FORTitude

Laura Dickinson joins the FORTitude podcast. She is a licensed school and professional counselor and shares how the hecticness of life and technology have affected kids. Laura talks about the challenges that children are facing today with technology, online learning, problem-solving, and so much more. This episode takes a deep dive into mental health and will make you stop and really think about how we are living life. Be sure to head to the website and give it a listen.

Cameron Fowler is the co-founder of Digital Seat Media, a fan engagement platform™ that specializes in real-time mobile fan engagement right from the seat inside of the venue.

Don Shisler joins the guys on FORTitude this week. They talk about his mission and his work with Union Gospel mission. He has a fascinating and inspiring story to share, so be sure to listen.

Don got his start at UGM-TC as a volunteer in 1993 before becoming the President and CEO in 1995. He is currently in the second strategic plan of the 6-acre campus.

Don has served on numerous boards, such as Tarrant County Homeless Coalition, consulted with many Tarrant County organizations, such as Recovery Resource Council, as well as contributed to the Downtown Rotary since 1995. He also served as an officer and helped to launch the Near Eastside Neighborhood Association.

Things get a little more serious on the FORTitude podcast today. Our guest is an undercover police officer working in the sex traffic unit. He shares a real look into what it’s like to combat sex trafficking in Fort Worth. They dig into what it really looks like and why it’s so hard to really help the victims of these crimes. This is a real-life look into what it’s like to do this work in Fort Worth. It’s a hard topic, but worth a listen.

Sergeant Jake White joins the guys at FORTitude. This episode is all about what it’s like to be a police officer in Fort Worth. White shares stories from his time working undercover and how he balances work and life. They also dig into some deeper topics like how and why people end up committing crimes. It’s a great episode and will leave you with a lot to think about. Not to mention he was involved in getting Jon Bonnell’s smoker returned in 2020, for those who remember that story.

Karen Borta joins JW on the FORTitude podcast today. The two of them talk about her career and she shares the ups and downs of local journalism and how it’s changed over the years. Karen also opens up about her daughter’s struggle with Type-1 Diabetes and her passion for finding a cure.

This week JW and Brenton are joined by three local Fort Worth oenophiles. Weston, Richard, and Chris visit FORTitude to talk all things wine. They share their knowledge over a glass (or two) of wine. They talk about the process of making and buying wine, how to pick your wine, and how to get into wine if you aren’t a big fan. You’ll learn a lot about wine and have fun along the way. So pour yourself a glass and have a listen.

Mike & Angelique De Luca join the podcast today. Angelique is from Fort Worth Texas, but she left at an early age to pursue a career in Hollywood, which is where she met her husband Mike. The two of them share stories from Hollywood, adventures they’ve had together, and what ultimately brought them back to Fort Worth.

Jessi Sheldon is on FORTitude this week and she has a truly fascinating job. She works on movies to make the action scenes you see happen. She started on The Tooth Fairy movies and worked her way up from there. She talks about how she ended up in a job like this and the challenges and successes she’s had over the years and shares some really fun stories.

Opal Lee is an American retired teacher, counselor, and activist in the movement to make Juneteenth a federally-recognized holiday. Lee campaigned for decades to make Juneteenth a federal holiday. She has promoted the idea by leading 2.5 miles (4.0 km) walks each year, representing the 2.5 years it took for news of the Emancipation Proclamation to reach Texas. At the age of 89, she conducted a symbolic walk from Fort Worth to Washington, D.C., leaving in September 2016 and arriving in Washington in January 2017.

On June 17, 2021, President Joe Biden signed Senate Bill S. 475 making Juneteenth the eleventh federal holiday.

Alex Snodgrass stopped by the FORTitude Pod this week and she was awesome! She shared her journey into the food influencer world, where her love of cooking comes from, and the wins and challenges she faced in publishing her first cookbook. Join the guys as we get to know Alex and prepare to be inspired.

