Episode 16: Pilgrim on Music, Family, Full-Time Travel, & Following Your Dreams

In episode 16 of Muse and the Catalyst, Aaron and I interview Katie and Aaron Thomas of the Americana/pop duo Pilgrim- the same duo that sings our intro music for the show!

We chat about how Katie and Aaron made the jump from living the typical American dream to hitting the road in an Airstream trailer in order to follow their own dreams of travel, music, and adventure with their two young children. We also talk about their views on the law of attraction and how it fits into their journey. This inspiring show is full of insight, music, and a good dose of magic.

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New Podcast!

I’m so excited to announce that I am launching a new podcast along with my husband, Aaron Schiller, called Muse and The Catalyst. It’s a podcast all about inspiration and taking action to create the life of your dreams. We’ll be covering topics such as lifestyle, business, family, parenting, design, minimalism, mindfulness, art, creativity, education, travel and so much more.

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Being A Backyard Explorer

After 3 months on the road we finally had to give back the Airstream and head home to California. During our trip, we explored 22 states, many cities, and countless points of interest within those places. Now that we’re back home, we want to make sure we continue exploring all around us.

Why is it that we live 15 minutes from the Golden Gate Bridge and have never walked across it? We put off doing “touristy” activities here at home because we know it will still be there when we finally get around to it. Sometimes it takes traveling to other places to realize how much exploring you can do in your own town. It’s similar to the art events that I planned on the road. After 5 amazing family art events across the country, I can’t believe I haven’t done one here in the Bay Area! So I’ll definitely be planning a local art event soon.

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Our Airstream Art Space

When we first headed out on the road for this 3-month #EndlessCaravan adventure, I knew I would need to figure out a way to set up an art space for the girls in our 23 ft. Airstream trailer.

After moving into the Airstream and organizing all of our clothes, food, and other home items, there wasn’t much space left for art supplies.  I was determined to set up an inviting and accessible art space for my kids, so I turned to my go-to design solution… empty wall space.

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How We Homeschool On The Road

One of the questions we get asked a lot on this #EndlessCaravan trip is “Do you homeschool on the road?” We aren’t following a curriculum and we don’t have textbooks, but I can say with certainty that the girls are learning so much more than could ever be assessed by a worksheet or a test.

Roadschool

We do a mix of “roadschooling” and “unschooling” where the girls learn about the places we are visiting through their curiosities. Sometimes we research about a place before we visit, other times we arrive and learn on-site through a guided tour or written information.

We never make the kids learn the information, but they almost always jump at the chance of investigating the fascinating places that we visit. This is one thing that I love about roadschooling. Seeing places in real life- getting to touch and experience them first hand- motivates the kids to want to learn.

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On The Road: Family travel and taking a leap of faith

About 8 months ago I decided that it was time for our family to take a leap of faith and head out on a grand adventure. The girls were 4 and 7, Aaron and I were both self-employed, and we were considering homeschooling Karuna for 3rd grade.

I was determined to begin our journey sometime in early 2017 and wanted to travel for at least 3 months. I didn’t know where we would go, or how we would make it work financially. We had some debt, no savings, and were living paycheck to paycheck. Being self-employed was a bonus, but Aaron’s business was locally based so it was hard for him to imagine how he would continue to serve his clients on the road.

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