Coffee & Buds: A Lifestyle Podcast with Ryan Kern Ryan Kern

Matt and I first met while at Olivet Nazarene University and we’ve stayed friends since.  He also spent 2 years living in Ecuador helping to start community-focused churches in the Ibarra region. More than that though, Matt is just a damn good, well-intentioned friend who’s always down for a quick getaway, a rock-solid conversation, and someone who always leaves people in a better mood than before.

In this episode, we talk about what led Matt to make the move to Ecuador, how his experience was there, and also what life has been like (for the both of us) since returning back to the US. We talk how travel impacts our perspectives, why full-immersion is the way to go while traveling, and even share some stories of getting ripped off in Quito.

We recorded this episode in Matt's Chicago apartment, admittedly after some drinks and around 12:00 in the morning. Enjoy!

Sandra and I first met working for WE in Ecuador. She is a talented speaker and storyteller (even in her 2nd language!), avid Birdwatcher, and for me, such a huge insight into understanding Ecuadorian Indigenous cultures and how nature plays such a large role in their beliefs. Sandra was born and raised in Ecuador's cloud forest region, where she still resides and runs a Guesthouse out of her old childhood home. Every year around Christmas time, Sandra partakes and helps to organize the Christmas Count - a yearly count of bird species that happens all over the world to help collect important data about bird populations and how their patterns reflect the effects of Climate Change. 

We recorded this episode in a pizzeria/cafe in Baeza, Ecuador, a short drive from Sandra's hometown of Borja.

Born and raised in the Ecuadorian Amazon rainforest, Fabio and I first met working together with WE. He and his wife started their own coffee company from scratch, called Witoca Coffee - in which they aim to empower local farmers and offer a market for them to be paid fair wages. Fabio is one of the coolest and most interesting people I know, and on this episode, we dive into his world of coffee. Enjoy!

http://www.witoca.com/
IG: witoca_coffee

Another close friend of mine, Dan and I sit down during our Friendsgiving get-together and chat about sports, Covid precautions, politics and technology. We also dive into he and his brothers' family business, Three Brothers Bats - which they started in a one-room schoolhouse in their hometown of West Salem, WI. Enjoy!

Husband, Father, Professional Baseball Player, & Best Friend

Ben is one of my best friends. He and I sit down during our Friendsgiving weekend in rural Wisconsin and chat about being a new father, a Major League baseball player, and what life after baseball might look like. Enjoy!

Welcome to Coffee & Buds: A Lifestyle Podcast with Ryan Kern! Here is a quick intro to find out what we're all about. Enjoy!

Instagram: coffeeandbudspodcast
Website: https://coffeeandbuds.buzzsprout.com