Up + Adam with Adam Montiel

In this episode of Up+Adam, we welcome award-winning author and cultural historian Jeff Chang for a powerful conversation about his upcoming book, Water Mirror Echo: Bruce Lee and the Making of Asian America.

This isn’t just about Bruce Lee the legend, it’s about the human behind the icon. The immigrant. The artist. The man navigating masculinity, identity, and expectation in a world that demanded he be a symbol before he could even be himself. Drawing from never-before-seen letters, intimate interviews, and rare archives, Jeff’s new book paints a bold, deeply emotio...

What do you get when you think you're interviewing Lin-Manuel Miranda… but instead end up with the scholar who might know him even better?

In this episode of Up+Adam, Adam Montiel sits down with Daniel Pollack-Pelzner - New Yorker contributor, Shakespeare scholar, and author of Lin-Manuel Miranda: The Education of an Artist. Daniel spent years talking with over 150 people from Lin’s world, his family, mentors, collaborators, and Lin himself - to unpack how a sweet, curious kid from Washington Heights became the most transformative voice in modern musical theater.

What do you get when you combine aerospace engineering with live comedy? You get Dane Larkin. As Director and founding board member of the Central Coast Comedy Theater, Dane is helping to shape a community where laughter isn’t just entertainment, it’s healing. From designing rocket thrust-vectoring systems in college to now teaching improv two nights a week, Dane brings left-brain brilliance and right-brain heart to the local arts scene.

In this special Artober edition of Up+Adam, Adam Montiel dives deep with Dane about how the Theater is using comedy to support ment...

Grenache Giddy-Up at The Loading Chute Barn

Creston is calling. One grape in three colors - Paso powerhouses pouring in Creston. One grape in three colors inside the Loading Chute Barn. Meghan Ball and Kristen Parker join Adam to talk why Grenache hits in white, rosé, and red, who is pouring, what to pair with a Chute bite, and how that barn turns into a Sunday afternoon party.

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Delta Force to Bestseller: The Brad Taylor Debrief

In this episode of Up+Adam, we step into the shadows with Brad Taylor, former Delta Force commander and New York Times bestselling author whose thrillers hit harder because they come from real-world experience. With 21 years in the Army, including eight inside the elite and secretive 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment–Delta, Brad knows exactly how modern conflict moves… quietly, strategically, and often without headlines.

His newest novel Into the Gray Zone drops us into modern-day India (pretty damn timely if you ask me), wher...

On today's episode of Up+Adam, Adam sits down with Jonathan Goldstein, the creator and host of the acclaimed podcast Heavyweight. Known for helping real people revisit the moments that still weigh on them—lost friendships, family fallouts, the apology that never happened—Jonathan brings his signature mix of humor, depth, and emotional precision to a conversation that’s part storytelling masterclass, part human excavation.

They talk about the origins of Heavyweight, the ethics of revisiting pain, the stories that still haunt him, and how silence can sometimes say more than any scripted line. This e...

What if the mountain in front of you wasn’t meant to break you, but to build you?

On today’s episode of Up+Adam, Adam Montiel sits down with Joshua Rosa, a nationally recognized speaker, author, and the voice behind the powerful podcast Made For This Mountain. Joshua shares his journey through trauma, redemption, and obedience, inviting listeners into a deeper understanding of faith, failure, and healing.

Raised in New Jersey by a proud Dominican mother, Joshua has become a force in the space where authenticity meets ministry. With nearly a mill...

She’s photographed the gods of rock, from Pink Floyd and Bob Dylan to Amy Winehouse and Leonard Cohen, and somehow, in the eye of Britpop’s loudest storm, she captured the rise and fall of Oasis like no one else ever could.

In this episode of Up+Adam, award-winning music photographer Jill Furmanovsky joins Adam to talk about her stunning new book, Oasis: Trying to Find a Way Out of Nowhere, created in collaboration with Noel Gallagher. Featuring over 500 never-before-seen images and raw backstage commentary, this is more than a photography book. It’s a vi...

