Cookin' Up A Story

From a young age, Stuart Collier was driven, going all in on everything he did. Unfortunately, that also meant he went all in on partying, almost accidentally ending his life on several occasions. Despite that, he managed to find his way out of that hole and built up several careers. Listen to he and his coworker Dwayne Wright discuss addiction, rock bottom, and the paths that led them away from t...

After the military, Jerry Cox hit the road, becoming a truck driver. He spent decades on the road, logging millions of miles in the process, until he retired, or at least thought he was retiring. See, Jerry's career was interrupted with a stint in prison. Cox overcame that and went back to work, but that's also what keeps him working today on his nonprofit, JLC Second Chance Trucking . I...

Jerry Cox was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Instead, he faced tremendous challenges throughout his youth, starting with ones in his home. Nevertheless, he persevered and continued to move forward and build himself up. Now, he runs a nonprofit, JLC Second Chance Trucking , dedicated to lifting others. In part one, listen to Jerry discuss the trials he dealt with and how they helped lea...

In part two of our discussion with Lex Wetzel, he continues to discuss whoopings and why getting in trouble is sometimes worth it. Also, though, he gets into the biggest demon he had to face in his life, how he overcame it, and how he's helping others defeat that challenge in their life. 

Lex Wetzel didn't much care for school, though he did manage to graduate 24th out of his class of 25. Afterward, he continued doing what he'd already been doing with most of his time — working and getting into a little mischief. Listen to Lex discuss his fondness for dentures, tall tales, and whoopings in this episode. It's one you don't want to miss. 

In part two of our discussion with Don Gardner of Service Dogs of Distinction , we chew on what it takes to train a dog and how service dogs help veterans while visiting a few rabbit holes, such as how dolphins are used to detonate anti-submarine mines. Give it a listen and give it a share. 

Don Gardner first started learning to train dogs not with canines, but when his grandfather imparted some wisdom about horses to him. When he got his first pup, he started putting theory into practice, eventually becoming a breeder and trainer after 17 years of pipeline work. Now the co-founder of Service Dogs of Distinction, a non-profit that trains service dogs for veterans, Don knows a thing or...

When Aaron Mankin joined the Marines during the Great War on Terror, he knew his missions would be dangerous. There he was, serving as a war correspondent, when the vehicle he was on was hit with an IED, changing his life forever.  Listen to Aaron discuss how that day helped lead him to a new mission in life and how he continues to serve his country with positivity. 

Aaron Mankin dreamed of transferring his love of photography into service for his country. After 9/11, he did that, joining the Marines with the hopes of becoming a war correspondent. That led him to Fallujah, where he experienced success in telling the Marine's story, but only for a few months. Listen to him discuss his childhood, boot camp, and deployment with the crew plus help from Doc Ja...

Brian McKenzie faced a lot of tough situations during his time with Arkansas Game and Fish, but he always kept his cool. His strategy was to approach people with his hands out rather than his fists. Being tough and fair like this did not prevent him from getting into some dicey situations, though. Listen to part two of our interview with him and learn more about his storied career. 

Brian McKenzie spent years traipsing around the wiles of Arkansas as a Captain with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. Along the way, he saw bears, cougars, and night hunters, which armed him with more than a few stories to tell. Listen to Brian discuss his family, his career, and some of the wilder experiences he had on this episode of Cookin' Up a Story. 

In part two of our latest, we continue our conversation with Egan Evans and Elias and Jesse Totten. Together, these three men remind us that not only is the future bright, it's bright because liberty continues to light our paths. 

Are you a child of the '80s who still believes the children are the future? Then strap in because we do, too. Listen to the crew discuss determination, grit, and America with three young men who are still living the dream and forging their own paths. Things may seem dark, but dawn is upon us, as our guests remind us on this episode. 

There's a labor shortage in the United States, particularly when it comes to skilled trades. That's where organizations like Allied Builders and Contractors comes in. Bill Roachell, president of the Arkansas chapter of ABC, stopped by the studio to discuss the trades and how he and ABC are working to get kids back into building the future. 

In this episode, it's all rabbit holes as the crew goes without a guest to discuss Westerns, Hollywood, Hey Dudes, recipes, and more. Give it a listen, you'll get value from it. As always, feel free to hit us up with any reciprocal value you have to offer. We'll let you know how to get it to us. 

In part two of our chat with Andy and Taylor, we continue our conversation on mentors, service, and get into the art of telling a story. Whether visual, written, or spoken, a good tale requires us to envision what we want to tell and then execute it. Give it a listen. It's spicy. 

Do mentors always have to be positive or can men grow stronger through negative influences? Find out today as the crew talks to friends Andy and Taylor about their trials, tribulations, and adventures in childhood, college, the food service industry, and beyond to learn how that shaped them into the hardworking men they are today.

On part two of our latest episode, we dive deeper into fleshing out the story of Redwords' father, Dave Walker. Again joined by Barb Shrum and Mike Elam, Joe, Rich, and Bill discuss Dave's time in the Army, intelligence, Hitler, the  Führerbunker  , and how it could all come together on the big screen. Give it a listen. 

Bill "Redwords" Walker's father, Dave Walker, proudly served America during World War II. He never told many stories about it, though. When he passed away, Redwords discovered a treasure trove of material relating to his service and has spent years assembling them into the story of his father's time overseas. With the help of guest hosts Mike Elam and Barb Shrum, Joe and Rich s...

In part two of the latest episode of Cookin' Up a Story, we continue our conversation with the man who started it all, Aaron Cook, about life, choices, and how to build back better when we face consequences for our decisions. We also laugh and go down some rabbit holes as we move our way through Aaron's story. Give it a listen, then show us some value. We'll take time, treasure, tal...

Several years ago, a man had an idea for a podcast, one centered around telling stories. He convinced his co-worker Joe Wilson, whose stories inspired the idea, to start that podcast with him. And with that, Cookin' Up a Story was born. Aaron guided the show for over 100 episodes, serving as the producer, but then events forced him to step away. On today's episode, though, he rejoins the...

Part of sitting around the campfire is asking questions. That also means those questions need to be answered, and we're here to do just that in this episode. It also means there's a chance for those conversations to get a little deeper, for men to be able to share that being stoic sometimes requires getting some things off our chests. In this episode, we do just that and encourage you to...

In this episode, we're answering another round of your questions. From discussions on cooking to crime to firearms and more, we dig into providing you some value in return for the value you provided by asking the questions. As always, though, feel free to hit us up if you have more value to provide. Value for value is integral to the show because it means we're beholden to no one but our...

In this episode, Mike Elam continues his story of diving into the legend of Buford Pusser and why many of the legends around the man don't add up. There's also a discussion of socks, shopping, and shrinkage. Check it out. It's a good one. 

Buford Pusser, the sheriff the 1973 Movie "Walking Tall" was based on, inspired countless men to pursue careers in law enforcement. Known for being a no-nonsense man with an unbreakable moral code, legend has it that he cleaned up McNairy County, Tennessee, freeing it from the grips of criminal enterprises. What if the legends are false, though? Bentonville native Mike Elam long looked u...