My name is Rollie Peterkin and this is The Divergent Path. I am here to share the stories of people who have chosen an alternative path in life and taken risks. I hope you're as inspired by their stories as I am.
I've been waiting a long time to get the chance to talk to Lauren! She is a fascinating person and had led a truly Divergent Path. Lauren is a falconer who has worked with may species of birds of prey around the world. She even trained with Kazakh hunters in rural Mongolia. I mean, come on! Who does that? Lauren does. I was so happy to finally speak with her and hear her story. Website: https://rolliepeterkin.com/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/rolliepeterkin Lauren: https://www.instagram.com/eaglefalconer/
In this episode, my old friend Andy interviews me about my recet travels. Andy was a atural in his podcast debut and it was such a fun conversation. YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GkYmtbVAuw Website: https://rolliepeterkin.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rolliepeterkin Andy: https://www.instagram.com/ohhebandy/
In this episode of the podcast, I get the chance to speak with legendary music composer Jonathan Wolff who wrote music for 75 primetime series, including the theme songs for 44 TV shows. Most famously, he wrote the iconic theme song for Seinfeld. Jonathan is a fascinating and thoughtful person and it was such a pleasure to speak with him!
Quint Clarke had a successful career as a lawyer. And he admits that he hadn't led a very adventurous life before he decided to book a trip to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. And his life was never the same. So profound was Quint's experience that he came home, quit his job, and spent the next year traveling the world. Since then, Quint has been teaching history at Blair Academy for the past twenty years. But the story doesn't end there. Inspired by his experiences abroad, he always encouraged students to travel and experience the world. And he has led countless student trips abroad in search of a greater understanding of the world. And on one trip to Africa, he was inspired to make a difference. So he began raising money to build a school there. Today, they have two schools where serve 1,000 Kenyan students. Read more here: http://www.blairinkenya.com/ Quint's journey is fascinating and I was so happy to have him share it with me on this episode of The Divergent Path! ------ Website - https://www.rolliepeterkin.com/podcast Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rolliepeterkin Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/rolliepeterkin Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/rollie.peterkin My book - The Cage: Escaping the American Dream http://amzn.to/1Y0xbzD
Ryan Warner is the host of the Wrestling Changed My Life podcast. He is one of the premier voices in the wrestling community and has interviewed all of the greats. He most recently produced the 7-part audio docuseries The Smiths which follows John and Pat Smith, two of the most successful American wrestlers. In this episode we talk about some of the challenges of producing the documentary and some of the inspirations behind it. IG: @wrestlingchangedmylife Twitter: @Ryan_N_Warner https://wrestlingchangedmylife.com/ ------ Website - https://www.rolliepeterkin.com/podcast Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rolliepeterkin Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/rolliepeterkin Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/rollie.peterkin My book - The Cage: Escaping the American Dream http://amzn.to/1Y0xbzD
Dr. Coyte Cooper is a former university professor at UNC, holds a PhD, was a Division I All-American wrestler, speaker, and has authored three books. It seems like he's done it all. But Coyte and his family have recently embarked on a new adventure: they sold all of their possessions and bought an RV. Together with his wife and two children, they have been traveling around the country for the last 5 months, experiencing a nomadic lifestyle. And they have no plans to return to their stationary life. It was a fascinating discussion we had! Learn more about Coyte : https://coytecooper.com/ Instagram: @coytecooper / @livingoutsidethelimits ------ Find Out More : Website - https://www.rolliepeterkin.com/podcast Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rolliepeterkin Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/rolliepeterkin Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/rollie.peterkin My book - The Cage: Escaping the American Dream http://amzn.to/1Y0xbzD
Mark Neilan never ran cross country in high school. And he wasn't very into sports. But now he runs 100-mile races regularly. Find out how he made the transition to becoming an endurance athlete, how he trains, and the mentality he uses to survive such grueling tests of willpower. Mark is the owner of Excel Fitness Center. IG: @excelfitnesscenter @mark_neilan Find me here: Website - https://www.rolliepeterkin.com/podcast Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rolliepeterkin Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/rolliepeterkin Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/rollie.peterkin My book - The Cage: Escaping the American Dream http://amzn.to/1Y0xbzD
Tommaso Ferrari hails from Verona, Italy, of Romeo and Juliet fame. Tommaso played guitar in a heavy metal band as a teenager, but soon found that he was paying more attention to the sound equipment and acoustics. He became so passionate about audio engineering, that he decided to pursue a career in the field. Tommaso wanted to work on films and TV. So he worked as a driver whenever people from the film industry visited Verona. And one day he was driving to the set of Hollywood movie Letters to Juliet, when they noticed that he was the only person around who spoke English. This led to his breaking into the industry. Now Tommaso resides in Tenerife in the Canary Islands and works on film and TV sets all around Europe. Read more about Tommaso here: https://www.rolliepeterkin.com/tommaso-ferrari Find me here: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rolliepeterkin Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/rolliepeterkin Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/rollie.peterkin Website - https://www.rolliepeterkin.com My book - The Cage: Escaping the American Dream http://amzn.to/1Y0xbzD
Jake Hunter is the Chief Operating Officer of Wrestling Mindset. But this episode is about so much more than wrestling. We talk about Jake's career path from high school teacher to mindset coach to a fulltime job with Wrestling Mindset. Jake and I nerd out a little bit about Roman history also. It was great catching up with Jake! Read more about Jake here: https://www.rolliepeterkin.com/jake-hunter Find me here: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rolliepeterkin Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/rolliepeterkin Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/rollie.peterkin Website - https://www.rolliepeterkin.com My book - The Cage: Escaping the American Dream http://amzn.to/1Y0xbzD
