The Maverick Show: Global Travel Stories & Life Beyond Borders

Learn how global diaspora connections & nomadic traditions can unlock new ways of building community across cultures. ============================ Get the Monday Minute my weekly email with 3 personal recs for travel, culture, and living beyond borders you can read in 60 seconds. ============================ ON THIS EPISODE Priyanka Surio reflects on growing up in Florida navigating a mixed Indian and Hungarian identity, and how early experiences of not fully belonging shaped her relationship to culture, travel, and self-expression. She shares stories from reconnecting with her heritage, including time spent in Hungary, studying abroad in India, and how these experiences informed her evolving sense of identity. Priyanka reflects on studying the Year of Return in Ghana as a model for reconnecting diasporas and considers how similar frameworks could strengthen ties within Indian communities around the world. She also discusses her travels in Ethiopia and her encounters with historically nomadic cultures in Mongolia and Morocco, examining how these experiences reshaped her thinking about movement, cross-cultural travel, and building community. She closes by reflecting on minimalism, intentional living, and how a life of travel can transform the way we understand identity, belonging, and connection across cultures. → Full show notes with direct links to everything discussed are available here. ============================ FREE RESOURCES FOR YOU: See my Top 10 Apps For Digital Nomads See my Top 10 Books For Digital Nomads See my 7 Keys For Building A Remote Business (Even in a space that’s not traditionally virtual) Watch my Video Training on Stylish Minimalist Packing so you can join #TeamCarryOn See the Travel Gear I Use and Recommend See How I Produce The Maverick Show Podcast (The equipment, services & vendors I use) ============================ ENJOYING THE SHOW? Follow The Maverick Show on Instagram and DM Matt to continue the conversation Please leave a rating and review — it really helps the show and I read each one personally You can buy me a coffee — espressos help me produce significantly better podcast episodes! :)

Hear travel stories from Equatorial Guinea to Brazil & how Dash works to dismantle anti-Blackness in Latinx communities. ============================ Get the Monday Minute my weekly email with 3 personal recs for travel, culture, and living beyond borders you can read in 60 seconds. ============================ ON THIS EPISODE In Part 2 of this conversation, Peabody Award–winning producer and historian Dash Harris unpacks the ideology of mestizaje and explains how narratives of racial mixing have obscured anti-Blackness across Latin America and its diaspora. She discusses why she rejects the umbrella identity of “Latina,” drawing on Black feminist scholarship, her workshops on dismantling anti-Blackness in Latinx communities, and her own experiences traveling and researching Afro-descendant cultures around the world. Dash tells stories from visiting Equatorial Guinea—the only Spanish-speaking country in Africa—and compares Afro-diasporic histories across continents. She also shares observations from Salvador, Brazil about tourism, memory, and the politics of Black cultural spaces. Finally, she recommends some of her favorite music—from Afro-Cuban traditions to Afro-Colombian and Brazilian sounds. → Full show notes with direct links to everything discussed are available here. ============================ FREE RESOURCES FOR YOU: See my Top 10 Apps For Digital Nomads See my Top 10 Books For Digital Nomads See my 7 Keys For Building A Remote Business (Even in a space that’s not traditionally virtual) Watch my Video Training on Stylish Minimalist Packing so you can join #TeamCarryOn See the Travel Gear I Use and Recommend See How I Produce The Maverick Show Podcast (The equipment, services & vendors I use) ============================ ENJOYING THE SHOW? Follow The Maverick Show on Instagram and DM Matt to continue the conversation Please leave a rating and review — it really helps the show and I read each one personally You can buy me a coffee — espressos help me produce significantly better podcast episodes! :)

