The Wandering Wild Podcast

This episode of Wandering Wild is one of the most personal conversations I’ve shared on the podcast.

Today I’m sitting down with my mom to talk about my sister Gracie, who passed away from a congenital heart defect (CHD). We share memories of her life, what it was like navigating the hospital as a family, and the experience of saying goodbye after five weeks that changed our lives forever.

This episode is part of Podcasthon, a global initiative where podcasters dedicate an episode to highlighting a nonprofit doing meaningful work. The organization I chose to spotlight is Intermountain Healing Hearts, which supports families affected by congenital heart defects through community, resources, and financial assistance.

Gracie’s life was short, but her impact has been lasting — shaping the way our family sees relationships, grief, and the importance of truly living while we’re here.

If this episode resonates with you, you can learn more about Intermountain Healing Hearts or support their mission through the link in the show notes.

Find more about Inermountain Healing Hearts: https://ihhearts.org/about

What happens when a three-week vacation turns into 411 days of full-time travel across 28 countries and 4continents — and then suddenly… it ends?

Find Adrian on Instagram: @Adrian.SJL

In this episode of Wandering Wild, Ashley sits down with her friend Adrian to reflect on a year spent constantly in motion — and the unexpected challenge of coming home. Together, they talk about burnout, identity shifts, learning to let go of possessions, saying yes to fear, and finding meaning when the movement stops.

Adrian shares how travel reshaped the way he sees success, creativity, friendships, and himself — and why slowing down after such an expansive season can feel harder than the journey itself.

This conversation is for anyone who has:
• Felt restless after a big life change
• Struggled with stillness after constant movement
• Wondered “what if?” — and chose to go anyway
• Outgrown old versions of themselves and their lives

Sometimes the wildest journey isn’t leaving — it’s learning how to stay.

Adrian on Insta: https://www.instagram.com/adrian.sjl?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==⁠

What does it actually mean to get to know yourself — without trends, social media, or outside noise?

In this episode, I reflect on self-trust, intuition, patience on hard days, and the deep connection between humans and nature. After revisiting my earliest podcast episodes during a stressful week, I found clarity, grounding, and a reminder that some wisdom is only learned through experience — not research.

We explore self-discovery, belonging, and why time alone in nature can help us feel calmer, clearer, and more at home in ourselves.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, disconnected, or searching for answers outside of yourself, this episode is an invitation to slow down and listen inward.

In this episode, I sit down with my friend and mentor Lelah — an artist, traveler, business owner, mother, and one of the most grounded, expansive humans I know.

We talk about living outside the blueprint, choosing adventure over convention, and what decades of travel, creativity, and courage can teach you about trusting yourself. Lelah shares stories from living in a van in her twenties, traveling without phones or plans, building a life centered on joy rather than money, and why “everything is better when it goes by slow.”

We explore comfort zones, boundaries, creativity, community, and what she understands now in her fifties that she couldn’t have known in her twenties — especially the power of having a strong relationship with yourself.
I hope it leaves you feeling more capable, more curious, and more willing to choose the story.

This episode is a real, unfiltered life update. I’m spending my birthday in Sydney, Australia, feeling grateful, exhausted, homesick, inspired, overwhelmed, and hopeful… sometimes all at once.

I talk about job hunting in a new country, money stress, burnout after months of backpacking, questioning my decisions, missing Southeast Asia, and learning how to truly have my own back when things feel hard.

If you’ve ever loved your life but still felt overwhelmed by it, this episode is for you. You’re not behind. You’re not doing it wrong. And you’re definitely not alone.

In this episode of Wandering Wild, I sit down with my friend Natalie while we’re mid–road trip in Australia to talk about what it’s really like traveling solo, sleeping in your car, and learning to trust yourself along the way.

We dive into the freedom of road tripping, the reality of loneliness, safety as a woman, choosing the right people, and why solo travel isn’t an escape from real life—it’s just a different version of it. Natalie shares what she’s learned about decision-making, self-trust, meeting people on the road, and allowing yourself to have hard days even while living a dream life.

This conversation is honest, reflective, funny, and grounding—perfect for anyone craving adventure, independence, or a reminder that you’re allowed to move through life at your own pace.

In this episode, I share what it’s been like road tripping Australia — camping, sleeping in cars, meeting people by chance, and choosing the road instead of the flight. What began as a spontaneous decision became a turning point.

This episode explores:

• Road tripping Australia as a solo female traveler

• Transitioning from constant travel to wanting roots

• Trusting intuition and navigating uncertainty

• Finding freedom in the in-between places

If you’re entering a new season or standing at a crossroads, this episode is for you.

This New Year feels different.

After feeling stuck, overwhelmed, and caught in my own head, I made one simple decision — to move. What followed was an unexpected road trip, sleeping in cars and tents, meeting people who were strangers just days ago, and feeling more alive than I ever.

In this episode, I reflect on what it means to stop keeping our lives in our heads and start letting them exist in the real world. I talk about indecision, fear, and the ways we talk ourselves out of connection, action, and becoming the person we say we want to be.

Instead of resolutions, I’m choosing a theme for this year: letting my thoughts, ideas, and instincts turn into real experiences. Real movement. Real connection. Real life.

If you’ve been feeling stuck, restless, or like you’re waiting for the “right time” to start — this episode is a reminder that so much can change when you finally take the first step.

Not sure how to start traveling — or if you’re even “ready”? In this episode, I break it all down.

I talk through:
• Why travel is so transformative
• How to ease into solo travel (without jumping straight into months abroad)
• Group trips, work exchanges, and beginner-friendly options
• Safety, intuition, and mindset shifts
• The emotional ups and downs of travel
• Practical tips I wish I knew when I started

This episode is a companion to the Travel 101 PDF, where everything we discuss is laid out clearly so you can come back to it anytime.

If you’ve been waiting for a sign to start… this might be it.

Travel 101: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fAweMIRc1mH9TR6aUgsC8rD6nglXmWbK/view?usp=drive_link

In this solo episode, I talk about what it really means to feel “stuck” — and why it’s often not about being trapped, but about being undecided.

I’m currently in Australia, living a life I once dreamed of, and yet finding myself feeling lonely, foggy, stressed, and unsure of my next move. I share how gratitude and discomfort can exist at the same time, how indecision creates the illusion of being stuck, and what happens when we avoid consciously choosing to stay or leave.

We explore self-trust, intuition, alignment between thoughts, words, and actions, and how making decisions that don’t feel true to yourself can affect everything — including your sense of freedom and financial flow. I also share my personal journey through solo travel, heartbreak, growth, and learning to listen to myself again.

This episode is for anyone standing at a crossroads, afraid of choosing wrong, or feeling called toward something more but unsure how to move forward.