Adventure is all around us. But sometimes, the biggest barrier to getting outside isn't finding a trail or a river. It's the cost of getting started.

On this episode of Speaking of Travel, we're exploring how four outdoor entrepreneurs are changing the way people discover adventure, one piece of used gear at a time.

What started with Russ Towers looking for affordable cycling gear has grown into a business that inspired others to follow their passion and make outdoor adventure more accessible to everyone.

Today he's the Founder And Co-Owner Of Second Gear in Asheville, NC. The store opened in 2004 with a simple idea that quality outdoor gear shouldn't cost a fortune. Today, Second Gear is part of Western North Carolina's outdoor culture, helping people discover adventure while keeping gear in use.

Inspired by Second Gear, Jennie Bartoletti and her mom launched Four Bridges Outfitters in Chattanooga, TN. in 2012, bringing affordable used outdoor gear to their community.

And now, college friends Derek Newman And Taylor Kinzler are launching Next Gear in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Their love of the outdoors and experiences around the world has inspired them to create a business that helps more people discover the joy of adventure.

Together, these entrepreneurs are proving that outdoor adventure doesn't have to be expensive, intimidating, or reserved for experienced adventurers.

Second Gear's impact reaches well beyond its storefront.

From Asheville to Chattanooga to Little Rock, these entrepreneurs are helping change the conversation around outdoor recreation, sustainability, and the value of buying secondhand.

A must listen! Only on Speaking of Travel. 🎧

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Forget everything you think a conversation with a concert pianist might sound like. Ana-Marija Markovina is about to change your mind.

A world-renowned pianist who has performed in more than 50 countries, Ana-Marija has collected stories that are as extraordinary as the music she plays. From performing Mozart in a freezing concert hall filled with people wearing fur hats to discovering a piano with broken strings, her adventures on the road are nothing short of unforgettable.

But it's the woman behind the music who makes this conversation so special. Her humor, her perspective, and the way she reflects on a life spent following her passion make this one of those conversations you wish could go on a little longer.

We talk about the unexpected turns, the music that moves us, and what a lifetime of experiences teaches you about being human.

I could have listened to Ana-Marija's stories all day. There is something wonderfully infectious about the way she approaches life.

Join me for a truly special episode of Speaking of Travel with Ana-Marija Markovina. You'll be glad you did!

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

On this episode of Speaking of Travel, meet Cory Lawrence, President and CEO of Off the Beaten Path. Based in Bozeman, Montana, his company has spent decades creating journeys for curious travelers seeking something deeper than the usual itinerary.

Cory embodies the spirit of Montana and this special part of the world where a love of adventure goes hand in hand with a deep respect for the land and a genuine connection to people.

His approach to travel invites us to look beyond the beautiful scenery and ask what it really means to experience somewhere and to connect with the people who call it home. He shares why respecting the places we visit and remaining open to what we might learn along the way is an essential part of what makes a journey truly meaningful.

Cory understands how thoughtful travel can help protect the places we love and ensure the communities who call them home are part of the story and not simply the scenery.

A must listen! Only on Speaking of Travel.

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

The most meaningful legacy we leave the next generation is found in the compassion we share and the difference we make in the lives of others.

Travel can change the way we see the world. But sometimes the most extraordinary journeys are about the people we meet and the understanding that grows when we make room for someone else's world.

On this very special episode of Speaking of Travel, meet Kimberly Haley-Coleman, Founder and Executive Director of Globe Aware, a nonprofit creating meaningful, community-led volunteer travel experiences since 2000.

Kimberly has spent decades helping travelers connect with local communities through service and cultural understanding. From education and environmental stewardship to cultural preservation, Globe Aware supports projects shaped by the communities themselves.

Through her work with Globe Aware, Kimberly reminds us that meaningful travel has the power to open our hearts and change how we see the world and shares how those experiences inspire us to live with greater compassion and purpose.

Her work is also a beautiful reminder that we all have a role in shaping a better future. A must listen! 🎧

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

I've always been fascinated by science. Perhaps because the more we understand about our planet, the more we realize how much there is still to discover. And volcanoes? Well, they are something else entirely. Imagine the incredible forces moving beneath our feet, shaping the very world we call home.

My conversation with Dr. Tamie Jovanelly (Dr. Jo) takes us into that fascinating world, but it also takes us somewhere much more personal.

