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Journey with Jake

Jake Bushman

199 episodes

1 day ago

#188 - What happens when a comedian with a camera trades stage lights for sunrise on a dirt road and points his vehicle toward Panama? I sat down with author and traveler Matt Savino to unpack a seven-month run along the Pan American Highway that never reached South America yet somehow delivered everything he was chasing: humor in the chaos, humanity at the barricades, and a clear-eyed love for places most maps flatten. Matt takes us from Baja’s empty beaches and Dr. Seuss–worthy boojum fore...

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Places & Travel

Society & Culture,

All content for Journey with Jake is the property of Jake Bushman and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.

#188 - What happens when a comedian with a camera trades stage lights for sunrise on a dirt road and points his vehicle toward Panama? I sat down with author and traveler Matt Savino to unpack a seven-month run along the Pan American Highway that never reached South America yet somehow delivered everything he was chasing: humor in the chaos, humanity at the barricades, and a clear-eyed love for places most maps flatten. Matt takes us from Baja’s empty beaches and Dr. Seuss–worthy boojum fore...

Show more...

Places & Travel

Society & Culture,

Episodes (20/199)

Journey with Jake

Humor, Upheaval, And Heart On The Pan American Highway with Matt Savino

#188 - What happens when a comedian with a camera trades stage lights for sunrise on a dirt road and points his vehicle toward Panama? I sat down with author and traveler Matt Savino to unpack a seven-month run along the Pan American Highway that never reached South America yet somehow delivered everything he was chasing: humor in the chaos, humanity at the barricades, and a clear-eyed love for places most maps flatten. Matt takes us from Baja’s empty beaches and Dr. Seuss–worthy boojum fore...

5 days ago

55 minutes

Journey with Jake

Faith, Service, And A New Start In Peru with Ken Webb

#187 - A childhood marked by chaos. A career built on service. And a second act shaped by faith, language, and a blank page. Jake sits down with Ken Webb to trace a life that refuses to settle for mere existence—from praying his way through a turbulent home to leading across Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan, and beyond. Ken opens up about how his grandparents’ steady love and a lived-in faith helped him endure abuse and instability, and how those early lessons informed three decades in the Army Res...

1 week ago

53 minutes

Journey with Jake

From Free Diving To Yoga: How Kerry Ferguson Found Peace On Land

#186 - What if the deepest calm you’ve ever felt could follow you out of the water and into everyday life? That’s the spark of our conversation with Kerry Ferguson, founder of Yoga Tree, whose path from free diving to yoga reveals how breath, mindfulness, and compassion can reshape how we move through the world. We trace Kerry's arc from early wellness choices and Outward Bound grit to anatomy labs, massage rooms, and a turning point in the Bahamas where breath control under pressure became ...

1 week ago

52 minutes

Journey with Jake

Skate, Grit, and the Long Road: Jack Smith’s Cross‑Country Story

#185 - Before longboards hit storefronts and GoPros hit helmets, Jack Smith and two friends pointed a 1969 Firebird toward the horizon and skated into history. Jack Smith talks about how a simple leapfrog relay turned a wild idea into the first recorded skateboard crossing of the United States—and how that journey shaped everything that came after. We trace the arc from clay “crumble” wheels to first‑gen urethane and on to the big trucks and 70mm wheels that made 1980s distance skating faste...

2 weeks ago

54 minutes

Journey with Jake

Behind the Course: The American Ninja Warrior Experience with Colton Skuster

#184 - What does it take to conquer the American Ninja Warrior course? For Colton Skuster, the journey began as a 10-year-old jumping over exercise balls in his basement, dreaming of someday tackling those iconic obstacles himself. At just 20 years old, Colton has already competed in three seasons of American Ninja Warrior, reaching the National Finals in Las Vegas and proving himself against competitors twice his age. His path wasn't straightforward – from training in a monkey costume to bu...

