>>Narrator: How do I know which path is best for me?

Is it possible to take on these challenges and obstacles?

Where do I even start?

What should I do with my life?

Sometimes, the only way to find out is to go see what's possible Since 2001, we've been sharing the stories of people who ventured out and explored different career paths and different possibilities for their futures.

This is one of those stories.

This is Roadtrip Nation.

[MUSIC] >> Russel: I've always been a wanderer.

It always seemed kinda harder to find where I fit.

>> Alexis: I'm always trying to help other people and I'm not focusing on what Alexis actually wants to do.

>> Emily: I've always had a pressure on my myself that I wanna be better.

I'm worried I'm always gonna stress and compare myself to others and let that be a burden.

>> Alexis: I don't know what I wanna do and I just wanna figure it out and you don't know until you try.

>> Emily: I just wanna be happy and I don't really know what that looks like yet.

>> Russel: Part of me wants to say I have no idea what I'm doing and I'm throwing myself into it.

That's probably my honest answer [LAUGH], I have no clue.

>> [MUSIC] >> Emily: We're going on a road trip across South Carolina.

>> Alexis: To interview different people who do what they love.

>> Emily: And to learn about how they got there and also get to see the South Carolina and all its glory.

>> Megan: People are coming here because there's opportunities.

A lot of these people that are coming have different skill sets than what we'd seen 20 years ago, >> [MUSIC] >> Russel: I got too much stuff [LAUGH], let's see if I can fit in one go.

My name is Russell Hill, I'm 20, I'm from Gaffney, South Carolina.

I'm about to spend three weeks in a 34-foot RV that is nuclear green.

>> Emily: My name is Emily, I'm 21 and I'm from Clemson, South Carolina.

We have a lot of industry in South Carolina and I'm excited to explore that on the trip.

>> [MUSIC] >> Alexis: Hey.

>> Russel: Howdy, what's up?

>> Alexis: How y'all?

>> Russel: [LAUGH] I'll get your stuff.

>> Alexis: Thank you so much, guys.

>> Russel: You're welcome.

>> Alexis: My name is Alexis Bailey, I'm from Charleston, South Carolina.

I'm kind of scared to drive an RV but it's okay to be scared [LAUGH].

>> Emily: You show me how you would sleep [LAUGH].

>> Alexis: All the way back here.

>> Emily: [LAUGH] >> Russel: I'm looking forward to traveling with the other roadtrippers.

We bounce off of each other really good.

>> Emily: I really like South Carolina, people just kinda don't realize how much we have going on in our state.

You guys I'm going, you ready?

>> Alexis: Yes.

>> [MUSIC] >> Emily: This is weird, going around interviewing people, that makes me nervous but I'm excited to do it.

Today we're gonna talk to Megan Anderson.

She works for the Charleston Regional Development Association.

>> Russel: Hello.

>> Megan: How are you guys?

>> Emily: How are you?

>> Megan: Feeling good.

>> Emily: Emily.

>> Megan: Emily, Russel, Alexis, nice to meet you guys.

>> Emily: Nice to meet you.

>> Megan: Well welcome, come on in, I'm excited to talk to you guys.

>> Russel: Thank you for having us.

>> Megan: You're welcome, come on.

Well, welcome, so glad to have you guys here.

I'm Megan Anderson, I'm the Director of Global Business for my agency which is the Charleston Regional Development Alliance.

>> Alexis: So what do you actually do?

>> Megan: [LAUGH] I get that a lot because it sounds very vague.

So what I do but I love it's never the same.

I get to do something different every single day.

So 25 years ago, 30 years ago, we had kinda three Ts.

There was tourism, textiles, and tobacco and now we've really changed since then.

Now we're automotive and aerospace and agriculture and agribiz and we're constantly evolving.

And so what I do every day is I try to keep up with what's going on out there, kind of what makes sense.

From a company perspective to be here, the types of people that may want to live here, where the gaps are in employment, and so right now for example, there's a shortage of engineers.

And so understanding where the engineering talent is coming from, talking with our universities about their programs, what they're bringing online down the road to fill those gaps.

I'm so fortunate that I get to travel all over the world to meet with people and to recruit companies and really sell our region.

I always wanted to see the world and ironically I've never done any traveling really outside of the country until I was in graduate school.

So with my degree in international business, I landed in economic development.

Nobody really ever seeks to do economic development, it kinda lands in your lap and that's what happened with me.

And so it just kind of evolved into being a passion of mine and then being from South Carolina and wanting to see the state do better and having seen it do better even in the past 10 years has been something that has made me wanna stick around.

So you guys are in that next phase, you're from South Carolina.

Do you think there's opportunities here for you?

>> Russel: Honestly, I have always felt completely trapped and I've never really found any opportunities for me.

>> Megan: Yeah, I get it, it's tough, it's overwhelming.

Being from South Carolina and only living in South Carolina, I used to think was a detriment but what I've realized is that it's a small state but there's so much diversity just from a geographic standpoint and a cultural standpoint.

I get to travel all over and I really get to experience different things.

But being able to come home is, I don't wanna go home to a home that doesn't feel like it.

