Longfire

Mike Perry is a New York Times bestselling author, humorist, speaker, musician, volunteer firefighter, and first responder from rural Wisconsin. Raised on a dairy farm, he worked summers as a Wyoming ranch hand, became a registered nurse, and eventually built a writing career rooted in rural people, places, and work. He has written more than 25 books, including Population: 485, and performs with his band, The Long Beds. In our conversation, he explains how a farm kid who once thought authors were mysterious capital-A people learned to make a living with words while staying five minutes from his deer stand. We also learn that if he ever fights Liam Neeson, the plan begins and probably ends at the kneecaps.Subscribe to Longfire for more stories worth gathering around.Show linksWatch Longfire on YouTubeListen on Apple PodcastsListen on SpotifyFollow Longfire on InstagramGuest linksVisit SneezingCow.comBrowse Mike’s books, recordings, and merchandiseSubscribe to Michael Perry’s Voice MailFollow Mike on InstagramChapters00:00 Rapid Fire: Books, Deer Stands, and Liam Neeson09:20 The Story Behind Population: 48512:14 Returning Home and Joining the Fire Department16:37 Population: 485 and a Possible Broadway Musical20:22 His Dad, Wyoming, and an Unexpected Opportunity24:46 Becoming “Terminally Unemployable”26:59 How Publishing Changed and Why Mike Keeps Adapting31:02 Writing by Triage and the Blue Volkswagen Effect36:39 Literary Solitaire, Revision, and Fancy Words42:05 Building a Business Around the Writing46:32 Where to Find MikeThumbnail photo: Lee Butterworth Photography.

Ed Roberson is the creator and host of Mountain & Prairie, a podcast and platform about the people shaping the future of the American West through its land, communities, and culture. In this conversation, we trace the path that took him from a small town in eastern North Carolina and a conventional career in real estate to conservation work and a creative side project that eventually became his full-time work.Ed explains how a health scare and the financial crisis forced him to reconsider his direction, why conservation work moves at the speed of trust, and how years of relationship-building helped Mountain & Prairie become such a distinct platform. We also talk about building before anyone is listening, the book project he is developing, Theodore Roosevelt and the strenuous life, and why character matters more than achievement. Most importantly, we determine that Ed might have a chance against Liam Neeson, provided he survives the first punch.Subscribe to Longfire for more stories worth gathering around.Show linksWatch Longfire on YouTubeListen on Apple PodcastsListen on SpotifyFollow Longfire on InstagramGuest linksMountain & PrairieListen to the Mountain & Prairie PodcastSubscribe to Good News from the American WestMountain & Prairie on InstagramChapters00:00 Rapid Fire: North Carolina, Jimmy Buffett, and Favorite Books07:37 A 100-Mile Loophole, Five-Day Fasts, and Liam Neeson12:55 Tarboro, North Carolina, and the Community That Raised Ed16:29 Boarding School, Honor, and Learning to Work18:55 Coasting in College and Following the Conventional Path21:00 A Health Scare, the Financial Crisis, and a Career Reset24:28 Starting Mountain & Prairie as a Side Project26:01 Why Conservation Moves at the Speed of Trust28:13 How the Podcast Opened Unexpected Doors29:42 Playing the Long Game31:05 Building Before Anyone Is Listening33:44 The Book Project and What Comes Next35:37 Theodore Roosevelt and the Strenuous Life38:39 Advice to His 23-Year-Old Self43:04 Where to Find Mountain & Prairie

