What We’re Built On: Adventure + The Courage To Try | Finding Clarity in Career Paths and Career Pivots
Episode Details
Transcript
It is just us again, Whitney and Greg, back with another “What We’re Built On” conversation where we dive into the values that sit at the core of Vienna Waits. This time, we are talking about adventure.
Adventure is one of those words that can mean a lot of things: booking a retreat before you have ever even been to one, hopping on a plane to somewhere new, or simply saying yes to the unknown. For us, it is fueled by mountain bike races, half marathons, backcountry camping trips, and travels with our kids. It also shows up in smaller ways like trying something different for dinner or starting a conversation that scares you a little.
In this episode we explore the upside of adventure including building grit, resilience, stronger bonds, and a deeper sense of meaning. We also talk about the harder side, like how a restless spirit can sometimes create tension or make stability feel impossible. We share personal stories, research backed benefits, and examples from our community of people who are saying yes to bold, scary, or simply new experiences.
Whether adventure for you means moving across the world, picking up a new hobby, or just stepping off autopilot, this episode is about leaning into the unknown and seeing what it has to teach you.
Episode links:
Man’s Search For Meaning by Viktor Frankl
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Every other Thursday, we talk to people who got UNBLOCKED. You'll hear stories about finding clarity, career paths, career pivots and living with intention. Our guests tell us how they realized something had to change, made bold moves, and built lives that feel more aligned, more alive, and more intentional. We’ll share some of our own stories too, because we’re right here, figuring it out like everyone else.
Whitney
Hey. I'm Whitney. Greg
And I'm Greg. And this is the Unblock Yourself podcast. Jenn
We personally know what it's like to feel stuck. Living on autopilot, checking all the boxes, but wondering, is this really it for me? Greg
We genuinely love having conversations with people who are living cool lives. So we thought, hey, we should record these conversations. And by having them on a podcast, we can ask all kinds of questions to get to the bottom of how they got on block and are living these cool and inspiring lives. Jenn
In each episode, we'll have honest and raw conversations about the highs and lows of their journeys. Greg
Once in a while, it will just be the two of us sharing what we're learning along the way as we build our own lives and where we're screwing up right alongside you. Jenn
So if you want some inspiration and actual things that you can start doing to make bolder moves and get unblocked in your own life, this podcast is for you. Greg
So I just because you got up to go and get get a drink, I did too. I went to our fridge, and I think the best thing about us recently getting into nonalcoholic options for beers and other things was seeing a bunch of nonalcoholic beers in the fridge. It's eleven twenty in the morning. I was like, maybe maybe it's a good time to have, Harmon's craft brew. Is that a Did you But it it feel but no. I didn't. I just got a bubbly, but it feels like, like, why wouldn't you choose that? Right? Why not? Jenn
It's not alcoholic. It's fine. Greg
But I still feel a little bit strange about it. So there's a stigma that needs to get broken there. Yeah. Jenn
That's fair. Nice. You ready? Greg
Mhmm. When do you look tired? Are you tired? Jenn
That's rude. Who tells someone they look tired? No. I'm not tired at all, actually. I'm quite well rested. Thank you very much. Greg
Why are you well rested? Jenn
Well, we have no kids this week, so that's been, yeah, I think that means we get a little extra sleep, a little extra downtime, which is nice. Obviously, we miss them, but it is nice to have, to have a bit of a break from the kiddos. Greg
Yeah. And for them to be having a good time, that is good. Jenn
Yeah. We're, like, doing so much work on Waypoint. Waypoint is coming up in September. It's our first retreat, and we're going to make it awesome. And as a result, we're spending a lot of time making sure it's awesome and planning and putting in thought to every small little detail, that's going into it. So, yeah, it's a grind, but it's awesome. Greg
The small things are big things. Jenn
This is great. This is great. But we do have a topic we're gonna chat through. We kinda started this series a couple weeks ago, I guess, now on our values. So talking about our different values. I don't think we mentioned this last time, but we do have six. So it's our personal values, but also Vienna Waits values, and those are resilience, which we already talked about. So we spent some time talking about resilience, growth and development, balance, gratitude, authenticity, and adventure. Adventure is what we're gonna be digging into today. So talk talking a bit about adventure, what that means to us, why it's a value, that we have, and maybe some of the dark sides of that as well. Dark sides of adventure or the value adventure. Greg
So this is the hook. This is the hook. Nobody's going to listen to this unless there's a dark side or, like, a hook to really get people interested. Right? The dark side is just Jenn
