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The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe
What started as a series of short mysteries for the curious mind with a short attention span has evolved into enlightening conversations for the not-so-short attention span. Whether it’s a short mystery, a long conversation, or an audio book, The Way I Heard It is a veritable box of chocolates for the ears, because you never know what you’re going to get.
415: Ronda Paulson—Drinking from a Firehose
Ronda and her husband Corey founded Isaiah 117 House to provide a safe and loving home for children awaiting placement in the foster care system. Isaiah 177 House was featured on Mike’s Facebook show, Returning the Favor. Ronda tells how her appearance on the show affected her mission, her life, and especially her health. Shout out to our terrific sponsors AuraFrames.com/Mike Use code: Mike to get $45 off Aura’s best-selling Carer Mat frame. This is an exclusive Black Friday Cyber Monday deal. PureTalk.com/Rowe Save 50% off your first month!
01:11:2519/11/2024
414: Rob Lowe was Here… Literally!
The ‘80s brat-pack teen idol drops by to share tales from his amazing life in film and TV and explain why he loves doing his gameshow The Floor and his podcast Literally! Big thanks to our awesome sponsors ZipRecruiter.com/Rowe to try ZipRecruiter for FREE. American-Giant.com/MIKE Use code MIKE to get 20% off your order. PrizePicks.com/Mike Code MIKE get you $50 instantly after you play a $5 lineup. ShipStation.com Use code MIKE to sign up for a FREE 60-day trial.
01:30:0212/11/2024
413: Clinton Romesha—It Doesn’t Get Better
In 2009, Clint was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the battle of Kamdesh during the Afghan War, which he recalls in his book, Red Platoon: A True Story of American Valor, a New York Times bestseller. For Veterans Day, Clint shares his insights into why his outpost was a deathtrap, his efforts to prevent veteran suicide, and his survival during that 15-hour battle. Tip o’ the hat to our excellent sponsors PureTalk.com/Rowe Save 50% off your first month! BuildSubmarines.com Explore available careers! BetterHelp.com/MikeRowe Get 10% off your first month!
01:32:1105/11/2024
412: Coffee with Mom—Pimping Out Your Brothers for Halloween with Peggy Rowe
Three-time NYT Bestselling author a.k.a. Mike’s mom checks in to share tales from Rowe Halloween’s gone by. Today’s episode is sponsored by FieldOfGreens.com Use code: MIKE for 15% off and FREE shipping
01:03:0631/10/2024
411: Tim Pearce—Accuracy Under Fire
LAPD and CRASH Unit veteran Tim Pearce shares stories of fighting gangs in South Central in a post-Rodney King world, including the tragic tale of his police officer wife being shot in the line of duty, which led him to invent an amazing life-saving device that simulates a gunshot wound, which he demonstrates on Chuck. Big thanks to our awesome sponsors ZipRecruiter.com/Rowe to try ZipRecruiter for FREE. ShipStation.com Use code MIKE to sign up for a FREE 60-day trial.
01:23:5529/10/2024
410: Nathan Fillion--Kind of a Big Deal
Star of TV shows The Rookie, Castle, and Firefly Nathan Fillion drops by to catch up with his old friend and ‘90s neighbor Mike Rowe. Nathan and Mike reminisce about a very steamy New York apartment, tooling around the snow-covered city with a mycologist’s daughter, and eating burritos served by Alan Tudyk. Nathan also shares his experience working with Stephen Spielberg, his secret to overcoming severe nerves, and how he was humbled on Wisteria Lane. Tip o’ the hat to our excellent sponsors 3DayBlinds.com/ROWE Buy one get one 50% off PureTalk.com/Rowe Save 50% off your first month! American-Giant.com/MIKE Use code MIKE to get 20% off your order.
01:38:2722/10/2024
409: Dan Carlin & NEW STORY—A Perfect Hostage
After Mike recites a brand-new mystery for the curious mind with a short attention span, OG Podcaster and Hardcore History host Dan Carlin drops by to tell Mike what he got right, what he got wrong, and why our understanding of the subject of this mystery is so important to understanding the United States today. Today’s episode is sponsored by ZipRecruiter.com/Rowe to try ZipRecruiter for FREE. Listen to Constant Wonder wherever you get your podcasts. MikeRowe.com/MomsBook to buy a copy of Oh No, Not the Home! by Peggy Rowe KnobelSpirits.com to get the whiskey named after Mike’s grandad.
