Jeff Jenkins: Chubby Diaries Plus Size Adventures & The Nat Geo Never Say Never Story

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In todays episode i sit down with Jeff Jenkins — creator of Chubby Diaries and host of Nat Geo’s Never Say Never. Inclusion in adventure. Owning your story. Building a mission-first business that opens doors for plus-size travelers.

 Jeff grew up in Orlando, found purpose building low-cost wells in Rwanda, and—after a life-check moment—committed to “travel the world, help people, and get paid.” He turned Chubby Diaries into a real company (S-Corp), consults across the travel industry, and fronted a National Geographic series by doing the simplest, hardest thing: being himself on camera. We dig into practical access for plus-size travelers (wetsuits, chairs, seats, hills and trams), brand storytelling, and why “live life now” beats waiting for permission.

• Candid, practical guidance for plus-size travelers who want to start today
• Behind the scenes of landing a Nat Geo show—and keeping it authentic
• A playbook for turning a niche into impact, community, and revenue

Highlights

• From choir teacher to creator: the pivot that followed personal loss
• Rwanda wells: proof that mission + action builds confidence fast
• Consulting travel brands: speak the language of outcomes and revenue
• Accessibility wins: seating, spaces, gear, and inclusive marketing moving mainstream
• “Your pace still gets the view”: adventure without comparison
• Creativity with guardrails: protecting the brand while you grow a team
• Next big dream: Antarctica (seven continents, here we come)

Call to Adventure
You don’t need permission. Start local, choose your pace, and go anyway. The view’s still yours.

Resources & Links

• Chubby Diaries — Live Life Now: https://chubbydiaries.com/
  
  CHUBBY DIARIES - LIVE LIFE NOW
• Jeff’s show Never Say Never: https://chubbydiaries.com/never-say-never/
  
  CHUBBY DIARIES - LIVE LIFE NOW
• Trailer (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHisUWlH4VU
  
  YouTube
• Florida A&M University (FAMU): https://www.famu.edu/
  
  famu.edu
• East Africa Energy Solutions (biodigesters in Uganda): https://www.eastafricaenergysolutions.org/
  
  EAES
• J

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction to Chubby Diaries
• 0:38 Mission Trip to Rwanda
• 1:22 Welcome to the Adventure Diaries Podcast
• 2:40 Jeff Jenkins' Early Life and Upbringing
• 6:24 Journey from Choir Teacher to Travel Blogger
• 11:23 The Birth of Chubby Diaries
• 16:35 Impact and Recognition
• 30:45 Industry Changes and Advocacy
• 35:11 Diving into Adventures
• 35:32 Scuba Diving as a Plus Size Guy
• 36:20 Exploring Various Outdoor Activities
• 37:11 National Geographic Show: Never Say Never
• 37:37 Journey to Hosting a Travel Show
• 40:54 Adventures with Pets
• 41:30 Behind the Scenes of TV Production
• 50:46 Future Projects and Aspirations
• 53:07 Call to Adventure and Final Thoughts

Transcript

 With Chubby Diaries to, to help over a million people confidently travel the world that are plus size. And so, um, I started doing a lot of consulting. Uh, I started just being that representation, like showing people, like if they see themselves represented, then they'll possibly get out there and go do themselves.

And so I wanted to be that representation. Uh, I used to never see plus size people in any, like, travel advertisement or marketing. Uh, never seen them in brochures, never seen 'em in magazines. Um, the plus size people weren't really represented in those spaces or talked about. I went on a mission trip to build gardens in Rwanda.

And while we were building those gardens in Rwanda, uh, me and my friends came back and started this Water Well Project. 'cause we realized that the people that we were serving in this community. Needed water. And that's when I started Help started the Water Well Project where we went back to Rwanda to build these water wells.

None of us was engineers. I didn't even know how water came outta the ground. It was one of those things of like being able to take an idea and turn it into something. I was like, oh man, this is really cool to be able to, to go build a water. Well, and it was while we were building those water wells that I asked myself the question like, okay, what do I truly want to do?

Welcome to the Adventure Diaries Podcast, where we share tales of adventure, connection, and exploration from the smallest of creators to the larger than life adventurers. We hope their stories inspire you to go create your own extraordinary adventures. And now your host, Chris Watson. Chris Watson.

Welcome to another episode of The Adventure Diaries. Today we're joined by Jeff Jenkins, the creator of the Chubby Diaries and host of National Geographic Series. Never say Never. Jeff's story is one of bold reinvention from choir teacher to global traveler, and also shaped by a trip to Rwanda and a deeply personal loss that made him question his own direction.

And now through the Chubby Diaries, he's opened doors for plus size adventures. He's built a thriving community and challenged the travel industry to rethink accessibility. And whether it's scuba diving, rock climbing, or stepping into the global stage with National Geographic, Jeff has shown that adventure belongs to everyone.

So settle in and enjoy this fantastic conversation with Jeff Jenkins, AKA, the Chubby Diaries. Jeff Jenkins, welcome to the Adventure Diaries. How are you? Pretty good Chris. I'm glad to be here today. Yeah, likewise. Glad to have your time, Jeff. Yeah. Adventure Diaries versus Chubby Diaries. I love that. I love that.

I saw it the first time. I was like, Hey. 

Yeah, so I, I think chaps of the, of a similar thinking when it comes to adventure and trying to inspiring people. So I'm really excited for this. But as I do with most of my guests, the frame for today is to talk about your brand, all the stuff that you're doing, overcoming barriers for plus size traveler and all that great stuff.

But I want to bring it right back to understand a little bit more about Jeff Younger, Jeff, your upbringing, your formative years before we getting into all your adventures and stuff.

So was it Orlando in Florida that you grew up? 

Yeah. Grew up in a Mickey Mouse country, Orlando, Florida. Yeah, my dad was a chef at Disney, so I used to go to Disney World all the time. And yeah, Orlando is a really fun place to grow up. 

Yeah. What was your favorite rides? Did you go get a chance to go on the rides when you were a kid?

Oh yeah, I definitely 

did. It used to be, at first it was like Space Mountain and then when they added Animal Kingdom, I used to love the Safari ride and that's still my favorite ride. The Kilimanjaro ride at Animal Kingdom. 

Yeah, I've been to Animal Kingdom actually 7, 8, 8 years ago. Uh, the Cheetah Hunt, I think WA was one.

I don't know if that's st still there. It was kinda sit and you get shot off like a rocket. Whoa. Yeah, it was pretty fun. So what was your childhood like, Jeff, outside of Disney World and all that type of stuff? Did you get a chance to go adventuring into the Everglades or what was it like? 

