490: Peggy Rowe—About My Father

Before he became the Father of His Country, George Washington was a young man with doubts, ambitions, failures, and a calling that would eventually shape a nation. Mike sits down with filmmaker and entrepreneur Jon Erwin to discuss his new film Young Washington, and to explore the remarkable true story behind America's most iconic founder. Jon also shares how he launched The Wonder Project and his mission to tell stories that elevate faith, hope, and the human spirit. Along the way, he recounts the extraordinary legacy of his grandfather, a recipient of the Medal of Honor whose courage during World War II left an indelible mark on his family. It's a conversation about character, conviction, and the people who inspire history long before history remembers their names. This July 4th, make Young Washington part of your Independence Day celebration. See the film, share it with your community, and help spark civic curiosity about the character, leadership, and founding principles that continue to shape our nation. Get tickets here: https://bit.ly/TWIHIYoungWashington Shout out to our great sponsors NormalFolks.org/Podcast to check out Army of Normal Folks, the podcast making service easier for all of us. American-Giant.com/MIKE Use code MIKE to get 20% off your order. NetSuite.AI/Mike to try NetSuite Next for FREE!

What if school could be reimagined from the ground up? This week, Mike sits down with entrepreneur and education innovator MacKenzie Price, the founder of Alpha School, a model that's attracting global attention for helping students learn twice as much in half the time. Using artificial intelligence, personalized learning, and an unconventional approach to education, MacKenzie is challenging nearly every assumption about how kids should be taught. She also makes the case that meaningful change in education won't come from top-down mandates, but from bottom-up solutions created by parents, teachers, and entrepreneurs willing to rethink the status quo.  From test scores to life skills, she explains why some believe the future of education has already arrived—and why the world's most talked-about school may be just getting started. Learn more about Alpha School at: https://bit.ly/4xGuTNU Big thanks to our awesome sponsors PureTalk.com/Rowe Pure Talk is matching donations dollar for dollar until they hit two hundred fifty THOUSAND DOLLARS for America's Warrior Partnership, who is on the frontlines of supporting our veterans. ZipRecruiter.com/Rowe to post a job for FREE. NormalFolks.org/Podcast to check out Army of Normal Folks, the podcast making service easier for all of us.  Digs.com Less rework. Less confusion. And a much smoother build experience for homeowners.

In honor of Father's Day, we're sharing several hilarious chapters from the audio version of Peggy Rowe's bestselling book About Your Father.  Buy all three audiobooks from bestselling author Peggy Rowe for $30 or $15 individually at: https://bit.ly/MomsAudiobooks Tip o' the hat to our excellent sponsor PureTalk.com/Rowe Pure Talk is matching donations dollar for dollar until they hit two hundred fifty THOUSAND DOLLARS for America's Warrior Partnership, who is on the frontlines of supporting our veterans.

Why do so many of the things that make us stronger, healthier, and happier require doing things the hard way? Mike sits down with bestselling author, journalist, and researcher Michael Easter to explore the surprising benefits of discomfort, challenge, and voluntary hardship in a world engineered for convenience. Easter, whose work has appeared in Men's Health, Outside, Esquire, and Scientific American, discusses the ideas behind his bestselling books The Comfort Crisis and Scarcity Brain, along with his newest release, Walk with Weight: The Definitive Guide to Rucking. From carrying heavy loads to carrying life's burdens, Michael explains why the easiest path is rarely the most rewarding—and why embracing difficulty might be the key to a better life. Tip o' the hat to our excellent sponsors GoodRanchers.com Purchase any Father's Day Gift Box and get FREE Wagyu Burgers. Pestie.com/Mike to get an extra 10% off your order. K12.com/Rowe See what's possible for your child with K12's Career and College Prep NetSuite.AI/Mike to try NetSuite Next for FREE!

Spontaneous Order might sound like a contradiction, but according to author, entrepreneur, and educator Connor Boyack, some of society's most important innovations emerge without a master plan. Mike sits down with Connor, the bestselling co-creator and co-author of The Tuttle Twins book series that inspired the hit animated show, founder and president of the Libertas Network and a leading advocate for teaching the principles of liberty, entrepreneurship, personal responsibility, and free markets to the next generation. Connor shares the mission that drives his work: helping families understand how free people, voluntary cooperation, and decentralized problem-solving can create remarkable outcomes. Along the way, he and Mike explore the power of ideas, the importance of questioning assumptions, why history still matters, and how a children's book series grew into a cultural phenomenon reaching millions of families. This conversation offers a fascinating look at the relationship between freedom, education, and the unexpected order that can arise when people are left free to innovate. Big thanks to our terrific sponsors PureTalk.com/Rowe Get UNLIMITED hi-speed data for just $34.99 per month! ZipRecruiter.com/Rowe to post a job for FREE. K12.com/Rowe See what's possible for your child with K12's Career and College Prep AuraFrames.com/Mike Use code MIKE to get $35 off their best-selling Carver Mat

