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We sit down with Mike Ranquet in Bend, Oregon and trace the whole arc, from that first childhood feeling of rolling on four wheels to moving to Bend in 1987 with Craig Kelly and the responsibility Craig modeled behind the scenes. Mike tells the truth about addiction patterns that “turn a corner,” why rock bottom can have a trapdoor, and what it’s like to face emotions you never learned to process. We also dig into dopamine and compulsion beyond alcohol, including gambling and the many ways people try to keep the high going after the mountain day ends.

Along the way, we keep it grounded in board sports: what “rad” actually means, why style and taste matter, and the legends and scenes that shaped a generation. Mike shares Japan stories from an all-time winter, plus the less-talked-about mental health side of recovery, including recognizing post-addiction psychosis and choosing to get help. Buster Tronolone jumps in with a perspective on sober support and what it looks like to show up for your friends.

If you care about snowboarding, recovery, mental health, or simply doing hard things with honesty, this conversation will stick with you. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs it, and leave a review so more people can find it.

The Circling Podcast is proud to be in partnership with Bend Magazine. Claim your five-dollar annual subscription when you visit www.bendmagazine.com and enter promo code: PODCAST at checkout. Your subscription includes 6 issues of our regions top publication celebrating mountain culture, and four bonus issues of Bend Home and Design, the leading home and building design magazine in Central Oregon.

Support The Circling Podcast:

Email us at: thecirclingpodcast@bendmagazine.com
Join the Circling membership: patreon.com/Thecirclingpodcast
Follow us on Instagram @thecirclingpodcast @bendmagazine
Cover Song by: @theerinsmusic
Bend Magazine. Remember to enter promo code: Podcast at checkout for your five-dollar annual subscription. https://bendmagazine.com.
BOSS Sports Performance: https://www.bosssportsperformance.com
Back Porch Coffee: https://www.backporchcoffeeroasters.com
Story Booth: https://www.storyboothexperience.com

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A snowboarding contest that runs like a surf heat shouldn’t work this well, but the Gerry Lopez Big Wave Challenge at Mt Bachelor has become a Bend, Oregon staple for a reason. The stoke is real, the course is custom every year, and the whole thing feels more like a skatepark jam than a rulebook competition. When you add Hawaiian food, reggae on the deck, and a lift line full of groms, pros, and proud “kooks,” you start to understand why people plan their season around it.

We talk with key organizers Jason and Mo Baldessari, plus Ryan Buccola and Anne DosPassos, about how the event gets built, why volunteering is the secret sauce, and how Bend’s outdoor culture makes this community fundraiser possible. You’ll hear how an unlikely connection through Active Skin Repair started a friendship between Jason and Gerry, and how Big Wave becomes a doorway into friendships, local commitment, and a broader “give back” mindset. We also get into what’s new, including a groms division and an adaptive snowboarding category, along with the surf-style jam format that keeps the day fun and fast.

On the back end, we’re joined by snowboarding veterans Curtis Ciszek and Austin Smith to honor Pat Malendoski, one of the most influential terrain builders in the sport. Pat isn’t just known for perfect halfpipes, but for a creative eye that turns snow into something closer to art, and the Big Wave Challenge now raises funds to support him and other beneficiaries. If you care about snowboarding culture, Mt Bachelor, Bend events, or how a community rally turns into real impact, this conversation hits home.

Subscribe, share this with a friend who loves snowboarding, and leave a review so more people can find the story.

The Circling Podcast is proud to be in partnership with Bend Magazine. Claim your five-dollar annual subscription when you visit www.bendmagazine.com and enter promo code: PODCAST at checkout. Your subscription includes 6 issues of our regions top publication celebrating mountain culture, and four bonus issues of Bend Home and Design, the leading home and building design magazine in Central Oregon.

Support The Circling Podcast:

Email us at: thecirclingpodcast@bendmagazine.com
Join the Circling membership: patreon.com/Thecirclingpodcast
Follow us on Instagram @thecirclingpodcast @bendmagazine
Cover Song by: @theerinsmusic
Bend Magazine. Remember to enter promo code: Podcast at checkout for your five-dollar annual subscription. https://bendmagazine.com.
BOSS Sports Performance: https://www.bosssportsperformance.com
Back Porch Coffee: https://www.backporchcoffeeroasters.com
Story Booth: https://www.storyboothexperience.com

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Join host Adam Short as he sits down with Gerry Lopez and Anne DosPassos to tell the origin story of the Gerry Lopez Big Wave Challenge and how Aloha isn't just something you say; it's something you practice. From naming wind lips after beloved breaks to shaping courses that move with rhythm and flow, the tradition holds tight to family, fun, and creativity over results.