What happens when a football team becomes a time capsule for a country on the edge of change? In this episode, Adam sits down with award-winning journalist and author David Fleming to unpack A Big Mess in Texas, the jaw-dropping, hilarious, and deeply human true story of the 1952 Dallas Texans.

You don’t have to know a first down from a fumble to love this story. Whether you're a sports fan or not, this one grabs you with its chaos, characters, and cultural crossroads.

From drunken halftime quarterbacks and el...

In this #TrueCrimeTuesday episode of Up+Adam, Adam Montiel goes deep Inside the Cartel with former FBI Special Agent Martin Suarez, the man known inside the Bureau as its most prolific undercover operative in FBI history, and Ian Frisch, the acclaimed journalist who helped him bring his untold story to life.

For 23 years, Suarez lived as “Manny,” infiltrating a Colombian narco empire, smuggling $1 billion in cocaine, and laundering $50 million, all in the name of justice. Now, living with ALS, he’s breaking his silence about the double life that cost him almost everything.

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Continuing with Artober coverage on Up+Adam, we’re diving into the whimsical and slightly wicked world of Hansel and Gretel, but not the bedtime story version. Opera San Luis Obispo is pulling out all the stops for their gran...

What happens when the dream of reality TV becomes a nightmare? In this episode of Up+Adam, broadcaster Adam Montiel sits down with award-winning journalist and podcast host Bridget Armstrong to talk about her hit investigative series, Curse of: America’s Next Top Model.

Bridget takes us behind the scenes of one of the most iconic and controversial shows of the early 2000s, peeling back the glamorous facade to reveal a world of contracts, control, body-shaming, and emotional manipulation. From interviews with former contestants and producers to questions about Tyra Banks’ role in the show...

Part of our month-long ARTober on Up+Adam series

This week on Up+Adam, Adam welcomes Andrew Sewell, the visionary conductor and Music Director of the San Luis Obispo Symphony, for a rich and revealing conversation about the power of music, the art of conducting, and the emotional undercurrent of performance. From the magic of the baton to the subtle skill of knowing when to disappear into the music, Andrew shares what it really takes to lead an orchestra, not with ego, but with empathy.

You’ll hear why the best conductors do...

She’s been possessed, kidnapped, cloned, and married more times than we can count, and we’ve loved her for every second of it. On this episode of Up+Adam, Adam Montiel sits down with the incomparable Deidre Hall, the woman behind one of television’s most iconic characters: Dr. Marlena Evans of Days of Our Lives.

As Days celebrates its upcoming induction into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame, Deidre reflects on her nearly 50-year journey on the show, how it shaped her, and how she’s shaped it in return. We talk legacy...

In this #TrueCrimeTuesday episode of Up+Adam, Adam Montiel sits down with Elin Lantz Lesser, award-winning producer, former clinical psychologist, and host of the powerful new podcast America’s Crime Lab.

Together, they explore the heartbreak and humanity behind unsolved crimes, and the revolutionary forensic science giving victims and families a voice—sometimes decades after the fact. From the gut-wrenching case of 9-year-old K Rogers to the surprising role of genealogy websites in solving murders, Elin opens up about the emotional toll of telling these stories, how her psychology background shapes her work, and the...

Adam chatted with Lindsey Baruch of Lindsey Eats, a creator with over 1 million followers across Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and her blog, about her debut cookbook Something Delicious: 100 Recipes for Everyday Cooking (Ten Speed Press, releases September 30, 2025). They dive into cooking with all five senses, how to build confidence fast with low-fuss techniques, and why “delicious beats pretty” every time. Expect crunchy-creamy eggplant, a legit 30-minute chicken move, wedge salad theater, a pepper mill splurge Adam can’t stop raving about, and easy entertaining pairings that make weeknights feel like an invitation. If you’re cooking today, you’ll walk away with...

