(female) the three of us, we're all from australia embarking on a 5-week road trip, traveling to the united states. (female) talking to people that we admire or who inspire us. sharing their story about how they got to where they are now. (female) we're all kind of in the same boat where we don't know what it is we wanna do. (female) for me, it's lack of self-confidence. i don't really have that self belief. (male) there's tension everywhere pulling you. i don't know that that ever stops. but that keeps us going. (male announcer) state farm has made it possible for this documentary series to be shared on public television stations across the country. "roadtrip nation" would like to sincerely thank our friends at state farm for helping a nation of young people to find their own roads in life. like a good neighbor, state farm is there. "roadtrip nation" would also like to thank the collegeboard for supporting this series. inspiring minds and connecting students to college success.

"roadtrip nation" would also like to thank tourism new zealand for bringing the roadtrip experience to the other side of the road in new zealand. cheers to our kiwi mates! ♪ (female) people who just do day in, day out, without questioning anything... where's the fun in that? you've got to get up every morning and love to do what you do. you've gotta love it. (female) i think it's so amazing to meet someone who's completely original in thought. (female) i want to be consciously making decisions about my life. (female) i've never sat down and thought, "what do i really want to do?" (female) i need to discover myself. (male) it's not a horse race-- this is a marathon. it's the journey that's really gonna count, embrace it. good morning. well, just to prove that it's 3:30 a.m. in the dead of night, i thought i'd take you outside.

(su-yin) this is one of those mornings where the last thing you want to be doing is getting up early and calling the united states of america. but my alarm went off, and i was like, "up and at 'em, let's go! let's start this cold calling blitz." hi, my name's mariana, i'm calling from sydney, australia. my name is su-yin, i'm ringing from brisbane, australia. hi peter, my name's camilla, i'm calling from brisbane in australia. i just recently graduated from uni and i don't know what to do with my life. (mariana) we feel like a lot of people feel like that, where it's just sort of like they've come to the end of their course and they sort of don't know what they're going to do. i am actually traveling to the united states and embarking on a 5-week road trip. (mariana) to interview a whole range of interesting and amazing people, and sort of see if they'd be interested in sharing their story about how they got to where they are now. and i was just wondering if that would be something you were interested in? yeah? excellent. you're, like, the first person that said yes. so thank you so much, it's so exciting.

thanks again. bye. [laughing] i booked an interview. we're at the airport. (mariana) camilla and su are awesome. like it's so weird that we didn't know each other and we're going to be experiencing something in these next 6 weeks, like it will only be something that i can share with these two girls. yeah, it's gonna be life changing. ♪ see it? where? we have to drive that. holy crap! like i knew it was gonna be big, but not this big. ready, everyone? [horn honking] oh, my god. that's really loud!

(camilla) oh, my first impressions of the rv, it was bigger than i thought it would be. because when i thought 36 foot, it sounds like about 6 meters. did i do my math right? no, i don't think i did. anyway, it sounds short. so my knowledge of america comes from movies such as "chicago," and "calamity jane." i feel like i'm in a really big era of transition. this job that i'm in now, i'm a media planner/buyer. if i ever think about it as what i'm doing, you know, for the rest of my life, i feel physically ill. i feel like i fell into this job and it's not me, and i don't want to become one of these people that just complains about their life but doesn't do anything about it. i want to break down the barriers of my social norms. that's what i feel like "roadtrip" will do, is show you all of the other important things that people are doing in different areas, and that there isn't just

one way to be important and valuable. (su-yin) all through school i've been like a really high achiever, a straight "a" student and things like that. and i've put a lot of pressure on myself to do well. i knew that i wasn't ready for university. i wanted to just not rush into things and to think things through. so i was like, "oh, okay, well, just take the year off." my dad didn't speak to me for about 2 weeks. i guess i just really disappointed him. nowadays i feel like i can't really talk to him, about anything really. actually, when i came back home and it was time for me to apply to uni again, i still didn't have a very good idea. and at the last minute, i changed to journalism, and i don't know why.

(mariana) today we are going to be doing some driver training and hopefully not crash the rv. i can't even put my seatbelt on. ♪ reading and driving all week, and remembering that i've got to go into a right lane, not into oncoming traffic, which would be bad. oh, wrong one. wrong lane. i knew i was gonna do it. where am i going exactly? like where am i aiming for? ♪ oh, there's so much sweat right now. we've got to put towels on this seat. it's gross. that's disgusting. don't look at that.

it's kind of like unwritten law that i was just gonna have to go to uni, and that i was gonna have to do some sort of bachelor degree. my biggest two passions are art and music. now it is starting to set in that i'm doing something i enjoy, but where is it gonna take me? and i guess i sort of just need to like experience my world without my mom. she's still like, you know, kind of holding my hand. and like i'm grateful for that, but i think i need to be able to figure things out now by myself. do you remember when i first started applying? you were like, "maybe i can come. maybe you can take your dad with you and go on." no, mom. the whole point-- "this is my time. it's my time!" it's my time! "roadtrip" is like, i see it as the biggest opportunity to really find out what i'm made of. i need to discover myself, like i just need to.