You’ll hear how the event came alive when builders decided to make waves out of snow, transforming a hillside into a frozen lineup where every rider can draw their own line. We honor the influence and contribution to the sport of snowboarding of Pat Malendowski—his eye for terrain, his unassuming style, and the mentorship that helped launch terrain park builder Alex Storjohann into shaping some of the best courses on snow today. And how that passing of the torch didn’t just preserve the event; it's allowed it to continue to grow and evolve.

Community sits at the center. Entry fees and auctions support environmental groups, non profits and most importantly people. Friends like Pat Malendowski and Michelle Schnake, longtime pillars of the scene now facing serious health challenges. That’s Aloha in practice: celebrating together on the hill, then showing up when it matters most.

If you care about snowboard culture, surf-inspired course design, and events that give back, this story will land. Hit play, and make sure to show up at this years Big Wave Challenge at Mt. Bachelor March 26 to 29, 2026 and tell us what Aloha means to you.

If the episode moves you, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a friend who needs a little extra stoke today.

The Circling Podcast is proud to be in partnership with Bend Magazine. Claim your five-dollar annual subscription when you visit www.bendmagazine.com and enter promo code: PODCAST at checkout. Your subscription includes 6 issues of our regions top publication celebrating mountain culture, and four bonus issues of Bend Home and Design, the leading home and building design magazine in Central Oregon.

Support The Circling Podcast:

Email us at: thecirclingpodcast@bendmagazine.com
Join the Circling membership: patreon.com/Thecirclingpodcast
Follow us on Instagram @thecirclingpodcast @bendmagazine
Cover Song by: @theerinsmusic
Bend Magazine. Remember to enter promo code: Podcast at checkout for your five-dollar annual subscription. https://bendmagazine.com.
BOSS Sports Performance: https://www.bosssportsperformance.com
Back Porch Coffee: https://www.backporchcoffeeroasters.com
Story Booth: https://www.storyboothexperience.com

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A lot of development has happened since this episode was recorded, but what if the most valuable thing you make isn’t content or code—but trust? We open the door to Storybooth’s origin story, from a chance conversation at hot springs to a sold‑out Seattle wedding where a glass-walled “podcast booth” became the night’s most crowded corner. This is a founder’s-eye view of creating a new category: an experience that captures honest speech, family history, and the feelings that photos miss. StoryBooth specializes in creating custom event and brand media in a new and immersive way.

We talk through the craft behind it: a public radio backbone, editing that respects silence, and a proven interview technique that uses surprise messages from friends to bypass small talk and get to what’s real. You’ll hear how we validated the market, survived a noisy first activation at UW, and partnered with a booth maker to make joy visible from across the room. We’re transparent about the logistics, from transport and acoustics to guest flow and fast-turn delivery, and why the glass matters—people need to see delight before they’ll step inside.

The personal stakes are here too. One of us shares a sobriety pivot that restored clarity and grit; the other opens up about divorce and the odd intimacy of editing marriage blessings alone at night. We wrestle with success without self-loss, bootstrapping without burnout, and the move from one-off events to semi-permanent placements at destination venues and communities to business to business application.

If you care about founder journeys, category creation, event and brand storytelling, where connection is the product, this one’s for you.

The Circling Podcast is proud to be in partnership with Bend Magazine. Claim your five-dollar annual subscription when you visit www.bendmagazine.com and enter promo code: PODCAST at checkout. Your subscription includes 6 issues of our regions top publication celebrating mountain culture, and four bonus issues of Bend Home and Design, the leading home and building design magazine in Central Oregon.

Support The Circling Podcast:

Email us at: thecirclingpodcast@bendmagazine.com
Join the Circling membership: patreon.com/Thecirclingpodcast
Follow us on Instagram @thecirclingpodcast @bendmagazine
Cover Song by: @theerinsmusic
Bend Magazine. Remember to enter promo code: Podcast at checkout for your five-dollar annual subscription. https://bendmagazine.com.
BOSS Sports Performance: https://www.bosssportsperformance.com
Back Porch Coffee: https://www.backporchcoffeeroasters.com
Story Booth: https://www.storyboothexperience.com

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Your eyes know when your brain is fading—and that tiny lag can cost a run, a rep, or a line of code. We sit down with Jak and Sanjay Green, the father–son team behind Eyeonize, a caffeinated, mentholated under‑eye balm built to cool, hydrate, and wake you up without another cup or can. What started with a gaming industry shock, grew into a product designed for anyone who stares, rides, studies, or drives for long stretches and needs clarity on demand.