Learn how growing up between Brooklyn and Panama shaped Dash’s journey into documentary storytelling and global travel. ============================ Get the Monday Minute my weekly email with 3 personal recs for travel, culture, and living beyond borders you can read in 60 seconds. ============================ ON THIS EPISODE Peabody Award–winning producer and historian Dash Harris tells stories about coming of age between 1990s Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn and Panama. She reflects on navigating Black and Afro-Panamanian identity across cultures and how those experiences shaped her understanding of race, identity, and the global Black diaspora. Dash tells the backstory of filming Negro, her groundbreaking docu-series exploring race and anti-Blackness across Latin America. She also explains how filming the docu-series ultimately led her to co-found AfroLatinx Travel, a company that organizes trips centering the African roots of Latin America and connecting travelers with Black communities, histories, and cultural traditions. → Full show notes with direct links to everything discussed are available here. ============================ FREE RESOURCES FOR YOU: See my Top 10 Apps For Digital Nomads See my Top 10 Books For Digital Nomads See my 7 Keys For Building A Remote Business (Even in a space that’s not traditionally virtual) Watch my Video Training on Stylish Minimalist Packing so you can join #TeamCarryOn See the Travel Gear I Use and Recommend See How I Produce The Maverick Show Podcast (The equipment, services & vendors I use) ============================ ENJOYING THE SHOW? Follow The Maverick Show on Instagram and DM Matt to continue the conversation Please leave a rating and review — it really helps the show and I read each one personally You can buy me a coffee — espressos help me produce significantly better podcast episodes! :)

Learn how Cara came out as queer while living abroad and built community, belonging, and solidarity with Palestine. ============================ Get the Monday Minute my weekly email with 3 personal recs for travel, culture, and living beyond borders you can read in 60 seconds. ============================ ON THIS EPISODE In Part 2 of this conversation, Cara Laban reflects on the intersections of queer identity, Jewish history, and political solidarity while living and traveling around the world. She shares how coming out as queer while living abroad helped her find community and belonging across cultures, while a deeper engagement with Jewish history and contemporary politics shaped her journey toward anti-Zionism and solidarity with Palestinians. Cara also recounts navigating male-dominated digital nomad spaces, attending feminist protests, and encountering police violence. She then tells travel stories from Italy, the Dominican Republic, the Galapagos Islands, attending Carnival in Rio and seeing pink dolphins in the Amazon. Cara reflects on how living between cultures can expand the way we think about identity, community, and collective liberation. And finally, she shares lessons from Jewish history about our collective responsibility to confront the rise of fascism in the U.S. and around the world. → Full show notes with direct links to everything discussed are available here. ============================ FREE RESOURCES FOR YOU: See my Top 10 Apps For Digital Nomads See my Top 10 Books For Digital Nomads See my 7 Keys For Building A Remote Business (Even in a space that’s not traditionally virtual) Watch my Video Training on Stylish Minimalist Packing so you can join #TeamCarryOn See the Travel Gear I Use and Recommend See How I Produce The Maverick Show Podcast (The equipment, services & vendors I use) ============================ ENJOYING THE SHOW? Follow The Maverick Show on Instagram and DM Matt to continue the conversation Please leave a rating and review — it really helps the show and I read each one personally You can buy me a coffee — espressos help me produce significantly better podcast episodes! :)

