Ask A Kansan

What happens when a kid who learned to cook crack cocaine by age five ends up as a corporate executive in small-town Kansas? 

Our friend Rafael Mendez sits down to share one of the most remarkable personal journeys we've ever heard on this podcast. From a childhood in Miami shaped by the drug trade, foster care, and a serious criminal charge as a teenager, Rafael found an unlikely lifeline through college at Kansas Wesleyan — a place he'd never heard of and almost didn't stay at. He opens up about the people who refused to give up on him...

How do you convince authors, budget-strapped nonprofits, and thousands of book lovers to show up in one place on the same Saturday? We sat down with the woman who has to figure that out every single day.

This week we're joined by Lara Avery, Executive Director of the Kansas Book Festival and published author of romance novels including The Year of Second Chances and Purple Hearts (adapted into a movie). We get into how she landed the job, why she doesn't send authors too many emails, what a "book parade" actually is, and why...

Sometimes the best things hide in plain sight. If you didn’t know, Kansas was once an ocean, and a huge chunk of that history is still alive at Cheyenne Bottoms — the largest wetland in the interior United States. We sit down with Curtis Wolf, director of the Kansas Wetlands Education Center, who breaks down what actually makes something a "wetland," why this 41,000-acre basin is a lifeline for migrating shorebirds traveling thousands of miles between South America and the Arctic, and how decades of careful management keep it thriving. We also swap stories from our own family trips out...

Everyone assumes car people grew up under the hood with grandpa. This guest didn't — and he might be the best in the business anyway. On this episode, we sit down with Matthew "Matt" Miller-Wells, Associate Director of Automotive Studies at McPherson College, to talk about how a '68 Beetle and a lot of video games turned into a career restoring some of the rarest vehicles on the planet. We get into what it's really like inside the only four-year vintage automotive restoration program in the country, the wild story behind building a car museum from scratch in Salina, and ho...

Kansas State University touches all 105 counties in this state — training the veterinarians who protect our livestock, the biomanufacturers building tomorrow's jobs, and the students who choose to stay and build their lives right here in Kansas. On this episode of Ask a Kansan, Gus and Sydney sit down with Dr. Richard Linton, president of Kansas State University, to talk about what it really means to lead a land-grant institution built to serve every corner of the state. We get into the mentors who shaped him, the napkin sketch that mapped out his entire career decades before he became a un...

What happens when an entire education system hits a moment of collision — new leadership, new laws, and old habits all colliding at once? On this episode, we sit down with Cathy Hopkins, chair of the Kansas State Board of Education, to find out. From accreditation reform to the fight over cell phones in classrooms, Cathy pulls back the curtain on what's really happening inside Kansas schools right now — and why she believes the state is at a genuine turning point. We talk through the science of reading, why cursive handwriting is making a comeback, how one small district's cell phon...

What does a school counselor actually do all day — and why does it matter more now than ever? Hanna Mick is an elementary school counselor in Topeka and a part-time consultant with the Kansas State Department of Education, and she's proof that the role goes far beyond what you see on TV. From launching a peer conflict-resolution program at recess to using AI for career exploration with kids as young as third grade, Hannah is redefining what it means to support students. She's also the Kansas School Counselor of the Year and a finalist for the national title — not that...

Do kids even want to learn a skill like playing the guitar? This week we sit down with Matt Gerry, the guitar and music teacher at South Middle School in Salina, whose 24-year journey has taken him everywhere from a Weezer-sponsored trip to Chicago to a Radio Disney commercial — and even a Grammy Music Educator Award nomination. Before we get to Matt, Sydney shares a heartwarming (and a little ironic) story about a Kansan TikToker helping out a fellow Kansan stranded far from home, and Gus reminisces about the Hanks and Joshes of the world who keep our cars ru...

What if the Federal Reserve wasn't just a boring government agency setting monetary policy, but a mission-driven storyteller trying to make sense of your household budget? On this episode, Julie and Sydney sit down with Jeremy Hill, regional executive for the Kansas City Federal Reserve, to unpack what the Fed actually does, why manufacturing is quietly booming across Kansas, and how inflation is hitting some households harder than others. Jeremy breaks down the Fed's three core functions, explains the K-shaped economy squeezing lower and middle-income families, and shares surprising stories from the Kansas City Fed's money museum, the shredded-cash...

