Travel With Meaning

Born and raised in Mechanicsville, Virginia, Jason is a singer-songwriter who first came to prominence in the San Diego coffee shop scene in 2000. In 2002 he released his debut studio album, Waiting for My Rocket to Come, which contained the hit single "The Remedy (I Won't Worry)". With the release of his second album, Mr. A-Z, in 2005, Mraz achieved major commercial success. The album peaked at number 5 on the Billboard 200 and sold over 100,000 copies in the US. In 2008 Mraz released his third studio album, We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. It debuted at number 3 on the Billboard 200 and was an international commercial success primarily due to the hit "I'm Yours". The song peaked at number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100, giving him his first top ten single, and spent a record 76 weeks on the Hot 100. His fourth album, Love Is a Four Letter Word, peaked at number 2 on the Billboard 200, his highest-charting album to date. Mraz has won two Grammy Awards and received two additional nominations, and has also won two Teen Choice Awards, a People's Choice Award and the Hal David Songwriters Hall of Fame Award. He has earned Platinum and multi-Platinum certifications in over 20 countries, and has toured in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Australia, the Middle East and parts of Africa. Jason is a passionate environmentalist and humanitarian lending his name, voice and support for causes that are near to his heart. His Mraz Family Farms grows avocados, coffee and passion fruit. The Jason Mraz Foundation works to shine for arts education and the advancement of equality. For information of Jason's current and up coming tour visit Jason Mraz.

Chris Burkard is an accomplished explorer, photographer, creative director, speaker, and author. Traveling throughout the year to pursue the farthest expanses of Earth, Burkard works to capture stories that inspire humans to consider their relationship with nature, while promoting the preservation of wild places everywhere.

Layered by outdoor, travel, adventure, surf, and lifestyle subjects, Burkard is known for images that are punctuated by untamed, powerful landscapes. Through social media, chris strives to share his vision of wild places with millions of people, and to inspire them to explore for themselves.

His visionary perspective has earned him opportunities to work on global, prominent campaigns with Fortune 500 clients, speak on the TED stage, design product lines, educate, and publish a growing collection of books. Along with his team, Burkard is based out of his production studio and art gallery in the Central Coast of California.

At the age of 32, Burkard has established himself as a global presence and influencer. He is happiest with his wife Breanne raising their two sons Jeremiah and Forrest in his hometown of Pismo Beach, California

California born and bred, Kassia Meador began surfing at age 14. by 17-years-old, Kassia was a sponsored pro-longboarder, traveling the world and competing in surf events globally. Known for her graceful surf style, Kassia was crowned the "queen of noseriding" by the New York Times and in 2011 ranked 2nd on the WSL women's longboard tour.

Throughout her 17-year career as a competitive sponsored athlete, Kassia was actively involved in designing products under the umbrella of her sponsors. In 2013, Kassia left sponsored surfing to build a brand--that focused on quality instead of quantity--for women by women.

Since launching in 2015, KASSIA+SURF has pushed the limits of women's surf culture, lifestyle, and design. With a mission to create aquatically functional wetsuits, accessories, and lifestyle gear, KASSIA+SURF is about freedom, empowerment, and enlightenment. Delivering superior quality goods by using eco-conscious production. Future flavor with a classic twist.

Reef McIntosh - Big Wave Surfer In this episode we sit down with Big Wave Surfer and Pipeline legend Reef McIntosh. Growing up in Kauai, Hawaii, Reef was destined for a life in the ocean. I mean just his name alone…but the journey wasn't always easy. Reef shares intimately of his early surf trips to the North Shore, Fiji and Tahiti. These are all places Reef dreamed about as a young grom. Through his passion, perseverance and patience it led him to live his dreams as a professional surfer. You will hear in our conversation Reef shares a crazy story that got him a lot of attention in the media from Sports Illustrated and other major news outlets when the jet ski he was driving went over one falls of a wave as well as over the head of Big Wave Surfer, Raimana at Teahupoo, Tahiti (click here to watch). Reef's story is a great reminder that dreams don't happen over night. Stay focused on what you want, go after it, strengthen that muscle everyday and trust your path with no expectations of when it has to happen. If you find yourself in Malibu check out the authentic and upscale Mexican restaurant Reef's family operates Casa Escobar.

Hi! My name is April, nice to meet cha!

I was born in the 80's. I moved around a lot in my earlier years. No, I wasn't a military brat. We moved a lot partially because of my father's work and partially because he was an explorer like me. I just say I'm from Louisiana and Alabama because that is where my roots come from and most of my family still lives there.