Other than like just some class field trips, adventure wasn't like my biggest thing.

I think as a kid, me and my brother, we did get to see Orlando develop and a lot of times people think of like Florida as South Florida where Miami is and you get like all the palm trees and the beaches, but Central Florida and up and in a lot of ways was very much so country. And so you got more of that like country Savannah, Georgia field where we have the trees that have the moss on it.

And we had a lot of trees growing up where we were at. And so before they started cutting them down to build new roads and things like that. But that's, that was the time me and my brother would go on adventures of our own and discover, or just like the woods that was in our backyard. We used to go around town all the time, hang out with friends.

We used to catch the city bus and go to like parts of the city that we weren't even supposed to go to. So we used to have a good time as kids and we really enjoyed ourselves like growing up. But a lot of that has changed in the sense of just like how Orlando has developed us so much. But I was happy that I got that opportunity to like go camping and things just in our, just literally down the street from our house because there was just all of these woods and stuff that we can go in.

Was your dad, was he into your father into the outdoors and stuff as well? 

No, none of my family. Really? Yeah. And I didn't even grow up with my dad. But yeah, like none of our, my family was like really into the outdoors. It was because of me being a part of different organizations as a kid and they to be the ones that took us to like camping and things like that.

Okay. That's how I got close to the outdoors or just me and my brother being like, we'll see something on TV and be like, we wanna go camping. 

Yeah. Ah, fantastic. So moving forward a little bit then in, in terms of like your kind of journey and your career path, did you have any idea, if you think of where you are just now, did you have any idea that would ever be, 'cause I think you went into studying, you went to college, didn't you?

And obviously I think you went into become, was it a music teacher? 

Yep, a music teacher. So yeah, I had no idea that this is what I'll be doing and I'll be honest, like it is not that I even just had the idea that I wouldn't be doing it. It was more so just like the thought of. This could be my life or just if I was to even dream this up, I would've thought you were lying to me.

If you said that, I was like, oh, something's wrong with you. You're crazy. Because I didn't even have the confidence back then to think that this is something that I could go into. 

What is the 'cause? I don't know, being from the UK, Scotland specifically, but what is the education system like, or what was it like when you were younger and you were at school in terms of career advices or exposure to the outdoors or adventure?

What kinda advice were you getting and what did you get access to? 

Yeah. For us, I mean, we had a really good education system where I was from and I was even in a magnet school, part of my high school career. But it was, everybody was trying to teach you how to be, how to work for somebody. So that was like their thing.

Let's train you to get into the workforce force. Let's train you to work under somebody. Let's train you to just do your job kind of thing. And so it was like, let's just get a part of that system. Because before and like the, a couple of generations before college wasn't the biggest thing to go to in my city.

Like people celebrated just graduating from high school as like the biggest thing to graduate from and like college was in some parts of the community was just like, you didn't have to go but you had to do something. Like you can go get a trade or had to get a job or something. But college wasn't there.

But I think with our generation or my schooling, they were pushing go to college and help try to work for someone. And so I went that way. And so even for that, for me, going to college wasn't adventure of its own as well. Yeah. It was one of those things of me stepping outside of my comfort zone in ways that I never did because at the time no one in my family had graduated from college.

Yeah. And where did you go to college? Was that in Florida? 

Not yet. I was in Florida as well. I went to Florida a and m University. It's a historically black and college. And university, 

yeah. And what did you study music at that? Is that how you became a choir? Yeah, I did business 

first and then I went into music education.

Yeah. And do you sing? Do you play instruments? Give us that one. Six. Yeah, 

I'm a, I'm a singer. I did a lot of singing back in the day and even when I was a teacher and people said I had a pretty good voice and I still have a pretty good voice, but I don't sing as much these days. But yeah, singing was my principal instrument and even from there I became a choir teacher from Nest.

I've got 

to ask you, how do you go from choir teaching to Chubby Diaries to becoming a National Geographic did look, fact, let me ask that a different way. Did you like being a music teacher, made you try to do something different? 

I never wanted to be a music teacher. I became a music teacher because my professor, he was like, oh, like you should do education because.

Even if you were trying to do like more performance and things like that, maybe you might not get a job off of like right after college. And so maybe you could get a job being a teacher. And so he was like, that could supplement you until time. And so I think it was security, like me having some kind of stable job that put me in that position of becoming a teacher.

And so I, I kept telling you, I kept telling myself, I meant to say, I kept telling myself like every year, oh, I'm gonna quit this year. I'm gonna quit this year because it, like me working in public school system was never what I wanted to do. And, but I still had a good time and I'm glad I did it because one thing that it did teach me was like that stableness of just like having a job.

I was able to buy a house and things like that. And I financially felt like I was set up in a better place compared to a lot of other people I knew. And. Even in that, like it's, it taught me like just the things that I did want and the things that I didn't want. And so the, what actually got me to quit my job was, unfortunately my stepdad died.

My stepdad is the man who raised me, not my dad, who's works for Disney, but the other guy. But yeah, he passed away and he passed away fairly young. And I asked myself during that time, I started questioning a lot of things. And it was, is this what I wanna do for the rest of my life? Do I wanna be teaching for the rest of my life?

And it was such an easy answer, the question to answer. And it was like, no, I don't, I already didn't wanna do this before. And so when he passed that next year, I resigned from teaching and I didn't know what I was going to do. I went on a mission trip to build water wells, and it was while I was building these, or I went on a mission trip to build gardens in Rwanda.

And while we were building those gardens in Rwanda, me and my friends came back and started this Water Well Project. 'cause we realized that the people that we were serving in this community needed water. And so we were like, okay, let's start this water project. At that time, one of my friends, who now is my friend, like I didn't know him when I, the first time I met him, he asked me the question, Hey, have you ever thought about being an entrepreneur?

And this is around that same time of me starting the Water Well Project. And he asked me, did you want to, have you ever thought about being an entrepreneur? And I was like, nah, I've never thought about this. And he just gave me some like encouragement of you should look into it. And I said, you know what?

I should. And I did. And that's when I started Help started the Water Well Project where we went back to Rwanda to build these water wells. None of us was engineers. I didn't even know how water came outta the ground back in the day. So it was one of those things of being able to take an idea and turn it into something.

I was like, man, this is really cool to be able to go build a water. And it was while we were building those water wells that I asked myself the question like, okay, what do I truly want to do? If money wasn't like an obstacle, if whatever I was to dream up was to actually happen for me, like what would I do?

