Hey Amarillo

A special episode about the late Mike Boyett, the father of host Jason Boyett. Mike passed away a year ago this week, on December 16, 2021, at age of 73 after a brief journey with brain cancer. He spent most of his career as an Amarillo architect and was part of a close-knit community of friends connected to Paramount Baptist Church, where Mike volunteered in multiple capacities. In this series of interviews—both in-person and over the phone—Jason speaks to Mike Boyett's former colleagues, peers and friends about his dad's legacy. This episode is sponsored by SKP Creative and Wieck Realty.

A conversation with Mary Bralley, the president of Los Barrios de Amarillo and a longtime marketing, public relations and business development professional. Bralley shares with host Jason Boyett about her early days as a single mother living in poverty, as well as the steps she took to receive help, gain stability, improve her education and become more involved in the community. In addition to her work with Los Barrios, her early struggles gave way to positions of influence, including service on the AISD school board and a variety of local nonprofits and foundations. This episode is sponsored by SKP Creative, Discover Amarillo, and Jimmy John's.

A conversation with Andy Marshall, the President and CEO at FirstBank Southwest. Andy isn't originally from this area—he arrived here from Tulsa in 2017—and isn't original to banking, either. His first career was in the military, where he served in security forces for the U.S. Air Force and then, in the late 1980s, as an Army squadron border officer stationed in Amberg, Germany, at the height of the Cold War. Marshall tells host Jason Boyett how he ended up in banking, why he landed in Amarillo, and how lessons from the military impact his leadership today. This episode is sponsored by SKP Creative, PestTex Pest Control and Leslie Massey Farmers Agency.

A conversation with Crystal Solis, a hair stylist at Braxton Paul Salon and 22-year veteran of the local hair industry. Solis' first introduction to cosmetology came from vocational classes at Palo Duro High School. More than two decades later, she found herself at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, on location, styling the hair of the groom's mother right before the wedding of Tiffany Trump and Michael Boulos. Solis tells host Jason Boyett how she ended up in that unique position and why Amarillo's hair industry has given her such a fulfilling career. This episode is sponsored by Shemen Dental and La-Z-Boy Furniture.

A conversation with Pedro Limas, the owner of Sound by Design, a home entertainment installation company. Limas started the business in 1998 after earning what he calls a "6-year associate's degree." In this conversation with host Jason Boyett, he shares his story of entrepreneurship and why he's so passionate about volunteering, as well as his love of mountain biking in Palo Duro Canyon. Then Limas details how a recent heart attack—which happened barely a week before this podcast recording—caught him totally off guard. This episode is sponsored by Mind & Child's "Parenting 101" and Texas Tech Physicians Pediatrics.

A conversation with John Gamble, the senior principal cloud architect at Zillow. An Amarillo native, Gamble has spent the last decade living in Seattle and working in cloud infrastructure management for companies including Amazon, REI and now the Zillow Group. But last year, the reality of remote working allowed him to relocate his family back to Amarillo. He tells host Jason Boyett how his time at WT launched him into the tech world, how moving back to the Panhandle improved his quality of life, and how Amarillo can attract other skilled remote workers like him. This episode is sponsored by Wieck Realty the Discover Amarillo app, and Texas Tech Physicians Pediatrics.

A conversation with Julie Granger, founder of the Sister-Bear Foundation, a nonprofit serving adults who've suffered spinal cord injuries, brain injuries, strokes and other trauma. In this episode, Granger tells host Jason Boyett about the accident that paralyzed her daughter, Kathryn, and how it led to the organization. She also shares about value of therapy in dealing with her own past trauma, including her mother's long-unsolved murder and why that cold case recently found resolution. (Trigger Warnings: suicide and eating disorders.) This episode is sponsored by Mind & Child's "Parenting 101," Texas Tech Physicians Pediatrics and Blue Handle Publishing.

A conversation with Evan Guerrero, the WTAMU student and science educator behind the TikTok account @evanthorizon, which has more than 2.1 million followers. He is finishing up a physics degree, but this Amarillo native has already become a rising star in the astronomy world thanks to his fun, space-focused videos. In this conversation with host Jason Boyett, Guerrero shares how a telescope purchase set him on this unlikely path, how a gap year (or two) gave him perspective, and how he navigates an increasingly complex social media environment. This episode is sponsored by SKP Creative, La-Z-Boy Furniture, and Texas Tech Physicians Obstetrics & Gynecology in Canyon.

A conversation with Tony Foster, executive director at Amarillo Area Mental Health Consumers, an organization most people know as the Agape Center. Foster has a lengthy history in mental health work, including authorship of articles on recovery and mental health stigma for prominent psychology journals. But he's also had his own struggles with mental health. Foster shares with host Jason Boyett about a season in which he was homeless in Amarillo, and how the Agape Center—which he now leads—ended up helping him get back on track. (Trigger Warning: Discussion of sensitive mental health topics.) This episode is sponsored by Mind & Child's "Parenting 101" course, Shemen Dental, and Texas Tech Physicians Obstetrics & Gynecology in Canyon.

A conversation with Emily Hunt, Ph.D., Dean of the College of Engineering at WTAMU and the CEO/Founder of BTG Products. Hunt's research focus is novel nanostructured materials and has included work for the U.S. Department of Defense. In the process, she's also figured out commercial uses for her antimicrobial products, which you can now find at Lowe's and Home Depot. In this conversation with host Jason Boyett, Hunt shares about being one of few women in her field when she started, about the nanotechnology she has developed, and what it could mean for the Panhandle's future. This episode is sponsored by Discover Amarillo and Texas Tech Physicians Obstetrics & Gynecology in Canyon.