#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. 

#226 - You think you want to live abroad until you’re standing in a Shanghai apartment you barely recognize, sleeping on a mattress that feels like concrete, and realizing you can’t read a single sign outside your window. Jeff Lewis did exactly that, on a timeline so fast he had to get a same day passport and a same day visa just to make it happen. What started as a recession driven job scramble became four years of international teaching, culture shock, and the kind of growth you only get when your normal tools don’t work anymore.

We talk through the full arc of expat life in China: arriving alone while his wife waits on paperwork, learning the unwritten rules of traffic and daily errands, and figuring out how a newly married couple stays connected when everything around them is unfamiliar. Jeff shares what people romanticize about living abroad and what they leave out, from language barriers and “bad China days” to the strange comfort of tracking down a mediocre hamburger because it tastes like home. He also explains how travel around China worked before smartphones, and how those weekend adventures helped them stay sane and stay close.

Then the story gets even bigger: they move to a better international school, build community, and have their two oldest kids in China. Jeff gets honest about parenting abroad, hospital decisions, transportation challenges, and how cultural differences can complicate even basic support systems. We close with what he brings home to the United States as a social studies teacher, including a stronger world view and a deeper belief in second language learning for his own kids.

If you like stories about China, international schools, moving overseas, and the real psychology of stepping into the unknown, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a friend who dreams of expat life, and leave a review so more people can find The Human Adventure.

Be sure and 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. 

#225 - A Baptist pastor walks away from a church he planted… and ends up kicking doors with SWAT as an FBI special agent. That’s the real-life career pivot Eric Robinson lived, and his story isn’t just a wild résumé line. It’s a clear look at how pressure, identity, and responsibility can build slowly until you finally admit the truth: you need a different path.

We talk through Eric’s early years in ministry, the surprising toll of carrying other people’s crises, and why the stress of law enforcement was easier for him to process than the stress of being a pastor. From there, he takes us behind the scenes of a 24-year FBI career: drug squads, gangs, public corruption, organized crime, crimes against children, counterterrorism, and what it means to run human sources who do not have to help but choose to anyway. If you’ve ever wondered what the FBI is really like beyond the Hollywood version, Eric gives an honest and often funny reality check.

We also get into SWAT training and why repetition matters, how agents handle the emotional weight of difficult cases, and what leadership looks like when you’re surrounded by smart self-starters. Eric closes with reflections on faith that’s been refined by experience, plus details on his upcoming book, Irreverend: From Saving Souls To Chasing Sinners In The FBI.

To follow Eric check out his Instagram account @_eric_robinson. 

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

Subscribe for more human stories, share this with a friend who’s facing a career change, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show.

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. 

#224 - Business advice usually starts with scaling, margins, and “hustle.” This conversation starts somewhere more honest: what is business for, and who does it actually serve?

We sit down with Edi Odura, an engineer turned entrepreneur and fractional COO who helps mission-driven founders build systems that don’t burn people out. Edi shares how growing up Ghanaian American shaped her relationship with security and risk, why operations is really about protecting the human side of a company, and what changes when you stop treating process like paperwork and start treating it like leadership. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by your own growth, you’ll recognize the moment when a great product outpaces the systems meant to support it.

Edi also walks us through the bridge she’s building between Ghana and the US by placing vetted Ghanaian virtual professionals with founders stateside. We get into the practical realities of cross-cultural hiring, communication differences, and how to create clarity without losing kindness. Then we go deeper into regenerative business principles, contrasting them with extractive models that quietly profit from low wages, vague policies, or unequal power. The result is a grounded, actionable look at ethical outsourcing, sustainable operations, and values-driven entrepreneurship.

If you care about building a company with integrity, or rebuilding your own life after a major pivot, you’ll take something real from this. Subscribe for more conversations like this, share the episode with someone who’s building, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show.

To learn more about Edith Oduraa check out her website https://edithoduraa.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. 

#223 - What does it take to stay teammates for 30 plus years while crossing borders, missing comforts, and choosing the hard route on purpose? I’m joined by John and Ann Craig Cinnamon, a travel power couple who’ve visited 120 plus countries on seven continents, and they’re honest about the part most people skip: real adventure travel can be exhausting, tense, and unpredictable, and that’s exactly why it changes you.

We dig into the way travel exposes personality fast, from idea-making to logistics to how you handle stress when plans break. John and Ann share the travel philosophy they call “While We’re In The Neighborhood,” why they rarely visit just one country at a time, and how experiences like the Running of the Bulls, Oktoberfest, and the Trans-Siberian Railway became markers in a life built on curiosity. Their all-time favorite story is a Himalayas trek from Kathmandu toward Mount Everest, where tea houses, altitude, a local guide, and even a hard-earned scar turned a difficult hike into a memory they still revisit.

The conversation also goes deep on authentic travel and human connection: meeting locals in Cambodia who insisted on giving a gift in return, laughing with a Mongolian guide who loved NBA shooters, navigating political conversations abroad, and facing fear during a Moscow airport interrogation. If you care about couple travel, travel storytelling, and the mindset behind meaningful trips, you’ll leave with both practical perspective and a bigger heart for the world.

Check out their book, Travel Is No Vacation: A Love Story, then subscribe, share this with someone you’d travel with, and leave a review so more people can find The Human Adventure.

To learn more about the Cinnamons and their book check out www.travelisnovacation.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. 

#222 - When was the last time you let yourself dream without limits, not as a cute idea, but as a serious practice that could change your life? I sit down with Jason VanDevere, an entrepreneur, planner creator, and author of Dream Driven, to talk about what happens when you walk away from the “sure thing” and build a life that actually fits.