In this episode of Up+Adam, Adam sits down with Robin Wolff, committee member of the City of San Luis Obispo’s Promotional Coordinating Committee, to talk about ARTober, SLO’s month-long celebration of arts and humanities held every October. Robin breaks down what ARTober is, how the city activates public art and performances (think: Piano in the Plaza, gallery openings, theater, open studios, public art displays), and how local residents and visitors can get involved. We discuss how the city partners with nonprofits, how the program has evolved, and where she hopes ARTober will go next.

She’s not just the daughter of comedy legend Don Rickles. Mindy Rickles is a sharp, hilarious, and deeply human storyteller who’s carving out a voice all her own. In this episode, Mindy joins Adam for a one-of-a-kind conversation about growing up in the house that comedy built, the moments Don Rickles did (and didn’t) turn it off, and why her new podcast “Mindy, Ed & Don Rickles” is more than a tribute. It’s a time capsule of family, fame, and fearless funny.

This one’s got laughs, heart, and stories you haven’t heard anywhere else.<...

On this True Crime Tuesday, former Brooklyn homicide prosecutor Anna-Sigga Nicolazzi (pretty positive you’ve seen one of her many shows on TV too!) joins Up+Adam for a gripping conversation that pulls back the curtain on the real-life cases that shaped America’s approach to terrorism. As the host of Law & Order: Criminal Justice System, Anna-Sigga shares stories that go beyond the headlines and into the hearts of survivors, investigators, and communities forever changed.

To learn more:

• Listen to Law & Order: Criminal Justice System → iHeart Podcast

• Subscribe to Anatomy of Murder...

Today on Up+Adam, we’re sitting down with Nick Firestone, CEO of Firestone Walker Brewing Company and one of the most respected names in craft beer. With the brewery just announcing a multi-year extension of its partnership with Cal Poly, we dive deep into what this collaboration means not just for beer, but for the community, for student-athletes, and for the future of brewing talent coming out of San Luis Obispo.

Nick shares what the past year has brought, rom new beers and behind-the-scenes pivots to the legacy milestones brewing ahead of Firestone Wa...

What happens when two theater kids say "yes" to flavor, passion, and building a cocktail empire from the ground up?

In this episode, Adam welcomes Lauren Butler into the Timbre LoBro Studios, the co-founder of Yes Cocktail Co., as she pours out the story behind one of Paso Robles' most exciting and nationally celebrated brands. From their early days slinging small-batch syrups at Farmers’ Market to landing features in Oprah Daily, USA Today, and the Good Food Awards, Lauren and her husband Brandon have turned their love of mixology into a movement. This is a...

What do Disney’s The Princess and the Frog, Marvel’s Captain America: Brave New World, and TV classics like Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, In Living Color, Full House, and A Different World all have in common? Writer Rob Edwards. For more than 40 years, Rob has been shaping the way we laugh, cry, and see ourselves on screen. In this episode of Up+Adam, Adam Montiel sits down with Rob to talk about surviving Hollywood with “Detroit hustle,” why Disney and Marvel story rooms are more alike than you’d think, and what it means to close out this year’s Cen...

Comic René Vaca Is Up+Adam



Comedian René Vaca joins Adam Montiel ahead of his upcoming show at the Performing Arts Center San Luis Obispo on Wednesday, September 25. From growing up in Van Nuys to winning StandUp NBC and performing with the likes of Bill Burr and Ken Jeong, René shares how comedy became his therapy, his hustle, and his way through it all.

In this candid conversation, the two talk about growing up just outside of LA, collecting rare Disney art, calling out Hollywood in a meeting that actually led t...