And it was at that time that I. I kept asking and was like, oh, maybe I can become a doctor. Maybe I can become a lawyer. Maybe I can do this or that. And it took me three days to come to my answer, but I did come to a answer that I really, truly felt like spoke to me and it was like something I wanted to do.

And I was like, I wanna travel the world, help people and get paid to do it. And so that's when I committed that I wanted to start traveling around the world, become a travel blogger, but I still, even in that moment, didn't know what I was actually gonna do or the journey that I was going to be on to start Chubby Diaries, but that's how it started.

Nice. Fantastic. What, what year was that, Jeff? How long have you been going? 17. Yeah. Wow. So seven years ago. Yeah. Fta. So rewind, rewinding back a little bit. So the Rwanda water wells, that's really repeat my interest. How do you build a water? Did you guys have to have engineers? Structural engineers? Did you do ground survey work?

How on earth did you just go and get water out the ground in Rwanda? 

So it was really cool process. So it was a blessing that we met this organization that helped people like us be able to build like these manual water wells that are very efficient to build and like affordable to build and lower or less developed countries.

And so it's, if you used a, if you used a like a machinery, like if you used a machine like water, like digger, that can cost you starting at four to $10,000 for our water wells, it was 150 to $600 to build a Well, they taught us how to do it. Like we went to this training for like over a week out in Texas.

It was like three hours from where we lived and we all stayed there for a week learning how to build these wells. And we took all the videos and recordings, learned how to do it. And even when we got there, these are like. Everything that you needed for the wells are things that you can source in almost any country.

And so we were able to go source it in that country. And it's just like manual work. It's just like straight labor where you're just like digging into the ground with these different pipes and PC pipes. And as you dig into the ground with water, you're digging and it shoots out water. So as you put water in or as you dig, it's like a water pressure drum kind of system working.

And it's just manual labor. And the more you do it, the longer or the easier it becomes. And it was a lot of fun to go out there and build it. 

What was that like the first time that you'd done that and you found water? That must have been pretty, you know what's interesting? I was just wanna say that 

we actually only built one.

We, it 

started 

more 

than I've built. 

We started and then we were actually trying to do a couple other things. Yeah. Then by the time we actually made it to Rwanda, it was 2018 for that. But then about the time we tried to make it back again, the world was being shut down and so it went like a different direction.

But yeah, it was a lot of fun and it was scary at first because it was like, oh, will we find water where we're going? And I think that we like did a little good job at landscaping the fields and the land and hey, this is probably the best place to put the water well. And so we were able to do that. But yeah, it was a little nerve wracking to know if Will this actually worked and it did.

We were able to get water. It stinks at first, and so you have to like clean it out and stuff like that. And then also have a filter onto the, 

that's incredible that, yeah. I must have filled you with a sense of like pride and accomplishment and purpose and everything that goes with it. Fantastic. It sure did.

It sure did. And it just, it made you, once again, question. Everything in life in a lot of ways that got that doubt or confidence, it really spoke into those things of, wow, I didn't know I could do this. 

Yeah. How much travel had you done outside the us, Jeff, before Rwanda? How do you see? Yeah. When I was in 

college, when I was in college, I did this program that allowed me to be a counselor, like a camp counselor, and work in child development centers on American military bases around the world.

And so I got on my first plane when I was 20 and it was to go to Japan. And by the time I graduated college, I had already went to 14 different countries. Wow. So I then became like the travel guy already. Yeah. And so I did that. And people also, like when I got outta college, like since I was a teacher, I was able to travel often as well because we had holidays off and we had the summer.

So I would go to different countries between that time as well. 

Yeah. Great. What was your Japan experience like? It was phenomenal. 

Yeah. Japan still is my favorite country in the world. I've been there multiple times since. Yeah. The culture, the tradition, the food. Yeah. I just love it, all like it. I tell people all the time that Japan helps with my type aness, me being so type A, like everything is so efficient in Japan.

Like things are where they're supposed to be. Yeah. So it brings my anxiety down as well. 

Oh, fantastic. Yeah. It's a place that's on my bucket list. I haven't been, but I do brother. You definitely gotta go. We definitely, yeah. Go kayaking things, eh, plotted out in there for when the day comes. Fantastic. So when does Chubby Diaries or chubby diaries.com, when does that come into to play?

Yeah, so 

when I got back I had a friend who was doing travel content, like being a travel influencer. So she quit her job to become one, and she had a very high paying like over six figure job working for Johnson and Johnson. And I was like, you're leaving them to do this full-time. You can make money from this.

And so knowing that from her that she could do it, I was like, oh man, I can try to do it too. But I didn't know where to start. And so I had to go learn how to start. Everybody kept saying, oh, you should find a niche. You should find a niche. And I was like, I don't know. I don't know what my niche is gonna be.

And so my cousin, who's a PR representative, she came back, she gave me this like branding worksheet to fill out. I filled it out and I was like, I don't see anything in here. She was like, it's right there. You could talk about being fat and black. And I said. Yeah, I could, because it dawned on me the moment she said it.

So it was her idea for me talking about my experience. And I was like, it dawned on me that I was like, I don't know anyone that truly talks about the challenges that plus size people face in the travel industry. And so it's just like, I was inundated with all of these different ideas and I was like, oh my God, I can do this.

Oh, this makes sense. And I was like, yes, this is it. And I remember, I, I remember how I even came up with like chubby diaries and I knew like I wanted to keep it some kind of like fun and things like that. And I just remember just like. Playing with it in my head, it took me less than like 10, 20 minutes to do.

And I was over there, oh man, I think I want to like document, maybe I could use diaries. Yeah, diaries work. And then I was like, what can I go with diaries? And I was like, if we're talking about plus size people, chubby. And then it was like Chubby Diaries, chubby di, chubby Diaries. That's it. And so that's how I came up with the name.

And the one thing that I tell people is, and actually was having this conversation a lot yesterday for some reason, but I was telling people that, and that goes back to my friend, thank God I did the Water Well Project 'cause the water Well project, we became a non-profit as well. So we got our credentials for that.

And then my friend told me like, Hey, you should become an entrepreneur. So I looked at the business or I looked at becoming a content creator and travel creator as a business. Like from the beginning, I'm a S corp corporation and things like that. I had looked at it as a business. I looked at myself as an entrepreneur going into Chubby Diaries, and so that's how I got into it.

And I think that's what has also sustained me is because I look at Chubby Diaries as a business and if the things that I do, I come and make decision as a CEO or a person that's working for that company. And so, yeah, chubby Diaries, the moment we launched, like it took a while for me to get going. Like I was nervous to actually put it out and put out the website.

