Sponsored by The Mountain Air | Sponsored by Benny’s Pizza | SLOFreeParking

What happens when every sip gives back? On this episode of Up+Adam, Adam Montiel welcomes Kasey Helt, Director of DTC Sales at Laetitia Vineyards & Winery, and Robin Colman of Woods Humane Society to share the story behind SparkJoy, a new wine series created to bring together joy, community, and purpose.

Inspired by the meaning of Laetitia, which is “joy” and “happiness,” SparkJoy features light, lively, and approachable wines designed for life’s everyday celebrations. For 2026 and 2027, a portion of the proceeds from every SparkJoy bottle sold will benefit Woods Humane Society, an independent nonprofit supporting homeless dogs and cats throughout San Luis Obispo County through adoption services, spay and neuter programs, humane education, training, and other community resources.

Kasey and Robin also preview the first annual SparkJoy Celebration, happening Saturday, August 15, 2026, from 6:00 to 8:30 PM at the Laetitia Estate House. Guests can enjoy Laetitia sparkling and still wines, culinary bites from an impressive lineup of Central Coast chefs and restaurants, live music by IMVA, and prize drawings throughout the evening, including a three-night stay at the Laetitia Estate House.

It is a beautiful summer evening with an even more meaningful purpose: helping Woods Humane Society continue creating a happier, healthier, and more compassionate community for local animals and the people who love them.

SparkJoy Celebration tickets are $160 per person and $150 for Laetitia Club members. Summer cocktail attire is encouraged.

• Purchase SparkJoy Celebration Tickets

• Learn More About SparkJoy

• Visit Laetitia Vineyards & Winery

• Follow Laetitia on Instagram

• Visit Woods Humane Society

• Follow Woods Humane Society on Instagram

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*PORTABIDET: UP+ADAM IS AN OFFICIAL SPOKESPERSON FOR PORTABIDET - USE THIS LINK FOR UP+ADAM LISTENERS TO LEARN MORE AND GET YOURS!

Listen to Up+Adam with Adam Montiel:

• Official Website: adammontiel.com
• Apple Podcasts: Up+Adam on Apple Podcasts
• Spotify: Up+Adam on Spotify
• iHeartRadio: Up+Adam on iHeartRadio
• YouTube Music: Up+Adam on YouTube Music

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CHECK OUT OUR WOODS HUMANE PET OF THE WEEK!

********

ADAM’S TEDX VIDEO IS HERE!

********

FOLLOW ADAM ON INSTAGRAM

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Sincere Thanks to the current supporters of Up + Adam. Please take a moment and visit them and thank them for supporting local broadcasting, and valuing what we do here. Thank you for supporting them!

Life Elements

City of SLO

WoodsHumaneSociety

Tin City Distillery

Original Music by Dan Curcio and Moonshiner Collective

Moonshiner on Spotify HERE

Please Rate, Review, and Subscribe to the podcast, and learn more at AdamMontiel.com

©2026 Up+Adam with Adam Montiel / LoBro Studios, All Rights Reserved.

Sponsored by The Mountain Air | Sponsored by Benny’s Pizza | SLOFreeParking

It is Shark Week, but here on California’s Central Coast, Shark Week can feel a whole lot like regular week. We live in a place where drone footage captures sharks cruising just beyond the break, surfers share the water with animals they may never see, and the Pacific is always reminding us whose house this really is.

Marine conservationist and documentary filmmaker Kendyl Berna joins Adam to dive into Discovery’s Biggest Mako on Earth. For decades, fishermen have told stories of enormous mako sharks, possibly 15 to 20 feet long, moving through the waters off Southern California. Now, a striking photograph and a Shark Week expedition are turning that ocean lore into a serious scientific question: Could the largest mako on Earth be hunting near Catalina?

Kendyl takes us behind the scenes of the expedition, where Shark Week follows the scientific “what ifs” that traditional research funding may be unable to chase. She shares the moment a massive shark appeared so late in the day that the excited crew nearly forgot to film, and explains what really happens when the scientist, the filmmaker, and the awestruck human all meet the same animal at once.