D'Juan Owens is a professional MMA fighter with 35 fights of experience, even though he never played any organized sports growing up! D'Juan has a fascinating perspective and such a great attitude in everything he faces. In this episode he talks about dealing with losses and why he fights. He also discusses the 14 trips he has taken to the African continent, where he has led projects teaching self-defense to women as well as other initiatives. It was great speaking with D'Juan! Read more about D'Juan here: https://www.rolliepeterkin.com/djuan-owens Find me here: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rolliepeterkin Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/rolliepeterkin Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/rollie.peterkin Website - https://www.rolliepeterkin.com My book - The Cage: Escaping the American Dream http://amzn.to/1Y0xbzD
Justin Jenny is a photographer who specializes in exploring abandoned buildings and quarries. He has some crazy stories about sneaking into rundown asylums at night and run-ins with police and metal scrappers. Check him out on Instagram @justinjenny
Enrique "El Fuerte" Barzola es un pleador de MMA Peruano que tiene un record de 16-5-2. Barzola fue campeon del The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America 2 y ganó un contrato con el UFC. Despues, entrenó en los EEUU en Florida con American Top Team, y luego en California con AKA. Ha tenido muchas experiencas en el deporte y nos comparte en este episodio. Lee mas aqui: https://www.rolliepeterkin.com/enrique-barzola Instagram: @fuertebarzola ----- Me puedes encontrar aqui en rede sociales: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rolliepeterkin Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/rolliepeterkin Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/rollie.peterkin Website - https://www.rolliepeterkin.com My book - The Cage: Escaping the American Dream http://amzn.to/1Y0xbzD
Donald McNeil grew up wrestling in Massachusetts and won a state championship his sophomore year. But that summer, tragedy struck. While wrestling in an off-season tournament, he got thrown on his head and fractured two vertebrae. He couldn't move or feel his body. He spent over a month in the hospital and a year rehabilitating. But despite the traumatic experience, he returned to wrestling. And he returned with a vengeance. He wound up wrestling Division I in college for Ryder University and still competes at the senior level. Read more about Donald here: https://www.rolliepeterkin.com/donald-mcneil Instagram: @realdeal__mcneil ----- As always feel free to reach out to me on social media! Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rolliepeterkin Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/rolliepeterkin Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/rollie.peterkin Website - https://www.rolliepeterkin.com My book - The Cage: Escaping the American Dream http://amzn.to/1Y0xbzD
Chris Stefanou is a shark fisherman who is well-known for catching massive sharks from the beach in Long Island. He talks about the techniques he uses and how he got into it. Chris is passionate about the conservation of these animals and works with NOAA to tag the sharks and release them so that they can be studied and tracked. Instagram: @lisharkman Read more about Chris here: https://www.rolliepeterkin.com/chris-stefanou-sharkman ----- As always feel free to reach out to me on social media! Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rolliepeterkin Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/rolliepeterkin Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/rollie.peterkin Website - https://www.rolliepeterkin.com My book - The Cage: Escaping the American Dream http://amzn.to/1Y0xbzD
Alix Seyfarth was working for a tech company in Boston when a typhoon hit the Philippines and she decided to go volunteer and help to rebuild local communities that were devastated. She didn't realize it would change her life forever. That was six years ago, and Alix is still working in the disaster relief field. Alix spent 14 months in the Philippines, living in conditions without electricity, WiFi, or running water. Alix eventually got a job working full time for the nonprofit, which is called All Hands and Hearts. She's been helping coordinate their efforts around the world. She has visited and helped out in the so many disaster situations and has an incredible story. Read more about Alix here: https://www.rolliepeterkin.com/alix-seyfarth Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sayfarthy/ All Hands and Hearts: https://www.allhandsandhearts.org/ ----- As always feel free to reach out to me on social media! Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rolliepeterkin Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/rolliepeterkin Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/rollie.peterkin Website - https://www.rolliepeterkin.com My book - The Cage: Escaping the American Dream http://amzn.to/1Y0xbzD
Andy Valenti is a member of the band Oh He Dead. Their song Lonely Sometimes was described by the Washington Post as "an infectious, groove-based track about yearning for human connection." They had a major tour booked right before the pandemic hit, but have been trying to make the most of the downtime to write and record new songs. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2nLlWcvMIIGHHnDOQMi0h6 Band Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ohhedead/ Andy Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ohheandy/ Read more about Andy here: https://www.rolliepeterkin.com/andy-valenti ----- As always feel free to reach out to me on social media! Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rolliepeterkin Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/rolliepeterkin Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/rollie.peterkin Website - https://www.rolliepeterkin.com My book - The Cage: Escaping the American Dream http://amzn.to/1Y0xbzD
In this episode, I talk about my love of hitchhiking. I tell you about why I love it so much and the lessons it can teach you. And I go into some safety measures you can take. And then I go into the mechanics of it. Read more here: https://www.rolliepeterkin.com/hitchhiking As always feel free to reach out to me on social media! Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rolliepeterkin Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/rolliepeterkin Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/rollie.peterkin Website - https://www.rolliepeterkin.com My book - The Cage: Escaping the American Dream http://amzn.to/1Y0xbzD
