#236 - The Darien Gap has a legend attached to it, but Daniel Eggington brings the parts that don’t fit the movie version: endless wet days, rivers fought step by step, fear used as a tool, and the mental math of staying alive when you’re deep in the jungle with no easy reset button. Daniel doesn’t chase comfort or bragging rights. He chases places where there’s no blueprint, because that’s where he learns fastest and where the story is earned instead of staged. 

We start with the moment that set his trajectory: leaving the UK as a teenager for Sumatra after working at a zoo and falling in love with wildlife. From there we dig into expedition travel the way it actually works: preparing for snakes and insects, relying on locals for real knowledge, and keeping your impact low. Daniel shares his Guyana journey down the Essequibo River by dugout canoe, including encounters with local belief systems like Kanaima and how culture can shape safety choices as much as terrain does. 

Then we go deep on the Darien, including geopolitical shifts, how different groups control different areas, why “permission” is part of the route, and what a truly miserable day looks like when you’re soaked, underfed, and still pushing forward. We also talk endurance training, why people choose suffering in controlled doses, and Daniel’s next massive goal: a first-of-its-kind Congo River walking expedition planned for 12 months or more, supported by a broader team and modern field comms. 

If you’re into extreme adventure, jungle survival, expedition planning, and the mindset behind big goals, hit play, subscribe, and share this with someone who needs a push. After you listen, leave a review and tell us: what would your no-blueprint adventure be?

To learn more about Daniel Eggington and his upcoming expedition along the Congo River check out www.danieleggington.com and follow him on Instagram @danieleggington.

To learn more about me and see clips from past, present, and future shows give me a follow on Instagram @humanadventurepod.

Want to be a guest on The Human Adventure? Send me a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/journeywithjake

Xploreum connects you with authentic wilderness expeditions led by trusted local experts. Browse real adventures, book directly with experienced guides, and get $200 off your first trip using code HumanAdventure2026 at xploreum.io/humanadventure. 

#235 - The woods “understood her” before she could understand herself, and Alison Monda’s story makes that feel less like poetry and more like a practical roadmap. She’s a full-time firefighter, a search and rescue volunteer, a musician, a longtime hiker, and someone who finally got an ADHD diagnosis that explained decades of feeling scattered, intense, and constantly in motion. When we sit down to talk, it turns into an honest look at what it means to build a life around adventure while also trying to build a brain that feels steady. 

Alison doesn’t dodge the hard chapters. She talks about teen addiction, entering rehab at 19, and how sobriety forced her to relearn fun, connection, and self-respect. From there, hiking becomes more than a passion. It becomes outdoor therapy, a mental health reset, and one of the only places her mind reliably drops into a flow state. We get into solo backpacking, why it can feel freeing and terrifying, and how she thinks about safety as a woman alone on trail. 

We also go deep on real backcountry moments: a bear encounter that spikes the fear meter, the difference between wildlife risk and news-cycle myths, and the rare but real “creepy human” situations that change how you camp. Along the way, Alison shares practical advice for getting started, including the 10 essentials, offline GPS tools like Gaia GPS and CalTopo, and when an SOS device like a Garmin inReach makes sense. Plus, we talk community on the Appalachian Trail, big-mile dreams like the PCT, and her memoir Fearless. 

If you like stories about hiking for mental health, ADHD and resilience, addiction recovery, and the kind of adventure that’s messy in the moment but meaningful later, you’ll feel at home here. Subscribe to The Human Adventure, share this with a friend who needs a reset, and leave a quick rating or review so more people can find the show.

To follow along with Alison check her out on Instagram @get_the_f_outside. You can also get a copy of her book, Fearless, on Amazon.

To learn more about me and see clips from past, present, and future shows give me a follow on Instagram @humanadventurepod.

Want to be a guest on The Human Adventure? Send me a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/journeywithjake

Xploreum connects you with authentic wilderness expeditions led by trusted local experts. Browse real adventures, book directly with experienced guides, and get $200 off your first trip using code HumanAdventure2026 at xploreum.io/humanadventure. 

#234 - Your childhood dream is supposed to save you, not send you to the burn ward. Dan Schlund is one of the rare people who has flown a real rocket belt, a true rocket motor strapped to your back with about 30 seconds of fuel, superheated thrust, and no room for hesitation. After his third flight off the training cable, a bad landing turns into a nightmare: he gets slammed into the ground, can’t shut the belt off, and is burned in the field until the crew can pull him free. 

