“Uncontrollable.” “Lost.” “Too Much.” What if they were wrong about you?


Hi Reader,

🌪️ This Week’s Current Is Anything But Gentle

Let’s be real: healing isn’t a spa day—it’s a battle for your own damn alignment. It’s messy, brave, sometimes lonely, but always worth it. And it doesn’t come from approval, permission, or following the rules.

It comes from choosing YOU—over and over again.

This week on Flying Upstream, we’re breaking open what freedom really looks like when you’ve been told to sit down, shut up, or stay small. Through poetry, skiing, van life, and rewriting your own damn story, our guests prove:

🔥 You don’t need to be understood to be free. You just need to be aligned.

🎤 This Week’s Rebels:

📝 Judge Kemp — Memory Loss, Military Ranks & the Rebirth of a Poet
When everything slipped away—his identity, structure, and even memory—Judge found his way back through writing. His words don’t just tell stories. They resurrect them. This is resilience, raw and unfiltered.

🎿 Ryan & Robert DeLena — Skiing Out of the System
Labeled “uncontrollable” by experts, Ryan’s future looked bleak—until a ski trip with his dad blew the whole system to hell. Now he’s a pro ski mountaineer, and together, he and his father are proof that trust and rebellion can save lives.

💡 Insight to Chew On:

Healing doesn’t always look like meditation cushions and mantras. Sometimes it looks like powder snow, slammed doors, packed vans, blank pages, and saying no more.

So ask yourself:
👉 What does freedom look like now—for the version of you that’s waking up?

📚 Read Like a Rebel:

Want more? Dive deeper into the minds of this week’s guests:

🎁 Fuel the Flight

Love what we’re doing? Toss some love in the tip jar. Your support keeps the rebels flying.

Leave a Gratitude Tip

Let’s keep ripping the labels off and rewriting the script.
Thanks for riding the current with us.

Stay wild, stay true, and always—
Keep Flying Upstream.

🦅 Luisa & Kristyn

*Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive a small commission for purchases made through these links. Thank you for your support!

Flying Upstream Podcast

Welcome to 'Flying Upstream,' a podcast dedicated to uncovering the choices, practices, and wisdom that defy mainstream norms. Join hosts Kristyn Medeiros and Luisa Anderson as they explore how timeless wisdom and unique lifestyle choices foster healthier, sustainable, and enriching lives. Perfect for those who feel like they're flying north for the winter while everyone else is flying south. Tune in to discover inspiring stories, gain practical insights, and connect with a community of free spirits who value deep, thoughtful explorations into alternative ways of living. Listen on platforms like Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or join us for more engaging content through our mini courses on Udemy.

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