Mike Rowe sits down with Blake Scholl, the former Amazon software engineer turned aerospace entrepreneur who walked away from Silicon Valley to revive supersonic passenger travel. As the founder of Boom Supersonic, Blake explains the century-long pursuit of faster flight. From the Cold War race to break the sound barrier to the rise—and fall—of the Concorde, Blake explains why supersonic travel disappeared just as it seemed destined to change aviation forever. He also shares how Boom Supersonic is working to make high-speed passenger flight practical again, and what it will take to shrink a 12-hour flight into just a few hours. Along the way, Mike and Blake discuss innovation, risk, engineering breakthroughs, and why some people refuse to accept that getting somewhere faster is a problem already solved. Shout out to our great sponsors GoodRanchers.com Purchase any Father's Day Gift Box and get FREE Wagyu Burgers. American-Giant.com/MIKE Use code MIKE to get 20% off your order. Digs.com Less rework. Less confusion. And a much smoother build experience for homeowners.

Mike sits down with master card mechanic and sleight-of-hand expert Jason Ladanye, whose impossible demonstrations of gambling moves and psychological deception have earned him a reputation as one of the best card handlers working today. Jason explains how a childhood obsession with cards—and an influential mentorship with legendary magician Darwin Ortiz—shaped his career performing around the world. Along the way, Jason shows Mike how magicians secretly track cards through a shuffled deck, demonstrates the art of bottom dealing, and reveals why the real secret behind great magic isn't fast hands—it's storytelling, conviction, and understanding exactly how people think. And of course, there are several mind-blowing demonstrations of his ability. Follow Jason on Instagram and see him LIVE at an upcoming show. Big thanks to our awesome sponsors PureTalk.com/Rowe Choose any plan for $15 per month for the first three months.   NetSuite.com/Mike Download their FREE business guide, Demystifying AI SkillsUSA.org/mike Join the skilled trade movement!

Founder and president of Montana Knife Company Josh Smith sits down with Mike to discuss his unlikely path from working as a lineman to becoming one of America's premier master bladesmiths. The conversation dives into the grit, craftsmanship, and obsession with quality that helped turn a small operation into one of the fastest-growing knife manufacturers in the country. The two also talk about the grand opening of MKC's brand-new 50,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Missoula, where Josh explains why controlling his supply chain matters now more than ever—and what "Made in America" actually requires behind the scenes. Along the way, Josh gives Mike an exclusive look at a brand-new blade that hasn't been released to the public yet. It's a conversation about work ethic, American manufacturing, entrepreneurship, and the sharp edge between tradition and innovation. Tip o' the hat to our excellent sponsors ZipRecruiter.com/Rowe to post a job for FREE. GoodRanchers.com Use code MIKE to get $40 off your first order and free meat for life. SkillsUSA.org/mike Join the skilled trade movement!

In this episode Mike explores the growing race for critical minerals hidden deep beneath the Pacific Ocean with mining executive Tom Albanese, Chairman of American Ocean Minerals and former CEO of Rio Tinto and Vedanta Resources. Tom has spent more than four decades in the global mining and metals business, overseeing some of the largest resource projects on earth. Now he's focused on something even more ambitious: harvesting polymetallic nodules from the ocean floor—potato-sized rocks packed with nickel, cobalt, copper, manganese, and rare earth elements that are critical to batteries, AI infrastructure, defense systems, smartphones, and modern energy technology. Mike and Tom discuss why these nodules have become one of the most hotly contested resources in the world and how the race for critical minerals has evolved into both an economic and geopolitical battle. They also explain why many companies see the deep ocean as an alternative to opening hundreds of new land mines. Hint: These nodules sit unattached on the ocean floor just waiting to be vacuumed up without need for blasting or tunneling. It's a conversation that feels part science fiction, part industrial history, and part treasure hunt. Because sometimes the next gold rush isn't in the mountains. It's sitting three miles beneath the top of the ocean. Today's episode is sponsored by PureTalk.com/Rowe Get UNLIMITED hi-speed data for just $34.99 per month! NetSuite.com/Mike Download their FREE business guide, Demystifying AI K12.com/Rowe See what's possible for your child with K12's Career and College Prep American-Giant.com/MIKE Use code MIKE to get 20% off your order.

In this special LIVE edition of Coffee with Mome, Mike heads home for Mother's Day and sits down with the woman who taught him everything worth knowing — his mom, Peggy Rowe. Recorded in front of a live audience at the place Peggy refers to as The Home, this episode is filled with the warmth, wit, and wonderfully sharp observations fans have come to expect from America's Grandmother. From family stories and hard-earned wisdom to laughter that only comes from decades of shared history, Mike and Peggy talk about motherhood, growing older disgracefully, and the strange adventure of becoming a beloved public figure later in life. It's funny, heartfelt, occasionally mischievous, and exactly the kind of conversation you'd hope to overhear around the kitchen table on Mother's Day. Many thanks to our excellent sponsors American-Giant.com/MIKE Use code MIKE to get 20% off your order. PureTalk.com/Rowe Get UNLIMITED hi-speed data for just $34.99 per month! KnobelSpirits.com Spend $100, use code CARL and get bitters-infused sugar cubes FREE.