Ordinary Sherpa: Family Adventure Coaching and Design

View Details

Welcome to Ordinary Sherpa, the podcast dedicated to helping families embrace adventure, challenge the status quo, and design a life that aligns with their values. I’m your host, Heidi Dusek, and today, we’re diving into a topic that’s both exhilarating and daunting—moving abroad with your family.

After years of exploring the U.S. and traveling the world, today’s guest, Jon, and his family found themselves craving something deeper than just another trip. What if, instead of just visiting a place, you actually lived there? What if you intentionally chose a location based on the people and experiences that matter most to you? Jon shares how a visit to Barcelona turned into a full-fledged sales pitch from a friend, leading to an international move that reshaped their perspectives on home, community, and what it means to live life on your own terms.

In this episode, we’ll unpack: ✅ The power of revisiting places with fresh eyes and asking different questions. ✅ The real challenges of the immigration process—financial, logistical, and emotional. ✅ How our assumptions about homeownership, career paths, and the “American Dream” can be rewritten. ✅ The unique perspective of third culture kids and what it means to raise children outside of traditional narratives. ✅ Why adventure isn’t about reckless leaps—it’s about stepping into discomfort with intention and strategy.

And of course, a little personal update—I’m thrilled to share that I’ll be hiking the Camino this May! After hosting several guests who have walked this historic pilgrimage, I’ve been inspired to take on the challenge myself. More on that to come!

If you’ve ever thought, I wish I could do what they’re doing, this episode is for you. It’s not about replicating someone else’s journey—it’s about finding your own path. So let’s dig in and explore how moving abroad could be the adventure your family didn’t even realize it was looking for. Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/138Schedule a free lifestyle design discovery session https://calendly.com/heidi-139/connection

View Details

I didn’t know the concept of a gap year was available to me. As a mom in my 40’s with 3 school aged kids I thought I missed out. There weren’t many examples of families taking a mid-life break from professional careers and taking kids out of school to travel. The examples I had found were existing entrepreneurs and homeschool families. We were entrenched in daily life with activities, work and school schedules that required us to be placed-based. A family gap year meant a complete disruption from what we had to where we wanted to go. Throughout our adventure experience, I knew the power of community and finding someone ahead of you to glean insights from or having the ability to ask questions. Finding our guest today was mutually nourishing - we departed on our gap year a few months ahead of her family. They were doing this with high school aged teens.

Our guest is a California native, who called Santa Fe, NM home for the last 15 years. Along with her husband and three teens, she left behind the demands of every day to embark on her greatest adventure yet: a year of full time travel around the world. Now 5 months into their family gap year, the Axtell family has found immense success in what they set out to do: reclaiming their time, strengthening their familial bonds, and building a global community while learning from the world around them. Tiphini Axtell is a full time mother, wife, and dreamer, part time employee for the family business, and life long mental health advocate. In her spare time she can be found reading, writing, marveling at sunsets, and creating content for the family’s travel account on Instagram, where she hopes to inspire others to create connections and lifelong memories with their teens through travel and adventure.

Show Notes for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/136Subscribe to the email List: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/ Follow the_Axplorers: on Instsgram, website, or emailResources referenced in this episode: Books: Teenage Liberation Handbook (AffiliateLink)

Why Are You Still Sending Your Kids to School (Affiliate Links)

Worldschool: Cicero LearningThe Institute for Excellence in Writing Duo Lingo Socratic Seminar World AtoZ News

Design Your Life Framework: Downloadable Freebie

The Teenage Liberation Handbook: How to Quit School and Get a Real Life and Education

View Details

Much like our guest today, my motivation for pursuing gap year life was not that I hated my job. I just had a vision for something bigger and a window of opportunity with my kids that seemed like it might be closing. When we started to get really serious about Gap Year Life it was pretty obvious that our life didn’t cost that much. I didn’t need to build a business to replace our salaries, we simply needed enough of a runway to support an extended break. Sometimes when pursuing the alternate path, it can feel like all or nothing. Goals may have been crafted from arbitrary benchmarks or comparing your stage 1 to someone else's stage 20. Stepping back and exploring WHY am I doing this from time to time is a good reset. Which is why when my guest shared an article a few weeks ago titled, Build Your Business Based on Lifestyle Not Money I reached out to ask him to be a guest on the podcast. After reading the 4-hour work week and many attempts at side hustles his foray into entrepreneurship sparked while sitting down at the piano one day procrastinating on one of his side hustle projects. He would teach others how to play piano online through a method he learned that was much more joyful than childhood piano lessons.

Pianoin21days: https://pianoin21days.com/

Podcast:

https://www.theonlinecourseguy.com/

https://www.instagram.com/theonlinecourseguy/

https://www.youtube.com/@TheOnlineCourseGuy

Resources Referenced in this Episode: Article: https://www.theonlinecourseguy.com/blog/build-your-business-based-on-lifestyle-not-money

Book: $100M Offers by Alex Hormozi

Joy Audit: https://ordinarysherpa.podia.com/joy-audit-tracking-form

$100M Offers: How To Make Offers So Good People Feel Stupid Saying No

View Details

In this episode, we explore our family's transformative journey of 466 days of travel and the lessons we learned along the way. Discover how our gap year experience reshaped our outlook on life and home. Tune in to hear about cultivating a home filled with adventure, self-directed learning, and the joys of living with less while gaining more.

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/134

Subscribe to the email list to follow updates on their travel memoir style book: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/

Email Heidi for questions you have about gap year or to inquire about 1:1 coaching: Heidi@ordinarysherpa.com

View Details

Our guests today are parents we met at a playground in Alaska. Our lives intersect through many similar interests and after a 2+ hour parking lot conversation, some time together geocaching, a beach day with swimmers itch and swapping favorite RV stories I decided it would be great to continue the conversation on the podcast. Christine and David vistit their Alaska roots each summer but align with International Teaching community. With previous placements in Jamaica, China and Guatemala and the unique decisions and lessons that accompanied each stage. Join us as we talk through how they navigate us through their adventurous lifestyle at various stages of life with kids.

Show Notes for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/133 Downloadable Joy Audit: https://ordinarysherpa.podia.com/joy-audit-tracking-form Subscribe to the email List: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/

View Details

In true RV fashion, this loop has not been unscathed from RV fixes. As we field more and more inquiries about RV life, one area that comes up are in the technical aspects of RV ownership. In our transition to RV life, my husband went from being a high school tech ed teacher (IE shop classes) to becoming a certified RV technician. If you or someone you know is interested in RVing or looking for resources when it comes to owning an RV and the maintenance required, Brent (my husband) is a handy resource to have. His Downloadable RV Inspection Form is a helpful starting point to buying and maintaining an RV for your family adventures. Another fantastic resource is our guest today. We met through the RV Entrepreneur podcast and later met in person at the RV Entrepreneur Roundtable. He is a full-time RVer, a proud father and husband, and a total RV junkie. He is the master of practical tips and unique perspectives while RVing, from awesome gear reviews to exciting DIY projects and lots of tips in between on his channel. We’ll talk through his own RV journey, the process for making RV decisions and approaches establishing an RV lifestyle with a family, even if just for weekend adventures. He is a skilled storyteller, a gear guru, and a master in creating community and organizing in-person events evidenced by his recent RV Content Creators Meet up at the Tampa RV Show.

Show Notes for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/132

For those interested in RV adventures, use this downloadable inspection form to save time, catch potential issues early, and enjoy peace of mind on your travels. If you are looking to learn more about RV gear, tips and hacks check out Joshua’s channel or follow him at any of the links below.

To Follow Josh Sheehan and his RV Gear and adventures

Website: https://rvgearandfar.com/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@rvgearandfar

Email Newsletter: https://rvgearandfar.com/newsletter/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rvgearandfar/

TikTok:https://www.tiktok.com/@rvgearandfar Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/rvgearandfar

Mastermind Group: RV Content Creators

View Details

In the fast-paced world, where every moment seems to be driven by deadlines, notifications, and the relentless pursuit of productivity, there's a quiet revolution taking place—one that involves the deliberate act of hitting pause. II have hit pause several times on the podcast this year. In spite of a underlying sense of guilt, I dug deeper into the transformative power of intentionally taking breaks, as experienced by someone who decided to embrace the "Power of Pause" in a year like no other during our family gap year.

I recognize I am publishing this episode while steeped in the emerging fresh slate of a New Year and the declaration of new goals and intentions. It was on purpose, hopefully it will remind you to stop, take a deep breath and notice - even if for a few minutes. Give yourself a grace period to regroup after the holiday season. If you’d like to consider how you might be intention and explore collective pause with your partner or family members, the joy audit downloadable form (downloadable form) can be a helpful tool to consider the spikes of joy you have experienced this year to set you on a path to support designing your life to include intentional pauses. If you need a Sherpa, schedule a coaching discovery session (email me to schedule) and we can talk it out.

Complete show notes: Ordinarysherpa.com/131

View Details

Podcasting is a medium that has allowed me to 10x my network, have meaningful conversations with people I wouldn't otherwise have access to, elevate the stories rarely shared in the industry, and establish my voice and share my story. It wasn't until working with a few podcast coaching clients that I realized that while there is more happening behind the scenes, it doesn't mean everything has to be official there for me to share this episode.

Show Notes: If you do have a podcast or are interested in starting one the link to schedule a podcast coaching call or podcasting resources to help you take advance your podcast are available at my podcasting resource page

Prior to discovering the financial independence/ early retirement movement, Jonathan Mendonsa followed the “normal path,” which ultimately led him to graduate pharmacy school at the age of 28 with $168,000 in student loans. He has since clawed his way out of debt and is aggressively pursuing financial independence. He is passionate about the pursuit of financial independence and its power to change lives. He was the co-founder of Choose FI podcast, and the Founder of Talent Stacker, a dad of two young kids, techie, podcast guru, and inspiration behind Ordinary Sherpa taking action and bringing this podcast to life.

Resources Mention in this episode

Choose FI podcast

Podcast Coaching Call How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big (Affiliate Link)

How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big: Kind of the Story of My Life

View Details

The basis of our gap year is the foundation of simple and inexpensive adventures we do as a family. Within this episode, you'll discover 10 curated simple adventures that can be embarked upon with ease. From hidden trails to local landmarks, from unique flavors to thrilling challenges, each adventure is designed to ignite your family's imagination and create lasting memories. I know this because over the past 10 months (and quite honestly past 5 years) our bustling family of five has tested these simple adventures. Why simple adventures, you may wonder? Well, they are the perfect remedy for our busy modern lives. These bite-sized escapades offer a wonderful opportunity to escape the ordinary, to bond as a family, and to uncover the magic that lies within the seemingly mundane. They allow us to see the world through fresh eyes, appreciating the beauty in every detail and cherishing the moments shared with loved ones. Simple Adventures, I’ve learned, are the key to unlocking the magic of everyday life. Simple Adventure brainstorming led to joy audits, which eventually led to a career break and family gap year traveling North America in an RV. From exploring nearby trails to visiting local museums, trying new activities and uncovering hidden gems in our own region. Simple Adventures infuse joy and wonder in our everyday lives.

Call To Action: Simple Adventure Subscription If this episode is helping you think differently or infuse a simple adventure into your lifestyle you might enjoy the Simple Adventure Subscription. You can register at any time using the link: https://ordinarysherpa.com/simpleadv The first 25 can use the code YES to get $2 off per month.

Each week you will receive adventure tips, ideas, or support via email to help your family take small steps toward big memories.

Show Notes: Ordinarysherpa.com/129 Subscribe to the Simple Adventure Subscription: https://ordinarysherpa.com/simpleadv The first 25 subscribers get 1 month free with code: YES Read my Book: https://ordinarysherpa.com/book/

View Details

Periodically during our family gap year life in the RV, we have moments when we start to feel like we are missing the comforts of home. When people ask what we miss from home the kids often - having a bedroom door (instead of a privacy black out curtain), a dishwasher, hot showers that don’t require us to turn on the hot water heater nor having to listen to the groan of the water pump. Much like the novelty of travel, simple indulgences take us out of our daily routine and can offer a refresh. In this episode I want to lean into how we might experimenting with indulgences without feeling the slip of lifestyle creep or justifying expenses that don’t align with your values.

Before we get into this episode, I want to thank one of our sponsors, Elakai Outdoors is a company to help people live their best life outdoors with high quality and beautifully designed yard games. One of our favorite outdoor yard games is Kubb, a simple Scandinavian and family friendly game which I like to describe as a cross between chess and bean bag toss. If you haven’t played, no worries each game includes a QR code to download the instructions for off-grid play. The outdoor games from Elakai Outdoor are built to last a lifetime, not just a single season. My husband awed at their custom crafted from premium wood and accompanied with a compact travel bag, you can see a short clip of us playing if you head to the show notes. It was an indulgent accessory that was perfect for campgrounds or a friends backyard, it’s a timeless addition to your outdoor adventures, bringing joy wherever it travels. You can check out Kubb and other stunning outdoor games by clicking on the link in the show notes. Use code ORDINARYSHERPA10 for 10% off. Add a little indulgence to your outdoor play with Elakai Outdoor.

Show Notes for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/125Subscribe to the email List: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/ Elakai Outdoors: https://glnk.io/r549q/ordinarysherpa Use code: ORDINARYSHERPA10 for 10% off your purchase

View Details

After years in public accounting as a CPA, Brad reached financial independence at the age of 35 through diligent savings and investing. Brad Is passionate about everything from saving money, to living a more healthy lifestyle, to ‘boring’ things like tracking your finances and cutting down on your tax bill. But his favorite topic is leveraging credit card rewards to save more money, and take trips you never would have dreamed possible for pennies on the dollar.Co-Founders and Co-Hosts Brad Barrett and Jonathan Mendonsa, ChooseFI has become home to the largest Financial Independence community in the world. Every podcast episode, video, and blog article is packed with relatable, real-life content crowdsourced from the FI community. Each week they share the best life hacks, strategies, stories, tools, and resources to help you take control of your money and get 1% better each day on your journey to FI.

Worth noting, I have found that I really enjoy podcasting and having conversation without all the ads and interruptions many podcasters use. If you enjoy the ideas, find joy or inspiration from my work, you can buy me a coffee to say thanks and support the show. If you want to go deeper with the content and/or get more engaged you can find additional ways to support the show through the links below.

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/127Subscribe to the email List: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/

Resources Referenced in this episode 4 Hour Work Week Flippa.com site to purchase ecommerce sites Beyond Normal: a field guide to embrace adventure, explore the wilderness and design an extraordinary life with kids (my book) buy me a coffee and reach out regarding your questions on how I might help you on your journey

To Connect with or Follow Brad Barrett Podcast: Choose FI PodcastEmail List: ChooseFI.com/subscribe Website: Choose FI

View Details

As you heard in the last episode we are 9m into our family gap year. This recording comes days after meeting up with a previous Ordinary Sherpa guest from episode 109| Living your Childhood Dreams. and continually grateful for the stories and connections that have helped us in taking steps and moving forward on this journey. We love meeting up with friends and strangers and the best platform to do that is through Boondockers Welcome, a part of the Harvest Host family. We’ve had over 20+ stays through this platform this year and are always intrigued by the connections and unique stories and generous people we meet. If you are interested in RVing I highly encourage considering a membership or becoming a host. If you use my link in the show notes: http://Ordinarysherpa.com/HarvestHosts to do so you’ll not only receive a discount but support Ordinary Sherpa in the process.

Our guest and I met in a natural hot spring in Stanley Idaho. We were experimenting with the idea of a gap year traveling in an RV with 3 kids on a 34 day sabbatical to test our current gap year potential. Carissa (and her husband Chuck) were already traveling full-time in their 25' RV with their two kids and dog. They spent the past few years becoming debt free, minimizing their belongings, working hard, playing harder, and homeschooling their kids. In 2020 they sold their house and hit the road to travel around America so they could focus on spending more time together, living a healthy lifestyle.

Meeting people ahead of you on the journey offers adventure sparks sometimes igniting new ideas or experiences. From that interaction we began following each other on social media. Our kids bonded over Harry Potter stories and through their daughter's suggestion my daughter has since begun the Percy Jackson series and her interest in Greek Mythology. It was even one of their taco recipes that sparked us trying tajun seasoning which is now a must have for so many of our meals. (If you aren’t familiar, Tajun is a chili lime seasoning that is not spicy). Through their examples of prioritizing self-care, clean eating, and fitness to maximize this time in their lives, they inspire others to live a healthy lifestyle and embark on their own adventures. Carissa from Feed Us Adventures, Welcome to Ordinary Sherpa.

We’ll have a conversation and share a bit of your backstory, what intrigued you to the RV lifestyle, what’s important to you. How do you do this life with kids. I’d like to talk about your focus on health and well-being and stead the conversation towards any action you’d like the audience to take.

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/126Subscribe to the email List: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/ Join Harvest Hosts using our link to access our favorite type of travel, get a discount and support Ordinary Sherpa: http://Ordinarysherpa.com/HarvestHosts (Boondockers Welcome and CampScanner are our favorites)

View Details

Join us for a quick update on our family's gap year journey! We'll share what's been working, what's been challenging, and what we've learned so far. We'll also talk about our plans for the next few months.

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/125Joy Audit Tracking Form Digital Download: https://ordinarysherpa.podia.com/joy-audit-tracking-form Subscribe to the email List: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/

View Details

As my family drove to Alaska (currently spending time in Fairbanks) I have seen many bike campers and was reminded of my conversation with a guest from episode 047 with Mason Gravely. We have driven over 13,000 miles in the RV since January all across the country and passing bike campers along various highways through Alaska and Canada it brings new meaning to biking across the country. While Mason’s story is interesting I don’t suggest just jumping on a bike in Fairbanks. I am bringing back this conversation today given our location in Fairbanks and as a nod to all those who have experimented with bike camping.

This week on my email list I share some untourist experiences in Alaska, some ways we made it through our hike in Denali using simple adventure tactics, and some gear we are appreciating to keep adventuring amidst the swarms of mosquitos this year. If you aren’t subscribed to the email list I encourage you to do so. If you enjoy the ideas, find joy or inspiration from my work, you can also buy me a coffee to say thanks and support the show. Coffee and ice cream are staples in our adventure diet and help me keep the content creation process flowing.

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/124
Subscribe to the email List: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/
Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/ordsherpa

View Details

When this drops we will be in the arctic circle exploring a part of Alaska you can’t drive. If weather cooperates we’ll be visiting 2 more National Parks. This week also marks 6 months of travel on our family gap year. I brought my husband back on the show to talk through how we got here. He referred to this as a mid-life retirement and I loved that analogy. Much of our family gap year is an experiment in doing life differently. He shares more about his travel back story, how the gap year came about, how we are funding it and what he is learning through the process. If you want to know even more, I suggest picking up a copy of my book, Beyond Normal (linked in the show notes).

Our guest today rarely sits still, enjoys strong coffee and can fix just about anything. He wasn’t born wanderlust or with the same amount of spontaneity as his wife, but together they have crafted an adventurous life with three kids. Brent Dusek is Mr. Ordinary Sherpa who takes more black diamond trails, my co-pilot, and most often seen in the driver seat of our RV while traversing North America.

Show Notes: Ordinarysherpa.com/123
Subscribe to the Email: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/
Read my Book: https://ordinarysherpa.com/book/
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ordinarysherpa/

View Details

As my family enjoys the summer in Alaska on our family gap year we are slowing down (a new adventure for us). Part of this gap year was designed to meet up and connect more deeply with adventurous families and one family in particular was sparked by having a guest on the podcast. Amy Buschatz was a guest in 2022 and after we recorded she nonchalantly suggested that when we come to Alaska we could stay with her. I warned her that I don’t pass up invitations like that. Apparently she has offered to many of her podcast guests and no one has ever followed up until she met us. A few weeks ago we parked our RV in Amy’s driveway. My oldest son went with her oldest son to high school adventure camp with the youth group and I got to experience Friday Fling and hike the Butte (a 1-mile staircase to heaven) complete with views of Knik Glacier and Bald Eagle soaring above us. Given the connection to our point in time experience in Alaska, I thought I’d bring this episode back for a feature today.

Amy’s message is very similar to our effort of building a foundation of simple adventures and discovering the adventures that can happen just beyond your backyard. In 2016 Amy left behind life as she knew it and moved with her husband and two sons to Alaska, looking for a fresh start and more time in the great outdoors. While Amy had a background as a reporter, editor, runner, and Army wife she was not an expert in designing a life in all things outdoorsy. She created the Humans Outside podcast to help people like her get outside and love it. But just talking about getting outside wasn’t enough. Since September 2017 she has spent at least 20 consecutive minutes outside every single day.

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/122
Will you leave Written Review on Apple Podcasts: https://ordinarysherpa.com/review/
Subscribe to the email List: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/

View Details

In June we crossed the border into Canada. Last year when we were testing the potential of a gap year we were hosted Banff & Lake Louise Tourism and while it was lovely, I also learned that we prefer a different kind of travel. Yes, Banff was gorgeous AND we found so many other places and experienced a different kind of beauty that reinforced that we prefer untourism. I continue to reflect and refind what untourism means but I knew the second we arrived at Moraine Lake that I wasn’t there to check the bucket list. This episode will walk you through how we are exploring Canada a bit differently this year and with a keen awareness of our untourist tendencies.

If you have never heard of untourism I like to refer to it as traveling deeper for a more immersive experience into the destination community. It also reflects socially conscious travel by combatting over-tourism, supporting local small businesses, and an overall more expercial-based. I do offer a free Beginner’s Guide to untourism if you’d like to dive deeper into this topic.

Website for this episode https://ordinarysherpa.com/121
Blog Post: 5 Tips for Crossing the Canadian Border
Free Download: Beginner’s Guide to Untourism

View Details

Using tools like checklists or tracking forms can help us be aware of important details that might drift by in life - like everyday moments of joy. If you are interested in a tool to help you test what to get rid of in your life and what to invest your time and energy in, the Joy Audit tracking Form is a helpful awareness builder and data visualization tool during the design or testing phase of lifestyle design. The Joy Audit tracking tool can help bring your feelings to light and quantify simple adventures for a more meaningful life.

Download the Joy Audit Tracking Form: https://ordinarysherpa.com/review/

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/120

Our guest today made her first appearance on Ordinary Sherpa at episode 031 | Slowing Down and Being Aware. Dr. Dawn Baker is the physician, writer, speaker, and lifestyle design coach behind Practice Balance. She helps physicians and other professionals step off the treadmill of achievement, rediscover their true selves, and cultivate a practice of balance that’s right for them. She is the author of the book Lean Out: A Professional Woman’s Guide to Finding Authentic Work-Life Balance. Dawn is also a certified yoga and meditation instructor who is passionate about off-grid living, homeschooling, fitness, and travel.

To Connect with or Follow Dawn Baker
Podcast: Lean Out Podcast
Book: Lean Out
Website: Practice Balance
Instagram: @practicebalance

Lean Out: A Professional Woman's Guide to Finding Authentic Work-Life Balance

View Details

Bittersweet: the art of both/and experiences. Where we can be happy AND sad, content AND busy, be with our favorite people AND miss our independence, all the comforts of home AND yearning to get back on the road.

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/119 Download the Joy Audit Tracking Form: https://ordinarysherpa.podia.com/joy-audit-tracking-form Purchase my book (Beyond Normal): https://ordinarysherpa.com/book Schedule a Strategy Coaching session with me to work through your bittersweet adventure transitions https://ordinarysherpa.com/adventure-strategy-coaching

View Details

We are home for a week between phase 2 and phase 3 of our gap year. Last Wednesday was a big and yet very ordinary day. I woke up in my own bed at home that morning after traveling continuously for 4 months. It was also the 1 year birthday of my (Link) book Beyond Normal: a field guide to embrace adventure, explore the wilderness and design an extraordinary life. I am also celebrating crossing the 100,000 downloads milestone on the Ordinary Sherpa podcast. Is this success?

In this episode, we explore the concept of summit experiences, delve into their transformative power, and discuss the importance of recognizing and embracing these moments of joy and accomplishment.

Joy Audit Tracking Form (Digital Download): https://ordinarysherpa.podia.com/joy-audit-tracking-form Show Notes for Episode 117: https://ordinarysherpa.com/117 Read Heidi's Book: Beyond Normal a field guide to embrace adventuree, explore the wilderness and design an extraordinary life with kids. https://ordinarysherpa.com/book/

View Details

Show Notes for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/116

Schedule a Coaching or Adventure Strategy Consultation: https://calendly.com/heidi-139/adv-strategy_coaching

Subscribe to the email List: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/

Rich Jun is a high energy artist with a passion for travel and adventure. He is a FT optometrist and PT Short-term Rental host who started his Financial independence journey officially in 2018. He has a background in drawing and painting and loves learning new things. He enjoys fitness (crossfit), yoga, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. He enjoys spending his free time with his girlfriend, Megan, and their two rescued pitbulls. Vacations usually include multi day hikes at elevation in the mountains.

To Connect with Rich Jun

richardjunod@gmail.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/richard.jun.37 IG handle @shooonuff

Link to Family Friendly AirBnB in LaCrosse: https://airbnb.com/h/houseonthebluff-lax Referral Link to Airbnb: If you are interested in starting one, this gets you $40 coupon and Rich is happy to give you some feedback about your listing! https://www.airbnb.com/r/richardj23882?s=6&t=063n00

View Details

Our road trip across the United States was intended to have us exploring the vast beauty of this country while discovering some of the most unexpected hidden gems and unique experiences. Join me as I share my experiences, tips, and insights for anyone looking to embark on a similar journey to get off the beaten path and learn how to design untourist travel experiences.

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/115

Untourism Travel Consult: https://calendly.com/heidi-139/untourism-consulting Buy Me Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/OrdSherpa

Additional Resources referneced in this episode: Buy my Book: Beyond Normal

Subscribe to receive free Untourism Starter Guide: https://ordinarysherpa.com/untourism/

Article with topic similiar to Untourism: https://medium.com/personal-growth/the-places-in-between-a9c89d49bc8a

View Details

Show Notes for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/114

Join the Slow Fi Meet Up April 20 from 7-8:15 EST register here

Subscribe to the email List: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/

Diane is a retired school teacher who has traveled the globe for decades. However, it wasn't until she took off on a seven-month road trip that she learned- much to her surprise- that she loves hiking and camping in the mountains of the west.

To Connect with Diane Nachel

Email: dinamo53@gmail.com

Join the Ordinary Sherpa Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpa

View Details

Show notes for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/113

Buy Me Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/ordsherpa Buy Beyond Normal book, a field guide to designing an adventurous life with kids. https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpa to learn more about metrics of thriving and the joy audit referenced in this episode.

View Details

If you want to follow along to get the behind the scenes details of our family gap year you can subscribe to our email list; ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe and make sure to select Family Gap Year Adventures as one of your topics. If you would like an episode or blog post of anything specifc or to go deeper on a topic that I mention please reach out via email or on social media. I recognize we are living a Beyond Normal lifestyle (which I detail in my book) and love questions that you might have to help you and your family better connect through adventure in whatever format that looks like.

Today our guest is another amazing example of a Beyond Normal lifestyle and much of that is through the lens of simplicity and minimalism. However his blog post titled Travel is overrated, here’s what to do instead got my attention. We often talk about the simple adventures we can do in our own backyard while being open to bigger and bold moves toward an adventurous lifestyle. Our guest is a financial planner by day and enjoys biking, farmers' markets, libraries, and coffee shops. Volunteerism is also one of his favorite weekend activities, specifically in the sustainability arena. With a passion for cars and a disdain for liars; Vegan food is his jam. He tries to spend in an intentional manner, to allow himself to one day be financially independent to focus on the civic causes that he is passionate about. Gary, author of Financial Fives welcome to Ordinary Sherpa

Show notes for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/112 Subscribe to the email List: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/ Choose Family Gap Year Adventures to follow the behind the scenes of our family gap year. Buy Beyond Normal book, a field guide to designing an adventurous life with kids. https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpa

Resources references in this episode Blogpost: Travel is overrated, here’s what to do instead BOOKS: Financial Fives by Gary Grewal, I Will Teach You To Be Rich, by Ramit Sethi Vegan Cooking Blogs: Vegan Richa, Minimalist BakerZero-Waster Moving Box Company: https://budgetsaresexy.com/zero-waste-side-hustle-renting-out-moving-boxes/. https://www.calboxrental.com

I Will Teach You to Be Rich, Second Edition: No Guilt. No Excuses. No BS. Just a 6-Week Program That Works

View Details

Today's episode is a little different from a typical interview. Our guest today is a member of our Family Travel Hackers (Link) membership where we help families travel more for less. The Family Travel Hackers Membership is a way to support families who want to explore travel rewards but are overwhelmed. As one of my guests described travel rewards “the learning curve is steep but once you get that first free trip you’re hooked.” The Family Travel Hackers membership also dives deeper into how to travel authentic travel experiences. While I don’t think you HAVE to travel to experience the benefits of adventure, it is a huge value in many family’s values so I wanted to create a space to support that desire. This episode offers insight into the membership and how we source and curate topics and guests to support what the members' needs are. In this session, we elevated a member of the group to share her planning and travel rewards strategy. What makes this episode extra special for me is that Rachel is a long-time listener to Ordinary Sherpa and one of the biggest supporters of the show. From the beginning I wanted this podcast to feature the best of everyday ordinary families. While I certainly can feature experts, I wanted it to be extremely relevant to everyday working families. Rachel doesn’t have a platform or a personal brand. She is just a traveling family guru with a passion for travel rewards and willing to help others, a prime example of the sherpa philosophy of this community.

I invite you to join Rachel, I and the other families interested in traveling more for less. As a bonus, yesterday was my 43rd birthday and I have decided for the remainder of 2023 I am going to offer a $43 discount on the annual membership. If you head to the link in the show notes and at checkout use the code:HAPPY43 If you join before next week Tuesday (3/22/23) you will get to participate in “Tips for Cruising” with my friend Josh Overmyer. We’ve had topics on Rewarding Experiences, and have upcoming sessions to deep dive into Travel Tech, Working while Traveling, and Hacking Hawaii. The one thing that makes this community unique is that I am not an affiliate for any of the credit cards. We encourage sharing and using referral links within the community so you can earn more miles and support others in the community.

Show Notes for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/047Join Family Travel Hackers Membership to help families travel more for less. https://ordinarysherpa.com/FTH Use Coupon Code: HAPPY43 for $43 off your annual membership at checkout. Thanks to her parents, Rachel caught the travel bug when she was 14, and she’s never recovered. Despite assumptions to the contrary, having kids didn’t slow her down. Now she, her husband, and two boys travel as much and as often as possible. Some of their favorite points redemptions for their family include trips to England, Portugal, and Spain, and this year points are helping them travel to Whitefish, Montana; Curaçao; and Hawaii. Rachel West, a fellow member of Family Travel Hackers Membership is here today to share her tips and strategies for family travel hacking with kids.

Resources referenced in the episodeGoogle Flights SkyScanner Flightconnections.com Family Travel Hackers Membership:https://ordinarysherpa.com/FTH Connect with Rachel West: Member of Ordinary Sherpa Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpa

View Details

Show Notes for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/110 Join Family Travel Hackers Membership: https://ordinarysherpa.com/join Subscribe to the email List: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/

Matt and Leah along with their two kids began full-time RV life in 2019. After years of both working full-time as physical therapists, they saw their life zooming past and felt they were missing out on precious years with their kids. They decided it was time to make a drastic life change and exit culture’s highway in pursuit of the narrow road that leads to abundant life. What started as a year-long experiment has continued for almost 4 years and they don’t have plans to settle down any time soon. They feel like they’re finally in the driver’s seat of their life and aren’t in a hurry to give back the keys.

To Connect with Matt & Leah Website: www.narrowroadjourneys.com Email: hello@narrowroadjourneys.com Facebook & Instagram: @narrowroadjourneys Purchase Flip Fit: https://narrowroadjourneys.com/product/flip-fit/

View Details

Joing the Everyday Adventure Challenge In this 60-day everyday adventure challenge I help your family create an adventure list to show up in your own life and connect as a family. You will bring simple adventures to life leading to memorable family experiences. You can expect weekly adventure tips, ideas, and support via email; and we’ll bring the entire everyday adventure family tribe together throughout the challenge to share adventure ideas, wins and struggles.

The challenge will run from March 1- May 1. Registration is open now, but will close on Tuesday, February 28th.

Show Notes for this episodehttps://ordinarysherpa.com/109 Subscribe to the Email: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe Read my Book: https://ordinarysherpa.com/book/ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ordinarysherpa/ Join the Everyday Adventure Challenge: https://ordinarysherpa.com/challenge

Chris is a named inventor on over a dozen patents, a musician, a teacher, a husband, and a father. As a technologist and entrepreneur, he has an appetite for innovation, risk and adventure. Chris spent much of his career trying to get ahead until he made a choice to stop working for money and start working for himself for happiness. You might now find Chris treasure diving in Florida, working as a part-time professor, or writing online at LifeOutsideTheMaze.com.

To Connect with Chris website:lifeoutsidethemaze.com email: me@lifeoutsidethemaze.com

View Details

The first week of our family gap year is complete. I will give you a glimpse behind the scenes on week 1 which include several everyday adventures such as winter camping frozen waterfalls, and skiing on Tuesday. This information will not be public going forward. You can subscribe to my email list to receive the weekly updates of our Family Gap Year as we make our way across the country as a family of 5 (and a dog) in an RV.

Show Notes for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/108

Subscribe to the email List: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/ *To follow our family gap year choose __ Family Gap Year Adventure to get insider stories from our gap year experiences.

Will you leave Written Review on Apple Podcasts: https://ordinarysherpa.com/review/Want to support this adventure: I have found that I really enjoy podcasting and having conversation without all the ads and interruptions many podcasters use. If you enjoy the ideas, find joy or inspiration from my work, you can buy me a coffee to say thanks and support the show. If you want to go deeper with the content and/or get more engaged you can find additional ways to support the show through the links below.

Read my Book: Beyond Normal: A Field Guide to Embrace Adventure, Explore the Wilderness, and Design an Extraordinary Life with Kids.

View Details

WeI’ll round out the series interviewing my kids about their thoughts on the gap year and their version of adventure. This week the guest is my 12 YO son and how his love for fly fishing has developed into so many others skills and a new business.

Show Notes for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/106

To place an order for flies for Fly Fishing here is the order form (Link). You can send specific questions to heidi@ordinarysherpa.com or join CD Fly Fishing Email List at https://ordinarysherpa.com/flyfishing

Subscribe to the email List: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/ *To follow our family gap year choose __ Family Gap Year Adventure to get insider stories from our gap year experiences.

View Details

I heard from a few of you that you enjoyed hearing from my 7 YO last week. I’ll continue this week with my 10 YO daughter. As you may or may not know, my daughter had a severe bike accident in 2022 and spent the first part of the year with two full arm casts. In addition to learning about her version of adventure, she will also walk us through her accident, recovery and the many ways she continues to be brave.

Show Notes for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/106

Subscribe to the email List: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/ *To follow our family gap year choose __ Family Gap Year Adventure to get insider stories from our gap year experiences.

Will you leave Written Review on Apple Podcasts: https://ordinarysherpa.com/review/ Join the Ordinary Sherpa Facebook Group to interact with other listeners. https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpa

View Details

"How do your kids feel about the gap year?" Let's have them tell you how they feel with a series of interviews with my kids. While the family behind Ordinary Sherpa is taking a gap year, Ordinary Sherpa is still focused on the human element of living a life adventure and all the ordinrary things we did to get here. Our gap year will also be filled with ordinary everyday adventures accessible to everyone. I hope this series exemplifies you don't need to take a gap year to experience adventures with your kids.

Show Notes for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/105

Subscribe to the email List: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/ *To follow our family gap year choose __ Family Gap Year Adventure to get insider stories from our gap year experiences.

View Details

I am coming off a weekend at Camp FI which is like summer camp with people who are interested in doing things differently with their life and I must say, I have come to think money is the least interesting thing to talk about and perhaps because I am not motivated by money. Through my own money story and working with and alongside high-net worth individuals I have come to learn that money does not equal happiness. The sooner we can detach our worth and purpose from money I think the higher the odds for contentment and fulfillment. That is certainly not easy which is why I was so excited to have this conversation today.

Before I jump into the episode today I wanted to mention that many have asked how they can follow our journey. I have decided that the best place to stay connected will be through our email list and choose the Family Gap Year Adventure topic (and any other topic you are interested in) https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/ I have started a blog and will be sharing some of the stories and deeper learnings of life on the road with 3 kids and a dog and all the real life things that go along with that. I will still be posting on Instagram and will keep the podcast more broad than our gap year, however there will occasionally be episodes highlighting the gap year diaries :).

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/104Will you leave Written Review on Apple Podcasts: https://ordinarysherpa.com/review/ Subscribe to the email List: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/

Tricia Huffman, aka Your Joyologist, is a rock and roll roadie at heart and by first career. She specializes in working with those in the public eye to keep them in integrity with who they want to be while also enjoying the life they are living. She is a mental health and mindset expert known for sharing real talk with heart, calling you to uncover and honor who YOU are, and empowering you to claim your joy daily via her first book (F The Shoulds. Do The Wants.), social media, Claim it! Podcast, Own Your Awesome daily inspiration App, and everything that she does.

Key Takeaways

Tricia was living her dream as a sound engineer next to musical icons living their dreams of making music. However, her dad died suddenly which shook her more than any anticipated loss. “I wanted to shake people up to be present in their life.” Even people who appeared to have it all, living their dream life struggled with feeling like they were enough and finding daily joy.
Tricia was living her dream life - she kept getting pulled back into and loved the identity that came with it - and still had a yearning for “what’s next?”
Music tour life provided everything for her and offered a built in community of people you love like family in some way. There are also toxic environments. Ironically the bigger tours, bigger venues with bigger artists that she initially defined success by, were actually the most toxic environments.
Taking a pause allowed her to go deep into herself. By giving up the word should and changing it to want gave her the power and ability to support others being present to their life. Being present doesn’t mean you ignore the struggles of life. It means you recognize the realities of life AND still make space for joy.
Even though she lived life on her terms, it was surprising how present the word SHOULD was embedded into her language and because of that, her mentality. In the exercise of eliminating should, she would catch herself and pause, noticing how often she said the word should and was stuck with the question “what can I say instead?”
Just paying attention to this one word had her examingin her thoughts, feelings, and truths. Then having the ability to not take that as her truth. Should makes us think outside of ourselves, replacing it with want brought it back to me and owning that thought, feeling or belief.
When people notice and work through their should list if often reveals that people might not know what they want. We have such extensive should files so asking “why do I want that?” can help go deeper.
Giving yourself the ability to focus on why offers clarity on impact, and why you might want to do the thing or give flexibility and voice to how else you cn do it. In the meditation example - maybe I take 3 deep breaths instead of a focused sitting meditation as an example. We keep ourselves from doing what we want based on what we think it should look like.
When things feel stuck, how can I make space for joy OR how can I nurture myself? So often we are pursuing something bigger, and our worth is tied up in that bigger thing. How can you make space to take care of yourself, to nurture yourself, do things that bring you joy and celebrate I am alive today.
It seems we are trained to know what fulfillment looks like, but what does it feel like? For me it comes from the small day to day stuff. Walks outside are a strategy to redirect negative energy and practicing how to notice and be present in nature.

To Connect with or Follow Tricia HuffmanBOOK LANDING PAGE: Ftheshouldsdothewants.com

Website: triciahuffman.com

Podcast: Claim it!App: Own Your Awesome

Social

IG @_triciahuffman

TikTok @_triciahuffman

FB @yourjoyologist

Twitter @yourjoyologist

View Details

Website for this Episode: Resources mentioned in this Episode: Harvest Hosts is offering a 30% off sale until January 6th if you use my link:https://harvesthosts.com/join-friends/ you must use my link and Code FRIEND30 at checkout. Harvest Hosts membership offers over 4,000 spots to park your RV or enclosed camper at breweries, wineries, farms, even museums across North America. They also include Boondockers Welcome which are Hosts who offer a free place to park your RV on private residents while road tripping. If you are not listening to this in real time when it publishes on January 4th, then you can still use my link for 15% off starting January 7th. This is an affiliate link as I have been working with Harvest Hosts to offer you better deals, especially since many of you have an interest in a potential first time Family RV trip in your travel plans.

Ski Moms Fun Podcast: a podcast I have been enjoying that helps support moms who ski. Nicole was a guest on my podcast on episode 059 in practicing the Sherpa Philosophy we agreed to cross-promote each others shows since our audiences have similar interests. https://skimomsfun.com/ I really appreciate what Nicole has been doing and if you like this type of cross-promotion let me know I’ll explore more content creation promotion.

1000 Hours Outside 2023 Tracker: https://www.1000hoursoutside.com/trackers

Whitewater Rafting Instagram Reel: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CfgxdCIg5CS/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

My Book: Beyond Normal a Field Guide to Embrace Adventure, Explore the Wilderness and Design an Extraordinary Life with Kids https://amzn.to/3vDTzb6

View Details

As we shift from the holidays to the new year there is often the most reflective time of year for reflection and intention setting for the upcoming year. I am not talking about new year's resolutions. I am talking about understanding your why, who will help you get there and what is it you need to do today to advance toward your ideal life. As this is publishing I am in the final days of w2 work, and merely weeks from our departure in the RV for our family gap year. Working towards a gap year has been a few years of intention setting and making progress towards our family gap year. If you need a tool or framework to guide you through that process then I suggest using the Best Year Yet framework that set me on this path in 2018. I have a link in the show notes for you to take the online course.

*Register for the Best Year Yet to set your lifestyle intention and create an accountability structure to support building out your life. https://ordinarysherpa.com/byy Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/102Subscribe to the email List: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/ One of the critical factors for our family advancing the idea of taking a family gap year with kids, was about surrounding yourself with the right people. After writing the book I had several readers ask. “But how did you find your people?” Which is why I invited our guest today. You will hear some tips on setting intention, but also the importance of showing up in real life then checking in with how that person makes you feel. One of the strategies I ended my W2 work on, was understanding the game changing nature of connection and community building in moving from surviving to thriving.

Diania Merriam is the founder of The EconoMe Conference, a party about money designed specifically for the FIRE movement (financial independence, retire early). She's also the host of the popular podcast Optimal Finance Daily where she narrates articles from the best personal finance blogs on the planet. After getting out of $30k of debt in 11 months, she used her newfound financial freedom to negotiate a remote working arrangement with her employer, take a 2 month sabbatical to walk 500 miles across northern Spain on the Camino de Santiago, and launch her own business.

Key Takeaways

Diania was overly ambitious growing up, often listening to external indicators of success such as “if you make 6 figures before 30 you are doing really well.” At 28 was the first time she looked at her life and started to put other factors in front of the external success indicators. The self-exploration while dragging herself out of debt helped her understand her relationship with consumerism.
The Camino was completely outside her comfort zone. She wouldn’t consider herself athletic or outdoorsy. She hadn’t ever really camped before. She spent 3 months training and breaking in her Merrell hiking shoes - which she still owns and hikes in.
Part of her preparation was talking with about 20 other people who had completed the Camino to have them review her packing list. The Magic of the Camino began long before she was on trail. Through a sequence of events from not having a car, to chatting with teh Trader Joe’s cashier she ends up being connected with the cashier’s friend who lent Diania her pack for the Camino. The overarching theme of the Camino was the sense that you are guided and protected.
Losing 200 Euro in cash while on trail was a bummer. Reframing her mindset to “I have plenty of money, I will be fine. I hope that someone who actually needed the money picked it up.”
Diania’s story emulates the power of community in adventure. She had people looking out for her on trail, off trail, before trail, after trail. Sometimes adventure can feel like we need all the things - and yet there is a deeper KNOWING that everything will be okay.
When you attend an event like the World Domination Summit you feel like your life is full of possibility. Diania thought “I want to do something that makes people feel this way, but about money!” I knew that getting my money right helped create space and exploration in my life.
When people are walking towards a common goal, there is a sense of camaraderie - if I don’t know this person, I know “this is my kind of person” It was this desire that led her to get more involved in the FIRE Community. She set out on a quest to meet people in real life - people living unconventional lives create a vibe. I wanted to absorb their expansive energy. The result is EconoMe - a party about money with surprises and connections.
If you are focused on material abundance you’ll never get to experience the kind of abundance that is more interesting. Such as time abundance, relationship abundance, creative abundance. All of these make space in your life. The less materialistic you are, the more idealistic you can be.
Finding her people was an organic process. She began paying attention to how she felt after meeting someone new.
Funemployment is her definition of being in a financial position to contribute, and be super picky about the type and amount of work you want to do; and who you want to work with. Any discomfort she has now is not going to be fixed by money. She already has enough money. We are conditioned to think more is better, so reminding herself “I don’t need more, I need enough.”
Find your Own Camino. What is the common goal that you share with others? Make a point to meet your people and absorb the expansive energy that excites you and helps you feel guided and protected. If that is getting your money right to live a more adventurous life then come see Diania and I at EconoMe.

Call to ActionJoin us in real life at EconoMe, there are only 100 tickets left. Hopefully I’ll see you in Cincinnati March 17-19, 2023. If you aren’t really sure what your what your why is or what you want you lifestyle to be, then register for the Best Year Yet online learning and accountability and get a discount ($75 off) using my link: https://ordinarysherpa.com/byy

To Connect with or Follow Diania Merriam

Website: https://economeconference.com/ Podcast: Optimal Finance DailyYoutube Channel: @economeconference

View Details

If you are new here, Welcome to Ordinary Sherpa. A brand designed to support families connecting through adventure based on the pillars of simplicity, authenticity, and connection. If you have been here for the last 100 episodes, thank you! The 101 episode is going to take us back to the basic of this brand and practice different ways we can support family connection through simple and authentic adventure experiences.

My intention is to create content to support leading a lifestyle of family adventure fostering lifelong memories. In doing so we hope you will adopt the sherpa philosophy, to help others reach their summit through generous curiosity.

Simple: Adventure is the act of getting outside your comfort zone. It’s an invitation to try something new. To support this brand pillar we offer the Everyday Adventure Challenge - a 60 day approach to practicing simple adventures with your family.

When we stop viewing adventure as an epic summit, we begin to look differently at your own neighborhood. We notice things such as Brown Signs which are local attractions that have been designated as points of interest. On Episode 041 | The adventure Potential of Brown Signs we dove deep into what is available at Brown Signs that can reveal new opportunities for adventure without large admission fees. While they are not always free, brown signs are like hidden gems.

Simple also suggests we focus on the little things. When we make family adventures less stressful they often become more meaningfulStacking simple adventures to building blocks of an adventurous family lifestyle or big adventure experience.

How can I make this easier for other families?

Celebrate Adventure Wins in the Ordinary Sherpa Facebook Group:

Tracey: We saw a performance by the Ho Chunk nation and learned all about their regalia. Then we up to the observation tower of the Wisconsin State Capital for a whole new view of our city!

Kimberly: Snuck away for a solo ride — and got lost on the trails in a good way (there’s really no way to get truly lost in the network I was in so it just added 2 miles of some gnarly, rocky hills).

Kel: We had a busy day with friends at the zoo, then had a campfire and enjoyed some glow light fun on the trampoline.

Jenna: Took the toddler on his first ferry ride. A small adventure, but a fun one!

Hillary: We did some painting in the pouring rain with food dye!

Elizabeth: We let the dinosaurs out � Dinovember is like an elf on the shelf. It makes this month so magical for our kids. The first week the Dino's take away the tv remotes and tablets!!! More outside play, play in general and family storytime/game nights.

Becca: When fall turns to true winter, it takes some motivation to get two littles dressed to go outside (especially if we don’t have much time), but we’ve been working hard to make it happen and we all feel better and refreshed afterwards.

How many of these required something specific in order to have an adventure experience? Maybe a bike, glowsticks, some winter gear to be comfortable. If we focus on the experience there are actually very few THINGS we need to adventure. I don’t know about you, but I am now on a mission to find some dinosaurs. How cool is dinovember? The power of this brand is in the collective experiences from the community help make adventure easier and more enticing for families.

Authentic:

Do what aligns with you and your interests. By building a foundation of simple adventure experiences, we no longer felt compelled to check the boxes on a bucket list. Instead we encourage doing what is meaningful and memorable for your family. The intention is less about external indicators and more internal indicators of what family thriving looks like for you.

We have turned our Love of travel into an intention we call Untourism: A way to travel differently

Each child has established a travel intention that fits their personality and interests. My little monster’s travel goal is to taste the best ice cream in all 50 states. While I am still a sucker for a quick google search for “free things for families in ___.” Knowing what I am looking for in each location is helpful. Is it a park, or a bike trail? For us we constantly search for locals recommendations for the best ice cream. It’s a great conversion and in the worst case scenario we come across someone who doesn’t like ice cream (I didn’t realize that was a thing).

Untourism is a regular practice in empathy: Seeing things from others perspective.

We joined Harvest Hosts and Boondockers Welcome because we knew what it was like to have a conversation while hanging out around a campfire or around the tailgate of a truck. (By the way if you use my link and Promo Code FRIENDS30, you get $ off before January 2, 2023) Connecting with locals who appreciate travel and RVing was a way to create community while traveling. Even for our quick weekenders now we try to find a boondocker host just because we know the experience will be unique (and much cheaper).

We receive many different messages in both direct and subtle ways to inform our beliefs. Being authentic and deciding what makes sense for your family takes intention. One intentional act for me this year was to completely ignore the Black Friday - Cyber Monday noise. I am a sucker for a good deal, but our intentions are different this year. We want less things in our life. My small win was that I did not make one purchase during the “Biggest Shopping day of the season” which is a shift from my 30 year old self.

Connection:Support family connection: Holidays with extended family - screens and what is stealing our attention. Vacation was for a long time my way of having uninterrupted family time when my husband and I could break away from the daily distractions and just enjoy life as a family.

LifestyleThe lifestyle we have designed supports traveling often, spending time outdoors, and be intentional with waht we choose to spend our time and money on.

Our approach to Less Stuff, More Experiences experiences:1. Keep it simple - more about what will happen after the gift than during

Purpose not price
Can we reuse or repurpose if nonconsumable

Less Stuff, More Travel Experiences

Road Trip: Harvest Hosts/ Boondockers Welcome

Less Stuff, More Outdoor Experiences

Less Stuff, More Backyard Adventures

But what about the gift opening experience?

There is something magical about the awe and surprise factor when kids open a gift. I think every parent hopes for the gasp and smile reaction. It’s the magic element that makes giving so much fun. When we give experiences it can seem like we lose all of that. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

When I was in high school my mom discovered the pickle ornament. The pickle ornament is literally an ornament that looks like a pickle, a dark green color to match the color of the tree. The story we were told was that the child who finds the pickle ornament would receive an extra gift. As a young adult it became THE THING my brothers and I looked forward to. After the last gift was unwrapped we would charge the tree in search of the pickle ornament. Sometimes it would take over 30 minutes for someone to reign as the winner. What was funny, is we rarely cared about or remembered the prize. We remembered the experience. Stories are what is often retained in memories, not things.

As I implied, turning the gift giving action into an experience can also be part of the process. Without overthinking it, here are some of the ways we have given an experience without losing the magic of their reactions.

Turn the gift into an adventure. Scavenger hunts are one way - clues to have them find their gift. Most of the time this is my lazy way to present a gift. With my son’s bike there was no way I was going to wrap that gift. Even if I did wrap it, the magic would all be experienced right away when he saw all of the gifts. By hiding the bike and prolonging the experience we simply added to the anticipation.
When we gift travel we have wrapped smaller items to craft the story and they have to guess where we are going. Sometimes a gift includes a piece to a bigger family puzzle, like a literal puzzle that we put together that aligns with our destination.
Reverse Advent Calendar. Create a paper chain as part of the gift with a count-down to our vacation. I actually recommend doing this as part of the gifting experience. We all shared something fun we could do each day leading up to the vacation that would be fun.
We also might buy a small thing that can be used during the experience that they will need. The year we gifted Hawaii, the kids all got full-face snorkel masks. They were so excited about the masks we had to go swimming at our local pool to give them a try, and we had one ridiculous family picture to remember that experience gift! I try to think of unconventional items that they need over the novelty to give them a clue.

Not all experiences pan out the way you imagine.

One summer we were visiting my aunt and uncle in Alaska. They had a treehouse in their yard and the younger two played in it for HOURS. When we got home they wanted a treehouse and my husband and I connected that idea to our experience in Alaska. Being that my husband is hand we built a treehouse for their Christmas gift. We had attached so many memories and emotions to the tree house that when we finally had one here, it just wasn’t as fun! It became comfortable and less exciting. Spending large amounts of money and time to recreate an experience is a caution I would advise you to reconsider. Not everyone attaches the same emotions to an experience. While it’s fun to remember those experiences, that is different than trying to recreate it.

I hope as you head into this holiday season you use this episode to help you think about using simplicity, authenticity, and connection in your gift giving and consider how might we offer less things, and more experiences to help foster connection through family adventures? Have an idea to share about turning gifts into experiences and mini adventures, come join us in the Ordinary Sherpa Facebook group to share and steal different ideas to make your family holiday into a meaningful family experience.

