Up + Adam with Adam Montiel

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Life Elements

City of SLO

Original Music by Dan Curcio and Moonshiner Collective

Moonshiner on Spotify HERE

Please Rate, Review, and Subscribe to the podcast, and learn more at AdamMontiel.com

Stargazing & Starships: Actor Casey Biggs Beams Back to Paso for a New Moon at CASS Jan 13, 2026

Show notes

On today’s episode of Up+Adam, Adam Montiel sits down with actor and performer Casey Biggs for a conversation that’s equal parts hilarious, heartfelt, and filled with stardust. Known for his iconic role as Damar on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Casey shares stories from the set, the stage, and his life off the screen. From acting alongside legends to living part-time in Europe with his wife, author and chef Bridget Binns, Casey brings depth and insight to every story.

The two talk about the fragility of life, what it means to live like there’s “an inch left,” and how a single line on a sheet of paper changed Casey’s entire approach to time. They also dive into Cass After Dark, a new winter event at Cass Winery in Paso Robles happening Saturday, January 17. With live Americana and folk music, fire pits, mulled wine, and stargazing with Cal Poly’s Astronomical Society, this is not your average night in wine country.

Casey shares behind-the-scenes stories about Star Trek, Shameless, Criminal Minds, and even his time on seven Star Trek cruises. A little wine talk, a little Hollywood talk, this episode has it all.

Links:

• Cass After Dark Tickets

• Event Info from Paso Wine

• Paso Daily News Article

• Casey Biggs on Wikipedia

• Startrek.com Interview

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Listen to Up+Adam with Adam Montiel:

Official Website: adammontiel.com
Apple Podcasts: Up+Adam on Apple Podcasts
Spotify: Up+Adam on Spotify
iHeartRadio: Up+Adam on iHeartRadio
YouTube Music: Up+Adam on YouTube Music

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Life Elements

City of SLO

SLO RESTAURANT MONTH IS HERE

Original Music by Dan Curcio and Moonshiner Collective

Moonshiner on Spotify HERE

Please Rate, Review, and Subscribe to the podcast, and learn more at AdamMontiel.com

Some Say This Local Tri-Tip Smashburger Beats In-N-Out! #SLORestaurantMonth Jan 12, 2026

Show notes

If you’ve ever had that smoky crispy melt-in-your-mouth tri-tip from Old San Luis BBQ, you know exactly why Matt Pearce is in a league of his own. On this episode of Up+Adam, Matt joins Adam Montiel to talk about how he traded civil engineering for fire and flavor, building one of the Central Coast’s most beloved barbecue brands from the ground up.

From his catering roots to a growing BBQ empire with three locations, Matt shares the origin story behind Old SLO, the family recipes that fuel it (yes, including that granny cake), and what it means to honor the traditions of Santa Maria-style barbecue while still innovating the menu with local love.

This month, as part of SLO Restaurant Month, Old San Luis BBQ is rolling out an absolutely stacked special: a Tri-Tip Smash Burger featuring double the ground tri-tip, double cheese, fries, and a drink for just $15. Matt puts it like this: “I put it up against In-N-Out any day.” Come hungry.

Expect sizzling stories, local flavor, and a behind-the-grill look at what it takes to turn smoke and oak into something unforgettable.

• Learn more about Old San Luis BBQ: oldsanluisbbq.com

• See all the SLO Restaurant Month specials and participating spots: visitslo.com/restaurantmonth

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Listen to Up+Adam with Adam Montiel:

Official Website: adammontiel.com
Apple Podcasts: Up+Adam on Apple Podcasts
Spotify: Up+Adam on Spotify
iHeartRadio: Up+Adam on iHeartRadio
YouTube Music: Up+Adam on YouTube Music

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Life Elements

City of SLO

Buy The Last 15 on Amazon

Original Music by Dan Curcio and Moonshiner Collective

Moonshiner on Spotify HERE

Please Rate, Review, and Subscribe to the podcast, and learn more at AdamMontiel.com

Losing Weight Without Losing Yourself: NYT Best Selling Dr. Ian K. Smith is Up+Adam Jan 09, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of Up+Adam, Adam Montiel sits down with Dr. Ian K. Smith, number one New York Times bestselling author, physician, and nationally recognized health expert, to talk about what it really takes to lose the most stubborn weight... and more importantly, what you gain in the process.

Dr. Ian’s new book, The Last 15: Say Goodbye to Those Most Stubborn Pounds, is not just another quick-fix diet. It is a seven-week metabolic reset rooted in science, strategy, and sustainability. And even though it is written for the last 15 pounds, this episode is especially for you if you are still staring down your first. Whether you are feeling stuck, plateaued, or just plain overwhelmed, this conversation is your permission slip to start again with less shame and more strategy.