Jason Bryant is one of the most well-known wrestling journalists out there who knows everything there is to know about the sport. He tells his story of how he got into broadcasting at a young age when he was obsessed with sports. And how he grew to love the sport of wrestling. He is the host of the Short Time Wrestling Podcast and founder of Mat Talk Online. You can check him out at: https://www.mattalkonline.com/ Twitter: @mattalkonline and @jasonmbryant As always feel free to reach out to me on social media! Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rolliepeterkin Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/rolliepeterkin Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/rollie.peterkin Website - https://www.rolliepeterkin.com My book - The Cage: Escaping the American Dream http://amzn.to/1Y0xbzD
Steven Kampmann holds a masters in Psychological Counseling and wrote a thesis on the topic of dreams, which has evolved into a lifelong passion. He teaches a course on dreams which revolves around the works of people like Carl Jung and Herman Hesse. Steven began his film and TV career as a comedic actorand writer at the legendary Second City Theater appearing both in Chicago and Toronto. He co-starred as Kirk Devane on the successful Newhart show. He has appeared as an actor in eight movies including Club Paradise with Robin Williams, For The Boys with Bette Midler, and Analyze That! with Robert DeNiro and Billy Crystal. Along with his close friend Harold Ramis, he co-wrote the hit comedy Back to School starring Rodney Dangerfield. And he co-wrote and co-directed the film Stealing Home starring Jodie Foster and Mark Harmon. Read more about Steven here: https://www.rolliepeterkin.com/steven-kampmann As always feel free to reach out to me on social media! Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rolliepeterkin Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/rolliepeterkin Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/rollie.peterkin Website - https://www.rolliepeterkin.com My book - The Cage: Escaping the American Dream http://amzn.to/1Y0xbzD
Amy Currie is a video producer who specializes in culinary and lifestyle videos. She was a full-time video producer at Panna Cooking where she won a James Beard Award for her work. She has worked with the who's who of top chefs on their videos. And she eventually co-founded HotDish Productions. Website: https://www.amydcurrie.com/ HotDish Productions: https://www.hotdishproductions.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amydcurrie/ Read more about Amy here: https://www.rolliepeterkin.com/amy-currie ------ As always feel free to reach out to me on social media! Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rolliepeterkin Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/rolliepeterkin Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/rollie.peterkin Website - https://www.rolliepeterkin.com My book - The Cage: Escaping the American Dream http://amzn.to/1Y0xbzD
Alejandra Arias-Stella is the co-founder of the Llama Pack Project, an organization in the Urubamba Mountains of Peru which creates opportunities for indigenous populations to raise llamas and work tourism. They teach Andean villagers to breed and raise llamas to serve as pack animals on treks for tourists in the area. Because llamas are more suited to the Andres, they are more environmentally friendly than mules, which have been forced on the native people ever since the Spanish conquest. Website: https://llamapackproject.com/ Donation: https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/help-llama-farmers-in-peru-access-fair-work/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/llamapackproject/ Read more about Alejandra here: https://www.rolliepeterkin.com/llama-pack-project ------ As always feel free to reach out to me on social media! Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rolliepeterkin Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/rolliepeterkin Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/rollie.peterkin Website - https://www.rolliepeterkin.com My book - The Cage: Escaping the American Dream http://amzn.to/1Y0xbzD
David Azzolina has taught folklore at the University of Pennsylvania since the mid 90s. He thinks about things a little differently than most and has a lot of novel thoughts on folklore. Read more about David here: https://www.rolliepeterkin.com/david-azzolina ------ As always feel free to reach out to me on social media! Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rolliepeterkin Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/rolliepeterkin Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/rollie.peterkin Website - https://www.rolliepeterkin.com My book - The Cage: Escaping the American Dream http://amzn.to/1Y0xbzD
Chris Gillette is an expert at handling, conserving, and caring for alligators. He helps rescue "nuisance gators" from people's properties in Florida and brings them to a rescue center. He is extremely passionate about animal welfare and conservation. Chris is famous for the death-defying photos and videos he posts where he swims in the water with the gators and plays with them as any of us would a kitten. It's truly mind blowing. Check out his YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpzli-m3OlZ0jBmsoWPKYxQ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gatorboys_chris Twitter: https://twitter.com/gatorboys_chris Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GilletteChris Everglades Outpost: https://www.evergladesoutpost.org/ Everglades Holiday Park: https://www.evergladesholidaypark.com/ Read more about Chris here: https://www.rolliepeterkin.com/chris-gillette-gator ------ As always feel free to reach out to me on social media! Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rolliepeterkin Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/rolliepeterkin Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/rollie.peterkin Website - https://www.rolliepeterkin.com My book - The Cage: Escaping the American Dream http://amzn.to/1Y0xbzD
