Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
Welcome back to Weird World Adventures, the podcast. I'm your host, Mallory, and I'm here to show you just how weird this world of ours really is. I have Brianna here with me today. I'm so excited. She was the first woman to walk the Western Front way solo, which is really exciting.
And thank you so much for joining us today.
[00:00:26] Speaker B: Thank you so much for having me.
[00:00:28] Speaker A: Of course.
I wanted to ask because you're talking about the Explorers Club just now.
Have you. Have you been to ECAD before?
[00:00:36] Speaker B: No, Every year, like, I, like, every year, like, I get the emails and stuff and then I wait too long and then there's no tickets available.
And like, my friend that's a member of the fellow of the Explorers Club, I like, you know, I'm like, do you think you'd be like, it's just too late? So I want to go so bad, but I have not gone yet. But I try to go to the events regularly, like when they're in the city.
[00:00:57] Speaker A: Yeah, it's. I will say this year we almost missed it because they do sell out, like, surprisingly fast. But then someone in my D.C. chapter was like, I'll sell my tickets. And I was like, oh, fantastic. So we're gonna make it out. And it's a crazy night of adventure with explorers.
[00:01:14] Speaker B: It really, like, honestly, I've gone to, like, the Friday Frolics and stuff like that, so it's always like a good time to be there and be like, you know, know, I think the last time, one of the last times I was there, the guy from Expedition Unknown was there and I was having conversations with other people and I was like, oh, hey, you know, but it was just one of those things that, like, it's just such a fun place to go because it's just so. So historical. And, you know, the question is, what are you wearing?
[00:01:39] Speaker A: Oh, my gosh. So I did just get my dress. I have a picture of it. I can show you.
[00:01:43] Speaker B: I want to see it. I want to see it because I think that's the most important thing. You know, you can travel the world and see the most amazing things. But really, like, what are you going to wear to an event like that?
[00:01:54] Speaker A: Exactly. They. So for. For this. Because the theme is, like, so important, right? So the theme this year is Odyssey. So I wanted it to look goddess like. Like, I think it kind of.
They. They talk about the journey home. So it definitely nods to Odysseus, right? So, like, well, it has to be kind of like the Greek and the. But also sea. Like, you know and oceany. So I got this Marquesa Nate dress that.
[00:02:20] Speaker B: Oh my God, it is very nymph. Like, you're going to look like. You're going to look like one of the. Oh, my gosh. Why am I blanking out on it? The sirens.
[00:02:29] Speaker A: Yes, yes. And I even. I haven't got like, my friends, like, you have to get a seashell purse for going all out with this theme. And I'm like, okay, I'm doing it, I'm doing it. But then I tried it on the other day and I was so happy. But I'm like, I hope I don't look too much like Elsa.
And then I came. My husband's like, no, it's fine. And then I came downstairs and our three year old's like, why are you dressed like Elsa?
[00:02:48] Speaker B: I would have been like, I would have just. That would have been a great opportunity to be like, let it go, let
[00:02:52] Speaker A: it go, let it go.
[00:02:57] Speaker B: What's your problem? Not kidding.
[00:03:01] Speaker A: But yes, the dress. Beautiful dress.
[00:03:03] Speaker B: And it's next month, right? Or is it the end of this month?
[00:03:06] Speaker A: It's this month. I think it's the 18th.
[00:03:08] Speaker B: Oh, my goodness. It's so fast.
[00:03:10] Speaker A: It's coming up so fast.
[00:03:11] Speaker B: I might scrounge some tickets too and meet you there.
[00:03:14] Speaker A: Please let me know if you do. Or just come for the weekend.
[00:03:17] Speaker B: Because the weekend, I live in New York. It's not like I can't go into the city. You know what I mean?
[00:03:21] Speaker A: Yeah, you should. So the weekend events are just open. Like Friday night, the party at the Explorers Club is great.
And it's open. It's just open.
[00:03:29] Speaker B: Oh, yeah, I'll be there if I have. If I will be there, I'll be like, whatever. I don't care.
[00:03:33] Speaker A: Yeah, you should come. It's, I think this 17th Friday. And it's funny because the first year I did it, it was me and this girl Dakota, who was also new to the Explorers Club. And we were all excited. And it was like the first year, like, people that are newly introduced into the club are supposed to get there an hour early to have like a welcome reception. And we're following this like, like this is a bible. Like, okay, we have to be here at this time. We have to do this. And then we get there at 5 because like, okay, when it is and there's already just like everybody in the planet is there. Like, nobody listens to the rules, right? Everyone's just there. It's not just new people. Like, everyone's like, they're here. They're all there. They're supposed to come an hour later. No, like people just live at the club all day the entire weekend.
[00:04:14] Speaker B: Yeah, no, I can imagine because like, I've gone in, like, I've gone in for events on Friday nights and like you see people just hanging out in the bar and I'm just like, well, I want to go over there. I don't want to go to that. Like, I'm like, this is very fascinating what I'm going to go see. This is very interesting, but like, I'm like, I kind of want to just hang and talk to interesting people and, you know.
[00:04:32] Speaker A: Yeah, definitely. And it's like there's hundreds of people just everywhere and I mean, I can
[00:04:40] Speaker B: get a dress too and go there.
[00:04:41] Speaker A: Yes, yes. Friday night. Packed. It's packed, but it's so worth it.
[00:04:46] Speaker B: Oh, cool. Yeah, that'll be, that'll be awesome. I will definitely. I will definitely.
Yeah, I'll come in. Like it's a train ride away.
[00:04:54] Speaker A: Yes, please do. Just text me. We'll. We'll have fun.
[00:04:56] Speaker B: Yeah, no, that'd be great. That'd be great to like actually catch up in person instead of via this.
