Irregardless
Irregardless. Debated word. Undebatable energy. Hosted by Shep Hickey, CEO of Bryzos, Irregardless is the no-filter podcast where the metals industry kicks back and speaks freely. From steel market trends and tech to wild stories and left-field tangents, this show brings real talk with real people from all corners of the industry—and beyond. But we don’t stop there. Expect discussions on leadership, startups, entrepreneurship, and the unpredictable paths that connect it all. It’s brought to you by the team behind Bryzos—the digital marketplace built for the metals world. We’re on a mission to bring speed, transparency, and zero BS to buying and selling metals. No script. No fluff. Irregardless of the topic, we’re gonna talk about it. Check out the app and join the community at Bryzos.com
Episodes
January 7, 2026 • 37 mins
Lee Letourneau sits down with Anthony Jacobs in Chicago for the final episode of our FABTECH 2025 series. Anthony is the owner of Vigilante Welding and runs the popular YouTube channel Meltin' Metal Anthony, where he shares everything he knows about welding, entrepreneurship, and running a business.
Anthony kicks things off with the story behind Vigilante Welding's name, which goes back to the old west days in Ennis, Montan...
Anthony kicks things off with the story behind Vigilante Welding's name, which goes back to the old west days in Ennis, Montan...
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December 17, 2025 • 41 mins
In this episode, Shep sits down with Evan Uyetake, Head of Sales at Leadline Marketing, live from FABTECH 2025. Leadline specializes in helping companies in the industrial, manufacturing, and fabrication space build smarter marketing strategies.
Shep and Evan dive into why so many companies in the metals industry get marketing wrong. It's not just about spending money, it's about spending it wisely. They talk through the i...
Shep and Evan dive into why so many companies in the metals industry get marketing wrong. It's not just about spending money, it's about spending it wisely. They talk through the i...
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December 3, 2025 • 18 mins
In this episode, Bryzos COO Lee Letourneau sits down with José Reyes, owner of Texas Arc Welding Academy and Texas Arc Welding Supply. José shares how welding offered him a new path when many around him were heading straight into construction. A high school counselor introduced him to the trade and connected him with a welder who helped launch his career. From there, he built a strong foundation in pipe welding and worked acro...
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November 19, 2025 • 20 mins
In this episode, Rachel Hartman sits down with Laynie Locke, founder of Lips and Sticks Welding, at FABTECH 2025. Laynie shares how she built her brand creating fun and feminine hood decals, stickers, hats, and apparel designed to give women in welding a way to express themselves on the job.
Before welding, Laynie spent 15 years in marketing, often working with welding schools and shops. Being around the industry sparked h...
Before welding, Laynie spent 15 years in marketing, often working with welding schools and shops. Being around the industry sparked h...
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November 5, 2025 • 46 mins
This week on Irregardless, host Rachel Hartman sits down with Steve Kost, metal artist and founder of Metal Health Artwork, for an inspiring conversation recorded from FABTECH 2025!
Steve’s journey is one of grit, healing, and transformation. From his early days as a Seabee in the U.S. Navy, serving in Somalia in the 1990s, to his years as an ironworker in Chicago, Steve’s hands have always built, repaired, and created. Bu...
Steve’s journey is one of grit, healing, and transformation. From his early days as a Seabee in the U.S. Navy, serving in Somalia in the 1990s, to his years as an ironworker in Chicago, Steve’s hands have always built, repaired, and created. Bu...
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October 15, 2025 • 34 mins
Recorded from the show floor at FABTECH 2025, host Rachel Hartman sits down with Emily Wilkins, CEO and Founder of Marketing Metal; a bold, no-BS agency built for the “Radical Job Shop” of the metals industry.
Emily shares her journey growing up near Detroit in a GM family, trading a mechanical engineering path for a passion in marketing, and ultimately founding Marketing Metal, the “anti-agency” reshaping how manufacturer...
