Jeff Jenkins is all about defying the odds as a travel journalist and vlogger and now he’s bringing his global adventures to his new National Geographic show “Never Say Never.”
After building a strong following by sharing his travel experiences on his “Chubby Diaries” platform, the self-described “chubby Black guy” caught the attention of Nat Geo and secured his own travel series that premiered on Sunday, July 9. “Never Say Never” follows Jenkins as he travels the world testing the limits of his physical abilities and inspiring others to do the same.
From attempting to climb a 70-foot mountain to rafting in class 5 rapids, viewers get an inside look at Jenkins facing his fears while breaking stigmas around travel for the plus-size community. BLACK ENTERPRISE had the pleasure of sitting down with Jenkins for an intimate breakfast during Essence Festival of Festival where he dished on what viewers can expect from his new show.
For Jenkins, who didn’t ride on an airplane until the age of 20, he now lives by the mantra he created “life begins where your comfort zone ends,” and aims to inspire the next generation of doers and dreamers.
“The show is all about stepping outside of your comfort zone,” Jenkins told BLACK ENTERPRISE.
“So it’s following my adventures around the world, doing things that are living off of my motto.”
Through his years of global travel, Jenkins realized how left out the plus-size community is in the industry and remains on a mission to reimagine what travel looks like for people who look like him.
“I made it my mission to redefine what travel looks like,” Jenkins said.
“I started doing things that were stuff I never saw going scuba diving and getting certified as a scuba diver, hiking, climbing.”
Now with his new show, viewers will get to see him embark on a global odyssey while making deep connections with locals and learning not just about the world, but also about himself. Episode one saw Jenkins immerse himself in Maori culture in New Zealand, which included a thrilling canoe race, plunging into a deep, dark cave, shaving a sheep, and learning the Maori chant before getting roughed up in a game of rugby.
It’s part of the stigmas Jenkins aims to combat in his show, along with showing excursion companies that the plus-size community can enjoy their services too.
“It’s the small things and the small modifications that people just haven’t thought about,” he said.
“And so now it should or open up the conversations of like, ‘oh man, you know what? If he could do it, yeah, we definitely probably could get this going.’”
Episode one is available to watch on Nat Geo and YouTube. Catch new episodes of Jeff Jenkins’ “Never Say Never” Sundays on National Geographic.
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