[00:05:01] Speaker A: Yes, definitely.
So I wanted, I wanted to talk to you about your, about your book too. And I want to start with, I guess if you could talk a little bit about what the Western Front way is for people that don't know and kind of what drew you to it.
[00:05:15] Speaker B: All right, so for anyone that doesn't know, the Western Front way is a, a thousand kilometer path from either the North Sea to the Franco Swiss border or north to the North Sea. And it traverses all of the battlefields that, the Western Front, like that that took the battles of the Western Front. So you go through the Vosges Mountains, the Verdun, the forest of Verdun, you go through the Marne, the Somme, the Ypres Salient, and then into the, and then into Belgium. So it's a 500 mile path. And what it originally was this idea that was written, it was taken from a letter. And he wasn't the only person that wrote this letter. So this Lt. Alexander Gillespie wrote a letter, he was a British soldier and said, I hope that one day where we are will become a path of peace.
And just a few weeks later, he had wound up being killed in the battle of Loose and his dreams were not seen in his lifetime. But there are many other writers that, or, or soldiers that were like, I would love give anything for this. Not to be a war path, but a path of peace.
So someone found this letter. The. The Heaps, which were descendants of Alexander Gillespie, found this letter, and they were like, let's create this. Let's make this. So the Western Fenway was something that was undertaken by a bunch of really inspirational people that decided that we're going to do this. And they really tried to get it off the ground and get people to walk this path of peace and to really, you know, in its essence, experience it or, you know, try to strive for it in, you know, pun intended.
[00:06:55] Speaker A: It's amazing. So what. What drew you to it?
[00:06:59] Speaker B: So I just. I don't. I was. I was. I was up in the middle of the night and, like, it was during COVID So, like, obviously you're uneasy and you can't sleep and everything, and you're just, like, addicted to your phones more than we already are.
And I just came across a comment, and it was like, oh, the Western Front way. And I'm like, what? The Western Front way. I'm like, what is that? And I just knew. I just knew in that moment. I'm like, it didn't matter where, like, what I had to do. I'm like, I had. I had to go.
So it was just a call. It was, you know, like, you know, you're an explorer, you're an adventurer, you're called to do it, and that's what you're going to do.
And you can't say no, because if you say no, then you're going to regret it for the rest of your life.
[00:07:36] Speaker A: Right, Exactly. And what a great time to do it.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
[00:07:42] Speaker B: Because the world was just opening up, too. So it was like, right after, like, you know, people, like, things were just starting to, like. Like, all the. All the restrictions started to, like, alleviate and everything. And I was like, what? I can go to France and walk in the woods? Like, why not?
[00:07:59] Speaker A: Yeah. Perfect timing, right?
[00:08:00] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:08:01] Speaker A: And being the first woman to complete it solo is a huge milestone. Was it something that you kind of set out to do or. It was. Did it kind of become meaningful for you? Did you know when you started?
[00:08:12] Speaker B: I mean, I'm a historian, so, like, I study. I study history. I studied art history. And so, like, setting out, I wasn't like, oh, my gosh, I have to finish this to be like. I was. I'm not like a. I. I mean, I'm not. I'm not silly. Like, there probably were, like, there after the war, there was a lot of mothers and sisters and wives that, like, went to the front to, you know, find Their loved ones or the. The remnants of their loved ones. So I wasn't the first one to go to the Western Front and who knows, like, what kind of terrain they traverse and stuff like that. But, like, it wasn't like, oh, my God. Yeah, I walked the Western. I was the first woman to walk the rest in front by herself. It was one of those, I have to do this because I have to. I have to pay. Pay homage. Like, I have to honor those soldiers that died or anyone that lost something in the Great War. And there was so many people that did. So I was like, let me. Let me. Let me pay my reverence to that.
[00:08:59] Speaker A: Yeah.
Is there a period of time in history that, like, calls to you the most, that you like to study? I guess, more than another?
[00:09:07] Speaker B: I think that the. The period of the Great War definitely is like, my period of history. I do like World War II, too, but not in, like, the heroic, like, oh, my God, bad versus good kind of way. But I think the Great War was just such a treacherous time, a tumultuous time. And so, like, you, like, you learn about it, and you're like, what. What. What were these people thinking? And, you know, you could look at that, any period of history and be like, you know, you look at the Hundred Years War or, you know, the Roman Empire building and collapsing and be like, but that's. That's our nature, and that's what we do. So I think the Great War was just. I think there's a.
Like, there's a finality to the way you think the world was before the war and then what came after.
[00:09:50] Speaker A: Right, right.
[00:09:52] Speaker B: So, yeah, that's. That's my big. That's my big place in history that I like to study.
[00:09:57] Speaker A: Well, I like it.
Was there a particular. Like, a challenging moment or. What was. What was the hardest thing you had to face when you were doing the trail?
Water.
[00:10:09] Speaker B: Like, having access to water. Because, like, you're in France and you're like, oh, there should be water everywhere, and there's fountains and stuff. And then you get to the fountain and you turn it on, and it's like, you can't turn it on. And there's, you know, like, as much as I was by rivers, I wasn't by rivers. So that was challenging. And then the rain. There was a lot of rain. Like, it rained every day. And every day I was like, it's not gonna rain. And then every day it was like, yes, it is.
My gosh.
[00:10:35] Speaker A: How do you. How do you kind of escape from the rain? Like, where you, you have like a tent and the whole backpack situation as you were going through it, were you able to stop and stay in certain cities? Like, I guess. What was that like for you?
[00:10:49] Speaker B: I trudged through, like, during the day because I had to get to certain places and I wanted to continue. I didn't want to lose days and be like, oh my gosh, like, how do you, how do you go out into the world and then be like, it's raining, I'm going to stop doing, doing like, that's kind of like, you know, you're out there, you've, you've done that. So like, you can't do that. But like, you know, having a tent and stuff, I was like, oh my gosh, I hope it stays dry and so I can go and sleep in it, you know.
