FRENCHITIVITY - A Family Travel Podcast

Frenchitivity | Kent & Michelle French
  • 5.0 (8)
  • Places & Travel

Welcome to the Frenchitivity Podcast!We are a family of three (Michelle, Kent and our then 7 year-old daughter Everly) who stepped away from conventional lives to travel the world for a year!  Here you will find: - How and why we decided to take a leap of faith - Stories from our travels - The facinating people we interviewed - Our discovery of world schooling - The lessons we learned along the way First, what exactly is Frenchitivity?? It is a philosophy and now a way of life that follows three main principles...Possibility, Creativity and Tranquility. It was born from a family of three...Kent, Michelle and Everly (7yrs) French. Kent has enjoyed a TV broadcast career that has spanned over 20 years with the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Angels. Michelle owned an events company for 15 years specializing in Galas and Charity Walks for major Southern California non-profits. Everly, their 7 year old daughter, is beyond her years and wants to be a an artist when she grows up!The Frenchitivity Podcast then puts the spotlight on those who have chased Possibility with Creativity to find Tranquility! On this Podcast you will experience:-Chronicles of our family adventure-Stories of other individuals, couples, and families who have "sold it all" to seek memories that will last a life time! -Journey's of small businesses who have chased their dream with "no plan B".So enjoy stories of inspiration, bravery, hardship, and love that all provide the foundation for a the Frenchitivity Podcast! Come with us!

  1. 1d ago

    They Sold The Farm To Travel Full-Time | Meet The McElfresh Family

    What if getting your life back meant letting go of the life you had built? For Melissa McElfresh and her husband Travis, that question became very real. They owned McElfresh Farm in Seabeck, Washington, had jobs, responsibilities, four kids and a life they had worked hard to create. Then they made a decision that changed everything: They literally sold the farm. About six weeks after deciding they wanted something different, Melissa and Travis had sold their farm, stepped away from their previous lives and hit the road with their two younger children. Today, they’re the full-time RV family behind @farm2feral—and after two years on the road, Melissa says they haven’t looked back. 🎙️ In Episode 34 of the Frenchitivity Podcast, Melissa joins us from her RV for an honest conversation about what it actually takes to get off the hamster wheel and create a different kind of family life. We talk about the fear and uncertainty that came before the leap, the surprisingly short six-month journey from decision to departure, and what they discovered on the other side. Melissa takes us inside the realities of full-time RV living: how four people share a small space, how they choose where to travel, healthcare on the road, balancing work and adventure, and how Travis has built a new business while their family continues traveling. Education also plays a huge role in where the road takes them. Melissa shares their approach to roadschooling, combining online education with experiential learning and intentionally choosing destinations that can become part of their children’s education—from museums and monuments to national parks and everything in between. We also talk about how @farm2feral has grown into a resource for other families interested in RV travel, with Melissa sharing what they’ve learned about campgrounds, destinations, life on the road and finding great places to stay. But underneath all the practical details is something much bigger. This is a conversation about recognizing when the life you're living no longer feels like your own. About the fears that show up when you consider doing something unconventional. And about what can happen when a family decides to face those fears together. Melissa's story resonated deeply with us because although their journey looks different from ours, the motivation behind it feels incredibly familiar: Get off the hamster wheel. Reconnect with your family. Get your time back. And create a life that feels like yours again. Two years later, they're still on the road—and still choosing the life they took a chance on creating. 🎙️ Episode 34: They Sold the Farm to Travel Full-Time | Farm2Feral 📺 Watch the full conversation on the Frenchitivity YouTube Channel and please subscribe. 🎧 Listen and follow on Spotify, or download, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. Frenchitivity Instagram Page Frenchitivity YouTube Channel Frenchitivity Website & Blog Frenchitivity Podcast