01:50:1115/10/2024
408: Matt Malone--From the Ground Up
Matt Malone is the CEO of Groundworks, one of the largest foundation repair and waterproofing companies in the United States. He’s also a self-described capitalist, but he practices a new version of the economic system, one that recently had him turn 5,500 Groundworks employees into part owners of the company. Many thanks to our excellent sponsors FieldOfGreens.com Use code: MIKE for 15% off and FREE shipping PureTalk.com/Rowe Save 50% off your first month! MikeRowe.com/MomsBook to reserve your copy of Oh No, Not the Home! by Peggy Rowe
01:25:4608/10/2024
407: Kat Timpf--Hot Soup Goes In Hot Takes Come Out
Co-host of the late-night hit GUTFELD! and New York Times bestselling author Kat Timpf has the distinction of being the most pregnant person ever to appear on TWIHI. She chats about the pitfalls of the “us or them” mentality that has hijacked the nation and shares personal stories of what led her to write her newest book, I Used to Like You Until… How Binary Thinking is Dividing Us Big thanks to our awesome sponsors ZipRecruiter.com/Rowe to try ZipRecruiter for FREE. 3DayBlinds.com/ROWE Buy one get one 50% off Business.LandsEnd.com/Mike Use code MIKE for 20% off your order. MikeRowe.com/MomsBook to reserve your copy of Oh No, Not the Home! by Peggy Rowe
01:20:0001/10/2024
406: Justin Folk--Am I Racist?
Director/Producer Justin Folk is best known for helming the 2022 hit documentary What is a Woman, starring Matt Walsh. Justin and Matt teamed up again for the follow-up, companion piece, Am I Racist? (now in theaters,) in which Matt goes on a diversity, equity, and inclusion journey and becomes a card-carrying DEI expert. Justin shares some behind-the-scenes moments from the film and discusses the state of anti-racism in America. Tip o’ the hat to our excellent sponsors American-Giant.com/MIKE Use code MIKE to get 20% off your order. PureTalk.com/Rowe Save 50% off your first month! ZipRecruiter.com/Rowe Try ZipRecruiter for FREE. BetterDebtNow.com/Mike for a FREE consultation.
01:26:1924/09/2024
405: Ken Coleman--Meet the Stoics
New York Times Bestselling author and broadcaster Ken Coleman is in the personal growth business. His books and show are designed to help people identify and embrace their true calling. Ken shares his personal story and gets Chuck to take his career assessment quiz to figure out what he’ll do once Mike fires him. Ken’s newest book is The Get Clear Career Assessment: Find the Work You’re Wired to Do. Promo code ROWE gets you $5 off. Today’s episode is sponsored by ZipRecruiter.com/Rowe to try ZipRecruiter for FREE. BetterDebtNow.com/Mike for your FREE consultation. Oh No, Not the Home! by Peggy Rowe. Reserve your copy at MikeRowe.com/MomsBook KnobelSpirits.com/Mike to see if Knobel ships to your state.