Travis Bays is the founder of Bodhi Surf and Yoga--a retreat in Costa Rica. Travis combined his lifelong passion for surfing with his ideas tourism, sustainability, and local experiences. His camp, he is able to educate people about a variety of environmental issues. And the guest get to surf the beautiful beaches of Costa Rica. Travis didn't always run a surf camp though. After graduation from college, he worked in banking, but eventually decided he was looking for more, and so he joined the Peace Corps. Lucky for Travis, he was sent to Costa Rica. Website: https://www.bodhisurfyoga.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bodhisurfyoga Read more about Travis here: https://www.rolliepeterkin.com/travis-bays ------ As always feel free to reach out to me on social media! Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rolliepeterkin Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/rolliepeterkin Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/rollie.peterkin Website - https://www.rolliepeterkin.com My book - The Cage: Escaping the American Dream http://amzn.to/1Y0xbzD
Matt Valenti was an old teammate and friend of mine. He was a two-time Division I NCAA wrestler. After college he was coaching at Penn while pursuing an Olympic Dream for 2012. Matt now works at the athletic department at UPenn. Read more about Matt here: https://www.rolliepeterkin.com/matt-valenti ------ As always feel free to reach out to me on social media! Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rolliepeterkin Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/rolliepeterkin Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/rollie.peterkin Website - https://www.rolliepeterkin.com My book - The Cage: Escaping the American Dream http://amzn.to/1Y0xbzD
Brace for some tears in this episode. Matthew Bocchi was just nine years old when he lost his father in the attacks on 9/11. He's just come out with a new book titled Sway, which recounts his personal journey in coping with the trauma surrounding his father's death. As a teenager searching for answers, an older man took advantage of his vulnerability and sexually assaulted him. Matthew descended into the depths of a drug addiction to numb the pain. Matt and I discuss trauma and healing and how he is able to maintain a positive outlook on life despite so many bad things happening. Sway: https://amzn.to/3oaGp0f Read more about Matthew here: https://www.rolliepeterkin.com/matthew-bocchi-sway ------ As always feel free to reach out to me on social media! Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rolliepeterkin Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/rolliepeterkin Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/rollie.peterkin Website - https://www.rolliepeterkin.com My book - The Cage: Escaping the American Dream http://amzn.to/1Y0xbzD
Tom Ryan is one of the most accomplished coaches in the sport of wrestling today. As the coach at Ohio State University, he's created an absolute powerhouse. The things that he's been able to accomplish as a coach are truly astounding. 2015 NCAA team champions Five-times NCAA team runner-ups Seven top-3 NCAA team finishes 12 individual NCAA titles 22 Big Ten champions 53 All-Americans Two-time NCAA Head Coach of the Year Three-time Big Ten Coach of the Year Four-time NCAA champion Logan Stieber Three-time NCAA champion and Olympic gold medalist Kyle Snyder Tom talks about the immense impact that Dan wrestling for Gable had on his life and wrestling career. I asked Tom about the difficulties of shifting from wrestler to coach. But the toughest test of his life came when he lost his son Teague at age five. An experience that brought him to his knees. Tom talks about how his life was changed by such a traumatic event. Tom Ryan's new book Chosen Suffering is available and tells his story through his wrestling career to coping with the loss of his son. Chosen Suffering book: https://amzn.to/3iXGocb Read more about Tom Ryan here: https://rolliepeterkin.com/tom-ryan ------ As always feel free to reach out to me on social media! Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rolliepeterkin Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/rolliepeterkin Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/rollie.peterkin Website - https://www.rolliepeterkin.com My book - The Cage: Escaping the American Dream http://amzn.to/1Y0xbzD
Nils Parker can't even count how many books he's ghostwritten. I asked him and he estimated between 15 and 20. His books have been NYT and WSJ bestsellers many times over. As an editor he has worked with authors like Ryan Holiday, Tucker Max, and James Altucher (and many more) on every aspect of their books. Nils was originally supposed to be a lawyer. But after a semester of law school and a summer position, he decided that the courtroom was not his true calling. His whole life trajectory changed when he stumbled across a forum created by Tucker Max, who would go on to become a multiple-time NYT bestselling author. That meeting launched him down a path that would change the course of his life forever. Read more about Nils here: https://rolliepeterkin.com/nils-parker ------ As always feel free to reach out to me on social media! Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rolliepeterkin Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/rolliepeterkin Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/rollie.peterkin Website - https://www.rolliepeterkin.com My book - The Cage: Escaping the American Dream http://amzn.to/1Y0xbzD
Geoff Riccio is a video producer and photographer who has covered the sport of wrestling at every level. He had been there for many big moments in wrestling, including when wresting was dropped from the Olympics in 2013. Read more about Geoff here: https://rolliepeterkin.com/geoff-riccio-wrestling ------ As always feel free to reach out to me on social media! Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rolliepeterkin Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/rolliepeterkin Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/rollie.peterkin Website - https://www.rolliepeterkin.com My book - The Cage: Escaping the American Dream http://amzn.to/1Y0xbzD
While the rest of us couch potatoes binged Netflix and drank beer during the quarantine, Mark Larson thru-hiked the entire Appalachian Trail during the corona pandemic. Being an experienced endurance athlete, Mark finished in 3.5 months (107 days), when most people take around 6 months to finish the grueling trail. The Appalachian Trail has been a lifelong dream of mine and I was extremely curious about all of the preparation, logistics, equipment, lodging, wildlife encounters, and physical strain. So I grilled Mark like an FBI interrogator until he answered every one of my questions. Read more about Mark's journey here: https://rolliepeterkin.com/mark-larson-appalachian-trail And here: https://rolliepeterkin.com/running-ultramarathons-with-mark-larson/ ------ As always feel free to reach out to me on social media! Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rolliepeterkin Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/rolliepeterkin Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/rollie.peterkin Website - https://www.rolliepeterkin.com My book - The Cage: Escaping the American Dream http://amzn.to/1Y0xbzD
