Shows
Perimeter FiresMonday Moti - 04/14/2025 - You have two ears and one mouthHappy Birthday, Grandpa.2025-04-1509 min
Run Your Story PodcastMarshall Wade - "Running next to somebody is much better than reading their post online"Like the episode? Let us know with a quick text!Join us for an inspiring conversation with Marshall at Wagner's Run Walk store as he prepares for his first half marathon in Tuscaloosa.Discover Marshall's unique running journey that began with self-doubt, evolved through casual college jogs, and eventually led to serious training.Learn about his unstructured approach to running, his motivating experiences with community runs, and his goals of maintaining long-term fitness for his two children.This episode is packed with Marshall's personal anecdotes, lessons learned, and refreshing perspectives on...2025-04-0237 minPerimeter FiresMonday Moti - 02/24/2025 - This old truckAnother adventure with the old red BONFAR truck 2025-02-2512 minPerimeter FiresMonday Moti - 02/17/2025 - QuestionsYou say a lot when you ask questions.2025-02-1809 minPerimeter FiresMonday Moti - 02/10/2025 - Do Not QuitThis time of year - more than any other - and every year, I most often get to answer the question "do you have any advice?"2025-02-1107 minPerimeter FiresMonday Moti - 02/03/2025 - Suboptimal OutcomesLast weekend was Burn. The day began with a basketball game. And no, not THAT basketball game.2025-02-0417 minPerimeter FiresMonday Moti - 12/2/2024 - The hell with what you ain'tWhat's to be motivated about a burn ban week, and a disappointing outcome on the football field? Everything.2024-12-0306 min
WTAW - InterviewsStudent Bonfire site will be open Friday, but the fire won't burn until next yearThis podcast is a visit with Student Bonfire spokesman Dion McInnis and WTAW's Bill Oliver.The Student Bonfire website announced Tuesday (November 26) that the stack site will be open Friday from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m.But the fire will not be set until next year, after Texas A&M students return to school and when it is safe to burn.Bonfire organizers learned the drought index used by the Texas A&M forest service was 638. The burn ban continues in Robertson County, where the bonfire stack is located, until the drought index falls...2024-11-2704 min
Zone 1150 - TexAgs LiveNovember 26, 2024 (Hour 3)It's hour number three of TexAgs Live! Jordan Pugh joins the show to discuss Aggie football as we look ahead to Texas. Then, former Longhorn Selvin Young calls in to share his perspective on the rivalry game. Finally, we talk with Dion McInnis about Bonfire.2024-11-2644 min
Perimeter FiresMonday Moti - 11/11/2024 - Raised MediansTraffic is a tightly coupled system. So is Bonfire. One of them improves the right way.2024-11-1213 min
Perimeter FiresMonday Moti - 10/21/2024 - Good enough to stopLast weekend, I didn't do what I've been working hard to try and get good at. And I've never felt better at it.2024-10-2213 min
Perimeter FiresMonday Moti - 10/14/2024 - A Diaper RunThe last time I saw Hans Betten '962024-10-1508 min
Perimeter FiresMonday Moti - 10/7/2024 - Let's Be HonestA little moment of honesty in the Woods at Family Cut2024-10-0809 min
Perimeter FiresMonday Moti - 9/30/2024 - A Simple QuestionConcluding a train of thought kicked off over a month ago, that we went down a couple rabbit holes for the last two weeks.2024-10-0111 min
Perimeter FiresMonday Moti - 9/23/2024 - PlayingContinuing a train of thought on communication started with an event a few weeks ago, another Tardy Tuesday Monday Moti edition from the woodshop dark and early this Tuesday morning.2024-09-2425 min
Perimeter FiresMonday Moti - 09/16/2024 - AudiencesSomething happened a few weeks ago... and every time I talk about it, it leads down another rabbit hole. So let's do that.2024-09-1710 min
Perimeter FiresMonday Moti - 09/09/2024 - ServeLots to talk about as the Cut season gets rolling. So of course, we're talking about volleyball.2024-09-1012 min
Perimeter FiresFrank Cox '65, Pt. 1 - "I Bleed Maroon"Recorded at end of the Spring semester of '24, this is part one of a conversation and tour of campus with Aggie great and great Aggie Frank Cox, '65.
