Debra Dickinson was diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury, so severe that she had to have a trustee help her with her financial decisions. Yet, when she got the news that things were getting worse and she might not live a year and if she did, she wouldn’t remember it, she did something quite brash. Debra set out to travel—something that had been on her bucket list.

Debra Dickinson not only did not die--she is now thriving on the road. She's found a way to make solo nomad life work for her and she's even created a community that support one another out on the road. She is the author of six books (and counting!) She's got a Youtube channel, hosts a yearly gathering and is a resource and support for others out on the road.

 Debra’s story is quite remarkable and I am feel blessed that’s she shared it with us all. Listen to the end. Her story left me in tears.

Show Notes & Links:

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Solo Women RV Theme song is Fields Station by Nikole Potulsky

This week on the podcast my guest is Maria Boutzoukas, a solo female vanlifer who dreamed of living in a van since she was a kid. She has so many people, and even the voices in her head, telling her that selling her house and moving into a van wasn't practical. But now that she's done it, she know she made the right decision.

We talk about all the ups and downs that came from selecting obtaining a van, building it out and finally hitting the road. Maria has ADHD and she quickly discovered that life on the road actually helped her symptoms. The constant changing scenery makes her feel more calm. She's loving life on the road and share a bit of her story with us.

1.    There are a lot of ways to make community. Take

2.    With her ADHD diagnosis, the continuous chaos of moving and changing her environment actually helps her stay calm and focused.

3.    Rolling with the punches—going with the flow. When Maria didn’t get her van as expected, she showed a key trait of

4.    Because Maria travels and works full time from her van, she needed a really good cellular set up. She consulted with

The Girl Camper podcast one of the first podcasts I listened to when I was getting started on my RV journey, so it's my pleasure to have Lesa McDermott, the Vice President of Operations at Girl Camper as my guest this week on the Solo Women RV podcast. Girl Camper is much more than a podcast. It's evolved into an organization with chapters all over the US with one purpose--to educate women to get out and enjoy the outdoors.

The Girl Campers have different chapters all over the US with events happening in each region. Meet-ups can vary from lunch with fellow campers to multi-day camping trips. They have a free Facebook group with more than 400,000 members! They also have a beautiful magazine--which Lesa has generously offered a free one year digital subscription for our listeners. Details on how to get your copy are below.

Links and Show notes:

My friend Sari reached out to me to let me know she was going on her very first solo camping trip--her first time camping as an adult--at age 47. I first interviewed Sari back in July 2021 and I'm sharing her story again because she is such a good story teller. She shares everything she did to prepare and the funny mishaps that happened along the way. After listening to Sari's story, you'll never look at guacamole the same way again.

Solo Women RV blog:

Solo Women RV Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/3139043422990289

Solo Women RV Theme song is Fields Station by Nikole Potulsky

There are lots of ways to make money as an RVer and I like to joke that I do ALL of them. Here are the 9 ways that I make money to travel in my RV:

My guest this week is Val Nelson, a career and business coach who works with women who want to start their own businesses. Val and I talk about why coaching can be a great business for women who live on the road and why RVers are especially suited for entrepreneurship.

Key Take-Aways:

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This week on the podcast I share all the things I'm doing to prepare to hit the road for a season on travel. I talk about getting my RV ready, getting my home ready for travel and all the things I need to do to for my job this summer as a campground host.

Show Notes: 

Connect with Other Solo Women RVers

Solo Women RV blog:

Solo Women RV Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/3139043422990289

Solo Women RV Theme song is Fields Station by Nikole Potulsky

My guest this week, Kristin Hanes, is a digital nomad who's figured out a way to make a great living while living in her van and sailboat and she wants to teach you how to do it as well. Kristin runs The Wayward Home blog and podcast--all about RV, van, sailboat and tiny home living. She's learned how to make a living writing about her passion while she travels. And she's come on the show to talk to us about how she does this. 

If you'd like to dig deeper and sign up for Kristin's course, Niche Sites Made Easy, we're offering a $50 discount if you sign up via this link: https://solowomen--thewaywardhome.thrivecart.com/niche-sites-made-easy/

Mentioned in this Episode:

Key Takeaways

1. These are the ways blogs make money: advertising, affiliate links, sponsored posts and products that you sell on your site.

2. If you want to know more about the vanlifer summit, link is in the show notes

3. If you do decide you’re ready to jump in and want to take Kristin’s Nice Site course, please use my link, because as an affiliate, I’ll make a few dollars from your purchase.

Have you ever wanted to attend a gathering where you could hang out with other solo women who RV, camp and live in vans? This week on the podcast, I interview Merissa Peterson who is the onsite event coordinator for A Roam of Our Own, a women-only vanlife gathering March 16-19, 2023 in Palm Springs, California.

Take Aways:

1. A roam of our Own—March 16-19, 2023 just outside of Palm Springs, CA. Cost is about $100 per person. 

2. They are still looking for people to lead events or a craft and discounts are available for workshop presenters. Reach out to [email protected] if you're interested. 

3. This event is not a big party event like some vanlifer gatherings. Expect it to be chill and inviting.

Links:

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My guest this week is Michelle Fishburne. In 2020-2021 Michelle traveled 12,000 miles in her RV interviewing hundreds of people about what their lives were like during the Covid-19 pandemic. Michelle turned those stories into a beautiful book Who We Are Now: Stories of What Americans Lost and Found during the COVID-19 Pandemic 

I had a great chat with Michelle about her travels, about being a third generation RVer, what it was like to travel solo in her RV during the pandemic and some of the key take-aways from the people she met on her journey. 

Mentioned in this Episode:

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