I tried doing some blogging at the beginning. I did that for a year or so, and it was doing well, but the traffic wasn't the greatest. And so that's when like reels and tiktoks and all that stuff was coming out as well. So I was doing a lot of Instagram posting and then the reels came and I was doing more YouTube as well.

And it was just, it kept. Building momentum, like people kept resonating with the content that I was putting out. I did not know that people will resonate with the content as well as they did to where it was like, oh man, this, oh, you've had that experience as well. I've had it like, it was one of those things that like, wow, I don't know anybody that's ever talked about this before.

And I always told people like the challenges that plus size people face is a lack of accessibility and comfort and also just community. And so I wanted, with Chubby Diaries to, to help over a million people confidently travel the world that are plus size. And so I started doing a lot of consulting. I started just being that representation, like showing people, if they see themselves represented, then they'll possibly get out there and go do it themselves.

And so I wanted to be that representation. I used to never see plus size people in any travel companies like advertisement or marketing. Never seen them in brochures, never seen 'em in magazines, never seen people like when it was like four conferences, travel conferences and stuff like that. The plus size people weren't really represented in those spaces or talked about and, sorry, all that talk, what was I saying?

Oh yeah, like being caught up in those spaces. I started doing consulting for different travel brands, getting to meet a lot of the executives at these different like popular like travel companies and things like that. And it was, I need to go find this man. I have no idea how I got connected with this guy who was like over like marketing for a major airline and he said, Jeff, if you can get to their bottom line, these companies will listen to you.

And still to this day, I don't know who he is. I can't even remember his name at all or how I even got connected with him, but. He said something that like really did change, like my perspective on, oh, how do I get people to listen? And it came down to the green, like it came down to the money. I kept it simple, Hey, there's this untapped group of people that, these marginalized group of people that y'all don't cater to, that y'all don't market to.

And I was like, if you did that, uh, more or made travel more accessible for them, comfortable for them, they'll actually purchase from you all. They'll actually get out there and take that extra trip and things like that. And that's when stuff really started like going well, because that's when they, I started seeing the change in the different industry through the different sectors of the industry because it was like, hey, people are always looking for another market to reach.

And so that was the ideal market for them to reach as well. Yeah. And a lot of them, I've had CEOs cry and tell me, Jeff, it wasn't until I met you that I even thought about plus size people. We've engineered so many different things, but we never put plus size people. We never thought about putting them into our plants.

And he was like, like couple of them just was like, man, I just didn't know and I didn't even think about it. So thank you. So it, it was a lot of that happening as well. And once again, you can say whatever about plus size people, like how they got there and things like that. But I always wanted people, people like my platform is not to promote obesity.

My platform is to help people live life now no matter their size. And travel is incredible. I've been traveling all over the world for decades now. Feels, and it is one of those things to where I wanna make it accessible for others. It gets people active, it gets people out and doing stuff and being adventurous and being able to get over these social norms or paradigm shifts that think that they can't go do scuba diving, that they can't go hike in the mountains and, and if they do go hike, they can enjoy it because they don't have to move at the same pace as their counterparts who might be ahead of them.

Hey, nah, you go ahead. I'm gonna sit here on this stump real quick and catch my breath, but I'll be there. I might be slower than you, but I'll get there and I'll be able to see it as well. And so that stuff to me is what is like the reason why I'm doing what I'm doing. And it has been great. 

It's fantastic.

And I think just to co comment on that thread, Jeff, this show in this conversation has nothing to do with weight. It's nothing to do with health, it's nothing to do with whatever people might think that's, it's just not what it's about. It's about inclusivity, accessibility to adventure. It's about having fun.

It doesn't matter what you look like or what you, it's about having fun. Living intently and doing epic shit and encouraging others to do it. And that's, that's why I reached out. 'cause I think finding whether that's a vulnerability in, in, in your own story, a lot of other people in a similar position that might not have been, had the nerve or the, the came forward to try these types of things until they've seen almost let someone give them permission to do that.

And you don't need permission necessarily of seen someone let yourself out there to actually doing this and living this and doing it with a smile. That's fantastic. So 

appreciate that. 

You rolling right back to, you said something interested about setting out with a plan as a business on TikTok and stuff.

When you were doing your content, did you purposely think about. Addressing the points that plus size people might have. So fears about booking a, whether it's a plane seat or booking a tour or, 'cause I know you've spoken about like wetsuits and stuff before, so did you think about how trying to tick these fears and vulnerabilities off and target them so that people would take 

Yeah, right from the beginning it was like you didn't know what you didn't know in a lot of ways as well, and a lot of people that I've been around, or even for myself, and I can only speak for myself in a lot of ways or what somebody has told me, but it's like there was this times like it just.

It's outta sight outta mind. I just written that off. There's no way I can do that. So I'm not even gonna think about it anymore. And so I was trying to think through the different things that like kept us from doing the stuff. And I wanted to attack those things. Like I wanted to address those things.

And so I was very intentional about my branding. I'm intentional about the things that I talk about. And like I told you, like being that representation, being that mouthpiece to being like, Hey, I went to Lisbon, Portugal, and hey, to be honest with you, these hills are, there's a lot. And so there's different levels to it.

And hey, you might not be able to walk the whole time, but guess what? There's all of these different like tour guys that you can get on the car and go visit the whole city. I recommend that for anybody. 'cause then those hills hurt a lot. 

And there's only one tram that takes you up and then it takes you back down.

Yep. Yeah. Yeah, 

it's, it's stuff like that. I try to show people what kind of gear they can use, what kind of shoes they can use, where they can pick up outfits from, like all of these different things that a lot of plus size people at the time never thought about. 

Yeah. Excellent. So what kinda feedback have you had then from plus size people, and what kinda messages are you getting?

Are people sharing their adventures and stuff with you? What's it like? Oh, for 

sure. Like people are sharing in their adventures a lot with me. I get a lot of thank yous. People tell me like even. Even recently, just like people being able to be free and, Hey, I did this hike today. Or Hey, I went scuba diving for the first time I found a wetsuit that worked for me.

I get those all the time and that's very much so appreciative. But then I also see it from the industry, but the things that weren't being done before are now being done. How people are doing group trips and or they're featuring other content creators that are plus size. That stuff to me is powerful.

That's the stuff I wanted to see and to be able to see that change. I remember even hearing, I remember this lady, I was in Costco at one of the stores in Austin and she came up to me and was like, Hey, I work for this like brand. And she was like, I know you don't know me, but I know you. And she was like.

Your picture is like on our wall in the middle of it. We've addressed so many different issues from the picture of you on the wall and what we could do to help serve our customers and things like that. So I get those stories all the time as well. And yeah. What, what was that like being recognized in public?

