The Derek Loudermilk Show

"I like to take people from 'Ewww' to 'Fascinating!'" - Mary Roach Mary Roach has been a hero of mine for a long time. I was first introduced to her work when I was given Packing for Mars for christmas, back when I was looking for microbes from outer space. While I was in grad school, I was interested in the human gut microbiome, and coincidentally that's when Gulp came out - all about the Alimentary canal from your mouth to your butt. Including the latest work on fecal transplants. Besides her many bestselling books, Mary has written pieces in such publications as Vogue, GQ, The New York Times Magazine, Discover Magazine, National Geographic, Outside Magazine, and Wired. I was thinking if there might be a formula for Mary's books, which always end up bestsellers and award winners, and I realized that they mostly cover gross things that have to do with the human body. The other hallmark of her work is her quirky sense of humor. She mentions with great joy meeting a saliva scientist names Spitz. In this interview we talk about several topics from her new book Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War, which pairs really well season two of Serial. It is with great joy in the second half of the episode that I get to join Mary in brainstorming what her next book might be about! I think you will find this episode full of amazing things about keeping soldiers alive that will fascinate and disgust you, and you will be drawn to Mary's sense of curiosity and humor. What you will learn in this episode: -All about Mary's writing process -The latest in penis transplants -Why the Army has fashion designers -How Maggots are used to clean wounds -Why diarrhea is such a problem -The problem with military hearing protection -Military slang -How bomb proof vehicles work Quotes: "I like to take people from Eww to Fascinating" - Mary Roach "I've lost all sense of embarrassment when asking for explanations" - Mary Roach "Curiosity pushes away queasiness" - Mary Roach "Wedding gowns are similar to bomb suits" - Mary Roach "Adventure is stepping through a door - beyond which you don't know what is out there" - Mary Roach "Maggots are an FDA approved medical device" - Mary Roach "Scientists are interesting people in general" - Mary Roach "OMG there are 20 severed heads in this room" - Mary Roach Continue the Adventure (Resources from this episode):Mary Roach

It's been two years since I live somewhere else besides Bali. For most of the life of the Art of Adventure podcast, we have recorded from Bali. Now I'm back in the states for a few months before the next move. I learned a ton from my time in Bali, and I'd like to share some stories with you that represent my experience there. I like to think of the town where I lived, Ubud like a small liberal arts college. Everyday You see your friends at restaurants or at yoga or at the coworking spaces. There are all kinds of things to learn and groups to join and community activities. It's also somewhat different than the "real world", because everything is cheap and easy(ish) and everyone is loving and peaceful. I hope you'll join me when I head back to Bali this September for AdventureQuest! Stories in this episode: * Getting Bit by a rabid dog * Getting a flesh eating fungus from not having air conditioning during rainy season * Finding secret waterfalls, canyons, and mountains * Setting a world record climbing three volcanoes * Starting the Ultimate Frisbee Game * Voice lessons * Learning to dance * Coworking and speaking * Lots of big parties - including my birthday party and new years party for charity * Getting a free tattoo - tattoo taco tuesdays * Seeing the cremation of the King of Bali and ceremonies in general * Meeting Les Leventhal and doing yoga * Scuba diving the shipwreck and the sea cliff * Improv comedy - being a paid comedian * Talking to a magic tree * Learning to surf * Learning all kinds of yoga/hippie stuff like breathwork, cacao ceremonies, and kirtan singing * Meeting the most beautiful women * Meeting Heidi and becoming a future father Support the Art of Adventure! This podcast is supported by listeners like you! Become a patron of the Art of Adventure on Patreon You might also like these episodes:AOA 135 | What Is The Best Question To Ask On A Road Trip?AOA 114 | Be Your Own HeroAOA 059 | Millionaire Mindset: Habits For A Rich LifeOn The Road with Chris Guillebeau You will also like:The Best Art Of Adventure Podcast EpisodesAOA 050 | 50 Shades Of Adventure: The Best Ideas From The First 50 Episodes