So. Yeah, no, it was, it wasn't like, I was. Even if I wanted to, like, it wasn't, it didn't rain. Like, like I was very lucky. Like, so it rained a lot during the day, but at night it was very clear. So, like, it was like, it would rain like for hours during the day, and then at night it was like, okay, we're done, we're done for the day. Yeah. So I had, I was able to set up my tent and not think this is this. But again, at the same time, like, you know, you're going through this and you're like, but I'm not walking through a war. So it's.
[00:11:43] Speaker A: Right, right.
That's a good, that's a good perspective. Were there any moments where you kind of question continuing or was it just a no brainer? Like, no, I have to do this
[00:11:53] Speaker B: and no, definitely, like, once I got to the Psalm. So like, you get, you go through the mountains of the Vosges and you're like, these are so beautiful. I can stay here for days and weeks. And the weather was great and everything. And then you go through like the, the Verdun and then you get to the, the Marne, which is in the Champagne region. And like, there's champagne. So, like, why would, if there's champagne, like, why are you stopping? Like, it's just, there's champagne, like, but then you get to the Somme and then it gets so redundant because it's so flat and there's no hills anymore. And then you're like, this battle took place in 1916, which was two years after the war began, and you're like, I'm having a hard time walking 500 miles. How did these people that were that like, still survived and didn't get killed in the war, still be like, I'll fight to the very end. Who knows when that end's gonna be right?
[00:12:46] Speaker A: It's. It's. We just watched Band of Brothers, and I know it's a different. Different time period, but it's. It's. It resonates. The. Just the hardships of war are, like, fresh in my mind.
[00:12:58] Speaker B: No, it's. It's true. It's. It's not. It's not different. It's not like. It's not like the world war very far apart from World War I. And it's not like the people that fought in World War II didn't have fathers or uncles or anything that. That fought in World War I. So it's like. It was like they were. I feel like they were still fighting the same war. Like, it was just this continuation. So you watch Band of Brothers and you're like, okay, okay, we're back at it again. We're not stopping, right?
[00:13:22] Speaker A: Definitely.
Was there any particular location that kind of hit you hard or was impactful because of its relation to the war?
[00:13:34] Speaker B: I always go back to Verdun. I always go back to Verdun because Verdun, for me, you know, they had this great fortress. And the idea, the objective of the German army was like, we're going to bleed France white. And which meant that they were just going to go, like, create the greatest amount of casualties. And so, like. And so, like, you go there and, you know, you keep that in your mind, and then you. You're in the woods, like, there's just a far. It's a forest, and the forest, like, after. So Verdun was Zone Rouge. So, like, after. So during the war, there was so much artillery fire and so much like. Like, so much bombardment that, like, the whole forest was destroyed. There was nothing left. So they. So, like, they had to admit, they. They declared it inhabitable, uninhabitable.
So, like, walking through it and then seeing all these trees that have grown up and everything else, you're just like. You can't imagine. It's, like, unfathomable.
So it was one of those places that you're just like, Mallory. It was like.
It was nothing like. And, like, have you been to Gettysburg? I mean, you live in Richmond, so.
[00:14:35] Speaker A: Yeah, you know.
[00:14:37] Speaker B: Yeah. So you've been to Gettysburg and maybe you've been to Antietam. Maybe. Like, I went to school in Fredericksburg, in Mary Washington, so, like. Yeah, yeah, so I wasn't far. And, like. So, like, you have, like, you know, you have the gun. You got. You can go to the. The hotel that has the gun with the wind staircase, right?
[00:14:50] Speaker A: Yes. Yes.
[00:14:52] Speaker B: Have you been to that?
[00:14:53] Speaker A: I haven't. Now I have to.
[00:14:55] Speaker B: I. I feel like in the next time I drive through, like, that area, I want to stay there because people always talk about it, but, like, you go. Like, you go to Verdun and you're like, so much. So much loss took place, and the only thing we have to compare it to is the Civil War. And it's not comparable because it was just like. So you get to Verdun and you're like, your heart breaks. Your heart just breaks into a million pieces, and it doesn't. It doesn't heal itself. You know,
[00:15:21] Speaker A: it's crazy.
Was it. How did the solitude impact your experience? Was it, like, empowering to be by yourself? Or was it. Did it make it more difficult?
[00:15:31] Speaker B: Oh, no. I'm a loner. Like, I, like, I'm like, you know, my. My best friend Tommy, he's always like, you know, you're like a lone wolf. And I'm like, cool. I'm like. I don't know if that's a compliment or like.
Like, do you mean that as, like, you know, do you mean that as, like, an insult to you complimenting me? But, like, I love solitude. Like, I love being in the woods. Like, you know, you. You. You're. You travel, you explore. Like, you. You've gone to, like, the far reaches of the world. Like, sometimes it's nice to be alone and just be in those places, you know?
[00:16:00] Speaker A: Definitely. I find. I find solo power, solo traveling so empowering. Sometimes I. I do a lot of, like, media trips and stuff, too, and I'm usually, you know, by myself. And I remember the first few were.
I had to go to Germany, and it was like an old. My own private thing where I need to be. Here, Here. Here, they give you an itinerary. Here's your train tickets. You figure it out. And I'm like, oh, trains. I didn't realize that trains are so intimidating to me.
[00:16:26] Speaker B: Were they really?
[00:16:26] Speaker A: They were.
[00:16:27] Speaker B: I don't know why.