Adam and Kendyl also get into the delicate balance between making thrilling television and respecting sharks as wild animals that never volunteered to become entertainment. Kendyl explains why Shark Week’s suspense can still serve a larger conservation purpose, even when hours of peaceful shark behavior never make the final cut.

The conversation eventually comes home to the Central Coast, where Adam has spoken with surfers carrying bite-marked boards and previously welcomed renowned shark investigator Ralph Collier. Kendyl discusses how coastal communities can hold two truths at once: sharks deserve understanding and protection, and the fear people carry into the water is real. Her message is not that people will ever stop being afraid, but that sharks are present far more often than we realize, usually without incident.

Beyond television, Kendyl is the co-founder of Beyond The Reef, a nonprofit working throughout the British Virgin Islands. Its projects include shark tagging, cetacean research, ghost-fishing-gear removal, coral monitoring, artificial reefs, youth swim programs, coastal cleanups, and community science outreach. She is also the creator of Report The Reef, an app that helps boaters report marine incidents, record wildlife sightings, and become active participants in protecting the waters around them.

Biggest Mako on Earth premieres Monday at 10 PM ET/PT on Discovery, with an encore at 11 PM ET/PT.

Learn more and follow Kendyl:

• Kendyl Berna Official Website

• Kendyl Berna on Instagram

• Beyond The Reef

• Kendyl’s Beyond The Reef Projects

• Report The Reef

• Discovery Shark Week

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*PORTABIDET: UP+ADAM IS AN OFFICIAL SPOKESPERSON FOR PORTABIDET - USE THIS LINK FOR UP+ADAM LISTENERS TO LEARN MORE AND GET YOURS!

Listen to Up+Adam with Adam Montiel:

• Official Website: adammontiel.com
• Apple Podcasts: Up+Adam on Apple Podcasts
• Spotify: Up+Adam on Spotify
• iHeartRadio: Up+Adam on iHeartRadio
• YouTube Music: Up+Adam on YouTube Music

********

CHECK OUT OUR WOODS HUMANE PET OF THE WEEK!

********

ADAM’S TEDX VIDEO IS HERE!

********

FOLLOW ADAM ON INSTAGRAM

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Sincere Thanks to the current supporters of Up + Adam. Please take a moment and visit them and thank them for supporting local broadcasting, and valuing what we do here. Thank you for supporting them!

Life Elements

City of SLO

WoodsHumaneSociety

Tin City Distillery

Original Music by Dan Curcio and Moonshiner Collective

Moonshiner on Spotify HERE

Please Rate, Review, and Subscribe to the podcast, and learn more at AdamMontiel.com

©2026 Up+Adam with Adam Montiel / LoBro Studios, All Rights Reserved.

Paso Robles may be best known for bold reds, but some of the region’s most thoughtful and exciting work is happening with white wine.

In this episode of The Pour, Adam Montiel sits down with Natalie Brown of Willow Creek Wine Co., Dave McGee of Monochrome Wines, and Ryan Pease of Paix Sur Terre for a conversation about the White Wine Invitational and the growing movement behind serious white wine production in Paso Robles.

Recorded at SLO CAL Studios in San Luis Obispo, the conversation explores what it takes to become part of the Paso Robles White Wine Guild, why membership is not automatic, and how the group is working to raise expectations for white wine across the region.

This is not simply a collection of wineries that happen to make a white wine. The Guild brings together producers with a demonstrated commitment to the category, and prospective members must meet established standards before being considered.

White Wine Invitational

The White Wine Invitational brings together dedicated producers for an event focused entirely on the range, quality, and future of white wine in Paso Robles.

Learn more about the Paso Robles White Wine Guild:

https://pasorobleswhitewineguild.com/

Get tickets to the White Wine Invitational:

https://www.exploretock.com/willowcreekwineco/event/592534

Join Adam on the Danube

Adam is also heading to Europe in November 2027 for a Danube River cruise with Cork & Cruise, Epoch Estate Wines, and LXV Wine.