View Details

We have a bit of a RV theme to this episode and before we get to our guest I thought I’d share a Facebook post from a Book Reader: Diane recently retired and is traveling the country in a travel trailer with her husband. I am reading an excellent book by a local Wisconsin author, Heidi Dusek, called Beyond Normal. It's about designing experiences in life that bring you joy. Before we headed on the road, we already knew that we didn't need to see and experience all the normal sights in any given area. Heidi talks about taking a joy audit to determine what truly adds joy to your life...for us, it's often simplicity. We have no need or desire to see all there is to see; we find joy in a simple hike or bike ride in anywhere, USA, or a cup of coffee and game of cribbage. Spending time with people we love. Or reading (Scott more than Diane!), or playing games on a tablet or phone (Diane more than Scott!). We are 3 hours from the Grand Canyon, and most people say "you HAVE to go!". But our joy meter is on high from seeing wild horses in the river, and we don't feel the need to spend extra money to go to the Grand Canyon. Thanks, Heidi, for reaffirming that we don't need to follow the tourist guide. We are definitely untourists!

If you would like to learn more about our story and our joy audit, I encourage you to purchase or check out my my book: Beyond Normal: A Field Guide to Embrace Adventure, Explore the Wilderness, and Design an Extraordinary Life with Kids

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/100Subscribe to the email List: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/ Join the Ordinary Sherpa Facebook Group to interact with other listeners. https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpa

Finding your people is definitely one of the harder tasks in becoming an adventurous family. When people ask I often state - I don’t have any magic formula, but when you know - you will know. When I met Kimberly, I knew. Kimberly Crossland is an adventurous mom of 2 boys residing in southern Arizona. She is the founder of Roadpreneur and Cruisin' + Campfires, two companies designed to keep families together and living in freedom through travel and entrepreneurship. The goal of both businesses is to inspire meaningful change through the power of a strategic, thoughtful approach to life and business. She is a fellow part-time RVing family, avid mountain biker, and chief of all the things here to share her insights on being and supporting moms on the go.

Key Takeaways

Go along for the ride is the parenting philosophy that served her best, allowing her not to get mired down in the day to day.
Get to know yourself and what works best for you. Kimberly discovered she was most creative after a f=good night sleep, and transactional tasks were best were her energy was low. Learn your own energy cycles and design systems and structures that work for you.
Kimberly had all the questions about buying a travel trailer, but she is so glad she did because what was waiting on the other side is something she now helps other families experience.
Getting kids outside changes their behavior. The cloud of chaos clears and they are able to reset.
You can’t change the kid, but you can change the environment.
Kimberly shared her experience with international travel was more structured, while there is great value to that, camping allows for unstructured play. Time for discovery and family time with a certain amount of independence and autonomy seems to be the magic formula at this point in time.
Spark conversations with kids vs. asking questions. Using prompts such as three thing to share with me allow you to have deeper conversations and hear more about what is on your child’s heart.
There is nothing that kills energy more than having to cut a hike or ride short to get back on a zoom call. Frontloading the work and creating systems and utilizing automations are powerful tools in designing a life you love.
Don’t put adventure in a box. There is no such thing as adventuring “enough.” Decide what you want your family adventures to look like and go after it.

To Connect with or Follow Kimberly Crossland

Website: Cruisinandcampfires.com and Roadpreneur.com

Email: Hello@roadpreneur.com

Facebook: Facebook.com/Roadpreneur or Facebook.com/cruisinandcampfires

Instagram: @Roadpreneur and @cruisinandcampfires

View Details

For the full show notes head to: https://ordinarysherpa.com/099

To follow our Family Gap Year Adventure on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ordinarysherpa/
To learn more about Metrics of Thriving or "the Life Pie" referenced in this episode you can read my book: Beyond Normal: A field guide to embrace adventure, explore the wilderness and design an extraordinary life with kids.

View Details

Website for this episode: ordinarysherpa.com/098

Register for the FREE Travel Rewards for Families Live Q & A: Ordinarysherpa.com/LIVE

At one time, our guest worked in healthcare, but was (not so secretly) addicted to travel. He’s been to over 100 countries and seven continents. What sets him apart from many of the travelers I know is his approach; his uncanny way to make you laugh and be completely envious of him experiencing incredible locations with his kids. While many parents like taking breaks from their kids and heading overseas without them. Their family is not like that. Starting at age four, each of his kids got to pick any destination in the world every year for a one-on-one trip, and his kids weren’t shy about picking crazy destinations – trips have included Australia (ages 4 and 6), Hong Kong (5), Belize (4), Easter Island (6), Iguazu Falls (6), Bali (9 and 10), Japan (7 and 8), the Maldives (9), and Antarctica (8) and that was just when they were ages 4-8.

In 2012 he was lucky enough to win Conde Nast Traveler Magazine’s Photo of the Year contest out of 21,000+ entrants. The magazine planned an amazing two weeks in Florence for them. The first two days there three different people called him Babbo – Italian for Dad or Daddy. The kids started using it and it stuck – they haven’t called him Dad since they returned from that trip. The funny thing is that Babbo only means Dad in certain parts of Italy. In other areas it means Idiot. Today I am excited to have a conversation with the Family Travel influencer who literally has the registered trademark to Take Your Kids Everywhere, Eric Stoen of Travel Babbo, Welcome to Ordinary Sherpa.

Follow or Connect with Eric at:
Website: https://travelbabbo.com/
Instagram: @travelbabbo

Key Takeaways

Eric will go wherever the kids want to go or return to. There are many things that make a location returnable, it’s whatever speaks to our hearts. For us we visit Italy specifically Florence and Tuscany or the Greek Isle of Naxos. So much so that locals know our names in several of the locations.
Let the kids have a stake in planning. Look for kid-friendly tours. They are simplified and the content is perfect for parents too.
Parent first, then traveler, then a photographer and travel writer. He didn’t want travel to become not fun for the kids ot getting paid to do things that weren’t kid-friendly.
I’m not afraid to show my kids faces, but seeing those accounts didn’t inspire me. Most times I shared photos of my kids often walking away because that's naturally where I was and they weren’t interested in posing.
Even if a place looks cool online doesn’t mean it’s a great kid-friendly place. Capture what’s authentic and find the details that speak to you.
Eric is not willing to disrupt their vacation for work. his followers deserve better and he wanted to maintain an organic nature of photography - not sponsored, posed photos.
He set a boundary that he didn’t accept free travel. He wasn’t going to travel without his family unless he was getting paid.
Networking is everything and meeting people in person is a game changer. Travel writers and adventure brands are fun to be around. Go to events and meet people face-to-face. For Eric, while he was new and uncomfortable at ITB Berlin, Geeking out with new destinations was a trip and he often meets people that he’d like to hang out and travel with.
What’s your intro? Have 20 seconds that describes why are you unique? Why would someone work with you? What is your attitude on travel? What is your perspective on ___? Your intro is what makes you memorable.
Travel is cumulative. Explore with your kids as early as you can because good things will come of it.

Resources referenced during this episode:
Start Here: https://travelbabbo.com/start-here/
Month by Month Guide to the Best Vacations with Kids: https://travelbabbo.com/best-vacations-for-kids/

View Details

Today you are going to a little bit of real talk with Heidi. Maybe because I am on night 3 of a hotel to MYSELF while I’m at a conference or maybe I shouldn’t have had that second cup of coffee (by the way if you like Real Talk with Heidi version, feel free to support this buying me a coffee) Either way, I wanted to give families a valuable way to use travel rewards to supplement their travel budget, traveling longer, farther - let’s just say it’s one of my favorite optimization strategies AND after 2 people it gets much more difficult - you even heard Chris Hutchins from All the Hacks say it on episode 092. The game is harder to play with more people.

And I’ll just say it, the content out there for families is eh. I don’t think you need to pay thousands of dollars to follow someone’s system. Once you learn the rules of the game you just need a reliable source to ask questions and find the answers you need. I also don’t think everyone needs to take online courses to understand how points and systems work. Many of those groups want you to use their links so that they get all the referral bonus points. Just for the record, I’m not opposed to any of those things, people can make money doing things they are good at and I know that many use the referral and affiliate links to fund their work. I just think there is a better way to support YOU through this - what can I say, we are sherpas helping families adventure. I think families need a fair shot at the travel rewards game.

Part of the challenge with travel hacking is that the rules change often. It takes time to understand and let’s be frank - we don’t have time to scurry down the rabbit hole of travel rewards. For this episode I am going to highlight some of the travel hacking resources I have and walk through three examples of how we recently used travel rewards. I also am announcing a FREE Live Family Travel Hackers Q/A Session so stick around and make sure to register to get EVEN more tips.

First to highlight some of my previous content:

On episode 018 | Travel Rewards tips with Melissa Lagerquist. We talk about some of the basic terminology, approaches and ways she has used points to hack cruises. Full disclosure - Melissa is connected to the Choose FI Travel Rewards course. If you want to go down the rabbit hole that free course is where I started when it was launched probably close to 5 years ago.
On episode 019 | Our approach to travel rewards I walk through our strategy and I give you a free downloadable planning guide to help you through the process. That is available at: https://ordinarysherpa.com/rewards/
Episode 032 | How to Fly a family of 5 to Hawaii for under $500 I dive deep into Southwest Companion Pass which we have had for 4 years straight. We are not renewing next year because we will be traveling in the RV next year and as you will soon hear we have a different strategy.
Episode 070 | Hacks to Optimize Family Experiences without Sacrificing Value offers an updated approach to how I plan our summer vacations in particular.

We also reference travel hacking in episode 084 with Ed Tee adventuring near and far; Episode 040 Interim Expat with Scott Barrett, and Episode 077 | Funding the Fun with Jen of Investor Mama.

The DIY approach to learning travel hacking can seem like an uphill slog. I may have said on more than one occasion “Can someone just tell me what to do?!” Stick around until the end to get the link to register for our Free Family Travel Hacker LIVE Q/A. Tonight I wanted to share a few behind the curtain tips to help you travel more for less.

Hawaii flights for 5 for under $300

It’s no secret here that we used 2 Southwest Companion Passes. RIGHT NOW is the best time to start earning the Southwest Companion Pass to give you the maximum amount of time where one person flies free with you (-$5.50 per flight in taxes and fees). If you have ANY questions about earning the Companion Pass make sure to sign up for my Free Q/A!

Many people tell you to design your strategy based on a destination you want to travel to. That is one approach, but I also like to think about the experience. From Wisconsin to Hawaii is 8+ hours of flying, and direct flights don’t exist. Instead of designing this trip to be a long-haul with 3 kids, we broke it up into smaller segments which meant we also had so many more options on what that experience could look like and created a schedule that worked best for our family. Instead of looking for fare sales from our home airport of Milwaukee, I look for routes to our destination and work backwards. Our route was Milwaukee-San Jose (staying a night in San Jose and making a mini-vacation of it), from San Jose to Kona (big island) for 5 nights, from Hilo (Big Island) to Honolulu (Oahu) for 4 nights, from Honolulu to Kahului (maui) for 5 nights, from Maui to Los Angeles for 2 nights, and from Los Angeles back to Milwaukee for 3 nights. In many ways it felt like we had 5 different vacations.

Now that might seem much longer in terms of days and number of flights overall that you want to spend, but keep in mind we were on 3 islands and planes are really the easiest way to get between them. Because we had utilized the best fares and designed an experience, the total number of points needed for this entire itinerary was 60,168. Because we had 2 companion passes we only needed this number of points for 3 of our family members (which was 180,504). Because both my husband and I had attained Companion Passes we earned over 240,000 points (at the time the requirement was only 120,000). Part of the reason I like Southwest is because they use a standard formula based on price/points as opposed to dynamic points systems that are difficult to figure out how many points you need to earn to redeem your family flights.

Harry Potter World (tickets and hotel) for $0.
This was a recent “can we do it challenge.” that we booked for 2023. Universal Orlando (which is where Harry Potter World is Housed) often offers a 2-day+2 Day Promo (PS. It’s still happening right now for travel before March 2, 2023 if you are interested). We used a travel eraser card like the Capital One Venture X card. We bought the tickets through Undercover Tourist (which was just under $1,500 for a family of 5 for 4 days) and then were able to wipe that travel expense out with points. There are general rules of thumb, often a point equals a $.01 so in this case would be 150,000 points. I can go into much more detail on how we reach those minimum spends and when we apply for credit cards as a part of our regular family budget on the Q/A call.

I did some research into what hotel works best for our family in the area and I’ll jump into that in a bit below. Ultimately we landed on Cabana Bay Beach Resort and used the Chase Ultimate Rewards to pay for our hotel. It doesn’t always make sense for us to use reward points for hotels and car rentals. I can go into much more detail on what we look for and when it makes sense to pay for accommodations/transportation to earn bonus categories vs. when it makes sense to use rewards if you want to have insight into my brain and how we approach this. 2. Best Hotel-hacking options for larger families.

Hotels in general can be tricky for families. As your kids get older it’s not as easy to coordinate sleeping arrangements. We have found several specific hotels within the various hotel families. As a family of 5 hotels in general are harder. As I was finding the right formula for our family I would look at things like: was there free parking or free shuttle to the airport? Could we make a meal in the room? Was there free breakfast or perks with hotel status that we could optimize? Usually the selling factor for the kids, is there a pool? Within the 3 major families of hotel Marriot, IHG, and Hilton there are several branches that offer options for families. Three of our favorites are:

Residence Inn or Springhill Suites by Marriott
Embassy Suites by Hilton
Hyatt House or Hyatt Place by IHG
And if I am paying cash I appreciate Comfort Suites.

As I alluded to at the start of this episode, travel rewards can be overwhelming and the content out there is not always geared towards families of 3 or more. Register for our LIVE EVENT to answer your Questions on Family Travel Hacking for those interested in becoming a (or improving your) Family Travel Hacker skills. To register go to https://ordinarysherpa.com/LIVE Even if you are slightly interested I would strongly encourage you to sign up. It will be recorded AND there is a surprise that will only be available to those who register - before the rest of the community and world knows about it.

View Details

First to highlight some of my previous content:

On episode 018 | Travel Rewards tips with Melissa Lagerquist. We talk about some of the basic terminology, approaches and ways she has used points to hack cruises. Full disclosure - Melissa is connected to the Choose FI Travel Rewards course. If you want to go down the rabbit hole that free course is where I started when it was launched probably close to 5 years ago.
On episode 019 | Our approach to travel rewards I walk through our strategy and I give you a free downloadable planning guide to help you through the process. That is available at: https://ordinarysherpa.com/rewards/
Episode 032 | How to Fly a family of 5 to Hawaii for under $500 I dive deep into Southwest Companion Pass which we have had for 4 years straight. We are not renewing next year because we will be traveling in the RV next year and as you will soon hear we have a different strategy.
Episode 070 | Hacks to Optimize Family Experiences without Sacrificing Value offers an updated approach to how I plan our summer vacations in particular.

We also reference travel hacking in episode 084 with Ed Tee adventuring near and far; Episode 040 Interim Expat with Scott Barrett, and Episode 077 | Funding the Fun with Jen of Investor Mama.

Hawaii flights for 5 for under $300

Harry Potter World (tickets and hotel) for $0.
This was a recent “can we do it challenge.” that we booked for 2023. Universal Orlando (which is where Harry Potter World is Housed) often offers a 2-day+2 Day Promo (PS. It’s still happening right now for travel before March 2, 2023 if you are interested). We used a travel eraser card like the Capital One Venture X card. We bought the tickets through Undercover Tourist (which was just under $1,500 for a family of 5 for 4 days) and then were able to wipe that travel expense out with points. There are general rules of thumb, often a point equals a $.01 so in this case would be 150,000 points. I can go into much more detail on how we reach those minimum spends and when we apply for credit cards as a part of our regular family budget on the Q/A call.

Residence Inn or Springhill Suites by Marriott
Embassy Suites by Hilton
Hyatt House or Hyatt Place by IHG
And if I am paying cash I appreciate Comfort Suites.

View Details

096 | Dual-Citizen Family Explores all State Parks in Wisconsin

Tracy Philippi is a 4-seasons adventure enthusiast raising her 3 young, dual-citizens between Madison, Wisconsin and Canada. During COVID, Tracy and her family completed their goal of camping, hiking & swimming in all 48 Wisconsin State Parks. Tracy is a professional fundraiser, leading the charge to build a library in her community (the only place in Dane County without a library!) as a passionate volunteer. Currently on a gap year from paid employment, Tracy is focusing on slowing down, solo backpacking with her kids, expanding her vegetable & pollinator gardens and reading as much as humanly possible. Tracy has a Master’s in Environmental Studies from York University in Toronto and is a Certified Cicerone (Beer Sommelier).

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/096Will you leave Written Review on Apple Podcasts: https://ordinarysherpa.com/review/Subscribe to the email List: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/Join the Ordinary Sherpa Facebook Group to interact with other listeners. https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpa

Key Takeaways

A cicerone is a fun way to dive deeper into beer culture and great inspiration to visit breweries on your travels
A family goal to visit all 49 Wisconsin State Parks was a cost effective way to see the state, such as the Cape Cod equivalent in Door County, and allowing their oldest the space to thrive while exploring outdoors.
Hiking, Swimming, and Camping in State Parks have a very low barrier to entry. (Currently $28 for a resident State Park Sticker). Park of the fun is discovering what is unique about each state park.
There were 5 state parks referenced in this episode.
1. Straight Lakes State Park
2. Kohler Andre State Park
3. Big Bay State Park
4. Wyalusing State Park
5. Devil’s Lake State Park
Some tips for camping with kids started with lower your expectations. It’s okay to leave early or go out to dinner.
Camp with a big group of friends or if you are a parent of multiples do a 1:1 experience. Both options will take the pressure off the parent.
It takes 45 minutes of unstructured play for kids to start being creative and using their imaginations. It takes time for kids to acclimate to surroundings.
Pack light and keep things easy. Challenge yourself to leave “what if” items behind. It will make you more resourceful in the moment.
Dress for every occasion. They like to camp in spring and fall which means less bugs, but much cooler temps. This makes wool baselayers, rain coats and pants essential on the packing list.
Tailor your location based on your kids interested. There is a state park with or near just about anything you could want to do.
State parks can be magical year round.
State Park Passes are a great gift. For $28 (resident sticker) you can support your staff, family or friends getting outside and exploring state parks.

To connect with Tracy Phillippi come join the Ordinary Sherpa Facebook Group.

View Details

096 | Dual-Citizen Family Explores all State Parks in Wisconsin

Key Takeaways

A cicerone is a fun way to dive deeper into beer culture and great inspiration to visit breweries on your travels
A family goal to visit all 49 Wisconsin State Parks was a cost effective way to see the state, such as the Cape Cod equivalent in Door County, and allowing their oldest the space to thrive while exploring outdoors.
Hiking, Swimming, and Camping in State Parks have a very low barrier to entry. (Currently $28 for a resident State Park Sticker). Park of the fun is discovering what is unique about each state park.
There were 5 state parks referenced in this episode.
1. Straight Lakes State Park
2. Kohler Andre State Park
3. Big Bay State Park
4. Wyalusing State Park
5. Devil’s Lake State Park
Some tips for camping with kids started with lower your expectations. It’s okay to leave early or go out to dinner.
Camp with a big group of friends or if you are a parent of multiples do a 1:1 experience. Both options will take the pressure off the parent.
It takes 45 minutes of unstructured play for kids to start being creative and using their imaginations. It takes time for kids to acclimate to surroundings.
Pack light and keep things easy. Challenge yourself to leave “what if” items behind. It will make you more resourceful in the moment.
Dress for every occasion. They like to camp in spring and fall which means less bugs, but much cooler temps. This makes wool baselayers, rain coats and pants essential on the packing list.
Tailor your location based on your kids interested. There is a state park with or near just about anything you could want to do.
State parks can be magical year round.
State Park Passes are a great gift. For $28 (resident sticker) you can support your staff, family or friends getting outside and exploring state parks.

To connect with Tracy Phillippi come join the Ordinary Sherpa Facebook Group.

View Details

As nature prepares for winter, the leaves fall, the damp chill has us grabbing for blankets or cozy clothes, the drive to adventure can sometimes dissipate. The darkness lingers longer in the morning and comes sooner at night. While I am not an expert in moon cycles, I have even learned that we are in a low energy cycle currently. I think it’s perfectly okay to listen to rest and embrace the low energy season, we might feel the undertows and external current of productivity suggesting otherwise. For some of us who see goals and achievement as key drivers it also can feel like we are off the wagon.

I’ve been in this awkward phase. I’ve been less motivated or inspired to create the last few weeks. I shared the rut I was feeling with a few content creator groups and crowdsourced their suggestions. I thought I would dedicate this episode to share what I have learned and some things I have tried this week.

Pay attention to the Moon Cycles
“I don’t know how long you have been feeling this. But I can say that we have just entered the waning moon phase. This phase lasts two weeks after the full moon. We had a full moon on Sunday. This is a lower energy time. This is a time for maintenance, and more rest, this is a time to be extra aware of your energy. A time to do more of what you love, and less work. This is your time to hibernate and declutter a bit so that you are ready for the next moon cycle. So instead of feeling guilty that I’m not as energized or “making progress” or inspired, I embrace the slower pace. Let yourself nap more, remind yourself this slowing down, and not always “doing” is natural and necessary.” I am putting a link to Beth Suter who was the person who offered this insight if anyone wants to learn more about this.
Listen to your body - I have been feeling heavy and frumpy and wanted to wake things up a bit. Confessions from a true podcaster, when I need to amp up the energy to get on the mic or be “on” for whatever reason I usually cranks some empowering music. Usually it’s something like Rachel Platten, Miley Cyrus or Taylor Swift - these wouldn’t typically be the music I listen to but there is a touch of authenticity mixed with brash that invigorates my systems. I have noticed the last few weeks I’ll break out into dance or yoga or some combination of the two - what would that be called doga?!? Feeling strong and moving my body is kind of freeing which leads me to my next one.
Draw, Paint or color out emotions - This suggestion actually made sense to me from my teaching and adult learning style days. Our brains actually need to be stimulated to cross the right and left brain hemisphere. Like we need to loosen the reigns of logic. Or on the flip side we might have all the pieces and need to get out of our creative brain and into logic so doing something like playing with legos, sudoku, or a word puzzle sometimes can give your brain directionality.
Putting myself in unfamiliar circumstances that interrupt my routine. Listen or look for content to distract, reflect and inspire. Breaking out of your typical places, go for a long drive, head to a different coffee shop…you can’t change who you are, but you can change where you are.
Just hit record for 5 minutes. Usually I make it all the way through and it turns out better than expected. Like the pringles saying - once you pop, you can’t stop!
Take an Untourist walk - new place, look to learn, fresh air similar to putting yourself in an unfamiliar circumstance combined with the mantra that motion creates emotion.
Sounds like you might be overwhelmed. What are you NOT going to dof? Funny story, this was one of the key message of my presentation and RV Entrepreneur Roundtable and like a darn boomerang the organizer brought it right back to me LOL. Sounds like great advice. Well you want to know what I decided. I'm going to simply enjoy Q4.
To feel good about leaving the organization I work for in the best place possible.
To host family Christmas and then pack the RV and launch on our gap year
To make an offer - one that excites me!
Again my own advice from RVE that my friend Josh so eloquently tossed back at me. Pretend it’s Chinese New Year - they only focus on one thing: the year of the blog, the year of the book. what is one thing you are really excited about to focus on and get good at?
My dear friend Tony suggested these words “Listen to this episode. It’s inspiring, the host is infectious and you really get a sense of her purpose and sense of joy while listening. Feel free to pause no less than 12 times and make a note in your journal, all while sitting on a bench somewhere.” He includes the link to Episode 001 of Ordinary Sherpa. I took his advice. I listened to that episode, in the raw nature that only your first episode can unveil. I was reminded of why I started this podcast and fell back in love with it. Less pressure more fun. Thanks Tony. I wouldn’t have gotten here without your suggestion this week.
Ask for Help?
As I alluded to at the start of this episode. All of these suggestions came from fellow creators in various Content creator Groups. I also asked my mom to make us supper the day my daughter had her pre-op and I was out of town. Coming home to a home cooked meal, rolls and even dessert was such a great symbolism that we are loved. Earlier this week, I asked my colleague to take the lead on a communication that I have been struggling to get done. I don’t know why I get stuck feeling like I have to do it all. People genuinely want to help, we just have to be brave enough to ask.

I have really been putting pressure on myself to be on my A game. As I exit my job, my daughter goes through minor surgery on her elbow, we wrap up doctor visits while still on our existing health plan and coordinate some school things, and then figure out all the things yet to do with the house, it’s no wonder things feel heavy. Not to mention 2 years of covid disruptions. I ask for your grace as I continue on. I am still here and eager to support family adventures with everyday simple adventures, with untouristy and authentic travel experiences and a lessons in designing an adventurous lifestyle with kids. I have some really great things in store, and they will be available when they are meant to be available.

I look forward to seeing you in the Ordinary Sherpa Facebook group this week and seeing how we could do to help you? We’ll be in touch!

View Details

A fun win of the week is that Ordinary Sherpa crossed 100 written reviews. This is a huge benchmark for the Podcast. If your name is NOT one of the 100 Written reviews, there is still time - we will continue to need those as we reach more people and brands with our work. Apple DOES not make it easy so feel free to check out this tutorial to walk you through the process.

Will you leave Written Review on Apple Podcasts: https://ordinarysherpa.com/review/

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/094Join the Ordinary Sherpa Facebook Group to interact with other listeners. https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpa

Bio: Grab notes from: https://thestokefam.com/about-us-2/

Our guest today firmly believes what lights you up AKA your Stoke, shouldn’t stop when you have kids. With the goal of helping families adventure more and stress less she and her husband created The Stoke Fam. Through their practical advice, actionable tips, and stories that resonate they empower families to get out and explore together while building stronger relationships with their children & teens. I have chuckled at the mishaps and appreciated her humility as she keeps adventure real with kids. Tiffany, welcome to Ordinary Sherpa.

Key Takeaways

Adventurous Mom is a title that you can grow into and evolve with your family. While Tiffany had adventure experiences as a kid, much of her adventure spirit has been nurtured since having kids.
Investing in ski lessons from someone other than your significant other is usually cheaper than therapy in the long run. Your relationship might thank you for this insight.
While you can and should adventure with whatever you have, investing in a few key pieces of gear was a game changer for Tiffany. Learning how to layer and find some key items to keep her warm and dry while adventuring made the experience much more desirable.
Find your Stoke is to find that thing that lights you up. What is the spark or what brings you joy.
As kids age their attitudes, opinions and personality shine through. Recognizing each individual has wants and needs and making sure to consider everyone's desires in the process is critical for teens and tweens overall engagement.
Allow your kids to have an opinion both in the planning and timeline for family adventures. We want to empower kids to speak up and share their limitations and have a voice in the decision making. If we do this well they become invested in the overall experience. Opting out might be a choice to consider.
“Be a welcome mat to family adventure” Most of the adventures we see others doing, didn’t start at the epic summit. We work up to those. Be careful not to compare your start to someone else’s summit.
The Outdoor Resource Guide and Start Here sections of the Stoke Family blog are great starting points to consider things that trip us up in adventure. The goal is to make it easy so you can spend less time researching and more time adventuring.

To Connect with or Follow

Website: thestokefam.com

Email: hello@thestokefam.com

IG: https://instagram.com/thestokefam

FB/Twitter/Pinterest/TikTok: Also all @thestokefam, but spend the most time on Instagram

A few resources referenced during the episode:
Outdoor Resource Guide: https://thestokefam.ck.page/25b1efeea6
Start-Here section of the Blog: https://thestokefam.com/start-here/

View Details

My Adventure Win of the Week (btw a weekly feature in the Ordinary Sherpa Facebook Group) is that I am coming off my first Ordinary Sherpa meet up locally and a mini book launch party. After publishing my book in May I needed a break from it. We spent the summer adventuring and enjoying life. I am ready to get back into a routine. Entrepre. - what am I going to focus on? One of the options was to release the audiobook format of my book. People are sharing their feedback and how the book helped them. In light of that I thought I’d dedicate an episode to a chapter in the book titled “I’m not Adventurous” I wrote this book specifically for parents who crave adventure.

My Adventure Win of the Week (btw a weekly feature in the Ordinary Sherpa Facebook Group) is that I am coming off my first Ordinary Sherpa meet up locally and a mini book launch party. After publishing my book in May I needed a break from it. We spent the summer adventuring and enjoying life. I am ready to get back into a routine. Entrepreneurship challenge has been what am I going to focus on? One of the options was to release the audiobook format of my book. People are sharing their feedback and how the book helped them. In light of that I thought I’d dedicate an episode to a chapter in the book titled “I’m not Adventurous” I wrote this book specifically for parents who crave adventure.

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/093

To find and support the book: https://ordinarysherpa.com/book
Join the Free Ordinary Sherpa Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpa

View Details

My Adventure Win of the Week (btw a weekly feature in the Ordinary Sherpa Facebook Group) is that I am coming off my first Ordinary Sherpa meet up locally and a mini book launch party. After publishing my book in May I needed a break from it. We spent the summer adventuring and enjoying life. I am ready to get back into a routine. Entrepreneurship challenge has been what am I going to focus on? One of the options was to release the audiobook format of my book. People are sharing their feedback and how the book helped them. In light of that I thought I’d dedicate an episode to a chapter in the book titled “I’m not Adventurous” I wrote this book specifically for parents who crave adventure.

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/093

To find and support the book: https://ordinarysherpa.com/book
Join the Free Ordinary Sherpa Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpa

View Details

When you learn tricks to optimize your time, money, and travel it sometimes feels like you are winning at life. While I love a good optimization strategy, I have found that there is nothing to optimize relationships and being human. My hope is that this episode today helps you optimize the stuff in your life getting in the way of you connecting with other humans (or even with yourself).

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/092Join the Ordinary Sherpa Facebook Group to interact with other listeners. https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpa

Our guest today is the ultimate life hacker helping others optimize their time, money, and travel. I’ve listened to stories of him begging to go to boarding school, being an undercover agent to expose a pyramid scheme, creating a company in 48-hours, and even the back story on how he convinced his wedding videographer to do his wedding for free (I guess technically it was about a $1,000). His tenacity in the face of uncertainty is inspiring and he always seems to find unique ways to bring people together from hosting concerts, to Laid Off Camp, to speaking at South by Southwest. He is a travel rewards guru but also looks at experiences differently. An example is traveling the world in 8 months when he suggested to his wife to take a one-way flight with him to South Africa, couch surf as much as possible and find interesting ways to travel between cities. After years of working in start ups and aggressively pursuing Financial Independence, he also seems to have landed as the founder and host of All the Hacks podcast. Chris Hutchins is a dad of 2 young girls, and Chief Optimizer here to share his insights. Chris, thank you so much for being here. Welcome to Ordinary Sherpa

Key Takeaways

A great starter travel hack: Book your room directly through the hotel. Then email the hotel directly (the local hotel not HQ) and share more about who you are and why you are staying there. The number of extras people receive has been in the hundreds. Hotels are in the hospitality game. By interacting with them you are letting them do the things they are good at, which is hospitality. By working with them direct you make it easier for them to build a relationship with you and provide a better overall experience.
Chris shared an experience where negotiating with the added challenge of culture and language barriers led to this escalating. Even though he was in the right, it reminded him that sometimes winning isn’t saving a few bucks.
Living on $30/day did inspire finding the cheapest accommodations each night. However if $3 meant three hours walking around town, there is a point when you have to recognize you will never get the three hours back. Is this really the best use of all of our resources.
Time becomes more important than money when you have kids. Finding the value of 30 minutes is very different when your total free time is less than 4 hours as compared to 10 hours each day.
One way they optimized their life with kids was to hire someone from a Craigslist to bulk prep meals. Sometimes optimizing means figuring out what management trick we can use right now without feeling like we need to create a system that solves all of our problems forever.
While they once traveled via the cheapest flights, the filter for searching flight options now includes the cheapest + direct flight.
Being a dad, he’s gotten more optimized on time strategies without sweating a small to moderate financial investment. He’s much more likely to spend time with his kids than the hours he spent researching the best option earlier in his life.
Using the Lyft driving example, Chris was able to give his time a floor value. Putting a dollar value on each hour of his time helped him realize the negative ROI of Do-it-Yourself type implementation.
Stacking two tasks that don’t need the same part of your brain is also a tip that allows him to maximize his time. For example he might schedule a call while on a walk or listen to podcast guest he is doing research on while driving or washing the dishes.
Do a calendar audit from time to time. What lights you up and what can go away or be stacked on top of something else.
Having a THING to talk about when meeting new people to help build relationships. Laid off camp was the thing people were curious about. Better yet, listen more and have the others do the talking.

Connect or Follow:Podcast: All the HacksWebsite: ChrisHutchins.comEmail: chris@allthehacks.com Twitter:@hutchinsInstagram:@chrishutchinsFacebook: @chrishutchins Resources: All the Hacks episodes referenced in this episode 1. 52 Places: The Art of Traveling Like a Journalist and Making Every Trip Memorable 2. Hosting Cocktail Parties, Building Relationships, Museum Hacks and Friends Newsletters 3. Rental Cars: Saving Money, Avoiding Fees and All the Secret Tricks 4. Pro Travel Hacks for Every Aspect of Your Next Trip 5. Maximize Your Points: Stacking, Buyers Clubs, Redemption Hacks, and More

View Details

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/092Join the Ordinary Sherpa Facebook Group to interact with other listeners. https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpa

Key Takeaways

A great starter travel hack: Book your room directly through the hotel. Then email the hotel directly (the local hotel not HQ) and share more about who you are and why you are staying there. The number of extras people receive has been in the hundreds. Hotels are in the hospitality game. By interacting with them you are letting them do the things they are good at, which is hospitality. By working with them direct you make it easier for them to build a relationship with you and provide a better overall experience.
Chris shared an experience where negotiating with the added challenge of culture and language barriers led to this escalating. Even though he was in the right, it reminded him that sometimes winning isn’t saving a few bucks.
Living on $30/day did inspire finding the cheapest accommodations each night. However if $3 meant three hours walking around town, there is a point when you have to recognize you will never get the three hours back. Is this really the best use of all of our resources.
Time becomes more important than money when you have kids. Finding the value of 30 minutes is very different when your total free time is less than 4 hours as compared to 10 hours each day.
One way they optimized their life with kids was to hire someone from a Craigslist to bulk prep meals. Sometimes optimizing means figuring out what management trick we can use right now without feeling like we need to create a system that solves all of our problems forever.
While they once traveled via the cheapest flights, the filter for searching flight options now includes the cheapest + direct flight.
Being a dad, he’s gotten more optimized on time strategies without sweating a small to moderate financial investment. He’s much more likely to spend time with his kids than the hours he spent researching the best option earlier in his life.
Using the Lyft driving example, Chris was able to give his time a floor value. Putting a dollar value on each hour of his time helped him realize the negative ROI of Do-it-Yourself type implementation.
Stacking two tasks that don’t need the same part of your brain is also a tip that allows him to maximize his time. For example he might schedule a call while on a walk or listen to podcast guest he is doing research on while driving or washing the dishes.
Do a calendar audit from time to time. What lights you up and what can go away or be stacked on top of something else.
Having a THING to talk about when meeting new people to help build relationships. Laid off camp was the thing people were curious about. Better yet, listen more and have the others do the talking.

View Details

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/091Will you leave Written Review on Apple Podcasts: https://ordinarysherpa.com/review/Join the Ordinary Sherpa Facebook Group to interact with other listeners. https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpa

Key Takeaways

Look for opportunities that inspire you. Listening to the RVE podcast (link to episode) for sometime I was genuinely curious and decided to ask to be a guest on the podcast. This led to a great conversation where I was able to contribute some insights and support their work.
Communities are made by people, not numbers. There were just under 100 people and the depth of relationships built were unlike any other experience. Humble Leadership is also an indicator of an authentic experience.
Create the space where others can ask you for help and you can ask others for help. Being vulnerable to share opens doors to authentic connections. I never want to be the smartest person in the room.
There are fascinating businesses in the RV space. From a traveling band- shout out to my friends Jacqueline and Dave Hudson of the Border Hookups and side note the entire concert was powered by solar it was so cool to share a few drinks on the patio; Niki of Your Selling Guide teaching people retail arbitrage, Learning from the media relations side RV podcast veterans and the reason for several fan visits - Jason & Abby Eperson of RV Miles and America’s National Parks Podcast. With support from various forms of content - both digital and analog and roundtables to ask questions and get clarity. I am always impressed to see what is possible.
My friends Scott & Taylor are the new owners of the Campers Hub and have an amazing vision. Offering co-working space, amazing wi-fi, places to gather, meet, record. I am so excited to see what is possible for the future of campgrounds.
When 10+ families with kids come together to play, learn and create together it is truly mesmerizing. I was so proud to see creative independence emerge each day. The kids stole the show each night playing on piles of dirt and creating worlds and experiences no adult has dreamed of. I can’t wait to bring the kids and meet up with other RV families.
Dirt piles are way cooler than playgrounds. It has officially been added back into the renderings for the campground.
I can only go 4 days on crappy coffee. One of the other attendees (shout out to @thatroadtripmom) and I caravanned back to Denver together. I have never been so excited for boujie coffee. P.S. If you want to you can buy me a coffee to say thanks and support the show., I won’t turn you down LOL. I am not quite back to eqilibrium.
Practice asking for ways others can help you. People genuinely want to help. If they are more focused on what they can get - they aren’t your people.
Show up. While it’s nice to be back in-person, it is equally as important to show up and listen. Connections are not made by who you know, but how did you make them feel in your presence.

Call to Action:: Connect with or Follow any of the amazing entrepreneur and RV families. Click on the links below. Give them a follow, DM or share. Let them know Ordinary Sherpa thinks they are awesome!

Josh & Kolie were amazing hosts and organizers. You can find them at Gander Flight mostly on YouTube, or the Traveling Families podcast, Josh is also the host of the RV Life Entrepreneur Podcast.

Scott & Taylor are the owners of the Camper’s Hub, and RV park for the next generation of campers. Watch their journey as they transform the space into an amazing place for family connections and lasting memories.

Dave & Jacqueline: The Border Hook-ups are a male-female acoustic duo that tours extensively.

Niki: Your Selling Guide has worked her way through the retail arbitrage space to successfully resell on Amazon.

View Details

Key Takeaways

Look for opportunities that inspire you. Listening to the RVE podcast (link to episode) for sometime I was genuinely curious and decided to ask to be a guest on the podcast. This led to a great conversation where I was able to contribute some insights and support their work.
Communities are made by people, not numbers. There were just under 100 people and the depth of relationships built were unlike any other experience. Humble Leadership is also an indicator of an authentic experience.
Create the space where others can ask you for help and you can ask others for help. Being vulnerable to share opens doors to authentic connections. I never want to be the smartest person in the room.
There are fascinating businesses in the RV space. From a traveling band- shout out to my friends Jacqueline and Dave Hudson of the Border Hookups and side note the entire concert was powered by solar it was so cool to share a few drinks on the patio; Niki of Your Selling Guide teaching people retail arbitrage, Learning from the media relations side RV podcast veterans and the reason for several fan visits - Jason & Abby Eperson of RV Miles and America’s National Parks Podcast. With support from various forms of content - both digital and analog and roundtables to ask questions and get clarity. I am always impressed to see what is possible.
My friends Scott & Taylor are the new owners of the Campers Hub and have an amazing vision. Offering co-working space, amazing wi-fi, places to gather, meet, record. I am so excited to see what is possible for the future of campgrounds.
When 10+ families with kids come together to play, learn and create together it is truly mesmerizing. I was so proud to see creative independence emerge each day. The kids stole the show each night playing on piles of dirt and creating worlds and experiences no adult has dreamed of. I can’t wait to bring the kids and meet up with other RV families.
Dirt piles are way cooler than playgrounds. It has officially been added back into the renderings for the campground.
I can only go 4 days on crappy coffee. One of the other attendees (shout out to @thatroadtripmom) and I caravanned back to Denver together. I have never been so excited for boujie coffee. P.S. If you want to you can buy me a coffee to say thanks and support the show., I won’t turn you down LOL. I am not quite back to eqilibrium.
Practice asking for ways others can help you. People genuinely want to help. If they are more focused on what they can get - they aren’t your people.
Show up. While it’s nice to be back in-person, it is equally as important to show up and listen. Connections are not made by who you know, but how did you make them feel in your presence.

Josh & Kolie were amazing hosts and organizers. You can find them at Gander Flight mostly on YouTube, or the Traveling Families podcast, Josh is also the host of the RV Life Entrepreneur Podcast.

Dave & Jacqueline: The Border Hook-ups are a male-female acoustic duo that tours extensively.

Niki: Your Selling Guide has worked her way through the retail arbitrage space to successfully resell on Amazon.

View Details

Jessica is a full-time human being and a part-time lifestyle design coach and writer at the award-winning blog, The Fioneers. Jessica’s goal is to build a life she doesn’t want to retire from and help others do the same through her writing, courses, and group coaching programs. Jessica has been featured in MarketWatch, Business Insider, The Motley Fool, and Forbes. When not writing and coaching, you can find her perfecting her sourdough pizza recipe, road-tripping in her campervan with her husband and dog, and playing complex, cooperative board games.

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/090
Subscribe to the email List: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/ to get the latest on the Ordinary Sherpa membership and “Middle space” communityJoin the Ordinary Sherpa Facebook Group to interact with other listeners. https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpa

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Financial Independence or the idea of increasing income, decreasing spending and accelerating your savings can sometimes feel like deprivation. Jess saw FI as a tool to inspire her to consider “What would I really want out of life?” Developing that vision helped her establish how to get from here to there.
Following some challenges with her mental health she needed to make immeditate changes and it was the first time she was able to look at her money and ask “What can my money do for me today?” Recognizing she had a 9m savings runway she could take a career break. This gave her the freedom to focus on her health and once that was in a good place she could begin to add in the passion work from her life vision.
Coast FI (Coast FI Calculator) is the point at which you no longer need to save and still be on track for traditional retirement. Semi-Retirement (sometimes known as Barista FI) is a higher amount overall and through the combination of drawing down + a smaller amount of active income are able to potentially step back from traditional employment.
Two of the empowering beliefs that helped guide her vision were:
I deserve to be pain free
I deserve to live a thriving and joyful life
Part of living into the vision is paying attention on a daily basis. Not only from a to-do list perspective, but being intentional about having fun and spacious time.
I learned that doing travel and adventure didn’t have to be only on big trips, she began asking How can I do this everyday? What does adventure mean today?
Recognizing that travel doesn’t have to be a hurry. She stopped viewing travel as a “Once in a lifetime experience.” She referenced a two-week vacation to Europe that led to her feeling like she had to do all the things which led to other problems.
Slowing Down came as a necessity for her to remove everything and asking herself What do I want to add back in? She also recognizes that you don’t need an external crisis to go through this process. The power is in realizing you have options and having the courage to take action.
Being intentional allowed her to reduce what she didn’t want to do which then gave space for her to test what she did want to do. It can be a virtuous cycle to build upon.
Jess speaks highly of the importance of building a community of like-minded people. “It’s life changing when you find the people who do understand and seeing different examples of what is possible”

To stay connected and learn about the upcoming LIVE event and Community subscribe to Ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe

To follow or Connect with Jessice (aka Mrs. Fioneers)

Website: https://thefioneers.com

Email: thefioneers@gmail.com

Facebook: Slow FI Enthusiasts Facebook group - https://thefioneers.com/fb

Instagram: @thefioneers

Twitter: @thefioneers

Resources from this episode:
Coast FI Calculator: https://thefioneers.com/coast-financial-independence-calculator/

Supportive Friends will Change your Life: https://thefioneers.com/supportive-friends/

View Details

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Financial Independence or the idea of increasing income, decreasing spending and accelerating your savings can sometimes feel like deprivation. Jess saw FI as a tool to inspire her to consider “What would I really want out of life?” Developing that vision helped her establish how to get from here to there.
Following some challenges with her mental health she needed to make immeditate changes and it was the first time she was able to look at her money and ask “What can my money do for me today?” Recognizing she had a 9m savings runway she could take a career break. This gave her the freedom to focus on her health and once that was in a good place she could begin to add in the passion work from her life vision.
Coast FI (Coast FI Calculator) is the point at which you no longer need to save and still be on track for traditional retirement. Semi-Retirement (sometimes known as Barista FI) is a higher amount overall and through the combination of drawing down + a smaller amount of active income are able to potentially step back from traditional employment.
Two of the empowering beliefs that helped guide her vision were:
I deserve to be pain free
I deserve to live a thriving and joyful life
Part of living into the vision is paying attention on a daily basis. Not only from a to-do list perspective, but being intentional about having fun and spacious time.
I learned that doing travel and adventure didn’t have to be only on big trips, she began asking How can I do this everyday? What does adventure mean today?
Recognizing that travel doesn’t have to be a hurry. She stopped viewing travel as a “Once in a lifetime experience.” She referenced a two-week vacation to Europe that led to her feeling like she had to do all the things which led to other problems.
Slowing Down came as a necessity for her to remove everything and asking herself What do I want to add back in? She also recognizes that you don’t need an external crisis to go through this process. The power is in realizing you have options and having the courage to take action.
Being intentional allowed her to reduce what she didn’t want to do which then gave space for her to test what she did want to do. It can be a virtuous cycle to build upon.
Jess speaks highly of the importance of building a community of like-minded people. “It’s life changing when you find the people who do understand and seeing different examples of what is possible”

To stay connected and learn about the upcoming LIVE event and Community subscribe to Ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe

To follow or Connect with Jessice (aka Mrs. Fioneers)

Website: https://thefioneers.com

Email: thefioneers@gmail.com

Facebook: Slow FI Enthusiasts Facebook group - https://thefioneers.com/fb

Instagram: @thefioneers

Twitter: @thefioneers

Resources from this episode:
Coast FI Calculator: https://thefioneers.com/coast-financial-independence-calculator/

Supportive Friends will Change your Life: https://thefioneers.com/supportive-friends/

View Details

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/089
Freebie: 50+ Simple Family Adventure Ideas: https://ordinarysherpa.com/free

Return to school we are rounding out our summer by visiting the kids summer adventure lists to see what remains. We have tried to find something each day that seems new, different and yet simple and attainable. Thanks to my daughter’s list she made a weaving art with pipe cleaners. My little monster organized a water balloon stomp on the trampoline, and we are hoping to visit either the local night sky program or the venom extraction at a local attraction this weekend. All these family adventures were designed by kids and have led to really fun family connection experiences, so I thought I would use these simple adventures as the theme for our show today.

Point in life when I realized my comfort zone was getting smaller. There is a social conditioning that happens through structures in our society (family, faith, economics, etc) that begin to condition us to avoid certain things. I think one of the magical elements about being around young kids is their sense of wonder, their belief that they can do, be, and have anything.

Resources Referenced in this episode:

Book: Beyond Normal a field guide to embrace adventure, explore the wilderness and design an extraordinary life with kids.
Episode 087 | How to Quit a Job you Love
Free Download: Simple Family Adventure Ideas

View Details

Field Trips are often an immersion, a hands on learning experience. In this episode Heidi interviews Erin Austen Abbott to cultivate backyard family adventures sharing planning tips for family field trips. She also peel back the layers of untourism by describing what makes a place like Mississippi so unique and filled with hidden gems, yet rarely on our travel list.

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/088
Will you leave Written Review on Apple Podcasts: https://ordinarysherpa.com/review/
Beginner’s Guide to Untourism: https://ordinarysherpa.com/untourism/

Our guest is a writer, an early childhood educator, and a former traveling nanny. She has been featured in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Real Simple, Mother Mag, and more. She published her second book in April of 2020 called Family Field Trip. Her blog, Field Trip works to teach parents and children about design, food, art, and culture, from home and beyond. Erin Austen Abbott lives in Water Valley, Mississippi with her husband, son, and four animals.

Key Takeaways

Mississippi is unlikely on anyone’s bucket list, but it would be an ideal untourist destination due to the many hidden gems. As William Faulkner once said, “to understand the world, you must first understand a place like Mississippi. I'm not sure if any of you have ever been to the Mississippi Delta, but once you set foot on its soil, it seeps into your blood and changes the way in which your eyes look out at the world.”
To give you a hint of the hidden gems, the amount of good food at gas stations is unlike anywhere Erin has ever traveled. There are trails specific to music, literary trails, even a tamale trail. When you begin to look at the area with a different lens there are virtually adventures and hidden gems abound.
The Blues trail is not only a great adventure, it’s a historical and cultural lesson. Erin created a spotify playlist to accompany each blue sign to help connect the facts to an experience. The spotify playlist is something they can come back to over and over to retain and remember what they learned and experienced on the blues trail.
Erin’s second book, Family Field Trip was inspired many years ago during her solo travel days. She was standing in line for a remarkable location in France watching several kids complaining and oblivious to the amazing opportunities surrounding them. “I need to write a book about all the things they could do” That was the spark for the book and it never left. Even while working on her first book the family field trip book lingered waiting for her to bring it to life. What sparks linger inside of you? What books do you need to write?
Public art and murals are an indicator of what the area is going through. Many times the art reflects the aspect the community is proud of and the challenges they have worked through.
A great untourist experience is to go to a farmers market, grocery store, or locally owned restaurant and seek out the food you have never seen, or tried before. Purchase it and explore what makes that food unique. When you explore from a curious standpoint you also have questions to ask the local people and learn what makes that location unique.
In many ways, as we age we run out of first time experiences - which might be the appeal of travel. If we are intentional to notice nature is constantly changing around us. Things like a season study to watch for different birds or how the same place changes over time are great microadventures.
One way Erin likes to acclimate to a new community is to take public transit on a simple out and back experience. Study what’s outside the windows, listen to the local chatter and glean insights from the commuter culture that surrounds you. You’ll be able to be a simple passenger without an itinerary.
One of the ways Erin and her family like to connect with kids and families is by ordering good takeout and heading to a local park or playground. If you choose one near a school they are usually embedded in the community and will attract local people.
Erin gave SO MANY tips on how to plan for untourist or family field trips. One of her favorites is searching for geotags and then following the rabbit hole to discovery. For example when you are in Instagram and you click on the geotag it takes you to a map, which then she adds to a guide in Apple Maps. Getting in the habit of adding geotags to maps at the moment makes planning for the long term much easier.

To Follow or connect with Erin

Website: erinaustenabbott.com

Email: erinaustenabbott@gmail.com

Book: Family Field Trip: Explore Art, Food, Music, and Nature with Kids

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fieldtripblog

Instagram: @erinaustenabbott

Other: https://www.pinterest.com/erinaustenabbott

Family Field Trip: Explore Art, Food, Music, and Nature with Kids (Child Raising and Parenting Book, Montessori and World Schooling Book, Summer Vacation Guide)

View Details

Key Takeaways

Mississippi is unlikely on anyone’s bucket list, but it would be an ideal untourist destination due to the many hidden gems. As William Faulkner once said, “to understand the world, you must first understand a place like Mississippi. I'm not sure if any of you have ever been to the Mississippi Delta, but once you set foot on its soil, it seeps into your blood and changes the way in which your eyes look out at the world.”
To give you a hint of the hidden gems, the amount of good food at gas stations is unlike anywhere Erin has ever traveled. There are trails specific to music, literary trails, even a tamale trail. When you begin to look at the area with a different lens there are virtually adventures and hidden gems abound.
The Blues trail is not only a great adventure, it’s a historical and cultural lesson. Erin created a spotify playlist to accompany each blue sign to help connect the facts to an experience. The spotify playlist is something they can come back to over and over to retain and remember what they learned and experienced on the blues trail.
Erin’s second book, Family Field Trip was inspired many years ago during her solo travel days. She was standing in line for a remarkable location in France watching several kids complaining and oblivious to the amazing opportunities surrounding them. “I need to write a book about all the things they could do” That was the spark for the book and it never left. Even while working on her first book the family field trip book lingered waiting for her to bring it to life. What sparks linger inside of you? What books do you need to write?
Public art and murals are an indicator of what the area is going through. Many times the art reflects the aspect the community is proud of and the challenges they have worked through.
A great untourist experience is to go to a farmers market, grocery store, or locally owned restaurant and seek out the food you have never seen, or tried before. Purchase it and explore what makes that food unique. When you explore from a curious standpoint you also have questions to ask the local people and learn what makes that location unique.
In many ways, as we age we run out of first time experiences - which might be the appeal of travel. If we are intentional to notice nature is constantly changing around us. Things like a season study to watch for different birds or how the same place changes over time are great microadventures.
One way Erin likes to acclimate to a new community is to take public transit on a simple out and back experience. Study what’s outside the windows, listen to the local chatter and glean insights from the commuter culture that surrounds you. You’ll be able to be a simple passenger without an itinerary.
One of the ways Erin and her family like to connect with kids and families is by ordering good takeout and heading to a local park or playground. If you choose one near a school they are usually embedded in the community and will attract local people.
Erin gave SO MANY tips on how to plan for untourist or family field trips. One of her favorites is searching for geotags and then following the rabbit hole to discovery. For example when you are in Instagram and you click on the geotag it takes you to a map, which then she adds to a guide in Apple Maps. Getting in the habit of adding geotags to maps at the moment makes planning for the long term much easier.

To Follow or connect with Erin

Website: erinaustenabbott.com

Email: erinaustenabbott@gmail.com

Book: Family Field Trip: Explore Art, Food, Music, and Nature with Kids

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fieldtripblog

Instagram: @erinaustenabbott

Other: https://www.pinterest.com/erinaustenabbott

View Details

Something big happened last week (actually a few weeks ago now) Before I get into all of the thoughts and attempt to address FAQ about this decision I just wanted to remind you that if this sounds intriguing there are a few ways you can dive much deeper into the content

Subscribe to the podcast and email list http://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe
Read my book: Beyond Normal, a field guide to embrace adventure, explore the wilderness, and design an extraordinary life with kids.
Come meet up with me at the RVE summit in a couple weeks in Montrose, CO. Tickets are $99 and it’s a very casual experience to meet, connect and learn from other nomadic entrepreneurs living an adventurous lifestyle. https://therventrepreneur.com/rv-entrepreneur-summit/

Why am I leaving a job I love? The simple answer is because my kids are 12, 10 and 7 and if ever there was a “right time” to take a gap year and explore the world, this is it. This is an extremely personal decision and looking at each of the factors with your own lens and engaging in conversations with your partner/spouse/kids has been critical throughout this journey. I will share our journey and attempt to answer both the tactical and strategic approach we have taken to get here. I should also mention that I go into much more detail on how we got here in my book (Beyond Normal: A Field Guide to Embrace Adventure, Explore the WIlderness, and Design and Extraordinary Life with Kids).

