The Ranch Podcast

Dr. Melyssa Ferro is a STEM teacher as well as Tech Integration and Innovation specialist with the Caldwell Public School District. She was integral in helping revolutionize the education space instantly over covid, and is a huge proponent of utilizing the tools that we have at our disposal to make better more capable students. However, there are many people who are now questioning why we have so...

Burk Mantel is a Fish & Game advocate in Idaho. He was instrumental almost 40 years ago in populating the state with wild turkeys to produce an alternate hunting option for all Idahoans. Fish & Game is one of the biggest draws in this state, and Burk has worked for over four decades to help preserve and support these incredible opportunities. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is shot just north of...

Alicia Purdy is a High School Resource English teacher in Vallivue School district. She is also the IEA Region 8 Representative and Western regional chair for the NEA Republican Educators Caucus. She is a public education advocate, community organizer, and extremely conservative. We spoke at length about community buy in, fiscal responsibility, library bills, and more. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is...

Chris Waters is the president of Code 3 to 1, a retired first responder organization in the treasure valley that focuses on providing community and offering any help or guidance that might be needed by current first responders. He is a stark reminder of how much these professions ask from humans, and how much people have to pay to survive a career protecting normal citizens like me. I greatly appr...

Dr. Jared Talley is a professor at Boise State University. He found his way into education as an adult and fell deeply in love with it. Today he helps teach undergraduate as well as graduate students, and more than anything, he has a different vision about the role and value of education in our society. This one is a keeper. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is shot just north of Eagle, Idaho.  The Ranch P...

Sheriff Matt Clifford is the elected Sheriff of Ada County. His office is the only elected law enforcement office in the county and is tasked with running the jail system and keeping law and order. His office also helps run several local police departments, including the Eagle Police Department. We discussed many things including what his constitutional obligations are to the citizens of the count...

Dr. John Condie is a Pediatric Neurologist who specializes in youth brain development. He has also dealt with some of the most horrific side effects from technological overload that you could imagine. His message to parents is beyond compelling and should be at least deeply considered by everyone with children. The Ranch Podcast is shot just north of Eagle, Idaho.  The Ranch Podcast is the premier...

Lt. Shawn Harper of Meridian PD is a school safety expert. I asked him to come in and speak about HB 415, the bill that would allow employees and volunteers on school campuses to carry a firearm. His insights and ideas were fantastic and are well worth a listen to anyone interested in this bill and school safety in the great state of Idaho. The Ranch Podcast is shot just north of Eagle, Idaho.  Th...

Amanda Martinez and Brittany Hansen are C-Suite executives for Viiision, a tech company that uses AI and blockchain tech to hold companies accountable and deliver a level of consumer and business confidence that up until now has been impossible to do. Viiision also enables smaller providers, like local farmers, the opportunity to aggregate and utilize data from their operations to get credits and...

West Ada school district provides transportation for a huge population of students. It also provides busing for students that attend schools of choice, which are optional campuses that focus in on specific things, like STEM or Fine Arts. As such, there are multiple systems for busing students who at times live far beyond their normal neighborhood school boundaries. The district is attempting to fi...

Social media is currently being touted as a huge benefit to aspiring college athletes. Some schools even try to organize companies and other groups to come and speak with athletes and their families about how they can improve their individual social media platforms to help with recruiting and NIL (Namer, image, likeness) deals. What they don't realize is they may actually be subjecting their...

Callie Zamzow is the Co-CEO of Zamzows Home & Garden center. The company was founded by her great grandparents over 90 years ago, making her the 4th generation to be deeply engaged with the iconic Treasure Valley company. With popularized media displaying the passing of the guard of large, multigenerational companies and estates, it was incredibly interesting to hear how she and her family hav...

Representative Julie Yamamoto is the District 11 Representative. She is a proud NRA member, firm conservative Republican, life long Idahoan, and very much believes that HB 415 could be improved. She is also on a board of a school system that currently has firearms on campus for the safety of the staff and students. Her perspective was incredibly valuable for anyone interested in this bill. Enjoy!...

