Kerouacs Cruising | Where Off-Grid Living Meets Soulful Awakening

Podcast by James & Cara Kerouac | Adventure Podcast Hosts

Kerouacs Cruising | Where Off-Grid Living Meets Soulful Awakening

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.

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Latest episodes

02 June 2026

Why Not Me | Crewing the Cocodona 250 in Arizona

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
Dr. Margaret Cochran — the "backseat driver" concept (the inner critic that wants to drive the bus)
Dispersed Camping, Flagstaff, Arizona
LA Comedy Club at the Edgewater, Laughlin/Bullhead City — anniversary comedy show
The Reinvention Project: thereinventionproject.podia.com/the-quiet-reinvention-workshop

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.

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. 💚🩷

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26 May 2026

We Said Yes to a Dr. Joe Dispenza Retreat | And It Changed Everything

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 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. 💚🩷

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19 May 2026

Broken Pelvis, Broken Plans | How the Detour Became the Direction

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

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. 💚🩷

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12 May 2026

We Found a Beach on the Colorado River | Season 3 Begins

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
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.

For 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. 💚🩷

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07 February 2026

Campfire Conversations in a Season of Change

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.

💻 Watch this episode on YouTube: @KerouacsCruising

📸 Blog & travel stories: KerouacsCruising.com

💬 Instagram & Facebook: @KerouacsCruising

📧 Email: Join@KerouacsCruising.com

✨ Support our journey on Ko-fi: Every little bit helps us keep creating from the road! https://ko-fi.com/kerouacscruising

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.

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28 January 2026

Kava, Calm, and Conscious Connection | An Honest Conversation About Kava, Culture, and Alcohol Alternatives

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

📸 Blog & travel stories: KerouacsCruising.com

💬 Instagram & Facebook: @KerouacsCruising

📧 Email: Join@KerouacsCruising.com

✨ Support our journey on Ko-fi: Every little bit helps us keep creating from the road! https://ko-fi.com/kerouacscruising

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.

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52:08