Side Trips: How It All Started

What could possibly go wrong on a trip to visit your son, a Peace Corps volunteer in Zambia? In 1988 parts of Zambia were remote, but a network of trucks and private planes provided access to where you needed to go. Marcia hired a small private plane to transport them across the vast uninhabited land. But over the jungle, the engine quit. The quick thinking pilot was able to land in a dry river bed. But had the engine quit even five minutes later, that option would not have been available. Radio transmissions are line of sight, meaning that a call from a downed plane has a limited reach. The pilot sent out a distress call, hoping that someone, somewhere would hear it. In the meantime, Marcia’s group huddle around a fire, sending smoke signals to signal their whereabouts. What happened? How did they find their way out of the remote jungle? Come listen in. Bump In The Road: 15 Stories of Courage, Hope and Resilience is now available on Amazon. Learn more at BumpInTheRoad.us Follow Bump on: Twitter Facebook Substack Instagram

James Bond is an advertising guy and he thought he was quite good at it. Until he competed for an account to discourage kids from doing drugs. He realized he was missing the mark. The emotional mark.   “I went from from left brain thinking, to right brain thinking, emotional thinking.”   And that changed everything.   The Bump In The Road book is out!  Already an Amazon best seller! Be inspired! Get your copy today!   Learn more at Follow Bump on:

  Geoffrey Berwind is a story teller. His skill is well honed over years of running a theatre in the Philadelphia suburbs called Celebration Theatre. That catapulted him into becoming the director of a story series called Historic Philadelphia, Inc. created under Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell. It was a joint project with the National Park Service that provided historically based stories for people visiting Philadelphia’s historic sites.   "I didn't know what I was doing," Geoffrey confesses. But he knew he was onto something when Governor Rendell put down his Blackberry, told his aide to hush, and listened intently to Geoffrey’s story.   Geoffrey had everything riding on this moment. He’d closed down his family business. He’d sold his house. He’d funded Celebration Theatre and he desperately needed a break.   And hope was about to appear as Governor Rendell looked up from his Blackberry, told his aide to be silent, and he simply sat, mesmerized by Geoffrey’s story,  That moment changed the trajectory of Geoffrey’s life. He found his footing and mustered the energy to move forward with a little help from his best friend who told him: "I beleive in you. You're so talented. You can do anything you want." That moment of compassion was the turning point for Geoffrey. He poured his energy into the historic series, not knowing what the future might hold. But the future had an incredible ride planned out for this business man turned story teller. Come listen in.   On Amazon. Bump In The Road, Stories of Courage, Hope and Resilience, an inspiring anthology of overcoming life's bumps. Because everyone needs a bit of inspiration.   Learn more at Follow Bump on:              

This episode is a Side Trip, a super short podcast that lets me comment on whatever moves or intrigues me. Side Trips are also available on the website. Do we listen? Do we really connect with each other? A recent conversation with an old Wharton buddy got me thinking... Listen in.   Coming Soon! The Book. Bump In The Road, Stories of Courage, Hope and Resilience, an inspiring anthology of overcoming life's bumps. Because everyone needs a bit of inspiration.   Learn more at Follow Bump on:

"My story really begins as a little girl, when my father placed a putter in my hand, and that began my lifelong love and passion for the game of golf...I laugh and say I wasn't born with an umbilical cord. I was born with a five iron attached!" And that five iron took Veronica to the US Open and beyond. But most of all it started a life long pursuit of how awareness translates into our lives. From being one of the top 150 women in golf, to a disability that left her bedridden and destroyed her dreams, Veronica’s story is one for everyone who aspires to overcome their circumstance. "I think one of the first lessons I learned is if you let the illness define you, if you let it become part of your identity, you're doomed. You have to sepoarate your identity from your struggle." “And the second lesson that I learned was that the victory comes on the other side of the fight. And people give up fighting.”  Veronica’s passion overrode her disability as step by step, slowly, she came back with a wisdom that had previously eluded her. Her book, , is chock full of wisdom, as is this podcast.   Coming Soon! The Book. Bump In The Road, Stories of Courage, Hope and Resilience, an inspiring anthology of overcoming life's bumps. Because everyone needs a bit of inspiration.   Learn more at Follow Bump on:

This podcast is a  Side Trip. Side Trips are a super short podcast that let me share some of my thoughts and experiences beyond the conversations with my guests.  Side Trips are about the off road excursions we take that lead to interesting life experiences. In this Side Trip, I muse about the experiential aspects of chocolate and meditation. What do they have in common? Come, listen in.   Coming Soon! The Book. Bump In The Road, Stories of Courage, Hope and Resilience, an inspiring anthology of overcoming life's bumps. Because everyone needs a bit of inspiration.   Learn more at Follow Bump on:

Have you ever wondered about your past? Do you have a fear of something inexplicable? A love of something? Do you wonder where these preferences come from? Allah K’s book explores her own past lives and what that’s meant for her present life. Alla says that we are on this planet to learn.   This is a school planet. Besides other things, it’s a school. We cannot we cannot move on to the next class until we finish our lessons.   Those lessons come in the form of emotional triggers that we must unravel. Why does a particular person set you off? What is your reaction and why do you react that way. Part of the answer, says Alla, is to connect with our past lives with understanding compassion and forgiveness. Alla started on this path when modern medicine couldn’t find the root of her back pain. But she found the cause in a past life. Alla has a Master’s Degree in Spiritual Psychology. In addition, she is trained in hypnosis, which she uses as a tool to go into her subconscious and reach the places that are not readily accessible. Expanded self awareness, enhanced intuition and self forgiveness have guided Alla into her quest for past lives. Come listen in as we discuss her journey.   Coming Soon! The Book. Bump In The Road, Stories of Courage, Hope and Resilience, an inspiring anthology of overcoming life's bumps. Because everyone needs a bit of inspiration.   Learn more at Follow Bump on:

Alicia Moore writes about change and transition. She herself is starting a new stage of life: “Retirement”. I put that in quotes because Alicia’s idea of the next third of her life is about curiosity and continued growth.   “I think lifelong learning is something we all should quest after because it keeps us young and vibrant, alive and involved.”   For many of us, our learning journey officially kicks off in college. In her book Crushing It In College, Alicia notes that a significant part of the college experience is social and interpersonal. In today’s world of omnipresent technology, some of those skills may need to be better developed. Join us for a discussion about developing the life skills we all need to communicate and interact in the modern world.   Coming Soon! The Book. Bump In The Road, Stories of Courage, Hope and Resilience, an inspiring anthology of overcoming life's bumps. Because everyone needs a bit of inspiration.   Learn more at Follow Bump on:

What a plot! And it’s all true. Debbie Peterson was urged by friends and neighbors to run for City Council and later for Mayor in Grover Beach, CA. Grover Beach would appear to be a sleepy coastal town. But as Debbie got involved and invoked some common sense (not to mention a forensic audit) it became clear that corruption was rampant. Debbie’s curiosity sent her down a rabbit hole of kickbacks, lies and outright larceny. Throw in some drugs, an FBI raid and a local history of criminality, suicide, and you have the story of this small town. Debbie’s book, is available on Amazon.   Coming Soon! The Book. Bump In The Road, Stories of Courage, Hope and Resilience, an inspiring anthology of overcoming life's bumps. Because everyone needs a bit of inspiration.   Learn more at Follow Bump on:

Where do our beliefs come from? And why should we believe them? Christina Ramirez came from a very traditional Cuban background. Part of her family’s belief system was that happiness equals marriage equals kids. But as the years went on and Christina failed to find “the man of her dreams” she became convinced that she’d never be happy. In her thirties, this bright, attractive, capable investment banker who spoke five languages hit a point of utter depression and turned to alcohol and drugs for relief. An attempted suicide landed her in a mental institution. Cristina came to the decision tath to change her life she needed to change her beliefs. And her life turned  around. She met the man of her dreams and had children. But life was about to serve up another bump in the road.   Coming Soon! The Book. Bump In The Road, Stories of Courage, Hope and Resilience, an inspiring anthology of overcoming life's bumps. Because everyone needs a bit of inspiration.   Learn more at Follow Bump on: