• 74 | The Family Unit was Home: J. K. Amerson Lopez’ Stories of Growing up as a U.S. Embassy Kid
    Jan 21 2026

    Our guest today is J. K. Amerson López, author of the book Embassy Kid. Kelly grew up in a U.S. diplomat family in the 1950’s and 1960’s in Latin America, Italy, and Spain. In this episode, Kelly shares stories from her book and her childhood growing up in the warmth of Caracas and Bogota immersed in Spanish and the adventure of exploring Italy with her family unit. She learned to be a professional American overseas, but when she returned to the U.S. for middle and high school, the same skill set was underappreciated.

    EmbassyKid.com


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    33 Min.
  • 73 | Establishing Who We Are Again: Christen’s Return Stories to the U.S.
    Dec 27 2025

    Welcome back to Part 2 of our interview with Christen Morrow Ara, a U.S. advocate for youth with disabilities and their families, divisional coordinator for Young Life Capernaum, and mother of four. During five years in Peru, Christen found life- giving work in helping to establish and train others to care for the intellectually disabled. Shortly after she married her Peruvian husband, a frightening accident gave her time to think of the next steps in her life, family, and work, which eventually meant moving back to California. This would be her return but her husband’s first move to the U.S.

    YoungLife Next Gen Leader

    Book: Being Latino in Christ by Orlando Crespo

    Book: Beyond Color Blind by Sarah Shin


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    36 Min.
  • 72 | How Then Shall We Live: Christen's Stories from Peru
    Dec 27 2025

    Our guest today is Chisten Morrow Ara, a U.S. advocate for youth with disabilities and their families, divisional coordinator for Young Life Capernaum, and mother of four. From a young age, Christen felt a connection and friendship to children with disabilities, and that passion was incorporated into her ministry and into her desire to help establish such support in Peru. She moved there for five full years which included taking care of a baby, finding her husband, and calling her Peruvian community her own.

    Young Life Capernaum

    Joni & Friends: Wheels for the World

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    33 Min.
  • 71 |The Value is in the People: Phil’s Return Stories to the U.S.
    Dec 3 2025

    Welcome back to Part 2 of our interview with Professor Phil, teacher educator and mentor who moved to China to work with international schools. Phil worked for 16 years in teacher training and leadership development with his international school consortium now called LifePlus. As he approached the age where he might not be offered a visa to stay in China, he and his wife returned to the U.S. on a recruiting trip and to also consider moving back. That was the time the coronavirus was starting to spread in China, so they decided to stay in the U.S. without having said good bye to their home in Beijing.

    https://lifeplusworldwide.com/

    See photos of our guests and sign up for our email list at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠roundtripstories.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Follow @roundtripstoriespodcast on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

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    29 Min.
  • 70 | At the Peak of His Career: Phil's Stories in China
    Nov 19 2025

    Our guest today is Professor Phil, teacher educator and mentor who moved to China to work with international schools. At 50 years old, it was finally the right timing for him and his wife and youngest son to make the move that had been in their hearts for decades. He left his U.S. professor post to become the director of teacher development for a multi-site international school consortium.

    https://lifeplusworldwide.com/

    See photos of our guests and sign up for our email list at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠roundtripstories.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Follow @roundtripstoriespodcast on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

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    32 Min.
  • 69 | Applying All That She Learned: Carolina's Return Stories to El Salvador
    Nov 5 2025

    Welcome back to Part 2 of our interview with Carolina Baiza, eco-hotel owner and sustainability entrepreneur from El Salvador. After fifteen years of traveling to study in Europe and then representing El Salvador in trade and world fairs, she decided to settle down and stay put in her home country. Listen to how Carolina took what she learned from her networks abroad and grew the sustainability model for her Arbol de Fuego hotel, where she also grew deeper roots in her community.

    Learn more here about Carolina’s Eco-Hotel in El Salvador: Árbol de Fuego.

    See photos of our guests and sign up for our email list at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠roundtripstories.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Follow @roundtripstoriespodcast on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

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    31 Min.
  • 68 | Sustainable Trade: Carolina's Stories from the World Fair Circuit
    Oct 29 2025

    Our guest today is Carolina Baiza, eco-hotel and sustainability entrepreneur from El Salvador. When visiting her brother in Germany, she noticed that the El Salvador World Fair booth had no representative. She volunteered to run it and before she knew it, she earned scholarships in Germany and Italy to study how to run trade exhibitions for her country. For fifteen years Carolina ran her hotel in-country and at the same time created fair exhibitions to represent El Salvador across the world.

    Carolina’s Eco-Hotel in El Salvador: Árbol de fuego

    See photos of our guests and sign up for our email list at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠roundtripstories.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Follow @roundtripstoriespodcast on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

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    34 Min.
  • 67 | Keeping Connected to the World: Ken’s Return Stories to the U.S. and Beyond
    Oct 15 2025

    Welcome back to Part 2 of our interview with Dr. Ken Martens Friesen, professor of history and international studies and coordinator of the global education program at Fresno Pacific University. Ken grew up in India and continued to go abroad throughout his life. In this episode, Ken shares about his return to the U.S. as a ten year old and feeling like people looked at him like an alien. Time helped him adjust to the U.S., and once he was done with university he was overseas again working in a school in Lesotho, a refugee camp in Lebanon, and as a missionary in Vietnam. Through his current university position back in the United States he is able to help others see the world through history and study abroad experiences which continually keep him connected to his growing up years and passion for helping others gain a global mindset.

    Ken's University Page

    Energy, Economics, and Ethics by Ken Martens Friesen

    See photos of our guests and sign up for our email list at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠roundtripstories.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Follow @roundtripstoriespodcast on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

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    30 Min.