From RV Life to Podcast Dreams My Journey Continues

Hey guys. I think it's important to start by saying I never planned to start a podcast. I'm serious. Until the summer of 2025, it never even crossed my mind. And it was a friend that suggested we should do it. And I really, truly never planned to be sitting in round three of a national search for the next top host. Me, the homeschool mom that lives in an RV. Hey everybody, it's me, Jennifer. Just you and me today, no guest. No big plan. I just wanted to talk to you. So grab your coffee or go sit outside, maybe even take a walk, and let's chat. Because I've got a lot on my heart and I want to tell you why this contest matters so much to me. And it might not be what you think. Alright, so we made it to round three of Top Post. I still can't believe I'm saying that out loud. And there's still a long way to go. When I entered, I figured I'd just put my name in, see what happens. And that would be that. Then round one. We made it. Then last week, round two, we got through again. And now here we are in round three. I did not expect this, but I'm so grateful. Every one of those votes came from a real person, somebody in the middle of their day. Maybe you were making dinner, maybe you were sitting in a carpool line, or maybe you were just scrolling Facebook, but you stopped and you clicked a link and said, Yeah, I'm in her corner. And that meant a lot to me. And yeah, I know, it's a long contest. Like we're not even halfway there. And I feel like we've been doing this forever, but thanks for sticking with me through all of it. So, in case you're just finding us, let me explain what Top Host is. It's a search for someone that they consider charismatic to lead a six-episode podcast produced by iHeartMedia. The winner also gets $25,000 and gets to be a guest star on an episode on air with Ryan Seacrest. You know, a podcast that would be produced by iHeartMedia. I mean, I'm a girl that records in an RV without technical difficulties and dogs barking in the background to keep it interesting, to say the very least. The competition supports the Ryan Seacrest Foundation, and that part, the foundation, is very important too. So let's talk about the girl that's in this contest. You know, I'm a homeschool mom. We road schooled seven kids, we've had kids graduated, and I've still got teenagers at home. We've been full-time RVers since 2013. That's 13 years of campgrounds, breakdowns, travel stories, and school at a picnic table. And for a long time, when somebody asked me about me, I'd say, Oh, I'm just a homeschool mom. Just. It's a little word, right? Four letters, but it makes you smaller before you've even said what comes next. I was just a homeschool mom who started telling people what we were learning on the road. I was just a mom that turned to a microphone. I was just a mom that became a business owner. And I have something to say about this life, but I didn't have a real plan back then. I didn't and still don't have an actual studio. Lots of times we're just sitting in my living room or my bedroom while we record. I still sometimes don't know what half the buttons do. Uh, tech side is a little bit above my pay grade, but I know people are asking the same questions that I used to ask. And I just wanted to help. Now that same mom is in a contest with lots of other talented hosts who do have studios and teams and years of experience. So if there's something you want to do, something that feels too big for you, please listen. You don't have to be the most polished person in the room. You don't even have to have it figured out. You just have to get started. Don't let yourself be defined by that word. You are not just anything. Now, let's talk about the Ryan Seacrest Foundation. That foundation builds media studios inside children's hospitals from radio booths, TV studios, the whole thing. So a kid who's stuck in a hospital bed, going through something really hard, gets to be a host on a podcast. They get a microphone and a voice. And they don't have to be just in a hospital. Think about that for a second. You know, that's the thing I love about this contest. It's doing two great things at once. It's lifting up podcasters who are working really hard and dreaming pretty big, but it's also raising money for kids. I don't think there's anything really bad about that. And you don't have to pay for votes. Like you can, but your free vote counts, and I'm thankful for it. If you believe in what Ryan Seacrest is doing and you want to give, that's wonderful, but it's totally up to you. I would never want anyone to feel like they have to spend the money unless they felt that's what they wanted to do and they believed in the organization. But the visibility this contest has created is incredible. Look how many people are paying attention right now. I'm in front of people that maybe would have never even seen or heard Learn to RV the podcast. And the money being raised is for a good cause. That matters win or lose. Now, I've met so many new people because of it. Other podcasters online, a lot of them. Some of them have been at it for years, some of them who haven't even started yet. We're sharing links, we're cheering each other on, we're having conversations on Facebook and Instagram, you know, things that we wish we'd known sooner. So there, we're helping each other there too. Now, some of those people I would have never crossed paths with because they're in different corners of the internet. And now we're all in the same boat and rooting for each other. And I say community over competition all the time, and I mean it. It's how we've lived on the road, and I find that you can be in a contest and still root for the person next to you. I've watched people I admire share their own votes and then turn around and share mine. That's