Emily shares her journey growing up near Detroit in a GM family, trading a mechanical engineering path for a passion in marketing, and ultimately founding Marketing Metal, the “anti-agency” reshaping how manufacturer...
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October 1, 2025 • 33 mins
In this episode, recorded from the show floor at FABTECH 2025, Shep sits down with John King, the owner of JK Welding in Texas, to share an incredible story of grit, growth, and building a fabrication powerhouse from the ground up.
John takes us back to the early days of his career, working through a string of grueling trade jobs—from oil mopping to HVAC to brick laying—before discovering welding. Once he struck his first ...
John takes us back to the early days of his career, working through a string of grueling trade jobs—from oil mopping to HVAC to brick laying—before discovering welding. Once he struck his first ...
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September 24, 2025 • 47 mins
This week on Irregardless, Rachel Hartman sits down with Demi Knight Clark — welder, manufacturing and automation enthusiast, “Steminist,” and founder of Reimagined Rosies.
Demi’s passion for the trades runs deep. Inspired by her grandmother, an original Rosie the Riveter and welder during WWII, Demi carried the “Knight” name forward as a tribute to her roots. From early vo-tech classes to a career in construction and weld...
Demi’s passion for the trades runs deep. Inspired by her grandmother, an original Rosie the Riveter and welder during WWII, Demi carried the “Knight” name forward as a tribute to her roots. From early vo-tech classes to a career in construction and weld...
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September 17, 2025 • 21 mins
Irregardless recorded from the show floor at FABTECH 2025!
In this episode, Rachel sits down with Sarah Stork, Welding Artist, to hear how her passion for metalwork first sparked and grew into a full-time career. Sarah shares how it all began with a practical need, learning code welding at community college to fix a fence on her farm. That spark quickly turned into a calling, leading her to compete in SkillsUSA’s Welded S...
In this episode, Rachel sits down with Sarah Stork, Welding Artist, to hear how her passion for metalwork first sparked and grew into a full-time career. Sarah shares how it all began with a practical need, learning code welding at community college to fix a fence on her farm. That spark quickly turned into a calling, leading her to compete in SkillsUSA’s Welded S...
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September 3, 2025 • 66 mins
On this episode of Irregardless, we’re kicking off a special spotlight series: Women in the Trades. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be featuring conversations with women across welding, manufacturing, and the metals industry who are making an impact and paving the way for the next generation.
We’re starting with none other than Barbie Parsons—better known as Barbie the Welder. A Metal Artist, Author, Keynote Speaker, and ad...
We’re starting with none other than Barbie Parsons—better known as Barbie the Welder. A Metal Artist, Author, Keynote Speaker, and ad...
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August 27, 2025 • 50 mins
In Part 2 of our conversation, Tim Reboulet, COO of M6 Global Defense, takes us deeper into the world of the U.S. Secret Service and beyond.
Tim shares what it really takes to make it into the agency, including the unforgiving training process where one failed test means you’re out. He explains the constant challenge of protecting the President in public settings, the tension between Secret Service protocols and White Hous...
Tim shares what it really takes to make it into the agency, including the unforgiving training process where one failed test means you’re out. He explains the constant challenge of protecting the President in public settings, the tension between Secret Service protocols and White Hous...
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August 20, 2025 • 50 mins
In Part 1 of this two-part conversation, Shep sits down with Tim Reboulet, COO of M6 Global Defense, to unpack a remarkable career in security, protection, and leadership. With nearly 30 years of experience across law enforcement, the U.S. Secret Service, cybersecurity, and K–12 safety, Tim’s path began in local policing before enduring the rigorous selection process to join the Secret Service.
Tim reflects on the pivotal ...
Tim reflects on the pivotal ...
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August 13, 2025 • 53 mins
In this episode of Irregardless, Shep sits down with Rob Rolves, President of Foreman Fabricators in St. Louis, a decorative and ornamental fabrication company whose work can be seen across the city’s skyline and landmarks.
