Paths

Paths
  • 4.9 (10)
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Through conversations with inspiring guests from around the world, I highlight stories of adventure, creativity, and business. Each episode offers a chance to reflect, find gentle inspiration and more reasons to feel optimistic about the world. Follow along on Instagram @paths_pod

  1. Adam Pawlikiewicz Mesa on Bikepacking, Storytelling, and Building an Intentional Life

    5D AGO

    Adam Pawlikiewicz Mesa on Bikepacking, Storytelling, and Building an Intentional Life

    Adam Pawlikiewicz Mesa is a filmmaker, photographer, endurance athlete, and bikepacker whose work grows out of long days on the road and a deep curiosity about people, place, and movement. Before starting a career in consulting at a big firm, Adam completed his first bikepacking journey across the U.S., an experience that quietly reshaped how he thought about effort, vulnerability, and direction. He went on to work in consulting for two years, but that early journey never really left him. In this conversation, we talk about Adam’s early influences, the years between that first bikepacking trip and the work people know today, and the decision to leave a secure career to start over creatively. We explore bikepacking historic routes in Peru and Brazil, endurance sports as a form of self-exploration, partnership on the road, and the responsibility that comes with telling stories about people and places that are often misunderstood or overlooked. This is a conversation about curiosity, uncertainty, and learning how to build a life that feels honest over the long haul. Follow AdamInstagram @adamonthegoadampawlikiewicz.com If you enjoyed this episode, please consider sharing it with a friend, subscribing, and signing up for my newsletter at pathspodcast.com to get updates on new episodes. Connect on: Instagram: @paths_pod LinkedIn: Paths Podcast Listen and subscribe on: Spotify Apple Podcasts

    1h 28m
  2. Running 20,000 km Across Asia and Europe: Ria Xi on Training, Logistics, Rest, and Human-Powered Travel

    12/25/2025

    Running 20,000 km Across Asia and Europe: Ria Xi on Training, Logistics, Rest, and Human-Powered Travel

    What does it actually take to prepare for a 20,000 kilometer run across continents? In this short episode, Ria Xi breaks down how she’s preparing to run from Russia to Portugal, averaging roughly 50 kilometers a day for over a year. She talks through how she approaches training, recovery, logistics, and mental preparation, and why breaking an overwhelming goal into small, repeatable steps makes it feel possible. She also shares why running felt like the most natural way to cross Asia and Europe, and how she’s thinking about support, community, and sustainability on the road. A grounded, practical look at preparing for a truly extreme human-powered journey. Listen to the full conversation here! Follow Ria and support her next adventure:  Instagram: @whereisriax Website: 20000km.com If you enjoyed this episode, please consider sharing it with a friend, subscribing, and signing up for my newsletter at pathspodcast.com to get updates on new episodes. Connect on: Instagram: @paths_pod LinkedIn: Paths Podcast Listen and subscribe on: Spotify Apple Podcasts

    13 min
  3. Ria Xi on Agency, Pilgrimage, and the Long Road From the Camino to a 20,000km Continental Run

    12/18/2025

    Ria Xi on Agency, Pilgrimage, and the Long Road From the Camino to a 20,000km Continental Run

    Ria Xi on Agency, Pilgrimage, and the Long Road From the Camino to a 20,000km Continental Run Ria Xi has spent the last two years pulling her life apart and rebuilding it entirely on her own terms. She left a tech career in California, stepped away from the version of success she once thought she was supposed to want, and slowly discovered something she never expected: running as a path toward agency, direction, and self-trust. In this episode, she talks openly about moving to Portugal, finding community after years of drifting, why she’s drawn to extreme challenges, and what it feels like to be in the quiet space between a major accomplishment and the biggest adventure of her life. She recently ran 780 kilometres of the Camino de Santiago and is now preparing for an almost unimaginable project: running 20,000 kilometres from Russia to Portugal. But this isn’t a conversation about distance — it’s about agency, identity, loneliness, self-worth, and building a life that feels like it belongs to you. Ria shares the inner battles she’s faced and why running became her way of stepping back into her own power. It’s a thoughtful, honest journey through what it means to choose your own life. Follow Ria and support her next adventure:  Instagram: @whereisriax Website: 20000km.com If you enjoyed this episode, please consider sharing it with a friend, subscribing, and signing up for my newsletter at pathspodcast.com to get updates on new episodes. Connect on: Instagram: @paths_pod LinkedIn: Paths Podcast Listen and subscribe on: SpotifyApple Podcasts