The top 10 questions I have been asked and I'll attempt to address in this episode:

What’s the real reason you are leaving?
Why a gap year, why not a sabbatical?
Couldn’t you just work part-time?
What will you do for your kids' schooling? Won’t this impact your kids education?
What about your relationships with friends and family?
What about health insurance?
What are you going to do? Where are you going? What will atypical day look like?
Aren’t you nervous?
What has been the hardest part?
How can you afford to do this?

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/087Subscribe to the email List: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/

View Details

If you are curious about RV life or even Remote Lifestyle I strongly encourage you to consider attending the RV Entrepreneur Roundtable. It’s September 7-11 in Montrose CO. They just changed it from a summit to a roundtable and dropped the price. What I am SO excited about is that you get access to creators from various backgrounds in both the RV and Entrepreneur space. I will be there speaking on using my podcast to build community, so if you want to meet me or other brands and creators…or just deep dive into RV life, I am beyond excited to connect with others.

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/086Will you leave Written Review on Apple Podcasts: https://ordinarysherpa.com/review/Subscribe to the email List: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/Join me at the RVE Summit: https://therventrepreneur.com/rv-entrepreneur-summit/

View Details

Welcome back to another episode of Ordinary Sherpa, I am your host Heidi Dusek. This summer has been a fascinating journey in continuing to live out and test our adventurous lifestyle with kids. We spent over 30 days living in an RV in The Canadian Rockies near Banff, Jasper and then made our way down into Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming before some time in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Our purpose for this experiment was to consider this a test in slowing down. Treat it less like a vacation and more like a lifestyle filled with simple adventures.

You’ll hear more about our trip in coming episodes and through my email list (you can read all with a dose of adventure in your inbox each week). If you are intrigued about RV life I invite you to join me at the RV Entrepreneur summit in September in Colorado. I am including the link in the show notes. The theme for the summit is Connection Through Community. If you are remotely interested in RV life, starting a side hustle, or how to manage a remote lifestyle you might want to consider attending. I am particularly excited about the limited tickets in an effort to create a smaller event where we can connect deeper. Registration Link: https://therventrepreneur.com/rv-entrepreneur-summit/

I am excited about this episode. When I was launching my book, Doc G was extremely open and supportive, I would say demonstrating the sherpa philosophy. I also am excited because while he and I seem to approach life slightly different, I think our purpose behind the why of our work is similar. In fact part way through reading his book I messaged him to say I think we are both working on cultivating a meaningful life!

Jordan spent the later part of his career with patients during their end of their life. His interest in becoming a doctor was ignited when his father died unexpectedly in the prime of his life. After years of rotations and various practices, burnout and financial independence he settled into the speciality of hospice care. Doc G, whom you may have heard in Episode 20 Opting Out is back as Jordan Grumet with his new book, Taking Stock a Hospice Doctor’s Advice on Financial Independence, Building Wealth, and Living a Regret-Free Life.

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/084
Will you leave Written Review on Apple Podcasts: https://ordinarysherpa.com/review/Subscribe to the email List: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/

Key Takeaways

Jordan is a study in delayed gratification. Being a doctor meant putting in the time and work, which made planning for the future easy. Hospice allowed him to see 1. how fragile life is and how that rocket may never launch 2. Sometimes it’s just more fun to enjoy life now and recognize maybe I don’t need 2 marshmallows later! “What I forgot is that the real joy is to live life.”
His hospice patient reflections often sounded like “I wish I would’ve taken that trip 10 years ago when I felt better.” Jordan didn’t like the idea of YOLO until he realized you do only live once. He learned from his patients who were dying that there is a spectrum: YOLO on one end and delayed gratification on the other. Realizing this softened his perspective on YOLO.
While the doctor role was my purpose, I didn’t feel like I belonged in that culture. Instead of having the courage to cling onto hospice care which spoke to me, I pursued all the other elements of being a doctor. It took me decades to come back to do what I loved doing.
We’re dying from the day we are born, but we don’t really like to talk about that. Death means we have a finite amount of time to live out our purpose. Big scary thoughts remind us of our mortality. We focus on less important things - for Jordan that was money. Money and death are both topics that we don’t like to talk about, both topics are intertwined, and both are critical to figuring out who we want to be today.
A terminal diagnosis forces us to face important questions such as: What am I going to regret that I didn’t do? What am I going to want to achieve in the last 3-6 months of my life? We don’t need a death sentence to have those conversations.
The idea of writing your own eulogy is a great clarifier. He often gets the question “How do I know what my purpose is?” These activities force us to clarify what is important and meaningful to us. Having children has profoundly affected me in how I think about my goals and legacy. When you have to explain to your children why do you do what you do? Why do you have to work at night? Why can’t you be at my game? These are great clarifiers and help you focus on life through a different lens.
We make the mistake of thinking we can commoditize time (exchanging things for time). Time is static, it’s unchangeable and uncontrollable - meaning time passes no matter what we do. We need to change the conversation from gaining or losing time, rather what do we choose to fill our time with.
How do we experience time - it’s different at different times of our life. 6 YO version of time is very different at 48 YO version of time when you celebrate your child’s teenage birthday wondering where the time went. Another example set a time and watch tv for 2 minutes and then reset the timer for 2 minutes and hold a plank position….the same amount of time can feel very different based on what we are doing to fill the time. Ideally we want to find things that bring us joy, meaning and value to fill the majority of our time.
How can we view money as potential energy to erase the things we don’t want to do? I would rather do something I like but don’t love to erase something that I hate doing for an hour. Studies show we have a decent amount of free time.
Money and time capital are probably the least important of the overall equation. You can parse it out into all different sorts of capital, but when you get the money part of the framework you can erase the things that don’t bring you joy. Time becomes less of an issue when you learn to perceive it as abundance.

The Book Taking Stock Connects purpose, identity, to who and what we want to be in life and secondly gives us the money framework to make a meaningful life. Once you figure out your pathway to financial independence and how fast to get there.

Taking Stock: A Hospice Doctor's Advice on Financial Independence, Building Wealth, and Living a Regret-Free Life

View Details

Key Takeaways

Jordan is a study in delayed gratification. Being a doctor meant putting in the time and work, which made planning for the future easy. Hospice allowed him to see 1. how fragile life is and how that rocket may never launch 2. Sometimes it’s just more fun to enjoy life now and recognize maybe I don’t need 2 marshmallows later! “What I forgot is that the real joy is to live life.”
His hospice patient reflections often sounded like “I wish I would’ve taken that trip 10 years ago when I felt better.” Jordan didn’t like the idea of YOLO until he realized you do only live once. He learned from his patients who were dying that there is a spectrum: YOLO on one end and delayed gratification on the other. Realizing this softened his perspective on YOLO.
While the doctor role was my purpose, I didn’t feel like I belonged in that culture. Instead of having the courage to cling onto hospice care which spoke to me, I pursued all the other elements of being a doctor. It took me decades to come back to do what I loved doing.
We’re dying from the day we are born, but we don’t really like to talk about that. Death means we have a finite amount of time to live out our purpose. Big scary thoughts remind us of our mortality. We focus on less important things - for Jordan that was money. Money and death are both topics that we don’t like to talk about, both topics are intertwined, and both are critical to figuring out who we want to be today.
A terminal diagnosis forces us to face important questions such as: What am I going to regret that I didn’t do? What am I going to want to achieve in the last 3-6 months of my life? We don’t need a death sentence to have those conversations.
The idea of writing your own eulogy is a great clarifier. He often gets the question “How do I know what my purpose is?” These activities force us to clarify what is important and meaningful to us. Having children has profoundly affected me in how I think about my goals and legacy. When you have to explain to your children why do you do what you do? Why do you have to work at night? Why can’t you be at my game? These are great clarifiers and help you focus on life through a different lens.
We make the mistake of thinking we can commoditize time (exchanging things for time). Time is static, it’s unchangeable and uncontrollable - meaning time passes no matter what we do. We need to change the conversation from gaining or losing time, rather what do we choose to fill our time with.
How do we experience time - it’s different at different times of our life. 6 YO version of time is very different at 48 YO version of time when you celebrate your child’s teenage birthday wondering where the time went. Another example set a time and watch tv for 2 minutes and then reset the timer for 2 minutes and hold a plank position….the same amount of time can feel very different based on what we are doing to fill the time. Ideally we want to find things that bring us joy, meaning and value to fill the majority of our time.
How can we view money as potential energy to erase the things we don’t want to do? I would rather do something I like but don’t love to erase something that I hate doing for an hour. Studies show we have a decent amount of free time.
Money and time capital are probably the least important of the overall equation. You can parse it out into all different sorts of capital, but when you get the money part of the framework you can erase the things that don’t bring you joy. Time becomes less of an issue when you learn to perceive it as abundance.

View Details

This episode, Ed takes adventure to the next level with ways to experience adventure near and far. Ed is a husband and father originally from Singapore now in Washington. Prior to Covid he was a sophisticated travel hacker, but now more of an aspiring polyglot. Others might also say he’s a tax optimizer, a geo-arbitrage schemer, homeschooler, entrepreneur, and just adding a budding asian cuisine chef...Right? Let’s just say Ed Tee has become one of my adventure Super Heros. This episode will demonstrate, there is not much he hasn’t done as he works to leave his own mark on the world.

In preparing for this interview I dove deep into what it means to be a polyglot: which is the study of multiple languages. While Ed only speaks 2 languages fluently, I believe he said he can speak at an elementary level in I believe 12 languages. For listeners who may not be familiar with geo-arbitrage, it’s the ability to live anywhere. As you will hear Ed spends a significant amount of time in various countries. I am so grateful Ed was able to join us and take us on a wild ride just touching on a few of his adventures and give us all some tips and free resources to support our own adventure journey.

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/083Will you leave Written Review on Apple Podcasts: https://ordinarysherpa.com/review/Subscribe to the email List: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/Join the Ordinary Sherpa Facebook Group to interact with other listeners. https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpa

Themes:
Military Experience
Language Learning
Unlikely Cooking Lessons in Thailand
Length of travel and depth of experiences
Teenage daughter inspired most iconic adventure for the entire family
Homestead experience in Western Mongolia
Travel hacking
2020 version of adventure
Lifestyle fueled by Financial Independence

Key Takeaways:

I just wanted to recap with a couple of key takeaways that I noted throughout this episode.

1. Embrace the suck. Making the best of an experience can open your mind to new possibilities.
2. Once you realize you can belong anywhere, and be happy, the whole world opens up to you.
3. Language and food are critical aspects to local culture. Authentic local experiences typically don’t require extensive tourism.
4. You don’t need to be fluent, but the attempt to learn the language builds connections. Define a benchmark such as ordering a beer.
5. The military can be a path to explore the world and make meaningful connections.
6. Traveling the world is “more than collecting stamps in your passport.”
7. Is hunched over cooking at a street vendor push cart what you imagined for local cooking lessons? Maybe it could be.
8. While American safety standards exist for a reason, be open to what the standards in the community you are visiting. Lean in - get curious. You might be opting out with your hidden bias.
9. Is anyone else craving yummy Asian cuisine now?! Note to self: go to Thailand and indulge. It’s cheaper than Mac-N-Cheese at home :)
10. Look for inspiration everywhere. The curiosity of his teenage daughter took them on one of the most iconic experiences for their family.
11. Someti mes the greatest experiences will happen in the most unlikely places. Memorable experiences are not always synonymous with comfort.
12. Adventure and travel is a tool to reinforce children’s learning.
13. The buddy system is a good practice, even for remote locations like Western Mongolia
14. Not traveling in 2020 led to adventures in learning a new language and Japanese home cooking. Language and food were 2 large chunks of his travel experiences. What are big chunks of your travel experience.
15. The key to allowing their family the flexibility and freedom to travel extensively was a combination of Financial Independence and Homeschooling.
16. Financial Independence = Earn More, Spend Less, and Invest the difference. Maintain a reasonable lifestyle that keeps your spending aligned with your values. Make investing simple using broad-based index funds. After 10 years they were able to draw 3-4% to cover their annual living expenses.
17. Fill the gap by being willing to take odd jobs or ad-hoc consulting. This gave them the ability to be anywhere in the world.

Free Resources Referenced during the Show:

Financial Independence
- FI 101: Free FI course for Everyone: for people who want to get started and dive deep into FI: the Foundation's FI101 choosefi.com/fi101.
- Choose FI Travel Rewards course: Your shortcut to traveling better using less money with travel rewards. https://travel.choosefi.com
Pimsleur Language Learning Series: CD set available from local library system or download the app. Recommended by the military and available in about 50 languages.
Asian Home-cooking: http://Justonecookbook.com with Nami.

View Details

As I’ve mentioned in the past adventure looks different for everyone and using the simple definition of a new or different slightly risky experience still drives home this theme week after week. On this episode we’ll be talking about edible landscapes, or in some terms foraging. For some reason when I think of this concept I am reminded of two things.

One being my brown thumb capabilities. Gardening has long been a desire but I realize that it takes daily or at least weekly attention to pull the weeds and where we live protect the plants and food from the wild things roaming our back yard. We also tend to travel most of the summer and so I’ve outsourced my local foods to nearby family or friends who do this better than I.
Secondly, when I think of foraging wild plants and flowers to eat, I am reminded of Chris McCandless, a young man who was the character in the book Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer. Without giving a spoiler alert, foraging can create fear in eating the correct things or mixing the wrong things to create a cocktail of less than desirable outcomes.

We recently left Northern Minnesota State Park, and foraging was one of the key activities known at the campground website. As it turned out the mosquitos and abundant rains Northern Minnesota experienced were the deciding factor in our foraging success, (or should I say, lack of foraging success) however I do have a desire to continue to explore this fear or mindset that I’m not good at gardening or while out in the wilderness, the concept of forage. I do want to call out that with foraging you definitely want to do some research before making assumptions about what to pick and what is edible. Everything from encounters with wildlife to having landowners permission, there are many little things that can become big things if you do not have some basic foundation in place. On a fun, lighter not, my mom has been really into some of these concepts and recently made dandelion jam and cookies.

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/08350+ Free Simple Family Adventure Download: ordinarysherpa.com/free
At the start of the New Year I created a mini-escape from 2021 with 50+ Free SIMPLE family adventure activities. Interviewing our guest was a great reminder that sometimes we think adventures need to be elaborate or require considerable planning. You can get those ideas by heading to ordinarysherpa.com/free

A couple from Florida with 2 basset hounds and binder of gardening opportunities set off on an adventure in search of the best place to cultivate the land. They landed in Burnsville, West Virginia, not likely on anyone’s destination or bucket list of choice. What happens when your backyard is the retreat and adventure you seek? With a desire to teach edible landscaping, and embark on projects such as building an outdoor pizza oven, they have turned their homestead into a growing portfolio of simple everyday adventures. Tony Slabaugh, a friend whom I met through podcasting and now a member of the platform launchers community* is developing his space at home and online to help us all be better neighbors, get our hands dirty and fall back in love with the magic of the natural world.

Key takeaways

Fill a binder with your dreams and design the criteria for you to take action. In Tony and Aine’s case the dream was to see the apple trees grow. The criteria was no hurricanes, no lizards or fire ants and a location near water.
Have you ever eaten a rose petal? Have you ever eaten a ___? People have lived off the land long before conventional farming existed.
The growing season is a year round even with four seasons. Using strategies like companion planting and seasonal planting they are able to adapt to nature's tendencies.
What are you buying now? What tastes and flavors do those items represent? There is a native substitute for everything.
Seize the opportunity. The plum trees only bloom for a week. A great day calls for a picnic to enjoy the blooms, buzzing insects and glory of a simple day.
Document your journey in whatever format that works for you. Handing your legacy down in notes, and pictures to support the next generation also plants a seed and allows it to grow
Wood-fire pizza was a 45 minute drive so they built their own pizza oven and now create some of the best pizza his father-in-law has ever tasted.
Imagine eating that delicious pizza while listening to a stream, with virtually no sound pollution or light pollution to inhibit your view of the stars.
Did he paint the picture for a future Ordinary Sherpa retreat? I think a seed was planted.
When asked “Why did you move here?” he responded with “Why haven’t you left?” Finding the hidden gems, the people and natural wonders of a community, is what makes West Virginia the perfect neighborhood for them.

If you are looking for simple adventure ideas consider downloading 50+ Free Simple adventure Ideas. You can find it at Ordinarysherpa.com/free

To Connect with or Follow Tony Slabaugh from Hello Good Neighbor Podcast
Podcast: Hello Good Neighbor
Website: https://hellogoodneighbor.com

Instagram: inthenookfarm
Facebook: In the Nook Farm

*indicates Ordinary Sherpa is an affiliate meaning if you use this link to purchase, it costs you the same amount but Ordinary Sherpa receives credit for the referral.

View Details

Replay of Episode 007 with Courtney Fleet where she discusses everything from studying abroad in Italy to hiking the John Muir trail to now hiking with Toddlers. This episode launched in December of 2020 so I wanted to give an update on Courtney Fleet. Since recording this episode she now has THREE girls.

To connect or Follow Courtney she has a new social media handle: Happy Trails and Ponytails on Instagram

Courtney is a native Oklahoman who grew up traveling throughout the US with her family. She has visited 43 states, lived in two countries, and now resides in North Carolina with her husband, two daughters and two dogs. Hiking and backpacking have been growing passions of hers since she was young and something she enjoys doing with her sister and now with her young girls. When she’s not entertaining her kids, she works full time as a physical therapist.

I am excited to share Courtney’s adventure story. As you will soon hear she emulates the spirit of adventure, being brave and helping remind all of us to simply “get out the door” and yes sometimes things will be hard, but that is temporary and the season of hard things will pass and in the end we will have shared experiences that will sear lifelong memories into our soul. I am so excited that Courtney was willing to be brave and make her first ever guest podcast appearance on Ordinary Sherpa.

Key Takeaways

Having adventure baked into the family culture helps spontaneous experiences come much more naturally throughout life.
Approach the opportunity of unplanned time with a curious mindset, not all experiences can be planned for three memories equals shared experiences.
Having a shared experience with family fosters connection while the adventure will end. The memory of that experience can stay with you for as long as you want.
The habit of enjoying the moment and waking up with a smile on your face can go with you wherever you land.
Use your connections to create a different experience.Her experience in South Africa would never have happened as a tourist
The shared experience of hiking with her sister was not mutually exclusive to together time
How do you build into your process, time for coming down from an adventure and transitioning back into daily life?
Becoming a mom doesn't mean you leave your passion.It means you adapt it to include the ones you love. I needed to put my sadness aside and honor the accomplishment of my daughter. It was a good frame of reference and mindset that I needed to be able to do this with both kids and include them in my passion.
Get out the door, getting out the door is the hardest part. You won't get it right. You won't get it perfect. But just try it.
Try again. As Courtney noted in her stone mountain hike. When you reach that peak, my mama heart, my hiking heart, were smiling at the summit. It was a new level of accomplishment that I had never experienced before.
The gear is far less important than the doing Mary Janes and ruffle socks are perfectly okay.
Embrace the mindset that everything is temporary. There are hard things. Aren't going to go as hoped. This is just a season and we can always try again, this tantrum, this moment, this season, it's all temporary. And by the way, this will be funny tomorrow.

To Follow or Connect with Courtney:

Facebook: She is a member of the free Ordinary Sherpa Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpa
Instagram: @happytrailsandponytails

View Details

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/081Will you leave Written Review on Apple Podcasts: https://ordinarysherpa.com/review/Join In the Arena Aventure Community wait-list: https://ordinarysherpa.com/arena

Liz is celebrating her Year of Being 50 by walking – around her neighborhood, across Spain, and in half marathons with family and friends. Professionally, she is seizing this moment to build a business that inspires and supports women and girls to have healthy, whole relationships with their menstrual cycles. And she and her husband are raising a daughter, who is 11 and stretching toward independence. They are a tight knit family who love travel, outdoorsy adventures, and good food. They live in Seattle with their big dog.

Key Takeaways

I wanted a better answer than busy. When she chose to leave her job, she no longer had the excuse not to join her mother-in-law on the Camino the first time.
The first experience was a spark. Not only did she come home feeling lighter, but also a burning desire to determine “When can I go back?”
You do not need to seek permission to explore your dreams.
When it was clear the wish of doing the Camino as a family was not going to happen, Liz’ husband encouraged her to do it on her own. As he stated “I am a whole human-being and I am capable of caring for a child.” Sometimes as a mom we feel guilt in leaving. Remember by staying you are depriving dad and child from creating meaningful experiences and adventures together.
With the diagnosis of spina bifida she sailed through her twenties with a goal to be walking at 60. As she got older she realized that wasn’t a good goal and wanted to do more than be walking, however walking now is symbolic of movement and progress. She anchors to feeling healthy, which sometimes requires asking for what she wants. Simply saying “I choose me!”
At its core, 43 days of walking the Camino was a daily practice in meditative walking and conversations with yourself.
Walking alone on the camino required her to practice a brave moment everyday
During both of her caminos there have been reflective moments that have clarified her next line of work. She recognized her own journey and wanted to empower women and girls to not feel shame over a normal aspect of their everyday life.
Having brave conversations shortcuts to meaningful connection. In her most recent Camino she bravely shared her line of work which led to many women sharing vulnerable stories.
While the Camino was her way of proving to herself she can do hard things, she also reminds all of us that “we all walk our own Camino”

I love that Liz went after an intention and dream after years of it being on the dream list. Beyond the romance and allure of an adventure like the Camino is also the realness and confidence that is gained in doing hard things. I also believe Liz’s Story exemplifies that we get out of the transactional nature of life and and work we use a different part of our brain that has ultimately given Liz clarity on starting her business. She continues to use lessons in walking to make progress.

What is on your dream list? If you are hearing this and don’t have a dream list I encourage you to just sit down some morning or evening and write the dream list. What is it that you want to experience in life? how do you want to feel, what do you want to remember? If you’re looking at your dream list year after year and not feeling like you are making progress, you might appreciate In the Arena Community. It’s a paid community to challenge you, support you and help tackle the things holding you back from your family adventure dreams. We are winding down the beta-group. There is currently a waitlist for the summer with the formal Community launching in September. To join the community head to ordinarysherpa.com/arena

To Connect with or Follow Liz Vivian

Instagram: @lizviv

Twitter: @liz_viv

View Details

Adventure can feel overwhelming if we don’t make it simple. This episode is dedicated to give you some tools and tips to make it simple and action-oriented. When I say simple, I am always thinking through the lens of “what can I do tomorrow?”

Magic is when things are not as they seem. You are actually tricking the brain into a new and different experience. The micro-experience are the everyday moments that pass us by. If we can learn to create opportunities for magic moments by tricking our brain, we are taking the first step towards connecting through adventure.

Website for this episode: ordinarysherpa.com/080To follow our family adventures on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ordinarysherpa/

Tools to help implement the content of this episode:

My book Beyond Normal: A field guide to embrace adventure, explore the wilderness, and design an extraordinary life with kids available on my website or via Amazon.

The Adventure Challenge: We purchased the Family Adventure Challenge. They also have Couples and Friends editions. You can use ORDINARYSHERPA for a 10% discount at checkout. *We are an affiliate for The Adventure Challenge so if you use the link or our coupon code and make a purchase we get a small commission for the referral. If you use the coupon code you get a discount.

View Details

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/079Will you leave Written Review on Apple Podcasts: https://ordinarysherpa.com/review/ Beginner’s Guide to Untourism: https://ordinarysherpa.com/untourism Join the Ordinary Sherpa Facebook Group to interact with other listeners. https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpa Doing Better. It’s a growth mindset that we can change and learn new things no matter how old we are. I had been looking for someone to share concepts of sustainable travel who could dive deeper into how to travel better. I wanted more than all natural roughing it type of experiences, because if that is not our style we aren’t likely to make things harder than they already are, especially if we have a kid or two in tow. I also wanted more than the trending eco-friendly accommodations. I wanted to dive into sustainable concepts like carbon offsetting for dummies; the convergence of minimalist principles and environmentally friendly power of LESS.

I was excited when I found our guest's website where the home page highlights. It’s not about being perfect – it’s about doing it better. She uses a different way of doing something familiar, in this case a different way to travel. You will soon recognize the alignment to the principles of Untourism and might even see small businesses doing sustainability travel well on her website. So while riding up the escalator at Travel Con and I shared I had a podcast and she and I exchanged business cards I immediately made a note to follow up with her.

Ketti Wilhelm is a former freelance travel writer and the founder of TiltedMap.com, which is a blog about sustainability, travel, and zero-waste. She left Montana after college, with a job teaching English to 300 university students in China, and a side-hustle as a freelance magazine writer… and just one word of Mandarin and no background in education. She determined her husband was the right partner after two months living in a minivan and many other adventures. Feeling left out of conversations with her husband’s friends (who is from Italy) she was determined to learn Italian. She received her master’s degree in Sustainable Business and Energy from Bocconi University, in Milan, Italy and has lived in China, Italy, and France. She has since returned to the US and back to her roots in writing. Ketti Wilhelm of Tilted Map, welcome to Ordinary Sherpa.

Key Takeaways

Ketti took the job as a tool to get to the next country. Having the job first simplified the decision of where to move and offered a built in community. There is a link to an article on her blog [11 strategies from a serial expat]
Ketti initially focused on sustainability from the social aspect perspective which is essential to the sustainable travel efforts.
Where you spend your money matters
When traveling, make an effort to live a similar lifestyle to what you would at home.
The intent is to do better, not be perfect. Simple habit changes over time drastically improve the curve.
Carbon reduction is the process where an organization directly reduces greenhouse gas emissions through efficiencies while carbon offset is a trade-off, where companies get credit for funding external projects that reduce emissions. One example of an offset program is planting trees.
Some ways individuals can reduce their carbon footprint is to eat less meat, reduce single use plastics by using shampoo bars or seeking hotels that offer refillable dispensers over small short term use sample size toiletries.
Where you go is less critical than how you act when you get there. Ketti started her blog to showcase that sustainable travel is more than ecolodges and thatched roof accommodations. Ketti shared an example of a hotel in the Mississippi delta region who was doing many things right. Likewise on the Paros in the Greek Islands it was more socially acceptable to have the bartender fill her waterbottle with tap water versus suggesting she buy a single use bottle of water.
The Lazy guide to more sustainable travel is a blog post (linked below) can help determine what to look for when making travel decisions with brands. One example is a B Corp certification which means a company has a triple bottom line (financial, social, and environmental).
Plastic free July is an initiative of the zero waste movement to encourage people to notice their use patterns and make an effort to reduce plastic use and consumption.

It is interesting to me that many of the principles that she discussed overlap with similar principles of minimalism and untourism, a term I use to travel differently and support local businesses. If you were inspired by this episode to do better in some way, then let’s play show and tell. Post on Instagram and tag @ordinarysherpa, send me an email or DM, or better yet leave a written review.

Before I sign off I have a quick update on the podcast. I am spending some intentional time with my family adventuring a considerable amount this summer. I want to model the type of lifestyle I often talk about on the show. I have pre-recorded several episodes throughout June & July so there will still be episodes dropping each Wednesday, however I am also including a few Best of replays from the early days of the podcast, perhaps some you haven’t had the chance to listen to. I have been aspiring to do less and this summer is a great opportunity to slow down and be present. I will periodically be checking email but generally you might see a little less. If you would like to do a deeper dive on our lifestyle design and get ready for fall you might appreciate reading my book: Beyond Normal a field guide to embrace adventure, explore the wilderness and design an extraordinary life with kids. It goes great while camping, sitting next to a babbling brook, or spending some simple time outdoors this summer. You can find the links to purchase on the homepage of my website: Ordinarysherpa.com

Until next week, I look forward to hearing all about your adventures and tips you are practicing to do better.

To Connect with or follow Ketti Wilhelm of Tilted Map

Website: https://www.tiltedmap.com/

Instagram: @TiltedMap https://www.instagram.com/tiltedmap/

Facebook: @TiltedMap https://www.facebook.com/tiltedmap/

Resources referenced in this post:

The Lazy Guide to More Sustainable Travel [Simple Tips & Resources] https://www.tiltedmap.com/easy-sustainable-travel-guide/

Want to Live Abroad [11 strategies from a serial expat] https://www.tiltedmap.com/how-to-move-abroad/

View Details

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/078Will you leave Written Review on Apple Podcasts: https://ordinarysherpa.com/review/ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ordinarysherpa/ Join the Ordinary Sherpa Facebook Group to interact with other listeners. https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpa We often talk about adventure as a new, risky, or potentially uncomfortable experience that leads to growth. Ultimately, for me adventure is fun, it’s where I am the best version of myself. I see things in myself and in my kids that make me smile and feel inner peace.

In working on my book and creating the Ordinary Sherpa brand in my unofficial market research, I found many people associate adventure with hard, fear, the wilderness.. Today I want to flip it and start with something we know, love and might be our favorite thing. Yes, that would be ice cream. What does ice cream have to do with adventure….well, if you are in the Dusek family, ice cream and adventure are like peanut butter and jelly. You rarely have one without the other. Just to demonstrate the power of ice cream I want to share a story that is more common than rare.

A few years ago my son and I joined a casual after school running club and the intention was to complete a 5K and the end of the season. I thought this would be a fun way for him and I to hang out and for me to have a healthy activity to look forward to with my son. Well, I didn’t realize how fast he was in 3rd grade. He would often be off running with the 5th graders while I trailed behind. Eventually my daughter in first grade at the time joined us. She preferred walking. On race day, which was a school sponsored Color Run put on by the local Sources of Strength High School group, we were about halfway through the race. My son was considerably further ahead of me and my daughter just wanted to quit. I walked with her a few times and realized she had it in her to finish this race, so I offered that when we complete the race we will go for ice cream. AND if she ran the final 1.2 miles without walking I would let her pick out whatever kind of ice cream treat in whatever size she wanted. She took off running to the point that I had a hard time keeping up. She was on a mission and it worked. She finished the rac without stopping to walk and ran the fastest I had ever seen her run. My best intentions of spending time with my kids and getting a workout might not have been accomplished, but this story sealed the deal on ice cream as bribery. This wasn’t the first time I had used ice cream as bribery. Or as I like to refer to it as the Challenge reward. I can assure you it won’t be the last. I might even use it as psychology to reward myself for completing a task I didn’t really want to do.

Ice cream became a very natural part of our adventures. In fact finding the best ice cream place became part of the adventure. A few years ago on National Ice Cream day (P.S. Mark your Calendar , it’s July 17th and definitely one of our favorite holidays to celebrate) I was sharing some of our favorite ice cream we have tasted AND also curating a list of the best ice cream in our area, when I came across a few surprises. Local ice cream shops and creameries that I wasn’t aware of. The ice cream list was born and then fueled and later reinforced to become my youngest son's travel goal: to taste the best homemade small batch ice cream in all 50 states. That would be so much more fun than simply checking off the states as he visited. Finding and sourcing the best ice cream is now a great connection builder when I am looking at destinations and connecting with other families. People are quick to offer their favorites!

We are using a rating and review process to share our results and writing our untourist guide version. From our research thus far there will be at LEAST 3-4 ice cream tastings in each state. If you think there is one that needs to go on the list, email, DM or leave a written review on the podcast and I’ll make sure it’s included in our research. You know our style, we love off the beaten path, locally owned, hidden gems. And for the record there are no chains included in the guide. We might eat at them along the way, or visit the original birth of an amazing ice cream chain, but they will not be included in the “Best ice cream” listings. I post about them often on Instagram and use the #icecreamconnoisseur (that is in the show notes b/c I know how hard it is to spell connoisseur :)

Using this theme, this thing, or a skill we are already good at and enjoy doing I want to share with you the idea of recreating an appearance of a different experience. In my Book (Beyond Normal: A field guide to embrace adventure, explore the wilderness and design an extraordinary life with kids) Appearance is the A in the MAGIC acronym I use to help families create simple adventures without much time or money.

The story I share in the book is using the experience of walking into Cold Stone Creamery, selecting the base flavor of ice cream, adding your mix-ins, what type of sauce, or toppings you want. We used this experience to create a fun birthday dinner using pancake batter instead. We scoured the cupboards with what we thought might be fun to try. We came up with a few recipes (I share many of them in the book) and each person was able to have a fun experience and celebrate my son’s birthday with an ice cream inspired experience. If you want to read more about it, you can buy my book either through my website or on Amazon

Some fun other ideas of how to recreate and experience but now with ice cream as the focus include:

Do a pint sized swap: Everyone chooses their favorite flavor of ice cream and you buy the pint sized at the grocery store and for a fun family night do a pint-sized swap. It’s like exchanging white elephant gifts, but secretly you really want your own!
Do an around the world experience. A future guest (Erin Austen, author of Family Field Trips) shared the idea to try different ice creams from around the world. In the United States ice cream is often made using frozen milk fat; Alaskan native call it Akutaq and use animal fat mixed with snow and berries. In Italy it’s Gelato, and Italian law says that Gelato requires at least 3.5% buttercream. In Japan, Mochi is the name and is a mix of ice cream with rice dough. One of our favorites is from Thailand, known as I tim pad, it is made by pouring milk onto a frozen steel pad mixed with fruit or other ingredients and rolling it into curls and serving in a cup. There are also variations like Shave Ice
Imagine the birth of the first ice cream. Recreate this experience by making your own. You might use an original recipe and kick things around with rock salt OR you might borrow and ice cream maker (or be in the look out for on at a thrift store or garage sale this summer) and make your own ice cream. Stock up on cream and sugar.
You might be aware that ice cream also inspires our travel. My youngest son’s goal is to taste the best small-batch homemade ice cream in all 50 states. We are using a rating and review process to share our results and writing our untourist guide version to share with you. From our research thus far there will be at LEAST 3-4 ice cream tastings in each state. If you think there is one that needs to go on the list, email, DM or leave a written review on the podcast and I’ll make sure it’s included in our research. You know our style, we love off the beaten path, locally owned, hidden gems. And for the record there are no chains included in the guide. We might eat at them along the way, or visit the original birth of an amazing ice cream chain, but they will not be included in the “Best ice cream” listings.

While adventure might mean creating a new experience or be associated with something hard or outdoorsy, it doesn’t mean it can’t be fun. We like to base our adventures in what we already enjoy and want to experience with a new twist. Finding the best ice cream is part of the journey (or maybe the incentive) along the way. Adventure is not intended to be a journey in deprivation or roughing it experiences. Add in some comforts or luxuries splurges where it fits.

Key Takeaways

While adventure might be a growth experience, it doesn’t require a deprivation mindset. Adventure can include or be paired with comfort and luxury when desired. Dusek family adventures pair amazingly well with ice cream.
Consider designing adventures based on what you already know, like, and are good at. I am really good at eating a single scoop of ice cream after a hike. Ice cream also makes you thirsty and encourages hydration if you needed an extra reason ;)
Create an adventure based on that thing you love: can you taste different ice creams around the world, or find the best of in a defined area. Even buying a pint and comparing flavors or making your own experience. All of these use the simple spark of ice cream as the foundation for the adventure.
Adding your family personality to an adventure makes the experience much more meaningful than a bucket list of locations to check the box on.
What is the best ice cream in your community or state? If you have a favorite that is not a chain, send me an email, DM, or leave a written review with your suggestion and I’ll research it further to determine if it makes the list.

If this episode is making you hungry, go grab some ice cream, take a selfie and post it on instagram. Tag @ordinarysherpa and say thanks for the inspiration from this episode :) While you are there follow @ordinarysherpa and be on the lookout for some of our favorite ice cream based experiences near and far.

I can’t wait to see your face, hear your suggestion and continue encouraging you and your family to get out and adventure!

View Details

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/077Will you leave Written Review on Apple Podcasts: https://ordinarysherpa.com/review/Subscribe to the email List: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/Join the Everyday Adventure Challenge for simple adventure tips to create a summer to remember. https://www.ordinarysherpa.com/challenge

Our guest today has an obsession with financial independence. After years of consuming content she thought it was about time she produced and shared her obsession with others. She realized there was a gap in resources around personal finances geared towards moms. Trying to get ahead with money is one thing, trying to get ahead as a mom is whole other ball game. In an effort to learn and crowdsource the best, she is on a mission to find moms who can share their money examples, interview then and share their knowledge with other mom listeners. The Investor Mama podcast was born and the origin story of my connection with Jen was born, as we grew up in podcasting. With 2 young kids and moonlighting as a real estate agent among all the other things, Jen shares some of her money tips for making adventures fun without breaking the bank. Jen Narcisso of Investor Mama, welcome to Ordinary Sherpa.

Key Takeaways

Podcasting was in the honor of her son Nathan and brought good to his name and kept her going. What are the things that drive you and keep you going?
House Hacking is a way to rent a portion of your house while living in another unit. When you start to see opportunities in how to use your assets differently it might create streams of income. On the flipside, what’s the point of having money if you aren’t creating joy with it.
Jen’s dream is to throw a dart at a map on the globe and spend 4 weeks, to create intense family connection time. Forced family time removes you from the distractions of daily life.
Jen found a way to prove to her husband to take the family to Disney. Her child was in early childhood intervention and the experience at Disney exploded his growth and development.
Travel with kids under 2. They fly free.
Jen used Travel rewards through Chase Ultimate Rewards to cover flights, Hilton card has 4 nights and 5th night free and covered hotel. Her mother-in-law had a Citi card that covered Park tickets as a travel eraser. Jen stayed at the DoubleTree at Disney Springs and used the shuttle for free.
The Unofficial Guide to everything Disney (and other parks) from how to get discount tickets, to how to plan your day, optimize the lines. The Wyndam Bonnet Creek is on Disney property but not a Disney property. It’s a condo with all the amenities and with a full kitchen, living room and several bedrooms in each unit.
Jen optimizes her big backyard, local playgrounds, and scavenger hunts. Ultimately your outlook is the driving factor and if you are excited about it, the kids will mimic your energy. Let kids' curiosity be the guide. Find the extraordinary in the ordinary.
“My daughter doesn’t know she is missing out.” Kids don’t need to be signed up for a bunch of different activities. Jen prioritizes swim lessons due to the safety concerns around water. The better we get at getting creative at home, the easier it is to master adventures on the go while traveling.
There is no bad weather, just bad attire. By focusing on good gear they are able to spend more time outside. Having an intention to go outside allows you to focus on the options versus being comfortable inside.
Kids don’t need to be told what to do if we encourage them to be creative and model excitement. Leaning on your community helps to get you unstuck from lulls in the season.
Nobody wakes up to say, I’m going to be a bad parent today. Give yourself grace, you just survived your first pandemic.

You don’t need to spend money to be a good mom. Finances are foundational to allow us to thrive in life so having your finances in order opens so many options. Connect with Jen, she is amazing and loves to help.

If you are looking for simple adventures to help you make it through your summer, I’d suggest registering for the Summer Season of the Everyday Adventure Challenge from June 5th -August 5th by heading to ordinarysherpa.com/challenge

To Connect with or Follow Jen from Investor MamaPodcast: Investor MamaWebsite: https://investormama.com/
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/438814630372392/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/investor_mama/

View Details

I crossed the 200 hours outside for 2022 last week. I am beginning to notice how much we can do outside, sometimes just sitting outside and reading is even a great refresher from life. We will be camping this weekend as we do every memorial day weekend to kick off summer, so I’m finding it easier to get my hours in now that we have been practicing getting hours outside, and the nicer weather certainly helps. Thank you!
Amazon Book Review from Jenya Lindstrom: Inspiring for adventurous parents! Beyond Normal is a motivating read that inspires me to incorporate adventures into parenting. It’s so easy to join the masses pressuring us to “settle down” once our kids arrive. Thank you Heidi for providing a roadmap for how to create adventures WITH kids. Heidi also shares many personal experiences that are so relatable as a mom. I’ve ordered extra copies to share with mom friends and my sisters! Great family inspirational reading and/or gift for new parents.

I encourage you to be like Jenya; read the book, share the book, leave an amazon written review

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/076
Will you leave Written Review on Apple Podcasts: https://ordinarysherpa.com/review/ Subscribe to the email List: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/ Join the Ordinary Sherpa Facebook Group to interact with other listeners. https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpa

These practices all contribute to the following benefits

Support better sleep.
Uplift your mood: Reduce anxiety/depression
Increase energy.
Improve symptoms of mental health conditions.
Lower blood pressure.
Lower risk of metabolic syndrome.
reduce/Heal inflammation.
Better Memory
Strengthens the immune system

Grounding practices in Adventure
Neuroscience- Mindfulness (What does that mean) value in Noticing.

Fresh Air

No screens one hour before bed (no screens after 8 is my intention)

Sensory experiences
Auditory Walk - listen to natural sounds around you.

Tactical: Barefoot in the grass, or even on the concrete. Grounding feeling of connection

Natural light exposure before noon

Sense of Smell is connected to the most vivid memories. Fresh blooms of lilacs or the lilies of the valley, smell after it rains.

A slightly different perspective
There is significant research that encourages “risky movements” in particular getting outside of the upright position. With kids this helps develop their inner ear, balance and coordination that leads to many other development. Quote from my book (Balanced & Barefoot) While it’s easy to consider this as a critical aspect for children I also encourage adults to get out of the upright position. I know when practicing yoga there is a preference for inverted positions.

Another form of grounding is to get all the way to the floor. Play superman with the kids, or just yesterday I pulled out the puzzle board and picked up a puzzle we hadn’t touched in weeks. When we all can get to the same level there is a grounding feeling in addition to deeper connection.

I want to talk a bit more about connection. In my w2 job, which I don’t know that I have talked much about, I oversee a foundation’s giving strategy and in the past 18 months we have been studying the research related to connection. I will link a research study in the show notes and as a society we have been reducing the number of deep connections we share with others since the 1980s. In 1986 we averaged 4 deep connections with other people, now the average is less than 1. Yet we have more tools to connect than ever. The piece of this research that was most defining for me was that we only need 1 solid connection to exponentially increase the benefits listed above. We approach health from an exercise and nutrition perspective, but human connection offers much greater results. It has been interesting to me is that at work with our focus on mental health we have been focus on access to treatment and quality care and we knew there was more behind the curve.

I go into detail that I knew that adventure had healing properties back in my twenties which was why I resisted the settling down narrative. The research continues to emerge about how beneficial time in nature, practicing discomfort, and grounding practices can offer a new path- or perhaps return us to a native pathway that has been hushed.

To Register for the Everyday Adventure Challenge: If you would like a little help, and outside nudge to practice simple adventures such as this the Everyday Adventure Challenge is open and will run June 5-August 5th. You can register by heading to ordinarysherpa.com/challenge

Key Takeaways:

How are you getting fresh air everyday?
What are all the things you can do at 8 PM without a screen? You might be surprised what you come up with. Look at the list and decide What do I WANT to do tonight?
When you remove one of the senses it amplifies the others. Which sensory adventure would you like to try? Remember an adventure is a new, uncomfortable, potentially risky experience.
Kids innately move in risky ways that make parents gasp. These are developmentally important. In fact I would challenge any adult listener to explore getting out of an upright position and explore a “risky” position for you. This does not mean you have to grab the rings and do a flip.
All of the practices today are accessible to you by simply taking off your shoes, putting down your phone, laying on the floor, or stepping outside and inhaling the fresh air. They might not seem normal- but when was normal ever the benchmark for a thriving life?

Resources mentioned in this episode1000 Outdoor Trackers: https://www.1000hoursoutside.com/trackers

Research on Natural Light:

Balanced and Barefoot Book: Order a book on Amazon

Research on the Human Connection: http://ccare.stanford.edu/uncategorized/connectedness-health-the-science-of-social-connection-infographic/

View Details

As you may or may not know, yesterday I became a published author. On May 17th Beyond Normal: a field guide to embrace adventure, explore the wilderness, and design an extraordinary life with kids was publicly available. While it is easy to think this is a summit experience, and I certainly am taking time to celebrate this accomplishment, I also know this is the beginning of a journey. Publishing a book in some ways is just the beginning. I didn’t write the book for me. This isn’t about me writing a book, it’s because I wanted to share what I have learned to support others in designing an adventurous life with kids. Before I get into the episode today on becoming a writer, I wanted to share 3 tips on how to help authors spread their message. Most of them do not cost you a dime. Whether you do this for my book, Kent Sander’s book, or other authors I have on the show. The call to action will be to choose one of these 10 generous option to take action on this week.

Generous Calls to Action to support your favorite authors:

Request a copy of the book at your local library. All you have to do is google "suggest a purchase (city you live in) library". Usually there is a form to fill out requiring your library card number and info about the book:
Name: Beyond Normal: A field guide to embrace adventure, explore the wilderness and design an extraordinary life with kids
Author: Heidi Dusek
Publisher: Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-950721-21-4
Purchase a copy as a gift or even to place in the Free Little Library near you!
Share any social media posts related to the book. While many only think about the launch date, social media posts will be happening for months after the book is published. Take a picture and post on your own social media and tag the author or the book in your post.

All of these options are listed in the show notes for today and will also be shared in social media over the next 10 days.

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/075To purchase a signed copy of Beyond Normal Book: https://ordinarysherpa.com/
Follow on Instagram: @ordinarysherpa

I would describe our guest as one of the most humble and generous entrepreneurs I know. You will hear in this episode how we met and in many ways you could say we are almost complete opposites, which is why I knew I needed to be a part of his Daily Writer Community to get my book to the published finish line. Along the way he has been more than a supporter. He has designed content based on what I asked, he has put me in the hot seat to prioritize where to focus my time, and yesterday he purchased 5 print copies of my book to give away.

Kent Sanders is the founder of Inkwell Ghostwriting, which helps leaders grow their business through books and other content. He is also the author and co-author of numerous books, including 18 Words to Live By: A Father’s Wisdom on What Matters Most and co-author of The Faith of Elvis: A Story Only a Brother Can Tell with Billy Stanley, Elvis Presley’s stepbrother.

In addition to writing books for himself and his clients, Kent loves to help other writers. He is the host of the Daily Writer podcast, which helps writers cultivate the habits for creative success, and the founder of the Daily Writer membership community. He lives just outside of St. Louis and enjoys spending time outdoors with his wife and teenage son.

Key Takeaways

Books are one of the few forms of magic left in the world because many people want to do, but seldom actually do. Books are inherently respected and offer a level of impact and credibility that are hard to attain through other means.
Kent’s wife was the impetus for him taking action to write his first book. “You have talked about book ideas for years and you’ve never done anything about it, so I don’t want to hear about any more book ideas.” A healthy challenge from those we love can change the trajectory of our lives.
It’s hard to quantify a “good writer.” Kent’s definition of a good writer is if the writing does what it’s intended to. Whatever the purpose is, if writing accomplishes the goal that is good writing. Writing is not really about good communication skills.
Will you accept the fact that you are already a write and what are you going to do about it?
A book is the product of a team of people sharing their skills to improve the outcome. Between the designer, editor, formatter all are critical to having a great final product of which the author tells the story.
Writing a book does not require to have to have all the answers, you just need to determine what questions to ask and compile other people’s answers.
Kent uses questions on social media to help determine what struggles people have related to writing. People will put you in a box anyway so define the box for them. Rather than positioning himself as the guru or expert, Kent refers to himself as the crash test dummy.
Being immersed in community with people who will ask you questions and challenge you in a thoughtful way. If you think you can help people and you don’t do it you are really doing them a disservice. The Daily Writer Community is designed to support aspiring writers and support writing accountability. The fundamental premise is human connection with the intent and interest in writing.
Human connection is the antidote of doubt. Community is a two-way street. Community through human connection is designed to contribute and to receive others contributions.
If you are simply absorbing knowledge and not taking action it is likely you will stay stuck living life in the status quo. If you feel stuck then perhaps the first question towards taking action is “Why not you?”
I am purchasing his book 18 words to live by to give to my husband for Father’s Day (husband if you are listening, act surprised in a few weeks). A generous act is to do something to help an author connect with their audience by sharing their message.

I hope this episode inspires you to explore the stories others have pour their time and talents into. To support some of your favorite authors in new ways. If you have ever had a yearning to write a book, then reach out to me or Kent. Be curious and ask questions. Perhaps you will add published author to your resume and inspire others with your writing.

To Connect with or Follow Kent Sanders
Podcast: Daily Writer Podcast

Website/Community: https://dailywriterlife.com/

Email: kent@dailywriterlife.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailywriterlife/

View Details

It’s May (when I am recording this episode) which might mean many things. For us it means cramming in our school and spring kid activities, it means busting out the camping gear and preparing for the kickoff to summer, it means many more hours outside it also means budding blooms (ie pollen), and bugs emerge from who knows where. For me it also means publishing my first book. Beyond Normal: A field guide to embrace adventure, implore the wilderness and design an extraordinary life with kids launches on May 17, 2022.

Book Description:

With big trips and everyday joys, a life of adventure awaits you. Whether you enjoy traveling or staying close to home, you'll love this book. Soak up everyday adventures exploring new places, trying new experiences, finding fun in everything, and making play more prevalent than screens.

You do not need to go back to normal. Beyond Normal is a field guide to help your family navigate an adventurous life filled with authentic experiences. Throughout this guide, you will find ways to assess your risk tolerance, stretch beyond your comfort zone, and find community. Venture forth!

If you head to my website Ordinarysherpa.com (beginning May 17th) you can purchase, download the free ebook (for limited time), or request a copy of the book Beyond Normal for your local library.

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/074Subscribe to the email List: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/
Authori Bio: Heidi Dusek is an adventurous working mom. She helps families connect through simple and authentic adventures on her podcast (Ordinary Sherpa), Instagram feed, and through speaking and community-building events.

In all seriousness, I wanted to take you behind the scenes to share the development of this book from idea to publication and the addition of a published author as a part of my identity. It began last year about this time a friend posted on social media, “If you were to write a book, what would the title be and what would it be about?” I rattled off 3 titles and a sentence description. The initial description was something like “create everyday adventures and live life on purpose.” I received a couple comments from friends that said “please write this book” and that was how it began.

I knew the concept, but I struggled with figuring out what to write. I'm just an ordinary mom. I didn’t really know what people would want to read about or what exactly I would write about. I knew the topic of adventure parenting was likely the topic but I didn’t really have the concept. Through a series of requests in the Ordinary Sherpa FB group, Everyday Adventure Challenge meet ups, and individuals who would buy me a coffee I’d meet with listeners who connected with the Ordinary Sherpa mission to help families connect through simple and authentic adventures.

It was through these conversations that I was able to dive deeper into who the book was for and why they were struggling with adventurous parenting. I came up with 12 different reasons based on our conversations

Think it costs a lot of money to adventure
Not enough time
Perceptions of success and constraints of work
Mindset of “what adventure is” “I’m not adventurous” “I’m not outdoorsy” “I live in a city, I can’t adventure here”
Fear, Adventure is risky, I am a parent and need to be stable
Discomfort with uncertainty: Kids who adventure make parents nervous, unsafe
Feelings of Joy: immediately followed by guilt, fear of losing the thing that led to joy
Society norms of “settling down” you have to choose
Working against marketing and media (influencers, big brands)
Activities send family members in different directions (sports, school, work, music, etc)
Need ideas of what to do, don’t know how to do it themselves so not comfortable being the leader
Tired/exhausted/overwhelmed, adventure seems hard

From here I explored other books in this genre to see what else already existed to support parents with answers to these questions. I’ll be honest, I found a lot related to family travel or an adventurous lifestyle without kids, but not many for family adventures specifically. I bought or checked out anything remotely related to the concept and read the books throughout the writing process to have a sense of what those books offered and how or if my content would be different. The entire time I was doing research I also began my writing without any expectation, but thoughts or stories that I would think of while reading or listening to other stories.

I organized the questions or reasons why parents struggle to adventure into core themes which later became the three parts of the book.

Part 1: Live Deeply focuses on the adventure mindset and the foundations of adventure as a value proposition to a fulfilling life.

Part 2: Explore Bravely begins to put all the limiting beliefs and perceptions of safe and stable lifestyle into question. I share research, walk through exercises as a guide to work through the process, and offer my own stories of adventure and parenting to offer context throughout the book as a guide to work through the process.

Part 3: Play Wildly are examples of actionable steps to make adventure more accessible. It is my belief that if we can build a life where everyday adventures create the foundation for a thriving life. Even if we choose to travel to see new places and new people, we have the foundation of adventure built into our ethos so we are not continually using vacation as an escape.

With the key themes established, the challenges readers face I began the writing process. I will say the first chapter was the hardest to write and the one that required the most edits. I went into the writing process with the idea that I didn't have to have it figured out, I was just going to sit down and write. I had heard that an average non-fiction business book is 40,000-60,000 words. So I turned on the word count and sat down regularly to write. I celebrated word count milestones by sharing a story in instagram or having a mini party of 1.

I realized I wanted data, scientific evidence and sources to back up or validate my experiences. This is just part of who I am. I personally appreciate when a book is more than stories. When I had a question or wanted to look into something I would use parentheses to indicate I wanted to come back to an idea. This allowed me to write without the question to derail my progress. For example: I knew there was neuroscience data behind the power of pause, to create space but I needed to dive deeper into what was the source and was that relevant to the topics we were leading. I knew there was child development data around risky play; I knew there was a conditioning process to dampen our curiosity. These were concepts, but I made sure to come back to these topics and dig into the research.