Frank was Head Yell Leader, outfit First Sergeant, member of Cors Staff, and member of the Ross Volunteers. In the position of Head Yell Leader, he served as "Chief of Bonfire". Today, Frank is a retired Air Force veteran, devoted family man, devoted Aggie, devoted American, and devoted friend to all. In all things, Frank is devoted.
Frank is also the author of "I Bleed Maroon"...2024-08-301h 03
Perimeter FiresMonday Moti - 08/26/2024 - Back in the beginningAt Chief Cut, a question from a student leader completely reframed my understanding of things.2024-08-2710 min
Perimeter FiresMonday Moti - 06/17/2024 - About that RetirementA big week in music in Aggieland, with Robert Earl Keen and Lyle Lovett teaching a valuable and motivating lesson.2024-06-1810 min
WTAW - InterviewsStudent Bonfire reaction to not moving bonfire on campus from Dion McInnisThis podcast is a visit with Student Bonfire board member Dion McInnis, visiting with WTAW's Bill Oliver.The organization that has staged bonfire off the Texas A&M campus since the 1999 collapse did not stop working while the university considered bringing back the event.WTAW News visited with two representatives of Student Bonfire after A&M's president announced bonfire would not return as an on-campus event.Bonfire Redpot (leader) Mason Taylor, class of 2025 from Pflugerville, said he was relieved that students will still be in charge, adding "with the university trying to be involved...2024-06-0713 minWTAW - InterviewsStudent Bonfire reaction to not moving bonfire on campus from Mason TaylorThis podcast is a visit with Student Bonfire Redpot (leader) Mason Taylor, visiting with WTAW's Bill Oliver.The organization that has staged bonfire off the Texas A&M campus since the 1999 collapse did not stop working while the university considered bringing back the event.WTAW News visited with two representatives of Student Bonfire after A&M's president announced bonfire would not return as an on-campus event.Bonfire Redpot (leader) Mason Taylor, class of 2025 from Pflugerville, said he was relieved that students will still be in charge, adding "with the university trying to be involved...2024-06-0706 min
Perimeter FiresMonday Moti - 05/28/2024 - BrutWe lost a great one, Aggies.2024-05-2912 min
Perimeter FiresMonday Moti - 05/06/2024 - "Turtles are Liars!"Over a foot of rain might be killing the tomatoes, but it may be worth it for the seasonal lesson that it brought this way.2024-05-0607 min
Perimeter Fires2024 Hill County Aggie Muster Address: "What will happen to Bonfire?"The 2024 Hill County Muster Address answers questions about Bonfire, how it is built, what it means to Aggieland, what it means to the students who build it, what they learn, and their resolve to carry on this and every year.2024-04-2532 min
Perimeter FiresMonday Moti - 04/23/2024 - Buc-ee'sA lot to be motivated about after Mustering with the gracious and outstanding Aggies of the Hill County A&M Club. But let's talk about something that happened before we got into town on April 21.2024-04-2307 min
Perimeter FiresMuster Address, Ft. Worth 2021: "Here"The 2021 Ft. Worth Muster was my first occasion to give a Muster Address. I have spoken at a Muster every year since. Every Muster Address is new, created to represent the students' outstanding work and share the unique lessons and challenges of their most recent season. I was originally set to speak at the 2020 Ft. Worth Muster. After COVID interrupted that Muster, the 2021 Muster Address represented two very motivating seasons.2024-04-1931 min
Perimeter FiresMonday Moti - 04/15/2024 - Tough conversations (for the record, I am not on probation)In the wake of last week's news about a possible Bonfire on campus, I answered lots of tough questions and had lots of conversations. In one case, to an audience of some 5 million weekly visitors. Of all the interviews I've done over 25 years, this might have been the hardest. And I loved it.2024-04-1621 min
Perimeter FiresJoel Taylor '98, Pt. II - Continuous Improvement and Being an Aggie DadJoel Taylor, Aggie Class of '98, is a motivated Aggie and father to a Bonfire Redpot. Our conversation - the first at an actual Perimeter Fire - outlasted the camera, so part two is audio only. We talk about being a father, continuous improvement, and the marvels of Bonfire's construction.2024-04-1252 min
