PODCAST · sports
Tuffy Talk
by Tuffy Talk
Tuffy Talk is the premier NC State Wolfpack sports podcast, no filter, no fluff, just real Pack fans talking real Pack sports. Every Monday night at 8:30 PM ET, Layton Smith, Greg "The Leg" Haas, and analyst Ethan Barry break down everything happening in NC State football, basketball, baseball, and beyond. Hot takes, stat breakdowns, recruiting updates, transfer portal news, Pack Pro spotlights, and the moments that make Wolfpack Nation what it is. Founded in December 2020. Now in our 3.0 era, bigger team, better content, same Wolfpack passion. New episodes every Monday. Additional content dropping throughout the week. Subscribe on YouTube: youtube.com/@tuffytalknow Follow on Twitter/X: @tuffytalknow | @ncstatestats | @PackFanInNOVA Exclusive weekly NC State breakdowns, members-only rumor chat, and more: patreon.com/cw/ncstatestats — $5/month Tuffy Talk LLC. Ral
Episodes
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Who Pitches Behind Nance? NC State Baseball Fall Ball - Tuffy Talk
NC State went 1-2 in Chris Hart's first fall, and Ethan still walked away liking this team. Greg and Ethan go through all three exhibitions, including the 7-4 win over UNC at the DBAP. They cover the three stars at the top of the roster, Hunter Warren's new power, the catcher battle between…
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Chuck Amato Built The NC State We Know Today - Tuffy Talk Live
Chuck Amato died Monday morning at 80, and we threw out the plan and spent the first part of the show on him. He played here, won two ACC wrestling titles here, coached here as an assistant, and came home from Florida State to be our head coach. In 2001 his team went into Doak Campbell and beat...
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NC State Landed The No. 8 Softball Recruit In America - Tuffy Talk
Lila Manfredonia is the No. 8 overall recruit in the 2028 class, and she committed to NC State before she left Raleigh. She came down for the Louisville weekend, went to the football game, and told the staff she was in. "I don't see myself anywhere else really." We got seventeen minutes with her,...
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NC State And Doeren Both Look Tired Of Each Other - Tuffy Talk Live
Wake Forest 38, NC State 14, and the thing nobody around this program has said out loud yet. Somewhere in the middle of this one we land on the comparison that explains the whole season. Two people in a middle school relationship who have stopped talking to each other. Everybody in the school…
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Popo Aguirre Just Set An NC State Record - Tuffy Talk Live
Tied 28-28 in the fourth quarter, Louisville breaks a 68-yard run and is walking into the end zone. Harvey Dyson III, a defensive end who rushed from the line of scrimmage on that snap, runs the back down and strips the ball out at the 13. Dave Doeren called it "one of the best plays I've seen as…
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We're Both Picking NC State to Upset Louisville - Tuffy Talk
Jeff Brohm called his starting quarterback a game-time decision on Monday. Five days before kickoff. That is not an injury update. Our read is that Louisville already knows Lincoln Kienholz is not playing Saturday, and the betting line agrees, because it has moved three and a half to four points...
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Is It Already Over For Dave Doeren at NC State? - Tuffy Talk Live
Dave Doeren ended his press conference Saturday by stepping back to the microphone to say "by the way, we won that football game." Macon spent about five minutes on that. You are 2-2. You just let a 21-0 lead become a 31-31 tie against a Sun Belt team. You have no place to say that. "It's just...
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NC State vs App State Preview: Please Don't Lose This Game - Tuffy Talk
Ethan said the quiet part out loud four days after Nashville: "If it weren't for the way NC State lost, I don't know that I'd be thinking App State could win this game." That is where this program sits going into Saturday night. A 14 point favorite at home against a Sun Belt team that cannot run...
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NC State Had No Business Winning That Game - Tuffy Talk Live
Greg was in the building in Nashville. Layton found out from a text message at a wedding. Ethan spent Sunday with the box score and came back with a number nobody else in NC State media is saying out loud: by win expectancy, NC State had roughly a 15 percent chance to win that football game. We…
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James Henderson Is Taking NC State In Nashville - Tuffy Talk
James Henderson from Inside Pack Sports joined us, and he is taking NC State in Nashville. His reasoning is the whole episode: "If you're NC State, you have to believe you have the better quarterback going into this game, regardless of recruiting expectations, accolades, all those different...
