Former congressman Jason Altmire has spent years in Washington—and even more time outside it—making the case that America's biggest opportunity isn't behind a desk, but behind a welding mask, a set of tools, or the wheel of a big machine. Now leading Career Education Colleges and Universities , he's on a mission to close the skills gap and reconnect hard work with real opportunity. In this episode, Mike and Jason dig into why millions of good jobs go unfilled, why the stigma around skilled labor...
Apr 28, 2026•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 481
Matt Ebert didn't set out to build a billion-dollar business—he just wanted to fix cars the right way. Today, he's the CEO of Crash Champions, one of the fastest-growing collision repair companies in the country, valued in the billions and trusted to bring wrecked vehicles back to life. Mike sits down with Matt to unpack what really happens after a crash, why the skilled trades behind collision repair matter more than ever, and how a kid with no grand plan or college degree wound up leading a na...
Apr 21, 2026•1 hr 35 min•Ep. 480
Neon lights aren't supposed to be profound. They're supposed to buzz, flicker, and sell you a cold beer or a bad decision. But Evan Voyles—founder of The Neon Jungle —has made a career out of bending that expectation into something stranger… and maybe a little wiser. Evan is a self-taught craftsman who works with fire, gas, and fragile tubes of glass to make signs that don't just glow—they say something. His work has been commissioned by brands, collected as art, and—on more than one occasion—ma...
Apr 14, 2026•1 hr 49 min•Ep. 479
Numbers don't lie—but they can obscure significant information. In this episode, Mike sits down with economist, demographer, and Harvard-educated brainiac Nicholas Eberstadt to explore a different kind of arithmetic—one that measures not just how many Americans we have, but how we're actually living. In his latest book, America's Human Arithmetic, Nick digs into three uncomfortable truths: first, the steady decline in prime-age labor force participation that persists even in strong economies. Se...
Apr 07, 2026•1 hr 33 min•Ep. 478
Adam Carolla sits down with Mike for a wide-ranging, no-holds-barred conversation on comedy, culture, and California. Adam breaks down his no-nonsense approach to making people laugh, building a podcasting empire, and telling the truth as he sees it—whether it's popular or not. The two also take a hard look at the Palisades more than a year after the fire, the growing frustration with California's regulatory maze, and what Adam really thinks about Newsom. Spoiler alert—it ain't good. Oh, you bet...
Mar 31, 2026•1 hr 54 min•Ep. 477
What does it take to rebuild America's industrial backbone—and who's actually going to do the work? Mike sits down with Michael Cadenazzi, Assistant Secretary of War for Industrial Base Policy, to discuss his role at the Department of War (DOW) and his mission focused on restoring the muscle behind America's might. Cadenazzi makes the case that while the U.S. still produces world-class engineers and cutting-edge weapons designs, there's a growing gap where it matters most—the skilled workforce n...
Mar 24, 2026•1 hr 36 min•Ep. 476
Mike talks with Jan Jekielek , senior editor at The Epoch Times and host of American Thought Leaders , to discuss his new book, Killed to Order: China's Organ Harvesting Industry and the True Nature of America's Biggest Adversary . It's an explosive investigation into allegations of state-sanctioned organ harvesting in China. Jan shares what he's learned from years of interviews with doctors, investigators, and even survivors of this gruesome industry where political prisoners are killed for the...
Mar 17, 2026•1 hr 40 min•Ep. 475
Mike chats with Jeff Childers—the attorney-turned-writer behind the wildly popular Coffee & Covid Substack —for a wide-ranging conversation about media narratives, pandemic politics, and the strange new world of citizen journalism. What began as a daily blog written during lockdown has grown into a must-read for hundreds of thousands of devotees looking for sharp legal insight, media criticism, and a dose of wry humor with their morning coffee. Jeff explains what it takes to crank out 2,000 ...
Mar 10, 2026•2 hr 10 min•Ep. 474
Mike talks with Will Swaim, CEO of the California Policy Center . California has long marketed itself as the future—a place where trends are born and the rest of the country eventually follows. But Swaim argues that when it comes to public policy, that's the last thing America should do. Despite spending roughly $24 billion, California still leads the nation in homelessness. The state ranks near the bottom in education outcomes, while residents face the highest energy and gas prices as well as m...
Mar 03, 2026•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 473
Mike sits down with comedian, voiceover pro, cookbook author, and culinary entrepreneur, Anna Vocino . Anna shares how her Eat Happy journey—from her bestselling cookbooks Eat Happy , Eat Happy Too , and Eat Happy Italian to her podcast Fitness Confidential —grew out of personal health struggles and a lot of hustle. She also pulls back the curtain on her voiceover career and explains why getting a food product onto grocery store shelves is a lot harder than most people think. It's a candid conve...