What was that like? I think, okay, so I read this book, and even in the book it talked about trying to envision your life or what you want, and then also think about the. What comes with it. And so I knew once I started putting myself out there as a public figure, that people would come up and recognize me and things like that.

Or it's, it's cool. It's still cool to this day. It feels, I feel a little obligated to, to continue to talk to people and stuff like that because this is what I wanted, like this is like the life I dreamed and it's, it's cool to be recognized. I still, and I laugh about it all the time, like I still feel like people don't know who I am.

And even when they come up to talk to me and they'll say something and I'll be like, you don't know me. I'm still thinking that to myself. You don't know who I am. Yeah. And then there's some people who would. Especially like fans, like True Fans, they'll start talking about stuff about the show or they'll talk about things that I've done on social media and they was like, oh, when you did this and blah, blah, blah.

And I'll be like, wait, okay. Or they'll start saying something I've said before and they'd be like, let's go. And I'd be like, what? Yeah. You know me. 

I, that's lovely. It's, it was lovely. Switching back a little bit, Jeff, you said about the industry. What type of notice are the industry taking with this and what type of change?

Is there anything systemic or anything they're trying to, policies? Anything that they're trying to encourage because do people want to make money? For sure. And if they see there's a market here, no. No doubt. They'll be looking to dare I say exploit that for the good. So what kinda industry conversations are you having?

Now I'm not having as much as I was before because they have done it. But yeah, just one, one big one recently has been the FAA and them making a standard of what, how large and like how wide in the width of like the pitch of airplane seats. And so we're advocating because the airplane seats are getting smaller by the day.

Like they're taking all your leg room, like for everybody. We're pushing still to, to get a larger size on the airplane seats. I've seen. Restaurants and hotels get rid of arm chairs and have just armless chairs. They've made spaces wider. They have, they've added to their systems to where even some of the wheelchair accessible things that are available actually are accessible for plus size people as well.

When it comes down to like showers and tubs and things like that, that some companies allow plus-size people to use the wheelchair accessible areas because they're wide enough for you or for a plus-sized person. So I've been seeing a lot of that. Still, a lot of marketing still with plus-size people being involved.

Even in the commercials. Even in commercials, like a commercials that come on today. I've witnessed it and I've been a part of it where I've heard brands tell me, Hey, we put this person on because of you, like you were the reason we had this thought. And so that to me, I think is great. Or I've heard from people who are auditioning for stuff say that there, there are people that they were interviewing with would be like, Hey, do you know Jeff Jenkins?

We want this kind of style, but it'd be your style with a little bit of Jeff Jenkins in there. And that to me, I thought was just like very flattering. And I was like, yeah, we're doing some stuff here. So it's 

really cool. I actually on that, 'cause I, I've watched plenty of your videos and your vlogs and stuff.

How did you, how do you approach your storytelling and you're styled, were you intentional with that or you just kinda gone with the flow and tweaked and crafted? You've gone, how did you approach your kinda creative process? 

I had to learn it. This is my whole nother field of something I was not doing before.

And I feel like everything I do is intentional, but even if the intention is to figure it out, that's what I was trying to do. For the most part, everything has been a figuring out thing. Like I've been trying to figure out how to do it and I see how the industry does it, so I'm like, oh, you know what?

I'll try it this way. Let's see if this works, see how it fits in my standards or what I want. So I was very intentional. What comes out. Like I even had a meeting yesterday. I have a, like a content creator slash producer that's helping me come up with ideas for stuff to shoot and stuff like that. And. She put up something or she showed me something the other day and I was like, that doesn't, that doesn't align with what I do.

And I even showed, or was selling a, a colleague about that, and she was like, oh yeah, that, that doesn't even seem like something that Jeff will put up. So it's, I'm very intentional about protecting the brand, protecting my identity, protecting the sanctity of what I want to do because it really does help with the partnerships that I'm trying to create and keep.

And what is the mission? What is it that you don't deviate from? What is the message that you're trying to convey? With Chubby Diaries? 

I'm always like conveying like live life now. Like I'm, it's all about inspiration and motivation more than anything. I want people to be inspired to, to go live life and step outside of their comfort zones.

Yeah. Excellent. And if you don't mind me asking, how do you, you monetize that? Is it through brand partnerships and stuff then travel companies? Yeah. 

Brand partnerships and if you wanna sell stuff that that becomes the top of your funnel to where if you do social media now becomes like your calling card.

It's your advertisement, it's your billboard. It's the modern day billboard for a lot of reasons. And so I work with a lot of different brands and things like that and that's even open up the opportunity to speak a lot of places as well. So that's been great too. 

Yeah. Fantastic. I might need to pick your brains at some point.

It's not an avenue I've explored just yet, but yeah, it will be on the cards and due course. Excellent. So right enough of that. Let's talk about your adventures then, your actual adventures, some of the the cool stuff that you've been out and doing. And we'll talk about Nat Geo in a minute. So what type of.

I was intrigued by, I think I heard Dar seen you talk about your scuba diving and stuff and getting your wetsuit. You get a plus size wetsuit and I think that's good advice and tips for anyone that may be listening or watching. That's plus size, so can you bring that some of that adventure to life Then scuba diving as a plus size guy.

How is that? Had you done so much scuba diving? 

Oh yeah. I'm a certified, like I'm a event certified scuba diver now. But yeah, I love it. I was just talking about going on a trip yesterday. Yeah. I try to scoop it out as much as possible. Yeah. It is one of my favorite like pastime activities more than anything because it's so easy on the joints and it's just, it's like you're going into another world and yeah, you're being able to see all the fish and the marine life doesn't ma, they don't bother you as much when you're underwater.

They like to mess with you when you're at the top. So I'm happy that like sharks and everything like that are like, Hey, I see you over there, you stay over there. I stay over here kind of thing. We won't mess with each other. So I love scuba diving. I've been rock climbing before and to be honest, I was like the first rock climber I've ever seen.

That was my size. Even close to my size, do it. Hiking has been a lot of fun still, and I've been on every boat that I think you can possibly be on. I've been on every style of boat there is to be on. Yeah. I love being on the water a lot. Fishing is a lot of fun still. Yeah. I've, yeah, I've done a, I've been doing a lot of fun like activities around.

Yeah. Where do you go scuba diving? Whereabouts? Um, 

I love, for the most part it's the Caribbean Islands for the most part. I've been, shoot, I've been scuba diving in a few lakes before, mainly on the, mainly in the Caribbean islands mainly. And I've done some in the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic Ocean and stuff like that.