be, like, positive. I know. People need darkness in their life. Greg
In order to in order for there to be light, you need the dark. Jenn
That's fair. Greg
But That Jenn
is fair. Greg
But in reflecting on this a bit, I think we did we did wanna make it clear why are we having a conversation about our values in this context. And to pull back a little bit, it it feels like all of whenever we're having a conversation with with people who are interested in what we're doing, I think one of the points of feedback we get is this appreciation for authenticity, which again is another one of our values, which we'll talk about. But just speaking openly about what is behind the scenes of what we're building, I think, gives some perspective on what drives us, what makes us feel like things are good or not. And when you hear people talk about what their values are as we are here, our hope isn't to just express that to anyone who's listening. It's really intended to inspire thought. You know? Mhmm. These are your values and this is how they show up and impact the way you do things, the way you think. What are those values for me? We're not trying to say that you need to have adventure or resilience or any others your value, but our hope in these conversations is to show how understanding what your values are can influence the way you think, how things affect you, and and then what you do. And we wanna challenge people to think about these sorts of conversations and topics and arriving at a place where you have a a really good feel of what your values are as a way to understand how to guide yourself through your life. Jenn
Yeah. I think values are more important than I realized, to be honest. Like, I never really thought about what are my values as a person. It's just not a place I went to ever. But now that we've done it, you know, it's like harmony is a big one for me and just feeling like I don't like conflict. Maybe it's the Libra in me. I don't know. It's like a Libra sign and the scales and balance. Like, I don't like it. I don't like confrontation. And so anything that's, like, out of, I guess, balance or anything that feels, like, confrontational, I immediately, you know, go into, like, my little shell. And now that I know that about myself right? So it's like it's just interesting. It can definitely shed a light and, make you can make decisions differently and, just under yourself understand yourself a bit more depth, which is cool. So Yeah. This is my, like, forty year old self now understanding my values. Look at me go. Greg
Taking a look back in time. The subconscious is powerful. As you and I have both been learning, somebody in our program has been teaching us the power of the subconscious. And when you tune into those, I think what is inside of you and your values are a huge driver of that, you can understand so much more. So if we're talking about adventure today, Whitney, what do we mean by adventure? What does adventure even mean? Jenn
I said it's so formal. But, actually, we did look it up because we're like, what? What's actually the definition of adventure? Because I think that can mean different things to different people. And, so the, the dictionary definition is an exciting or very unusual experience. So it's participation in exciting undertakings or enterprises, the spirit of adventure. It's a bold, usually risky undertaking, hazardous action of uncertain outcome. Greg
Yeah. I like it. I I I like that his definition. It's very technical. I mean, we we I don't think we looked at the definition when we interpreted it into our own value in our No. Website. Jenn
Yeah. We definitely didn't because the way we so we have a spot on our website. I'll put the link in the show notes. But we have a spot on our website that outline outlines our values and, sort of what they mean to us. And so what we wrote for adventure is, adventure fuels the soul. We embrace the spirit of exploration, whether that means travel, reconnecting with nature, or simply stepping out of our comfort zone. Adventure brings freedom, excitement, and a deeper connection to the world around us. Greg
That's really good. Jenn
Yeah. It is good. And I think that's like that shows up in different ways for us. Right? Like you mountain bike. I think that's a super badass thing to do. I mean, you've done it for a long time, but that's something that you love doing races, like your mountain bike racing on weekends and things. And you love water skiing and getting behind the boat. And, and I think that's, like, really badass for our kids to see you doing those types of activities. Right? I think that's all part of adventure. For me, it's more, I think, running. I do some backcountry camping with a group of girlfriends that, we've gone on these trips throughout the years, which is cool. Yeah. My my races as well. I think that's part of it. We both love travel. Obviously, that shows up. Greg
Yeah. Your next your next race is coming up in October, I must say. Jenn
I am running a race in October. Yes. It's a half marathon, and it's in Muskoka. I'm pretty pumped about that. Greg
Oh, no. That one's gonna be great. It'll be beautiful. Jenn
