Mountain & Prairie with Ed Roberson

A Joint Episode with The River Radius, featuring Sam Carter

Today's conversation is a joint episode between Mountain & Prairie and The River Radius podcast. I'm joined by Sam Carter, the creator and host of The River Radius. If you're not already familiar with The River Radius, I give it my highest endorsement. It's the most thoughtful and well-crafted show out there about rivers, water, and the people connected to them. Sam has built something genuinely special, and he's someone I consider both a friend and a collaborator. I've learned a great deal from the way he approaches storytelling, curiosity, and place. For this episode, instead of a traditional interview, this is a two-way conversation in which Sam and I interview each other—one we're both releasing on our podcast feeds. Sam shared it on The River Radius feed earlier in January, and now I'm sharing it here. We talk about how our podcasts came to be, what keeps us curious after hundreds of episodes, and how rivers, landscapes, and long projects shape the way we think about life and work. We also get into writing, responsibility, attention, grief, ambition, and what it actually looks like to build something slowly and with intention. I think you'll enjoy it. As always, be sure to check the episode notes for detailed timestamps and links to everything we discuss. And I strongly encourage you to find The River Radius on your favorite podcast player, explore the archives, and give it a listen. Enjoy! --- The River Radius podcast River Radius on Instagram Episode notes: https://mountainandprairie.com/river-radius --- THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS: Mountain & Prairie is listener supported via Patreon, and brought to you with support from the Central Grasslands Roadmap, The Nature Conservancy in Colorado, North Bridger Bison, and the Old Salt Co-op for their generous sponsorship. --- TOPICS DISCUSSED: 0:00 - Opening and sponsor highlight 5:46 - Ed introducing himself to Sam Carter and vice versa 9:19 - Why Sam started River Radius 11:49 - People are listening 16:36 - So … what is the Mountain & Prairie podcast? 24:04 - What do Ed's daughters think of his job? 25:30 - How to make a podcast your full-time gig 32:47 - 2025 highlights from Sam 43:11 - Throughlines 48:24 - How Ed's changed the way he looks at the world 51:36 - Ed's 2025 highlights 59:15 - What's the point of fly fishing? 1:03:11 - What's in store for 2026? 1:12:17 - Sam and Ed's production strategies 1:25:42 - Ed's writing a book! 1:30:12 - What is a river for Ed Roberson? 1:33:56 - More questions for Ed from Sam's listeners 1:36:57 - And questions for Sam from Ed 1:42:16 - Parting words --- ABOUT MOUNTAIN & PRAIRIE: Mountain & Prairie - All Episodes Mountain & Prairie Shop Mountain & Prairie on Instagram Upcoming Events About Ed Roberson Leave a Review on Apple Podcasts

Kelsey Morris Returns – Going All In on Art

My guest today is Kelsey Morris, and this is her second time on the podcast—which feels long-overdue, because a lot has happened since we last talked. When Kelsey first joined me nearly five years ago, she was balancing a full-time job while building her art career on the side. Shortly after that conversation, she did something many creative people dream about and very few actually do: she quit her job, changed her phone number, and went all-in on her work as an artist. Since then, she's built a deeply recognizable visual style, taken on major commissions, and quietly carved out a career that sits at the intersection of Western art, wildlife, and the modern outdoor world. In this conversation, we pick up right where we left off—talking about what it actually takes to make the leap into full-time creative work, how Kelsey thinks about balancing artistic curiosity with financial reality, and how discipline, professionalism, and showing up every day matter just as much as inspiration. We also talk about her evolving style, the pressure of deadlines, why some days the work just doesn't click, and how she's learned when to push through—and when to walk away. We also get into some big life changes: closing her gallery, preparing for motherhood, spending time at her off-grid cabin in Alaska, and a major upcoming milestone—being selected to paint the 2026 covers of Field & Stream, one of the most iconic names in outdoor media. Kelsey is thoughtful, grounded, funny, and refreshingly honest about the realities of creative work. This is a conversation about art, ambition, patience, and building a life that actually fits the work you want to do. I really loved catching up with her, and I think you will too. Enjoy! --- Kelsey Morris Kelsey on Instagram Episode notes: https://mountainandprairie.com/kelsey-morris/ --- THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS: Mountain & Prairie is listener supported via Patreon, and brought to you with support from the Central Grasslands Roadmap, The Nature Conservancy in Colorado, North Bridger Bison, and the Old Salt Co-op for their generous sponsorship. --- TOPICS DISCUSSED: 0:00 - Introducing Kelsey Morris and sponsor information 5:55 - Intro and going all in on art 10:42 - Marketing oneself 13:06 - Space to explore 15:57 - Individuality 20:05 - How to pay the bills 23:02 - Attention to detail 26:22 - Deadline torture 27:50 - The days when it's not easy 32:40 - Milestones 37:04 - Who Kelsey looks up to 42:00 - The gallery 45:02 - Parenting 49:16 - The Alaska house 55:13 - Field & Stream exclusive 59:13 - Book recs 1:02:45 - Wrapping up 1:03:45 - Ed's goodbye and thank yous --- ABOUT MOUNTAIN & PRAIRIE: Mountain & Prairie - All Episodes Mountain & Prairie Shop Mountain & Prairie on Instagram Upcoming Events About Ed Roberson Leave a Review on Apple Podcasts