Ellis Rosen is a cartoonist for magazines such as The New Yorker, Wired, and MAD. He posts a weekly cartoon series called Junk Drawer on GoComics.com and is the illustrator for a children's book called Woundabout. Rosen attended art school and then got a master's degree, but wasn't sure where to go with his artwork. Until one day in 2016 when a friend encouraged him to submit gag cartoons to The New Yorker, and he knew right away that he had found his calling. Since then Ellis has sold around 60 cartoons in the magazine. Weekly Cartoons: https://www.gocomics.com/junk-drawer Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellisjrosen Read more about Ellis Rosen here: https://www.rolliepeterkin.com/ellis-rosen ------ As always feel free to reach out to me on social media! Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rolliepeterkin Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/rolliepeterkin Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/rollie.peterkin Website - https://www.rolliepeterkin.com My book - The Cage: Escaping the American Dream http://amzn.to/1Y0xbzD
Olly Richards is a polyglot who speaks eight languages. He runs a site called I Will Teach You a Language which offers a series of books and courses to aspiring language learners. He is also the host of the I Will Teach You A Language Podcast. Olly believes in the power to stories in learning languages and has dedicated his life to teaching people languages through stories. He has published a series of books with basic stories geared to the language learner's level, covering every language from Turkish to Russian to Chinese. Website: https://www.iwillteachyoualanguage.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iwillteachyoualanguage Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iwillteachyoualanguage More about Olly here: https://www.rolliepeterkin.com/olly-richards-polyglot ------ As always feel free to reach out to me on social media! Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rolliepeterkin Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/rolliepeterkin Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/rollie.peterkin Website - https://www.rolliepeterkin.com My book - The Cage: Escaping the American Dream http://amzn.to/1Y0xbzD
Kim Macquarrie is an author, documentary producer, and journalist. He has written four books about South American history and his book The Last Days of the Incas, is the definitive book on the Incan Empire. His latest book, Life and Death in the Andes, traces Macquarrie's travels through South America as he reveals the history of each place he visits through the portal of iconic events. Kim has earned 4 Emmy Awards for his work in documentaries. He wrote and produced a documentary called Living Edens about the natural beauty of the Amazon jungle in Peru. Website: http://www.kimmacquarrie.com/ Green Our Planet: https://greenourplanet.org/ Read more about Kim's story here: https://www/rolliepeterkin.com/kim-macquarrie-incan-empire-peruhttps://www.rolliepeterkin.com/ ------ As always feel free to reach out to me on social media! Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rolliepeterkin Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/rolliepeterkin Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/rollie.peterkin Website - https://www.rolliepeterkin.com My book - The Cage: Escaping the American Dream http://amzn.to/1Y0xbzD
Haley Tepavac spent seven years working on cruise ships around the world. Her Divergent Path started while working at a jewelry store in Minnesota. After a rough breakup she saw an advertisement for a job in Juneau, Alaska. So she packed her bags and moved to the far north. Little did she know that decision would be the first domino in a chain of events that would send her careening around the world on a ship. She eventually met her husband Mirko onboard and now they've settled down in Las Vegas, where they were married by Elvis. Read more about Haley's story here: https://www.rolliepeterkin.com/working-on-cruise-ships ------ As always feel free to reach out to me on social media! Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rolliepeterkin Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/rolliepeterkin Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/rollie.peterkin Website - https://www.rolliepeterkin.com My book - The Cage: Escaping the American Dream http://amzn.to/1Y0xbzD
Ted Alexander is the founder of Sierra Andina, a very popular and large microbrew in Peru. He also started a guiding company called Skyline Adventures, which leads climbing expeditions in the Andes Mountains out of Huaraz, Peru. Ted has lived in Peru for 20 years and has lived so many adventures. More than all of those things, Ted is an extremely thoughtful guy. He is a deep thinker and a compassionate purpose. When he first launched Sierra Andina, he wanted to create a product that Peru could be proud of. He works tirelessly to give back to his local community. He organizes activities in his local community, where he regularly organizes events and even helped found a school. In this episodes he talks about the challenges of living in Peru and how he learned to shift his mindset and learned to love the little things. He is so insightful and it was an absolute pleasure speaking with him. Brewery: https://www.sierraandina.com/ Skyline: https://skyline-adventures.com/ To read more about Ted, check out this blog post: https://www.rolliepeterkin.com/ted-alexander-sierra-andina-brewery ------ As always please feel free to reach out to me on social media! Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rolliepeterkin Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/rolliepeterkin Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/rollie.peterkin Website - http://www.rolliepeterkin.com My book - The Cage: Escaping the American Dream http://amzn.to/1Y0xbzD
Sam Sheridan is the author of three books: The Fighter's Heart, The Fighter's Mind, and The Disaster Diaries. Recently, he wrote and produced a miniseries called I am the Night. Sam traveled the world and trained martial arts. He interviewed the greatest minds in MMA about the mental game. And he worked with top survival experts in order to learn how to prepare for the end of the world. But Sam also spent years traveling the world working as a sailor. He was a firefighter who battled forest fires. And he worked on a research station in Antarctica. Read more about Sam here: https://www.rolliepeterkin.com/sam-sheridan-fighters-heart ------ As always please feel free to reach out to me on social media! Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rolliepeterkin Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/rolliepeterkin Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/rollie.peterkin Website - http://www.rolliepeterkin.com My book - The Cage: Escaping the American Dream http://amzn.to/1Y0xbzD