We moved away from Alabama when I was 7 years old. That was when I fell in love with traveling and the mountains. My parents along with me and my 2 sisters packed up everything we owned and moved to Ohio. Next it was beautiful Utah where we lived in the tiniest town I've ever lived, and many small towns along the way. I remember my childhood as being so much fun. We were always packing up and moving, taking long road trips to incredible places and camping. As a kid I had a blast!

We moved to Oregon when I was eight or nine years old. The first place we lived was way up in the mountains in a campground. The five of us lived the whole summer in a 15 foot camper. We hosted and managed the campground in exchange for food and propane. That was one of my favorite memories from my childhood. Everyday was an adventure! Living without electricity is a pretty cool experience. We even had to carry our water from the creek and heat it on the open fire to take baths in a make-shift tub out of a large cooler. Doesn't that sound awesome!?

My mother was the best person I've ever known. She really was a strong woman. Through all of it she never complained. She was the master of making something amazing out of nothing. We never had a lot but we always had enough. She could take the most boring basic ingredients and make a stunning meal out of it, and outdoors to! Anytime I would complain or ask why we had to do all of this and why couldn't we live like normal kids she would just say, "It's an adventure! How many kids do you know that have the whole world as their backyard? You are lucky!"

My dad is such a free spirit and wanderer just like I am. He took us on the best adventures and always made sure we took "the scenic route" everywhere we went. And you better believe I was always right there with him, usually on his back or shoulders. It's because of them that I have a love for the unknown, an appreciation for the little things, and look for every opportunity to turn a situation into an adventure.

I lived a pretty "normal" life in Oregon for 8 years, the longest I lived anywhere so far. I enjoyed goofing around and being silly with my friends growing up and summer days were spent at the river or lakes or out in the mountains. Oregon is absolutely breathtaking in the summer.

Then when I was 17 we moved to California, the summer before my senior year of high school. I got my first job at the local ski resort, Dodge Ridge, and when I graduated high school I became a full time snow bum. From the age of 17-21 I lived on the mountain and snowboarded everyday. It was the best time of my life! Then I decided it was time to grow up, so I moved to Los Angeles.

I moved to LA in 2006, and attended The Art Institute, where I got my Bachelor's Degree in Fashion Design. Art school was unreal! I was at the top of my class and graduated with Honors. I was a winner at the Art Institute's annual fashion show and even got to show my collection at LA Fashion Week, which is a big deal! After graduation I worked on some film and commercials doing wardrobe and I fell in love with costume work. I enjoy the creativity involved in Costuming and the entertainment world is a lot of fun.

A couple years ago I decided to take a step back from the Fashion world and focus my attention on something else. It's so easy to get sucked into the hustle and bustle of the city life and forget your purpose. So I've been taking every opportunity to go outside and live the life I love. Not just going about the daily routine but actively LIVING life!

The fashion and the creativity will always be a part of me. Nature will always be a part of me, and I believe that it is here that I find my place. My hopes here are to inspire anyone to get out there and do the same. Start living! Do what makes you happy. Stop waiting. Feel everything. Love achingly. Give impeccably. Let go.

Xoxo,

April~

Masekela was born in Los Angeles, the son of a Haitian mother and South African jazz musician Hugh Masekela. Masekela is also the older half-brother of Survivor: Cook Islands contestant Nathan Gonzalez. He was raised in Staten Island, New York in the same class with rapper Method Man and Carlsbad, California, where he attended Carlsbad High School. Masekela is the co-founder of Berkela Motion Pictures with Jason Bergh. When he was a teenager, Masekela's upbringing brought him to Southern California, where he was first exposed to surfing, snowboarding and skateboarding. His career began as an intern at Transworld Publications in 1992, home of TW Snow, TW Skateboarding and TW Surf magazines. He served as an NBA sideline reporter for ESPN during the 2003-2004 season. Masekela was co-host of The Daily 10, a countdown of the day's "top 10" entertainment stories, on the E! network until it was cancelled on Sept 27, 2010 (last show Oct 1, 2010). He was also host of both the X Games and Winter X Games on ESPN for 13 years but left in 2012 to work for NBC and NBC Sports Network through a contract with Red Bull Media House. He appears in the "Green" episode of Yo Gabba Gabba singing the song "Hello World" which aired on Nick Jr. on April 22, 2009. In 2010, he was hired by ESPN to help as a correspondent in its coverage of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. While working as a correspondent, Masekela was featured, with his father, Hugh, in a series of videos on ESPN. The series, called "Umlando - Through my Father's Eyes", aired in 10 parts during ESPN's coverage of the FIFA World Cup in South Africa. The series focused on Hugh and Selema's travels through South Africa. Hugh brought his son to the places where he grew up. It was Selema's first trip to his father's homeland. A native of New York, Masekela travelled the world in his youth with his father, South African jazz musician Hugh Masekela. Masekela's own band, Alekesam, shares the name of his first film which chronicles his relationship with his father and their connection through music, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2012. Alekesam's music has been featured on Entourage and House of Lies, with their newest single, "All Is Forgiven", featured on the season four premiere of the Showtime hit. Masekela has hosted live events, including YouTube's Brandcast in New York and Paris, YouTube Live on Stage from the Kennedy Center and Google's Zeitgeist. In February 2014, Masekela made his Olympic broadcasting debut from the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, reporting features for NBC's nationally syndicated Olympic Zone. He joined the Emmy-award-winning investigative series VICE on HBO as a correspondent and executive producer in 2015. That year, he also appeared in the remake of the cult classic Point Break. From April 2016, Masekela appeared as the host and executive producer of VICELAND's docu-series, VICE World of Sports. The series took viewers all over the world to explore each location's people, politics and culture through sports. The series premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 22. Masekela is also involved in the production company UX Entertainment. Based in Los Angeles, UXE specializes in film, commercials, music videos and animation work. Masekela has a clothing company, Art of Craft, which donates a percentage of every sale to charity

