Episodes

Sponsored by The Mountain Air This one’s about heart, community, and what happens when people decide to show up for each other. Adam sits down with Bridget Ready, co-founder of Jack’s Helping Hand, Leslie Orradre, Executive Director and CEO, and Alex Raissipour, organizer of the inaugural Soup n’ Syrah event. What starts as a conversation about a local fundraiser quickly turns into something much deeper. A story of loss that turned into purpose. A nonprofit that began with helping one child and...

Sponsored by The Mountain Air What happens when you get real, unfiltered access to someone inside Instagram? Not a headline. Not a hack. A real conversation. In this episode of Up+Adam, Adam brings you along for a recorded call with Joe from Meta, offering a rare behind-the-scenes look at how the platform actually works right now. This isn’t theory. This is straight from the source. They break down what truly drives growth on Instagram today, including why consistency matters more than perfect...

Sponsored by The Mountain Air Some love stories start over candlelit dinners. Josh and Lindsey Haring's started over a rack of Patagonia sports bras and a sales pitch that Lindsey never saw coming. And somehow, that moment on Marsh Street in September 2005 led to the two of them becoming the owners of one of San Luis Obispo's most beloved institutions: The Mountain Air. Founded in 1975 by Wayne Patterson, The Mountain Air has been outfitting Central Coast adventurers for more than 50 years. Jos...

Sponsored by The Mountain Air ******** *PORTABIDET: UP+ADAM IS AN OFFICIAL SPOKESPERSON FOR PORTABIDET - USE THIS LINK FOR UP+ADAM LISTENERS TO LEARN MORE AND GET YOURS! *Timbre Event with Cal Poly EIM Students Info HERE Listen to Up+Adam with Adam Montiel:Official Website: adammontiel.com Apple Podcasts: Up+Adam on Apple Podcasts Spotify: Up+Adam on Spotify iHeartRadio: Up+Adam on iHeartRadio YouTube Music: Up+Adam on YouTube Music ******** CHECK OUT OUR WOODS HUMANE PET OF THE WEEK! ******...

Sponsored by The Mountain Air Dr. Allison Alford is a communication researcher, keynote speaker, and the founder of Daughtering 101 and her debut book Good Daughtering gives a name to something millions of women have been doing their entire lives without ever getting credit for it. Daughtering is the invisible labor, the emotional heavy lifting, the crisis management, the deep breath before you answer the phone and the even deeper one after you hang up. It's the planning, the worrying, the check...

Sponsored by The Mountain Air Some guests come on to promote something. KB came on to confess something. Kahonukai Boro, lead singer of IMVA, has been living inside the world of Michael Jackson since before he could explain it. Fedora to elementary school. Gold compilation CDs on repeat in the Honda CRV. A 12-minute mock rock performance at the Paso Fairgrounds that ended in cardiac arrest. And then, on the table at Children's Hospital LA, waiting for surgery, he looked up and saw Michael Jackso...

Up+Adam for March 31, 2026 Sponsored by Portabidet What happens when you stop telling a story… and start questioning it? In this episode of Up+Adam, Adam sits down with Rider Strong, best known as Shawn Hunter from Boy Meets World, to talk about his bold new podcast The Red Weather, and what unfolded was a genuine, wide-open conversation about memory, storytelling, nostalgia, and what we owe the people whose stories we decide to tell. Rider grew up in the redwoods of Northern California, surrou...

Up+Adam for March 30, 2026 Sponsored by Portabidet If you've ever felt like there has to be more to the story, yours, someone else's, or the one playing out on your screen right now, this episode is for you. Adam sits down with Ben Higgins, the man America met on Season 20 of The Bachelor, and what unfolds is something far more interesting than a rose ceremony recap. Ben opens up about what vulnerability actually taught him on national television, how imposter syndrome doesn't care how famous yo...

Up+Adam for March 27, 2026 Sponsored by Portabidet Paul Rust is one of those actors you know. You have seen him. You have felt his work. Maybe in ‘Inglourious Basterds’, maybe in ‘Love’ on Netflix, maybe somewhere else where he quietly stole the scene. And then you realize he is not just funny. He is thoughtful. He is a little uncomfortable in the best way. The kind of storyteller who makes you laugh and then makes you sit with something real. In this episode of Up+Adam, we get into it. Paul jo...

March 26, 2026 Up+Adam Sponsored by Portabidet Templeton High School athletics gets the full community treatment in this conversation with Jessie Yates and Joe Farley, two people helping power the THS Athletic Boosters and rally support for student-athletes across the campus. They join Adam in the LoBro Studios to talk about the THS Athletic Boosters Golf Tournament at Hunter Ranch Golf Course in Paso Robles on May 3, a day built around golf, community spirit, sponsor support, a silent auction, ...

March 25, 2026 Up+Adam Sponsored by Portabidet Próxima Parada’s Nick Larson returns home for something far bigger than a concert. This is a full-circle moment rooted in San Luis Obispo. From busking downtown and playing local coffee shops to stepping onto the stage at the Cal Poly Performing Arts Center, the band is reimagining their original, SLO-born music alongside the San Luis Obispo Symphony for one night only. What makes this even more powerful is that the band is writing every orchestral ...

March 24, 2026 Up+Adam Sponsored by Portabidet If you’ve lived on the Central Coast for any amount of time, you know Jeanette Trompeter as the trusted voice from KSBY. But this conversation goes far beyond the anchor desk. From a devastating ski accident that nearly cost her leg to rediscovering her body, her voice, and her purpose, Jeanette opens up in a way that’s raw, real, and deeply human. Now, she’s stepping into a new spotlight, dancing in Lumina Nights in support of Lumina Alliance, an ...

