Ward Heinrichs has been sharing California employment law insights with the Big Blend family since 2014. For this special Getting to Know You episode of Big Blend Radio's California Employment Law Podcast, San Diego employment attorney Ward Heinrichs sets the fine print aside for a fun, unscripted Q&A with host Lisa D. Smith. It's part of a series reconnecting with the Big Blend Radio family as Big Blend moves into its new home, the Big Blend Media House.

Watch the episode above or listen / download the audio version on Podbean.

Ward didn't hesitate on this one. He has loved Wolverines since he was a kid. They aren't exactly nice, he admits, but they're impressive, and Lisa points out they suit an attorney who knows how to be aggressive. The only problem is that Ward dreams of exploring North America by RV and getting closer to wildlife, and a fierce Wolverine isn't the ideal travel companion. His solution? He'll tame his Wolverine so it can ride along.

What keeps Ward happy when California hands employers a stack of new laws? Getting out on the road in his RV, parking somewhere beautiful, and simply chilling with nature. North America is his playground, from the lower 48 up through Canada and into Alaska. And thanks to Starlink, he can still work from the road, which led Lisa to crown him the first "lawyer in space."

Ward has served in the military, passed the bar, practiced both criminal and employment law, and lived everywhere from Canada and Indiana to Hawaii and San Diego. His advice to the next generation is simple: don't sweat the small stuff. Keep your eye on your goal and travel the road toward it, but be kind and generous along the way.

Ward has already written a novel, and he's learned from writing critique groups that the real work is in the editing, which is next on his list, along with writing at least an hour a day. His big adventure over the next few years is an RV trip up through Western Canada, fishing his way across countless lakes, visiting cousins, and finishing in Alaska for his favorite fishing trip. He has done it three times, going after salmon near the shoreline before they hit the rivers, plus giant halibut and lingcod in deeper water. On the way home, he wants to see the world's largest beaver dam in Alberta, big enough to be spotted from space.

His 88-year-old uncle suggested mapping out every dream five years ahead and putting a price tag next to each one on a spreadsheet. That set off Lisa's well-known dislike of spreadsheets, and Ward reminded her to keep her eye on the prize and not sweat the small stuff.

If Ward had his own TV show, his theme song would be Toby Keith's "As Good As I Once Was", a funny country tune he feels fits this stage of life because he can still get things done. Lisa had guessed "Spirit in the Sky," the song Ward always mentioned whenever music came up, and he agreed it would make a great runner-up.

Most people have a dish they dread at a friend's dinner table. Not Ward. His mom always said he would eat anything, and he's happy to try fried crickets or even rat. Lisa matched him with her own adventurous eats, fried flying ants and mopane worms, which she says taste nutty, like peanut butter. His dream menu? Yellowtail sashimi from Nobu, or better yet, fresh Alaska lingcod, which he likes even more than halibut.

Every guest in this series gets to add something to the Big Blend Media House, and Ward chose a multimedia room and library. He wants a place to read good books (John Grisham included), sharpen his own writing, dream up a future podcast from the road, and watch sports on a very big TV. He also learned the library hides a secret bookcase door that leads to the Big Blend speakeasy, next to a wine cellar and a game room where he's requesting a ping pong table.

Priscilla, Big Blend's pink sock monkey and the real force behind the house, has one more suggestion. Ward needs a road buddy like her new friend Stinky the Donkey, mascot of the historic Jefferson Highway, which runs from Winnipeg, Canada, to New Orleans. Ward added the route to his list, and everyone agreed a stuffed Wolverine is the perfect travel companion.

Ward is back with new episodes of Big Blend Radio's California Employment Law Podcast every 4th Wednesday.

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