The Ranch Podcast

Senator Trakel is a vet, husband, and father in district 11 in Idaho. He is very active and engaged with the local school district and local government. We spoke at length about where Idaho is going, how it is being funded, public comment at local government meetings, and more. He was a pleasure to host. Enjoy! The Ranch Podcast Episode #78 Eagle, Idaho

Brian Brooks is the Executive Director of Idaho Wildlife Federation, a nonprofit organization with deep roots going back almost a century in Idaho. He came in on the heels of movement from the Biden administration to talk about the impending extinction of Idaho Salmon as a direct result of the four dams that no longer produce impactful water transportation or profitable electrical production. Not...

Mark Butler is a former City Councilman of Eagle, as well as Director of Development. He has lived here since the mid 1990s and watched as the physical and political landscape has changed. He offered perspectives and reminders that were incredible to hear. Enjoy! Eagle, Idaho The Ranch Podcast Episode #75

Jared Webb is the Owner & CEO of Zero Dark Thirty Coffee Co. He is also a disabled vet and retired law enforcement agent. He and his partner founded their budding coffee empire to help not only give meaningful structure to their lives, but also as a way to support the veteran and first responder communities deal with and work through the accumulated stress of the job. All of that, and the coff...

John Mattingly is a former Louisville Metro Police Sergeant who was shot in the line of duty the night of the Breonna Taylor incident. Much has been said about the night of the event, but very few of the popularized accounts are even remotely close to accurate. Speaking with him was eye opening. Eagle, Idaho The Ranch Podcast #72

Margaret Carmel is a senior journalist at BoiseDev and came to speak about the Eagle City Council meeting on Dec 12th where the council voted 3-1 to modify the powers of the Eagle Mayor. This comes just one week after the sitting mayor lost the mayoral election to the sitting council president. Margaret spoke at length about what the vote meant, what the implications are, the legality of the vote,...

Chapin Hemphill is one of the founding members of KeyRenter Boise. He's been in the rental management market for decades and his insights into issues that are universal across markets were awesome. Enjoy! YouTube video: https://youtu.be/5u4_D4LwPRQ Eagle, Idaho Episode #71

Julie Yamamoto is Idaho's District 10 legislative representative. She was featured in a KTVB news piece recently because of her hesitation with a library bill vote in the 2023 session. Much has been assumed about her vote, but hearing her in depth thoughts on the bill and what she thinks was objectionable was very valuable. She can be reached at: JYamamoto@house.idaho.gov #QualityReading #Cho...

Margaret Carmel is a full-time journalist with Boise Dev. She has been covering local politics in the Boise and Treasure Valley area for over five years. She very graciously agreed to meet with me to discuss just the facts of the two candidates running for Mayor in the city of Eagle. We covered many issues, including misinformation, the senior center, campaign funding, law enforcement, Avimor, and...

Mike Miraglia is a retired violent crimes detective for the city of Boise and the Fraternal Order of Police legislative chair for the state of Idaho. He has been fighting opponents of mandatory minimums for years and addresses several of the arguments against them. It was a fantastic conversation. Enjoy! Our partner for this podcast is Nugen Wellness Center. They focus intensely on integrative hea...

Megan Hoiosen is a serial entrepreneur and iconic figure in the historic downtown Eagle business world. She is the proprietor of Sweet Tea Living home decor and champion for businesses affected by the ACHD construction. She can be found at www.sweettealiving.design and on instagram at @sweettealiving. Enjoy! Eagle, Idaho The Ranch Podcast Episode #65

Brad Pike is the current Eagle city council president and is in a runoff election with the current city mayor, Jason Pierce. He came in for a second touch up conversation to clear up ideas and positions in advance of the vote on Dec 5th. Enjoy! Thank you for our sponsor! LegacyLifeMemories.com,  the premier video autobiographical production company for you or your aging loved ones. Legacy Life Mem...