When we have unmet expectations, we can be left with negative, lethargic feelings, and that is where the term Expectation Hangover comes from. How can we be more in touch with our feelings, expectations, superpowers, goals, and our ego so that we can manage all these components for more happiness? Speaker, coach, and author Christine Hassler is on the show today to talk about her work around beating expectation hangovers. She will teach us how to create agreements instead of expectations, look at our own dark side and repressed emotions, and exercises like 'release writing' for dealing with expectation hangovers. Besides being a premier life coach featured on The Huffington Post, Cosmo, and numerous TV channels, Christine walks her talk when it comes to handling emotions and relationships. So if you want to manage your feelings, emotions, and relationship with yourself so that you can be happier and have more time between unmet expectations, this is the episode for you! What you will learn in this episode: -What is an expectation hangover and how to deal with it -Different types of emotional hangovers -How to manage expectations -Writing techniques to release hangovers -How to feel your feelings and learn from them -How to study your ego -How to build your relationship with yourself Quotes: "Think of the qualities that come out of you while you are doing things you love - that is who you are" - Christine Hassler "Adventure is where you strengthen your courage muscle"- Christine Hassler "Create agreements instead of expectations"- Christine Hassler "Feel your feelings and be a student of your feelings"- Christine Hassler "I believe in goals pursued with high intention, low attachment"- Christine Hassler "The most important relationship you have is with yourself"- Christine Hassler Continue the Adventure (Resources from this episode):ChristineHassler.comOver it and On With it Podcast Thanks Christine Hassler! If you enjoyed this session of The Art of Adventure Podcast, let Christine know by clicking on the link below and sending her a quick shout out on Twitter:Click here to thank Christine on Twitter! Support the Art of Adventure! This podcast is supported by listeners like you! Become a patron of the Art of Adventure on Patreon You might also like these episodes:AOA 051 | Rick Hanson | Permanently Increase Your HappinessAOA 094 | Loretta Breuning, PhD | Habits Of A Happy BrainAOA 097 | Justin Stenstrom | Overcoming Anxiety And Building Confidence You will also like:

What is the best questions to ask on a road trip? The art of a good question is something I have thought a lot about over the last few years, especially since thatâ€s how I make my living. I realized when looking at the data that other people must be interested in questions too because this has become one of my most popular blog posts. The original was written four years ago and still seems to be relevant, so I wanted to expand and provide these thoughts in a audio format as well. I recently took a trip with my girlfriend and my parents through the Redwoods of Northern California – a pilgrimage of sorts. They were meeting each other for the first time – what better way to get to know each other than a road trip? First of all, you might know that California is huge, which means spending large amounts of time in the car to get where we are going. Which means a captive audience that I can grill with my questioning In podcasting, some of my favorite questions are those that cut to the core of someoneâ€s experience such as: * What didnâ€t you expect about that? What was a time you failed and what did you learn from it? How did that make you feel? Some people find this style of question challenging, but I really like to create top 5 lists like they do on late night shows or in the movie High Fidelity. That might look something like: * What are you top 5 bands? Top 5 cities you want to live in? What are your top 5 possessions that you make sure to take with you when you travel? Another fun thing to do is something I call instant trivia. It goes like this: one person is the question master and comes up with questions relating to a specific topic like geography, music, or sports.  The first person to get three questions right becomes the new question master, and the old question master gives them a new topic category.  I like this game because it allows everyone to be the expert when they are the question master and gives a lot of variety of trivia. Back when I was running Cross Country at Macalester College, we used to interview each team member at the begging of the season.  We would sit in a circle stretching before our daily run and ask all kinds of questions, some that I am still using: * If you had to lose one of your five sense, which one would it be and why? If your life was made into a movie, what genre would it be and who would play you? What is the best book you read recently? Where is your favorite place in the world? If you want even more good questions, my friend David Wood (from Art of Adventure Episodes 48and 49) has a great app called Get Real/Go Deeper. Some of my favorites from the app are: * What donâ€t you want me to know about you? If you traveled back in time to speak to your younger self, what would you tell yourself? A great questions I learned from Lewis Howes and the School Of Greatness * Describe your perfect day minute by minute? My end of episode questions: * If you could change or add one thing to the world, what would you want the world to have? * What is your definition of Adventure (or other such word)?   Here is the text of the original post (an example of what an early blog attempt looks like): Road tripping is to Americans as going on the Oregon trail is to earlier Americans.  And by that I mean we all do it – sometimes you start at midnight and drive across Nebraska in the middle ...