2 weeks ago

49 minutes

Journey with Jake

Arctic Horizons: Three Generations Face the Far North with Jamie Edwards

#183 - Jamie Edwards returns to Journey with Jake with tales from the top of the world, having ventured to the Arctic with her 21-year-old daughter and 82-year-old stepfather. Their expedition through the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard reveals a landscape where polar bears roam distant shores and massive glaciers calve with thunderous crashes that signal our changing climate. Jamie vividly describes the unique challenges and thrills of Arctic exploration aboard the purpose-built Ultramari...

3 weeks ago

52 minutes

Journey with Jake

What if I don't? What if I do? How Two Simple Questions Changed Everything with Bernard "Chalky" White

#182 - Two simple questions changed everything for Bernard "Chalky" White. Growing up under the shadow of an abusive father who regularly beat both him and his mother, Chalky developed a survival mechanism that unfortunately led him to abandon his education completely by age 13. With zero qualifications at 16, he joined the police cadets and eventually became a London "Bobby," though his heart was never truly in law enforcement. During his nine-year police career, Chalky witnessed unspeakabl...

3 weeks ago

57 minutes

Journey with Jake

How a Russian Pop Icon Found His True Calling with Christian Ray Flores

#181 - Christian Ray Flores' life reads like an epic novel - a childhood marked by upheaval across continents, an improbable rise to pop stardom in Russia, and a profound transformation into a purposeful coach helping others discover their untapped potential. Growing up amid political chaos, Christian experienced firsthand what most of us only read about in history books. By age seven, he had lived through a military coup in Chile that landed his father in a concentration camp, experienced r...

1 month ago

59 minutes

Journey with Jake

From Emerald Isle to Bronze Age Biblical Tales with John Leonard

#180 - Have you ever wondered what happens when a deep love for Ireland, masterful storytelling, and biblical foundations merge? That's exactly what unfolds in this captivating conversation with John Leonard, the creative mind behind the Wayfinder series – a fantasy adventure saga that bridges ancient myths with biblical narratives. Growing up in rural Colorado as the eldest of four siblings, John shares how his close relationship with his brother shaped his early years through sports and fr...

1 month ago

55 minutes

Journey with Jake

Behind the Bench: A Basketball Wife's Global Adventure with Lesa Burgess

#179 - Lesa Burgess never imagined that falling in love with a basketball player would lead her across nine countries over eleven years, building a family of seven while navigating cultural labyrinths few Americans ever experience. Her memoir "Behind the Bench" pulls back the curtain on what looks like a glamorous life to reveal something far more compelling—a story of resilience, adaptation, and finding yourself when everything familiar has been left behind. From giving birth in Turkey with...

1 month ago

56 minutes

Journey with Jake

Redemption Roadmap with Garr Russell

#178 - The road to redemption isn't always straight, and nobody knows this better than Garr Russell. From sitting in a jail cell in fifth grade to building a nationwide RV rental franchise with 70 locations, Garr's journey proves that our darkest chapters can become the foundation for something beautiful. After his parents' divorce set him on a troubled path, Garr spiraled through expulsion, dropping out, and eventually dealing drugs. Rock bottom came with multiple arrests, but transformatio...

1 month ago

53 minutes

Journey with Jake

Hobby Horsing: The High-Flying Sport You Never Knew Existed with Kht Shetty

#177 - What happens when childhood play transforms into serious sport? In this eye-opening conversation, we saddle up with Kht Shetty, a 20-year-old Polish hobby horse competitor and coach who's redefining what it means to "horse around." Hobby horsing—a sport where participants jump obstacles up to 1.3 meters high while carrying handcrafted stick horses—combines athletic prowess, creative craftsmanship, and equestrian rules into something truly unique. Shetty walks us through this fascinati...

1 month ago

1 hour 1 minute

Journey with Jake

From Horses to High Seas: Alison Gieschen's Remarkable Journey

#176 - What does it take to sail around the world? For Alison Gieschen, it's required facing her worst fears while clinging to a dream she's had since childhood. From the moment she and her husband Dan met at a sailboat race and discovered their shared ambition to circumnavigate the globe, their path was set – though hardly smooth sailing. Alison's journey began far from any ocean, on a 100-acre farm in upstate New York where she developed her first great passion: horses. Rising to elite com...

