On Adventure Podcast with Josh Self

Episode 71: Solo Female Travel, Real Risk, and the Belonging We All Crave with Amanda Black

ON ADVENTURE PODCAST | EPISODE 71 Episode 71: Solo Female Travel, Real Risk, and the Belonging We All Crave with Amanda Black Episode Description What does it actually take to step on a plane alone, head somewhere most people would call risky, and come home a different woman? Amanda Black is the founder of the Solo Female Traveler Network, a community of more than half a million women that started as a small Facebook group during her expat years in Australia. Ten years and roughly thirty tours a year later, she leads women into places the average traveler tends to avoid: Egypt, Morocco, India, Mongolia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and beyond. Bali was the first trip. Seventeen women signed up. Nine of them ended up with the company logo tattooed by the end of it. We talk about why she leans into destinations perceived as less safe, what real risk actually looks like versus the version we imagine, and why she pushes back on the idea that travel is simply safe or unsafe. Risk, she argues, is a spectrum and a muscle, and most women have a lot more capacity to build it than they have been told. We also get into the quieter side of all this. The cobblestone cafe in Sighișoara, Romania, where women who had known each other only a few days started telling the truth about how lonely life back home really feels. The Golden Eagle Festival in Mongolia, where she felt like she had walked into a movie set with no electricity. The unexpected pattern she keeps noticing across every trip, every country, every group: people are not really upset about the hotel room. They want to belong. Amanda also shares why she launched Kindred Community, a smaller, slower offering built around connection retreats in Southern California, and what almost a decade of leading women into the wild has taught her about courage, capability, and the kind of friendships that get a logo tattooed on someone's wrist. Episode Highlights 00:00 Welcoming Amanda Black, founder of the Solo Female Traveler Network 01:00 Building a community of 500,000+ women and running tours in 25 countries 03:00 Why she leans into destinations perceived as less safe: Egypt, Morocco, India, Mongolia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan 05:00 How strangers become a travel family inside the first 48 hours of a trip 08:00 From a Facebook group in Australia to a first Bali trip where 9 of 17 women got the company logo tattooed 12:00 Talking honestly with women about safety, fear, and the gray areas of real risk 15:00 Risk on a spectrum: why "safe or unsafe" is the wrong question, and how to build the muscle over time 17:00 Mongolia and the Golden Eagle Festival: stepping into a place that felt like going back in time 20:00 What solo travel reveals about how strong and capable women really are 22:00 The hidden business lesson behind a decade of tours: everybody just wants to belong 24:00 A cobblestone cafe in Sighișoara, Romania, and the loneliness that surfaces when women finally feel safe to share 27:00 Kindred Community and the next chapter: building belonging closer to home Connect with Amanda Black Bonus for Listeners (Free Travel Quiz): https://thesolofemaletravelernetwork.com/where-should-i-travel-next-quiz/ [https://thesolofemaletravelernetwork.com/where-should-i-travel-next-quiz/] The Solo Female Traveler Network Website: thesolofemaletravelernetwork.com [https://thesolofemaletravelernetwork.com/] Instagram: @solofemaletravel [https://www.instagram.com/solofemaletravel/] TikTok: @sofetravel [https://www.tiktok.com/@sofetravel] YouTube: @sofetravel [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtl3Kr_pzDbYlV0XZveCq3Q] Amanda's TEDx Talk Shared Firsts: Redesigning how we find belonging youtube.com/watch?v=xSaVJH2b5H0 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSaVJH2b5H0] Amanda's Website meetamandablack.com [https://meetamandablack.com/] Kindred Community Website: kindredcommunity.co [https://kindredcommunity.co/] Instagram: @kindred.sd [https://www.instagram.com/kindred.sd/] Connect with the On Adventure Podcast Hosted by Josh Self, financial advisor and everyday explorer. Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major streaming platforms Follow on Instagram for short-form clips and behind-the-scenes content Connect on Facebook: On Adventure Podcast with Josh Self Connect on LinkedIn: Josh Self If this episode resonated with you, leave a review and share it with someone who needs to hear it.