[00:16:28] Speaker A: I think it's because we're so unfamiliar with trains. Like, in the States, I feel like most people don't usually ride the train. I mean, I would say it's different if you're in New York or in cities, but, like, I never grew up with trains. I never grew up on it. Like, I don't think I ever wrote a train. So I'm like, oh, this is intimidating.
[00:16:43] Speaker B: No, it is intimidating. Especially like, you're like, if you live in Richmond, you're like, okay, like, if I time it right, I can drive to dc, Right? You know what I mean? And so it's like, it's like going on a train and like, and knowing that that's public transport. So. So, yeah. So solo travel for me is like what I strive for. Like, don't get me wrong, like, I. If I found the right person and they were like, let go do this. But, like, I like that solitude. I like being adhering to my own personal schedule and my own personal rhythm. Like, you know, like, I am an early to bed, early to rise kind of person. So, like, unless someone is like that and ready to go, like, right off the gate, like, they want to eat a good breakfast and they want to get out the door, it would be a difficult, like, thing to do with somebody else, you know?
[00:17:22] Speaker A: Yes, I agree. I'm the same way. I like to. I have my plan. This is what it is. We're going to go for it. And it's hard when there's somebody else and you have to, like, adapt the plan. Yeah, it's.
I'm very plan oriented. Yeah.
[00:17:35] Speaker B: And like. And like, don't get me wrong, like, there can be. There can be. You know, I can veer off the plan, I can veer off the path, but I also like to have it in my head, like, okay, this is what I want to accomplish today. So if I want to walk like 15 to 18 miles, like, I need that solitude because that's where I'm going. That's what. That's what's happening. And I need to process things. Like, like I said, it was the tail end of COVID I needed to process it. I needed to really think about everything and be alone in the world and, you know, watch the sun through the trees and be all, you know, hippie dipping with it.
[00:18:07] Speaker A: Yeah. And how did that journey and kind of being by yourself change your perspective on the world? I feel like the world was changing so much at that time because it was after, like, right after Covid.
[00:18:19] Speaker B: I. I mean, I've always been one to be out there in the world alone, like, and be in the woods and walking and stuff like that. So it's like, you know, I'll go upstate New York or I'll go on Long island, like where I live, or anywhere. Like, anywhere there's woods, I'm like, that's where you can find me, you know, But I. I think that, like, being good, like, going through These battlefields and being alone with it, I think it gave me. It made it more expansive, you know, wasn't like, it didn't feel claustrophobic. It didn't feel like, oh, my God, the world. Because Covid felt like the world was closing in on us, you know? So, like, to be out there and to be able to experience that, that was, like.
That was pretty. It was pretty exhilarating. Mm.
What other.
[00:19:02] Speaker A: Are there any other big trails like this you want to do? Have you done the Appalachian Trail or no?
[00:19:08] Speaker B: No. I should have done it when I first graduated college, like, because now I just feel like it might be a little too much with, like, too many people going on it and then too many, like, influencers and, you know, not, like. Not people that. Like, people that want to show, like. Like, brag that they're doing it, but not actually be doing it for the reasons that, like, you and I might go out into the nature.
[00:19:26] Speaker A: Right, Right.
Battlefield wise, too. Are there any. Any battlefields you like to visit or ones that have inspired you here on. On this side of the world?
[00:19:37] Speaker B: I mean, it's interesting. Like, yeah, definitely, like, I would say. I would definitely go back to Gettysburg, and, like, I would say, like, going, like, living in Fredericksburg. We had the Battle of Fredericksburg there, so both during the Civil War, but also, like, you know, I live on the north shore of Long island, which is, you know, Long Islands, but I live an hour outside of the city, and, like, every day I pass, like, at least one or two signs that say Washington Spy Trail.
[00:20:00] Speaker A: Right? Yeah.
[00:20:01] Speaker B: So it's like, you. You're like, oh, the Revolutionary War. So it's. It's like, you go places, and, like, I go out to the. The water. Like, I go out to the water on. On. Like, on the. On the north island, and I'm like, wow. Like, there was a time where, like, there were British warships. There were British, you know, vessels that were all in this harbor, or you would see them sail through.
And so I guess, like, you know, I go to those places. Like, I haven't been to, like, the Alamo, but I've been to a lot of Civil War fields, and I don't, like, maybe some, like, places in Massachusetts for the Revolutionary War. And then my brother lives in Michigan, so, like, you know, that kind of stuff. And also, like, I love Jerry. I mean, have you seen the Last of Mohicans?
[00:20:43] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:20:44] Speaker B: Okay. So, like, you go upstate, and you're like, this is great. This is like, the whole movie, you know?
[00:20:49] Speaker A: Yes.
Have you. Have you Been to. We just discovered Cornwallis's cave in Yorktown, and it's so wild.
[00:20:57] Speaker B: Oh, my God. There was a cave. He has a cave there.
[00:21:00] Speaker A: So they think it's just mostly like folklore and legend and not actually was really used for that, but it's like a cave. It's a beach cave right at the side of the water there where they claim he kind of hid out from this. Like, from the soldiers. When the war was ending and they were getting approached on in Yorktown, he went into the cave, and that was like his final military base. Is this, like, the rumor? And it's called Cornwallis Cave. Like, historically, that's the landmark. But then now the National Park Service is like, well, we think it was just used to store, like, potatoes.
And it was like a rumor, but it was used during the Civil War for, like, ammunition storage.
[00:21:38] Speaker B: Okay. I mean, that's pretty cool. Is it, like, really big?
[00:21:42] Speaker A: It's really small, but it's like this huge cliff. And then, like, the. It's weird. It has, like, this. It looks like a house carved into the cliff, and then there's like a little entrance.
And it's a pretty small cave inside, but it's. It's very neat looking.
[00:21:55] Speaker B: Oh, that's really cool. Next time I. Next time I venture towards Yorktown, I'll have to check it out.
