Hey Amarillo

A conversation with Kim May, the CEO/Founder at Nobox Creative, a strategic marketing firm. Kim grew up in Denver but arrived in Amarillo as a young adult after fleeing domestic violence. In Amarillo she found a place to start over and spent the next decade in the early cellular phone industry. She tells host Jason Boyett how she found her footing in telecommunications, shifted careers as the industry changed, and now applies her marketing mindset to businesses, nonprofits, and even political campaigns as an advertising strategist. This episode is sponsored by Book Puma Online, Purpose + Passion Boutique, and the TEXAS Outdoor Musical.

A conversation with Johnny Terra, an Amarillo-based CPA and partner at LPT CPAs + Advisors. Johnny grew up in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, but came to the Texas Panhandle on a full basketball scholarship to Wayland Baptist University. He remained in the area after college, and work eventually brought him to Amarillo. In this conversation with host Jason Boyett, Terra shares about the culture shock of his arrival in Plainview, why he and his family made Amarillo home, and how he recently merged his CPA firm with Lovelady, Christy and Associates to form LPT CPAs. This episode is sponsored by Shemen Dental and the TEXAS Outdoor Musical. Get Hey Amarillo Beerfest tickets.

A conversation with Courtney White, assistant city attorney for the City of Amarillo. Growing up the daughter of two lawyers, White initially started her legal career in a local firm before shifting her attention to municipal law—one of the most generalist occupations within the legal community. White tells host Jason Boyett what she loves about being a "low-level bureaucrat," what legal work looks like at City Hall, and why she was nominated this spring to become president-elect of the 35,000-member Texas Young Lawyers Association. (Ultimately White lost that election but enjoyed the campaign process.) This episode is sponsored by Shemen Dental and the TEXAS Outdoor Musical.

A conversation with Jim Womack, Executive Director of Family Support Services. A native of southeast Colorado, Jim arrived in the Panhandle for college, and has since served this area in a variety of different roles from the criminal justice system to the nonprofit world. In this conversation with host Jason Boyett, Womack shares about leading Family Support Services through a fire that destroyed its headquarters in 2020—all while navigating his own cancer diagnosis and treatment during the pandemic. This episode is sponsored by SKP Creative, La-Z-Boy Furniture and the TEXAS Outdoor Musical.

A conversation with Jackie Nammathao Maldonao, a children's ministry director at the Hillside Amarillo North Grand Campus. Jackie was born in the United States, but her parents arrived in Amarillo as refugees from Laos. She grew up navigating a distinctly multicultural space, honoring her family's traditions while also fully embracing her American identity. In this conversation with host Jason Boyett, she shares about her upbringing, her struggles with identity and belonging, and how she transitioned from her Buddhist upbringing into the Christian faith. This episode is sponsored by Wieck Realty and the TEXAS Outdoor Musical.

In a special Father's Day episode, 19 year-old Owen Boyett interviews his dad, Hey Amarillo host Jason Boyett, about parenting and fatherhood. Owen is a psychology student at Texas A&M University and, in this intimate conversation between father and son, the two discuss parenting, family proximity, growing up in Amarillo, and Jason's relationship with his own father, the late architect Mike Boyett. This episode is sponsored by Jimmy John's and the TEXAS Outdoor Musical.

A conversation with Taylor Van Valkenburg, the VP of Operations at U.S. Cleaners, a local dry-cleaning business. After growing up here, Taylor didn't think she would return to Amarillo—and definitely didn't plan to lead the family business. But she found out that Amarillo is a fantastic place for entrepreneurship, and U.S. Cleaners has grown significantly in the past few years. She tells host Jason Boyett about her path back home, how the pandemic forced necessary business changes, and how U.S. Cleaners is navigating the current economy. This episode is sponsored by Shemen Dental, the Discover Amarillo app and the TEXAS Outdoor Musical.

A conversation with Josué "Sway" Navarro, the entrepreneur and barber behind the new Renovated Esthetics brand. Sway was born in Durango, Mexico, but grew up in Amarillo. He taught himself to cut hair while attending Caprock High School, converting his tiny bedroom into a makeshift salon to help out his single mom. After graduating, Sway connected with high-profile barbers across the U.S. and moved to Denver, where he became the unofficial team barber for the Denver Nuggets. During a return trip to Amarillo from his new home in L.A., he tells host Jason Boyett how his career developed—and what's coming next. This episode is sponsored by SKP Creative and the TEXAS Outdoor Musical.

A conversation with Gloria Cabrera, a certified health and life coach who works with women who want to lose weight. Raised in Puerto Rico by Cuban parents, Cabrera moved to Amarillo in the 1990s as a young mom with three young children. She set aside her psychology career in the process, only to return to the workforce when her kids had grown—and when her own personal weight gain required some lifestyle changes. Cabrera tells host Jason Boyett about her move to Amarillo, the dangers of emotional eating, and why she's passionate about helping women navigate their 40s and beyond. This episode is sponsored by Wieck Realty, La-Z-Boy Furniture and the TEXAS Outdoor Musical.

A conversation with Dr. Erin Avirett, an Amarillo-based child psychologist. A specialist in school neuropsychology, Avirett performs neuropsychological assessment and therapy for children and teenagers all over the Texas Panhandle. She also one of the founders of Mind & Child, an online parenting course designed to improve child-parent relationships. In this conversation, she tells Jason Boyett how she found her way into her career, how psychological evaluations can help children, and why the pandemic so dramatically increased kids' anxiety. This episode is sponsored by Blue Handle Publishing and the TEXAS Outdoor Musical.