Learn how Cara stopped escaping and designed a sustainable world travel lifestyle that works for her brain. ============================ Get the Monday Minute my weekly email with 3 personal recs for travel, culture, and living beyond borders you can read in 60 seconds. ============================ ON THIS EPISODE Cara Laban left New York chasing a childhood dream of Australia, but what began as an escape from burnout turned into a two-year immersion in life overseas, from bar shifts in Melbourne to bakery work in the outback. In this candid conversation, she shares the mental health lows that followed her across continents, the road-trip mishap that left her stranded without gas in remote Australia, and the moment in Thailand when she realized travel alone wouldn’t fix what she was carrying internally. We trace her evolution from working local hospitality jobs to building a sustainable travel lifestyle online after discovering Hannah Dixon’s Virtual Excellence Academy. That reinvention eventually led her to found Travel Reddi, an AI-powered travel logistics platform designed to simplify global mobility. Cara opens up about depression on the road, the difference between analog and digital nomad life, and how systems thinking became the foundation of both her business and her forthcoming book: “How to Do Anything Even if You’re Lazy”. This is a story about reinvention, self-honesty, and designing a life overseas that actually works for your brain. → Full show notes with direct links to everything discussed are available here. ============================ FREE RESOURCES FOR YOU: See my Top 10 Apps For Digital Nomads See my Top 10 Books For Digital Nomads See my 7 Keys For Building A Remote Business (Even in a space that’s not traditionally virtual) Watch my Video Training on Stylish Minimalist Packing so you can join #TeamCarryOn See the Travel Gear I Use and Recommend See How I Produce The Maverick Show Podcast (The equipment, services & vendors I use) ============================ ENJOYING THE SHOW? Follow The Maverick Show on Instagram and DM Matt to continue the conversation Please leave a rating and review — it really helps the show and I read each one personally You can buy me a coffee — espressos help me produce significantly better podcast episodes! :)

Hear stories of balloon jumps, zoo dives, flipping out of planes & the personal growth and life lessons behind it all. ============================ Get the Monday Minute my weekly email with 3 personal recs for travel, culture, and living beyond borders you can read in 60 seconds. ============================ ON THIS EPISODE In the final part of the conversation, Taylor Wallace shares how a spontaneous first jump in Brazil led to a passion for skydiving that has taken her across the world, from beach jumps outside Rio to balloon jumps over Cappadocia and massive skydiving festivals in the United States. She explains the discipline, humility, and constant learning required to stay safe in a high-risk sport, and reflects on how skydiving mirrors entrepreneurship and travel—requiring courage, adaptability, and trust in yourself when things don’t go as planned. The episode closes with Taylor reflecting on how global travel and adventure have shaped her resilience, perspective, and desire to keep pushing beyond her comfort zone. → Full show notes with direct links to everything discussed are available here. ============================ FREE RESOURCES FOR YOU: See my Top 10 Apps For Digital Nomads See my Top 10 Books For Digital Nomads See my 7 Keys For Building A Remote Business (Even in a space that’s not traditionally virtual) Watch my Video Training on Stylish Minimalist Packing so you can join #TeamCarryOn See the Travel Gear I Use and Recommend See How I Produce The Maverick Show Podcast (The equipment, services & vendors I use) ============================ ENJOYING THE SHOW? Follow The Maverick Show on Instagram and DM Matt to continue the conversation Please leave a rating and review — it really helps the show and I read each one personally You can buy me a coffee — espressos help me produce significantly better podcast episodes! :)

Hear how Japan, startup life, and global travel shaped Taylor’s approach to entrepreneurship and intentional living. ============================ Get the Monday Minute my weekly email with 3 personal recs for travel, culture, and living beyond borders you can read in 60 seconds. ============================ ON THIS EPISODE In Part 2 of the conversation, Taylor Wallace reflects on how her deep connection with Japan shaped her worldview and confidence as a global traveler, sharing stories from Kyoto, Mount Fuji, and the cultural experiences that made the country feel like a second home. She then traces her path into entrepreneurship, the sale of her startup while living abroad, and how community and global mobility helped launch her location-independent life. Taylor also breaks down her concept of the Fit Founder Lifestyle, offering practical insights on balancing business ambition with health, travel, and intentional living while building a career on the road. → Full show notes with direct links to everything discussed are available here. ============================ FREE RESOURCES FOR YOU: See my Top 10 Apps For Digital Nomads See my Top 10 Books For Digital Nomads See my 7 Keys For Building A Remote Business (Even in a space that’s not traditionally virtual) Watch my Video Training on Stylish Minimalist Packing so you can join #TeamCarryOn See the Travel Gear I Use and Recommend See How I Produce The Maverick Show Podcast (The equipment, services & vendors I use) ============================ ENJOYING THE SHOW? Follow The Maverick Show on Instagram and DM Matt to continue the conversation Please leave a rating and review — it really helps the show and I read each one personally You can buy me a coffee — espressos help me produce significantly better podcast episodes! :)

