North Idaho Experience

What is it really like to work more than a mile underground in an active Idaho silver mine?

In this episode of North Idaho Experience, we sit down with Galena Mine Superintendent Darin Shelley after getting an incredible firsthand tour deep beneath the mountains of Idaho’s historic Silver Valley.

Darin has spent nearly three decades working underground, and he takes us inside a world very few people ever get to experience.

We ta...

What does Kaylee Peterson believe about immigration, healthcare, government spending, crime, public lands and the future of Idaho?

Kaylee Peterson joins the North Idaho Experience Podcast for a candid, long-form conversation about her campaign for Congress in Idaho's 1st Congressional District and the political issues affecting Idaho communities.

Peterson discusses her views on congressional term limits, campaign finance reform, cong...

What does the future of Post Falls, Idaho look like as the city continues to grow?

Post Falls Mayor Randy Westlund joins Seth for an in-depth conversation about growth, property taxes, city budgeting, downtown redevelopment, infrastructure, jobs, public safety, and the long-term future of one of North Idaho’s rapidly changing communities.

Randy explains how Idaho property taxes and city funding work, why Post Falls is already p...

Could a drone attack happen inside the United States—and are we prepared to stop it?

After more than 32 years of military service, Tyler Oxley joins the North Idaho Experience Podcast for a fascinating conversation about how warfare is changing, the growing threat of drones, and what America’s air and missile defense could look like in the years ahead.

Tyler spent the final years of his military career working extensively...

Old European Restaurant has become a North Idaho breakfast favorite—but there’s a lot more happening behind the scenes than crepes, cinnamon rolls, and aebleskivers.

In this episode of the North Idaho Experience Podcast, we sit down with John Donohue from Old European Restaurant to talk about what makes the restaurant different, why they’re doubling down on locally sourced food, and their plans to expand throughout...

At 20 years old, Brent Oliver’s life changed in an instant.

While riding a motorcycle on a mountain road, Brent struck a cable that severed his trachea and esophagus, punctured both lungs, and left him an incomplete quadriplegic. After an extraordinary rescue and hours of CPR, Brent survived—but the prognosis for his future was grim.

Brent refused to accept that his wheelchair would define the rest of his life. He became ...

What if something as simple as the water you buy could help change someone else’s life?

In this episode of the North Idaho Experience Podcast, we sit down with DeeDee and Shane from Drink H2O, a North Idaho-based canned water company built around a much bigger mission: providing clean drinking water to families around the world.

Drink H2O started with a simple question—why is so much of the water we drink still packaged i...

Blaine Holt is back for a fourth round with the North Idaho Experience crew — and as always, he brings both the tech and the turbulence.

First up: Zeriant (XERI), the science company Blaine's building on a "free-range scientist" model he calls Factor X, where aerospace minds cross-collaborate to solve problems outside their lane. The first product to market is the DuraEver line — a next-generation wal...

Ever wonder why hundreds of bald eagles pile into Higgins Point and Wolf Lodge Bay every winter? Or how a falcon survives a 240-mph dive? This week the North Idaho Experience crew sits down with Jayne of Birds of Prey Northwest — a raptor center on 15 acres overlooking Lake Coeur d'Alene, home to about 50 birds.

With a nursing degree, a master's in eagle biology, and 40 years in the field, Jayne walks us through the raptors th...

What happens when you walk away from the career you thought you’d have forever—and bet everything on yourself?

Alex Mauri went from the Marine Corps to law enforcement in North Idaho, eventually leaving the badge behind to pursue sales and entrepreneurship. Just a few years later, he’s helping lead StarBat, an eight-figure company built around a deceptively simple idea: make Starlink Mini truly portable, rugged, an...

How do you turn a garage elk call into a company MeatEater wants to buy?

On this episode of North Idaho Experience, Seth and Eric sit down with Jason Phelps — the civil engineer who founded Phelps Game Calls and scaled it for 7 years before the MeatEater acquisition — and Bradley, the logger who bought Idaho Whitetail Guides in 2013 and built it into a 700-square-mile elk, whitetail, bear and mountain lion operat...

Are data centers about to change North Idaho forever? In this episode, Seth and Eric sit down with three local experts — Luke Dupin (decentralized AI systems, Flowster), Dan Finley (Hauser council member, Kootenai Strong), and Ken Staal (process cooling engineer) — for the most honest, numbers-driven conversation you'll hear on whether AI data centers belong in Kootenai County.They get past the headlines and...

What if marijuana isn’t as harmless as many people have been led to believe?

In this powerful episode of the North Idaho Experience Podcast, we sit down with Aubrey Adams and Mary Moss of Every Brain Matters, two mothers whose families have experienced devastating struggles they associate with high-potency THC, addiction, and cannabis-induced psychosis. Mary shares how her high-achieving son began using marijuana and concentra...

In this episode of North Idaho Experience, Seth and Eric sit down with Alex Rogers, a 12-year Navy SEAL veteran, to talk about what it actually takes to earn the Trident — and what it costs.

Alex walks through his path from a small-town kid with no military background to BUD/S training, where his class broke the record for most dropouts (DORs) in Hell Week. He shares a raw account of his first deployment to Iraq, including a f...

What if you could take an incredibly powerful permanent magnet, turn its force on and off without continuously using electricity, and use it to solve real-world problems in aviation, manufacturing, transportation, and national defense?

That’s exactly what Evan Trevors, founder of Lantha Tech, is working on right here in North Idaho.

In this episode of the North Idaho Experience Podcast, we sit down with Evan to explore the tech...

What does it take to permanently break the cycle of addiction? Cameron Birk knows firsthand — and he built a ministry around the answer.

In this episode of the North Idaho Experience Podcast, Seth and Dave sit down with Cameron Birk, founder of Absolute Ministries, and Layne Barndt, their Relationship Director, to go deep on what real, lasting recovery actually looks like.

Cameron's story doesn't start in a boardroom or a churc...

Coach Mel didn't have an easy start. She was homeless at 14, a high school 
dropout, and spent years being told her standards were too high. Today she 
is a serial entrepreneur, certified health coach, published author, and real 
estate developer transforming the commercial landscape of Post Falls, Idaho 
— one block at a time.

In this episode, Seth and Dave sits down with Coach Mel for ...

Steve Morgan flew AC-130 Spectre gunships over Somalia during the Black Hawk Down incident. He watched soldiers die below while his crew was ordered to stand down. Years later, an RPG strike over Iraq destroyed his aircraft — and ended his Air Force career. What followed nearly broke him.

In this episode, Air Force combat veteran and founder of Brave Souls United, Steve Morgan, sits down with Seth and Eric for one of the most ...

Can you legally build a multi-generational compound on 10 acres in North Idaho? 
What does a shop home actually cost — and why is the "$150K build" myth so 
dangerous? John and Spencer from NIE Custom Homes answer both questions and a lot more.

In this episode of the North Idaho Experience Podcast, Seth and Eric sit down 
with the partners of NIE Custom Homes — a North Idaho-based custom b...