Perimeter FiresMonday Moti - 04/08/2024 - The Science of HittingA trio of concerns and two home runs. Doing the right thing the right way can be hard. But always rewarding.2024-04-0920 min
Perimeter FiresJoel Taylor '98, Pt. I - Being an Aggie, Building Bonfire, Building an AggieJoel Taylor is Aggie Class of '98. A leader on the Quad and motivated Bonfire participant in his time as a student, he is also now father to a Senior Redpot for Bonfire '24. In a wide-ranging two-part conversation that outlasted the video camera, we reflect on what it means to be an Aggie, what makes a leader, what it takes to build Bonfire, and what it gives in return.2024-04-031h 28
Perimeter FiresMonday Moti - 03/12/2024 - Rising Tides and Raising ShipsThis Monday Moti comes on a Tuesday. Because I was fishing with my brother and my son on Monday. A conversation about tides and witness to greatness reminded me of another talk about different tides, that weren't really tides at all.2024-03-1217 min
Perimeter FiresMonday Moti - 3/4/2024 - The F WordThere's a lot of words you may hear at Bonfire. But there's one word you learn not to use.2024-03-0511 min
Perimeter FiresMonday Moti - 2/26/2024 - Olsen MagicEmbracing the challenge, inserting yourself in the outcome, Bullpen Bombers, and scouting reports. As the opposing catcher said "this is the hardest place in America to play baseball... it's also our favorite place to play baseball."2024-02-2718 min
Perimeter FiresMonday Moti - 2/12/2024 - Teddy Lowe and FriendsBefore we dive into the numerous other motivations of this time of year, a conversation with a new leader in Bonfire this weekend stirred up wise words from Teddy Lowe.2024-02-1311 min
Perimeter FiresMonday Moti - 1/15/2024 - Weather, or: The rightness of wrongFrom my workshop, late into a cold night, reflecting on weather and the rightness of being wrong. (It's colder in Michigan. I get it.) Monday Moti is back from the postseason break.2024-01-1619 min
Eight Principles VoicesDion McInnis, Author and FundraiserMy interview in this episode is with Dion McInnis.Dion McInnis has been involved in fundraising activities of various types for more than four decades, including 27 years in the university advancement field (development, alumni/community relations, publications, media relations) with four universities, as well as a decade with other nonprofit organizations. He has long held that fundraising is ministerial. His most recent book is Fundraiser’s Prayer Book: Insights and Inspiration for Faith-driven Fundraisers. Each fundraising story from his career is accompanied by a scriptural reference and an original prayer.He is also a lifelong ph...2023-12-2634 min
Perimeter FiresMonday Moti - 12/04/2023 - Watermelon Molasses and Good FriendsWhen the company you've earned makes you better.2023-12-0508 min
Perimeter FiresMonday Moti - 11/27/23 - No RegretsA year (or a few) of discomfort. Or a lifetime of regret. Your call.2023-11-2813 minPerimeter FiresMonday Moti - 11/13/23 - Are you ready?A short moti at the very end of a long day2023-11-1404 min
Perimeter FiresSage Sale '18: It ain't easy being Green, and Transformational LeadershipSage Sale '18 was an Aggie Bonfire Greenpot. Her conduct and performance were motivators to all. Her leadership was transformative. At the time of this recording, she was a Naval Aviator, just transitioning to a new and exciting role in oceanography in the US Navy.2023-11-101h 08
Perimeter FiresMonday Moti - 11/6/23 - Lullabies, Legends, and TruthsStories become myths, that may become legends. Like... did you hear the one about the guy who missed the birth of his child to make a Stack Shift? (Spoiler alert: That never happened.)2023-11-0719 min
Perimeter FiresNathaniel Hall '08: Sue Smash, and other tales from the first years of Bonfire off campusNathaniel Hall was a fish for Bonfire '04, the second Bonfire Stack off campus. His motivation and personal leadership was legendary. He would go on to be a Brown Pot. Today he builds nuclear reactor cores. He's never stopped motivating and leading.
