Free Arkansas

On this episode of Free Arkansas, Andy McNeill talks with Roby Brock, CEO of Natural State Media and longtime host of Talk Business & Politics, about Arkansas media, politics and the future of local news. Brock reflects on how Arkansas politics has changed, why so much of it now feels nationalized and performative, and what he sees as the real challenges facing the state. He also talks about b...

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson joins Andy McNeill for a wide-ranging conversation about public service, leadership and where Arkansas, and the country, go from here. Hutchinson reflects on growing up on a farm near Gravette, the lessons he learned from his parents, his early career as the nation’s youngest U.S. attorney, and his work leading the DEA and helping build the Department of Homelan...

On this episode of Free Arkansas, Andy McNeill talks with Robin Wallis Atkinson, founder and CEO of Upkept, about what it takes to build a company at the intersection of fashion, repair, sustainability, labor and entrepreneurship. Robin shares how her background in art, community-building and nonprofit leadership led her to create Upkept, a company working to make clothing repair easier, more acce...

George Dunklin has spent decades at the center of duck hunting and conservation in Arkansas, from leading Ducks Unlimited to chairing the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission to building Five Oaks into one of the most respected hunting lodges in the country. In this episode, he sits down with Andy to break down how the sport has evolved and what’s driving the changes hunters are seeing today. They ge...

Congressman French Hill joins Andy McNeill for a wide-ranging conversation that connects Washington policy to real life in Arkansas, tracing his path from building a bank from scratch to shaping national financial policy and explaining how decisions in D.C. impact small businesses, homebuyers, and everyday families. They break down what the Financial Services Committee actually does and why regula...

In this episode of Free Arkansas, host Andy McNeill sits down with Sharmila Makhija, MD, MBA, the Founding Dean and Chief Executive Officer of the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine, to talk about the future of healthcare in Arkansas and the work underway in Northwest Arkansas to train a new generation of physicians. The conversation explores Arkansas’ physician shortage, rural healthcare access,...

What does it actually mean to be a capitalist in today’s world, and what happens when AI starts reshaping the economy faster than we can keep up? In this episode of Y’all Hear About This , Andy and Misty dig into both questions, starting with a simple definition of capitalism and tracing it back to early merchants, then bringing it forward to the explosion of AI and the massive capital investments...

⚖️ What if the justice system actually worked to keep kids out of prison? In this episode of Free Arkansas, Andy sits down with Circuit Judge Troy Braswell, who’s taking a different approach to juvenile justice. Instead of a one-size-fits-all system, he’s focused on understanding what’s really going on in a child’s life and using that to change outcomes. This is a conversation about accountability...

What does it actually look like to build a career, raise a family, and get ahead in Arkansas today? Andy sits down with Anna Beth Gorman, CEO of the Women’s Foundation of Arkansas, for a wide-ranging conversation about work, money, and opportunity across the state. They get into:💸 The real cost of childcare and how it shapes family decisions📊 Why most women are working, but many still struggle t...

Today on Free Arkansas , we’re talking about the Buffalo River, one of the most iconic places in the state and the first national river in the United States. Andy McNeill sits down with Mike Mills, founder of the Buffalo Outdoor Center, to talk about how the river was protected, what that meant for the people who lived there, and how tourism has shaped the region over the last 50 years. It’s a con...

What does college actually look like for students right now? We hear a lot from administrators, lawmakers, and university leaders. But in this episode, we sit down with someone living it every day.🎓 Jaxon Hatfield is a freshman at the University of Arkansas and serves in student government. He’s on the front lines of major conversations around affordability, student debt, and a recent campus deba...

In this episode of Free Arkansas, Andy McNeill talks with Jacob Lively about bringing AQ Chicken back to downtown Springdale and why the iconic Arkansas restaurant still means so much to people across the state. They discuss the legacy of AQ Chicken, what it takes to revive a beloved local brand, and Jacob’s path from first-generation college graduate to lawyer, operator, and investor. The convers...

💡 What does it take to build a technology company in Arkansas — and keep building new ones decades later? In this episode of Free Arkansas , Andy McNeill sits down with Arkansas technology pioneer Charles Morgan, former CEO of Acxiom and founder of companies including First Orion. They talk about entrepreneurship, the evolution of big data, the rise of AI, and why Arkansas still needs more capita...

