The Extra Mile Podcast is back for another year! 

Thanks to Southern District Transportation Commissioner Charles Busby for hosting the podcast team at his home on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Northern District Transportation Commissioner John Caldwell and Central District Transportation Commissioner Willie Simmons joined The Extra Mile Podcast to recap a successful 2025 at MDOT and preview what's on tap for 2026.

State Safety Engineer Mark Thomas joined The Extra Mile Podcast to provide updates on Highway Safety Division projects, discuss work zone safety efforts and even talk a little college football.

MDOT Roadway Design Engineer Chris Nail joined The Extra Mile Podcast to provide an overview of the division, explain the technical skills used in roadway design, discuss recruitment and the need for more MDOT engineers, and much more.

Jackson Mayor John Horhn joined The Extra Mile Podcast to talk progress on the city's infrastructure needs, how fighting crime means tackling a gang problem, the city's personnel situation, the upcoming National Folk Festival, and much more.

State Auditor Shad White joined The Extra Mile Podcast. He talked about the responsibilities of the Office of the State Auditor, how technology helps to catch fraud, OSA initiatives to fight "brain drain" in Mississippi, his mission to find waste in state government, and much more.

On this episode of The Extra Mile, Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce Commissioner Andy Gipson joins us to talk about the backbone of Mississippi—our farmers.

We take a look at the challenges they face, the benefits of "buying local," and the upcoming Mississippi State Fair.

Construction Leadership Coach Craig Watson of Coaching for Construction joined The Extra Mile Podcast to talk about the high rate of suicides in the construction industry and what he's doing to combat it as a mental health professional. 

He also discussed the warning signs that employees might be struggling with mental health, provided a framework for managers to have difficult conversations with their employees and more.

Mississippi Live Weather Chief Meteorologist Matt Laubhan hosted The Extra Mile Podcast at his studios in downtown Tupelo. Topics included building Mississippi Live Weather from scratch, severe weather prep, his thoughts on weather manipulation, and more.

For more information on Mississippi Live Weather, visit msliveweather.com

Hattiesburg Mayor Toby Barker hosted The Extra Mile Podcast in City Hall. Topics of conversation included Hub City happenings and accomplishments, transportation projects, and a huge college football matchup between Southern Miss and Mississippi State.