So yeah, I get that there's that push and pull of, no, you gotta get out, this is what you're supposed to do.

Get to leave the nest and all that but just knowing there's opportunities out there, that's a good feeling.

So yeah, hopefully you guys will start, at least get a feeling of kinda where you wanna start focusing in on.

>> Alexis: Do you have any advice that you would give to us or people in our position?

>> Megan: I remember graduating or about to graduate and I was like, what now?

What do I do?

How do I apply for a job?

Where do I look?

What you guys are doing right now, meeting people and talking to people, that is so key in really being successful.

Don't be afraid to reach out to somebody and be like, hey, you've got an interesting career, can I talk to you?

The confidence comes from that.

>> Emily: Megan was unexpected, she's made it.

So she's traveled all over and then she's found herself back in Charleston, South Carolina.

I think I feel the same way where it's like I need to leave to do something and be considered successful but she managed to do it in a way she didn't have to leave home.

>> [MUSIC] >> Russel: Megan, she went into international business, never had been out of the country, who does that?

When I think of that I think, you gotta go everywhere in the world you're never gonna be home but she's kind of made it her own here.

>> [MUSIC] >> Alexis: Our next interview is with Rodney Scott.

He's a pitmaster and he owns his own restaurant.

>> Rodney: Nice to meet y'all, welcome to Rodney Scott's, Charleston.

I got some pit stuff going on, y'all wanna head on back to the pit, come on.

>> [MUSIC] >> Rodney: For us to cook this, we start the night before because it's a 12-hour cook and we try to have one ready just before we open around 11.

We start to pull it apart a little bit.

You see the different colors and textures there, those are the different parts of the whole hog.

So, when you put it all together.

You have a great bite.

Tender, juicy, man.

I got started in the small town of Hemingway, South Carolina, from the age of 11, cooking whole hogs.

I've been doing it now for about 33 years.

We currently have four locations with plans to expand.

When I started cooking, I wanted to build custom vehicles, did not want anything to do with food whatsoever.

I got accepted to a college that did bodywork and diesel mechanics, and I was afraid to go.

And I said, well, I'm gonna stick around and see how this cooking thing goes.

I learned that this cooking thing is not going anywhere, people are gonna eat no matter what.

And I found a love in cooking whole hogs.

And I decided this is a way of life that'll never fade away.

And I think I'm loving this procedure of cooking and serving people.

And I just fell in love with it lately and decided I wanted to grow it everywhere.

>> Emily: How long would you say it took to get it down to where you're comfortable doing this, and it's like feels easy, I guess?

>> Rodney: Man, I've been doing this now about 33 years full-time.

And sometimes I'm still not 100% comfortable on what I do, so it's a constant learning process for me.

>> Alexis: Do you have any stories you'd like to share about hardships in your life, like things that could have held you back?

>> Rodney: Well, the first hardship that came along was a banker that told me I didn't qualify for a loan.

This guy wouldn't allow me to clear my credit.

And I took his business card and put it on my refrigerator as I walked out every morning, and I said, every day is a good day.

Every day is a good day.

Because what he said to me hurt my feelings so bad, because that dream was to build that house.

And he denied me on every corner, he was like, no, no, no.

And it hurt, and I said, I'm not gonna let this guy steal my joy, today's a good day, every day is a good day.

And there was also a lot of other financial hardships along the way, where I had to sell my house in order to make the move to Charleston.

And for me, it was tough, because you feel like this is the only thing that you have, and I had to sell and pretty much start over.

And starting over was an adjustment on learning how to handle my finances, learning how to run a business successfully.

And also just regrouping to never want to go back.

My favorite part about being a pitmaster, you got 12 hours to hang out, make great food, get to know whoever's helping you cook.

And watching people enjoy what you've labored for.

>> Alexis: Do you still receive criticism from your food?

Cuz everybody doesn't like everything, but you're obviously very popular.

So how do you deal with that?

>> Rodney: Man, I take the criticism in stride, I tell people, thank you, if they say it to my face.

Because a lot of times that criticism could be a lesson.

And I try to take something away from it, and go back and double-check.

Was it too salty?

Was it not seasoned enough?

That kind of thing, and I use it as fuel to carry on to do even better than the day before.

So I do hear negative things, I do see negative things, but I don't let it steal my joy, because I love what I do.

>> Alexis: Do you have any advice that you would want to give to people in our position, kinda lost?

>> Rodney: Find out what's most fun to you.

Find out what's the easiest thing to do that you enjoy doing.

And just imagine you're getting paid for something that you enjoy doing.

Just stay focused on that, that comes easy, push, push, push.

And if anybody criticizes what you do, keep pushing.

Because, hear them, you may take something out of what they're saying.

But don't let it steal your vision, your goals to move forward.

>> Alexis: Thank you, I needed to hear that [LAUGH].

>> Rodney: Too much?

>> Alexis: No, wait, am I supposed to share this?

>> Rodney: No, I know a guy, we got some more.

>> Emily: Good?

>> Alexis: It's so good, thank you.

That was so good, I just got a flashback [LAUGH].

