The Journey to the Heart Podcast

Be an Agent of Positive Transformational Change - Keith Allen - Cape Girardeau, Missouri

I've now made it to Cape Girardeau down on the Mississippi River. This is such beautiful section of the country and the fall colours and weather have been incredible the last few days. En route, I met Keith Allen on the river, an outdoors enthusiast, small town country lawyer, and armchair philosopher. We had a really great conversation about life and transformational change.

Always Continue to Improve - Bill Behrns - St. Louis, Missouri

I have now successfully paddled the entire length of the Missouri River. Although my journey continues now down the Mississippi to the Gulf, it's amazing to reflect on that with my friend Bill Behrns, who paddled the whole Missouri last year as soon as he retired. We talk about our shared and differing experiences on this life changing journey down the river, the incredible community of people supporting those who paddle, and many other related topics regarding growth, perspective, and self improvement.

Taking the High Road - Chuck Mackey - Yankton, South Dakota

It's been a minute since we last touched base. I have now successfully paddled all the lakes on the Missouri River and am on the current proper en route to St. Louis, Missouri. 
My guest for this episode is Chuck Mackey. Chuck has lived in the mid-west his whole life and is a long time paddling and outdoors enthusiast, boy scout leader, and father. We ended up talking about the Missouri River, overcoming adversity, what leads to a good life, and a lot more. I hope you enjoy and see you down the river road. 

Do What You Love - Ben Bruso - Mobridge, South Dakota

Welcome back to Season 3 of the Journey to the Heart Podcast!
After completing my Back to the Canoe Tour playing music from Bellingham, Washington all the way back to Mobridge, South Dakota, I am now continuing my paddle down Lake Oahe on the Missouri River towards the Gulf of Mexico.
 
Currently I have paddled and portaged my canoe about 2500 miles over the last two summers from the Pacific Coast and now have another 2500 miles to go to reach the Gulf of Mexico. Can't wait to embrace what the river will bring on the rest of this journey.
My guest for this episode is Ben Bruso also known by his social media handle, "Followmyleap". We met during my portage through the Rockies in 2022. Ben is an amazing individual who walked across America in 2021 and is now entering his third season as a Fire Lookout. Ben came out to meet me as he was making his way back to his lookout from Texas and it was awesome to finally record this podcast with him.

Telling Stories Through Music - Aaron Butcher - Bismarck, North Dakota

I have now successfully made it across Lake Sakakawea and at last down the Missouri River to Bismarck, North Dakota.
My special guest for this podcast is Aaron Butcher, talented long time singer-songwriter, musician, and over all soulful human.
Aaron has been to all of the lower 48 American States touring as a musician for various bands and recently wrote three songs for a new project based on recent events in his life, which is a great love story that he has woven together into something very special to share with us.
This is going to be a special episode as Aaron and I will be trading songs, stories, and reflections, including three new songs that I have recently wrote over the last couple months. Aaron has a wonderful story to share and his songs and voice are golden.
Hope you enjoy this as much I did and see you down the river road.

The Gift of Generosity - Peggy Hellandsaas - Tobacco Gardens, North Dakota

After weathering a big storm in my tent on the Northside of Lake Sakakawea, I managed to reach Tobacco Gardens, a campground and haven for travellers, families, and outdoor enthusiasts. It is owned and run by an incredible lady called Peggy Hellandsaas whose hospitality and kindness for paddlers of the Missouri River, knows no bounds. After a few days of respite in this little slice of paradise I now feel refreshed and ready to continue my journey across this lake towards Bismarck, North Dakota.
The following is a conversation with said lady, Peggy Hellandsaas, owner of Tobacco Gardens, she grew up in North Dakota and has a strong connection to the land and community here. I hope you enjoy it and see you out on the river road.

Finding Power in Vulnerability - The Lucky Valentines - Ft. Benton, Montana

After a week preparing in Great Falls, Montana. I have finally begun paddling my way down the Missouri River with the first stop in Ft. Benton. Known as the birthplace of Montana.
 
This small town has an incredible connection to the river and the arts. I ended up playing two shows here, one at the Public House and another at Wake Cup Coffee House. That being said, the true gold in this town is its people. Something that continues to amaze me is how many wonderful human beings can be found in communities I would consider to be hidden gems. This makes for a great segway to introducing my guests, the incredibly talented Folk-Americana duo known as the Lucky Valentines.
 
They were kind of enough to host me during my stay in Ft. Benton and we dived deep into talking about some of my favorite subjects: life, songwriting, and a little bit of everything else. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. 

Big Sky Country - Tracy Jerman - Great Falls, Montana

I am pleased to announce my return to the river and the beginning of the second season of my canoe journey across America!
 
The following conversation is with Tracy Jerman from Great Falls Montana. A wonderful and wise human being who hosted me when I concluded my paddling for the summer last year, she was kind enough to host me again as I prepared to continue canoeing down the Missouri River towards St. Louis. Hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.

Transformational Journeys and Carpe Diem - Jim Emanuel - Helena, Montana

So I have now completed my 400 mile bicycle portage through the Rockies and despite a very old yet sturdy bike without a front derailer, narrow/sometimes treacherous roads, and often steep windy and windy terrain, I had the pleasure of traversing through some incredible mountain passes, soaked in some beautiful hots springs, and met some incredible and inspiring people along the way.
Upon reaching Helena, Montana, I was fortunate to be hosted by Jim and Vicky Emanuel, who along with the incredible River Angels Tom and Sue Eier from Lewiston, helped bring my canoe right to the Missouri Headwaters where I met them on my bicycle before finally pushing my canoe out into a downstream current. It is hard to put into words what it means to me after months of paddling and peddling upstream to finally be paddling downstream towards the Gulf of Mexico. So much effort mentally, emotionally, and physically has gone into getting here over the last 4 months. And I’ve given up and gained so much in a process that has been truly transformational. I was also fortunate to have Jim and Missouri River legend Norm Miller paddle with me for the first couple days from the headwaters. 
In this conversation, I sat down with Jim Emannuel who along with being a retired fire fighter and part time hypnotist, paddled the Missouri River from the headwaters to sea in 2018, the year he turned 60. We talk about canoeing expeditions, transformational journeys, the power of self hypnosis, and how to move towards living a life that you love. 
I also wanted to give a shout out to the very first members that have joined my new Patreon community: Looking223, Sharye Skinner, Al McCutchan, and Sean Duffy. I put a lot of love, time, and effort into these journeys, this podcast, my music, and my other creative projects and I deeply appreciate the support in helping cover my costs and providing greater and continued opportunity to develop and share them with you all.
If you enjoy what I am doing and want to support this podcast and the other projects that I am working on, please consider joining my Patreon community which you can find though my website at www.thorinloeks.com.

Connecting at the Confluence - Gregory Ray - Lewiston, Idaho.

I have now successfully reached Lewiston, Idaho and completed the upstream paddle on my canoe odyssey across the country. It’s hard to put into words what completing this section has meant to me as I have paddled and portaged upstream through breathtaking landscapes, a variety of wonderful communities, and connected with so many amazing people.  Now I am transitioning to a 400+ mile bicycle portage over the Lolo Pass and the Bitterroot mountains to Three Forks, Montana. 
My guest for this episode Gregory Ray is a beautiful soul who has been a long time member of the Warm Showers community that hosts, helps, and connects with long distance bicyclers. We ended up diving deep into the multiverse, life and the explorations of heart and spirit for this one. I hope you enjoy and see you again soon.