01:38:4217/09/2024
404: Vinnie Tortorich--Talking Points and Scotch
The celebrity fitness trainer, author, and filmmaker drops by to put Mike and Chuck on his trademarked no sugar, no grains lifestyle. Along the way, he discusses the positive effects of eliminating processed foods on fertility, the fallacies of the food pyramid, and the million plus pounds of weight lost by the "Rowebies" following Vinnie's program. If you want to learn more about NSNG and what exactly a Rowebie is, visit VinnieTortorich.com/Rowe Many thanks to our excellent sponsors PureTalk.com/Rowe Save 50% off your first month! FieldOfGreens.com Use code: MIKE for 15% off and FREE shipping 3DayBlinds.com/ROWE Buy one get one 50% off
01:47:3710/09/2024
403: Josh Smith--From First Blood to Last Bite
When it comes to work ethic, Master Bladesmith Josh Smith self-identifies as “the guy Mike is always talking about.” At age 11, Josh was taught how to build knives by his little-league baseball coach. By age 19, he was the youngest bladesmith to ever pass the Master Smith test of the American Bladesmith Society. Today, he owns and operates the Montana Knife Company. Josh talks about giving up the security of a six-figure journeyman lineman job to start his own knife company, how he changed the way contestants are treated on Forged in Fire, and what it was like to build a sword for a sheik in Abu Dhabi. Big thanks to our terrific sponsors ZipRecruiter.com/Rowe to try ZipRecruiter for FREE. American-Giant.com/MIKE Use code MIKE to get 20% off your order. Groundworks.com to schedule a FREE inspection. Oh No, Not the Home! by Peggy Rowe Preorder at MikeRowe.com/MomsBook
01:49:4603/09/2024
402: Coffee with Mom--The Bad Grammar Scammer
Three-time NY Times bestselling author Peggy Rowe describes her recent encounters with a scammer and blackmailer as Mike and Chuck debate the proper punishment for such scoundrels. Today’s episode sponsored by Knobel Tennessee Whiskey at KnobelSpirits.com Oh No, Not the Home! by Peggy Rowe Preorder at MikeRowe.com/MomsBook
01:05:4129/08/2024
401: Brent Haken--A Farmer is Fixing it
The former farmer and lifelong educator works as director of the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education (CTE) where he brings his get-it-done farming mindset to education. Brent discusses how Oklahoma’s Central Tech is using competition to help prepare students for real-world opportunities and focusing on a mastery of skill rather than a time-based curriculum. Big thanks to our awesome sponsors Lands’ End Business.LandsEnd.com/Mike Use code MIKE for 20% off your order. AuraFrames.com/Mike Use code: Mike to get $35 off their best-selling frame. K12.com/ROWE to find a tuition-free K12-powered school near you.
58:1227/08/2024
400:Sabin Howard--Born Cancelled
Master Sculptor Sabin Howard is known as America’s Michelangelo for his work in, and deep knowledge of, Modern Classicism. On September 13, 2024, he will unveil his newest work, the National WWI Memorial in Washington, D.C., called A Soldier’s Journey. Sabin discusses why he believes that great art can be recognized by everyone and should be for “we the people,” why art is inextricably connected to history, and why art tells us what it means to be human. Tip o’ the hat to our excellent sponsors PureTalk.com/Rowe Save 50% off your first month. American-Giant.com/MIKE Use code MIKE to get 20% off your order. 3DayBlinds.com/ROWE Buy one get one 50% off.
01:27:4020/08/2024
399: Jason Alexander--I Thought There’d be More Plumes
The Tony Award-winning actor, director, and podcaster goes deep with TWIHI about everything from his traumatic childhood and dashed dreams of becoming a magician to the Broadway show that made him want to act and his recollections of Stephen Sondheim and Hal Prince. Many thanks to our excellent sponsors ZipRecruiter.com/Rowe to try ZipRecruiter for FREE. K12.com/Rowe Find a tuition-free K12-powered school near you. 3DayBlinds.com/ROWE Buy one get one 50% off
01:42:0513/08/2024
398: Victor Davis Hanson--So Goes Glory
VDH is a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, a Distinguished Fellow at Hillsdale College, a professor of public policy at Pepperdine University, a nationally syndicated columnist, a bestselling author, AND a fifth-generation California farmer. In his July 29, 2024 article, America’s Lab Rats? (read here: https://victorhanson.com/americas-lab-rats/ ), Victor argues that American society appears to be treating many of its citizens like insignificant lab rats in some kind of social experiment, leading to unintended and harmful consequences. His website. His book. Big thanks to our awesome sponsors Groundworks.com to schedule a FREE inspection. PureTalk.com/Rowe Save 50% off your first month! FieldOfGreens.com Use code: MIKE for 15% off and FREE shipping
01:24:1306/08/2024
397: Bishop W.C. Martin--Hope in Possum Trot
Bishop Martin and his wife Donna were the inspiration for the film Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot, which details their miraculous journey navigating the foster care system in a small Texas town and how they inspired the parishioners of Bennet Chapel Church to adopt 77 children. Bishop Martin speaks to how this unlikely story became a book and a movie and how it all was accurately prophesized in advance. Tip o’ the hat to our excellent sponsors ZipRecruiter.com/Rowe to try ZipRecruiter for FREE. American Battlefield Trust—Visit Battlefields.org/Mike to get your FREE copy of their award-winning history magazine, Hallowed Ground. Land’s End—Visit Business.LandsEnd.com/Mike Use code MIKE for 20% off your order.