The world around us is rapidly changing. Over the next two years, up to sixty percent of jobs are considered at risk of being replaced or significantly changed by AI. Now more than ever, the world needs more authenticity, more humanity, more you. That's exactly why we built Waypoint Retreat, but it's not your average retreat. This September, we're spending three days bringing together entrepreneurs, aspiring founders, creators, and change makers to finally give their ideas the time and space they deserve. We'll hit pause and take a step back to enjoy the natural surroundings at a beautiful glamping resort just outside of Toronto. We'll get inspired to discover our inner rock stars and prioritize the legacy we want to leave behind. And the experience continues with three months of post support to help you take action. We're being intentional about who joins us. So if you've been carrying around an idea that you wanna bring to life, we'd love to see you there. You can learn more at vienna dash weights dot com slash retreat. Now back to the episode. Greg
But I think besides us, we see it in the conversations in in this podcast as well. And I think the I think our first episode with Bob Mathers, he talked about being in New York and all of a sudden they see, oh my gosh. The Rolling Stones are playing. How could they not? Right? And Yeah. I think adventure isn't just going to New York. It's like like I said, it's stepping into the unknown or a hazardous action with an uncertain outcome. It's not knowing what might be ahead of you and leaning into that uncertainty. Jenn
Do you think it's spontaneity? Like, what's the difference? You know, like, uncertain outcome or doing something unexpected. I think there I don't know. I think there's a connection there. Greg
I think there's absolutely a connection. I think that notion of certainty is I mean, it that's there's an absence of adventure there. So, yes, spontaneity. But, I mean, that's adventurous. I think if you were to broad banner it with what is an adventure for for us, an adventure is booking a it's not going anywhere, but it's booking a retreat in February when we've not even got a location set yet or people lined up for it, and it's just going for it. I wouldn't call that spontaneous, but I would call that adventurous Or crazy. Or crazy. Jenn
It might be a bit of a crazy thing to do. Let's book a retreat, said the people that have never gone to a retreat or Greg
ran a Jenn
retreat before. But here we go. Greg
Here we go. I think that there's I think that there's there's something to but that's something to having an adventurous spirit that would say, I'm in New York, and there's a concert that I could go to. And I think that spontaneity, I think there's also an adventurous piece to that. Jenn
Yeah. For sure. I think Bobby Allou also. Right? Like, Bobby Allou had a really good one on his on the episode with Bobby Allu when he was talking about his rhythm quests. Like, he does these trips to different places, and it's really, like, for inspiration. I think he learned a new instrument or, you know, kinda travels and, goes on what he's called his rhythm quest, which is super cool. It's completely aligned to adventure. Greg
Yeah. I think it's these people like Bob Mathers, Bobby Allou, people in our program and and friends, people who inspire us, I think embrace that spirit of adventure. And I think before we put our finger on that value into that, that's something for us. I think that would have been less clear. And now seeing that that's a value for us, I think that is a common thread with with so many of these conversations, whether we're having them here or or outside of the context of the podcast. But I think intuitively, adventure seems like a good thing. But you know me. I wanted to do some digging into is adventure really a good thing? And if so, how? And how can it be helpful? And for anyone listening to this, we felt like, sure, we can talk about adventure and us, but maybe we can get some some research behind this. Jenn
Greg loves research. Greg
I Jenn
know. He's our research guy. If you ever see, like, a stat or anything, it's probably from Greg. If you see a quote and you're like, god. That's such a good quote. That's me. Greg
I I will not claim it to all be true, but I do love a good little bit of digging. I do. So, yeah, we came up with a few things, a few benefits of of adventure. And, again, intuitively, that seems like a really positive trait. So first, grit and resilience. So adventure means doing things that likely feel uncomfortable. So if you lean into that discomfort, it builds your grit and resilience, and that is, again, intuitively true, but it's research backed by psychologists. And I think, Whitney, of you and your experience, and you started backpacking with your girlfriends, you did two back to back trips. One was hazardous, and then the other less Jenn
so. Yeah. It's funny. When you said, like, grit and resilience and doing things uncomfortable, like, I think you can look at that two ways, like, physically or mentally. Right? It's like, I think that's two. So the backpacking stuff definitely well, maybe that's a bit of both, actually. Our first our first trip out, we went to Algonquin. There was, I think, six of us, five or six of us. And it was so brutal. Like, I don't think we were prepared for what we were embarking on. We definitely weren't. Like, people's toenails fell off. Greg