Andy sits down with Northwest Arkansas attorney Jennifer Standerfer to talk through the nuts and bolts of Arkansas government and election law. Jennifer is the founder of Waymack Standerfer Law, a former prosecutor and public defender, and a former legislative candidate. She shares her experience working in the Bureau of Legislative Research, her work on transparency issues, and her involvement in...

Ever get to the ballot and hit a race you know nothing about? This week, Andy McNeill and Misty Hale break down a little known elected position and react to the latest State of the Union.👇 Here’s what y’all hear about this week:🗳️ What constables actually do in Arkansas🤷 How voters end up choosing candidates they’ve never heard of 💬 State of the Union highlights and reactions📺 Are these speech...

Annabelle Wright and Kate McNeill sit down with Whit Nicholson, bar manager at Guisinger Cocktail Club, to talk about how Northwest Arkansas is building big-city hospitality right here at home. From launching a cocktail bar from day one… to the growth of the NWA food and nightlife scene… to why hospitality is becoming a real career path in Arkansas — this episode is a fun look at culture, communit...

🚨 In this week’s Y’all Hear About That, Andy McNeill's talking politics and Misty Hale's still thinking about the Nancy Guthrie investigation. They also cover Arkansas early voting, new primary ballot rules, party dynamics in this election cycle, and how Dads handle taking their daughters into a public restrooms.🎙️ In this episode:• The latest discussion around the Nancy Guthrie disappear...

🚨 Arkansas has one of the highest incarceration rates in America. So what’s behind it? Andy McNeill sits down with Fayetteville City Council member and Arkansas Justice Reform Coalition founder Sarah Moore to talk prisons, mental health, sentencing laws, and what real justice reform could look like in Arkansas. The conversation also explores Fayetteville’s rapid growth, housing challenges, and ho...

Arkansas roads affect every one of us: safety, economic growth, travel, and daily life. So what actually goes into keeping the state moving? In this episode of Free Arkansas, Andy McNeill sits down with Arkansas Department of Transportation Director Jared Wiley to talk about the scale of Arkansas highways, funding realities, safety efforts, and the future of transportation in a fast-growing state....

Annabelle Wright and Kate McNeill sit down with Arkansas singer-songwriter JD Clayton for an honest conversation about music, family, and the pull of home. JD talks about growing up in Fort Smith, leaving Arkansas to chase music in Nashville, and why he ultimately came back. He shares how small-town life, family, and nostalgia shape his songwriting, along with the realities of building a music car...

In this episode of Free Arkansas, Andy McNeill sits down with Jennifer James, a fourth-generation farmer from Newport, Arkansas, to talk about the past, present, and future of American agriculture. Jennifer helps run a 130-year-old Arkansas Century Farm, serves on the Riceland Foods Board of Directors, and has been a national leader in sustainability efforts for U.S. rice. She shares how her famil...

Host Andy McNeill sits down with Bryan Sanders, Arkansas’s First Gentleman, for an in-depth conversation about the outdoors, conservation, and why Arkansas is emerging as a premier destination for outdoor recreation. Bryan shares personal stories about falling in love with Arkansas, duck hunting and deer hunting with his sons, mountain biking across the state, and helping lead the Natural State In...

Andy McNeill and Misty Hale kick off the new year by talking through the cultural trends, tech shifts, and strange predictions already floating around. From the idea of “dumb phones” becoming a status symbol, to whether romance is making a comeback, to the possibility of pipe smoking and ex-influencers, they unpack what feels plausible, what feels silly, and what might actually be happening beneat...

Andy McNeill sits down with Dr. Jim Carr for a wide-ranging conversation on higher education in Arkansas, based on Dr. Carr’s decades as a university leader and service on state and federal boards. The discussion starts with how Dr. Carr ended up sanctioned by the Chinese government, then moves into how colleges work, how they are funded, and where the system could use new ideas.📌 In this episode...

It’s almost Christmas, and in this episode Andy McNeill and Misty Hale are feeling festive while still talking about what’s happening in Arkansas and beyond.🎁 In this episode:🎄 Arkansas towns with Christmas-sounding names like Snowball, Holly Grove, and Star City😂 A hilarious Christmas-themed SNL skit worth sharing🌿 A thoughtful, level-headed conversation on marijuana policy, medical use, and...