Off-grid life. Spiritual growth. Honest stories from the road.
Join international best-selling authors James & Cara Kerouac as they travel the U.S. with their dogs, sharing raw conversations about healing, presence, self-worth, and freedom.
Through real talk, off-grid adventures, and soul-expanding interviews, Kerouacs Cruising invites you to wander freely, heal deeply, and live awake.
✨ Off-grid living tips
✨ Spiritual & emotional growth
✨ Stories of awakening + aligned living
✨ Guests who challenge the norm and break the mold
New episodes weekly—wherever the road takes us.
Site
RSS
Apple
Data updated on 04/07/2026
Recent rankings
Latest chart positions across Apple Podcasts and Spotify rankings.
Shared links between episodes and podcasts
Links found in episode descriptions and other podcasts that share them.
We Just Needed to Let the Dogs Out | Kansas Road Trip
Season 3 · Episode 5
Tuesday, June 9, 2026 • Duration 30:50
We just needed to let the dogs out. Then the cop showed up.
From the art streets of Santa Fe to the flat middle of Kansas in tornado season, this one has everything. We catch you up on the leg of the trip that took us through New Mexico to visit Kaatje Jones (co-author and now in-person friend) and into the heart of the Great Plains, where the weather changed overnight, the RV parks take cash and checks only, and one very routine dog stop turned into one of the most chaotic moments we've had on the road. Plus: what we actually learned about tornado safety, why you should never let your gas tank drop below half in rural Kansas, and why James now checks the weather three times before he trusts it.
What You'll Hear in This Episode:
What Santa Fe is actually like — the art district, the culture, the adobe buildings, and the hiking that surprised us
Visiting Kaatje Jones in person for the first time and why her property in the mountains east of Santa Fe is its own whole experience
Cara's first time doing anything physically demanding since the car accident in March, and what it felt like to climb again
Why we'll keep finding climbing gyms on the road, and where to look for auto-belay walls when you don't have a partner to belay you
The moment the Kansas weather forecast changed overnight from sunny and 90 to tornadoes and 65 degrees
What we actually learned about tornado safety, including why overpasses are more dangerous than most people think
Rural Kansas RV parks: cash only, no online reservations, and why that actually worked fine for us
Nearly running out of gas twice in the plains, and the practical rule we now live by when pulling a trailer through rural areas
The dog stop that turned into a cop encounter in the middle of a Kansas field, and what happened next
Resources & Mentions:
Kaatje Jones — voice therapy practitioner and co-author of the Together We Rise anthology. Catch up on our episode featuring her here!
Rancheros Campground — Santa Fe, New Mexico area. 15 minutes from Santa Fe proper, old growth pinyon and juniper trees, trail around the campground, great privacy between sites
Glorieta Pass / Pecos River area — dispersed camping pull-offs on the right heading up. Good for tent camping and fishing (trout). Worth noting: it read as group-style dispersed camping — not traditional individual sites
Canyon Road — Santa Fe's art district. Blocks of galleries, handmade jewelry, sculpture, and some of the most beautiful and unusual art we've encountered on the road
If this conversation resonated with you, you're always welcome at our campfire.
To follow along in real time, find us on social @KerouacsCruising.
To support the journey, visit Ko-fi.com/KerouacsCruising.
And if something here made you think, feel, or see your life a little differently, we'd love to hear from you in the comments or at Join@KerouacsCruising.com.
However you choose to be here — thank you for being part of this. 💚🩷
Why Not Me | Crewing the Cocodona 250 in Arizona
Season 3 · Episode 4
Tuesday, June 2, 2026 • Duration 32:22
We celebrated our anniversary on a Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. By Monday we were following a 250+ mile foot race through the Arizona backcountry. We didn't plan that week. It turned out to be one of the best we've had.
We're back on the road, and this episode is the catch-up we owe you. We talk about what it felt like to go home, what we fixed, what we decided to keep, and why we're not selling the house after all. Then the episode goes somewhere we didn't see coming: a 253-mile ultramarathon through central Arizona, a brother-in-law who'd been training for a year, a crew of unpaid people who showed up with their whole hearts, and a 34-year-old woman who made history by becoming the first person ever to win the Cocodona 250 outright. And somewhere in the middle of all of it, a quiet realization: the things we really want have a way of arriving. Just not always in the shape we expected.
