing, once-in-a-lifetime trips.

You can find links from today’s episode, more information about the guest, and full episode transcripts at www.notonormalpod.com.

If you think about summers from your childhood, maybe you picture yourself riding your bike down the road with your friends. Or maybe you remember eating ice sandwiches by the pool while the ice cream melted down the side of your hand. Katherine O’Brien took both of those nostalgic summer staples and founded Cream Cruiser, a successful “ice cream from a bike” business.

Now, after spreading joy with her cute pink bike and ice cream sandwiches at weddings, festivals, and farmers markets for almost the past decade, Katherine has now pivoted into helping other aspiring bike entrepreneurs start their very own mobile food businesses.

You can find links from today’s episode, more information about the guest, and full episode transcripts at www.notonormalpod.com.

Growing up Mormon, it’s safe to say that Maddie Largey probably didn’t expect to grow up and start an alcohol company. However, a personal experience in college led her to identify a huge problem with the way college students consume alcohol.

Now, just a couple of years after graduating from Stanford, Maddie is the co-founder of Jinx Drinx, a boozy punch in a pouch that promotes a work hard, play smart mentality. In this episode we talk about how her upbringing has impacted how she approaches her business, what it’s like being a young woman in the entrepreneurial and investing space, and how Jinx is trying to find shelf space in a super saturated marked.

You can find links from today’s episode, more information about the guest, and full episode transcripts at www.notonormalpod.com.

If you’re anything like me, you love scrolling through Instagram or Pinterest looking at all of the cool, adventurous people out there doing “van life.” You drool at the beautiful views, you imagine what your van layout would look like, and you dream about having the freedom to make up travel plans as you go along.

Today’s guest, Karley Wiedenhofer, has one of those van life accounts that I personally love! And in this episode, she is pulling back the curtain and sharing what van life is *actually* like: the good, the bad, and the unexpected.

Stay up to date with the show on TikTok and Instagram at @notonormalpod.

You can find links from today’s episode, more information about the guest, and full episode transcripts at www.notonormalpod.com.