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What do you do when the body you once trusted changes—but the desire to explore the world doesn’t?

In Episode 6 of Roam Alone, I sit down with Tracy, a traveler I first met as a tentmate while climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in 2018. Back then, we bonded over thin air, heavy packs, and a shared love of going it alone. Years later, we planned to reunite for a trek to Everest Base Camp—until a cancer diagnosis changed everything.

After intensive radiation and chemotherapy, Tracy was left disabled. But instead of retreating from the world, she reimagined how she could move through it. At the end of 2025, Tracy embarked on a two-week solo journey through Europe, navigating accessibility and uncertainty — but on her own terms.

This episode is about resilience, independence, and redefining what adventure looks like when everything changes.

Time Stamps

· 00:00 — Meeting Tracy on the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro

· 06:35 — Running a New Orleans half marathon solo after plans fall apart

· 09:52 — Joining the Peace Corps and moving alone to a small town in Ukraine

· 18:00 — A cancer diagnosis that changes everything

· 28:00 — Traveling solo through Europe while newly disabled

Roam Alone is hosted by Theresa Stephens.

Instagram: @theresaannstephens

Facebook: /theresastephens

Facebook: /RoamAlone

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In Part Two of my conversation with Mark Fryer, we explore how solo travel can become a powerful tool for healing after loss.

Mark shares what it was like traveling alone to Puerto Vallarta shortly after the death of his mother—an emotionally raw journey that included an unexpected and dangerous run-in with a drug cartel. Years later, following a divorce, he embarked on a solo trip through Southeast Asia, where travel shifted from escape to intentional healing.

From volunteering at Thailand’s Elephant Nature Park to a two-day boat journey down the Mekong River and discovering the surprisingly cosmopolitan cities of Laos, Mark reflects on how slowing down and traveling alone helped him reconnect with himself. The episode closes with a powerful discussion of a 10-day Buddhist meditation retreat at Indriya in northern Thailand, and the stillness that comes from sitting with grief rather than running from it.

This episode of Roam Alone is a conversation about grief, resilience, solo travel, and the courage it takes to keep moving forward.

Time Stamps

00:00 Traveling to Puerto Vallarta after the loss of his mother
11:53 Post-divorce solo travel to Thailand & Elephant Nature Park
22:04 Two-day Mekong River boat trip and discovering Laos
34:40 A 10-day Buddhist retreat at Indriya

Elephant Nature Park

Indriya Retreat

Roam Alone is hosted by Theresa Stephens.

Instagram: @theresaannstephens

Facebook: /theresastephens

Facebook: /RoamAlone

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What do you do when you know—deep down—that you don’t belong where you were born?

In Episode 4 of Roam Alone, Mark Fryer reflects on growing up in the south end of Louisville, Kentucky, where he often felt like an outcast in his working-class, Catholic upbringing. From an early age, Mark felt pulled toward the west, dreaming of a life beyond what he knew.

That pull became reality at 19, when he left home alone on a Greyhound bus bound for Denver. What followed was far more than a simple trip—it became a transformative hitchhiking journey across America, marked by harsh weather, chance encounters, and a mysterious “New Age” preacher who changed the course of the trip.

This is a story about trusting your inner compass, embracing uncertainty, and discovering who you are when you leave everything familiar behind.

Time Stamps

00:00 Growing up in the south end of Louisville feeling like an outcast

06:03 At age 10, planning a secret solo float down the Ohio River

12:49 A Greyhound bus west at 19 years old

20:19 A snowstorm forces a bold change in direction

28:08 Picked up by a “New Age” preacher for an epic cross-country ride

Roam Alone is hosted by Theresa Stephens.

Instagram: @theresaannstephens

Facebook: /theresastephens

Facebook: /RoamAlone