Will Harris is a fourth-generation cattleman and the owner of White Oak Pastures in Bluffton, Georgia, where his family has farmed since 1866. After spending more than 20 years running a conventional monoculture cattle operation, Will began dismantling the industrial model and rebuilding the farm around animal welfare, healthy soil, natural cycles, and a radically traditional approach to agriculture.In this conversation, Will explains the truckload of calves that forced him to reconsider how he farmed, the hidden cost of chemical fertilizer, and what happened when he stopped looking for things to kill and started protecting everything that belonged in the ecosystem. We also discuss restoring Bluffton, growing from a handful of employees to 170, bringing his daughters into the business, refusing to expand merely for the sake of growth, and measuring decisions in generations instead of quarters. We also learn how a Baptist preacher’s wife saved Will from spelling “Tenac” for the rest of his life.Subscribe to Longfire for more stories worth gathering around.Show linksWatch Longfire on YouTubeListen on Apple PodcastsListen on SpotifyConnect with Steve Seger on LinkedInFollow Longfire on InstagramGuest linksWhite Oak PasturesShop White Oak PasturesVisit and stay at the farmA Bold Return to Giving a DamnWhite Oak Pastures on InstagramChapters:00:00 Highway 27 and White Oak’s Place in Rural Georgia02:01 Six Generations on the Same Land Since 186604:21 When a Local Food System Became an Industrial Cattle Farm07:49 The Truckload of Calves That Changed Everything10:49 Cheap Fertilizer and the Cost It Hid16:35 How Water From the Farm Reaches Apalachicola Bay19:41 From Looking for Something to Kill to Keeping Things Alive25:32 How White Oak Pastures Helped Rebuild Bluffton29:00 Bringing His Daughters Into the Family Business34:08 The Spur-of-the-Moment Decision to Rename the Farm37:25 Why Bigger Is Not the Goal42:18 Final Wisdom: Decide What Matters and Serve It

April Vokey has spent 25 years building a life around fishing. She decided to pursue professional fishing at 18, started her first business at 21, guided for steelhead in British Columbia, created the television series Shorelines, launched Anchored with April Vokey, and built Anchored Outdoors into an education platform and community for anglers.In this conversation, April takes us from landing a 300-pound arapaima in Guyana and having 32 spines pulled from her foot to the winter steelhead obsession that became her career. She also explains how a 2008 head-on collision forced her to rethink life and business, why motherhood changed her relationship with risk, and how discarded television interviews led to Anchored. We also resolve two important questions: whether wet jeans are secretly flattering and how many introductions stand between me and Liam Neeson.Subscribe to Longfire for more stories worth gathering around.Show linksWatch Longfire on YouTubeListen on Apple PodcastsListen on SpotifyConnect with Steve Seger on LinkedInFollow Longfire on InstagramGuest linksAnchored OutdoorsTry Anchored Premium InsidersThe World Through Your EyesAnchored with April VokeyApril Vokey on InstagramChapters00:00 Rapid Fire: Wet Jeans, Campfire Dinner, and Liam Neeson02:37 A 300-Pound Arapaima and 32 Spines in Guyana06:07 Turning a Life in Fishing Into a Business10:40 The Salmon That Started Everything13:36 Why Winter Steelhead Became an Obsession18:31 Learning to Guide Before Google Earth20:46 Surviving a Head-On Collision22:38 The Injury That Forced a Business Pivot25:01 Saving the Stories Television Had to Cut27:31 Canada, Australia, Motherhood, and Risk32:19 The Dean River Run She Should Never Have Attempted36:10 Starting Over and Facing an Uncertain Next Chapter37:45 Anchored Outdoors and The World Through Your Eyes

Tyler Sharp is a documentary photographer, writer, filmmaker, and the founder, CEO, and editor in chief of Modern Huntsman, an independent publication focused on hunting, conservation, food, culture, and wild places. In this conversation, we trace the path that took him from USC film school to the Tanzanian bush, years of traveling and working around the world, and eventually building Modern Huntsman.Tyler shares the story of a lion with a mohawk mane returning to his tent across multiple full moons and another encounter when a leopard charged him from twenty yards away. He explains what Africa taught him about living inside the natural order, why many of the wild places he knew are disappearing, and how misunderstandings about hunting inspired him to build a publication that could reach non-hunters without preaching to the choir. We also talk about balancing creative work with running a business, his connection with the Hemingway family, and what is coming next for Modern Huntsman.Subscribe to Longfire for more stories worth gathering around.Show LinksModern HuntsmanSubscribe to Modern HuntsmanFollow Tyler Sharp on InstagramRead “Hemingwrite to the Rescue”WATCH ON YOUTUBEListen on Apple PodcastsListen on SpotifyConnect with Steve Seger on LinkedInFollow Longfire on InstagramChapters:00:00 Star Wars, Aragorn, and Fighting Liam Neeson04:48 The Lion With a Mohawk Mane Outside Tyler’s Tent12:44 Charged by a Leopard in Zambia15:41 From USC Film School to Six Months in Tanzania20:35 Larry Knowlton and the World’s Biggest Joke22:12 The Wild Places That No Longer Exist27:39 Why Tyler Built Modern Huntsman32:17 Translating Hunting and Conservation for Outsiders34:08 Creativity, Leadership, and Administrative Shit Shoveling38:14 Hemingway, Writing, and a Life of Adventure41:51 Why Independent Publishing Needs Subscribers45:02 Mark Maggiori and the Next Modern Huntsman Volume

