Hey Amarillo – Details, episodes & analysis

A conversation with Lauren Hough, the New York Times bestselling author and essayist. Her critically acclaimed 2021 book, Leaving Isn't the Hardest Thing, details her upbringing in a doomsday cult, her eventual Air Force stint and other careers, and includes several mentions of the years she spent in Amarillo as a child and then a teenager. Hough shares with host Jason Boyett about the role Amarillo played—and continues to play—in the story of her life, how she has become the Panhandle correspondent for Texas Highways, and why being from West Texas carries a lot of currency in the world. This episode is supported by Storybridge and Panhandle Plains Historical Museum.

A conversation with Sheila Sims, a long-time local architect and the president of Sims + Architects. Her firm has designed many prominent local buildings, from the new Amarillo City Hall to the FirstBank Southwest Center at AC to the Harrington Cancer and Health Foundation building near the Medical Center. After earning a degree from Texas A&M, Sims returned to Amarillo to work for Lavin Architects as an intern—and never looked back. She shares with host Jason Boyett about taking over leadership of Lavin right before the pandemic, why she loves being an architect in Amarillo rather than the Metroplex, and what it's like for her work product to be visible to everyone in the community. This episode is supported by Sheman Dental and Panhandle Plains Historical Museum.

A conversation with Tony Ensor, the President and General Manager of the Amarillo Sod Poodles, the Double-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks and baseball's 2023 Minor League Organization of the Year. Before Amarillo, Ensor led the front office of the Colorado Springs Sky Sox and the Birmingham Barons. The first time he appeared on Hey Amarillo (via phone) was in 2019 at the height of the local controversy about the team name. Six years later, he shares with host Jason Boyett how his own career developed, how that moment of drama made the organization stronger, and why Amarillo is the key to the Sod Poodles' overwhelming success. This episode is supported by Storybridge and Panhandle Plains Historical Museum.

Shannon Herrick, M.D. is a long-time local pediatrician and the  Regional Chair and Associate Professor for the Amarillo Pediatric Administration at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, which has just opened a new pediatrics clinic in southwest Amarillo. In this conversation with host Jason Boyett, Herrick shares how she ended up in Amarillo after growing up in San Antonio, how she balances a medical practice with her educational and administrative duties at TTUHSC, and the impact of the pandemic—then and now—on her work as a pediatrician. This episode is sponsored by Amarillo Hearing Clinic and SKP Creative. Get tickets for the Hey Amarillo 300th Episode Live Show on May 5, 2023.

Justin Thompson is a social worker with a career spanning from full-time instruction at WTAMU to several years on staff at Boys Ranch. He recently was profiled in Brick & Elm Magazine about his vintage golf clubs collection and the founding of the Tiger Flight Golf Club at Hamlet Elementary. Thompson tells host Jason Boyett about his career, the Tiger Flight origin story, his golf club addiction, and his sister Hali and advocacy among adults with special needs. This episode is sponsored by Jimmy John's and La-Z-Boy of Amarillo. Get tickets for the Hey Amarillo 300th Episode Live Show on May 5, 2023.

A conversation with Cynthia Barela Graham, a family law attorney and the current chair of the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Graham spent time as a criminal defense lawyer before turning her attention to family law, and currently emphasizes an approach known as "collaborative divorce." She tells host Jason Boyett how this mediation process helps couples navigate divorce without mud-slinging or conflict, how she maintains career balance, and why Amarillo's quality of life is so attractive to her. This episode is sponsored by Amarillo Hearing Clinic and Shemen Dental. Get tickets for the upcoming Hey Amarillo 300th Episode Live Show.

A conversation with Stephanie Brady, the founder and executive director of Wild West Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. A former vet tech and experienced wildlife rehabber, Brady moved to Amarillo in 2015 only to discover she was the only rehabber in the area with an official permit. Within a year, she had organized Wild West, and last year the organization cared for more than 3,000 orphaned and injured animals. In this episode, Brady tells host Jason Boyett how she first got started, how local perception is changing related to injured animals, and what's next for her thriving organization. This episode is sponsored by Wieck Realty and Aaron Mahnke of "Lore," presented by WTAMU and PPHM. Get tickets for the Hey Amarillo 300th Episode Live Show on May 5.

A conversation with Joe Garcia III, the Chief Revenue Officer for eCatholic. Garcia lives in Amarillo and works remotely for this global tech company, which gives him the time and ability to serve the local community as "JPEG Joe," a local portrait and sports photographer. He's also the managing partner of Press Pass Sports, an independent publication covering sports in the Texas Panhandle. Garcia tells host Jason Boyett how he found his way to Amarillo in the first place, the winding path into his multiple careers, and why high-quality sports coverage is in such demand in a place like the Texas Panhandle. This episode is sponsored by Amarillo Hearing Clinic and SKP Creative.

A conversation with Zack Wilson, executive director of High Plains Food Bank. Wilson's first experience with the Food Bank was as a communication intern when he was a WT student. More than two decades later, he's heading up this massive nonprofit, which serves the entire Texas Panhandle and distributes more than 8 million pounds of food a year. In this conversation with host Jason Boyett, Wilson details finding his way into his career, how the pandemic forced an important transformation at the Food Bank, and how the organization can be so efficient with each contributed dollar. This episode is sponsored by La-Z-Boy of Amarillo.

A conversation with Mary Jane Johnson, the general and artistic director for Amarillo Opera. Before taking that role a few years ago, she was one of the world's great dramatic sopranos in the international opera scene. While based in Amarillo, she performed worldwide, from Carnegie Hall and the Metropolitan Opera in New York to the Sydney Opera House in Australia. She's been the subject of a PBS documentary ("Mary Jane Johnson: From the Heart") and shared a stage with Luciano Pavarotti. In this interview with host Jason Boyett, Johnson shares how she found her way into opera, what it was like performing all over the world, and why she's so excited about Amarillo Opera's upcoming performance of "Rigoletto" by Verdi.