  2. Sep 27

    Living Life Without A Net: Outdoor Aerialist Shayla

    What happens when the thing that makes you feel most alive exists completely outside the conventional path? Meet Shayla, an outdoor aerialist, adventurer and the creator behind @shayla.explores, whose breathtaking aerial performances take her far beyond the walls of a traditional studio—hanging beneath bridges, among rock formations, above waterfalls and over open water. In many ways, Shayla literally lives life without a net. But behind the stunning images is a much deeper story about finding the thing that brings you alive—and having the courage to build space for it in your life. In Episode 33 of the Frenchitivity Podcast, Shayla shares how aerial unexpectedly found her after years as an outdoor enthusiast and adventure seeker. Hiking, mountain biking and rock climbing all fed her adventurous spirit, but nothing connected with her quite like taking aerial into the outdoors. She takes us back to her first outdoor aerial experience and the emotions she felt suspended above the landscape. We also get into the realities behind those beautiful images—from unpredictable wind and challenging locations to rigging her own apparatus and drawing on her rock-climbing experience to prepare each setup. Shayla also opens up about a serious fall and injury she experienced before discovering aerial, and how it fundamentally changed the way she thinks about preparation, safety and responsibility for herself and those around her. But this conversation goes well beyond the physical challenge. We talk about bravery, feminine energy, trusting yourself and building confidence, as well as the growing outdoor aerial community that has given Shayla friendships, encouragement and a genuine sense of belonging. And we explore another question that resonates deeply with us at Frenchitivity: How do you build a life that makes room for what matters to you? Shayla shares how she approaches work in a way that allows her to continue traveling, exploring beautiful places and pursuing the passion that gives her so much fulfillment. Her path may be unconventional—and most of us probably aren't going to hang from an aerial apparatus over a waterfall anytime soon!—but the heart of her story is universal: What happens when you trust yourself enough to explore the thing that makes you feel most alive? For Shayla, that journey has led to adventure, confidence, happiness, friendship and community. And those are some of the same things we're continually searching for through Frenchitivity. 🎙️ Episode 33: Living Life Without a Net with Shayla 📺 Watch the full conversation on the Frenchitivity YouTube Channel and please subscribe. 🎧 Listen and follow on Spotify, or download, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. Frenchitivity Instagram Page Frenchitivity YouTube Channel Frenchitivity Website & Blog Frenchitivity Podcast

  3. Sep 20

    Protecting The Family Core

    What happens when you change your life, reconnect as a family…and then return home? In this episode of the Frenchitivity Podcast, we pull back the curtain more than we ever have before. Before our 10-month journey around the world, life was good. We had successful careers, a home we loved, and a full life—but we were constantly moving. And eventually, we recognized something that was difficult to ignore: work had become the core of our lives, and our family was orbiting around it. That realization helped lead us to take a leap of faith—step away from our careers, rent out our home, and travel the world with our daughter. The journey became a reset. We reconnected as a couple, as parents, as individuals, and most importantly, as a family. But coming home presented a challenge we hadn't fully anticipated: How do we build our lives again without losing what we found? We talk candidly about re-entry, finding our way back into the workforce, financial and career pressures, and the temptation to fall back into the very patterns we intentionally stepped away from. Michelle shares the idea of her “Sacred Third”—meaningful work that can support our family today while still protecting the life we're building and becoming a bridge between where we are and where we want to go. Kent opens up about something that hasn't come naturally: asking for help. After years of being the person who helped others, this season has required him to reach out to friends, ask for introductions, admit that he doesn't have all the answers—and even ask a close friend for a job. This part of our journey isn't easy. We knew there would be challenges when we chose a different path. Now those challenges are revealing themselves. The difference is that we're meeting them as a family instead of as individuals. And that may be what protecting the family core really means. We also share what Frenchitivity means to us today: creating a platform that can help us build a more intentional life for our own family while hopefully inspiring other families, couples, and individuals to ask what they want at the center of theirs. This isn't an episode about having it all figured out. It's about protecting what matters while you're still figuring out what comes next. 🎙️ Episode 32: Protecting the Family Core 📺 Watch on the Frenchitivity YouTube Channel and please subscribe. 🎧 Listen and follow on Spotify, or download, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. Frenchitivity Instagram Page Frenchitivity YouTube Channel Frenchitivity Website & Blog Frenchitivity Podcast