On the road in South Park, Colorado   What is the best questions to ask on a road trip? The art of a good question is something I have thought a lot about over the last few years, especially since that's how I make my living. I realized when looking at the data that other people must be interested in questions too because this has become one of my most popular blog posts. The original was written four years ago and still seems to be relevant, so I wanted to expand and provide these thoughts in a audio format as well. I recently took a trip with my girlfriend and my parents through the Redwoods of Northern California - a pilgrimage of sorts. They were meeting each other for the first time - what better way to get to know each other than a road trip? First of all, you might know that California is huge, which means spending large amounts of time in the car to get where we are going. Which means a captive audience that I can grill with my questioning In podcasting, some of my favorite questions are those that cut to the core of someone's experience such as: * What didn't you expect about that? What was a time you failed and what did you learn from it? How did that make you feel? Some people find this style of question challenging, but I really like to create top 5 lists like they do on late night shows or in the movie High Fidelity. That might look something like: * What are you top 5 bands? Top 5 cities you want to live in? What are your top 5 possessions that you make sure to take with you when you travel? Another fun thing to do is something I call instant trivia. It goes like this: one person is the question master and comes up with questions relating to a specific topic like geography, music, or sports.  The first person to get three questions right becomes the new question master, and the old question master gives them a new topic category.  I like this game because it allows everyone to be the expert when they are the question master and gives a lot of variety of trivia. Back when I was running Cross Country at Macalester College, we used to interview each team member at the begging of the season.  We would sit in a circle stretching before our daily run and ask all kinds of questions, some that I am still using: * If you had to lose one of your five sense, which one would it be and why? If your life was made into a movie, what genre would it be and who would play you? What is the best book you read recently? Where is your favorite place in the world? If you want even more good questions, my friend David Wood (from Art of Adventure Episodes 48 and 49) has a great app called Get Real/Go Deeper. Some of my favorites from the app are: * What don't you want me to know about you? If you traveled back in time to speak to your younger self, what would you tell yourself? A great questions I learned from Lewis Howes and the School Of Greatness * Describe your perfect day minute by minute? My end of episode questions: * If you could change or add one thing to the world, what would you want the world to have? * What is your definition of Adventure (or other such word)?   Here is the text of the original post (an example of what an early blog attempt looks like): Road tripping is to Americans as going on the Oregon trail is t...

"I love creating experiences where people can go on an adventure together" - Garrison Cohen Garrison Cohen was a recent guest on episode 119 of the Art of Adventure, talking about relationships, and now he his back to talk about events! I was visiting Garrison in San Francisco and he was telling me the story of the "Wedding Character Party" he had recently, where everyone came to the party as a stereotypical wedding character - the drunk uncle, the celebrity guest, the ring bearer, the officiant etc. Garrison has told me about other events he has thrown in the past like the awesome party, which is featured in the new book The Last Safe Investment. I had been impressed with the ease at which he threw a large American Thanksgiving party last year in Bali. While Garrison is not an event planner, I noticed that he had a lot of skill and intentionality behind the events and parties he throws that I wanted to get him on to deconstruct the skill of bringing people together in your community, or using events to meet people when you move to a new location. As always, pay close attention to how Garrison chooses his words impeccably and is full of great insights about human nature. What you will learn in this episode: -The best event theme ideas -How to craft a written event invite -The power of childhood nicknames on nametags -How to follow up with maybe responses -How to grow your community and social circle with events -Specific party theme ideas mentioned: * Celebrity Judge Cookoff * Wedding Characters Party * Rock Paper Scissors Tournament * Cocktail Contest * Parents Party * Awesomeness Party * Foreign Thanksgiving * Stylish Friends Clothing Swap * Signature Dish Cooking Party * Progressive Party * Cosmology Party Quotes: "You don't need anything other than a vision to throw a good event" - Garrison Cohen "Who are the people at your event that you enjoy the most?" - Garrison Cohen "People want something a little more creative" - Garrison Cohen "Most men in America have 1.5 close friends" - Garrison Cohen "I love creating experiences where people can go on an adventure together" - Garrison Cohen "Put a lot of thought into the experience you want people to have" - Garrison Cohen "It's joyous to leave your party and take a walk around the block"- Garrison Cohen Continue the Adventure (Resources from this episode):GarrisonCohen.comLooking For You Podcast Thanks Garrison Cohen! If you enjoyed this session of The Art of Adventure Podcast, let Garrison know by clicking on the link below and sending him a...

