#219 - A million-dollar decision can look a lot like a random pop-up ad and a quick, messy “why not?” Alex Boylan went from being a preacher’s kid on the North Shore of Boston to winning Season 2 of The Amazing Race, and that victory didn’t just change his bank account, it rewired his definition of work, purpose, and adventure. We talk through the early travel experiences that shaped him, the real dynamics of racing with his best friend Chris, and the pressure-cooker moments where relationships, strategy, and grit matter more than perfect plans.

What sticks with me most is how Alex turns discomfort into a skill you can actually practice. He shares the behind-the-scenes realization that opened a whole new career path: travel producing and storytelling. From moving to Los Angeles with no roadmap, to betting on mentors and the right environment over job titles, his journey is packed with practical lessons for anyone navigating a career pivot, chasing a creative dream, or trying to feel alive again after getting stuck in routine.

We also dig into Around The World For Free, the early interactive travel series that helped pioneer web-based travel storytelling before social media made it easy, and how that project evolved into bigger opportunities. Then we shift to what he’s building now with The College Tour on Amazon Prime, a show designed to help families explore colleges and higher education options without the cost of constant campus travel, plus his book The Miles That Make You and the life lessons he wants to pass on.

If you care about adventure, personal growth, mindset, travel, human connection, and building a meaningful life through calculated risk, hit play. Subscribe to The Human Adventure, share this with a friend who needs a push, and leave a review so more people find the show. What’s one small discomfort you’ll choose this week?

To learn more about Alex and get a copy of his book you can visit www.alexboylan.com and if you want to follow Alex on Instagram check out @boylanalex.

To see clips from past, present, and future shows give me a follow on Instagram @humanadventurepod. You can also watch full length on YouTube @humanadventurepod.

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

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.

#218 - At 92, Jim Paulk doesn’t sound like someone looking back. He sounds like someone still chasing the next idea, the next project, the next person worth learning from. Our conversation starts with a dream delayed, how a kid from Brunswick, Georgia missed his Naval Academy appointment, kept pushing, then got the call that changed everything. From day one at Annapolis, Jim learns what many of us learn the hard way: you don’t need a perfect plan, you need the willingness to keep choosing forward.

We follow Jim through a life of service and reinvention, from qualifying on submarines to building a second career at Procter & Gamble. Then the story swerves into marine conservation in Southern California, where he’s asked to take over a struggling gill net initiative and turn it into a winning campaign. Jim breaks down what leadership looks like when the clock is real: rallying volunteers, creating momentum, earning media, raising money, and building programs that actually last, including fish hatchery work that produces measurable results decades later.

The heart of the conversation is storytelling and relationships. Jim’s book, Shaking Up the World, collects 80 true stories by 59 Naval Academy classmates from the class of 1957, from “janitor to admiral” to survival through WWII internment camps to astronaut Charlie Duke’s Apollo 16 memories. Jim also shares how he met his wife Pat and why love and friendship are the ultimate measure of a life well lived. He donates all royalties to charity, because giving back is the point.

Subscribe for more human stories, share this with someone who loves leadership and history, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

To get a copy of Jim's book, Shaking Up the World, check out Amazon.

Get connected with The Human Adventure. Check out my website www.thehamanadventure.net and 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

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.

#217 - What does it take to leave one life, build another, and then wager it all on saving a species? We sit down with Nigel Mason, whose path runs from blitz-era London to the beaches of Bali, from music PR to pioneering “armchair rafting,” and finally to a 30-year fight to protect Sumatran elephants. His story blends grit, heartbreak, and stubborn hope as he turns a sanctuary into a living classroom and proves that hands-on adventure can fuel real conservation.

Nigel opens up about the early wins and the gut-punch losses: a government order that shuttered his booming rafting business, the grind of rebuilding, and the shock of seeing elephants wasting away in Sumatra’s deforestation crisis. He shares the rescue convoys behind Operation Jumbo, the science and care that guide his team, and why he ended elephant rides while doubling down on close, ethical encounters—hand feeding, bathing, guided walks, and deep education. Along the way, we meet the true heartbeat of the park: mahouts who know each elephant by mood and memory, including a reunion after five years apart that says everything about trust.

This conversation goes beyond slogans. We talk palm oil and pulpwood, tourism that pays for welfare and veterinary care, and the tension between online outrage and on-the-ground responsibility. Nigel’s sanctuary is a designed jungle with lakes, treetop paths, and a museum that makes conservation tangible. COVID nearly erased it; debt and determination kept the herd safe. Through it all, Nigel’s focus is legacy—family ready to lead, a local industry he helped ignite, and a sanctuary built to outlast controversy.

If you care about ethical wildlife tourism, elephant welfare, or how adventure can drive conservation, this one will stay with you. Listen, share with a friend who loves travel or animals, and tell us: what does “ethical” look like to you? And if the story moved you, follow, rate, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

To learn more about Nigel and Mason Adventures be sure to check out www.masonadventures.com and check out their Instagram account @masonadventuresbali.

To see clips from past, current and upcoming episodes and to learn about me (Jake) on a personal level 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

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.