For cruise details, visit:

https://www.adammontiel.com

Click the Cruise tab for the complete itinerary and reservation information.

Sponsored by:Tin City Distillery: Join the Private Barrel Club and craft your own custom whiskey. The Pour has its own barrel - you can too! Check it out here: tincitydistillery.com/club/private-barrel-club.Follow Adam:

• Instagram: @adamontheair
• Website: adammontiel.com – Find episodes, giveaways, and more.
• Podcasts: Up & Adam, Where Wine Takes You, and The Pour with Adam Montiel—stream wherever you get your podcasts.

Pop the cork and join the conversation—this is one pour you don’t want to miss!

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For info on Tin City Distillery’s Private Barrel Club Click Here

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The Pour is recorded, edited, produced, and hosted by Adam Montiel. Follow Adam on Instagram @AdamOnTheAir and check out his daily podcast Up + Adam as well as Where Wine Takes You. To connect with Adam, learn more, or for Spotify or other pod links, visit AdamMontiel.com

About ‘The Pour with Adam Montiel’:

In 2010, Radio Host Adam Montiel combined his longtime love for broadcasting with his, then, new love for wine. He created and produced, ‘The Cork Dorks’. The show was hosted with Adam and his good friend Jeremy West. It was the first of its kind. It began focusing on central coast wineries but as the show grew, so did their ability to travel and meet other winemakers they found everywhere from Napa to Bordeaux that adopted that same Central Coast quality of people willing to share their wines, and their stories. 

As the area’s producer’s grew, soon Adam’s interview’s covered everything from spirits, craft beer, cider, cuisine, hospitality, and more. Fast forward to today, the spirit and enthusiasm cultivated with the award winning show, is reborn as The Pour with Adam Montiel, this time independently, and unfettered by corporate authority leaving it even more free to share the journey of making wine more approachable and fun for everyone.  

Here, We Taste It. We Spill It. We Leave it All On the Table. This is ‘The Pour’ with Adam Montiel.

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Sincere Thanks to those who support The Pour. Please take a moment and visit them and thank them for supporting local broadcasting, and valuing what we do here. Thank you for supporting them!

Original Music, ‘Come Alive’ by Dan Curcio and Moonshiner Collective Moonshiner on Spotify HERE

Follow Adam on Instagram HERE

Please Rate, Review, and Subscribe to the podcast, and learn more at AdamMontiel.com

Sponsored by The Mountain Air | Sponsored by Benny’s Pizza | SLOFreeParking

For more than four decades, legendary celebrity photographer Timothy White has helped define how we see pop culture. His lens has captured Brad Pitt, Harrison Ford, Aretha Franklin, Angelina Jolie, Whoopi Goldberg, Jay-Z, Michael Jackson, Dolly Parton, Julia Roberts, Robin Williams, and hundreds more across magazine covers, movie posters, album artwork, advertising campaigns, and fine-art collections.

But this conversation is not a celebrity roll call of “What was Brad Pitt like?” Adam goes beneath the famous faces and into the psychology of the photograph. Timothy explains why he rarely looks through the lens, how he reads a subject’s eyes and body language, how he cuts through vanity without bruising an ego, and how he creates something uniquely his from a face the world already thinks it knows. He also shares his philosophy for navigating creative control: “One for you, one for me.”

Timothy’s new memoir, Life Through My Lens, turns that same focus inward. The two explore the relationship between his extraordinary career and personal life, the mortality check created by his father’s health struggles, and the crumpled note beneath his keyboard reminding him that “this could be the last time.” Timothy opens up about presence, human connection, and why he believes the truth inside a photograph ultimately belongs to the image maker.

Life Through My Lens is available for preorder through Timothy White’s official website and Storyteller Media. The memoir is scheduled for publication on July 21, 2026.