01:24:0730/07/2024
396: Frank H. McCourt, Jr,--Selected Garbage from Families of Distinction
The American businessman and philanthropist talks about growing up in Boston as a fifth-generation builder, starting his first business collecting garbage at the age of 13, and the mission he’s on to create a new internet by arguing in his new book, Our Biggest Fight, that we the people’s data should belong to we the people.
01:17:4923/07/2024
395: Dennis Quaid--Getting All the Stuff Right
The veteran actor and gospel singer recounts his early career, what made him give up his dream of becoming a veterinarian, how he realized he had a problem with cocaine and what he did to fix it, how Jerry Lee Lewis taught him to play the piano, and what it was like playing Ronald Reagan for his upcoming movie. And at the end of the episode—he sings a song! See the trailer for REAGAN HERE.
01:08:3716/07/2024
394: Kris Engelstad--Don't Call Her a Philanthropist
As trustee of the Engelstad Foundation, Kris has overseen the endowment of over $300 million in scholarships and grants. Kris talks about working as a maid in her father’s hotel on the Las Vegas strip, what she learned from watching him build several Nevada landmarks, and what it’s like to manage a billion-dollar foundation.
01:27:2009/07/2024
393: Pete Hegseth--The War on Warriors
In honor of Independence Day, TWIHI welcomes Army veteran and NYT bestselling author Pete Hegseth, who talks about why civic rituals like parades are so important to convey what we value as a society, how to acknowledge America’s faults while still appreciating her greatness, and how our armed forces are destroying themselves from the inside. Pete’s book is The War on Warriors.
01:08:0002/07/2024
392: Coffee with Mom--Keep an Eye on Your Son's Stool
Peggy Rowe is a three-time New York Times bestselling author, the matriarch of the Rowe family, and, of course, Mike’s mom. The coffee klatch conversation deals with handling disappointment, the difference between encouragement and enabling, and how bowls and bowls of mashed potatoes can help you find your Tiddlywinks pieces. Peggy’s new book is available for presale at MikeRowe.com/MomsBook Big thanks to our terrific sponsors American Battlefield Trust—Visit Battlefields.org/Mike to get your FREE copy of their award-winning history magazine, Hallowed Ground. Something To Stand For—Visit SomethingToStandFor.Movie/Mike for showtimes and tickets
51:3727/06/2024
391: Chuck Klausmeyer & NEW STORY—Credit Where It’s Due
Here's a brand new story about the performance of a lifetime followed by another edition of Two Dudes Talking, a.k.a. Mike and Chuck break it down with some laughs. Shout out to our terrific sponsors BuildSubmarines.com Explore available careers! American-Giant.com/MIKE Use code MIKE to get 20% off your order. PureTalk.com/Rowe Save 50% off your first month!
01:05:5425/06/2024
390: Steven Pressfield--Pulling the Pin
Steven Pressfield, the two-time New York Times Bestselling author of The War of Art, Gates of Fire, and The Legend of Bagger Vance, discusses how to listen to your muse while ignoring your Resistance, why he carries a Smith Corona typewriter but doesn’t actually use it, and what he learned from driving a truck, picking fruit, and writing advertising copy. His newest book is a memoir titled Govt Cheese.
01:18:1518/06/2024
389: Gavin de Becker--You Can Learn a Lot in a Smoke-Filled Airplane
The nation’s leading expert on de-escalation and public figure protection unpacks the importance of intuition, the difference between true fear and unwarranted fear, and the epidemic of sudden, unexpected deaths among seemingly healthy people beginning in 2021.
01:32:3511/06/2024
388: Riley Gaines--Swimming Against the Current
The 12-time NCAA All-American, 5-time SEC Champion, and 2-time Olympic qualifier who went from being one of the fastest collegiate swimmers in the world to a controversial women's rights advocate talks about what it takes to train in a pool six hours per day, why she’s not going to be training to be an endodontist, and recounts the harrowing experience of being held captive on the campus of San Francisco State University. Her new book is Swimming Against the Current: Fighting For Common Sense in a World That’s Lost Its Mind.