[00:22:00] Speaker A: Yeah, it's wild. I never knew about that.
[00:22:02] Speaker B: That. And then the.
[00:22:03] Speaker A: The Stonewall Jackson's arm grave really just fascinated me. Oh, yeah.
[00:22:08] Speaker B: Like, I went to, like. Like, going to school in Fredericksburg, and then also, like, I lived in Georgia for a few years. So, like, the last time I passed. One of the last times I passed through Fredericksburg, I was like, what do you mean? There's Stonewall Jackson's arm? So like, you travel down, like, Route 3 and you're like, oh, like, they really. They like, there's actually his arm.
[00:22:26] Speaker A: Yeah, he was. He was shot. And they amputated, and they. They didn't want to throw it with the other amputated parts, so they're like, well, we need to give it a Christian burial. They gave his arm a Christian burial.
[00:22:39] Speaker B: It's crazy. And it's like. It's a beautiful property. Like. Like, it's just so, like, you know, you have the gravel parking lot, and then you have like, all the, like, the houses that they preserved or, like, re. Or restored or whatever. And then you just like, there's like a little, like, enclave where, you know, it's just. It's so. Yeah, so, like, those kind of Battlefields, I think I've always visited them, like, since. For, like, decades. So I think that, like, the Western front was just an extension of it. You know, it was just like, well, this is what I do. I'm like, you know, I'm one of those battlefield weirdos that, like, go and look in the ground. Like, are there shells? Like, are there. Are there cannibals? Like, what can. You know what I mean, short of bringing a metal detector?
[00:23:17] Speaker A: Ryan, so what. What inspired you to write this into, like, a memoir as well?
[00:23:25] Speaker B: I think it was the processing. I think it was like the idea of processing Covid and of reflecting on, you know, during COVID everybody was like, oh, the Spanish flu. Like, Covid's going to be the Spanish flu. And I'm like, come on, guys. Like, you want. You want. You wish that upon our. You wish that upon the world. Like, that's what, that's what, that's what you're thinking about. Like, that's, that's, that's pretty tragic because that was a really devastating time. And like, the Spanish, that. That extended from four years of war and people starving and being malnourished and all this other stuff. And you can look at the parallel and be like, you know, well, our food supply is not very nourishing anyway, you know.
But at the same time, I was like, I was like, I wanted to write something because I wanted to tell the story of what the Great War meant today and what it meant to me. And I, I always go back to the fact that it was a healing journey more for, like, for me and the world. In a lot of ways, it was like, well, what's the difference? Like, if I fight with myself about X, Y and Z, why should I expect people not to do that in the world at large?
You know, if I, if I'm like, oh, like, you know, I. I can, you know, go to bed at 10 o' clock at night, or like, in the smallest battles, I can go to bed at 10 o' clock at night or I can stay up and watch a Hallmark movie. Like, that's a small battle. But, like, it's still, you know, we still. We still fight with ourselves about things. And so why should we expect there to be peace in the world when that exists in ourselves, you know?
[00:24:47] Speaker A: Right.
[00:24:48] Speaker B: So the memoir was really just a.
A reconciliation between that.
[00:24:54] Speaker A: But also.
[00:24:55] Speaker B: What's that?
[00:24:56] Speaker A: I said, that's amazing.
[00:24:58] Speaker B: But also like a story of the Great War.
Like a story of like, oh, my gosh, all these men went there and they died. And it was sad, and it's heartbreaking.
So.
So I wanted to honor their sacrifice, honor the loss, and also mourn my own, you know?
[00:25:18] Speaker A: Amazing. And where can people find your book? It's on Amazon.
[00:25:22] Speaker B: Yes, on Amazon. I'm getting on an ingramsparks this week. So, like, if books bookstores want to buy it and keep it in their stores, they can do that. And then if they write me an email or just a DM me on social media, like, I'll be like, I'll. I'll send you a copy shirt.
[00:25:36] Speaker A: Amazing.
[00:25:37] Speaker B: Yeah, I just want people to read it. I just want people to, like, I don't know. There's so many books out there, but I just feel like this one is deeply personal for me, but deeply personal for the world, too, you know?
[00:25:49] Speaker A: Definitely.
And I have to ask, too, how you heard about the Explorers Club?
[00:25:55] Speaker B: Oh, I've been, like, going to the Explorers Club for, like, years, you know, Like, I.
I had. You know, it was so interesting. I think as an American, you probably feel the same way. Like, you know, you're. You're curious, You're. You're adventur.
And then you're like.
Like, you know, you feel like you're all alone in the world because everybody else is going down, like, the corporate path or, like, the path of what everybody else is doing, and you're like, what do you mean? People can create lives of traveling the world and then talking about it. Like, that's really cool. So I went on a journey. I went on a pilgrimage, like, in 2017.
And then, like, I connected to a lot of explorers at that time, too, like, because, you know, social media was just starting to blow up and everything. So, like, I was, like, following all these people, and they had mentioned the Explorers Club, and I was like, that is so cool. So, like, I've been trying, like, I really should really be a member of the Explorers Club. I just haven't. Yeah, my friend. My friend Eureka Vaughn. Do you know him?
[00:26:51] Speaker A: No.
[00:26:52] Speaker B: Okay, well, there's so many. How many members are there?
[00:26:54] Speaker A: I know there's. There's thousands.
[00:26:57] Speaker B: Yeah. So, like, I mean, like, I. I follow Trevor Wallace and stuff like that. So, like, I should.
[00:27:01] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, that.
[00:27:02] Speaker B: So, like, I should follow up to him. And then my friend Alicia, she's a member of the Explorers Club. And then, like, some other British people are, like, affiliated with that and stuff, too.
