My First Rodeo Podcast

Send us Fan Mail Rahn Hortman drops by to talk about having the courage to go full-time in comedy, some of his firsts along the way, marriage, the challenge of raising children with Sickle Cell Disease, and learning from comedy legends. He's one of the good ones! @freedtolaugh on IG

Send us Fan Mail There is no one else like her. Jenn is relatable, expressive, and hilarious.   Jenn drops by the show to talk about how it all started for her, backing into things, "waiting her turn," authenticity, grief and being clean in the not always so clean world of comedy. @freedtolaugh on IG

Send us Fan Mail Who doesn't love Nick Harvey! From growing up in segregated Jackson, Tennessee to taking his first mic on a Navy frigate about to pass the equator, to being "gang life adjacent," Nick shares his inspiration for comedy, poetry and for life! @freedtolaugh on IG

Send us Fan Mail The former theatre kid, who seamlessly blends humor, song and theatrical performance on topics that range from body image to womanhood, dating to divorce, and depression to life as a middle child, joins Mike to talk about her approach to it all! @freedtolaugh on IG

Send us Fan Mail From the heights of collegiate basketball success to the depths of a Nebraska roadside ditch, Patric's life experience will encourage anyone who is wrestling with hope.  Mike and Patric talk basketball, coachability, family, identity, about the accident that robbed Patric of the ability to walk, and the journey forward.  Strength, courage, pain and positivity feature prominen...

Send us Fan Mail Too many firsts to name!  Historic Jacksonville Mayor who preserved land, invested in infrastructure and pursued innovative ways to understand and represent everyone - not just those who voted for him.   Public University and Private College President - who won over critics who initially saw him as not "enough of an academic."  And, before all that, Chief Assistant State...

Send us Fan Mail Adam took the helm of Hillel, the world's leading Jewish student organization, just months before the Pandemic.   So, there has been no shortage of crises for the man who heads an organization that counts 180,000 Jewish students in 850 colleges and universities as its constituency.   Mike and Adam get into how the lawyer, turned entrepreneur, turned playwright, and oh yeah a...

Send us Fan Mail After her debut performance as a fairy in elementary school, Helen didn't perform again for decades. She has been on a pretty good tear ever since  -  playing memorable characters in Jane the Virgin, Never Have I Ever, booking her first commercial (Comcast Cable) and then her first acting audition : a Coen Brothers classic,  becoming a regular on NPR's Wait Wait Don&apos...

Send us Fan Mail Seth and Mike talk, growing up Jewish with the shadow of the Holocaust front and center and how, for Seth, this permeated his DNA and his being and drew him to innocence work. The Bone Valley Murder, college protests, and passion feature prominently. @freedtolaugh on IG

Send us Fan Mail A touring theatre comedian out of Nashville, Tennessee, Lee has two successful DryBar comedy specials. Mike and Lee talk, comedy entrepreneurship, creating opportunities vs. being angry about the opportunities that don't come, television work, upbringing, lacking luxury but being provided for and encouraged, and growth. @freedtolaugh on IG

Send us Fan Mail The millennial president is on this episode.  He became the 30th president of Edward Waters College, now University, in 2018.  Since then he’s shaken things up for EWU and the entire HBCU world.  He is enthusiastic, thoughtful, demanding of himself and others, and above all passionate.  Want to find out how he got that way?  Check it out! @freedtolaugh on IG

Send us Fan Mail When it comes to news reporting, Alex Ebert is at the same time a throwback to old school journalism and a foreshadowing of what newsrooms are becoming.  Perspective, exuberance, how stories impact the lives of real people and the judicial process, learning from mistakes, pursuing passion, and work life balance.  This episode has it all. @freedtolaugh on IG

Send us Fan Mail This episode is all about leadership and service.  No one better exemplifies both than the man who has led at the highest levels of PepsiCo, Eastman Kodak, Bristol Myers Squibb, Johnson & Johnson, and now his own alma mater (and Mike”s too), Jacksonville University.  Passion, encouragement and loyalty feature prominently. @freedtolaugh on IG

Send us Fan Mail You asked for it, you got it: a larger dose of the reality show that is produced for an audience of two in the home of a 56 year old comedian/lawyer and his 15 year old daughter.   This episode gives you a taste of the bantar, sarcasm, sharing, exploring and compassion that occurs daily in the home of two people from very different generations.   You will be as captivated by the i...

