505: Brooke Rollins—Where’s the Beef?
The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe
This is a two-parter in one episode! Part One was recorded in May, when Mike sat down with Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins to talk about her vision for American agriculture, the challenges facing farmers and ranchers, and the future of food production in America. Four months later, Mike needed to follow up after President Trump’s proclamation calling for 300,000 metric tons of additional beef imports—a decision that was met with concern by many American ranchers. So, Part Two was recorded in September. Mike asks the Secretary to explain the decision, what it means for American...
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504: Victor Davis Hanson—The Counter Revolution
The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe
What happens when a nation forgets the value of the people who make, build, fix, and grow things? Historian, classicist, farmer, and Hoover Institution Senior Fellow joins Mike for a wide-ranging conversation about what America values—and what it may have forgotten. They explore the difference between the generalist and the specialist, the importance of the “muscular” trades, and why a strong middle class is essential to a healthy society. Hanson also discusses his new book, , which examines Trump’s political comeback and argues that his return to power was part of a broader reaction...
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503: Alex Clark—Don’t Eat That
The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe
What if some of the food we’ve been told is convenient, affordable, and perfectly safe is actually making us sick? , host of the popular podcast and a passionate advocate for healthier food, joins Mike to discuss , a documentary in which she appears that takes a hard look at what’s really behind America’s processed-food problem. The conversation explores how Big Food adopted tactics pioneered by Big Tobacco, the science and marketing behind ultra-processed foods, what happens when corporate interests collide with public health, and why it’s so difficult to know what’s actually good...
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502: Chris Power—The Other Hadrian's Wall
The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe
Nearly 2,000 years ago, Roman Emperor Hadrian built a wall to protect the empire’s northern frontier. Today, another Hadrian is building something very different—but with a similar purpose: helping protect America by rebuilding its industrial strength. Chris Power is the founder and CEO of Hadrian, an advanced manufacturing company using AI and automation to produce critical components for America’s aerospace and defense industries. Born in Australia, Chris believes America is the greatest country in the world—and he’s determined to help keep it that way. His mission is to...
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501: Andy Stumpf—Gray Noise
The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe
knows what it takes to operate when everything goes wrong. A former Navy SEAL who served with SEAL Team Six, Stumpf spent 17 years in the military, including a tour as a BUD/S instructor responsible for training hundreds of aspiring SEALs. He was also shot at close range by an Iraqi insurgent with an AK-47—and somehow came back to serve again. In this episode, Andy pulls back the curtain on the world of special operations and the psychology of becoming a SEAL. He reveals what he learned about the candidates who ring the bell, the methods he used as an instructor to get them to keep...
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500: Tamara Thornton—The Mother of Mach
The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe
What happens when your son drops out of MIT at 19, starts a defense company in his twenties, and sets out to reinvent the way America builds weapons? If you’re Tamara Thornton, you get a job. In this episode, Mike sits down with the Head of Marketing and Communications at , Tamara Thornton, who also happens to be the mother of the founder and CEO, Ethan Thornton. Ethan’s decision to leave MIT and pursue his vision for Mach has led to a company now valued at $1.8 billion. But the story gets more interesting when you hear it from his mother—and learn what Ethan was like long before he...
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499: Ted Decker & Ian Cinnamon—Orbiting Home
The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe
What do a Home Depot employee and a satellite have in common? More than you might think. In this episode, Mike Rowe talks with two CEOs about the people and technology quietly building the future around us. First, Mike sits down with Ted Decker, CEO of The Home Depot, to talk about workforce development, the company’s “inverted pyramid” philosophy—where frontline associates and customers sit at the top and management exists to support them—and why developing people from the ground up is central to the company’s success. Decker also explains the story behind Home Depot’s Kids...
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498: Bill Whittle—Communism for Dummies
The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe
What exactly is communism—and why has it failed so spectacularly everywhere it’s been tried? has spent years answering those questions, and in this episode, he makes the case in a way that’s hard to misunderstand. Bill is a writer, filmmaker, and political commentator whose work includes , a detailed examination of the history and ideology of communism. Here, he breaks down the fundamental differences between individualism and collectivism, explains how free markets actually work, and makes the case for capitalism and the constitutional republic that makes it possible. Using simple...
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497: Ethan Thornton—I Like a Lotta Problems
The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe
Ethan Thornton doesn’t shy away from problems—he goes looking for them. At just 22, the founder of Mach Industries is tackling some of the biggest challenges in American defense manufacturing, rethinking how weapons are designed, built, and produced. In this episode, Ethan takes Mike deep into the problem he believes America can no longer afford to ignore: How did we get to a place where China has such an enormous advantage in manufacturing, production capacity, and the ability to produce things at scale? And, more importantly, what are we going to do about it? Ethan explains why the...
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496: Dr. Philip Ovadia—Meat is Medicine
The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe
For decades, Americans have been told that cholesterol is public enemy number one. But cardiologist and heart surgeon says we've been fighting the wrong battle. Despite decades of lowering cholesterol with drugs and dietary advice, heart disease remains the #1 killer in America—and Dr. Ovadia believes it's time to rethink what's really making us sick. After losing more than 100 pounds by adopting a diet centered primarily on meat, Dr. Ovadia began challenging conventional wisdom about cholesterol, nutrition, and metabolic health. Mike sits down with the bestselling author of to discuss why...
info_outlineAndy Stumpf knows what it takes to operate when everything goes wrong. A former Navy SEAL who served with SEAL Team Six, Stumpf spent 17 years in the military, including a tour as a BUD/S instructor responsible for training hundreds of aspiring SEALs. He was also shot at close range by an Iraqi insurgent with an AK-47—and somehow came back to serve again.
In this episode, Andy pulls back the curtain on the world of special operations and the psychology of becoming a SEAL. He reveals what he learned about the candidates who ring the bell, the methods he used as an instructor to get them to keep going—or make them quit—and what it really feels like when an AK-47 fragment shatters your sciatic nerve. It’s a conversation about fear, pain, endurance, and the strange things that happen in your head when the stakes couldn’t be higher.
Andy is the host of Cleared Hot, one of the most popular podcasts devoted to military life, special operations, and the people who have lived it.
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