The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe

The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe

What started as a series of short mysteries for the curious mind with a short attention span has evolved into enlightening conversations for the not-so-short attention span. Whether it’s a short mystery, a long conversation, or an audio book, The Way I Heard It is a veritable box of chocolates for the ears, because you never know what you’re going to get.

Episodes

September 23, 2025 93 mins

Meredith Olson is president of Vela, a nonprofit that funds everyday entrepreneurs who are ditching the traditional school model in favor of something a little more… flexible. Vela doesn’t run schools—it supports people creating their own. From homeschool co-ops to microschools in living rooms and libraries, Vela empowers parents, students, and entrepreneurs to reimagine education outside of traditional systems...

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Serial entrepreneur, lipstick farmer, and season 2 undercover billionaire Elaine Culotti unleashes a no-holds-barred critique of California’s downward spiral. From endless red tape and anti-business policies to the sluggish response to the Palisades fire, Elaine argues that leadership under Gavin Newsom has been nothing short of disastrous. She doesn’t just complain—she hints she might run for governor herself.

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September 9, 2025 94 mins

Comedian, podcaster, and self-described “troubled white” Theo Von joins the party for a candid discussion about the bone he found on his way to the studio, what he was manifesting during the Lion’s Portal, and why he loves ‘Merica. There’s a little wrestling, a little recovery, and lot of talk of a new Mike and Theo Antique Road Show-type show featuring American-made entrepreneurs. It’s patriotic, hilarious, an...

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Mike chats with Dr. Sheree Utash, Ed.D., president of WSU Tech and a national leader in workforce education. They talk about how she reinvented a community college into a national model for workforce development, her role in taking Mike’s S.W.E.A.T. Pledge and shaping it into the mikeroweWORKS curriculum, and why she believes skilled trades are key to America’s future. It’s a perfect pre-Labor Day discussion.

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Tommy Mello founded A1 Garage Door Service—a 100 million-plus-dollar business. Tommy shares how he went from reselling Bowflex, cleaning pools, and painting garage doors to building one of the largest home service companies in the country. He talks about the hustle, the screw-ups, and the systems that helped him scale, including his no-nonsense approach to hiring and promoting based on performance, not resumes....

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August 12, 2025 82 mins

Actor, director, and pseudo-troublemaker Nick Searcy is back! Nick recounts what he saw at the Capitol on January 6 and why he made Capital Punishment and its sequel, The War on Truth. Also discussed is Nick’s unfiltered memoir, Justify This: A Career Without Compromise, where he shares stories from his long career in Hollywood, and a new project about gospel singers that might just redeem him—at least a litt...

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America’s Grandmother stops by to discuss the haunting melody of Adagio for Strings, dropping one’s phone in the toilet, and Peggy’s handsy masseuse.

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Filmmaker Jack Teetor joins to discuss his new documentary, Blind Logic, about his granduncle, Ralph Teetor, who revolutionized the automotive industry. From inventing cruise control to influencing the development of the automatic transmission, Ralph was an automotive visionary, which is ironic since he did all that while being blind since childhood.

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Former Texas Governor and U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry stops by to talk about two things most folks wouldn't expect in the same sentence—AI data farms and psychedelic therapy. Perry breaks down why the Lone Star State is set to become a digital powerhouse for AI server farms and what that means for energy, jobs, and infrastructure. Then the conversation turns to ibogaine—...

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Salena Zito is a prolific author, award-winning reporter, and our great friend. No one knows the heartland like Salena, and she’s here to discuss the future of AI and the energy needed to pursue it, the sudden resurgence of interest in the skilled trades and how Pennsylvania is helping lead the way, and her brand-new book, Butler: The Untold Story of the Near Assassination of Donald Trump and the Fight for Ame...

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Jillian Michaels is a renowned fitness expert, television personality, podcaster, and bestselling author known most for her role on The Biggest Loser. She has built a global brand around health, wellness, and personal empowerment through fitness.

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June 17, 2025 97 mins

Arguably America’s greatest living playwright, David Mamet, drops by to discuss movies, theater, philosophy, and his new book, The Disenlightenment: Politics, Horror, and Entertainment, in which he offers sharp insights into American culture, politics, and the art of storytelling. WARNING: THIS EPISODE IS MARKED EXPLICIT as the language gets quite spicy, and we did not quack the f-bombs. Otherwise, the episode ...

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New York Times bestselling author Codie Sanchez has a background working in finance but gave up Wall Street for Main Street. She is a blue-collar entrepreneur and investor known for buying and growing “boring” cash-flow businesses like laundromats and car washes. She founded Contrarian Thinking to help others achieve financial freedom through unconventional investing.

 

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Jan Jekielek is a senior editor with The Epoch Times and host of “American Thought Leaders.” He has extensively covered the issue of forced organ harvesting in China, particularly concerning Falun Gong practitioners. It is estimated that 60,000 to 100,000 organs annually have been involuntarily extracted from political prisoners in China. Jan’s investigative...

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437: Neal McDonough—Clear the Mechanism

The perennial character actor villain turned leading man drops by to talk about the first film where he finally gets to kiss the girl at the end, The Last Rodeo—and that girl is played by his wife, Ruvé. Coincidence? Not a chance. That’s the only way Neal would do it. Neal also discusses how he secured a return to Taylor Sheridan’s Tulsa Kings, why h...

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Once named one of Inc. magazine’s 10 most admired CEOs, Garry led WD-40 for 25 years. At that time, his leadership and positive corporate culture grew WD-40 into one of the world's most recognized and well-loved brands. In this episode, Garry discusses how he achieved this and why he detailed it in his book, Any Dumbass Can Do It.

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Amid the tariff wars, Mike sits down with two men whose businesses are NOT affected by foreign supply chains. Josh is a master bladesmith and founder of the Montana Knife Company, and Bayard is founder and CEO of American Giant. Both men are uniquely positioned to discuss the benefits and pitfalls of making products entirely in the United States.

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You may know Sarah as the on-camera producer from Facebook’s Returning the Favor with Mike Rowe. She is also a two-time Emmy-winning storyteller, social anthropologist, founder and CEO of Common Ground Studios, and the absolute cheeriest person you’ll ever meet! Sarah talks with Mike about their new show, People You Should Know, which will premiere May 2 on Mike’s YouTube channel @therealmikerowe.

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Peggy Rowe, a.k.a. Mike’s three-time NYT bestselling mom, is back for a check-in. In this episode you’ll hear about the horrors of hoarding, books you’ll never read, dancin’ chicken, crab pickin’, and a Mother’s Day story about a toy that really sucks!

 

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The multilingual, bass-thumping, capitalist dives into what made him fall in love with America, his unforgettable first job involving prosthetic testes, and the etymology of the word a**hole. It’s a free-wheeling discussion from Moses to Superman and everything in between. 

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