  4. Sep 13

    How We Packed For 10 Months Around The World

    “How did you PACK for 10 months around the world?” It might be the question we get asked more than any other. And the answer actually starts long before the suitcases came out. In Episode 31 of the Frenchitivity Podcast, Kent and Michelle pull back the curtain on everything that went into preparing their home—and their family—for a 10-month journey around the world. Before deciding what to pack, we had to decide what to keep. With renters moving into our home, we found ourselves confronting years of accumulated stuff, learning to declutter, selling and giving away furniture, helping Everly make choices about her belongings, and figuring out how to store what remained—without paying for a storage unit. Then came the clothes…and our highly sophisticated process affectionately known as “freeze drying.” 😂 And THEN we had to somehow fit our lives into suitcases. How many bags did we take? What did we actually need? What did we completely regret bringing? How did we pack for different climates? What happened when our bags became too heavy? And why were we shipping boxes home from seemingly every country we visited? There was also Michelle’s traveling pharmacy, a suitcase wrapped in Saran Wrap in Malta, Everly’s ever-growing collection of treasures…and the infamous “Suitcase of Doom” that somehow followed us all the way home. 👀 Some things worked brilliantly. Others…not so much. In this episode, we share the mistakes, surprises, practical lessons, and packing strategies we learned while living out of suitcases as a family for nearly a year—including what we would do very differently next time. If you’re dreaming about extended family travel, planning a gap year, considering worldschooling, or simply wondering how anyone packs for months on the road, this episode is for you. Because after 10 months of traveling, we learned one lesson very clearly: You probably need less than you think. ✨ FREE How to Pack for a Year of World Travel Guide  Michelle has created a downloadable PDF to help families pack for extended travel.  The guide includes the strategies that worked, the things we wish we'd done differently, and what we learned we really needed along the way. 👉 www.frenchitivity.com/packing  🎙️ Watch the full episode on the Frenchitivity YouTube Channel and please subscribe as we continue sharing the stories—and lessons—from our journey around the world. 🎧 Listen to the Frenchitivity Podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. 🍎 Listening on Apple Podcasts? Please download, rate, and review the show—we’d greatly appreciate it! 🎧 On Spotify? Please follow the Frenchitivity Podcast so you never miss an episode. Frenchitivity Instagram Page Frenchitivity YouTube Channel Frenchitivity Website & Blog Frenchitivity Podcast

  5. Sep 6

    Worldschooling: Where to Start?

    What happens to your child’s education when your family decides to travel the world? For Kent and Michelle, that was one of the biggest questions they faced before beginning their 10-month journey with their daughter, Everly. In Episode 30 of the Frenchitivity Podcast, we take a closer look at worldschooling—what it means, how we approached it, and why education became one of the most important parts of our family’s adventure. We begin by sharing a little of our story: why we chose to travel, why we chose to do it when we did, and the signs that told us our family needed more time and connection together. From there, we explore the questions so many parents have about alternative education. What’s the difference between homeschooling, roadschooling, unschooling, and worldschooling? Is there a “right” age to begin? And how do you make it work alongside your family’s responsibilities, work, and bigger vision? Michelle shares how she began researching resources before we left—and how simply asking questions at Everly’s school opened the door to an unexpected support system. But once we were on the road, something became clear: the world itself was becoming one of Everly’s greatest teachers. From castles in Portugal and ancient Greek ruins to the Great Barrier Reef, museums, aquariums, and the people we met along the way, learning began showing up in places we never could have planned. We also talk about the importance of letting your child help shape the journey, finding community through a worldschool hub, and how these experiences influenced not just Everly’s education, but our entire family. This episode isn’t about telling you there’s one right way to educate your child. It’s about sharing what we learned, the questions we asked, and the possibilities that opened up when we began looking at education a little differently. If you’ve ever wondered whether worldschooling could work for your family, this conversation is for you. ✨ FREE Worldschool Get Started Guide Michelle has created a downloadable PDF to help families begin exploring the possibilities of worldschooling. 👉 www.frenchitivity.com/worldschool 🎙️ Watch the full episode on the Frenchitivity YouTube Channel and please subscribe as we continue sharing our journey toward more intentional family living. 🎧 Listen to the Frenchitivity Podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. 🍎 If you’re listening on Apple Podcasts, we’d greatly appreciate a download, rating, and review. And if you’re listening on Spotify, please follow the podcast so you never miss an episode. Frenchitivity Instagram Page Frenchitivity YouTube Channel Frenchitivity Website & Blog Frenchitivity Podcast