I'm originally from a suburban town in Connecticut. Growing up, I was not outdoorsy. I didn't know anyone who traveled regularly. I didn't have a role model who was exploring the world. But throughout school, I had a curiosity about the world that would not go away. I wanted to travel and explore, meet people from other countries who had a different life experience than mine.

I picked up my first camera at 15 and learned how to process film. Photography was a creative outlet for me, and gave me a way to document things as I saw them. In college, my love for photography faded into the background while I discovered my passion for the outdoors and environmental science. When I was 19, I went on my first wilderness expedition. It was one of the more challenging things I'd ever done. It changed my life and I've been hungry for more ever since

In 2013, Ruben Rojas traded in his suit for a paint brush and began transforming blank walls into unique, empowering messages that today are uplifting communities and challenging the public to create new dialogues. As an artist, muralist and activist, Ruben's mission is to ignite creativity and inspire others to see the world through the lens of love.

By using the urban landscape as his canvas, Ruben encourages communities to change for the better through optimism and collaboration. These once vacant walls are now vibrant reminders that inspire those who see them to dream big, feel beautiful, live in possibility, and to love. Ruben's murals can be seen in cities across the country and around the world from Paris to New York and Florida to Mississippi.

Ruben's portfolio of work extends beyond murals. He is a TED speaker, helping spread the message of art creating impact, a product designer and also a corporate consultant.

Ruben works with companies to help businesses give back, enhance workspaces and raise awareness on important issues. Past campaigns include clients such as Toms, Reebok, American Express, & GT's Kombucha. Ruben is also co-founder of Beautify Earth, a nonprofit dedicated to putting an end to blighted walls and fixtures all over the world by empowering artists, encouraging social responsibility, and instilling community pride.

Celebrity fitness model, Lauren Abraham, is a nationally recognized TV host & live event MC specializing in travel, health, fitness, red carpet events, and action sports. She has over 10 years of ongoing hosting experience with networks such as ESPN, FSN, NBC, and the like. As one of the most influential fitness personalities in the industry, she has been signed as the video creator and host for all Amway fitness video content for the next 5 years globally, as well being the leading spokesperson for MuscleTech, STRONG by Zumba. Recently voted into the top 10 physiques in the fitness industry, she graced page 45 of last year's ESPN magazine, "The Body Issue." Lauren is continuously published worldwide, and is seen monthly gracing the pages of fitness, sport, and fashion magazines. She has over 60 magazine publications worldwide.

For the year of 2014, Lauren was the face of 7-11 TV across the country, and she currently hosts two 30-minute fitness infomercial "The Rock Gym" airing in 23 different countries and Ab Crunch in all of South and Central America. Because of her extensive directing & hosting knowledge form years as a host, she has recently launched her own video production company, and is now Executive Producer/Director/ and partner in one of the largest fitness apps launching in 2015 out of Canada, called Fit Plan App.

Lauren is certified with the Yoga Alliance is a level 5 stand up paddle boarder, certified with the Academy of Surf Instructors. She continues to be a world-renowned professional athlete, both in her earlier years as a competitive snowboarder and now as a sponsored stand up paddle surfer. Lauren graced the pages of both SUP the Mag and Fitness Gurls Magazine's summer swimsuit editions this past year and will do so again this year.

