The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe

Mike chats with Dr. Sheree Utash, Ed.D., president of WSU Tech and a national leader in workforce education. They talk about how she reinvented a community college into a national model for workforce development, her role in taking Mike’s S.W.E.A.T. Pledge and shaping it into the mikeroweWORKS curriculum, and why she believes skilled trades are key to America’s future. It’s a perfect pre-Labor Day discussion. Today’s episode is sponsored by ZipRecruiter.com/Rowe to post a job for FREE. PureTalk.com/Rowe Save 50% off your first month! K12.com/Rowe Find a tuition-free K12-powered school near you. BuildSubmarines.com Explore available careers!

Tommy Mello founded A1 Garage Door Service—a 100 million-plus-dollar business. Tommy shares how he went from reselling Bowflex, cleaning pools, and painting garage doors to building one of the largest home service companies in the country. He talks about the hustle, the screw-ups, and the systems that helped him scale, including his no-nonsense approach to hiring and promoting based on performance, not resumes. It’s a real conversation about work ethic, taking ownership, and why a broken garage door—and a strong dose of meritocracy—can open a lot more than just your garage. Big thanks to our terrific sponsors AuraFrames.com/Mike Use code Mike to get $35 off their best-selling Carver Mat frame. K12.com/Rowe Find a tuition-free K12-powered school near you. American-Giant.com/MIKE Use code MIKE to get 20% off your order. NetSuite.com/Mike Download the CFO’s Guide to AI and Machine Learning.

Actor, director, and pseudo-troublemaker Nick Searcy is back! Nick recounts what he saw at the Capitol on January 6 and why he made Capital Punishment and its sequel, The War on Truth. Also discussed is Nick’s unfiltered memoir, Justify This: A Career Without Compromise, where he shares stories from his long career in Hollywood, and a new project about gospel singers that might just redeem him—at least a little. It’s a conversation full of laughs, sharp elbows, and more than a few surprises. Shout out to our great sponsors CompanyCam.com Jobsite photo tools to manage work from anywhere. ZipRecruiter.com/Rowe to post a job for FREE. AuraFrames.com/Mike Use code Mike to get $35 off their best-selling Carver Mat frame. PureTalk.com/Rowe Save 50% off your first month!

America’s Grandmother stops by to discuss the haunting melody of Adagio for Strings, dropping one’s phone in the toilet, and Peggy’s handsy masseuse. Big thanks to our awesome sponsors PureTalk.com/Rowe Get a Samsung Galaxy A36 for FREE with a $35 qualifying plan. TrumanBoot.com Use code MIKE for 15% off. SkillsUSA.org/mike Join the skilled trade movement!

Filmmaker Jack Teetor joins to discuss his new documentary, Blind Logic, about his granduncle, Ralph Teetor, who revolutionized the automotive industry. From inventing cruise control to influencing the development of the automatic transmission, Ralph was an automotive visionary, which is ironic since he did all that while being blind since childhood. Tip o’ the hat to our excellent sponsors NetSuite.com/Mike Download the FREE e-book, Navigating Global Trade: Insights for Leaders. K12.com/Rowe Find a tuition-free K12-powered school near you. SkillsUSA.org/mike Join the skilled trade movement! BuildSubmarines.com Explore available careers!

Former Texas Governor and U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry stops by to talk about two things most folks wouldn't expect in the same sentence—AI data farms and psychedelic therapy. Perry breaks down why the Lone Star State is set to become a digital powerhouse for AI server farms and what that means for energy, jobs, and infrastructure. Then the conversation turns to ibogaine—a little-known psychedelic that holds big promise for veterans and first responders battling PTSD and addiction. Texas just approved $50 million to study it, and Perry explains why. Shout out to our great sponsors ZipRecruiter.com/Rowe to post a job for FREE. CompanyCam.com Jobsite photo tools to manage work from anywhere. PureTalk.com/Rowe Save 50% off your first month! KnobelSpirits.com Use code Carl and spend $100 to get FREE Orange Bitter Sugar Cubes.

Salena Zito is a prolific author, award-winning reporter, and our great friend. No one knows the heartland like Salena, and she’s here to discuss the future of AI and the energy needed to pursue it, the sudden resurgence of interest in the skilled trades and how Pennsylvania is helping lead the way, and her brand-new book, Butler: The Untold Story of the Near Assassination of Donald Trump and the Fight for America’s Heartland. Salena gives a firsthand account since she was just four feet away from Trump when it happened. Tip o’ the hat to our excellent sponsors K12.com/ROWE Find a tuition-free K12-powered school near you. American-Giant.com/MIKE Use code MIKE to get 20% off your order. LifeVac.net Use code MIKE to get 20% off your full purchase. KnobelSpirits.com Use code Carl and spend $100 to get FREE Orange Bitter Sugar Cubes.

