Rooted Wisconsin

Keifer Sykes is a professional basketball player known for a decorated college career at the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay, a championship win in Poland with Legia Warsaw, and his time in the NBA with the Indiana Pacers. He recently became the General Manager for the UWGB men's basketball team and had his #24 jersey retired by the program. His life and career are the subject of the 2018 do...

Natalie Jansen is a morning show host on WIXX, former 102.9 The Hog Rock Girl, and reality tv alum from VH1's Dating Naked. In this episode, Brad and Natalie discuss her radio career, love of the industry, and it getting kicked off by being the Rock Girl, the importance of continuous self-work and mental health, parenthood, her time on Dating Naked, wild times on Milwaukee's North Avenue,...

Russ Nockerts is a Pitmaster and the Owner of Steel Belly Barbecue in Algoma, Wisconsin. The decision to take his business full time stemmed from a lunchbreak phone call with his wife, halfway through his day as a welder, where she mentioned that they should talk about taking focusing more energy on Steel Belly. That "talk" ended up happening that night, with Russ giving his two weeks no...

Dr. John Utrie is a retired urogynecologist/pelvic surgeon who suffered for decades with the debilitating effects of cluster headaches (also known as suicide headaches). Pushed to the brink of deciding if live was worth living having to deal with the excruciating pain and agitation that comes with cluster headaches, John was down to a decision, leave this life by his own hand or try something ille...

Dan Lawrence is a successful founder, entrepreneur, and Unites States Air Force veteran. Following his honorable discharge, Dan started a successful career in the private sector, quickly leading a national lighting and electrical contractor from $11mil in sales to over $46mil in the span of six years. Feeling his value to the organization was outweighing the benefits he was receiving, Dan bet on h...

Dr. Ryan Martin (aka the Anger Professor) is a leading expert on emotional wellness and anger management. He helps people master emotional challenges and harness the power of emotions—especially anger—for personal growth and success. His work focuses on delivering practical, research-backed strategies through clear, direct, and actionable advice. In his role as Dean of the College of Arts, Humanit...

Born into a Wisconsin-based cult, Shifrah Morgan (and MANY others) endured a life of abuse, trauma, and manipulation until she was able to escape. The Shawano based group, known by several names including the "Samanta Roy Institute of Science and Technology (SIST) and the "Rama Cult", has left a wake of negative impact since being founded in the early 70's by a man formerly known as Rama Behera (h...

Arts Fishing Club is a Nashville-based indie-folk band known for their energetic live performances and heartfelt lyricism. Led by Christopher Kessenich (from Appleton Wisconsin), the band blends elements of rock, folk, and indie music. Their music captures a sense of adventure and camaraderie, reflecting themes of love, life, and the journey of chasing dreams. The band’s name is a tribute to Kesse...

Sophie Herriot is a Wisconsin track and field athlete, who graduated from Arrowhead High School, moving on to pole vault at UW-Madison before transferring to Marquette last season. In this episode, Brad and Sophie discuss her passion for vaulting, having her Dad as a coach, mental and physical hurdles she has faced in being a D1 college athlete, NIL and marketing, being an influencer, the value of...

12 years into a career in healthcare, with a good portion of those spent being a critical care pediatric nurse practitioner, Carey Sharpe was burned out and ready for a change. Her fist shift, transitioning into entrepreneurship as one of two owners of The Howard in Oshkosh, was a taste of life outside of healthcare. She followed that with a project rekindling one of her first loves, music. Sharpe...

Brian Johnson is the President and CEO of On Broadway, Inc. in Green Bay and an Alderman representing Green Bay's 9th District. After graduation from UW-Madison with a degree in Political Science, Brian's dream of becoming a member of Congress shifted to being an entrepreneur. After a stint in contracting, he spent 7 years as a business owner before selling and beginning work for the Green Bay Cha...

Identifying a passion for teaching early, and following a path of serving and supporting others, Michael J. Brown has built a career on those principles (even before he was in the classroom). A dynamic individual that lights up the room, his charisma, positive energy, and genuine nature serve him well as he does it. Having the pleasure of knowing Michael for many years, I'm excited to give you...