• Preorder Life Through My Lens from Timothy White

• Preorder Life Through My Lens from Storyteller Media

• Explore Timothy White’s photography

• Follow Timothy White on Instagram

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*PORTABIDET: UP+ADAM IS AN OFFICIAL SPOKESPERSON FOR PORTABIDET - USE THIS LINK FOR UP+ADAM LISTENERS TO LEARN MORE AND GET YOURS!

Listen to Up+Adam with Adam Montiel:

• Official Website: adammontiel.com
• Apple Podcasts: Up+Adam on Apple Podcasts
• Spotify: Up+Adam on Spotify
• iHeartRadio: Up+Adam on iHeartRadio
• YouTube Music: Up+Adam on YouTube Music

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CHECK OUT OUR WOODS HUMANE PET OF THE WEEK!

********

ADAM’S TEDX VIDEO IS HERE!

********

FOLLOW ADAM ON INSTAGRAM

*********

Sincere Thanks to the current supporters of Up + Adam. Please take a moment and visit them and thank them for supporting local broadcasting, and valuing what we do here. Thank you for supporting them!

Life Elements

City of SLO

WoodsHumaneSociety

Tin City Distillery

Original Music by Dan Curcio and Moonshiner Collective

Moonshiner on Spotify HERE

Please Rate, Review, and Subscribe to the podcast, and learn more at AdamMontiel.com

©2026 Up+Adam with Adam Montiel / LoBro Studios, All Rights Reserved.

Sponsored by The Mountain Air | Sponsored by Benny’s Pizza | SLOFreeParking

What happens when a dentist with a stable career, a family, and a very responsible life realizes there is also a fantasy author living inside her who wants to write about shapeshifters, stolen magic, secret societies, and Chinese mythology?

San Luis Obispo author Emily Renk Hawthorne joins Adam to talk about the creative dream she could not shake and the work it took to finally let it out. Emily shares how her Taiwanese heritage and California upbringing helped inspire the Of Mountains and Seas series, why shapeshifting became the perfect way to explore identity and belonging, and how a childhood spent loving fantasy eventually led her to create the kind of world she once wished she could see herself in.

They also get into the less magical side of writing a book: building a habit, writing when inspiration disappears, finding accountability at a local café, balancing creativity with dentistry and motherhood, and discovering an unexpectedly supportive literary community on the Central Coast. Emily opens up about her dream of becoming a full-time author, the genres she wants to explore next, and what she would do if Netflix or HBO ever came knocking.

Plus, Emily is signing a copy of Of Mountains and Seas for one Up+Adam listener. Go to AdamMontiel.com, hit the Connect tab, and be the first person to send: “I heard Emily. I would love this book.” Adam’s got it for you.

• Learn more about Emily: emilyrenkhawthorne.com

• Explore and purchase the Of Mountains and Seas series: Amazon

• Purchase From the Depths: Amazon

• Follow Emily on Instagram: @emilyrenkhawthorne

• Follow Emily on TikTok: @erenkhawthorne

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*PORTABIDET: UP+ADAM IS AN OFFICIAL SPOKESPERSON FOR PORTABIDET - USE THIS LINK FOR UP+ADAM LISTENERS TO LEARN MORE AND GET YOURS!

Listen to Up+Adam with Adam Montiel:

• Official Website: adammontiel.com
• Apple Podcasts: Up+Adam on Apple Podcasts
• Spotify: Up+Adam on Spotify
• iHeartRadio: Up+Adam on iHeartRadio
• YouTube Music: Up+Adam on YouTube Music

********

CHECK OUT OUR WOODS HUMANE PET OF THE WEEK!

********

ADAM’S TEDX VIDEO IS HERE!

********

FOLLOW ADAM ON INSTAGRAM

*********

Sincere Thanks to the current supporters of Up + Adam. Please take a moment and visit them and thank them for supporting local broadcasting, and valuing what we do here. Thank you for supporting them!

Life Elements

City of SLO

WoodsHumaneSociety

Tin City Distillery

Original Music by Dan Curcio and Moonshiner Collective

Moonshiner on Spotify HERE

Please Rate, Review, and Subscribe to the podcast, and learn more at AdamMontiel.com

©2026 Up+Adam with Adam Montiel / LoBro Studios, All Rights Reserved.