What You'll Hear in This Episode:
What it felt like to go home after months on the road, and the surprisingly emotional decision to stop talking about selling the house
The solar panel upgrade that changed everything (and the folding panel that quietly gave out)
How we ended up crewing for a 250-mile ultramarathon
What it means to truly let the people in your corner show up for you and why that's harder than it sounds
Rachel Entrekin, 34, who became the first woman to win the Cocodona 250 outright, beating every man in the field and the course record by over two hours, and the "why not me" mantra she used to get there
Why the mindset game and the physical game are the same game, and what that means for the rest of us
What's coming: Santa Fe, Kansas City, Iowa, New Hampshire, Montana, Idaho, and James's son's new business launch
An honest mention of The Reinvention Project and why this episode is the reason it exists
Resources & Mentions:
Cocodona 250 — 253-mile ultramarathon, Black Canyon City to Flagstaff, Arizona: cocodona.com
Rachel Entrekin — 2026 Cocodona 250 overall winner and course record holder
Dr. Joe Dispenza — mentioned in relation to retreats, mind movies, and the "thoughts create your reality" framework
We Said Yes to a Dr. Joe Dispenza Retreat | And It Changed Everything
Season 3 · Episode 3
Tuesday, May 26, 2026 • Duration 37:40
We weren't planning to go anywhere. Then an ad showed up, we looked at each other, and said — we're not doing anything. Let's go.
What happened at the Dr. Joe Dispenza retreat in Denver changed us both in ways we're still integrating. This is the episode where they try to explain what that means.
Cara's recovery from her broken pelvis left us with something we rarely have: time. And in that time, an advertisement for a Dr. Joe Dispenza retreat appeared. We'd been following his work for nearly three years. The dogs were covered, the house was watched, and the flights were booked. What followed was seven days of meditation, science, and human experience that we describe as one of the best decisions we've ever made.
In this episode, we break down what the retreat actually looks like: the science behind the work, the five-hour meditation that started at 4 am, the coherence healings, and what we witnessed in that room. Including Patty — a woman with stage four metastasized breast cancer who came to the retreat with a walker, and left without it.
This is not a woo-woo episode. It's a deeply human one.
What You'll Hear in This Episode:
How the retreat happened — the serendipity of timing, the logistics, and the decision
Who Dr. Joe Dispenza is and why we have followed his work for nearly three years
What a retreat actually looks like: 6 am to 8 pm, lectures alternating with guided meditations
The science: neuroplasticity, epigenetics, heart coherence, upregulating genes for healing
The five-hour meditation that started at 4 am, and why it didn't feel that long
What coherence healing is and what it felt like to be on the receiving end of it
Cara's "defrag" analogy for what most meditation actually is, and what this goes beyond
Patty's story — 25 years of Dr. Joe's work, stage four cancer, 16 tumors gone in 10 weeks
What they witnessed in the room — wheelchair to walking, tremors quieting, pain lifting
Resources: the movie Source, the book Becoming Supernatural, the Gaia series
Broken Pelvis, Broken Plans | How the Detour Became the Direction
Season 3 · Episode 2
Tuesday, May 19, 2026 • Duration 13:58
They were one day from leaving. A parking lot in Lake Havasu changed everything — and somehow, the pause that followed became the best thing that could have happened.
James and Cara catch you up on their final days in Lake Havasu: the hidden beer garden, the grocery store that stopped them cold, the peninsula camp spot, before the trip east came to an abrupt halt. In a CVS parking lot, one Sunday afternoon, a man backing out of a space pinned Cara between two vehicles and broke her pelvis. The east coast trip was off. They came home to their tiny house in northern Arizona. And in the stillness that followed, in the space that opens up when you finally stop just keeping the wheels on, something new began to take shape. This is the episode where the dream got real.
What You'll Hear in This Episode:
Why Lake Havasu won over Parker and Bullhead City: and what made it feel different
Hava Bite Beer Garden: the local food truck collective they stumbled onto through DoorDash, and loved
The Smith's grocery store that genuinely stopped them both in their tracks
The CVS parking lot accident: what happened, how it happened, and what Cara broke
The diagnosis journey: from the ER that almost missed it to the orthopedic specialist two weeks later
What it felt like to watch a year of planning disappear in an afternoon
Coming home to northern Arizona: the tiny house, the 20 acres, the forced stillness
What happens to dreaming when you finally stop just getting through the day
The commitment they made: and why they're more excited about KC and their future than when they first started
James at [13:15]: "The pause was worth it."
Resources & Mentions:
Hava Bite Beer Garden — Lake Havasu City, AZ
Smith's (Kroger family) — Lake Havasu City, AZ
Yolk's — Pacific Northwest (referenced for comparison)
The Reinvention Project — an open door: What you're hearing in this episode is where something new began. In the stillness of coming home, with space to think and dream for the first time in a long time, The Reinvention Project started taking shape. If something in this conversation is sitting with you, that feeling has a name and there's a place for it. Come find us when you're ready. thereinventionproject.podia.com
We Found a Beach on the Colorado River | Season 3 Begins
Season 3 · Episode 1
Tuesday, May 12, 2026 • Duration 27:58
Season 3 starts the way Kerouacs Cruising always does best — with a day off, a beach they almost didn't find, and an honest conversation about why they went quiet for a while.