But it's like, I should. I should. I've never really done it because I was like, I was in Georgia for so long, and, like, the Georgia Chapters in Atlanta. So it's like, it's not easy. Like, if I wanted to go, it's five hours away. You know what I mean?
[00:27:22] Speaker A: Yeah, you should apply. It's. I mean, you would definitely qualify. Just, just let me know we can, because I'm sure you. We can sponsor you. Tons of people that will sponsor you, I'm sure.
[00:27:31] Speaker B: Yeah, no, I've been, I've been trying, like, I've been really like. I was like, why? I'm like, why don't I do it? I just keep on putting it off for no other reason but absolute laziness, which is like the opposite, the antithesis of being explorer.
[00:27:43] Speaker A: And I mean, like you said, you just meet the most fascinating people. Everyone's the most interesting person in the world. And you're like, how. Why am I here right now? I have such a imposter syndrome that all these people are so accomplished and.
[00:27:57] Speaker B: No, it's so true. Like you. I mean, I feel like everybody suffers from imposter syndrome. Like you have, you've had, you have three seasons of a television show. You have four books under your belt. You have done so many things. Like, at the end of the day, if you're suffering from imposter syndrome, like, what's, you know, how is everybody else feeling?
[00:28:14] Speaker A: My, the. Everyone's so kind and wonderful there and my, my like mentor into the club had found a lost city in South America. And I'm just like, is this person real?
[00:28:26] Speaker B: I was like, that's amazing.
[00:28:28] Speaker A: How does this happen in modern times?
But yes, you should definitely come Friday night for ecat.
[00:28:35] Speaker B: Yeah, no, I'll definitely, I will definitely be there. I'm excited. Like, I will definitely. I will. I have so many dresses that I'm looking forward to wear that I will be there.
[00:28:44] Speaker A: And I mean, Friday, I always try to call it early Friday because. Which early is questionable, but Friday, but, but Saturday for the big event. Last time we were up until 5 in the morning.
[00:28:56] Speaker B: That's amazing. You're around so many interesting, like, energetic, passionate people that have so many stories to tell. Like, like whether you're, you know, celebrating or partying or whatever, like you're still around.
It's so nice to be around people that are like minded and that, that, that are, that get out in their work in the world and want to see it differently than just touristy, you know?
[00:29:20] Speaker A: Definitely.
What was your first big journey that you went out and did
[00:29:26] Speaker B: after college? I backpacked through Europe.
[00:29:30] Speaker A: That's amazing.
[00:29:30] Speaker B: Which every, everybody does, you know, Like, I just like took Three months and was like, I'm backpacking through Europe. And then just a few months later, I went to China and taught English for six months.
Yeah.
And then I went to Australia to coach lacrosse. It was like I was away for, like, almost a year.
[00:29:48] Speaker A: That's amazing.
[00:29:49] Speaker B: And then I was like, well, like, oh, I'm gonna join the Peace Corps. And then they sent me to Jamaica and I'm like, I'm not gonna join the Peace Corps anymore.
So. Yeah. So, like, I think my big. My biggest journey, like, Europe was like a definite. Like, it was like a. Like a. You know, what is it called? Like a.
Something wetter. What? Like. Like, yeah, yeah. And then. And then once I got to China, I was like, oh, my. Like, I went to Shaolin, like, and I was hanging out with the monks of Shaolin, and I was like, this is amazing.
[00:30:18] Speaker A: So cool. There's. There's just some. There's those experiences sometimes where you, like, almost out of body. Like, is this real life?
Am I here right now? I did an archaeological dig in Cambodia and Bottom Bong, and they had like, the. The temples nearby and like, you know, the monks, the Buddhist monks, and you're just like, is this real life? Am I here right now? This is so great. Would you walk behind the temple to the dig site? Just like, this life, it's.
[00:30:44] Speaker B: And it's so cool too, because you're like, wow, like, how many. How long ago is this? And like, where. Where does this history parallel? Like, you know, it's so interesting, especially in America. I don't know what happens in Europe and stuff, but, like, we don't learn as much about Asian history. You know, like, you learn maybe about certain dynasties or, like, you know, whether they're Japanese or Chinese. But, like, Cambodia, like, you go to. You go to Angkor Wat and you're like, this is so beautiful. This is so amazing. You know?
And then you go to those archeological digs. You're like, like, how far back does this stuff go? Like, how. How long do these. You know.
[00:31:16] Speaker A: Yeah, it's true. Have you been to Angkor Wat?
[00:31:20] Speaker B: Yes. Yes.
[00:31:21] Speaker A: Wonderful. Did you visit a popo?
[00:31:24] Speaker B: No. What was.
[00:31:25] Speaker A: What? So there's these. There's these. It's like an organization. And so the Khmer Rouge was another, like, really bad, you know, war escape that just destroyed a lot of Cambodia.
And there's a lot of landmines still left behind from Rouge. And so a lot of farmers wind up tripping them and losing limbs, like, regularly. So they've trained these African pouched rats to sniff out landmines.
[00:31:51] Speaker B: Oh, yeah, I heard about that.
[00:31:53] Speaker A: And it is. And they do, like, demonstrations. They give them little bananas, like when they find it, you know, and they're small enough so they don't, they don't detonate it.
They just like, they do like a little scratch when they, when they find it and they go back and get their tree and then they know they can, like, safely detonate it because they know where it is. And that is so fascinating to me and so cool and innovative.
[00:32:14] Speaker B: Oh, no, totally. Because, like, you know, you go to Cambodia and you do see, because it's so recent in the history that you do see people that have dismembered limbs. You do see people that are missing body parts. And you're like, this is, this is crazy that we're still, we're still like. It just. It's heartbreaking.
So it's cool. It's cool to like, you know that they're able to develop that kind of technology to keep more people safe.
