Up + Adam with Adam Montiel

What really happens when we die? Or... what if we don't?

On this episode of Up+Adam, I chat with filmmaker and podcast host Dan Bush, the creator of Alive Again, a gripping series that explores near-death experiences and the people who live to talk about them. These aren’t just brushes with death; they’re deep dives into the stories, sensations, and transformations that follow. We talk about the patterns that show up again and again...

On today’s Up+Adam, best-selling author and TV chef Deborah VanTrece joins Adam for a rich and flavorful conversation about the universal language of food, the roots of soul cooking, and how she’s blending global influence with deep Southern tradition. From serving up creative twists like Jamaican beef pot pie and adobo ribs on FYI’s Global Soul Kitchen, to redefining airport dining as Executive Chef of the Centurion Lounge at Atla...

What happens when justice goes viral? When the courtroom becomes content? And when the story isn't just about two celebrities, but about us?

In this episode of Up+Adam, Adam Montiel welcomes journalist and documentarian Makiko Wholey, co-author of Hollywood Vampires: Johnny Depp, Amber Heard, and the Celebrity Exploitation Machine. Makiko takes us behind the scenes of one of the most chaotic, consequential trials in modern celebrity...

Get ready to dive deep with one of the Elks Lodge’s most dedicated leaders, Nancy Lewelling, as she joins Adam Montiel to talk about Pink Drank, a vibrant summer event that’s become one of San Luis Obispo’s most anticipated gatherings. Poolside, dressed in pink, with over 30 of the hottest producers in wine, beer, spirits, and craft cocktails. Add in a live DJ, curated bites, a grazing table, a wine pull, and you've got a celebrati...

In this soulful episode, Adam chats with the incomparable Ziggy Marley: eight-time Grammy winner, Emmy winner, musician, humanitarian, and now, bedtime book wizard. Ziggy opens up about Pajammin’, his newest children’s book inspired by his father Bob Marley’s iconic song “Jamming.” But this conversation goes way deeper than pajamas.

Together, they unpack family rituals, the evolution of legacy, and what it means to create joy that o...

What if the story we’ve been told for 60 years… was never meant to hold up? Legendary prosecutor and former Deputy Chief Counsel of the U.S. Congressional JFK assassination probe, Robert K. Tanenbaum, joins Up+Adam for a truth-bomb of a conversation that challenges the official narrative of Dealey Plaza. His new book, That Day in Dallas: Lee Harvey Oswald Did NOT Kill JFK, makes the case—with evidence, not theory—that the assassina...

Montel Williams is Up+Adam! What happens when a 36,000-ton aircraft carrier gets torpedoed in WWII, its rudder jammed, and it starts spinning helplessly in enemy waters? In most timelines, it’s the end of the story. But in Montel Williams’ new book The Sailing of the Intrepid, it’s just the beginning.

On today’s episode, Adam welcomes Montel…yes, that Montel for a conversation that’s part history, part masterclass in resilience. The...

In this episode, Adam chats with Robin from Woods Humane Society with our Pet(s) of the Week. We say pets, cause…we…got…KITTENS! They are also on the heels of their big Tails gala event this weekend!

Also, rosé all day? Adam is giving away a pair of tickets to Pink Drank, the Central Coast’s ultimate rosé bash. First ten listeners to hit up adammontiel.com get in. No code words. No nonsense. Just go. Buy tickets at  pinkdrank.org - ...

In this episode of Up+Adam, Adam sits down in the LoBro Studios with Jatzibe Sandoval, Community Impact and Volunteer Director at Lumina Alliance, for a conversation that’s as moving as it is essential. From her own personal journey through challenge and transformation to now leading community advocacy efforts, Jatzibe shares how lived experience becomes powerful leadership.

We talk about the delicate art of trauma-informed care, w...

Today in the LoBro Studios at Timbre, we’re joined by longtime restaurateur and hospitality ninja John MacKinnon, the mind and soul behind two very different but equally beloved spots on the Central Coast: Moonstone Beach Bar & Grill in Cambria and Todo Bueno at the SLO Public Market.

We talk about what it means to build something with intention. From the grind of surviving the pandemic as a restaurant owner, to the obsessive jo...

Today on Up+Adam, Adam chats with Courtney Armstrong and Baudi Moovan, co-hosts of the nightly iHeartRadio podcast True Crime Tonight. Courtney has spent years inside the darkest corners of America’s most haunting cases, from the Piketon massacre to justice with Nancy Grace. 

Baudi became a household name after helping crack a murder case online, her story told in Netflix’s Don’t F**k With Cats. Together, they navigate the chaos of ...

We’re kicking off a part 2 of our Farm Days series that takes you straight into the heart of the SLO County Farm Trail this weekend!. In this first episode, Adam sits down with some of his favorite ag fam to talk about food, farming, friendship, and how passion and product collide right here on the Central Coast.

Joining Adam in Timbre LoBro studio:

• Lynette Sonne, the powerhouse behind Farmstead Ed and the SLO County Farm Trail, ...

This is one of those Up+Adam episodes you remember. When a guest like David Foster joins the show, you know you're in for something special. Sixteen Grammys. A career that’s defined the sound of entire generations. And now? He’s scoring Broadway. This is more than a cool conversation. It’s a front-row seat to one of music’s greatest living legends.

What happens when a hitmaker steps into the world of Broadway? You get BOOP! The Musi...

In this episode, Adam reunites with a very special guest: Aiden Ponti, the 16-year-old founder of Breadin Bros, a Central Coast culinary brand built from scratch... literally. Two years after their first conversation at the Mid-State Fair, Aiden returns to talk about how his fried chicken obsession turned into a fast-growing business, now in local stores.



We talk product innovation, personal growth, and the wild story behind launch...

What does it sound like when a man sings from the middle of his comeback? On this episode of Up+Adam, Adam Montiel sits down with The Voice Season 27 winner Adam David, a soulful rocker whose voice is as textured as his story. From a single-chair turn to an Instant Save that felt more like a divine pause button, Adam’s journey through addiction, recovery, and redemption is nothing short of cinematic.

We talk about the moment music s...

In this episode, Adam chats with award-winning journalist and podcast host Melissa Jeltsen, whose latest true-crime series What Happened to Talina Zar dives deep into one of the most unsettling disappearances in recent memory.

During the early days of COVID lockdown, 50-year-old Talina Zar posted an eerie message online and then vanished. What followed was a search unlike anything we’ve seen: led not by detectives, but by relentless...

What happens when Superman trades his cape for a clipboard… and ends up coaching a girls’ soccer team full of chaos and heart? In this episode of Up+Adam, Dean Cain joins the show to talk about his brand-new film Little Angels, in theaters now. But this conversation goes well beyond the movie.

They dive into legacy, left turns, writing from the heart, and the real behind-the-scenes grit it takes to create something the whole family ...

Where There’s Smoke, There’s Meathead: 

Adam chats with one of the most trusted voices in barbecue…Meathead, BBQ Hall of Famer and the mind behind the wildly popular AmazingRibs.com. His latest book, The Meathead Method, isn’t just a cookbook, it’s a myth-busting, flavor-unlocking, science-soaked manual that turns your grill into an instrument of delicious truth.

From the Central Coast to the science lab, Meathead talks about busting...

In this episode of Up+Adam, we sit down with the ever-charismatic Kenny Crossley, a standout personality from A&E's hit series Storage Wars. From his early days in New Orleans law enforcement to managing storage facilities in Los Angeles, Kenny's journey to television stardom is anything but ordinary. He shares insights into the upcoming season of Storage Wars, premiering Saturday, June 7th at 9PM ET/PT on A&E, promising mo...