From selling drawings to classmates as a kid to his current full time income being driven by his art, Ryan Ebert has always been a creator with an entrepreneurial spirit. Following 11 years as the Art Director for Hoard's Dairyman and Hay & Forage Grower Magazine, Ryan left his "comfortable" career to focus full-time on his art business. You can find him making some of the cooles...

Amanda Miceli is an entrepreneur, creative, fashion designer, marketer, and speaker, on a personal mission to inspire and assist people in being their most authentic selves. The founder and CEO of the BOLD Marketing Agency, Amanda has not only built an incredible brand for herself, she does it for others as well. In this episode, Amanda and Brad discuss marketing and the importance (and definition...

Tom Mosgaller is an author, experienced community builder, teacher, and leader who believes that the power of relationships is the cornerstone of strong, vibrant communities. Tom has led, taught, and coached community builders in the art of pulling together in places both big and small, urban and rural, locally, and internationally. He has celebrated successes and learned from setbacks that inspir...

Chris Mangless is a chef and restaurant owner whose version of art is shared through food and experience, and quite the artist he is. Walking through a door opened by a high school teacher has led Chris on a path of passion and excellence in his field. From becoming the Travelling Chef in his teens to feeding a laundry list of celebrities, athletes, and high profile business folks, one thing remai...

Rex Meikle is the Founder of Door Born, a lifestyle and apparel brand built to capture the beauty, sophistication, and charm of the Great Lakes (and, of course, Door County). Attending UW-Stout to be a tech ed teacher (while having a football career cut short by concussions), like many, Rex thought he had his plan written. That was, until life does what it does. After a year of teaching in Kohler,...

Brandon Tschacher is one of Wisconsin's most visible leaders. He has been recognized as an “Executive to Watch” (2021) by the Milwaukee Business Journal, was named one of the “Philanthropic 5” by the United Way of Greater Milwaukee (2020), received the “National Exceptional Service Award" by the Salvation Army USA (2020), and was named a “40 Under 40” by the Milwaukee Business Journal (2018). A Ni...

Nate Jansky is an Instructor and Work-Based Learning coordinator with GPS Education Partners, a Wisconsin non-profit organization working in the space of work-based learning. A teacher dunking on the playground lit a spark of interest in education for Nate at a young age. Following that passion, he has built a career supporting students in the alternative education space. In this episode, Brad and...

Stephanie Grady is a 2x Emmy-winning journalist, former gold-medal-winning figure skater, and the CEO and co-founder of Influential Athlete. Her experience as a high-profile public figure, combined with her husband and co-founder Joe's decade of experience as an athletic director, uniquely positions them to help elite female student-athletes maximize NIL opportunities and build success beyond thei...

Jake VandenPlas is the President and Founder of Door County Farm for Vets, a not-for-profit organization passionate about the value of local and sustainable food and farming practices, veteran's mental health, growing while healing, providing education and support to veterans, and the empowerment that comes with producing, growing, and harvesting your own food. In this episode, Brad and Jake t...

Dalton Hessel's goal being  @thenorthernnerd3325  is to create a platform where stories are shared, art is composed, and community in the Northwoods of Wisconsin is experienced. A second grade teacher in Hayward, Dalton melds his professional and personal life as a Dad, Husband, and just overall good dude, into an online presence that authentically draws folks in. In this episode, Brad and Dal...

Being raised in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan holds a special place in the hearts of Anders and Davin Lindwall. It almost pours out of them in conversation. Following formative years, both have been on a journey of creativity, of which the most recent product, "Green and Gold", tells the story of a farmer (Craig T. Nelson) who bets it ALL on the Packers. The brothers aim to tell the st...

Nathan Deming is an award winning filmmaker from Wisconsin, based in Los Angeles, who got his Master's in Filmmaking at the London Film School. In addition to his feature work, he is working on a multi-year project called "The Year Project" about life in Wisconsin, based on months of the year. The second of twelve, "February", which recently won the top prize and audience a...

Laken James is a professional basketball player, mentor, speaker, and advocate for empowering young female athletes. A decorated Wisconsin high school (Oconto), college (UWGB), and professional (Germany, Scotland, soon to be Australia) athlete who is also pursuing her PhD at the University of Edinburgh, Laken launched her Five Star Academy to give young female athletes the tools, mentorship, and i...