Jason Gardner Returns – Fire, Leadership, and What Really Matters

Jason Gardner is a retired Navy SEAL who now works as a top-level leadership instructor with Echelon Front. Over his thirty-year career in the SEAL teams, he served in combat operations in Somalia, Iraq, and Afghanistan, later becoming Command Master Chief of SEAL Team Five and Training Detachment. Since retiring from the Navy, Jason has worked with hundreds of organizations as a leadership instructor and strategic advisor, helping teams apply high-stakes leadership principles to business and life. He now lives in a remote corner of northeastern Washington with his wife, Iris, and their two children, where he spends his time working on their homestead and staying closely connected to the land. This is Jason's second time on the podcast, and I'd strongly recommend going back and listening to our first conversation from 2021, along with the episode I recorded with Iris. Those earlier interviews dig deeper into Jason's career, his transition out of the military, and the longer arc of their family's journey—context that adds real depth to what we talk about here. This conversation unfolds in two parts. The first half hour or so is a firsthand account of the Hope Fire, a fast-moving wildfire that came dangerously close to destroying Jason and Iris's property and home last summer. Jason walks through the experience in detail—what it's like to prepare for evacuation, to work through exhaustion and uncertainty, and to rely on firefighters, neighbors, and community when the stakes are painfully real. In the second part, we widen the lens. Jason reflects on the lessons that emerged from the fire—about leadership, humility, and responsibility—and connects them to his own personal evolution over the last several years. We talk about PTSD, quitting drinking, the role psychedelic-assisted therapy played in his healing, and how practices like mindfulness, curiosity, kindness, and gratitude have reshaped how he approaches both life and leadership. It's an honest, grounded conversation about resilience, growth, and what it actually means to lead… starting with yourself. As always, be sure to check out the episode notes for a full list of everything we discussed, with timestamps for everything. There are also links to all of the books and resources that Jason mentions. --- Jason Gardner Jason on Instagram Echelon Front --- THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS! Mountain & Prairie is listener-supported via Patreon, and brought to you with support from the Central Grasslands Roadmap, The Nature Conservancy, North Bridger Bison, and the Old Salt Co-op for their generous sponsorship. --- TOPICS DISCUSSED: WILDFIRE 7:01 – Intro, Jason's brush with a wildfire 11:45 – Fire jumping ridgelines 14:05 – Enter USAA 16:36 – Community power 20:34 – Enter the brush hog 25:26 – Day three mental state 31:53 – A big damn deal 35:09 – A sense of deep pride LESSONS 40:59 – Applying on-the-line lessons to the business world 45:20 – The most important leadership trait 50:47 – Challenge coins 55:05 – A changed perspective 1:01:24 – Dealing with cockiness 1:05:30 – Jason's mental health journey 1:11:43 – Quitting drinking 1:19:52 – Self-reflection 1:21:34 – Echelon Front Muster 1:27:06 – Book recs and wrapping up --- ABOUT MOUNTAIN & PRAIRIE: Mountain & Prairie - All Episodes Mountain & Prairie Shop Mountain & Prairie on Instagram Upcoming Events About Ed Roberson Leave a Review on Apple Podcasts