Feb 24, 2026•1 hr 57 min•Ep. 472
Mike talks with comedy legend David Zucker , the creative force behind the movie Airplane! Zucker shares what it took to make Airplane! —pitching a spoof no one quite understood, casting serious actors to deliver absurd lines with a straight face, and why making his co-writers laugh was the secret sauce to pleasing the audience. He also discusses his new " Master Crash " course, where Zucker teaches the dos and don'ts of spoof comedy writing. Along the way, we learn how John Landis landed Nation...
Feb 17, 2026•1 hr 37 min•Ep. 471
Johnny Carson didn't just host The Tonight Show —he defined late-night television. In this episode, Mike talks with comedian and pop-culture historian Mark Malkoff , author of the book Love Johnny Carson , about Carson's quiet influence, off-camera generosity, and the unlikely ways his legacy still shapes comedy today. It's a short history lesson, a love letter to show business, and a reminder that some icons never really leave the stage. Tip o' the hat to our excellent sponsors AuraFrames.com/M...
Feb 10, 2026•1 hr 52 min•Ep. 470
Mike sits down with West Virginia Congressman Riley Moore , whose path to Capitol Hill began with a welding torch. Moore shares why he chose the skilled trades early in life, what that work taught him about dignity and opportunity, and how those lessons now shape his approach to policy. The discussion centers on Moore's new legislation, the Jumpstart Savings Act, a proposal designed to remove financial barriers to apprenticeships, tools, and certifications—and to breathe new life into America's ...
Feb 06, 2026•48 min•Ep. 469
Mike chats with billionaire entrepreneur and producer Thomas Tull, a man whose career has repeatedly put him just one degree away from greatness. Tull talks about his ownership stakes in professional sports teams including his beloved Pittsburgh Steelers, how he helped create a data-driven approach to marketing blockbuster films through Legendary Pictures and why understanding audiences mattered as much as the movies themselves. Along the way, Tull explains how it feels when his rock band, Ghost...
Feb 03, 2026•1 hr 42 min•Ep. 468
After a six-month hiatus from TWIHI and on the occasion of her 88th birthday, multiple New York Times bestselling author Peggy Rowe (a.k.a. Mike's mom, a.k.a. America's grandmother) drops by to tell us where she's been, what she's working on next, and the groin-intruding procedure that took away her double vision. Who says "you can't get there from here!?" Many thanks to our excellent sponsors ZipRecruiter.com/Rowe to post a job for FREE. MDriveForMen.com Try Boost and Burn to aid energy, metabo...
Jan 28, 2026•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 467
Mike sits down with the dean and co-founder of Paul Mitchell Schools to talk about how an industry built on scissors, sinks, and human connection quietly shapes culture, opportunity, and second chances. Known by just about everyone who's met him as relentlessly—and genuinely—nice, Winn shares his improbable journey from former meth addict to one of the most influential educators in beauty, his deep commitment to philanthropy, and the philosophy behind his book Be Nice (or Else!) . It's a convers...
Jan 27, 2026•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 466
Acclaimed actor James Woods joins TWIHI for a candid conversation that goes far beyond his iconic film roles. Woods addresses his cancellation from Hollywood and how it inspired his life's second act, making music. He also recounts a shocking, nearly fatal accident involving a walk through a glass door, and he doesn't pull any punches when it comes to letting us know what he thinks about how Gavin Newsom has handled the aftermath of the Palisades Fire....
Jan 20, 2026•1 hr 54 min•Ep. 465
Tech founder, defense disruptor, and founder of Anduril Industries Palmer Luckey chats with Mike about the strange haircut on America's military bureaucracy—all business in the front, chaos in the back. Luckey explains how Anduril is trying to bring speed, accountability, and modern technology to national defense, often in spite of layers of red tape. Along the way, they discuss why Palmer got into defense contracting, who was pivotal in the Department of Defense becoming the Department of War, ...
Jan 13, 2026•1 hr 58 min•Ep. 464
Mike sits down with adventurer, endurance athlete, and motivational speaker Cyril Derreumaux, a man who has spent an unusual amount of time alone with his thoughts—and the open ocean. Cyril talks Mike through his two 70-plus-day solo treks across both the Atlantic and the Pacific in a kayak. Mike and Cyril explore risk, resilience, and the fine line between careful preparation and total uncertainty. It's a conversation about discipline, humility, and why sometimes the hardest part of moving forw...
