Crude Conversations

EP 066 with Jimmy Settle

In this episode, Cody has a conversation with retired pararescueman Jimmy Settle. Jimmy details his arduous journey to becoming a pararescueman, or PJ, in his book “Never Quit.” He talks about the endless hours of training and everything it took to become a PJ. All of that training ultimately led him to a heavy firefight in the Watapur Valley in Afghanistan in 2010. He was part of a military operation called “Bulldog Bite 2 Charlie,” and while on his way to provide medical aid he was shot in the head. Fortunately, the bullet didn’t penetrate his skull. And after he received medical attention, he got back out there and continued his duties as a PJ.
When Jimmy got back home from war, he felt broken. His career as a PJ had ended long before he had planned. On top of that, he was experiencing serious physical pain and PTSD. And he couldn’t find any help. As a result, he went through a period of suicidal depression and homelessness. Since then, Jimmy has found help in therapy, family and college. He says that “Life’s funny like that. You don’t always see the spot you’re gonna land when you let go of the thing you’re holding onto.”

Special Conversation: High School Senior Jerico Masangay on COVID19

In this Special Conversation, Cody talks with Jerico Masangay about the effects COVID19 is having on high school seniors. Jerico is a senior at West High School in Anchorage, Alaska. 

Special Conversation: Bean's Cafe Executive Director Lisa Sauder on COVID-19

In this special conversation, Cody talks with Lisa Sauder about the effects COVID-19 is having on Anchorage's homeless population, and how Bean's Cafe is reacting to it. Lisa is the Executive Director of Bean's Cafe, a soup kitchen in Anchorage, Alaska.
 
If you'd like to donate to Bean's Cafe, Lisa says that "whatever you can do will be spent right here in our community to feed those who need it the most. The best way to do that is to go to beanscafe.org or drop a check in the mail to 1020 E 4th Ave."

Special Conversation: Teacher Abby O'Neill on COVID-19

In this special conversation, Cody talks with teacher Abby O'Neill about the Anchorage School District shutdown as a result of COVID-19. Abby is a kindergarten teacher in Eagle River, Alaska. 

Special Conversation: Dr. Andy Elsberg on COVID-19

In this special conversation, Cody talks with Dr. Andy Elsberg about COVID-19. Andy is an emergency room doctor at Providence Hospital in Anchorage, Alaska. 
Andy would like to thank the Alaska Emergency Medicine Associates management team. Dan, Sami, and Ben, and all the folks in the back hall of the ED, Jaime, Brenda, Liana, Karen, Matt and everyone else who has put countless hours into making their team and facility as ready as it can be. Also, a shout out to the parallel teams at the other Alaska hospitals as well.

065 with Malcolm Harris

In this episode, Cody has a conversation with journalist and author Malcolm Harris. Malcolm writes essays and books that are analytical of the establishment and the status quo. His first book, “Kids These Days: Human Capital and the Making of Millennials,” deconstructs many myths associated with being a millennial. Including the idea that millennials are lazy and entitled. His second book, “Shit Is Fucked Up and Bullshit,” is a collection of essays that are critical of modern day North American society. In it, he examines, explains, and even demystifies cultural and political movements and events. Speaking about the millennial experience in this conversation, he says that we’re in a crisis moment and that is going to characterize more and more of our experience in this world.
Malcolm was born in 1988, so he’s part of the generation that he writes about. His work is probably best described as academic and contemplative. Malcolm is what Cody's friend Aurora Ford would call a patient thinker. He works from research, historical precedent and statistics to understand how the world is changing.
Although Malcolm isn’t from Alaska, his reporting and his perspective on millennials is universally important.

EP 064 with Peter Wallack

In this episode, Cody has a conversation with professional stuntman Peter Wallack. Peter jokes that he just kinda fell into being a stuntman. After pursuing a number of different majors in college, he eventually decided to focus on technical theatre at the University of Alaska Anchorage. There, a mentor suggested that he become a stuntman. Not giving it too much thought, Peter went on with his life. It wasn’t until he was almost hit by a truck while biking to work did he really start to consider it. He realized that despite falling face-first into a curb, he innately knew how to fall in a way that protected his body. Today, working as a professional stuntman, Peter believes that you have to fully commit to an action. He says that you can’t do half a flip, you can only do a whole flip, or no flip at all.
Peter grew up in a family of explorers who pushed the limits of what it means to adventure. His mom Tandy founded Circumpolar Expeditions, a business that curates and leads personalized adventures in the Arctic. Peter’s first tour was at 8 years old. He walked a group of Russian dancers all over downtown Anchorage and set them up with a Russian translator. A more recent adventure that Peter points to happened in 2016 and involved reuniting a family that had been separated since the Cold War.
Thank you to Carrie Hambach and Whitney Branshaw for help with questions.