Episode 70: Saying Yes to the Right Invitations with Colin Stroud

ON ADVENTURE PODCAST | EPISODE 70 Episode 70: Saying Yes to the Right Invitations with Colin Stroud Episode Description What if your next great adventure is not a destination at all, but a willingness to say yes to the breadcrumbs life keeps dropping in front of you? Colin Stroud is a 26-year-old credit card rewards consultant, founder of Go Somewhere, and one of the fastest growing voices on LinkedIn in the points and miles space. He grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana, the son of an OB/GYN and a nurse midwife who met delivering a baby together, and he was on track for a more traditional path until a six-week Spanish immersion trip to Oviedo at 16 cracked the world wide open. From there it was Italy on a $380 flight, a Catholic mission to Poland, an unlikely run at Ave Maria University in south Florida, an early marriage and a baby on the way before he had even graduated, and a first job in life insurance case design that he knew almost immediately was not it. What followed is a story about paying attention. A coworker mentioned the Chase Trifecta. A LinkedIn post about points went viral and got picked up by The Washington Post. A side hustle turned into consulting calls, then into a community for business owners, then into a full-time business helping families and entrepreneurs unlock travel they thought they could not afford. We talk about why early travel rewires you, what it actually takes to leave a steady paycheck, the difference between dopamine and meaning, why family life and entrepreneurship feel like the truest adventures of his life right now, and the surprising decision he and his wife made after almost moving to Hawaii. Colin makes a strong case that the go somewhere life is not always about getting on a plane, and that learning to be rooted where your feet are can be its own kind of expedition. Episode Highlights 00:00 From cheap flights as a teenager to a full-time business helping people unlock travel 06:00 World Youth Day in Poland, six weeks of Spanish immersion in Oviedo, and catching the travel bug 14:00 Marriage, a baby on the way, and a first job in life insurance that did not fit 18:00 Discovering the Chase Trifecta and stepping into the points world 23:00 The first viral LinkedIn post and a Washington Post quote that changed everything 25:00 Quitting in November 2024 and going full-time on Go Somewhere 30:00 Almost moving to Hawaii, pumping the brakes, and rethinking what travel does for young kids 34:00 Why family life and entrepreneurship are the truest adventures of his life right now 39:00 Measuring yourself: finally finding feedback after years of feeling stuck 47:00 The two ingredients behind a viable internet business: clear writing and consistent humility 55:00 What adventure means now and where to find Colin online Connect with Colin Stroud LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/colinstroud Website: gosomewhere.world Newsletter: The Go Somewhere Newsletter at gosomewhere.world Email: colin@gosomewhere.world Connect with the On Adventure Podcast Hosted by Josh Self, financial advisor and everyday explorer. Subscribe on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM9gCnRwWZYJFehraBV694g], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/67VNkZlB7TBgXo3UQkSNRr?si=0202f6913d5b4a8b], Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/on-adventure-podcast-with-josh-self/id1656791451], and all major streaming platforms Follow on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/onadventurepodcast/] for short-form clips and behind-the-scenes content Connect on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572779694358]: On Adventure Podcast with Josh Self Connect on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshselfonadventure]: Josh Self Subscribe to the Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/cw/OnAdventurePodcast] for more content! If this episode resonated with you, leave a review and share it with someone who needs to hear it

