JRNY Travel Podcast

Jason Bowers is the General Manager of Bikes and Hikes LA Tours, which takes guests on cycling tours of Los Angeles to get up close and personal with the city in an eco-friendly, health-conscious way. Before working for Bikes and Hikes, Jason worked in radio and TV with shows for Westwood One, Sirius XM and KIIS-FM Los Angeles. Jason also has a background in improv comedy having played to sold-out crowds at festivals in Austin, San Francisco, and LA and he uses these communication skills to entertain and inform his customers with Bikes and Hikes.He tells host Si Willmore about his background in broadcasting and how he got into improv comedy, and observes that there are some surprising parallels between broadcasting, comedy and guiding. Jason also recounts how he became involved with Bikes and Hikes and how the counterintuitive idea for a bike company in car-centric LA came about. He lists some of the company's biking tours, including around Beverly Hills and West Hollywood, plus their Griffith Observatory hike which includes visiting the Hollywood sign, as well as going further afield to destinations like Palm Springs and Joshua Tree.Jason has lived in Los Angeles since 1995 and so knows the city inside out. He shares some of his favourite places to go for a relaxed weekend, grab and bite to eat and shares some favourite ‘hidden gems’. He also shares Bikes and Hikes' plans for the future, including for visitors to LA for the upcoming FIFA World Cup and Summer Olympics.In the JRNY Podcast, Si Willmore talks with pioneers, trailblazers and thought leaders, who are pushing the envelope in the travel industry.

Sherry Rupert is the CEO of AIANTA, the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association. This organisation serves as a voice for the US$14 billion native hospitality sector and showcases the importance of visiting authentic native destinations. AIANTA’s mission is to define, introduce, grow and sustain American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian tourism that honours traditional values.Sherry tells host Si Willmore how the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association began, as well as her own background, particularly her work in preserving the site of the Stewart Indian School as a museum and cultural centre. Sherry led the creation of a study called the Economic Impact of U.S. Indigenous Tourism Businesses, the first of its kind, and shares some key findings.She discusses the importance of visiting authentic native destinations, including historic and artistic sites, and what makes a destination authentic, and she highlights some of her favourite destinations and tourism projects in the AIANTA portfolio.In the JRNY podcast, Si Willmore talks with pioneers, trailblazers and thought leaders, who are pushing the envelope in the travel industry. Season Six is sponsored by Brand USA.

Angela Shen is the founder of Savor the Wild where she takes visitors on tours of Washington state, showing them the best places for mushroom foraging, shellfish harvesting and for visiting pop-up culinary events. After working in Brand Management at Quaker Oats, Angela quit corporate life and headed to Seattle where she originally founded Savor Seattle Food Tours, one of the very first food tours in the United States. Nowadays she also works in consultancy and public speaking and talks on topics relating to entrepreneurship, female leadership and tourism and hospitality trends.She tells host Si Willmore about her 'typical' upbringing, working in family restaurants with her chef father and how that ultimately led her into culinary tourism and entrepreneurship. She shares some of her favourite activities in Washington and outlines options for tours provided by Savor the Wild, which promises a "wild ride through Washington’s tastiest treasures". Angela also also offers business advice, for everyone, calling on her success as an entrepreneur and a minority female business leader.This is the JRNY Podcast, where host Si Willmore talks with pioneers, trailblazers and thought leaders, who are pushing the envelope in the travel industry. Season Six is sponsored by Brand USA.

Sophie Morgan is a disability rights advocate, presenter, producer, travel writer and artist. She fronted the travel series Living Wild; How to Change your Life on Channel 4, and she presents coverage of the Paralympics. Last year she completed a staggering 4000-mile solo trip across the USA. Her memoir 'Driving Forwards' is available now. She tells host Si Willmore about the car crash that paralysed her and changed her life forever at the age of just 18, but how the accident ultimately made her more determined to follow a career that basically nobody in her position had done before. She recalls the earlier days of life in broadcasting as a female with a physical disability and how she broke through the glass ceiling to launch the travel series Living Wild; How to Change your Life and the recent documentary Fight to Fly as well as her work presenting coverage of the Paralympics. Sophie shares insights into travelling in a wheelchair and the astonishing undertaking of a 4000-mile solo trip across the USA. Sophie also shares her work on the Rights On Flights campaign and offers advice for people in the travel industry looking to make their offering more suitable for travellers with a disability.This is the JRNY Podcast, where Si Willmore talks with pioneers, trailblazers and thought leaders, who are pushing the envelope in their industry. Season Six is sponsored by Brand USA.

Mark Ezell is the Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development and Chairman of the U.S. Civil Rights Trail Marketing Alliance, a non-profit organisation created to elevate over 140 historical sites that tell the stories of the Civil Rights Movement. These sites, such as national parks, museums and churches, focus on events that happened in the 1950s and 1960s and are spread over 14 states across America and the District of Columbia.Commissioner Mark tells host Si Willmore about his role at the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development as well as the creation of the Tennesse Civil Rights Trail project and what makes it such an important story. Mark mentions some of the sites along the trail that are particularly significant and poignant, such as the Lorraine Motel and the Clinton 12 Statue at the Green McAdoo Cultural Center, and he offers some hidden gems for places to visit and eat at around The Volunteer State.He also shares what’s coming up for Tennessee in the next few months including the continuation of the launch of the Bike Tennessee initiative.

Jeff Crowe is the director of Kentucky Experiences at the Heaven Hill Distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky. He plays a key role in the Louisville Bourbon and Belonging initiative which celebrates Queer Kentucky and he was instrumental in launching Kentucky's Queer Bourbon Week. He talks with host Si Willmore about Heaven Hills Kentucky Experiences, which forms part of Kentucky's famous bourbon trail, and Jeff explains how bourbon has evolved and become a more inclusive spirit, not only for the people who drink it but for the people who work in the industry, as seen through the Bourbon and Belonging initiative and Kentucky's Queer Bourbon Week.Jeff shares insights into Kentucky, including his favourite places to eat and visit as well as the World Chicken Festival, and releases Heaven Hill Distillery's plans for the future including a new distillery.

Staci Mellman is the first female Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) at Brand USA in 12 years. She drives the organisation's international marketing efforts and leads the teams responsible for marketing, comms, marketing technology, research and analytics.Originally from Texas, Staci has been working in the travel and tourism industry for over 13 years, most recently as Chief Marketing Officer at Visit Florida.She tells host Si Willmore talk about how she got into travel and tourism, recounts stories of her travels with her family around the USA and as a solo female traveller in Europe, and she shares how her these travels have shaped her professional career and marketing philosophy.Staci also share some favourite foods and attractions from her home state Texas, the Lone Star State, including Meow Wolf, Fredericksburg and Amarillo.

Mike Frohlich is the is the owner and brewer at Laughing Sun Brewing in Bismarck, North Dakota. He’s been a member of the local brewing scene since the mid 90s, using his former employment at the State Historical Society and State Museum to advance legislation on brewing. As such he’s helped to get new laws passed on the production and promotion of locally brewed beer.He and host Si Willmore talk about the dream job that is brewing beer, his experience for how things have changed, and his aim to make Laughing Sun not only a great brewery, but a place where the local community feels welcome. They also discuss Mike's favourite beers to brew and to drink, the brewery's range of barbecue food and tourist attractions in Bismark.