CREATOR: The Podcast

Scott and Collette Stohler, the travel creators behind Roamaroo (@roamaroo), join CREATOR: The Podcast to discuss building a location-independent life and creative career while raising two young children. In this episode, the couple shares how a single podcast interview with Rolf Potts and Tim Ferriss inspired them to quit their jobs as a TV producer and chemical engineer, turn a planned seven-month trip into 18 months of travel, and launch a decade-long career as travel creators. Host Ross Borden explores their journey from living out of backpacks to surviving the pandemic in an Airstream for 18 months, plus their upcoming move to Italy through Boundless Life's world schooling program. Scott and Collette offer candid insights about the challenges of creating content as a couple, how they structured their roles between "front office" and "back office" responsibilities, and the viral success of their "We're Americans" video series that sparked conversations about parenting in the United States. Whether you're an aspiring travel creator, a parent dreaming of location independence, or simply curious about unconventional family lifestyles, this conversation delivers practical wisdom on taking calculated risks and building a creative life on your own terms.

To learn more about CREATOR: The Podcast, visit creatorthepodcast.com

00:00 - Introduction to Scott & Colette Stohler

00:51 - Traveling with Young Children

02:25 - From Nomadic Life to Home Base

03:45 - Moving to Italy with Boundless Life

05:43 - What is Boundless Life?

09:16 - How Scott and Colette Became Full-Time Creators

13:07 - Managing Their Rental Property

14:06 - Living in an Airstream During COVID

16:57 - Exploring Empty National Parks

18:50 - Monetizing Through Brand Partnerships

20:30 - The Power of Having a Why

22:17 - Working Together as a Creator Couple

24:29 - Launching the Roamaroo Podcast

26:04 - Creating Viral "War Americans" Content

29:43 - Finding Confidence as Creators

31:36 - What's Next for 2026

32:53 - Three Countries for Life

Jordan Egbert (@counting.countries) joins CREATOR: The Podcast to discuss his goal to visit every country on earth and the unexpected business he built along the way. In this episode, Jordan reveals how he went from zero international travel until age 23 to visiting 142 countries, including returning to door-to-door pest control sales each summer just to fund another year of travel before monetizing his content. Host Ross Borden explores Jordan's most unique destinations, from Turkmenistan (dubbed "the North Korea of the Middle East") to the futuristic cities of China where you can pay with your palm print. Jordan offers practical advice for traveling with young children, and explains his counterintuitive content strategy of studying what already works rather than chasing viral trends. Whether you're planning your next adventure or building a creator business, this conversation offers a fresh perspective on turning passion into profit.

To learn more about CREATOR: The Podcast, visit creatorthepodcast.com

0:00 Introduction to Jordan Egbert

1:11 Why Travel Every Country?

2:16 From Corporate Job to Full-Time Creator

4:29 Door-to-Door Sales for Travel Funding

5:17 COVID Pivot and Daily Content Strategy

6:55 First Viral Video Success

8:05 Growing from 10K to 300K Followers

10:09 Launching the Travel Hacking Business

12:37 How Credit Card Points Actually Work

14:12 Building an 80K/Month Business

15:27 Favorite Destinations Around the World

16:33 Turkmenistan: North Korea of the Middle East

20:15 Why White Cars and No Dogs?

22:22 China: Living in the Future

25:50 First Impressions of China

27:39 Must-Visit Chinese Cities

30:10 Harvey Ice Festival

31:21 Lapland Finland: Santa's Village

33:17 Adventure in the Arctic Circle

34:02 Traveling with Young Kids

36:09 Tips for Family Travel

37:13 Hidden Gems in Japan

38:20 Three Countries Passport Question

39:02 Why Indonesia Made the List

39:47 Switzerland's Mountain Beauty

43:04 Future Plans and TV Show Dreams

46:50 Where to Find Jordan Online

Chelsea Yamase (@chelseakauai) joins CREATOR: The Podcast to share her journey from shy Hawaiian surfer to million-follower creator. Host Ross Borden explores Chelsea's 11 trips to Indonesia and her philosophy of prioritizing raw, authentic experiences over Instagram-perfect locations. Chelsea dives into growing up in Hawaii and how she learned to free dive at a later age. She offers candid insights about earning 80% of her income through quality brand partnerships over quantity, organizing epic women's adventure retreats from Patagonia to the Galapagos, and why she recently put everything in storage to search the world for a new place to call home. Whether you're an aspiring travel creator or simply interested in conscious tourism, this conversation delivers valuable perspective on building an authentic creative career while grappling with your impact on the places you love.