After every guest conversation on Longfire, I save one piece of advice that stayed with me. For episode 40, I went back through all 26 interviews and grouped those ideas into five themes: expect the work to be hard, choose direction over activity, build the work around a life you actually want, remember that people are the point, and stay teachable.This is my slightly late 2026 midyear check-in on what the show has taught me so far. I get into volume and luck, strategy as subtraction, work that gives energy back, the outdoors as a reset, the cost of chasing achievement at the expense of relationships, and why collecting advice is not the same as living it. If one lesson stays with you, send me a note and tell me which one.Subscribe to Longfire for more thoughtful conversations with builders, athletes, outdoorsmen, entrepreneurs, and original people whose stories are worth gathering around.00:00 26 Conversations, Five Lessons 01:45 Why Episode 40 Was the Time to Look Back 02:18 The Work Is Supposed to Be Hard 08:34 Direction Matters More Than Activity 13:50 Build the Work Around a Life You Actually Want 19:18 People Are the Point 23:51 Stay Teachable and Optimistic 26:44 Summary and Conclusion

Steve Smith has spent nearly 30 years at the intersection of technology, strategy, and operations, with a career spanning startups, IBM, TSIA, 8x8, and now Intelligence by Intent, where he helps law firms put AI to work. In this conversation, we trace his path from teaching adults to program when he was 13 to leaving corporate America and building a business he says he wishes he had started 20 years earlier.Steve explains why AI should handle individual tasks while people protect relationships and judgment, how firms can move from chatbots to agents, and how his agent system, Project Ollie, manages email, calendars, research, projects, and client knowledge. We also talk about becoming more present with family, protecting close friendships, skiing with his kids, and the standing rule that work stops whenever his 165-pound Saint Bernard brings him a toy.Chapters:00:00 Rapid Fire: Ping Pong, Star Wars, and Steak With Magnus03:54 Thirty Years in Tech, Startups, IBM, and RevOps06:46 The Career Move He Wishes He Made 20 Years Earlier08:54 The AI Advice Steve Gives His Kids12:40 Building Intelligence by Intent for Law Firms16:48 Choosing the Right AI Tool and Moving Beyond Chatbots22:55 Teaching Adults to Code at 13 and Learning How to Learn26:26 Magnus: Life With a 165-Pound Saint Bernard33:53 Building More Time for Family, Friends, and Presence38:21 Writing, Teaching, and Sharing What He Learns46:24 Project Ollie: The Agent System Running His Business52:46 Claude Code, ChatGBT, and Agentic Travel Planning56:12 Final Wisdom: Find What Makes You TickSubscribe to Longfire for more stories worth gathering around.Show LinksWatch on YouTube:https://youtube.com/@Steve_Seger2Listen on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pieces-of-impact/id1851467002Listen on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/2IGYfTSYNvsD96UjUqqCJt?si=f5abdaf2294c4a35Connect with Steve Seger on LinkedIn:http://www.linkedin.com/in/stevesegerIntelligence by Intent:https://intelligencebyintent.com/Read Steve Smith’s Substack:https://www.smithstephen.com/Connect with Steve Smith on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/smithstephen

