Wendi Swope

In the tiny town of Turkey, Texas, a century-old hotel has become something truly special. With incredible live music, great food, and a community of people who make everyone feel like they belong, Hotel Turkey has created an experience that rivals destinations in cities many times its size. In this episode, we're joined by Carley du Menil, a partner and owner of Hotel Turkey, to talk about the people, vision, and hard work behind this remarkable place. We explore how the hotel became what it is today, the relationships that give it its unmistakable character, and the delicate balance of embracing change while preserving the heart and history of a place. It's a conversation about hospitality, community, and the magic that happens when people see the potential in a small town and create something extraordinary.

Wendi Swope has spent much of her career helping tell the stories of Amarillo. A longtime communications professional, she's worked in politics, built her own media company, and been involved in the people and projects that shape our community. But Wendi's own story is one of professional ambition, deep personal loss, resilience, and a remarkable commitment to the people and place she loves. In this episode, Wendi shares her journey through the world of communications and public service, her life with her late husband, AJ Swope, and the ways his legacy has continued to grow in the years since his passing. Through the work of Friends of AJ Swope, family and friends have created lasting tributes to his life, including the recently dedicated Panhandle First Responders Memorial. It's a thoughtful and deeply personal conversation about building a career, navigating life's hardest chapters, and finding meaningful ways to move forward while honoring the people who helped shape us.

Dean Yates picked up a guitar when he was about ten years old, and that was pretty much it. Music came naturally to him, he loved it, and he went on to make a career out of it. From national tours in the 1970s to performing at the White House, Dean has spent a lifetime making music and collecting some pretty incredible stories along the way. This week on Hey Amarillo, Dean joins me to talk about his decades in the music business, his talent for vocal impressions, and some of the unexpected places his voice has taken him, including narrating a romantasy audiobook. He's also breathing new life into the classic radio mystery series The Shadow through a new podcast. From a remarkably convincing Sam Elliott impression to smoking dope with Grand Funk Railroad, and somehow even a little romantasy, this conversation has just about everything. It's an absolute hoot, and I think you'll love it.

If you've spent much time in Amarillo or Canyon, chances are you've spent some of it at Palace Coffee Company. But for owners Krystal and Patrick Burns, Palace has always been about more than a good cup of coffee. This week on Hey Amarillo, Krystal joins me to talk about the leap of faith that started Palace, its growth from one coffee shop to three locations and a thriving wholesale business, and her own evolution from supportive spouse to COO. We talk about building a business alongside your partner, creating a company culture people genuinely want to be part of, and why the growing number of coffee shops in Amarillo doesn't keep them up at night. At its heart, Palace isn't just in the coffee business. It's in the business of making space for people to gather, connect, and feel part of a community. And after this conversation, it's easy to see why that's worked so well.

This week, Skylar sits down with Raul Rodarte-Suto, whose work at the Amarillo Area Foundation supports nonprofits and the communities they serve across the Texas Panhandle. But Raul's story extends far beyond his professional life. He's an artist, a creative, and someone with a beautiful perspective on connection, finding family, and building community. Together, they explore the importance of creative expression, taking chances, saying yes to new experiences, and holding on to a sense of wonder about the world around us. Raul brings a gentle, thoughtful, and deeply insightful perspective to a conversation about belonging, curiosity, and the beauty of being open to life's possibilities.

In this episode, Skylar sits down with Dr. Neil Terry, interim president of West Texas A&M University. One of WT's longest-tenured faculty members, Neil has served the university at virtually every level of academic leadership, giving him a deep understanding of an institution that plays an incredibly important role in the Texas Panhandle. Neil shares the journey that brought him to West Texas and the perspective he brings to leading WT through a period of transition. They talk about some of the critical issues currently facing the university, including the future of the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, as well as his role in providing stability today while paving the way for WT's next president. Neil is thoughtful, perceptive, refreshingly open and a lot of fun to talk to. It's a great conversation about leadership, stewardship, and caring for an institution while helping it navigate what comes next.  

Courtney Brown is the co-owner of 806 Coffee + Lounge, a place whose unmistakable vibe has helped shape the culture of Amarillo's historic Route 66—and given artists, creators and all kinds of people a place to find one another. She is also the founder of the Amarillo Reproductive Freedom Alliance, which helped stave off a controversial local proposition. Courtney's story is one of building community, discovering where your power lies and jumping in headfirst to create something good. She is fierce, joyful and deeply committed to the idea that people should be free to be at peace with who they are and where they are.

Jessie McMeans always wanted to be an educator, but that path started to change when she found herself conflicted by what she was seeing in Houston public school classrooms. Years later, back home in Amarillo, she still felt pulled toward creating an educational experience that better incorporated families and responded to the individual needs of children. What came from all of that was a big leap: Golden Plains Community School, a new private school on Amarillo's north side. Jessie talks about building a school alongside the community it serves, and what it looks like to follow where you feel tugged.

Devin Singleton has spent his career behind the camera, working as a videographer and producer and telling other people's stories. But some stories are much more personal. In this episode of Hey Amarillo, Devin talks about his career in media and videography before the conversation turns to the loss of his brother to suicide and the ways that loss has shaped his life and his work. Devin is now bringing that experience to a limited series for Panhandle PBS exploring the lives of people who have lost someone they love to suicide. Our conversation goes beyond grief and into the language we use around suicide, the stories we tell about those who die, and the people who are left to carry a loss that is often incredibly difficult to talk about. This is a heavy episode, but an important one. Devin brings thoughtfulness, vulnerability, and a perspective that challenges some of the ways we have learned to talk — and not talk — about suicide. Content warning: This episode includes an extended conversation about suicide, suicide loss, and grief.