We talk about the long recovery, skin grafts, and the part that lingers even longer: anxiety and the mental scars that follow a catastrophic crash. Dan explains why he still chose to fly again, how stunt work taught him to never let your last run be a failure, and what it feels like to lift off under full throttle with a roaring crowd and a ticking fuel clock. Along the way, he shares global performance stories, including high pressure flights like the Rose Parade and surreal moments performing in Turkmenistan. 

Then the dream ends hard with a later crash during a Guinness World Records flight, a neck injury, and the identity crash that comes when the applause disappears. Dan’s pivot is the plot twist: he rebuilds his life as a paramedic and founder of National Set Medics, helping protect cast and crew across film and TV productions nationwide. If you’ve ever faced a career change, burnout, or the question “who am I now,” this conversation brings both honesty and practical hope. 

Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs a reset, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.

To learn more about Dan check out www.rocketman.tv. You can also give him a follow on Instagram @rocketman.tv.

To learn more about me and see clips from past, present, and future shows give me a follow on Instagram @humanadventurepod.

Want to be a guest on The Human Adventure? Send me a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/journeywithjake

Xploreum connects you with authentic wilderness expeditions led by trusted local experts. Browse real adventures, book directly with experienced guides, and get $200 off your first trip using code HumanAdventure2026 at xploreum.io/humanadventure. 

#233 - He thought he might do a couple years for breaking into fur farms. Instead, a DOJ press release tells him he’s facing animal enterprise terrorism and RICO-related charges with a maximum of 82 years. That’s the moment Peter Young goes from activist to full-time fugitive, living under a fake name, dodging fingerprints, and trying to build a life while the federal government waits for one mistake.

We trace Peter’s path from a middle-class childhood to punk rock politics, veganism, and underground animal rights activism. He explains how early actions escalated from petty sabotage to fur farm raids that released thousands of mink, and why he believed illegal direct action could force media attention when peaceful protest couldn’t. We also get into the uncomfortable questions that sit underneath the headline: how conviction changes your sense of right and wrong, how fear and adrenaline reshape decision-making, and what it means to accept consequences you never expected.

Then the story turns practical and personal. Peter describes the day-to-day logistics of life on the run, the close calls, and the arrest that finally ends it. We talk sentencing guidelines, why the “82 years” didn’t happen, what federal prison is really like, and how he rebuilt his identity afterward through writing and, surprisingly, entrepreneurship. If you’re interested in true crime stories with moral complexity, activism and extremism, risk psychology, and second acts after prison, this conversation stays with you.

Subscribe to The Human Adventure, share this episode with a friend who loves unforgettable real-life stories, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.

To find out more about Peter Young check out www.peteryoung.me. 

To learn more about me and see clips from past, present, and future shows give me a follow on Instagram @humanadventurepod.

Want to be a guest on The Human Adventure? Send me a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/journeywithjake

Xploreum connects you with authentic wilderness expeditions led by trusted local experts. Browse real adventures, book directly with experienced guides, and get $200 off your first trip using code HumanAdventure2026 at xploreum.io/humanadventure. 

#232 - You think you know someone, then you hear what they had to survive. Calvin Bagley looks like the guy with the steady career and the good family, but as a kid he was literally taught to hide when the school bus came by so no one would discover he wasn’t being educated at all.

We talk through Calvin’s childhood in rural Utah with isolation, fear, and extremist beliefs that kept the world at a distance, plus the strange whiplash of showing up to church on Sundays and then returning to what he describes as hell at home. Instead of walking away from spirituality, Calvin explains how faith became his lifeline, and how his view of God slowly shifted from fear and anger to love, stability, and hope.

Then we trace the hard, practical path of adult education: learning to read with help from his sister, serving a mission in Brazil where learning Portuguese forced him to finally learn English structure, grinding for a GED, bombing the ACT, and getting into UNLV through an unconventional “non-admitted student” route. We also get into his years as a flight attendant, the impact of 9/11, the mentors who opened doors, and why he finally chose to tell the truth in his memoir, Hiding from the School Bus, including the boundaries and therapy that helped him stop living in hiding.

If Calvin’s story hits you, share it with someone who needs proof that healing and growth are possible, then subscribe and leave a review so more listeners can find Th Human Adventure.

To learn more about Calvin and to get a copy of his book check out www.hidingfromtheschoolbus.com. Calvin is also on Instagram @calvinbagley.

To learn more about me and see clips from past, present, and future shows give me a follow on Instagram @humanadventurepod.

Want to be a guest on The Human Adventure? Send me a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/journeywithjake

Xploreum connects you with authentic wilderness expeditions led by trusted local experts. Browse real adventures, book directly with experienced guides, and get $200 off your first trip using code HumanAdventure2026 at xploreum.io/humanadventure. 

