The Latitude Adjustment Positive Psychology Podcast

The Latitude Adjustment Positive Psychology Podcast, recognized with the Award of Distinction by The Communicator Awards, inducted into the Positive Change Podcast Awards Hall of Fame and named Podcast of the Year by the American Writing Awards, is a story-driven journey into what it really takes to thrive in life.

Season 5, Episode 4: Every Day Is Day Three of Camping

What happens when paradise turns out to be a little less comfortable than the brochure promised?

After trading modern conveniences for an off-grid home in the jungles of Panama, Erica and Rusty Harrison are discovering that Caribbean living comes with breathtaking beauty, extraordinary adventures, and an impressive assortment of things that bite, sting, sweat, leak, and grow mold.

Between relentless humidity, cold showers, damp clothes, tropical insects, and boat rides that qualify as full-body workouts, they've stumbled into an unexpected psychological experiment: How much comfort do we actually need to be happy?

Blending hilarious stories from their jungle adventures with insights from psychology, Erica and Rusty explore the difference between discomfort and suffering, our remarkable ability to adapt, and why a meaningful life doesn't necessarily require a comfortable one.

Because sometimes paradise isn't about escaping discomfort. It's about discovering that you can be sweaty, muddy, covered in bug bites, and still be having the time of your life.

Welcome to The Intentional Human Experiment—where the living isn't always easy, but the stories are getting better every day.

What do you do when you've planned everything carefully—and life refuses to cooperate?

When Erica and Rusty moved to a remote Caribbean island in Panama, they expected challenges. What they didn't anticipate was how much their new life would test their relationship with uncertainty.

From expired documents and missing court records to an immigration process that seems to invent new obstacles at every turn, their pursuit of permanent residency has become an unexpected lesson in letting go of control.

In this episode of The Latitude Adjustment Positive Psychology Podcast, Erica and Rusty explore why uncertainty makes us so uncomfortable, how our desire for predictability can work against us, and why psychological flexibility may be more valuable than the perfect plan.

Drawing on psychological research, personal experiences, and the occasionally absurd realities of island living, they examine the difference between preparation and control—and what happens when we stop trying to solve tomorrow's problems today.

This week's Intentional Human Experiment: The Next Step Experiment. Identify one uncertainty in your life and ask yourself a simple question: What is the next workable step I can actually take?

Because intentional living isn't about knowing exactly how everything will turn out. It's about knowing what matters, remaining flexible, and finding your way forward—even when you can't see the entire route.

You don't need the whole map. Sometimes you just need the next coordinates.

Join Erica and Rusty for another adventure in positive psychology, Caribbean living, and the ongoing experiment of building a more intentional life.

Keep your destination in sight, stay flexible about the route, and when the plan changes—just adjust your latitude.

#TheLatitudeAdjustment #PositivePsychology #IntentionalLiving #PsychologicalFlexibility #EmbracingUncertainty #PersonalGrowth #LifeInPanama

The Latitude Adjustment Positive Psychology Podcast, recognized with the Award of Distinction by The Communicator Awards, inducted into the Positive Change Podcast Hall of Fame and named Podcast of the Year by the American Writing Awards, is a story-driven journey into what it really takes to thrive in life.

In Island Time: What Happens When You Stop Rushing?, Erica and Rusty discover that moving to a remote Caribbean island may change your latitude, but it doesn’t automatically change your relationship with the clock.

From an all-day adventure getting their Panamanian captain’s licenses to boat schedules, grocery runs, tropical weather, and the peculiar experience of waiting for things that happen precisely when they happen, they begin noticing just how deeply urgency had become wired into everyday life.

Using psychology and behavioral science, they explore what constant rushing does to our minds and bodies, why waiting can feel surprisingly uncomfortable, and what happens when we stop treating every delay like something has gone wrong.

Along the way, there’s island humor, marital banter, a little psychological research, and this week’s Intentional Human Experiment—an invitation to notice where unnecessary urgency may still be running your life.

Because sometimes slowing down isn’t about doing less.

It’s about discovering that not everything needs to happen faster.

The Latitude Adjustment Positive Psychology Podcast, recognized with the Award of Distinction by The Communicator Awards, inducted into the Positive Change Podcast Hall of Fame and named Podcast of the Year by the American Writing Awards, is a story-driven journey into what it really takes to thrive in life.

Season Five begins in the Panamanian rainforest with a deceptively simple question: What makes a place feel like home?

After leaving North Carolina, selling nearly everything they owned, and moving to Tierra Oscura in the Bocas del Toro archipelago, Erica and Rusty Harrison are discovering that home has surprisingly little to do with an address.

Sometimes it’s an Anthropology duvet that somehow earned valuable suitcase space. Sometimes it’s two muddy dogs settling into their favorite spots, a WhatsApp call from someone you love, the familiar ritual of making coffee, or sitting down together behind the microphones.

In this episode, Erica and Rusty explore the psychology of place attachment, identity, and routine—and how ordinary experiences gradually turn unfamiliar surroundings into somewhere we belong.

It also marks the beginning of The Intentional Human Experiment, Season Five’s new approach to exploring the psychology of everyday life: notice something about being human, look at what the research says, try something simple, and see what happens in the real world.

No laboratory required.

Apparently, two retired guinea pigs living in the Panamanian jungle will do.

Welcome to Season Five.

Welcome home.