Rodney was amazing, because not only is he Black, but he's a business owner.

And he was told no a lot, and he didn't let it stop him.

He didn't give up, and it's easy to give up.

>> Rodney: Enjoy, the world is your playground, remember that, every day is a good day.

>> [MUSIC] >> Russel: I've always felt like I've been in a bubble.

I'm just like a 20-year-old country boy that doesn't wanna be one.

I had an awful time in school, especially in high school.

I was having my teachers bullying me.

I've always got bullied, so I dropped out.

>> [MUSIC] >> Russel: After I dropped out, I was able to more push myself, rather than just people telling me, go do something.

I went and got my GED in two months and finished before the rest of my class.

And I started at my community college, and I really just fell in love with it there.

So my degree is an Associate in Science and Chemistry.

So I just weighed out a gram of copper metal, and I'm about to add it to 150-milliliter beaker, and add 5 milliliters of 15 molar nitric acid.

I never thought I was smart enough to be a scientist in any type of way.

I noticed in school that they teach everyone to do everything this way, and I've always been a different thinker.

In science, that's how you figure stuff out, you have to do different things.

I feel like I've always just seen that there is no opportunities out there.

But at the same time, I feel like my slate has been blacked out, and I can't really fill it in with anything else.

I wanna flip my understanding of not only just what South Carolina is.

But what it means to just get out there and just explore the world, explore myself, and figure out what I wanna do.

I still feel lost, I just never feel good enough or deserving of anything.

>> Russel: Today we're speaking to Thomas Kaiser.

He is a drug discovery chemist, he's a really smart dude.

I'll probably ask him what motivated him to get into chemistry at all.

He seems to have it figured out, and we'll find out.

I'd probably would have asked him, do you think you have it figured out?

My name is Russell Hill, I'm 20, I just graduated in December with my Associate of Science and Chemistry.

So why did you choose biochemistry originally?

>> Thomas: So, when I was a kid, I loved mathematics, that was my favorite thing.

I love the puzzle, I love the creative aspect of it, I like turning it over my mind and thinking about it.

And one of my family friends who was an obstetrician-gynecologist said, you should put that mathematics stuff to the side, you should do something that's actually meaningful, that's when I got into it.

So somebody telling me I was doing my life wrong [LAUGH] but fell in love with it.

I fell in love with chemistry, and what chemistry could do, especially the concept of designing medicines.

And then as I got more and more into medicinal chemistry, I felt like maybe I should go back and train as a physician.

So I really understand real clinical problems and what the patient needs.

And that kind of became a synthesis in its own right, it all fell in place where I just followed things that I thought were interesting.

>> Alexis: What does a chemist actually do?

>> Thomas: So what I do as a medicinal chemist is design medicines.

So I try and come up with chemical structures that I think are actually gonna become drugs.

Most of my time is spent with scientists trying to figure out the experiments that I need to do in order to get to the next step along the path of drug development.

>> [MUSIC] >> Russel: After going to the lab, it kinda just reminded me of why I'm here and I felt really empowered.

>> [MUSIC] >> Thomas: This is the workhorse of most synthetic operations.

And you can just manipulate chemistry here.

And then this is an explosion-proof solvent container, so lots of very, very dangerous solvents can be stored here safely.

And if there were a fire and it detonated, it would protect you to some degree.

So the engineering of this is very important to protect you.

Because when you're actually creating exotic states of matter or reacting things, sometimes things can blow up.

>> Russel: You have the whole puzzle pieces to the universe right there.

That was really like the frontier of discovery and exploration.

So you know chemistry but you have to know it to a point where you can build further than we know.

So how exactly do you do that when you don't know what you don't know?

>> Thomas: Sometimes you really think you understand something and it's absolutely vital to whatever endeavor you're undertaking that you do.

And it turns out that you don't, and you've gotta own that.

But sometimes that failure is ugly, it takes weeks to deal with it.

[LAUGH] It's getting comfortable with being absolutely completely and totally uncertain.

And that's the part of it that I love, is changing the way I understand the universe.

>> Russel: So did you ever feel like you were held back by anything or wasn't accepted into the scientific community?

>> Thomas: There is something that you have to be prepared for if you ever do train as a scientist, there's always imposter syndrome.

Because you're watching awesome people, when you first start off, doing awesome things, and it feels like they're unobtainable.

And the things that I had to say to you are, persevere, listen to the people that matter in your life, and be patient.

>> [MUSIC] >> Russel: I thought that you've got to go to Harvard or Yale to do something like that.

I've always felt like I can't do that here.

And I can totally do it in my backyard.

>> Emily: All three of us are at a point in our lives where we're making big decisions.

And I was just wondering if you have any words of wisdom for us.

And also similarly, is there anything you would tell yourself at our age like 21?

Any advice that you would have given yourself?

>> Thomas: When you meet pressure or push back, think carefully about how you want to overcome it or even if you want to overcome it.

Because sometimes that pressure can redirect you in another way, and there's always exciting stuff to do.

That's the great beauty of humanity, I think, there are many interesting thoughts, many wonderful disciplines to pursue.