Not yours. Yeah. Jenn
The amount of band aids that were used. No. I was okay. But yeah, I mean, not okay at the same time. Like, we were just we hiked, and we had to get to the next spot. Like, there just actually wasn't another choice. And it had been raining for weeks, I think before we went, so the ground was super soft, and we were, you know, having to, like, scale, like, what felt like mountains, like rocks in Algonquin. It was it was pretty bananas. But it was awesome. Right? It was such an accomplishment. It was, yeah. There was tears at the end of it. It was so great. So, yeah, we've done a few other trips. Went to Tobermory. And that's, like, physical, but, yeah, I guess it does turn into, like, a mental grit and resilience as well when you're when you're doing it. Greg
So grit, growth, and resilience, adventure, good for that. Research backs it up, and our experiences confirm it. Go on the trip wise. Yeah. Go on the trip. Second one, though, there's more more benefits to adventure. Social bonds. It helps strengthen social bonds. So there is a team of psychologists who they did a study about how getting out into nature can strengthen the bonds between people. That is a study that I want to either be a part of or do, but I did not. They already did the research, but they they literally watched and researched people and what would happen socially to people who went out into nature and had these experiences together. That's not, again, to say that all adventures need to be in nature, but they took that as an example of just stepping out of your day to day. And Yeah. I think that I think that that's, a, a cool thing to do, but, b, can definitely back that up through your experience, but also ones that that I've had as well. Jenn
Yeah. And I think you're just when you're with people out in nature, presumably, you're just more present. Like, I think you're probably not on your phone and, you know, like, connected to, like, to work as much. I mean, everyone has a phone on them these days, but I think there's probably something to that where it's like you have to talk. You know? We were, like, hiking through the bush, and we're chatting. Like, of course, we're we're talking and learning more about each other and people are asking interesting questions and we're going a bit deeper than we would, on like a text message. Right? So I think there's something to that. It's probably a bit of like disconnecting from other parts of your life and social media and all of those distractions to help us kinda get to some of those deeper social bonds. Greg
Yeah. And it's it's very much related to that too that it's in that mode of adventure. Your when you're out pulled out of your day to day routine, there's uncertainty that's been added into the picture. And so your goals become so much more aligned. So you're with a group of people. And so now we all may have different things on our minds that are occupying our attention and focus. When you're on any sort of adventure where there's more uncertainty, your focus becomes a lot clearer on a shared objective or shared goal. Get to the top of that cliff or canoe to the other side of that lake or find firewood for the fire. And when you do that with others, with other human beings, it just builds a social bond. Jenn
Do Do you think we're building a social bond in this entrepreneur adventure we're on? Greg
I think we Jenn
are. There's a lot of grit. There's a lot of grit here, Greg. Greg
I think there's nobody I'd rather go on this adventure with. Jenn
Oh, that's cute. Greg
What what came to mind for me in a big way for this was and we shared in some earlier episodes just a bit of our story and how we came together. And twenty twenty was a huge year for the world, of course, but just it was the start of a the ending of chapters and the beginnings of entirely new a new chapter phase of our lives together. Just to I think to fast forward from twenty twenty to then twenty twenty four when we were sitting looking at each other going, did we go through all of that hardship and all that pain and all of that struggle just to land here with salaries and a mortgage and saving for retirement? It didn't feel right. And I think this this one struck home for me that there was this deeper sense of meaning or purpose. Like, there's something else that we must be meaning to do or be meant to do or or or have this deeper sense of meaning for what life should be, going from what we did then to where we were then or where we are now. So there you have it. Growth and resilience, social bonds, meaning, and purpose. Jenn
Yeah. Greg
All benefits of of creating a little or adding a little adventure to your life. Jenn
Yeah. Those are benefits. But, you know, I do think we should talk a bit about, like, this dark side. And I don't know if that's the right term for that exactly, but, yeah, I think back to, you know, my childhood and how I grew up, which I had a lot of instability. There was a lot of change. My parents were divorced. I flew from, you know, Calgary to Toronto every year, like, every summer. So there's a bit of that that I talked about in one of our earlier podcasts, just my upbringing, and we moved around to a ton of different houses. My, you know, parents had a lot of different jobs, and so I had a lot of instability. And, I just wonder as I age and get older and throughout my life and the decisions I've made, like, how much of that has been me really wanting those changes versus, you know, something that's buried deep inside me that, you know, I'm like, I I need that instability. Like, I Greg