2 months ago

46 minutes

Journey with Jake

BONUS 11 - Finding Your Voice After Assault with Amanda Villarini

Bonus 11 - Sexual assault fundamentally changes lives, but it doesn't have to define them. In this powerful bonus episode, Amanda Villarini talks about the night that altered her path forever, when what began as a casual gathering with friends ended in betrayal and trauma. Amanda's story exposes the painful reality that sometimes our most devastating wounds come from those we trust. With remarkable courage, she walks us through not only the assault itself, but the complicated aftermath – fro...

2 months ago

49 minutes

Journey with Jake

Mountains, Mysteries, and Moving Forward with Rodney Carpentier

#175 - When Rodney Carpentier first laced up his police patrol boots to tackle a Catskill mountain, he had no idea he was beginning a transformative six-year odyssey that would shape not only his physical resilience but his creative future. Sharing his remarkable journey from unprepared novice to accomplished hiker who conquered all 35 peaks of the challenging Catskills 3500, Rodney reveals how the mountains became his sanctuary during life's most difficult moments. The trail wasn't just phy...

2 months ago

1 hour 2 minutes

Journey with Jake

Faith, Sobriety, and the Appalachain Trail with Rand Timmerman

#174 - What does redemption look like at 72 years old? For Rand Timmerman, it meant lacing up his hiking boots and tackling the Appalachian Trail's 2,190 miles alongside his grieving brother—a journey that would test his newfound sobriety, physical limits, and spiritual foundation. Rand's path to that trailhead was anything but straight. Growing up in poverty after his father contracted polio, he discovered alcohol at 13 and was immediately transformed in his own mind from a skinny teenager ...

2 months ago

51 minutes

Journey with Jake

How Adventure Fuels a Soul Despite Stage Four Cancer with Thom Barrett

#173 - The most powerful journeys often begin in life's darkest moments. When Thom Barrett received his stage four cancer diagnosis, he made a decision that would transform his experience – he would embrace each day fully, intentionally, and with an adventurous spirit that defies conventional expectations. Our conversation with Thom reveals a man who redefined what it means to truly live. A former corporate accountant who retired at 55 to pursue adventure, Thom approaches his terminal diagno...

2 months ago

55 minutes

Journey with Jake

From Pool to Classroom: Still Making Waves at 21 with McKella Leeper

#172 - Ever wonder what it's like to break a school record in your final race? Or how someone finds their calling at just 21 years old? Meet McKella Leeper, whose enthusiasm for life bubbles up like the wake behind a powerful swimmer. McKella's journey began when her family moved closer to her father's workplace, with the promise that he would coach his daughters in swimming. This decision transformed not just her athletic path but her relationship with her father. "Swimming is the one thing...

3 months ago

59 minutes

Journey with Jake

Crossing Africa: An Adventure from over 50 Years Ago with Barry Maughan

Have you ever wondered what Africa was like before satellite phones, GPS navigation, and carefully curated safari experiences? Barry Maughan's remarkable journey from Alexandria to South Africa during the tumultuous late 1960s offers a window into a continent few modern travelers will ever experience. Barry's adventure began with a chance encounter that would set the tone for his entire expedition. After meeting an Egyptian general, what could have been a casual exchange blossomed into extra...

3 months ago

56 minutes

Journey with Jake

How Travel Therapy Transforms Lives and Careers with Aaron Bowe

#170 - Ever wondered what it would be like to turn your healthcare career into an adventure? Aaron Bowe transforms this dream into reality as a traveling physical therapist who has crafted a nomadic lifestyle that combines professional growth with unforgettable experiences across America's most breathtaking landscapes. Aaron reveals the unexpected financial benefits of travel therapy that most healthcare professionals never discover. With 60-70% of his income coming from untaxed housing and ...

3 months ago

57 minutes