EP 063 with Carrie Hambach

In this episode, Cody has a conversation with his wife, Carrie Hambach. This episode was Carrie’s idea. She’s an avid listener of the podcast, and she’s been telling Cody that he needs to put himself out there more, that he needs to reciprocate more with guests. For the record, Cody says the reason he doesn't usually put himself out there in these conversations, is because they aren’t about him, they’re about the guests and their stories and their experiences. At any rate, he was all for having a conversation with Carrie.
Carrie has been there since the beginning of Crude, and is just as much responsible for any of its success as Cody is. She has always been on the Crude masthead as Managing Editor, because, as they joke, she manages him, the editor. But realistically, she does so much more. She has always proofread and given feedback on his articles, she helps with business decisions, and she’s always there to suggest questions, and give praise and constructive criticism about the podcast. Everything she does adds more perspective and ultimately makes the content better. 
On October 25th, 2013, she packed Cody a lunch and wrote him a letter on the day he was quitting his job at the time, so that he could work on Crude full-time. In that letter, she said, “Happy Friday, Codeman. I know it’s a bit scary for both of us to be so financially unstable at the moment, but I know deep down this was the right thing for you to do. No matter what, we will get by, and we won’t have to look back and wonder, what if? I love you and trust in our futures. Love, Carrie. P.S. We’re out of zip lock bags.”

EP 062 with Callan Chythlook-Sifsof

In this episode, Cody has a conversation with Olympian and climate activist Callan Chythlook-Sifsof. Callan’s life has been a mixture of snowboarding, social justice, and climate activism. She was raised in Aleknagik, Alaska, a village of about 300, just outside Dillingham. Aleknagik, like Dillingham, is a community that relies on fishing, and is located near Pebble Mine. So, Callan has been around the Pebble Mine controversy since it began, which led to her early involvement in activism. Alongside that activism, she’s worked as a professional snowboarder, competing in the Olympics, as well as medaling in many endemic competitions. In 2011, she started working with Protect Our Winters, also know as POW, as a climate ambassador. Since then, she has presented on climate awareness, and spoken to congress about climate awareness. In 2014, she unofficially retired from professional snowboarding after three back-to-back knee surgeries leading up to the Sochi Olympics, and then injured her knee during the qualifying Olympic season. She is currently the Head Coach for the Park City Boardercross Team.
Looking at Callan’s life, she’s always fought against injustice. She’s always been on the side of the under-represented and the disadvantaged. She knows that to achieve success, you need to be mindful of all the small decisions along the way. She understands that change can be slow and meandering, which is why patience is important. She says that “as humans we can get very narrow and very linear, and the reality is you can’t do anything if you have a linear perspective because it’s just not the truth of our world.”

EP 061 with John Stallone

In this episode, Cody and guest host Mike Dempsey have a conversation with John Stallone. John comes from a military family—his grandfather served in World War II, and his dad and his uncle served in Vietnam—so enlisting in the military was a no-brainer for him. He joined the US Air Force at 18. From 1998 to 2002, he served as a security forces member and was deployed four times in support of Operation Southern Watch and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. In 2002, at the age of 22, he joined the Alaska Air National Guard. After he left the Guard in 2009, he took a number of jobs where he was in a position to promote and encourage safety, namely as a safety officer for OSHA, and a bouncer in downtown Anchorage. The common thread that links these jobs is John's sense of duty. He says that one of the core values of the Air Force is, "service before self," which is something he continues to live by.
For a good portion of this conversation, John talks about his struggle with depression and PTSD. He talks about the psychological aftermath of spending 8 months in active war zones. How it was a continuous evolution of “hurry up and get ready” or “hurry up and get used to this.” But by the time you acclimated to that environment, it was time to go home. And then once you were home, you were forced to deal with everything you had been through—among civilians who have no frame of reference for war. In 2011, everything kind of came to a head and John had a mental breakdown. He called the Veterans Crisis Line and they helped him work through it and also directed him toward local mental health resources.
If you or someone you know is struggling with depression, the National Suicide Prevention Hotline and Veterans Crisis Line is 1-800-273-8255.