Up+Adam for March 23, 2026 Sponsored by Portabidet Florencia Breda is one of those stories that feels both unexpected and completely meant to be. A Michelin-trained pastry chef who never originally planned to pursue pastry, she followed a path that took her from Argentina to Italy and eventually landed her right here on the Central Coast. In this conversation, Adam sits down with Florencia to talk about the journey behind the craft. From early influences shaped by family and culture, to startin...

Up+Adam March 20, 2026 Sponsored by Portabidet What if the best parts of travel aren’t the ones you plan… but the ones that completely unravel the plan? On this episode of Up+Adam, Adam sits down with Daniel Scheffler, host of Wayfinder: Life-Changing Travel, to explore what it really means to move through the world with curiosity, instinct, and openness. From a childhood moment of loss that quietly shaped his lifelong pursuit of meaning, to getting stranded in unexpected places and turning tho...

March 19, 2026 Up+Adam Sponsored by Portabidet It is hot on the Central Coast right now. Like push 100, step outside and instantly sweat kind of hot. And instead of just complaining about it, we decided to lean all the way in. Adam sits down with science journalist Bill Gifford, author of Hotwired: How the Hidden Power of Heat Makes Us Stronger, for a conversation that completely flips how we think about heat. This is not about surviving summer. This is about understanding why your body might a...

March 18, 2026 Sponsored by Portabidet Hip-hop on the Central Coast does not always have a clear lane and that is exactly where Gehrig Kniffen is finding his voice. In this episode of Up+Adam, Adam sits down with Gehrig to talk about building a hip-hop presence in a region known more for acoustic sets and winery gigs than late-night bars and rap shows. From his early days freestyling with friends to developing a sound with his crew The Green Room, Gehrig shares what it really takes to carve out...

March 17, 2026 Sponsored by Portabidet Rosé season is arriving on the Central Coast, and one of the most joyful spring events in San Luis Obispo is back. Adam sits down with Rebekah Francher of Hotel SLO and Robin Coleman of Woods Humane Society to talk about the return of the 5th Annual Rosé the SLO Way, happening Sunday, April 19 from 1–4 pm at Hotel SLO’s Garden Courtyard. This pink-themed celebration brings together more than 25 Central Coast rosé producers, an impressive lineup of chefs, m...

Up+Adam March 16, 2026 Sponsored by Portabidet What happens when the world decides your story before the truth has a chance to catch up? In this episode of Up+Adam, Adam sits down with Amanda Knox for a conversation about certainty, conviction, and the stories we tell when we desperately want answers. Knox spent four years in an Italian prison and nearly a decade fighting to clear her name after being wrongfully convicted in a case that captured global headlines. Today she’s an author, journali...

Up+Adam March 13, 2026 Sponsored by Portabidet A single comment from Hollywood sparked a global arts conversation. When actor Timothée Chalamet joked that “no one cares about opera or ballet anymore,” the remark landed hard for artists who have dedicated their lives to those very forms. On this episode of Up+Adam, Adam sits down with two Central Coast creatives who know the reality behind the headlines: Brian Asher Alhadeff, General and Artistic Director of Opera San Luis Obispo, and Lisa Deyo, ...

Up+Adam Sponsored by Portabidet On this episode of Up+Adam, Adam sits down with one of the most recognizable faces in restaurant television who just happens to be right here in our own backyard. Marino Monferrato, the longtime Maître d’ on Hell's Kitchen, joins the show alongside his lovely better-half Michelle Monferrato to talk about hospitality, marriage, pizza philosophy, and why Paso Robles has become home. For fourteen seasons Marino has stood beside Gordon Ramsay managing the dining room...

Sponsored by Portabidet Bob Voglin is one of those Central Coast characters whose story feels bigger than the waves he rides. Known to many locals as “Helmet Bob,” he is a longtime surfer, cancer survivor, and the heart behind Surfing for Hope, a San Luis Obispo–based nonprofit that uses the healing power of the ocean to support individuals and families affected by cancer. What began as an idea sparked in the water has grown into a community movement. Since its early days, Surfing for Hope has ...

Up+Adam March 10, 2026 Sponsored by Portabidet Chef Dominique Benavidez joins Adam for one of the most honest and revealing conversations we’ve had on Up+Adam. What begins as a conversation about food quickly becomes something deeper. Dominique shares the story behind her culinary journey. From leaving school at a young age to care for her father, to navigating loss, addiction, and ultimately finding healing and purpose through cooking. It’s a powerful reminder that the people creating the meals...

Up+Adam March 9, 2026 Sponsored by Portabidet What does rock bottom really look like? And more importantly, what does it take to climb back from it? On this episode of Up+Adam, Adam sits down with Nikki Mammano, author of Breaking Good: A Memoir, for a conversation that is as raw as it is hopeful. Nikki’s life story reads like something straight out of a crime drama. She arrived in Hawaii at twenty years old hoping for a fresh start and college life at the University of Hawaii. Within just a fe...

March 6, 2026 Rob Rossi is Up+Adam Sponsored by Portabidet The Fremont Theatre is more than a building in downtown San Luis Obispo. It is a landmark layered with memories. First dates. Film Festival nights. Legendary concerts under glowing neon. And lately it has been the subject of one big question echoing across town: what is going on with the Fremont? After a powerful winter storm knocked a portion of the historic sign loose, the iconic 1940 art deco theater was temporarily closed while engi...