  6. Aug 30

    Lauren The Hula Empress

    Can something as simple as a hula hoop change your life? For Lauren, the answer is yes—and her story is about so much more than learning how to keep a hoop spinning. On this episode of the Frenchitivity Podcast, Kent and Michelle sit down with Lauren for an inspiring conversation about her journey from depression to rediscovering happiness, purpose, movement, and joy—and the unexpected role a hula hoop played in bringing everything full circle. ⭕️ What began as a personal outlet eventually became something Lauren wanted to share with others. She took her hoops on the road for a cross-country hula hoop tour, laying them out in parks along the way and watching something beautiful happen: once she started moving, other people joined in. That same spirit of connection has grown into Lauren's work today. Drawing from her background in psychology and rehabilitation counseling, along with her experience in yoga and sound therapy, Lauren has created programs designed to help women reconnect with themselves through movement, community, and play. Her latest creation, The Purple Circle, is a community of women discovering their F.L.O.W.—an acronym and philosophy Lauren shares with us during the conversation. Through group and one-on-one sessions, co-work and movement experiences, hula hoop challenges, and skills for everyone from beginners to experienced hoopers, she's helping other women find their own path toward joy. And the impact doesn't stop there. In her professional work with people who are blind and visually impaired, Lauren has found ways to incorporate hula hoops with her clients. She's written a children's book inspired by the story of a little girl whose life is transformed by a hoop—a story with more than a little Lauren in it—and even creates her own custom, travel-friendly hula hoops. Then there's the way Lauren decided to celebrate turning 40. She stepped off a 900-foot cliff in Moab, Utah, for a BASE jump. Yes, there were hula hoops involved. ⭕️ Lauren shares why taking that leap represented so much more than an adrenaline rush and how it connected to the transformation she'd experienced in her own life. This is a conversation about mental health, movement, courage, community, play, purpose, and giving ourselves permission to rediscover joy. Lauren truly is a beacon of light—and her story is a beautiful reminder that sometimes the thing that changes our lives can come from the most unexpected place. Sometimes...life really does come full circle. ⭕️ 🎙️ Watch the full conversation on the Frenchitivity YouTube Channel and please subscribe. 🎧 Listen to the Frenchitivity Podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. 🍎 If you're listening on Apple Podcasts, please download, rate, and review the show. We'd greatly appreciate your support! 🎧 Listening on Spotify? Please follow the Frenchitivity Podcast so you never miss an episode. Frenchitivity Instagram Page Frenchitivity YouTube Channel Frenchitivity Website & Blog Frenchitivity Podcast

  7. Aug 23

    Thailand Part 4: Treehouses, Elephants & Wild Khao Sok

    What does an 8-year-old ask for when she's celebrating her birthday halfway around the world? For Everly, it was pretty simple: sleep in a treehouse and hang out with elephants. 🌳🐘 In Episode 28 of the Frenchitivity Podcast, Kent and Michelle wrap up their four-part journey through Thailand with one final adventure in spectacular Khao Sok National Park. Their home base? A treehouse resort built among ancient trees and towering rock formations—complete with some very curious (and occasionally too curious!) monkeys roaming the property. 🐒 What started with an unexpected accommodation problem ultimately became a blessing in disguise and another reminder that some of the best travel stories begin when things don't go according to plan. From there, the family explores Khao Sok Village, Khao Sok National Park, and ventures onto the breathtaking waters of Cheow Lan Lake by traditional long-tail boat. Limestone cliffs, jungle hikes, caves, floating bungalows and swimming in impossibly beautiful surroundings make this one of the most visually spectacular experiences of their time in Thailand. But at the heart of the episode is Everly's 8th birthday wish. The family visits an elephant sanctuary where Kent, Michelle and Everly learn about rescued elephants before meeting Orathai, a gentle and curious female elephant. Feeding her by hand, giving her a mud scrub, and joining her in the water becomes an experience—and birthday celebration—they'll never forget. Along the way, there are plenty of laughs, travel lessons, unexpected encounters and reflections on what made Thailand such an important chapter of their 10-month journey around the world. And after four episodes exploring Phuket, Khao Lak, Elephant Hills, Ao Nang, Koh Lanta, the Phi Phi Islands and Khao Sok, Kent and Michelle look back at the people, experiences and lessons that made the Land of Smiles so difficult to leave. Then it's time to pack the bags again… 🇦🇺 Next stop: Australia! 🎙️ Watch the full episode on the Frenchitivity YouTube Channel and please subscribe as the journey around the world continues. 🎧 Listen to the Frenchitivity Podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. ✨ Don't forget to download Michelle's FREE Thailand Family Travel Guide, packed with recommendations, itineraries, and tips from our journey. www.frenchitivity.com/thailand-4 #KhaoSok #ThailandTravel #ThailandWithKids #KhaoSokNationalPark #CheowLanLake #FamilyTravel #ElephantSanctuary #ThailandFamilyTravel #TravelWithKids #ThailandAdventure #Worldschooling #SlowTravel #Frenchitivity #FrenchitivityPodcast #TravelPodcast Frenchitivity Instagram Page Frenchitivity YouTube Channel Frenchitivity Website & Blog Frenchitivity Podcast