Send us Fan Mail From "The Tonight Show" to "Last Comic Standing" -  from appearances on "That 70's Show," ""Scrubs," "Will & Grace," and "Agent Carter," - and from commercials for Honda, Heineken, Doritos and even Midol -- there is no shortage of firsts to discuss.   This high energy conversation covers a bunch.   From his...

Send us Fan Mail Dave joins Mike to talk about the challenges and failures that inspired him to run over 3,400 miles --- coast to coast – in 80 days, run 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days, and to do triathlons every day for 32 days – all to raise money and awareness for charities!!!   His accomplishments, and impact through inspiration, too great to list.  “His Game, His Rules!”  “Accomplisher...

Send us Fan Mail As portrayed in the Hollywood feature film, “Brian Banks,” Brian was destined for football stardom when he was wrongfully accused of sexual assault and took his lawyer’s advice to plead “no contest.”  He spent the next six years in prison only to be exonerated when his accuser confessed to lying.  Brian shares with Mike how he persevered, continued to dream and to realize dreams. ...

Send us Fan Mail  He’s performed on The Tonight Show, Letterman, Colbert, James Corden, Craig Fergusson and was a finalist on Last Comic standing. Michael shares how making the family laugh around the dinner table and the encouragement of his parents gave him the confidence and patience to build a successful career as a Touring Stand-up Comedian.  Lot’s of great insight from one of the nicest guys...

Send us Fan Mail Get to know one of the consummate television news journalists of our day, her history, her heart and her approach to relaying the news and exploring personalities, stories and issues with compassion and objectivity.  @freedtolaugh on IG

Send us Fan Mail An informative and fun conversation about the unique piece of Americana and running lure that is The Boston Marathon.   Marc talks to Mike about his first Boston in 2003 as a Bandit, 17 Bostons since, fun facts about the race, the importance in finding beauty in imperfection and the intrinsic value of a beautiful question.   This episode is for runners and non-runners alike! @free...

Send us Fan Mail If you or someone you know is battling cancer, you won’t want to miss this episode with Dr. John Oertle - a leading expert in advanced precision medicine and the Chief Medical Director at Envita Medical Centers in Arizona specializing in individualized outcome-based care models for chronic disease and integrative oncology.  Mike and Dr. Oertle talk cancer genomics, immunotherapy,...

Send us Fan Mail Boston Marathon Champion Jack Fultz sits down with Mike to lay out what it takes to win; the differences between success and winning and between competition and enemies.   Fultz lays out the formula to use a platform for the greater good and the psychology behind the athlete. You don’t want to miss these insights from the winner of the “run for the hoses.” @freedtolaugh on IG

Send us Fan Mail Mike chats with two generations of actual rodeo royalty. Listen in to a conversation about practice, hard work, relationships, role models and family in an ageless sport where winning is the ultimate goal. And join Mike to celebrate the first season of the My First Rodeo Podcast. @freedtolaugh on IG

Send us Fan Mail Comedy, TV, movies and even battle rapping - Rio Paris does it all with excellence. In this episode, Rio and Mike talk about the best comedy advice, how to be kind and successful and how parenting changes everything. @freedtolaugh on IG

Send us Fan Mail Meet the man who ran without any support from California to New York in just over 71 days. He then set the record for running Badwater - 147 miles in 73 hours.  And then ran through 26 states in 147 days straight.  Mike and Jay Chat about momentum, the importance of being unrelenting and why it’s best to order the food that a restaurant serves most! @freedtolaugh on IG