(Expect bonuses. This is half of a long and ranging conversation.)2023-11-021h 10
Perimeter FiresMonday Moti - 10/30/23 - Aggie, it's cold outsideMoments of misery are breadcrumbs home to long-ago memories of greatest pride.2023-10-3111 min
Perimeter FiresCol. Mike Flatten '92: Taking the hard wayCol. Mike Flatten (Ret.) '92 was a Redpot for Aggie Bonfire '91. He would go on to serve in the United States Air Force as a Combat Controller (USAF special operations/“Special Warfare”). Today, he is a recently-retired, proud family man. We touch on leadership, choosing the hard paths, brotherhood, and more. We do not talk about bananas.2023-10-251h 48
Perimeter FiresMonday Moti - 10/23/23 - The Bonfire StoicTwo separate and wildly different conversations on Wednesday, and another unexpected one Sunday, produced some profound overlap.2023-10-2312 min
Perimeter FiresThe Windles: At the heart of every Bonfire StackAt the center of every Bonfire Stack since the first off campus in 2003 are the "Windle Sticks" or "the Windles", tying into Centerpole and securing the architecture. They are named for Levi Garrett Windle.
Levi was one of the first group of leaders of Bonfire after '99 known as "Grey Pots", lines which would become Red Pots in 2006. He passed away in an accident near his home in Bryan on October 19, 2003, before the Stack he helped envision would even begin. Still, he remains at the heart of every fire since.
This is a conversation with...2023-10-191h 23
Perimeter FiresMonday Moti - 10/16/2023 - Bama: Jelly?How can your opponent - or circumstance - ever really "win" when they don't feel like they have, no matter what the scoreboard says? Be undefeatable.2023-10-1711 min
Perimeter FiresRiver McTasney '17: Invention, innovation, and building BonfireRiver McTasney was a Brownpot for Aggie Bonfire '15, coming from a family tradition of building and leading Bonfire. Today, River is a self-made software guru and owner/inventor/innovator behind Smooth Ag Solutions (https://www.smoothag.com/), a breakthrough system in agriculture. Applying his background in the field and a few lessons from the Woods, River empowers today's ranchers to do more of what they do best.2023-10-111h 32
Perimeter FiresMonday Moti - 10/9/2023 - Dog TiredSomething happened to my buddy that never happened to him before. Lucky dog.2023-10-0914 min
Perimeter FiresAndrew Pekowski '15: Oh, Christmas TreesAndrew Pekowski '15 was a newly-minted Sr. Redpot standing guard detail alone on Christmas Eve at Stack '13. Burn had been postponed that year on account of rain. What he did that lonely night has become legendary, a moment of pride for Aggies everywhere. Their handling of the Spring-semester Burn to follow changed Bonfire forever.