Sponsored by The Mountain Air | Sponsored by Benny’s Pizza | SLOFreeParking

Ryan Weiss Is Waking Up to What Was Already There

What happens when a coach who has spent 17 years connecting with people one-on-one suddenly has to speak into a camera and trust that somebody is listening?

Ryan Weiss joins Adam Montiel for a deeply personal conversation about the creation of Waking Up with Ryan, his new weekday podcast from iHeartPodcasts and The Lighthouse. Each concise episode offers one idea, music, and a guided practice designed to help listeners pause before the demands of the day begin. Rather than giving people more inspiration to consume, Ryan wants to create a daily ritual they can actually feel, practice, and carry with them.

Ryan shares why his confidence disappeared the first time he sat alone in the recording studio, how picturing one person on the other side of the camera helped him find his voice, and why speaking directly to one human being can ultimately reach everyone. He and Adam explore the contradiction of building a demanding daily media operation while teaching people to slow down, release control, and stop outrunning themselves.

Adam also opens up about feeling stuck in his own body while preparing for his wedding. Ryan responds with a powerful reminder that self-improvement does not have to begin with self-rejection. His invitation is simple: acknowledge reality, remember that you are already worthy of love and belonging, and become willing to be shown the next step instead of believing you must solve everything alone.

Ryan’s path has included performing in Wicked, working behind the scenes in entertainment, and building a coaching practice centered on emotional intelligence, relationships, spirituality, and personal transformation. Now, with Waking Up with Ryan, he is turning years of private work into an accessible public practice, one morning and one listener at a time.

Listen, follow, and learn more:

• Listen to Waking Up with Ryan on iHeartRadio

• Explore Sanctuary with Ryan Weiss

• Follow Waking Up with Ryan on Instagram

• Connect with Ryan Weiss on LinkedIn

• Read the official iHeartPodcasts announcement

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*PORTABIDET: UP+ADAM IS AN OFFICIAL SPOKESPERSON FOR PORTABIDET - USE THIS LINK FOR UP+ADAM LISTENERS TO LEARN MORE AND GET YOURS!

Listen to Up+Adam with Adam Montiel:

• Official Website: adammontiel.com
• Apple Podcasts: Up+Adam on Apple Podcasts
• Spotify: Up+Adam on Spotify
• iHeartRadio: Up+Adam on iHeartRadio
• YouTube Music: Up+Adam on YouTube Music

********

CHECK OUT OUR WOODS HUMANE PET OF THE WEEK!

********

ADAM’S TEDX VIDEO IS HERE!

********

FOLLOW ADAM ON INSTAGRAM

*********

Sincere Thanks to the current supporters of Up + Adam. Please take a moment and visit them and thank them for supporting local broadcasting, and valuing what we do here. Thank you for supporting them!

Life Elements

City of SLO

WoodsHumaneSociety

Tin City Distillery

Original Music by Dan Curcio and Moonshiner Collective

Moonshiner on Spotify HERE

Please Rate, Review, and Subscribe to the podcast, and learn more at AdamMontiel.com

©2026 Up+Adam with Adam Montiel / LoBro Studios, All Rights Reserved.

Sponsored by The Mountain Air | Sponsored by Benny’s Pizza | SLOFreeParking

What happens when someone takes a family inheritance and turns it into a gift for an entire community?

On this episode of Up+Adam, Adam Montiel welcomes Lisa Deyo, artistic director of Deyo Dances, for a conversation about creativity, generosity, family legacy, and the beautiful chaos behind producing a fully professional dance performance. Lisa shares why she stopped charging admission, how the money left to her by her parents helped make these productions possible, and why keeping the performances free has introduced new audiences to the arts.

This is a story for far more than dance lovers. It is about betting on an idea, honoring the people who came before you, trusting a community to show up, and bringing artists from New York, Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Luis Obispo together to create something meaningful. Lisa also takes Adam behind the curtain, where dancers are learning their roles separately, sleeping throughout her house and backyard, and preparing to assemble the entire company for the first time just before opening night.

