#254 - What if the most important stories in your family were the ones nobody could afford to tell at the time? I sit down with author Sara Fashandi to trace her family’s journey from Tehran, Iran to the United States, and the brother at the center of it all, Mohsen, whose memory is so sharp it becomes the family’s unofficial archive. Sara explains what it’s like to grow up with very little, to crave books so much you read scraps of newspaper, and to realize later that your sibling lived a completely different version of childhood than you did.

We talk about the heartbreak that shaped Mohsen early, including a devastating loss that left him carrying guilt for decades, and the surprising ways hardship can produce ingenuity. Sara shares story after story of Mohsen’s creativity and resilience, then takes us to his early immigrant experience: arriving with almost no money, making impossible choices, and even spending nights homeless in Washington, D.C. The details are raw, honest, and deeply human, and they show what perseverance looks like when nobody is watching.

Sara also pulls back the curtain on the memoir writing process, from the family reunion moment that sparked it all to the commitment it takes to self-publish well. We dig into her books Message in a Matchbox and From Tehran to Tomorrow, what she hopes readers understand about immigration, and why preserving family history is a gift to future generations. If you care about immigrant stories, Iranian-American life, resilience, and the power of memory, this conversation will stay with you.

Subscribe for more human stories, share this with someone who loves family history, and leave a rating or review so more listeners can find the show.

To learn more about Sara you can follow her on Instagram @talesfromiran. To get copies of her books Message in a Matchbox and From Tehran to Tomorrow check out just search for the titles on Amazon or click here.

To learn more about me and see clips from past, present, and future shows give me a follow on Instagram @humanadventurepod.

Want to be a guest on The Human Adventure? Send me a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/journeywithjake

Discover the journeys that do more than take you somewhere new—they change the way you see yourself and the world. Wayfinder Life-Changing Travel explores unforgettable adventures, hidden places, and the transformative power of stepping beyond the familiar.

Check out Wayfinder Life-Changing Travel and listen wherever you get your podcasts.

Xploreum connects you with authentic wilderness expeditions led by trusted local experts. Browse real adventures, book directly with experienced guides, and get $200 off your first trip using code HumanAdventure2026 at xploreum.io/humanadventure.

#253 - 537 days. That is how long David Knoff is stuck in Antarctica after signing up for what should have been a 12-month station leader posting at Australia’s Davis Station. What starts as a high-endurance adventure becomes a real-time experiment in isolation, morale, and leadership under uncertainty, with no clean answers and no guaranteed end date.

We trace David’s path from Melbourne to the Army Reserve, peacekeeping, and diplomatic work in conflict zones, then into the Australian Antarctic Program. That background shows up in the moments that matter: how you tell a team bad news, how you stay authentic when rumors fly, and how you keep people working together when everyone is exhausted and counting the days past their planned return. David shares the “wagon wheel of motivation” that explains why some people ride out chaos better than others, plus the practical steps the team takes when coping strategies start to fail, including a peer-led wellness week that builds new tools for mental health and resilience.

Along the way, we get the vivid details that make Antarctica feel real: penguins that stop work in its tracks, handmade gifts because there is no store, hydroponic lettuce that feels like gold, and the climate science behind sea ice depth, glacier movement, and atmospheric research. And just when home is finally in sight, the story throws one last curveball: a catastrophic engine-room explosion and shipboard fire in the Southern Ocean.

If you care about leadership, teamwork, resilience, or extreme environment stories, hit play, then subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find The Human Adventure.

To learn more about David and to get a copy of his book, 537 Days of Winter, check out www.davidknoff.com and follow him on Instagram @537daysofwinter.

To learn more about me and see clips from past, present, and future shows give me a follow on Instagram @humanadventurepod.

Want to be a guest on The Human Adventure? Send me a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/journeywithjake

Discover the journeys that do more than take you somewhere new—they change the way you see yourself and the world. Wayfinder Life-Changing Travel explores unforgettable adventures, hidden places, and the transformative power of stepping beyond the familiar.

Check out Wayfinder Life-Changing Travel and listen wherever you get your podcasts.

Xploreum connects you with authentic wilderness expeditions led by trusted local experts. Browse real adventures, book directly with experienced guides, and get $200 off your first trip using code HumanAdventure2026 at xploreum.io/humanadventure.

#252 - A world champion wakeboarder doesn’t just “send it” on command. Logan Vaughan joins me to unpack what winning actually costs, what nobody sees behind the highlights, and how it feels when the sport that built your identity suddenly starts to burn you out.

We talk through the full wake sports world in plain English: the real difference between wakeboarding, wake surfing, and wake skating, why wakeboarding hits harder when you crash, and what it’s like to grow up competing from the time you’re a kid. Logan shares her West Texas roots, the jump to Orlando, Florida at 18 to train with coaches, and the mindset shift that took her from talented to truly elite.

Faith is a major thread in her story. Logan explains how prayer, breathing, and even talking to herself mid-run helps her stay grounded under pressure, especially when things go sideways. We also get honest about athlete burnout, fear at the next progression level, and the practical reality of money in pro wakeboarding. That leads into the surprise second career: becoming a social media creator after a viral video changed everything.

If you’ve ever chased a dream hard enough to start losing yourself, this one will hit home. Subscribe for more conversations like this, share the episode with a friend who loves water sports, and leave a quick review so more people can find the show.

Be sure and give Logan a follow on Instagram @logan.grace16.

To learn more about me and see clips from past, present, and future shows give me a follow on Instagram @humanadventurepod.

Want to be a guest on The Human Adventure? Send me a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/journeywithjake

Discover the journeys that do more than take you somewhere new—they change the way you see yourself and the world. Wayfinder Life-Changing Travel explores unforgettable adventures, hidden places, and the transformative power of stepping beyond the familiar.

Check out Wayfinder Life-Changing Travel and listen wherever you get your podcasts.

Xploreum connects you with authentic wilderness expeditions led by trusted local experts. Browse real adventures, book directly with experienced guides, and get $200 off your first trip using code HumanAdventure2026 at xploreum.io/humanadventure.