Why do the animals you fall in love with sometimes have to leave the zoo? This week we sit down with Ryan VanZant, executive director of Rolling Hills Zoo in Salina, and trace his winding path from a childhood obsessed with parakeets and parrots to falconry, movie animal training, and eventually leading one of the youngest zoos in the country. We get the real story behind the zoo's famous museum, hear about the massive new Tiger Falls habitat on the way, talk through the tough calls zoo staff make about animal welfare, and dig into why Kansas prairie ecosystems...

What if the hottest summer ticket in Kansas sports has been hiding in plain sight for 92 years? We sat down with Katie Woods, director of the National Baseball Congress in Wichita, and walked away completely obsessed with bobbleheads, Bananaball, and a baseball tournament with more history than you'd ever guess. From a 3 AM game under the lights to a decade-before-Jackie-Robinson integrated championship team, this conversation covers just about everything that makes baseball in Kansas special.

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There was a time when what happened in Kansas was front page news on the east coast. This week, Sydney and Gus sit down with historian Dr. Kristen Epps, professor at Kansas State University and editor of Kansas History: A Journal of the Central Plains, to dig into Bleeding Kansas, the people slavery's expansion actually affected, and why the messy, complicated version of our state's story matters more than the tidy one. Kristen shares how she stumbled into Kansas history research, what it's really like editing an academic journal, and the wildest things she's found in dusty courthouse archives...

What if the best hiking in Kansas has been right under your nose the whole time?

Jeri Brungardt co-founded Women Hiking Kansas and Beyond in 2019 with a simple idea: stop losing track of friends who wanted to tag along on hikes and just make a Facebook group. What happened next surprised even her. Twelve strangers showed up to that first hike — none of them personal friends — and the group has grown to over 12,000 followers since. Jeri shares how the group scouts trails, what gear actually matters, why rattlesnakes dictate their summer schedule, and how hiki...

For centuries, history has been passed down through the stories of our lived experiences. And in this episode you’ll get a taste of the remarkable life of Jim Gray — The Cowboy — and this conversation might just be the most unexpected one we've had yet.

Jim Gray is a rancher, historian, author, and director of the Jansen Museum in Geneseo, Kansas — a town of about 220 people in Rice County. He takes us from the wild cattle towns of 1860s Kansas all the way to a blinding white light on a rural road in the summer o...

What does it take to preserve the stories that shaped Kansas — and to tell them honestly?

Shane Carter, executive director of the Kansas African American Museum (TKAAM), joins us for a rich conversation about history, identity, and the work of building something that lasts. Shane's path to Wichita is anything but ordinary: a chance painting job in Newton, a curiosity-fueled afternoon touring Wichita's historical sites, and a job posting that felt like it had his name on it. What followed was a year of pouring hard-won lessons from 13 years running a community center in Oh...

What happens when a kid from Lindsborg, Kansas follows his heart to a cloud forest in Ecuador — and then returns after staying for nearly 20 years? Tanner Johnson's answer to that question is one of the most unexpected, quietly profound stories we've heard. He built a bamboo house, married into a local family, taught English to kids from kindergarten through 12th grade, and somewhere along the way, picked up a knife and started carving wood. Now he's back in Kansas, reunited with his family, and using his art to honor the memory of Jewish people lost to the Holocaust — one face...

How do you build a city's cultural identity — and why does it matter more than you might think?

We sit down with Brad Anderson, Executive Director of Salina Arts and Humanities, the only city department of its kind in Kansas. Brad shares why Salina has been investing in arts and culture since 1966, what's at stake as the city embarks on a new cultural plan called The Big Picture, and why the Smoky Hill River Festival — celebrating its 50th anniversary this year — is so much more than a street fair. Then our producer Alicia joins us to...

What does it take to build a life — and a career — that touches nearly every corner of one state? This week we sit down with Lori Rogge, one of a handful of female auctioneers in Kansas, to talk about growing up across the state, learning the chant, and how a 22,000-acre Flint Hills ranch ends up on the internet.

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What happens when a kidney stone saves your life and challenges you to chase your dreams? That's exactly what happened to James Bobetsky — known to most of Wichita as DJ Carbon. After 21 years in the corporate world, a cancer diagnosis, a surprise reconnection with his biological family, and a pandemic, Carbon made the leap to full-time DJ at 40. And he hasn't looked back since.

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What happens when a white guy from a small Kansas town becomes the bridge-builder between Spanish-speaking and English-speaking communities — and somehow also changes the global cycling industry along the way? LeLan Dains is one of the most fascinating people we've had on this show, and honestly, we almost undersold him. As the executive director of Kansas Spanish Speakers, LeLan has spent years breaking down barriers, building trust with immigrant communities, and proving that opportunity doesn't leave rural Kansas — it waits there for the right person to claim it. Oh, and he co-founded what is now the world's premier gravel cycl...

