New Author Episodes

Travel doesn’t have to be expensive or overwhelming to be meaningful. In this episode of Travel Time Stories with Shannon, Shannon and Ann sit down with Linda King — Amazon best-selling author, travel blogger, travel coach, and creator of The Smart Travelista — to talk about traveling smarter, saving money, and building confidence through travel. With a background as both a banker and a travel agent, Linda shares practical insights on how to enjoy high-quality travel experiences without ov...

What does it really mean to live in alignment with yourself? In this episode of Travel Time Stories with Shannon, Shannon and Ann sit down with Kristen Swan — life and spiritual guide, journal creator, and workshop facilitator — for a thoughtful conversation about self-discovery, intentional living, and the significance of the inner journey shaped by personal stories, the impact of shame, and the importance of curiosity in healing Kristen shares her transition from business coaching to ...

What happens when you travel to more than 120 countries together… and stay married? In this episode of Travel Time Stories, we sit down with John and Ann Cinnamon — a couple who have traveled to all seven continents, all 50 U.S. states, and more than 120 countries around the world. Their documentary, Journey on the Trans-Siberian Railway, aired on PBS stations nationwide, and their newest book, Travel Is No Vacation: A Love Story, shares the honest, unfiltered reality of what life on the r...

Midlife has a way of asking hard questions. Who are you when the roles you built your life around begin to shift? Who are you after divorce? What happens when “home” no longer feels like home? In this episode of Travel Time Stories, we sit down with Tracy Smith, author of The Purpose of Getting Lost, to talk about rebuilding identity after divorce and navigating a midlife reset with honesty and courage. After her life changed in ways she never expected, Tracy began traveling solo ...

What happens when a combat medic comes home — and her body and mind begin to collapse? In this powerful episode of Travel Time Stories, we sit down with Brandi “Bee” Doyle — nurse practitioner, combat veteran, trauma survivor, and spiritual guide — to explore the journey from PTSD and autoimmune illness to deep, integrative healing. After serving in Afghanistan, Bee returned home expecting to resume normal life. Instead, she faced the unraveling of her physical and mental health. What foll...

What if the word “disability” isn’t something to avoid… but something to understand? In this powerful episode of Travel Time Stories, we sit down with Jenna Udenberg — author, disability advocate, accessibility educator, and founder of Above & Beyond With U. Diagnosed with Juvenile Arthritis at just seven years old, Jenna has spent her life navigating physical challenges while reshaping the conversation around disability, inclusion, and what true accessibility really means. As a 2020 Bush ...

What would it take for you to walk away from a successful life… and start over in another country? In this episode of Travel Time Stories, we sit down with bestselling author, TEDx speaker, and transformational attorney Wani Manly, whose life changed dramatically when she made a bold decision: sell everything, leave Miami, and move to Paris alone — with no plan, no French, and no safety net. After more than two decades advising Fortune 500 companies as a corporate lawyer, Wani chose rei...

What happens when you leave everything behind… without a plan? In this deeply reflective episode of Travel Time Stories, Shannon and Ann sit down with Chip Scholz to explore a journey that wasn’t just about moving across the country—it was about letting go of control, navigating uncertainty, and discovering what truly matters. With two adults, two kids, two dogs, and five cats packed into a 19-foot travel trailer, Chip and his family set out from Los Angeles to North Carolina with no jobs ...

What does it mean to truly witness the world? In this episode of Travel Time Stories, we sit down with veteran broadcast journalist Barry Maughan, whose life and career were shaped by decades of reporting across the African continent. Barry shares the extraordinary story of traveling the length of Africa with his wife in a Volkswagen Kombi bus, journeying from Egypt to South Africa and visiting fifteen countries along the way — an adventure that would forever shape his understanding of the...

You don’t always recognize abuse when you’re in it. In this deeply emotional and eye-opening episode of Travel Time Stories, Shannon and Ann sit down with Mia Hanks, author of the award-winning memoir Bride-Made, to talk about her 29-year marriage to a covert narcissist—and the long, painful journey to understanding what she had been living through. Narcissistic abuse doesn’t always look the way we expect. It can be quiet. Subtle. Confusing. It can make you question your reality, your wort...

Why do toxic relationships feel so hard to leave? Why is sexuality still so difficult to talk about honestly? And why do humans continue repeating emotional patterns they know are hurting them? In this deep, unfiltered conversation, Shannon and Ann sit down with transformational coach and author Dr. Stephen Paul Edwards to discuss toxic relationships, emotional addiction, sexuality, shame, vulnerability, healing, and the psychology behind human connection. Inspired by his book The Ve...

What does it mean to walk through history… not as a tourist, but as a witness? In this deeply moving episode of Travel Time Stories, Shannon and Ann sit down with author and historian Briana Gervat to explore her extraordinary 500-mile journey along the Western Front. In 2022, as the world began to emerge from the isolation of the pandemic, Briana set out alone—on foot—from the border of France and Switzerland to the North Sea in Belgium. Over 36 days, she crossed the mountains of the Vosg...

What if your life had a soundtrack… and you could rewrite it? In this deeply personal episode of Travel Time Stories, Shannon and Ann sit down with therapist and author Johnzelle Anderson to explore his powerful memoir, Mixtape: A Memoir—a story of survival, identity, and the journey from silence to voice. Told in “tracks” instead of chapters, Mixtape weaves together memories of growing up mixed race in 1990s Virginia, navigating childhood abuse, neglect, and racism, and searching for belongi...