Holding Patterns

Ashton Arnold
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What if you’re not lost, just living in a part of the story no one talks about? Holding Patterns is a podcast about the in-between. The messy, undefined seasons of life where nothing quite makes sense. Hosted by Ashton Arnold, a deeply curious traveler who is carving out a life beyond the conventional path. Ashton leads guests through the kind of conversations you have sitting in a parked car or around a campfire. The ones that get honest, intimate, and are rooted in what it actually means to be human. This show is for people who’ve felt unsure, off-course, or like they’re making it up as they go. Each episode features a conversation with someone who’s built a life outside the typical script, unpacking the moments where success felt out of reach. From travel and relationships to money and mental health, nothing’s off-limits. Holding Patterns is here to remind you that you’re not behind, you’re not alone, and you’re allowed to figure it out your own way.

Episódios

  1. há 4 dias

    9. The Process is the Point | A Master's Thesis on the In-Between

    This week’s guest is one of my best friends, Lexi Sullens. Lexi is a teacher, a two-time master's graduate, and someone who has spent the last several years building a life between Spain and the US. We met while studying abroad in Sevilla in the spring of 2021, and five years later, we're still finding our way through holding patterns together. This episode is a fun mix of sharing our friendship lore (including our Michelin restaurant dinner) and unpacking how Lexi’s master's thesis is basically the framework for Holding Patterns. Lexi shares what the past five years have looked like, from Fulbright rejection to teaching English through NALCAP, navigating a difficult year living alone while teaching at a boarding school, and completing two master's degrees. She also shares genuinely helpful insights for anyone curious about teaching abroad or looking for affordable paths to graduate school. We talk about the difference between linear and cyclical time, why uncertainty (not the waiting itself) is usually the hardest part, and how easy it is to mistake an in-between season for failure instead of seeing it as part of the process. Along the way, we get into what it actually costs to push through a difficult season just to prove you can, and the small, unglamorous things that help you make it through: a gratitude list, a scheduled call with a friend, a yoga mat you haven't unrolled in weeks. This conversation is about learning to trust the process when you can't yet see where it's leading, and choosing to be present instead of constantly chasing what's next. ______________________________________________ Holding Patterns Instagram Here! (https://www.instagram.com/holdingpatternspod?igsh=MXB1ajk3ZHhwdjYxMg%3D%3D) Cover art by Remy Arnold (https://www.instagram.com/remyarnoldxo?igsh=dWx3aWJsMmZheWNx) Music by penguinmusic - Better Day from Pixabay

    1h 5min

  2. 17 de jun.

    8. Trying to Manufacture Certainty | A Perfectionist’s Guide to Coloring Outside the Lines

    This week, my friend Kate and I are talking about our obsession with certainty, and all the ways we try to create it when life refuses to give it to us. Kate is an Outward Bound instructor and middle school English teacher. Outside of her professional endeavors, she defines herself as an enthusiast of escaping into the wilderness and an advocate for earnestness.  From chasing achievement and validation to planning our lives down to the smallest detail, it's easy to convince ourselves that if we can just figure out the "right" path, we'll finally feel settled. But what if the very thing we're searching for is keeping us stuck? We chat about perfectionism (eldest daughters, this one's for you), achievement as a source of self-worth, and how our surroundings shape what we believe success is supposed to look like. Along the way, we discuss following the energy of people who inspire us, how passion projects can turn into something real, and why the chaos we're often trying to avoid may actually contain the outcome we're hoping for. This conversation is really about the tension between competing desires, the voice that wants security and the voice that wants adventure, and how to decide which one gets the final say. And finally, a simple question: if your younger self could see the life you're building today, what would make them proud? _______________________________________________ Holding Patterns Instagram Here! (https://www.instagram.com/holdingpatternspod?igsh=MXB1ajk3ZHhwdjYxMg%3D%3D) Cover art by Remy Arnold (https://www.instagram.com/remyarnoldxo?igsh=dWx3aWJsMmZheWNx) Music by penguinmusic - Better Day from Pixabay

    56 min

  3. 3 de jun.

    7. A Life Built Around Leaving | Using Travel to Cope, Mental Health & Knowing When to Stay

    This episode is for anyone who has wondered what it actually means to live the "traveler" lifestyle for years at a time. Today, I have my friend Andi Borden on the podcast. She has spent the majority of her adulthood living a very nomadic life; many titles can be used to describe her: chef, baker, activist, tree-planting cook, shelter worker…honestly, the list goes on. She's someone who has truly lived a thousand lives, and this conversation reflects that. We get into all of it. How travel can start as a goal and slowly become the only coping mechanism you know. The way moving countries can silence depression and anxiety just long enough to keep going, until you finally have to stop and sit with it. What it feels like to belong everywhere and nowhere at the same time, and why the people who don't travel will never quite understand your life, and why you'll never quite understand theirs either. We also talk about the moment you realize you're tired. Not of travel, but of running. And what it actually looks like to choose to settle down when your whole identity has been built around leaving. This is one of my favorite conversations I've had on this podcast yet. If you've ever sat with that deep, 3 am kind of question…Am I doing the right thing? Am I running from something? Is any of this adding up to what I think it is? I think you’re going to get a lot out of this one. _______________________________________________ Holding Patterns Instagram Here! (https://www.instagram.com/holdingpatternspod?igsh=MXB1ajk3ZHhwdjYxMg%3D%3D) Cover art by Remy Arnold (https://www.instagram.com/remyarnoldxo?igsh=dWx3aWJsMmZheWNx) Music by penguinmusic - Better Day from Pixabay

    1h 4min

  4. 13 de mai.

