Untold Stories of the Outdoors with James Edwards Mills (JUMP 213)

What if the bigger life you want doesn’t require choosing between adventure, family, creativity, and ambition? Jackie reconnects with bestselling author Jo Piazza to talk about the life and career she has built through travel, journalism, motherhood, podcasting, and 14 published books. Jo takes us behind the scenes of The Parisian Heist, sharing how the overlooked story of Jo van Gogh-Bonger, the woman responsible for helping make Vincent van Gogh a household name, inspired a deeply researched novel spanning art, history, Paris, Amsterdam, and an all-woman heist. Jackie and Jo also explore the power of female friendship, why women should embrace ambition, the importance of choosing a supportive partner, and the freedom to create a life that holds both meaningful work and family. Plus, Jo shares the remarkable family mystery behind The Sicilian Inheritance, her approach to using travel as research, and why the stories of women behind celebrated men deserve to be brought into the light.Resources:Find and follow Jo Piazza and her books at jopiazza.com and @jopiazzaauthor Grab The Parisian Heist and The Sicilian InheritancePlease follow the show, leave a 5-star review if you love it, and share with your travel buddiesFind and follow Jackie @travelingjackie and don’t miss our behind-the-scenes communications - hop on our email list at TravelingJackie.com Choose your OWN international adventure curated by Jackie at jumpadventures.com Produced by NOVA Take a leap with Jackie IRL - join us in Greece and Norway in 2025 at JUMPadventures.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

What if learning another language could give you an entirely new way to experience being human? Jackie sits down with Brazilian-born storyteller, filmmaker and polyglot Jo Franco to talk about the power of language, the doors it can open, and the cultural ideas that simply can’t be translated into a single English word. Jo shares her journey from building the wildly successful travel brand Shut Up and Go to hosting a Netflix series and ultimately creating and self-funding Translated, her documentary series exploring untranslatable expressions and the people, places and histories behind them. Along the way, Jackie and Jo dive into belonging across multiple cultures, finding home around the world, protecting your creative vision, and having the courage to prioritize the projects you feel called to make. This conversation is a fascinating look at language and travel, but also at what it means to fully express yourself and spend the days of your life creating something you’re proud of.Resources:Find and follow Jo Franco and her show Translated at YouTube.com/jofrancoFollow Jo Franco on Instagram: @jo_franco  Please follow the show, leave a 5-star review if you love it, and share with your travel buddiesFind and follow Jackie @travelingjackie and don’t miss our behind-the-scenes communications - hop on our email list at TravelingJackie.com Choose your OWN international adventure curated by Jackie at jumpadventures.com Produced by NOVA Take a leap with Jackie IRL - join us in Greece and Norway in 2025 at JUMPadventures.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

What does it really mean to take a smart risk and live intentionally? In JUMP’s first-ever live podcast, recorded onstage at the Travel Gear and Adventure Show in Salt Lake City, Jackie sits down with legendary professional climber Alex Honnold and ski mountaineer Jim Morrison. They explore how years of training, failure, preparation, and time outdoors taught them to work with fear rather than be ruled by it. Alex and Jim reflect on the experiences that led to their historic accomplishments, including Alex’s free solo of El Capitan and Jim’s first ski descent of Mount Everest’s North Face, while reminding us that meaningful risk takes many forms. From changing careers and pursuing relationships to setting audacious goals and stepping away from the screen, this conversation is an invitation to take intentional swings, do hard things, and build a life you are proud to call your own.Resources:Find and follow Alex Honnold at @alexhonnold and Jim Morrison at @jimwmorrisonThanks to the TGA Show for making this happen, learn more at travelgoods.orgPlease follow the show, leave a 5-star review if you love it, and share with your travel buddiesDon’t miss Jackie’s behind-the-scenes communications - hop on our email list at TravelingJackie.com Choose your OWN international adventure curated by Jackie at jumpadventures.com Produced by NOVA Take a leap with Jackie IRL - join us in Greece and Norway in 2025 at JUMPadventures.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Why Georgia? Jackie and returning guest Ginger Cooper answer that question by sharing two very different adventures through this mountainous, wonderfully under-the-radar country. Ginger recounts a four-day trek through the remote villages of the Svaneti region, while Jackie shares how unexpected snow changed her group’s hiking plans and led them toward Kazbegi, the fortress village of Shatili, and the vineyards of Kakheti. Along the way, they talk guesthouses, local drivers, sketchy mountain roads, Georgian wine, incredible bread, unforgettable tomatoes, and the legendary Svaneti salt. They also explore the value of flexible travel, choosing experiences that genuinely call to you, and how local people and guides can bring a destination to life. Come for the practical tips and stay for a celebration of “third-tier travel” in a country filled with wild landscapes, deep traditions, and plenty of reasons to add Georgia to your list.Resources:Find and follow Ginger at @gspiceadventuresResources for Georgia: GoTrip for long distance rides, GPSmyCity, Waderlush blog, Shota’s Marani in Tsindali for best meal, Winery Mosmieri was Jackie’s favorite accommodations in Kakheti wine country. Driver Aleks WhatsApp +995 591 03 38 31 (be sure to book Aleks specifically, no one else - he does speak English!)Please follow the show, leave a 5-star review if you love it, and share with your travel buddiesDon’t miss Jackie’s behind-the-scenes communications - hop on our email list at TravelingJackie.com Choose your OWN international adventure curated by Jackie at jumpadventures.com Produced by NOVA Take a leap with Jackie IRL - join us in Greece and Norway in 2025 at JUMPadventures.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