I proofread my manuscript twice before I sent it to my editor. There is a point when you get sick of your own writing. After sending it to the editor I was a little burned out and took a break from it. In fact, even after it was returned to me I didn’t look at my manuscript for almost a month. I did start to garner interest along the way. I invited friends and listeners to be members of the advanced reader team to pre-read the book. In late January after almost 6 weeks of not looking at my manuscript I sat down and binged a few weekends through the edits. I began to share bits and pieces of the book with my advanced reader team. In mid-March I shared the entire manuscript with my advanced reader team and received an abundance of feedback. I took 2 weeks sifting through comments, edits and questions. I viewed each piece of feedback as a detailed gift they shared with me.

Throughout the writing and editing process there were many times when my progress was stalled by my own limiting belief and desire for perfection. I would compare myself to established authors. However reading comments from listeners, or friends asking about the book helped push me through. In mid-March I made a detailed list of all the things I needed to do to get the book into the world. The list included

Finalize the title
Create Cover design
Write the back of the book description
Determine which Amazon categories to publish under
Reach out for endorsements
Write my acknowledgements page
Complete internal formatting
Get an ISBN number
Design the graphics for inside the book
Set up Amazon KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing)
Create the sales page on my website
Establish a book marketing plan
Write an Amazon Book Review Tutorial

After another round of scrubbing I sent the manuscript and some detailed market research to my designer and publishing assistant. In full transparency, the book releases in 6 days and a few items on that list are still not crossed off.

This entire process has felt like a daring adventure. While I have always been intrigued in writing a book, I didn’t really have a dream or vision of being a published author. There is something special about the first and while I have given myself permission to update if need be I can be happy with the product I am sharing with the world and that it reflect the season of life we are in while hopefully encouraging and supporting other parents on this adventurous journey.

I thought I’d end this episode by sharing some of the endorsements and feedback from advanced readers.

“I love that you offer a glimpse of an alternative and adventurous parenting path. I think this concept is missing from many of the books I've read about nature parenting, minimalist parenting and Scandinavian parenting philosophies. So many of our peers feel like they lose themselves when they become parents and your book shows how rich life can indeed be. Your concept of "a window closing" also resonated with me.“ – Tracy Phillippi

“Great content and experiential examples from your personal life. As you told your story I got pulled into the big moments you share with us as readers. What an overcomer you are. You have used the trials and triumphs in each stage of life to build on, and add to, the qualities that make you no Ordinary Sherpa.” – Perry Gabbard

“It’s so easy to get bogged down in the day-to-day grind of life with kids that you lose sight of what it feels like to be adventurous and genuinely have fun. Heidi Dusek’s wonderful field guide on designing an extraordinary life does the remarkable: it brings this life within reach and gives you practical ways to build a little more fun and adventure into your family’s life.” – Brad Barrett, cohost and cofounder of the ChooseFI podcast

“Through vulnerability, insightful questions, and actionable steps, Heidi shares practical wisdom to generate adventure and joy for

your family and most of all, for you. With clarity, honesty, and humor, she brings the reader so many gifts at once using stories from her life and learnings by experience. You won’t wonder how to integrate the many unwrapped lessons into your own life, but rather enthusiastically try to figure out how many you might take on! And best of all, the path will be uniquely yours as it was for her and fueled with intention and courage. A must-read for anyone looking for permission to thrive and a foundational guide to getting there.” — Laurie E. Oswald, CEO of InteraWorks and founder of The Best Year Yet Foundation

If you would like to support me through this you can purchase, download the free ebook (limited time), or request a copy of the book Beyond Normal for your local library. All of the steps to do these things will be included in the show notes on the website.

Key Takeaways

Writing a book is a shared experience that was shaped through many interactions with listeners, followers and friends.
The content of the book was based on questions from the Ordinary Sherpa community. I strongly encourage you to reach out to me with any questions or challenges you are facing in the world of family adventures. While I’m not the expert I have been fortunate that the sherpas in this community have many insights to share.
While the content of the book will likely support anyone seeking an adventurous lifestyle, I wanted to give special focus to parents to question the narratives we hear about being adventurous with kids.
The energy flow from jubilation to burn out was experienced throughout writing the book. Part of the benefit of self-publishing my first book was that I could establish my own timeline and be curious about the process.
Authors share years of experience for the value price of $15. The book culminates key takeaways from this podcast, lessons from the Everyday Adventure Challenge and many other experiences into one easy to digest location. While you probably could find this content by scouring the internet or binging every episode the book is nicely compiled all in one place. The ROI on your time for someone interested in an adventurous lifestyle may be worth the investment.

If you head to my website Ordinarysherpa.com (beginning May 17th) you can purchase, download the free ebook (for limited time), or request a copy of the book Beyond Normal for your local library. AND leave a written book review on Amazon. Much like written reviews for podcast it offers new readers or listeners social proof of the contents value.

View Details

I am coming down from an intense and yet completely fulfilling weekend at Travel Con. It was my first conference for travel based creators and all I can say is it was nourishing for my soul. The 80 degree weather and Memphis gems added to my delight as well. The keynote from Pico Iyer was truly the most prophetic thing I have ever heard. But others such as break outs on monetizing a travel website, Being a successful digital Nomad, how to pitch to brands, and keynotes from Pauline Frommer (her dad was the grandfather of travel guides) and Jeff Goins, author of Artists Don’t Starve. They are offering a virtual pass for $99. I am an affiliate and if you use my link you will also be supporting Ordinary Sherpa in the process. Ordinarysherpa.com/travelcon

All that to say, I was up to late, I was over energized and I got home REALLY early on Monday morning and went to work. I am tired. If anyone wants to help kickstart me into May which is a huge month with over a dozen podcast recordings, a book launch (Beyond Normal Luanches May 17, 2022) and the final leg of spring activities before we embark on our summer trek we are calling Northern RV Exposure into Canada and Alaska. I will accept your coffee donations!

I really enjoy podcasting and having conversation without all the ads and interruptions many podcasters use. If you enjoy the ideas, find joy or inspiration from my work, you can buy me a coffee to say thanks and support the show. If you want to go deeper with the content and/or get more engaged you can find additional ways to support the show through the links below.

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/073
Will you leave Written Review on Apple Podcasts: https://ordinarysherpa.com/review/Subscribe to the email List: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/Join the Ordinary Sherpa Facebook Group to interact with other listeners. https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpa

As read on Linked In:
Today marks 2 years without alcohol.
While I know that LinkedIn is supposed to be a ~professional~ place, I won't stop talking about sobriety here. The more we see it out in the open, the more it is normalized, the more we elevate our compassion and empathy for others, the more others who are struggling can feel seen.
This past year was all about living. The first year seemed to be about thinking, about therapy, looking inward, and in the second year, I've been trying to actually live the values and beliefs I've reclaimed as my own.
Giving up alcohol is still the best decision that I've ever made.
I don't think I would have quit my job and started my own business with alcohol still in my life.
I don't think I would be actively trying new things, like skiing or Ukulele.
I don't think I would be as STOKED as I am.
So here's to keeping this thing going and to year three and all the lessons it will bring.

If you look at Linked In, You might find that our guest is a podcast Coach, consultant and strategist, copywriter and Editor from Boulder Colorado. But we are more than the titles on Linked In and the public profiles we share with the world. In recent years Emily is uncovering stories in herself and others that have been hushed or overlooked to favor the normal life trajectory. As the host and producer of the Nature Untold Podcast, she tells stories of sobriety, addiction, and recovery within the outdoor community and industry I am so honored to have Emily Holland as a guest today.

Name: Emily Holland she/her/hers Podcast: Nature Untold https://www.natureuntoldcollective.com/ Website:emilyholland.coEmail: emily@emilyholland.co Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/podcastnerdery/ Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/emilylaurelholland

View Details

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/072
Will you leave Written Review on Apple Podcasts: https://ordinarysherpa.com/review/

Join the Ordinary Sherpa Facebook Group to interact with other listeners. https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpa

Brown signs: defines a local attraction, used universally around the world as I have a listener @amyrunskncoffee on IG who has shared brown signs in South Korea. (Referenced in Episode 041 | Adventure Potential of Brown Signs https://ordinarysherpa.com/041/

My daughter is 10 and has a goal to visit all the national parks before she graduates high school. Here is the list of the parks she has visited and highlights from each. Even though National Park week has past I imagine many are still planning summer park visits so I thought I’d dedicate this episode to “best of national parks” ten year old edition.

Below are the parks my daughter visited, when we visited, and her favorite memory from that visit.

Gateway Arch, St. Louis (July 2013): she was asleep for the views from the top, but fireworks under the arch was a highlight
Yosemite, California (June 2016) all the waterfalls and climbing on the rocks
Cuyahoga, Ohio (June 2018) biking the towpath
Smoky Mountains (August 2019) the “llamas” at Roaring Forks
Mammoth Caves (August 2019) the squirrel that fell from the tree after our cave tour
Saguaro, AZ (Nov 2019) horse camp but was a little scary too when her horse took off
Lassen Volcanic, CA (June 2020) hike to boiling lake
Crater Lake, OR (June 2020) our June snowball fight
Red Woods, CA (June 2020) hiking fern canyon and Lady Bird woods at sunset
Kenai Fjords, AK (August 2020) climbing the bluffs and memorable was the massive shift in weather…soaked!
Grand Tetons, Wy (Dec 2020) Seeing the moose fighting
Congaree, SC (March 2021) the junior ranger scavenger hunt on the boardwalks
Hawai’i Volcanoes (June 2021) climbing on lava beds
Haleakala, Maui (June 2021) walking in the clouds
Channel Islands (June 2021) playing tag in the Eucalyptus grove, seeing dolphins on the boat ride
Theodore Roosevelt NP (August 2021) the prairie dogs and sliding down the rocks
Wind Cave (August 2021) didn’t tour, the buffalo
Badlands National Park (August 2021) climbing up and down the cable ladder on the hike
Rocky Mountain National Park (Sept 2021) The baby moose who kept running after us, and all the elk
White Sands National Park (Dec 2021) jumping/sliding down the dunes at sunset. The sand was really cold!

Key Takeaways

While National Parks are well-known brown signs, a brown sign is a locally designated attraction worth checking out.
The 4th grade pass is a great excuse to let you children determine your national park trip. Since it provides free entrance for the entire car for any one with the Every Kid Every Park pass from September 1- August 31st, you can even make an entire year of it. There are other National Park pass benefits for veterans, and seniors, in addition to the yearlong America the Beautiful Pass.
How do you or your kids document their adventures? As mentioned my daughter has a tradition of taking a picture with the entrance sign, has a postcard of all of the national parks (Link on Amazon to the pack) and writes a point in time memory from her experience.
Not all of her highlights were planned. Make sure during an experience you take time to allow things to develop.
Don’t overlook the simple things. The highlight of Yosemite for Heidi’s daughter was climbing on the rocks.
Consider more than checking the box. What are some lesser known aspects to the park? What makes this park unique?
No need to correct their memories. They experience things through their own filter, let that memory be theirs. If my daughter wants to remember the llamas. Let them “Walk in Clouds”
Wildlife in the winter is a very different experience. Consider off-season to discover elements of the park that shine during different seasons.
Slow down and smell the eucalyptus trees. Memories are not always based on what you are “doing” all of your senses contribute to the overall experience.
Nature is a built in playground, but kids don’t see it that way unless you nurture it. Wild animals are still wild animals and all safety considerations are there for a reason. Moose are not ho-hum animals.

Feel free to join the conversation in the Ordinary Sherpa Facebook Group to learn from others or share some of your favorite National Park experiences.

I want to close this episode by saying thank you and highlighting a written review. I have not read a written review in a while and thought this was a great example of what to write. If you have not left a written review, please do. I have an entire tutorial on how to leave a written review on apple podcasts at ordinarysherpa.com/review

This review comes from Hitix006 and it states

“Inspirational, down to earth and energizing

Love the focus on adventure big and small. Heidi is sooo authentic and energizing as she shares her families adventure journey and brings great guests to her passionate community.”

Thank you for those kind words, for tuning in each week and sharing these episodes. It’s what makes this work so energizing. I can’t wait to read your written review next week!

View Details

Ordinary Sherpa utilizes the term untourism to define a different type of travel experience. It reveals locations that might be unconscious to the general public. We unearth hidden gems, support the local flavors and activities that benefit the local people, small businesses and communities.

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/071Beginners Guide to Untourism: https://ordinarysherpa.com/untourism/
Will you leave Written Review on Apple Podcasts: https://ordinarysherpa.com/review/Subscribe to the email List: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/Join the Beyond Normal Book Launch team: http://ordinarysherpa.com/read

Today I bring you a Little Local Flavor. Our guest has lived in Nashville for over a decade, and recognized how special the local food scene was she designed an experience to share with you! With the major growth that Nashville has recently experienced, she feared large chains and celebrity-themed honky tonks would overshadow the great local establishments. To expose people to the real Nashville experience, she founded A Little Local Flavor. Now she spends each day showing off the strengths, stories, history, and people that built Nashville, Tennessee to be a wonderful community! A Little Local Flavor has received many awards over the years, including the 2021 TripAdvisor Travelers Choice Best of the Best Award indicating they are in the top 1% of attractions worldwide!

Key Takeaways

If visiting Nashville the recommendations of Christine’s Best Friend test would include:
1. The Nashville Arcade which is inside the oldest indoor shopping center built in 1902. The restaurants on the first floor are not open very long and are the least expensive. The owner of the Nashville Arcade keeps rent low to allow small businesses who provide local amenities that couldn’t compete with bars and music venues.
2. Printer’s Alley has great live music and great food (including Jane’s Hideaway one of her favorites)
3. Alley Taps have a ton of local brews on tap and live music
4. Bourbon Street Blues and Boogie Bar host amazing artists from all over the world.
A tour takes all the work out of it and offers an insider guide. Christine created a tour that she wanted to take based on local foods and the stories behind them. Her intention was to invest money back into the local community.
A food tour will visit multiple restaurants with pre-selected menu items to allow guests to try local foods they may not try otherwise that also includes historical landmarks and local stories.
A great tour includes: A great tour guide who can customize the tour based on the guests interests, Criteria for picking restaurants: locally-owned with food made from scratch and are a pinnacle part of moving the community forward.
Go to a great restaurant when they are not busy and talk to the bartender, ask “What would you do today/tonight to get insider tips to reveal hidden gems” Bartenders know great food and beverages or may not have made the travel list.
Humans have been bonding over food since the beginning of time. There are a few questions to help nurture the group camaraderie, but the small group casual experience is like seeing Nashville with a friend.
Shared experiences in a short period of time can compress relationships.
A Little Local Flavor has over 900 5-star reviews. Leaving a review is an absolutely free way to show your support to small businesses to trick the algorithm to get greater exposure.
Start your visit in Nashville with Christine at A Little Local Flavor! As many travelers have shared the thing the learned on the tour are best to kick off your time in Nashville given all the insights and other resources shared.

To Connect with or Follow
Name: Christine WheatleyWebsite:https://www.alittlelocalflavor.com/Instagram: @littlelocalflavorFacebook: @alittlelocalflavor

Resources from this episode:
Family-Friendly Activities for your next trip to Nashville: https://www.alittlelocalflavor.com/blog-posts/2020/3/6/family-friendly-activities-for-your-next-trip-to-nashville

Locations referenced in this epsiode are linked on the episode website: https://ordinarysherpa.com/071

View Details

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/070
Free Family Travel Rewards Strategy Download: Ordinarysherpa.com/rewards
Join the Ordinary Sherpa Facebook Group to interact with other listeners. https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpa

I know many have come back or about to head off on spring break adventure, and if you are anything like me you are planning the next trip before you get home. It’s my coping strategy. Given that we are less than 2 months away from many summer vacations I thought I’d dedicate an episode focused on a framework I use planning vacation with a specific intention in mind, and the ways I optimize the process to create the greatest value.

Key Takeaways:

What is the purpose for this travel experience? Asking this question first allows for intentional planning and a check point throughout the process to design an experience that suits your goals.
Focus on 1-2 high priority items and plan for those items first, the rest of the travel necessities will be based on these first critical items
What resources do you already have that you can optimize? Consider things like memberships, equipment, or travel rewards.
What are things each member of your family likes to do? One way Heidi creates a high joy - low investment swimming experiences is to utilize community swimming pools or county parks.
Consider different forms of capital that create value for your experience. For example social capital and health & well-being capital might get overlooked because of money and time.
Transportation and Accommodations can be included in the overall experience. Does the accommodation offer things that will be high value in comparison to the cost? When considering accommodations, Heidi recognized social capital is really important to her family and the ideal accommodation is to stay with friends or family for 1-2 days to allow for deeper connection.
How can you leverage your network? Who else has been there/done that? How are they similar or different from you. Heidi doesn’t suggest taking advice from those who don’t know you or align with your values, but their insights narrow down your options and direct you where to look more deeply.
Family Travel Rewards Strategies are tricky due to peak travel times, the number of people traveling and many strategies are based on a specific destination. Heidi offers a free family travel rewards strategy download https://ordinarysherpa.com/rewards/ She uses this strategy to travel 4-5 times per year as a family of 5 for $5000.

Call to Action: I know it can be complicated and overwhelming so I also offer family travel rewards strategy coaching. You can get this started by filling out the contact form on my website: https://ordinarysherpa.com/contact/

Resources Mentioned in this Episode:
Free Family Travel Rewards Strategy
Episode 051: Tips for Gifting Experiences
Episode 059: Becoming a Ski Mom with Nicole Feliciano
Ordinary Sherpa Facebook Group
This article by The Points Guy sharing ski passport programs

View Details

Hiking with kids is something we are talking about in the membership. Currently the membership isn’t open for new members as we are in the beta phase, however you can buy me a coffee to say thanks and support the show and get a 15 minute 1:1 to discuss topics like hiking with kids or anything else that has you stuck.

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/069Will you leave Written Review on Apple Podcasts: https://ordinarysherpa.com/review/Subscribe to the email List: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/Join the Ordinary Sherpa Facebook Group to interact with other listeners. https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpa

I was first introduced to our guest through another podcast and was intrigued with her approach to life and adventure as a parent. One of the things on my dream list is a thru-hike with the kids, maybe not quite the PCT or AT but something that requires us to live off what we carry on our backs. Our guest did just that as newbie backpacker and mom of littles.

Stephanie is a mom of 3 kids ages 14, ,10 and 17 months old. Her family values experiences over things, and you can usually find them outside any free chance they get. Stephanie’s passion is getting into the mountains through backpacking and climbing, and she usually has her kids along. Their family goal is to raise kids who protect the environment, live sustainably, and value conservation. Stephanie, also known as thebackpackingmom, it is such a joy to have you with us today.

Key Takeaways

When Stephanie started backpacking it was a thirst to go into the mountains that she saw around her. It was messy and hard but it was worth it.
Her first trip to Shi Shi Beach on the Olympic Penninsula is one she recommends for backpacking trip, and a place she goes back to regularly. She started with a mis-matched tent and non-backpacking gear. The haggard hike was hard, but despite all of this they still had a magical experience and are still going over 10 years later.
There will be twists and turn that you can’t account for. A natural disaster struck the Nepali coast in Kauai leaving them stranded on the beach eventually being airlifted out. While it was definitely scary, having the background with enough extra supplies to stay safe and the community of others helped them through.
Start small with a shake out trip. Somewhere nearby with no more than a 2-5 mile hike. They still do these every year to test the gear, and get back in the habit of hiking. It also makes it easy enough to bail if it’s not working for your family.
Even with a love of the outdoors, she still leverages bribery as a tool to get her kids on trails. The bribery changes as the kids get older. For her teenager bringing a friend, extra screen time or staying out later have worked thus far. She is not beneath even paying them if it comes to that :)
Hiking with kits are great fun and very light to pack. When morale is low they use trick like th bear song, snacks, or fun activities to help them through.
A couple of go-to meals are oatmeal, PB&J on tortillas or tuna packets. Carrying enough food to feed a family of 5 requires them to get creative and stretch meals. Some of their favorites are Mountain House breakfast skillet and some taco sauce and tortillas for breakfast burritos or Mountain House Pad Thai with Ramen for dinner.
As Stephanie states, “We aren’t going to inspire a generation of kids who care about the outdoors if they don’t see it. By fostering a love for these places, hopefully it inspires them to take action to protect the places for years to come.” The family memories are a lovely bi-product of her why.
Given the high altitude with baby they took precautions to know their limits in Peru. At the worst part of the trip her mindset was just 10 more steps. Eventually in 10 step increments they made it to the top.
The outdoor community has demonstrated they will cheer on my kids when I can’t. As a hiking mom it’s helpful to know I don’t have to be everything today.

You can follow Stephanie on Instagram: @thebackpackingmom

View Details

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/068Will you leave Written Review on Apple Podcasts: https://ordinarysherpa.com/review/

At the time of this recording we have 49,392 downloads. Which means we will be celebrating 50,000 downloads with this episode! While I don’t get caught up in numbers and follows and all the metrics I do want to add some levity to what this number means. Ordinary Sherpa has been putting out weekly podcasts since November 2020. In May of 2021 we crossed 10,000 downloads. In 2022, I had 10,916 downloads since January. We average 1,100 downloads. These metric place us in the top 20% of all podcasts. But even bigger than that is Ordinary Sherpa currently has 91 written reviews. 90% of podcasts have less than 10 written reviews. It might sound like I’m gloating here, but actually the only thing I have done is consistently publish new episodes, everything else - you did that. As a listener who downloads my show. The listener who shared it with a friend or family member. To the 91 who left a written review, you are all contributing to this show continuing to grow and reach new people. Congratulations to all of you who continue to come back week after week. This is a milestone worth celebrating.

Email from Listener Susie (I asked if I could share with you for this episode)
I just wanted to give you some positive feedback. I have been listening to your podcast along with Choose FI and Everyday courage. I love your ideas validating small adventures such as eating with chopsticks or cooking a meal using a recipe from another country etc.

I wanted to share some accidental adventures we have had. My husband grew up near Boston but never really explored the area he grew up in. Unfortunately, his mom is not doing well so we have been flying up from Florida once a month and visiting. Because more than an hour of visiting time exhausts her, we go on adventures after our visit. This helps us destress and stay positive. Boston offers so much history and culture as well as a couple of casinos, and state parks ( Walden Pond) unusual off-the-beaten path rock formations. I always dreamed of visiting the big stuff (Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon) of course I still want to visit these places but for now, we are having a great time figuring out which pub really does have the best clam chowder. Eating dumplings in Chinatown and visiting the many historical buildings, parks, and graveyards Boston has to offer.

“Thank you for giving me a new perspective on an adventure. I used to think I was missing out on all these huge time and expensive travels and now I get to explore beyond the next tourist trap.”

Susie’s email demonstrated to me the essence of untourism. If you hadn’t heard my story I was working on some lifestyle goals of what I wanted my life to look like as I was aiming for Financial Independence and the phrase that stocks was “Everyday feels like a vacation” When I double click on that thought it could mean so many different things. Initially I thought it meant I wanted to travel the world, which I also want to do. But more importantly that What I wanted to do, I looked more closely about how I wanted to feel. Vacation has a way of calming my brain, being more present with my kids and husband, doing things together and creating new experiences and lasting memories. That’s how I wanted to FEEL. That spark led me to an adventure lifestyle which may or may not include travel. I realized I don’t need to travel 360 days a year to feel this way. It led us to explore new locations within our own state and even in the far edges of our own property.

FOMO: Fear of Missing Out founded by Patrick McGinnis in 2004. I learned more about FOMO and FOBO on this episode of All the Hacks with Chris Hutchins: https://www.allthehacks.com/fomo-patrick-mcginnis/ FOMO has become a commonplace in our language and officially became a word in the dictionary in 2014. The origin came from Patrick’s simple life in Maine to being thrust into the social setting as a business student at Harvard. His definition of FOMO is anxiety, often fueled by social media, based on a perception that others are having more beneficial experiences than you. The fear of being excluded from a beneficial collective experience. We see things that aren’t even real that provoke feelings of anxiety. The attention economy is designed to steal our attention. When you use social media, how does it make you feel? FOBO: Fear of a Better Option, analysis paralysis

JOMO: was a haphazard term that I heard Paula Pant refer to in this Afford Anything episode.https://affordanything.com/356-ask-paula-fire-vs-fomo-how-do-you-balance-between-these/

Around 2:03 there is a listener question that leads her to talk about FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). To summarize she states when you make a choice you aren’t really missing anything, you are replacing that time with something else. Unless you are in a Coma, the time you are spent in envy of the thing you could be doing is spent doing something else, whether it be reading, etc. Really it’s JOMO: Joy of Missing Out

Wanting to do something else but feeling you have internal scripts that are telling you that you can’t or you shouldn’t
“Let the heart lead and the mind execute” - Paula Pant Begin with your values (Joe Saul-Sehy) if you don’t value it, then the thing you are missing is not an opportunity anyway.

To come back to the idea of Untourism. One thing I began to feel was when traveling. When I would follow FOMO and let social media and the destination guide my travel planning, the experience almost ALWAYS fell short of my expectations. Which is why I have not embraced a bucket list. A bucket list to me is a FOMO list. Of some perceived place that I want to visit before I die. How do you know, based on something you saw on social media or fueled by someone else’s experiences. There are literally billions of places on this planet that I could visit - how do I know which ones I want to visit before I die? The only thing I think is helpful about a bucket list is reflective practice. Asking yourself “what do I want out of this life? How am I advancing that goal today?” Creating a list of locations you’ve heard about or saw in social media is often rooted in envy. When we show up curious, allowing space in our schedule to accept recommendations from locals, to check in with ourselves and everyone in our group to determine how we are feeling as opposed to powering through because the itinerary says so…we say yes to JOMO; to authentic, untourism path that allows you to slow down and be present in the moment. The greatest experiences we have experienced as a family are the places I never heard of, where things turned out better than we expected. Usually we discovered them from a local or a connection met along the way.

I would imagine the Grand Canyon is on many people’s bucket list. Do you know that 4.51 million people visited the Grand Canyon last year. According to an article “The typical visitor takes a brief look into the Grand Canyon and departs. The typical stay lasts from five to seven hours, according to park surveys, and the average time spent looking at the canyon is 17 minutes.” https://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/chi-981213onpgrandcanyonguide-story.html

I’m not saying don’t go to the Grand Canyon. What I am saying is the idea of spending countless hours planning, driving the South Rim with 3 kids to get out of the car and stare at this magical wonder of 17 minutes along with several hundreds of thousands each day, does not sound like a vacation to me. I want to create experiences that do more than check the box on a bucket list. I don’t want to be fueled by FOMO so that I can get to the instagram worthy location and fight to get the perfect shot and make others jealous. It’s why I have also resisted the label as a travel writer or influencer, because to me it’s not about the location. It’s about creating experiences for connection through adventure. It’s JOMO- the Joy of Missing out on what everyone else is doing. I don’t want to be fueled by the perception of being excluded from a collective experience. Instead I want to be in control of my thoughts and experiences. If you download my Beginner’s Guide to Untourism (Ordinarysherpa.com/untourism) you will see how traditional travel and bucket lists fuel the hive mind of FOMO and the difference in JOMO and untourism principles.

This past week was spring break in our house. As many of you know my daughter kicked off 2022 with a severe biking accident and spring break landed 12 weeks post op. The plan for spring break was to make full use of the kids Colorado Pass and ski several different mountains in Colorado. But my daughter didn’t think she was ready for that level of skiing, so my husband and boys went and my daughter and I stayed home. Full transparency, I had FOMO. I don’t think I have ever stayed home on spring break. I really needed to step into and practice JOMO this week. Instead of feeling like I was missing out on something I asked myself, what do I get to do this week? I needed to step back into the 9YO version of myself and remember that version of Joy. We ended up taking a 2 hour hike to an enchanted forest to create a fort; We put on mud boots and walked through the hybrid stream and ice. We rode on the 4-wheeler, she sat behind me with her eyes closed and her hands raised imagining she was riding a roller coaster. We met up with a group of friends and went indoor rock climbing. We made ice cream from scratch. She slept in my bed at night and we read silently next to each other. JOMO was a blessing. At the end of the week I was so grateful for the 1:1 ways we spent time together throughout the week.

My challenge for you this week is to do something that brings you Joy (or JOMO). That helps you to reframe the FOMO, envy and the desire to escape your life. What is something that you can do today that brings you joy? Adventures are accessible everywhere. We just have to be willing to stop looking everywhere else for inspiration and instead listen deeply and reflect on what you want this day, this week, or this year of your life to look like. You don’t have to plan it, or search the internet. You just need to be ready to receive it.

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/068Will you leave Written Review on Apple Podcasts: https://ordinarysherpa.com/review/Subscribe to the email List: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/Join the Ordinary Sherpa Facebook Group to interact with other listeners. https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpa

CTA: Leave a Written Review: Ordinarysherpa.com/review

Thank you for giving me a new perspective on an adventure. I used to think I was missing out on all these huge time and expensive travels and now I get to explore the most from any area we visit without just skimming through seeing what everyone sees and going on to the next tourist trap.

Thank you and keep up the positive podcasts.

JOMO: was a haphazard term that I heard Paula Pant refer to in this Afford Anything episode.https://affordanything.com/356-ask-paula-fire-vs-fomo-how-do-you-balance-between-these/

Wanting to do something else but feeling you have internal scripts that are telling you that you can’t or you shouldn’t
“Let the heart lead and the mind execute” - Paula Pant

Begin with your values (Joe Saul-Sehy) if you don’t value it, then the thing you are missing is not an opportunity anyway.

David Allen (Getting Things Done) at its heart it’s like being like water, go where the river is running. Be quiet and listening- can’t do that when my life is a mess. It’s about removing the things from your life that don’t bring value and then quiet.

Paula references an Email: I really want to travel, can’t stop calculating the missed opportunity of compound interest. If I only considered decisions from the compound interest you would never do anything. What is the purpose- what do you enjoy? Money is a tool to help you accomplish the things you enjoy. Biggest mistakes came from making the logical decision.

I would imagine the Grand Canyon is on many people’s bucket list. Do you know that 4.51 million people visited the Grand Canyon last year. According to an article “The typical visitor takes a brief look into the Grand Canyon and departs pumped full of wonder. The typical stay lasts from five to seven hours, according to park surveys, and the average time spent looking at the canyon is 17 minutes.” https://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/chi-981213onpgrandcanyonguide-story.html

View Details

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/067Will you leave Written Review on Apple Podcasts: https://ordinarysherpa.com/review/ Subscribe to the email List: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/ Join the Ordinary Sherpa Facebook Group to interact with other listeners. https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpa First and foremost this episode is dropping on my birthday. 2 years ago I felt like I got robbed of a 40th birthday when the world literally shut down on my birthday. I decided I wanted to do something to celebrate in a very different way. On February 1st, I kicked off the 42 days hoping that on my birthday I would have something to celebrate. The thing I wanted to celebrate was 42 days to 42 hours outside (as part of my 1000 hours outside challenge). I am happy to report that thanks in large part to my igloo building project I have spent over 60 hours outside for the past 42 days and am 4 hours away from my 100 hour mark for 2022. This birthday is less about indulging in something to escape and more for me to celebrate something I am getting better at and that is better for me. There is significant research that shows countless benefits of spending time outdoors. Today’s episode is yet another example. In 2016 Amy left behind life as she knew it and moved with her husband and two sons to Alaska, looking for a fresh start and more time in the great outdoors. While Amy had a background as a reporter, editor, runner, and Army wife she was not an expert in designing a life in all things outdoorsy. She created the Humans Outside podcast to help people like her get outside and love it. But just talking about getting outside wasn’t enough. Since September 2017 she has spent at least 20 consecutive minutes outside every single day. She also hosts the Humans Outside Podcast where she talks with outdoor-minded guests; When she’s not busy getting outside or hosting the Human’s Outside podcast she is Executive Editor of Military.com.

Key Takeaways

Alaska is full of people looking to get away from something and experience a fresh start. While there were many reasons that led to Amy’s family moving to Alaska you don’t need to move to Alaska to experience the transformation of spending time outside. A change in mindset can be experienced anywhere. Sometimes that is easier to do with a change in scenery.
We are conditioned to do things as humans that make us feel good. It is a great day when the things that feels good is also good for you.
There is therapeutic adventure and there is adventure therapy. Going outside makes you feel good, and one is using a licensed mental health clinician to work with you through the adventure experience.
After a year of living in Alaska where the purpose for the move was to be outside more, she wasn’t actually leaning into that in reality. She challenged herself on Memorial Day 2017 to go outside every single day between then and Labor Day 2017.
At the end of the 3+ month experiment of going outside everyday she realized she liked the experience, she felt better and liked how many new things she had done. She wondered what would happen if she kept doing it for a year.
To mimic the Happiness Project, Amy decided to create rules she would follow as a part of her everyday outside challenge. This was critical for her success to create a meaningful benefit.
One rule she created was to define what counted as outdoor time everyday. After some research a healthy dosage of outside time was 20 minutes. Combined with the fact that 20 minutes was an amount of time she would actually do each day. Her accountability was to post a picture every day on instagram and began using the hashtag #humansoutisde365 as a way to find the photos after.
Outside is Outside, the challenge gave her permission to just be outside doing whatever she wanted. She did want to push herself to try new things such as classic country-country skiing, dog sledding, among other things.
She signed up for a course called Becoming an Outdoors Woman, which is offered every state (she believes) sponsored by the state Fish and Game department. In Alaska, they offer a 3-day retreat which exposed her to experiences such as skinning and hide prep, a chainsawing course, and downhill skiing. After forcing herself to spend time outside and try new things, new things don’t seem so scary.
When you realize what is outside your back door and you are intentional about exploring it, so many more opportunities open up to you. The practice of being aware and intentional.
Outside is always new, because outside is always changing. Even if you do the same trail the rest of your life you will encounter something new on that trail, whether you see something new or not depends on how much attention you are paying to what you are doing.
While mountains and the Grand Canyon and all the epic adventures are great, Amy challenges us to experience adventures where we already are in a new light.

To follow or connect with Amy

Website: https://humansoutside.com/
Podcast: Humans Outside
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HumansOutside/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/humansoutside/

For a full list of resources mentioned in this episode head to the episode website: https://ordinarysherpa.com/067

View Details

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/066 (at some point head here to check out the pictures)Will you leave Written Review on Apple Podcasts: https://ordinarysherpa.com/review/Join the Book Launch team and pre-read Heidi’s book https://ordinarysherpa.com/read

As many of you know the Midwest is the land of cold and snow the months of January and February. I love the midwest and all 4 seasons. Typically we spend most of Winter on our skis checking out the midwest version of mountains on our downhill skis or some other frozen treasures. However given that my daughter had 2 broken arms it seemed our adventures might need to be more subdued this winter so I decided to build an igloo. In my head I thought this would be a fun family project. I thought I would use this episode to share the reality of my winter adventure of building an igloo and several important life lessons that came with it.

First this will be an episode where you will want to jump over to the episode website at some point to see the blog post with pictures. It will help give context to the building process. I found how to build an igloo from a youtube video in the later part of winter 2021 but by the time I had all the stuff the weather warmed up and I realized I was doing everything wrong. I used those lessons to shape what I learned and have better success (read more than 12 blocks of ice) in building an igloo.

Bigger is not always better - size of the igloo, blocks of ice, too much mortar. When I saw the video of igloo it had several rooms and youtube makes everything seem so simple. Last year I started with pans that were too small. I ordered bigger pans this year but they weren’t deep enough. The ideal size pans are 9x13 half size disposable baking pans (Note Link to pans on Amazon). They should be filled ⅔ full with water. I had my vision set on making an igloo big enough that we could either eat or sleep in it. I am tall, almost 6’ so I also didn’t want to be getting in and out to be a challenge through the doorway. This turned out to be much larger than needed and ultimately making the project a challenge to complete.
Geometry matters To create the initial pattern I grabbed a cross country ski pole to be my protractor and mark the circle. My son put his foot through the handle of the ski pole in the center and I walked along the tip, shuffling my feet to mark the full circle. Let me remind you that a 5’ radius is only half the diameter which meant I was creating a 10’ wide igloo. Spoiler alert, I did not fully finish the igloo before it melted, but given how big I made it, I am not sure how I would have finalized the top. I also should not that having angled pans of ice were helpful it wasn’t as big of a deal as I imagined it would be. Which I’ll come back to in an upcoming lesson. However, making a round object with square blocks does take some creative maneuvering and I am not macgyver. The trick was using broken pieces and staggering the blocks as much as possible. I loved math as a kid and this project seemed like the best challenge to fit pieces together and have something come to life in ways you didn’t expect. While not 100% relevant to detailed geometry lessons, it got my wheels turning about how might we teach our kids differently using experiences like this to teach traditional education concepts.
Color makes everything more fun. $1 washable paint from the Dollar Store worked much better than food coloring. Not only was it cheaper it washed off. It truly was the color of the ice that made me smile when I walked outside each day. I strongly encourage you to add a pop of color to your life. You might be surprised how much you notice.
There are many elements outside of your control The most critical factor to my success was temperature and time. The best time to work on the igloo was after 6:30 PM when the sun set and the temperatures dropped. It also required consistent days below 32 which start and stopped a lot of my momentum. Because we were having challenges with the pans freezing to the ground, my husband created a freezing station. 4 construction horses and 6 8’ 2x4 were the best solution to house and freeze roughly 20 pans of ice each night. We created the ice and the majority of the igloo in a shaded side (which would be the north side of the garage) to protect it from as much sun as possible. However if temps didn’t stay low enough during the day, we’d lose and entire day and round of ice making. We strategized ways to make more ice faster, but without a factory sized freezer, this was just one aspect we could scale for greater or faster production.
Ice can break in ways you don’t plan We worked hard for each pan of ice. It was slightly devastating when they would break coming out of the pan, or if one would slide while you were laying the blocks to create the walls. Sometimes we needed to intentionally break ice to fit in small spaces or reinforce an area that is not 90 degrees. We tried to make this methodical, my husband even attempted to cut a block of ice with a jigsaw- he could not cut through it which thoroughly surprised us. Maybe TMI, but there were times when an ice block broke and it felt like I dropped a bottle of breast milk. You worked so hard to get that block of ice what you needed it to be only to lose it. I was pretty scrappy and picked up and repurposed what pieces I could. Smaller pieces were also used as carving stones to crack away at bumps or major impurities to make the blocks smoother and easier to meld together.
Never underestimate the power of a LIttle snow and water. The most awe-inspiring aspect of this process was making and attaching the blocks of ice together with snow-water slush. The consistency of shave ice if you are familiar with the Hawaiian slush consistency. On a cold night the blocks would freeze into place almost effortlessly and with small handfuls of the mortar. To my point earlier, more is not better. After years of working alongside my husband tiling I ran my mittens over the seems to smooth out each joint and remove excess mortar. Everytime I tried to fix a block that was slipping with more mortar, it actually turned out worse. Usually the problem was the ice was too slippery or wet yet, I needed to wait a little longer to let the ice firm up or let the outer edge be completely frozen.
Melting reinforces the structure overall. My assumption going into this was that the mortar would melt first and the blocks would become unstable and topple. The opposite was actually true. When the structure warmed up the blocks of ice melted and dripped down over the layers below reinforcing the bottom layers each day. A great lesson for life, sometimes when we feel like we are falling apart we are simply reinforcing our foundation.
Ideal conditions are the exception not the norm Ideal conditions for me were cold, but not windy. Enough fluffy snow to make mortar mixed with water. I think over the 60-day project I had 3 ideal days. I worked on the project almost every day. I had 2 weekends that we were gone and the final weekend while we were gone led to the igloo’s demise. Other days I did not work on it were because the weather was actually too warm, but I didn’t complain about that. As in life, we always hope things will go according to plan, but they rarely do. It will take longer than you think Always an optimist, Youtube made it look like the project was done in one snowstorm, or at best a few weeks. I worked every day that I could and I still didn’t finish it. As in life, what you see online is seldom the full story. Given my points above out things like temperature being outside of your control, there is a cause and effect from warm weather and igloo building.
Many hands do not always make the work lighter As I alluded to in my intro, I thought with my daughter’s accident and the absence of other adventures this would be a fun family bonding project. The rest of the family wasn’t as excited about this as I was. My daughter didn’t have use of her hands, so she would sometimes wipe the excess mortar off the blocks, or stir the color into water to make the ice blocks, but there aren't a lot of activities that many different people can do. Often the kids would be off playing and exploring outside while I was building the igloo walls. It was helpful when my husband would run out 5 gallon buckets of water from the tub to make the pans of ice, or be willing to get a ⅓ bucket of water to make more mortar. On average I would go through 2 buckets of mortar each night. The kids would sometimes help bring more snow to improve the consistency of the mortar if it got too wet. Once the walls were up to chest height and we were working at a significant angle it was helpful to have someone hold the blocks of ice while the other slobbered on the mortar.
A project with a purpose is so much more fun. I am not a person that starts a project and has the tenacity to see it through. It was late February when someone was complaining about the horrible winter we were having in Wisconsin and I really didn’t know if we lived in the same town. I thought it was a delightful winter. Every night we were playing outside. It was a fun routine after supper and before bed to sneak in at least an hour of time outside, and we could all see the progress we were making. I said when I embarked on this project that I wanted to make people jealous that they didn’t live in the cold and have several friends from Florida ask if they could come up for the weekend. Well, even though I didn’t have the grand prize igloo and the idyllic experience with lights inside illuminating the colors while we enjoyed a winter snack it was still worth doing it. One the fateful day in February as Iggy rolled over while basking in the sun, my sons still enjoyed one last pleasure of crashing up the blocks of ice. We eventually loaded up the big pieces in a sled and hauled them out the woods to add to the potential pool of water near our garage. The colors of ice in the woods still brought us joy.

As I am practicing how to slow down and enjoy the everyday adventures on the path to our next big experience, projects like these that take a few months are a fun way to offer experiences and purpose. While we weren’t sitting in the magazine image igloo singing kumbya and drinking hot chocolate it was worth every ounce of doing, fixing and trying again. Spending time outside in Winter in Wisconsin feels like an accomplishment I look forward to again next year. Who knows, maybe we’ll even host an Ordinary Sherpa adventure family winter meet up and build igloos :)

As we look forward to spring all of my energy is in the final stretch of getting my book published. Beyond Normal: A field guide to embracing adventure, exploring the wilderness, and designing and extraordinary life with kids will be available at the end of April. If you are interested in stories and learning that made Ordinary Sherpa, want to support us in this additional chapter, or just want some behind the scenes into the book publishing process consider joining our book launch team at ordinarysherpa.com/read

View Details

I have found that I really enjoy podcasting and having conversation without all the ads and interruptions many podcasters use. If you enjoy the ideas, find joy or inspiration from my work, you can buy me a coffee to say thanks and support the show. If you want to go deeper with the content and/or get more engaged you can find additional ways to support the show through the links below. Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/065

Will you leave Written Review on Apple Podcasts: https://ordinarysherpa.com/review/ Subscribe to the email List: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/ Join the Ordinary Sherpa Facebook Group to interact with other listeners. https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpa

Our guest today spent the better part of his career building and leading an elite internal research capability at a corporation.

His role was to lead an incredibly talented team of researchers to elevate the voice of the customer allowing business units to make customer-centric decisions more quickly. He facilitated“design sprints” working with cross-functional teams on everything from internal “employer of choice” initiatives; product/service enhancements to breakthrough innovation / blue sky opportunities.

He was my go-to design thinking or human centered design guru in learning how to solve community problems differently at work. In our years of working together I learned to apply the human-centered design principles to my life ultimately leading me towards a life of adventure with kids. He is an aspriging feminist father of 3, amateur Yogi, and baseball enthusiast who is redefining traditional measures of success on on lifelong learning journey.

Key Takeaways
1. At the root of empathy is emotions.

As reflected from Eden’s learning in the Art of Empathy there are 6 elements of empathy: Emotion contagion, empathetic accuracy; emotion regulation (self-awareness); Perspective taking; Concern for others: Perceptive engagement which is are you willing to act when you gain that empathy for others. If your empathetic accuracy and emotional regulation are strong you will have the range and depth to understand the attitudes and experiences that are different from yours.
Many of us don’t have formal education to understand emotions. Learning how to feel is something often lands on parents or perhaps a less formal educational support such as through faith and other communities. If there is a gap in understanding our own feelings, that increases the gap in empathy and the ability to feel others people's emotions. It is a teachable learnable skill, but starts with learning and acknowledging your own feelings.
We tend to classify emotions into good and bad. Happiness and joy are easy to talk about, fear, anger and sadness are much more vulnerable to share. Lean in here. If we can be more empathetic as a society
“I’m never an expert, I just always want to continue to learn.” As apparent, my willingness to entertain a different viewpoint allows space for me to practice empathy with my kids. I am able to change my mind when I learn new or different information is a critical component for me.
An “aspiring feminist father“ is really responsive fathering. It’s embracing the role from a participatory, reflective and listening perspective as opposed to the masculine, dominant or perhaps authoritative way that many fathers are perceived. A key component is to learn “what is it like to be you?”
Empathy is a super power that allows you to understand what people believe and recognize it’s not right or wrong, but how do I understand it
You are never done designing your life, it’s a constant feedback look of listening and learning, testing and experimenting, adapting and iterating. After feeling and understand then comes the radical collaboration, in this case with family members, to decide what we want to do next.
For the better part of his life, success was defined by salary and job title. A meme by Liz and Molly articulated that a better representation of a pie graph including different slices of life such as mental health, physical health, what I like to do, free time and some smaller slice of salary and job title. So now he is exploring what freelancing looks like and dedicating time to being a dad and volunteering. Being okay with having free time.
Spending time in self care with things like yoga, massage and meditation helped me unpack the feelings I was feeling. In addition to spending more time with family, and spending more time in leisure and not feeling guilty about it. Having space is allowing him to be aware of where he is getting energy and giving energy and greater balance between the inputs and outputs.
A critical element in taming the fear and anxiety is a support network he could be vulnerable with to challenge his perspective. Secondly a risk assessment and walking through the ways to avoid and prevent key fears. “I don’t think we are ever 100% ready nor will you cross off all the potential things that could go sideways.” These were key items in quieting the inner critic and reinforce that I am good enough.

To Follow or Connect with Eden
Email: e.jon.weller@gmail.com
Linked In: @EdenWeller

Resources mentioned in this episode:
Book: The Art of Empathy by Karla Mclarane
Book: Father Figure by Jordan Shapiro

Meme: Liz and Mollie How we’re taught to Measure Success: https://twitter.com/lizandmollie/status/1361011227640520704

View Details

Episode webiste: Ordinarysherpa.com/064
Buy me a Coffee: If you enjoy the ideas, find joy or inspiration from my work, you can buy me a coffee to say thanks and support the show.
Beginners Guide to Untourism. https://ordinarysherpa.com/untourism/ I recently read this article from Nomadic Matt and given my reaction I thought it’d be worth sharing and talking through, as well as sharing ways to explore the world of travel differently. https://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/travel-change/

“We often believe travel is some sort of panacea for one’s thoughts about the world and the people in it. Go abroad, get exposed to different cultures, and then, bam, suddenly you’ll have more empathy for people around the globe and stop seeing them as some ‘foreign, scary other’ Books upon books about travel expound on the belief “I went traveling and became a better person with a deeper appreciation and tolerance for others.” First as a young American woman, I naively prescribed to the belief that we were the greatest country in the world. I was trained to believe that other places weren’t safe.

I had several experiences to challenge this paradigm. As a summer camp counselor working alongside International staff from countries I didn’t know of; hosting foreign exchange students; my own mini-exchange experience changed my paradigm about travel.

My definition and understanding about safety and security continues to evolve today and I rarely find much value from internet stories about location based safety. My threshold for safety is based on the network of people I am with and the relationships I have connected to that location. I know the mechanism behind internet news and the lack of context in the creation of stories or the details that get lost in the game of telephone gossip.

Being from a small town in rural Wisconsin, I viewed travel as my gateway to new and different experiences. To meet people with backgrounds different from my own. To see nature beyond the boundaries of our backyard or hometown, to understand the expansiveness of the globe, ecosystems, and environment that contributes to the place and culture building phenomenon.

Over the years I have witnessed and experienced different types of travel.

What is the impact of travel?

Large travel brands impact on small businesses and the soul of a community.

Travel can change us in meaningful ways, but it’s not a universal declaration.
- travel changes us when we are outside our comfort zone
- deep empathy and in gratitude for those who serve us

Given the way our system of 2 weeks of vacation leads to all inclusive escapes and deluxe resorts hidden from local people in tropical locations, I don’t know that travel has any impact on how people see or interact with the world. It can offer exposure and escape from daily life, but I don’t know if that leads to change for most individuals.

Which is why I hesitate to say that travel is the secret to a fulfilling life. I have chosen to use the word adventure intentionally to invite you to step to the margins of your comfort zone. To consider slowing down and learning about people different from you or places you are familiar with. WHat if instead of exploring the most popular places, you began exploring the least popular place.

If this intrigues you I invite you to explore travel from a different lens than a traditional tourism mindset.

How might we Incorporate generosity into our adventures?
About 3 years ago it started with the kids writing thank you note and drawing pictures for the airline staff. It has extended to looking for ways to support the locations we go or leading with generosity when meeting a new host, driver, or stranger on the street. We've had some great life lessons through these experiences. There are also service-based experiences that you can search to travel and intentionally engage in service work. Since I am an Executive for a Private FOundation and have been working in Philantrhopy for over 10 years I have some insights about mission trips that I won’t go into. I will say, you do not need to go to a third world country to have a generous or service based experience. I have plans to feature more examples of these experiences in upcoming podcast episodes.
How might we explore different means for travel?
With the car rental shortage we had experience with apps like Turo over the past 4 years, but even that was tough. So then we explored car dealerships, and camper rentals. We ended up finding a local company that had a 1996 conversion van available for rent. It was a non-traditional way to travel and most people might turn up their nose to a 1996 van, but it gave us some serious local cred and allowed us to adventure more comfortably. After we confirmed the conversion van we decided to camp instead of reserving formal lodging accommodations. We camped on private property using the Hipcamp platform. It's like Airbnb but for camping and allows for tent camping, car camping, and RV camping (although Hawaii is not suited for RV camping like the mainland). While hotels offer predictability, I don’t enjoy hotel accommodations and most time hotels are run by large brands that may not be closely connected to the community. I prefer finding solutions that offer triple win to the community - customer - and business.
How might we try local foods?
Roadside food stands. We don't eat out very often but we are curious about local foods and flavors. We tried many different local foods and dishes for a fraction of the price of local restaurants. Our kids are slightly picky eaters so having the flexibility to try things on our terms and then prepare a back up plan if they don't like it has always been a better fit for us. We do require a "no thank you try" (Learn more about our no thank you try approach in episode 021)
How might we discover “locals only” hangouts?
When you build relationships with locals and come from a place of generosity not expectations, they will peel back the onion and share some of their favorite often hidden places that they don't want tourists to know about. We had at least 4 different experiences with some "local secrets" from the best beaches, to a quiet cove where a rare breed of shells are found, a hike unknown to many tourists, a cliff jump location that was perfect for kids and what time of day to go for the best experience. As with any relationship, the more they trust you the more they are willing to share and let you into their tribe. BUT this must be authentic!
How might we experience pristine and untouched landscapes?
You have to go off the beaten path for these experiences and they will challenge you and your family. We drove nearly 1 mile off any main road and had a pristine camping location on the side of the ocean. It is the only place where we saw the sunrise and sunset from the same spot in my life. It has forever changed our definition of an "ocean view."
How might we recreate an experience we hear or see about?
We found an Airbnb experience that seemed intriguing but out of our price range, so we did a little extra research and DIY'd the experience on our terms. The experience was to swim in the hidden warm pools, where the fresh water natural pools are heated by lava beneath the surface of the earth. It was definitely a memorable experience for all of us. We didn't pay for a single tour in our 3 weeks in Hawaii. Again, much like I stated in my comments about hotels. I am not opposed to tours, my point is to be intentional about what you want to get out of the tour experience. I have a friend in Nashville who runs a food tour company and is on a mission to invest $1M into the local restaurant industry, she is very particular about the restaurants she chooses and the food must be made from scratch. There is a mutual benefit to that tour. I have purchased tours and later didn’t feel great about what my money was supporting. Like the Holleywood Homes tour- why did I really need to know where a bunch of famous people lived? A dolphin cruise or whale watching experience, it’s neat to see but I have heard stories from the locals that left me questioning if that tour’s intentions are good for the community.
How might we connect with local families?
One of our accommodations was a stay with a host family. When you find people around the world who have similar likes and interests and you nurture relationships with, you have different options. I grew up staying with family members when we traveled. I know that isn't easy to expect when we travel as a family of 5 so we have built a network of other families who are open to hosting and experiencing adventure.
How might we learn what is unique about the culture of the location you are visiting?
Bringing a curious mindset to our adventures allowed us to meet and interact with locals and ended up with a little ukulele lesson. A ukulele is now an item on my son's birthday list. I can't imagine it would be on the list without this experience.
How might we learning a new skill?
While ukulele offered a mini skill building experience, my oldest son had a deep desire to surf. This was our second time connecting with locals, using their equipment and building the skill of surfing. Our first was in Florida where we met up with the Family we bought our RV from and the second was from our host family in Hawaii. My oldest is very eager to keep perfecting the skill of surfing (which is going to be tricky living in Wisconsin). When we learn from someone else, we give them the opportunity to share their passions. One of my favorite things I did for myself was on a horse ranch in Tucson, a local couple would come in and teach glass art. I took an afternoon class (without kids) and made a glass pendant. It was the best investment in learning a skill, supporting a local, and having a souvenir to remember that experience by.