After months of work-from-the-road life in Bullhead City and Parker, Arizona, Cara and James finally take a day off. They explore Parker Dam, stumble onto a sandy cove on the Colorado River, walk the Bill Williams Wildlife Refuge, see bighorn sheep on a cliff, and get visited by wild donkeys on the way out. It's a good day. A really good day.
But tucked inside the adventure is the conversation that makes this a Kerouacs Cruising episode: why they went quiet, why creating from a place of fear never works, and what it means to begin something new with honesty instead of a highlight reel. This is Season 3 — and it starts exactly where they are.
What You'll Hear in This Episode:
The beach they almost missed — a sandy cove on the Colorado River near Parker Dam, found by keeping their eyes open after the original spot turned out to be federal property
Parker Dam explained — what it creates, what it costs the ecosystem, and the fish species going extinct because of it
Arizona State Trust Land camping — $20 for the year, 14 consecutive day limit
The Bill Williams Wildlife Refuge — wildflowers in bloom, labeled plant trails, fishing docks, and the walk they wish they'd had more time for
Wild donkeys and six bighorn sheep on the side of a cliff — just a normal Tuesday in the Arizona desert
Why they stopped creating content for a few weeks — and why creating from fear or obligation would have been worse than silence
Where their heads are as Season 3 begins — the hopes, the honest uncertainty, and what they're building toward
Norman and Bella updates — the ongoing socialization journey, leash training, and life with two free-range dogs learning to navigate crowds
Resources & Mentions:
Parker Dam — Colorado River, between Parker and Lake Havasu City, Arizona
Arizona State Trust Land permit — $20/year, available at Arizona State Land Department website
Campfire Conversations in a Season of Change
Season 2 · Episode 47
Saturday, February 7, 2026 • Duration 45:09
Money, Movement, Marriage, and Finding Balance on the Road
This episode is a real-time campfire check-in. We talk about preparing for a cross-country journey, navigating financial stress, living in close quarters, and learning to pause rather than push. It’s an honest conversation about balance, awareness, and choosing growth—even when life feels messy and uncertain.
In this episode of Kerouacs Cruising, we sit by the campfire in Bullhead City and share an unfiltered update on where we’re at — mentally, emotionally, and practically.
We talk about:
Preparing for a long-awaited East Coast journey
Financial pressure, DoorDashing, and living with “enough”
Deciding what to do with the property while staying nomadic
How constant togetherness can amplify inner critics and small conflicts
Recognizing projection, lack, and stress before they turn into resentment
Why pauses can be gifts instead of setbacks
Alcohol, food, balance, and listening to what our bodies are asking for
The importance of slowing mornings, mindfulness, and awareness
Letting conversations rest instead of forcing resolution
This episode isn’t about having answers. It’s about staying present in a season of transition and choosing curiosity, compassion, and communication over blame.
Kava, Calm, and Conscious Connection | An Honest Conversation About Kava, Culture, and Alcohol Alternatives
Season 2 · Episode 46
Wednesday, January 28, 2026 • Duration 52:08
What if slowing down didn’t require alcohol or numbing out? In this episode, we explore kava — a 3,000-year-old South Pacific plant — its cultural roots, calming rituals, and why it’s becoming a meaningful alternative for connection, presence, and unwinding without losing yourself.
In this episode of Kerouacs Cruising, we sit down with Morgan Smith of Kalm with Kava for a grounded, honest conversation about kava — what it is, what it isn’t, and why it has been used ceremonially and socially for thousands of years across the South Pacific.
We talk about:
What kava actually is (and why it’s often misunderstood)
The cultural and ceremonial roots of kava
Noble vs. two-day kavas and why quality matters
Kava as a social and alcohol alternative
Nervous system regulation and intentional rituals
Why preparation and presence are part of the experience
Clearing up myths around safety, liver concerns, and side effects
Honoring plant medicine without separating it from its people
This episode is for anyone curious about kava, reducing alcohol, or finding gentler ways to unwind and connect — without numbing out.
💻 Watch this episode on YouTube: @KerouacsCruising
✨ Support our journey on Ko-fi:Every little bit helps us keep creating from the road!