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Where Is Victor Snow? - Tuffy Talk Live
Victor Snow has one catch through two games. The coaching staff spent the preseason telling everybody he was a dog. Through two games he has been out-touched by a fourth string running back, he went out with the twos on the first play of the second half, and he muffed a punt. Ethan's take, and he...
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Two Of Us Picked Richmond To Cover - Tuffy Talk
Two of the three of us are taking Richmond and the points. The number is 32.5. Ethan took the Spiders, Greg took the Spiders, and Layton went the other way mostly so it would not be a clean sweep on our own team. Ethan's framing is the one that stuck: this is not a quiz. This is classwork. Nobody...
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Is The CJ Bailey Criticism Justified? - Tuffy Talk
CJ Bailey has taken four days of it. So the question worth asking is whether the criticism is justified. During the game Layton tweeted that either Bailey was extremely overrated and playing terribly, or nobody was open. Four days and a lot of film breakdowns later, he has an answer. They were...
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NC State 8, Virginia 34: What Just Happened - Tuffy Talk Live
Doeren said at halftime that the wide receivers needed to get open. Ethan's answer: the wide receivers who do get open, you let them walk. You told The Athletic last week that you picked the offensive line over them. And we all know you picked CJ Bailey over them. That exchange is the show....
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NC State vs Virginia Preview With Eric Mac Lain - Tuffy Talk
Eric Mac Lain from the ACC Network joined us to preview NC State at Virginia, and he picked the Cavaliers. But the part worth staying for is what he said about Dave Doeren. Asked about the fans who want a change, a national voice with no stake in it said what a lot of Wolfpack fans will not: you...
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NC State Predictions: Greg Says 9-3 - Tuffy Talk Live
Three of us went on the record before the season and came out with three different numbers. Layton has NC State at 10-2. Greg has them 9-3. Ethan has them 8-4. And Greg is the only one of the three who does not have the Wolfpack losing at Virginia on Saturday. His reasoning on Vanderbilt is the...
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NC State Predictions: I Have Them Going 10-2 - Tuffy Talk
Layton has NC State going 10-2 this season. Ethan has them 8-4. And both of them circled the exact same game as the loss, which is not UNC and not Florida State. It is Duke, on November 7th. Ethan's case is that the Blue Devils have been a boogeyman for NC State across three different coaching...
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NC State Predictions: We Only Split On One Game - Tuffy Talk
Two people went through the first six games of NC State's schedule and disagreed on exactly one of them. It is not Virginia and it is not Louisville. Ethan calls the Louisville game the biggest fifty-fifty on the entire schedule and we both took the win anyway. The one that split us was…
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The Technician Wants Doeren Gone. We Disagree - Tuffy Talk Live
The Technician ran a piece headlined "don't let the Doeren hit you on the way out," twelve days before the season starts. Sub .500 in conference, no ACC Championship appearances, a losing bowl record. Here is what that argument leaves out. Dave Doeren inherited a 2013 roster that gave up 35…
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NC State Has Not Had A 1,000 Yard Rusher In 8 Years - Tuffy Talk
NC State has not had a 1,000 yard rusher since Reggie Gallaspy went for 1,091 in 2018. Duke Scott takes over the backfield this season, and Ethan and I could not disagree more about whether he gets there. We ran seven season-long over/unders on this team and took opposite sides on the first…
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KaTron Evans Is Eligible... Until August 24 - Tuffy Talk Live
NC State spent two weeks being told its defensive line was the scariest thing on the roster. Then a federal judge handed the Wolfpack its nose guard back, nineteen days before kickoff. KaTron Evans is eligible and practicing. The NCAA denied his waiver, denied his appeal, and had him off the…
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Chris Hart's First Interview: What Changes After Avent — Tuffy Talk
Part 2 of this conversation is on Patreon. For 30 years, NC State baseball meant Elliott Avent. Now it's Chris Hart's program — and he just spoke to the media for the first time since taking over. Ethan and Greg break down what he said, and the answer that caught them both off guard. Asked what...