Deyo Dances presents two free performances at the Alex and Faye Spanos Theatre at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo:

• Saturday, July 18, 2026 at 7 p.m.

• Sunday, July 19, 2026 at 2 p.m.

The program features the return of “Non Troppo,” inspired by Beethoven, family dynamics, and the idea of finding “just enough”; “What the Hell, Jacques?,” Lisa’s evolving portrait of more than 40 years of marriage and family life; and the world premiere of “Ro-Sham-Beau,” a playful rock-paper-scissors encounter that takes a dramatic turn before the gods of Mount Olympus intervene.

Admission is free, but reservations are strongly encouraged. The performances have already drawn significant interest, and seating is general admission.

• Reserve free tickets through Eventbrite

• Visit Deyo Dances

• Follow Lisa Deyo on Instagram

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*PORTABIDET: UP+ADAM IS AN OFFICIAL SPOKESPERSON FOR PORTABIDET - USE THIS LINK FOR UP+ADAM LISTENERS TO LEARN MORE AND GET YOURS!

Listen to Up+Adam with Adam Montiel:

• Official Website: adammontiel.com
• Apple Podcasts: Up+Adam on Apple Podcasts
• Spotify: Up+Adam on Spotify
• iHeartRadio: Up+Adam on iHeartRadio
• YouTube Music: Up+Adam on YouTube Music

********

CHECK OUT OUR WOODS HUMANE PET OF THE WEEK!

********

ADAM’S TEDX VIDEO IS HERE!

********

FOLLOW ADAM ON INSTAGRAM

*********

Sincere Thanks to the current supporters of Up + Adam. Please take a moment and visit them and thank them for supporting local broadcasting, and valuing what we do here. Thank you for supporting them!

Life Elements

City of SLO

WoodsHumaneSociety

Tin City Distillery

Original Music by Dan Curcio and Moonshiner Collective

Moonshiner on Spotify HERE

Please Rate, Review, and Subscribe to the podcast, and learn more at AdamMontiel.com

©2026 Up+Adam with Adam Montiel / LoBro Studios, All Rights Reserved.

Sponsored by The Mountain Air | Sponsored by Benny’s Pizza | SLOFreeParking

What does it take to turn ten students, a rented room, and a big idea into a SLO CAL  institution?

Mimi Phene-McKellar joins Adam to celebrate 35 years of Central Coast Gymnastics and reflect on a journey built through persistence, community support, and a deep belief in what movement can unlock in a child. Mimi shares how she started the program in 1991 with almost no equipment, how it grew into a thriving 16,000-square-foot facility, and why the lessons learned inside a gym reach far beyond cartwheels, trampolines, and competition.

This conversation is also about motherhood, courage, inclusion, and possibility. Mimi tells the remarkable story of her daughter, Maddie, who was born with cerebral palsy and faced devastating medical predictions. Through years of therapy, determination, and time spent around the gym, Maddie learned to walk and eventually competed in trampoline alongside other athletes. It is a powerful reminder that progress does not always look the way we expect, and that the right environment can help a person discover abilities others may not yet see.

Adam and Mimi also discuss raising active kids in a screen-heavy world, why gymnastics can create a foundation for nearly every other sport, and how a local business becomes part of the family history of an entire community.

Central Coast Gymnastics will celebrate its 35th anniversary on Saturday, July 18, from 5:00 to 8:00 PM at 21 Zaca Lane in San Luis Obispo. The free community event includes performances, giveaways, refreshments, and open gym for children ages 2 through 16. Families are encouraged to pre-register online. An enrollment promotion also offers $40 in savings when enrolling on or before July 18.

• Central Coast Gymnastics official website

• Pre-register and explore classes, camps, and programs

• Follow Central Coast Gymnastics on Instagram

• Address: 21 Zaca Lane, San Luis Obispo, California

• Phone: 805-549-8408

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*PORTABIDET: UP+ADAM IS AN OFFICIAL SPOKESPERSON FOR PORTABIDET - USE THIS LINK FOR UP+ADAM LISTENERS TO LEARN MORE AND GET YOURS!

