Great Escape Radio

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”― Mark Twain Great Escape Radio host, Jody Maberry and Great Escape Publishing Director, Lori Allen discuss what’s on Lori’s mind right now. Always having her finger on the pulse of what’s happening at Great Escape Publishing, Lori’s constantly looking for...

“Take off on a quest or a personal search until you find yourself. You either find yourself or decide to go home.”--Bel Woodhouse Great Escape Radio host, Jody Maberry and Great Escape Publishing Director, Lori Allen introduce us to Bel Woodhouse. “Bel is quite the spitfire,” says Lori. “She’s an ex-Navy kick butt woman!” Bel makes an indelible impression on everyone she meets. With her combination of British and Australian slang, she inspired the attendees at last September’s Ultimate...

“Taking pictures is like tiptoeing into the kitchen late at night and stealing Oreo cookies.”—Diane Arbus Great Escape Radio host, Jody Maberry brings Elizabeth Coughlin back to the show. Elizabeth refers to herself as a geriatric nomad. For 14 years, she and her husband taught in international schools around the world—with their daughters in tow. When her husband retired, she needed something to do. She discovered Great Escape Publishing and decided to attend a photography workshop. As...

“Once you start writing about travel, you will never travel the same way again and your travels will become much richer.”—Jen Stevens Great Escape Radio host, Jody Maberry brings Jen Stevens back to the show. Jen is the Executive Editor for International Living magazine as well as the architect of the Ultimate Travel Writing Program for Great Escape Publishing. Jen shares her thoughts on travel writing… “Travel writing is arguably the best job on the planet. You’re getting paid to...

“Every time I wander a few miles from where I live, I find something new.”–Theresa St. John Great Escape Radio host, Jody Maberry brings travel writer and photographer, Theresa St. John back to the show. Theresa has been on the show previously to talk about her travel writing career which she built by starting local. She has written for 16 local publications. She shares with us her thoughts on writing about her hometown for local publications… “People often ask me if I get bored writing...

“You don’t have to know all the steps to getting where you want to be, you just have to know the next step.” ―Valerie Young Great Escape Radio host, Jody Maberry and Great Escape Publishing Director, Lori Allen introduce us to Valerie Young. Lori introduces us to Valerie… “Valerie describes herself as the “dreamer in residence” at changingcourse.com. I go to her when I have questions for people interested in transitioning to new careers.” Valerie shares her insights into what it means to...

“I went all the way across the world and realized people there are just like me.”—Jody Maberry Great Escape Radio host, Jody Maberry and Great Escape Publishing Director, Lori Allen reflect on Jody’s first international trip. Jody had never left the country before his recent trip to Kuwait. It was a “go big or go home” jump into international travel starting with 14 hours of flight. His first impression—he didn’t like it. He didn’t like flying with 300 people. He was bored and he couldn’t...

“The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.”—Chinese Proverb Great Escape Radio host, Jody Maberry welcomes Tracey Minkin, Senior Travel Editor for Coastal Living magazine back to the show. Jody and Tracey met at the Ultimate Travel Writer’s Workshop in Austin, Texas last September where they both experienced the excitement and energy of the workshop through the attendees. Tracey will be returning to the workshop again this year in Little Rock, Arkansas in...

“Social media is just a buzzword until you come up with a plan.”—Unknown Great Escape Radio host, Jody Maberry welcomes Bonnie Caton back to the podcast. At the recent Ultimate Photographer’s Workshop in St. Louis, Bonnie spoke to attendees about Instagram. Jody confesses he resisted Instagram for years even though people told him he should be there. He’s on Facebook and wasn’t sure he wanted to add another social media channel to his life. Jody’s not alone. Many people resist bringing...

“Good fortune is what happens when opportunity meets planning.”—Thomas Edison Great Escape Radio host, Jody Maberry and Great Escape Publishing Director, Lori Allen talk about the recent Ultimate Photographer’s Workshop in St. Louis, Missouri. Lori shares her thoughts on the event… “This was our 174th live event and I think it may be my favorite one yet!” From the outstanding staff at the Chase Park Plaza where the workshop was held to the enthusiastic attendees, the event was a huge...

