Trailblazing Tex

Both Darryl and Sgt. Donovan had highly viewed episodes. Listeners appreciated their perspectives and their conversation. Sgt. Donovan reached out to me after listening to Darryl's episode and had a great idea– bring them both back to the show and we further this conversation. To no surprise, Darryl was all in for this episode. Grateful for these two gents for coming back and bringing their voices together. Here is a sample of the questions that get asked and answered:

• Why do you think everything is coming to a head?
• What does defund the police mean to you?
• Should we release body cam footage to the public?
• What are your thoughts on social workers answering calls?

Daniel Kissoon, co-owner of Sutaria Training & Fitness in Houston, joins the show! I met Daniel Nov. 2019 in Austin, and I found his story intriguing. People have windy paths, but at the end of the day, they blaze their own trails and do fulfilling and impactful work. We discuss:

• Sutaria and what separates his gym from the rest
• Beginning his college career
• Then, deciding to join the Marines, where he served for 4 years
• Back to school at Univ. of Houston to pursue his degree
• How he got into fitness and owning a gym
• His favorite part about training

Coach Matthew Wilson, Boys Basketball Coach at The John Cooper School, joins the show! Coach Wilson and I go way back to our high school days, and I am happy we could sit down and chat. As the podcast continues to address our current social landscape, Trailblazing Tex and Coach Wilson had to re-record his episode. We still address is playing and coaching career, but we also cover about racial issues and injustices. We chat about:

• His playing career (he played at both NYU and American)
  
• His coaching career (D1, D2, JuCo, and high school)
  
• His experiences
  
• Learning and educating yourself
  
• Conversations he is having with his players
  
• His podcast: “The Extra Pass Podcast”
  

Sergeant Lee Donovan with the Houston Police Department, Special Victims Division, Crimes against Children's Unit joins us today! My goal is to have many voices on to the show. Most of us are on the same side and fight for what is right. Sgt. Donovan spends his time putting away people that prey on some of the the most vulnerable people in society– children. We discuss:

• His transition from the corporate world to becoming a cop
• How he navigated his career and became Sergeant
• HPD protocols and how police are taught
• Current protests and what can be done

Darryl graciously joins the show. We had an incredible conversation! It’s a bit longer than the other episodes, but 100% worth the watch and/or listen. We cover a lot in this episode:

• Where he’s originally from in Houston
• How he ended up becoming a petroleum engineer
• Him being a Little and part of Big Brothers Big Sisters as a kid. Now he’s a Big for BBBS. Listen in to hear why he believes this organization makes the greatest impact
• George Floyd, and other lives lost at the hands of law enforcement
• Privilege
• Being intentional with who we support. If we want to support our communities, and specific businesses, like black businesses (artists, chefs, film makers, etc.), we must do it intentionally. Do a little research about the businesses around you!
• Places to eat in Houston to support black owned restaurants

I decided to shift the focus of the Trailblazing Tex podcast due to recent events. Officer Ari Ross joins us, and I am incredibly grateful to be able to sit down, have this discussion, while listening and learning. On today’s episode we discuss:

• Her career and how she landed in law enforcement
• Racial injustice within our country
• Her experience with the protests as a member of law enforcement
• What we can all do to help to continue to fight for what is right– we all have our own role to play
• Her involvement with Marietta College and being on MCAA
• A discussion around Marietta’s mascot

I had the pleasure of sitting down with this southern gent! Jeremy not only works at UPike, but he also is a student where he just graduated with his undergraduate degree, and now he is off to pursue his MBA at UPike. A few things we chat about: 

* How to adjust as an institution during COVID-19 

* What it was like graduating at home 

* He and UPike have a podcast called "UPIKE Bearcast": https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/upike-bearcast/id1504960677 

* Defining a hotdog as a sandwich

 * Some basketball banter

It was great catching up with someone I have known for quite some time. Macey is a Texan who currently lives in Argentina. Before moving abroad, she got into triathlons. We chat about: 

* Life abroad 

* Her Spanish speaking 

* How she got into the tri-world 

* Training for a triathlon

It was a pleasure chatting with Sam Morrow, singer-songwriter. We cover quite a few topics:

• How he started playing music
• His influences
• The struggles of the music industry right now
• Venues he would love to play
• How good T-Pain really is

Special mid-week episode with special guest Anna Wiernicki–Washington Correspondent. We talk about...

-Fun times growing up (like a fry falling out of her wallet)

-How we miss Texas and Whataburger

-Her projects

-What it’s like in DC during such a crazy and polarizing time

-Cool people she has interviewed

-Oh, and more food

Today’s episode is focused on a wonderful nonprofit, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colorado. I had the pleasure of chatting with Tiamo Wright– a Big, an Associate Board Member, and is serving as the board’s chair this year. Tiamo shares what it is like to be a Big and what she enjoys about BBBSC. During the entire month of May, BBBSC has a fundraising campaign to help the organization during this tough time. There are many ways you can support BBBSC! You can donate financially and/or you can donate your time. If you don’t have anything going on on Thursday, 5/21, we are hosting a FREE event (donations are encouraged)! Cooking For Kids’ Sake is a virtual cooking event, which will led by Kayla Nelson and Sage Nourishment. Registration and ingredients can be found here: 

https://form.jotform.com/201355461677155

Betirri is a professional artist, and I am honored to call him a friend! You can find his art all around Houston. His art has been shown around the country, and he has exhibited his pieces around the world. He just wrapped up his Casa de Dali Mural (his 7th Houston mural) and it’s incredible!