#231 - A passport full of stamps can look impressive, but what if the real point of travel is the people who crack you open and change how you see your life? I sat down with Melissa Rodway, author of *The People You Meet*, for an honest, funny, and surprisingly practical conversation about travel, connection, and what happens when we step outside our normal routines.

We talk about the strangers you never forget, including the bold older travelers who prove adventure has no expiration date. Melissa shares why travel can make you feel lighter and more present, and how a single day can swing from pure gratitude to deep loneliness. We also dig into why certain places feel like home, why others do not, and how your body knows the difference even when you cannot explain it.

Then we get real about travel ego and travel fatigue. If you have ever pushed a trip too far because you felt like you “should,” you will recognize the moment Melissa describes when travel starts feeling like work. We compare solo travel versus group travel, the hidden workload of constant decisions, safety concerns, and why active group trips with strangers can turn into a temporary family fast.

If you love adventure travel, solo travel stories, and conversations about living with more intention, this one will stick with you. Subscribe to The Human Adventure, share this episode with a friend who needs a nudge to do something brave, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

You can get a copy of Melissa's book, The People You Meet, on Amazon here. You can also follow Melissa on Instagram @fly_travel_media.

To learn more about me and see clips from past, present, and future shows give me a follow on Instagram @humanadventurepod.

Want to be a guest on The Human Adventure? Send me a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/journeywithjake

Xploreum connects you with authentic wilderness expeditions led by trusted local experts. Browse real adventures, book directly with experienced guides, and get $200 off your first trip using code HumanAdventure2026 at xploreum.io/humanadventure. 

#230 - Ten Ironman distances in ten days sounds like a headline, but JD Tremblay treats it like a case study. JD is a military veteran, ultra-endurance athlete, and founder of Hungry Warrior Academy, and he joins me to explain how he became one of the rare finishers of the Epic Deca across the Hawaiian islands and why the real secret is not heroic motivation. It is structure, repeatable systems, and the decision to follow them when your mind is loud and your body is tired.

We get into the myth that the military “gives” discipline, and JD’s sharper take: the military gives structure, and you choose whether you live inside it. From there, we talk about building high performance without burning out, including energy regulation, nervous system shifts from sympathetic fight-or-flight to parasympathetic recovery, and why rest is not a reward but part of the plan. JD also shares his lens on starting versus quitting, the difference between DNS and DNF, and how a simple non-negotiable can become the first brick in a better life.

JD opens up about faith, identity, and community, including the moment his son reshapes how he thinks about who he is beyond titles and achievements. He also tells the rawer side of the Epic Deca journey: going into debt, selling his house to fund the race, and hitting a breaking point that forces humility. We even had to pause mid-interview due to an electrical outage, which ends up fitting the theme perfectly: adjust, come back, keep going.

If you want practical mindset tools, endurance training lessons, and a clearer definition of discipline you can apply to work, fitness, or family, hit play, then subscribe, share this with someone who needs encouragement, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

To learn more about JD and his work with Hungry Warrior Academy please visit www.hungrywarrioracademy.com. You can also follow along with JD on Instagram @jdtremblaytri and to learn more about his book, Hunger For More In Life, you can visit www.hunger4more.com.

To learn more about me and see clips from past, present, and future shows give me a follow on Instagram @humanadventurepod.

Want to be a guest on The Human Adventure? Send me a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/journeywithjake

Xploreum connects you with authentic wilderness expeditions led by trusted local experts. Browse real adventures, book directly with experienced guides, and get $200 off your first trip using code HumanAdventure2026 at xploreum.io/humanadventure. 

#229 - He was face down in the ocean, paralyzed, and running out of time. Patrick Yalon went out for a routine surf at San Francisco’s Ocean Beach and never came back the same person and he’s honest about how close he came to not coming back at all.

We talk through the full arc: the low-tide wipeout that breaks his neck, the foggy scramble that ends with his friend finding him blue in the water, and the CPR that brings him back. From there it’s ICU uncertainty, brutal nerve pain, and a nine-and-a-half-hour spinal fusion from C3 to C5 with titanium hardware. Patrick doesn’t skip the dark parts: identity loss, depression, and the exhausting question of whether his body will ever work the way it used to.

Then the story pivots from survival to purpose. Patrick chooses a wildly specific goal for spinal cord injury recovery and resilience: Moab 240, one of the toughest ultramarathons in the world. He lines up just months after the accident, grinds out 144 miles in 2024, then travels to Thailand to keep healing through daily Muay Thai training, time in the mountains, and a search for meaning and faith. He also shares why helping others with similar accidents matters so much, and how finishing Moab 240 in 2025 through storms, mud, lightning, and sleep deprivation becomes a shared victory with the friend who saved his life.