Jon Bonnell visits the guys at FORTitude this week and they talk all about food. Jon talks about how he developed his love for cooking and how that led him to eventually opening his own restaurant. He’s had a wild journey and this episode will leave you excited for your next meal.

Born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas, Chef Jon Bonnell grew up hunting, fishing and cooking with his parents and family. After graduating from Vanderbilt University in 1994, Jon taught science and math for two years before pursuing his love for cooking and enrolling in the New England Culinary Institute in Montpelier, Vermont.

Amanda Micallef, the founder of Arsenic, joins the guys at FORTitude this week. She talks to the guys about how she went from Fort Worth to LA right after high school and never really looked back. She shares some of her wild moments working in the movie industry and how she went from working on films to creating Arsenic to ultimately leaving LA and the movie business altogether to return to Texas. Her story is one you really don’t want to miss.
Prior to founding Arsenic, Amanda Micallef spent 12 years as a producer of over 20 films, music videos, and commercial productions, where she was responsible for all aspects of projects from inception through distribution. Amanda is a board member of Jamak (the largest privately owned silicone manufacturing company in the nation with offices in the US, UK, China & Hong Kong,) Reata Restaurant Management Group as well as four other boards with holdings in real estate, manufacturing, and automotive.

This week we have a futurist on the podcast. David Treichler spends his time researching the past to try and predict the future to help companies plan for major future events, like the pandemic. David talks about his process and shares some amazing insights into things like social media, climate change, and automated driving. You really don’t want to miss this episode.

Sharen Wilson joined the podcast today and schooled JW and Brinton on Fort Worth Law. She talks about Fort Worth’s strengths and weaknesses. She shares her journey into law and her passions. It was a great conversation and we learned a lot.

Jamie Dixon joins the podcast today to talk to the guys about his basketball journey from playing for TCU to coming back to coach at TCU. Jamie was a great guest and you don’t want to miss his story.

Jamie is the head coach of the TCU Horned Frogs men’s basketball team, where he played college basketball. He previously served as the head coach of the University of Pittsburgh men’s basketball team from 2003 through 2016.

Jill Kramer, Director of Volleyball at TCU, joins the guys at FORTitude today. She chats with JW and Brinton about her own volleyball career and what it’s like coaching. She also educates the guys on Volleyball lingo.

Bonus Episode!! In this unreleased episode, JW and Brinton sat down with Gary Patterson last year to talk about not only his football career, but also about his goals, his life after football, and his budding singing career.
Gary Patterson is the former head football coach at Texas Christian University and the winningest coach in Horned Frogs’ history. Patterson has led the TCU Horned Frogs to six conference championships and nine bowl game victories. His 2010 squad finished the season undefeated at 13–0 after a 21–19 Rose Bowl victory over the Wisconsin Badgers on New Year’s Day 2011, and ranked second in the final tallying of both major polls.

Mac Engel joins the guys at FORTitude. JW and Brinton pick Mac’s brain about high school and college sports. They explore the future of school sports as things continue to change.

Mac is an award-winning sports columnist for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram where he has worked for 20 years. He’s covered the Texas Rangers, Dallas Stars, Dallas Mavericks, and Dallas Cowboys as a beat writer for several years, as well as every major college in Texas. His blog – The Big Mac Blog – was named The Best in Texas by the Texas Associated Press Managing Editors in 2011. He was a delight on the podcast, be sure to give it a listen.

Kirk Saarloos gave FORTitude a visit this week. For those who don’t know, he is the current head baseball coach of the TCU Horned Frogs. He played college baseball at Cal State Fullerton for coach George Horton from 1999 to 2001 and then played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 7 seasons before coming to TCU. He led the team to the lowest ERA in school history since 1968 and was named the head coach at TCU last June.
He shares a lot about baseball and his journey from California to Texas. The guys had a blast getting to know Kirk. You don’t want to miss this episode.