A geologist, professor, international researcher and author, Dr. Jo made a remarkable decision to leave the security of tenure and embrace a completely different way of living. Today she travels full-time in a camper van with her husband Joe, exploring the world, teaching, leading Adventure Geology Tours, and sharing her love of science with the world.

Her new book, Volcanoes: What Everyone Needs to Know, brings us closer to understanding these extraordinary forces of nature.

Our conversation explores what happens when curiosity takes us in a new direction and we find the courage to discover a life we never quite imagined.

And somewhere along the way, I found myself thinking about how much of life we might miss when we stop asking questions.

Perhaps the greatest lesson is that life doesn't have to follow the path we've always imagined. Sometimes the most remarkable discoveries happen when we trust ourselves enough to take a different one.

A must listen! Only on Speaking of Travel.

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Every once in a while, you meet someone whose way of seeing the world makes you stop and look at your own world a little differently.

That was my experience with photographer Cade Martin.

I am honestly in awe of the way Cade sees people, places and the unexpected moments that most of us might walk right past. His photographs don't feel posed or manufactured. They feel alive. They pull you into a moment and make you wonder what happened just before and what happened after.

Cade has spent his life chasing characters and following his curiosity wherever it leads. His work has taken him from India to Berlin, Mexico and Thailand, into movie sets and unfamiliar communities, and into the lives of people whose stories stay with him long after the camera is put away.

In this conversation, we go far beyond photography.

We talk about his childhood surrounded by artists, writers and freethinkers and how that shaped the way he learned to look at people. We explore his fascination with faces, his “aversion to labels,” and what happens when curiosity becomes a way of moving through the world.

Then there is Thailand and the extraordinary story of the Wheelchair Mafia, where rescued dogs, resilience, movement and unexpected human connection came together in a journey that became something much bigger than a photography project.

There is also a quieter, deeply moving side to Cade's work. We talk about veterans, the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, Virginia, and his changing understanding of heroism, memory and the stories people carry silently inside them.

What stayed with me most is Cade's belief in being fully present for whatever, or whoever, is in front of you.

Maybe that is why his photographs feel so different. He isn't simply taking pictures. He's paying attention. And in a world where we are constantly scrolling past one another, there is something powerful about someone who still takes the time to truly see.

This is a conversation about photography, travel and adventure. But at its heart, it's about curiosity and humanity. And the extraordinary stories that appear when we stop trying to control the frame.

Tune in for this special episode!

*photo by Cade Martin

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

I loved this conversation.

Nancy Shear is one of those people you meet and immediately want to know more about. She is smart, funny, curious, completely engaging, and she has lived an extraordinary life surrounded by some of the greatest musicians of the twentieth century.

Her story began when she was just fifteen years old when curiosity led her through a stage door and into the world of classical music. What happened after that is an incredible journey.

Nancy spent decades behind the scenes, getting to know the people behind the music, their personalities, their passions, their struggles, their brilliance, and their very human sides. She worked with legendary figures, including Leopold Stokowski, and experienced a world that most of us have only seen from the audience.

Her memoir, I Knew a Man Who Knew Brahms, brings those stories to life, but our conversation went far beyond music. We talked about following your instincts, finding your place in a world that wasn't always ready for you, the unexpected turns a life can take, and what we learn when we have the privilege of looking back.

Nancy has so much to share and I came away from our conversation inspired by her curiosity and her spirit. And especially the beautiful way she has continued to embrace life.

I think you'll understand exactly why I loved talking with her.

Tune in! Only on Speaking of Travel.

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

There’s a new idea taking shape around the way we experience places and it’s called Scenic Travel Moments.

Justin Belleme, Publisher and Partnerships Manager at RomanticAsheville.com, joins Speaking of Travel to talk about where the idea came from and why he believes there is an opportunity to create something different for travelers.

Scenic Travel Moments begins in Western North Carolina with extraordinary landscapes and some wonderfully unexpected places to stay. But the idea isn’t simply about finding another place to visit. The conversation takes us into the importance of community and the growing desire to experience travel in a more meaningful way.

Justin talks about the future of Scenic Travel Moments and into his bigger vision for creating a community around the kind of travel that invites curiosity and connection.

It’s an interesting conversation about where travel may be headed and why creating experiences that feel genuine and memorable matters. At the heart of Scenic Travel Moments is the simple idea that the places themselves should always remain at the center of the story.

Come along as we explore a different way of experiencing the places we visit. There’s something really special about this idea and I think you’ll enjoy hearing where it’s headed.

Only on Speaking of Travel!

Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.