Dr. Lorenzo Valterza is a scholar on Dante Alighieri and the Italian language. He holds a PhD from Rutgers and has taught at the University of Pennsylvania and Notre Dame. Lorenzo's doctoral thesis was about the impact of torture and Roman law in Dante. In this episode we discussed many things about the Italian language. He grew up hearing different dialects and then went on to study and teach it later in life. We talked a lot about Dante and how every generation will interpret his works through the prism of their times. For instance, the nature of torture, fate vs free will, or justice. But most importantly, we discussed the many ways that Dante was like Regina George from Mean Girls. Hint: he the Inferno as a sort of Burn Book. Read more about Lorenzo here: https://www.rolliepeterkin.com/lorenzo-valterza-phd-dante-inferno-italian-language ------ As always please feel free to reach out to me on social media! Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rolliepeterkin Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/rolliepeterkin Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/rollie.peterkin Website - http://www.rolliepeterkin.com My book - The Cage: Escaping the American Dream http://amzn.to/1Y0xbzD
Dave Hinkle played professional basketball overseas for 11 years. While most of his career was in Mexico, he played all over the world from Germany to Taiwan to Bolivia. Dave didn't even start playing basketball until late in high school when he hit a growth spurt. He attended University of San Francisco and played basketball on their club team. On the podcast, Dave jokes that he learned how to play basketball while in college. He grew to be 6 foot 8, and started finding some success. A chance encounter with a coach who offered an opportunity to play pro basketball overseas changed everything. Read more about Dave here: https://www.rolliepeterkin.com/dave-hinkle-playing-pro-basketball-overseas ------ As always please feel free to reach out to me on social media! Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rolliepeterkin Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/rolliepeterkin Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/rollie.peterkin Website - http://www.rolliepeterkin.com My book - The Cage: Escaping the American Dream http://amzn.to/1Y0xbzD
Jennifer Tye had a steady job as a marketing executive, but that wasn't what she wanted out of life. So one day she decided to leave it all behind and go to culinary school. She next worked for two years at Michel Richard Citronelle, one of the best restaurants in the country. And she eventually started her own catering business. Jennifer talks about the scrappy early days as she grew her business and how it compares to the current environment after going through months of quarantine. Jennifer's story is an inspiration to anyone looking to change careers and follow a dream. Her catering company: http://dctaste.com/ Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/dctaste Read more about Jennifer here: https://www.rolliepeterkin.com/jennifer-tye-chef ------ As always please feel free to reach out to me on social media! Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rolliepeterkin Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/rolliepeterkin Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/rollie.peterkin Website - http://www.rolliepeterkin.com My book - The Cage: Escaping the American Dream http://amzn.to/1Y0xbzD
A few years ago I lived in Croatia for a summer and wound up traveling around the Balkans after. And I had some crazy stories from hitchhiking through Croatia, Serbia, and Bosnia. Including run-ins with the Croatian police, a crazy random music festival in with a stranger who picked me up on the side of the highway, and jumping off an 80-foot bridge in Bosnia. Read more about the story here: https://rolliepeterkin.com/croatian-police-hitchhiking-serbia-bridge-jumping-bosnia/ ------ As always please feel free to reach out to me on social media! Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rolliepeterkin Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/rolliepeterkin Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/rollie.peterkin Website - http://www.rolliepeterkin.com My book - The Cage: Escaping the American Dream http://amzn.to/1Y0xbzD
Carlos Venzano has spent four years traveling the world by bicycle. He's been to 90 countries. In total he's biked over 40,000 kilometres, greater than the circumference of the earth. But he wasn't always a super adventurer. Before 2016 he led a "super average life" with a steady job and an apartment in Santiago, Chile. He decided to leave it all behind to travel the world and experience different cultures. He started riding from his home in Chile and rode his bicycle all the way to Canada! In this episode he shares the obstacles he encountered along the way and what it was like getting used to the routine. But he didn't stop there. Next, he rode from Iceland, crossing the whole European continent to Turkey. But that wasn't enough either. So he crossed Africa from Mombasa, Kenya to Namibia. Then deciding to cross Europe again, he started again in Portugal and crossed Europe and into Asia. He was crossing Kazakhstan when he encountered some problems. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carlos.jeldres/ Website: https://www.cleteando.com Read more about Carlos here: https://rolliepeterkin.com/carlos-venzano-around-the-world-by-bike/ ------ As always please feel free to reach out to me on social media! Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rolliepeterkin Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/rolliepeterkin Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/rollie.peterkin Website - http://www.rolliepeterkin.com My book - The Cage: Escaping the American Dream http://amzn.to/1Y0xbzD
Alexander Pekoff just finished running 560 miles across New York State from Niagara Falls to Montauk Point in 14 days. He ran an average of 39 miles a day, including running 102 miles consecutively on the last day to make it on schedule. Alexander also biked from Key West, Florida to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska in 89 days. The stories he tells of bear encounters and rugged days in the Alaskan wilderness are absolutely insane. This episode is perhaps the most inspirational I've recorded. It makes me so happy to share it with you. Read more about Alexander Pekoff here: https://www.rolliepeterkin.com/alexander-pekoff-extreme-endurance-athlete Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/alexanderpekoff YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGlv13ichSsWIZl5Zu1aaTA Adopt A Boxer Rescue: https://www.adoptaboxerrescue.com/ ------ As always please feel free to reach out to me on social media! Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rolliepeterkin Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/rolliepeterkin Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/rollie.peterkin Website - http://www.rolliepeterkin.com My book - The Cage: Escaping the American Dream http://amzn.to/1Y0xbzD