Episode 69: No One Was Waiting at the Finish Line with Madison Blagden

ON ADVENTURE PODCAST | EPISODE 69 Episode 69: No One Was Waiting at the Finish Line with Madison Blagden Episode Description What would it take to walk 10,000 miles in a single calendar year? Not across a lifetime. Not spread over a decade. One year. Madison Blagden is a long-distance hiker and content creator from Massachusetts who went from a pre-med student with zero backpacking experience to one of the most prolific endurance hikers in the country. After completing the full PCT (2022), the Eastern Continental Trail from Key West to Newfoundland (2023), and the Continental Divide Trail (2024), she did all three Triple Crown trails back to back in 2025, border to border, logging over 10,000 miles in a single calendar year. She documented every step herself through daily YouTube videos, Instagram shorts, and blog posts, all edited on the road. Starting in the Florida Keys in January, she pushed through Hurricane Helene damage on the AT, Sierra snowpack, desert heat, a debilitating hip injury in the White Mountains, and a flash flood that hit her tent in the middle of the night in the desert. The miles are extraordinary. But this conversation goes deeper than the miles. We talk about what happens between the ears when the body wants to quit, the difference between healthy internal ambition and ego-driven achievement, how the most meaningful finish lines are the ones where nobody is waiting for you, what a flash flood teaches you about calm under pressure, the spiritual dimension of pushing past absolute exhaustion, and why you will never be 100 percent ready, and that is not a reason to wait. Episode Highlights • 00:00 Introduction: Walking 10,000 miles in one calendar year • 02:00 Madison's background: pre-med to PCT with no backpacking experience • 04:00 Van life, COVID, and two years of traveling in a 19-foot RV • 09:00 Comparing the AT, PCT, and CDT: terrain, culture, and difficulty • 14:00 Hurricane Helene's impact on the Appalachian Trail and trail recovery • 19:00 Planning a 10,000-mile year: budget, timing, and keeping it flexible • 24:00 How a 5,600-mile year sparked the idea to go even further • 31:00 Funding the hike through daily content creation on the road • 34:00 Healthy ambition vs. ego-driven achievement • 39:00 Internal motivation: the David Goggins voice and the gentle encouragement • 42:00 37 miles a day for nine weeks: the math behind finishing the CDT before snow • 48:00 Hip injury in the White Mountains and the lesson in letting go • 51:00 Flash flood survival and what it reveals about fight-or-flight • 57:00 Nervous system training and calm under pressure • 01:02:00 Surrendering control: giving it up to the trail and the universe • 01:05:00 Spiritual experiences that emerge only at the edge of physical exhaustion • 01:10:00 Coming off trail softer: how big accomplishments quiet the ego • 01:15:00 Closing encouragement: you will never be 100 percent ready, so go • 01:20:00 The expanding ceiling of human limits and what comes next for Madison Connect with Madison Blagden Instagram & YouTube: @madisonblagden [https://www.instagram.com/madisonblagden] Website: madisonblagden.com [https://madisonblagden.com] Substack: substack.com/@madisonblagden [https://substack.com/@madisonblagden] The Trek: thetrek.co/author/madison-blagden [https://thetrek.co/author/madison-blagden] Connect with the On Adventure Podcast Hosted by Josh Self, financial advisor and everyday explorer. • Subscribe on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM9gCnRwWZYJFehraBV694g], Spotify [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=channel_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbWxFaDJBVXo1MF9keTdmY1U2TGVRREM5ekd5UXxBQ3Jtc0tud0FjMHNjb1dkNlVsajJYb091RUdGdTZOQjZNRXVjbTNreHp4V2huTDdBVG9VSFBUTTR4YVpDemRYbUdiUWVxcnE1SVNEQW1hVjlZNGNtejZuaFBPcXFpS2ZTdnIzX2VfOGx1UVNiaHRNblFVdXgtUQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fopen.spotify.com%2Fshow%2F67VNkZlB7TBgXo3UQkSNRr%3Fsi%3D0202f6913d5b4a8b], Apple Podcasts [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=channel_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbXNiQXNCVEEwUWFBWksyTVNVX2RvTjk5OWVlQXxBQ3Jtc0tuM0dQa0tuaW5vYm9QWlFDMTdpQ0ZSSzV3anR2Vy0wY2s4Q053dDN1WFRvb0NSZGRmSERRQmE5NFA2UzhrOXhGUUp6N2FhR1dGeXhSTHFfMWd2cFRjd05hbFk1VzNBc2xMOFBOdWsxUV90MlVzS1JPdw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fus%2Fpodcast%2Fon-adventure-podcast-with-josh-self%2Fid1656791451], and all major streaming platforms • Follow on Instagram [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=channel_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqa3lHX3E0Snp5RE9LVzBXQW9wd29HZTRnR2trd3xBQ3Jtc0tuX3h3M0R4akxCRkIwS04wcl9yS0JEcS1qc3hXTVZyRmdydHYwbGY1cVRzMGJmNjVYWHVyR0lDbEZVMnktSzItZ1g5eFhURlVYWnBySXd0WEZPLUVtV0I1emdsamF4b1pUNW1VZXdZUjRJU19VLTQwWQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Fonadventurepodcast%2F] for short-form clips and behind-the-scenes content • Connect on Facebook: On Adventure Podcast with Josh Self [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=channel_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbjNRcDk2MkQ4dmgyUTZ1Y3FtcndUSUczNGJPQXxBQ3Jtc0tuc0lyeDZsOVgzTEVIc0N4OFNZbUNtbllKSEs2U25MU2hUZTgwbDBOdkdwVEViZjhhYmE5anh3eHNGOEVTWEFyMEFvVjNpcGFxOUUwZWRoN250U1BjbjZWUFRHazFLaVhaNjVQUnpIU0J1ZHFQN0J4MA&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fprofile.php%3Fid%3D61572779694358] • Connect on LinkedIn: Josh Self [https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshselfonadventure] • If this episode resonated with you, leave a review and share it with someone who needs to hear it

