EP 21: Blake Cason: Going Out on My Own

Today on episode 21 I want to give a very warm welcome to climber and certified professional life coach, Blake Cason. Blake is the founder of Pivot Wellness and the co-founder of Climbwell, two organizations that allow Blake to integrate her extensive background in mental and behavioral health to make our lives better.

Blake moved to St. George, Utah at almost the same exact time that my wife and I were moving into our new home there. What fascinated me about Blake’s story is that, prior to her new home purchase, she worked as a solo entrepreneur on the road in her camper for years.

The first half of this interview is spent studying the history and logistics of this career path and work setup. For the second half of this interview, we dive into Blake’s bread and butter of examining our motivations, with actionable steps on how to improve and find balance in both our careers and passionate pursuits.

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EP 18: Kenzie King: Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail

Today on episode 18 I want to welcome Kenzie King. If you listened to last week’s interview with Michael Langer you will recognize Kenzie as Michael’s girlfriend. Kenzie and Michael walked away from lucrative engineering careers in Houston, Texas and moved into a van. Only months later, seemingly on a whim, they smashed the Pacific Crest Trail, hiking over 2,600 miles across California, Oregon, and Washington.

I promise that this is not a retelling of last week’s story. Kenzie has a very unique perspective on their journey. And regardless of your thoughts on the backpacking or thru-hiking, Kenzie shares a number of insightful opinions on the evolving dynamics of workplace culture, relationships in trying environments, and levels of financial or emotional security necessary to make bold and truly lasting changes in our lives. Hang on all the way to the end for some of the best moments of this conversation.

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EP 17: Michael Langer: Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail

Today on episode 17 I want to give a very warm welcome to my guest Michael Langer, who along with his girlfriend Kenzie, walked away from lucrative engineering careers in Houston, Texas and moved into a van. Only months later, seemingly on a whim, they smashed the Pacific Crest Trail, hiking over 2,600 miles across California, Oregon, and Washington.

Today we will hear Michael’s perspective on this wild and unexpected journey, but it doesn’t end there. Next week stay tuned for an interview with Kenzie King, who shares her own unique perspective and motivations for their abrupt shift in lifestyle. After all, it takes a special couple to trade a solid paycheck for a heavy pack and mosquitos for five months.  

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Eliza Marsh: We Can Make This Happen

Good morning. My ankle is doing much better. Sorry to alarm some of you with last week’s post. The photo was bad, but I’m fairly certain it’s only a sprain. Much more importantly, this week I want to welcome Eliza Marsh.

In this week’s interview, we discuss how Eliza has balanced a career with extended travel, and some of her unexpected surprises of life on the road. We examine how she manages full-time remote work, and how she recently stumbled on a new and exciting path towards saving for financial independence, which she rightfully recognizes as a great privilege. Perhaps most importantly, we’ll see how Eliza has completely reframed her mindset around money, her future, and how she plans to use this great gift of financial freedom.

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The Simple and Complicated Life on the Road

We’ve been back in a house for just over a month, which feels like a good time to reflect on our five-month 2020 life on the road.

We’ve all heard the myriad benefits of a life of full-time travel: a new and ever-changing environment, chasing good weather, meeting new people, and abundant nature. And certainly, we’ve seen all the photos. But with this sense of freedom comes some significant trade-offs in comfort, ease of living, work productivity, and sometimes even freedom itself.

Does life on the road live up to all the social media hype? How about the costs? What type of vehicles, vans, or RVs are even affordable?

Here’s what to expect:

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Tales From the Road: Two Cows and a Horse

Hi, how are you? I don’t have any super financial hacks, tips, or tricks. Not this week. That’s because I’ve been busy with some major adulting, which I discuss at the end. Back when it was rainy and dark and 2020 and I was in a bad mood, I wrote about how I was considering taking a break from this site. One of your key pieces of feedback, thankfully, is that you guys seem to want some interesting stories about life after FI, or life on the road. Well, here’s a true story about two cows and a horse. Apologies if it gets a little weird. After all, I did spend six months of the pandemic reading Stephen King’s The Stand (read it before it becomes a mini series. You know it’s coming).

Please enjoy.

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