We all have dreams, but how many of us actually follow them through?
Multi-award-winning broadcaster, Sam Walker, her husband and two young daughters did just that. Leaving behind jobs, family and friends in Manchester, they upped sticks and moved all the way to the desert in Phoenix, Arizona.
Since their arrival in Paradise Valley last May, they have experienced times of joy, laughter and excitement but also heartbreak and huge challenges. Sam decided to document their experiences via an audio diary each week ~ from the first day they touched American soil. These personal, honest and very affecting accounts of what it’s like to take the plunge on a new life have now been made into a podcast series, Sam Walker’s Desert Diaries.
With more than 15,000 downloads in the first month and a host of positive reviews, each episode is like an audio postcard, giving listeners a snapshot of a new life which has turned out to be as bewildering as it is joyful.
In the first episode, Sam relates how the family made this momentous decision, or as she calls it ‘jumping off the diving board’ – following a dream they had had for decades and ‘feeling the fear but doing it anyway’. She also talks about how family loss and the death of colleagues and friends played a huge part in the family’s decision that it was a case of ‘now or never’.
What follows is an emotional rollercoaster:
‘Joy and excitement played such a huge part in how the first few weeks felt, but there have been infuriating, challenging and downright heartbreaking times too and I wanted to cover all those things too because ‘life’ doesn’t respect that you’ve taken a big risk, or gone on “an adventure” it just carries on. I found those difficult times MUCH harder to deal with because our security was gone, both emotionally and financially. Saying that we have not for one minute regretted it ~ we love being here! Just looking at the mountains and cacti is magic and every time I see someone wearing a cowboy hat without irony. I love it all!!’ (Sam Walker)
Sam Walker’s Desert Diaries is now available on the links below or wherever you listen to your podcast.
