Personal Journals Episodes

What if a single handmade bed could spark a global movement? In this episode of Travel Time Stories with Shannon, we sit down with Luke Mickelson, founder of Sleep in Heavenly Peace (SHP), the nonprofit organization on a mission to ensure that “No kid sleeps on the floor in our town.” What started in a garage with one bunk bed has grown into more than 400 chapters across 47 states and 4 countries — delivering over 350,000 beds to children in need. In this powerful and inspiring conversa...

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 do you do when the “perfect life” you built suddenly falls apart? In this powerful episode of Travel Time Stories, we sit down with transformational speaker and Journey to Purpose founder Anna Quigley to talk about what happens when life implodes — and how travel can become the doorway to clarity. When Anna’s carefully constructed life unraveled in a short period of time, she made an unexpected decision. Instead of immediately job hunting or calling attorneys, she boarded a plane to I...

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 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...

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 happens when your life takes a turn you never saw coming? In this fascinating episode of Travel Time Stories with Shannon, I sit down with Eric Robinson, a recently retired FBI Special Agent whose journey is anything but ordinary. Before spending 24 years in the FBI—working cases involving counterterrorism, crimes against children, gangs, drugs, and public corruption—Eric spent 12 years in Christian ministry, including pastoring a church. From the pulpit… to SWAT operations. From savi...

Paralyzed at 20… and yet, this is not a story about loss. It’s a story about what’s still possible. In this powerful episode of Travel Time Stories with Shannon, Ann sits down with Ken Kunken—whose life changed forever during a college football game at Cornell University. A single moment left him almost completely paralyzed from the shoulders down. But what came next… is what makes this story unforgettable. Ken went on to: ✔ Return to Cornell and complete his degree ✔ Earn mult...

What if laughter could help save your life? In this powerful and surprisingly uplifting episode of Travel Time Stories, Shannon and Ann sit down with comedian, author, and mental health advocate Dave Mowry to discuss bipolar disorder, severe anxiety, homelessness, recovery, and how stand-up comedy became a turning point in his healing journey. After losing everything to mental illness and enduring what he calls “14 lost years,” Dave discovered a comedy class designed for people living with ...

What if the problem… was never you? In this powerful episode of Travel Time Stories, Shannon and Ann sit down with Russell Van Brocklen, known as The Dyslexia Professor, to talk about what it really means to grow up with dyslexia—and how one shift in understanding can change everything. For years, Russell believed the message so many struggling learners hear: You’re not smart enough. But that story wasn’t true. And it’s not true for the millions of children and adults navigating dyslexi...

What if your success was built on survival mode? In this deeply honest episode of Travel Time Stories, Shannon and Ann sit down with trauma-informed therapist, emotional regulation coach, and self-trust expert Felicia Brown to talk about burnout, people-pleasing, nervous system survival, emotional exhaustion, and the pressure many women feel to constantly “hold it all together.” Before becoming a licensed professional counselor, Felicia spent 15 years in education while privately battling anx...