Rick Wittenbraker has built a career by following curiosity into rooms he was not necessarily planning to enter. His path has included private equity in Latin America, commodities trading, a medical device startup, YETI’s early growth, angel investing, and more than a decade helping grow Howler Brothers. He joined YETI when eight employees shared one Gmail account, then later joined his friends at Howler Brothers as the company grew from a small team into a distinctive outdoor brand.In this conversation, Rick explains why the best brands know what they are not, why creativity and originality have to be protected as a company grows, and how curiosity can create opportunities that no career plan could predict. We also discuss building work around things you genuinely care about, investing as an extension of learning, creating companies that can outlast their founders, his belief that every business is ultimately a people business, and why he can beat Liam Neeson in a fight (All Credit to Seth MacFarlane for the bit).Subscribe for more stories like Rick's.Chapters:00:00 Rapid Fire: Liam Neeson, Favorite Brands, and Lonesome Dove06:16 Rick’s Path From Private Equity to YETI10:53 From YETI to Howler Brothers Through Friendship12:49 What Made Early YETI Special17:49 How YETI Turned Coolers Into a Tribe19:39 Building a Complete Brand World at Howler Brothers24:48 Protecting Creativity as the Company Grows27:58 Why Every Brand Needs a “Not List”30:49 Finding Work That Overlaps With What You Love36:08 Investing as an Exercise in Curiosity46:19 Building a Company That Outlasts Its Founders51:04 Every Business Is a People BusinessWatch on YouTube:https://youtube.com/@Steve_Seger2Listen on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pieces-of-impact/id1851467002Listen on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/2IGYfTSYNvsD96UjUqqCJt?si=f5abdaf2294c4a35Howler Brothers: https://howlerbros.com/Howler Brothers on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/howlerbrosRick on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wittrick/?hl=en

In this short solo episode, Steve explains why Pieces of Impact is becoming Longfire and what the new name represents. Longfire will continue sharing conversations with builders, athletes, outdoorsmen, entrepreneurs, creators, and original people with worlds worth stepping into, but with a clearer mission: to tell stories worth gathering around. The goal is to help busy, ambitious people slow down, reconnect, and remember the people, places, and experiences that make the work worthwhile.

Kate and Brandon Couden are the husband-and-wife team behind CrossFit Grandview in Columbus, Ohio. Brandon started the gym in 2009 after taking over the old Rogue Fitness gym with almost no resources, a small private loan, and only 14 members. Kate brought 13 years of experience at Lifetime Fitness, where she built a foundation in personal training, nutrition, and understanding what strong fitness culture can look like.In this conversation, we talk about building a gym from the ground up, growing from survival mode into a real business, and creating a community that can evolve with people through different seasons of life. We also get into the economics of gym ownership, payroll and equipment costs, buying a building, working together as a couple, making decisions when you disagree, and avoiding burnout in a people-based business. Subscribe for more conversations like this.Join the newsletter: https://substack.com/@stevesegerWatch on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@Steve_Seger2Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pieces-of-impact/id1851467002Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2IGYfTSYNvsD96UjUqqCJt?si=f5abdaf2294c4a35Connect with Steve on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/stevesegerCrossFit Grandview: https://crossfitgrandview.com/CrossFit Grandview Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crossfitgrandview/00:00 Building Something That Compounds02:08 Kate’s Path From Lifetime Fitness to CrossFit Grandview03:17 Brandon’s Path 05:58 Starting With Almost Nothing and 14 Members08:38 Early Traction and Getting People Into It09:55 Moving to Grandview and Building a Bigger Vision11:48 Nutrition, Childcare, and Keeping Members in the Community13:41 Barbell, Power Hour, HYROX, and Training for Longevity18:00 Day-to-Day Ownership and Avoiding Burnout23:08 Working Together as a Couple28:34 The Economics of Running a Gym That Lasts36:23 What They Would Do Differently

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Paul Sereno, a paleontologist, professor, explorer, artist, author, teacher, and one of the closest things you will find to a real-life Indiana Jones.Dr. Sereno has led expeditions across the world, from the Sahara to South America and now toward the Amazon. We get into AI, de-extinction, lost fossils, the asteroid that changed Earth’s history, whether humans would exist if that asteroid had missed, his course on intelligence in the universe, and why he believes the world is still a playground for the next generation.Subscribe for more conversations like this on Pieces of Impact.Join the newsletter: https://substack.com/@stevesegerWatch on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@steve_seger2?si=2E2mUXAfOLL9ztyQListen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2IGYfTS...Connect with Steve on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stevesegerGuest LinksPaul Sereno Website: https://paulsereno.uchicago.edu/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paulserenoofficial/?hl=enChapter Markers00:00 Intro and why I wanted to have Dr. Paul Sereno on02:02 Dr. Sereno joins the show06:44 Dr. Safety, black bones, and leading expeditions11:21 The real-life Indiana Jones comparison16:15 Why discovery is far from over24:00 AI, de-extinction, and what people misunderstand31:59 The Amazon expedition and the next big discovery37:10 Teaching, science, and the evolution of intelligence49:19 Lost fossils, repatriation, and preserving history54:25 Would humans exist if the asteroid missed?57:49 Naming discoveries, future expeditions, and final wisdom1:06:54 Where to find Dr. Sereno

