Chuck Yates Needs A Job

Family offices are rolling into the energy game in a big way, and Chuck sits down with a couple of guys who’ve been right in the thick of it. We’re talking old-money families, London power players, and some seriously savvy strategies, like continuation vehicles, that are flipping the script on traditional deals. Keith and Brad from Stephens Inc. break it all down: what’s drawing these investors to oil and gas (hint: it’s n...

Energy deals are popping off left and right, and it’s shaking up the whole industry, so I grabbed a few friends who know the game better than anyone to talk shop. We broke down why all these mergers keep happening, how creative insurance strategies are giving companies more wiggle room, and where natural gas fits into this ever-changing picture. Plus, we got into some juicy topics like why AI is suddenly the hottest hire i...

She went from pre-med dreams to rocks and rigs and didn’t stop climbing. Nikki’s path took her from being the first in her family to graduate college to running the Ralph Lowe Energy Institute at TCU, with stops along the way in oilfields, private equity boardrooms, and global energy hubs. This episode is full of stories about pivoting careers, saying yes to wild opportunities, and mentoring the next wave of energy pros. S...

Think emission credits are just for tree huggers and big corporations? Think again, there’s serious money on the table, and most folks in oil and gas, manufacturing, or even landfill operations don’t even realize it. We're talking \$300K-a-ton kind of money. This episode pulls back the curtain on how emission reduction credits actually work and why so many small and mid-sized businesses are missing out on a goldmine sittin...

Petrohawk wasn’t just another company, it flipped the whole shale game on its head, and we’ve got the guys who lived it telling the real story. From throwing out the old playbook and betting big in the Haynesville and Eagle Ford, to building a culture where collaboration actually meant something, Dick Stoneburner and Steve Herod spill the good stuff, wild deals, big risks, and billion-dollar wins. They talk about navigatin...

Chuck gets the real story behind one of the wildest chapters in Australian history, the 1942 bombing of Darwin, where more bombs were dropped than on Pearl Harbor, and the government kept it all under wraps. Mark Monaghan spills some jaw-dropping details: how the Tiwi Islanders warned of the attacks before radar even existed, how Australia’s first POW was captured, and why this moment mattered way more than people realize....

Jupiter Power is shaking up the Texas energy game with massive battery storage projects, and we got the inside scoop straight from the top. From wrangling too much wind power in West Texas to running nine projects that pump out 1,500 megawatt-hours a day, they’re proving storage is the real MVP of the grid. We talk about building the company from scratch, the chaos and rewards of entrepreneurship, and what it really takes ...

AI is flipping the script on venture capital, and Blair Garrou has a front-row seat to the transformation. Chuck Yates sits down with the Mercury VC partner to talk about how AI is slashing startup costs, reshaping investment strategies, and fueling a new era of lean, high-impact teams. From generative AI and robotics to fintech and space tech, this conversation dives into the trends reshaping the future of work, investing...

Betrayal hits different when you're a guy, especially when nobody's talking about it. This episode cracks open that silence with the "Betrayal Shrink," a therapist who’s been through it himself and now helps other men navigate the gut-punch of infidelity, shame, and heartbreak. We’re talking about the real stuff: what it means to be vulnerable, how toxic masculinity screws with healing, and why sharing your story might be ...

Chuck stumbles into one of his most unhinged stories yet, something about a Russian defector named Kitcha, some midnight phone calls, a secret energy weapon, and oh yeah… Greta Thunberg might be Putin’s biggest problem? It’s part spy thriller, part geopolitical fever dream, and 100% classic Chuck chaos. There’s technetium, there’s nuclear waste, there’s even a voicemail or two that’ll make you question everything you thoug...

The Jones Act has been messing with American shipping for over a century, driving up costs, stifling competition, and forcing bizarre workarounds, like Hawaii importing oil from Africa instead of Texas. Chuck sits down with Colin Grabow from the Cato Institute to break down how this outdated law makes everything from groceries to gas more expensive, why it costs a mind-blowing $333M to build a U.S. ship when the same one c...

Biden vs. Trump on energy policy, it’s a full 180°, and the oil and gas industry is feeling every bit of the whiplash. Chuck Yates sits down with Anne Bradbury, CEO of AXPC, to break down the shifting regulatory landscape, the battles over federal permits, and what it all means for America’s energy future. From infrastructure roadblocks to the role of AI in keeping the U.S. competitive, this conversation pulls no punches o...

AI is hungry, like, really hungry, for energy, and with data centers popping up everywhere, the oil and gas industry is right in the middle of it. Live from NAPE Houston 2025, Chuck Yates unpacks what AI’s exploding power demand means for the grid, why natural gas might be the unexpected MVP, and how energy pros need to step up and start talking to the tech giants running the show. From permitting headaches to policy battl...

Natural gas, AI, and the future of energy, sounds like a wonky mix, but trust us, this one's worth a listen. Chuck sits down with the crew from Mobius Risk Group to break down why natural gas is the unsung hero behind AI’s growing power demands, how energy markets are shifting under the weight of geopolitics, and where the real opportunities lie in the scramble for reliable electricity. There’s talk of data centers, infras...

Houston’s energy scene isn’t just about oil and gas, it’s a wild world of startups, big ideas, and the uphill battle of getting funding in an industry built on tradition. Jason and Nada from Energy Tech Nexus join Chuck to talk about what it really takes to build an energy tech company in this city, from wrangling investors to breaking through the old-school mindset. They’re on a mission to turn Houston into a true innovat...

Nuclear energy needs a serious PR makeover, and who better to brainstorm than Chuck Yates and Gabriella Hoffman? Gabriella’s an energy policy pro, an outdoor enthusiast, and a storyteller who knows how to cut through the noise. She and Chuck swap ideas on how to make nuclear cool again, think cultural icons, better branding, and maybe even a little humor. They also get into the bigger energy picture, from natural gas to re...

Leslie Warren once thought she’d be auditing fashion brands, but somehow, she ended up in oil & gas and she wouldn’t have it any other way. From her days as an accounting student at Texas A&M to navigating IPOs and acquisitions, Leslie’s journey is anything but predictable. She shares how she fell in love with an industry she never planned on joining, why energy marketing needs a serious overhaul, and how better st...

From scrubbing tanks in Indiana to leading an energy company, Matt Gallagher’s story is anything but boring. He’s seen it all—booms, busts, wild innovations, and even a UFO (or maybe just Starlink?) from a hot tub in Colorado. We get into the early days of horizontal drilling, what it was like growing Parsley Energy during the shale boom, and where he sees U.S. oil production headed next. Plenty of laughs, plenty of insigh...

Scott Sheffield—oil industry legend or convenient scapegoat? The FTC sure has opinions, and so does Russell Gold. Chuck sits down with the Texas Monthly senior editor to unpack the wild allegations that Sheffield was secretly cozying up to OPEC. Was the guy who helped turn the Permian into an oil superpower really playing both sides, or is this just another case of regulators picking a high-profile target? They dig into Sh...