Red Lodge - The Podcast

In this episode we sit down with local adventurer and race director, Kristen Hollum, owner and operator of Red Lodge Events. Kristen first got involved with Red Lodge Events by showing up at the start line as a volunteer, trading time for free race entries. Six years later, in December 2019, she took the reins of the company and has been quietly reshaping the local race scene ever since. From designing new courses to breathing fresh life into longtime favorites, she’s building a no-frills, all-heart event company that’s focused on one thing: putting on great races in the place she loves. Originally from New Hampshire, Kristen arrived in Red Lodge in 2013 to work as an AmeriCorps VISTA with the Red Lodge Area Community Foundation.  Having grown to love Red Lodge and surrounding Beartooth wilderness, she has made this her home ever since. When she’s not mapping routes or pinning bibs, you’ll find her out on the trails, exploring and adventuring the mountains with her dog and friends.

Welcome to episode 20, trails, races, and roots with Kristen Hollum.

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Welcome to this episode of Red Lodge - the Podcast. In this episode, we welcome story teller, speaker, and artist, John Potter.

John grew up in the Upper Great Lakes region of Wisconsin, where he spent his child years exploring and adventuring  in the lush forests of the Great Northwoods. It was during those early days where John found a passion and  love for the natural world that has had a profound impact on his work, and continues to inspire his art and work to this day.

 John graduated from Utah State University, where he earned degrees in Painting and Illustration, and after a successful 20-year career as an award-winning illustrator, he took a leap of faith and became a full time artist and painter in 2002.

 Today John continues to thrive in exploring the beauty of nature and the world around him, using those moments to inspire his paintings and artwork, in hopes to teach, influence, and inspire all those who cross its path.  

Welcome to this episode, reflections on land, life, and art with John Potter.

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In May of 2020 Aspen Running Crow was in a horse accident that left her paralyzed from the waist down. Aspen had suffered a burst T12 vertebrae and Doctors had to fuse her T10 to L2 vertebrae from her mid to lower back.   Following 6 hours of surgery, doctors could not answer with certainty whether Aspen would ever walk again. Eight days later, she was told she needed to prepare for the possibility of living life in a wheelchair. In this episode Aspen recounts in detail what happened the day she was bucked off a horse and the following days, weeks, and months as she overcame discouragement, pain, fear and uncertainty and came out the other end triumphant and with a new perspective on life. Aspen grew up on a ranch in Red Lodge, Montana and is married to her husband Jake. Together they navigate life with passion making the most of the opportunities placed in front of them along with their two children, Rocker and Rio. 

Welcome to episode 18, “8 days and a journey from tragedy to triumph” with Aspen Running Crow.

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When summer arrives in Red Lodge, one voice that says here comes the 4th of July  and the Red Lodge Home of Champions Rodeo is that of PRCA legend and longtime  Rodeo announcer Doug Mathis. In this July 4th podcast special, we sit down with Doug Mathis and hear his story of 35 years behind the mic at some of the biggest rodeos in the country, including our very own Home of Champions Rodeo in Red Lodge, Montana. We talk about his life on the road and at home on the ranch outside Stephenville, Texas along with his wife Dee, daughter Shiloh, son-in-law Luke, and grandson Brodie, what it means to be “the voice” of communities like Evergreen, Colorado and Red Lodge, and how he’s seen the sport — and small towns — change over the decades.
Doug shares his story from working in the NFR media room for 26 years, appearances on the big screen, to winning  prestigious awards like the 2019 WPRA Announcer of the Year. In this behind the scenes 4th of July conversation with one of rodeo’s most familiar voices you experience the authenticity and real world experience of one of rodeo’s brightest stars.

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Welcome to this episode of Red Lodge - the Podcast. Today we welcome 20-21 Red Lodge High School graduate Elijah Reynolds. After earning a full-ride football scholarship to Montana State University, Elijah played  three seasons with the Bobcats before making the difficult decision to hang up his football pads and dive headfirst into the world of competitive triathlons.

Elijah shares how he navigated this decision, and the transition from a college athlete under the lights to a solo endurance racer on the open road and open water. From his first sprint races, to the 70.3 mile Victoria and 70.3 Boise Ironman events, Elijah is now training for his first full Ironman coming up this fall, 2026. The full triathlon includes a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, and 26.2-mile run. After graduating from Montana State with a degree in Civil Engineering, Elijah now works as an engineer and discusses the journey and adventure he has taken from the gridiron to triathlons. 

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Welcome to this edition of Red Lodge - Downtown, an audio space where we provide the listener with a look at various events and projects taking place in and around Red Lodge, Montana. This content opens up a glimpse into the interesting people and happenings that highlight the social fabric of this unique place that sits at the foothills of the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness and gateway to Yellowstone National Park.

