The Van Man Podcast

Tanner Hill found a way to help others using his 3D printer to make keychain pill holders and selling them online. His new company EZ Pill was conceived when he wanted an easier way to carry his medication for emergencies and he discovered that there were others who shared the same need. In this episode, Tanner talks about the process of creating and selling a product and the amazing responses he's received from the people using it. I hope you enjoy the episode!

Miles is an entrepreneur at heart and is always working on a side hustle. His biggest project has been in the works for six years and went live this year! If you're an adventurer at heart and and play the guitar, then you probably know that guitar picks run away and get lost forever. The pickpocket is the perfect guitar accessory to travel with you and it will carry your picks, tuner, and capo all in a pocket sized backpack attached to your guitar. In this episode, Miles shares his story creating and launching Pickpocket, along with some advice for entrepreneurs.

Klodian Mitri is a professional endurance athlete who went from struggling to run a 5k to racing professionally in endurance sports. It's too easy to look at elite athletes like Klodian and think "he's just built different, I could never do that," but the truth is, at one point, Klodian was "normal" and it was the consistent hard work he put in over the years that has driven him to where he is today. All it takes is one step in the right direction and I hope hearing Klodian's story and insights into racing helps just one person to take that step.

Jared Quan is a writer, streamer, avid volunteer in the community, husband, and father of five. He is often asked how he's been able to balance all of his interests while still writing for books and short stories. It's pretty impressive and his hard work has accumulated into a wealth of knowledge. In this episode we discuss his work in the community, time management, and of course, writing. You can purchase his book Lifted: Adventures in Ridesharing on amazon now!

Braydon is back on the podcast with another race report from his most recent experience competing in the New York City Marathon. This one didn't go as planned and though races like this can be heartbreaking, Braydon is even more motivated for the next race.

Taylor Street owns an upcycling clothing brand called The Trash Pile. Dedicated to bringing new life to old clothes by giving them a makeover. Taylor specializes in Tie-dye and just finished her first season of farmers markets in Utah. In this episode, we discuss some of the entrepreneurial decisions she's had to make and the learning curve associated with growing a business. I hope you enjoy the episode!

Jon Hammond recently competed in the world champion Ironman race in Kona, Hawaii. In this episode, we discuss his preparation, race day experience, and some general tips and advice for living a healthy lifestyle. Along with being an elite triathlete, Jon is a husband and father of three and we talk about how he has been able to balance his time intensive training with the rest of his life. Jon has overcome years of injury to achieve his dreams and it was awe-inspiring to talk to him about all he went through to get to where he is today.

Mikey Nielson is in the middle of a passion project he calls "Falloween," 90 costumes for the 90 days of Fall. Mikey's a veteran with passion projects and in this episode he shares how he built up to this project and some of his past projects such as running a Flat Earth Instagram account. If you're looking for tips for your Halloween costume or are a lover of Halloween yourself, then you'll love this episode!

Bonus episode to the Utah Photographers series! TD was the first ever guest on the podcast and I'm excited to have him back! Over the summer, TD transitioned to van life, worked in Jackson Hole as a photographer for a whitewater rafting company, and worked with Columbia to create content and nearly died. With 5 years of photography under his belt, he gave some excellent advice for creating content and learning photography. It's been amazing to see TD's growth from 2k to 26k followers (not to mention another 75k on TikTok).

Chandler dove into the photography community only two years ago and is already creating stunning photos. He even went a step further and founded the company Bushwackers with the intention to bring photographers together. In this episode we talk about how Chandler was able to learn so quickly and the importance of having a community of people who share your passion. You can learn more about the community Bushwackers on their website and they recently released the first episode of the Bush Talk podcast which goes in depth on their purpose. I hope you enjoy the episode!

Kaesen Rasmussen is a film photographer who grew up around photos, studied photography in college, and currently works in a film lab. It's safe to say he lives and breathes art and photography truly is his passion in life. If you're looking into film photography but don't know where to start, then you'll love this episode. Kaesen shares his thoughts and advice on what makes film photography different and special. I hope you enjoy the episode!

Brad Simmons is a model photographer who got his start taking pictures for a former event group called Badsoup in Provo. I bumped into him at C.R.E.A.M. & Sugar in Orem and am so fortunate he was down to record an episode with me. You'll love this episode if you're looking to explore modeling or model photography as we discuss some of the things Brad has learned over the last few years. I hope you enjoy!

Sarah is an incredible elopement videographer. There are many people who believe Utah is "over saturated" with wedding photographers but Sarah has thrived in this category and has set herself apart with her wedding videos. In this episode we discuss how she got started and she shared some insight into how to dive into the wedding world. I can't wait to follow Sarah's work over the next few years as she captures stunning elopements for couples in love. I hope you enjoy the episode!

For 6 years, Braydon Ball worked for Maverick to update their locations with stunning, wall-size photos. With over a decade of experience, he has a wealth of knowledge and understanding of photography that makes this episode one of a kind. Join us as we dive into his stories and experience working on this incredible project that took him all over the Western states in multiple different vans. I hope you enjoy the episode!

Mahala is a full-time photographer and van-lifer who focuses on beautiful landscape and product photography. There are many people looking to dive into their passion full time and many more considering van life. Thankfully, Mahala and her husband, Ian, recently made the leap into both of these worlds and Mahala was willing to share her story and experience with me in this episode. I hope you enjoy!

A few months ago my friend sent me a reel that said "99% of podcasts don't make it past episode 20." I've rewatched that reel dozens of times and have been driving toward 21 episodes since. As a special celebration for myself, I had my friend, Brayden, be the Van Man for an episode and interview me. I hope you enjoy hearing some of my thoughts and goals. Thank you for helping me reach my goal. <3

I LOVE dogs and I think I mostly get that from my sister, Liz. She's a life long lover of dogs and dog training and in the last few years she's gone from zero dogs to owning two and working with an incredible breeding company to breed puppies for families all over Utah. This is a fun episode not only because we both love dogs, but because we love being siblings. I hope you enjoy!

Sara isn't just an "MIT Grad student," she's my longest-lasting friend. In fact, I don't even remember when we met but I think it was in 8th grade. I'm lucky to have a friend to link me to a past life in Athens, Ohio and I hope you enjoy listening to our conversation. I think there's something special about talking to close friends about happiness and I hope you're able to hear Sara's kindness and wisdom through this episode.

It's hard to have hobbies as an adult, especially ones that require time to practice. I've always admired Mark because he finds a way to play the piano even when there hasn't been one close by. He's an exceptional person and uniquely talented at many things, but the piano is one that he has shared with many people throughout his life. Hopefully, you're able to take away some helpful tips on how to make time for your hobbies. I hope you enjoy the episode.

Isaiah did something that I think at one point or another, we've all thought about doing. He quit his job, put all of his stuff in storage, and started walking. He has been walking for well over 400 days straight and recently crossed the 7,500-mile mark on his journey. I greatly appreciate what Isaiah shared with me in our conversation and I hope you enjoy the episode.