What does it really take to keep the arts alive in Kansas — and why does it matter more than you might think?

Sarah VanLanduyt wears a lot of hats. As Executive Director of the Arts Council of Johnson County, a Kansas Arts Commissioner, and Board Chair of the Kansas Arts Network, she's one of the people quietly fighting to make sure the creative industries across the state have the funding, infrastructure, and advocacy they need to thrive. In this conversation, we unpack how arts funding actually works at the state level, why artists need ad...

What do fire, bison, and star bonds have in common?

They're all part of this week's conversation about the Flint Hills — and honestly, it's one of those episodes that makes you want to book a trip to Manhattan, Kansas immediately. We sat down with Stephen Bridenstine, Director of the Flint Hills Discovery Center, to talk about what it really takes to understand one of the most unique — and misunderstood — landscapes in America. Stephen came to Kansas by choice (his words), and 12 years later, he's still here and still learning. 

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What's actually in that "Made in Kansas" gift box — and why it matters more than you think.

Kansas has been growing, raising, and producing world-class products for nearly 50 years under one of the most underrated state trademark programs in the country. Sammy Gleason from the From the Land of Kansas program joins us to unbox the special Kansas 250 gift box — and what comes out of it tells a surprisingly complete story about who we are as a state. From kettle corn and sandhill plum jelly to red wine chocolate sauce and freeze-dried space ice crea...

What if the prairie — that "flat, boring" stretch you drive through on I-70 — is actually one of the most critical and disappearing ecosystems on the planet?

Matt Bain, Director of Conservation for The Nature Conservancy in Kansas, makes a compelling case that the Kansas prairie isn't just beautiful — it's the foundation of clean water, healthy soil, thriving wildlife, and the ranching culture that holds it all together. A born-and-raised Kansan who grew up farming in Ness County, Matt brings 22 years of professional conservation experience and a deep personal land ethic to this conversation. From the da...

Did you know the best space museum in the world is right in your Kansas backyard?

The Cosmosphere in Hutchinson, Kansas, is far more than a place to see old rockets. It holds the most U.S. space artifacts outside the Smithsonian and the most Soviet artifacts outside of Moscow — and right now, with humanity heading back to the moon, there's never been a more exciting time to pay attention. Claire Ludes, Senior VP and Chief Development Officer, pulls back the curtain on the institution's remarkable history, its world-class restoration shop, its summer camps th...

Wichita State University has quietly become one of the most innovative applied learning campuses in the country — and most Kansans don't even know it. Sitting down with President Rick Muma on location at WSU, we get the full story: from his roots as a physician assistant on the front lines of the HIV epidemic, to becoming the only PA to ever lead a major university, transforming a former club golf course into a thriving innovation campus where 12,000 students are earning nearly $40 million a year working alongside real industry partners.

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What does it really mean to give yourself permission — to travel, to write, to call a place home?

Rolf Potts has spent decades asking that question. A fourth-generation Kansan from Wichita, Rolf is one of the most recognized travel writers working today and the author of Vagabonding, a book that has quietly changed the way a generation thinks about long-term travel. But this conversation goes beyond passport stamps. We talk about how growing up with two schoolteacher parents shaped the way Rolf sees the world, why he thinks curiosity is the most underrated skill a...

What does it take to fall in love with a place that isn't even yours — and then dedicate your life to making sure everyone else loves it too? That's exactly what happened to journalist, historian, filmmaker, and storyteller Deb Goodrich. From covering crime courts in the Blue Ridge Mountains at age 21, to living inside a Topeka cemetery, to championing the forgotten legacy of America's first vice president of color, Deb has spent decades proving that Kansas history is anything but boring. And somehow, she made drinking water funny in the process.

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What does it take to turn Kansas into a thriving hub for film and storytelling? Sterling native Kiki Bush left Kansas for classical drama training in England and a successful acting career in New York—but the pandemic brought her home, where she discovered something unexpected. She's now fighting to bring film tax incentives to Kansas, directing her own projects, and proving that the state's "difficult beauty" deserves to be seen on screen. From the theater across the street from her childhood home to advocating at the Kansas Capitol, Kiki's journey reveals why Kansas stories matter and what happens wh...

What does it take to bring Kansas history to life on the big screen? From dusty archives and reenactment camps to film sets across the prairie, history professor and filmmaker Ken Spurgeon has spent two decades mastering the art of visual storytelling rooted in the Great Plains. His latest feature, Sod and Stubble, filmed entirely in Kansas with a community that literally built a house for the production, represents both a love letter to pioneer resilience and a case study in what's possible when Kansans commit to telling their own stories.

