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Travel has given us some of our favorite memories, changed how we see the world, and once left Rachel walking through baggage claim in her bra. So why do we keep going?

In Fire #10, Rachel and Ryan explore why travel has become a deliberate part of their life together. They unpack their very different planning styles, the balance between structure and spontaneity, and how traveling with Ember has changed the experience without making them want to stop. They also revisit a few moments when everything went spectacularly sideways and the lessons that came home with them.

Because travel is about more than getting away. It can make the world feel bigger, remind us how small we are, deepen our curiosity about other people, and even change what home means when we return.

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What makes a life “good” and who taught us how to measure it?

In Fire #9, we unpack the definitions of success we inherited, how those early scorecards continue to shape us, and why ambition functions differently for each of us. We don’t agree on everything (especially where contentment ends and complacency begins) but that tension leads us into an honest conversation about the ways striving has improved our lives, the times it has cost too much, and how our priorities have evolved.

From career achievement and productivity to travel, freedom, rest, mental health, relationships, and family, we explore what genuinely makes our life feel successful now—and what we hope Ember learns to measure for herself. If the usual markers of success disappeared, how would you know you were living a good life?

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Every parent carries something into the role: the lessons they were taught, the love they received, the fears they inherited, and the promises they quietly made about what they would do differently.

In Fire #8, Rachel and Ryan reflect on their very different childhood experiences and what each has chosen to carry into parenting Ember. They talk about presence, perseverance, whimsy, kindness, respect for difference, and raising a child who knows she is deeply loved - even when she makes a mistake. From transforming July the potato through “magic” to teaching Ember that she is allowed to be upset but not mean, they share the ordinary moments that reveal what they value most.

They also speak honestly about where their parenting instincts differ, how inherited expectations still surface, and the ongoing work of repairing, recalibrating, and giving each other grace. As Ember becomes more fully herself, Rachel and Ryan consider what it means to protect her without trying to control everything, to care more about who she becomes than what she becomes, and to raise her to be strong enough to be gentle.

Because parenting is an ongoing practice of deciding what love asks us to hold firmly… and what it asks us to let go.