I am thrilled to welcome author Barbara Jo Jenkins as my guest for this special edition of The Jake's Take with Jacob Elyachar Podcast.

Barbara co-authored The Walk West, which became an international bestseller and part of the permanent White House Library. A nonfiction blockbuster, it sold 15 million copies, became a Reader's Digest condensed book, and was chosen as one of the most influential bestsellers related to American culture in the last 100 years. Jenkins' three-year, 3,000-mile walk across America with her former husband became one of the most popular stories in the National Geographic Magazine (Cover story, August 1979). She co-authored The Road Unseen, a number one mass paperback bestseller, and The Gold Medallion Book Award winner. Jenkins wrote I Once Knew A Woman and Wit and Wisdom for Women. She appeared in magazines such as Reader's Digest, Today's Christian Woman, Guideposts, Nashville Lifestyles, national television programs like Good Morning America, and radio programs like Focus on The Family.

Jenkins has been a keynote speaker at colleges, conferences, and national conventions. She has served as Commissioner for two Tennessee Governors, was Board Chair for Benton Hall Academy, and President of The Tennessee Women's Forum. She is Chair Emeritus of The Green Electric Company and served on the board for 'Coaching; Life Matters' for people in crisis. Barbara Jo Jenkins will also be the subject of a new book released in Fall 2023 by the New York Times bestselling author and her son, Jedidiah Jenkins. The book is titled Mother Nature. Jenkins lives in Tennessee and loves spending time with her family and friends. She enjoys traveling, painting, writing, speaking, cooking, floral design, creative projects, or sitting on the porch swing telling stories to her granddaughters, Josephine and Lyla.

On this episode of The Jake's Take with Jacob Elyachar Podcast, Barbara Jo Jenkins reminisced about her walk across the country and her book, So Long as It’s Wild: Standing Strong After My Famous Walk Across America, receiving praise from country music legend Dolly Parton.