Free Arkansas

Un-Fast Fashion: Robin Wallis Atkinson with Upkept

On this episode of Free Arkansas, Andy McNeill talks with Robin Wallis Atkinson, founder and CEO of Upkept, about what it takes to build a company at the intersection of fashion, repair, sustainability, labor and entrepreneurship.Robin shares how her background in art, community-building and nonprofit leadership led her to create Upkept, a company working to make clothing repair easier, more accessible and scalable. The conversation covers everything from America’s shrinking tailoring workforce to the growing problem of textile waste, and why repairing what we already own may be a practical and even radical answer to overconsumption.Andy and Robin also talk about what it really takes to launch a startup in Arkansas, the challenge of raising capital, how AI is helping Upkept automate the parts of the business that can be automated, and why skilled trade jobs may become even more valuable in the years ahead.🧵 How Upkept is making clothing repair easier♻️ Why textile waste is a growing landfill problem👖 The shortage of tailors and repair workers in the U.S.💼 What it takes to build and fund a startup in Arkansas🤖 How AI can support skilled trades without replacing them🚀 Robin’s vision for scaling Upkept into a national repair platformSubscribe to Free Arkansas for more conversations about business, innovation, policy and the people working to move Arkansas forward.

🦆 Duck Hunting in Arkansas: George Dunklin on Five Oaks, Conservation & the Flyways

George Dunklin has spent decades at the center of duck hunting and conservation in Arkansas, from leading Ducks Unlimited to chairing the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission to building Five Oaks into one of the most respected hunting lodges in the country. In this episode, he sits down with Andy to break down how the sport has evolved and what’s driving the changes hunters are seeing today.They get into everything from shifting habitat conditions and farming practices to access, pressure, and the role private landowners play in sustaining duck populations. It’s a grounded look at where duck hunting is right now, with practical insight from someone who’s been shaping it for years.In this episode:🦆 How duck hunting in Arkansas has changed over the decades🌾 The connection between farming, habitat, and bird movement🐕 What goes into developing a reliable hunting dog🌎 The role of private land in conservation efforts🍽️ Favorite ways to prepare duck after the hunt👉 Subscribe to Free Arkansas for more conversations on the people, ideas, and stories shaping our state.

💰 The Economy, Housing, and Debt | Congressman French Hill

Congressman French Hill joins Andy McNeill for a wide-ranging conversation that connects Washington policy to real life in Arkansas, tracing his path from building a bank from scratch to shaping national financial policy and explaining how decisions in D.C. impact small businesses, homebuyers, and everyday families. They break down what the Financial Services Committee actually does and why regulatory costs play such a big role in borrowing, investing, and economic growth.The conversation also digs into housing affordability, inflation, federal debt, and global tensions. Hill shares his perspective on rising costs, why fewer companies are going public, what policymakers are trying to do about it, and how the U.S. is approaching challenges like Iran—all while addressing the long-term risks facing the American economy.🔑 What’s inside this episode:💼 Building a business and launching Delta Trust from the ground up🏛️ What the Financial Services Committee controls 📉 How regulation impacts borrowing, small business growth, and public companies🏠 Why housing affordability is getting worse and what could fix it🌍 U.S. policy on Iran and the role of force vs. diplomacy💰 The $37 trillion debt problem and what it means for the futureIf you care about where Arkansas fits into the national economy and how decisions in Washington affect your wallet, this is one to watch.👉 Subscribe for more conversations like this from Free Arkansas

Whole Health with Dr. Sharmila Makhija

In this episode of Free Arkansas, host Andy McNeill sits down with Sharmila Makhija, MD, MBA, the Founding Dean and Chief Executive Officer of the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine, to talk about the future of healthcare in Arkansas and the work underway in Northwest Arkansas to train a new generation of physicians.The conversation explores Arkansas’ physician shortage, rural healthcare access, value-based care, whole health, medical education, AI in healthcare, nutrition, empathy, and the role Alice Walton’s vision is playing in shaping a different model for the state.🎙️ In this episode:🩺 Arkansas’ doctor shortage and rural healthcare challenges🌿 What “whole health” means in medical education🏥 The role of Mercy, virtual care and value-based care🎓 How the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine is training future doctors🤖 AI, empathy and the future of healthcare🍎 Nutrition, prevention and treating the whole patient🏛️ Alice Walton’s healthcare legacy in Northwest ArkansasSubscribe to Free Arkansas for conversations on policy, business, healthcare, education and the future of Arkansas.

🎙️ Capitalism, AI & Arkansas: What’s Coming Next?

What does it actually mean to be a capitalist in today’s world, and what happens when AI starts reshaping the economy faster than we can keep up? In this episode of Y’all Hear About This, Andy and Misty dig into both questions, starting with a simple definition of capitalism and tracing it back to early merchants, then bringing it forward to the explosion of AI and the massive capital investments driving it today. They break down what’s happening with data centers, power consumption, and the scale of investment coming into places like Arkansas. From there, the conversation turns to the real implications: who pays for that infrastructure, how it affects everyday consumers, and what AI could mean for jobs, productivity, and the future of the economy. It’s a wide-ranging discussion that connects big global trends back to what they mean on the ground here at home. In this episode: * 💰 What capitalism means in simple terms and how it started * ⚡ The scale of AI investment and what it means for power demand * 🏗️ Data centers in Arkansas and who carries the cost * 🤖 How AI could reshape jobs and the broader economy * 🌾 A surprising stat about how rural Arkansas really is 👉 Subscribe to Free Arkansas for more conversations on the people, ideas, and trends shaping our state.