Aaron Foss is a serial entrepreneur who has built five companies, including Nomorobo, the service that has stopped billions of unwanted robocalls and spam texts. Nomorobo was acquired by Applause Group in August 2023. Before that, Aaron participated in Techstars NYC with SideTour, which Groupon acquired in 2013. He has testified before Congress three times and has been featured by outlets including The New York Times, Wired, CNN, CNBC, and Fox News.In this conversation, Aaron explains how to identify problems worth solving, distinguish progress from real traction, and know when to narrow your focus from a wide flashlight into a laser. We also discuss why entrepreneurs should fall in love with the problem instead of chasing trends, how constraints can improve creativity, what he looks for in founders, and why his work with Defy Ventures has become such an important part of his life. Aaron also shares lessons from building and selling companies, along with the books and negotiation tools that helped him along the way. Subscribe for more conversations like this on Pieces of Impact.Join the newsletter:https://substack.com/@stevesegerWatch on YouTube:https://youtube.com/@Steve_Seger2Listen on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pieces-of-impact/id1851467002Listen on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/2IGYfTSYNvsD96UjUqqCJt?si=f5abdaf2294c4a35Connect with Steve on LinkedIn:http://www.linkedin.com/in/stevesegerConnect with Aaron and explore his work:https://go.aaronfoss.com/linktreeLearn more about Defy Ventures:https://www.defyventures.org/Never Split the Difference Negotiation Cheat Sheet:https://medium.com/yanda/negotiation-cheat-sheet-31c73031956a00:00 From Tech Kid to Serial Problem Solver03:41 The Wing Dipper and Learning Through Real Feedback07:48 Techstars, Focus, and the Road to Nomorobo14:53 Retiring at 45 to Coach Entrepreneurs16:19 Start With the Problem, Then Narrow the Beam21:23 Constraints, Forcing Functions, and Learning by Doing29:24 Fall in Love With the Problem, Not Your Passion35:19 Every Interview Is a Pitch, and Experience Beats a Resume41:30 Defy Ventures and Entrepreneurship After Incarceration48:18 Progress vs. Traction: The Proof Investors Need54:43 Mistakes, Book Recommendations, and Founder Green/Flags01:05:27 Final Wisdom: Keep It Simple

In this solo episode of Pieces of Impact, I walk through four unrelated rabbit holes I went down recently: Darth Bane and the Rule of Two in Star Wars, trained protection dogs that can cost around $90,000 or more, a quick oral report on redfish, and the federal duck stamp. The goal here is simple: learn a little, have some fun, and share a few topics I found interesting enough to dig into.Subscribe for more solo episodes and long-form conversations on Pieces of Impact.00:00 Introduction to the Solo Episode01:54 Darth Bane and the Rule of Two07:03 The World of Trained Protection Dogs10:23 Exploring Redfish: A Deep Dive15:13 The Federal Duck Stamp: Conservation in Action

In this episode, I sit down with Carter Huff, an Army veteran and the man behind Bogey’s Barn. Carter invited me up to his place to record this conversation inside the pole barn he is turning into a home gym, training space, and brand named after his basset hound, Bogey.Bogey of course was a big contributor to this candid discussion. Check out the video version to see him.Subscribe for more conversations like this on Pieces of Impact.Join the newsletter: https://substack.com/@stevesegerWatch on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@Steve_Seger2Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pieces-of-impact/id1851467002Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2IGYfTSYNvsD96UjUqqCJt?si=f5abdaf2294c4a35Connect with Steve on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stevesegerGuest LinksBogey’s Barn Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bogeys_barn/Bogey’s Barn TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bogeys.barnBogey’s Barn Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61568794403157#Chapter Markers00:00 Intro and why I drove up to Bogey’s Barn02:03 Carter joins the show inside the barn02:39 Carter’s background, military path, and return to Ohio03:36 Bogey, basset hounds, and the story behind the name04:43 Buying the property and building the barn piece by piece08:41 Finding the farmhouse and why people connect with the space14:26 Posting every day and growing Bogey’s Barn authentically22:08 Marathon prep, hybrid training, and removing excuses32:00 Bogey’s role, diet, basset hounds, and life at the barn41:55 Carter’s long-term vision, rapid fire, and final wisdom