Adam will be leading a live workshop on The Art of the Interview at this year’s Central Coast Writers Conference, happening September 26–27, 2025 at Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo. For details and registration, visit cuesta.edu/writers-conference

Listen to Up+Adam with Adam Montiel:

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In this episode, Adam sits down with the always soulful and ever-authentic Dan Curcio, frontman of Moonshiner Collective, to talk about the final Under the Moon concert of the season, happening Saturday, September 20th at Marcerro at Dairy Creek Golf Course in San Luis Obispo. These shows have become iconic on the Central Coast, blending music, memory, and the kind of open-air, magic-hour energy that just hits different.

Dan opens up about what makes this setting so special, how the band curates not just a setlist but a vibe, and why sharing the stage...

In this episode of Up+Adam, Adam chats with Dr. James McGibney, the former U.S. Marine turned digital justice warrior, to talk about what it takes to take down cyberbullies, online predators, and the shadow networks that traffic in shame.



You’ve seen him in the Netflix doc The Most Hated Man on the Internet. You’ve seen his work on VICE, Dr. Phil, and now on A&E’s brand-new special Bully Hunter, premiering Tuesday, September 23rd at 10pm. But this conversation isn’t just about the mission. It’s about the man behind it. F...

On this episode of Up+Adam, broadcaster Adam Montiel sits down with William and Mary Jane Jodry, the parents of Thomas “Tommy” Jodry, a 21-year-old man who died after falling from a San Luis Obispo parking structure under deeply suspicious circumstances. While officials quickly closed the case, the Jodrys have spent nearly six years piecing together what really happened that night, facing roadblocks, redacted timelines, and a man of interest whose presence raises more questions than answers.

Also joining the conversation is clinical and forensic psychologist Dr. Leslie Dobson, whose trauma-informed lens brings clarity and...

What do Bruce Lee, Saturday morning cartoons, bootleg VHS tapes, and the birth of hip hop all have in common?

Today on Up+Adam, we go full roundhouse into the cultural explosion that was the kung fu movie craze, and the two men who’ve written the definitive, illustrated, and absolutely jaw-dropping story behind it. Adam is joined by Grady Hendrix, bestselling author and co-founder of the New York Asian Film Festival, and Chris Poggiali, film historian and editor of the legendary Temple of Schlock, to talk about their new book: These Fists Break Br...

You’ve heard his voice for decades on The Price is Right, Deal or No Deal, Supermarket Sweep, and so many more. But Randy West has seen more than just the shiny side of television. In his new book TV Inside-Out, this 30-year TV veteran takes us deep backstage into the chaos, feuds, and unforgettable moments that shaped the medium we thought we knew. From Johnny Carson’s dark family drama to wild nights at The Price is Right, Randy has been there, and now he is telling it all.



In this conversation with Adam, Randy...

In this episode of Up+Adam, broadcaster Adam Montiel chats with urban free climber Adam Lockwood, known around the world as Nuisance. You’ve probably seen one of his videos without even realizing it was him: scaling towers, cranes, and high-rises barefoot, no ropes, no permission, and somehow, no fear. But behind every climb is something deeper.

Recorded before his jaw-dropping jump off the Eiffel Tower (yes, that one), this conversation captures the raw heart of why Adam climbs, what it feels like to be alone hundreds of meters above a sleeping city, and ho...

What do you get when a stand-up comedy set crashes headfirst into a real-life murder? On this True Crime Tuesday, we sit down with comedian Edd Hedges and Emmy-nominated producer Jodi Tovay, the duo behind Wisecrack, a genre-bending true crime podcast that’s part comedy, part nightmare, and completely real.

Edd returned to his hometown for a charity show, only to find himself at the center of a horrifying true crime story involving a childhood bully turned killer, a terrified woman at the foot of his bed, and a moment that would change everything.

Why are men the way they are? Why do they forget birthdays but remember every detail of their first crush? Why do they seem stuck at 14... even when they’re 54? Legendary music executive Tom Sturges has worked with icons like Foo Fighters, Outkast, and 50 Cent, but his newest project may be his most revealing yet. His book Men Explained, Finally is a laugh-out-loud, startlingly wise, and surprisingly tender collection of essays that crack open the male mind and help us all make a little more sense of it.