We talk metabolism myths, emotional weight, why the final stretch is often the most revealing, and what it really means to build an identity rooted in discipline, not deprivation. Adam asks the questions no one else is asking, and Dr. Ian responds with the kind of wisdom that does not just change bodies, it changes minds.

•••

GET THE BOOK:

LEARN MORE ABOUT DR. IAN:

Website: www.doctoriansmith.com

Instagram: @doctoriansmith

Facebook: Dr. Ian K. Smith

Twitter/X: @DrIanSmith

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Listen to Up+Adam with Adam Montiel:

Official Website: adammontiel.com
Apple Podcasts: Up+Adam on Apple Podcasts
Spotify: Up+Adam on Spotify
iHeartRadio: Up+Adam on iHeartRadio
YouTube Music: Up+Adam on YouTube Music

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Life Elements

City of SLO

Original Music by Dan Curcio and Moonshiner Collective

Moonshiner on Spotify HERE

Please Rate, Review, and Subscribe to the podcast, and learn more at AdamMontiel.com

Why Does Everyone Suddenly Care About Greenland? Someone Who's Been There Chimes In Jan 08, 2026

Show notes

Greenland is in the headlines—military talks, rare earth minerals, foreign influence—and on today’s episode of up+adam, we’re going way beyond the headlines.

Adam sits down with award-winning journalist Kenneth R. Rosen, whose new book polar war: submarines, spies, and the struggle for power in a melting arctic is already being called one of the most urgent reads of the year. rosen spent years reporting from the frontlines of the arctic—embedded with coast guards, scientists, navy seals, and even inside the shadowy corners of espionage in the far north.

together, they explore why Greenland and the arctic are now center stage in a new cold war. We talk radar bases, Russian incursions, rare earth elements, and why this once-frozen frontier could determine the balance of global power for decades to come.

This conversation is cinematic, real, and chilling in the best way.

• buy the book: Polar War by Kenneth R. Rosen

• learn more: kennethrrosen.com

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Listen to Up+Adam with Adam Montiel:

Official Website: adammontiel.com
Apple Podcasts: Up+Adam on Apple Podcasts
Spotify: Up+Adam on Spotify
iHeartRadio: Up+Adam on iHeartRadio
YouTube Music: Up+Adam on YouTube Music

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Life Elements

City of SLO

Original Music by Dan Curcio and Moonshiner Collective

Moonshiner on Spotify HERE

Please Rate, Review, and Subscribe to the podcast, and learn more at AdamMontiel.com

LA Fires 1 Year Ago Today: $100 Million Raised, Victims Still Waiting — Anyone Accountable? Jan 07, 2026

Show notes

On the one-year anniversary of the Palisades Fire, Up+Adam marks the moment with a conversation that burns deep.

Jacob Soboroff is a New York Times bestselling author, an award-winning journalist, and a familiar face on MSNBC and NBC News. But when the deadliest wildfire in LA history came for his childhood neighborhood, he didn’t just report the story. He lived it. His new book, Firestorm: The Great Los Angeles Fires & America's New Age of Disaster, is part memoir, part frontline reporting, and part reckoning with the world we’re heading into if we don’t change course.

Adam and Jacob go ICET-deep on the failures that led to the fire, the silence after the smoke cleared, and why this fire wasn’t an act of God but a symptom of something we’re still not ready to face. They talk hometown heartbreak, political accountability, the psychology of disaster, and what it means to raise kids in a place you’ve watched burn.

A must-listen for anyone who loves Los Angeles or lives somewhere that could be next.

• Get the book: Firestorm on Amazon

• Follow Jacob on Instagram: @jacobsoboroff

• Follow Jacob on X: @jacobsoboroff

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Listen to Up+Adam with Adam Montiel:

Official Website: adammontiel.com
Apple Podcasts: Up+Adam on Apple Podcasts
Spotify: Up+Adam on Spotify
iHeartRadio: Up+Adam on iHeartRadio
YouTube Music: Up+Adam on YouTube Music

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Life Elements

City of SLO

See all SLO Restaurant Month participants

Original Music by Dan Curcio and Moonshiner Collective

Moonshiner on Spotify HERE

Please Rate, Review, and Subscribe to the podcast, and learn more at AdamMontiel.com

Crust Funded: How Benny’s Pizza Rose from the Underground Up #SLORestaurantMonth Jan 06, 2026

Show notes

What do you get when you mix Detroit-style deep dish, a scholar with an Oxford mind, and a passion for community? You get Ben Arona, owner of Benny’s Pizza Social Club in downtown San Luis Obispo. In this episode, Adam sits down with Ben to talk about how Benny’s evolved from a one-man underground kitchen hustle to one of the most beloved pizza joints on the Central Coast.