Jason Pierce is the current mayor of Eagle and is in a runoff election with the president of the city council, Brad Pike. He came in for a second touch up conversation to clear up ideas and positions in advance of the vote on Dec 5th. Enjoy! Thank you for our sponsor! LegacyLifeMemories.com,  the premier video autobiographical production company for you or your aging loved ones. Legacy Life Memori...

Lisa Desilet is a business and performance coach for ambitious, high-performing entrepreneurs looking to optimize their skills to build the business and life of their dreams. By leveraging your natural strengths and abilities along with evidence-based practices, Lisa breathes freedom and life back into business to skyrocket your growth and success. She brings two decades of experience in education...

Deputy Gomez is a nationally recognized authority on teen safety and tech issues. He is both a sheriff's deputy and police officer, as well as a school resource officer. His work on teen safety and education for parents pulls him to speak across the nation, and this conversation did not disappoint. Enjoy! Our partner for this podcast is Nugen Wellness Center. They focus intensely on integrati...

Ted Hill is the 14th District State Legislator for Idaho. He has worked on over a dozen bills that help Idaho citizens, but some of his most crucial work is with the Fentanyl crisis currently overtaking Idaho.  Ted has also started his own YouTube Channel where he talks extensively about the issues and bills he's working on. Check it out here...https://www.youtube.com/@EdwardHillForIdaho@UCa1...

Nate Murphy is running for Eagle Fire Commissioner. He has an extensive background in negotiations and logistics and believes firmly that fiscal responsibility is of utmost importance for in an oversight position, like the fire commission. He was a blast to speak with. Enjoy! YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/HMx3uvAaBs8 Eagle, Idaho MTUSTUDIOS.COM The Ranch Podcast Episode #61

Clyde Dornier is a finance and strategic planning expert. He has a wealth of knowledge and experience from decades working in the private sector and now wants to bring his expertise and forethought to Eagle Fire. His desire to engage and contribute was infectious. You can find out more about him at https://www.clyde4eaglefire.com/about. Enjoy! YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/FUJ1hzMEmH0 Eagle, Ida...

Brian Simpson is a current Eagle Fire Commissioner, current fire fighter, and an Eagle lifer, through and through. His connection to the Eagle Fire Department goes back generations, and as an Eagle resident, this is more than just a commissionership. We spoke at length about how growth has affected the department, what is being done to prepare for future populations and building designs, and why h...

Chad Houck is a former Chief Deputy Secretary of State for the state of Idaho and explains how and why it's exceedingly improbable for anyone to be able to meaningfully manipulate the election system in the Gem State. We covered an incredible range of topics and scenarios, but you can make up your own mind about whether you feel the voting system is secure or not.  YouTube Video: https://yout...

Alexis Morgan is a state-wide education advocate. She is the host of the Our Kids Our Schools Podcast. She served as a local school board director for a district in the state of Idaho and is incredibly knowledgeable about the structure of the education system in Idaho. She has also been through several school board elections and has great insight into what people should be looking for when selecti...

Rene Ozuna is the current board trustee for Zone 5 in West Ada School District. She is a lifelong Idahoan and has kids in WASD since 2000. She very much believes that school policy has a massive impact on the surrounding area and works professionally as a analytics consultant. Enjoy!

Miguel DeLuna is a retired law enforcement officer. He spend a portion of his professional career as a personal body guard for three Superintendents in Oakland Unified School District. He has worked to attend board meetings and union negotiations and feels he has value to bring West Ada. Enjoy!

Tom Moore is running for West Ada School Board in Zone 5. He served in the military and also worked in the private sector in accounting. He has also been involved with recall efforts of other school board administrations in southern California. Enjoy! The data Tom references in the episode came from Niche.com. Niche ranks West Ada as an A- overall. It's not 100% clear to me where they're...

Susie Schuetz is a mother in the district, volunteer, and believer in communication as a solution. She very much values what West Ada has created and believes the education here is high quality but also believes there is room for improvement. Enjoy! YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/6-euvkGwSzU