In this episode of Authors After Action, we bring you a powerful storytelling podcast experience grounded in real life stories, inspiring interviews, and the depth of the human experience. We sit down with Elise Allison—sailor, author, and adventurer—whose personal journey carried her from a New Jersey horse farm to life on the open ocean.

Alison has sailed through forty-six countries across four continents, transforming each port, culture, and challenge into stories for adults and children alike. Through deep conversations, she shares how living on a boat strips life down to its essentials—survival, connection, and wonder—and how that simplicity reshaped both her worldview and her writing.

This episode explores overcoming adversity through reinvention: leaving stability behind, embracing uncertainty, and discovering freedom in motion. Alison resilience stories reveal how adventure becomes art, how the sea teaches humility, and how storytelling can spark curiosity and environmental awareness in the next generation.

These life lessons remind us that purpose often waits beyond comfort. Whether you’re drawn to travel, creativity, or stories of transformation, this conversation offers a moving portrait of what happens when you trade routine for the horizon and let experience become your teacher.

Takeaways:

1. A bold leap can turn dreams into lived reality.
2. Life at sea simplifies priorities and deepens human connection.
3. Real adventure fuels authentic storytelling.
4. Travel inspires curiosity, empathy, and environmental awareness.
5. Creativity flows when rooted in lived experience.
6. Write what excites you to keep passion alive.

Links Referenced in This Episode:

AlisonGeishen.com

Sailmates.org

Companies Mentioned in This Episode:

Defiance Press