José Gonzalez, founder of Latino Outdoors and fellow Osprey ambassador, joins Jackie for a rich and deeply thoughtful conversation about identity, belonging, culture, and finding your place outside. José shares his story of immigrating from Mexico to the U.S., the layered meanings behind identifying as Mexican, Latino, Chicano, and Hispanic, and how those roots shaped his work in creating Latino Outdoors. Together, Jackie and José explore the outdoors as a spectrum, from nearby parks and family walks to backpacking trips and wilderness adventures, and talk about the power of making outdoor spaces feel welcoming, culturally connected, and community-led.José also shares the story of how Latino Outdoors began, what the organization looks like today, and why representation, storytelling, leadership, and invitation can change the way people experience nature.Resources:Find José and Latino Outdoors at latinooutdoors.org Follow José on Instagram: @latinooutdoorsPlease follow the show, leave a 5-star review if you love it, and share with your travel buddiesDon’t miss Jackie’s behind-the-scenes communications - hop on our email list at TravelingJackie.com Choose your OWN international adventure curated by Jackie at jumpadventures.com Produced by NOVA Take a leap with Jackie IRL - join us in Greece and Norway in 2025 at JUMPadventures.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Jackie sits down with James Edward Mills, fellow Osprey ambassador, freelance journalist, National Geographic Explorer, and creator of the Joy Trip Project, for a wide-ranging conversation about building an adventurous life on purpose. James shares how a childhood in Los Angeles, a job at REI, an unexpected career with The North Face, and a life-changing pivot after 9/11 led him into journalism and storytelling rooted in equal outdoor access, conservation, and community. Together, Jackie and James explore the power of following curiosity, choosing lifestyle over convention, uncovering hidden histories in the outdoors, and creating opportunities for more people to see themselves in wild places. This conversation is full of wisdom for anyone ready to rewrite their story, follow the next beacon, and build a life that feels deeply and authentically their own.Resources:Find and follow James Edward Mills and The Joy Trip Project at The Joy Trip Project Website and Podcast Series and @thejoytripprojectPlease follow the show, leave a 5-star review if you love it, and share with your travel buddiesDon’t miss Jackie’s behind-the-scenes communications - hop on our email list at TravelingJackie.com Choose your OWN international adventure curated by Jackie at jumpadventures.com Produced by NOVA Take a leap with Jackie IRL - join us in Greece and Norway in 2025 at JUMPadventures.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

What if putting down roots could actually set you free? In this deeply personal solo episode, Jackie celebrates buying her first house and takes us through nearly a decade of reflections on home, belonging, freedom, and life as a long-term traveler. Through four essays and the recurring symbol of a rice cooker, she shares how her relationship with possessions, stability, Montana, and the idea of putting down roots has evolved over the years. Jackie recounts the surprising way her house found her, why the buying process felt so easy, and how homeownership released a constant stress she did not realize she had been carrying. Pour a celebratory drink and join her for an emotional storytime about honoring every season of life, finding strength in your roots, and creating a home that gives you even more freedom to roam.Resources:Reach out and say hi @travelingjackie or [email protected] these stories, plus more, and photos at TravelingJackie.com/myhomeRead Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less Please follow the show, leave a 5-star review if you love it, and share with your travel buddiesDon’t miss Jackie’s behind-the-scenes communications - hop on our email list at TravelingJackie.com Choose your OWN international adventure curated by Jackie at jumpadventures.com Produced by NOVA Take a leap with Jackie IRL - join us in Greece and Norway in 2025 at JUMPadventures.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