You're More Ready Than You Think | Off-Grid Camper Life
Season 2 · Episode 45
Saturday, January 24, 2026 • Duration 40:45
Six months into full-time camper life, Cara and James share what actually helped them thrive off-grid — and it wasn't what they expected.
Before Cara and James ever hitched up their travel trailer and hit the road, they spent eight years building a homestead in northern Arizona — off the grid, hauling water, running solar, and learning to live with less. They didn't know it at the time, but all of it was preparation.
In this episode, they break down the real-world lessons they've learned living off-grid in a camper: managing water without running dry, handling tanks when you're boondocking for two weeks, staying powered up on solar, managing propane before it runs out at 2am, and the small mindset shifts that make this lifestyle actually feel good. This is the practical, honest conversation they wish someone had given them before they started.
What You'll Hear in This Episode:
Why 8 years of homesteading in northern Arizona quietly prepared them for camper life — and why you don't need that background to start
The #1 water hack for staying in a spot for 14 days without moving the camper
Gray water, black water, and what you absolutely cannot do (and why)
Managing propane — why it always runs out at night and how to never be caught without coffee
The solar generator setup that runs their camper 90% of the time (EcoFlow + backup gas generator)
How they conserve electricity at night, including candles, fairy lights, and syncing with nature's rhythm
Instant coffee as a genuine off-grid game-changer — and why freeze-dried is actually better for you
The honest truth: this lifestyle isn't for everyone, but it probably requires less than you think
Resources & Mentions:
EcoFlow solar generator (brand mentioned)
ELEMENT electrolyte packets (brand mentioned)
Black Rifle Coffee instant coffee (brand mentioned)
Primo water filling stations (available at most major grocery stores and Walmart)
Portable toilet bags with solidifying powder (backup black tank solution)
The Best Kind of Hard | Choosing Your Path When Life Is Uncertain
Season 2 · Episode 44
Saturday, January 17, 2026 • Duration 22:15
Life doesn’t get easier just because we wait for perfect timing. In this episode, we share a real-time update from the road — navigating finances, family, weather, and uncertainty — and why choosing the life you want matters, even when it’s hard. Sometimes the goal isn’t clarity. It’s commitment.
In this episode of Kerouacs Cruising, we check in from the road during the holidays — reflecting on travel, work, family, and the realities of making it all work without a clear roadmap.
We talk honestly about:
Living with uncertainty while staying optimistic
Using gig work like DoorDash to stay flexible on the road
Seasonal travel choices and adapting to weather
Visiting family and the emotional weight of time and distance
Letting go of “how” and staying focused on “what”
Why struggle is inevitable — and how choosing your struggle matters
This conversation is a reminder that life is rarely perfect, but it can still be intentional. If it’s going to be hard anyway, you might as well choose the life that feels worth the effort.
Designing a Life That Supports You | Reducing Friction, Creating Flow & Shaping Space with Talor Stewart
Season 2 · Episode 43
Wednesday, January 14, 2026 • Duration 57:51
What if your space was quietly shaping your mood, health, creativity, and relationships? In this episode, architect Talor Stewart joins us to explore how intentional environments — even tiny ones — can reduce daily friction, improve sleep, and support the life you’re trying to live, wherever you call home.
In this episode, we explore:
Why small friction points quietly drain energy and create resentment
How entryways, bathrooms, and bedrooms shape daily stress
Simple shifts that improve sleep, air quality, and flow
Why dedicating space to what you love increases follow-through
How conscious home design applies to campers, rentals, and houses alike
🔗 Learn more about Talor’s work: conscioushomedesign.com
What you heard in this episode isn't a commercial break. It's the thing the episode is actually about. Watching Jeff run 250 miles. Watching Rachel win on "why not me." Watching a crew of people show up with everything they had without being asked. All of it points to the same thing: the gap between what you're capable of and what you've given yourself permission to believe. That gap has a name. The Reinvention Project is where we're working on it, with people who are ready. If something in this conversation is sitting with you, come find us when you're ready. thereinventionproject.podia.com/the-quiet-reinvention-workshop
If this conversation resonated with you, you're always welcome at our campfire.
To follow along in real time, find us on social @KerouacsCruising.
To support the journey, visit Ko-fi.com/KerouacsCruising.
And if something here made you think, feel, or see your life a little differently, we'd love to hear from you in the comments or at Join@KerouacsCruising.com.