Does travel change us? I think that is up to you to decide. As with many things in life Envy can be the root of deception and entice people to more luxurious, more remote, epic views. The impact of travel comes back to purpose. What is the purpose of travel in your life?

Beginners Guide to Untourism. https://ordinarysherpa.com/untourism/

View Details

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/063 Join In the Arena Mastermind or Adventure Tribe Community: https://ordinarysherpa.com/arena
Buy me a Coffee: Enjoy the podcast without the ads and interruptions many podcasters use. If you enjoy the ideas, find joy or inspiration from my work, you can buy me a coffee to say thanks and support the show.

Andy has strategically worked to design his life to allow his family the freedom to own their life. In 2021 that included a 40 road trip with his wife, 2-kids, and family dog in a minivan. I had the luxury of hosting Andy and exposing him to the hidden gems of Northeast Wisconsin and sharing many of our family tips and tricks along the way.

Key Takeaways

Andy thinks of success as being happy with your life. There is no trophy for making the most money or having the best title. For Andy a happy life includes growth and contribution.
You can have fun in life and be miserable at work. While this is not a commercial for entrepreneurship, owning your career and owning your life is finding out what lights you up putting your fears aside. The book is a guide to help people own their careers and not have to risk it all to be happy.
We can set an intention or design a life we want and there will be challenges that come up along the way. When we face challenges Andy suggests we ask 3 questions:
What’s great about this?
What can I learn from this?
What does this make possible?
One thing that got him through was the nature of impermanence. This is how it is right now. Whatever we are going through is not going to last forever. This feeling, this hard day, this circumstance will pass.
A daily meditation and gratitude practice helped him find things to be grateful for each day. Eventually he became grateful for cancer. He tries to see every challenge now as an opportunity.
Life is not a competition. Whatever challenge you have going on feels like the worst thing in the world at the moment for you. Mindset is our outlook and perception on the world. You get to interpret if your things are good or bad.
A 40-day minivan road trip grew out of a long time desire to adventure with the kids. They had the ability and the minivan was just the most viable option.
Andy loves to connect with friends. About a third of the night were spent with friends, a third were camping in a tent, and third spent in hotels. They started in Orlando heading as far west as Bend, Oregon.
The power of a network goes far beyond professional connections. Andy’s main resource for planning his trip was crowdsourcing through social media. He added comments and ideas into his notes app on his iphone or used the gypsy app in places like national parks to make much better use of their time. A great place to ask questions and ask for recommendations is the Ordinary Sherpa Facebook group.
Everyone gets to parent their own way, long car rides were great times for screen time which also allowed the parents to listen to a podcast, audiobook or have a conversation.
There are 2 questions to ask after each stop. Does everybody have their seatbelts on? Is the dog in the van?
“Life is a journey full of twists and turns, and you never know where things will go, but you will miss out on tons of opportunities if you aren’t willing to ask for help.” Find those ahead of you on this journey and ask for help, join their community, buy their book.

ownyourcareerownyourlife.com/bonus

To follow or connect with Andy Storch
Website: andystorch.comEmail: andy@andystorch.comLinkedIn: linkedIn.com/in/andystorchInstagram: @andy_storchTwitter: @andystorch
Podcasts:
Own Your Career Own Your Life
Talent Development Hot Seat
My NFT Journey
Book: Own Your Career Own Your Life

View Details

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/062
Will you leave Written Review on Apple Podcasts: https://ordinarysherpa.com/review/Subscribe to the email List: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/

Tips for Packing

Reuse the same packing list over and over again. 80% of the item don’t change
Use the Capsule wardrobe concept: what 5 items can I wear to create 10 different looks?

Change looks with jewelry (earrings or necklace can change a look, so can a hat or vest for the outdoorsy)

What are the most comfortable items you own

The only things you need to “pack extra” are underwear and perhaps socks.
Favor thin moisture wicking material. It rolls easily and usually doesn’t hold wrinkles. It’s also easy to add or remove layers as needed. I have worn up to 4 layers before.
Traveled south we tend to leave bulky winter jackets behind and favor several layers + our rain jackets that are thin, waterproof and windproof.
With the exception of a few remote places, you can usually find something you need or forgot at a local convenience store. Sometimes those pinch purchases become your favorites.
It’s easy to fill space if you have it. Challenge yourself to start with the smallest pack or bag and go from there.
The more you pack the heavier and more cumbersome it will be. More luggage requires a bigger car, more hands and makes maneuvering (especially with kids) more stressful.
What aspects of your luggage can be go-ready? Do you have a toiletry bag packed and easy to grab and go? In the case of our trip to Seattle with kids, I wanted the mornings to be easy. While perhaps over the top having 1-2 grab and go outfits packed so if you just need an overnight you don’t have to scrounge through your large suitcase to find the items you need. When we have a late night travel we usually pack a first night bag where everyone's PJ, toothbrushes and anything need for that first night and next morning are all in one bag so we can simply grab that one bag as opposed to going through several.
Be cautious in making vacation a first time experience using the items in your pack. Things might look vacation worthy, but can lead to a miserable experience.
My youngest is extremely particular about tactile things like how his socks fit and the type of material. We asked him to help us pack for Cleveland for a weekend (granted he was 3). When we got there he would not wear any of the clothes we packed. He had one outfit that he would wear. We let him wear it 2 days in a row and since we were just there for a long weekend we decided to wash it and wear it again.
Daytona 500 with my husband I used a new sunscreen, a really good one for sensitive skin. I ended up having an allergic reaction to the sunscreen and that afternoon my forehead, ears and neck began itching uncontrollably. It spread all the way to my stomach before it finally began to subside over a month later.

The act of packing for a trip can also be a metaphor for major life decisions. It is easy to keep thinking we need to have everything we need just in case, sometimes lightening the pack will make the next step moch easier to make. It’s funny, because we are a few months away from a major life decision and it seems like all we keep doing is going over the packing list. Last week I finally realized, this is the 3rd time I have been over the list. There is nothing more we need in order to move forward. In my book I refer to this as the Knowing, Doing, Being Cycle where we feel like we need to learn and study enough before we are ready to take action, or we might be doing all kinds of meaningless things that preclude us from stepping into who we are meant to be. If you can relate to this statement, sit down for 5 minutes with a paper and pen and just dump everything out of your brain. Every fear, every question, every responsibility, every wish, every thought. When you feel like your brain is empty just leave it and walk away- no requirement to sort, assign or do anything with the list. A week later take a fresh piece of paper and do it again without looking at the first list? How do the lists compare? Which ones are taking up most of brain capacity. If you feel stuck after that, contact me. I often work with people to help coach them through little steps to design their ideal life. My speciality is designing an adventurous life with kids (and as a reminder my husband and I still work full-time).

I want to come back to the message requesting my recommendation for a good backpack for her son.

I always want to meet people where they are at and without asking a ton of questions. My response was:

Don’t overthink it. You can backpack with just about any backpack and be fine. I try not to focus on gear. But, I want to respect your question as you are asking for my insights. I am not brand loyal. We have an Osprey bag that we bought on FB marketplace and a Kelty pack that we bought a long time ago. Things I would look for are waterproof (note waterproof zippers are a pain to open so we decided to get a waterproof cover), also separate zipper access points so I can access something in the bottom of the pack without having to unpack everything. We don’t do multi-day hikes where you need to pack out massive amounts of water. If he is interested in thru-hiking (more than 3-4 days) in the wilderness, should also consider how he is going to carry and consume water.

We have some of our favorite items and brands, but that is what works for us. I would rather determine what is of value to you. I hope this episode helps you see that you don’t need special gear, the right things, or everything including the kitchen sink to have a good experience. If you aim for a deep awareness of what you value, how to optimize key things that are comfortable for you, and use less time and energy thinking about the stuff- it’s an opportunity to be a little lighter heading into your next adventure experience. By letting go of the baggage holding us in place we make room to receive the next opportunity.

If you want more family adventure tips, join our email subscriber list at ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe.

View Details

Want to connect? Here are 3 ways to connect with me or other adventure families through Ordinary Sherpa:

For a quick 1:1 with Heidi buy me a coffee
For a cohort adventure challenge: https://ordinarysherpa.com/challenge
In a community of other adventure families: https://ordinarysherpa.com/arena

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/061

I was first exposed to the Jetsetting Family through their podcast when I was looking for inspiration from families who travel. Through their podcast episodes and Instagram feed I felt like I was on so many of the travels with them and they opened up my world to places I hadn’t heard of or were not in my zone of awareness.

Jessica is a photographer and social media content creator for The Jetsetting Family. Three years ago, she sold most of her stuff and took her family on a full-time adventure around the world. In two years, she visited more than 40 countries with her husband and two young children, working with dozens of brands in the travel and hospitality industry. She now calls Florida home, and is always ready for the next big adventure!

Key Takeaways

They bought a home that ended up being exhausting. It felt like “we were always saving for the next repair.” They were spending so much time and money on things that weren’t important to their family. One of the items they wanted to prioritize was travel.
When single, young and had all the energy in the world she liked fast travel. But with 2 young kids, fast travel was exhausting.
The transition from vacation mindset to lifestyle mindset is a learning curve. After 9 months the settled into a routine of having 2 down days and work days built. You can only travel as long as your budget allows. They planned to travel for 6 months, thanks to Instagram following they were given discounted free stays reducing their expenses. Then expanded to tours and eventually at the end of their 2 years of full-time travel had secured substantial paid contracts.
“If you are going to travel full-time you have to learn to take everything as it comes. The reality of travel is there are beautiful moments and there are really hard moments.”
“Yes kids might not remember the travels, but seeing how they adapt, the funny questions they ask along the way, and how it becomes so normal to them is really a beautiful experience” (9:09)
Cruises are great taste test of where you want to go, but don’t allow you to go deep.
Transitioning home she is reminded of how much more exhausting it is to travel from a home base than to travel full-time. When you are traveling full-time you aren’t thinking about what to pack because everything you own is with you. It costs a lot to travel and own a home. I think people see full-time travel families as families who are really wealthy, or have some secret to life. The reality is you are substituting living expenses instead of paying car ownership expenses you are paying for a flight, instead of rent or mortgage you pay for lodging. Being at home it feels like we have our own independent lives, we spent much more time together while traveling.
After a year of travel, anytime they were at a location 1 month or longer they would enroll in local schools or activities where they would have daily exposure to other kids.
Families interested in exploring full time travel might want to explore Instagram. Many families are passionate about the lifestyle and want to make it accessible. Send them a DM and ask your questions, chances are they have content or insights to share.
For every bucket list place you go, you end up adding 2 more. You meet people and they offer gems or suggestions.

Lessons learned from fulltime travel: https://www.thejetsettingfamily.com/lessons/
Pros and Cons of travel vs. being home.

To follow or connect with Jessica Sanchez:

Website: www.thejetsettingfamily.com
Email: hello@thejetsettingfamily.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Thejetsettingfamily
Instagram: @thejetsettingfamily

View Details

What are simple ways to adventure as a family? As a follow up to Episode 060 | Invitation to Connect and Create Simple Adventures I wanted to give you some examples of simple adventures that your family could do this weekend. These are some of the Everyday Adventures we build into our monthly adventure list that I will be helping you create and bring to life in the Everyday Adventure Challenge. I wanted to give you some insights into what I mean by simple adventures and remind you that the value is not in this list of ideas. The magic happens when you bring these Everyday Adventures to life so each member of your family feels connected by spending meaningful time together having fun and connecting with other families throughout the process.

Make a Mess
Play in the dirt, get your hands dirty, do a messy craft project, play with shaving cream, throw pottery, paint a canvas, do a mud run
Turn the dining room table into a fort with pillows and blankets. To extend the experience grab a flashlight and read a book in your new fort.
Check out a seasonal attraction. Some examples in our area are ice caves or ice castles, polar plunges, giant snowmen, or snowmobile races.
Visit the best playground with in ___ miles
Have a paper airplane contest
Eat whatever is for dinner with your fingers. Spaghetti and soup are a fun challenge and will offer lots of laughs.
Grab a pack of gum and try the “the biggest bubble” contest
Try a new coffee or ice cream shop throughout the season. Order a signature drink or flavor. Keep a report card with your ratings.
Write a letter or draw a picture and mail it to someone
Design an indoor obstacle course. Some of our favorite supplies are stools, bed pillows and painters tape as laser beams
Crank the music and do a family dance in the kitchen. Some examples include Cha Cha Slide, Cupid Shuffle, Electric Slide, Macarena.
Sleep out in the family room
Jump Around. Try different types of jumping contests or activities, jump rose contest, standing broad jump, who can jump the highest, or blast House of Pain and pretend you are at a Wisconsin Badger Football game.
Geocaching Like a scavenger hunt but with gps. Download the geocaching app (free) and see what is close by.
Plan a local adventure weekend: 5 things you can do to be gone for more than 12 hours?

I invite you to join other families by participating in an online challenge to create 60-day everyday adventure habits with your family. Participants are supported with weekly inspiration, action-able adventure lists, and accountability check ins to make simple adventures happen. By participating you will be present in your own life, creating connections and memorable family experiences.

The challenge will run from June 5- August 5; September 5 – November 5; February 5-April 5th. Participation is $40 and includes weekly challenges via email, virtual group meet ups and 1:1 accountability check ins. Registration will close at 11:45 PM on the 4th (the night before the challenge). To Register: https://ordinarysherpa.com/challenge

If you want to support the idea of an adventure community and want to help here are 3 things you can do:

Share the Everyday Adventure Challenge with a friend, family member who you think would benefit from exploring it. Registration is at https://ordinarysherpa.com/challenge Registration closes February 4 at 11:45 PM.
Share the Everyday Adventure Challenge on your own social media. Tag friends that you know are looking to shake things up and connect with other adventure families.
Head to Ordinary Sherpa on Instagram and comment on the Everyday Adventure Challenge posts or share them in your stories. The more comments and engagement the more exposure the challenge will get and trick the algorithm to show up in people’s feeds. If you share to your story make sure to tag Ordinary Sherpa.

View Details

Register for Ordinary Sherpa Everyday Adventure Challenge: ordinarysherpa.com/challenge

What does winning look like in the everyday adventure challenge? I thought I would share some wins from previous participants.

The first list of wins comes from a new mom with an infant (he was only a few months old at the time of the challenge) and they shared

“While we didn't do many of the adventure ideas that we'd come up with. I'm proud that we did any of them at all and some unplanned ones as well. I learned a nursery rhyme in French. We took the tram up to the mountain to go home. We went to the international balloon Fiesta at three 30 in the morning and not only survived, but had. We went to the pumpkin patch and our Halloween costumes. And on Halloween, I took our little one out in his costume to see four neighbors that we know. We also did little art projects. I made a ghost footprint. We ate out at a restaurant. A couple of times we visited the Indian Pueblo cultural center, and we also saw a Zuni Pueblo dance group perform, saw the museum exhibits and ate native American inspired food. We started a collection of things like leaves, bark, and rocks for a texture box for our little one and made a garden, stepping stone with his footprints in it.

I want to try incorporating more adventures in our week and it sounds like a lot, but sometimes we didn't do much adventuring at all. It was what we learned was even twisting our perspective. Even small daily things can be an adventure. And that change in perspective is really the key that changed that we needed.” - New parents in New Mexico

So that was a really fun family that I loved interacting with throughout the challenge and seeing their progress and hearing the little things that they, you know, it didn't really seem like these big, massive adventures, but they changed their perspective and really had something to look forward to each.

Another participant was on the tail end of getting ready for her sabbatical, which was going to begin in January. When I did an accountability check-in I said, so how are your adventures coming along this week? And she responded, “adventures this week have been pretty epic. I joined a 50 plus basketball team and went to the Georgia games this weekend to compete in the nationals. I'm also learning to scuba dive. When we took the final class in the pool last week, we're now scheduling our open-water dives. I also attended a virtual summit for moving abroad. As I type this, I can clearly see that I'm not lacking in big adventures.”

However, when I said, “oh my gosh, those all seem pretty epic. Does any of this feel exhausting or do you enjoy the rush?”

She shared,”it's a rush for sure. It's great counterpoint to the stress I'm dealing with in my life and getting ready to start my sabbatical.”

I asked “when you're on sabbatical, do you think you're going to need that same amount of rush? What will adventure look like when there's less stress to counterbalance?

And she said, “Hm, that's a good point.” When I checked back in with her, she said, “adventures now just seemed to be still quiet and breathe.”

And she did manage to take those major dinosaurs steps to get her house rented. To do some home sets to do a lot of the steps needed to get to her sabbatical location in January. -Aspiring Sabbatical in Georgia

So it looks very different for everybody, but that's the beautiful thing is the adventure challenge is really designed for you to create your own adventure challenge for your family and decide what the boxes are that you want to check.

We had one participant on an epic road trip. In fact, several of my challenge participants, will be on the podcast in a little bit to talk about their experience. One participated in the challenge while on a 40 day road trip in a minivan. The adventure challenge really helped spark simple unplanned experiences.

We've had participants just share things like, “we weren't always as adventurous as I wanted to be, but even some days we would go for a bike ride to the Y instead of taking the car. Those simple mindset things helped us really think about what adventure means.”

We had one participant who focused on doing one-on-ones with his kids and used the adventure challenge to help inspire and create those itineraries. In one check in he had just taken his son to the Wisconsin Veterans Museum, which was free and he was a military dad so it was a great, low cost way for him to connect with his son.

We had a mom with a teenage son who struggled with ideas, her son wasn’t always into adventuring. We worked together to create a custom list. She shared a fun experience where he agreed to attend and participate in chalkfest with her. sidewalk chalk art can be really cool and easy way to make a mess and spend time together, creating their own little messages. Personally she has set out to explore all of the state parks and accepts that sometimes the kids will come and sometimes they won’t and that is okay too.

We had a teacher who needed a break. She needed to think about things differently. So she did a sensory walk as her weekly challenge, just to walk, just to go outside. Instead of listening to a podcast, like she would typically do. She decided to listen for all of the sounds that were around her.

And that's really what it's all about. This is not a social media competition. This is not a Pinterest party. It's not about who can come up with the best ideas. It's just finding simple ways to connect with your kids and having fun. We've been able to crowdsource different activities. It could be the language experience or a food experience. It’s meant to be fun AND stretch you!

I know it feels like you're so busy, right? How can we add one more thing. We're wearing busy as a badge of honor. I still do it. I'm still burned out and tired. But for me, this was cup filling. This was not work. This was joyful. It was creating these moments that my kids and I could laugh together. And if it wasn't me, it was laughing with another parent over some of the silly things we were working through. And sometimes also thinking like, how can I. Let my kids be more responsible so that I can take a little adventure and have some alone time. Which is also important.

It's not required to do the meetups. It's not required to have an every day adventure every day is really just meant to be an intention, to be something that you look forward to. It's more of an expression really than anything. It is not an expectation.

The goal is connection and however that looks for you right now. To practice adventure as a new or uncomfortable experience. To ideas, to crowdsource some good ideas from the community, to, have something to look forward to each week. If you don't make the meetups, it's not the end of the world. I will check in on you. That's the other fun thing is I will be like your little accountability coach and help you through those off weeks.

But overall it has been a really fun way to connect with you. To hear about simple ways you are finding ways to adventure in your own backyard, in your neighborhood, things that are accessible, that don't require a ton of planning. Those are the types of things that usually make the list. If this is of interest to you, if you want to jump in, I invite you to join us.

Ordinarysherpa.com/challenge

We have registration open now. The Challenge runs from February 5th to April 5th. We do this three times a year so if you can't make this one.

February 5th to April 5th- Spring
June 5th to August 5th- Summer
September 5th, to November 5th- Fall

The registration opens two weeks before. So registration is open now and it will close the day before the challenge starts. So February 4th, registration closes at 11:45 PM. Again, you can go to ordinarysherpa.com/challenge

If this isn't your. If you just want ideas. Join us tomorrow for a bonus episode where we share 15 adventure ideas you can do this weekend.

I hope I get to meet you, learn from you and connect inside the Everyday Adventure Challenge. Register at ordinarysherpa.com/challenge

Hope to see you on the inside!

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/060Will you leave Written Review on Apple Podcasts: https://ordinarysherpa.com/review/Subscribe to the email List: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/Join the Ordinary Sherpa Facebook Group to interact with other listeners. https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpa

View Details

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/0459

Join the 60-day Everyday Adventure Challenge:https://ordinarysherpa.com/challenge

Subscribe to the email List: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/
Our guest today is a ski mom based in Vermont. She is the founder of Momtrends.com where she writes articles and ski guides, clearly she is a skilled skier and passionate about the sport. She has two girls 16,13 who ski race for the Green Mountain Valley School in Vermont. She is the Admin of the Ski Moms Facebook Group, the Founder of Momtrends.com and co-host of the Ski Moms Fun podcast. Being a ski mom whose kids all started skiing by age of 2 and who now can out-ski their mom it is so fun to connect with other ski moms and I am grateful for the community she has created. Nicole Feliciano, welcome to Ordinary Sherpa.

Key Takeaways

Experiencing the mountains and the vastness of the ski experience in Montana was like seeing the ocean for the first time. She continued to design experiences with her husband and later with her daughters to find joy and embrace skiing as a part of who they are.
Unlike many other sports, skiing requires embracing cold temperatures and your feet sliding beneath you instead of firmly planted.
A life hack for couples and parents- if you want someone to enjoy something you enjoy, invest in lessons from someone else who is skilled in the sport or activity. Getting exposure to the elements was as important as building their skills.
Participating in activities with a peer group helps build the skill and connection while also learning confidence and independence.
As Nicole confessed “ski moms love the community nature of a small hill.”
Skiing set the tone of family time. Unlike many sports, when her daughter is competing is ski races, she also is on skis and participating not watching passively on the sidelines. She is doing her thing, which also takes the pressure off the skiers which was a healthy environment for kids sports.
Skiing is a lifetime sport with participants from 2-80+. It doesn’t matter if there is a speed differential as you all meet up at different points along the way. Also when riding on the ski lift there is a confined time to connect with teens.
Mom Trends was a way to grow and learn about everything from travel to baby strollers at a time in her life when she was curious and looking for ideas. It was never about parenting advice and she never made money off her kids. The content continues to grow with her and ski articles still attract considerable traffic. Ski Moms Fun both grew from a place of Nicole not seeing herself represented in the market and wanting to offer resources to other moms who were interested in skiing and looking for support
An unexpected bright spot from the Ski Moms Fun was the community and peer connections that have developed to support other moms. What brings everyone together is the love for the outdoors. There are regularly examples of moms sharing ways to make skiing easier and more accessible to access.
Be curious about winter. Finding an outdoor activity or sport that brings an appreciation for the change of seasons so when the season changes it’s not the end of something, rather embrace the change with a sense of joy.

As referenced in the conversation there are ways to make skiing accessible such as participating in various state passes, rental sharing agreements. Our family began skiing by volunteering to chaperone school ski trips and chaperones received a free lift ticket. Nicole referenced the states with ski programs to encourage and make skiing accessible.

To Connect with or Follow
Name: Nicole FelicianoPodcast: Ski Moms FunWebsite: Momtrends.com
Website: SkiMomFun.comInstagram: @skimomfunTwitter: @skimomfun

A few resources:
10 States Where Kids Ski Free: https://www.momtrends.com/travel/10-states-where-kids-ski-free
10 things to get ready for Ski Season: https://www.momtrends.com/ski/ten-things-you-can-do-right-now-to-get-ready-for-ski-season

View Details

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/058

Join the Waitlist for In the Arena Mastermind or Adventure Tribe Community: https://ordinarysherpa.com/arena

May this episode inspire you to take a step in the arena and know what matters is not the outcome, but that you are supported by people who have been there are want to support you reaching your brave and bold vision of your future.

Until next time we are over here rooting you on. I can’t wait to see and hear what little adventures you are doing, and what bold and brave experiences you are designing for 2022. Keep that adventurous spirit :)

Subscribe to the email List: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/Join the Ordinary Sherpa Facebook Group to interact with other listeners. https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpaLeave a Written Review: Ordinarysherpa.com/review
Follow on Instagram: @ordinarysherpa

View Details

I heard an interview the other day with English writer Katherine May which introduced me to the term Wintering.

I drew this quote from the Book Reads description of her book Wintering The power if rest and retreat.

“Ultimately Wintering invites us to change how we relate to our own fallow times. May models an active acceptance of sadness and finds nourishment in deep retreat, joy in the hushed beauty of winter, and encouragement in understanding life as cyclical, not linear”

I’d like to share a recent wintering adventure story. …1:30 AM on our way to the airport. We have 9 bags of gear and ski equipment for the 5 of us. The 3 kids are bordering between comatose from little sleep and hyperactive about our upcoming ski trip and we end up in the ditch. It’s silent. You can cut the tension. My husband immediately tries maneuvering out and potentially a few expletives leave his mouth as he runs back to the garage to get a chain and his truck. The immediate feeling is defeat. This might be one of the lessons of wintering. When forecast is actually right and 9” of snow show up at precisely the wrong time. While our nature is to power through and look forward to the light at the end of the tunnel what our body really needs is rest.

But wintering also suggests a bit of magic. There is a brightness the emerges when snow first covers the ground. A sparkle. Even fairytales use snow to demonstrate the magical nature of snow marking a transformation. And in this story the magic was all of us coming together to move all the bags to the truck and we left the van in the ditch and some how we made our flight with 30 minutes to spare. Despite losing an hour navigating the ditch, driving through snow, sleet, rain and dense fog to get there. Another magic moment was at the top of the mountain on the start of day 2 the sun was making the dusting of snow look like we were skiing on diamonds. All of my kids were skiing independently and quite honestly if I can brag on them with such technical skill that I stopped at the back of the pack and just took it all in. It had been 10 years of beginner hills and kids between my legs and now I was watching them and their form was so graceful, it was like I was watching them frost the mountain.

Rush to the finish line then collapse. Each day is filled with an insurmountable task list that yearns for our checkmark and then amidst the scurry we reach the finish line to the coveted vacation time to a time of rest only to be too exhausted for authentic connection or creative adventures. It seems in my life I am feeling the case of extremes and the shifting tides and finding any sort of illusive balance falls away to the demands of life. And the adventure is simply navigating life.

Embark on 2022 It seems for me the accountability of a steady challenge has been the model that provides the greatest indicator of progress. Purpose, passion and goals can easily lose their spark after 3 weeks. Heck sometimes after 48 hours. Creating lifestyle challenges that help me progress towards a larger goal.

It’s less about what I do for this challenge, but more about how I do it. It’s less about the process, because quite frankly process goals get really boring.

Here are 10 Challenges you might consider for 2022

Weekly 5K or other weekly challenge (52 Hikes)
1000 hours outside
365 Miles
Create your Travel Goals: All 30 MLB, all 63 NP, Best Ice Cream in all 50 states, Rachel Richards 053? all the 14ers
100 hours unplugged
30 in 30 Daily adventure (2 hours outside per day)
21 adventures in 2021
12 ___ in 12 months
Complete your age the month of your birthday (distance, consecutive days)
It could also be an adventure new experiences: Guest on 100 podcasts in 2021

As a fun parting gift from Ordinary Sherpa, I have been curious about turning our traditional Christmas Cards into a virtual escape room to make the experience a bit more interactive. I’m sharing our Virtual Escape Room with you. You can help the Dusek Family escape 2021 by helping them reach one final destination for the year and if you unlock all the clues you will get a Free Family Adventure Guide with 75 simple adventure ideas. Link: ordinarysherpa.com/escape

View Details

As I sit on the platform about to jump into 2022 with a bit of hesitation and bit of unrelenting eagerness I find myself coming out of an overwhelmed and demanding November schedule only to jump into escape and retreat mode in early December. In addition to my workload, I sent my book to the editor, the kids were in the thick of all the not-fun parts of school. We created some much needed family time the last few weekends and are scurrying to take one last adventure to round out 2021. I will be rounding out 2021 hiking and reviewing what my editor called “red fairy dust” that fills my manuscript pages. Yes, I am writing a book and in Phase 2 of edits and preparing to launch this work of heart out into the world which will be a new adventure for 2022: Publishing a Book. There are 2 things you can do to help me:

If you would like to pre-read, give me feedback and help me launch the book into the universe you can sign up to be on my launch team. The pre-read is a great opportunity to see the behind the scenes process of writing a book. You’ll offer your thoughts and feedback on design, title, narrative, flow. The launch team simply helps to review and share the book. It can be as little or as much time as you wish to invest. To sign up for the pre-read/launch team head to https://ordinarysherpa.com/read
If reading and writing a book aren’t really exciting to you but you’d still like to support me, a great gift would be to leave a written review for the podcast. A written review shows other podcast hosts and media (whom I’ll be making guest appearances) that listeners are finding value from the content. For a tutorial on how to leave a written review head to https://ordinarysherpa.com/review/

I came to the realization over the past decade that I’m different. I don’t have the same goals as my peers. I think differently about social problems than some of my colleagues. I didn’t put adventure on the back burner to have kids or to excel in my career. Yet for much of my life I was advised in the same way, participated in the same classes and guided down the same linear path of learning that millions of others my age have experienced. I didn’t have the language to articulate my thoughts or to frame my ideas into a defined pathway. If I mapped my journey it often resembles a few tangled strands of Christmas lights with only half the bulbs working. More often I had the “I’ll figure it out” approach. I am still curious about hundreds of things and it’s what inspired this episode. I am very much in the thick of this exploration now. Our children all attend public school and my husband is a public education teacher and we have been doing considerable supplementing and testing of “homeschool” education to determine how might we support a different approach to education. I hope this episode sparks your curiosity about how people learn, different approaches to learning and a mindset to learning that many might not be aware of.

Jenna is an experienced educator who has worked in a variety of schools; including public, bilingual and private schools for neurodiverse learners. Her observations in the classroom led her to question the efficacy of classroom learning environments and how we can do better. Her efforts to individualize instruction for each of her students was impossible to achieve in the confines of the system and she became numbingly aware of the impossibility of that quest.

During this time, she also began raising two children of her own, which gave her another perspective in the world of learning - facilitating and supporting her own kids in their learning pursuits. Her life experiences and research into child development and psychology opened the doors to self-directed learning, requiring her to trust and support her children’s unique approaches to learning. She hopes to inspire her children to stay curious and follow their interests wherever they may lead. Her ultimate goal is to raise two curious humans who know how to learn, all the while building a strong community who can join her along the journey.

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/056Subscribe to the email List: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/

Key Takeaways

There is not one right way to practice education. The right way is the one that is best for the learner and supports their interests.
There are many approaches to homeschooling from replicating formal school to self-directed unschooling and an assortment in between. Self-directed education is based on respect and autonomy. The learner is free to weigh in on what, how, where, and design their own educational journey. The parent is seen more as a facilitator and resource finder.
Jenna shared one way to get over the fear was to look at herself and all the things she learned because she had a desire to do so. We all have innate desires. What did you learn in your life that was driven by your own curiosity rather than a teacher or curriculum?
Achievement benchmarks are neither an indicator of success or failure in life. We will learn what we need to learn, when we need to learn it.
Jenna saw the creative light get dim and her son struggled with stomach aches. Without jumping to conclusions, how are the expectations and pressures in life leading to negative health and well-being indicators?
An early learning from homeschool was the tone of communication and the relationship between parent and child became much richer. She was having deeper conversations with her kids about their interest and deeper desires as opposed to nagging them to get their school work done. Ironically even with her daughter back in school, interest led learning is still motivating her daughter to advance on her own learning journey.
If you are interested in a different approach to education, Jenna strongly recommends/requires/you must do this…spend a month for each year spent in the school system de-schooling. A period of unlearning and giving each person the permission to do nothing and discover what they are truly interested in. The focus during this time is to just be kids and focus on connection.

Jenna shared 3 resources which are linked in the show notes to help dive deeper into self directed learning and share resources for connect and answer some legal questions you might have.

https://roguelearner.com/blog/what-is-self-directed-learning.html

https://2020.hgsummit.com

https://hslda.org/legal/

Whether or not homeschooling is your thing or not, I hope this episode exposes you to new opportunities and inspires you to consider different approaches to learning. I am excited to spend much of our holiday break practicing the principles of unschooling and reconnecting as a family. If you would like to connect with Jenna, she is an amazing resource and if she doesn’t know the answer she can likely connect to someone who does.

To connect with or follow Jenna Reich:
Website: www.roguelearner.com
Email: contact.roguelearner@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/roguelearner
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rogue.learner/
Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rogue-learner/id1543224038

View Details

I’ve had several meet ups with listeners thanks to them buying me a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/ordsherpa I just want to give a shout out to Dani and Julia. It was great connecting with you and learning more about your adventures. You may even hear from both of them on a future podcast episode. Meeting and connecting with listeners is one of my favorite things, building a community of adventure families who support each other in reaching new heights. To walk beside parents as they design a life, explore an epic opportunity, or create simple adventures in your own backyard. The highlight of hosting this podcast is connecting with others, learning and sharing ways to help you create simple and authentic experiences.

The topic from this episode was actually requested through the contact form on my website. I apologize that I don’t have their name in front of me. If you are looking for specific content I include link to the website in every episode, there is a contact form there, but feel to reach out to me on any platform.

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/055

Subscribe to the email List: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/

In the Spanish language Camino is a path; road; journey or way. The Camino de Santiago is also known as the Way of St James and was an important Christian pilgrimage in the Middle Ages. Pilgrims walked the route in order to reduce the punishment of their sins. (Link: https://www.mountainiq.com/why-walk-the-camino-de-santiago/).

Carrie Arnold received her Medicare card in the mail last week but that hasn’t slowed her willingness to explore the unknown. She has been married to her husband Bob for 45 years and has three adult children. She has a master’s degree in theology and worked in a Catholic parish for lots of years until she spent 5 years at the local county jail, which curtailed her travels. It was the death of her youngest son at the age of 23 that was the impetus for setting out on the spiritual adventure known to many as the Camino. Carrie loves to read, hike, eat new foods, and travel and we are blessed to have her joining us.

Key Takeaways

Sometimes we just need a puke bucket to puke all the thoughts and worries holding us back, then decide what’s worth holding on to and what’s worth dumping down the drain.
Someday can continue to be further and further away. As Carrie stated, “I needed to stop postponing my dreams for someone else's deadlines.” What is on your someday list? Why is it there?
The Camino is unlike many thru hikes due to it’s spiritual origins. It’s a 500 mile hike that ends at an apostle’s tomb. It offered Carrie an experience to clear her head and clear her heart.
Sure you can cheat, but remember “Jesus didn’t start in Sarria” Are you simply trying to check a box or are you willing to commit to the full experience?
The culture of the trail is simplistic with small villages and wholesome food. It is difficult to leave the Camino and come back to real life.
The connections made on the trail offer lifelong friendships.
Don’t assume things will remain as they are. Carrie packed her rain gear and gloves in the pack she sent along with the porter only to wish she had them later when the weather turned.
Knowing simple things in advance like where they would be gathering each day would've allowed her to take some things off her worry list. Overall they could’ve gotten by with less.
The terrain will vary. Despite how much they prepared and trained they still experienced the physical effects of the trail largely due to the rough terrain.
Thanks to the generosity of others, the Camino is well marked with yellow arrows. Your generosity might be instrumental in helping others finding their way.

To Connect with Carrie Arnold:

Email: shewhob@gmail.com

Resources Cited in this episode: https://www.mountainiq.com/why-walk-the-camino-de-santiago/

View Details

Join the Waitlist for In the Arena Mastermind or Adventure Tribe Community: https://ordinarysherpa.com/arena

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/054

Buy me a Coffee: Enjoy the podcast without the ads and interruptions many podcasters use. If you enjoy the ideas, find joy or inspiration from my work, you can buy me a coffee to say thanks and support the show.

A Weekend of mini-adventures and spontaneous experiences

Friday night lights: learned how to create google maps guide. It was a quick and dirty experiment to convert several screenshots of addresses into saved spots that we could later drive to on our route to see the best Christmas lights. We even managed to explore a new brown sign (for more information on brown signs listen to episode 041 | Adventure Potential of Brown Signs) which was hosting the Festival of Lights. A donation based walk through Christmas lights experience…which also happened to be selling THE BEST caramel apple cider I have ever had in my life!
The whole experience reminded me of when the kids were little. I'd have everyone get their PJ’s on, I’d give them their Golden Tickets and we’d ride the Polar Express. We hadn’t done this in a few years so it was a fun experience for my little monster and a bit of a nostalgic nod for my older 2. I will say I really appreciate the old school approach to Christmas lights, while it’s fun to have the kits all synchronized to music, the ones that actually string individual lights from the flag pole to make the Christmas tree and then synchronize each strand received much more of our respect than the LED images and designs. Overall I’m such a sucker for light shows so I probably rated it a little higher on the Joy Audit. We think we may have even discovered where Clark Griswold lives. The siding and the roof were solid with light strands, it was interesting.
The kids all had their piano recitals and since we were all dressed up, not in pajamas we grabbed a family picture. When we got home at 8 PM we were still feeling pretty festive so we made a batch of Christmas cookies and watched a Trans Siberian Orchestra Concert on YouTube. A spontaneous experience and it felt fun to stay up late and lounge together in our living room. We seldom sit down as a family to watch movies so this felt special.
Sunday we slept in and woke up to snow. My oldest son carved a Cross Country Ski trail through the woods with the dog and our younger two played on the playground. When they came in we had hot cocoa and I decided to pull out some yarn and make a stocking hat ornament with them that I had found and thought it would be fun. While making the ornaments it started snowing again and I realized, while my kids played outside I stayed inside all day and I needed to get out of the cheap seats and into the arena. We ended the weekend with the entire family putting on our snow gear and cross country skiing on a path in the woods. I have been reading about the social and emotional benefits of fresh air so especially as the cold weather hits, we are trying to be more intentional about spending 2 hours outside everyday. I’m noticing that it’s already having a noticeable impact.

This leads me to the theme for this episode. Are you IN the arena?

One of the pivotal moments for me in my parenting and adventure journey was listening to Brene Brown on a podcast. She shared her discovery of the Teddy Roosevelt The Man in the Arena quote and how it led to her writing Daring Greatly. A little backdrop on the quote. I have long been a fan of Teddy Roosevelt and this summer visited Teddy Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota which led to additional learning and curiosity. The Man in the Arena quote is from a speech that Teddy Roosevelt gave in Paris in 1910 called Citizenship in a Republic. Roosevelt was addressing the roles of citizenship and called out the voices of cynicism dissuades many from doing great things (Source: https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/63389/roosevelts-man-arena among others)

The quote states:

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives val-e-antly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."

I remember hearing this recited on the podcast as I drove home from work one day. I was living life on drift and thought “oh crap, I’m not in the arena.” The truth was not many in my circle, my network had the same parenting adventure desires that I had. Yet I listened to their worries, their concerns and need for safety and stability kept me in the cheap seats. The cheap seats of the dreamers and the talkers. The doers of deeds are in the arena getting dirty.

As I traversed down the trail of being a parent who is willing to adventure and take risks it often felt lonely, that the voices of the critics were loud. When I set out on this podcast I had an intention to find others who were ahead of me on this trail. Who were already in the arena or were willing to join me in the arena and share triumphs or failures while daring greatly. I have participated in numerous parenting groups, I’ve joined masterminds and signed up for online courses, and while those were great in building a more diverse set of experiences and connections, by and large the adventure parenting arena still feels pretty lonely with quite a few eager but timid souls sitting in the seats waiting and watching.

There is a chapter in my upcoming book about building and creating an adventure tribe or a circle of trusted adventure advisors which was inspired by Pat Flynn and reinforced by John Lee Doumas if you are familiar with any of their work. Pat suggests when he was launching his business that he needed a different trusted circle of advisors that were not merely friends, but rather skilled advisors he trusted much like his financial advisor, legal counsel who were vested in his personal and professional goals. People who could test him still came from a caring place and had his best interests in mind. Who could connect with him in the pits when things weren’t going well and share honest feedback not just try to make him feel good, but actually improve. The advice I took from John Lee Doumas was to find a mentor who is one year ahead of where you want to be and invest in them, learn from them, do whatever you can to get access to their content. Surround yourself with people who have more experience than you. I think it was Shane Sams who said, your goal is to be the dumbest person in the room and just soak up and learn from others, you want to be in the room where it happens (feel free to break out in Hamilton song if you haven't already)

When I encounter a problem is A) Find a solution B) Create a solution C) Let the problem go. We have some pretty Brave and Bold adventure family goals that we are embarking on in 2022 that I am not willing to let go of. I have yet to find a solution after several years of searching so I think that leads to answer B) Create a Solution. I have been searching for a community where I can learn from others on this adventure journey, who are in the arena. Who don’t merely talk about their goals and dreams but get marred with dust and blood taking action. They spend their time and energy on a worthy cause trying to design a life they want to live. I have found a few families who do this well and I want to bring them to the community, to do deep dives and masterminds so we can interact and bring their experiences and lessons learned to the arena. Where we don’t merely have to sit in the cheap seats. A reference to my teaching in-service days, I’m not interested in offering “a sit n’ get” experience, but rather get in the arena. Try different suits of armor on, get dirty, fall down, go forward with great enthusiasm knowing that there are 20+ other adventurous parents in the arena with you. I want to bring you the members of my trusted advisor circle who help me through mindset, and money, setting expectations, working through self-doubt and fear; while also helping you build yours in the process. I want the arena to not only inspire and support you but also keep you accountable.

I have also heard from my everyday adventure challenge cohorts, the simplicity is great AND Several of them have big bold ideas that need more depth, more planning support, more insights and if they had someone to help them predict and navigate the Black Swan events they would gladly sign up for this experience. Some examples of “in the Arena” experiences that I know people in the Ordinary Sherpa community are working towards:

Take a 6 week vacation in the summer
Take a slow travel road trip in an RV around North America
Hike the patagonia trail
Take a mini-retirement or gap year
Take a luxury trip using only travel rewards
Rent out their house and be location independent
Write a book
Launch a blog/podcast brand
Live on a sailboat
Start a homestead
Attain dual-citizenship

All of these are worthwhile lifestyle experiences that can be achieved within the next 6-12 months. I will admit while none of the adventure goals above are mine. But we do have a bold family adventure goal for 2022. The kind that has me both excited and scared at the same time. Having a tribe of advisors and curious supporters willing to embark on a Bold and Brave in 2022 feels good. SO here is the official announcement of the In the Arena membership that will launch in January 2022. I am keeping it a closed group with about 20-30 people max in it and I know many don’t listen to these podcasts the week they come out so I wanted to give you the time to think about it and consider applying. If you are intrigued and simply want to be on the waitlist or know more details head over to ordinarysherpa.com/arena

All that does is put your name on maybe/want more information list, when you sign up you will receive more information and a link to an application. I will be scheduling a call with every applicant and treating this experience like an adventure lifestyle mastermind to help you achieve your lifestyle and adventure family goals in 2022.

I am kind of excited about the arena, but I also want to be really clear that it’s not just about the service offering. THe arean can exist wherever you want it to exist and sometimes it really is the simple things like I experienced this weekend. SItting in the house watching my kids play outside. Outside and play are critical to every human being, not just kids. I want you to notice, where are you sitting in the cheap seats and when are you in the arena getting dirty. Because regardless if the result is victory or failure, at least you are taking a step towards action.

Key Takeaways

Brown Signs are not merely locations for 3-seasons, explore what simple opportunities might exist at nearby brown signs regardless of the temperatures outside.
Life is a sequence of unpredictable events that can either become moments that pass us by or experiences to take hold of. Are you more likely to sit in the cheap seats watching others enjoy the adventure or are you willing to get in the arena and do the thing?
What feels bold and brave for you in 2022? Was your adventure goal listed? There are many in the Ordinary Sherpa community embarking on new and uncomfortable adventures.
Finding an adventure advisor circle or tribe who can inspire and challenge you to work towards your adventure family goals are hard to find. Friends and family might not be the right members for those seats.
Who is one-year ahead of you on the journey. There is no reason to start from scratch or create something new. Identifying those you admire or who you think are living the lifestyle you want to live is step one, building a relationship with them is step two.
Embarking on a bold and brave adventure goal can feel lonely and include many simultaneous feelings. If you want to join a community of other adventure families designing and achieving adventure and lifestyle goals you might want to join the list and stay in the loop on the In the Arena Mastermind and Adventure Tribe experience. To join the waiting list and get additional information head to Ordinarysherpa.com/arena.
Notice everyday…are you in the arena or cheap seats? Natural sunlight, fresh air and outdoor play has dramatic effects on every human beings well-being. Adventure and outdoor play isn’t just for kids. I hope to see a 7 YO version of you adventuring this week. (Tag @ordinarysherpa on Instagram if you do!)

May this episode inspire you to take a step in the arena and know what matters is not the outcome, but that you are IN the ARENA.

View Details

To Connect regarding the Intention workshop Email: heidi@ordinarysherpa.com

If you enjoy the ideas, find joy or inspiration from my work, you can buy me a coffee to say thanks and support the show.

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/053 Subscribe to the email List: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/

Our guest today indirectly thrust our family onto Mountain biking and single trek trails. As I have mentioned several times, my husband Mr. Dusek has been a teacher for the past 20 years and this student was someone who intrigued him. When I began this podcast over a year ago we were on a long drive across the state and brainstorming adventurous families we’d love to have a conversation with and my husband mentioned the McDicken family. Katy McDicken has been mountain biking since she was 7 years old and was not excited about sitting on the sidelines watching her brother race. She quickly immersed herself into the competitive world of mountain biking and later transitioning into cyclocross. Today she is a sophomore at Marian University in Indiana where she competes on the cyclocross team and studies mechanical engineering and mathematics.

Key Takeaways

Mountain Biking trails are a good metaphor for life. The trail is rocky and rutted and the only way to get through it is to pedal harder. Sometimes you just need to do the work and grind through the rough terrain.
Sometimes we bond through our differences. As Katy mentioned, since there are few females in mountain biking, the shared experience of being a female mountain biker has been a bonding experience. Katy also shared that through both biking and engineering most of her friends are guys.
Moms, sometimes the greatest adventure is allowing our kids to try something that scares us.
Not all of our kid’s adventures and passions will be driven by parents' experiences. In the McDicken family the roles were reversed and the kids inspired the dad to race.
If you are interested in learning more about mountain biking WORS in Wisconsin ( https://wors.org/americas-largest-state-mountain-bike-racing-series ) NICA(https://www.nationalmtb.org/) and USA Cycling (https://usacycling.org/ )are great places to start.
Hidden gems are locally owned bike shops. They often know the nuisances of the trails and are hubs for the biking community. If you are traveling and interested in hitting some mountain bike trails, make sure to check out the local bike shops for some untouristy local insights as well. Also mentioned was the App Trail Forks.
If you are interested in learning more about mountain biking or cyclocross, want to explore racing, or just want to support Katy McDicken in her quest for a National Title, you can follow Katy on her social handles in the show notes. If you are in the Chicagoland area this weekend and up for a different experience the link to national cyclocross is in the show notes as well. USA Cycling Cyclocross nationals.

Whether or not Mountain Biking is your thing or not, I hope this episode exposes you to new opportunities and inspires you to explore what adventures are available in your own backyard. I was pleasantly surprised to learn more about the Mountain Biking network in our neck of the woods.

Name: Katy McDicken

Email: katymcdicken@gmail.com

Facebook: Katy McDicken

Instagram: katymcdicken

Twitter: katymcdicken

View Details

I did a thing this week, I sent my book to the editor.

In some ways it feels like a major step on a new and uncomfortable experience. Writing a book has been on the long life list of things I wanted to do someday. I know this isn't the summit. The manuscript will come back in a couple weeks marked and dismantled, but I am excited for that. It means someone else is going to see something I spent 3 months writing and another month editing. It's out of my hands and further down the path.

I strongly encourage taking a look at your someday-maybe list. With the thanksgiving holiday coming up it might be a great time to sit down with family and review/revisit/create that someday-maybe list. I love talking about the someday-maybe list, the dream list (maybe you have another name for it), but taking the steps to do the thing is a different kind of experience. I highly recommend it! I'm definitely at a checkpoint and ready for a snack still a ways off from the summit. What is something on your someday-maybe list that you would like to take action on?

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/052Subscribe to the email List: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/

Earlier this year I participated in a Book-writing Mastermind call that Rachel Richards led. She was one of few who inspired me to write a book. Her authentic and audacious voice in the financial space made the content fun, simple and welcome change from the stuffy and dry tone more common in the space. At the age of 27, Rachel quit her job and retired, living off over $15,000 per month in passive income. Rachel has made a name for herself in the personal finance realm as the bestselling author of Money Honey and Passive Income, Aggressive Retirement. The reason I invited Rachel on Ordinary Sherpa was watching her navigate a season of location independent lifestyle with her husband and dog. She set out for months living vivaciously in AirBnbs, making a second side following as a hiking influencer exploring the peaks and valleys of the western United States.

Key Takeaways

Never underestimate the parenting benefits of having a strong-willed child. Look at Rachel as an example of what is possible
Times have changed but the way we look at retirement hasn't. Rachel made space to change the narrative and offer insight into what retirement could look like for a millennial.
How many sources of income do you have? We are taught that having a salaried full-time position equates to job security and income security. Rachel disagrees with that approach because you're completely dependent on a single source of income. Much like we are advised to diversify our investment portfolio, Rachel also highlights the value of diversifying your income. She shared at least 5 different sources of income she has and how that has shifted over the past few years.
Passive Income is not a get rich quick scheme. It’s front loading the work so later we do not have to trade time for dollars. In addition to her book: Passive Income Aggressive Retirement, she also offered all of my listeners a free bonus. Passive Income starter kit available at moneyhoneyrachel.com/bonus
Spending 6m exploring the western United States had highlights and shadows. While it was an amazing experience overall, the stress, cancellations and maintenance issues they had to work through with various Airbnb and VRBO rentals was extremely taxing. Rachel indicated she is seeing a shift back to hotels for this reason.
When spending 6m traveling around the country you also don’t have a social life where you can go meet up with friends in the evenings. It was her and her husband together 24/7 for six months straight. So you gotta make sure you really do like your person that you're with.
Traveling is hard on dogs. While her dog Chloe adjusted after a couple months, having things like gates, lots of chew toys, and leaving them with some of their shirts helped ease the initial anxiety. As referenced, episode 036 | Traveling with Pets that might also be helpful resource
While the initial plan was to hike in many of the national parks, they realized that wasn’t feasible due to the restriction with dogs on hikes. Since they had no interest in boarding their dog, they readjusted their overall travel plans and still made a few day hikes to a couple national parks.
Maybe it was David Goggins book Can’t Hurt Me that sparked her interest to inflict pain and set out to tackle all the 14ers in Colorado. She summited her first 14er in March completing Quandary and would not recommend doing in winter. To prepare she referenced the website 14ers.com and many forums and Facebook groups, but really it’s about doing steep elevation hikes.
“Well, it's one of those things where you don't grow unless you force yourself to be uncomfortable, whether it's physical or emotional or whatever, but I think it just comes back to that.”

To Connect or Follow Rachel Richards:
Website:moneyhoneyrachel.com
Instagram: @moneyhoneyrachel
Tik Tok: @moneyhoneyrachel
Books: Money Honey; Passive Income Aggressive Retirement

View Details

With the holidays upon us and the media fraught with stories of supply chain issues and retailers bursting with consumerism, I thought I'd bring this episode out a little sooner than planned to help you navigate the holidays and share some perspectives, tips and stories of gifting experiences.

I also want pause and thank the many who reached out with kind words in celebrating our 1 year podcast birthday. I even received a couple cups of coffee, which was splendid because I had a crafty weekend and woke up to snow on Sunday. My kids were thrilled and scurried downstairs at 6:20 AM ready to go skiing in our backyard and were easily outside for several hours. I on the other hand was inside being creative and hands down the one thing I reach for when being creative is a cup of warm flavored coffee. I happen to have some Hawaii coffee left and it was the best moment of creative calm with inspiring aromas. This cup was given by an anonymous buyer who shared: “Love your outlook on life and adventure! I just started listening this year and now want an RV, hike the AT and who knows what else.” Thank you to the someone who purchased it for me. Can you see how that coffee led to an experience?

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/051Subscribe to the email List: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/Will you leave Written Review on Apple Podcasts: https://ordinarysherpa.com/review/

Designing Experiences
One of the most transformative learning I have experienced in my life is that when I really want to solve a problem I need to start with empathy and allow feelings to have priority. This skill is really helpful when designing experiences.

Facilitating an Experience: Something to solve a problem or make the experience better.
The gift provides an experience: A memory making connection
The ingredients of an experience
The gift is part of an experience: the process of opening the gift is even part of the experience.
Reflection of an experience.

NOTE: For the detailed items referenced in this episode check out the episode website: https://ordinarysherpa.com/051

View Details

One year ago I put out a trailer into the world with no idea what I was doing. But I was excited. Each step in this journey has been a daring adventure. I want to use this episode to give you some of the behind the scenes at Ordinary Sherpa over the past year and also answer some of your questions.

“In the end, maybe it's wiser to surrender before the miraculous scope of human generosity and to just keep saying thank you, forever and sincerely, for as long as we have voices.” -Elizabeth Gilbert

Episode 50. I missed 2 weeks of publishing.
I did not have any specific goals. Instead I approached all the metrics and outputs purely from a curiosity lens.