Victor Vandergriff joins the guys on FORTitude this week. He is knowns as North Texas’ voice in Austin on transportation matters and while he was a commissioner, TxDOT spent 15 months crafting the CityMAP document, an unprecedented guide that helps the city and state coordinate policy to free its urban development from the chokehold of its freeways. Victor is a big name on the Texas transportation scene. He is credited with convincing the Texas Department of Transportation to study the opportunities of rerouting freeways in Dallas and he is here to share his journey.

Tank Carder joins the guys today. Tank is best known in Fort Worth for his famous Rose Bowl play while at TCU, but he was also a BMX World Champion at 10, competing nationally for most of his childhood. He talks about the car crash that took him out of the competitive world for a while and how he came to start playing football halfway through his high school career and how that led to TCU. Tank’s a great gut who has lived an incredible life so far and you don’t want to miss this episode.

Gibson Donald Lewis or ‘Gib’ as he’s known is a legend in Texas politics. From his beginnings in Oletha to Carswell Air Force Base, TCU, and on to becoming Speaker of the House in 1983 Gib has carved his own path. In this episode of FORTitude Gib discusses what the term working across the aisle meant back in the day.

Victoria Wise, founder of Tanglewood Moms, joins FORTitude this week. She talks to Brinton and JW about her life as a serial entrepreneur and how that led to her developing and growing this group into what it is today. She’s led a full and fascinating life and it was a blast getting to know her better.

Mattie Parker joins the podcast in a bonus episode this week! She joins the guys to talk about her first year as Fort Worth’s Mayor. The talk about wins and challenges she’s faced in this new position and how she is working to strike a healthy work-life balance. You don’t want to miss this.

This week, Angela Stanford joins FORTitude to share about her amazing professional golf career. Angela has won 7 LPGA tours and 1 Symetra tour and in 2018 she won her first major title at the Evian Championship. She shares how she started golfing and what her journey has been like, the doubts she’s had to over come and the determination it took to become one of the best golfers. She’s an amazing golfer and an even better person.

Chris Howell joins Fortitude with his “Golden Voice” to discuss his amazing career. Chris’s talent has led him to multiple awards, celebrity interviews, a thriving media and communication agency, a book, advocacy for change, and most importantly his namesake Foundation, which works to create opportunities for those in need. Chris Howell is one of the good guys.

Eric Lee is the director of the world renown, Fort Worth Kimbell Art Museum. Beginning with an art history PhD from Yale to leading the Kimbell since 2009, Lee details the incredible acquisition and background of several prized works from the Kimbell’s collection. We also discuss his career, the Kimbell history, the Louis Kahn and Renzo Piano architecture, and some Kimbell secrets.

Home > FORTitude Podcast > Blog RMH 27: Brian Estridge Brian Estridge Radio/TV Personality TCU Athletics and WBAP Radio Host, Brian Estridge joins the show

Home > FORTitude Podcast > Blog RMH 26: Grace Collins Grace Collins TCU Soccer Superstar TCU Jr. Soccer Forward sensation, Grace Collins, talks national powerhouse

Home > FORTitude Podcast > Blog RMH 25: Tatu Tatu Hall of Fame Soccer Star Antonio Carlos Pecorari, famously known as Tatu, is a former

Mike went to high school in Lancaster right outside of Dallas where he made a big name for himself in basketball. When he was in fourth grade, he was on a team called the Texas Titans Brinton on the AAU team. They made a viral I made a videotape of his highlights in this videotape. He is currently TCU’s Point Guard.

He is a musician living in Fort Worth, Texas hailing all the way from Athens Greece. His soulful, blues style voice brings listeners into a personal journey, evoking emotion in the deepest sense.

If you dine out in Fort Worth then you probably already know Scott. He’s an amazing server at Ellerbe Fine Foods and Waters Restaurant in Fort Worth. His impeccable service and vast knowledge of wine and food will make your dining experience unforgettable. So join us as we get to know a little more about Scott.