"When you are a traveler, you empathize with the locals"- Marcel Fernandez I'm a huge fan of what Marcela Fernandez is up to. After dropping out of several universities around the world and designing her own education, she founded On Board, a education program that lets you create your curriculum through global travel. She is also a TEDx speaker, Flow consultant, entrepreneur, and Adventurer. In this episode we dive into what you can learn through travel and some of the amazing experiences that Marcela has had around the world, including the "gift moment" - where Marcela experienced a flow state through giving her sunglasses to a young girl while traveling, and how Marcela became a coffee exporter. Make sure you listen in to the second half of the episode where Marcela breaks down the eight flow moments, and how you can achieve them, as well as what the gift economy is and how to participate. If you have ever been curious about what you can learn from world travel to enhance your education and contribution to the world, or how to achieve optimal experiences (Flow), this is the episode for you! What you will learn in this episode: -How travel can be your university -What kind of business opportunities come from curated travel -What is the gift economy and how you can participate -What are the 8 moments of flow and how you can experience them -What are some great gifts you can take when you travel -The story of Ameila Earhart and the Buddhist temple Quotes: "Find out what is your gift to the world" - Marcel Fernandez "When you are a traveler, you empathize with the locals"- Marcel Fernandez "When you travel you are %100 out of your comfort zone"- Marcel Fernandez "What would you like to learn and what would you like to teach?"- Marcel Fernandez "We become researchers of our own questions"- Marcel Fernandez "Flow is the state that makes you feel aligned with your purpose"- Marcel Fernandez "The only borders should be our own mental limitation"- Marcel Fernandez "Nature is a maximizer of adventure"- Marcel Fernandez "Adventure is having people to share your story with"- Marcel Fernandez Continue the Adventure (Resources from this episode):On Board Flow Consultant Marcela Fernandez Thanks Marcela Fernandez! If you enjoyed this session of The Art of Adventure Podcast, let Marcela know by clicking on the link below and sending her a quick shout out on Twitter:Click here to thank Marcela on Twitter Support the Art of Adventure! This podcast is supported by listeners like you! 

Tom Hunt is a real interesting character. He told me he moved to Poland so he could finally get a bunch of work done on his startup. Before that he was living like a king in Venezuela with black market currency exchange. His first venture was selling men's leggings - which I can totally get behind. When I was a speedskater, my mom used to make me neon colored tights to race in! From giving a TED talk to hosting his own podcast, Tom is all about letting people look under the hood of Virtual Valley on the way to his goal of selling it for $1 million. Virtual Valley is a curated marketplace for Virtual Assistants (VA's) so that you can hire someone in "7 clicks and 5 minutes". In this episode he will tell us how to calculate the value of our time so we know when we should be hiring someone, and how to manage our remote teams. This is a great episode for you if you are running a location independent business or need to start outsourcing some of your work because you got too busy! What you will learn in this episode: -How to prioritize and manage your return on investment -How to grow a million dollar business -How Tom survived in Venezuela while carrying around a bag full of cash -How to think about human biology for business -Tom's online marketing secrets -How to create spreadsheets for your marketing avenues and calculate where your time and money goes Quotes: "It's easy to become aware of something when you turn it into numbers" - Tom Hunt "I wanted to be an entrepreneur and not self employed"- Tom Hunt "Get your recruiting right"- Tom Hunt "People are generally not good at managing virtual assistants"- Tom Hunt "It felt like I was cheating to live in Venezuela"- Tom Hunt "Look at yourself as a system and study your inner animal"- Tom Hunt Continue the Adventure (Resources from this episode):TomHunt.ioVirtual Valley$0-4 Million Podcast Tom's Book Recommendations: Thanks Tom Hunt! If you enjoyed this session of The Art of Adventure Podcast, let Fabian know by clicking on the link below and sending him a quick shout out on Twitter:Click here to thank Tom on Twitter! Support the Art of Adventure! This podcast is supported by listeners like you! Become a patron of the Art of Adventure on Patreon You might also like these episodes:AOA 055 | Ladan Jiracek | Travel Wisdom From 80 Countries ...

