In honor of Veterans Day, we hosted three for this week's show: Justin Glover, Merle White, and Duane Wright. Justin and Duane were Marines and Merle was in the Army. Hear them discuss their decision to join, what boot camp was like, and the di...

John Bentley has seen some downs, but he didn't let that define him. Instead, he used those struggles to find success, though he went down a few rabbit holes along the way. In this one, hear him discuss his road from the asylum to trucking to c...

John Bentley's early life was simple and rural, focused on his family's farm. Once he became a teenager, though, he started finding trouble. Initially, it was typical teenage trouble, but it soon escalated to the point where he was transporting...

In part two of our discussion with Tim Shepard, we get into his decision to run for county judge, why we need collaboration, and why there's more to roads than just roads. We also remember hippies living in trees and go down a few rabbit holes....

Those who end up enforcement were rarely choir boys, but instead those who spent some time running from the law. Tim Shepard didn't spend much time running from the police. He didn't spend zero time running, either. In this episode, listen to h...

Meditation, SpongeBob, colon cancer, and the quest for peace. In part two of our discussion with John Connors, we discuss those things and many, many more. Give it a listen, it's a good one. #downsyndrome #Cancer #meditation #sponge...

For this week's episode, we met our match in John Connors. Whether he is a rabbit hole in human form or just the rabbit is open for debate, but to say this one meanders around is a bit of an understatement. From St. Louis to Madison to Mexico, ...

Jonathan Rueppel was born to be a warrior and after boot camp, deployed to the Middle East. Once there, he experienced situations that challenged the toughness inherent to being a Marine, ones that stuck with him after retiring. In this one, he...

For this episode, retired Marine Jonathan Rueppel joined us to discuss growing up on military bases, his passion for education, and the recently announced changes to the military. We also learned why he chose to join and what boot camp was like...

In part two of our conversation with Brad Bassham, which arrived late because Rich dropped the ball (dammit, Rich!), hear more rabbit holes upon rabbit holes, as well as Brad's story about an encounter with the FBI. It's another meandering conv...

For this one, listener Brad Basham joined us in the studio for one in which the rabbit holes go down other rabbit holes before heading down another rabbit hole. We also discuss his life, education, and how he tricked his wife into going out on ...

Troy Currens didn't get his life together until his 40s, but he did get it back together. He cleaned up, welcomed a new baby, and found his passion for helping people by helping get them into the car they want. Hear him talk construction, sales...

When Troy Currens was a a young man, he was a little bastard, constantly getting in trouble with every authority in his life. But as he grew up, he remained a little bastard, constantly getting in trouble with every authority in his life. In pa...

After college, Matt Rhodes was unemployed for 11 days. Through work ethic and working his network, he landed a coaching job where he earned an astonishing amount of money. From college roles to high school, he's focused his career on teaching k...

When you think of growing up on 55 acres with horses, a dog, and a .22, you don't think of Massachusetts, but that's exactly the upbringing that Matt Rhodes experienced. In part one of our discussion with him, we hear how his parents instilled ...

Gary Vernon and Victor Gurel may love mountain biking, but they're not dirty hippies. Instead, they're focused on fun, health, and the ways the sport can lift up local economies. In part 2 of our conversation with them, hear them lay out why mo...

If there's one thing we're known for at Cookin' Up a Story, it's our deep and abiding passion for cycling. After part one of our conversation with Gary Vernon and Victor Gurel, our attitudes may have shifted a little bit, pun intended. In this ...

When Lindell Roth discovered his passion for hunting, he didn't keep it to himself. Instead, he found a way to share it with others. Regardless of circumstances, if there's someone who wants to go out into the woods, Heart and Soul Outdoors wil...

Born and raised in Springdale, Arkansas, Lindell Roth has held a variety of careers over his life, but it was a lifelong mild interest that truly became his passion when he hit 40. In this episode, listen to him discuss growing up in Northwest ...

In part two of our interview with Denis Dean, we get into reasonable doubt, jury duty, and why he wants to be the prosecuting attorney while also going down a few rabbit holes, as is our modi operandi. From state fairs to sandwiches to gut-wren...

Denis Dean had a circuitous route from Miami, Florida to Fayetteville, Arkansas, one involving a family of attorneys, crooked cops, cocaine dealers, and death threats. Now Chief Deputy Prosecutor for Washington and Madison Counties, Dean is loo...

For part two of our discussion with Charles Kochel, we almost totally skipped over the discussion of faith mentioned at the end of part one. Instead, we went down a variety of rabbit holes, from tariffs to Case Knives to success to patriotism. ...

When Charles Kochel last visited us, he was preparing to begin treatments for cancer. Since that time, he's undergone a plethora of surgery, gotten blood transfusions, and been told there's now something wrong with his heart. That hasn't stoppe...

Elery Bush went from owning the largest club in the state of Louisiana, with stacks of cash in a drawer in his apartment, to finding himself broken down and broke on the side of the road, with an inoperable Toyota Camry and only 73 cents to his...

Elery Bush has lived enough life for several people. From growing up in a house where an exorcism was performed to outlandish church outfits to renegade trick or treating to running the largest nightclub in Louisiana, he's got stories to spare ...