Gregor "The Gift" Gillespie was a four time Division I All-American wrestler and a national champion. He currently fights in the UFC and has a professional record of 13-1. In this episode we discuss Gregor's obsessive personality and how it led him down the destructive path of drugs and alcohol. It's crazy that he was able to be such a top wrestler while abusing his body. But he has been clean for over ten years now and is a dominant UFC fighter. Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/gregorthegift Read more about Gregor here: https://rolliepeterkin.com/gregor-gillespie-addiction-wrestling-mma/ ------ As always please feel free to reach out to me on social media! Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rolliepeterkin Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/rolliepeterkin Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/rollie.peterkin Website - http://www.rolliepeterkin.com My book - The Cage: Escaping the American Dream http://amzn.to/1Y0xbzD
Gregor "The Gift" Gillespie was a four time Division I All-American wrestler and a national champion. He currently fights in the UFC and has a professional record of 13-1. In this episode we discuss Gregor's obsessive personality and how it led him down the destructive path of drugs and alcohol. It's crazy that he was able to be such a top wrestler while abusing his body. But he has been clean for over ten years now and is a dominant UFC fighter. Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/gregorthegift Read more about Gregor here: https://rolliepeterkin.com/gregor-gillespie-addiction-wrestling-mma/ ------ As always please feel free to reach out to me on social media! Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rolliepeterkin Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/rolliepeterkin Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/rollie.peterkin Website - http://www.rolliepeterkin.com My book - The Cage: Escaping the American Dream http://amzn.to/1Y0xbzD
Paul Rosolie is an author, conservationist, and adventurer. He's written two books. His first book, Mother of God, is about the years he spent in the Peruvian Amazon. He recounts stories of wrestling down giant anacondas, plunging in the river after caiman, coming face-to-face with jaguars, and solo journeys deep into uncharted parts of the jungle. Paul's second book The Girl and the Tiger is a beautiful story about a girl in India who finds a tiger cub. The book addresses many of the important issues with tiger and elephant conservation in India. Paul was the star of a 2014 nature documentary special on the Discovery Channel called Eaten Alive. In the show, he was going to be eaten by an anaconda in the Amazon. The show drew a lot of criticism from many groups, and even Paul himself who wasn't happy with the way it turned out. But he explains that it was a massive learning experience and he remains dedicated to his conservation efforts. Paul is a very passionate conservationist, but he has a different perspective than many others. He is the co-founder of Tamandua Expeditions, which takes visitors of tours into the Amazon. He also founded JungleKeepers, which hires locals as rangers to help protect the Amazon and stop illegal activities like logging or poaching. Read more about Paul here: www.rolliepeterkin.com/paul-rosolie-anacondas-amazon-conservation-ecotourism Website: http://paulrosolie.com/ Instagram: http://instagram.com/paulrosolie Tamandua Expeditions: https://tamanduajungle.com/ JungleKeepers: https://junglekeepers.com/ Mother of God: https://amzn.to/2XVBLI8 The Girl and the Tiger: https://amzn.to/2PMSI2X ------ As always please feel free to reach out to me on social media! Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rolliepeterkin Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/rolliepeterkin Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/rollie.peterkin Website - http://www.rolliepeterkin.com My book - The Cage: Escaping the American Dream http://amzn.to/1Y0xbzD
Cristian Velez has a job that every child dreams of. He works for the Amazon Rescue Center (Centro De Rescate Amazónico) in Iquitos, Peru. The center was built 11 years ago in order to rehabilitate baby manatees which were illegally kept as pets by private citizens. Amazon Rescue Center: https://www.centroderescateamazonico.com/ Fundraising campaign: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2980742958671786 Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/centroderescateamazonico Cristian: http://www.instagram.com/cristianovelez ------ Please feel free to reach out to me on social media! Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rolliepeterkin Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/rolliepeterkin Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/rollie.peterkin Website - http://www.rolliepeterkin.com My book - The Cage: Escaping the American Dream http://amzn.to/1Y0xbzD
Ty Dalitz is an Australian who has spent the last six years traveling the world. And he hasn't taken a single flight. It started off when he sailed to Asia and planned on making it to London by an overland route. But it has morphed into a six year journey filled with some of the most incredible adventures under the sun. Here are some things Ty had done: Rode a motorbike the length of Vietnam Crashed a wine convention in China by creating fake business cards Caught the Trans-Siberian railway from Mongolia through Russia to Europe Hitch-hiked around Europe Caught a ride on a sailboat across the Atlantic Sailed through the Panama Canal Crossed the Pacific in a sailboat twice Assisted in an attempt to SWIM ACROSS THE PACIFIC OCEAN Rode alongside the swimmer in a dingy Saw sharks in the great blue ocean Visited the Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch And that's just scratching the surface. I could sit and listen to Ty tell stories all day. Follow Ty's story on his website LostAussies.com. https://www.instagram.com/tydalitz https://www.facebook.com/thelostaussie Read more about Ty's journey here: https://www.rolliepeterkin.com/ty-dalitz-six-years-traveling-the-world-without-flying ------ Please feel free to reach out to me on social media! Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rolliepeterkin Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/rolliepeterkin Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/rollie.peterkin Website - http://www.rolliepeterkin.com My book - The Cage: Escaping the American Dream http://amzn.to/1Y0xbzD
