What's On UEN-TV
Roadtrip Nation


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No More What If'sThursday, May 15
10:30 pm on UEN-TV 9.1Leaving Houston, the team takes a brief hiatus from interviews with a 2-day drive to Chicago that allows them to reflect on the experience thus far. Once in the Windy City, they find themselves speaking with Zach Kaplan, the CEO and Co-founder of Inventables, a company that connects product developers with novel materials. Zach recounts the many rejections he's been dealt over the years, emphasizing perseverance in the face of challenge. Next, the team heads to Chicagoland Skydive to meet with skydiving instructor Ward Hessig. Once a policeman on track to becoming a lawyer, Ward discusses the fortuitous turn of events that led to his shift in paths. After their chat, the Roadtrippers nervously prepare for a skydive, but are ultimately able to let go of trepidation by following Ward's advice to "push through fear and embrace the reward." -
The Answer Is Within YouMonday, May 12
6:00 pm on UEN-TV 9.1The road-trippers explore the Experience Music Project in Seattle, where experience designer Andrea Weatherhead advises that the best path toward happiness is getting to know yourself. In Colorado, the team meets interior designer Eiko Okura, who urges them to stop overthinking and see what emerges, and Michael Franti, who advocates for making lots of decisions and seeing what sticks. -
Don't Feel TrappedThursday, May 8
10:30 pm on UEN-TV 9.1In Texas, the Roadtrippers head to the Texas Instruments headquarters to meet Process Integration Engineer Byron Williams. Byron shares his struggle with self-doubt that almost stopped him from pursuing a career in science, and encourages the Roadtrippers to re-frame challenge as a motivator. Later, the crew heads to the ATT Foundry to speak with Senior Marketing Manager Tracy Parrish. Tracy discusses her switch from engineering to teaching, and helps Megan overcome her anxiety about teaching STEM subjects. The team ends the week at the National Space Biomedical Research Facility in Houston. There, Deputy Chief Scientist Dorit Donoviel discusses the courage it took to leave a comfortable job and try a new field. She encourages the team to never be afraid of venturing in new directions if they start to feel stagnant. -
Challenge The Status QuoMonday, May 5
6:00 pm on UEN-TV 9.1The road-trippers head to Skywalker Ranch, where Star Wars sound designer Ben Burtt recounts driving cross-country to California twice before his dreams of being a sound designer beat back his fear of change. Pixar animator Ralph Eggleston talks about getting beyond the world you inhabit and going deeper into what interests you, and Janice Levenhagen-Seeley of ChickTech advocates challenging the status quo. -
The Power of SerendipityThursday, May 1
10:30 pm on UEN-TV 9.1Outside of San Francisco, the team arrives at the Jelly Belly factory to meet with Elise Benstein, a food scientist who develops new Jelly Belly flavors. Elise encourages the Roadtrippers to be open to unplanned opportunity; after all, she never would have thought her job would consist of making Root Beer-flavored candy, but she loves it. From California, the crew winds east to Arizona, where they meet with Deon Clark, a nuclear engineer. Deon joined the navy as a teenager to escape the drugs and violence of his neighborhood, and stresses the importance of rejecting peer pressure. Moving onto New Mexico, the team meets two-time Pulitzer-Prize-winning journalist Paul Salopek, whose non-linear life experiences teach the Roadtrippers to embrace serendipity. -
Finding ContentmentMonday, April 28
6:00 pm on UEN-TV 9.1In Oakland, Snap Judgment host Glynn Washington tells a story of fleeing his comfort zone and moving to Japan, where he found an unexpected teacher and an unexpected calling when he accidentally bought dog food for dinner one night. Santa Cruz Guitar founder Richard Hoover shares his philosophy of teaching and service and leads the road-trippers into Santa Cruz's misty, magical redwood forest. -
Embracing ChangeThursday, April 24
10:31 pm on UEN-TV 9.1After settling into life on the Road (which includes dumping septic tanks and sleeping 3 feet away from each other), the team heads towards Hollywood. There, they meet Dr. Valerie Weiss, a film director who went through the trouble of getting a Ph.D in Biophysics so she could determine whether she really wanted to pursue science or filmmaking. Valerie's decision to set aside her Ph.D shows the Roadtrippers that it's never too late to alter your course. Later, the team heads to Facebook headquarters to meet with Delfina Eberly, the Director of Data Operations, who, as a confident Hispanic woman overseeing a mostly-male staff, inspires Jackie. Later, the team takes a zip-line adventure through Redwoods guided by Suzy Clark, the Director of the Mount Hermon Outdoor Science School. Suzy recounts the many jobs she's had, and allays the team's quarter-life anxiety by telling them that they don't need to know exactly where they're going in life. -
East Meets WestMonday, April 21
6:00 pm on UEN-TV 9.1The East Coast born and bred road-trippers experience a totally foreign way of life-laidback and Californian as they ride jet packs, talk to the creator of Frozen's Elsa in L.A., and venture north to Ventura where Patagonia designer John Rapp instructs them in the relaxed ways of West Coast work-life, finding what you love and digging in, and creating balance wherever you are. -
Breaking Out of the Comfort ZoneThursday, April 17
10:30 pm on UEN-TV 9.1Joined by the common desire to get out of their comfort zones, a new team of Roadtrippers embarks on a cross-country journey to interview innovative Leaders who can provide insight on building a fulfilling life. Roadtripper Jackie has just earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry at the University of Texas, and left her home in Mexico to do so. With her family's high hopes hinging on her success, she seeks to find a balance between her academic demands and outside interests. Recent-grad Megan has always wanted to become a teacher, but feels she must break out of her insulated surroundings to determine whether that dream is still right for her. Zachariah, an animated student at Ohio State, seeks to channel his many interests into one concrete path. After meeting each other (and their 36-foot home-on-wheels), the crew hits the beach to interview Dr. Graeme Rae, the Chief Scientist for Surfline.com, who discusses leaving the world of academia to help surfers score waves. -
Whirlwind of AwesomenessMonday, April 14
6:00 pm on UEN-TV 9.1The keys to the Green RV go to three new road-trippers, all interested in design, who kick-start their cross-country journey of self-discovery with a visit to the art-tech spectacle of Two Bit Circus, where founders Brent Bushnell and Eric Gradman share their story of dabbling across domains and finding inspiration at the intersection of their interests. -
Thursday, April 10
10:30 pm on UEN-TV 9.1In Atlanta, Ga., wrapping up their last series of interviews, the Roadtrippers meet the first all-female, all-African American flight crew to operate a commercial jet in the U.S to learn how they got to where they are. Then the team talks with Penny Brown Reynolds, a judge and ordained minister, where they are energized by her story of perseverance and determination. Afterward, the friends travel to Outer Banks, N.C., where they share their final thoughts on what they learned about themselves and their futures before ending their journey of self-discovery together. -
Thursday, April 3
10:30 pm on UEN-TV 9.1At the University of Oklahoma, the team meets Mike Biggerstaff, a professor of meteorology, where they learn what it is about weather that lights him up. Moving on to Houston, Texas, they visit Jennifer Arnold, a 3-foot, 2-inch-tall doctor and star of the reality series, The Little Couple, where they hear her story of overcoming personal obstacles to realize her dreams. Finally, in New Orleans, La., the team talks with Charline Gipson, a corporate lawyer, and discovers what 'success' means to her and the steps she took to achieve it. Charline's story of taking her own path despite others' disapproval inspires Denise who realizes she can do the same in life.