Jillian Michaels is a renowned fitness expert, television personality, podcaster, and bestselling author known most for her role on The Biggest Loser. She has built a global brand around health, wellness, and personal empowerment through fitness. Big thanks to our terrific sponsors ZipRecruiter.com/Rowe Post a job for FREE. K12.com/ROWE Find a tuition-free K12-powered school near you. PureTalk.com/Rowe Save 50% off your first month! BuildSubmarines.com Explore available careers!

Arguably America’s greatest living playwright, David Mamet, drops by to discuss movies, theater, philosophy, and his new book, The Disenlightenment: Politics, Horror, and Entertainment, in which he offers sharp insights into American culture, politics, and the art of storytelling. WARNING: THIS EPISODE IS MARKED EXPLICIT as the language gets quite spicy, and we did not quack the f-bombs. Otherwise, the episode would resemble a waddling of ducks. Shout out to our great sponsors CompanyCam.com Jobsite photo tools to manage work from anywhere. American-Giant.com/MIKE Use code MIKE to get 20% off your order. NetSuite.com/Mike Download the FREE e-book, Navigating Global Trade: Insights for Leaders. K12.com/ROWE Find a tuition-free K12-powered school near you. LifeVac.net Use code MIKE to get 20% off your full purchase

New York Times bestselling author Codie Sanchez has a background working in finance but gave up Wall Street for Main Street. She is a blue-collar entrepreneur and investor known for buying and growing “boring” cash-flow businesses like laundromats and car washes. She founded Contrarian Thinking to help others achieve financial freedom through unconventional investing. Big thanks to our awesome sponsors K12.com/ROWE to find a tuition-free K12-powered school near you. AuraFrames.com/Mike Use code: Mike to get $30 off their best-selling Carver Mat frame. ZipRecruiter.com/Rowe to try ZipRecruiter for FREE. PureTalk.com/Rowe to support veterans switch to America’s wireless company.  

Jan Jekielek is a senior editor with The Epoch Times and host of “American Thought Leaders.” He has extensively covered the issue of forced organ harvesting in China, particularly concerning Falun Gong practitioners. It is estimated that 60,000 to 100,000 organs annually have been involuntarily extracted from political prisoners in China. Jan’s investigative work has brought international attention to this human rights atrocity.

437: Neal McDonough—Clear the Mechanism The perennial character actor villain turned leading man drops by to talk about the first film where he finally gets to kiss the girl at the end, The Last Rodeo—and that girl is played by his wife, Ruvé. Coincidence? Not a chance. That’s the only way Neal would do it. Neal also discusses how he secured a return to Taylor Sheridan’s Tulsa Kings, why he thought Sylvester Stallone might deck him on set, and the greatest career advice Clint Eastwood gave him.

Once named one of Inc. magazine’s 10 most admired CEOs, Garry led WD-40 for 25 years. At that time, his leadership and positive corporate culture grew WD-40 into one of the world's most recognized and well-loved brands. In this episode, Garry discusses how he achieved this and why he detailed it in his book, Any Dumbass Can Do It.

Amid the tariff wars, Mike sits down with two men whose businesses are NOT affected by foreign supply chains. Josh is a master bladesmith and founder of the Montana Knife Company, and Bayard is founder and CEO of American Giant. Both men are uniquely positioned to discuss the benefits and pitfalls of making products entirely in the United States.

You may know Sarah as the on-camera producer from Facebook’s Returning the Favor with Mike Rowe. She is also a two-time Emmy-winning storyteller, social anthropologist, founder and CEO of Common Ground Studios, and the absolute cheeriest person you’ll ever meet! Sarah talks with Mike about their new show, People You Should Know, which will premiere May 2 on Mike’s YouTube channel @therealmikerowe.

Peggy Rowe, a.k.a. Mike’s three-time NYT bestselling mom, is back for a check-in. In this episode you’ll hear about the horrors of hoarding, books you’ll never read, dancin’ chicken, crab pickin’, and a Mother’s Day story about a toy that really sucks!  

The multilingual, bass-thumping, capitalist dives into what made him fall in love with America, his unforgettable first job involving prosthetic testes, and the etymology of the word a**hole. It’s a free-wheeling discussion from Moses to Superman and everything in between. 

David Bahnsen is the founder, managing partner, and chief investment officer of The Bahnsen Group, which manages over seven billion dollars in assets. He’s also a podcaster, author, and Christian intellectual. His book, Full Time: Work and the Meaning of Life, is simpatico with Mike’s S.W.E.A.T. pledge.  

Award-winning actor and old friend Rico drops by for a hysterical, if not irreverent, hang with Mike and Chuck, friends he’s had for 40+ years. There is laughter; there are tears, and there is laughter that turns into tears. Warning: Don’t listen while drinking coffee in front of a computer.

The multi-award-winning actor, chronic philanthropist, and all-around outstanding human drops by to talk about his son, Mac Sinise, who sadly passed away January 5, 2024. Gary shares Mac’s story and the musical compositions he left behind, all of which can be found on Resurrection & Revival parts 1 and 2, which are available on vinyl here. The three music videos mentioned during the episode are Arctic Circles by Mac Sinise, Shenandoah (author unknown), and The Rise by Mac Sinise.