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Ever wonder where those grocery store flowers actually come from? Most of us never think twice about it—until we meet someone like Ashley Vail, who turned a pandemic chicken hobby into a thriving half-acre specialty cut flower farm in Kansas. From planting nearly 2,000 peonies to surviving 110 mph winds, Ashley's journey proves that flower farming is way more intense (and way more rewarding) than you'd think.

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• A McPherson antique store's viral TikTok ad featuring Sarah McLachlin's iconic ASPCA song—but for abandoned antiques

• How Ashley went from zer...

What does it take to transform a community when you're barely old enough to drive? Andres Mata was just 13 years old when he was appointed to Salina's Human Relations Commission, and that was only the beginning of his civic journey. Six years ago, at age 21, he founded the Kansas Civic Network with a simple belief: the resources to solve our communities' biggest challenges already exist—we just need to connect the right people with the right ideas. From launching the first food pantry in Lindsborg's history to helping Latino farmers understand organic certification, Andres and his team have learned th...

What happens when a school administrator discovers TikTok during a pandemic and decides Kansas deserves better representation? Steven Kimmi joins us to share his journey from isolation to becoming one of Kansas' most dedicated content creators. From sleeping in his car at Little Jerusalem to eating three burgers in one day, Steven reveals the adventures, challenges, and philosophy behind his mission to celebrate Kansas' food scene and small-town businesses. Plus, he settles the score on Cozy Inn, shares his most memorable meals, and explains why he'll never post a negative restaurant review.

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What if your family farm could reach 250 million people worldwide? Greg Peterson of Peterson Farm Brothers fame turned a college project into a viral phenomenon that's been educating the world about agriculture for over 13 years. From nursing home performances as a toddler to appearing on national television just four days after posting his first farming music video, Greg's journey shows how passion, faith, and creativity can transform an entire industry's conversation. But behind the viral success lies a deeper story—one of balancing family farming with content creation, living with Type 1 diabetes, and staying rooted in Kansas values while tr...

As we mark Kansas' 165th birthday, we're exploring what it means to truly know and love this state. From hidden rock formations in the northwest to thrift stores that draw travelers from across the country, Kansas holds surprises even for those who've lived here their whole lives. We sit down with Colby Sharples Terry from Kansas Tourism to talk about her journey from wanting to leave Kansas to becoming one of its biggest champions, the power of local guides like "Patty from Goodland," and why Kansas Day matters more than most people realize. Whether you're a lifelong Kansan or...

What does it take to celebrate 250 years of American history—and why should Kansas be at the center of that celebration? This year marks the Sesquicentennial of the United States, and Kansas is going all in with year-long events, community challenges, and unique partnerships that showcase the resilience and spirit of Kansans. We sit down with Rosa Cavazos, Special Projects Coordinator for Kansas Travel and Tourism, who shares how the Kansas 250 Commission is bringing communities together through everything from outdoor challenges to chocolate festivals. Rosa also opens up about her journey from thinking there was "nothing to do" in Ka...

What does it mean to stand in the gap for your community? Discover the journey, challenges, and unexpected stories behind Kansas State Troopers as we sit down with Joe Owen, lead recruiter for the Kansas Highway Patrol. From the rigorous training academy to the lighter side of law enforcement, and even a detour into ham radio, this episode is packed with insights, humor, and heartfelt moments that will change the way you see those who serve and protect Kansas.

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Do you have a passion for furry companions? Join us for an inspiring and eye-opening conversation with Brandon Sokol, director of Prairie Paws Animal Shelter in Manhattan, Kansas. Brandon shares the realities of shelter life, from the emotional challenges of animal rescue to the logistics of managing capacity, volunteers, and community partnerships. Discover how compassion, creativity, and teamwork come together to save lives, and hear unforgettable stories of animals (and people) who make a difference.

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What makes a place feel like home, and how do the stories of a state connect us all? From the warmth of a “grandma basement” to the wild adventures across Kansas, this conversation celebrates the people, places, and moments that have shaped a year of discovery. Join us as we reflect on favorite guests, behind-the-scenes stories, and the lessons learned from building a podcast rooted in community.

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How can one organization ignite hope and transform the lives of children who need it most? Explore the heart and vision behind Ember Hope, and discover how dedicated people are making a real difference for kids and families—plus, hear the inspiring journey of a leader who found his calling in unexpected ways.

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