Dec 16, 2025•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 463
On this eye-opening episode, Mike welcomes filmmaker and television veteran Del Bigtree of The HighWire to discuss his newest documentary, An Inconvenient Study —a film that investigates what happened to the most thorough childhood vaccinated vs. unvaccinated study ever done. They discuss how Del convinced a doctor at one of the most prestigious health institutes in the nation to conduct the study, the shocking findings, and why the study has never seen the light of day… until now....
Dec 09, 2025•1 hr 33 min•Ep. 462
Mike sits down with Danny Combs, founder of TACT (Teaching the Autism Community Trades), a program that teaches people with autism skilled trades ranging from welding to woodworking to IT. With equal parts heart and hard data, Danny walks Mike through how TACT is helping fill critical labor shortages while giving thousands of gifted, detail-driven students a path to meaningful, good-paying work. It's a conversation about talent, potential, and the untapped workforce hiding in plain sight. Danny'...
Dec 02, 2025•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 461
Mike sits down with the two innovative minds behind Digs — an app that's helping to streamline the home-building process. It's a candid look at what happens when tech guys wander into the world of lumber, drywall, and delayed inspections—and try to fix it. If you've ever wondered whether artificial intelligence can actually help build a house, or at least make the whole ordeal a little less maddening, this conversation is for you.
Nov 25, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 460
Mike meets actor, writer, and director Steven Grayhm , whose award-winning film Sheepdog is about to hit theaters. Steven breaks down how a three-hour ride with a tow truck driver led him on a 14-year odyssey to get to the truth about veteran post-traumatic stress. It's a conversation about grit, service, sacrifice, and the complicated realities faced by the men and women who stand their post long after the uniform comes off. Steven's passion for telling their stories with honesty and respect sh...
Nov 18, 2025•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 459
In honor of Veterans Day, Mike speaks with co-host of The Big Weekend Show Marine Staff Sergeant (Ret.) Johnny Joey Jones, who served eight years as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal technician in Iraq and Afghanistan—where he lost both legs in the line of duty. These days, he's on a mission to highlight those who serve, from American warfighters to first responders, which he does powerfully in his new book, Behind the Badge . It's a honest tribute to those who run toward the danger when others run...
Nov 11, 2025•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 458
Mike joins author and energy expert Alex Epstein to discuss Bill Gates' surprising new stance on climate change, the growing clash between "human-centric" and "anti-impact" environmentalism, and how the AI revolution is reshaping global energy demands. They also explore what this shift means for philanthropy, fossil fuels, and the future workforce driving America's next energy boom.
Nov 04, 2025•46 min•Ep. 457
Security expert, author, and entrepreneur Gavin de Becker joins us to discuss his newest book, Forbidden Facts: Government Deceit & Suppression About Brain Damage from Childhood Vaccine s —a hard-hitting investigation into how government agencies and industry cover up evidence and manipulate public belief. We also discuss the attempted assassination at Butler and how neatly it was tied up in a bow. Gavin also reveals who he believes really killed Robert F. Kennedy Sr.—spoiler alert; it ain't...
Oct 28, 2025•2 hr 8 min•Ep. 456
Mike chats with Philip Diehl, the 35th Director of the U.S. Mint and the man behind the most successful coin program in American history—the 50 State Quarters. They talk about the surprising history of the U.S. dollar coin, how a coin gets designed and approved, and the unexpected reason why the mikeroweWORKS Trades Coin—a symbol of American skill and pride—wasn't actually made in the America.
Oct 21, 2025•1 hr 46 min•Ep. 455
Mike sits down with Amie Ichikawa—former inmate, prison reform advocate, and founder of Woman II Woman , an organization dedicated to protecting the rights and dignity of incarcerated women. Amie shares her firsthand experience in the California prison system, the disturbing reality of fully intact men being housed in women's prisons, and the silence surrounding it. Now on the outside, she's using her voice to protect those still inside. It's a raw conversation about justice, safety, and speakin...
Oct 14, 2025•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 454
NBA player turned human rights activist Enes Kanter Freedom shares his remarkable journey growing up in Turkey under an oppressive regime, his rise to NBA stardom, and the high personal cost of speaking out against tyranny. From being exiled by his home country to being effectively blackballed from the NBA, Enes opens up about the courage it takes to stand alone—and why he refuses to stay silent. He also discusses his powerful new book, In the Name of Freedom , and what it means to fight for som...
Oct 07, 2025•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 453
Mike sits down with former high school volleyballer Payton McNabb, who was knocked unconscious by a spike to the face, delivered by a male competing on the girls' team, and woke up in the middle of a national controversy. What followed wasn't just a concussion and long-term neurological damage. It was a brutal, firsthand lesson in biology, politics, and the high cost of pretending that reality is up for debate.
Sep 30, 2025•1 hr•Ep. 452