Yeah. Excellent. Fantastic. So we'll come back to some of those adventures in a minute. I want, so your National Geographic Show, which I love, everything, national Geographic naturally interviewed quite a few people that have been on that to documentary makers, filmmakers and stuff. So your show say, was it, never say Never.

Yes. How does that come about? How do you get into that geo, Jeff, where you approached or did you pitch the guys? How did that come to be? Never. 

Yeah, I was approached. Yeah. And it was this thing, like I, I wrote down this every single day that one day you'll have a travel show. And it was in that moment that I was intentional about everything that I put out my brand because I wanted to get a show one day and I, I believed it with all my heart that it was gonna happen.

I was, I was a little still doubtful in some ways, but I was definitely still believing it. 'cause I wrote it down every day, like I was like delusional to be like, it is gonna happen. But yeah, it was me putting out quality content that would speak to other people and to make other people want to like, Hey, I like this guy.

What is he doing? Like it's unique, it's different. I also learned, that's the thing in the industry is that they like uniqueness. They want to see something else. Even if the format's kind of the same, they still want to see a unique perspective to it. And so I felt like I provided that unique perspective and I got a email one day saying, Hey, we have this show idea for you.

Are you. Willing to jump on the call real quick. I jumped on the call and I had like maybe four or five other meetings within that seven days and it just started going from there. And the process like took a whole year before we actually started shooting the show. Yeah. From the time I found out, the time we started shooting the show, it took a year and about time the show even came out that took two years.

Yeah. It's mad to think that you're going about your business and then there's people watching, cultivating a show for you and then they reach out. That must have been mind blowing a huge amount of validation for what you were doing. 

Yeah, it definitely was. And it's one of those things of, that's what that same guy who told me that, Hey, have you ever thought about being an entrepreneur is the same guy that that also.

Help me understand about like journalism and networks and things like that. They was like, they're in the business of making content. So like even reporters and all of this, they need content. So they're figuring out how to get content from you and, or they need content for their networks or their publications.

So like you can become that content. So I just, I felt like I was needed in some kind of way. I'm doing some projects even now to where we're trying to find ways to make more content in unique ways. Yeah. Hold on one second. I'm taking my dog's leash off. She just came upstairs. 

I know. For, and 

it is just, it's just jingling, like left and right.

So I was like, let me take this off. 

I've got a little puppy who's only three, four months old and he's downstairs. Yeah, he's just been back from the vet. What kind of puppy? It's a cockapoo. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. And yeah, he just, he follow, he sticks to me pretty much. He follows me absolutely everywhere. It's, oh, I love it.

It's beautiful. I love it. 

Yeah. My, our pup, we have a Staffie. Oh, amazing. And they're not popular here at all. Like they're not popular at all. Most people here don't even know what a Staffie is. Yeah. So they're like, what is that kind of dog like? They look like pit bulls. Yeah. They're like, oh, there's a pit bulls.

Yeah. Yeah. She's a year old now. Oh, fantastic. Does she go out with you? No, she's done two trips with us. Yeah, 

I would like to do more with her. I definitely do. I'm, I'm going this weekend, actually tomorrow for two days, I'm taking my little dog, Bailey, for his first adventure into the Scottish Highlands. So we are off on a trek for two days.

I can't wait. 

I love it. I love it. Yeah. She had a great time on the road with it. Yeah, I, and I wanna do more of it with her because she loved it as well. 

Fantastic. Fantastic. So back to Na, do you win? Did you have to audition even though they approached you? Did you go through any sort of rounds of like auditioning or stuff like that?

Yeah, I wouldn't 

say auditioning. I would say a lot of interviews at first. And it was more so them pitching me in a way. In some ways I, yeah, I really don't feel like I truly auditioned, but they did do interviews, and in those interviews they recorded just like this, and we did that. And then they will send it over to Nat Geo.

Nat Geo was taking pitches on multiple, like shows like they're, this is just how the industry works, where they hear a lot of pitches, and then from there they like the idea, they take it another step and hey, here goes a little bit of money to go make a few episodes or make a episode. And so that's like the sizzle reel.

And so you create that, and then from that you find out if you get the green light or not. 

Was it an agency that contacted you or was it not Geo directly? 

So it was a production company, so that, oh.

Geo doesn't have their own production company. Okay. Uh, most networks don't have their own production company. Right. So it is a production company that, that was commissioned by Nat Geo to create, create more shows. Yeah. They already had shows with Nat Geo. 

Ah, fantastic. And when they pitched you the show ideas, what were you like?

Was there anything in there you thought, whoa, it's a bit of shit. Say that again. What, when they pitched you some episode ideas, what, were there any adventures in there where you thought, shit, I'm not sure if I wanna to do that? Oh, I, 

I that multiple times. And it was more so just the grueling schedule that I was thinking about.

I was like, can I do this? Like even rock climbing. Rock climbing was one of them. I was like, one, Hey y'all, I've never seen one person even close to my size, get on a rock and go climb it. Like we're not going to the rock wall first. Trying that out first, and then try doing a real like wall. And that one got me a lot.

Crossing this bridge that was like a mile in the sky. That one got me. It was in Thailand. It's called the sky bridge. And like it's this colorful bridge, but it is like, there's these wooden planks that's on the ground and or on the bridge, the suspension bridge. And you have to like, like step to the next one.

But there's a gap in between. Those steps. So I was like, I don't like this. This is not that fun. And And then also sumo wrestling and things like that. Yeah, like they were all nerve wracking. They were trying to get me out my comfort zone. But even also things that I had already been in my head, I'm thinking like, oh, I wanna try this one day.

Maybe this would be something cool to do. So some of this stuff is a part of my bucket list. Great. 

Yeah, because I've seen a lot of clips on you rafting and Yeah, I've seen the repelling and the ropes and stuff like that. It does look it, 

yeah, those, anything with the ropes and stuff like that. All I kept thinking to myself until the end was that like, I was like, I hope this rope can hold me.

I hope this rope can hold. That's not a plus size thing. Even that, I get that as well. Yeah, I get that as well. That's what my safety guy kept saying all the time. He was like, and then he was saying, and that was the thing that helped me out the most. And that's when I started trusting it. He said, just trust the ropes, trust the system.

It's usually not, people usually don't die because of the system. It is usually the, a human error on why something happens, or I wouldn't say die, let's not use that word. Yeah. But there'll be some kind of injury or accident is because of a human error more than the rope. 

Yeah. And how did you find the whole storytelling creative process with Nat Geo?

Did that go smoothly in terms of trying to remain authentic in terms of the chubby diaries and all that kinda stuff? 

