Props with Pop

becca stapp

Real-world advice from Becs & Pop: a dynamic family duo made up of a thoughtful millennial and a wise old soul. Together, they dive into real-life stories, scenarios, and situations, offering their unique takes and sharing their life experiences. From friendship dilemmas and relationship drama, to marriage challenges and everything in-between, no topic is off-limits. But it’s not all about drama, Becs & Pop also share their passion for practical knowledge, drawn from their favorite hobbies and love for the great outdoors. Whether it’s outdoor tips, life lessons, or navigating life’s twists and turns, their goal is simple: to help people find their way. With a deep appreciation for nature and the beauty of state and national parks, they combine a fresh perspective with timeless wisdom, making this show relatable for listeners of all ages (13+). Tune in for a dose of advice, adventure, and a whole lot of heart, Becs & Pop are here to help you navigate life’s highs, lows, and everything in-between! Please email propswithpop@gmail.com if you’d like advice or have a story to share, Becs & Pop are always ready to listen and offer their advice! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. MAR 1

    Episode 54: Stranded Along the Madre de Dios - Part 3

    This week on Props with Pop, Becs & Pops are wrapping up their deep dive into Ruthless River by Holly FitzGerald. Picking up on on February 23rd, 1973, Holly and Fitz are five days stranded in a flooded Amazon forest, trapped in a dead end logjam, their Pink Palace barely holding together.  Planes have passed overhead without turning back. Escape attempts have looped them in circles. By the time this episode begins, survival is no longer about reaching Riberalta, Bolivia. It is about making it through one more day. In this episode, we cover: Repeated swim and paddle attempts through the submerged Amazon forest that brings them right back to where they startedRationing sugar by teaspoons and stretching coffee into pure moraleEating frogs, snails, berries, and eventually baby birds in a devastating moral crossroadsFitz losing his wedding ring in the river and breaking downSevere physical deterioration as they grow skeletal, dizzy, and dangerously weakStorms and swarms of bees battering their fragile Pink PalaceThe moment two Indigenous turtle hunters finally discover them on Day 26 After their rescue and recovery, they made the remarkable decision to continue their yearlong honeymoon, traveling across Europe, Asia, and Africa before eventually returning home to build their life and family. What an incredible story.  If you have a story you want Props with Pop to cover, please email us at propswithpop@gmail.com.  Follow us on social: Instagram: PropswithPopFacebook: PropswithPopReddit: PropswithPopX: @TotalGDaddyMoveGmail: Propswithpop@gmail.com  Podcast theme music by Transistor.fm. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    34 min
  2. FEB 22

    Episode 53: Stranded Along the Madre de Dios - Part 2

    In Part 2 of our deep dive into Ruthless River by Holly FitzGerald, we pick up with Holly and Gerald William FitzGerald drifting down the Madre de Dios River, still riding the high of survival and convinced the river is guiding them safely toward Riberalta, Bolivia. Before the chaos unfolds, we explore the river itself. The Madre de Dios, meaning Mother of God, was once called Amarumayo, the River of the Serpents, by Indigenous communities because of its twisting, unpredictable path. It stretches more than 700 miles through Peru and Bolivia and ultimately feeds into the greater Amazon basin. It is powerful, remote, and anything but forgiving. What begins in “Huck Finn mode,” inspired by Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, quickly unravels. In this episode, we cover: Being shot at by border guards when arriving at the Heath River checkpoint in the darkAn invasive search that leaves them shaken and without key suppliesBrutal heat that turns the Pink Palace into a floating ovenA violent nighttime storm that rips their shelter apart and fire antsGetting swept into a flooded dead end logjam with almost no food leftAbandoning the Pink Palace to paddle for survival on a tiny raftSpotting a plane overhead that never circles back By February 23rd, they are five days stranded, starving, exhausted, and clinging to hope. Part 3 is where everything changes. Follow us on social: Instagram: PropswithPopFacebook: PropswithPopReddit: PropswithPopX: @TotalGDaddyMoveGmail: Propswithpop@gmail.com  Podcast theme music by Transistor.fm. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    27 min
  3. FEB 15

    Episode 52: Stranded Along the Madre de Dios - Part 1

    In this episode, we’re diving into the unbelievable true survival story told in Ruthless River by Holly FitzGerald, a book I truly could not put down. It is an exciting, heart pounding, and deeply inspiring account of how a dream honeymoon turned into a fight for survival in the Amazon jungle.  Holly and her husband, Gerald William FitzGerald, known as Fitz, set out to travel the world on a modest budget. They never imagined that their trip of a lifetime could have been their last. Before we get into the chaos of the jungle, we are unpacking the backstory of Holly and Fitz. From a chance meeting at a Halloween party in Boston in 1969 to marrying just five months later, their love story is bold from the very beginning.  They saved carefully from their modest jobs, Holly as a counselor and teacher and Fitz as a journalist, in order to fund a yearlong honeymoon traveling the globe. What started as an ambitious backpacking journey through South America slowly transformed into something far more dangerous. In Part 1, we cover the major turning points that shifted their honeymoon into survival mode: Fighting through a desperate crowd to secure seats on a small plane leaving the Peruvian jungleSurviving a terrifying plane crash landing in a remote clearingDiscovering that the crash site was actually a Peruvian penal colony surrounded by some of the country’s most dangerous inmatesRealizing they had missed the last commercial boat out of Puerto MaldonadoMaking the bold decision to build a handmade raft and float nearly 500 miles down the Madre de Dios River By the end of this episode, Holly and Fitz are launching their bright pink tarp covered raft, “The Pink Palace,” into a rising and unpredictable river, convinced it will carry them safely to Bolivia. What they do not yet understand is that the river has other plans. Part 2 covers their first five days on the river. Part 3 dives into the unimaginable ordeal that followed and the rescue that brought them home. Follow us on social: Instagram: PropswithPopFacebook: PropswithPopReddit: PropswithPopX: @TotalGDaddyMoveGmail: Propswithpop@gmail.com  Podcast theme music by Transistor.fm. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    31 min

Ratings & Reviews

3
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Real-world advice from Becs & Pop: a dynamic family duo made up of a thoughtful millennial and a wise old soul. Together, they dive into real-life stories, scenarios, and situations, offering their unique takes and sharing their life experiences. From friendship dilemmas and relationship drama, to marriage challenges and everything in-between, no topic is off-limits. But it’s not all about drama, Becs & Pop also share their passion for practical knowledge, drawn from their favorite hobbies and love for the great outdoors. Whether it’s outdoor tips, life lessons, or navigating life’s twists and turns, their goal is simple: to help people find their way. With a deep appreciation for nature and the beauty of state and national parks, they combine a fresh perspective with timeless wisdom, making this show relatable for listeners of all ages (13+). Tune in for a dose of advice, adventure, and a whole lot of heart, Becs & Pop are here to help you navigate life’s highs, lows, and everything in-between! Please email propswithpop@gmail.com if you’d like advice or have a story to share, Becs & Pop are always ready to listen and offer their advice! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.