Hear how early travel across continents shaped Taylor’s worldview and helped her navigate her multi-cultural identity. ============================ Get the Monday Minute my weekly email with 3 personal recs for travel, culture, and living beyond borders you can read in 60 seconds. ============================ ON THIS EPISODE Taylor Wallace reflects on how growing up between cultures and traveling internationally from a young age shaped her identity and global perspective. She shares formative experiences in South Africa, Singapore, and Brazil, explores her multicultural heritage and connection to place, and discusses how studying history and witnessing different narratives around the world reshaped her understanding of power, belonging, and U.S. foreign policy. This episode traces the experiences that helped Taylor find her place in the world—and set the foundation for the global life she would go on to build. → Full show notes with direct links to everything discussed are available here. ============================ FREE RESOURCES FOR YOU: See my Top 10 Apps For Digital Nomads See my Top 10 Books For Digital Nomads See my 7 Keys For Building A Remote Business (Even in a space that’s not traditionally virtual) Watch my Video Training on Stylish Minimalist Packing so you can join #TeamCarryOn See the Travel Gear I Use and Recommend See How I Produce The Maverick Show Podcast (The equipment, services & vendors I use) ============================ ENJOYING THE SHOW? Follow The Maverick Show on Instagram and DM Matt to continue the conversation Please leave a rating and review — it really helps the show and I read each one personally You can buy me a coffee — espressos help me produce significantly better podcast episodes! :)

Learn how NOMA supports nomadic families, navigates travel ethics in the Global South and builds lasting communities. ============================ Get the Monday Minute my weekly email with 3 personal recs for travel, culture, and living beyond borders you can read in 60 seconds. ============================ ON THIS EPISODE In part two of this conversation, Daniel Thompson dives deep into what comes after the digital nomad phase—unpacking NOMA Collective’s evolution from pop-up nomad trips to a long-term vision centered on multi-local communities, ethical travel, and genuine local impact. Daniel explains how NOMA designs community-first experiences around the world, how they think about inclusion, safety, and values, and why slowing down, listening, and building relationships matters—especially in the Global South. He also shares his framework for the future of location-independent living, including family-first models, offering a thoughtful look at how travel, community, and belonging might evolve in the years ahead. → Full show notes with direct links to everything discussed are available here. ============================ FREE RESOURCES FOR YOU: See my Top 10 Apps For Digital Nomads See my Top 10 Books For Digital Nomads See my 7 Keys For Building A Remote Business (Even in a space that’s not traditionally virtual) Watch my Video Training on Stylish Minimalist Packing so you can join #TeamCarryOn See the Travel Gear I Use and Recommend See How I Produce The Maverick Show Podcast (The equipment, services & vendors I use) ============================ ENJOYING THE SHOW? Follow The Maverick Show on Instagram and DM Matt to continue the conversation Please leave a rating and review — it really helps the show and I read each one personally You can buy me a coffee — espressos help me produce significantly better podcast episodes! :)

Learn how childhood travel and music culture shaped a path to building global communities and founding NOMA Collective. ============================ Get the Monday Minute my weekly email with 3 personal recs for travel, culture, and living beyond borders you can read in 60 seconds. ============================ ON THIS EPISODE Matt sits down with Daniel Thompson, co-founder and CEO of NOMA Collective, to trace the unlikely path from growing up on tour with a famous rock band to building global communities for remote workers and families. Daniel reflects on childhood travel, and shares incredible stories from underground music scenes in London and Buenos Aires, his life the role of fear in holding people back from life-changing journeys, and how travel, when done intentionally, can expand empathy, creativity, and freedom. Along the way, he shares deeply personal stories about identity, parenthood, cross-cultural relationships, and why creating “safe spaces” for people to come together has been the through-line of his entire life and work. → Full show notes with direct links to everything discussed are available here. ============================ FREE RESOURCES FOR YOU: See my Top 10 Apps For Digital Nomads See my Top 10 Books For Digital Nomads See my 7 Keys For Building A Remote Business (Even in a space that’s not traditionally virtual) Watch my Video Training on Stylish Minimalist Packing so you can join #TeamCarryOn See the Travel Gear I Use and Recommend See How I Produce The Maverick Show Podcast (The equipment, services & vendors I use) ============================ ENJOYING THE SHOW? Follow The Maverick Show on Instagram and DM Matt to continue the conversation Please leave a rating and review — it really helps the show and I read each one personally You can buy me a coffee — espressos help me produce significantly better podcast episodes! :)

