Hey Amarillo

A conversation with Josh Gilmore, RN, a medical ICU nurse by day and a concert promoter by night. Gilmore has been in healthcare since graduating from Tascosa High a few years ago, and finished his RN degree right in the middle of the pandemic. He tells host Jason Boyett about working in a local COVID unit, as well as about his side hustle bringing headliners like Genuwine and Dru Hill to the area...

A conversation with Helen Burton, the small business owner behind Burton Insurance and Burton Leadership Solutions. Recipient of the 2019 Hispanic Woman of the Year award, Burton grew up in the Barrio neighborhood before attending Amarillo College as a single mom—and represented the first in her family to pursue higher education. She tells host Jason Boyett about her career path, breaking stereoty...

A conversation with Richard Walton, a partner at NCW Risk Management . Walton spent several years working in Dallas before making the calculated decision to return to Amarillo. (His DFW friends staged an intervention.) Walton specializes in health insurance, and tells host Jason Boyett about the complexities of that world, along with what it's like working for a 95-year-old, generational business...

A conversation with Andrew Hall, chair and founder of the Hoodoo Mural Festival , an organization bringing large-scale public art to downtown Amarillo. Hall grew up in Amarillo but left during his college years. He launched a financial services career before moving back home several years later, at which point he noticed his hometown still lacked the cultural elements—including murals—he'd appreci...

A conversation with Jeremy Bradford, Vice President of Development at the Hope to Opportunities Foundation , which supports Advo Companies . Bradford shares with host Jason Boyett about how Advo provides training, work opportunities and residential housing for individuals with intellectual disabilities. A veteran of nonprofit work in the Metroplex area before returning to Amarillo, Bradford discov...

A conversation with Katie Blake, PhD , a social psychologist who teaches at Amarillo College and is a Masters-level yoga instructor. Though based in Amarillo, she also hosts a virtual community of women all over the world who are in the process of deconstructing their faith. Dr. Blake tells host Jason Boyett why a reevaluation of religious traditions and beliefs can be so valuable—and why relation...

A conversation with Larry Borger, owner of Maxwell's Pumpkin Farm . A former builder and developer with a degree in finance, Borger found his way into agricultural tourism around 14 years ago. Agritourism become a big deal and Maxwell's was one of the first of these kinds of local destinations. With host Jason Boyett, Borger shares the Maxwell's origin story, how he develops new, family-friendly a...

A conversation with Lori Crofford, a longtime local radio personality and now the Resource Development Director for Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Texas Panhandle . Originally a Hereford native, Crofford shares with host Jason Boyett about the past two decades of change she's seen in the local radio industry, how she transitioned out of radio into the nonprofit world, and why mentorship can be so...

A conversation with Gus Trujillo, the former office manager of the Amarillo Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the 2020 Democratic congressional candidate for Texas District 13. In this conversation with host Jason Boyett, Trujillo describes growing up in Amarillo's Barrio neighborhood, his work interning for former U.S. Representative Mac Thornberry in Washington, and what he learned about this are...

A conversation with Traci Mahannah of the Acupuncture and Holistic Medicine Clinic in Amarillo. One of the first state-licensed acupuncturists in the Panhandle, Traci has been providing pain relief and alternative therapy to locals for more than 15 years. In this conversation with host Jason Boyett, Traci describes how she encountered Chinese medicine after relocating to Austin, and why she decide...

A conversation with Zivorad Filipovic, director of marketing and communications for High Plains Food Bank . Z first came to the U.S. as a refugee from Serbia during the Balkans crisis in the 1990s. He learned English at Sam Houston Middle School and became the first in his family to graduate from college. In this conversation with host Jason Boyett, Z describes his intense upbringing, the Amarillo...

A conversation with Jimmy Lackey , President and CEO of Kids, Incorporated, the nonprofit youth sports organization that celebrated its 75th anniversary last year. In this conversation with host Jason Boyett, Lackey tells how he arrived at the iconic organization in the 1990s, how he helped bring Kids Inc online in the early days of the internet, and how Cal Farley and a few friends originally fou...

A conversation with Abi Rivera, owner of The Society Barbershop . The first of her family to graduate from high school, Rivera has found success with her upscale shop, which specializes in men's cuts and beard services. She only opened a year ago but is already launching a second Amarillo location. In this conversation with host Jason Boyett, Rivera reveals why Amarillo was the perfect place to st...