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My Top 5 NC State Players Got REJECTED (No Philip Rivers) — Tuffy Talk
We got asked to submit our top 5 NC State football players of all time. The list got rejected, because Philip Rivers wasn't on it. Layton stands by it anyway: Ted Brown, Torry Holt, Bradley Chubb, Mario Williams, Adrian Wilson. Greg argues you cannot build a top 5 without a quarterback, and…
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NC State Defense Preview: Only 46% of Production Returns — Tuffy Talk
NC State's offense returns 62% of its production. The defense returns 46%. Layton and Ethan go position by position through the 2026 Wolfpack defense — every projected starter, all five defensive transfers, and whether a rebuilt unit is a downgrade or an upgrade. KaTron Evans is suing the NCAA...
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NC State's Undisputed GOATs: We Only Agreed on 3 — Tuffy Talk
We said Chris Dunn is the greatest kicker in NC State history, some of you were furious, so we settled a bigger question: at how many positions does NC State actually have an UNDISPUTED GOAT? Ethan, Greg, Macon and Layton go position by position — and only three names survive. Before the debate:...
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NC State 2026 Offense Preview: All In on CJ Bailey — Tuffy Talk
NC State football averaged 30.2 points a game last season. It also scored seven points. Twice. Layton and Ethan break down every position group on the 2026 offense and try to work out which of those numbers is the real team. CJ Bailey enters year three after 3,105 yards, 25 touchdowns and nine...
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NC State Football: Is CJ Bailey a Top 5 Quarterback? — Tuffy Talk Live
Dave Doeren said CJ Bailey could be one of the five best quarterbacks in the country. Ethan isn't buying it, and he brought the numbers. Layton, Greg, and Ethan react to everything out of ACC Kickoff 2026 for NC State football: Doeren's "sick of being second" comment and the version of him nobody...
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NC State Best Surplus Value Players — Do We Agree? — Tuffy Talk
Greg and Ethan break down the most underrated and slept on NC State players across every sport, the athletes who outperformed their roster billing and gave the Wolfpack more than anyone expected in 2025-26. Football: was the offensive line NC State's most overlooked unit? CJ Bailey's value…
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NC State's Historic 2026 MLB Draft — 7 Players Drafted — Tuffy Talk Live
Seven NC State players drafted in the 2026 MLB Draft, Ty Head, Jacob Dudan, Ryan Marohn, Luke Nixon, Sherman Johnson, Cooper Consiglio, and Chris McHugh. Layton, Greg, and Ethan break down every pick, debate whether Ty Head or Jacob Dudan will reach the majors first, and Ethan's Stat Pack reveals...
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NC State's Best Moments of 2025-26 — Our Draft Picks — Tuffy Talk
Greg and Ethan draft their top three NC State sports moments of the 2025-2026 season, and debate whether this was a weak year for Wolfpack highlights overall. Ethan takes the men's soccer run to the national championship game behind Donavan Phillip, women's cross country's fourth title in five...
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NC State Football: Is This Doeren's Year? — Tuffy Talk Live
Layton and Greg debate whether 2026 is finally Dave Doeren's year to break through in the ACC — then lock in their official NC State football breakout player predictions on record. Greg takes Duke Scott for 1,000 rushing yards, the first NC State back to hit that mark since Reggie Gillespie in...
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"We Don't Duck Smoke" — NC State's VCU Drama Explained — Tuffy Talk Live
While the rest of the planet is glued to the World Cup, Layton, Greg, and Ethan are locked in on the Wolfpack. This week on Tuffy Talk, the crew breaks down VCU's coach calling out NC State for "ducking smoke" after the Wolfpack bought out their non-conference matchup — and unpacks the new game...
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NC State's Win Total Jumped + the New 5-Year Eligibility Rule Explained | Tuffy Talk Live
Tuffy Talk Live finally returns after getting pushed back a night by a brutal storm that knocked out power lines across the Triangle and apparently took Ethan's AC down with it for good measure. Layton, Greg, and Ethan pick up right where they left off, and there's a lot to get to. It starts with...