01:24:2604/06/2024
387: Firefighters Candice McDonald and Jonathan Dayton--Make Me a Firefighter
In a double-header of do-goodery, TWIHI welcomes not one but two very distinguished volunteer firefighters to discuss why they have been called to such a dangerous philanthropic endeavor, what it takes to become a volunteer firefighter, and how Americans of any age can get involved at MakeMeAFirefighter.org Many thanks to our terrific sponsors NetSuite.com/Mike the number one cloud financial system. PureTalk.com/Rowe Save 50% off your first month! LifeVac.net Use code MIKE to get 20% off your full purchase
01:05:5228/05/2024
386: Chuck Klausmeyer & NEW STORY—Here Be Dragons
First, a brand-new mystery about brave men in a distant sea, then Mike and Chuck take a deeper dive.
01:07:0521/05/2024
385: Karey Kirkpatrick--I Don't Want to Manage People Like Me
The film writer, director, and producer known for Over the Hedge, Chicken Run, and James and the Giant Peach talks about his work ethic and creative process, why animated films are modern-day Aesop’s fables, and that time he almost got to run DreamWorks.
01:28:1714/05/2024
384: Matt Hagan and Chloe Hudson--Freedom Food and Funny Cars
Matt is a four-time NHRA Funny Car world champion and first-generation cattle and CBD farmer. Chloe is a mikeroweWORKS work ethic scholarship recipient, an AWS Certified Weld Inspector, and a social media influencer. She also runs social media for Matt Hagan and Tony Stewart. This conversation does not stay in its lane as it veers from the high stakes involved in going 330 mph in four seconds to the tasty steaks that the Hagan Cattle Company produces in Virginia to the political stakes of not keeping your food supply chain in America.
01:02:5807/05/2024
383: Coffee with Mom--Nude Sunbathing with America’s Grandmother
The three-time NYT bestselling author, a.k.a. Mike’s mom, talks the chosen frozen on Easter Sunday, speaking in tongues, the Key Bridge tragedy, Fort McHenry and Ranger Vince, our expanding universe, great illusionists, and how Peggy gets her vitamin D—doctor’s orders.
45:1902/05/2024
382: Scott Mann--Individualism Rightly Understood
The former U.S. Army Green Beret, NYT bestselling author, leadership consultant, and perennial storyteller talks about the division and tribal behavior that permeates our country now, the death of honor, shame, and consequence, and why Alexis de Tocqueville was right when he observed that America succeeds because she puts the individual ahead of the collective. You can preorder Scott’s newest book here.
01:13:0830/04/2024
381: Chuck Klausmeyer & NEW STORY—The Face of an Angel
A NEW mystery for the curious mind with a short attention span, followed by Mike and Chuck taking a deeper dive into the story’s DOUBLE reveal. That’s right, you get two reveals for the price of none!
51:4423/04/2024
380: Steven Kurutz--American Flannel
What does it take to make a traditional flannel shirt in America? According to this New York Times reporter it’s a combination of engineering and artistry. And Steven should know; he wrote the book on it, American Flannel. Steven explores with us the history of U.S. textile manufacturing and how our thirst for cheaper goods led to the death of small company towns and the creation of the rust belt.
01:03:3516/04/2024
379: Jordan Harbinger--Psst… Wanna Buy a Stadium Buddy?
The former Wall Street lawyer and current OG podcaster drops by to discuss the latest in Podcastladia, how patternicity and our desire for certainty can lead us to create wild theories, the death of skepticism, honesty in advertising, and what he learned from being kidnapped the first time in Mexico. Yes, there was more than one kidnapping.
01:20:4809/04/2024
378: Jeff Harmon & Neal Harmon--Surviving Disney
The serial entrepreneurs and founders of Angel Studios talk about growing up poor in a family of eleven, how they went from selling potatoes door to door to being the ad agency of record for Poo-Pourri, Squatty Potty, and Orabrush, how they survived a $62 million lawsuit from four of the biggest studios in Hollywood, and how their Angel Guild is cracking the code to finding the next big film.
01:28:3602/04/2024
377: Peter Tilden--Sitting in a Puddle of Tilden
The writer, producer, and veteran radio broadcaster drops by to regale us with stories from the entertainment trenches, explains why he created the podcast Really? no, REALLY? with his BFF Jason Alexander and how that’s affected their relationship, and expounds on what makes great advertising great. RIP Dexter.