kind of the best part of all of this. I'm a connector. It's just who I am. Connecting people is kind of some people would say it's my superpower. But that's what this podcast is too. I get to introduce you to the right people in the industry all the time, the right opportunities, the places you've never been, when you're new to this life, or even if you've been doing it a long time, sometimes it's knowing who to ask or where to start. And I love being the person that gets to say, oh, you need to meet so-and-so. That's why we do Community Spotlight series. Every conversation we have on this podcast often opens another door. And the podcast is just one branch of something so much bigger. Learn to RV is a complete ecosystem. You know, there's the podcast, there's the blog, there's the YouTube channel, there's the course, there's the journal, and there's learntorv.com. They all feed each other. Somebody finds us on a podcast episode, but then they go to a blog, totally unrelated, and then they're in the Facebook groups, and then they're taking the course or buying the journal. It all connects. It's an intersection. So yes. I would love to win, but I what I really want is for Learned RV to become a hub in the RV space, a place where people land, find what they need, and get pointed to the right things. A home base for a whole community. And every new person who finds us through this contest gets us a little closer. Somebody out there is dreaming of RV life right now. Maybe they're too scared to take the leap. Maybe they're lying in their bed right now wondering if they could actually do it. Maybe they've been doing it a long time, but they haven't found the connections that they've been craving. They might find us because of this. And who knows who will find us next? That's the part that's exciting. Now, Learn to RV is a smaller brand. It became official in 2016, and we've been at this grind for going on 10 years. Well, I'll be honest with you, we have never blown up like a lot of other creators. There is no big viral video, no overnight moment where everything changed. And we have a lot of followers. I mean, I don't know, I think the 34,000 followers across all the platforms is a good thing. You know, our Facebook following is less than 500 right now. We're hoping that changes real soon. But we just keep showing up. One episode, one blog, one post, one video, one conversation at a time. And we faced a lot of obstacles. The thing about podcasting is you don't even know if anybody's listening. But we're still here. I think there's something special about a channel that just doesn't give up. A slow and steady following, built one person at a time, nobody's handing us an audience, every single listener is finding us and maybe even telling a friend. That kind of community doesn't come from a trend. It comes from showing up year after year, day after day, even when it feels like nobody's listening. If you've ever built something small and quiet, something that hasn't really taken off the way you'd hoped, I want you to understand this. Slow is not failing. Steady absolutely counts. And the people that stay with you through the slow years are the ones that matter. All of you matter. And that's why this opportunity would mean so much. Not because we need a spotlight to prove we're worth it, but because after 10 years of just keeping going, it would feel like somebody finally saw it. We are also a small channel with really big dreams. We don't have a giant team, no fancy studio, a microphone, a lot of heart, a few overhead lights sometimes, and a community that keeps showing up. And if you've been in my corner this whole time, I don't take that for granted. If we win, that $25,000 is gonna go right back into Learn to RV the podcast and into growing everything around it. Better episodes, professional editing, better guests. I don't know. I don't know if they'd be better guests. We have a great lineup of guests. More ways to help people who are just starting to dream about this life. And the podcast, I mean, it's kind of my heartbeat. I'd love to give it everything it deserves. I've wanted to give more to this podcast for a long time, and this would let us do that. But even if we don't win, this has already been worth it because of the people I've met and because of you. So thanks. Thank you to everybody who's already voted. Thank you to the people who are sharing the link when they don't have to. Thank you to the friends that are in this contest too, who could have kept themselves like isolated instead have been nothing but kind. And thank you for my family who's put up with me saying, hang on, one more thing, about 900 times a day. Uh, and everyone that's listened to the show, whether it's your first episode or your 105th, you're the reason we do this. So if you want to help, there's two things, and both just take a few seconds. First, follow Learn to RV the podcast wherever you listen. Hit like, listen to an episode, subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple, wherever you get your podcasts, and don't forget to follow on all the socials. Second, if you believe we deserve to be the next top host, vote once a day. It's free. Round three closes Thursday, October 29th at 7 p.m. Pacific. If we get into this next round, it's not over. So you have to keep doing it till I get there. But I'd appreciate it if you did. The link will be in the show notes. And if you've already voted for a friend, that's okay. I love that. I'll cheer for them too, right beside you. Thanks for letting me be more than a just. Thank you for listening. Thank you for voting. Thank you for believing in this little podcast from an RV. Wherever you're dreaming, go do it. You're not just anything. I'll see you down the road. And hopefully you'll tune in for tomorrow's podcast.