How long until I had my first episode with 100 downloads?
How long would it take to have 100 people in my Facebook Group?
How long until I had 100 followers on Instagram?
How long until I had 100 email subscribers?
How long would it take to make $100?
How long would it take to have Ordinary Sherpa downloaded in all 50 states?
How long until Ordinary Sherpa ranked in the top 200?
How long until I received 100 written reviews?

I also wanted to use this episode to dig deeper into the Sherpa philosophy. I wanted this community to support other families on their adventures the way the Sherpa tribe supports Climbers on Everest. A sherpa is often known as a guide. Someone perhaps a few steps ahead of you on the trail. They might not be the best of the best or the expert. With that mindset I thought episode 50 was a great way to highlight Ask a Sherpa and highlight some of the questions raised and support offered through the community.

What is your funniest travel story?
Do the kids like the RV or home better?
Do you ever get in touch with the state and local tourism boards and chamber of Commerce when planning a trip? They sometimes speak of the off the beaten path adventures
Is Instagram's power to introduce us to hidden gems good or bad? How do you find balance between going to the top spot and dealing with crowds, or going to a less beautiful spot that is less crowded?
What podcasts inspired you?
What are some of your favorite camping recipes?
When are you launching your book?
What is next for Ordinary Sherpa?

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/050Subscribe to the email List: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/Join the Ordinary Sherpa Facebook Group to interact with other listeners. https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpa

View Details

Hello to Iceland and Denmark. Ordinary Sherpa ranked in the top 200 in both countries. Which is fun, because I have not been to Iceland, but glad to know that my podcast has. Maybe we can do a virtual meet-up and share a cup of coffee. I want to thank those who bought me coffee, who left written reviews, and took action to do something adventurous this week.

Will you leave Written Review on Apple Podcasts: https://ordinarysherpa.com/review/

The challenge last week in the everyday adventure challenge was Impossible. What adventure is something that inspires you but feels impossible and we took various approaches to break that down into possibility. Ironically Thru-Hiking the Appalachian trail is one of the things that seemed impossible to me. I have researched the idea of hiking it. Just to give some context for today’s episode here are some facts about the AT with a link to the source cited below. The Appalachian trail is 2,200 miles, crosses 14 states and is the equivalent of climbing Mt. Everest 16 times. The trail was created in 1937 but has been rebuilt over 90 times thanks to a crew of 241,936 volunteers in a given year. On average hikers need to consume 5500 calories per day and most consume a ½ gallon of ice cream at the halfway point and typically go through 4-5 pairs of shoes.

Sometimes there are stories of families doing amazing things that virtually stop you in your tracks. As I scrolled Instagram one day this summer I came across a family thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail. I’ve had several friends who have hiked the AT, PCT, and Continental Divide. I knew the amount of planning, grit and persistence required to make an adventure such as this come to life. However I had never seen a 4 YO complete such a task. Harvey Sutton is the youngest person to walk the 2,193.1 mile trail North from Georgia to Maine. As many of my listeners have heard, I love to challenge the status quo and didn’t want to accept that my adventures needed to end when I became a mom. The Sutton family immediately became a story of inspiration for me, regardless of the outcome. I wanted to cheer them on and support them however I could. So today I am here with Harvey’s parents, Josh & Cassie Sutton to share their story of one amazing and inspiring adventure. Giving them a new definition of success spending 7 months in the wilderness, appreciating their time together reaching an incredible summit. Josh & Cassie I am so honored to have you, Welcome to Ordinary Sherpa.

Key Takeaways:

Josh Sutton swore he’d never hike the Appalachian trail after a long backpacking trip as a kid. Adventure is not a “born with it trait.” While some people might be naturally more drawn to adventure it is usually because of an event or experience that nurtures that desire. Both Cassie & Josh had parents with health issues who were not able to live the life they imagined.
When living the rat race of adult life, they read 4-hour work week by Tim Ferris which inspired the concept of mini-retirements.
While the Everest Base Camp was a spontaneous trip, the Appalachian Trail was a 5 year planning process they worked toward. The strategy they cited was “you make your mind up that you are going to do something is step 1.”
It’s interesting how people told them to cherish this time with their son, and yet when they shared how they were going to do that people balked at the idea. You do not need to ask permission to adventure with your family. This is your time, these are your memories, choose the path that you want to look back on without regret.
Physically they started training with Harvey around age 2 simply taking walks in the park and not carrying him. Slowly they built the habit of hiking 8-10 milers. If there is a big adventure on your list, with training and the right mindset, it is achievable.
Fears and dangers can be overcome with some practice. The Sutton family met with Harvey’s pediatrician to discuss a nutrition plan, they practiced a 50 mile hike the summer before and practiced overnights in cold weather. They also planned their route early in the year so they would be past the poisonous snakes by spring.
There will be challenges. Both Josh & Cassie shared summit experiences after hard days that made them feel strong. While halfway might seem like halfway done, there is still an equal amount yet to complete. Keeping the focus on Harvey by playing games, telling stories and making sure he was enjoying the hike helped alleviate the struggles that other hikers faced.
There is no need to compare yourself to others. As Josh indicated he thought they were going slow as many hikers passed them early on the trail. However when climbing the whites, he and Harvey were a full 30 minutes ahead of Cassie’s fit brother. Doing the pace that feels right for you and your family then look back and appreciate all that you have accomplished.
Coming off the trail has been an adjustment. They are working hard to incorporate the aspects of the trail into their life that they like about being on trail. SHared experiences create deeper connections. The camaraderie on the trail is definitely hard to replicate. If I’m being honest, the camaraderie and generosity of other adventurers is usually what pulls me back time and time again. How might Ordinary Sherpa help support the adventure community building and sustainable camaraderie?
Leaving work is scary. It’s still scary as they think about future adventures. They put the necessary things into place to save money and generate additional income where they could, including some real estate rentals, Airbnb their house but also some DIY work. Being proactive helped them put the necessary resources in place.

To Connect with or follow Josh & Cassie Sutton

Instagram: @LiveSutton https://www.instagram.com/livesutton/

YouTube: @LiveSutton https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUAfUef5Cy3n4ujPE5JDQ1w

Resources Cited in this episode: https://www.rei.com/blog/hike/21-appalachian-trail-statistics-that-will-surprise-entertain-and-inform-you

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/049Subscribe to the email List: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/Join the Ordinary Sherpa Facebook Group to interact with other listeners. https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpa

View Details

I want to start by saying thank you to those who left a written review. I have two reviews this week:

AJ_on_FIRE Adventure is out there. A great addition for anyone seeking adventure from small acts at home to getting out in the world and exploring. Heidi and her guests share stories from their lives and their work that break down the barriers to adventuring, making it human and attainable. It was just what I needed to add more adventure into our family life. I look forward to learning more and collecting wonderful memories along the way. Thanks for the great content and inspiration, Heidi!

G_Suarez Where was this show when my kids were younger? The Ordinary Sherpa Podcast has been great listening to just for the wide variety of ideas the host Heidi and her guests provide for getting out of the house and exploring the world with your family and/or spouse.

If you are finding value from the show, would you consider leaving a written review to help us reach 100 written reviews? We’ll walk you through the process. Will you leave Written Review on Apple Podcasts: https://ordinarysherpa.com/review/

Website for this episodehttps://ordinarysherpa.com/048Subscribe to the email List: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/Join the Ordinary Sherpa Facebook Group to interact with other listeners. https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpa

Key Takeaways

Start small. Our journey to owning an RV started with a cheap tent. If that seems too adventurous, look at renting an RV or camper that feels like a better fit for your family.
Define your pain points. While the allure of RV living can look luxurious, we wanted to keep the simple things at our focus. A hard top to get out of the rain and off the ground was the only requirement when we rented our first pop-up.
Don’t underestimate the power of a wilderness experience. While I thought our kids would need a break and booked a campsite mid-vacation with all the amenities, it turned out to be more annoying and less desirable places we stayed for free while boondocking. Being bored in nature has allowed our kids creativity to shine and new forms of adventure to emerge.
Buying an RV is a big investment. Treat it like buying a new house and have some tools and checklists to guide you through the buying process. I should note, Mr. Dusek is working on an e-book to help you through RV life from planning, buying, maintenance processes. We’ll announce that through our email list and FB group when it is published!
Don’t let the fear of something uncomfortable hold you back from trying. I never imagined sitting 12 feet up and looking semi drivers in the eye as I passed them on the highway. It was much easier than I anticipated and this is coming from someone who doesn’t like to drive my husbands pick up truck. We practiced just like learning to drive a car.
While many will consider our RV a depreciating asset, we see it as our vacation home on wheels that has opened many new doors we didn’t know were possible. Stay tuned as we share where this takes us!

View Details

047 | Opportunities from Adventure with Mason Gravley

Our theme this week is the doors that open because of adventure. THIS. (Soapbox warning) this is the reason we need to stop treating adventure like a destination we visit 2 weeks out of the year, and more about a part of the overall journey. I have lots of thoughts on this and hope this podcast helps you see the value proposition of adventure beyond what I should do on vacation. When I started this podcast almost a year ago, I had hoped it would connect me with other adventurous souls and inspire other families to see what was possible. I had no idea that it would propel me into writing a book and creating a community around it. That it would lead me to meet some of my ordinary heroes in the adventure world. I just wanted to have interesting conversations and enjoy life. We can only plan so much, the other part of the journey we need to be willing to show up and seek the next steps as we’ll talk about with our guest today. The ask doesn’t need to be big, as I will demonstrate shortly.

Review from Dani512 "Thank you for the ideas, inspiration and laughter. I am not a person who normally leaves reviews; in fact this is my first review of a podcast. Heidi’s clear ask for her listeners to support her by leaving a review inspired this write up.

I found Ordinary Sherpa through ChooseFI and have been a listener for a couple of months. The timing couldn’t be more perfect - my family is at the start of the biggest adventure of our lives! I just separated from my full time job and started homeschooling my daughter, while traveling in a travel trailer around the country for weeks at a time. Heidi’s podcasts - both her personal insights and the guests that she hosts - have given me ideas and courage through this transition. I now notice brown signs everywhere on our journey! And the conversation with Jillian Johnsrud had me laughing out loud. Thank you for the content that you produce, Heidi! And may be one of these days, I’ll buy you a cup of coffee :)"
Will you leave Written Review on Apple Podcasts: https://ordinarysherpa.com/review/

Website for this episode https://ordinarysherpa.com/047Subscribe to the email List: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/Join the Ordinary Sherpa Facebook Group to interact with other listeners. https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpa

I began listening to podcasts in 2018 and our guest today was one of the first I came across in my search for “adventure.” His guests tell amazing stories of epic adventures from climbing all the 14ers, to kayaking the inside passage, many thru-hikes, mountaineering and around the world travels. While I participate in some level of adventure sports I wouldn’t call myself an epic adventurer like those I heard from on this podcast.

Earlier this summer I sent him a message to share how grateful I was for his podcast and the inspiration he has offered me through the years. I shared a screenshot of a written review I left for his podcast, with the simple statement that if he ever wanted an ordinary person creating a life of adventure with kids I’d happily volunteer to be a guest on his podcast, and invited him to be a guest on Ordinary Sherpa. Long story short, I think Mason is now my friend. As you will soon hear, his ordinary life turned adventurous is marked by the thread of curiosity, and exploring what is possible. He’s completed several cross country bike trips to raise money for different organizations, hosts the Adventure Sports podcast and Without Compromise podcast of Athletic Brewing, heck even his wedding seemed adventurous. He recently welcomed his second child and is excited to add adventure dad to his title. Mason Gravley welcome to Ordinary Sherpa!

Key Takeaways

After years of hunting and fishing and not getting much, he finally gave up the gun and rods to just enjoy the outdoors. We don’t always need a goal or a reason for getting outside. The act is worthy regardless of the outcome.
Exploring is what drew Mason into this adventurous lifestyle and conversation with his friend in response to “we gotta do something.” What could we do? What could you do? Give it a 20% chance and see what you come up with.
Let’s reward generosity. Mason was gifted a bike from a local bike shop after sharing his crazy plans which really propelled his bike adventure from Alaska to Florida into high gear. If you are in or near Highland City, Florida please stop by Road & Trail Cycles and thank Jason Brown. Tell him you heard about his random act of generosity on the Ordinary Sherpa podcast and his gift of bikes to Mason and Paul! How can you be generous to others in adventure? I continue to be amazed by the generosity of the adventure community. Let’s make generosity contagious.
The gift of fear allows us to open doors we didn’t know were closed. After completing a 5000 mi bike ride in 66 days from Alaska to Florida, Mason realized what was possible.
Sometimes the plan is wrong. While Mason planned a career as a biologist at Yosemite, it didn’t fit. He found other ways to design a life that fit his adventurous lifestyle.
You have not because you ask not. The easy part is the ask, the harder thing is sticking with it. The early wins in his podcast led to big wins. I like the saying small hinges open big doors. Asking is a small hinge.
Look at the world like a big amazing opportunity, things are bound to happen. Each thing could lead to something big or simply be an experiment. We don’t need to weigh down decisions with expectations. Allow yourself to try it, or maybe convince yourself that a no thank you taste is in order.

I hope this episode inspires you to see the doors opening because of adventure. Maybe they aren’t new jobs or massive income, but stabilizing your health and well-being, maybe it’s social connection, maybe it’s personal growth. If you want to hear more about my story being a guest on the adventure sports podcast, check out episode 764: Heidi Dusek, How to Keep Adventuring with Kids (or any other major responsibility).

If you are looking for ideas of how to have adventure become a part of your everyday journey, consider subscribing to the Ordinary Sherpa Daily Adventurer subscription. You can find it at Ordinarysherpa.com/dailyadv

To connect or Follow Mason's content:
Podcast: Adventure Sports podcast
Podcast: Without Compromise by Athletic Brewing

Instagram: masongravley @alive_adventures

email:mason@adventuresportspodcast.com or masong@athelticbrewing.com

View Details

After a summer of adventure with 27 non-adventure days the return to routine was needed but also a bit stifling so we have spent the last few weekends adventuring and unplugged. I am in the midst of finishing the book I am writing and need less distractions. I went into airplane mode only using my phone for photos on the weekends and taking a social media and podcast pause. Ironically it just so happened that Facebook, Instagram and WhatApp also took a pause during that time I hear. Having the time and space has helped me also prepare several other developments such as ….

LAUNCHING TODAY the Daily Adventure subscription. Have an adventure idea delivered to your inbox each day. Join anytime for $7/month. You can pick and choose which adventures to keep and try. To join head to ordinarysherpa.com/dailyadv

We are approaching our 1-year anniversary with several developments emerging. A goal of Ordinary Sherpa is to reach 100 Written Reviews by November 11, 2021. Thank you to Rachel Q West who is getting us one step closer with her review this week. Will you leave Written Review on Apple Podcasts: https://ordinarysherpa.com/review/

Finally, we will be launching a Paid Adventure Community in the coming months. If you are curious and want to know more about it, I encourage you to join our email list. The email list is where all of the announcements and updates are shared first. Subscribe to the email List: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/ to get the latest developments so you don’t miss it.

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/046Join the Ordinary Sherpa Facebook Group to interact with other listeners. https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpa

The theme for today’s episode is a blend between making decisions and getting on the same page with your partner. Joining me today is the honorable Brent Dusek. He gave me the last name Dusek and fun fact we are also celebrating our lucky 13th anniversary this week. I don’t know if he understood all that came with the words “I do” when he agreed to be my adventure partner for life. He is known in our house as husband, dad, Mr. Fix it, and Help with all the things life throws at us. He always seems to find a way to execute project plans and turn dreams into reality. The majority of our community knows him as Mr. Dusek, a tech ed teacher with over 20 years in Middle and High school leading project-based trades and skill based learning experiences, in addition to all of the other duties as assigned.

Key Takeaways

Take 24 hours to think through any crazy idea. Giving yourself the time to think can avoid major emotional decisions and give the other person time to explore and wrap their head around the idea.
Level set expectations with each new experience. Skiing with kids, the expectation was to complete at least 2 runs (depending on weather) before taking a break.
No decision is ever final. With experience comes growth and decisions evolve and change.
Having each person responsible for certain aspects of a decision helps to move ideas forward. Rely on each person’s strengths and abilities. It’s okay to build in responsibilities for the kids too.
What really matters? Does it really matter how the car is packed? Sometimes done is better than perfect.
Have fun in the process. Laugh about your mistakes and enjoy all the crazy moments, there will be too many to stay serious.
There is no reason to wait for the right time. People discouraged us from skiing and traveling with kids because they were too young, today our kids are stellar skiers and we are able to notch up the adventure and enjoy time skiing together as a family. There is no such thing as the right time.
There is a huge benefit to having other people take an interest in your desired outcomes. Who inspires and mentors your kids? Who else can reinforce principles that you might be thinking about with your partner? I always try to look for the helpers, listen and learn from those who actually have more experience than we do. We gravitate towards those individuals in designing our adventure tribe and trusted advisor circle.
What is your splurge agreement? Having a risk-tolerance threshold or process helps eliminate surprises that might upset your partner. The majority of disagreements in relationships stem from disagreements or stress over money.

View Details

Happy National Coffee Day (if you are listening to this episode when it drops on Wednesday, September 29th). I would gladly celebrate coffee any day of the year. I am currently enjoying a Hawaiian Coffee and am a bit hooked after our 3 weeks on the islands in summer of 2021. Personally, I think the world could use a little more conversations over coffee with friends these days. I chuckle a bit because that was the imagery I used when designing the intent of this show. Like meeting friends over coffee and talking about family adventures.

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/045

Will you leave Written Review on Apple Podcasts: https://ordinarysherpa.com/review/

Subscribe to the email List: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/

Join the Ordinary Sherpa Facebook Group to interact with other listeners. https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpa

The theme for today’s episode is learning how to swim, not just in the physical sense but also in swimming through life. Swimming seems like a good metaphor what people are experiencing. Swimming through information, drowning with decisions. In some ways we got dumped in the deep end of the pool and we’re still figuring out how to swim. But we all know Michael Phelps as the 23 time Olympic gold medal swimmer. We will learn about the crazy adventure and the focus of his foundation which places an emphasis on learning how to swim. I met Marissa several years ago, when Michael was the guest for the US Venture Open which was discussed in Episode 033 | Creating Memorable Experiences with Dawn Ruchala. I had the pleasure of spending an entire day with Marissa and Michael and to say that I was impressed with their authentic generosity and humility is an understatement. I have been around several people of fame and fortune in my life. While each experience is a neat experience, I was never enamored by the encounter. More often than not, I left the experience with a different taste in my mouth. However, spending the day with this dynamic duo led to a much deeper connection beyond simple work acquaintances.

MARISSA FORTIER is the Managing Director at the Michael Phelps Foundation and has been working alongside Michael Phelps since 2003. She has been with the Foundation since it was founded in 2008 and helped develop the Foundation’s signature IM Program curriculum in 2009, and piloted the program in 2010. The Michael Phelps Foundation has 3 pillars focused on water safety, healthy living, and pursuit of dreams. Marissa lives in Maine with her husband, two daughters and dog.

Key Takeaways

Go broke once in your life. Having the perspective of humble means you learn to appreciate the opportunities in front of you.
Never Say No to a new opportunity. You can always go back. You can always change your mind, but self selecting out of an opportunity, that opportunity won’t likely come back.
Epic adventure life is unsustainable. At some point we all have to come down from the summit.
Slowing down allowed Marissa the ability to approach adventures more thoughtfully and make the adventures more meaningful overall.
2020 freed up space in her life to go through the stuff both physically and mentally. It has allowed her to sit back and reflect
They currently are waking up from the slumber and finding little sparks of adventure. Perhaps you are waking up from a slumber. What are the little sparks, mini adventures that light you up?
We can only plan so much. At some point, we need to let our kids lead the adventures.
Drowning is the #1 Cause of preventable death for children under the age of 4. Swimming is a lifelong sport that has implications on overall health, well-being and safety.
Water has magical qualities and can heal in many ways.
MPFoundation offers 8 free lessons to address social and emotional strategies. Head to their website www.michaelphelpsfoundation.org to download these resources.

To connect or follow Marissa

Website: www.michaelphelpsfoundation.org
Social Media: @mpfoundation

/MichaelPhelpsFoundation

View Details

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/044Will you leave Written Review on Apple Podcasts: https://ordinarysherpa.com/review/Subscribe to the email List: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/

Generosity can be giving our time, talents or money to help someone else without expecting anything in return. Science has shown (Harvard Study) that individuals that volunteer live longer happier lives.

Everyday Lifestyle we can practice in our own back yard by: doing a roadside clean up, being neighborly by waving, simple random acts of kindness. Last year we made “Boo Bags” as a way to reverse trick or treating (similar to May Day Baskets). We have also celebrated birthdays by donating to a cause that could benefit more than our kids with more stuff.

Generosity while adventuring looks like using our talents to show appreciation (picture or letter to flight attendants). Approach travel experiences from a place of gratitude and curiosity. How can I make someones day a little better. The coffee shop story in Hawaii led to deeper connection to locals.

Receivership: Accepting generosity from someone else. When we downplay that or decline someone else’s generosity, we take away the opportunity for them to give. While we might think we are doing it from a place of humility, it could also be selfish. Adventure is embracing the uncomfortable

Being generous does not mean giving things away for free or giving away millions of dollars. Keep in mind the boundaries you set for yourself. There is no right or wrong way to give. Be Authentic and don’t expect anything in return are my key guideposts. Being generous is not only for strangers, but can also be practiced with our kids, our spouse and ourselves.

Part of my mission with untourism is to benefit local communities and create deeper connections. I do anticipate a bigger shift towards socially conscious travel and moving away from big tourism brands.

Key Takeaways
1.Generosity is to give our time, talents or money to help someone else or to solve a problem.
2. Receivership is accepting another’s generosity
3. Be Nice. How can you make someone’s day just a little better?
4. If you would like to be generous to Ordinary Sherpa you can share an episode with a friend, Leave a written review or Buy me a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/ordsherpa to help me create more content. Coffee is one of my favorites and I would always welcome meeting up with friends and listeners over a cup of coffee. I’ll schedule a virtual coffee meet up for anyone who purchases

View Details

We are embracing this season of transition with simple adventures. Between the soccer games and school adventures are less like the travel and mountain biking experiences this summer and more like simple things in our backyard. I really enjoyed the meet up this weekend of the Everyday Adventure Challenge members where we discussed novel and simple concerts to experience adventure at all different ages and in many different locations around the world. In our family that simple adventure was playing a game, or an at-home escape room. (More ideas around this in episode 034| Games of Adventure (https://ordinarysherpa.com/034/) . The game we played was Finders Seekers (ordinarysherpa.com/finders) and the kids (ages 11, 9, and 6) were really engaged in not only learning about the national parks, and begging for the cool posters to be hung in their room, but also genuinely interested in finding the clues and solving the mystery. They were disappointed when we solved it because they didn’t want it to be over, so we will be purchasing more and experiencing some amazing wonders of the world while doing these unique escape rooms from the comfort of our home.

Purchase the Finder Seekers at Home Escape room:*ordinarysherpa.com/findersWebsite for this episodehttps://ordinarysherpa.com/043/
Join the Ordinary Sherpa Facebook Group to interact with other listeners. https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpaWill you leave Written Review on Apple Podcasts: https://ordinarysherpa.com/review/Subscribe to the email List**: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/

I never wanted to have to choose between being a mom, my professional career or adventurous lifestyle...so I didn’t. I wish I had been exposed to individuals like my guest today earlier in life. Finding her was like a breath of fresh air. Adventurous Moms can be successful entrepreneurs and financially independent. I think one of my first interactions with her content helped me redefine what the benchmarks of success were for our family, and embrace the fact that our family was different in all the right ways. That being weird and having adventures was part of our superpowers, and many others simply hadn’t been exposed to the possibility of what was possible yet.

Jillian Johnsrud became financially independent at 32 years old, then turned her personal and professional experience towards a creative life. She is a popular public speaker, teaches online classes, coach, and writer. Her book Fire the Haters: Finding the Courage to Create Online in a Critical World helps creatives and entrepreneurs share their best work with the world. She hosts the Everyday Courage Podcast. Her husband and she live in Montana, near Glacier National Park, with their 5 kids. She’s an avid traveler and drinker of hot tea.

Key Takeaways
1. Many mid-life crises happen because we take someone else’s definition of success. There comes a point when we look back we realize we gave up so much to achieve something that wasn’t important to us.

A mini-retirement is anytime you take 30 days or more away from a 9-5 to focus on something meaningful to you. The time and type of mini-retirement is dependent on what you pick as your intention.
There are seasons of our life that have expiration dates. A 10-week camping experience in a pop-up camper is not something she would be able to convince her 21-year-old son to sign up for. Recognize when the season is closing and embrace the opportunity.
Getting comfortable with discomfort is part of embracing an adventurous lifestyle. Expect things to go wrong. The beauty is many of the things that go wrong are also things we remember and laugh about later.
Confidence and clarity are earned through doing. No one starts something as an expert, you have to do the thing and build the skill.
Do a practice run. If you want to travel for 12 weeks, start with 1 day from 7 AM to 7 PM being gone. You will get better at organizing the chaos and the logistics of inconvenience.
We get into something because we have good taste, but our skills don’t match our taste. The only way to get there is to keep building the skill.
We have a unique vision that was given just to us. Others might not share in your vision.
Recognize others didn’t opt into the changes we decide to make. There can be all kinds of insecurities that look like them being unsupportive. Release them from understanding rather than trying to sell them on your ideas.
Buy the book, subscribe to the podcast or take her free mini-retirement course to consider the courage for big life adventures.

To connect with Jillian:
Website: https://www.jillianjohnsrud.com/

Order the book: Fire the Haters https://www.jillianjohnsrud.com/book/

Listen to the Podcast: Everyday Courage https://www.jillianjohnsrud.com/everyday-courage/

Mini-retirement mini-course: https://www.jillianjohnsrud.com/mini/

Instagram: @JillianJohnsrud

*Note some links listed are affiliate links, meaning if you make a purchase using this link I might make a little money in return. It costs you nothing more but helps support the work of Ordinary Sherpa.

View Details

There is no handbook to life, but sometimes it would be nice. Kids add a layer of complexity requiring an extra level of planning and support.

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/042Join the Ordinary Sherpa Facebook Group to interact with other listeners. https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpaWill you leave Written Review on Apple Podcasts: https://ordinarysherpa.com/review/Subscribe to the email List: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/

Martha has been adventuring in the outdoors since she was 12 and spent many weekends backpacking, climbing, and skiing. Never finding herself doing anything short - she thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail and John Muir Trail, preferred multi-pitch all-day climbs, overnight backcountry ski tours, climbed mountains like Mt Shasta and Mt Kenya, and did a 6-month trip around the world - and then found a partner who also loved all those things. They wanted to have kids, but also to figure out how to keep doing all those things with kids while also both working. When they had their first kid in 2009 they started trying to figure out how to keep adventuring. There weren't many resources online back then and some people suggested maybe their adventures were over. Through the years they have found ways to make adventures happen with their two children, currently 9 and 11. Martha worked in manufacturing since finishing grad school and really loves operations, optimization, and continuous improvement. She put her skills to use to create OutdoorKidHandbook as a resource to help parents simplify the process of getting their families out on adventures frequently. On that site I also collate information and resources - lists of Facebook groups by area and topic, list of bike tours by location, and more - to create a single location for information on different outdoor sports. Martha, I am so excited to dive deeper into your story and the resources you are compiling.

Key Takeaways

Sometimes inspiration for adventure come decades before we are ready. Don’t overlook that pull or give up on an adventure dream.
Partners can have complementary but different adventure skillsets.
Teaching the kids also enhances your own skills, or encourages you to take the next step.
Your adventure story might evolve and change over time. Kids like what they like. Do what works for your family and adjust.
Hiking and camping are great gateway adventures and starting points with kids.
Lean into your kids adventure passions. You can leave the thing behind or adapt as your story evolves
Outdoor Kid Handbook is designed for other others to contribute and support families while crowdsourcing outdoor adventure resources. Consider contributing to wiki.outdoorkidhandbook.com/
Don’t focus on the gear. It doesn’t matter and is far less important than the doing.
A tip for prioritizing outdoor activities for Martha was to optimize everything to get out the door ASAP, which means don’t bring so much gear. In interviewing other adventure parents the themes that helped them adventure often were: A) Proximity, or being near their adventure landscape; B) One parent doesn’t work or has flexible work schedule to help get things ready to go; C) Offer less choices and most weekend the focus is on the adventure options.
Embrace the discomfort. Whether it be smaller sleeping arrangements or forgetting your shoes. Some of the biggest mistakes or things that didn’t go according to plan make some of the best memories.

To Connect or Follow Martha
Website: OutdoorKidHandbook.com
Email: martha@californiaclimber.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OutdoorKidHandbook
Wiki: wiki.outdoorkidhandbook.com/

Check out the wiki and share your insights, tips and strategies to help other parents do outdoor activities with kids.

View Details

We have talked about brown signs in Episode 013 | Untourism. How to Travel like a Local which focuses on a way to travel differently. It is a form of authentic adventures where our intent is to design an experience based on local insights (rather than from the tourism industry) and 028B | 15 Mini Adventures your Family can do this Weekend are ways to experience simple adventures in your own community. If you want to practice simple ways to experience adventure and get a little uncomfortable you might want to join the 60-day Everyday Adventure Challenge. Registration closes September 4, 2021. ONLY 3 DAYS LEFT To register ordinarysherpa.com/challenge

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/041
Join the Ordinary Sherpa Facebook Group to interact with other listeners. https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpaWill you leave Written Review on Apple Podcasts: https://ordinarysherpa.com/review/Subscribe to the email List: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/

What do brown signs indicate? A tourist sign, often referred to as a brown sign, is a traffic sign whose purpose is to direct visitors to tourist destinations, such as historic buildings, tourist regions, caravan or camp sites, picnic areas, sporting facilities or museums.

I found “brown signs” many years ago on long car rides in the passenger seat. I became curious and began exploring this more deeply. As we planned travels or looked for everyday opportunities in our own backyard I began looking at the brown signs. The exposure revealed an entire world of unconscious opportunities. In the mid-1970s tourist signs were introduced in France.Since that time the idea of directing tourists to sights and attractions using a uniform type of signage has spread around the world.

Part of my mission with untourism is revealing opportunities that are unconscious to us and designing our own experience rather than being sold what the tourism industry wants us to believe.

Example of the potential of one County in Iowa

12,000 Acres
22 Parks
32 Athletic Fields
300 Special Events (Runs, Rides, Fairs, public picnics, concerts, derbies, recreation events like orienteering, regattas, markets, Horse rides, performances, swap meets and car shows, Food Truck events, exercise classes, sports tournaments, etc.)
Endless miles of trails
1 Conservatory
1 Public Campground
- 46 Campsites
4 Scout/Youth Camping Areas
2 Dog Parks
- with reciprocal access to 3 additional dog parks
2 Arboretums
2 parks for Off-road cycling
1 Beach for Swimming
4 Canoe and Kayak launches
1 Fish hatchery
1 Model airplane flying field
5 parks with Pickleball courts
4 parks with Tennis courts
6 parks with Designated Sledding Hills
2 parks with Downhill Skiing
Endless Fishing
3 parks with Groomed Cross Country Ski Trails
2 Disc Golf Courses
3 parks with Golf Courses
- 5 Courses 81 total Holes
3 Ice Skating Rinks
1 Working/Educational Farm
1 Bird Sanctuary

There is a huge untapped potential to begin an everyday adventure in a local tourist attraction that you did not even know existed. I think many of us know about National Parks and Monuments, followed by State parks and there are resources curated to help you navigate the opportunities. I am deeply interested in creating a more comprehensive solution for finding and crowdsourcing experiences. I just haven’t figured it out so if that is something you would be interested in helping Ordinary Sherpa develop DM or send me an email to connect and discuss further.

Key Takeaways
1. Do not underestimate the opportunity of a brown sign.
2. One county park in Iowa had over 25 adventures embedded in one location. How many counties are across the state? country? That is a lot of adventure potential
3. When you see a brown sign take note and get curious.
4. Beyond state and national parks, I have not found a great source for finding the hidden gems of brown sings.. If that is something you would be interested in helping with reach out to Heidi @Ordinary Sherpa (DM or email)
5. Have a favorite brown sign? Jump into the Ordinary Sherpa Facebook Group and add to the thread. This community is designed to crowdsource what you value.

View Details

The concept of “exposure therapy” can help expose you to blind spots of what is possible. Sometimes that means practicing being uncomfortable. Two examples this week were having her kids run in the rain, and getting out of the comfortable passenger seat and be a little uncomfortable in the driver seat of the 30+ foot RV. If you want to practice simple ways to experience adventure and get a little uncomfortable you might want to join the 60-day Everyday Adventure Challenge. Registration closes September 4, 2021. To register go to ordinarysherpa.com/challenge

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/040Join the Ordinary Sherpa Facebook Group to interact with other listeners. https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpaWill you leave Written Review on Apple Podcasts: https://ordinarysherpa.com/review/Subscribe to the email List: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/

I was first exposed to my guest today through his brother Brad Barrett on the Choose FI podcast, where he spoke about the adventure of teaching abroad. It sparked my curiosity. As a former teacher and student who studied abroad in high school, I never considered teaching abroad as an option. That episode also introduced me to the concept of geo-arbitrage. Scott Barrett taught for 10 years in the United States before moving to Chile to teach internationally and later took a year-long sabbatical at the end of the 2018-2019 school year, unfortunately ended a bit early due to covid. When I learned he was living in Madison, WI I had hoped we would be able to meet-up, however he is currently in his final year of teaching as he will retire in June at the age of 40 and be moving back out east. Scott intends to start a financial coaching business, volunteer and add on to the 50+ countries he has previously traveled to. Scott Barrett, it is such an honor to have you as a guest today, Welcome to Ordinary Sherpa.

Key Takeaways

Exposure to something that isn’t “normal” can open up so many opportunities. Scott’s simple curiosity led him to learn about and challenge assumptions related to international teaching.
Most international teaching schools are taught in English and based on a western style of education. Speaking another language is not required but an added benefit you bring to the experience.
Resources like International School Services and Search Associates have websites and job fairs to help explore International Teaching opportunities.
A sabbatical is an intentional time away from work. Scott and his wife decided to say yes to a year of travel rather than falling victim to the one more year syndrome. They created a basic skeleton of a plan and filled in the details as they went.
They optimized their resources by establishing bookmarks where they had friends and contacts. Then they purchased the big flights mostly with travel rewards they stockpiled the year prior (using flexible points like Chase Ultimate Rewards, and co-branded travel currencies through British Airways, United Airlines and Hilton.
In addition to hotels and long term Airbnb rentals they utilized Trusted House Sitters to give a local experience and create more of a homey experience after significant time on the go.
Things that don’t always go according to plan sometimes make the best memories. Keeping the mindset “we are intelligent people, we will figure this out” and not being afraid to ask for help through local expat groups or Choose FI local groups were great resources.
Shared experiences don’t require everyone to speak the same language. A smile is universal sign language.
People are genuinely helpful. Travel has renewed their faith in humanity.
Exposure to something different allows you to see what is possible and also helps you appreciate what is familiar. After many years away, coming home is a welcome feeling.

To connect with Scott:Instagram: internationalteacherslife
Website: www.mindfulmoneymentor.com
Facebook: @ScottBarrett

View Details

Everyday Adventure Challenge:

The Fall 60-day challenge is open. In this everyday adventure challenge we create an adventure list to show up in your own life and connect as a family. I will show up each week to guide you with ideas tips and offer as much or as little accountability as you wish through the process. In addition, the participants will have several virtual meet up opportunities to share learnings and work through challenges.

The challenge will run from September 5- November 5. To Register: http://ordinarysherpa.com/challenge

To culminate the 037 Facing Fears Episode and the 038 Making Space with Jennifer Bried, this episode offers some tactics to be less reactive in life. Heidi has used a daily practice called the 3 things- it's not an original practice, however she added the element of:
Have-tos
Want -tos
*Every once in a while sprinkle in a "scares you"

We often talk about money and time, but this practice help to recognize and factor in our energy as a currency.

3 things each day is a manageable number
Limit the number of Have-tos. Feeling depleted, check your list and see how many want tos are you actually tending to.
Helpful communication tool in partnerships to determine what and when
This is not a comprehensive to do list.
How does this feed into the weekly and even broader life list you aspire towards.

Tools and practices are helpful ways to "Be where your feet are" as Jennifer Bried eluded to in 038 | Making Space.

View Details

038 | Making Space with Jennifer Bried

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/038

Join the Ordinary Sherpa Facebook Group to interact with other listeners. https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpa

Will you leave Written Review on Apple Podcasts: https://ordinarysherpa.com/review/

Subscribe to the email List: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/

We just wrapped up our Sumer Everyday Adventure Challenge and today we open registration for the Fall Everyday Adventure Challenge. The challenge is designed to inspire and support families to connect through simple adventures. The Challenge runs from September 5-November 5th and each week I give you tips, ideas and support to help adventure show up in your life. While the ideas are great, this challenge also has built in accountability with check-ins from me and virtual meet ups with all challenge participants. It’s a really tangible way to have a little more adventure and fun family time especially as the fall usually means back busy for so many families. You can register by visiting: http://ordinarysherpa.com/challenge

I first met our guest today in the middle of a frazzled leadership moment when I was trying to figure out how to keep track of all the stuff coming at me. I participated in a training she led, and while the framework and content were game-changers for me, her thoughtful, playful and caring demeanor literally had me say out loud, “can I be your friend?” Jennifer has spent 15 years in the space of organizing, time management, productivity- working with people to maximize time and soak up more of what matters most to them. Jennifer gets her fuel from the outdoors, sweating it out in a hot vinyasa class, snowboarding and most of all, those weekends with no plans at all- hanging at home with her husband and two wild boys. Jennifer Bried, it is such an honor to have you as a guest and share your superpowers with all of my listeners, Welcome to Ordinary Sherpa.

Key Takeaways:

What are we saying yes to? If the ROI of that yes is fueling me with joy, memories and connection- go all in. But if it’s not...time to rethink why you are saying yes to giving your time to something you don’t believe in.
White space is where the magic happens. That’s when we can show up and be in it and as amazing as that sounds it can be really uncomfortable too. Jennifer’s story of doing work at her in-laws and having her boys be a part of a big project was powerful. However, if she had plans that day she would have been an interstate of anxiety and need to do the next scheduled thing. Give your self permission to keep some unscheduled time in your calendar for both you and the kids.
Get the surface level things out of your head and then double click into What are the open loops? What decisions do you need to make? What are you wondering about? What are you fearing?
We are so full of stuff that normal is reacting. A 4 minute brain dump can be a cleansing way to not only release the thoughts but also the emotional response without really having clarity about what is swirling in our heads.
What are your wildest dreams? What do you want to do? Feel? Experience? Get beyond the fluff and don’t shut up for a while. Take away all the constraints and just dream Then take it to the next level by asking what do you want your life to be in the next 5 years?
What are the micro-moment energy builders and when those don’t work, what is the hydro-boost that is needed?
Be where your feet are!
Simplify your space and make the staff we desire within reach.
Consider your mental state changes. As Jennifer eluded to, what was the worst case scenario and wrestle that to the ground so you can get back to where your feet are.
Want practice being aware and finding micro-moments, the Everyday Adventure Fall challenge is a great first step to dip your toe into creating space. You can register by visiting: http://ordinarysherpa.com/challenge

You can connect with Jennifer Bried on Linked In:
Jennifer (Furrier) Bried | LinkedIn

View Details

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/036

Join the Ordinary Sherpa Facebook Group to interact with other listeners. https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpa

Will you leave Written Review on Apple Podcasts: https://ordinarysherpa.com/review/

Subscribe to the email List: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/

Dr. Brittany Lancellotti is a board certified veterinary dermatology specialist currently living in Los Angeles, CA. She was born in Germany when her parents were working abroad and after exploring Europe in a VW van during her infancy, they decided to move back to the US where she grew up outside of Philadelphia. Some of her favorite memories from childhood are of her family, including the dog, taking trips with the pop up camper around the country.

On the veterinary side of her life she has worked at world-renowned facilities such as the Animal Medical Center in New York City and Animal Dermatology Clinic in Los Angeles. She has received numerous awards and honors such as Excellence in Internal Medicine, Dean’s Award, and Excellence in Dermatology. She currently practices at Veterinary Skin and Ear in Santa Monica, CA, a state of the art facility providing world class care. Dr. Lancellotti’s research into the safety of Apoquel, one of the most commonly used medications in veterinary medicine, was published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (and you can hear all about it on episode 4 of the Your Vet Wants You to Know podcast).

Dr. Lancellotti is the host of the Your Vet Wants You to Know podcast, which offers pet owners a reliable source of evidence-based information for common questions to pet health topics in entertaining and easily digestible episodes. She is a national and international speaker and Fear Free certified veterinarian, focusing on creating positive associations for pets during hospital visits. She is a member of the medical advisory board for the Los Angeles Zoo and loves helping their animals. When she’s not treating itchy, stinky pets, she loves adventures with her husband and two kids, ages 4 and 1, and one of her favorite travel experiences was the long cross country trip she and her husband took with their two dogs when they moved from New Jersey to California for veterinary school.

Key Takeaways

What do you want the experience to look like? Our pets are like our children and want to be with us even while adventuring. How can you design an experience to make an adventure an worthwhile experience for everyone involved including the dog.
Your veterinarian is an amazing resource who wants your pet to be happy, healthy and with you on adventures. Use them to guide your adventure.
Pet care habits often develop based on what we are familiar and exposed to and may not be the best for quality pet care. For example, getting booties on our dog has been challenging for us. Dr. Lancellotti offered great tips to help make those hard things a little easier by building a practice for positive association training sessions in 5 minute increments.
Everything from this episode, from the packing list to a deeper dive on a specific medication or condition to explore, can be found on her website: https://www.yourvetwantsyoutoknow.com

To connect with Dr. Lancellotti
Podcast: Your Vet Wants You to Know on Apple Podcast (or wherever you listen to podcasts)

Website: https://www.yourvetwantsyoutoknow.com

Instagram: @yourvetwantsyoutoknow

Facebook: @yourvetwantsyoutoknow

View Details

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/035

Join the Ordinary Sherpa Facebook Group to interact with other listeners. https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpa

Will you leave Written Review on Apple Podcasts: https://ordinarysherpa.com/review/

Subscribe to the email List: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/

Key Takeaways

Know what aspects of your travel budget are negotiable. Finding the balance between value and cost are helpful, high price does not always equate to high value.
Tourism is designed to play on your emotions. They know when people are on vacation they expect to pay more money. How can you get the benefits from a vacation experience without the added vacation price points?
Build on your network to get insights into local and free options for attractions and safe areas to stay off the beaten path.
Don’t fight the crowds, your budget will thank you for it. Traveling and eating during non-peak days and times can help save money.
Look for ways to optimize your budget to design the experience. How might you hack gift cards, gift experiences for birthdays or holidays, or research options within the attractions. While the example shared was from a health insurance benefit, you can often find gift cards savings through other sites or benefits. We have also gotten free baseball game tickets by completing a kids science program.
What aspects of your travel budget actually qualify as a vacation expense versus living expense. If you maintain a similar lifestyle while on vacation you can maintain the spending in your traditional budget categories. For example, groceries and gas might be similar to your typical living expenses.
Try to align expectations through the lens of the kids. Many of the aspects of vacations that parents imagine will be outside the conscious minds of your kids, especially at earlier ages. Try to engage the kids voice in the planning and decision making when appropriate.
Travel with infants and toddlers is relatively inexpensive. Their tickets and admission are free or discounted, and often don’t add much to the cost of accommodations. While traveling at every age is fun, don’t discount travel with infants. Infants can’t retain the books we read, but that doesn’t mean we don’t do it. Travel can support many aspects of their development.

View Details

Website for this episode:https://ordinarysherpa.com/34

Join the Ordinary Sherpa Facebook Group to interact with other listeners. https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpa

Will you leave Written Review on Apple Podcasts: https://ordinarysherpa.com/review/

Subscribe to the email List: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/

Austin is a cognitive scientist and the host of the Mat & Board Podcast - a show that studies the intersection of tabletop gaming and how we think. He has always been interested in innovative ways to help people learn and earned a master’s degree from Harvard in Mind, Brain, & Education. In his free time, he enjoys learning about new cultures, trying new recipes, and of course - playing board games.

To Connect with Austin:

Matandboard.com

Twitter.com/matandboard

Instagram.com/matandboard

Facebook.com/matandboard

Podcast: Mat & Board

Key Takeaways

Think about gaming more than just entertainment, but as this vehicle to bring us closer together or teach us about ourselves.
Games are an interesting way to foster multi-generational connections. Games have a way to make the content and experience beneficial for the child, parents, grandparents or even aunts and uncles. From a neuroscience perspective, it has skill-building value for all ages.
Games can help build strategic thinking skills with transference to many other areas of life.
A misconception about games is that winning is the main objective. Winning isn't the best teacher. If we reframe games as vehicles for fun, discovery and creativity, Individuals can use games to reinforce skills of perseverance, continuous improvement, and learning more about themselves in the process.
Games can be tools for connection, often triggering memories, either through the content of the game or the shared experience playing games with others.
Playing a game can be a mini adventure in times when you might not be able to physically adventure. Likely 2020 brought forth a resurgence, but also times such as poor weather, or or having a down day.
Games can be a tremendous tool for learning about something new or deepening your learning in a fun way.
Many consider games to be something in a box, the simplicity and versatility of a deck of cards can’t be overlooked.
Kids have an amazing ability to suspend reality and dive into something by creating games. Embrace and continue to nurture those opportunities.
As adults we lose some of our creative edge as we get older. Board Games can provide a medium to help keep our brains fresh. Activities that have been looked into in neuroscience show some games have the ability to expand our memory or our cognitive agility.

To get a list of all the games mentioned on this episode and suggestions from the Ordinary Sherpa community go to: http://ordinarysherpa.com/games

View Details

Website for this episode: https://ordinarysherpa.com/033

Join the Ordinary Sherpa Facebook Group to interact with other listeners. https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpa

Will you leave Written Review on Apple Podcasts: https://ordinarysherpa.com/review/

Subscribe to the email List: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/

Every once in a while you come across someone who enamors you just a bit. They have skills and experiences so different from your own and yet there is a mutual respect and admiration for what the other person does. I first began interacting with Dawn just over 5 years ago through our work paths. Dawn has 20 years of experience in corporate marketing and events, and currently manages the U.S. Venture Open, a golf outing in Northeast WIsconsin that hosts over 1200 people, and attracts celebrities like DuWayne Wade, Michael Phelps, Matthew McConaughey, and this year Charlize Theron. The event raised over $4.5 million dollars last year to address the root causes of poverty in our region. Dawn is the master of recognizing the details that make an experience memorable. Beyond work she is a spontaneous adventurer who loves to see how things go and invests in the experience she is most interested in. On a personal note, Dawn is an OG to Ordinary Sherpa. She literally listens to every.single.episode the morning they drop. I am so grateful to have Dawn in my tribe of listeners, colleagues, and friends.

Key Takeaways

Creating a memorable experience is often in the details. Imagining every aspect from an attendee perspective.
Your sense of smell is a critical piece to creating a memorable experience. Walk through all of the 5 senses: touch, taste, see, hear and smell and design aspects of the event from those desired elements.
Recognizing your genius zone at work and in your personal life are important. Because Dawn is so involved in planning details at work, in her personal life she is much more comfortable showing up and seeing what opportunities present themselves.
Creating experiences can also be a solo adventure. When Dawn was in Anaheim she went to Disneyland alone. She asked strangers to take her picture and optimized her time using the singles line for rides as a solo adventurer.
FOMO can be motivation. The fear of missing out can be a helpful indicator in designing your list of desired experiences.
Buy the tickets without knowing all the details. When a legendary band is coming within driving distance she has learned to buy the tickets and figure out who will attend with her later.
When people recognize you are a person that says yes, they are willing to share opportunities that you may not have access to otherwise. Notice, what do you say yes to? Is that what you want people to invite you to do more of?
Be open to the opportunity when it presents itself. Some of the events she attended weren’t from a deep desire to attend, rather a place of curiosity. Seeing and hearing about an event is one thing, but it’s a completely different experience to be there.
A healthy indicator is a sense of discomfort and slight fear.
Having an experience completely different from your life can offer a perspective that leaves a lasting memory. Ideally sharing the experience offers a deeper connection as opposed to one person attending and telling others about the learning and perspective.

Websites references during the episode:

https://www.usventureopen.com/

https://vicodec.org/

To Follow or Connect with Dawn

Facebook: @dawn.ruchala.1 she is also an active member of the Ordinary Sherpa Facebook Group

Instagram: @druchala

LinkedIn: @dawnruchala

View Details

When price drives the travel strategy, she starts with these resources:

Generally speaking Heidi is a thrifty person who likes a good deal and has been traveling long enough to know her benchmark for a one-way domestic flight is about $100. That is the price point she uses when determining when and where to travel and maintain their $2,500 yearly travel budget. Most travel is determined by flight sales and the price points.
If there are specific destinations in mind (such as cities with Major League Baseball stadiums), Heidi uses a subscription service called Scott’s Cheap Flights ($79/year) to track fare sales and mistake fares. Scott’s Cheap Flights, through the premium version allows you to set up departure airports and specific destinations alerts and give you options. There is a free version, however I have found the Premium version to be much more robust. The average savings is $550 per ticket so the ROI is worth it. If you are interested, use the link https://ordinarysherpa.com/scott to sign up and Ordinary Sherap will receive credit for the referral. The service also highlights locations that she wouldn’t likely be aware of.
Scott’s Cheap Flight is built on Google Flights, which is a great source to find cheap flights on all airlines. SkyScanner is another option, but I use Google Flights for specific destinations and compare prices and schedules.
Her total out of pocket flight related expenses were $228.48 for 5 people on 6 flights, baggadge, TSA PreCheck for 2 adults (kids under 12 are included with paid adult). Airport Parking would add an additional $136 ($364.48 total)
If you aren’t aware of Travel Rewards, Episode 018 Family Travel Rewards Tipswith Melissa Lagerquist and Episode 019, Our Travel Rewards Strategy they would be helpful context and background.

When a destination guides the travel strategy, she uses the following process:

When Hawaii came on her radar, she started to follow several airlines that were viable options. United is not a preferred airline for Heidi, She loves Delta but their travel rewards program is not as family friendly. Heidi’s top four were Hwaiian Airlines, Alaskan Airlines, American Airlines and Southwest Airlines. Southwest Airlines was the most travel rewards friendly and family friendly (more on that later).
What airports have direct flights to your destination? Having this information can help you design your itinerary and not let the airline choose that for you. Direct Flights to Hawaii are most prevalent from the west coast (such as airports: SEA, PDX, SJC, BUR, LAX, BUR, SFO, OAK and possibly PHX, and LAS). Once you choose your airline, check the airline route maps to your desired destination. Compare the direct route maps with Google Flights to see which airports had the cheapest direct flights.

Why did we choose Southwest Airlines?

Have open seating which means they do not assign seats. If travel with someone under the age 6, family boarding is between sections A & B. You can pay an upgrade fee for section A seating.
2 checked bags fly free per passenger. The weight limit per checked baggage is 50 pounds so it’s better to have more bags that weigh less. On most other airlines check baggage expenses are $40-$50 per flight.
Southwest Airline uses Rapid Rewards (RR) as their travel rewards currency. The redemption for number of rapid rewards is based on a cost per point equivalency. In comparison many other airlines have a charts (ie minimum of 25,000 points = $250 flight) with Southwest some of your redemptions might be under 10,000 Rapid Rewards points. See redemption chart below.
No blackout dates for reward travel. Given that her husband is a teacher this is really important since they don’t have flexible travel and most of the summer and holidays would typically be black out dates for other airline travel reward redemptions.
Companion Pass is a premier travel rewards feature.

What is Southwest AIrlines Companion Pass?

The Dusek family has 5 people (2 adults and 3 kids between the ages of 5-11). They are operation in 2-player mode for travel rewards with both adults having their own credit cards, but they can transfer their rewards currency between family members
We plan our credit applications when we know we are going to have an increase spend.
We now only use Travel Rewards credit cards (and got rid of all other credit cards such as Target, Costco, etc) and currently we each have 5 different credit cards active.