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The One Stat That Decides NC State's Entire 2026 Season | Tuffy Talk
There's a number that explains almost every NC State football loss over the past two years, and it has nothing to do with talent, scheme, or who's lining up around him. Ethan Barry pulled it straight from his own Patreon breakdown: CJ Bailey is 10-1 in his career when he throws one interception…
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Inside the Stanley Cup Parade — What It Means for NC State Too | Tuffy Talk
The Carolina Hurricanes are about to throw a parade twenty years in the making. Layton and Ethan open with the scale of it — over 100,000 fans expected in downtown Raleigh this Saturday, a city that's been partying nonstop since the Cup came home, and a fanbase that somehow manages to unite NC...
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NC State vs LSU Will Wade Investigation + Chris Hart Report Card — Tuffy Talk Live
It's Monday night and Tuffy Talk Live opens with breaking news before the show even hits its second segment, Texas Tech QB Brendan Sorsby and the university mutually part ways, ending the gambling injunction saga that had college football holding its breath for two weeks. Layton, Greg, and Ethan...
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Chet Lax Interview — NC State's Newest LHP on Dominating Georgia & Tennessee | Tuffy Talk
NC State baseball's first transfer portal pitcher, Wright State LHP Chet Lax, joins Tuffy Talk for his first interview as a Wolfpack. Before Chet Lax ever set foot in Raleigh, he was already making the case for himself, seven shutout innings against Tennessee in a 6-0 Wright State win, and one…
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Is Gainey's Year 1 Schedule an A+? NC State Basketball Full Non-Conference Breakdown | Tuffy Talk
Justin Gainey is building one of the most interesting non-conference schedules in NC State basketball history, and Layton and Ethan are grading every game we know so far. They start with the marquee matchup. Tennessee at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on December 6. Twenty thousand seats. Rick...
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Chris Hart's First Portal Moves + NC State Baseball Offseason Breakdown | Tuffy Talk
Chris Hart didn't wait. In his first week as NC State's head coach, he landed two transfer portal commits from the same program — infielder Hunter Warren and left-handed pitcher Chet Lax, both from Wright State. Layton, Greg, and Ethan break down both additions in full, debate which one is the...
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NC State Baseball's Brutal Honest Autopsy (Part 2) | Tuffy Talk
In Part 1, Greg and Ethan tore apart the 2026 season — the schedule failures, the offensive identity crisis, the pitching injuries, and the analytics that tell the real story. In Part 2, they close the book on the Elliott Avent era, open the door on the Chris Hart era, and go through the entire...
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NC State Baseball's Brutal Honest Autopsy (Part 1) | Tuffy Talk
The 2026 NC State baseball season is over. 32-24. Fourteen wins in ACC play. Zero road series wins. A second straight early exit in the Auburn Regional. So what actually happened? In Part 1 of this two-part series, Greg and Ethan pull no punches on the full season breakdown. They start where…
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We're Changing Everything. You Need to See This. | Tuffy Talk Live
Tonight is different. We're not just talking NC State sports. Tonight, Tuffy Talk Live looks and feels completely different, new brand, new look, new energy, and a major announcement that changes what this show is going forward. On the content side, NC State baseball's season is over and Elliott...
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NC State vs. UCF Auburn Regional Preview + Elliott Avent's Last Dance | Tuffy Talk Live
Pack Nation — Elliott Avent gets one more shot. Tonight we break down everything you need to know before Friday. NC State heads to Auburn as the #3 seed for the third time as a regional site. First up — UCF at 6 PM on ESPN+ Friday. The Knights are 31-21 under third-year head coach Rich Wallace…
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NC State's Last Stand: ACC Tournament Preview & Tommy Gantt's UFC KO | Tuffy Talk Live
Wolfpack Nation — tonight we're talking about everything on the line for NC State baseball in Charlotte this week. The Pack heads to the ACC Tournament as the #9 seed, opening against #16 Duke on Tuesday at 9 AM on ACC Network. NC State is 32-21 on the season and sitting squarely on the NCAA...
