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The People Teaching People PodcastAuthor: Tiana Fech
The People Teaching People Podcast is the place to talk about all things teaching and learning. Hosted by educator, course development consultant, lifelong learner, and mom of three, Tiana Fech, this podcast will dive into how education truly plays an important and integral role in all facets of our lives how we work, do business, live, play, explore, and build relationships. Get curious and be inspired by personal reflections and conversations about the who, what, when, where, why, and how of teaching and learning in a world where there is always more to discover. Language: en-us Genres: Business, Education, Entrepreneurship, How To Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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085: Creating a Life You’re Excited to Live with Jen Aitken
Tuesday, 6 October, 2026
What might happen if we stopped waiting for someday and started saying yes to a few more adventures along the way? In this episode of The People Teaching People Podcast, I sit down with Jen Aitken, a Calgary-based travel advisor, photographer, adventurer, and creator who believes that some of life’s biggest changes can begin with a very small side quest. Jen’s story is one of resilience. At four years old, she survived a devastating car accident that took the life of her father and left her needing to learn how to walk and talk again. Growing up, travel and adventure became an important part of her life, encouraged by her mom and strengthened through experiences that taught Jen to navigate the world with independence, curiosity, and a willingness to try new things. We talk about the trip to Antarctica that changed the direction of Jen’s work, her idea of using “side quests” as smaller steps toward bigger bucket-list dreams, and what she has discovered about herself by intentionally trying new experiences. Jen also shares how one spontaneous side quest introduced her to Rotary and an entirely new community of people who share many of her values. We also explore the online course and community Jen is creating for women who want to reconnect with themselves. Her own experiences have shown her that moving forward does not always require one enormous leap. Sometimes it begins by choosing something small, finding an adventure buddy, and simply giving yourself permission to try. This conversation is a reminder that learning about ourselves happens through living. Every new experience gives us information about what we enjoy, what matters to us, who we want beside us, and where we might want to go next. We do not have to have everything figured out before we begin. Sometimes the side quest is where we discover what the bigger adventure might become. Listen in as we talk about: 01:00 Jen’s story 04:40 Growing up with resilience 08:28 Discovering a love of travel and adventure 10:18 A trip to Antarctica that changed everything 15:24 The power of a side quest 17:44 Learning through adventure 19:48 Finding community along the way 24:28 Staying open to unexpected adventures 25:57 Finding an adventure buddy 27:30 Turning experiences into something to share 29:40 The teacher who believed in Jen 31:25 The power to pivot 33:30 Forward momentum and continuing to learn Connect with Jen: Website: https://navigatewithjen.ca/ Facebook: @NavigateWithJen Instagram: @navigatewithjen LinkedIn: Jen Aitken Email: sidequest@navigatewithjen.ca Connect with Tiana: Website: https://tianafech.com LinkedIn: Tiana Fech Instagram: @tianafech Facebook: @tianafech Book: Online Course Creation 101: A step-by-step guide to creating your first online course NEW Workbook: Your Expertise Ready to Download – Turn what you know into an impactful downloadable resource GROWING UP WITH RESILIENCE Jen’s experience with resilience began much earlier than most. At four years old, she was involved in a car accident that took her father’s life and left her with significant injuries. As she recovered, she had to relearn how to walk and talk, navigate medical appointments, and learn to advocate for herself at a very young age. She also experienced bullying and often found herself interacting with adults rather than children her own age. Looking back, Jen sees how these experiences shaped her independence, self-reliance, and ability to communicate with people from many different walks of life. Resilience was not something Jen set out to develop. It grew through experiences that asked her, again and again, to figure out how to keep moving forward. DISCOVERING A LOVE OF TRAVEL AND ADVENTURE Jen credits much of her love of exploration to her mom. Growing up, the two of them travelled together, went on small adventures, and sometimes simply grabbed a map and figured out where they were going along the way. Her mom wanted Jen to experience the world, particularly after everything she had been through as a child. Those experiences gave Jen more than memories. They helped shape the curiosity, independence, and willingness to explore that continue to guide her today. Adventure does not always have to mean travelling across the world. For Jen, it can be as simple as going somewhere unfamiliar, trying something new, and being willing to see where the experience takes you. A TRIP TO ANTARCTICA THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING Jen became a travel advisor in 2019, but a surprising opportunity in 2024 changed the way she thought about the work she wanted to do. After attending a travel industry conference, she unexpectedly won a trip to Antarctica. Seeing its enormous landscapes, watching penguins and other wildlife in their natural habitat, and experiencing a part of the world that relatively few people ever visit made Jen realize she wanted to help people do more than simply book vacations. She wanted to help them experience the places and adventures they had been dreaming about. Antarctica became a turning point that helped Jen focus her work on bucket-list and adventure travel and on helping people move their biggest dreams from “someday” into something they can actually begin planning. THE POWER OF A SIDE QUEST Jen describes a side quest as one of the smaller adventures or steps that can move us toward a bigger goal, or what she calls a North Star. A dream like travelling to Japan might feel enormous, but the side quests could begin much closer to home: saving