And sometimes the most interesting set of questions is actually lying at the intersection of several fields.

And enjoy the experience, right?

I think there's something to be said for being mindful about the nature of a single day, >> Alexis: I really liked the fact that he just was like, failing is part of life.

And you've gotta be open to failing.

I really beat myself up so I know I have to approach life like, it's okay.

It's okay to not know, it's okay to be wrong, and it's okay to fail.

>> Emily: Something I feel like everyone says that we've gotta be ready to take a different path.

And I don't know, it's one thing to hear it as general advice, and then it's another thing to, I guess, hear it from a person who I would consider very successful in their field.

So it's reassuring.

>> [MUSIC] >> Russel: Pretty lazy day, it's pouring down rain.

In these past two days, I've been kinda sluggish, but today I woke up with no alarm and I just hopped outta bed and I was ready to go.

>> Emily: I don't usually do this many things in one day, go this many places.

>> [MUSIC] >> Russel: Gonna go to Magnolia Plantation.

>> Alexis: It's really pretty, it has a zoo, and it's very historical.

The people who own the plantation, they do a good job on giving respect to those who were once there and their families too.

>> Russel: Yeah, they make them really pretty and aesthetically pleasing.

But you can still feel the eeriness, you just gotta keep it in mind to be respectful.

>> [MUSIC] >> Alexis: Don't bite, you took it from me.

>> Russel: We are a week and a half in.

>> Alexis: I'm feeling great, I'm having fun, I'm meeting really cool people.

I'm actually happy and I'm really enjoying it and learning a lot.

>> [MUSIC] >> Emily: I feel good, a little tired.

[LAUGH] But I think I'm kind of loosening up.

>> Alexis: I love Emily, I love Russell, they're amazing, they're smart, and they're very caring.

[CROSSTALK] >> Russel: [LAUGH] I'm having fun so far.

>> Alexis: All this is new to us, so that support system, I feel like I have it here.

>> [MUSIC] >> Alexis: I would describe myself as a big ball of energy, but sometimes I get shy.

I'm both, I'm an introvert and an extrovert.

I'm all over the place, but I think I'm very sweet.

[LAUGH] I'm Black and white, so it's kinda different growing up because either white people don't accept me or black people don't accept me cuz I'm either too much of the other.

I graduated high school early, so I started looking for colleges.

Trident Technical College is down the street.

I went there and I needed help figuring out what I wanted to do with life.

So I told them what I liked, I like plants and growing stuff.

So they just told me horticulture, and I was like, what's that?

And that's kinda what started my love for plants.

Right now I am transplanting some Coleus into a different pot so it has more room to grow.

I need more soil.

I wanted to do something with that, but I still don't know what [LAUGH] I'm interested in a lot.

I love cooking, I love meeting people, I love traveling, I love photography.

I feel like I do so much just because not knowing scares me, so if one thing doesn't work out, I wanna be able to have something else in the back.

I don't know what I wanna do, and I just wanna figure it out.

So my dad, he passed away a few years ago from kidney cancer.

I was really close with my dad.

I'm sorry.

>> [MUSIC] >> Alexis: This is me when I was like five, and I had a little pool, and my daddy couldn't swim.

And this was the only pool I could convince him to go in.

[LAUGH] I have to think about everything my dad taught me.

We have to be there for each other.

So any energy you put out, it's going to be received but it's gonna be given back to you.

It's hard to move on and be productive when you're still stuck in the past.

I've been just focusing mainly on my mental health really.

I've just been focusing on my plants.

So I'm looking to get just experience out of this road trip.

Get more out of my comfort zone, and see where being out of my comfort zone takes me.

>> [MUSIC] >> Emily: Today we're gonna talk to Bonita Clemons.

She's the founder of two nonprofits.

I think that nonprofit gardening is really cool.

So I'm just gonna ask her, I guess, about what drives her.

Hi.

>> Bonita: Good morning.

>> Russel: Good morning, hello.

>> Bonita: How y'all doing?

>> Russel: Good, how about you?

>> Bonita: I'm great, welcome to my world.

>> [MUSIC] >> Alexis: In certain communities, there's not a lot of resources out there.

She's trying to get us back to healing ourselves with our food and with the things that are naturally here.

And a lot of people don't know about that.

>> Bonita: I used to be ashamed to admit this, but I'm gonna say to you all, I've had over, you guess, how many jobs?

>> Russel: 45.

>> Bonita: Close.

[LAUGH] >> Russel: [LAUGH] >> Bonita: I'm not gonna put you up.

From high school I've had pretty much close to 40.

But the one thing that I have done all of my life is Diane's Call >> [MUSIC] >> Bonita: My name is Bonita Diane Clemons.

Second name Diane, named after my mother who passed away when she was only 42 years old.

So I created a nonprofit to help other African American women with their health issues because she had a stroke.

And it's one of the number one killers of African American women.

So I started this organization called Diane's Call, and I am the executive director.

Diane's Call is a mission to connect families with fresh fruits and vegetables.

That's our mission.

There are plenty, plenty, plenty of careers in agriculture.

And a lot of them are fun.