    1h 16m
  4. Why We Seek Community in the Wild — with Sophie Nolan

    12/11/2025

    Why We Seek Community in the Wild — with Sophie Nolan

    Why do people sign up for group adventures with complete strangers? In this short segment, Sophie talks about the unexpected community that grows on Sidetracked trips — how shared effort, simplicity, and the Arctic cold can bring people closer than they expect. She explains why these connections form so quickly, what people are really searching for, and why returning to the outdoors often feels like returning to ourselves. It’s a reflection on belonging, challenge, and the surprising ways people reconnect when the noise of everyday life falls away. Check out Sophie’s stuff: Instagram @soph_nolan_ and @sidetracked_adventure Website sidetrackedadventures.co.uk If you enjoyed this episode, please consider sharing it with a friend, subscribing, and signing up for my newsletter at pathspodcast.com to get updates on new episodes. Connect on: Instagram: @paths_pod LinkedIn: Paths Podcast Listen and subscribe on: Spotify Apple Podcasts

    5 min
  5. Sophie Nolan on Building an Adventure Travel Company, Designing a Life Outdoors, and the Power of Community in Nature

    12/04/2025

    Sophie Nolan on Building an Adventure Travel Company, Designing a Life Outdoors, and the Power of Community in Nature

    Sophie Nolan built Sidetracked Adventures from a simple desire to share the wild places she loved. In this conversation, she reflects on how she shaped a life around the outdoors, curiosity, and community. We talk about her early pull toward nature, the years she spent searching for a different path, and how guiding people into remote landscapes has changed her understanding of connection, comfort, and ambition. Sophie also shares what it’s really like to run an adventure company in a fast-paced world, how she learned to trust her own voice, and why people keep returning to wilderness experiences even as modern life becomes more digital and convenient. It’s a grounded, honest look at building a life that matches your values. Check out Sophie’s stuff: Instagram @soph_nolan_ and @sidetracked_adventure Website sidetrackedadventures.co.uk If you enjoyed this episode, please consider sharing it with a friend, subscribing, and signing up for my newsletter at pathspodcast.com to get updates on new episodes. Connect on: Instagram: @paths_pod LinkedIn: Paths Podcast Listen and subscribe on: Spotify Apple Podcasts

    1h 6m
  6. How the 2004 Tsunami Shaped Jonis Strom's Outlook on Life

    11/27/2025

    How the 2004 Tsunami Shaped Jonis Strom's Outlook on Life

    In this short segment, Jonathan reflects on the 2004 tsunami in Thailand, which he and his family survived when he was just fourteen. He talks about how the experience reshaped his outlook on life, influenced the risks he was willing to take, and even guided the creative decisions he makes today as a filmmaker and photographer. It’s a brief but moving conversation about clarity, perspective, and the way certain moments stay with us long after they pass. Check out Jonathan’s stuff Instagram: @jonisstrom solkattstudios.com Connect on: Instagram: @paths_pod LinkedIn: Paths Podcast Listen and subscribe on: Spotify Apple Podcasts

    12 min
  7. Jonis Strom's Creative Path: Surfing in Sweden, Surviving a Tsunami and Finding Filmmaking

    11/20/2025

    Jonis Strom's Creative Path: Surfing in Sweden, Surviving a Tsunami and Finding Filmmaking

    Jonathan Strömberg (or Jonis Strom) grew up on the Swedish coast, where surfing is cold, rare, and hard to access, yet it shaped his entire life. In this episode, he shares how an unexpected surf community helped him discover filmmaking and photography, and how surviving the 2004 tsunami in Thailand reframed his sense of time, purpose, and risk. We talk about his creative journey from music school in London to bluffing his way into a filmmaking career, traveling the world with his girlfriend Sara, and creating his award-winning short documentary Buoyancy. Jonathan reflects on creativity in 2025, navigating a crowded digital world, and trusting himself to figure things out along the way. Check out Jonathan’s stuff Instagram: @jonisstrom solkattstudios.com Connect on: Instagram: @paths_pod LinkedIn: Paths Podcast Listen and subscribe to the podcast on: Spotify Apple Podcasts

    1h 19m
  8. Shorts: Just Do the Thing! Elspeth Beard on Discovering What You’re Capable Of

    11/13/2025

    Shorts: Just Do the Thing! Elspeth Beard on Discovering What You’re Capable Of

    In this short segment, Elspeth Beard talks about how the hardest moments on her motorcycle journey around the world shaped her character. Breaking down in the desert, falling off the bike, getting sick, fixing everything alone built a kind of “unshakable confidence.” The same strength later helped Elspeth take on new challenges, like buying and restoring the 130-foot water tower she now lives in. This is a reminder that growth doesn’t always happen in the big moments, but when we quietly prove to ourselves that we can handle whatever comes next. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider subscribing and check out the full episode on: Spotify Apple Podcasts Connect on: Instagram: @paths_pod LinkedIn: Paths Podcast Follow Elspeth @elspethbeard and check out elspethbeard.com to find her book.

    7 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.9
out of 5
10 Ratings

About

Through conversations with inspiring guests from around the world, I highlight stories of adventure, creativity, and business. Each episode offers a chance to reflect, find gentle inspiration and more reasons to feel optimistic about the world. Follow along on Instagram @paths_pod

Information

  • Creator
    Paths
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    55
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Paths
  • Show Website
    Paths