Adult 1:

Chase SW Premier ($3,000 minimum spend in 3 months for 40,000 RR)
Chase SW Business Premier ($5,000 minimum spend in 3 mon for 60,000 RR)

$8,000 minimum spend would give a minimum of 8,000 RR + 100,000 RR from bonuses (Note: many purchases are eligible for 2x-5x per $1 spent)

Adult 2:

Chase SW Premier ($3,000 minimum spend in 3 months for 60,000 RR bonus )
Chase SW Performance Business ($5,000 minimum spend in 3 months of 80,000 RR bonus)

$8,000 minimum spend would give 8,000 RR + 140,000 Bonus RR (note: RR earned can be 2x on up based on the category of your spend)

With 2 credit cards and 3 months (based on when he applied for the credit card) he had already achieved the 125,000 RR required in a calendar year to achieve Companion Pass
Companion Pass is earned when 125,000 RR are earned within a calendar year. Once achieved it is good for the remainder of that calendar year, and the entire following calendar year.
Sign up for SW Credit cards in October but don’t meet minimum spends for 2 cards until January and you will have 23 months on Companion Pass eligibility
Companion Pass allows you to have a companion fly with you for free an unlimited number of times. You can change the companion 3 times in one year.
Adult 1 has Child 1 as companion (free); Adult 2 has Child 2 as companion (free). Adult 1, Adult 2 and Child 3 use the bank of Rapids Reward points to pay for their flights (plus September 11th security fees)

Hawaii Flight Itinerary with redemptions

MKE - SJC: (Adult 1, Adult 2, Child 3) (9,702 RR) + ($5.60)
SJC - KOA Adult 1, Adult 2, Child 3 (10,764 RR) + ($5.60)
ITO - HNL Adult 1, Adult 2, Child 3 (4,938 RR) + ($5.60)
HNL - OGG Adult 1, Adult 2, Child 3 (4,938 RR) + ($5.60)
OGG - LAX Adult 1, Adult 2, Child 3 (17,082 RR) + ($5.60)
LAX - MKE Adult 1, Adult 2, Child 3 (12,744 RR) + ($5.60)

Companion 1 pay $5.60 per flight ($5.60 x 6 = $33.60)

Companion 2 pay $5.60 per flight ($5.60 x 6 = $33.60)

Total fees for Adult 1, Adult 2 and Child 3 ($16.80 x 6 = $100.80)

Total: $228.60 + 180,504 RR

Other tips to save on travel expenses and understand travel rewards:

Cheapest Flights are typically Tuesday or Saturdays
Southwest Airlines releases their itineraries 6 months in advance
You can continue to study this, but many of the redemption optimizations are not ideal for families. Do what works for you! Don’t stress about getting the best redemption rates.
Southwest Airlines: does not have many international flights
Use Chase Ultimate Rewards for Car rentals and Hotels. TSA PreCheck is also a free benefit from our Chase Sapphire cards ($85 value for 5 years)
Use Capital One Venture for a travel eraser card to wipe out expenses for things such as Airbnb.

Resources listed during this episode:

Downloadable strategy:https://ordinarysherpa.com/rewards/

Scott’s Cheap Flights: https://ordinarysherpa.com/scott

View Details

Our guest first became interested in writing about wellness as a lover of language and outdoor athlete who experienced a major health crisis during residency training. Through her writing, coaching, and speaking, Dawn inspires others to develop their own individual practice of balance via self-knowledge and self-awareness. She has been featured on numerous podcasts such as The White Coat Investor and national syndicates such as KevinMD and Medpage Today. A board certified anesthesiologist, wife and mother, Dawn also enjoys travel, rock climbing, strength training, and yoga in addition to the simple pleasure of taking walks with her family. Dawn L. Baker MD, MS is the founder of PracticeBalance.

To connect with Dawn Baker:
Website: practicebalance.com and (less active for now) stealthwealthfamily.com
Instagram: @practicebalance and @stealthwealthfamily
FaceBook: @DawnBaker

Key Takeaways

Rock Climbing and trekking around the world changed Dawn’s whole direction in life. The experiences meeting all sorts of people through rock climbing led to a career pivot. She realized she didn't want to do a job where I was serving the same kind of person or making a thing better or faster. She wanted to marry science with service which led her to a career in medicine.
Rock climbing introduced her to all sorts of people who were very different, but united and a tight knit community that shared a common love of the outdoors and exerting themselves.
Dawn struggled with focus and various other symptoms that she chalked up to the stress of the medical specialty, the culture and atmosphere she was in. All of that stuff compounded in her finding out she had a brain tumor that was causing her to go blind literally and figuratively as Dawn stated “I wasn't even self-aware enough to realize it.”
What are you currently blind to? She was mad at herself. “You should know better. Why did you not recognize this sooner?” When this happened to her, it also became clear that she was veering off of the adventure path which was the reason that she switched careers to have that ability to do the adventures. She lost sight of that due to the competitive culture of her field. What is your intended path? Have you lost sight of where you thought you were going?
You don't have to get a full blown health crisis to find yourself. Are you ignoring the signs that something might be wrong or off in your life? The signs and symptoms for this might be feelings of guilt, frustration, blah, shame, or overwhelm.
Recognizing she lost her path made her stop and realize she needed to learn more about herself. She needed to remember who she really was and the kind of principles that led her to that place and get back on the path she was meant to be on.
At the heart of adventure is doing something new, something that you're not sure you can do, something that's different. Recognizing you want something different than what life is prescribing can also be an adventure in fulfillment, contentment and joy.
If you notice, many of Dawn’s adventures come with a testing period. As she stated to “start small and see how it goes.” In that process she has found that often her fears or worst case scenarios are unfounded.
Slow travel (either RV, sailing, or longer term Airbnb rentals) allows you to experience things differently. You're not in a hurry, it's like your whole life is like a vacation, because you don’t have to go, go, go to get to where you want to be. Not to be cliche, but it’s more about the journey than the destination, because you don't have this finite amount of time to spend there.
Many people are unaware of what can happen when you slow down, or might even be afraid of slowing down. Yet in those moments of nothingness is where later you look back and realize that that's where you had a revelation about yourself, confirmed something about yourself that you now know to be true. Slowing down can confirm or offer clarity for what you need in your life.
There are no shortcuts to self-awareness; it is a constant process. We all have this path that we think should be linear to progress. Life isn’t linear. It’s a series of setbacks, peaks and valleys and maybe even squiggly lines. Being self-aware is critical to making adjustments when you see things are headed in a direction that aren’t in alignment with who you want to be. It’s a practice.
If you realize you aren’t sure where you are headed of if the rails you are on are the right ones for you yet alone how to get back on them, Dawn shared some free resources on her website: Practicebalance.com or the framework and system Heidi uses is Best Year Yet (ordinarysherpa.com/byy) and would be happy to coordinate next steps.

View Details

Ordinary Sherpa is designed to inspire families to connect through adventure. Connection being paramount as many working families are pulled in a million different directions. And while many of us are striving for the American Dream, it’s easy to lose sight of the simple everyday things that make family memories. My guest today recognized this as he was doing all the things to align with the American Dream, but in 2014 he left college after transitioning out of the military, and reconnected with a love of leadership and a desire to become a better husband and dad. He launched the Military Veteran Dad in 2019 and is now a stay-at-home dad and coaching spending quality time with his family while still working hard and helping others. Ben and I met through a mastermind community and immediately connected over the demands on parents in 2020. Ben Killoy is a Marine Veteran, speaker, coach with a focus on dads allowing them to step into their best life.

To connect with Ben Killoy

Website: benkilloy.com; freedadcourse.com

Podcast: Military Veteran Dad and The Business of Fatherhood

Facebook: fb.me/Benjamin.killoy

Instagram: @ben_killoy

Twitter: @benkilloy

Key Takeaways

Stop playing chicken. Sometimes you need to make the first move and simply say Hi. As we emerge from the pandemic and interact with others, don’t overthink a simple hello. Be willing to take the first step into an uncomfortable adventure of connecting with others at the park.
How you lead your own life will set the bar for your child's expectations in life. You can create a lot of freedom and growth that prepares both you and your child for a stronger life.
Bedtime talk is a way to do small things like tell jokes and tell stories with your kids. “I'm practicing being there for the small things so that later in life she'll bring me the big things.”
Anchor memories create common experiences for kids to reflect back “What would dad do?” Most of these experiences come from doing and being, it doesn’t come from a lot of work.
Adventure hack: Find an ice cream shop an hour away and point the car in that direction. Maybe empty the garage into the car and be ready for whatever else shows up along the way. Or find a paved path and start your scooter adventures.
Ben thought he was the worst ski instructor, but remembered kids are looking to be led by their parents, whether it be adventure or a lesson. Perfection is usually what messes up that moment. Your kids don’t want or even know what perfect is, they just know and want you.
Create an opportunity for kids to be led by someone. You want to change the world, be an example in your neighborhood.
Embrace the inner-child. Do a spontaneous adventure and think, what would a 4yo like?

For more information on the 60-day Everyday Adventure Challenge or to connect:

To Register: http://ordinarysherpa.com/challengeFollow/DM on Instagram: @ordinarysherpaJoin the Ordinary Sherpa Facebook Group to interact with other listeners. https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpaSubscribe to the email to be the first to know about future offers and discounts: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/

View Details

To Register for the 60-day Mini Adventure Challenge: http://ordinarysherpa.com/challenge

We are so close to hitting our 10,000th download. Please share with someone you think would get value from this show. To connect with Ordinary Sherpa:
Follow/DM on Instagram: @ordinarysherpaJoin the Ordinary Sherpa Facebook Group to interact with other listeners. https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpaSubscribe to the email to be the first to know about future offers and discounts: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/

I was recently listening to the “Dwell on These Things” podcast hosted by John Stange where he was discussing with a fellow dad entrepreneur and friend, that as a pastor he sees the lack of connection between dads and the impact it has on the family relationship. I thought about my own relationship with my father and his insane work schedules, and how lucky I was that my grandma and grandpa offered an extra layer of support when my parents couldn’t. In 2020 when I struggled with spiritual connection, listening to John’s podcast I felt this tug back to my grandfather. John is a pastor, husband and father to 4 children (ages 15-20), and it seems everything he touches seem to turn to gold. He is a relentless giver, authentically honest, and uncanningly simple. John has a resume far beyond my introduction, but includes being a host of three podcasts, "The Chapter-A-Day Audio Bible," “Daily Devotions with Pastor John,” and "Dwell on These Things." At present, his shows have been downloaded nearly 5 million times by listeners throughout the world.

To Connect with John Stange
Website: DesireJesus.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/author.john.stange
Twitter: @pastorstange
Newly Released Book: Dwell on These Things

Key Takeaways

Are you someone who says yes to a lot of things? Make sure the power of your yes isn’t diluted with guilt. When you believe in your no, the power of your yes is so much stronger.
How can you hit pause and take a break to prioritize life? Phase 1 of connection was taking a vacation. Vacation can be a reset or an escape. If you treat it like an escape you simply leave and come back to the same routines and challenges without making a change.
Phase 2 of connection was noticing if something gets on the calendar it happens, if it lives in the world of good intention it doesn’t happen. John used vacation as a reset and prioritized family night and date night weekly.
Phase 3 of connection was the practice of quarterly vacations or retreats from the distractions of daily life to spend time together connecting. John and his family schedule 4 vacations a year, their favorite are simply staying at a cabin in the woods.
Bake the practice of non-negotiables into the expectations of how a week, month or year look in your family life. Your non-negotiables don’t need to be a secret. Explicitly telling others who want a piece of your time when family night, date night, or even quarterly vacations become the accepted norm.
John reflected that given the ages of his kids, he was so grateful they built this habit early because he looks back without regret on the time he spent with his family and equally the time invested with his wife. He hears many horror stories of empty nest marriages go awry because they didn’t continue to nurture their marriage. If you haven’t started this practice, today is the perfect time to start.
Family time with teens can be tricky. On the snarky side, John shared “the kids didn’t have a choice, you can either choose to have fun, or be crabby and we’ll make fun of you.” But more significantly choosing activities that everyone liked and adjusting when something wears out.
Adventure can be a new experience and some of the items on the list might be entrepreneurial in nature. Taking some steps of faith and being obedient enough to take the next step forward can lead to unexpected blessings.
Just go for it! Some people are so afraid to ask another person to achieve a dream. Just Go for it. The worst that can is happen is they say no, but somewhere along the way there will be a yes or an open door. You’ll be so glad you had the bravery to go for it. The outcome will impress you.

View Details

As a follow up to Episode 028 | Challenge Accepted. 60-day Mini Adventures I wanted to give you some examples of simple adventures that your family could do this weekend.

These are some of the Everyday Adventures we build into our monthly adventure list that I will be helping you create and bring to life in the Everyday Adventure Challenge.

The challenge will run from June 5- August 5. Participation is $30 now until June 1st then it will go up to $40. Registration is open now, but will close at 11:45 PM on Friday, June 4th

To Register: https://ordinarysherpa.com/challenge

For more information or to go deeper on this challenge
Email: Heidi@ordinarysherpa.com
Follow/DM on Instagram: @ordinarysherpa
Join the Ordinary Sherpa Facebook Group to interact with other listeners. https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpa
Subscribe to the email to be the first to know about future offers and discounts: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/

View Details

Do you feel like the merry-go-round is picking up speed and we won’t even realize we are on it? Yes, I see you!

I see you, working mom who's trying to figure out how to make sure the kids have clean clothes and healthy food, while still working full time.
I see you working dad who feels guilty for the amount of time he spends behind a screen in comparison to the time interacting with his kids.
I see you families who spend weekends apart at 3 different locations with every child doing their own thing, wanting to always have someone in the stands rooting them on.
I see you entrepreneur who is hustling to make tomorrow a little better than today, but whose kids just want to steal a little bit of your attention.
I see you parents who are sending their oldest off to college and can’t figure out where the last 18 years went.

I see you and I feel you!

I created Ordinary Sherpa to help families CONNECT. The best way I know how to do that is through adventure. While we love travel in our life are we okay with adventure being the one vacation a year. For me I wanted it to be a habit, a muscle to build, a regular dose in our life. 60-day Mini-Adventure Challenge is the antidote of regret.

I see people rushing back to pre-covid life and I’m nervous that the merry-go-round is picking up speed and we won’t even realize we are on it. Which is why I invite you to participate in a 60-day Everyday Adventure Challenge.

In this 60-day challenge I am going to help you create an adventure list to show up in your own life and connect as a family. For 60-days you will create simple adventures that lead to memorable experiences as a family. AND I will show up each week to guide you as much or as little as you wish through the process. Everyone who joins can meet together 4x to share ideas, ask questions, and work through all the things that get in the way of just being a family.

NOTE: Listen to episode 28B (bonus episode) to highlight 15 simple adventures you can do this weekend to give you some insights into our adventure list activities.

The challenge will run from June 5- August 5. Because this is my first time offering this, I am offering a Founder’s Special of $30 until June 1st then it will go up to $40. Registration is open now, but will close at 11:45 PM on Friday, June 4th

To Register: http://ordinarysherpa.com/challenge

You mean all I’m doing is creating a list?This is not another to-do list. The value is not from the list of ideas I give you. The value comes in bringing the list of your simple adventure ideas to life. It’s in the doing, in creating the experiences. It’s in being a participant in your own life with your partner and kids and stop sitting on the sidelines. There is little value in a list without action. Together we will redefine what it means to check the boxes.

I’m not creative.You don't have to be. This is not a pinterest party. I will give you a template to work from and support you along the way. To level-set expectations, the goal the first week is to be aware. You can decide what winning looks like, it might be one 20-minute activity a week. P.S. Everyday is an aspirational expression, not an expectation. You decide what works best for your family.

But I’m already busy, how am I going to fit in one more thing?You don’t have to. There is not an expectation to do something everyday. The concept is to get in the habit of having time together connecting and having fun. If this isn’t the right season, there will be another season. This is just the beginning, it will be even better next season. We all have seasons and if now isn’t the time, check back in the fall.

Remember when I said I see you. I still wear my busy badge of honor. At the end of the day, how does that feel? For me it’s exhausting. Everyday Adventure isn’t just another thing. It’s creating cup-filling moments connecting with your kids.

If you just want the pre-packaged list you could purchase The Adventure Challenge Family Edition that I shared in episode 005 Gifts of Adventure. If you use this link http://ordinarysherpa.com/adventurechallenge and coupon code ORDINARYSHERPA you will receive 10% off your order.

What if I can’t make the meet-ups?All the meet-ups are virtual and will be recorded. Most of the communication will happen via email or DM’s and all of the material will be available to you regardless if you are able to attend or not.

For more information or to go deeper on this challengeEmail: Heidi@ordinarysherpa.comFollow/DM on Instagram: @ordinarysherpaJoin the Ordinary Sherpa Facebook Group to interact with other listeners. https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpaSubscribe to the email to be the first to know about future offers and discounts: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/

View Details

Aaron Hunt is a Personal Brand Photographer helping entrepreneurs and freelancers be the face of their brand. Regardless of where you share your images, it’s important you look and feel great representing your brand. Aaron helps business owners "stand out, be noticed, and be you." I was fortunate to have him interview me on his podcast. I thought it might be helpful for listeners of Ordinary Sherpa to hear more about the brand and pull back the curtain on what inspired this podcast.

To Connect with Aaron Hunt:
Website: https://www.thepersonalbrandphotog.com/
Podcast: Your Personal Brand Podcast
Instagram: @thepersonalbrandphotog
Facebook: @AaronHuntPhotography
Linked In: @Aaron Hunt

Key Takeaways1. Untourism is the art of traveling like a local. Make the hidden come to life, focus on connection with the people and places. This experience helps make adventure experiences memorable.

Imagine you are writing a “Choose Your Own Adventure” story (it was a thin in the 90’s). You have $2,500 to go adventure anywhere and do anything. Where do you go? What do you do? How will you spend $2500? Adventure doesn’t have to be expensive to be memorable.
Find the yellow option. Life pretends to only offer black and white choices. You don’t have to choose between black and white. Decide what you want the experience to be and design it based on the colors you choose.
Make white space for play. Sometimes the best ideas happen when we aren’t striving towards productivity.
When you feel stuck, ask yourself “when is the last time I did something for the first time?” Make a list of all the things you’ve never done and circle 1-2 that excite you. Let’s take the first step towards that adventure.

View Details

Subscribe to our Email Newsletter: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/

Leave a review: https://ordinarysherpa.com/review/

Today’s guests are two fellow Wisconsinites, who met while working in Belize for school and have continued to seek travel adventures ever since. They are keen, active and budget travelers, food lovers and suckers for a great view. They use traveling to meet new people, broaden their views, and experience new cultures. Over the past 7 years, while both working full-time and maintaining a budget, they have traveled to 20 countries, 80 plus cities and 18 National Parks. They started the Travel Blog, Always Have a Trip Planned, to share their experiences and tips. Expecting their first child in August, they plan to continue their active adventures while starting a family. Natalie and Sam welcome to Ordinary Sherpa

To Connect with Natalie and Sam
Website: https://alwayshaveatripplanned.com
Email: travel@alwayshaveatripplanned.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alwayshaveatripplanned
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alwayshaveatripplanned/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/alwayshaveatripplanned/

Key Takeaways

Make space in your plans to allow for an opportunity or unique experience to show up.
Sometimes the most unglamorous places create the most authentic experiences. Food is a universal language and sharing an experience over food is sometimes more meaningful than speaking with others in their native language.
Connecting with strangers to reach the summit is part of the adventure experience. Don’t feel like you have to do go after this on your own.
Your travel life is NOT over when you have a baby. Come to the Ordinary Sherpa Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpa offer tips for adventure and travel tips with kids.
Pictures of the details of a location can take you back to the experience years later. While it’s great to have pictures of you and your family, and landscapes sometimes unique details can bring back the most vivid memories of that experience.
Some of the most challenging experiences lead to the best memories. The joy outweighs the pain of the experience.

View Details

Join the Ordinary Sherpa Facebook Group to interact with other listeners. https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpa

Will you leave Written Review on Apple Podcasts: https://ordinarysherpa.com/review/

Subscribe to the email List: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/

My path first intersected with this guest in 2018 as I was looking for inspiration for family adventures. I stumbled upon a podcast of a family who sold everything and lived full-time in an RV. I later heard them speak as a guest on an unschooling podcast. They spoke openly about the joy and challenges of this simple and authentic life they were creating, inspiring so many other families along the way. I have always been one to challenge the status quo and found their story inspiring. Here was a family who just decided that all the stuff was taking over their life and was willing to explore something different. Originally from Wisconsin, this family of 6 (and 2 dogs I might add) hit the road in 2014 in an RV to explore North America and are still going strong 7 years later. Having grown up in a traditional family life with school and sporting events, they knew they were embarking on a completely different lifestyle and still question if they are doing the right thing but can’t imagine going back. Along the way, this mom built 2 remote businesses, had incredible adventures and spent many nights around the campfire. She is a Speaker and Educator on RVing, on being an Entrepreneur, and produces content to inspire others to get on the road with their families. I have been a listener, blog reader, email subscriber, and recently a book launch volunteer absorbing all of their content and appreciating their courage and adventurous spirit they bring to this space. When Ordinary Sherpa launched I secretly had this guest in mind, hoping one day I might get to speak with her. It is an honor and privilege to have her here today. Bryanna Royal, welcome to Ordinary Sherpa.

To Connect with Bryanna Royal:

Website: www.crazyfamilyadventure.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/crazyfamilyadventure

Instagram: www.instagram.com/crazyfamilyadventure

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/crazyfamilyadve/

You Tube: www.youtube.com/c/crazyfamilyadventure

Book: Full Time RVing with Kids: an Insider’s Guide to Life on the Road

Key Takeaways

Why Not? We saw others doing it so why not us? When they started there was no determined end date.
Look for the Sherpas. Finding those who can inspire you and also someone to share the same questions and fears with.
“There are things I miss, but I wouldn’t give all of this up for those things.”
By putting yourself in flexible situations, it created opportunities because they weren’t constrained to the 9-5 school/work schedule.
“There is Risk, but you can still have a parachute.”
“Life is a constant repositioning to focus on joy”
“It’s okay to live the life you want to live, not the life someone else is telling us we should be living.”

View Details

Today's guest is one of my superheroes. After struggling to figure out his path growing up a talk with his dad late one night nudged him into the world of photography. He would go on to be, and still is, one of the best Sports Photographers of our time capturing award-winning photos for many professional sports. And while I love photography and can appreciate his work, that isn’t what drew me to him. His story Freelance to Freedom walked me through how he challenged the status quo and rewrote the rules to his own life so that he could live, work and play on his terms. He is an author, coach, entrepreneurial guru, AND also a devoted husband and father who lives generously, creating the space for so many others to succeed in life, work and play. Vincent Pugliuse, Welcome to Ordinary Sherpa.

To Connect with Vincent Pugliese
Website: https://totallifefreedom.com/
Podcast: Total Life Freedom
Book: Freelance to Freedom

Key Takeaways

If your life was a Thank You Tour, Where would you go and who would you visit? After the launch of his book Vincent and his family went on a thank you tour to personally meet and thank many of the people who helped him launch his book.
Curiosity is the cornerstone to community. When you meet someone, be curious and ask questions.
Letting go of some of the control as adults will allow kids curiosity to flourish. In the Pugliese family, school is life.
Just say yes to things. What’s the worst that could happen.
Sometimes you need to be like Mr. Magoo, clueless, blind, and stubborn but just kept walking and things fell into place. Just keep walking even if you aren’t sure where you are going.
“I wish more people felt like the had nothing to lose. Having no expectations allowed him to say “why not?”
“It’s lonely at the top unless you take people with you.” Being at the top can be lonely but there is nothing saying you have to go alone.
Enjoy Life! Don’t get lost in work and daily life. Enjoy the moments of life that make it memorable.

Resources from this episode:

Join the Ordinary Sherpa Facebook Group to interact with other listeners. https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpa

Currently some fun threads on summer travel, hiking, and visits to National Parks

Will you leave Written Review #50 on Apple Podcasts: https://ordinarysherpa.com/review/

National Park Pass Programs:

Every Kid Outdoors program for fourth graders: https://everykidoutdoors.gov/index.htm and 2021 fifth grade voucher: https://www.nps.gov/kids/fifthgrade.htm

Full list of passes and entry fees: https://home.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/fees.htm

Join the Ordinary Sherpa email list: ordinarysherp.com/subscribe

View Details

We have all heard of the common tourist attraction waterfalls in the United States: Niagra Falls, NY; Multnomah Falls, OR; Shoshone, ID; Bridal Viel Falls in Yosemite: Lower Falls of Yellowstone River, WY; Havasu Falls, AZ; Snoqualmie Falls, WA; Cumberland Falls, KY. Likely you have heard of most of these falls.

Heidi walks through the principles of untourism and explores how to find the hidden gems in each of these states and her criteria for developing a family-friendly untourism waterfall experience.

For a FREE Beginner's Guide to Untourism: www.ordinarysherpa.com/untourism

Subscribe to our Email Newsletter: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/Leave a review: https://ordinarysherpa.com/review/

View Details

Ryan believes he was put here on this earth to help people feel valued, loved, and experience joy. He has been given the awesome opportunity to fulfill this calling through his role at Foundations Health and Wholeness in Green Bay, where he serves as the President and CEO. Foundations is a non-profit organization that provides mental health counseling and foster care services. Ryan has over 20 years of experience serving in the counseling/foster care field following his graduation from the University of Kentucky with his master’s degree in Social Work. He is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the State of Wisconsin.

Ryan’s greatest adventure is his 21 years of marriage to his wife Michelle, along with his parenting journey that is currently comprised of 3 adolescents. Ryan enjoys beekeeping, ice fishing, construction, softball, cigars, and family vacations. He and his wife are currently in the process of purchasing a bowling alley with the vision of positively connecting with the youth in their community.

To connect with Ryan Good
Email: Rgood@wearefoundations.org

Website: wearefoundations.org

Mental Health Resources:

MyconnectionNEW.org
Strong Minds: https://foxcities.wi.networkofcare.org/mh/content.aspx?cid=9400

Key Takeaways

Social and Emotional connection are paramount to adventure. The activity offers a fun excuse to hang out with friends and family, but through the shared activity there is an environment to ask questions and connect on a deeper level.
Middle aged males have the highest rate of completed suicides out of any group in our society. We have to think differently about how to offer solutions, traditional methods require individuals to reach out for help when they are least able to and not designed for masculine tendencies such as parallel play or shoulder to shoulder activities.
Creating simple environments like Ice fishing in a shanty on the ice offer the distraction of fishing, but the space for deeper conversation. This can be ideal for connecting with other guys or adolescent children. It just leads to natural conversations above and beyond fishing.
Rural Wisconsin can be challenging for youth to find places to connect with other youth and adults. Ryan and his wife have decided to create the space for positive youth and adult interaction to exist by embarking on a new adventure and collectively bonding through a new shared experience.
The stigma that's been associated with mental health in general has been a big barrier to overcome in our community. When we asked men how we might offer services differently, adventure came up as a key theme in connection for men.
Often women will sit face to face, whereas men will sit shoulder to shoulder. When you think about sports or being outdoors, you're very seldom face-to-face with your peers.
Male conversations also happen in a wave format starting out shallow talking about whatever topic, go deep for a little bit, but then need to get back up and take a breath of air
Less is more, limiting distractions and simplifying the environment like sitting in a 6x6 Shanty or tacos in a warehouse can create the space for deeper connection.
A blessing from COVID was exposing the vulnerabilities of our personal lives. Creating simple experiences like a zoom cigar with a brother or friend allowed for a connection, when they would not likely call each other to talk on the phone previously.

Subscribe to our Email Newsletter: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/Leave a review: https://ordinarysherpa.com/review/

View Details

What does adventure look like for them?
Our adventure definition is a new experience, something that pushes you outside your comfort zone. It might include a skill, recipe, or learning a language. (reference: Pimsleur app)
No Thank you try.
a taste test. How can you take 3 small bites to experience it without having to eat the whole plate of food. Get the toes wet.
Support the No Thank you try experience. Help make the experience something they want to try again.

When is the last time you tried something for the first time?

Subscribe to our Email Newsletter: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/Leave a review: https://ordinarysherpa.com/review/

*To be entered for the giveaway you need to do both, take a screenshot of your review and DM or send to heidi@ordinarysherpa.com

View Details

Imagine you are 8 years old and your hero, your dad, a well-known and respected physician passes away unexpectedly. Life just gave you a moment of pain, learning and growth that is unimaginable to most kids. You decide your dream is to become a doctor. Despite the challenges in front of you like working through academic rigor with a learning disability, the grunt work of med school, through the trenches of residency, and years of unforgiving night shifts you achieve that dream and are a full-fledged medical doctor. Except in reaching your dream, you have built protective armor so you can’t hurt anymore, and your sense of humor has gone dormant.

The path to the summit is a journey, filled with good intentions and aspirations; People rooting us on and society celebrating our achievements. But what happens when our fuel gauge is empty and our compass seems off?

I don’t know where I first heard Doc G’s story, but I do remember feeling completely validated. My path was not that of a doctor, mine was a teacher. There is a dark side to every dream and today Doc G shines a light on the aspects of life allowing armor to crack, giving way for joy and purpose to seep in. His empathetic approach creates the space for individuals whose identity is often intertwined with their careers.

Doc G is a husband, father, writer, prophetic storyteller and physician who discovered financial independence and opted out of medicine for a life of greater meaning and purpose. Doc G it is such an honor and privilege to have you here today, welcome to Ordinary Sherpa.

To Connect with Doc GWebsite: http://earnandinvest.com
Podcast: Earn & Invest
Instagram: @earnaninvest
Twitter: @earnaninvest

Key Takeaways

The identity that fits us best may not be the one that we grew up with or that others put on us.
Having enough was as anxiety provoking as not having enough. Sometimes having too many options, too many decisions, too many possibilities can be numbing.
Walking away from his physician identity created two losses. The first loss was his own grieving of all that he worked for. The second loss is when friends and family realize that their vision of you doesn’t align with who you want to be anymore. People don't like to question deep things. So they don't necessarily want you to either.
When it was time to step away, he systematically started subtracting the things that weren’t fulfilling. What are the things in your life that aren’t adding value and how might you begin to subtract them from your life?
Doc G testified he’s not nearly as good at doing the things now as he was at being a doctor. But today he can pursue these things he enjoys even if he’s not amazingly successful at them. This allowed him to pivot away from what he thought he was supposed to be doing and towards the things he wants to be doing. There’s no real pressure to succeed above and beyond enjoying the process.
Deep connection is what happens when your purpose, identity and relationships all start to align. The need to explain yourself disappears. Connection naturally flows from identifying what your purpose is and embracing your true identity.
Every day is a Monday or a Saturday or a Sunday or a Tuesday. He finds himself looking forward to Mondays, and sometimes on a Saturday afternoon he’s doing what other people would call work. It's a very free lifestyle without the constraints and borders felt from the traditional work week.
If you can't say hell yes, you better start saying no.
Some people mistake financial independence as once they have enough money they'll never work again. That's not it. It's that you only do the work you choose to do, work that adds value to your life. The real power of having control of your finances is being able to say no to the work you don’t want to do.
Instead of looking towards goals, look towards processes that bring happiness and joy, regardless of the end point or a goal that they lead to. If the goal is becoming such a hassle or fearful to the point where you're not enjoying the process, that's a sign to pull back or change.

Call to Action
I agreed to do a giveaway drawing the rest of March for listeners who left a Written Review and Subscribed to the email list. The giveaway is for a pint of our homemade maple syrup. You can watch the sap to syrup process @OrdinarySherpa on Instagram.

If you would like to be entered into the giveaway drawing you can leave a review by going to ordinarysherpa.com/review for a tutorial on how to leave a review

AND

ordinarysherp.com/subscribe to join our email list and get adventure goodies delivered to your inbox.

View Details

Spring (sigh). While 40 degrees and sunshine does something special to my soul after a winter freeze, it also quickly turns into a muddy sloppy mess. Since we are in the midst of another major home renovation phase (2 of 3) it feels like a mess or spring might just be the season of life I am in right now.

As you may know we create seasonal adventure lists to help offer something exciting to incorporate over several months into our family experience. Our Spring Adventure List includes two of my favorite things: Maple Syrup and Waterfalls. If you follow me on Instagram I have a highlight story on our Maple Syrup making process. We had about 40 taps on 15 trees this spring and our process is pretty manual because the season is usually only 3-4 weeks long. The excitement of tapping the trees, gathering sap, and the day-long boil are all full adventures to look forward to.

GIVEAWAY ANNOUNCEMENT...Because I LOVE my listeners SO much I am going to give away a pint of our maple syrup ($10 value + S&H) to a few lucky listeners. All of the details to this giveaway are on the Ordinary Sherpa Instagram Page, in the Ordinary Sherpa Facebook Group, and in my email newsletter this week.

Must do the following 3 things:

Subscribe to the Ordinary Sherpa Email List (ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe) and
Leave a written review for the podcast (go to Ordinarysherpa.com/review)
Take a screenshot, DM or email me the screenshot and the nickname you left it under to be entered.

If you have never had real maple syrup, it is very light and truly delightful. I love it fresh from the boil on top of vanilla bean ice cream, but my kids have become maple syrup snobs and will eat waffles, pancakes and french toast everyday of the week in order to get their maple syrup fix. I know buddy the elf and maybe the Trina from episode 003 and 005 might put it on spaghetti and others in my Facebook Group enjoy it on oatmeal.

Last week's episode with Melissa Lagerquist on Family Travel Rewards tips, which can we just say how awesome she was, set the foundation for travel rewards with families. For something as complicated as travel rewards she really translated into such human terms. As promised I am going to build upon the tips from Episode 018 and share our family’s travel rewards strategy. I’ll give you a sense of our travel budget, our timeline of travel rewards, which cards we use, how we optimize the benefits and how we have utilized redemptions.

Our travel budget has never been luxurious, generally speaking it is about $2,500. As a family of 5 that can be really tricky so while we would sometimes camp, or build a network of friends and family we can stay with, find cheap or free things to do, or benefit from a good fare sale (Scott’s Cheap Flights being one of my favorite sources). The last few years the game changer for us has been adding travel rewards through the use of credit card sign on bonuses.

My first travel rewards credit card was through my local credit union and it was the least effective reward card because there were no sign on bonuses to leverage in the accumulation phase, very few 2x or 3x earning bonuses, and overall poor travel redemption rates. However it was a starting point and you never get it perfect out of the gate.

I really upped my travel rewards game in 2018 when I began studying the rules of travel rewards and designing a strategy that worked for us. If you want the DIY version I do recommend the ChooseFI.com/travel online course. It goes deep but gives you a good sense of all the nuances. But if you prefer DIY with a guide on the side, that’s where Ordinary Sherpa can help you design a strategy for your family.

If you download my Family Guide to Travel Rewards, available at Ordinarysherpa.com/rewards some of the questions I walk you through are your location and airports near you, Potential destinations, Preferred airlines and accommodations, Financial behaviors, and timeline for travel with whom. Living in NE Wisconsin the two airports close to us are Appleton and Green Bay, with the hub airlines of American Airlines, Delta, and United.

Because we are a family of 5 and my husband is a teacher, most of the traditional strategies didn’t work for us because we didn’t have the flexibility to travel in off-seasons, and we were a family of 5. It’s frowned upon to let a stranger take care of your 3-yo during a cross-country flight. We needed to find options where we could sit together, and redeem points for 5 at a time, which takes a substantial stash of points. Which led us to Southwest Airlines as our first choice due to their companion pass.

Southwest Companion Pass is achieved by earning 125,000 points in a calendar year, I should note they do have a special Companion Pass offer out right now. I didn’t think it was as desirable, but given that I already have Companion Pass I also didn’t study it as deeply. A companion pass through Southwest Airlines allows you to bring a traveler with you on unlimited flights for the year you achieved CP and the entire following calendar year. There are other airlines that offer Companion Pass (such as Delta and Alaska Airlines), but Southwest has the Platinum edition.

I earned my companion pass in August of 2019 and learned the hard way on several fronts that I did it the hard way. Ideally you want to open both cards if possible in late October, early November. You’ll need a plan to hit the minimum spends and often Christmas helps out. Just make sure you don’t hit the minimum spend before January, or the bonuses will be applied in December. My husband and I both have Companion Pass so each of us can bring a child for free and the stash of points we accumulated can be redeemed for our flights and one of our children’s flights. The other highlight for us was that we could use Companion Pass at any time during the year as long as there is a seat available on the flights.

Strategy 1: Choose a co-branded Credit Card that aligns with brands you prefer or that have routes that align with your departure or desired destination. If you are interested in Southwest you can explore the Card options and benefits by going to Ordinarysherpa.com/sw

Strategy 2: My next recommendation is to select a card/cards that offer Flexible Point currency such as Chase Ultimate Rewards, Amex Membership points, or Citi Thankyou points. These points are flexible because they can be transferred to many different brands. Many of these flexible currencies include things like a reimbursement for TSA Precheck or Global Entry which allows you to expedite the security process. In addition to other perks like trip insurance and airport lounge access. We opted to do Chase since they aligned with Southwest and also included hotels and car rentals.

Again we are in 2 player mode. I went with Chase Sapphire Reserve and my husband went with Chase Sapphire Preferred. We each opened a business card too which was Chase Business Ink (to learn more go to Ordinarysherpa.com/chase). We are just beginning to draw down on our Ultimate Rewards points and find them helpful to cover car rentals or accommodations.

Strategy 3: Lastly, I would suggest getting a Travel Eraser Card such as Capital One Venture or Discover also has one. Capital One Venture was actually our second card so we could use the points for things like Airbnb stays, or in 2020 RV rentals. Anything that codes as travel on your statement can be wiped out with points. These can also wipe out other travel related expenses such as tours or tickets. For example if you are going to Disney, purchase your tickets from undercover tourist and you can use the eraser card to redeem points for those expenses. You can learn more about Capital One Venture Card at Ordindarysherpa.com/venture

This framework is for the DIY version of travel rewards. To learn details about travel rewards take the free online course at ChooseFI.com/travel. If you need a guide on the side, inquire about Travel Rewards coaching by contacting us on our online form at ordinarysherpa.com/contact and we can start the

Key Takeaways

Choose a co-branded card that aligns with your destination and traveler needs
Southwest Companion Pass is a great goal for family travel rewards
Know the rules and timelines for earning the sign on bonuses
Add a flexible use rewards currency to allow for other aspects of your travel to be supported by rewards. Beware of the Chase 5/24 unwritten rule.
A travel eraser card redeems points toward any expense coded as travel on your statement.
For a downloadable guide to Family Travel Rewards with tips, our 5 card strategy, and a rewards planning template, go to Ordinarysherpa.com/rewards

Resources mentioned on this episode:Episode 018 | Travel Rewards tips for families with Melissa Lagerquist: https://ordinarysherpa.com/familytravelrewards/

Subscribe to our Email Newsletter: https://ordinarysherpa.com/subscribe/Leave a review: https://ordinarysherpa.com/review/

*To be entered for the giveaway you need to do both, take a screenshot of your review and DM or send to heidi@ordinarysherpa.com

Scott’s Cheap Flights: scottscheapflights.yuy8ab.net/BmLWJ

Travel Rewards Credit Cards Mentioned:
Southwest Credit Card: ordinarysherpa.com/sw
Chase Cred: ordinarysherpa.com/chase

Capital One Venture: ordinarysherpa.com/venture

To download the FREE Family Guide to Travel Rewards: https://ordinarysherpa.com/rewards/

View Details

Travel Rewards was a topic that seemed so elusive and complicated to me for so many years. Now I can’t imagine what our trips would look like without it. I was anti-credit card before I learned the rules to travel rewards. Today I have 6 different credit cards in my wallet at any given time, and because my husband and I are in 2-player mode, he also has 3-4 in his wallet. We do this all with a lens toward tax optimization, maintaining our budget (actually decreasing our travel budget) and strong financial position and credit score.

There are literally hundreds of resources that can guide you through travel rewards, however when you many of the tips and strategies are suited for solo/couples travel. Things get a little more complicated when you add a family to the mix, which is why I invited Melissa Lagerquist to Ordinary Sherpa today.

Melissa is a freelance writer, travel hacker, cruise expert, military spouse, and mom of two boys. She has been playing the travel hacking game for over a decade and has substantial knowledge in the nuances to travel rewards, significant experience and insights for families wherever you are in your travel rewards journey.

To Connect with Melissa Lagerquist:

Website: Cruisefrugal.com

Email: melissa@cruisefrugal.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Cruise-Frugal-104926720896669

Instagram: cruise_frugal

Twitter: @cruisefrugal

Key Takeaways

First can I just say the movie Pearl Harbor, sigh, who remembers that movie. I am imagining the premier on the Navy carrier.

Travel rewards through credits cards actually make your credit score go up. A large factor in your credit score is credit utilization. If you open credit cards but pay the cards in full each month you will have a low credit utilization rate and improve your credit score. Travel Rewards should only be considered if you are able to pay the balance in full every month.
Have a plan to meet the minimum spend requirements before you apply for the card. Also, make sure to know the date that the minimum spend needs to be met by.
Credit Card companies have their own lingo and unwritten rules, such as Chase, which is known as the 5/24 rule which implies you can only open 5 credit cards in a 24 month period. Any credit card or authorized user counts towards the 5.
If you have a specific trip in mind, you will want to create a strategy to account for all the aspects of your trip including airfare, accommodations and ground transportation.
The best redemption rate is the one that works best for your family!
Start with a little research to frame your questions, then join FB groups or take free online courses (like Choose FI travel rewards course). There are a lot of resources available and generally speaking, people want to help.
A strategy for family travel rewards is to keep a combination of flexible travel rewards points (Chase Ultimate Rewards, Amex Membership Points, or Citi Thankyou points) and a co-branded airline or hotel rewards. This will allow you to mix, match, and transfer points if needed.
Cards with annual fees can offer high value and be worth maintaining. For example many of these cards offer a $200-$300 travel credit, free airport lounge access, travel insurance, and TSA PreCheck and Global Entry to name a few. These are all important perks to consider when traveling as a family.
Travel eraser cards allow you to erase charges codes as travel. These are common for non-branded travel experiences such as UnderCover tourist tickets to Disney, RV rentals, or AirBNB stays.
Cruises allow for local adventures at the ports of call while reducing the overall planning while allowing accommodations for every member of your family. This allows kids a sense of independence allowing kids to choose what they want to do, but not spending all the time together as a family.

Resources:

Choose FI Free Travel Rewards course: Your shortcut to traveling better using less money with travel rewards. https://travel.choosefi.com

If you want to support or connect with Ordinary Sherpa here are 3 easy ways:

Leave a written review:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ordinary-sherpa-family-adventure-coaching-and-design/id1539255067

Subscribe to our Adventure to-go email newsletter: https://ordinarysherpa.com/

Join the Facebook Group:https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpaFollow:https://www.instagram.com/ordinarysherpa/

View Details

This is part 2 with Johanna Garton, our last episode focused on Writing your Adventure Story and unpacking Johanna’s own family adventure story, Awakening East. Today’s episode will focus on her second book, Edge of the Map released in April 2020. Edge of the Map is a fascinating story about one of the most accomplished female mountaineers of our time, Christine Boskoff, who still holds the record for the number of 8,000 foot peak summits. It’s not only an adventure story, but also a thriller, love story, and memoir into the life of one tenaciously humble woman. A little fun fact, Edge of the Map influenced the name and branding for this podcast, which we'll discuss later in the episode.

JOHANNA GARTON is a mother, author, and cross country coach who has played many roles throughout her life. Several years of living and working in Asia, including time in China with her husband, son, and daughter, inspired her to write her first book, Awakening East. She and her family live in Denver.

Key Takeaways

You can be humble and accomplished. Christine Boskoff was a shining example in a time when she was often the only woman in a room of men.
Document your story! So much of this book was informed by Christine’s own journal.
While passions look different for everybody, part of the DNA for a mountaineer is to be in the mountains. It not always the risk they seek, it’s just a part of who they are.
The choices we make as parents can and will likely be criticized. You get to choose the path and decisions that are best for you.
Christine chose to spend her personal time in gorgeous mountains off the grid. What do you choose to do with your personal time, and where is your off the grid location?
The life of sherpa is not glamorous and designed to serve. Christine developed a sincere relationship with her lead sherpa despite language, cultural, and gender differences.
Adventure channels don’t often include families and children. Families belong here and we welcome and recognize that adventure might look different, but the experiences are equally as impactful.
Seeing each member of your family have a different trajectory and appreciating things you might not notice otherwise about your family members, is made visible through adventure.
Christine’s joy came from helping others reach their summit, as opposed to accumulating more personal summits.
1. Badass women
2. International component
3. Adventure/Outdoors Activity
Johanna’s next book criteria:

Will it be about you?

Buy the book and then leave a review on Amazon to help Johanna continue to rank higher and be exposed to more readers.

Awakening East is an older book so it may be hard to find in independent bookstores. I am including the link to it on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2N9Mn3o However, if you purchase Edge of the Map from her website www.johannagarton.com and use the coupon code SHERPA for 25% off. They are both great reads for on the beach or by the fire, wherever you might be right now. To connect with or follow Johanna Garton on social media:

Website: www.johannagarton.com

Email: johanna@johannagarton.com

Facebook: Johanna Garton, Author

Instagram: @johannagartonbooks

Ordinary Sherpa Fans

Leave a written review:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ordinary-sherpa-family-adventure-coaching-and-design/id1539255067

Subscribe to our Adventure to-go email newsletter: https://ordinarysherpa.com/

Join the Facebook Group:https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpa

Follow:https://www.instagram.com/ordinarysherpa/

Join the Facebook Group:https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpa

Check additional resources on our website: https://ordinarysherpa.com/

View Details

Driving home last summer after a particularly exhausting day, I was craving an escape, an adventure or some thought-provoking podcast to make the drive a bit more enjoyable. I came across Johanna Garton as a guest on a podcast and my interest peaked. I knew and had worked with her mom, Jane Garton. Years ago I knew Jane was researching a book about a local mountain climber years before however Jane’s Parkinsons diagnosis got in the way of her completing the book. The local mountain climber was Christine Boskoff and ironically went to high school with her daughter Johanna. Johanna picked up the story and released Edge of the Map in April of 2020.

After listening to the podcast with Johanna I immediately bought Edge of the Map and loved getting lost in the adventurous life and stories from the thrill seeking, emotional roller coaster to an escape to Mt. Everest and beyond. I reached out to Johanna and shared this crazy idea of a podcast I was launching. During one of our interactions as we unwound the thread of the podcast episode she stopped and exclaimed “wait, your podcast is about family adventures? You should probably know that my first book is about our family adventure story.” I agreed to read the first book before scheduling our recording and boy am I glad I did. As I read the first book, Awakening East, I got a better glimpse of the badass, adventurous mom that Johanna Garton is.

Johanna Garton is a mother, author, and cross country coach who has played many roles throughout her life. A graduate of Syracuse University in journalism, and a law degree from DePaul University. As an AmeriCorps VISTA member in Chicago, Johanna worked on behalf of refugee survivors of torture at the Heartland Alliance. She has served on the Colorado Governor’s Commission on Community Service and taught advocacy and legal issues for nonprofits at Regis University. Several years of living and working in Asia, including time in China with her husband, son, and daughter, inspired her to write her first book, Awakening East. She and her family live in Denver.

Key Takeaways

When you are in the middle on an adventure, you can’t always see the story unfolding. What started as a blog to connect with friends and family while living in China transformed into a book about 6-7 months later
Allow for blanks in your plans to allow your partner to see themselves in your adventure story. Even though Johanna had most of the concept planned out, she engaged her husband throughout and gave him ownership of different elements.
The typical refrain that children are resilient took Johanna by surprise as things didn’t land as expected when they shared plans with their kids. It took almost 6 months for their kids to get their stride in China, so much so that they didn’t want to leave. There is a balance between persistence and adaptation. Each kid saw things differently and what resonated was different.
Living in China for a year was every imaginable adjective. While Johanna would go in with fewer expectations, she also acknowledged so much of the beauty was in the messiness that she did not wish the experience to be different.
The year abroad changed the trajectory of Johanna’s career. Today she is an author and can’t imagine doing anything differently.
The difference between is author and a writer is that an author is a fancy title with perhaps some luck in getting their writing published. Since Johanna’s story is already written, she is now busy writing others stories and doesn’t find herself writing for pleasure as much as she previously did.
“I fail a lot, and my kids see me fail often. That trait may have been the ingredient to see me through the areas that induce fear.”
Finding your voice and the voice of the female climber allowed Johanna to bring more humanity to the Edge of the Map story. “It was a very different experience to write my story vs. writing someone else's story.”
Document your life in whatever format works best for you. It’s important to keep track of more than the highlight reels. Johanna uses voice memos app on her phone to capture family interactions
2020 was not the year to release a book, however she found Edge of the Map has turned out to be a story of resiliency that has resonated with so many readers.
Buy the book and then leave a review on Amazon to help Johanna continue to rank higher and be exposed to more readers.

Website: www.johannagarton.com

Email: johanna@johannagarton.com

Facebook: Johanna Garton, Author

Instagram: @johannagartonbooks

Ordinary Sherpa Fans

Leave a written review for this podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ordinary-sherpa-family-adventure-coaching-and-design/id1539255067

Subscribe to our Adventure to-go email newsletter: https://ordinarysherpa.com/

Join the Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpa

Follow: https://www.instagram.com/ordinarysherpa/

Join the Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpa

Check additional resources on our website: https://ordinarysherpa.com/

View Details

015 | Create intention and practice of meaningful experiences

In this episode we walk through tips to get intentional about creating an experience and documenting it for deeper connection.

Goal setting workshop the activity was: "10 years from now, you just had the best year of your life. Make a statement about your year." Mine was: Everyday felt like vacation!

Bill Gates states we under estimate what we can accomplish in 10 years, but overestimate what we will accomplish in one year. I got curious. What is it about vacation that I crave and how could I have an experience like that every day?

Vacation Qualities:
-Connection and removed from daily life distractions
- while experiencing something new and different.
Not about the destination, we can create these experiences anywhere.

Create the intention each day using the 3 things list.
What 3 things do I want to focus on today and accomplice or experience? If you focus on 3 you a highly likely to achieve them, if you focus on a to-do list of 12 you will likely only accomplish 1 or 2 because the list becomes overwhelming.

In order for the experience to become a memory it requires us to transfer from Short term to Long Term memory.

Adv Education (episode 010 w/ Jessica Jens) the reflection is the most important step in the process
Educational theory- transfer the experience to another method actually deepens the learning
Creates intentionality and accountability (photo a day, Visual Accountability journaling)
Life is about more than the highlight reels of you life
Neuro-Science: Horrible at remembering. Formal reflection process helps you process the experience.

Documenting helps create connections

1. Allows you to connect to you, who you are and who you are becoming. All of it-the good, bad and ugly. Honor all of it. This is your life.
Connects with people in the stories. We need to tell and capture the stories because they may not be able to. When they hear it or see it will feel a sense of belonging. They mattered enough to be in your stories.
People we may never meet might need to hear our stories. Our stories might offer hope, comfort, and perspective. That offering allows them to feel. I have a few listeners, whom I’ve never met share these words with me. I feel like you are telling my story.

Methods:

Capture

Photos: Power of visualizations (BI work and One second every day Ted talk) NOTE: Make sure as the photographer you get out from behind the lens to be included in the photographic proof of the experience.
Journal/blog. Upcoming episode with Author Johanna Garton who literally turned her family adventure story into a book.

Create

Curate/Collect: What is “the thing” from this unique experience that you want to remember. I know some collect rocks, ticket stubs, postcards, stickers, magnets, coffee mugs or maybe something unique for each experience as appropriate.

When we are downhill skiing we collect stickers for our car top carrier, often the kids will put them on their ski helmets as well.
My daughter has a travel goal to hit all of the national Parks so we have a Postcard for each one and she writes the date she visited and one sentence about the experience.
My mom was a long time coffee mug collector. I took her to Texas for her birthday in 2019. We both bought coffee mugs at the Magnolia Silos in Waco and I can’t tell you how many times during covid we texted each other a picture of our coffee mugs as a reflection of that memory. In a time that we weren’t physically together we could share a cup of coffee and remember that shared connection.
Artistic reflection (drawing, home decor, scrapbook) Creating and doing is one of the greatest sources of learning. It defines your individualized experience

Sources for deeper reflection:
Why Mundane moments truly Matter (NY Times article). “How we spend our days, is how we spend our life.” Why Mundane Moments Truly Matter - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

As mentioned earlier in the show, I have several upcoming episodes with adventure author Johanna Garton. She is the Author of Awakening East and Edge of the Map. The first episode will dive into her adventure story which is Awakening East where she unfolds the story of international travel, adoption and living abroad with her family. Part 2 will dive into Edge of the Map which Johanna authors the adventure story of Christine Boskoff, a world class alpine climber. Awakening East is an older book so it may be hard to find in independent bookstores. I am including the link to it on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2N9Mn3o However, if you purchase Edge of the Map from her website www.johannagarton.com and use the coupon code SHERPA for 25% off. They are both great reads for on the beach or by the fire, wherever you might be right now and I can’t wait to dive into them with Johanna in upcoming episodes.

Leave a written review:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ordinary-sherpa-family-adventure-coaching-and-design/id1539255067

Subscribe to our Adventure to-go email newsletter: https://ordinarysherpa.com/

Join the Facebook Group:https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpa

Follow:https://www.instagram.com/ordinarysherpa/

Join the Facebook Group:https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpa

Check additional resources on our website: https://ordinarysherpa.com/

View Details

I am dreaming of southwest Florida right now. We have begun the big freeze in the frozen tundra, with actual temperatures in negative double digits. Most of our adventures have moved indoors for the time being with creative projects. Tonight my son cut up a bunch of cardboard to transform our dining room table into a ping pong table. Kids' creativity constantly amazes me.

The highlight of my week last week was a snow day, a real no school, 8 inches of snow kind of snow day. It was so great to have everyone home. I am working from home for my full-time job so I didn’t get to enjoy it as much as my kids did, but it truly was a bright spot. I think we went through 12 pairs of gloves, every time they came in they were soaked. They were skiing, and sledding. I even took a good 3 mile snowshoe as dusk set in and it was rejuvenating. I was so glad that in this day in age with the ability to do virtual learning the school district recognized the importance of a day of play in the snow. It was a breath of fresh air.

With the cold weather I have also created Hygge time. Hygge is the Danish term that describes comfort and cozy qualities that embody well-being. Lately, one of those activities has been reading by the fire with a big fluffy sherpa blanket. I have two episodes coming up with an author of adventure stories and I wanted to share them with you now so you have time to get the books and review before the episodes launch at the end of February and early March. If you stick with me to the end, I’ll share more about the author, books and discount code for Ordinary Sherpa listeners.