Aoibheann Cline is a lobbyist for the National Rifle Association of America. She came to speak with me about the perspective that allowing teachers to arm themselves for self defense is a question of second amendment rights. The current HB 415 looks to do just that. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is shot just north of Eagle, Idaho.  The Ranch Podcast is the premier source for long format interviews and...

Representative Ted Hill is the district 14 Rep for the State of Idaho, which covers Eagle and Emmett. He has several bills being considered in the 2024 session, including bills about armed school campuses, fentanyl prosecution reform, and banning centralized digital currency. This episode was recorded the week prior to the session starting.  The Ted Hill show: https://youtube.com/@EdwardHillForIda...

Rob Gillis is a retired law enforcement agent that was the first responding officer to a school shooting that resulted in several fatalities. This is a difficult conversation to have, but Rob's experiences and perspective are incredibly valuable to consider. The Ranch Podcast is shot just north of Eagle, Idaho.  The Ranch Podcast is the premier source for long format interviews and informatio...

Nurse Kelli is a teen safety and mental health advocate focused on helping parents and teens understand the overwhelmingly damaging effects of phones and social media before people are equipped to handle it. She is the engine behind CommittingTo16 DOT Org, an organization that helps people find ways to avoid smartphone usage until 16 or older. If you are raising a young person, this is incredibly...

Brian Almon is an independent political writer and is also on the library board for Eagle. We had a fantastic conversation and spoke about political polarization, where he thinks our country is headed, and what he expects from the upcoming session. His substack is “gemstate” and his X handle is @gemstatebrian Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast is shot just north of Eagle, Idaho.  The Ranch Podcast is the pr...

Rex Ingram is the Chief of Police for Caldwell, Idaho. He takes incredible pride in his leadership role with the department and the community. Ingram comes to the City of Caldwell from the Los Angeles Police Department where he proudly served his community for nearly 17 years. We spoke extensively about the issues Caldwell is struggling with, the gang problems it has, interstate drug enforcement,...

Dr. Derek Bub is the superintendent of West Ada School District. WASD is the highest ranking large school district in the state of Idaho. It has a very unique school choice program, several STEM and art programs, an IB program, and more. Aside from the programs it offers, it also has a huge number of students at almost 40,000. It was wonderful to have a chance to speak with Dr. Bub how the distric...

Following Mayor Pierce's interview, Mayor-Elect Brad Pike also came in to discuss the recent city council modifications to the city government as well as articles written about Eagle's first responder population, California transplants, and Brad himself. I greatly appreciate his time and perspective. Enjoy! Eagle, Idaho The Ranch Podcast Episode #82

Jason Pierce was the mayor of Eagle from 2020 to 2023. He recently lost in a run-off election to city council president Brad Pike. Following the run-off, there were two council meetings that have become the subject of much attention as well as several national articles describing Eagle as being taken over by California retirees with bloated pensions and liberal politics. Mayor Pierce kindly came i...

Tracy Basterrechea is the Chief of Police for Meridian, Idaho. He has successfully presided over the police service in one of the fastest growing cities in Idaho. His commitment to maintaining safety as well as connection to the community is uncompromising. Enjoy! Eagle, Idaho The Ranch Podcast Episode #80

Deputy Gomez is a nationally recognized School Resource Officer with incredible knowledge and insights into the dark work of social media and the scams involved. In this show, we speak specifically about the nature of "sex-tortion" on SnapChat, how it plays out differently for boys and girls, why our young men are committing suicide, and what we as parents can do. The Ranch Podcast Episo...

Bob Inglis is the Executive Director of republicEn.org, a growing group of conservatives who care about climate change. He served in the U.S. Congress from 1993 to 1999 and again from 2005-2011, a Republican representing Greenville-Spartanburg, South Carolina. Over the course of his political career, Bob realized there was a lack of rational, economic based dialogue centered around the Climate Deb...