Patrick is writing a memoir called Still Here and continues raising money and awareness for people impacted by spinal cord injuries. Subscribe to The Human Adventure, share this with someone who needs a reason to keep showing up, and leave a review if Patrick’s story hits home.

To follow along with Patrick's journey you can give him a follow on Instagram @bodiezepha415. For those runners out there on Strava just search for Patrick Yalon.

To learn more about me and see clips from past, present, and future shows give me a follow on Instagram @humanadventurepod.

Want to be a guest on The Human Adventure? Send me a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/journeywithjake

Xploreum connects you with authentic wilderness expeditions led by trusted local experts. Browse real adventures, book directly with experienced guides, and get $200 off your first trip using code HumanAdventure2026 at xploreum.io/humanadventure. 

#228 - Rock bottom isn’t always a single catastrophic night. Sometimes it’s a slow drift: one more drink that becomes normal, one compromise that becomes routine, one secret that feels easier than the truth. Justin Kinney knows that drift firsthand, and he joins me to tell the full story of addiction, sobriety, and rebuilding a life from the ground up.

Justin is a high school strength and conditioning teacher, a coach, a husband, and a dad in a busy blended family. From the outside, he looked like he had everything handled: professional awards, respect in the community, even leadership in church. Behind closed doors, alcohol and drugs were taking control, shame was multiplying, and his marriage and health were breaking down in small moments that eventually became impossible to ignore. We talk about what “rock bottom” really felt like for him, why treatment only worked once he admitted he was powerless, and how the consequences didn’t magically disappear just because he got sober.

We also get practical. Justin shares the non negotiables that keep him steady: a consistent morning routine built on prayer, gratitude, reading, meditation, and movement, plus the mindset of getting 1% better each day. He explains how years of journaling turned into his book, From Rock Bottom to Redemption, a daily-lesson format focused on accountability, integrity, discipline, and the kind of character that’s built through small decisions over time.

If you or someone you love is searching for addiction recovery hope, faith-based sobriety tools, or a clear path to rebuilding after failure, this conversation will meet you where you are. Subscribe for more stories like this, share the episode with someone who needs it, and leave a review to help more people find The Human Adventure.

To learn more about Justin check him out on Instagram @justin_kinney_0609 and to get a copy of his book, From Rock Bottom to Redemption, you can check out Amazon.

To learn more about me and see clips from past, present, and future shows give me a follow on Instagram @humanadventurepod.

Want to be a guest on The Human Adventure? Send me a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/journeywithjake

Xploreum connects you with authentic wilderness expeditions led by trusted local experts. Browse real adventures, book directly with experienced guides, and get $200 off your first trip using code HumanAdventure2026 at xploreum.io/humanadventure. 

#227 - What do you do when the person you love is gone before morning and you’re in a country that doesn’t feel fully like home yet? Chanoa Inez lived that question on the coast of Montenegro after her partner died suddenly overnight. The days that followed were filled with shock, language barriers, unfamiliar systems, and an unexpected web of support, and they set her on a seven-year chapter across the Balkans that would change everything about how she understands grief, identity, and resilience. 

We talk about why she chose to stay in Europe instead of returning to Miami, how community and culture shaped her healing, and what long-haul grief can look like when it quietly rewires your routines, your boundaries, and even your health. Chanoa opens up about years of stress and food allergies, searching through meditation, yoga, and retreat work, and the moment she realized the missing piece was self-love. Along the way, we dig into negative self-talk, the “victim mindset” trap, and a powerful practice: don’t let a thought pass that you wouldn’t say to a friend. 

Chanoa also shares the core message of her book, Dream On: reinvention is our birthright, and after loss we can learn to dream again, even if the dream has to be different. We explore purpose, imagination, and designing a life that pulls you forward, plus how her “inside-out” approach connects to personal branding and showing up as a real human instead of a robot. If you’re searching for grief healing, self-love practices, rebuilding after trauma, or how to move forward after losing a partner, this conversation is a grounded place to start. Subscribe, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a quick rating or review if the show helps you.

To learn more about Chanoa and her book please visit www.chanoainez.com.

To learn more about me and see clips from past, present, and future shows give me a follow on Instagram @humanadventurepod.

Want to be a guest on The Human Adventure? Send me a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/journeywithjake

Xploreum connects you with authentic wilderness expeditions led by trusted local experts. Browse real adventures, book directly with experienced guides, and get $200 off your first trip using code HumanAdventure2026 at xploreum.io/humanadventure.