RERELEASE: A conversation with R. Taylor Moore , a former CIA operative and the author of the thriller Down Range , set in the Panhandle. Taylor grew up in South Texas, traveled the world, and found his way into a decade-long career in intelligence. With host Jason Boyett, he shares how he arrived in Amarillo "kicking and screaming" but saw that decision launch his writing career—and change the di...

A conversation with Julian Reese, head coach of the Amarillo Venom and a co-owner of Golden Gate Mortuary . Reese arrived in Amarillo as a football prospect hoping the Arena League would offer a path to the pros. He ended up staying, getting married, and coaching the local indoor football team. In this conversation with host Jason Boyett, Reese details his unconventional career paths and why he's...

A conversation with Shawn Kennedy, executive director of Blank Spaces Murals & Gallery . Kennedy teaches art at Caprock High School and guides this local mural group—made up of high school students—which is responsible for 20-plus public murals in and around Amarillo. He tells host Jason Boyett about his temporarily itinerant life after high school, the deep educational value of Blank Spaces, and...

A conversation with Ryan Culwell , a Texas Panhandle native and former Amarillo resident now working in Nashville as a singer-songwriter. Culwell's acclaimed album Flatlands was inspired by this area, and his recent work has won further accolades. Returning to Amarillo for a show at the Golden Light, he shares with host Jason Boyett about his career, his influences, and why he kept returning to Ni...

A conversation with Viv Salomon, the Amarillo-based host of the national podcast How to Liv with Viv . Originally from Borger, Salomon ended up in Amarillo after college and works in the world of physical therapy. But she's passionate about mental health and helping others, like her, navigate successfully through their 20s. She tells host Jason Boyett about her upbringing, her career path, and the...

A conversation with Doug Lill, a local pharmacist, nutritionist and supplements expert at Drug Emporium . A local TV fixture as "Pharmacist Doug," Lill spent his career traveling the world as a relief pharmacist before returning to Amarillo a decade ago. After having grown up in this area, his travels helped him come to terms with who he is—and gave him a more positive perspective on the city as a...

In this special 200th episode of Hey Amarillo, host Jason Boyett takes a seat on the other side of the mic, interviewed by KAMR Local 4 News anchor Jackie Kingston . They discuss his early career, the books he's written, how he chooses guests for the podcast, his new print magazine Brick & Elm , and the overall media landscape in Amarillo. Plus, Jason offers his answers to the typical Eight Straig...

A conversation with Hayden Baca, an IT specialist and the owner of UnSavvy Strategy , a company that provides one-on-one technology assistance for senior adults. After 10-year career providing customer support for tech corporations, including Apple and AT&T, Baca returned to Amarillo to launch her small business. She tells host Jason Boyett why Amarillo was the perfect place to introduce this uniq...

A conversation with chef Ronnie Granger, the owner of Sunday's Kitchen , a downtown cajun and creole restaurant. Granger isn't from here and didn't always dream of opening a restaurant, but something special happened after he arrived in Amarillo. With vulnerability and gratitude, he tells host Jason Boyett how Sunday's Kitchen started, how he weathered the pandemic, and why a city far from the Gul...

A conversation with Vimal "Vic" Ragha, a local hotelier who owns and operates several hotels and motels along I-40. HIs family-owned Ragha Group currently oversees four properties in the city, with three more in the planning process. Ragha shares with host Jason Boyett about growing up in a motel, his return to the family business, and why Amarillo has such a robust hospitality industry (Hint: I-4...

A conversation with Karen Talley, who just retired after a long career with Christian Relief Fund , which was founded in Amarillo 50 years ago by her father, Baxter Loe. Talley was the last Loe family member still working for this humanitarian organization, helping oversee operations in more than 20 countries worldwide. She shares with host Jason Boyett the inspiring story of how CRF began and the...

A conversation with Chris Podzemny, a local cyclist and trail-builder working with the Fairly Foundation and Six Pack Outdoors . Podzemny and his volunteers have carved dozens of miles of mountain-biking, running and hiking trails in the area, from Palo Duro Canyon to Dalhart. He tells host Jason Boyett about the trail-building process, why cities like Amarillo and Borger value his skills, and why...