Yeah. I didn't mention it earlier, but yeah, the show that they pitched was not the show that we ended up doing because it was like, Hey, I was like, Hey, how do we get doing what I'm doing now and just take it to the next level?

And that's what they came to when I was happy that they did that. So it made it even closer to being authentic. And even when we went to go shoot that first like pilot episode, we went to Iceland. And while we were in Iceland or before we even got to Iceland, I was like, just anxiety out of this world. I was like, I don't know what to do.

Like how do I do this? I've never hosted a show before. What is this? What should I do? And I remember being at the airport with the producer and we had got dinner and I was like, Hey, I gotta be honest with you. I don't know what to do. I've never done this before. Hey, what's up? And he said, he was like, we just want you to be yourself.

And I was like, what does be yourself mean? Because somebody might say that, but then they have another idea. The thing that I thought was so cool, and I love telling this to like other content creators or people that might wanna show. One day he went back and looked at all my content and he started repeating stuff.

He was like, you remember when you were at that barbecue restaurant and you like gave your review of it? Or when you did this or you did this interview? I was like, whoa, you remember all that? And so he was like, do that. Whatever you did there, bring that to this. That's all we're looking for. Like Nat Geo or the network, they liked you for you and what you brought to the table the way that you were.

And I was like, for real. And so that to me, like I, I remember I was so tense that once he said that, it was such a big release relief that I released and I actually, like a tear came outta my eye. Yeah. Because I was like that anxious. Him saying that. I was like, oh, okay. And so I had to be constantly reminded about that.

And there was times like on the story side, like on the show you have a story producer and that person works with you hand in hand the whole time. Like they're like the person that's like around you all the time. So anything that comes out your mouth, they're listening to. Yeah. Like they're trying to find out.

It was like, huh, Uhhuh, you did this when you were a kid. How did that make you feel? And you didn't realize that they were over there taking notes about everything that came outta your mouth because they were gonna try to tie it into the show. Yeah. Some ways, somehow 

it's absolutely brilliant. It must be such a strange thing from going, like filming yourself doing your own little stuff to then having a camera pointed at you.

It must be quite a different dynamic, I would imagine. It was. It was beautiful. 

I 

love it. Yeah. 

I, and I like it now. That's why I have a team. 

Yeah. 

That helps me with my YouTube channel and stuff like that. 

Yeah. But 

yeah, it is. It is beautiful to. Because as a content creator, you're everything. You're the producer, the camera per person, you're the A sound guy.

The lighting. Yeah. So you do everything. And when you do the show. We had literally, excuse me, we had 30 people on set with us. So it was a lot of people. We had multiple cameras. The sound person, the producers, people already have studied the place and they went ahead of time before I even got there to be like, oh, this is what you are doing.

And so that to me, I thought was like phenomenal. 

Yeah, that is phenomenal. Not that it's anywhere near this, but I think the experience I had fairly recently, I'm not used to doing these podcasts like this remotely and the first time I'd done one in person in a studio and you'd multiple cameras and someone come in with a clipboard and it, it was just this completely surreal experience.

It was so much that people, I don't think people realize there's so much that goes into production, proper high-end production in the back, in the teams that are into that, that, that are involved in pulling all this together. That's fantastic. Yeah. 'cause you just see the content and the sound bites and the entertainment, but there's a lot of cool people doing a lot of really cool stuff in the back end.

Fantastic. What's your team like now, Jeff? Have you got your own steady team that helps you with your content creation? 

Yeah, so I have a full-time assistant. I have a editor and I have a production like content creator or production person, and then a manager. And so those are the people that's on payroll and yeah.

And so having them around has been fantastic because traveling is, it takes a lot out of you and so it's hard to continue to do all the stuff on your own, which I used to do. And you'll get burnt out very quickly if you try to do it all on your own. And so having my team there has just been fantastic and I've been loving it.

Yeah. Do you ever take a moment just to sit and reflect and think, wow, you know, grateful? Yeah, it's, 

it's hard to do it at times, but I've been home now for almost a month and this has just been fantastic. Yeah, I haven't been home in a month and since I started, so it's been great to be home. It's like I almost have to not be doing anything just to, to, to relax and enjoy and be able to reflect.

But yeah, I pinch myself all the time. I'm always pinching myself. Uh, being on the airplane is usually when you get that time, the reflection and stuff like that as well. Yeah, but I'm, it's amazing. I live a blessed life and so I'm happy. 

Yeah, that is great to see. And so how was the nacho uh, program received?

Your friends, family, your network, your audience? I 

mean, for the most part, loved it. It was received well. I was nominated for a Critics Choice award. I won a award, a taste award as well. But yeah, it was received very well and I love the message and everything. Even for me, me watching it personally, like I saw it and was like, oh, this is different.

The way that you can edit a show makes it like entertaining for myself who was there watching it or, or was a part of it. So it was also even interesting seeing myself on TV the way that I did. So yeah, that was really cool as well. Uh, 

yeah, because you wouldn't realize all the things that are being filmed necessarily, and you're in the moment living it and enjoying it.

So yeah. That's fantastic. What's the plans for the future, Jeff? Do you have any more potential shows and networks? Any follow up stuff? Yeah. Yeah. 

So yeah, I just met with a network yesterday and yeah, there's more shows and, and one thing that I wanna do is actually develop and create shows. So that's what my new journey is right now.

Yes. And I'm loving that. I have a kids' book that I'm working on right now, and then also a memoir slash self-help book that I'm getting ready to start writing as well. But I do have the kids' book almost done, so I'm happy about that. 

Excellent, excellent. I look forward to that. I've got a lot of 9-year-old.

Appreciate it. Excellent. In terms of you creating shows, are you the story, are you gonna be doing the storyboarding for that? Are you going to help with get Creativity? Yeah, it, it will. 

It'll be a team. It'll be a team. It'll be my production studio going at it. So yeah, it's, it is a lot that goes into it.

It is usually not just one person. So yeah, it'll be a lot of people a part of that. Hands in that, 

yeah. Fantastic. Oh, that's exciting. That's exciting. So if you get any big unrealized adventures, any big thing, so forget production and stuff, but is there any big activity or a place or trip or whatever that any grand plans, an article.

Antarctica. I still want to go to Antarctica. Still top of my list. I see it back. There's top of my list of like destination to visit. I want to go to all seven continents. Yes. And Antarctica is one of them. And so like to be able to get out there and go, I think that will be a dream come true. Yeah.

Hopefully I might be going in the next couple of months, so I'm happy about that as well. Wow. 