Todd Ulizio – Farming, Attention, and a Life Well Rooted

Todd Ulizio is the co-owner of Two Bear Farm, an organic vegetable farm in Kalispell, Montana, that's quietly become a cornerstone of the Flathead Valley's local food community. Alongside his wife Rebecca, Todd has spent nearly two decades growing food, building soil, and figuring out how to make a small, values-driven farm work in a world that doesn't always make it easy. Todd's path to farming was anything but direct. He grew up in Connecticut and followed a traditional educational and career path, eventually becoming an accountant at a prestigious Big 6 Firm. Experiencing success but not fulfillment, he walked away from the business world to study wildlife biology and worked on projects ranging from brown bears in Alaska to wolverines in Montana. Over time, he began to see a common thread: most of the problems facing wildlife are really problems about how humans use land—and food, he realized, is where people interact with land every single day. In this conversation, Todd and I talk about that winding path—from accounting to wildlife biology to farming—and what it's taught him about work, burnout, stewardship, and attention. We get into the realities of small-scale farming, the pressures of building a business with your spouse, the health wake-up call that forced him to rethink everything, and the quieter, more grounded philosophy that now shapes his life and work. This is a thoughtful, honest conversation about choosing a meaningful path, learning to let go of what you can't control, and finding a way to stay rooted in a rapidly changing world. Enjoy! --- Two Bear Farm The Farmers' Stand Full episode notes and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/todd-ulizio --- THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS: Mountain & Prairie is listener-supported via Patreon, and brought to you with support from the Central Grasslands Roadmap, The Nature Conservancy, North Bridger Bison, and the Old Salt Co-op for their generous sponsorship. --- TOPICS DISCUSSED: 0:00 - Exciting updates 2:33 - Intro 4:14 - Patreon + Sponsors + Old Salt 7:24 – Where Todd grew up 11:38 – Todd as a kid 13:07 – Off to college 17:34 – Ditching accounting 21:57 – How change felt 24:18 – Post University of Montana to Alaska 27:49 – Alaska takeaways 31:36 – Choosing farming 37:05 – What helped Todd make an impact 40:08 – A relationship forged in fire 43:32 – Doubts in the moment? 47:39 – Food system frustrations and burnout 52:43 – How to lighten up 1:01:07 – Dexter cows 1:02:34 – Always going and stillness 1:09:02 – The farm 1:14:56 – What's next 1:18:06 – Wrapping up --- ABOUT MOUNTAIN & PRAIRIE: Mountain & Prairie - All Episodes Mountain & Prairie Shop Mountain & Prairie on Instagram Upcoming Events About Ed Roberson Leave a Review on Apple Podcasts

Sammy Matsaw Jr. – Salmon, Sovereignty, and the Long Work of Healing

Sammy Matsaw Jr. is the Director of the Columbia Basin Program at The Nature Conservancy, where he works at the intersection of salmon recovery, tribal sovereignty, and large-scale river restoration across one of the most complex watersheds in North America. In this role, Sammy helps guide conservation strategies that span state lines, political boundaries, and cultural histories—while keeping people, relationships, and responsibility at the center of the work. Sammy grew up on the Shoshone-Bannock Reservation, surrounded by salmon stories, land-based learning, and a deep sense of responsibility to place. He served in the U.S. military, including combat deployments overseas, before returning home to heal, reconnect, and rebuild—eventually earning advanced degrees in ecology, policy, and conservation science. Along the way, he's navigated life as a soldier, scientist, ceremonial practitioner, husband, father, and now grandfather, carrying Indigenous knowledge forward while engaging directly with Western institutions and systems. In this conversation, we talk about salmon restoration as a healing journey—not just for rivers, but for communities and cultures shaped by loss, displacement, and change. We dig into Indigenous knowledge alongside Western science, the role of humility and trust in conservation, and why Sammy believes real progress only happens through relationships and long-term commitment. We also explore his vision for the Columbia Basin, his leadership inside TNC, and what it means to show up—day after day—with curiosity, care, and what he calls "barefoot trust-building." This is a thoughtful, hopeful, and vulnerable conversation, and I greatly appreciate Sammy taking the time to chat with me. I hope you enjoy. --- Sammy Matsaw Jr., Director of TNC's Columbia Basin Program TNC's Columbia Basin Program Full episode notes: https://mountainandprairie.com/sammy-matsaw --- This episode is brought to you in partnership with the Colorado chapter of The Nature Conservancy and TNC chapters throughout the Western United States. Guided by science and grounded by decades of collaborative partnerships, The Nature Conservancy has a long-standing legacy of achieving lasting results to create a world where nature and people thrive. During the last week of every month throughout 2025, Mountain & Prairie will be delving into conversations with a wide range of The Nature Conservancy's leaders, partners, collaborators, and stakeholders, highlighting the myriad of conservation challenges, opportunities, and solutions here in the American West and beyond. To learn more about The Nature Conservancy's impactful work in the West and around the world, visit www.nature.org --- TOPICS DISCUSSED: 3:00 - Intro, where and how Sammy grew up 10:03 - Sammy's decision to join the military 15:34 - Readjusting to home 20:48 - What helps heal 24:58 - Sammy's academic journey 32:12 - Salmon work 39:09 - Entry into TNC 43:55 - Salmon restoration as a healing journey 50:09 - Layers of the job 57:31 - Book recs 1:01:18 - Wrapping up --- ABOUT MOUNTAIN & PRAIRIE: Mountain & Prairie - All Episodes Mountain & Prairie Shop Mountain & Prairie on Instagram Upcoming Events About Ed Roberson Support Mountain & Prairie Leave a Review on Apple Podcasts