I met Betirri back in 2013 when he commissioned a piece for the BBBS gala. The colors he used and the “bodiless” people featured in a lot of his work really captured my attention. I thought the piece he painted was incredibly powerful, and caught my eye. I am a little bias because I have quite a few pieces hanging in my house now, but he truly is talented in his craft. He’s also just a genuine and beautiful soul.

Betirri moved to the U.S. when he was 15 years old. I also love his story because he is a great example of the American Dream—following his passion, working hard, and succeeding! Tune in to hear about his journey as an artist and some of the cool projects that he has done.

May the 4th be with you! Chris Ortiz has won Teacher of the Year and Humanitarian of the Year at Knox Junior High School in Texas. He is currently an 8th grade U.S. History in a traditional classroom. Prior to becoming a History teacher, Chris spent the early part of his career working in Special Education, and in the classroom with kids who have behavioral and emotional challenges. He also impacts kids on the court. The Knox Junior High School Girls’ Basketball team has created an identity around grit and hard work. You can chalk up their success to the culture that Chris has been able to build. He impacts kids everywhere he goes. In addition to being an educator and a coach, he has started to write children’s books. Be on the look out for “Dear Mama”, which will be available at Barnes & Noble soon!

I don’t know about you, but outside of my parents, my teachers and coaches were the most influential people in my life. I am still in touch with many of my former teachers and professors. Likewise with my former coaches. Through quarantine, it has become very evident how crucial of a role teachers play in children’s lives. Thank you to all the teachers and educators who are working tirelessly every day.

I sat down with Taylor Myers, currently an Admissions Officer at Johns Hopkins. We talked about his humble beginnings in Monroe County, in southeastern Ohio, and how teachers and coaches “changed his life”. Taylor tells his story about his experiences growing up in Rural America, and he discusses his time campaigning with Gov. Ted Strickland back in 2016, and his Teach for America experience. Taylor has a fascinating story and it is evident that his experiences early in life and where he is from have impacted him. He is a passionate young man and I am sure you will enjoy his story! Enjoy.

Corryn Williams edited the intro and the outro.

I sat down with my brother, James Metcalf, SVP Operations at Intrepid Directional Drilling.

During CV-19, we have seen the market (basically) crumble. An industry that has been hit particularly hard is oil and gas. James entered the industry in 2015, when the industry was struggling. He will admit that today is nothing like when he graduated, but he still entered the workforce during a questionable time (in oil and gas). He went from a secured opportunity to having to get back out there and market himself to land a job after he graduated.

James has an interesting story. He spent his last two years of high school at a prestigious high school, Saint Andrew's School in Delaware, which provided him a unique academic opportunity along with the ability to excel athletically. After Saint Andrew's, James found himself deciding between 3 institutions – Syracuse, The Naval Academy, and Marietta College. Phenomenal institutions. He ultimately enrolled at Marietta College because of the academic rigor, a Petroleum Engineering department, and a competitive crew team. James will touch on his college experience, along with internships, and the importance of them throughout his college career.

James will discuss his sacrifices and the obstacles (both self inflicted and out of his control) upon graduation. Ultimately, he worked hard, and despite a long journey, at 25 (turning 26 May 1), he came out on the other side being successful and fulfilled with his career and life.

Trailblazing Tex! Before I upload any episodes, I wanted to quickly introduce myself and share my inspiration for starting this podcast. My name is Brittany, A.K.A. Tex, a nickname I got in college. I was only a handful of students from Texas in college, and if I remember correctly, it was within the first week of living in Marietta Hall that a teammate dubbed me as "Tex". I had always wanted to do a podcast, but I never knew what my focus or angle would be. With quarantine and CV-19, we are living in very interesting times, and II found myself wanting to connect and talk with people. I have connected and talked with fantastic people! And I wanted share their stories. These are people who have faced obstacles and adversity, but still persevered, and turned out to be quite successful and happy with their journey. My guests are engineers, teachers, campaign trail staff, authors, journalists, and everything in between.

Even though career will be a main focus, it is not the only thing we will chat about. Guests will share their interests and hobbies, habits, passions, their volunteer work, and yes, the best place to get a bite to eat in their respective cities. As a Houstonian, I love food, and love hearing which restaurants people support (which is incredibly important during the pandemic) and frequent.

I hope you find this inspirational, perhaps reassuring, but that the very least, I hope you find this entertaining.

Welcome to Trailblazing Tex.