Hey Amarillo

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.

Randall Renfroe is the owner of Allstate Security Industries, an Amarillo-based company nearing 100 years in business. But his path to leading the family company is a remarkable one. Randall shares an extraordinary childhood shaped by his younger brother's critical illness, experiences that took his family from abject poverty to the White House, painful family rifts, and the tough grandfather who eventually mentored him into the business. It's a candid conversation about family, loss, resilience and the unlikely road to success.