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.”—Helen Keller Great Escape Radio host, Jody Maberry and Great Escape Publishing Director, Lori Allen talk about Jody’s first international trip. Believe it or not, Jody’s starting his experience with international travel with a trip to Kuwait. As he says, “the most exotic place I’ve ever been is Duluth, Minnesota!” Lori asks Jody what he has done to prepare for this trip. His response: “I bought a plane ticket and got a...

“You will never change your life until you change something that you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.”—John C. Maxwell Great Escape Radio host, Jody Maberry talks with Noreen Kompanik who is celebrating her 400th published article. Noreen spent 34 years in nursing before transitioning into travel writing. In just over four years, she’s written and published 400 articles. She’s often asked how she does it. “You will never change your life until you...

“I meet people and they become chapters in my stories.”—Avijeet Das Great Escape Radio host, Jody Maberry brings travel writer, Noreen Kompanik back to the show. Noreen has transitioned from a 34-year career in nursing to life as a travel writer. She attended the Ultimate Travel Writer’s Workshop in 2014 when it was in San Diego where she lives. While she loves writing articles and traveling to so many wonderful destinations, she loves even more the people she meets along the way. “What...

“Listicles are like the ‘crack’ of travel writing, we just have to read them.” –Kyle Wagner Great Escape Radio host, Jody Maberry and Great Escape Publishing Director, Lori Allen bring Kyle Wagner to the show. To listen in to a previous episode with Kyle, go here. Lori introduces us to Kyle… “Kyle has a lot of spunk and I would imagine that’s why she’s such a great travel writer. She’s enthusiastic, funny and always entertaining. And she wants people to live a full life and love what they...

“Every secret of a writer’s soul, every experience of his life, every quality of his mind, is written large in his works.”— Virginia Woolf Great Escape Radio host, Jody Maberry and Great Escape Publishing Director, Lori Allen bring Connie Pearson to the show. Lori introduces us to Connie… “Connie is this sweet Alabama Christian grandmother that has not only had several travel articles published in a variety of outlets, she also has her own blog.” Jody talks with Connie about her blog and...

“If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all: Read a lot and write a lot.”—Stephen King Great Escape Radio host, Jody Maberry and Great Escape Publishing Director, Lori Allen bring food blogger Nathan Aguilera to the show. Lori introduces us to Nathan… “Nathan is a blogger that I found when we were looking for someone who was blogging about food. I found him on Instagram and reached out to see if he would help some of Great Escape Publishing’s members that were interested...

“I don’t know where I’m going from here, but I promise it won’t be boring.”—David Bowie Great Escape Radio host, Jody Maberry and Great Escape Publishing Director, Lori Allen bring back Janette Tepas to the show. You can listen to our last episode with Janette here. In the past, people came to Great Escape Publishing to either study travel writing or photography. Generally, the two didn’t overlap. But things have changed, and Janette is a great example of that change. Janette is living...

“Less perfection. More authenticity.”—Anonymous Great Escape Radio host, Jody Maberry is joined by Breakfast Stock Club Creator, Bonnie Caton again this week. (You can listen in to the last episode with Bonnie here.) Jody talks with Bonnie about a term she uses in her photography: purposeful authentic. Bonnie shares what that means… “Thanks to social media, brands are looking to showcase real people in their advertising campaigns. They’re looking to get a peek inside the lives of real...

“Follow your own passion—not your parents’, not your teachers’—yours.”—Robert Ballard Great Escape Radio host, Jody Maberry is joined by Bonnie Caton to discuss making art for a living. Bonnie has always loved art and was one of those kids in school who couldn’t wait for art day. But it took her a while to realize she could use her passion for art to make a living. She was told she should follow a “safe route” and study something “normal.” When she discovered Great Escape Publishing and...

“Each time we face our fear, we gain strength, courage, and confidence in the doing.”—Theodore Roosevelt Great Escape Radio host, Jody Maberry and Lori Allen, Director of Great Escape Publishing discuss the collateral effect of taking the first step toward your goals. Last week’s conversation about the power of streaks and taking a crow bar to bad habits set the stage for this week’s discussion. (You can listen to that episode here.) When you take the first step toward your goals—despite...