In this conversation, Tom joins Adam fo...

On this episode of Up+Adam, Adam sits down with two powerhouse talents, Cameron Douglas and David Morse, to talk about their new film Looking Through Water, a stirring new drama about estranged fathers and sons reconnecting during a fishing competition in Belize.

Cameron Douglas, actor, author, and the son of Michael Douglas and grandson of screen legend Kirk Douglas, shares how his deeply personal journey from addiction and incarceration to clarity and purpose prepared him for this role. His bestselling memoir Long Way Home revealed the truth behind the tabloid headlines, and now...

If you’ve ever told yourself, “One day I’ll write that thing…” this is that day. Adam chats with Meagan Friberg, writer, journalist, and director of the Central Coast Writers Conference, now celebrating its 41st year. This year’s theme? “It’s Time.” And it is.

After a few years of pandemic pivots and Zoom fatigue, the conference is back live and in person at Cuesta College. Two full days of keynotes, workshops, master classes, and creative electricity. Meagan shares how this isn’t just an event for writers. It’s a space for courage, for belon...

On this episode of Up+Adam, Adam Montiel sits down with Andrea Gunning, the voice behind the hit true crime podcast Betrayal Weekly. From fake cancer scams to shocking double lives, Andrea isn’t just telling wild stories, she’s exploring what happens when trust breaks so badly, it redefines reality.

A Best Crime Podcast Winner, she will dig into some of the most jaw-dropping cases from the show, how betrayal hits differently than true-crime, and what it really takes for someone to tell the truth after living a lie. Andrea also opens up abou...

Adam will be leading a live workshop on The Art of the Interview at this year’s Central Coast Writers Conference, happening September 26–27, 2025 at Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo. For details and registration, visit cuesta.edu/writers-conference

Listen to Up+Adam with Adam Montiel:

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Few restaurants capture the SLO CAL vibe like Sunsets at Pismo. For six years, Brian Appiano’s shiny silver Airstream on the Pismo Pier has been serving up tacos, fish and chips, and margaritas with one of the best views you’ll find anywhere. But now, because of a decades-old zoning technicality, the City of Pismo Beach has voted to phase out commercial food vendors on the pier, and Sunsets will close in October 2025.

In this conversation, Adam talks with Brian about what this decision means for his family, his staff, and the community that...

On this episode of Up + Adam, we’re joined by Kai Beckstrand, the 18-year-old champion of NBC’s American Ninja Warrior Season 17. Known as the fastest ninja on the planet, Kai has broken records with his speed and precision, hitting buzzers and making history alongside his brother and father. But his story runs deeper than the highlight reel. Kai is also a certified EMT and firefighter, dedicating his life to running into danger when others can’t, and he does it all while managing Type 1 diabetes.

In this conversation, Adam digs into the love of com...

What happens when true crime gets personal? When the mystery isn’t something you binge in your earbuds, but something you’re suddenly living inside? On this True Crime Tuesday, Adam sits down with award-winning journalist Maggie Robinson Katz, the host of the gripping new podcast Hands Tied, an original series from BBC Studios and iHeartPodcasts.

The show follows Lizz Melgar Rose, whose mother was found bound in a closet and whose father, Jim Melgar, was murdered. The tragedy shocked their Houston community. But it’s what happened after the crime that makes this story...

What happens when the man behind some of the biggest names in music, like Bad Bunny, J Balvin, and Justin Bieber, starts asking the real questions of himself?

In this powerful episode of Up+Adam, Adam sits down with Lex Borrero, the visionary co-founder of NEON16 and host of the podcast You vs You. Together, they dive deep into the mindset behind meaningful success, the internal battles that continue even at the top, and why redefining hustle might just be the secret to true peace. Lex opens up about imposter syndrome, building a legacy...