Rob shares the unique path that led him from engineering student to history major, and eventually to Foreman Fabricators, where he worked his way up to the top. He talks about his close relationship wit...
Rob shares the unique path that led him from engineering student to history major, and eventually to Foreman Fabricators, where he worked his way up to the top. He talks about his close relationship wit...
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August 6, 2025 • 71 mins
In this episode of Irregardless, Shep sits down with Jim Vinoski, President of Cosgrove Content and Consulting, host and founder of the Manufacturing Talks podcast and web show, and a longtime Forbes contributor focused on the manufacturing space. After decades spent working across the industry, Jim has turned his attention to consulting and writing, sharing insights on the future of manufacturing, the trends he’s seeing, and ...
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July 30, 2025 • 78 mins
In this episode of Irregardless, Shep sits down with Jared Cochran, Owner of Speed Fabrication out of Perryville, Missouri. What began as a father-son project to build a CNC plasma table turned into a thriving fabrication business that Jared runs with his wife. From decorative metal signs to residential, artistic, and government work, Speed Fab has grown from a garage hobby into a full-blown powerhouse fabrication shop.
Ja...
Ja...
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July 23, 2025 • 50 mins
This week on Irregardless, we’re joined by Rob Mihalko, founder and principal of Spectus Strategy and a trusted expert in digital marketplaces.
Rob shares hard-earned lessons from years helping marketplace businesses grow and scale. From his early days at Ariba to sharing his expertise with the next generation of marketplace leaders. We get into what actually drives sustainable marketplace growth, how strategy shifts over ...
Rob shares hard-earned lessons from years helping marketplace businesses grow and scale. From his early days at Ariba to sharing his expertise with the next generation of marketplace leaders. We get into what actually drives sustainable marketplace growth, how strategy shifts over ...
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July 16, 2025 • 64 mins
In this episode, Bryzos COO Lee Letourneau sits down with Chris Luecke, host of Manufacturing Happy Hour and PubCast Worldwide, for a wide-ranging conversation that’s as insightful as it is entertaining. They explore how Chris went from a career in automation at Rockwell to becoming one of the most recognizable voices in the industrial space through podcasting. He shares how Manufacturing Happy Hour evolved from a side project...
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July 9, 2025 • 54 mins
In Part 2 of this conversation, Shep Hickey and Lisa Reisman continue their discussion, diving into how MetalMiner evolved from a simple blog into a platform offering powerful forecasting tools for the metals industry.
They explore the complexities of metal pricing, market volatility, and why critical thinking still matters in a world increasingly shaped by A.I. Lisa shares her perspective on what A.I. can and can’t do, an...
They explore the complexities of metal pricing, market volatility, and why critical thinking still matters in a world increasingly shaped by A.I. Lisa shares her perspective on what A.I. can and can’t do, an...
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July 2, 2025 • 51 mins
In Part 1 of this two-part conversation, Shep Hickey sits down with Lisa Reisman, CEO and founder of MetalMiner, for an engaging and wide-ranging conversation that traces the unexpected journey that led her into the metals industry.
Lisa shares her unconventional path, from early career twists and wild job stories to her first steps into aluminum trading. She talks about how she and her husband launched MetalMiner as a blo...
Lisa shares her unconventional path, from early career twists and wild job stories to her first steps into aluminum trading. She talks about how she and her husband launched MetalMiner as a blo...
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June 25, 2025 • 64 mins
This week on Irregardless, we sit down with Sam Goodwin, an entrepreneur, speaker, and St. Louis native, to hear a story that is as unthinkable as it is inspiring.
In 2019, while on a mission to visit every country in the world, Sam was captured in Syria and held hostage for 63 days under the Syrian regime. With no formal charges and little hope, he endured solitary confinement, interrogation, and extreme uncertainty, whil...
In 2019, while on a mission to visit every country in the world, Sam was captured in Syria and held hostage for 63 days under the Syrian regime. With no formal charges and little hope, he endured solitary confinement, interrogation, and extreme uncertainty, whil...
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