Wayne Catan was a world class wrestler in his day. He was a three-time All-American and two-time NCAA finalist for the Syracuse University. After college, he wrestled internationally and even placed third at the legendary Tbilisi Tournament in Georgia. Nowadays, Wayne is an Ernest Hemingway scholar and English teacher at Brophy College Prep. He has published 37 articles about Hemingway. He's reviewed just about every Hemingway biography out there. He lives and breathes Hemingway. Wayne would read Hemingway's short stories on the bus when they were traveling to away meets for wrestling in college. Even though he rose to the top of the wrestling world, he got a bit of a slow start. He first trained in judo and when he transitioned to wrestling, he never even placed in New York states. But the summer after his senior year of high school, he wound up placing at nationals and getting recruited to wrestle in college. Wayne and I first met in the Blair Academy wrestling room many years ago. And we always loved talking about books. We kept in touch and always bonded over our love for Hemingway. So it was so much fun sitting down and talking. In this episode we discuss our favorite Hemingway works. We talk about how many times Hemingway rewrote the last paragraph of A Farewell to Arms. About how The Old Man and the Sea is a book without one misplaced word. About the Hemingway in the Spanish Civil War and Hemingway's experiences in Spain which led to For Whom the Bell Tolls. Did Hemingway really lead charges as a war journalist? Wayne suspects it might just be part of the Hemingway lore. The Iceberg Theory. The Sun Also Rises. The Nick Adams stories. And so much more. Read more here: https://rolliepeterkin.com/wayne-catan-hemingway-wrestling-grace-under-pressure/ ------ Please feel free to reach out to me on social media! Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rolliepeterkin Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/rolliepeterkin Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/rollie.peterkin Website - http://www.rolliepeterkin.com/contact My book - The Cage: Escaping the American Dream http://amzn.to/1Y0xbzD
In this edition of Rollie's Travel Tales, I talk about the time I spent in the country of Georgia. After releasing Episode 23: HOW TO MAKE FRIENDS WHILE TRAVELING, I got a bunch of requests from people who said they wanted to hear more of my travel stories. So I started thinking about some one my best ones. I ran through them in my head and rehearsed them as I walked one day. And I thought about one time in Georgia where I was trying to find Joseph Stalin's spa on a rainy day in the middle of nowhere. But as I ran through the story, I realized it was part of a much larger and much crazier story. In fact, the more times I told it to myself the longer and crazier it became. Until I realized that it was a whole episode itself. So this is a story that traces my wild and spontaneous journey around the country of Georgia in late 2018. If you enjoy it, please let me know. I love any feedback that I get. Read more and see pictures here: https://rolliepeterkin.com/joseph-stalin-dire-straits-chacha-georgia/ ------ Please feel free to reach out to me on social media! Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rolliepeterkin Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/rolliepeterkin Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/rollie.peterkin Website - http://www.rolliepeterkin.com/contact My book - The Cage: Escaping the American Dream http://amzn.to/1Y0xbzD
Katlyn Chookagian is a UFC fighter (14-3) who fought for the Flyweight title back in February. In this episode we talk about her roots in martial arts going back to when she started fighting karate at age four. She spent every minute she could training like a girl possessed. By the time Katlyn was in high school, she was fighting in Golden Gloves boxing and kickboxing competitions. When she first saw Ronda Rousey fighting in the UFC, she knew that she could do that too. And soon after she started fighting MMA. But it wasn't even a huge jump for Katlym, who had been competing in martial arts for almost her whole life. And when she got a call from the UFC, she wasn't surprised. In this episode we discuss what it was like fighting in an empty area in her most recent fight against Antonia Shevchenko in a dominant performance. And what it was like fighting both of the Shevchenko sisters back to back. We talked about how she was able to train at home during the quarantine. She talks about how she got the nickname Blondefighter. And what it felt when Joe Rogan dissed her nickname during her UFC debut. Katlyn has so many great stories from fighting over the years and it was so great talking to her on this episode! Read more about Katlyn here: https://rolliepeterkin.com/katlyn-blondefighter-chookagian-ufc-fighter/ ------ Please feel free to reach out to me on social media! Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rolliepeterkin Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/rolliepeterkin Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/rollie.peterkin Website - http://www.rolliepeterkin.com/contact My book - The Cage: Escaping the American Dream http://amzn.to/1Y0xbzD
Amber Young has lived on four different continents. She grew up in California to a family that loved to travel. And so after finished college at UC Santa Cruz, she decided to move to New Zealand. She spend the year volunteering on farms and hitchhiking around the country. Then she moved to Australia, where she worked for the next year, including a job picking strawberries. After that, she wanted a big change so she moved to Japan to teach English with the JET program. She lived in a small village in Japan for the next two years. And then she lived in Spain for three years teaching English. While some may be worried about her hitchhiking and CouchSurfing experiences, Amber says, "In the eight years I lived abroad I never got robbed. I never had anything bad happen to me." Amber's website: https://whereisamber.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ambertraveling Read more about Amber here: https://rolliepeterkin.com/amber-young-on-couchsurfing-hitchhiking-and-living-abroad/ ------ Please feel free to reach out to me on social media! Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rolliepeterkin Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/rolliepeterkin Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/rollie.peterkin Website - http://www.rolliepeterkin.com/contact My book - The Cage: Escaping the American Dream http://amzn.to/1Y0xbzD
© 2020-2025 Ivy Podcast Discovery LLC
