We had the good fortune of connecting with April & Ken Pishna and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi April & Ken, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
Like most couples with a family in Colorado, we worked full time jobs, raised our kids, took them to soccer practice, band practice, etc., took vacations, went camping and snowboarding on the weekends. We lived a good life, but the balance was always off. Weekdays were exhausting. I was a teacher, so my 9 to 5 job was definitely not that. Ken was an editor for a news website, so once again that 9 to 5 job was much more than that. When we were done for the day, there was just enough time to fix dinner and watch TV before going to bed before doing it all over again the next day.
Again, let me reiterate, we had a good life. We had fun! We worked hard and played hard, but as our kids got older and started living their own lives, we knew we had to change our daily lives to better our balance. So, we started our own business writing about the things we loved to do on the weekends – craft beer, travel, and adventures – and started doing more of that on the weekdays, as well. We also bought an RV and now travel most of the year seeking out the craft beer, travel, and adventures. Ironically, we probably work more now than we did then; but the perception of balance is different. Balance, when you focus the majority of your being on working to create great things for the weekends and vacations, is way off because, well, there are more weekdays than weekends.
Balance, when you focus on building a career around the life you want, may still be off, but the perception of it is that life is more balanced and the things you are focused on are the things that also cause you to smile, laugh, and love the life you have created. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of times where we are stuck sitting in our RV writing to meet deadlines while we are parked outside of nature’s beauty, but there are also plenty of times that we get to go play in nature’s beauty in the middle of the week because we control our schedule.
Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Transitioning from stationary living to traveling required a position that allowed us to be where we wanted when we wanted. Not wanting to work for anyone else, we made the decision to work for ourselves. We created Living a Stout Life, an online craft beer travel and adventure resource to assist others in their search for the same. Our art is our words through stories of people we have met while on the road. Many of those people consist of brewers and brewery owners. While others are backpackers, travelers, sailors, and adventurers through life that love a good craft beer. These words are often written as guide or spoken through our podcast – The Craft Beer Travel and Adventure Podcast.
However those words are portrayed, they come from our mantra – say hi to a stranger. And most times when we do so it’s over a beer. And the conversations that arise over a beer are generally heartfelt and genuine, eliciting thought-provoking conversations, laughter, and sometimes friendships that last a lifetime.
While on the adventures to create the content for our business, our art is also sometimes videos of these conversations, and other times videos of us goofing around or riding mountain biking trails, giving advice along the way. Advice that includes what trails to ride and what beer to drink afterwards.
We’ve also always said that beer is about more than just the beer. We hope that our words demonstrate this.
If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Denver is one of the greatest beer cities in the nation. We are so fortunate to have over 400 breweries in the state, let alone over 100 of them in the Denver Metro Area, and many of them award winning breweries. There’s no shortage of creativity in the beer that is brewed here, either. Whatever you can think of, there are breweries nearby that brew that style.
A week to experience all that Denver has to offer, is a fantastic week. And many people might start a brewery tour in the River North District, but we love to take people off the typical path. We want people to know where some of the beer began in Denver. Welcome to Strange Craft Beer Company, in the shadow of what we still like to call Mile High Stadium. Tim, the owner there has mentored and spawned many other brewers and brewery owners, and being an OG in the Denver beer scene, this is where we would start our tour.
From there, Raices Brewing Company is just around the corner and offers a cultural mix of ambiance and a variety of award winning craft beer. And moving on, just up the street from Mile High is Little Machine Beer with its unique circle bar and urban patio space. Food is also something we love, and with Denver’s breweries teaming up with many of its diverse food trucks, if we didn’t manage to grab a bite while visiting any of those breweries, then we would most definitely be heading on over towards Briar Common Brewery + Eatery for some serious eats and more good craft brews.
And being so close to Little Man Ice Cream with its 28 foot tall milk can and mouth watering ice cream flavors, this is a must stop, even if the lines are long. Long lines and waiting for a beer at the bartop is where you meet people. Say hi to a stranger, we always say.
A trip to Denver breweries must also include another favorite brewery of ours both for ambiance and the quality and diverse beer styles. Nature brought indoors, this brewery is everything you think of when envisioning a Colorado urban brewery. Welcome to Woods Boss Brewing Company on the edge of downtown. And from there, really, it’s just a hop, skip, and a jump to the RiNo district, River North. An arts district with murals and vibrant colors defining this neighborhood’s culture, along with food trucks, dining, street fests, and of course, some of the best breweries in the city and the state. River North, Our Mutual Friend, Ratio, Mockery, and Great Divide to name just a few.
And while visiting RiNo is a must experience for any craft beer lover paying tribute to Denver, ironically, one must leave it. With the mountains towering above the city, there’s an enticing mountain brewing community calling you. And we would be remiss if we didn’t share this with you, our best friends. Starting in Georgetown, we’ll take you to Guanella Pass Brewery in the heart of downtown where the mountains rise up taking you along for the ride. The taproom is fitting for its mountain persona and the patio, just the same, But really this place is all about the people that will welcome you in like you are finally home.
As you head further up the infamous I-70, we’ll make pitstops along the way in Summit County at Angry James and Outer Range just to name a couple, before we head on over to Breckenridge to another brewery dear to our hearts, Broken Compass Brewing Company. This mountain brewery has quality brews that will draw you back again and again. Plus, you can’t beat the views.
There are so many more breweries to visit all across the state of Colorado. Combine those with the vibrancy of the city – any city in Colorado, really – and you may not ever want to leave. Maybe that’s why Denver has grown so rapidly over the years. The culture, the food, the brews, the sports, the mountains, the plains, the people. One week isn’t enough. You’ll just have to come back, so we can take you everywhere!
Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
We had always known that we wanted to move to the mountains when our youngest son headed off to college. However, when that time came, I (April) couldn’t find a job that made the move worthwhile. Plus housing prices and everything else in the mountains were quite expensive.
It irked us a bit that we had to rely on someone else to pay us money so that we could live where we wanted to live. So we did some serious thinking and soul searching. It was right around that time that I was heavily involved in listening to two podcasts on my 45 minute + commute to work. These two people truly inspired us to move forward with what we wanted, not what society dictated.
Heath and Alyssa Padgett of the RV Entrepreneur Podcast and their conference, the RVE Summit, first turned us onto the fact that people lived, worked, and traveled in their RVs. There was also Jason Moore of the Zero to Travel podcast. His entire focus is on nomad living and being able to travel how you want on your terms while still working. We listened. We took action. And four years later, while life hasn’t always been rainbows and unicorns, it has most definitely continued to be a great adventure.
Website: https://livingastoutlife.com
Instagram: @livingastoutlife
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LivingAStoutLife
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/livingastoutlife
Other: The Craft Beer Travel and Adventure Podcast https://redcircle.com/shows/craft-beer-travel-and-adventure