And when they see us, Black women, out here having fun, working collectively, it inspires more sisters.

Because, remember I told you Diane's Call, one of the reasons I started it is cuz I wanted to teach other women and train other women about health.

And what better way than to grow your own food?

I recall saying that I'm gonna go to college when I grew up.

And I went to college not far from here, Benedict College, and I studied business and economics.

When all of those jobs that I've had between that first job out of college and now, it gave me the knowledge that I needed.

Because running a nonprofit you got to have business skills.

You gotta know accounting.

I believe that we should work in spaces that feels right.

But I also think to get to that you have to do some other things.

You have to build that muscle up.

You have to be a hard worker.

But the secret to it is do what I love.

And I am living my best life.

I love waking up in the morning.

Sometimes I just walk with a smile on my face because I'm doing exactly what I love to do.

>> Emily: I'm about to graduate and I'm looking for jobs.

And I have so much anxiety about, if I'm doing right by my parents, my family, how I am doing I guess compared to my peers.

I guess give me advice of getting out of that mindset?

>> Bonita: If you don't do what they want you to do, it's not disrespectful.

It's not being disobedient.

It's you being true to who?

You, because you know what's inside of you, you know what you wanna do, right?

But always know that they love you, and they want what they feel is best, but it's based on their own experiences in life.

>> Alexis: Can you share like how you got past certain peer pressures?

>> Bonita: You have to always be true to you and what you want to do, and what you love to do.

Eventually the truth of who you are is gonna come.

So you have to learn how to build a muscle for those who tell you to be something that you're really not.

What moves you to wake up in the morning.

What's within your soul, what's in your heart.

And sometimes it takes time to figure that out.

But we always know what it's not.

So that was what I struggled with.

What do I wanna do?

I know what I don't wanna do, but I don't know what I do wanna do.

But what I say is take time.

Don't let anybody rush you.

You just hang in there, stay focused.

>> Alexis: Bonita is a very caring person, like you can tell soon as you meet her.

>> Russel: I love Bonita, she was great.

>> Alexis: She had lots of jobs.

So, I learned that, you may not like your job, but you can always take something good away from it that's beneficial to your life.

You can look at any situation and turn it into something helpful.

>> Russel: It really makes me realize that no one else is gonna do it for me.

If I don't wanna be in a situation, I'm gonna have to be the one that gets up and goes somewhere else.

>> Emily: I really have a hard time breaking away from what I feel like I shouldn't be doing, and what would make my parents happy.

So hearing that, it was like, I should focus on what will make me happy.

[LAUGH] It's like counterproductive to try to do what others expect you to do, because ultimately you'll find your way back to what you feel like you should be doing.

And that's what I really needed to hear in that moment.

>> [MUSIC] >> Emily: My name is Emily.

I'm 21, and I'm from Clemson, South Carolina.

I'd say I'm reserved.

I'm a people pleaser, I guess.

Cuz I like saying yes.

I like meeting people.

I like talking to people.

I think I'm pretty easygoing.

>> [MUSIC] >> Emily: I am studying agribusiness.

It's a lot of economics, a lot of business classes, with an emphasis on agriculture.

I pursue agribusiness because I have that experience, and I feel comfortable.

I've looked at other nonprofit jobs, and I would really enjoy that but it's hard to get out.

That mindset that I need to do what I've been studying, and what I know makes things harder when I'm trying to figure out what I wanna do.

I worry that I put myself into a box.

My biggest obstacle, I think going forward, is managing what I expect of myself.

I've always had pressure on myself that I wanna be better.

Someone was like, list everything you expect of yourself, and I started listing things.

And it just seemed like as I was saying them out loud, it was ridiculous.

It's like no one can do this.

I'm worried, I'm always gonna stress and compare myself to others and let that be a burden.

I'm trying to get out of my comfort zone, which again comes with wanting to be in control and having these expectations for myself.

I'm trying to relax and realize that I'm not failing if I just do something that I didn't plan.

I look forward to hearing the different paths people have taken to get where they are, and will also be good for me to kinda see that there's not one way to take your degree.

I think this is a chance to grow and to learn more about myself and where I wanna be.

I just wanna be happy, and I don't really know what that looks like yet.

Hoping I'll get there, to a point where I'm completely comfortable with what I'm doing and where I am, but I'm not there yet.

>> [MUSIC] [MUSIC] >> Emily: Today, we're gonna talk to Ed Currie.

He's the founder of PuckerButt Pepper Company.

>> Sean Evans: It is PuckerButt Pepper Company's extra mean green.

And you know what that means.

That means back-to-back Smokin' Ed Currie concoctions to close out the lineup.

Usually, you don't expect verde sauces to be Scoville chart toppers, but leave it to our favorite mad scientist chili farmer to flip the script.

>> Ed: I'm smoking Ed Currie.

I'm the president, owner, mad scientist, and chef at the PuckerButt Pepper Company.

And this is the springs farm, this is what I do.

>> [MUSIC] >> Ed: My story is kinda different than other people.

I was an extremely smart kid, but I got addicted to drugs and alcohol when I was very young.

My parents sent me off to college and told me I was gonna die of heart disease or cancer.

