Listen First Montana

In this episode Chantel travels to Kalispell, MT to speak with Amy Kellogg.  Amy is the former chair of Leadership Montana’s Board of Governors and the 2022 recipient of Leadership Montana’s most prestigious award, the Tom Scott Award for Excellence.  In this episode, Amy talks about how she became the first female bike messenger in the city of Philadelphia, her experience working with Dr. Anthony Fauci, her experience leading in the manufacturing industry during the pandemic, and much more.

In this episode, Eric speaks with Kelly Cresswell, executive director of Reach Higher Montana and current chair of the Leadership Montana Board of Governors.  Kelly tells us about the amazing work of Reach Higher Montana and describes their work to empower youth across Montana to find and succeed in career paths that fit their interests and lives. We also hear why Kelly loves working with the young adults as they approach and enter the critical life stage following high school.  Kelly also tells us about being a “card-iologist” and why she loves telling people positive things she notices about them, and much more.

In this episode, Chantel speaks with the founding Executive Director of Leadership Montana, Bruce Whittenberg.  Bruce gives listeners an inside look into the earliest stages of Leadership Montana’s formation including the original vision for how a leadership training program could positively impact people and communities across Montana.  Bruce also tells Chantel about his long tenure as Executive Director of the Montana Historical Society and why capturing and sharing Montana’s history is so important to him.  Finally, Bruce talks about the significance of receiving Leadership Montana’s most prestigious award, the Tom Scott Award for Leadership Excellence.

In this episode, Eric speaks with Deb Vandeberg, vice chair of the Leadership Montana Board of Governors.  Deb talks about growing up in her beloved hometown of Havre and what she learned from being on crutches from ages 6 to 11.  She shares stories about working in New York City, starting a successful business in Havre, and running the Havre Chamber of Commerce for over 20 years.  Deb also tells listeners about her role on the Leadership Montana Organizing Committee in 2003, and how she advocated for rural Montana throughout that process.

For Episode 2, Chantel Schieffer speaks with Lanny Hubbard.  Lanny gives his thoughts on the difference between management and leadership, how he believes we can find better ways to collaborate, and he unpacks his belief that great leadership consists of connection, curiosity and courage.  As the most recent recipient of the Leadership Montana Tom Scott Award for Excellence in Leadership, Lanny describes what that award means to him and the impact he hopes to have on the people he leads.  Lanny also tells a few stories about being a rock'n roll musician in the 70's and how his experience as a musician shaped how he connects with others.

To kick off Season 2, Eric speaks with Chuck Winn, Assistant City Manager in Bozeman, Montana.  Chuck tells us about his 37-year career with the city of Bozeman, which included starting as a 20 year-old with the fire department and later becoming fire chief.  In his own unique and fun way, Chuck also recites poems and children's books like Winnie the Pooh and the Velveteen Rabbit to give listeners a look into how he makes sense of his past experiences and how he understands what is worthwhile to spend time and energy on.

In this episode, Eric looks back over our first twenty episodes in Season 1 and pulls the common threads of connection, family, listening, and more.

In this final episode of Listen First Montana Season 1, Chantel flips the script on co-host Eric Halverson and makes him the interviewee. Chantel asks Eric about growing up in Montana, why he is passionate about Early Childhood development, what it means to him to "stand on the shoulders of giants," and much more.

In this episode, Eric speaks with Tony Brockman, a media expert and Leadership Montana graduate who spends an extraordinary amount of time and energy serving his community. Tony discusses why he invests so deeply in his community, the story of how the Kalispell Core and Rail Project came to be, his powerful personal story of “countless contradictions and endless optimism,” and much more.

In this episode Eric speaks with Kalispell City Councilman Kyle Waterman.  Kyle talks about his experience as a leader on the Flathead City-County Health Board during the worst stretches of the COVID-19 pandemic, the resources and opportunities that underpin the rapid growth of Kalispell’s economy, why he returned to Montana after spending 20 years of his adult life outside his home state, why mental health issues are deeply important to him, and much more.