Up + Adam with Adam Montiel

Today on Up+Adam, we welcome Kristin Casey—author, recovered addict, intimacy coach, and survivor. Kristin opens up about her incredible journey from battling addiction and depression to becoming a certified surrogate partner and intimacy counselor. In this raw and revealing conversation, we explore her powerful new memoir Casey Dancer, her insights into healing and self-acceptance, and the important tie-in to Sexual Assault Awaren...

In this episode of Up+Adam, we sit down with Sarah Tomasetti, the driving force behind Wine 4 Paws, an annual unique event that marries the joy of wine tasting with over 80 wineries and more with the mission of supporting homeless animals from Woods Humane Society. Since 2009, Sarah's vision has galvanized the Central Coast community, raising over $700,000 for Woods Humane Society. Discover how this event has evolved over the years...

In this episode of Up+Adam, Adam Montiel sits down with Poppy O’Toole, the Michelin-trained chef turned viral TikTok powerhouse behind Poppy Cooks. After losing her job during the pandemic, Poppy leaned into comfort, creativity, and carbs - and in doing so, built a global following obsessed with her signature style of accessible, personality-packed cooking. Known lovingly as “the High Priestess of the Potato,” she’s got over 4.4 mi...

In this episode of Up+Adam, Adam sits down with ACLU president and NYU law professor Deborah Archer, who makes a bold claim in her new book Dividing Lines: America’s transportation system hasn’t just failed us—it was designed to divide us. 

This conversation doesn’t shy away from the big questions: In a time where everything is being called racist, is labeling roads helpful, or harmful? Do you think there’s a point where everything ...

In this episode of Up+Adam, Adam chats with retired FBI Special Agent Scott Payne, the undercover legend dubbed the “Hillbilly Donnie Brasco.” From goat‑blood rituals with neo‑Nazis in a Georgia forest to the basement strip‑search that almost blew his cover, Payne unpacks 25 years inside Outlaw biker gangs, opioid pipelines, and the accelerationist movement plotting a race war, while getting candid about juggling seven burner phone...

In Part Two of this exclusive conversation, Adam continues his deep dive with beloved KSBY meteorologist Dave Hovde — picking up where they left off. From the evolution of local media to the emotional weight of walking away, Dave opens up about the regrets that linger, the career highs that surprised him, and the personal clarity he’s found through change. Whether it’s journaling through anxiety, raising kids in the public eye, or ...

After over 20 years as the face of weather on the Central Coast, Dave Hovde is stepping away from KSBY. But he’s not going far. In this first of a special two-part interview, Adam sits down in the Timbre LoBro Studios with Dave for an honest, revealing, and often hilarious conversation about why now was the time to step away, how he’s planning his next chapter, and why connection — not forecast accuracy — might be the true legacy h...

Two undefeated MMA fighters from Paso Robles — both young, hungry, and ready to throw down. In this episode of Up + Adam, we sit down with Hunter Thompson and Octavio Gonzalez ahead of their April 19th bouts at 559 Fights 113 in Visalia. But this isn’t just for fight fans — it’s a raw, real convo about what it means to chase a dream, train your body and mind, and represent your hometown with pride.

We get into what brought them into...

In this episode, Adam welcomes to the Timbre LoBro Studios two creative forces behind Sensorio’s newest and most ambitious exhibit yet—FOSO, the Fiber Optic Symphonic Orchestra, now glowing across 32 towering columns of light in Paso Robles.

Bruce Munro, the internationally acclaimed light artist whose work has transformed landscapes around the world, now has five installations at Sensorio, making Paso home to his largest body of wo...

In this episode of Up+Adam, Adam Montiel chats with John Lee Bishop, former megachurch pastor, convicted drug trafficker, and now the author of one of the most jaw-dropping memoirs you’ll read: The Church of Living Dangerously.

John Lee Bishop’s story isn’t just a fall from grace—it’s a high-speed nosedive into addiction, crime, prison, and somehow... redemption. From preaching to fifteen thousand people on Easter Sunday to smugglin...

In today’s episode of Up+Adam, Adam breaks down three wild and wildly different stories making waves on the Central Coast:

• A homeless man in San Luis Obispo becomes a millionaire after buying a winning scratcher at Sandy’s Liquor downtown. Yeah—that Sandy’s.
• Former SLO Mayor Heidi Harmon loses her lawsuit, and the fallout is as telling as it is expensive. Adam dives into the details and what it says about local leadership, accoun...

On this episode of Up+Adam, Adam chats with actor Shawn Ashmore, whose face (and voice) you definitely know—even if the name doesn’t hit right away. Shawn has carved out a powerhouse career in film and television, playing everything from superheroes (X-Men, The Boys) to complex, haunted men in cult thrillers like The Following, Devil’s Gate, and Aftermath.

Now, he steps into something even darker in the brand-new horror film It Feed...

Just ten days after her wedding, Stacie was diagnosed with one of the rarest and most aggressive forms of breast cancer: triple negative. She fought through chemo, radiation, surgery, and even clinical trials, only to hear the words no one should ever have to hear: “There are no more options.” But she and her husband Cody refused to accept that. They found hope in a science-backed, integrative cancer clinic, and they found life.

In ...

What if your favorite song was written... by artificial intelligence? We kick off this episode exploring one of the most buzzed-about topics in music: AI and creativity—how it’s changing the landscape for musicians, and what it means for fans, songwriters, and storytellers alike. Adam welcomes Michael Venia, lead singer of award-winning indie alt-rock band Carbon City Lights, into the LoBro Studios at Timbre Winery in San Luis Obis...

Grit, Glam, & Glue Guns: How Kristen Coutts Became a DIY Icon:

On this episode of Up+Adam, Adam sits down with DIY dynamo and A&E’s newest star, Kristen Coutts, host of Beer Budget Reno. Kristen’s story starts on maternity leave, power drill in hand, with no clue she was about to launch a full-blown design empire. Hear how she turned a fixer-upper, some honest Instagram posts, and a whole lotta awkward moments into a career ...

From the frontlines of the Watts Riots to the sidelines of Monday Night Football, from shadowing Whitney Houston on tour to walking Ground Zero after 9/11—Larry Wansley’s life reads like a thriller. In this episode, Adam Montiel sits down with the man behind some of the most pivotal and untold moments in modern American history. Undercover FBI agent, airline security director, Cowboys security chief—Larry’s stories will blow your m...

In this episode of Up+Adam, Adam Montiel sits down with Detective Hayden Warner of the San Luis Obispo Police Department in partnership with Lumina Alliance, recognizing April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Together, they discuss Hayden’s evolution from patrol to detective, his work with survivors, and what trauma-informed policing looks like when someone’s world is falling apart.

They explore the balance between investigator an...

On this episode of Up+Adam, we’re joined by someone who doesn’t just tell true crime stories—she reframes them entirely. Mary Kay McBrayer is a writer, researcher, and the host of The Greatest True Crime Stories Ever Told, a podcast that takes familiar headlines and turns them on their head. Her work blends deep research with big heart.

We talk about why these stories matter, how to tell them with care, and what it means to look int...

E.J. Snyder isn’t just a survivalist—he’s a full-on force of nature. You’ve seen him conquer the wild on Naked and Afraid, Dual Survival, and First Man Out. With 206 survival days under his belt and a 25-year Army career behind him, E.J. has walked into jungles with nothing—and walked out with wisdom. Now, he’s using that knowledge to help everyday people prepare for real-world emergencies at home.

In this episode, Adam and E.J. div...