And I better do something about it if I wanted to continue the lifestyle I was living, but I went to the library and I started researching heart disease and cancer.

I found that the indigenous populations around the equator had very low indices of heart disease or cancer unless they were Westernized.

I looked for the things that they all had in common, one of those was peppers.

And there's a lot of science behind what happens because they use capsaicin.

But peppers don't make you money.

[LAUGH] Okay, so I didn't follow my heart.

I followed my brain, okay?

My brain told me, you need to be in the finance industry so you can make a lot of money and support your habits.

But I eventually, I went to this place that turned out to be a rehab hospital.

And I stopped doing drugs and alcohol.

Immediately, I got back into hot stuff.

I moved back down here to South Carolina.

So I started making hot sauce and salsa and just selling it on the weekends at farmer's markets.

It turned out that everybody liked sauce.

We got a farm and I started making this thing called pepper mash, and pepper mash is the base for all the things you see that are hot in the grocery store.

So I figured out a process, with some help from friends, where we could make pepper mash in bulk.

Move along, a lot of things are happening personally, a lot of things are happening professionally, and we went into full time farming.

The next year, we planted two and a half acres.

Then came four.

[LAUGH] And we've kept on going every year, every year, every year to this year.

We're looking at somewhere around 780,000 plants that are done so far.

In here is approximately 300,000 little baby peppers.

>> Alexis: Aw >> Ed: Yeah, >> Emily: Wow, that's crazy.

>> Ed: There's five peppers per pound on a jalapeno.

There's 85 peppers per pound on a Carolina Reaper.

So literally, these plants will be in here until we put them out in the field in a month.

And by mid-June, they'll be producing peppers.

>> Emily: So you've made a lot of big decisions throughout your journey.

Did you ever have feelings of doubt, the decision you made and how did you manage that feeling of doubting yourself?

>> Ed: Okay, feelings of doubt, yes, fear, no.

People will talk about not putting all your eggs in one basket.

I've put my eggs in one basket hundreds of times based on what my gut was telling me and what my heart was telling me instead of my head.

And I'm gonna tell you guys, if you're chasing the dollar, the dollar is gonna be your downfall.

If you're chasing your dream, you're not gonna worry about the dollars for too long, okay?

Because if we all follow what's in our heart, we're happy.

And when we're happy, the person next to us becomes happy, and that person makes someone else happy, and the whole world changes.

>> Emily: I guess now I'm more comfortable with the thought of like, I don't need to know what's coming next.

>> Alexis: He didn't try to sugarcoat anything, and that's really cool because it shows us that he's a real person and that we all go through real things.

And we can overcome them.

>> Ed: We make this for a TV show called Hot Ones.

And this is their mildest sauce.

It's the number one in the lineup every time.

Doesn't it smell good?

>> Alexis: Yes.

>> Ed: Now, I don't like salt, but they asked me to put salt in this.

>> Emily: It's good.

>> Ed: Now, you guys asked, did we still do strawberries here?

Guess what, we do, and I turned it into hot sauce.

>>Russel: Oh!

>> Russel: [COUGH] >> Ed: In my book, eating peppers is worse.

And we can eat a pepper, if you want.

>> Alexis: If that's worse, I'm okay.

>> Ed: No, it's a lot worse.

>> Emily: If no one else is doing it, I don't want do it.

>> Ed: You're thinking about it, though.

>> Emily: I am, if someone else does it, I'll do it.

>> Alexis: I mean, I'll do it if you do it, but- >> Emily: Okay, will do it.

[LAUGH] >> Ed: Wow, that was quick.

>> Emily: [LAUGH] >> [MUSIC] >> Ed: We're cutting up a Carolina Reaper.

>> Russel: We ate the Carolina Reaper, [LAUGH] we did.

I was gonna try it, I was like, I heard about it.

I'm gonna have to try it once to say I did it, probably not going to do it again.

>> Emily: I don't even know, I'm doing it no matter what.

>> Ed: Now, chew it up really well, because if you put that chunk in your gut, then you're gonna have a real.

>> Alexis: [SOUND] Ew.

>> Russel: It was rough.

>> [MUSIC] >> Everyone [coughing] >> Alexis: I need Ice!

>> Everyone [coughing] >> Russel: [Breathing heavily] >> Russel: It's a feeling, an experience, when are you gonna get to do that again and that's how I took it.

>> Emily: I was nervous, I'd throw up or something.

I don't know, I'm just trying to step out of my comfort zone.

I think it's good for me.

>> [MUSIC] >> Alexis: The trip is sadly almost over.

>> [MUSIC] >> Russel: Almost done, we've got four sleeps left.

So I'm just trying to take it all in.

>> [MUSIC] >> Alexis: We're heading into our last interview with Bradley Victor.

He has a really unique job and he made a really big career change so I'm excited to ask him about that.

>> Bradley: My name is Bradley Victor, I'm a structures mechanic here at Lockheed, and I'm working in the F-16 production line.

We're building the skeleton, if you wanna call it, the support and the strength for the jet.

I do the bulkheads, the skin of the airplane, everything that makes it aerodynamic.