This is a story about product integrity, community, and a clear why. It’s also about redefining energy as a subtle, portable boost you can use mid‑flow, without stopping what you’re doing. If you’re juggling screens, chasing daylight, or stacking miles, you’ll walk away with a fresh take on focus, branding, and what it means to build something useful, clean, and real.

If this conversation hits, follow the journey, share it with a friend who lives at a desk or on a trail, and leave a quick review to help more people find the show.

The Circling Podcast is proud to be in partnership with Bend Magazine. Claim your five-dollar annual subscription when you visit www.bendmagazine.com and enter promo code: PODCAST at checkout. Your subscription includes 6 issues of our regions top publication celebrating mountain culture, and four bonus issues of Bend Home and Design, the leading home and building design magazine in Central Oregon.

Support The Circling Podcast:

Email us at: thecirclingpodcast@bendmagazine.com
Join the Circling membership: patreon.com/Thecirclingpodcast
Follow us on Instagram @thecirclingpodcast @bendmagazine
Cover Song by: @theerinsmusic
Bend Magazine. Remember to enter promo code: Podcast at checkout for your five-dollar annual subscription. https://bendmagazine.com.
BOSS Sports Performance: https://www.bosssportsperformance.com
Back Porch Coffee: https://www.backporchcoffeeroasters.com
Story Booth: https://www.storyboothexperience.com

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What if convenience food didn’t feel like a compromise? We sit down with Howl at the Spoon founder Melanie Jenkinson, a former creative director who traded pitch decks for real ingredients, to unpack how healthy convenient options can change the way we eat. From backcountry meals to office lunches, Melanie shows why right-sized portions beat the clutter and waste of old-school bottles—and why a sauce that expires in weeks is a good thing.

The conversation traces a winding path: Oregon hikes, a creative career stacked with pitches, the reality of gender gaps in leadership and funding, and a COVID-era pause that became an unexpected R&D gift. Melanie shares what 500+ markets and 150,000 samples taught her about flavor, packaging, and the language customers actually hear. We dig into the brand’s clean-label stance, why “sauce graveyards” are a solvable problem, and how fruit dust turned into a café-friendly, kid-approved upgrade for yogurt, oats, lattes, and ice cream.

We also talk systems and scale: moving beyond tents, building B2B partnerships with coffee shops and butchers, leaning into user-generated content, and using structured mentorship from Bend Outdoor Worx to set goals that stick. Through it all, Melanie’s mission stays clear—reduce food waste, make real food easy, and design modern formats that fit real life. If you’ve ever wondered why that bottle in your fridge still looks the same after two years, this episode will change how you stock your kitchen.

Enjoy the episode? Follow, share with a friend who meal preps, and leave a quick review to help more listeners discover founder stories that matter.

The Circling Podcast is proud to be in partnership with Bend Magazine. Claim your five-dollar annual subscription when you visit www.bendmagazine.com and enter promo code: PODCAST at checkout. Your subscription includes 6 issues of our regions top publication celebrating mountain culture, and four bonus issues of Bend Home and Design, the leading home and building design magazine in Central Oregon.

Support The Circling Podcast:

Email us at: thecirclingpodcast@bendmagazine.com
Join the Circling membership: patreon.com/Thecirclingpodcast
Follow us on Instagram @thecirclingpodcast @bendmagazine
Cover Song by: @theerinsmusic
Bend Magazine. Remember to enter promo code: Podcast at checkout for your five-dollar annual subscription. https://bendmagazine.com.
BOSS Sports Performance: https://www.bosssportsperformance.com
Back Porch Coffee: https://www.backporchcoffeeroasters.com
Story Booth: https://www.storyboothexperience.com

Remember, the health of our community, relies on us!

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What if extra sleep at the trailhead didn’t cost thousands or require a rooftop crane? We sit down with Kai Nevers and Kate Raber, the duo behind Wanderhut, to tell the story of a hatchback tent that deploys the moment you open your rear door—adding headroom, real ventilation, and bug-proof comfort without the hassle of pitching a tent in the dark. Born as a taped-up class project and validated by a stranger in a Home Depot parking lot, their design carries a simple promise: save time, breathe easier, and wake up ready for the adventure.

We walk through the messy first prototype, the year-long quest to solve attachment (snaps for the win), and why focusing on the third-gen Subaru Outback became a superpower. Along the way, OSU Cascades and Bend Outdoor Works opened doors to mentors like former Nike design leader Naomi Morrison and industrial designer Ryan Price, whose hard-earned wisdom sharpened costing, positioning, and supply chain thinking. The result is a product that respects real-world constraints: it installs in minutes, lives in the car between trips, and hits a price point that welcomes new campers and overlanders without compromise.