Learn the meaning of Carnival traditions like jab jab & stilt walking & get recs for visiting Guyana. ============================ Get the Monday Minute my weekly email with 3 personal recs for travel, culture, and living beyond borders you can read in 60 seconds. ============================ ON THIS EPISODE In Part 2 of this conversation, award-winning journalist Melissa Noel joins Matt to explore how diaspora stories are told—and why depth, context, and care matter. Melissa unpacks the cultural and political meaning behind Caribbean Carnival traditions, shares her personal recommendations for experiencing her home country of Guyana beyond the surface, and reflects on the impact of her Pulitzer-supported reporting on Jamaica’s barrel children and the long-term impact of migration on families. From ethical considerations when interviewing vulnerable communities to the extractive dynamics of tourism and the responsibility of storytellers, this episode examines how culture, migration, and power intersect—and how travel and journalism can be practiced with intention, accountability, and respect. → Full show notes with direct links to everything discussed are available here. ============================ FREE RESOURCES FOR YOU: See my Top 10 Apps For Digital Nomads See my Top 10 Books For Digital Nomads See my 7 Keys For Building A Remote Business (Even in a space that’s not traditionally virtual) Watch my Video Training on Stylish Minimalist Packing so you can join #TeamCarryOn See the Travel Gear I Use and Recommend See How I Produce The Maverick Show Podcast (The equipment, services & vendors I use) ============================ ENJOYING THE SHOW? Follow The Maverick Show on Instagram and DM Matt to continue the conversation Please leave a rating and review — it really helps the show and I read each one personally You can buy me a coffee — espressos help me produce significantly better podcast episodes! :)

Learn about African diasporic identity, migration, cultural memory, and building a global Black storytelling project. ============================ Get the Monday Minute my weekly email with 3 personal recs for travel, culture, and living beyond borders you can read in 60 seconds. ============================ ON THIS EPISODE Award-winning journalist and media entrepreneur Melissa Noel starts by sharing her first impressions of Brazil and attending the Black Travel Summit in Rio, where she won the BET+ Passport to Storytelling pitch competition for her Destination Diaspora docuseries. She reflects on growing up in a Guyanese immigrant household in New Jersey, her parents’ migration experience, and how attending Howard University deepened her understanding of global Black identity and Pan-Africanism, including the lasting influence of Guyanese scholar Walter Rodney. The episode also explores her life-changing visit to Ghana during the Year of Return and her years living and reporting across the Caribbean. Melissa shares stories from hiking Caribbean volcanoes, explains why St. Vincent and the Grenadines holds such a special place in her heart, describes what it’s like to walk through Montserrat’s buried city of Plymouth, and unpacks the intertwined African and Irish history commemorated during Montserrat’s St. Patrick’s Festival. → Full show notes with direct links to everything discussed are available here. ============================ FREE RESOURCES FOR YOU: See my Top 10 Apps For Digital Nomads See my Top 10 Books For Digital Nomads See my 7 Keys For Building A Remote Business (Even in a space that’s not traditionally virtual) Watch my Video Training on Stylish Minimalist Packing so you can join #TeamCarryOn See the Travel Gear I Use and Recommend See How I Produce The Maverick Show Podcast (The equipment, services & vendors I use) ============================ ENJOYING THE SHOW? Follow The Maverick Show on Instagram and DM Matt to continue the conversation Please leave a rating and review — it really helps the show and I read each one personally You can buy me a coffee — espressos help me produce significantly better podcast episodes! :)