However you choose to be here — thank you for being part of this. 💚🩷
Rewired
How they're integrating the work into daily life: twice-daily meditation as non-negotiable
What they're bringing back to Kerouacs Cruising, and the invitation to come along on this next chapter
Resources & Mentions:
Dr. Joe Dispenza — drjoedispenza.com
Source — the documentary film (start here if you're new to his work)
Becoming Supernatural — Dr. Joe Dispenza (book)
Rewired — Dr. Joe Dispenza series on Gaia (gaia.com)
Stress Less, Accomplish More — mentioned as an earlier step in our journey
Gaylord Resort, Denver, CO — retreat venue
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) — referenced as prior practice
Note for Clarity: This episode contains witnessed accounts of physical healing at a retreat setting. James and Cara are sharing what they personally observed and experienced, not making medical claims. If something in this conversation sparks curiosity, the resources above are the best next step.
If something in this episode stirred something in you — that's worth paying attention to. What Cara is building with The Reinvention Project grows directly from this kind of work: the belief that your nervous system, your thought patterns, and your sense of what's possible are all changeable. The door is open. thereinventionproject.podia.com
You're always welcome at our campfire. For photos, reflections, and the companion blog, head to KerouacsCruising.com/blog. To follow along in real time, find us on social @KerouacsCruising. To support the journey, visit Ko-fi.com/KerouacsCruising. And if something here made you think, feel, or see your life a little differently — we'd love to hear from you at Join@KerouacsCruising.com. However you choose to be here — thank you. 💚🩷
Note for Clarity: This episode was recorded after Cara's recovery was underway and the pivot had already happened. The Havasu content is a lookback — the accident and everything after is real-time. The east coast trip did not happen. What you're hearing is the moment the story changed — and where Season 3 actually finds its footing.
If this conversation resonated with you, you're always welcome at our campfire. For photos, reflections, and the companion blog, head to KerouacsCruising.com/blog. To follow along in real time, find us on social @KerouacsCruising. To support the journey, visit Ko-fi.com/KerouacsCruising. And if something here made you think, feel, or see your life a little differently, we'd love to hear from you in the comments or at Join@KerouacsCruising.com. However you choose to be here — thank you for being part of this. 💚🩷
Bill Williams Wildlife Refuge — day use, dogs must be leashed near water, interpretive trail signage
Lake Havasu City — London Bridge, boardwalk, boat and jet ski rentals
DoorDash — mentioned as their primary work-from-the-road income during this stretch
Colorado River fishing — largemouth bass, striped bass up to 30 lbs, catch and report species program
Lake Pend Oreille, northern Idaho — referenced for comparison on cold water swimming
Note for Clarity: This episode was recorded in late February 2026 — the final stretch in Parker before life took a turn neither of them expected. Jewels passed away in September 2025 — Cara's reference to managing the dogs being easier now with just Norman and Bella is an honest acknowledgment of that loss. Norman and Bella are their current traveling companions.
If this conversation resonated with you, you're always welcome at our campfire.
To follow along in real time, find us on social @KerouacsCruising.
To support the journey, visit Ko-fi.com/KerouacsCruising.
And if something here made you think, feel, or see your life a little differently, we'd love to hear from you in the comments or at Join@KerouacsCruising.com.
However you choose to be here — thank you for being part of this. 💚🩷
If this episode moved you, the kindest thing you can do is like, subscribe, and leave a review. It’s a small action that makes a huge difference in helping us keep the journey going.
💚🩷💚🩷 Thank you for being here — your presence means everything.
If this episode moved you, the kindest thing you can do is like, subscribe, and leave a review. It’s a small action that makes a huge difference in helping us keep the journey going.
💚🩷💚🩷 Thank you for being here — your presence means everything.
Rocket stove (for coffee when propane runs out)
Baby wipes — mentioned as a top hygiene hack
Note for Clarity: Cara and James are recording this approximately 6 months into full-time travel trailer life, having launched their camper life in June 2025. Their homestead is located in northern Arizona at approximately 6,200 feet in elevation.
If this conversation resonated with you, you're always welcome at our campfire.
To follow along in real time, find us on social @KerouacsCruising.
To support the journey, visit Ko-fi.com/KerouacsCruising.
And if something here made you think, feel, or see your life a little differently, we'd love to hear from you in the comments or at Join@KerouacsCruising.com.
However you choose to be here — thank you for being part of this. 💚🩷
Every little bit helps us keep creating from the road!
If this episode moved you, the kindest thing you can do is like, subscribe, and leave a review. It’s a small action that makes a huge difference in helping us keep the journey going.
💚🩷💚🩷 Thank you for being here — your presence means everything.
like, subscribe, and leave a review
💚🩷💚🩷 Thank you for being here — your presence means everything.
Related Shows Based on Content Similarities
Discover shows related to Kerouacs Cruising | Where Off-Grid Living Meets Soulful Awakening, based on actual content similarities. Explore podcasts with similar topics, themes, and formats, backed by real data.