All the flight controls and stuff like that, that kinda falls under my area.

>> Alexis: What goes on day to day for you here?

>> Bradley: We're doing big things.

>> [MUSIC] >> Bradley: All F-16s were produced in Fort Worth, Texas, and we brought the assembly line here.

And we beefed up the strength of the airplane, the technology, what it's capable of.

It's a new plane for us so it's really exciting to build the first one here.

>> [MUSIC] >> Caleb: This is our home for production of the F-16.

So I'm responsible for all the production that goes on in the building and make sure we roll these airplanes out on time.

So we're right in the middle of the factory.

So we're gonna build the aircraft in various stages.

So you can see the cockpit, it's gonna begin to take shape.

So we take everything from the bulkheads and all the structural components and we fasten them together, drill the holes, and then eventually, we're gonna paint it as well.

So eventually, we'll produce four F-16s a month.

>> Bradley: This is what we call the mate station.

We have the aft, the center and the nose section, and we actually put all three of those together kinda like some building blocks in there.

All the wiring and stuff is ran separate in each section.

So we'll put it together, we'll make it strong structurally, and then we have our avionics side come in and connect all the harnesses and everything that makes the technology work throughout the airplane.

And then we will transport it to this side, where they'll put the landing gear on.

And then from there, we're gonna do some test flights hopefully early next year and we'll have our first one out ready to go.

>> [MUSIC] >> Emily: Can you tell us a little bit about how you got to where you are now?

>> Bradley: So when I was young, I was always fascinated with planes and I should have stuck with planes.

But at some point in my life, I thought I wanted to be a baseball coach and the best way to do that was to be a school teacher.

So I originally went and got my undergrad.

I was a middle school math and science teacher.

I did that for about a year and a half and then I moved to Knoxville, Tennessee.

So I started working for the airlines again, that passion for planes came back up.

When it was time to apply for that teaching job that I had been waiting on, I just never left.

So I went back to school, I went to Greenville Tech and did the aircraft maintenance program there.

I got the apprenticeship here and started working on F-16s.

>> Alexis: So when you were a school teacher and then you started changing careers, were you scared or nervous at all?

>> Bradley: Nervous, not really scared, but I knew I had to make a decision, cuz I really didn't know what was next.

And I'd done teaching a year and a half, I knew I liked the time with the kids, but I didn't really know if I wanted to go back to that.

But luckily working for the airport, I found the passion of airplanes again and that really motivated me to go back to school and start to work on them.

>> Russel: When I was early in college, I was working two full time jobs, second and third shifts and going to school full time in the morning, completely paid out of pocket.

So do you ever feel like getting your four year degree, do you feel like it sets you back, or could you think you could have been where you are now if you would have just went and gotten your associates?

>> Bradley: It's kinda two-sided.

Cuz I think I could be where I am today with my associates and just starting at Greenville Tech.

I don't think I could be where I wanna go if I didn't have my degree.

Once you get out there, you'll kinda pick up what your degree is in is not as important as having a degree.

So you can get your four year degree, have that on your resume, and they're gonna look at that as a commitment to bettering yourself.

So they're gonna think once you get there, your employer is gonna look at that and tell he's committed to bettering him or herself.

They're gonna do that with me too and that's gonna benefit my company.

>> Emily: Was there ever a time where you doubted the decision you were making and how did you move past that?

>> Bradley: Yeah, there's always a little self doubt with every decision you're gonna make, but you gotta just tell yourself you made that decision for a reason.

Whatever you're passionate about, that's what needs to drive you guys right now.

I mean, it's real cliche to say if you find something you like, you'll never work a day in your life, but it's a lot easier to work when you're actually enjoying it.

>> Emily: It's a good advice [LAUGH].

He felt like a very genuine person.

Hearing him talk about his journey made me feel better that it's not a waste if I do something else after graduating.

It feel like I got a lot out of it, I shouldn't feel like I'm in a box.

>> Russel: Bradley was saying that, find something that you enjoy.

It's still work, but it's something you enjoy.

>> [MUSIC] >> Alexis: It's the last day, I'm feeling a little bummed it's almost over, but I'm really looking forward to reflecting on what I've learned.

We are going to skydiving today so I'm super excited for that.

>> Russel: We're jumping out of a plane today.

[LAUGH] >> [MUSIC] >> Alexis: I think when we get there, it's gonna hit us.

The jitters are gonna come and we're gonna be like, guys, are we really doing this?

[LAUGH] But then we're gonna just be like, you know what?

We're here, let's go for it.

>> [MUSIC] >> Emily: My trick is I just keep going through the motions of doing the thing.

And then eventually I'll just be up on the plane, take a step off I guess.

I don't know how you do it, but, [LAUGH] one step at a time I guess.

>> Russel: I'm not really scared of heights.

I like the weightlessness and not being able to feel anything in my stomach.

>> Speaker 12: Grab fist, and then ready, set, go when we go out, okay?

>> Emily: Okay.

[LAUGH] >> Alexis: I am so nervous.

>> Russel: Alexis is gonna get up there and she's not gonna let go of anything.