[00:32:36] Speaker A: Yes. And to kind of react to this terrible thing happened. This is still affecting us. How can we deal with this today? And it's just so innovative.
[00:32:46] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:32:47] Speaker A: So interesting. And the first time I heard about it, I was like, oh, the poor rat. They're like, well, they're too small to detonate them. They just. I'm like, oh, this is great. Like, who, who thought of that? That's fantastic.
[00:32:58] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, it's like, it's, it's. And it's in. It's life saving and it, like, you know, it's.
[00:33:03] Speaker A: It's.
[00:33:05] Speaker B: It's wonderful that. I mean, it's so sad that there's still so many landmines, but at the same time that they are able to clear them in a way that is safe for everyone.
[00:33:14] Speaker A: Yes, definitely.
Do you have any, any exciting adventures coming up this year?
[00:33:21] Speaker B: I think I'm really, like, buckling down and focusing on getting this book out there. So, like, I, Yeah, so I have a lot of talks that I'll be giving. Like, I, I've gone to a lot of bookstores. I've had some events and stuff like that. So, like, I'm gonna wait until maybe like September and then start to think about, okay, what am I doing next? Like, where am I going? I mean, obviously I might still go to Paris and next month and stuff like that. But, like, you know, like, that, that, that to me is not like an adventure. Like, an adventure to me is like, well, how. How many months am I going to be away?
[00:33:51] Speaker A: Like, right. Definitely.
[00:33:54] Speaker B: So I'm planning, I'm planning something. I might go back.
I think I might go to the eastern front this time.
Yeah. And then I love Istanbul and so I might go back there too and just, just dive a little more deep into. Dive a little deeper into history.
[00:34:11] Speaker A: What's your favorite place you travel to? That's a difficult question that I have to ask.
[00:34:16] Speaker B: It is because it just depends on like, where's my mindset. Like, do I, like, am I thinking about it in terms of history? Am I thinking about in terms of food or like the people I've met and stuff.
I can, like, I can like, you know, separate it from that. Like, if I, if I think about the best coffee, I'm going to say Australia.
[00:34:32] Speaker A: Right.
[00:34:33] Speaker B: Like they take their coffee so seriously that I'm like, I will give anything for a flat white right now. You know, I really, I didn't, I wouldn't say I enjoyed Rwanda, but it was a very eye opening experience for me and it was a very deep, meaningful experience.
I really, I'm itching to go to South America like desperately. But I've only been like to Costa Rica and like the Caribbean. So I haven't been like extensively through South America. So my favorite place, I mean, like, honestly, where I feel the most alive. And I know this sounds so true, like cliche. Spain.
[00:35:10] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:35:11] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. And I love Spain and I love decimal. Like, I love it. And Beirut. I'm sorry, Beirut is like I, if I'm going to like, my heart is still there. My heart is in Beirut, My heart is in Istanbul. And they're two different places in so many different ways. But that's where my heart goes back to. But then there's so many other places in my heart wants to go. Like I want to go.
[00:35:32] Speaker A: You know, it's so hard when you, when you love a place and you want to return, but then there's this other place you haven't been to yet. I get torn with that all the time.
[00:35:41] Speaker B: Yeah. No, I mean like, I haven't like, surprisingly, as an American, like, like, have I been to Montana? Embarrassingly, no.
[00:35:48] Speaker A: Yes. Neither have I.
[00:35:49] Speaker B: And Wyoming. Like, I just. But I just know I was talking to my friend the other day. Oh no, he was talking about Oregon. But I was like, I, I'm like, I don't. My thing is that there's certain places I won't go because I won't come back.
[00:36:02] Speaker A: Right.
[00:36:03] Speaker B: You know what I mean? Like, I'm like, okay, yeah, yeah. But also I feel that way about Chicago. If I'm gonna go in America. Like, if I go to Chicago, I'm like, like, I love this place. This place is awesome, you know? So, yeah, I just think that there's so many, like, there's so many places on a list and like, you long for so many places, and it's just like the world is so big and our time is so short.
[00:36:22] Speaker A: I definitely feel that. I feel like in another life, I could live in, like, my heart. My heart lives in Buenos Aires a lot too, in Argentina. I love Argentina.
[00:36:30] Speaker B: Oh, my gosh. I was just listening to a podcast the other day. Let's do a listen to Real dictators.
[00:36:35] Speaker A: Oh, was it about the Perons?
[00:36:38] Speaker B: It was a little bit about the Prones, but it was about the. The ones afterwards. Like, there was like five dictators after the pros.
And so, like, you, like, you're like, oh, my God, like, you have this beautiful city, you have this vibrant culture, this incredible country, and they're like, under a dictatorship for, like, the greater part of like, six decades.
[00:36:56] Speaker A: Yes. It was a long time. I have to say, though, I think part of why I love it so much is because the footprint, like, left behind from Evita too. Like, it's such a striking time in history and the fact that, I mean, people loved her. Loved her in a way that people don't love people anymore. Right. It was like a different time. They, like, she admonished a class system, and it was just represented this thing to people that I feel like in modern times we just can't recreate. And it's still there today.
Yeah, that imprint in history.
[00:37:29] Speaker B: I know.
[00:37:29] Speaker A: It's so fascinating to me to go. To go down there, and it's like, still living there. I mean, it's still there. The imprint is there. They had memorial services for Evita when
[00:37:40] Speaker B: I went, which is crazy, because then if you listen to the other side, like you listen to the desperacy.
Desperacy, right. The. The disappeared.
[00:37:47] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:37:48] Speaker B: Yeah. Like, you listen to them and they're like, they were never in support of the pro. Like, you know what I mean? Like, they were like, not that that happened during their. Their reign or their. Their. Their power, but, like, it was just like that created that. So it was like. It's like, it's so. It's so.
