American Audacity

Emily Crawford, the Abilene City Manager, answers 20 Rapid Fire Questions and then gets down into the nitty gritty. If you've wanted to know the  -projected growth of Abilene over the next ten years,  -how many temporary workers and permanent workers the data center is projected to employ,  -how much water the data center uses on the daily, monthly, and annually (hint: it may blow your mind,...

Weldon Hurt, Mayor of Abilene, does 20 Rapid Fire Questions followed by an in depth discussion with Blaise Regan on: -the Data Centers, their impact on the community, the challenges they brought and the benefits, the safeguards and agreements on water, sounds, and taxes; -how Abilene will spend the $20 Million in additional sales tax revenue this year; -the Abilene Firefighters Association negotia...

TIM CONDON, owner and executive chef of the Angry Cactus, answers 20 Rapid Fire questions about himself, Angry Cactus, and the restaurant industry, and followed by an in depth discussion about what it takes to open a second restaurant, the drive and passion, the differences between Abilene and San Angelo where his first restaurant is, his favorite dishes, the advice and tips he gives to new chefs,...

Ben Bailey, candidate for Abilene City Council, answering 20 Rapid Fire questions followed by in depth discussion on how to spend $20 million in sale tax revenue, housing, how to budget time for public service, how we zone and increase the supply of housing, and where he'd like to see Abilene in ten years. Vote: Early voting starts Monday. Runoff Election Day is June 13th. Don't let othe...

Tammy Fogle, candidate for Abilene City Council, answering 20 Rapid Fire questions followed by in depth discussion on Data Centers, how to spend $20 million in sale tax revenue, how we zone and increase the supply of housing, and her ten year vision for Abilene.  This isn’t a polished campaign speech. It’s a transparent, hard look under the municipal hood at the sacrifices, budget realities, and h...

Tom Sell is running for Texas' Congressional District 19, which covers Lubbock and Abilene and most of rural West Texas. We do 20 Rapid Fire Questions right off the bat, from best BBQ to the Iran War, and then dive into Data Centers and Agriculture. Early Voting is May 18 through May 22, and Election Day for this Runoff is May 26, 2026. 

Abraham Enriquez is running for Texas' Congressional District 19, which covers Lubbock and Abilene and most of rural West Texas. We do 20 Rapid Fire Questions right off the bat, from best BBQ to the Iran War, and then dive into Data Centers and Ukraine. His answers are quick and concise so we are able to cover other issues: student loan debt; foreign affairs; and immigration. Early Voting is...

Brian Yates - GM of the West Central Texas Municipal Water District  On Water Usage by the Data Centers, Our Current Water Situation, What Needs to Be Done to Water for Growth through 2070, and If He Drinks the Tap Water

Katie Alford - President/CEO of the Community Foundation of Abilene - On Executive Director Burnout and Pay, What She Tells Potential New Charity Founders, Optimal Board Size, Event Fatigue, Biggest Weakness and How to Address it, Monthly Meetings by CFA for Exec Dir Support, and Much more!

John Kuhn - Abilene ISD Superintendent on School Vouchers, 8.5 Billion in Funding, Cell Phone Ban, Accountability and School Grading, Homestead Exemption Increase, and Abilene ISD Horizon, all told in an easy to understand terms in a laid back conversation.

A sit down with Taylor County Sheriff Ricky Bishop to discuss AI and its impact on law enforcement, fentanyl and the border and their impact on West Texans, mental health and homeless, and the law enforcement environment today versus 4 years ago. 

Features Taylor County Judge Phil Crowley discussing the effect Lancium and the Data Centers have on West Texas, the changes to the the Texas CPS laws, and increasing the EMS services in Taylor County.

Fidele Sebahizi is an immigrant from the Congo, survived a UN refugee camp massacre, immigrated to the US, and became an American citizen and an officer in the Abilene Police Department. While an officer he earned his bachelors, Masters, and PhD and wrote a book on his journey from a small village in Eastern Congo in Africa to Abilene, Texas. He tells of the brutal violence he experienced and the...