    6. Confidence Before Competence | Solo Travel, Loneliness & Reinvention

    In this episode of Holding Patterns, I chat with my friend and fellow tour guide, Regan Fox, to talk about solo travel, loneliness, the excitement of uncertainty, and the strange beauty of not having life figured out. Regan shares the winding path that took her from studying environmental management in Florida to living in Bakersfield, California, traveling solo through Morocco and Europe, working seasonal jobs across the U.S., and eventually guiding trips through national parks. Together, we reflect on: Learning to be alone without feeling lonelyWhy uncertainty can become an opportunity instead of a fearThe freedom (and chaos) of solo travelSeasonal work, transient lifestyles, and constantly starting overThe pressure of “having a plan” in your 20sFinding peace in stability after years of movementWhy confidence often comes before competenceTrusting that every experience is shaping you into who you’re becoming_______________________________________________ Holding Patterns Instagram Here! (https://www.instagram.com/holdingpatternspod?igsh=MXB1ajk3ZHhwdjYxMg%3D%3D) Cover art by Remy Arnold (https://www.instagram.com/remyarnoldxo?igsh=dWx3aWJsMmZheWNx) Music by penguinmusic - Better Day from Pixabay

    55 min

  5. 29 de abr.

    5. The Heartbeat Analogy | Highs & Lows of Life Abroad

    In this episode of Holding Patterns, I sit down with Nico Iriondo, a friend I met while working at a ski resort in New Zealand. We have a really honest conversation about life abroad, identity, and what happens when you keep stepping into the unknown. Nico has spent the last six years traveling the world, visiting over 70 countries, and living through multiple versions of himself. From corporate marketing professional, to full-time backpacker, to someone now navigating what it looks like to return home and rebuild life again in Colombia. We discuss the tension between stability and freedom, and what it really means to leave one life behind for another. At the center of this episode is the heartbeat analogy from Episode 1. It is a reminder that life isn’t meant to be flat and predictable, but full of highs and lows that shape who we become.  _______________________________________________ Holding Patterns Instagram Here! (https://www.instagram.com/holdingpatternspod?igsh=MXB1ajk3ZHhwdjYxMg%3D%3D) Cover art by Remy Arnold (https://www.instagram.com/remyarnoldxo?igsh=dWx3aWJsMmZheWNx) Music by penguinmusic - Better Day from Pixabay_______________________________________________ (00:00) Welcome to Holding Patterns (01:31) Meet Nico (03:34) Family Roots and the Wake-Up Call (05:02) Motorcycle Trip Sparks Change (06:45) Booking the One Way Leap (08:36) The Impact of Fear (12:24) Hakuna Matata Omen (14:35) Backpacking Highs and Lows (16:21) The Heartbeat Analogy (21:33) COVID Pause and Corporate Return (22:40) Australian Working Holiday Visa (23:31) Second Leap Abroad (24:20) Backpacking Fatigue (25:44) Jumping into the Unknown Again (28:17) Corporate Comfort Trap (30:07) Life Is Short Wakeup (31:33) New Boxes to Check (33:28) Buying the Ticket (37:46) Friends Are Family (41:03) Reverse Culture Shock (42:50) Redefining Success (45:44) Advice to Younger Self (47:08) Goodbyes

    48 min

  6. 15 de abr.

    4. Let Go or Stay Stuck | Dealing with Rejection & Finding Community

    In this episode, I sit down with my friend Caroline Kane, whom I met in New Zealand, and she has been expanding my perspective and world ever since! From Fort Collins, Colorado, Caroline created a career path for herself within wildland fire. She has spent years moving between seasonal roles, including guiding, working on chainsaw crews and prescribed burns, often living in tents, working long seasons, and navigating the industry as one of the few women in the field. After a season in Colorado, she found herself in a holding pattern shaped by funding cuts and repeated grad school rejections. She was faced with uncertainty, fear, and the pressure of not knowing what would come next. What carried her through was community and learning to let go of the plan she thought she needed. Her story highlights the power of persistence, letting go of rigid expectations, and the community that can come from an unconventional path. _______________________________________________ Holding Patterns Instagram Here! (https://www.instagram.com/holdingpatternspod?igsh=MXB1ajk3ZHhwdjYxMg%3D%3D) Cover art by Remy Arnold (https://www.instagram.com/remyarnoldxo?igsh=dWx3aWJsMmZheWNx) Music by penguinmusic - Better Day from Pixabay

    45 min

  7. 1 de abr.