Under the gear talk is a human story about partnership, grit, and community. Kate’s textile precision and Kai’s big-picture push create the tension great products need. They’re candid about cash flow, MOQs, tariff delays, and imposter syndrome—and how they keep the brand grounded by turning “marketing trips” into true resets outdoors. If you’ve ever chased vanlife comfort on a hatchback budget, this conversation offers practical insight, honest lessons, and a glimpse of what affordable, elegant outdoor design can look like.

Subscribe, share with a friend who sleeps at trailheads, and leave a quick review to help more builders and weekend warriors find the show. Want in early? Join the waitlist at wanderhut.co and tell which car they should build for next.

https://wanderhut.co/

https://osucascades.edu

https://brokesupply.com

https://www.bendoutdoorworx.com

The Circling Podcast is proud to be in partnership with Bend Magazine. Claim your five-dollar annual subscription when you visit www.bendmagazine.com and enter promo code: PODCAST at checkout. Your subscription includes 6 issues of our regions top publication celebrating mountain culture, and four bonus issues of Bend Home and Design, the leading home and building design magazine in Central Oregon.

Support The Circling Podcast:

Email us at: thecirclingpodcast@bendmagazine.com
Join the Circling membership: patreon.com/Thecirclingpodcast
Follow us on Instagram @thecirclingpodcast @bendmagazine
Cover Song by: @theerinsmusic
Bend Magazine. Remember to enter promo code: Podcast at checkout for your five-dollar annual subscription. https://bendmagazine.com.
BOSS Sports Performance: https://www.bosssportsperformance.com
Back Porch Coffee: https://www.backporchcoffeeroasters.com
Story Booth: https://www.storyboothexperience.com

Remember, the health of our community, relies on us!

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When cold hands meet cold beverages in the outdoor community of Bend, Oregon, something magical happens – the Giddy Up Glove is born. Sherrise Erlandson's entrepreneurial journey bridges her past and present, weaving together childhood lessons from Minnesota flea markets with a passion for creativity and connection.

"Connection is kind of my focus," Sherrise explains, revealing the heart of her brand. "With the Giddy Up Glove, it's connection between people, connection to the outdoors." Her insulated beverage mitten transforms outdoor social experiences, making the wearer "their own hero" with newfound confidence and comfort.

The path to creating this quirky yet functional product wasn't straightforward. From selling homemade bookmarks as a child to traveling the country as a Lindy Hop dancer, designing websites, and eventually settling in Bend, Sherrise's creative spirit never dimmed. When motherhood temporarily paused her business dreams, it was her daughter Esther who sparked their revival through collaborative craft-making for local markets. When early versions of the Giddy Up Glove sold out immediately, Sherrise knew she had found her focus.

Now her ambitions stretch from local markets to college and NFL licensing, with strategic plans for e-commerce, wholesale accounts, and specialized retail partnerships. She's even expanded the Giddy Up brand to include a children's meditation podcast, inspired by Esther's love of storytelling and quest for age-appropriate mindfulness content.

Through it all, Sherrise embodies the entrepreneurial spirit with practical wisdom: "You have to start and be open to understanding that you know nothing... Most of the time you learn through your mistakes." Her journey reminds us that the most successful brands often begin with a simple problem, a creative solution, and the persistence to keep improving.

Discover the Giddy Up Glove at https://giddyupguide.com and experience how functional mischief can transform your outdoor adventures. Make to check out and Subscribe to The Giddy Up Guide to the Galaxy Podcast.

The Circling Podcast is proud to be in partnership with Bend Magazine. Claim your five-dollar annual subscription when you visit www.bendmagazine.com and enter promo code: PODCAST at checkout. Your subscription includes 6 issues of our regions top publication celebrating mountain culture, and four bonus issues of Bend Home and Design, the leading home and building design magazine in Central Oregon.

Support The Circling Podcast:

Email us at: thecirclingpodcast@bendmagazine.com
Join the Circling membership: patreon.com/Thecirclingpodcast
Follow us on Instagram @thecirclingpodcast @bendmagazine
Cover Song by: @theerinsmusic
Bend Magazine. Remember to enter promo code: Podcast at checkout for your five-dollar annual subscription. https://bendmagazine.com.
BOSS Sports Performance: https://www.bosssportsperformance.com
Back Porch Coffee: https://www.backporchcoffeeroasters.com
Story Booth: https://www.storyboothexperience.com

Remember, the health of our community, relies on us!