We dig into the vibe, the dough, and the deep love Ben has for the old-school soul of his space, formerly Pepe Delgado’s. He shares the genius behind his famous frozen lasagna (the ultimate gift hack), why sauce placement matters more than you think, and how he’s celebrating SLO Restaurant Month with a $49.99 dinner-for-two deal. Ben is not just serving pizza, he’s serving history, heart, and heaping portions of gratitude to the community that helped build him.

Check out Benny’s, and don’t miss the other restaurants participating in SLO Restaurant Month at the link below.

Links from this episode:

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Listen to Up+Adam with Adam Montiel:

Official Website: adammontiel.com
Apple Podcasts: Up+Adam on Apple Podcasts
Spotify: Up+Adam on Spotify
iHeartRadio: Up+Adam on iHeartRadio
YouTube Music: Up+Adam on YouTube Music

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Life Elements

City of SLO

Original Music by Dan Curcio and Moonshiner Collective

Moonshiner on Spotify HERE

Please Rate, Review, and Subscribe to the podcast, and learn more at AdamMontiel.com

January is SLO Restaurant Month! Novo & Luna Red are Up+Adam! Jan 05, 2026

Show notes

On today’s episode of Up+Adam, we sit down with Samantha Payette, the powerhouse Director of Operations for the Blue Mango Restaurant Group, the team behind SLO favorites like Novo, Luna Red, and Robin’s in Cambria. But Sam isn’t just keeping restaurants humming. She’s also helping lead the charge on civic culture and community engagement through her role on the City of San Luis Obispo’s Promotions Coordinating Committee, where she’s been instrumental in bringing SLO Restaurant Month to life.

Adam and Sam go deep on what really happens behind the scenes of a big restaurant initiative, what January means for the people working in hospitality, and what it takes to keep both diners and city leaders excited about local food. They also talk shop on leadership, local love, and why vibe is something you can’t train... but you can absolutely cultivate.

Support local. Eat well. Tip good.

• Check out SLO Restaurant Month (menus, deals, and full list of participating restaurants): https://www.visitslo.com/restaurantmonth

• Learn more about the Blue Mango Restaurant Group: https://www.bluemangorestaurants.com-=[

• Novo: https://www.novorestaurant.com

• Luna Red: https://www.lunaredslo.com

• Robin’s Restaurant (Cambria): https://www.robinsrestaurant.com

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Listen to Up+Adam with Adam Montiel:

Official Website: adammontiel.com
Apple Podcasts: Up+Adam on Apple Podcasts
Spotify: Up+Adam on Spotify
iHeartRadio: Up+Adam on iHeartRadio
YouTube Music: Up+Adam on YouTube Music

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Life Elements

City of SLO

Original Music by Dan Curcio and Moonshiner Collective

Moonshiner on Spotify HERE

Please Rate, Review, and Subscribe to the podcast, and learn more at AdamMontiel.com

SLO-Cal’s Big 4 NYE Options: Where to Ring in 2026 Tonight! Dec 31, 2025

Show notes

Ready to send 2025 out in style? On this episode of Up+Adam, we’re counting down the most exciting ways to ring in the New Year right here on the Central Coast. From family-friendly fireworks to funk-fueled dance floors and intimate live shows, there’s something for every vibe—and we’ve got the inside scoop.

Adam welcomes Ryan Orr, Entertainment Director for SLO Brew Rock, and Dan Curcio of Moonshiner Collective for a high-energy conversation on what makes a great NYE party, how their teams are leveling up this year’s experiences, and why live music just hits different when the clock strikes midnight. We also surprise the winner of our Up+Adam NYE Paso Staycation, live on air.

Whether you're eyeing a classy night at the Opera or ready to raise a glass in the heart of downtown Paso Robles, this episode gives you four unforgettable ways to celebrate. Let’s pop the cork, set the vibe, and get your plans locked in.

New Year’s Eve Events Featured in this Episode:

• Paso Robles City Park Celebration (Hosted by Adam!)
➤ prcity.com/New-Years-Eve-2025

• SLO Brew Rock: Funk Bizarre ft. Pimps of Joytime
➤ slobrew.com/NYE-2026

• Moonshiner Collective Live at Club Car Bar, Templeton
➤ Get Tickets

• OperaSLO Super Gala at PAC SLO (Family-Friendly!)
➤ pacslo.org

Follow Our Guests:

• SLO Brew Rock – slobrew.com | @slobrew
• Moonshiner Collective – moonshinercollective.com | @moonshinercollective

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Listen to Up+Adam with Adam Montiel:

Official Website: adammontiel.com
Apple Podcasts: Up+Adam on Apple Podcasts
Spotify: Up+Adam on Spotify
iHeartRadio: Up+Adam on iHeartRadio
YouTube Music: Up+Adam on YouTube Music

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Life Elements

City of SLO