FORTitude FW Podcast

Alex Snodgrass stopped by the FORTitude Pod this week and she was awesome! She shared her journey into the food influencer world, where her love of cooking comes from, and the wins and challenges she faced in publishing her first cookbook. Join the guys as we get to know Alex and prepare to be inspired. Alex is a food lover, Whole 30 health enthusiast, and the founder of The Defined Dish. She graduated from TCU where she studied Political Science and History and now lives in Dallas where she lives with her husband and two young daughters while running her business. Her recipes use clean ingredients that are known for being simple, easy, and full of flavor. Be sure to check out this episode, you’ll walk away with a new passion for home-cooked meals.

Jon Bonnell visits the guys at FORTitude this week and they talk all about food. Jon talks about how he developed his love for cooking and how that led him to eventually opening his own restaurant. He’s had a wild journey and this episode will leave you excited for your next meal. Born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas, Chef Jon Bonnell grew up hunting, fishing, and cooking with his parents and family. After graduating from Vanderbilt University in 1994, Jon taught science and math for two years before pursuing his love for cooking and enrolling in the New England Culinary Institute in Montpelier, Vermont. During his tenure at NECI, Jon completed a six-month culinary internship at Mr. B's Bistro in the historic New Orleans French Quarter. In 1997, Jon graduated from NECI and returned to Fort Worth where he honed his cooking skills at local, upscale restaurants.

Amanda Micallef, the founder of Arsenic, joins the guys at FORTitude this week. She talks to the guys about how she went from Fort Worth to LA right after high school and never really looked back. She shares some of her wild moments working in the movie industry and how she went from working on films to creating Arsenic to ultimately leaving LA and the movie business altogether to return to Texas. Her story is one you really don’t want to miss.  Prior to founding Arsenic, Amanda Micallef spent 12 years as a producer of over 20 films, music videos, and commercial productions, where she was responsible for all aspects of projects from inception through distribution. Amanda is a board member of Jamak (the largest privately owned silicone manufacturing company in the nation with offices in the US, UK, China & Hong Kong,) Reata Restaurant Management Group as well as four other boards with holdings in real estate, manufacturing, and automotive.

This week we have a futurist on the podcast. David Treichler spends his time researching the past to try and predict the future to help companies plan for major future events, like the pandemic. David talks about his process and shares some amazing insights into things like social media, climate change, and automated driving. You really don’t want to miss this episode. David Treichler is the director of strategy and technology for Oncor Electric Delivery in Dallas where he is responsible for strategic analysis supporting the growth of the enterprise. Prior to this role, he held senior roles in classified intelligence and defense systems, public education, finance, and economic development. As a futurist, he has written 19 novels that seek to inform the discussion regarding how rapidly transforming technology is changing the nature of human relationships in an increasingly mediated world.

Sharen Wilson joined the podcast today and schooled JW and Brinton on Fort Worth Law. She talks about Fort Worth’s strengths and weaknesses. She shares her journey into law and her passions. It was a great conversation and we learned a lot. She was elected District Attorney in 2014, becoming the first woman to hold the office and the 14th DA in the history of Tarrant County. She began her legal career as an Assistant District Attorney in the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office, where she went on to become the first female unit chief. After serving in private practice representing both civil and criminal clients, she was appointed by Governor Bill Clements to the bench of Tarrant’s Criminal District Court No. 1. Sharen grew up in the Amarillo area, where she graduated from Amarillo College, Texas Tech University, and the Texas Tech University School of Law. In 2016, she was honored as a Distinguished Alumni by Texas Tech University Law School.

Jamie Dixon joins the podcast today to talk to the guys about his basketball journey from playing for TCU to coming back to coach at TCU. Jamie was a great guest and you don’t want to miss his story.    Jamie is the head coach of the TCU Horned Frogs men's basketball team, where he played college basketball. He previously served as the head coach of the University of Pittsburgh men's basketball team from 2003 through 2016.   Dixon was named Big East Coach of the Year in 2004, Naismith College Coach of the Year in 2009, Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year in 2010, and the Sporting News National Coach of the Year award in 2011. Dixon played college basketball at Texas Christian University, was selected by the Washington Bullets in the 1987 NBA draft, and played professionally with the Continental Basketball Association's Lacrosse Catbirds and for Hawke's Bay Hawks of the New Zealand National Basketball League.

Jill Kramer, Director of Volleyball at TCU, joins the guys at FORTitude today. She chats with JW and Brinton about her own volleyball career and what it’s like coaching. She also educates the guys on Volleyball lingo.  Kramer returned to Fort Worth, where she was the first scholarship volleyball student-athlete in the history of TCU, still holds the school records in kills, kills per set and total attacks. As a player, Kramer was the trailblazer for the program, stepping in as the first in what would become a long line of superstar outside hitters. She was inducted in the TCU Lettermen’s Association Hall of Fame in 2007. As a coach, Kramer has shown herself to be determined to continue to grow the TCU Volleyball program. She has brought the Horned Frogs to the postseason in four of her five completed seasons.

Bonus Episode!! In this unreleased episode, JW and Brinton sat down with Gary Patterson last year to talk about not only his football career, but also about his goals, his life after football, and his budding singing career.  Gary Patterson is the former head football coach at Texas Christian University and the winningest coach in Horned Frogs' history. Patterson has led the TCU Horned Frogs to six conference championships and nine bowl game victories. His 2010 squad finished the season undefeated at 13–0 after a 21–19 Rose Bowl victory over the Wisconsin Badgers on New Year's Day 2011, and ranked second in the final tallying of both major polls.

Mac Engel joins the guys at FORTitude. JW and Brinton pick Mac's brain about high school and college sports. They explore the future of school sports as things continue to change. Mac is an award-winning sports columnist for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram where he has worked for 20 years. He's covered the Texas Rangers, Dallas Stars, Dallas Mavericks, and Dallas Cowboys as a beat writer for several years, as well as every major college in Texas. His blog - The Big Mac Blog - was named The Best in Texas by the Texas Associated Press Managing Editors in 2011. He was a delight on the podcast, be sure to give it a listen.

Kirk Saarloos gave FORTitude a visit this week. For those who don’t know, he is the current head baseball coach of the TCU Horned Frogs. He played college baseball at Cal State Fullerton for coach George Horton from 1999 to 2001 and then played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 7 seasons before coming to TCU. He led the team to the lowest ERA in school history since 1968 and was named the head coach at TCU last June. He shares a lot about baseball and his journey from California to Texas. The guys had a blast getting to know Kirk. You don’t want to miss this episode.