Stories Episodes

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...

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 happens when the life you built with someone you love suddenly changes forever? In this deeply moving episode of Travel Time Stories, Shannon and Ann sit down with Derrik Dyka, author of Good Grief Travel, to discuss grief, healing, loneliness, reinvention, and the unexpected ways travel helped him rebuild life after losing his wife of 24 years. Through journeys across Thailand, China, and beyond, Derrik discovered that healing often happens in the quietest moments—through conversations ...

At 72 years old, Rand Timmerman set out to hike the entire 2,200-mile Appalachian Trail with his younger brother, Ron. But they weren't simply climbing mountains. Both brothers were Vietnam combat veterans carrying experiences from the war that had followed them for decades. Rand was also walking a path of recovery from alcoholism, while Ron was grieving the loss of his wife. What began as an extraordinary physical challenge became something much deeper—a journey through grief, addiction r...