Lauren launched her own performing arts company, "LAUREN ABRAHAM ENTERTAINMENT LIVE" in 2005, specializing in the cirque & dance arts and is currently launching her new swimwear and jewelry line, "THE LAUREN ABRAHAM COLLECTIONS."

As an expert specializing bikini body maintenance, anti-aging, yoga, and outdoor training, Lauren is launching her first book with her business partner, fitness photographer, Robert Reiff. "California Dream Body, The Ultimate Outdoor training guide by Lauren Abraham" Together they have created the highest level of visual inspiration and content, supplying her ever growing & loyal fan base an ongoing collection of useful knowledge.

Lauren also hosts her annual surf, sup, and yoga retreats in Playa Negra, Costa Rica called the "LAUREN ABRAHAM LIFESTYLE EXPERIENCE"

In her earlier years as a competitive snowboarder she injured herself critically and endured 10 major surgeries that confined her to a wheel chair for a 2-year period. Not allowing her chronic arthritis and lifelong ankle pain to slow her down, Lauren has overcome her life altering injuries through her dedication to health and keeping her mind, body, and spirit in top shape. She has also overcome a drug addiction during her earlier years, and is a survivor of domestic violence.

Lauren is a co-founder of "THE SPIRITUALLY FIT: MAKING MOVEMENT MATTER" which teaches those new to recovery that creating a physical wellbeing, healthy habits, and spiritual connections to mother nature are key ingredients to a sustainable recovery. She has also spoken for the "Just Keep Living" foundation for the LA High Schools after school sports programs encouraging kids to apply themselves, live to their full potential and use sports over drugs for a good life and promising future.

Lauren is creator of "THE LOVE LIFE" program and hopes her membership site will be a one stop shop for women of all walks of life to find the answers and inspiration to turn their own dreams into their reality.

With her undeniable love for life and endless drive, it is clear why Lauren Abraham is a leading star in social media hundreds of thousands of followers. She is a true influencer with a fast & significant growing fan base for lifestyle brands that support and believe in her as a leading spokesperson and athlete. Lauren is a natural born leader, inspiring people to reach their goals and dreams by living a life full of enthusiasm, joy, courage, and most of all… passion.

Ben Higgins is best known from season 20 of ABC's hit series, "The Bachelor," where he opened himself up to millions of viewers, giving them the chance to truly get to know him. The opportunity ultimately led to an enhanced platform that he now uses to share what he is most passionate about with others – his faith, his hope for humanity and his love of sports.

Born and raised in Winona Lake, IN, Ben currently resides in Denver, CO, where he moved after graduating from Indiana University in 2012. Since "The Bachelor," Ben has been keeping up with a number of projects with the help of some of his closest friends.

Most recently, Ben co-founded Generous International, a for purpose company dedicated to contributing profits to social issues around the world, starting with a cup of coffee. With a vision to change the way society thinks of consumer products, all Generous merchandise is designed specifically to create and multiply good in the world. Whether creating jobs, feeding children or improving education, it begins with giving back in order to build a world that we all want to live in.

In 2017 Ben created a lifestyle blog, The Mahogany Workplace, where people are free to openly and honestly discuss all things life, love and everything in between. From style to travel to world views, Ben and his team of refreshing contributors cover it all, with the one common thread being complete transparency about how life can truly be – a series of ups and downs, joys and sorrows, triumph and pain.

Ben stays connected with his loyal Bachelor following with his iHeartMedia podcast, "Almost Famous," which he co-hosts with his friend and former Bachelor contestant, Ashley Iaconetti. It's the perfect destination for fans to get an inside perspective on the popular franchise as they break down the current Bachelor season in addition to discussing pop culture, offering relationship advice and allowing listeners to keep up with their personal lives.

In 2018 Ben partnered with nationally recognized chef Daniel Asher and the team at Culinary Creative Group to open his first restaurant venture Ash 'Kara in Denver, Co. Ash 'Kara is a globally inspired restaurant with influences from Israel, the Middle East, and Mesopotamia. Ash 'Kara which is Hebrew street slang for "totally!" or "right on!" explores the continuous evolution of Israeli cuisine with ingredients and flavors from across Europe and North Africa including Yemen, Syria, Morocco, Egypt, Turkey and Spain into a menu of shareable items from Ash 'Kara's wood-fired oven.

Of all Ben's ventures, his longest-running connection has been with Humanity and Hope United, where he holds a seat on the board. Established by one of his best friends and Mahogany Workplace contributor, Riley Fuller, Humanity & Hope United is a non-profit organization working to assist underserved villages in remote parts of Honduras. They partner with the people of each community to achieve sustainable change, focusing on the needs of individuals rather than a single issue or approach.