Jason grew up in Akron, Ohio in a big family with a cow farm and a car dealership legacy. After college he entered the dealership track with a clear path to long-term success, but the deeper he went, the clearer it became that he needed something else. We unpack how a simple search for better time management and goal setting tools turned into a planner business, and why the early years felt brutal even while the product was selling.

We go beyond tactics into mindset and meaning. Jason opens up about fear of failure, the rush of doing too much, and the surprising idea that we can get addicted to stress and inadequacy. From there, the conversation moves into faith and Catholic spirituality, daily prayer and journaling, and the power of silent retreats for clarity. We also break down his “dream-driven” approach to entrepreneurship, why focus beats endless options, and how family boundaries reshaped his definition of success.

If you’re chasing goals but feel stuck in survival mode, hit play, then share this with a friend who needs a spark. Subscribe, follow, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

To learn more about Jason and get a copy of his book, Dream Driven, check out his website www.goalcrazy.com. You can also check out his Instagram channel @jasonvandevere. 

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. 

#221 - A one-way ticket sounds romantic until you’re standing in a foreign airport, exhausted, hungry, and convinced you’ve made a huge mistake. That’s where Tracy Smith’s story gets real and why it’s so relatable. After a divorce, years of nonstop parenting, and a career grind that left little room to breathe, she finally chooses herself and discovers that freedom can feel like fear at first. 

We talk about what actually led to that first leap to Iceland and how one impulsive booking turned into a multi-country sprint through Iceland, Denmark, Norway, and Ireland. Tracy shares the messy details most people leave out: the panic of being lost, the running inner commentary, and the moment she realizes she has to stop asking whether she “deserves” to be there. From there, travel becomes a mirror for identity, especially as the empty nest edges closer and her work identity starts to wobble. 

You’ll also hear how she travels “solo” in a practical way, planning logistics and often hiring private guides for deeper context, connection, and safety. And yes, we get into the monkey scratch in Bali, the rabies-shot scramble, and how being a mom stays in the back of her mind even while she’s chasing adventure. Tracy’s book, The Purpose of Getting Lost, ties it all together with the episode’s biggest takeaway: permission is a skill you can practice. 

If Tracy’s message hits home, subscribe to The Human Adventure, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find these stories.

To learn more about Tracy and her book check out her website www.tracysmithauthor.com and check her out on social media @tracytravelseverywhere on both Facebook and Instagram.

I would love to have you join The Human Adventure Community 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. 

#220 - Behind every great joke is a real story and Danny Johnson’s story explains why his stand-up feels both clean and dangerously close to losing its cool. We talk about how he grew up in a loud Long Island family where roasting was basically a love language, and how that early chase for attention turned into a lifelong craft built on timing, authenticity, and connection. If you’ve ever wondered what makes an audience laugh at the exact same moment, Danny breaks it down in plain terms. 

We get nerdy about the comedy writing process: how a quick idea becomes a real bit, why research matters more than people think, and how Danny uses “filters” to find new angles on everyday frustrations. He also shares one of the most underrated tools in public speaking and stand-up comedy: silence. The pause can be the laugh, and learning to embrace it can change the entire energy of a room. 

Then we go personal. Danny opens up about weight swings, rebuilding confidence, eating well while traveling, and quitting drinking after realizing his time wasn’t matching his goals. We also talk about the upside and difficulty of clean comedy, corporate gigs, church venues, and why he’s focused on growing an engaged social media audience with original material, plus more voiceover and acting work. If you like interviews about creativity, resilience, and what it takes to make people feel better for an hour, you’ll leave with practical insight and a lot of laughs. 

Subscribe to The Human Adventure, share this with a friend who needs a laugh, and leave a review so more people can find the show. What’s a comedy habit or life habit you want to steal from Danny?

To learn more about Danny check out his website www.dannyjohnson.com and check him out on Instagram or other social media outlets @dannyjohnsoncomedy. To can also check out his comedy special on YouTube here.

To see clips from past, present, and even future episodes of The Human Adventure give me a follow on Instagram @humanadventurepod and check out my YouTube channel @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. 

#219 - A million-dollar decision can look a lot like a random pop-up ad and a quick, messy “why not?” Alex Boylan went from being a preacher’s kid on the North Shore of Boston to winning Season 2 of The Amazing Race, and that victory didn’t just change his bank account, it rewired his definition of work, purpose, and adventure. We talk through the early travel experiences that shaped him, the real dynamics of racing with his best friend Chris, and the pressure-cooker moments where relationships, strategy, and grit matter more than perfect plans. 

What sticks with me most is how Alex turns discomfort into a skill you can actually practice. He shares the behind-the-scenes realization that opened a whole new career path: travel producing and storytelling. From moving to Los Angeles with no roadmap, to betting on mentors and the right environment over job titles, his journey is packed with practical lessons for anyone navigating a career pivot, chasing a creative dream, or trying to feel alive again after getting stuck in routine. 

We also dig into Around The World For Free, the early interactive travel series that helped pioneer web-based travel storytelling before social media made it easy, and how that project evolved into bigger opportunities. Then we shift to what he’s building now with The College Tour on Amazon Prime, a show designed to help families explore colleges and higher education options without the cost of constant campus travel, plus his book The Miles That Make You and the life lessons he wants to pass on. 

If you care about adventure, personal growth, mindset, travel, human connection, and building a meaningful life through calculated risk, hit play. Subscribe to The Human Adventure, share this with a friend who needs a push, and leave a review so more people find the show. What’s one small discomfort you’ll choose this week?

To learn more about Alex and get a copy of his book you can visit www.alexboylan.com and if you want to follow Alex on Instagram check out @boylanalex. 

To see clips from past, present, and future shows give me a follow on Instagram @humanadventurepod. You can also watch full length on YouTube @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.