[strumming guitar] (su-yin) hello? good morning, dahlia, how are you? it's su-yin. of course we're still coming over. inspiration point. okay, you too. bye. (camilla) it was meant to be, girls at inspiration point for their first interview. it's our first one. yay! (mariana) so we're heading to our interview with augie and lynne nieto. augie started a really successful fitness company, and was later diagnosed with als. i'm mariana, it's nice to meet you. hi, i'm su-yin. (su-yin) so the three of us, we're all from australia and we're all kind of in the same boat where we don't know exactly what it is we want to do. parents are a big influence on why i'm undecided, i guess.

and so that's why i'm here. (camilla) were your parents supportive of what you did when you first started out? [mumbling] my father was. [dog barking] hey, be quiet up there. i'm on camera. ♪ we had six brothers and sisters, and my father had to work to pay for the family. i saw his frustration by not taking a risk early. (lynne) and can i interject? he worked in the oil fields, so he didn't make use of his entrepreneurial skills and that was a frustration.

so when i was 19, i wanted to take the biggest risk i could, and i found exercise as my religion. and i wanted to share that with the world. (su-yin) when you're 19, you're so sure of yourself. did you have doubts, or how did you...? insecurity is a good thing, it makes you try harder. there isn't one successful person i know that doesn't fear someone knocking on their door and saying the gig is up.

i feared that every day. when i was diagnosed, i was like a deer in the headlights. i was in denial. here i was, the irony of all ironies. i was the guy who spent 30 years helping people build up their muscles. and now i was going to watch them fade away. do you guys know much about the disease at all? do you want me to give you a little background on it? (mariana) yeah, that would be great. okay, and what it does is it kills voluntary muscles. and it's a very fast-moving disease, it doesn't affect your mind at all. ultimately, at the end, you can't move anything. you can't blink your eyes,

but your brain's perfectly fine and functioning. (augie) so i became angry. what did i do to deserve it? if there is a god, how could he or she be so cruel? i could not imagine having to rely on everyone, expose myself where i have incredible vulnerability. and that was a time when i wasn't sleeping. the doctors put me on antidepressants.

i took a handful of pills, because i didn't want to be a burden to my family. (lynne) let me give some background. augie took the pills and didn't wake up for 4 days. he basically had to detox and was unconscious. my turning point was when i was in the hospital. what i saw was my family. they loved me with unconditional love, no judgment. and so i was able to go on to acceptance. and once you accept, you are no longer reacting.

you're able to act. i redefine normal every day. i try not to mourn what i can't do and celebrate what i can. (computer translator) thank you for coming to our home. can you believe that i can type at a faster speed than i could before? you have a choice. are you preparing to die or wanting to live? and for me it was the realization that i'm not defined by my body. i'm defined by my brain and heart.

(mariana) you're giving so much time to so many people, did you ever feel like no, i don't want to give any more time to anyone else; i just want to...? in the theater of life, you only have so many seats and only one front row. be careful who you let in. when i meet with you, you are the fuel for my fire. that is why... i love life. i take the fuel.

you have given me today. and i will use it for years to come. (camilla) thank you so much for your time. we really appreciate it. it was great talking to you. bye. (lynne) he wants a kiss. a kiss? thank you. i just feel like i sucked in a whole lot of wisdom and i've aged about 10 years. (mariana) he's given time that is so precious for him to us. like us. i think what hit me the most was when he was like, "you guys have fueled me." and i was just like, "are you serious? i'm no one." and he's probably fueled me for the rest of my life, i think.

(su-yin) and when he was talking about having no special people in your life, in the front row, i just thought to myself, "well, who's in my front row at the moment?" and who should i have there with me?" and i just felt like my dad's not in my front row. ♪ (mariana) now we're going to chad butler and john foreman, also known as switchfoot's studio. hello, i'm camilla. camilla, john. hi, i'm sue--su-yin. hey susie. mariana. susie and mariana. nice to meet you. wow. welcome to the studio.

when did you first discover music? (jon) music was always just the diversion from class. ♪ i did like all of the different humanities all the way to economics degree, and everything in between, because i was thinking--trying to figure out, like you guys, here's what i love, but what i love won't ever make me money. so i'm gonna get an economics degree and just play guitar when i get home, i guess, you know? yeah, so many people do that. yeah. and so it was one of those things where it started happening kind of on its own. (chad) we kind of did the tour and then we'd go back to school for a semester. trying to talk our professors into it. yeah, sort of trying to figure out how we could get college credit for going out and doing this, you know, career opportunity. it was sort of like this dual life.