    3. Uncertainty Means Freedom | Trusting Yourself Through Fear

    In this episode, I sit down with one of my best friends and my favorite Argentinian, Madalen Azpeitia. We met working at a heli-ski lodge and later reunited in Nelson, BC. Madi shares her upbringing in a close, immigrant-rooted Argentinian family and strong cultural expectations to attend university and follow a conventional path. After studying international relations and then law, Madi’s holistic therapy work (including Reiki and family-tree-focused emotional work) helped her confront anxiety, build self-love, and close the chapter on pursuing a degree despite social pressure. We discuss her fear and loneliness before buying a one-way ticket to Spain in 2022, traveling through Portugal, securing a New Zealand working holiday visa, withdrawing a sponsorship application due to unhappiness, and moving to Canada in 2024. Madi reflects on high-quality relationships formed through travel, entering a new “in-between” while building a life with her partner, and celebrating uncertainty as a space for choice. _______________________________________________ Holding Patterns Instagram Here! (https://www.instagram.com/holdingpatternspod?igsh=MXB1ajk3ZHhwdjYxMg%3D%3D) Cover art by Remy Arnold (https://www.instagram.com/remyarnoldxo?igsh=dWx3aWJsMmZheWNx) Music by penguinmusic - Better Day from Pixabay

    44 min

  8. 1 de abr.

    2. Sometimes You Just Need Your Mom | Learning To Embrace New Beginnings

    In this episode, I speak with my roommate/soul sister/friend, Brittany Nutt, a registered massage therapist and energy worker who previously worked as a tree planter for 10 years. Britt shares her experience growing up in a small rural BC town as the youngest of three, shaped by financial stress and a strong sense of independence. She describes a difficult period after ending relationships, feeling isolated on Vancouver Island, and experiencing her deepest depression. She felt a need for major change, moved off the island to her mother’s home in the Okanagan, and spent a month in a “holding pattern” before starting a heli-ski lodge job in Bella Coola where we met. We discuss coping tools—movement, nutrition, therapy, and friendship—and how the experience strengthened her trust in inner knowing and life’s process._______________________________________________Britt's Instagram Here! (https://www.instagram.com/brittnuttsy?igsh=MWkwM3hlMmliYjhraA==) Holding Patterns Instagram Here! (https://www.instagram.com/holdingpatternspod?igsh=MXB1ajk3ZHhwdjYxMg%3D%3D) Cover art by Remy Arnold (https://www.instagram.com/remyarnoldxo?igsh=dWx3aWJsMmZheWNx) Music by penguinmusic - Better Day from Pixabay

    49 min

  9. 1 de abr.

    1. The Seasons I Didn’t Plan For | A Solo Episode

    Welcome to Holding Patterns! This first episode of the podcast is a bit different than the rest - it's a solo one. I am diving into the origin of Holding Patterns and the motivation behind this creative endeavor. Additionally, I discuss feeling stuck after university, how relationships and conversations broadened my perspective, and a heartbeat analogy I learned from a friend in New Zealand about highs and lows as proof of being alive. I outline my background (Colorado, business school, Spain, NZ, Canada, tour guiding) and how studying abroad led me away from a traditional corporate path into travel and seasonal work. I describe major holding periods: losing plans to return to Spain, four difficult months at home, struggling for work in Canada, and I share coping tools, including journaling, leaning on friends/family, therapy, movement, and reflection, ending with Tara Mohr’s poem “The Rhythm.” _______________________________________________ Holding Patterns Instagram Here! (https://www.instagram.com/holdingpatternspod?igsh=MXB1ajk3ZHhwdjYxMg%3D%3D) Cover art by Remy Arnold (https://www.instagram.com/remyarnoldxo?igsh=dWx3aWJsMmZheWNx)Music by penguinmusic - Better Day from Pixabay

    48 min
  • 9 episódios

Sobre

What if you’re not lost, just living in a part of the story no one talks about? Holding Patterns is a podcast about the in-between. The messy, undefined seasons of life where nothing quite makes sense. Hosted by Ashton Arnold, a deeply curious traveler who is carving out a life beyond the conventional path. Ashton leads guests through the kind of conversations you have sitting in a parked car or around a campfire. The ones that get honest, intimate, and are rooted in what it actually means to be human. This show is for people who’ve felt unsure, off-course, or like they’re making it up as they go. Each episode features a conversation with someone who’s built a life outside the typical script, unpacking the moments where success felt out of reach. From travel and relationships to money and mental health, nothing’s off-limits. Holding Patterns is here to remind you that you’re not behind, you’re not alone, and you’re allowed to figure it out your own way.

Informações

  • Criado por
    Ashton Arnold
  • Anos de atividade
    2 mil
  • Episódios
    9
  • Classificação
    Explícito
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Ashton Arnold