2023-10-041h 02
Perimeter FiresMonday Moti - 10/2/2023 - CommunityOnce again, Monday Moti comes from preparing for a line of questioning in the previous week. This time, I was answering the questions, not asking them.2023-10-0213 min
Perimeter FiresCol. Carlos Tamez '90: Leadership, service, motivationColonel (RET) Carlos Tamez '90 was an Aggie Bonfire Red Pot. He went on to 32 years of decorated service, much of that time as an Army Aviator, and MEDEVAC Aviator. Under his command, thousands of life-saving evacuations were successfully executed. He is well regarded among his peers and contemporaries for his approach to leadership and service.2023-09-271h 16
Perimeter FiresMonday Moti - 9/25/2023 - The problem with "I didn't do anything"In preparing to and having a Perimeter Fires conversation with Nathaniel Hall, I realized that I had been looking a little bit the wrong way at a motivating moment we had together 20 years ago.2023-09-2527 min
Perimeter FiresCoach Jackie Sherrill: On the BonfireLegendary Bonfire participant, Aggie football coach, and creator of the 12th Man Kickoff Team Jackie Sherrill joins to share Old Army stories, and talk about Bonfire's impact on the lives of its participants, and on the whole community, history, and great Traditions of Texas A&M.2023-09-2146 min
Perimeter FiresMonday Moti - 9/18/2023 - "A Current Situation" or "Protect the Things You Care about from the Things that Will Solve Their Problems"The first-ever Monday Moti was meant to be an examination of courage. Instead, we level-set what will be a recurring theme throughout Monday Moti, and look at why - when we're talking about something current - I'll often just say "a current situation". Until the students have come out the other side of it.
Ultimately, we're talking about a unique muscle, not just for the benefit of the things we care about or are responsible for, but also for ourselves.2023-09-1809 min
Perimeter FiresScott Eden: Reporter, Writer, Bonfire BuilderIn 2014, investigative reporter Scott Eden, writing for ESPN, wrote a piece from an unprecedented and as-yet unparalleled perspective inside Bonfire that renewed the ongoing story of Bonfire in the public consciousness, while honoring its history with frankness and dignity. His motivation and integrity throughout earned him the respect and trust of Bonfire's leaders and participants, past and present.
Read Scott's piece on Bonfire at https://tx.ag/espnbonfire.
Read more of Scott's incredible work at scotteden.net.2023-09-141h 16
Perimeter FiresGabe Bock '03: An interviewers' interviewer, interviewedGabe Bock has played an important role in Bonfire as it is today. As the founding host of TexAgs Radio, he hosted thousands of Aggie conversations, and more than a few with Bonfire. Perimeter Fires is a series of conversations around Bonfire. Who better to kick off Perimeter Fires with and get a few pointers from than Gabe Bock '03?
Recently Gabe joined his wife Megan at Megan Bock Realty (https://meganbock.com/) and can also be found on his own podcast "College Sports: Follow the Money". He remains a passionate Aggie fan, family man, and friend of the...2023-09-081h 17
Crime RedefinedShe's So ColdCriminal defense attorney Donald E. McInnis (donaldmcinnis.com) is the author of She’s So Cold: Murder, Accusations and the System that Devastated a Family, a book about the 1998 murder of Stephanie Crowe in Escondido, CA. McInnis joins Crime Redefined for a fascinating look into coerced false confessions, the juvenile justice system, and DNA evidence. Hosted by Dion Mitchell and Mehul Anjaria. A Zero Cliff Media production.2019-08-071h 10
Workshop Wednesdays Radio with Tony GamboneWorkshop Wednesdays Radio with Tony Gambone with special guest Dion McInnis:
Dion McInnis is the president and founder of The Empowered Creativity Institute. He states “I became a photographer at six, a writer at 12 and a poet since birth.” In one way or another, every phase of his life has been driven by empowering others, using creativity, and encouraging creativity in others.
He left higher education after 27 years, serving at four universities in the areas of fundraising, alumni/community relations and communications. He also served as a leader in nonprofits.
McInnis is an accomplished speaker, author and photographer. Among his book...2015-04-2956 min
Authors Access[Ep #137] Dion McInnis - Turning Memories into Memoirs, Autobiographies, Short Stories and NonfictionOn July 7th, 2011 Tyler R. Tichelaar and Victor R. Volkman spoke with writing coach and author Dion McInnis about how anyone can learn to write an engaging memoir. He teaches Memories to Memoirsworkshops at a variety of outlets, as well as teaching photography. He fell in love with writing by the time he was 12 and photography at 6. During the day, he is a university administrator, and every moment of every day he is a writer/photographer/speaker/poet. We covered a range of topics on memoir including Using writing cues to jog your...1970-01-0100 min