Listen to Up+Adam with Adam Montiel:

• Official Website: adammontiel.com
• Apple Podcasts: Up+Adam on Apple Podcasts
• Spotify: Up+Adam on Spotify
• iHeartRadio: Up+Adam on iHeartRadio
• YouTube Music: Up+Adam on YouTube Music

********

CHECK OUT OUR WOODS HUMANE PET OF THE WEEK!

********

ADAM’S TEDX VIDEO IS HERE!

********

FOLLOW ADAM ON INSTAGRAM

*********

Sincere Thanks to the current supporters of Up + Adam. Please take a moment and visit them and thank them for supporting local broadcasting, and valuing what we do here. Thank you for supporting them!

Life Elements

City of SLO

WoodsHumaneSociety

Tin City Distillery

Original Music by Dan Curcio and Moonshiner Collective

Moonshiner on Spotify HERE

Please Rate, Review, and Subscribe to the podcast, and learn more at AdamMontiel.com

©2026 Up+Adam with Adam Montiel / LoBro Studios, All Rights Reserved.

Sponsored by The Mountain Air | Sponsored by Benny’s Pizza | SLOFreeParking

Alex Villicana of RE:FIND Distillery and Aaron Bergh of Calwise Spirits join Adam for a local conversation with statewide consequences. California’s temporary direct-to-consumer shipping privileges for craft distillers are set to expire at the end of 2026, and both guests say losing them could be devastating for small, independent producers.

Alex explains that direct shipping represents roughly 30 percent of his revenue and that losing it overnight could be a backbreaker. Aaron says many distillers now depend on shipped club packages and online orders for at least a quarter of their business. For these local producers, shipping is not simply a convenience. It has become part of how they remain viable.

They break down California’s three-tier alcohol system, the power of major distributors, and the frustrating position small brands find themselves in. They can be too small to earn meaningful attention from the largest wholesalers, yet still be legally restricted from reaching customers on their own.

Alex shares his experience with Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, including the unforgettable story of being so small within its enormous portfolio that the company apparently did not realize RE:FIND had already left. Aaron discusses industry consolidation, Reyes Beverage Group, and why he believes California’s distribution structure has created government-protected gatekeepers.

The conversation also exposes a larger contradiction. California promotes agriculture, tourism, entrepreneurship, and regional products, yet visitors who discover a local spirit in Paso Robles may soon be unable to reorder it once they return home.

Alex and Aaron explain why direct shipping is not an effort to eliminate distributors. It is a limited path that allows small producers to build customer relationships, grow their brands, and potentially become valuable distribution partners in the future.

And because this is Up+Adam, the bottles come out too.

Alex introduces RE:FIND Distillery’s limited watermelon spirit, made with 1,000 pounds of watermelon, and shares updates on the distillery’s limoncello, whiskey program, and upcoming locally grown single malt. Aaron pours Calwise’s Wild Blueberry Whiskey and explains how the bottle connects California creativity, Minnesota family history, and the moonshining legacy behind his Axe Hole Whiskey brand.

This is a conversation about spirits, but the real issue is ownership.

Who owns the relationship between a maker and a customer? The small business that earned it, the distributor controlling access, or the customer who simply wants another bottle?

Take Action

• Take ten seconds, click this link, and make a difference. It is super quick.

Learn more

• RE:FIND Distillery: refinddistillery.com

• RE:FIND Distillery on Instagram: @refinddistillery

• Calwise Spirits: calwisespirits.com

• Calwise Spirits on Instagram: @calwisespirits

• Aaron Bergh: aaronbergh.com

• American Craft Spirits Association: americancraftspirits.org

• California Craft Spirits Association: cadistillers.org

Article discussed (Read this)

• Out-of-State Billionaires vs. California Small Businesses: The Rigged System Blocking Local Craft Spirits

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*PORTABIDET: UP+ADAM IS AN OFFICIAL SPOKESPERSON FOR PORTABIDET - USE THIS LINK FOR UP+ADAM LISTENERS TO LEARN MORE AND GET YOURS!