Being is it is it for you being stable or in a routine? I mean, it just feel it seems to me like you always just feel so uncomfortable. Whereas come there's so much comfort that can come for routine. It just seems to me that when you're in that routine or flow, it almost just makes you feel like Jenn
like it's Yeah. It's, like, boring. Like, I can't I can't just I can't stay the same all the time. I just can't. And and I know some people that can. Like, I'm one of my best friends in the world. I mean, she met somebody. They got, you know, married quite young. They bought a house. She's been at the same job for about twenty five years now or something crazy. And she's so happy. She is so happy. And I think like, god, I could not live that life, you know? And she's like, I don't know how you make these big decisions in your life. And, like, she looks at me, like, we we're polar opposite ends of the spectrum. And, you know, she had her her house, her one childhood house that she lived in. And her parents were married, and they had a wonderful relationship. And, you know, and I think I, again, just had an opposite childhood of that. So how much is my adventure value, I guess? Actually adventure or childhood trauma? You know what I mean? Well That's the question. I don't know if that's dark side. I think it's just reality. Greg
It's been some Jenn
of these yeah. Greg
But I think it can show up in these negative ways where I think there's this when you get into that routine or cycle, then I think it can create a bit of a sense of, unease. So it's definitely that adventure value, and I think it's driven likely by some of that instability. But Yeah. I think it can cause you to maybe I think how to say this nicely? Maybe not be the best to be around. Maybe it doesn't come out in the in the nicest ways. Jenn
It can be like, Whitney, you're a raging bitch sometimes. Greg
You can be. You can Jenn
say that. Greg
It can be it can be difficult to be around or and and I know. Jenn
Sometimes I don't like being around me either. Greg
I think there's I think there's stress that that that comes up from it when there's not enough adventure. And so that can be I think, that that can be problematic. I think that Yeah. Jenn
I get antsy and need to switch things up. Greg
Even in our relationship, like, there's lots of people that would love they would love when their partner prepares a favorite meal for them. But if I prepare a favorite meal for you, it's like, this is not like, change it up, man. Like, get creative. Try something new. Like, rainbow tread again. Let's, like, let's let's try something different. Jenn
Well, luckily, you were similar and I do luckily. Opposite, upbringings. But luckily, I think you have the same, like, spirit as I do in that way. You know? I think you do like you do like change and you like adventure and all these things. So I think it works for us, which is great because I definitely couldn't be with someone who's just like, this is fine. Our life is gray. And, you know Greg
I think this this might be this might be just the the secret, for us, is that we do we do match in that. And I've thought about it too that where we presently live is the longest. It's the place where I've lived the longest in my whole life. It's out of my childhood home. And so this desire for adventure for me that is definitely one of my values as well. I think it's brought me to a different home every other year just as a Jenn
We've only been here for just over four years. So four Greg
years. And so and but I did grow up in the same house. My parents are together and and happy, and I had that stability, but somehow that I absorbed that desire for adventure. And I did that thing where we moved and packed up everything and just went from place to place Mhmm. Until settling here, where now we both feel equally, okay. What's next? And where are you Jenn
guys? I know. We definitely but we have so much going on in the work front that I think that's keeping us busy enough that we're not looking at selling our house. Greg
Not just yet. Jenn
Yet. Greg
But if you're looking for a beautiful property, give us a give us a show. We live in Pleasantville. So I think before we'd just to kinda bring it bring it around, I think that before we'd even defined that this was a core value of ours, and we did that as part of putting all of Vienna Waits together. We we just found ourselves connecting with people who for whom adventure was also a value. And I think as as we said at the outset, this isn't an episode for all of you to listen to us talk about our values. It's how do these values resonate for you, and how do they fit and bring things out in your own life. And as we've leaned into this notion of adventure, we've we've not just in our lives been attracted to people that have this as a core value for them, but we've seen people come to us and sharing adventures that they're planning to go on. One of my very best friends in the world is moving to Australia, with his family for Yeah. An undisclosed amount of time. And I think that's so cool. And it's exciting. And I Yeah. We're sharing that, the excitement for that experience so much because we're living our value of adventure. We're we're running a retreat. We're launching this business. We're planning a family trip, and we're going to Costa Rica at the end of the year. And we're just trying to bring that value to life in our own lives. And now people are going, oh, me too. It's like, we're going here, and we're going and doing this thing. And check this out, and we're sharing it. And I can't wait for him and his family to do that. But it's coming through in our program as well, people in our program that are taking on these new adventures and trying Jenn