money, trying Japanese food, exploring activities connected to Japanese culture, or figuring out what you would most like to experience once you arrive. Those smaller steps make the bigger dream feel more approachable while giving us opportunities to learn what we actually enjoy. For Jen, side quests are not random distractions from the goal. They are building blocks that can help us gain confidence, learn more about ourselves, and move closer to something that once felt far away. LEARNING THROUGH ADVENTURE Since intentionally bringing more side quests into her own life, Jen has tried everything from pickleball and sporting events to new social experiences and a 5K. Not every experience has become a new favourite, and that is part of the point. Trying something teaches us something. We learn what energizes us, what we do not enjoy, who we like spending time with, and what we might want to try next. Jen believes these experiences have helped her become more confident in who she is and happier in her life. We often think learning about ourselves requires deep reflection, but sometimes we learn simply by getting out into the world and giving something a try. FINDING COMMUNITY ALONG THE WAY One of Jen’s side quests began with scrolling through Eventbrite and choosing an event simply because she wanted to try something different. That decision eventually introduced her to Rotary, where she found a community of people who share her interest in volunteering, helping others, and contributing to something larger than themselves. Jen has since become a member and volunteered through the organization. The experience was an unexpected reminder that when we step outside of our usual routines, we do not know whose path we might cross or where a seemingly small decision might lead. Sometimes trying something new introduces us not only to a new experience, but also to people and communities we did not know we were missing. STAYING OPEN TO UNEXPECTED ADVENTURES Not every side quest needs to be carefully planned. Jen also leaves room for the unexpected invitation, whether that means attending a hockey game, joining a friend on an adventure, or trying something she has never done before. Some experiences require preparation, while others simply require being willing to say yes when an opportunity appears. Jen’s completion of a 5K was particularly meaningful because being able to do it without pain became a celebration of how far she had come. Her approach is a reminder that adventure can look different for each of us. What matters is noticing the opportunities around us and occasionally giving ourselves permission to choose the experience instead of automatically saying no. FINDING AN ADVENTURE BUDDY For someone who wants more fun, connection, or adventure in their life but does not know where to begin, Jen’s advice is wonderfully simple: ask a friend. Trying something unfamiliar can feel intimidating, particularly when we think we have to do it alone. An adventure buddy does not need to have everything figured out either. You can both be nervous and still try something together. Jen has discovered that many people around her are eager to join when she invites them along. Sometimes getting started does not require a detailed plan or enormous courage. It simply requires choosing one person, one experience, and one small first step. TURNING EXPERIENCES INTO SOMETHING TO SHARE Jen and I had the opportunity to work together through my Learning Lab Intensive to begin mapping out an online course based on the experiences and ideas she had already been living. What started as conversations, notes, and ideas gradually became something tangible. The course brings together two important parts of Jen’s work: helping women reconnect with themselves after experiences such as breakups, divorce, or burnout, and using side quests and travel as ways to begin moving toward something new. Jen sees those ideas as interconnected. A destination might be an actual place we want to visit, but it might also represent the person we are becoming. The steps along the way give us opportunities to explore our values, discover what matters to us, and intentionally create what comes next. THE TEACHER WHO BELIEVED IN JEN When I asked Jen about a favourite teacher, she immediately thought of an English teacher who believed in her at a time when that support mattered deeply. They have remained in touch over the years, and Jen continues to remember what it felt like to know someone had faith in her. She also broadened the idea of a teacher beyond the classroom, reflecting that every person we meet has the potential to teach us something. A teacher might be an educator, doctor, friend, colleague, or someone who introduces us to a completely different way of seeing the world. Sometimes what stays with us most is not simply what someone taught us, but the way their belief in us changed what we were able to believe about ourselves. THE POWER TO PIVOT When Jen reflects on what she is most proud of, she comes back to her ability to bounce back. Her life has included loss, difficult relationships, health challenges, disappointments, and moments when the path ahead changed unexpectedly. Each time, she has found a way to keep going or to pivot in another direction. She is especially proud that some of the difficult experiences in her life have become the foundation for something positive that might now help other people. Moving forward and having resilience does not mean pretending difficult experiences did not happen. Sometimes it means believing that something new can still grow from them. FORWARD MOMENTUM AND CONTINUING TO LEARN “Keep moving forward. Keep imagining things. Keep learning.” Jen’s final encouragement is to keep moving forward, keep imagining, and keep learning. No matter how much experience we have, there is always something we do not know yet. Jen describes attending a travel industry event and discovering that even a single new sentence or idea could change the way she thought about something she already knew well. That requires us to remain open rather than assuming there is nothing more for us to learn. Jen’s adventures, side quests, relationships, and work have all given her opportunities to discover something new about the world and about herself. We will never be able to learn everything, but we can stay open to the people, experiences, and ideas that might teach us what we need next.