and then i got to a point where i realized that i wasn't enjoying pursuing music as much as i could, because i felt like i was still kind of hanging onto, "i gotta have a backup plan." i was like, you know what, if i don't fully engage in this and enjoy this process, even if i fail, i'll always regret it if i never put 100% into it. you know? so i think that helped to finally let go of the safety net. (camilla) yeah, i agree with that. i think that if you have that safety net, you never completely invest yourself into something else. because you're like, "well, i don't need to take that risk, because i have this fallback plan." it's a risk, for sure. yeah. i used to think that the friction was a bad thing, like that the tension that you feel, you know, you want to cut the tension. like we have medicine to try and make us feel better, and everything's to ease pain in our society. you know, very much like pain is the enemy, right? and i don't think that that's true.

i think that the tension's a good thing, that to be pulled tight is almost the only way you can make a proper noise on a guitar or violin. you know? so if you feel pull, that's not a bad thing. (su-yin) so, it's okay to be freaking out like we are. yeah and that's the time of life that you're in, there's tension everywhere pulling you, you know? another thing is, for me, i had to decide that i didn't care what people thought, you know? that's the thing i was gonna actually ask you guys, is for me it's lack of self confidence. i don't think i'm that good at the guitar, so it's gonna just embarrass me and i don't really have that self relief. and i think that's something you really need. well, i think one thing that i learned on the last record was at some point you have to say, "well, do i think it's awesome? "do i think it's amazing? do i think it's wonderful?" and then it's like, you know, who cares what anyone else says? it's hard not to let your emotions be dictated by

other people's opinions of your songs, you know, where you're just like, "oh, they didn't get it." you know, "how's my day gonna be now?" so you want to play a song, on that note? (mariana) i've never really sung my songs to anyone--anyone. except, my mom's overheard it like creeping in and putting her head to the door. and then she'll come in, it's like, "ah, that's great." and i'll be like, "don't do that." [strumming guitar] oh, that sounds so nice compared to my old rusty guitar. okay, just give me a practice. ♪ ♪ and i don't feel i'd ever miss it, i think i would ♪ ♪ i wish i would ♪ i don't feel like i could ever be ready ♪

♪ i wish i would, well, i wish i could ♪ ♪ pack my things, my belongings away ♪ ♪ i'm leavin' soon and i won't recognize me ♪ ♪ pack my things, my belongings away ♪ ♪ yeah, i'm leavin' soon and i won't recognize ♪ ♪ no, i won't recognize ♪ me yeah, woo! [applauding] that was awesome! you've got a great voice. yeah. we've got a new member of the band. yeah! (camilla) oh, man, it was so beautiful. (mariana) i was really putting the pressure on myself. you really see your true self when there's that tension, when you're being pushed, when you're under the pressure. you really just have to-- just...who cares?

well done. kudos to you! group hug! (announcer) "roadtrip nation" extends beyond the program you just watched. it's a movement that empowers others to create their own roadtrip experiences. here's a quick snapshot into that movement. (female) at the tone record your greeting. at the end of your greeting, press pound. hello, friends and family, it's your boy, willie. as you know, you called me. the reason i didn't pick up my phone is because i'm on the other side of the planet at the moment. (male) the most valuable thing that people like your age could do is to go travel. you're taken out of your element that you-- this little world that you live in or this little bubble of comfort, and it's just gone--it's all gone. (male) and there's just something inside me that's always making me want to go be on the road and see new things,

being a part of life, you know, and not being stagnant. (male) i came in there with no expectations, really. i just wanted to go off the deep end, go into another planet and see what happens. and i couldn't be happier that i did. you learn so much from meeting people of different lifestyles and different walks of life. you learn how to live, you know? (camilla) we arrived in l.a. a week ago. it's been a bit crazy. (mariana) we're constantly having to adapt and make choices so quickly. (male) these kinds of things are not easy. it's much easier just to take that corporate job and try to live your life after 5 o'clock.

i think that's probably a mistake. (male) you've got to get up every morning and love to do what you do. finding that thing is really the key to happiness. (male announcer) check out more adventures and interviews from the road. visit roadtripnation.com. online you can apply to take a road trip of your own or bring "roadtrip nation" into your classroom. (female announcer) the "roadtrip nation" series is available on dvd ♪ ♪ we watched it all in disbelief ♪ ♪ at the train station on christmas eve ♪ ♪ a tragic tale, a gruesome scene ♪ ♪ a bitter end for the chief of police ♪ ♪ it was a blessing and a curse ♪

(male announcer) state farm has made it possible for this documentary series to be shared on public television stations across the country. "roadtrip nation" would like to sincerely thank our friends at state farm for helping a nation of young people to find their own roads in life. like a good neighbor, state farm is there. "roadtrip nation" would also like to thank the collegeboard for supporting this series, inspiring minds and connecting students to college success. "roadtrip nation" would also like to thank tourism new zealand for bringing the "roadtrip" experience to the other side of the road in new zealand. cheers to our kiwi mates. cc by aberdeen captioning 1-800-688-6621 www.abercap.com