To learn more about CREATOR: The Podcast, visit creatorthepodcast.com

00:00 - Introduction to Chelsea Yamase 

01:14 - Living in Bali and Upcoming Scooter Adventure 

02:06 - Exploring Lesser-Known Indonesian Islands 

04:05 - Philosophy on Travel and Authentic Experiences 

05:41 - Balancing Tourism Recognition vs. Protecting Places 

09:33 - Growing Up in Hawaii 

11:28 - Free Diving Journey and Underwater Passion 

14:35 - Travel as a Path to Mindfulness 

16:19 - Social Media, Mental Health, and Inspiring Young Women 

19:09 - My Soul Track App and Affirmations 

20:49 - Business of Being a Creator 

23:55 - Running Retreats and In-Person Events 

26:14 - Three Countries Passport Question 

30:38 - Leaving LA and Searching for Home 

32:38 - US Culture vs. European Lifestyle 

35:39 - Community and Third Spaces 

36:07 - Closing Thoughts

In this special year-end episode, we revisit the biggest lessons from CREATOR: The Podcast's most impactful conversations of 2025. Ross curates wisdom from five groundbreaking creators who've cracked the code on building massive audiences and sustainable careers. Adventure photographer Chris Burkard (@chrisburkard) explains his counterintuitive strategy of freely sharing his best work to create more opportunities, proving that exposure truly is a long-term strategy. Lifestyle creator Rene Daniella’s (@ownbyfemme) reveals how one cold pitch email to Google—found through a press release—turned into a two-year partnership including trips to Coachella and Puerto Rico. Diving creator Shane Brown (@shangerdanger) shares how one viral short about cracking an egg underwater generated over 400 million views and earned him a million subscribers from a single video. TV host Oneika Raymond (@oneikaraymond) discusses why 99% of her work is now inbound and how being genuinely easy to work with has created multi-year brand partnerships. And former Corporate VP Timm Chiusano (@timmchiusano) offers the brand perspective, explaining why authentic storytelling beats checkbox briefs every time. Whether you're grinding toward your first thousand followers or scaling to millions, this episode distills the essential strategies you need heading into 2026.

To learn more about CREATOR: The Podcast, visit creatorthepodcast.com

00:00 - Introduction: Year-End Roundup

00:53 - Chris Burkard: Exposure as Strategy

06:03 - Renee Daniella: The Power of Cold Pitching

11:36 - Shane Brown: From 10K to 7M Subscribers

17:33 - Oneika Raymond: Building Long-Term Partnerships

23:09 - Timm Chiusano: Making Brand Deals That Matter

28:49 - Closing: Strategy, Persistence & Staying Ahead

This week, we're bringing back this conversation with Luke “Sailing Songbird” Hartley as an encore presentation - originally published February 25th, 2025.

Solo World Sailor and Viral Creator Luke "Sailing Songbird" Hartley (@sailing_songbird) shares his remarkable journey from quitting his job as a middle school music teacher to sailing solo around the world on a 27-foot sailboat. In today's episode of CREATOR: the Podcast, we explore how Luke went from zero sailing experience to sailing solo around the world, learning everything through YouTube before embarking on his global circumnavigation.

Luke reveals how his social media exploded from 300 to 100,000 followers in just five days - now sitting at around 2M, his content creation process while navigating remote waters, and surviving a 49-day Pacific crossing with no engine or communications. Discover how he’s producing long-form content for his YouTube channel, manages extreme isolation while maintaining a positive mindset, and turns his adventures into compelling content.

Whether you're interested in adventure travel content, sailing vlogs, or building an authentic social media presence, Luke's insights on transforming a personal journey into viral videos offers valuable lessons for creators looking to document unconventional lifestyles.

To learn more about CREATOR: The Podcast, visit creatorthepodcast.com

00:00 Introduction to Luke "Sailing Songbird" Hartley 

02:05 From music teacher to sailing around the world 

03:38 Learning to sail from YouTube videos 

05:37 Quitting his job and buying a boat 

07:10 Family reactions to his global sailing plans 

09:32 Safety in the middle of the Pacific Ocean 

12:13 Paddleboarding 1,000 miles from land 

15:17 Sailing without an engine across the Pacific 

17:29 Going from 300 to 100,000 followers in 5 days 

19:07 Losing communication for 30 days at sea 

21:51 Impact of his content on viewers' lives 

23:51 Maintaining positivity through challenges 

25:25 Content creation setup on a small sailboat 

27:39 Overcoming creator's block and mental health 

30:15 Life at sea: fishing and catching mahi-mahi 

32:11 Preserving eggs with Vaseline for long voyages 

34:37 Brand partnerships and monetization challenges 

36:43 Future sailing plans and five-year itinerary 

40:17 Favorite destinations: French Polynesia and beyond 

42:56 Living off spearfished mahi for a month

44:21 Where to find Luke online