  8. Aug 16

    A Taste for Adventure with Megan Hall

    What happens when two scientists with a love of wine, food, family, and adventure decide they don't want to experience the world from a hotel room? On Episode 27 of the Frenchitivity Podcast, Kent and Michelle sit down with Megan Hall—a wife, mother of two, wine scientist, professor, lifelong traveler, and founder of Terroir Adventure Travel. Megan and her husband Alex met while studying wine at Cornell University, and travel has been woven into their relationship ever since. Just six months after getting married, they packed up and moved to Tasmania for six months. After becoming parents, the adventures didn't stop—they simply evolved. When their oldest child was two, they bought a pop-up camper. Since then, their family has camped through more than 40 national, state, and county parks and national forests. And their love of camping doesn't stop at the U.S. border. One of their favorite adventures took them on a 1,200-mile camping trip through five of France's major wine regions with their two kids. More recently, the family explored Egypt and traveled down the Nile. For Megan and Alex, where they stay is an important part of how they travel. Whether it's a campground or a local guesthouse, they intentionally seek experiences that bring them closer to the people, food, landscape, and culture of a destination. Megan says camping has a unique ability to reset their family and reconnect them with one another. We also dive into Megan and Alex's fascinating careers in wine science—from vineyards and winemaking to microbiology, plant pathology and grapevine disease research. Today, they teach wine studies together, bringing the science, history, agriculture, and culture of wine into the classroom. And yes...we also learn how two food and wine scientists approach a BLT. Let's just say Alex's homemade BELTinvolves home-smoked bacon, eggs from their own chickens, and lettuce and tomatoes from the garden. 🥓🍳🍅 Finally, Megan shares the next chapter of her journey: Terroir Adventure Travel. In the wine world, terroir describes the relationship between land, soil, climate, history, culture, people, and food. Megan is taking that same philosophy and applying it to travel—creating intimate, immersive small-group experiences designed to help travelers truly understand the places they're visiting. She personally experiences every itinerary before offering it, partners with local guides, and limits each group to just eight travelers—creating space for curiosity, conversation, connection, and community. This conversation is about family travel, camping abroad, wine, food, science, entrepreneurship, and choosing to experience a destination rather than simply pass through it. Because sometimes traveling deeper doesn't mean going farther. It means getting closer. 🎙 The Frenchitivity Podcast releases new episodes every Sunday. 📺 Watch the full conversation on the Frenchitivity YouTube Channel and please subscribe. 🎧 Listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. 🍎 If you're listening on Apple Podcasts, we'd greatly appreciate a download, rating, and review. And if you're listening on Spotify, please follow the Frenchitivity Podcast so you never miss an episode. Frenchitivity Instagram Page Frenchitivity YouTube Channel Frenchitivity Website & Blog Frenchitivity Podcast

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About

Welcome to the Frenchitivity Podcast!We are a family of three (Michelle, Kent and our then 7 year-old daughter Everly) who stepped away from conventional lives to travel the world for a year!  Here you will find: - How and why we decided to take a leap of faith - Stories from our travels - The facinating people we interviewed - Our discovery of world schooling - The lessons we learned along the way First, what exactly is Frenchitivity?? It is a philosophy and now a way of life that follows three main principles...Possibility, Creativity and Tranquility. It was born from a family of three...Kent, Michelle and Everly (7yrs) French. Kent has enjoyed a TV broadcast career that has spanned over 20 years with the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Angels. Michelle owned an events company for 15 years specializing in Galas and Charity Walks for major Southern California non-profits. Everly, their 7 year old daughter, is beyond her years and wants to be a an artist when she grows up!The Frenchitivity Podcast then puts the spotlight on those who have chased Possibility with Creativity to find Tranquility! On this Podcast you will experience:-Chronicles of our family adventure-Stories of other individuals, couples, and families who have "sold it all" to seek memories that will last a life time! -Journey's of small businesses who have chased their dream with "no plan B".So enjoy stories of inspiration, bravery, hardship, and love that all provide the foundation for a the Frenchitivity Podcast! Come with us!

Information

  • Creator
    Frenchitivity | Kent & Michelle French
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    34
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 FRENCHITIVITY - A Family Travel Podcast
  • Show Website
    FRENCHITIVITY - A Family Travel Podcast