01:27:3226/03/2024
376: Will Swaim--An Unholy Incubator
The President of the California Policy Center, host of National Review’s Radio Free California podcast, and watchdog journalist warns about the new federal regulation that effectively makes CA-AB5 national and ends independent contractor status as we know it. As goes California, so goes the nation—from a $20 minimum wage for fast-food workers to rampant homelessness, crime, and reparations—the recovering communist dissects examples of what’s happening in the Golden State and yet to come nationally.
01:14:0219/03/2024
375: Chuck Klausmeyer & NEW STORY—Nasty Little Instruments
Another brief mystery for the curious mind with a short attention span, followed by a deeper dive into the story’s reveal with Mike and Chuck. WARNING: Careful where you listen with headphones, as it may result in alternating facial contortions of disgust and hilarity. The title is Nasty Little Instruments, after all.
51:3712/03/2024
374: Bill Whittle--No Man No Problem
The podcaster, YouTuber, and amateur historian ruminates on the state of Hollywood, talks about his Daily Wire project, An Empire of Terror, which exposes the dark underbelly of the Soviet Union’s police state, and recounts the amazing story of Frank Luke, the forgotten top ace of WWI.
01:09:0705/03/2024
373: Coffee with Mom--The Wedgie Kick
America’s grandmother recalls the harrowing details of her husband’s heart attacks at Christmas, gives an update on his convalescence, and tells a shocking tale about the newsletter you do NOT want to be mentioned in. From stents to physical therapy, shuffleboard to bingo, and that little dance we do when our panties are in a bunch, it’s another edition of Coffee with Mom!
53:3029/02/2024
372: Jimmy Failla Loves Fat Elvis
The former New York cabby, current stand-up comic, and perennial philosopher talks hilariously about why he’s keeping politics out of his new show Fox News Saturday Night, why he wrote his bestselling book, Cancel Culture Dictionary, and why he looks at the world like a drug-sniffing dog at the airport.
01:08:4627/02/2024
371: Denis Chetzan and Mary Sullivan--Chuck Gets a Haircut
Mike follows through with his threat to get Chuck a professional haircut by enlisting The Irish Hammer’s “hairstylist to the stars” to bring his salon to our studio for a cut and record. What could possibly go wrong?
01:01:0220/02/2024
370: Rikki Schlott--The Smartest Dropout I Know
The New York Post columnist and author discusses the disruptive and damaging nature of social media, our shortening attention spans, the lack of free speech on college campuses, why the First Amendment is the most important right, why she left NYU during COVID despite her 4.0 GPA, and how she came to write The Cancelling of the American Mind with Greg Lukianoff.
01:03:3413/02/2024
369: Gabby Reece is Not in Compliance
The volleyball legend, fitness leader, podcaster, New York Times bestselling author, and serial entrepreneur talks about raising her girls with a do-it-yourself attitude, why it’s important to eat clean and lift heavy things, and how to be a good citizen without being a conformist and still saying yes.
01:12:3306/02/2024
368: Neal McDonough--The Luckiest Man on the Face of the Earth
The consummate villainous actor's actor joins us to discuss his childhood growing up in a motel, how being blacklisted in Hollywood tested his faith, and why he chose to play the Benefactor, a.k.a. the devil, in Angel Studio’s movie, The Shift.
01:13:2730/01/2024
367: Michael Easter--Scarcity Brain
367: Scarcity Brain with Michael Easter The journalist and NYT bestselling author shares his research into why our brains are hardwired for overconsumption, how this scarcity mindset can lead us to take unnecessary risks, and how Inveterate gambling pigeons prove that we can change. It’s all from his newest book, Scarcity Brain: Fix Your Craving Mindset and Rewire Your Habits to Thrive with Enough.
01:02:5623/01/2024
366: Chuck Klausmeyer & NEW STORY—They Put Him in a Cage
A NEW mystery for the curious mind with a short attention span called They Put Him in a Cage is followed by an installment of The Way I Talked About The Way I Heard It, during which Mike and Chuck discuss first jobs, audition horror stories, and the condition of Mike’s dad.
57:1916/01/2024