Good luck to you. I hope you get there. Yeah, I'm, I'm saving, I'm years away from getting from, it's a long, it's a long way from Scotland, let alone from Oh yeah, it is, 

is, yeah, it's, 

yeah. Yeah. It's a 

long way from me, but Scotland is even farther.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I've heard that. If you get, if you manage to get down to, in Argentina, I'm hearing there's ways to get out there you can bum around on at one of the ships and stuff like that. Yep. 

We shot an episode. We shot an episode in ua. Oh, yeah. Yeah. So like our Antarctica, our Argentina episode was in like Patagonia UA area, so that was a lot of fun.

Tara Dego. So 

gel. Yeah. Fantastic. Fantastic. Uh, this has been epic. This is almost an hour on the button. What I'd probably do is move into the closing traditions. In fact, before I do that, before I do that, I, so, so for anyone that might be listening plus size, what kind of advice would you give in terms of your message to try and inspire people to, to make sure they take the message on board?

They don't need permission, but what would you say to them? 

That, I like what you just said. You don't need permission. I think I needed permission for a lot of stuff before. I would just challenge them to, one, follow me in some ways to get some kind of inspiration. Because sometimes you, if you don't see yourself, you're just not gonna do it.

And I'm really getting out there and just doing it. But yeah, like I challenge people to just go live life. It might be a slower process. It might be a, it might not be as like easy for you to do it as other people, but I'm telling you, I'm striving and working my butt off to make it more accessible. And I know there's different activities out there that you can do now and you will enjoy it because that's another thing.

There's this fear of that, oh, well, I'd be able to enjoy it. Like a person who's not plus size. And I'm saying, yes, there is a way to do it and I'm a big guy. You'll be able to do it too. Yeah. 

Excellent. Brilliant. Probably bled into a little bit the closing traditions there, but thank you. So moving into the closing traditions, I have a paid forward cult adventure.

Then I have some quick fire questions for a little bit of fun. So the paid forward section, that's it. Your opportunity to raise awareness for any worthy projects, causes, charities, anything, just to pay the privilege forward a little bit. So what would you say, Jeff, as a paid forward to listeners or viewers?

Yeah, African en African East African Energy Solution. It's a nonprofit that are building these things called bio digesters in Uganda, and bio digesters are, they take the plant gases that are formed and it creates gas for stoves. And so it's, it is making like stove like gas that these people in these, in these like less developed areas, be able to cook on a stove instead of using char or charcoal or wood because charring food and things like that actually lowers your life expectancy.

And so bringing in something that that's less harmful for the body is what I definitely recommend, like people do. And so East African Energy Solutions, I sit on a board for them as well and they're doing some really cool stuff out in Uganda. 

Fantastic. Excellent. Coincidentally, I had a conversation last week with someone who was talking about the charcoal industry in Madagascar and how devastating that was for a host of reason.

So that's quite, uh, tangentially linked, but thank you. Secondly, a call to adventure. So what would you say for listeners plus size or otherwise, uh, as a call to adventure, to get out and have some fun, have more adventure in their lives? 

Adulting is hard, and it is, it's a little mundane and. I would just say get out there, like literally get out there, like even if it's going to your backyard and just standing outside for a little bit just to get the motivation.

Almost every country I've been to has a national park somewhere. Getting out and exploring your national parks or just the different areas, it is a lot of fun. Hey, you'll be surprised, and even if you're in the States, you'll definitely be surprised how much beauty and different reservations that we have that are just drop dead gorgeous and they bring inspiration.

They make your life feel more fulfilled when you're out and about doing these things. 

Fantastic. Excellent. So now moving into the final section, the quickfire 10 questions, quickfire questions, just to end on a fun note. Okay. So the first one, Jeff, you can host a dinner party with two guests, dead or alive.

Who would your two favorite guests be? I wanna meet with Oprah and man. Who else? Kevin Hart. A bit of a fun, a bit of humor. So, uh, what's your craziest ever experience on your adventures? 

Wow, that's a tough one. I feel like I've asked a couple crazy ones. Uh, I don't know, like it was, I think I. Trying to salvage my New Year's.

In 2007, while I was in Munich, Germany, something happened to where this people that we were with, they were actually like young and one of the kids, they had got so drunk that they had to call the cops and everybody came out because he like passed out. And I was like, why am I here? What's going on? But it was like me and my friend, we went on this adventure to go salvage the rest of the night.

And when I tell you I had the time of my life and I was able to find our friends too that we were there with. It was a group of us that went and we were separated from it. We found them and just we had a great time. 

That sounds like Germany, quite frankly. Excellent. So number three, do you have a hidden talent?

That's a good one. I mean, singing. A lot of people don't know. I sing now, like majority of people that know me don't even know I sing like the new people. 

Excellent. 

What's your favorite movie? Independence Day, but Will Smith. Excellent. My favorite next rule by Grant Cardell. 

I also love that. Yeah. Yeah.

Interesting. Last music gig that you went to. Usher. I went to the Usher concert here in Austin. Excellent. If you could snap your fingers and be anywhere doing anything, what would it be? 

Take me to a mafia coast in the summer. 

Oh yeah. Where it's not too cold, not too warm. God, I wanna be there. It's better at the end of summer when the tourists die down, but yes.

Fantastic. Fantastic. Positano, what scares you? Death at times. Yeah. 

Mary, that one? 

Yeah. Play number nine. Who would play Jeff Jenkins in the movie of your life? 

Great question. I would say Denzel Washington, but let me stop. I don't know. I think they're not even, I think they're not even an up and comer or they might be an up and coming actor right now, so I don't even know who that would be.

Yeah, Denzel's good. Denzel's as good as it can. Yeah. I like Denzel 

Best advice you've ever received? Why not me asking yourself the question, why not me? 

Excellent. Never heard that. Yeah. Interesting. And that's it. Yeah. That says coming to a close. This has been epic. Thank you. Thank you for, for your energy, everything you're doing with the Chubby Diaries and Nat Geo, your story.

It's phenomenal, Jeff. The more people that people like you and me to an extent can inspire people to just live a little bit more adventure. There's more fun, intent, and enjoy life, we get one shot at it. It is great. I thank you for joining us today. Thank you so much for having me. This is 

definitely fun.

Uh, yeah, it was a great 

interview. Yeah. Thank you, Jeff. And with that, I'll bring it to a close. 

Thanks for tuning in to today's episode. For the show notes and further information, please visit adventure diaries.com/podcast. And finally, we hope to have inspired you to take action and plan your next adventure, big or small, because sometimes we all need a little adventure to cleanse that bitter taste of life from the soul.

Until next time, have fun and keep paying it forward.