If you are ready to have a relaxing experience on the beaches of Sanibel Island, then having a friend like Nick Adams would be ideal. Nick is from London, England and has been a photographer since the early nineties. He drew a lot of inspiration from his uncle, John Adams, who was a respected fashion and glamour photographer in the 'swinging' 60’s through to the 'big hair' 80’s in London whose work can still be found in stock libraries in London with the popular resurgence of retro culture. Nick started his career working on cruise ships where he met Lori (from Delaware, Ohio). In 1994 Nick and Lori moved to England. With the help of The Prince’s Trust (an excellent English charity started by Prince Charles to help young people who wanted to start up in business), Nick set up 'Nick Adams Photography'. The studio was based in a rural market town called Maldon in Essex. During their stay in England, Lori and Nick got married and had their first child Max.

In 1998 Lori, Nick and Max moved to Southwest Florida where Nick Adams Photography made a reappearance, with better weather and the sandy beaches as a backdrop. They made Southwest Florida their permanent home along with two additions to their family, Brooke and McKenna. Currently, Nick and Lori still run a thriving photography business on Sanibel Island and have also started the Sanibel Captiva Guide, a comprehensive guide of the Islands.

Resources referenced during this episode:The Prince’s Trust:www.princes-trust.org.uk
The Sanibel Captiva Guide

Web: thesancapguide.com

Email: thesancapguide@gmail.com

YouTube: The Sanibel Captiva Guide by Nick Adams Photography

Insta: @thesancapguide

TikTok: @thesancapguide

Nick Adams Photography

Web: nickadamsphotography.com

email: nick@nickadamsphotography.com

YouTube: The Sanibel Captiva Guide by Nick Adams Photography

Insta: @nickadamsphotog

Key Takeaways

How and why did you land where you are living now? Nick’s story from England, back and forth to America had several influences. The weather was one influence.
There is a thread of generosity both on the receiving end and contributing end. Nick Adams Photography version one was the recipient of some support early on from Prince Charles Charity to give it the backing to get off the ground. Nick Adams Photography version two contributions have supported the local community of Sanibel and Captiva Islands. How does generosity show up in your story? How might you contribute to helping others on their adventure journey? The Ordinary Sherpa Facebook group is a great place to contribute and receive others generosity.
The San Cap Guide is a resource detailing everything you would need or want to know about Sanibel Captiva Islands in Southwest Florida. If Florida is on your list consider exploring it and paying a visit for an untourist and meaningful experience.
Untourism utilizes local expertise. Imagine you are Nick and building a guide for your community. What are the unique aspects of your community or region that would help visitors have a local experience?
How do you capture adventures? Have you ever considered having portraits taken while visiting a destination? Photos are a critical piece to documenting adventures (which will have several upcoming episodes related to) and a great way to make sure everyone is included and have a quality non-selfie photo of the entire family.

Leave a written review:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ordinary-sherpa-family-adventure-coaching-and-design/id1539255067

Subscribe to our Adventure to-go email newsletter: https://ordinarysherpa.com/

Join the Facebook Group:https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpa

Follow:https://www.instagram.com/ordinarysherpa/

Check additional resources on our website: https://ordinarysherpa.com/

View Details

Untourism is the experience of living like a local. Unearthing hidden gems that benefit the local people and environment, as opposed to commercial tourism.

Untourists avoid trendy or popular destinations or attractions often because people are flocking to them in response to targeted advertising.

Form of independent, authentically curated experiences while traveling. The experience is less of a vacation and more of an immersion. Differences in norms are not threats, rather invitations for discovery.

How does this differ from traditional tourism?
-Tourists might seek insights from a guidebook, enjoy specific amenities and the comforts of home.

-Untourists are more likely to ask a local for insights, and are

I’m not anti-tourism for the record. It started as a tourist lens, I always felt our expectations where being defined by companies with big marketing budgets and have slowly started opting out of those for a more authentic experience, also some affordable options that didn’t require admission. Through this journey we have also been exposed to socially-conscious experiences that support the local environment and community. Small business that make up the fabric of that local community. Create an experience around the assets of that community.

-2013 first Airbnb experience in west seattle (not staying in hotels)

-Salmon fishing in Alaska

-Cleveland, sea glass on the beach

-swim in umqua river

-powder mountain ski mountain in Utah

feels like National Parks are becoming touristy, so within those locations how do we create a deeper, off the beaten path. something like 53 waterfalls in Yellowstone. We were one of few who hiked to Moose Falls.

-brown sign adventures (referenced in episode 004 Magic of Micro-Experiences)

Thanks to a listener, a brown sign is technically a RECREATIONAL AND CULTURAL INTEREST AREA SIGN that “marks a recreational or cultural interest areas are attractions or traffic generators that are open to the general public for the purpose of play, amusement, or relaxation. Recreational attractions include such facilities as parks, campgrounds, gaming facilities, and ski areas, while examples of cultural attractions include museums, art galleries, and historical buildings or sites.

The purpose of recreation and cultural interest area signs is to guide road users to a general area and then to specific facilities or activities within the area.”

-N. Cali Brown Sign (waterfall) McArthur Burney Falls

Savannah: known for its architecture and history so we created our own scavenger hunt to find as many differ types of doors and road textures. Made a photo collage page in our scrapbook.

Activity based untourism experiences such as swimmingBeach, pool, swimming hole:

-St. Louis- local swimming pool with splash pad and waterpark style experience.

“Google: Best Beach in Wisconsin'' ended up being North Beach in Racine Wi. Turned it into a long weekend adventure. Bikes on the bike path, Coffee and gelato.
children’s beach in LaJolla CA. Unexpected adventure needed something to do after our plans fell through. Seals came up and started swimming right with the people and sunning themselves on the coves.

-snorkeling with leopard sharks in late summer early fall right off the beaches in San Diego (Melissa Langerquist)

natural waterslide in Sequoia National monument.

How do you find these untourist experiences:

I don’t look for any paid advertising for that area (go to page 2 of google search), We don’t typically use any CVB resources- usually requires a marketing budget.
Google business reviews (for small businesses are helpful) I generally look at the reviews!
Ask my network- The Ordinary Sherpa Facebook group is an excellent resource.

***For a FREE Beginner's Guide to Untourism visit: https://ordinarysherpa.com/untourism

Listener Challenge: Design your Local Untourist experience that you would suggest to other friends or families. As a guide I like to start with one adventure within 100 miles from where you live that costs less than $20. I’d love to see what you come up with. Email me your untourist guide at: Heidi@ordinarysherpa.com to potentially be a guest on an upcoming episode.

Locations referenced in this episode:
Blue Mound State Park: Cross-Country Skiing
Tenney Park (Madison): Ice Skating

Leave a written review:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ordinary-sherpa-family-adventure-coaching-and-design/id1539255067

Subscribe to our Adventure to-go email newsletter: https://ordinarysherpa.com/

Join the Facebook Group:https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpa

Follow:https://www.instagram.com/ordinarysherpa/

Check additional resources on our website: https://ordinarysherpa.com/

View Details

Welcome to Ordinary Sherpa, I’m your host Heidi Dusek. Today’s episode will dive deep into one family’s journey to enjoy life on the road.

Before I get there I want to welcome everyone to Ordinary Sherpa. We have seen a large influx of new listeners over the past week, thanks to the Choose FI team. Ordinary Sherpa is designed to inspire families to connect through simple and authentic adventure experiences. You can learn more about my adventure story (episode 1) and why adventure (episode 2), but the short version is this, the only way our family survived 2020 was through simple, unplugged, outdoor experiences together as a family. We didn’t just survive, we began to thrive. I dove deep into the research which validated what I have felt for so long. So my mission is to help families realize, there are options. My husband and I both work full-time and raise 3 kids and a dog. I am with you on this journey towards freedom, adventure, and fresh air. As are so many others (we call our listeners Sherpas) who are here to support you reaching your new summit, what ever that looks like to you.

I also want to take a moment of gratitude and acknowledge the Choose FI podcast and community. Choose FI had such an impact on the development and launch of the Ordinary Sherpa podcast, so if you are not familiar go check them out: https://www.choosefi.com/ If you are joining us from that community, welcome. You are among friends.

While 2020 restricted our travel, Ordinary Sherpa has been getting around. Ordinary Sherpa has been listened to in 26 countries and 44 states. I had a goal to hit all 50 states in my first 90 days and we are so close. If you know someone who might be interested who is located in Alaska, Montana, Wyoming, Maine, Vermont and I am hoping with our guests today we will fulfill Mississippi.

Brittany and Cody Holifield are the parents of 2 boys (Barrett, Corbin) and Sonic the dog are the family behind Hitch-to-Hitch. They were looking for a change and as you will hear they didn’t follow a conventional path. They gave up the 10 acre farm and ideal American lifestyle to enjoy a life of adventure while living full time in their fifth wheel. They sold everything 2 years ago and haven’t looked back. I binged on their YouTube channel leading up to and following our interview. Even if a full time RV lifestyle is not for you, they are such authentic people who share so many insights. I hope you are able to hear their mindset, how they allow for adventure to show up in their life on a regular basis.

Listen:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ordinary-sherpa-family-adventure-coaching-and-design/id1539255067

Website/Email Subscribe:https://ordinarysherpa.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ordinarysherpa/

Join the Ordinary Sherpa Community:https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpa

Key Takeaways

Time together is short, are you making the best of it?
Are you worried about doing things in the right order? Whether your timeline is 6 months or 5 years, there are options for both.
Is the ideal lifestyle weaning you out? What might the alternative be? Brittany shared taking care of the kids, the house, the farm, while teaching full time was wearing her out.
Test the path. Cody initially wanted to sail around the U.S., but after a rough 5-day experience they realized that probably wasn’t the right path for them.
You don’t have to have everything figured out. “I’m in it for the ride,” Brittany exclaimed.
Transition for the kids continues to evolve, from the social scene to freedom and independence. They try to choose locations that are family-friendly when possible to support social interaction.
Boondocking or Dry camping is camping without hook ups (water, Electricity, sewer) builds awareness to your power and water consumption.
Start with the end in mind. Create the menu of options with enough flexibility to align with everyone's wishes and back up plans for bad weather or just off days.
Peak experiences and mishaps are part of the journey. You can’t plan for everything. Embrace the opportunity.
Some of the resources referenced on the show:
-Location-based Facebook searches (not groups such as Ordinary Sherpa are good starting points)
-RV Parky App:https://www.rvparky.com/mobile-app
-iOverlander: http://ioverlander.com/

Follow or Connect with Cody & Brittany from Hitch-to-Hitch through any of the channels listed.

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOfckR-uCVBy9aolefHP4ag
Website: www.hitchtohitch.home.blog

Email: hitchtohitch@gmail.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/hitch2hitch

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hitchtohitch/

View Details

I feel like camping is one of those icons of adventure. If you were to look up the profile picture of adventure often you'd see a tent, a campfire, maybe some smores, some stars under the sky, something that just resembles the outdoors. Camping has been one of the easiest entry points for me into a life of adventure and to create these magical, simple moments with my family. Today's episode is really devoted to camping as a broad umbrella, but then more specifically diving into when you're ready to rent an RV what are some insider tips to help navigate the process.

Adventure is about stretching yourself and embracing discomfort. Camping not only embraces adventure definition, it provides for the gratitude experience to come home to your bed and take a hot shower.

Types of Camping

Sleep Out: whimsical, out under the stars
Tent: Lower cost enclosure to protect from rain and animals, but by my definition still considered roughing it
Pop-up/Tent Camper: A soft-sided enclosure up off the ground with some space and basic amenities like electricity, cupboards, potentially heat and A/C
Travel Trailer: Equivalent to a tiny house with the amenities of a small living space, including a bathroom. Need a vehicle to tow. 5th Wheel is a supersized travel trailer that requires a special hitch to tow.
RV(recreational vehicle)/Motorhome: 3 classes that range in size and amenities, where vehicle and accommodations all in one enclosure.
Class A: Are the big rigs
Class B: Campervans
Class C: Mid-sized

Where can I rent an RV?

local dealerships
Rental Business (such as Cruise America)
Sharing Economy, Peer-to-peer platforms (that operate similar to Airbnb or Turo) are RV Share or Outdoorsy*
Note: Airbnb also has Yurts, covered wagons, and RV as an accommodation type.

What to look for when renting an RV?

Unlimited Mileage or cost per mile along with other potentially hidden fees (kitchen items, bedding, cooler, insurance, generator usage).
Sleeping arrangements: do you want to be folding down the table every night to have someone sleep? Getting out of a bunk in the dark unfamiliar place to go to the bathroom might not be ideal for young kids. Be aware of your needs and size. Just because it claims it can sleep 10, doesn't mean I'd recommend it.
Features My non-negotiable for our first renal was a back up camera. Determine what aspects will help you have the best experience on the road. Is it a first aid kit? Night lights? If it's not listed as the host if they would include it.
Drop off/Pick up times or delivery fees
Weight and towing capacity: Make sure to include the collective weight of the humans riding in it.
READ THE REVIEWS. Always do this, if there are no reviews you are taking a much greater risk. I have learned so many things by thoroughly reading the reviews to understand other customer's experiences.
Communicate with the host/owner. The more clear you are on the front end the better the experience will be on the road. It's not annoying, it's making sure it's a good fit for both parties.

General Planning for RV Trips

Where are you going to park it? Not only to sleep but also knowing the limitations of the attractions you plan to visit (example: National Parks space to turn around). Some parking lots are more RV friendly than others.

Time and speed you travel with a RV is much slower than car. Average gas mileage is 9-15/mph.

Storage Capacity, you might want to rethink that large hard-sided suitcase for everyone's clothes. Hangers a a good add in and collapsible containers.

There are more people on earth camping now than ever before. It may require early planning. Please be respectful and while enjoying the beautiful scenery, be responsible and pick up after yourself.

Key Takeaways and Resources

Camping takes you out of your normal environment allowing you to stretch and be safely uncomfortable.
What is your icon for adventure?
The spectrum of camping can be broad. Choose the entry point that works best for you.
Camping creates the opportunity for forced together time just by they nature of proximity. Close quarters inside, but outside the door, the possibilities are endless.
Sometimes magic is in the dirt. Life can be dirty and messy so having experiences that aren't prim, proper, and perfect are healthy life lessons.
Rentals are a great way to test the opportunity. It gives you the try before you buy experience over and over without the responsibility of maintenance and storage.
There are hidden fees to dig into beyond the rental price including mileage, inclusion of items, insurance, and generator usage.
Reviews from customers are a goldmine of information. Read the reviews to inform insider tips and experiences. Help yourself and future customers by leaving specific written reviews about your experiences.
Ask Questions. Anything from clarification of fees, layout, cleaning expectations to location and route recommendations. Be clear up front so you have a good experience on the road.
Book Sooner than later. The earth is seeing record numbers of people camping which looks to be a trend that will continue through summer 2021. Below are links to resources cited in the podcast, some include discount codes to help you save money on your first rental experience.

AirBnB: $65 off your first booking. They have accommodations that include stationary Yurts, Covered Wagons and RVs that might be worth exploring.

Outdoorsy: $50 off your first rental. Peer-to-Peer platform.

RVShare: Peer-to-Peer platform. I do not have any discount codes to share yet with this platform.

As always, please considering

Joining the Ordinary Sherpa Facebook Group to ask questions or share additional thoughts: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpa/

Subscribe to this podcast and if you feel compelled, leave us a review: ‎Ordinary Sherpa: Family Adventure Coaching and Design on Apple Podcasts

Subscribe to our email list to receive monthly updates.

All of the links can be found on our website: https://ordinarysherpa.com/join

View Details

Follow: website, Instagram
Join the Community: Facebook Group

Welcome Back. I took a slight pause after the holidays and things got a little crazy last week so I decided to hold onto this episode. January for me has always been an excuse for a fresh perspective, so whether you have been with us from the start or you are just finding us, I want to welcome you to the show. Ordinary Sherpa is on a mission to inspire families to connect through simple and authentic adventure experiences, while simultaneously supporting you through an online Sherpa community. What I hope you find is that this community isn't as focused on the insta-worthy tourist destinations (sure those still show up in our stories), but rather the journey and experience of simply participating in an adventure experience as a family.

You get to define what adventure means to you. Much of my adventure story includes travel, and I wanted to share a resource with each of you. If airline travel is making its way back into your story, I HIGHLY recommend you check out Scott’s Cheap Flights. They curate the best flight deals to your inbox. Because of Scott's Cheap Flights we were able to fly round trip from Green Bay to Anchorage for under $200/person in peak travel season. These tickets are regularly closer to $400-$500. You can try their Premium Membership for free for 30-days...But they have a major sale happening right now. Their Premium Membership is typically $49/year, but until January 31, 2021 it is only $29/year. I only share resources that I find value in, and this is definitely one worth exploring. Since many people redefined adventure in 2020 (which I shared many stories of that in Episode 008 with Ed Tee) I am sharing this as some are considering adding travel back into their adventure definition for 2021 and beyond.

Today's episode features Jessica Jens. Jessica and I met when we worked together with University of Wisconsin Extension - Youth Development leading leadership and educational experiences for youth. I have long admired and respected Jessica's courage to help push beyond traditional boundaries to find new ways to help individuals learn and grow. Her soapboxes of transparency, honesty, acceptance and individual superpowers have led her to excel in creating both personal and professional adventure experiences.

Belief in the power and opportunity of adventure experiences drives Jessica to support all kids, adults, and families in their quest for a novel and unique path through life. Making a choice to pick adventure education as a field of study for her graduate work, she quickly discovered that perhaps muddy shoes, tired legs, messy hair, wide vistas, and fresh air can provide just as much self-reflection and learning as months of couches and therapy.

Professionally, Jessica has worked much of her life in the areas of youth development, environmental education, organizational growth, fundraising, and nonprofit leadership. She provides servant leadership while standing on her core soapboxes of transparency, honesty, acceptance, and individual superpowers.

Jessica is a daughter, wife, mother, backpacker, rock climber, horseback rider, lover of chickens, super bad gardener, and sailor in training. She lives with her husband James, and their two adolescent children on a small hobby farm in southeast Wisconsin.

Key Takeaways

Adventure Education is about the transformation of people using the natural world and experiences. It works because it is novel.
Memorable experiences don’t have to be epic. The sustainability of the experience is based on your experience and moments of self-discovery.
Transformation happens when you move out of the comfort zone into the stretch zone, but avoiding the panic zone. The stretch zone is where learning and growth happens. Experiences on adventure trips when pushing yourself outside your comfort zone are incredibly transferable to our everyday lives.
Visualize the frayed rope. What is the scariest thing you've ever done? If you can get through that, you can get through this!
It’s important we are able to recognize the panic zone in kids and others. You don’t learn in the panic zone, so being able to recognize the cues and check in is an important aspect to the adventure experience process.
You can control your fear if you have to
Talk about it. The reflection of the experience is critical.
At a basic level, adventures allow us the opportunity to examine our choices and learn from them for next time
End when having fun. The last memory of the experience will be the one that sticks. It might mean being creative on the final leg to make it special, or it might mean stopping sooner. There is little value in pushing through.
What are your family’s superpowers? Focus on the strengths vs. deficits of each individual creates an experience where everyone is valued for their contributions. Consider each individual’s superpowers in the adventure design.
Family systems theory shows the value of a shared experience has a lasting impact on families ability to bounce back from adversity. Each individual can have a unique and shared experience in that the way they internalize or perceive the experience may be different, however the simple act of sharing an experience, makes the experience relatable and transferable for everyone involved.
Adventuring with adolescents requires perseverance. They might not show their appreciation or act like they are finding value in the experience, but stay the course and ask them a week or month later to get a better understanding of the experience. Moments that feel like torture are really moments of growth a week later.
Many parents opt-out of adventures because they are afraid their child will ask them a question and they won’t know the answer. If this is you, know there are so many people and organizations here to support you without judgement (including the Ordinary Sherpa Community).
Adventure as a family is a great practice in letting go of perfectionist tendencies.

If you found value from this episode- share it! The greatest compliment to a podcast is to leave a written review. The more written reviews a podcast gets the more accessible it becomes to people who need to hear these stories. It is the single greatest action you can do to help Ordinary Sherpa reach the individuals and families who need to hear these stories.

If you have additional questions for Jessica, she is an active member of Ordinary Sherpa Facebook Group, or you can connect with her through RiversEdge Nature Center in-person, through email or on the social media accounts below.

Website: riveredgenaturecenter.org

Email: jjens@riveredge.us

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/riveredgenaturecenter

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/riveredgenaturecenter

Twitter: https://twitter.com/riveredgenc?lang=en

View Details

We are sitting on one of the most bittersweet days of the century. While I know we all want to flip the calendar and expect some magical force to take away all that was in 2020. I also know that in dark times in life the fairy godmother doesn’t just appear and make everything right. It takes work and sitting in what a friend of mine calls “the dirty diaper” of reality, acknowledging and working through the stuff that will help you climb to new heights.

I asked each of my kids and husband this past week “what was something you learned in 2020?” Their direct answers were:

Trying homeschooling
To not touch stuff in stores, be cautious, and wash your hands
Don’t just eat snacks
RV life is appealing
You can enjoy the chaos and need a break from it at the same time. Life is not binary
Keep things simple

Hindsight 20/20 (pun intended) If I knew at the beginning of the year what I know now, this would be the advice I give to my January self:

progress over perfection
trust your gut
Just because you can do hard things doesn't mean you should
Ask for help
Recalibrate expectations

Like many I have made it a practice each year to do a Year in Review and work through a framework to create an intention for the upcoming year. While this had typically been a professional practice that I used at work to frame goals and objectives for the upcoming year, in 2018 I decided to use the same practice for life. I had been learning about and exploring the customer loyalty metric using Net Promoter Score, which is a rating on how likely customers recommend your products or services to their friends, family, and colleagues. In short, I was wondering how our family rated our experiences and which would they recommend to their friends and other family members. This simple thought led me to the Joy Index: could I measure our family joy? (DM me on instagram if you want the deep dive version)

The Joy index was used for everything from Money and spending habits, to kids goals, and minimizing the clutter around the house. It stems from a minimalist mindset.

The pillars if the framework allows us to evaluate and get clear about what joy is for each of us, how to give it and how to source it. After each 1:1 or family activity we would rate our joy. We analyzed the things that rated the highest for the most members of the family.

What will BRING me the most joy?

One month I tackled my closet: Do I LOVE this? Does it fit? Do I look and feel good in it? Have I used it? Why do I have this? I sorted things, tried things on, asked my kids to share their honest thoughts with me. The practice was cleansing and helped me let go of things I held on to for no apparent reason. I simply sorted the items that weren’t serving me well into a laundry basket and left it in the closet for a while.

How can I use what I have to GIVE Joy?

Was there someone else who would find joy in these items? I offered things to some friends and family members. Many items were gratefully accepted and genuinely appreciated. I also considered donating items to thrifts stores, or exploring if there were ways to reuse items into new sources of joy.
I also consider the skills and talents that I could give to bring others joy. I quickly learned that this required some balance. I could give away all my joy if I wasn’t careful.

If these things weren’t bringing me joy, how could I SOURCE Joy?

What are the missing pieces that we need to obtain. Who or what dow we need to fill the capacity constraints.
Ordinary Sherpa was designed as a community to help be a way to source aspects of your joy. We are here to help crowd source and fill in pieces to help you achieve joy in 2021 and beyond.
If travel is a desired part of your joy story in 2021 and beyond see a resource at the end of this episode to help source affordable airfare around the world.

We were constantly sorting, trying things on, and asking my kids and husband to share their honest thoughts with me. In order to get to sourcing joy, I needed to continually practice and learn what brought each member in my family joy.

The trends we began to see, were that the items that rated highest didn’t necessarily cost much. They weren’t things, they were adventures. They were time, attention, and required intentionality. We needed to create the conditions for these opportunities to exist in our family life.

SOURCING TRAVEL: a resource I have used to source desired and affordable airfare around the world is Scott's Cheap Flights sourced regularly to your email inbox. I encourage you to try the free membership

I have been a premium user of Scott's Cheap flights for a while. Living in NE Wisconsin, I choose Green Bay, Appleton, and Milwaukee airports as my preferred airports. Because of this I was able to get RT flights from Green Bay to Anchorage for $196. Typically these flights are between $400-500. It was well worth my annual $49 investment to have these customized alerts. Scott's Cheap Flights has an exciting announcements coming, so I'd encourage you to try the free membership and see if would be a source to help you experience travel joy! scottscheapflights.yuy8ab.net/BmLWJ

THANK YOU. Every listener, podcast class cohort, anyone who has left a review, followed on instagram or clicked the subscribe button! I did not know that a podcast was going to be a part of my 2020 story, but you have helped to shape something that has been inspiring for me and so many others. I am grateful to have you join me on this journey.

View Details

Key Takeaways:

I just wanted to recap with a couple of key takeaways that I noted throughout this episode.

Embrace the suck. Making the best of an experience can open your mind to new possibilities.
Once you realize you can belong anywhere, and be happy, the whole world opens up to you.
Language and food are critical aspects to local culture. Authentic local experiences typically don’t require extensive tourism.
You don’t need to be fluent, but the attempt to learn the language builds connections. Define a benchmark such as ordering a beer.
The military can be a path to explore the world and make meaningful connections.
Traveling the world is “more than collecting stamps in your passport.”
Is hunched over cooking at a street vendor push cart what you imagined for local cooking lessons? Maybe it could be.
While American safety standards exist for a reason, be open to what the standards in the community you are visiting. Lean in - get curious. You might be opting out with your hidden bias.
Is anyone else craving yummy Asian cuisine now?! Note to self: go to Thailand and indulge. It’s cheaper than Mac-N-Cheese at home :)
Look for inspiration everywhere. The curiosity of his teenage daughter took them on one of the most iconic experiences for their family.
Someti mes the greatest experiences will happen in the most unlikely places. Memorable experiences are not always synonymous with comfort.
Adventure and travel is a tool to reinforce children’s learning.
The buddy system is a good practice, even for remote locations like Western Mongolia
Not traveling in 2020 led to adventures in learning a new language and Japanese home cooking. Language and food were 2 large chunks of his travel experiences. What are big chunks of your travel experience.
The key to allowing their family the flexibility and freedom to travel extensively was a combination of Financial Independence and Homeschooling.
Financial Independence = Earn More, Spend Less, and Invest the difference. Maintain a reasonable lifestyle that keeps your spending aligned with your values. Make investing simple using broad-based index funds. After 10 years they were able to draw 3-4% to cover their annual living expenses.
Fill the gap by being willing to take odd jobs or ad-hoc consulting. This gave them the ability to be anywhere in the world.
Free Resources Referenced during the Show:
Financial Independence 5-day Challenge: Free FI challenge for people short on time and just want something bite-sized and action-oriented: choosefi.com/challenge.
FI 101: Free FI course for Everyone: for people who want to get started and dive deep into FI: the Foundation's FI101 choosefi.com/fi101.
Choose FI Travel Rewards course: Your shortcut to traveling better using less money with travel rewards. https://travel.choosefi.com
Pimsleur Language Learning Series: CD set available from local library system. Recommended by the military and available in about 50 languages.
Asian Home-cooking: http://Justonecookbook.com with Nami.

Seriously, I learned so much in my 30 minutes with Ed. I'm just loving this community. I love having the Sherpas of this group contribute and tell their stories. And so this was just one example of many more to come. Thank you so much for joining me folks. Ordinary Sherpa is all about connecting and community. It's also about learning from each other. We’d love to hear one take away from you and continue this conversation in the Ordinary Sherpa Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpa

View Details

This episode, from John Muir trail to toddler hikes with Courtney Fleet, is sure to be an exciting journey. Courtney is a native Oklahoman who grew up traveling throughout the U.S. with her family. She has visited 43 States, lived in two countries, and now resides in North Carolina with her husband, two daughters and two dogs. Hiking and backpacking have become growing passions of hers since she was young and something she enjoys doing with her sister and now with her young girls. When she's not doing all these adventurous things, she's also working full-time as a physical therapist.

I am so excited to share Courtney's adventure story with all of you. As you will soon hear, she emulates the spirit of adventure. Just being brave and helping remind all of us to simply get out the door. And yes, sometimes things will be hard, but that is temporary. And this season of hard things will pass. And in the end, we will all have this amazing, shared experience that will sear lifelong memories into our soul.

So much of my conversation with Courtney happened off the air as much as we have on the air. And this clearly could have been at least three episodes. So I tried to pair it down into the highlights of her story, but I am so excited to share with you that this is also Courtney's maiden voyage on a podcast as a guest.

Themes:
Childhood and family culture
Moving in High School
Study Abroad in Italy
Grad School break in South Africa
Hiking the John Muir trail. 21 days. 211 miles.
Coming down from Adventure
Transition to Motherhood
Toddler Hikes

Key Takeaways:

I just wanted to recap with a couple of key takeaways that I noted throughout this episode.

Having adventure baked into the family culture helps spontaneous experiences come much more naturally throughout life.
Approach the opportunity of unplanned time with a curious mindset. Not all experiences can be planned for.
Memories equal shared experiences. Having a shared experience with family fosters connection. While the adventure will end, the memory of that experience can stay with you for as long as you want.
The habit of enjoying the moment and waking up with a smile on your face can go with you wherever you land.
Use your connections to create a different experience.Her experience in South Africa would never have happened as a tourist.
The shared experience of hiking with her sister was not mutually exclusive to together time
How do you build into your process, time for coming down from an adventure and transitioning back into daily life?
Becoming a mom doesn't mean you leave your passion.It means you adapt it to include the ones you love. "I needed to put my sadness aside and honor the accomplishment of my daughter. It was a good frame of reference and mindset that I needed to be able to do this with both kids and include them in my passion."
Get out the door, getting out the door is the hardest part. You won't get it right. You won't get it perfect. But just try it.
Try again. As Courtney noted in her stone mountain hike. When you reach that peak, "my mama heart, my hiking heart, were smiling at the summit. It was a new level of accomplishment that I had never experienced before."
The gear is far less important than the doing. Mary Janes and ruffle socks are perfectly okay.
Embrace the mindset that everything is temporary. There are hard things. Aren't going to go as hoped. This is just a season and we can always try again, this tantrum, this moment, this season, it's all temporary. And by the way, this will be funny tomorrow.

So good. Oh my gosh. So much learning so much Goodness. I'm just loving this community. I love having the Sherpas of this group contribute and tell their stories. And so this was just one example of many more to come. I want to look back at the last episode, I did offer a drawing for every five written reviews and I did get five. So I have one giveaway today of the Advent(ure) Calendar. It's a scratch off 12 days of adventure leading up to the holidays. I know it's a little time specific, but I just want to give a big shout out to anyone who takes the time and leaves a written review. You have no idea how much that means to us in the podcast world! It is how we get our podcast exposed and it is literally like giving life to our podcasts.So if you would be so kind. I would be so grateful.

Today's review comes from jenniferandclayton and it states: “Ordinary Sherpa has infused new life into our family. The conversations are full of easy to implement ideas for enriching the mundane in a way that inspires awesome quick episodes, full of unique and playful ways to maximize joy, and meaning for families. I am so grateful for what Ordinary Sherpa has already brought to our lives.” Jennifer and Clayton will be receiving the scratch off calendar. If you are interested in a scratch off adventure type experience, we do still have the adventure challenge books available. The link is in the show notes, and if you use the code ORDINARYSHERPA, you'll get 10% off your complete order.

We use it. We love it. I wouldn't recommend it if I didn't believe in it. And I just think it's a fun way to kick off 2021. I know it's probably too late for a holiday gift, but there's no wrong time to start adventuring.

Thank you so much for joining me folks. Ordinary Sherpa is all about connecting and community. It's also about lifting each other up. And I think Courtney demonstrated that, that if you are interested in connecting with Courtney, her information is below.

Facebook: member of the Ordinary Sherpa Group:https://www.facebook.com/groups/ordinarysherpaInstagram: @court.fleet

View Details

Heidi and guest co-host Trina share tips and considerations of how to adventure at every age. They acknowledge that they are not the experts and welcome feedback, insights, or additional ideas at the Ordinary Sherpa Facebook Group or by email info@ordinarysherpa.com

Infant: (NB-12M) They are non-mobile. We found they make great travelers because they sleep so often. They are free in many places (usually 2 and under). All of our kids were on a plane by 3 months. Helpful to note that many airlines the carseat and stroller fly free. Consideration is their feeding schedule. One of our essential travel items for infants was the front pack. Having both hands accessible was a game changer.

Toddler: (12M-3Y) They begin to be more mobile and many things go in the mouth! We tried to find local parks and playgrounds on our routes to help burn off some energy. The consideration at this age is usually around potty training. Routines or play, snacks, naps are all still important. (“Park” does not always equal playground: Yosemite story). Some of our favorites to allow for family adventures at this age were: Kelty backpack, Lucky Bum Ski trainer for down hill skiing, and the bike trailer (we had a Burley double seat)

PreSchool: (3Y-5Y) Need active time each day. We try to create adventure sprints and planning for 3 hour blocks of time so food, bathrooms, and rest don’t kill the connection. We set up our schedule to have drive time be down time, that often means we are up and adventuring early and also late afternoon we try to hit another round of adventure if possible. The kids are much more independent at this age and can dress themselves, have a lot of creative ideas and engage in pretend play- can usually fill idle time. I saw a drastic reduction in our gear at this age. I would suggest a strider bike (balance bike) to help get kids comfortable with pedal biking.

School Aged: (5-12) This is where we are personally at, and I am finding it to be delightful. They can tolerate longer adventures. 3-5mi hikes are doable for us. They are much more independent (down hill skiing- mentioned earlier, all of my kids are safely skiing solo now, mountain biking-single trek biking, kayaking, sand boarding) and entertain each other (more conflict too). Following the rules is less about safety and more about working together. Can add in educational aspects to adventure to help reinforce the activities- read, writing, science, history. I am finding at this age, they are always hungry- I don’t know that decreases with the next age, but keeping a steady supply of adventure friendly snacks is important (and our kanteens). Essential items are a good backpack, and journals for the kids to plan, draw, and reflect are helpful.

Teen: (13-17) They have the strength and coordination to do more adventurous activities. Frontal brain isn’t fully developed - so much more apt to take risks. They also can have a longer attention span and can unpack more complex topics. Things we have done at school-aged that we think would be better suited for older ages are surfing, rock climbing, Halibut fishing charter, overnight backpacking trip). Might want to choose locations and activities where phones don’t work. They have opinions about what they want to do, so make sure to engage their voice in planning.

Take a break from technology together
Get lost together (mystery trip example)
Rewrite the family adventure narrative. What do they want to do? What is their definition of adventure and right-sizing the experience and expectations. (Language learning or cooking).
Do something insta-worthy? What would challenge them and would be really a fun accomplishment?
Can you build a tribe? Who else can join the clan and have some 1:1 time and group time so it doesn't seem like an intervention?

Links to go deeper in the show notes (travel with teens, Getting teens outdoors)

Young Adult (18-30): They can plan the adventures and hopefully bring you along. Have more perspective on possibilities, cultural implications, depending on their stage of life they may have more flexibility to travel, or may have more responsibilities and less time/resources to dedicate to adventure. This is a good age to begin to explore travel rewards (any age is good...but having them understand the rules) but also important as they are creating their own financial path. Parenting tip: I was worried that I only had 18 years to create these memories, and a friend reminded me- If you are willing to pay for their travel you can easily keep them through their 20’s. This age is also more open to foodie exploration. International travel is much more prevalent at this age, but there is nothing that says it has to be here, just noticing where it often shows up in people’s adventure journey.

Adulting (30-50): In the throes of life. May be working through transitions in roles and responsibilities and the many demands for your time. Define resource rich and time rich. I am here. I celebrated 40 and have been active most of my life and finding that there are physical changes that happen at this stage as well. I no longer consider myself an athlete. I really look forward to a good cup of coffee each morning, I need good shoes (Saloman Speedcross are my favorite in case you are wondering).

Older Adult 50+: May be more flexible with time and resources, many appreciate the down time and the ability to kick up their feet each day. Where I was introduced to the concept of “slow travel.” They may also have limitations or times of day when they are their best. When I travel with my mom, I take into consideration what her typical routine is and create space in the itinerary to allow for the routines that she is most comfortable with.

Notes of caution: Don’t assume those in age groups other than your don’t want to participate. It’s important to understand their limitations and expectations of what adventure looks like to them.

Many of my friends are single and I never assume they want to adventure with my kids, because it’s a different experience
On the flip side, my kids love to adventure and I appreciate the opportunity to decide what is right for us, rather than having others exclude us.

Not everyone embraces adventure as an infant and walk through a linear process. Embracing adventure at 50 is very common and may need mastery of all of the aspects of confidence, risk-taking, knowing your limits...it’s a journey and the journey changes as we age.

Many adventures transcend age and a good for any age. These include camping, traveling, hiking, and simply playing outside. Play...it’s not just for kids you know!

View Details

We have often believed that experiences were more important than things. In light of the holidays and people having gifting on the brain I am sharing some of our favorite things and offering some examples on how we have gifted adventures.

Active/Outdoors: We have found that if we are comfortable being outdoors we are more apt to stay longer and enjoy it. Through the years we have leaned on some of our favorite things and brands.

Cold weather gear: Gloves, boots, fun hats. While we often hit sales at the Columbia Outlet, I also have good luck grabbing these as essential items from Costco. We’ve had really good luck with the $12 kids winter gloves, and the base layers (which double as PJs for my kids because they are silky and cozy).
Used Sporting Equipment: Because we do so much adventuring throughout the seasons and the kids grow so fast we rarely buy new equipment. Some of the items we have gifted to the kids are Downhill ski boots and skis, snowshoes, ice skates. These can all be found relatively inexpensive at a place like Play it again sports. Last year my son wanted to up his mountain bike game and so we worked with a local bike shop to outfit a used bike that would work well for him for the next 5 years.
Bikes: In general are a good active gift. If your kids are young (under 5) I highly recommend a strider or balance bike, or a family gift of a bike trailer. We used a Double Burley bike trailer for well over 10 years. It’s also helpful for other things if you are someone who likes to bike. I know people who use it to get groceries, to haul water back to their campsite or garbage away from the campsite. It may have also been alternative transportation when a car needed fixing.
Roller blades are also a school-aged gift that was highly sought after.
Things to help enjoy time outdoors. Last year my daughter received the big swing, it looks like a flying saucer, not sure exactly what it’s called. That swing has seen more attention this year than most other items in our house. I even enjoy laying on it. It does require a stable tree branch or a beam to hang it from. If you are looking for something for the young adults, a hammock is ideal. Ours is nylon and packs up into a small sack and we bought the adjustable bands and carabiners so we had the ability to take it with us many different places.
Hiking Shoes: last year we were introduced to Saloman Speedcross hiking shoes and I am telling you the entire family is now addicted to those and Darn tough socks.
Camping Gear: Sleeping bags- we had really good luck with the kids sleeping bags from Cabela's (this isn't the exact one, but very similar) which were inexpensive, but much warmer than the princess and superhero style at most box stores. We upgraded our older kids to adult sleeping bags - it’s important to look for the temperature rating and be mindful of any texture issues your family members might have. My kids all like the silky texture and no one likes their feet constraint with the mummy style bags. Or other fun things like water jugs, percolators for coffee, cute storage bins for the camper, a new air mattress- practical things that will help adventure be more fun.

Travel

Many of our gifts have previously revolved around a family travel experience so we have slowly built their gear to accompany and make travel more manageable and delightful.

Each kid got their own carryon bag (Owl and Monkey bags) wheelie bag and the coordinating travel pillow. We invested in an Osprey Duffle that converts to a backpack- it’s not small enough to be a checked bag, but in our world of having so much gear, the ability to quickly throw it on your back is great. (We actually bought while out west on an Amtrak trip. The Mother Lode travel backpack is on my wish list this year.
Other travel essentials: Packing cubes, toiletry bags, Kanteens (Klean Kantean once through security we fill our water bottles), Bentigos were really helpful for our road trips- each kid packed their own lunch (coincidently they also are really helpful for homeschooling- having 3 kids with different lunch schedules they all make their own lunches each day now.
Tools to help them document adventures: Camera, journals, Etsy Poster for all the MLB Stadiums
Some bigger gifts for adults were our Thule bike rack (attaches to the hitch and swings out so you can open the back hatch) and our Yakima car top carrier.

Location specific accessories or gifts that are inspired by a location

Last year we gifted the family a trip to Hawaii (which will now be in 2021) so everyone got snorkel gear
When we went to Disney I designed t-shirts for each of the kids, and also bought some helpful things like cooling towels
For our stay at the Dude Ranch my daughter got cowboy boots
We’ve also done things like personalized beach towels, or a cool beach gadget.
A book or movie to learn more about or where the movie was filmed (Older son- Major league for our MLB trip to Cleveland, Forest Gump for Savannah, and Jurassic Park last spring for our trip to Redwood National Park and our hike in Fern Canyon).
Things to remember a place by: Ghirardelli chocolate for our San Francisco trip, Jelly Belly’s for our weekend getaway to Racine

Apps or subscriptions

OnX: My brother introduced this to us to give us downloadable maps that provide GPScoordinates. He uses it for hunting, we used it for camping and hiking out west. It’s great for when you don’t have a cell phone signal. The free trial you can download one map, and with the subscription we were able to download several- not sure if there is a limit.
All trails: again a free version to simply find trails to hike, great for planning our adventure trips and finding places to hike. The subscription allows you to download the maps so again don’t need cell signal to find the trails. I only use the free version. They have the ability to record your hikes and share with others so they know where you are. We already had OnX so will consider what we will do next.
Scott’s Cheap Flights: Gearing up for airline travel, this is a subscription service (I highly recommend) that got us $200 flights to Alaska from Green Bay. You can set your airports that you want to watch for deals from and destinations that are on your list and they email you any deals that pop up. I have found great value from this and will be continuing.
State or National Park passes- reminder for National Parks 4th graders, and veterans get in free.
If you are interested in RV camping: Harvest Hosts or Boondockers welcome are memberships we’ve explored. I haven’t used them yet, but it’s on our list for when we are RV traveling more frequently. I am in several groups and have heard really good things. Also if this is of interest, something like mobile hotspots or flexible wi-fi. We have looked at skyroam a few times. Again, we aren’t there yet but if you are traveling a lot it might be worth exploring. If you travel internationally, SIM cards for those locations are needed items. Also things like portable battery packs are helpful.
Kids subscriptions to magazines or activities: Nat Geo Kids magazines or Kiwi boxes

I will close with one of our favorite indoor activities is my son’s current set of Laser Tag set. If you are someone who needs to switch it up, my nearly 70 yo dad sits in his chair and plays with my 5 YO and it’s been a good family activity to play. A set of 2 were about $30. We have 2 sets and have a ton of fun playing with those this winter. And don’t forget you can also get something like the Adventure Challenge book, with scratch off adventures for friends, couples, or families (Use Code ORDINARYSHERPA for 10% off). And for 2 more weeks we still have the giveaway happening. For anyone who leaves a written review will be entered in a drawing to receive a Advent(ure) Calendar to offer scratch off adventures for the 12 days leading up to Christmas.

Given 2020 is the year for making new traditions, you might want to consider how to add adventure into how you open gifts this year. Maybe a new tradition of having them complete a scavenger hunt to find their gifts, or wrapping their first gift as a clue to where they can find their second gift. Another tradition we enjoy is that that last gift opened is a family gift and the person who opens it is the person who finds the pickle ornament on the tree. (Note: don’t do this if you are worried about your tree getting slightly undecorated in the process)

While we are not here to reinforce consumerism, and acknowledge that many adventures can be done by simply putting down your phone. We also wanted to inspire you to explore how you might make adventure have a more prevalent role in your family story in 2021 and beyond, and if one of these items would help you than I have accomplished my goal today.

This week we have 2 winners of the Advent(ure) Calendars. Thank you to everyone who left a written review. I love reading them and appreciate the time you took to share them with me.

Investor Mama writes: Loving this podcast! Can't wait to learn more from Heidi. W are trying to instill more adventure in our family and I know Heidi is an expert in this area. Can't wait for more episodes!
Goatrider22 writes: Excellent first podcast! I love the word hazardous in the definition of adventure. Looking forward to connecting with a community of Sherpas!

If you would like to be entered to win a scratch off advent(ure) calendar, leave a written review on the podcast platform you are listening on. Take a screenshot and email it to info@ordinarysherpa.com Each week we will pick 1 winner for every 5 written reviews.

Thank you for joining us on this journey.

Listen: Ordinary Sherpa, please subscribe and leave a written review.
Follow: website
Join the Community: Facebook Group

View Details

How to create the conditions for serendipitous adventure experiences?

Episode 3...find your starting point...When I talked with Trina she revealed that some of her greatest adventures happened when she was lazy, which means she has an opportunity to be intentional about creating the conditions for serendipitous adventure experiences

You might begin to realize that our thoughts are truly the starting point of many of our experiences. Given that, I want to offer some ways to frame your mindset around what the first steps might look like.

Changing locations
Fun First
I wonder....
unexpected/ unplanned

One of the unique elements of Ordinary Sherpa is the tribe of Sherpas who are offering insights, and suggestions.

FB group suggestions
Curated crowd-sourced resources

The following are suggestions from Ordinary Sherpas like you:

Lisa: "So not sure if this would qualify as an adventure, but my dad did something super cool when we were young that I always remembered. He would wake us up in the middle of the night (probably really like 9pm, but felt much later at the time) to take us on an adventure. One time he took us to a local carnival, another time it was a drive in movie, and once I remember we went to look at Christmas lights. Nothing expensive or far, but there was just something so magical about being half asleep and being whisked out bed to do something fun. It felt so exciting! My dad was amazing that way... ❤️"

Dawn: "One intentional thing I like to do is meet people along the journey and get their advice on where to go and what to see if they’re local or even tourists and what they’ve enjoyed the most on their trip. This approach has helped me and my girlfriends discover a salsa club in Manhattan & Russian/Turkish bathhouse in Greenwich Village. They are the best memories from our NYC trip."

Tony: "Star Watching. Eye’s only, telescope, using a phone app where the constellation lines appear. Grab some hot chocolate with Milky Way bars." (the element of Fun first...milky way bars and hot chocolate at night!)

Reframe Expectations:

planning a trip: What are the minimum requirements of planning? Mystery trip, ask a stranger, you decide
Workout vs. hike. 5K weekly challenge
Perspective: Summer camp example “Deep sea diving”

Tips for Cultivating Magical Moments

Brown Sign Adventures: Road trips, state and county highlights (historical, parks, beach, etc.) Why is this place special? Notice and take note!

Seasonal Adventure List: engage the family in this one. Some example of things on our Winter Adventure list (in Wisconsin)

Ice Skating (Venues, DIY, random locations)
Snow Sculptures///make and Igloo?
Snow shoe
Turn garage into a roller rink
Family art class (Kids Drawing channel, local orgs)

Better yet, have someone else make the list. Ordinary Sherpa is partnering with The Adventure Challenge. They have curated a family adventure challenge book. We purchased the family adventure Challenge book (they also have a couples and friends version) and I will say it has all the magic baked into it. .....element of mystery, unexpected, no planning, and gives you the structure to just do it! My intent is not to sell you anything, because I actually was planning to curate lists for you, but after trying this as a family I am going to highly recommend that if the first steps are hard, or you are simply out of ideas - you might want to check this out. I am also thinking it’s a great way to gift experiences vs. things, especially this year! I do have a link to purchase and a coupon code in the show notes. I wouldn’t be sharing it if I didn’t LOVE it. I also have a fun announcement related to this at the end of the show!

Adventure to-go bags

Swim bag: Beach towels, goggles, sunscreen, baby powder
Travel bag: chapstick, tweezers, band aids, extra contact lenses, charging cord and battery pack, hair ties, dental picks
Camping bin: Smores kit, head lamps, propane tank, hammock.
Kids carry-ons: Kanteens, snacks, drawing supplies, 2 books, 2 toys, blanket, and pipe cleaners!

There is no wrong first step. The only thing you could do wrong is do nothing!

ANNOUCNEMENT: To help all of you get started I have a fun announcement. As I mentioned earlier in the episode we are thrilled with The Adventure Challenge and they have created Advent(ure) Calendars for the 12 days leading up to Christmas. In light of that Ordinary Sherpa is doing a giveaway. If you would like to be entered into the drawing you simply need to leave a written review on the podcast platform you are listening on. Then email us at info@ordinarysherpa.com with the screen name you left the review under. We will pick 1 prize for each 5 written reviews we get and announce the winner on the next show. This episode will be dropping on November 25th and I will run the prize drawing until we either award 10 advent(ure) calendars or until December 9th so families can get them in time to participate in the mystery adventures. Again these are family-friendly adventures that you scratch off each day and design for you to experience adventure with your family. And don’t forget if you are interested in the Adventure Challenge books use our link below and coupon code ORDINARYSHERPA for 10% off your entire purchase.

Thank you for joining us on this journey. I look forward to reading your reviews and connecting with you soon.

Products and Partners mentioned in this episode:

The Adventure Challenge: We purchased the Family Adventure Challenge. They also have Couples and Friends editions. We also will be giving away Advent(ure) Calendars to any listener who leaves a review between November 20, 2020 through December 6, 2020. You can use ORDINARYSHERPA for a 10% discount at checkout.

Kleen Kanteen: These are the indestructible water bottles that I referenced. We all have our own and I bought extra caps too. The sippy top was a nice feature for when the kids were toddlers.

Kleen Kanteens Adult:https://amzn.to/37bClp8 caps with loop: https://amzn.to/39dddAI

Kids: https://amzn.to/2HvzChc sippy cup top: https://amzn.to/3l1MmtU

*Disclosure: Bear in mind that some of the links in this post are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a commission. Keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.

View Details

Experiencing Adventure is a broad topic and what that journey looks like will be different for everyone. Regardless of what you want the destination to be the starting point is ALWAYS the same. Which is why I am using this episode to guide you through an empathy interview with yourself and potentially a framework to use with your family.

Heidi walks through a human-centered design framework to help listeners interview themselves and get a better sense of their authentic start. This is not a typical interview where you are looking to get the right answers. Rather, you want to connect deeply enough to understand their experience and what motivates them, challenges them, and what internal and external forces are working for them and against them. She recommends recording your responses via audio, in particular if you interview another family member.

Empathy Interview Questions:

When you think of adventure, what do you think of?
What brings you joy?
How does adventure show up in your life? Are you an adventurous person?
What gets in the way of family adventure? What makes adventure hard?
Share a story about a personal adventure accomplishment? (what did it look like, who were you with, how did it feel)
What would the ideal family adventure look like for your family? (what does it look like, where, who, how does it feel, when)

The next step is to listen or read back your response and what are specific quotes or words that really popped out for you...this is why I really love interviewing my kids because I love capturing their thoughts in their words, and it’s also why I love voice recording. From my experience of school and life taking notes I often abbreviate or just write down key themes, or get so into what they are saying that I forget to take notes. In the practical sense I went back to my recording with Trina and wrote down specific quotes and notes from the conversation such as:

“Explore the unknown”
"doing brave things”
“the current times are requiring us to be deliberate and incorporate adventure in everyday life”
“When we look through the lens of our kids we see things at a much simpler level”
(Joy) “Seeing people in their element”
“Knowing what is brave for you”
“Got to know myself”
(barriers)“fear, anticipated energy suck- so much work, Self-doubt”
“Not necessarily harder if intentional”
“It’s a muscle that needs to be developed”
“Unexpected events become the most memorable”
“True adventure is very serendipitous”
“Create the conditions for this to happen”
Resource: The Power of Moments (book) *
“what makes a moment memorable”
“Some of our best adventures come from being lazy”
“Don’t underestimate your ability to be adventurous”
“Just having the conversation is inspiring”

Themes: Opportunity Framing

Brave/self-doubt fear: Don’t underestimate your ability
Serendipity: best are often unplanned
Intentional: Create the conditions

When I talked with Trina she revealed that some of her greatest adventures happened when she was lazy, which means she has an opportunity to be intentional about creating the conditions for serendipitous adventure experiences

We invite all listeners to join us in the Facebook group to help Trina think through:
how might Trina can be intentional about creating the conditions for serendipitous adventure experiences

View Details

Walk through research and experiences that highlight the benefits of adventure. Heidi will also unpack why Ordinary Sherpa chose adventure as our platform to inspire families to connect. Additional resources cited in the episode are referenced at http://ordinarysherpa.com

Episode Notes:

Health & well-being

1. Mind/Mental Health
2. Sense of Purpose
3. body/physical health

Risk & resiliency

Parenting/Child Development
1. Education and learning Frameworks
2. Last Child in the Woods: Richard Louv
3. How comfortable are parents with risk? balance with safety
4. Accomplish Risk=Confidence booster
5. unplanned scenarios- experience in the moment
Mindset:
1. keep adventure simple
2. journey vs. destination
3. UK Study: Kids Need Adventure Data on kids and parents desire to experience more adventure
4. Edge of the Map (Book): "Sport of climbing is misunderstood...they don't have a death wish, but a wish to live in a way that few understand." "It's a type of alive- not like a party, but like being one with the world. It's being in tune." -Johanna Garton (quoting Christine Boskoff)

Connection

most authentic person, alone in the woods experience (reference to OnBeing podcast with Mary Oliver: the trees were her people)
Stillness
Challenges experienced along the way
Moment that breeds confidence, power
Experience hard things together
Shared experience builds trust and common will

View Details

Welcome to Ordinary Sherpa podcast. In this episode we dive into our adventure story that led to the development and purpose of the Ordinary Sherpa Podcast. Join the community of sherpas inspiring families to connect through simple adventures.

For more information go to http://ordinarysherpa.com

Ordinary Sherpa: Family Adventure Coaching and Design: Recent Episodes

Heidi Dusek