Up + Adam with Adam Montiel

What if the mountain in front of you wasn’t meant to break you, but to build you? On today’s episode of Up+Adam, Adam Montiel sits down with Joshua Rosa, a nationally recognized speaker, author, and the voice behind the powerful podcast Made For This Mountain. Joshua shares his journey through trauma, redemption, and obedience, inviting listeners into a deeper understanding of faith, failure, and...

She’s photographed the gods of rock, from Pink Floyd and Bob Dylan to Amy Winehouse and Leonard Cohen, and somehow, in the eye of Britpop’s loudest storm, she captured the rise and fall of Oasis like no one else ever could. In this episode of Up+Adam, award-winning music photographer Jill Furmanovsky joins Adam to talk about her stunning new book, Oasis: Trying to Find a Way Out of Nowhere, create...

What happens when a football team becomes a time capsule for a country on the edge of change? In this episode, Adam sits down with award-winning journalist and author David Fleming to unpack A Big Mess in Texas, the jaw-dropping, hilarious, and deeply human true story of the 1952 Dallas Texans. You don’t have to know a first down from a fumble to love this story. Whether you're a sports fan or not...

In this #TrueCrimeTuesday episode of Up+Adam, Adam Montiel goes deep Inside the Cartel with former FBI Special Agent Martin Suarez, the man known inside the Bureau as its most prolific undercover operative in FBI history, and Ian Frisch, the acclaimed journalist who helped him bring his untold story to life. For 23 years, Suarez lived as “Manny,” infiltrating a Colombian narco empire, smuggling $1...

 UP+ADAM LISTENERS — FOR THE NEXT 48 HOURS, GET SLO OPERA TICKETS FOR JUST $25!  USE PROMO CODE: HANSEL25 THIS IS MAJOR SAVINGS — SOME TICKETS ARE USUALLY $50, OTHERS UPWARDS OF $100 DEPENDING ON SEATING. DON’T MISS THIS LIMITED-TIME DEAL TO EXPERIENCE WORLD-CLASS OPERA FOR A FRACTION OF THE PRICE. Continuing with Artober coverage on Up+Adam, we’re diving into the whimsical and slightly wicked wor...

What happens when the dream of reality TV becomes a nightmare? In this episode of Up+Adam, broadcaster Adam Montiel sits down with award-winning journalist and podcast host Bridget Armstrong to talk about her hit investigative series, Curse of: America’s Next Top Model. Bridget takes us behind the scenes of one of the most iconic and controversial shows of the early 2000s, peeling back the glamoro...

Part of our month-long ARTober on Up+Adam series This week on Up+Adam, Adam welcomes Andrew Sewell, the visionary conductor and Music Director of the San Luis Obispo Symphony, for a rich and revealing conversation about the power of music, the art of conducting, and the emotional undercurrent of performance. From the magic of the baton to the subtle skill of knowing when to disappear into the musi...

She’s been possessed, kidnapped, cloned, and married more times than we can count, and we’ve loved her for every second of it. On this episode of Up+Adam, Adam Montiel sits down with the incomparable Deidre Hall, the woman behind one of television’s most iconic characters: Dr. Marlena Evans of Days of Our Lives. As Days celebrates its upcoming induction into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fa...

In this #TrueCrimeTuesday episode of Up+Adam, Adam Montiel sits down with Elin Lantz Lesser, award-winning producer, former clinical psychologist, and host of the powerful new podcast America’s Crime Lab . Together, they explore the heartbreak and humanity behind unsolved crimes, and the revolutionary forensic science giving victims and families a voice—sometimes decades after the fact. From the g...

Adam chatted with Lindsey Baruch of Lindsey Eats, a creator with over 1 million followers across Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and her blog, about her debut cookbook Something Delicious: 100 Recipes for Everyday Cooking (Ten Speed Press, releases September 30, 2025). They dive into cooking with all five senses, how to build confidence fast with low-fuss techniques, and why “delicious beats pretty” e...

In this episode of Up+Adam, Adam sits down with Robin Wolff, committee member of the City of San Luis Obispo’s Promotional Coordinating Committee, to talk about ARTober , SLO’s month-long celebration of arts and humanities held every October. Robin breaks down what ARTober is, how the city activates public art and performances (think: Piano in the Plaza, gallery openings, theater, open studios, pu...

She’s not just the daughter of comedy legend Don Rickles. Mindy Rickles is a sharp, hilarious, and deeply human storyteller who’s carving out a voice all her own. In this episode, Mindy joins Adam for a one-of-a-kind conversation about growing up in the house that comedy built, the moments Don Rickles did (and didn’t) turn it off, and why her new podcast “Mindy, Ed & Don Rickles” is more than...

On this True Crime Tuesday, former Brooklyn homicide prosecutor Anna-Sigga Nicolazzi (pretty positive you’ve seen one of her many shows on TV too!) joins Up+Adam for a gripping conversation that pulls back the curtain on the real-life cases that shaped America’s approach to terrorism. As the host of Law & Order: Criminal Justice System, Anna-Sigga shares stories that go beyond the headlines an...

Today on Up+Adam, we’re sitting down with Nick Firestone, CEO of Firestone Walker Brewing Company and one of the most respected names in craft beer. With the brewery just announcing a multi-year extension of its partnership with Cal Poly, we dive deep into what this collaboration means not just for beer, but for the community, for student-athletes, and for the future of brewing talent coming out o...

What happens when two theater kids say "yes" to flavor, passion, and building a cocktail empire from the ground up? In this episode, Adam welcomes Lauren Butler into the Timbre LoBro Studios, the co-founder of Yes Cocktail Co., as she pours out the story behind one of Paso Robles' most exciting and nationally celebrated brands. From their early days slinging small-batch syrups at Farmers’ Market t...

What do Disney’s The Princess and the Frog, Marvel’s Captain America: Brave New World, and TV classics like Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, In Living Color, Full House, and A Different World all have in common? Writer Rob Edwards. For more than 40 years, Rob has been shaping the way we laugh, cry, and see ourselves on screen. In this episode of Up+Adam, Adam Montiel sits down with Rob to talk about survi...

Comic René Vaca Is Up+Adam  Comedian René Vaca joins Adam Montiel ahead of his upcoming show at the Performing Arts Center San Luis Obispo on Wednesday, September 25. From growing up in Van Nuys to winning StandUp NBC and performing with the likes of Bill Burr and Ken Jeong, René shares how comedy became his therapy, his hustle, and his way through it all. In this candid conversation, the two tal...

Adam will be leading a live workshop on The Art of the Interview at this year’s Central Coast Writers Conference , happening September 26–27, 2025 at Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo. For details and registration, visit cuesta.edu/writers-conference Listen to Up+Adam with Adam Montiel: Official Website: adammontiel.com Apple Podcasts: Up+Adam on Apple Podcasts Spotify: Up+Adam on Spotify iHeartRa...

In this episode, Adam sits down with the always soulful and ever-authentic Dan Curcio, frontman of Moonshiner Collective, to talk about the final Under the Moon concert of the season, happening Saturday, September 20th at Marcerro at Dairy Creek Golf Course in San Luis Obispo. These shows have become iconic on the Central Coast, blending music, memory, and the kind of open-air, magic-hour energy t...

In this episode of Up+Adam, Adam chats with Dr. James McGibney, the former U.S. Marine turned digital justice warrior, to talk about what it takes to take down cyberbullies, online predators, and the shadow networks that traffic in shame.  You’ve seen him in the Netflix doc The Most Hated Man on the Internet. You’ve seen his work on VICE, Dr. Phil, and now on A&E’s brand-new special Bully Hun...

On this episode of Up+Adam, broadcaster Adam Montiel sits down with William and Mary Jane Jodry, the parents of Thomas “Tommy” Jodry, a 21-year-old man who died after falling from a San Luis Obispo parking structure under deeply suspicious circumstances. While officials quickly closed the case, the Jodrys have spent nearly six years piecing together what really happened that night, facing roadbloc...

What do Bruce Lee, Saturday morning cartoons, bootleg VHS tapes, and the birth of hip hop all have in common? Today on Up+Adam, we go full roundhouse into the cultural explosion that was the kung fu movie craze, and the two men who’ve written the definitive, illustrated, and absolutely jaw-dropping story behind it. Adam is joined by Grady Hendrix, bestselling author and co-founder of the New York...

You’ve heard his voice for decades on The Price is Right, Deal or No Deal, Supermarket Sweep, and so many more. But Randy West has seen more than just the shiny side of television. In his new book TV Inside-Out, this 30-year TV veteran takes us deep backstage into the chaos, feuds, and unforgettable moments that shaped the medium we thought we knew. From Johnny Carson’s dark family drama to wild n...

In this episode of Up+Adam, broadcaster Adam Montiel chats with urban free climber Adam Lockwood, known around the world as Nuisance. You’ve probably seen one of his videos without even realizing it was him: scaling towers, cranes, and high-rises barefoot, no ropes, no permission, and somehow, no fear. But behind every climb is something deeper. Recorded before his jaw-dropping jump off the Eiffel...

What do you get when a stand-up comedy set crashes headfirst into a real-life murder? On this True Crime Tuesday, we sit down with comedian Edd Hedges and Emmy-nominated producer Jodi Tovay, the duo behind Wisecrack, a genre-bending true crime podcast that’s part comedy, part nightmare, and completely real. Edd returned to his hometown for a charity show, only to find himself at the center of a ho...