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How do you survive as a creative in a world seemingly stacked against it? I had the chance to talk to Cary Tennis, author and columnist, about finding your way in life as a creative. I first met Cary via Salon.com. As an advice columnist, he spent 12 years advising millions of readers on love and life - thoughtfully, and through the lens of a creative. As writers, performers, musicians and creatives - or those who want to forge their own path through life and not follow the crowd, we often seek reassurance that we're on the right path. In Cary's advice column, he always responded in a wise, considered and writerly way about the problems we all face.

Marc and Julie Bennett decided their life needed a change - a big one. So they sold their home, bought an RV and now live life full time on the road. They like to say they moved into an RV to travel, work and live a more meaningful life – rich with experiences instead of things. After a little over a year, they have no regrets. They've weathered the ups and downs and settled in as location independent professionals. Their mission is to travel, love and be happy. They believe there is always a way to create the life you truly want. Their motto - sometimes it just takes an open mind, creative thinking, some hard work (or not), a spot of planning, patience, a good dose of courage, and of course – the willingness to face your fears, take a risk and just GO FOR IT! I talk to Julie about how they got to this place - individually, and as a couple - to do something most people only dream about.

Find work you love -  everyone wants it. But how do you figure out who you are, what you love and how to make your dreams reality?Roadtrip Nation started in 2001 when three friends fresh out of college weren’t sure what to do with their lives. Their solution? To road-trip around the country and ask people who do what they love how they got to where they are today.

Breckenridge, Colorado - at 9,603 feet above sea level, this town's majestic skyline includes several fourteeners. Miner's came to seek their fortunes about 150 years ago and evidence of those days still line Main Street. You won't find cookie cutter faux anything here - where even the Starbucks serves up drinks in an old yellow cottage. This small town aims to keep its own special friendly vibe by preserving its historic architecture and keeping the locals nearby with a hopping downtown full of restaurants, bars and shopping - and even an art's district - the kind where real people go and the rest try to blend in as locals.

Worthy McCormick and Bond Camp decided to make this place home after spending college and a few years beyond on the Front Range of Colorado - where the biggest cities straddle the edge of the Rockies and the Great Plains. Breckenridge was an easy choice for them to start a business called The Bivvi, a hostel designed to create community and spread friendship far and wide, if only for a night or a few weeks stay. I got a chance to talk to them about what makes both Breckenridge and their hostel so special and how they're making a go of it up in the mountains.

Why not design your own career? The sky's the limit! Dream big and aim high. Tori Hogan did just that - talking her way into numerous adventures around the world - leaving herself open to opportunity as well as seeking it out with fierce determination. Tori has spent the past decade circumnavigating the globe in search of insights and what she likes to call, travel with purpose. Over the years, Tori has immersed herself in the developing world as an aid worker, volunteer, researcher, filmmaker, and specialist on the topic of aid effectiveness. As an avid traveler, Tori’s endless curiosity about the world has taken her to every continent and more than seventy-five countries. In addition to her work and travels in the developing world, Tori has also spent time as a polar photographer on numerous expeditions in the Arctic and Antarctica. But what most intrigued me about Tori is that she combined a restless spirit with some brash confidence and a dash of serendipity to craft her destiny. I talk to Tori about what it takes to create opportunity and how the a motto of, fake it till you make it, led to her adventurous life.

Who starts a foundation in the middle of the Ecuadorean Amazon? Proving that life can always provide serendipity; Douglas McMeekin found himself bankrupt in his forties but with an opportunity to move to Ecuador. Originally from the US, Douglas worked for six years in the Amazon as an environmental and cultural consultant for eight different oil companies.  This experience provided the catalyst he needed to begin Yachana Foundation and a way to give sustainable help to the Amazonian people.In 1992 he began by building six schools and training teachers in 27 communities. Within a couple years he started buying rainforest to preserve. Then, he started Yachana Lodge, a world-class eco-tourism lodge on the banks of the Napo River, in order to generate funds to support the foundation.  Since then, in true entrepreneur spirit, he has built upon the foundation, starting a fair trade organization, medical clinics, more schools, community pharmacies, and a first of its kind Amazonian boarding school - and he’s not finished yet. The impact of one man’s vision has reverberated throughout the Ecuadorian Amazon, providing opportunities and education for those at the bottom of the economic pyramid.YACHANA is a Kichwa indigenous word that means “a place for learning." Its mission is to provide community-based solutions to poverty and environmental conservation in the rainforest. Training programs create opportunities of employment, health and entrepreneurism with a focus on social, economic and environmental sustainability. Yachana has been internationally recognized for sustainable ecotourism by National Geographic – Ashoka Changemakers, Conde Nást Traveller, Skål International, Rainforest Concern, Smart Voyager and Rainforest Alliance.I visited Yachana lodge and foundation and left with the inspiration to share his story. Douglas and I talk about the how and why of his foundation.Yachana Lodge Information