Courtney Horton - On Homelessness, Not all Panhandlers are Homeless, On Giving to Panhandlers, What Causes Homelessness In The First Place, and More. Courtney Horton is the Executive Director of Hope Haven Abilene, a non-profit that helps the homeless. She talks on how panhandlers are not homeless normally, on the effects of giving to panhandlers, what we can do in our community, where the break d...

Linda Goolsbee - Democrat Candidate for Texas State Representative District 71 Linda Goolsbee discusses the hot topics of immigration and Texas border security, school vouchers, and expanding healthcare in the form of Medicaid in Texas. If you're a Republican this is a great episode to listen to so that you understand the arguments of the other side. If you're a Democrat, this is a great...

Scott Kirk - President & Founder of Abilene Flying Bison Baseball Scott Kirk was a co-founder of the Abilene Flying Bison minor league baseball team in Abilene and helped found the Mid America League. They had their first season this past summer and are heading into their second season this coming May. He talks about what it takes to start a brand new baseball team from scratch AND a new leagu...

Dillon Clark - Owner of Clark Nissan Dealership Dillon moved to Abilene a few years ago and at the age of 29 owns the Clark Nissan Dealership on I-20. He has held every position in the car dealership world, from sales, to carwashing and tires, to General Manager. He talks about the system needed to run a large business like a dealership; How he turned around a failing dealership in Manhattan, Kans...

Lindsay Flores just opened Matera Bar & Grill in South of Downtown Abilene District and she's a great speaker on the show; she's full of passion and insight and honest answers. She knows every level of the restaurant world... She has a background as a waiter, manager, and general manager of a very successful restaurant and now as a fresh restaurant owner so her insight into the inner...

Alejandro Elias and his wife are both chiropractors that founded and run Victory Spinal Care in Abilene. They moved to Texas right after school, fell in love with Abilene because it reminded them of the move Cars, and the people here were so welcoming.  Alejandro talks about taking advantage of the 7 month delay in their build out by knocking on doors to let people know they were opening instead o...

 Carl Price opened Primal Brewery in Baird in 2019. He then moved to Brownwood, and now just recently moved back to Abilene, where he had the grand opening of Primal Brewery at north 8th and Hickory two weeks ago. His most popular beer is his pickle beer, and has a beer that tastes like Skittles, Almond Joy, and Reeses and so he has a Candy Beer flight where you can taste them all. We discuss the...

Karson is one of the most interesting guests we had on the first season of the show so we wanted to catch up with her again in season, and this was just as good!  We talk about the disaster when Shopify, without warning, shut down her business account for 7 days, which was all her inventory, her point of sale system, website, everything; The pep talk that got her from crying in her shop to working...

Mark Perkins  Owner of Perkins Insurance Agency Mark owns Perkins Insurance Agency with locations in Abilene, Eastland, and in Franklin, Tennessee. We talk about running a business that doesn't sell something sexy (aka insurance); How you bring enthusiasm to your business team; How you identify what you as a leader are weak at and how you fill the gap; Two things a professor taught him that s...

Josh has an immediate hook in the first two minutes of our podcast that will keep you hooked! It caught me off guard and those who love truecrime podcasts, you'll love this episode.  Josh Rader is the owner of Firehouse Fitness, The Dive Spot (for swim lesson and SCUBA diving  lessons), the new Bodega in downtown Abilene that will sell necessaries like milk, eggs, gum, toilet paper, etc, and...

This is a rare double double treat! Nikki Hill and Brittney Martinez are the owners of When Pigs Fly, a wine bar in Tuscola, Texas, and they're also Abilene Police Officers (Technically, Nikki is a Patrol Sergeant and Brittney is the instructor at the Police Academy now). So not only do you get to hear from two owners on the same episode, you get to hear how two police officers manage their w...

Carlie Cooper is the owner of Espressoak, a mobile coffee truck/trailer.  She's in her early twenties and bought Espressoak ten months ago so her insights are fresh and insightful and full of passion of someone going through the throes of running a business early in its stages. We talk about how she pitched her parents the idea of buying the business, how that didn't go well but that it...