Learn how to schedule a free video call with Matt and lock in special discounts on 2026 trips and travel conferences. ============================ Get the Monday Minute my weekly email with 3 personal recs for travel, culture, and living beyond borders you can read in 60 seconds. ============================ ON THIS EPISODE In this solo New Year’s episode, Matt Bowles reflects on a year of global travel, community, and cultural connection while sharing what’s ahead in 2026. Recording from Vermont after five weeks in Rio de Janeiro, Matt recaps the Black Travel Summit in Brazil, highlights standout Maverick Show guests and award winners, and shares updates on upcoming events, immersive trips, and travel festivals around the world that you can attend—from Grenada and Jordan to Cape Town and Bangkok. He also speaks candidly about the importance of international solidarity with Palestine, and how you can take action. Matt also explains why building deeper, more reciprocal relationships with Maverick Show listeners is a top priority for him this year—and offers free one-on-one video calls for listeners. The episode closes with reflections on gratitude, community, and how listeners can support and help grow the show in the year ahead. → Full show notes with direct links to everything discussed are available here. ============================ FREE RESOURCES FOR YOU: See my Top 10 Apps For Digital Nomads See my Top 10 Books For Digital Nomads See my 7 Keys For Building A Remote Business (Even in a space that’s not traditionally virtual) Watch my Video Training on Stylish Minimalist Packing so you can join #TeamCarryOn See the Travel Gear I Use and Recommend See How I Produce The Maverick Show Podcast (The equipment, services & vendors I use) ============================ ENJOYING THE SHOW? Follow The Maverick Show on Instagram and DM Matt to continue the conversation Please leave a rating and review — it really helps the show and I read each one personally You can buy me a coffee — espressos help me produce significantly better podcast episodes! :)

Hear stories from riding a motorcycle in Egypt, Thailand, India, Nepal, Vietnam and becoming an Emmy-winning filmmaker. ============================ Get the Monday Minute my weekly email with 3 personal recs for travel, culture, and living beyond borders you can read in 60 seconds. ============================ ON THIS EPISODE In Part 2 of this interview, Emmy-winning filmmaker and motorcycle adventurer Alex Chacon reflects on what years of extreme overland travel have taught him about life, creativity, and meaning. From riding across Egypt at sunrise to navigating the chaos of Vietnam, India, and Kathmandu, to experiencing radical hospitality in Pakistan and Argentina, to pushing physical limits in brutal heat across Thailand, Alex shares powerful stories from the road and the metaphors they reveal about resilience, risk, and growth. He also dives deep into his evolution as a storyteller—how his viral 3 Year Epic Selfie video changed his life, why he shifted from cinematic travel montages to vulnerable narrative filmmaking, and how travel continues to shape his artistic and entrepreneurial journey. This episode is a meditation on adventure, purpose, and why travel, at its best, is not just about destinations—but about becoming the next version of yourself. → Full show notes with direct links to everything discussed are available here. ============================ FREE RESOURCES FOR YOU: See my Top 10 Apps For Digital Nomads See my Top 10 Books For Digital Nomads See my 7 Keys For Building A Remote Business (Even in a space that’s not traditionally virtual) Watch my Video Training on Stylish Minimalist Packing so you can join #TeamCarryOn See the Travel Gear I Use and Recommend See How I Produce The Maverick Show Podcast (The equipment, services & vendors I use) ============================ ENJOYING THE SHOW? Follow The Maverick Show on Instagram and DM Matt to continue the conversation Please leave a rating and review — it really helps the show and I read each one personally You can buy me a coffee — espressos help me produce significantly better podcast episodes! :)