She's gonna like, yeah, let's do it.

Let's get on this plane, let's jump out of it.

We're gonna get up there, they're gonna start counting, and she's not gonna let go.

And he's gonna push her.

[LAUGH] And I'm excited.

[LAUGH] >> Alexis: My stomach is hurting.

This trip has given me so much to think about, and so much to pass on to other people.

>> [MUSIC] >> Russel: How exactly would you define success?

>> Ed: Success is measured one day at a time, just one day at a time.

Business has nothing to do with success.

Business is just business.

Success is lived.

>> [INAUDIBLE] >> Thomas: That uncertainty is omnipresent, it's everywhere and you have to learn how to push it from your mind.

>> J.

Drew: I used to be really, really afraid of roller coasters.

Finally, I get on the roller coaster and I remember holding on for dear life.

>> [AIRPLANE SOUND] >> J.

Drew: One day, I get to the top of the hill.

I opened my eyes and I threw my hands up.

And I didn't know what was gonna happen.

I opened my eyes and I screamed at the top of my lungs, not in fear, but in joy of the uncertainty of everything that was coming.

Life is sorta that roller coaster in a way, but really that feeling at the top of that hill when you first go over and your hands are just off the bar.

And that's when great stuff happens to you.

>> [SOUND] [MUSIC] >> Emily: I don't like stepping out of my comfort zone and I've done a lot of that past three weeks and I feel more confident because of it.

>> [MUSIC] >> Alexis: My perspective on life has changed throughout this whole trip.

If my dad was here today, he'd be proud of me.

>> [MUSIC] >> Russel: It's been a crazy experience, I've learned a lot and when I get back home I know that it's all just gonna start flowing back to me.

>> Emily: I feel good about the things I've accomplished on this trip cuz there are a lot of things that I would have never thought I would do.

And the kinda things I wouldn't do unless I had Russel and Alexis pushing me forward.

>> [MUSIC] >> Emily: Meeting everyone and being on this trip has really helped open my eyes to what is out there and how there's not one right way to do things.

All of these people took different paths and they're still where they feel like they should be.

>> Emma: The thing about life is that [LAUGH] you don't see the path.

It's okay to wander [LAUGH] and putting other things aside, it doesn't mean you can't come back to them.

It just means that you're choosing something for now and you're gonna explore that.

You can learn something from anything.

>> Bonita: I feel that everything that you can do in this world, there is a job for it, or if there's not, create one.

>> Emily: It just is kind of reassuring to me, knowing that I'm not stuck like it feels a lot of the time.

>> Elizabeth: You just have to do it, you just have to say yes.

And usually the psyching yourself up to say yes is the hardest part.

Getting out of your comfort zone and taking that first step is always the hardest thing but the next step after that becomes subsequently much easier.

So sometimes you just have to kind of get out of your own head, right, to take a new opportunity.

>> Russel: I've always been like, I didn't like meeting people before this.

I didn't like going anywhere, I liked being shut in.

I wanna get out of the house now, there's too much stuff that's really close and I don't know why I haven't been doing this so much sooner.

Like why don't I just get in the car with me and just go, so I need to do that.

>> Matthew: Don't be afraid to fail and move on from that failure.

Cuz you may not make the right choice when you first go out to your first job but you'll learn a lot from it.

And you'll take a lot of those key learnings from that first position and say, I've learned now what I don't like but I've also learned what I do like.

>> [MUSIC] >> Ed: All successful people in life will tell you, their lives are full of mistakes.

They just learn from them and grow But until you try to do something, those mistakes aren't gonna get made.

>> Alexis: Being a product of your environment is like, it's a cliche but it's real.

These people I've met along the way have shown me, doesn't matter what your family's like, where you come from, how much money you have.

As long as you stay yourself and go after what you're passionate about, it'll still work out.

I might not know what I'm doing but I'm on the right path.

>> J.

Drew: Part of what you have to become sometimes as a scientist is you become your own experiment.

>> Alexis: [SOUND] [LAUGH] >> J.

Drew: The control is, how I am now.

>> [MUSIC] >> J.

Drew: The experiment is me exercising my prerogatives of life, liberty, and some pursuit of happiness.

What happens after a while is you recognize that you'd become savvy enough to understand how to keep your balance even as people are pushing on you in different ways.

And that experiment of being able to deal with that kind of stuff, you become stronger and before you know it you've broken expectations >> Emily: I guess that's like the whole thing I've been chasing this trip is I'm just trying to be brave.

>> [MUSIC] Wondering what to do with your life?

Well we've been there and we're here to help Our website has some awesome tools to help you find your path And you can check out all our documentaries, interviews and more Start exploring at roadtripnation.com >> Alexis: Are we gonna edit stuff?

Like are we gonna take stuff out of all that?

>> [MUSIC] >> [SCRAPING SOUNDS] >> Russel: Am I on the curb?

>> Devan: Yeah >> [MUSIC] >> Alexis: [LAUGH] It hurts to laugh >> Emily: I'm crying now.

>> Alexis: [LAUGH] >>Devan [unintelligible] >> [MUSIC]