Episode 68: Who You Become When There's No Way Out with Robbie Lenfestey

Season 4 kicks off with a return visit from Robbie Lenfestey, who you may remember from episode 21. Robbie lives on Mandala Springs, a 67-acre retreat center in the mountains outside Asheville, North Carolina, and he was right in the middle of Hurricane Helene. What followed was months of disaster relief, community leadership, and eventually a very long-overdue exhale. In this conversation we get into what it actually looks like to be the calm person in a room full of panic, how a lifetime of pushing physical and mental limits builds a nervous system that can handle almost anything, and what Robbie means when he talks about the real frontier of human experience. We also talk breathwork, Internal Family Systems, flow state, a cryptid spotted multiple times on his property, and a Costa Rica trip that simply could not have been planned. This one goes deep. Episode Timeline * [2:43] Hurricane Helene hits Mandala Springs and what the property looked like after * [5:00] The Cherokee sweat lodge log jam that accidentally redirected the flood and saved the structures * [10:03] On a tractor all night while landslides crashed down the mountain * [13:41] Taking charge the morning after and what it means to be the regulated nervous system in the room * [24:09] What flow state actually is and how a lifetime of edge experiences builds access to it * [27:29] Internal Family Systems - separating from an emotion long enough to actually work through it * [35:56] Breathwork, the Wim Hof Method, and the ancient Tibetan roots behind it * [41:22] Six months of nonstop disaster relief and the bonfire moment when the grief finally released * [47:17] What higher power means to Robbie and why embodied spirituality matters more than head knowledge * [54:55] The Wampus cat at Mandala Springs, seen by multiple witnesses Links and Resources * Convergence Lifestyle [https://www.youtube.com/@ConvergenceLifestyle] - Robbie's YouTube channel with breathwork videos and Wim Hof Method content * Mandala Springs [https://www.mandalasprings.com/] - mandalaSprings.com * Mandala Naturals [https://www.mandalanaturals.com/] - mandalanaturals.com * RobLenfestey.com [https://www.roblenfestey.com/] - one-on-one lifestyle mentorship * Amorphos Music [https://www.instagram.com/amorphosmusic/] - Robbie's music page * On Adventure Episode 21 [https://youtu.be/cU7lnSo9qIg] - Robbie's first appearance on the show * @RobLenfestey [https://www.instagram.com/roblenfestey/] - Robbie's personal Instagram page * Robbie Lenfestey [https://www.facebook.com/lenfestey/] - Robbie's personal Facebook page If you enjoyed this episode, I'd really appreciate it if you'd rate, review, follow, and share the podcast. And don't forget to subscribe to our social channels, including our YouTube channel and our Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn pages. It's one of the best ways to support the show and stay connected. Until next time, stay safe and stay On Adventure.

Episode 67: How to find God in Solitude, Silence and Wilderness with Bishop Mark Beckman

In this final installment of our series on spirituality and adventure, I sit down with Bishop Mark Beckman, the 4th Bishop of the Diocese of Knoxville, to explore what happens when faith is formed not just in quiet rooms, but in wild places. From hiking solo through old-growth forests to walking hundreds of miles on pilgrimage, Bishop Beckman shares how discomfort, silence, and physical effort can open us to something deeper than words. We talk about the moments that push us to the edge of our capacity—storms in the backcountry, long days of walking, fear at high elevations—and how those experiences can shape trust, humility, and presence. This conversation is a reminder that adventure doesn't only take us outward into the world, but inward toward meaning, mystery, and a deeper awareness of God. Episode Timeline * [2:22] – Bishop Mark Beckman's calling to ministry and how the outdoors shaped his faith from an early age * [6:45] – Discovering God's presence through solitude, silence, and hiking alone in the woods * [10:48] – Forming a men's backpacking group and finding unexpected community on the trail * [16:05] – Walking the Camino de Santiago and learning trust one step at a time * [22:40] – Pushing through fear and physical limits on a 14,000-foot peak in Colorado * [30:12] – Retreat, silence, and wilderness as pathways to deeper spiritual awareness * [38:05] – Suffering, endurance, and how hardship can deepen us instead of hardening us Links & Resources * Appalachian Trail [https://appalachiantrail.org/] * Denali National Park [https://www.nps.gov/dena/index.htm] * Camino de Santiago [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camino_de_Santiago] If you enjoyed this episode, I'd really appreciate it if you'd rate, review, follow, and share the podcast. And don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel [https://www.youtube.com/@OnAdventurePodcast] https://www.youtube.com/@OnAdventurePodcastfor full episodes and additional content — it's one of the best ways to support the show and stay connected. Until next time, stay safe and stay on adventure.