That's what I love about history too, is, like, you go to a place like Buenos Aires, and I'm sure it's. I'm sure it's very similar to being in Spain because you're just like, you like, feel like, you're breathing in all of this, like, passion and like. Like love and like this. This, like, life, this light. And so I can imagine, like, Argentina being so very similar.
[00:38:22] Speaker A: Very much. It's the birthplace of tango, right? So there's so much life. You're just like, oh, life. Yeah, yeah.
[00:38:28] Speaker B: Like, you walk down the street and you're like, yeah, I'll tango with anybody. Like, I'll tangle with this dog in my way.
[00:38:34] Speaker A: I will say we did a tango workshop when I was there. So we were there studying or, like, doing research with penguins in Patagonia.
[00:38:43] Speaker B: Oh, that's so cool.
[00:38:44] Speaker A: I love penguins. Penguins are my favorite.
And we were. We came back and me and a couple of the girls that were like, volunteering there, and we were like, we're gonna spend like a week afterwards in Buenos Aires because we have to do that. So we, like. We. A couple of them stayed different. We stayed different places, but we all met up to do like, a tango thing. And we wound up just. It was like a tango workshop. But we're in this random restaurant that's supposed to be like, this is. They do the best tango classes. And then everyone comes in and dances and there's just all these, like, old. It's like old people. And we all wind up dancing with all these old Argentine men.
[00:39:20] Speaker B: And then.
[00:39:21] Speaker A: And then.
[00:39:21] Speaker B: That doesn't sound terrible. I mean, like, that doesn't sound terrible.
[00:39:24] Speaker A: It was a lot of fun. But then I got like the worst illness imaginable after that.
[00:39:30] Speaker B: No. Yeah. Oh, my gosh.
[00:39:32] Speaker A: And I was. I was very ill and I. I actually. They still have a part of the Perron's house, like, on, like, it's. It's like a. It's the one Peron foundation is still there. And they have like. It's like in a part of the Perun's old house. The only part that's still kind of there behind, like, the library. And they. They play this, like, informative video. And I was like, we'll have to go check that out. That just sounds like fun, right? So I'm like, in the Peron Foundation. Like, let me watch this video about the.
[00:40:00] Speaker B: Were you, like, singing Don't Cry for Me, Argentina?
[00:40:02] Speaker A: Definitely, Definitely.
And I'm sitting, like, in the theater, and they're like. And then Evita got sick. And I'm like, oh, my God, I'm going to die right now. I don't know. Just in that moment, I remember it hit me where I'm like, I'm ill and I need to get out of this theater right now.
[00:40:17] Speaker B: It's that tango. That tango is what does it.
[00:40:19] Speaker A: It killed me. And then I brought it home. And my husband. It's funny, I was sick, but I didn't know I was that sick. Maybe I was just enjoying my time there. And my husband had 103 degree fever from this after I brought it to him. And I'm like, oh, oh, no, sorry.
[00:40:37] Speaker B: I would have been an asshole. And then, like, it takes two to tango.
[00:40:41] Speaker A: I'm sorry this happened.
And we've. We've since called it because it was. It was shortly after Covid. We called it Peron. Peron. Covid.
[00:40:51] Speaker B: Oh, my God. That's hysterical. That is hysterical. Like, that's. You know, but at least. At least it got healthier and got
[00:40:57] Speaker A: better and, you know, it was all good.
[00:41:00] Speaker B: Yeah.
Oh, you're making me want to go to Buenos Aires now.
[00:41:03] Speaker A: It's really wonderful. I. I love it. I love it. It's. It's a wonderful place. And the penguins there, too. Patagonia was just a whole nother. Yeah.
[00:41:12] Speaker B: Again, like Patek. I feel like Argentina would be very similar to Wyoming or Montana for me, that I'd be, like, not coming home. Like, I'm gonna learn how to tango. I'm gonna drink, like, Malbecs and call it a day and ride horses.
[00:41:28] Speaker A: Yes, yes, all of that.
[00:41:31] Speaker B: Which is funny because France doesn't have any of that stuff. And yet I'm still drawn to France, too.
[00:41:37] Speaker A: Definitely.
So many good places. Well, thank you so much for talking with me today.
[00:41:45] Speaker B: Thank you so much for having me. I enjoyed this.
[00:41:47] Speaker A: Of course. It was so much fun. Is there anything else you'd like to tell everyone? Where can they find you to follow you?
[00:41:53] Speaker B: You can find me on Instagram. I'm under Brianna Gravatt and I'm predominantly. That's my social media. I don't. Not on TikTok and I barely am on Facebook. I do have a website. And then if you want to read my book, it's on Amazon. And like I said, you can email me if you want to, or find me at Friday night at Ecat.
[00:42:11] Speaker A: Yeah, that's gonna be so much fun.
[00:42:14] Speaker B: Oh, my gosh. I'll have to talk to you afterwards. And, like, I'll. I'll get there and.
[00:42:17] Speaker A: And there'll be.
[00:42:18] Speaker B: There'll be dresses to be worn and they usually generally don't have the best wine to drink, but whatever.
[00:42:24] Speaker A: Oh, good. It's. They have. Well, you follow the Swedes. That's what we've learned. There's there's always the Swedish party at ECAD in one of the hidden rooms. And they have all the good stuff.
[00:42:37] Speaker B: Is that what it is?
Oh, that. You know what? That's my next trip.
[00:42:42] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:42:43] Speaker B: Finding the Swedes at the explorers club on 70th street in Manhattan.
Yeah. Be like, yeah, I'll be there. I'll be there. Like, that's it, that's it, that's it. Just, you know, beware the Ides of May.
[00:43:00] Speaker A: Well, thank you so much for joining me.
Until next time, everybody stay weird.