Yeah. We have somebody who's moving to California for, yeah, work, a work opportunity that came up and packing up and leaving in September. It's just like, that's cool. You know? What a what a great story to tell. What a great adventure to go on and, like, just the different perspectives that you'll have and things you'll see and people you'll meet and all of the things that go along with that. It's just so great when we talk about people living on autopilot and how against that we are. These are people who are not living on autopilot, and they're just making moves, saying yes to the bold scary things and, you know, opportunities that that come up. Greg
And speaking of people who are saying yes to those opportunities, another person in our program, who she's just saying yes to all these new conversations. And we talk about this all the time that we've said it before in this in this already. Adventure does not mean packing up your family and moving to Australia, or it might. And I think that just saying yes to new opportunities, doing things that are uncomfortable, like posting on social media or Mhmm. Reading a challenging book, just those things can be enough of that taste of adventure to move you into that space where you get those benefits of living a more adventurous life. Jenn
K. So we're gonna wrap things up, but I think few key takeaways on this idea of adventure. Being adventurous, like, isn't something that probably many people self identify with, and it's not something that's maybe just for, you know, younger people as you might think or retired people that once they're actually retired, then they can go on these trips and do these things they've always wanted to do. I think lean into it. Like if you have that restlessness inside of you, listen to it. And there might be some sort of adventure value that lives within you. Second thing, like being adventurous is a choice. So if you're feeling stuck, adventure can come from changing things up. It could be something super small, like making a different dinner, like not doing the same thing every night, breaking your routine, trying something new. I yeah. Lean into that. And it doesn't we've talked a lot about travel and people doing all these crazy things, but it doesn't require thousands of dollars or a plane ticket. We had somebody on our podcast, Jennifer Moss, which we had a great conversation with, and she gave some advice on, you know, the best ways to build empathy, which is really interesting, is, like, travel, being one, seeing how other people, you know, live and experience their lives, or reading some fiction. So I think it could be even that. Right? Like, I don't know about you, Greg. You don't read a ton of fiction. Greg
Yeah. I found it convicting. I think it was it was a good perspective on how to build empathy. Jenn
Yeah. Right? It's like, get lost in a book. Like, that's an adventure itself. So we love adventure. Clearly, it's one of our six values. We have six, and that's one of them. So it's obviously pretty high on the list. Greg
And more to come in these. And we yeah. I think this is exciting. It's nice to take a step back from what we're doing on the day to day, have a conversation with each other, Whitney, to talk to you like this and to share this with all of you who are listening. We enjoy having the opportunity to connect with you and appreciate every time you tune in and listen. Give us some feedback. Let us know what you think of these. We'll call them in between episodes, because we love the conversations we're having with exciting people. We have some incredible ones coming up. But let us know. Let us know what you think about listening to us and us sharing some of our ideas and thoughts, and we'd love hearing from you whenever you do. Jenn
We really would. Greg
So thank you for tuning in. See you next time. Jenn
Thanks all. Greg
I will have the last word. Jenn
Mic drop. Is over. Stop. Greg
Thank you for listening to the Unblock Yourself podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to follow and rate the podcast. Your ratings and feedback mean the world to us. We'd love to stay connected with you via our biweekly newsletter called the Vienna five, where we share ideas and advice that we found helpful on our own journey to live with more intention. You can also find us on LinkedIn and Instagram. For those Gen Z listeners out there, no, we're not on TikTok. But if enough of you ask for it, we'll just have to do it at some point. The links to find us in social are in the show notes. The Unblock Yourself podcast is edited and produced by Bespoke Productions Hub. Thank you for being here. 