In this downtown edition, we welcome Dr. Rick Schmidt, with the ELEVATION SCIENCE Institute. The Elevation Science Institute is stationed and operates in the summers out at the Yellowstone Bighorn Research Association, which is set on the slopes of Mount Maurice just outside of Red Lodge, Montana at the base of the scenic Beartooth Mountains. The Yellowstone Bighorn Research Association (YBRA), was founded in 1936, and is a  field station that has a long history of facilitating science education and research in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. This non-profit organization, the YBRA, serves as a base camp for field course operations for colleges, universities and institutes.

While not officially part of the YBRA, It is here at the Yellowstone Bighorn research association, that the Elevation Science Institute headquarters each summer and brings the mission of  inspiring  people of all ages to explore our planet through hands-on paleontology and natural history. The Elevation Science Institute offers an exciting opportunity to work alongside scientists and dig for dinosaurs in the fossil-rich & rugged landscapes of southern Montana and northern Wyoming. 

In this episode, Dr. Rick Schmidt shares what it’s  like to lead field expeditions in the  landscapes of southern Montana and northern Wyoming—and how everyday people can join the crew experiencing the thrill of discovery, and hands-on digs that can be a life-changing adventure for learners of any age.

Dr. Rick Schmidt is an educator, outdoorsman, and paleontologist, who grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia, fell in love with the outdoors and has spent years working with the Elevation Science Institute. He is currently the director of Educational Programming and a Field Expedition Crew Chief.

His teaching has been recognized by organizations ranging from the National Association of Geoscience Teachers to the Geological Society of America, 

In  2012 he received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching—the highest honor the U.S. government gives to a science teacher.

Dr. Rick Schmidt joins us for this special edition of Red Lodge - Downtown

Dawn Ann Ritter grew up at the base of the Beartooths, ranched outside of Red Lodge, Montana, built the beloved western fashion brand boutique store Moo Country,  and has worked for years as a movie actress. Her recent story has led her to Nashville, Tennessee and the front lines of protecting kids from online predators, exploitation , sextortion, human trafficking and abuse. Dawn Ann now serves as a board member with Operation Light Shine, which helps equip specialized INTERCEPT Task Forces with the tools, training, and support they need to fight child exploitation and trafficking across the country. In this episode, we hear the story of a girl who grew up skiing and ranching in  Red Lodge, took on the  stage and screen as a movie actress, and now works alongside investigators and technologists in the important work of fighting against the exploitation and abuse of children  in hopes to keep them safe.

4:30 AM in the stables on the morning of the Kentucky Derby. In the paddock for the Preakness. Live at Belmont Stakes with history on the line. For years, if horse racing was on ESPN or ABC, Jeannine Edwards was often the one telling the story. In this episode of Red Lodge the Podcast, “On the Rail and On the Air”, Jeannine Edwards shares how a life on the racetrack led to an adventurous journey and career as an award winning reporter at ESPN, working as the network’s senior horse racing reporter covering the Triple Crown, Breeders’ Cup, and Dubai World Cup. In this conversation, we have a front row look at horse racing’s biggest stages and the long winding road where Jeannine often found herself right where the story breaks. Jeannine recounts her own personal and heartfelt emotion while closely covering 2006 Kentucky Derby Winner Barbaro, and his post race injury and eventual tragic death. This story takes us beyond horse racing to Jeannine’s work as a sideline reporter for college football, college basketball, and SportsCenter, a journey in which she earned three Eclipse Awards for Outstanding Live Telecasts, two Emmy nominations, and was named one of “The top 40 Women Who Raised the Bar in Sports Media.”
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From authoring books sold across the country in national parks, to tea rooms, and the small town acting stage, Gary Robson packs in life adventures across the board. In this episode, we sit down with the Red Lodge author behind the national bestselling children’s series Who Pooped in the Park?—a series of adventure books centered on national parks across the country including Yellowstone and New York’s Central Park.

Gary has written more than 30 books and sold over 750,000 copies, including his just released fantasy novel, The Bounds of Magic. In this conversation we talk about storytelling, the side roads that life often takes, and why Gary still jokes he’s still “trying to decide what he wants to do when he grows up.” It is an episode filled with laughs, stories, and the soulful spirit of a unique life set in this unique place, Red Lodge - Montana.

In this episode, we sit down with Kat Porco, a health advocate, educator, writer, thought leader and entrepreneur, to talk about building a space where art, food, and conversation live side by side. Kat shares how she and her husband Mike imagined their restaurant, the One Legged Magpie, as a gathering place for locals and travelers alike, a home for boundary‑pushing food and drink that still holds tight to Red Lodge values of resilience, welcome, and belonging. We dig into what it takes to nurture community on purpose: how you design a room for real connection, how stories travel from table to table, and how a business can quietly become a hub for healing, culture, joy and an intentional gathering space in this beautiful mountain town.

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