Kevin Williamson discusses his new book, Big White Ghetto & shares what he’s learned as a journalist for the National Review. Ultimately, he forces us to ask ourselves the hard questions about communities in rural America that are falling apart: “Should we stay or should we go?” If that isn’t enough of a teaser, well dear listeners, Kevin and Garrett also discuss porn. So join us if you want to know what Owsley County, KY, the Adult Video Awards in Vegas, and the casinos of Atlantic City all have in

Taylor Dawson & Mark Cunningham are empowering Tennesseans to reclaim control of their lives at the Beacon Center based in Nashville, TN. They join Garrett to discuss culture and politics in Tennessee and share their perspectives as transplants from Alabama and D.C. to the Volunteer State. They also talk about forgotten Tennesseans who are often overshadowed by Nashville’s growth, why both have fallen in love with Tennessee, and what other states in the region can learn from Tennessee’s rising prosperit

Alex Brill is a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where he studies the impact of tax policy on the US economy as well as the economic and political consequences of tax, budget, health care, and other policies. He also works on health care reform, pharmaceutical spending, and unemployment insurance reform. Today he joins Garrett to discuss the economic impacts of the opioid crisis on Forgotten America, and he shares with us that this epidemic isn’t just an Appalachian problem.

Emma Ayers, Managing Opinion Editor at Young Voices and native of northeast Tennessee, joins Garrett on today’s episode to talk about the importance of tradition and religion in Appalachian culture. Together, they also explore the importance of meaningful work to the future prosperity of the Appalachian region, share the history of the mysterious Melungeons of Appalachia, and discuss possible solutions to the region’s woes.

Casey Pifer is the Director of Institute Relations for the Atlas Network. She’s also a native West Virginian. She joins Garrett to talk about the commonalities between our work in West Virginia and hers in an international context, wild horses in Montana, Big Game in Africa, and street vendors in India and how everyone, no matter where they are in the world, is ultimately dealing with the same sorts of challenges and are searching for solutions that affirm their human dignity.

Bradley Foster joined the Cardinal Institute this Fall as our Community Engagement Associate. Like many mountaineers, his family has ties to mining, but instead of coal, Bradley’s family mined iron in Minnesota. Garrett invited Bradley onto the podcast to share his experiences growing up in MN, going to college in Fargo, ND, the similarities and differences he’s noticed between the Mountain State and the Land of 10,000 Lakes, and what his experience has been like so far adjusting to life in Charleston,

Joshua & Jared Crenshaw are brothers from Massachusetts who moved to Louisville, Kentucky to found the Pegasus Institute, a free market, state policy think tank. In this episode, Garrett speaks with them about their experience moving from the Bay State to the Bluegrass State, cultural misunderstandings about Kentucky, the New South, and a variety of reforms they believe will make Kentucky a beacon of prosperity. Learn more about Pegasus’ work in Kentucky on their website: https://www.pegasuskentucky.org/

Anthony Hennen is a native of southeastern Ohio and the Managing Editor at the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal. In 2018, he joined with several other friends and Ohio university alumni to found the independent journalism website, Expatalachians. Anthony joins Garrett on today’s episode to discuss the future of regional journalism, cultural diversity in Appalachia, J.D. Vance’s controversial book Hillbilly Elegy, and life as an expatalachian.

Adam Kissel has made a career of helping others and advocating for liberty. At the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, he re-evaluated his priorities and decided to make a change. Adam is excited to be a new resident of Charleston, West Virginia and to be part of the Cardinal’s Institute’s team advancing liberty and opportunity across the state as a senior fellow. In today’s episode, Garrett interviews Adam about his decision to leave the city mouse life behind.

Special cameo by Frank, Adam's dog

Today, we dive deep into the Jagged Heart of Appalachia as Garrett interviews Scott Beyer, the founder of Market Urbanism Report. He shares with us how he became interested in this region of the country and what he has learned about urbanism in a predominantly rural area like Appalachia. In this episode, we tackle the difficult issues of defining Appalachian culture, challenges like generational poverty and the opioid epidemic, and the unique way urbanism takes shape in the mountains of Appalachia.