"In a good startup, there are no rules"-Fabian Dittrich Fabian Dittrich was supposed to be one of my co speakers at the Travel Storytelling Festival, but he had some car trouble in Spain... You never know what is going to happen when you run your company out of a Land Rover all over the world! Luckily, I was able to catch up with Fabian in Berlin for this interview because he has a really cool story. He calls his business Helpando.it a nomad company, and spent six months running the business with his employee out of a Land Rover all across South America. Along the way he created a video storytelling project called Startup Diaries to discover new ways of working around the continent. His love of overland trips started when he used to drive vehicles all across Africa from Europe and sell them when he got to his final destination. This is a great episode if you want help thinking outside the box with how and where to run your business, or if you want to go on a epic driving adventure. What you will learn in this episode: -How Fabian took his company on the road in South America for 6 months -What he learned by making startup diaries - a video series about alternative working models in South America -How to be uber efficient with your time by using computer shortcuts -How to drive cars to Africa and sell them to finance your trip -The story of how Fabian played guitar for the police -How to get out of traffic tickets anywhere in the world -The tools you need to run a nomad company Quotes: "In a good startup, there are no rules"-Fabian Dittrich "We had to do the workload of 8 hours in just 3" -Fabian Dittrich "I like uncertainty"-Fabian Dittrich "If I'm good at anything, I'm good at shortcuts"-Fabian Dittrich "I needed the constraints of driving and other activities" {To be more productive}-Fabian Dittrich "Use your own mind to find creative solutions"-Fabian Dittrich "Just jump into the cold water"-Fabian Dittrich "Adventure is overcoming obstacles on the edge of experience, and I love to sit on the edge"-Fabian Dittrich Continue the Adventure (Resources from this episode):FabianDittrich.comStartup DiariesHelpando.it Thanks Fabian Dittrich! If you enjoyed this session of The Art of Adventure Podcast, let Fabian know by clicking on the link below and sending her a quick shout out on Twitter:Click here to thank Fabian on Twitter Support the Art of Adventure! This podcast is supported by listeners like you! Become a patron of the Art of Adventure on Patreon You might also like these episodes:AOA 130 | Anne-Laure Carruth | Shifting Sands: Circumnavigating the Mediterranean by Land RoverAOA 128 | Gunnar Garfors | A Story From Every Country

"The generosity, friendliness, and creativity of people blew us away" - Anne-Laure Carruth I met Anne-Laure Carruth this year at the Travel Storytelling Festival, and when I saw her speak I thought she was one of the most adventurous women I had ever met. In 2014 and 2015, she and her friend Lucy Engleheart drove an old Land Rover around the Mediterranean and the Middle East to attempt to truly understand the region and bring back stories of good news form a troubled part of the world. After applying for Royal Geographic society grant and getting all the way to the finals, they didn't win the award. But they decided to make the drip happen anyway. It took a year and half to prepare for. Everyone said it would be dangerous, everyone told her not to go. She cultivated a broad support network that grew as she traveled from country to country that gave her friends and contacts before she drove across each border. Among the things Anne-Laure and Lucy had to consider were: border crossings, guides, cultural institutions, car maintenance, historians, route, safety, health, local customs, pricing, charity worker contacts, schools to visit, and lots more. This episode will dig into the details around setting up and running such a trip, the art and culture that Anne-Laure experienced along the way, and some of the great positive stories that she brought back from her experince! What you will learn in this episode: -How two women drove around the Mediterranean and the middle east -How to plan and fundraise for a giant expedition like this -How to build a network of friends as you go, to get you though "dangerous" countries like Libya and Tunisia -How art allowed them to connect with the local people -The evolution of their art projects along the way -Why Anne-Laure didn't need Arabic lessons Quotes: "I had been trying to find ways to paint in cool countries" - Anne-Laure Carruth "The only way to prepare for driving across Africa is to drive across Africa" - Anne-Laure Carruth "I'm super interested in people, their stories, and place" - Anne-Laure Carruth "It's all about smiles, eye contact, and body language"- Anne-Laure Carruth "The trip worked because we were so different" - Anne-Laure Carruth "The generosity, friendliness, and creativity of people blew us away" - Anne-Laure Carruth "We realized there is an innate fear of the unknown" - Anne-Laure Carruth "Shift your fear to curiosity" - Anne-Laure Carruth "Adventure is about learning and discovering things" - Anne-Laure Carruth "Go home and tell people we are not terrorists" - People in the Arab world Continue the Adventure (Resources from this episode):Anne-laurecarruth.comShifting Sands Thanks Anne-Laure Carruth! If you enjoyed this session of The Art of Adventure Podcast, let  Anne-Laure know by clicking on the link below and sending her a quick shout out on Twitter:Click here to thank Anne-Laure on Twitter! Support the Art of Adventure!