Brendan Leonard is a writer and outdoorsman who has been living the type of flexible, work-from-anywhere life many of us dream of. For the better part of the last year, Brendan has been living in an Astro van, exploring and experiencing many of the beautiful and wild places of America. In fact, right after this interview, Brendan spent three weeks rafting the Colorado through the Grand Canyon, a life list worthy trip.

So how did he find himself willingly living in van, when he has an income level that could certainly pay the rent on a regular basis? Brendan isn’t your normal dirtbag, with a masters in journalism and writing, a popular blog at Semi-Rad, and his new book, The New American Road Trip Mixtape. But when it came to the conventional path of writers, Brendan didn’t conform to the mold.

Listen to his story:

Memorable quotes from the interview:

“You’re not sitting at the coffee shop, writing beautiful things, and someone walks in and says ‘Hey, how ‘bout we give you $80,000 a year to write about whatever you want!’ It doesn’t work that way“.

We’re a nation of watchers now, waiting to be entertained. We’re losing our exploratory gene. What about ____? Where does ____ lead? What’s at the top/bottom of ____?

I don’t remember getting a little behind on bills, or having to scrap around for a few months following the trip. I remember cycling across America with Tony!

Brendan’s Favorite Quote:

Get busy living or get busy dying

– Red (played by Morgan Freeman), in The Shawshank Redemption

Where to Connect with Brendan:

• Semi-Rad
• Buy The New American Road Trip Mixtape on Amazon
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Instagram

Other Resources

• Dirtbag Diaries – Great podcast and writing by Fitz Cahall
• The Art of Rap (available on Netflix too)

Help Story Signals hit iTunes New & Noteworthy!

Want to help Story Signals hit the front page of iTunes podcasts? Here are 2 quick ways to help, and they all point to the same place.

1. If you think Story Signals is deserving, leave a 5 star rating on iTunes. Click here, and click “View in iTunes” – “Reviews & Ratings” – “Write a Review” (see the screenshots)
   
2. Share with a friend! I would be very appreciate of your recommendations to family, friends, and social networks. If you mention me, Matt Ragland, or Story Signals on Twitter, I’ll be sure and retweet the share! Just share StorySignals.com or StorySignals.com/itunes.

Today marks the launch of the Story Signals podcast, a show dedicated to helping you live with purpose, clarity, and meaning. I’m very excited to be sharing stories with you from inspiring leaders, speakers, entrepreneurs, adventurers, artists, and more!

Click to subscribe on iTunes

In episode one, I’m going to be talking about the Hero’s Journey, which may be the most widely-cited and studied framework for powerful stories. Joseph Campbell was a mythologist and teacher who coined the phrase “Hero’s Journey” to the concept of the monomyth. We won’t go that deeply in to Campbell’s work today, but it does provide the groundwork for our discussion.

Now, the Hero’s Journey isn’t as simple as plugging in our own experiences and becoming a hero! But, this ancient script can provide a meaningful roadmap for personal and organizational transformation. In fact, if I can get a little nerdy, the Hero’s Journey and accompanying book, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, was a primary inspiration for George Lucas when he directed Star Wars!

Later in the episode, I’ll tell you a little story, and then we’ll cover the five elements of powerful stories, which include:

1. Powerful Stories Resonate

2. Powerful Stories Show the Light & the Dark

3. Powerful Stories Point to a Greater Cause

4. Powerful Stories are Redemptive

5. Powerful Stories Leave Room for Interpretation

I also am really excited to share the Story Signals Reflect & Project plan, which will help you create the space to realize the meaning of past experiences, find a redemptive purpose, and project future actions/reactions.

Click here to download the Story Signals Reflect & Project plan

Finally, we cover what you can expect from Story Signals, and how you can help the show grow by leaving a rating and review on iTunes!

Listen to Story Signals episode 1

Resources listed

• Man’s Search for Meaning – by Viktor Frankl
• Gladiator (film) – starring Russell Crow and directed by Ridley Scott
• The Hero with a Thousand Faces – by Joseph Campbell
• Opening Song: Favorite Secrets – by Waylon Thornton

Help Story Signals hit iTunes New & Noteworthy!

Want to help Story Signals hit the front page of iTunes podcasts? Here are 2 quick ways to help, and they all point to the same place.

1. If you think Story Signals is deserving, leave a 5 star rating on iTunes. Click here, and click “View in iTunes” – “Reviews & Ratings” – “Write a Review“
   
2. Share with a friend! I would be very appreciate of your recommendations to family, friends, and social networks. If you mention me, Matt Ragland, or Story Signals on Twitter, I’ll be sure and retweet the share! Just share StorySignals.com or StorySignals.com/itunes.

Superhero icon via Juan Pablo Bravo and TheNounProject