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NC State vs. #1 Georgia, UNC Series Preview & Football's Bold Prediction | Tuffy Talk Live
Wolfpack Nation — this might be the biggest week of the NC State sports calendar this spring, and we're breaking all of it down tonight. First up — women's tennis. NC State rallied from a 2-1 deficit to beat #9 Texas in the Super Regional, with Victoria Osuigwe winning a three-set thriller to...
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NC State's Super Regional Week + Gainey's Blueprint & Baseball's Road Test | Tuffy Talk Live
Pack Nation — we're back at 8:30 PM and tonight we're covering it all. We start with NC State women's tennis. ACC Champions. Seven straight Sweet 16s. This week they host the Super Regional at J.W. Isenhour Tennis Center on May 8-9 with a trip to the Final Four in Athens on the line. We break…
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Paul McNeil's Future, Women's Tennis NCAA Draw & The Gainey Blueprint | Tuffy Talk Live
Pack Nation — we're back. Tonight we react to NC State women's tennis finding out their NCAA Tournament fate. ACC Champions. Beat the No. 1 team in the country in Cary. Mia Slama won MVP. Now they're heading to the Dance — and we break down the bracket, the seed, and how far this team can go.…
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NC State Beats #1 Virginia for ACC Title + Gainey Portal Watch | Tuffy Talk Live
The Pack had a weekend. Let's break it all down. NC State women's tennis did something special in Cary on Sunday — the 3-seed took down No. 1 Virginia to win the ACC Championship. Second title in program history. First since 2023. Tonight we talk about how they got there, what it means, and what…
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FIRST BLOOD in the Portal — Gainey Gets His Guy & We React LIVE | Tuffy Talk LIVE
🐺🔴 The Justin Gainey era at NC State is officially underway — and tonight we are breaking it ALL down LIVE with the Tuffy Talk crew! Christian Hammond out of Santa Clara has become the FIRST commit of the Gainey era, and Wolfpack Nation should be excited. We dive into who he is, what he brings…
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The Gainey Era Starts NOW 🔴 NC State Portal News + Baseball Rolling 🔥 I TUFFY TALK LIVE SHOW
Get ready for a packed show as we break down everything happening around NC State Wolfpack! 🔴⚪️ We’re diving into Justin Gainey’s Introductory Press Conference—first impressions, key takeaways, and what it all means for the future of NC State Basketball. Plus, we’ve got the latest Transfer…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Tuffy Talk is the premier NC State Wolfpack sports podcast, no filter, no fluff, just real Pack fans talking real Pack sports.
Every Monday night at 8:30 PM ET, Layton Smith, Greg "The Leg" Haas, and analyst Ethan Barry break down everything happening in NC State football, basketball, baseball, and beyond. Hot takes, stat breakdowns, recruiting updates, transfer portal news, Pack Pro spotlights, and the moments that make Wolfpack Nation what it is.
Founded in December 2020. Now in our 3.0 era, bigger team, better content, same Wolfpack passion.
New episodes every Monday. Additional content dropping throughout the week.
Subscribe on YouTube: youtube.com/@tuffytalknow
Follow on Twitter/X: @tuffytalknow | @ncstatestats | @PackFanInNOVA
Exclusive weekly NC State breakdowns, members-only rumor chat, and more: patreon.com/cw/ncstatestats — $5/month
Tuffy Talk LLC. Ral
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Tuffy Talk
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Tuffy Talk have?
Tuffy Talk currently has 653 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Tuffy Talk about?
Tuffy Talk is the premier NC State Wolfpack sports podcast, no filter, no fluff, just real Pack fans talking real Pack sports. Every Monday night at 8:30 PM ET, Layton Smith, Greg "The Leg" Haas, and analyst Ethan Barry break down everything happening in NC State football, basketball, baseball, and...
How often does Tuffy Talk release new episodes?
Tuffy Talk releases new episodes frequently with a large back catalog of 653 episodes. Check the episode list for recent publication dates.
Where can I listen to Tuffy Talk?
You can listen to Tuffy Talk on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Tuffy Talk?
Tuffy Talk is created and hosted by Tuffy Talk.
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