What happens when you can’t find the community you’re looking for? For Cassidy VanOrden, the answer was simple: create it. In this episode, Jackie sits down with Cassidy, founder of Girl Get After It, a women-focused community built around outdoor adventure, movement, trying new things, and making real friendships as adults.Cassidy shares the story behind Girl Get After It, from growing up in a tiny Montana town and being shaped by her family’s entrepreneurial spirit, to navigating deep grief after losing her dad, to hosting one free event in Bozeman that unexpectedly brought nearly 50 women together. What started as a personal need for connection has grown into a nationwide community with chapters in 20 cities, retreats, partnerships, apparel, and a whole lot of momentum.Jackie and Cassidy talk about the power of in-person connection, why feeling supported can change everything, how COVID reshaped Cassidy’s business, and why trying something new feels a lot less intimidating when you don’t have to do it alone. They also dig into retreats, adventure, entrepreneurship, community building, and the beauty of saying yes before you have every detail figured out.Resources:Girl Get After It: girlgetafterit.comGirl Get After It on Instagram: @girlgetafteritGirl Get After It RetreatsPlease follow the show, leave a 5-star review if you love it, and share with your travel buddiesDon’t miss Jackie’s behind-the-scenes communications - hop on our email list at TravelingJackie.comProduced by NOVA Take a leap with Jackie IRL - join us in Greece and Norway in 2025 at JUMPadventures.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Karla Amador, founder of the 52 Hike Challenge, joins Jackie to share the deeply personal story behind a movement that has inspired hundreds of thousands of people to get outside. After becoming a mom at 17, navigating a young marriage, and later going through a painful divorce, Karla found herself in a dark season where hiking became a path toward healing, strength, and self-trust.What started as a simple goal to hike once a week for a year grew into a nationwide community, complete with chapters, resources, finisher stories, and now a new nonprofit arm called Beyond 52. In this conversation, Jackie and Karla talk about nature as medicine, taking life one step at a time, building something meaningful from personal pain, and why the outdoors can help us reconnect with ourselves, each other, and the land beneath our feet.Karla’s story is a beautiful reminder that you don’t need to have the whole path figured out before you begin. Sometimes the first step is simply putting on your shoes, stepping outside, and letting the trail show you what’s next.Resources:Find and follow 52 Hike Challenge at 52 Hike ChallengeFollow them on Instagram: @52hikechallengeFind and follow Karla at @lovekarlaamadorPlease follow the show, leave a 5-star review if you love it, and share with your travel buddiesDon’t miss Jackie’s behind-the-scenes communications - hop on our email list at TravelingJackie.com Choose your OWN international adventure curated by Jackie at jumpadventures.com Produced by NOVA Take a leap with Jackie IRL - join us in Greece and Norway in 2025 at JUMPadventures.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

What if you stopped waiting to feel ready and just started pedaling? In this episode, Jackie sits down with Hana Black, a New Zealand cyclist and guide who, together with her partner Mark, bikepacked from Alaska all the way to Ushuaia, Argentina, covering roughly 32,000 miles through 16 countries over more than four years. Hana shares how a quiet dream became a life-shaping quest, what it actually took to fund and begin such a massive adventure, and why you do not need to be an elite athlete or have perfect gear to do something extraordinary. From remote Alaskan roads and rural villages in Latin America to Cuba, the Salar de Uyuni, the Andes, and Patagonia, this conversation is full of stories about kindness, freedom, fear, flexibility, and the magic of taking life one pedal stroke at a time.Resources:Find out more about bikepacking and cycling from Alaska to Argentina and beyond at Highluxhighlux.co.nzPlease follow the show, leave a 5-star review if you love it, and share with your travel buddiesDon’t miss Jackie’s behind-the-scenes communications - hop on our email list at TravelingJackie.com Choose your OWN international adventure curated by Jackie at jumpadventures.com Follow Hana on Instagram at @beinghanaProduced by NOVA Take a leap with Jackie IRL - join us in Greece and Norway in 2025 at JUMPadventures.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands