American Podcast

In this episode we take a look at being a creative in small town North Dakota. Joel Janikowski is a singer songwriter, designer & paraeducator from Hettinger, North Dakota. Joel appreciates the small town lifestyle and making music on his own terms.  Joel talks about paraeducation, his design work and why he's chosen not to pursue a record contract. He talks about North Dakota, the weather, the industry and what its like to live in one of the least populated states in the the United States.  

Jeremy and Chandler Quarles are the founders of Peach and Pine Interiors out of Nashville Tennessee. In this episode we talk about their approach to interior design. their roots in the music industry and their “Love Where you Live Podcast.” We talk about Nashville architecture, what it's like to live there and where to get good cup of coffee or bite to eat.

Ram Denison is the director of the award winning film “What Happened in Vegas”. He is set to release his latest film “Money Machine” to the festival circuit in the summer of 2020. Both are feature length documentaries that analyze corruption in the Las Vegas Metropolitian police department. “What Happened in Vegas,” was sparked by Ram’s own experience with police brutality, which led to his investigation into reports of corruption in the LVMPD. “Money Machine” takes a hard look at Las Vegas and how it responded to the October 1 Mass Shooting in 2017, in light of Ram’s discoveries in the first film. In this episode, we talk about Ram’s trajectory from working at a small tv station in Florida to editing television shows in Los Angeles. We talk about Ram’s approach to filmmaking, the festival circuit, and how the market for independent film has changed over the last 20 years. We discuss the death of George Floyd at the hands of police officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota and what Ram sees as victory in his own quest against police brutality and corruption.

  Writer Jim Cornelius talks about his work with Frontier Partisans, Running Iron Report, what it's like to edit a small town newspaper, and how he helped start the Sisters Folk Festival which has become internationally known. Jim's research has culminated in the book Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans -- click to purchase Jims Book from Paulina Springs Book Store in Sisters, OR. Our conversation ranges from exploring the mixed cultures that exist on the edges of civilization to exploring his own observations of the frailty of modern society, and how he believes localism could be the answer. Jim talks about his upbringing in Southern California, how Disney helped foster his fascination with the frontiers of the world, and how the later influence of songwriters like Waylon Jennings and Steve Earle impacted his approach to writing and performing his own music.

Collin Henderson coaches businesses and athletic teams on how to deal with stress. Collin shares how his own personal journey with anxiety, panic attacks and stuttering led to a career in public speaking and mental skills coaching. This episode is stacked with stories and advice from how parents can be better parents to their student athletes, to why businesses should be investing in the mental health of their employees. Collin shares some of the skills he teaches to major companies across the US, and illustrates the context of how relevant these teachings are to major athletics programs and Fortune 500 companies.  We talk about Collin's experiences at Washington State University where he was a two sport athlete under legendary coach Mike Price. We talk about Phil Jackson, the Yankees and how their implementation of mind coaches changed the landscape of professional sports. This episode is part 1 of 2. Part two delves into how Collin coaches businesses and athletic programs. Part 1 explores Collin’s own personal trajectory and mindset.

Eli Pyke, his wife Kelly and their two young children have built a life around filmmaking and being a family while living on the road off and on. In the process they’ve produced two autobiographical documentaries about how they’ve processed life while living on the road. This interview was recorded in February of 2020. Eli is joining us from inside a Winnebago Adventurer, in the southern desert of Arizona. In this episode we discuss the ups and downs of living full time in an RV, on the road, and what its like to be a traveling filmmaker. Eli talks about the first film of The Far Green Country documentary series, and discusses how learning to mourn the death of his father has led to a sequel The Far Green Country 2: At Road’s End. Click to watch The Far Green Country on Amazon Prime

Casey Casseday produced and directed the award winning film “Sushi Size Me,” which documents a high school teacher and basketball coach, who accepted the challenge to eat $1500 worth of sushi over the course of a month, and document the experience. Casey has a strong background in what has become known as Reality TV. We discuss his experiences on these types of shows which include hidden camera, and hoax shows like Scare Tactics a Punk’d. We talk about Caseys work as a director of photography on the documentary “The Green Rush.” which told the story of illicit marijuana farming in Northern California. I attended college with Casey at the Murrow School of Communication at Washington State University. We compare our time in college, editing tape to tape versus the current state of technology. We discuss ethics, and comedy, and how content has changed over the years.

When faced with having too much food after an event, Chef Cory LaFranchi drove into the neighborhood he grew up in to pass out the extra hamburgers for free -- to feed those in need. Inspired by the experience Cory is finding ways to keep giving away free food as he grows his business, which is coincidentally, named Street Eats Mobile Eatery. We talk about how Cory first got into the restaurant life, How he left a lucrative Union job to start a small independent business, and what the future might have in store for him and his family.

Part 1 takes a look at Lance’s personal story, what led him to be a YWAM base leader in Ukraine and what his day to day life looks like. Part 2 goes into Lance’s observations and thoughts on Ukraine , Russia and the United States. What it’s like to live as an American in a former communist nation and what’s it like to experience the Culture of the United Sates after living abroad for extended periods of time.

Shane Simonsen hosts missionary Lance Roberts in 2 separate podcasts. Part 1 gives us a look at who lance is and what is work is about. Part 2 is a deeper look into Lance's thoughts and observations of the United States and Ukraine. Lance and his wife currently lead a YWAM base in Ternopil, Ukraine. Lance shares his thoughts on raising children in the mission field, exploring castle ruins, how Ukraine is similar and different from the US and how the creative arts can be used in ministry. Lance describes his vision and hope for Ukraine as nation that can impact the world in a positive way.  He talks a bit about Ukraine's unique history and place in the world, and how he started a photography club to help the people of Ukraine develop a sense of place and identity.