The Latitude Adjustment Positive Psychology Podcast, recognized with the Award of Distinction by The Communicator Awards, inducted into the Positive Change Podcast Hall of Fame and named Podcast of the Year by the American Writing Awards, is a story-driven journey into what it really takes to thrive in life.

In The Panama Diaries: Part Three — Paradise, With Instructions, Erica and Rusty discover what happens when the dream finally becomes daily life.

Between limited solar power, tropical heat, hundred-dollar boat rides, torrential rain, an extraordinary off-grid community, and Rusty’s escalating feud with the local cane toads, they explore the psychology of adjustment, adaptation, and wholeness.

Through a Jungian lens, they ask whether a meaningful life requires us to stop dividing experience into light and shadow, joy and difficulty, paradise and inconvenience—and instead learn to embrace the whole damn thing.

It’s the final chapter of The Panama Diaries and the doorway into Season Five’s Intentional Human Experiment.

The Latitude Adjustment Positive Psychology Podcast, recognized with the Award of Distinction by The Communicator Awards, inducted into the Positive Change Podcast Hall of Fame and named Podcast of the Year by the American Writing Awards, is a story-driven journey into what it really takes to thrive in life.

In Part Two of our special series, The Crossing, the plan is simple: get ourselves, two dogs, a mountain of luggage, and one guitar from North Carolina to our new life in Panama.

Naturally, almost nothing goes according to plan.

From a low tire before we ever leave town to airport chaos, an anxious dog at 30,000 feet, midnight veterinary logistics, and a guitar that somehow decides to remain in Atlanta, this is the story of what happens when preparation finally gives way to reality.

Along the way, we explore how personal strengths, trust, humor, and partnership help us navigate the moments when the only available plan is figuring it out together.

*Latitude Adjustment Positive Psychology Podcast* —galardonado con el premio *Award of Distinction* de los *Communicator Awards*, incluido en el *Positive Change Podcast Hall of Fame* y nombrado «Podcast del año» por los *American Writing Awards*— es un viaje narrativo que explora lo que realmente se necesita para prosperar en la vida.

En la primera entrega de nuestra serie documental especial de tres partes, «Lo que llevábamos con nosotros» (*What We Carried With Us*), Erica y Rusty rememoran el proceso —tan emotivo como divertido— de dejar Carolina del Norte para iniciar una nueva vida en Panamá.

¿Qué sucede cuando vendes casi todas tus pertenencias, pero descubres que los aspectos más importantes de tu vida nunca estuvieron guardados en cajas?

A través de la familia, las amistades, las motocicletas, las guitarras, un BMW de dudosa rentabilidad y una maestría en el arte de empacar digna de los Juegos Olímpicos, exploramos la psicología de las posesiones, la memoria, la identidad y el acto de dejar ir.

Porque, a veces, avanzar no depende de lo que dejas atrás.

The Latitude Adjustment Positive Psychology Podcast, recognized with the Award of Distinction by The Communicator Awards, inducted into the Positive Change Podcast Hall of Fame and named Podcast of the Year by the American Writing Awards, is a story-driven journey into what it really takes to thrive in life.

In Part One of our three-part special documentary series, “What We Carried With Us,” Erica and Rusty look back at the emotional and hilarious process of leaving North Carolina for a new life in Panama.

What happens when you sell almost everything you own—but discover that the most important parts of your life were never packed in boxes?

Through family, friendships, motorcycles, guitars, a financially questionable BMW, and some Olympic-level packing, we explore the psychology of possessions, memory, identity, and letting go.

Because sometimes moving forward isn’t about what you leave behind.

It’s about realizing what comes with you.

A new chapter begins….

Here is the intro for The Latitude Adjustment Positive Psychology Podcast, recognized with the Award of Distinction by The Communicator Awards, inducted into the Positive Change Podcast Hall of Fame and named Podcast of the Year by the American Writing Awards, is a story-driven journey into what it really takes to thrive in life.

What will people remember about you years after the promotions, awards, and accomplishments have faded? In this episode, Erica and Rusty Harrison explore the surprising difference between achievement and contribution, drawing on positive psychology, Erik Erikson's research on generativity, and stories from island life in Bocas del Toro to examine what truly leaves a lasting impression. Along the way, they introduce this week's simple "Atmosphere Check" Challenge—one question that can transform the way you show up for the people around you. If you've ever wondered what really defines a meaningful life, this conversation may change the way you think about legacy.

*Latitude Adjustment Positive Psychology Podcast* —galardonado con el premio *Award of Distinction* de The Communicator Awards, incluido en el *Positive Change Podcast Hall of Fame* y nombrado *Podcast of the Year* por The American Writing Awards— es un viaje narrativo que explora lo que realmente se necesita para prosperar en la vida.¿Alguna vez has sentido que avanzas, pero que, de alguna manera, algo te sigue frenando?En este episodio final de la cuarta temporada, Erica y Rusty Harrison exploran una de las preguntas más desafiantes de la vida adulta: ¿en quién te estás convirtiendo? A través de historias de su propia travesía hacia una nueva vida en Panamá y de conceptos de la psicología del desarrollo, analizan por qué nos aferramos a identidades que en su día nos fueron útiles, incluso después de haberlas superado.Descubre por qué el cambio suele resultar inquietante, cómo los antiguos roles pueden moldear silenciosamente la vida que llevamos hoy y un experimento sencillo para ayudarte a reconocer los momentos en los que más te sientes tú mismo.A veces, el siguiente capítulo no comienza convirtiéndote en alguien nuevo. Comienza al dejar atrás a quien ya no necesitas ser.