Listen to Up+Adam with Adam Montiel:

• Official Website: adammontiel.com
• Apple Podcasts: Up+Adam on Apple Podcasts
• Spotify: Up+Adam on Spotify
• iHeartRadio: Up+Adam on iHeartRadio
• YouTube Music: Up+Adam on YouTube Music

********

CHECK OUT OUR WOODS HUMANE PET OF THE WEEK!

********

ADAM’S TEDX VIDEO IS HERE!

********

FOLLOW ADAM ON INSTAGRAM

*********

Sincere Thanks to the current supporters of Up + Adam. Please take a moment and visit them and thank them for supporting local broadcasting, and valuing what we do here. Thank you for supporting them!

Life Elements

City of SLO

WoodsHumaneSociety

Tin City Distillery

Original Music by Dan Curcio and Moonshiner Collective

Moonshiner on Spotify HERE

Please Rate, Review, and Subscribe to the podcast, and learn more at AdamMontiel.com

©2026 Up+Adam with Adam Montiel / LoBro Studios, All Rights Reserved.

Sponsored by The Mountain Air | Sponsored by Benny’s Pizza | SLOFreeParking

Billy West has spent decades hiding in plain sound. He is the voice behind Bugs Bunny in Space Jam, Doug Funnie, Ren and Stimpy, and a packed house of Futurama favorites, including Philip J. Fry, Dr. Zoidberg, Professor Farnsworth, and Zapp Brannigan. He also helped define one of the most unpredictable eras of The Howard Stern Show, where impressions, characters, and live-radio chaos could become comedy history before breakfast.

In this episode of Up+Adam, Billy joins Adam Montiel to talk about the strange road from Boston morning radio to Howard Stern, Nickelodeon, Space Jam, and the 31st century. They get into what Howard recognized in Billy, the chemistry that made the Stern studio so dangerous and electric, and how a mind that did not always fit traditional systems found its natural home behind a microphone.

Billy’s new memoir, Voice-A-Versa: Finding My Voice(s) Behind the Mic, goes far beyond the famous characters. It is a funny, candid, and deeply personal account of childhood trauma, neurodivergence, addiction, survival, reinvention, and the imagination that helped him endure. The voices made millions of people laugh, but this conversation introduces us to the human being who had to live before any of them could exist. 

• Buy Voice-A-Versa from Abrams Books

• Buy Voice-A-Versa on Amazon

• Visit Billy West’s official website

• Follow Billy West on X

• Listen to the Billy West Podcast on Apple Podcasts

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*PORTABIDET: UP+ADAM IS AN OFFICIAL SPOKESPERSON FOR PORTABIDET - USE THIS LINK FOR UP+ADAM LISTENERS TO LEARN MORE AND GET YOURS!

Listen to Up+Adam with Adam Montiel:

• Official Website: adammontiel.com
• Apple Podcasts: Up+Adam on Apple Podcasts
• Spotify: Up+Adam on Spotify
• iHeartRadio: Up+Adam on iHeartRadio
• YouTube Music: Up+Adam on YouTube Music

********

CHECK OUT OUR WOODS HUMANE PET OF THE WEEK!

********

ADAM’S TEDX VIDEO IS HERE!

********

FOLLOW ADAM ON INSTAGRAM

*********

Sincere Thanks to the current supporters of Up + Adam. Please take a moment and visit them and thank them for supporting local broadcasting, and valuing what we do here. Thank you for supporting them!

Life Elements

City of SLO

WoodsHumaneSociety

Tin City Distillery

Original Music by Dan Curcio and Moonshiner Collective

Moonshiner on Spotify HERE

Please Rate, Review, and Subscribe to the podcast, and learn more at AdamMontiel.com

©2026 Up+Adam with Adam Montiel / LoBro Studios, All Rights Reserved.