Country Outdoors Podcast

Raised unschooled and wild, 13-year-old Duke Tansey is giving us hope for the next generation. Known as the Country Boy Skater, he’s chasing skateboarding dreams, getting into hunting, and inspiring his peers to put down their screens and use their imaginations.
The son of Eric Tansey, author of “Pig Latin: A Seriously Funny Story,” Duke is the oldest of five kids. When he’s not skating, he’s building forts and exploring the woods with his siblings. His dream? A farm with room to roam—and a skate park on the property.
Mary O’Neill sits down with Duke at bear camp in North Carolina to talk about the $5 garage-sale skateboard that started it all, his first black bear hunt with a crossbow, and growing up with the freedom to follow his curiosity. They also get into skateboarding competitions, recovering from injury, interviewing his hero Ryan Sheckler, and why having fun matters more to him than winning.
It’s a conversation about childhood—scraped knees, big imaginations, and finding adventures worth putting the phone down for.

“I don’t want to be remembered. I want to outlive everybody.”
Montana cowboy, horse trainer, and film wrangler Duncan joins Mary O’Neill Phillips at Yellowstone Film Ranch for a Country Outdoors conversation about rodeo, recovery, and a life that sounds like a Western movie.
From riding a bull with a broken arm to surviving devastating injuries and learning to speak again, Duncan shares his extraordinary experiences with honesty and humor. He opens up about alcohol addiction, rehab, relapse, and sobriety—and the family, freedom, and work that give his life meaning.
The conversation follows his unexpected path from horseshoeing and custom saddle making to stagecoach driving, backcountry horse packing, and wrangling horses for Western films. Along the way, he talks about traveling to Australia, building a Montana property with horsepower, and turning handmade fur coats into another business.
It’s a candid look at cowboy life, Western craftsmanship, second chances, and finding joy in the everyday.
Content note: This episode includes discussion of a self-inflicted gunshot injury, alcohol addiction, serious injuries, and death.

Jason Matzinger and Tara Banks join Mary O’Neill Phillips on the Country Outdoors Podcast for a wide-ranging conversation from Bozeman, Montana about grizzly bears, hunting, conservation, wildlife art, outdoor storytelling, and the changing American West.
Jason—creator of Into the High Country and the filmmaker behind the upcoming Walking With Grizzlies documentary—shares why the grizzly bear comeback in Montana and the Greater Yellowstone region has become one of the biggest conservation conversations in the West. They discuss bear recovery, increasing human-bear encounters, attack survivors, delisting, management, and the reality of living alongside grizzlies.
Wildlife artist and self-taught bowhunter Tara Banks shares how she built a career through art and social media, learned to hunt independently, bowhunted her first whitetail, and turned a shared passion for the outdoors into adventures with Jason—from bear hunting in Montana to hunting ibex, mouflon, and fallow deer in Spain.
They also explore the changing character of Bozeman and Jackson Hole, public-land pressure, western hunting, wolf reintroduction, elk herds, AI-generated content, authentic storytelling, documentary filmmaking, and why real experiences still matter.
Topics covered: Jason Matzinger, Tara Banks, Country Outdoors Podcast, Mary O’Neill Phillips, grizzly bears, grizzly bear conservation, grizzly bear delisting, Walking With Grizzlies, Into the High Country, Montana hunting, bear attacks, bear management, Yellowstone, Bozeman Montana, Jackson Hole Wyoming, wolf reintroduction, public-land hunting, bowhunting, wildlife art, Spain hunting, outdoor filmmaking, conservation, hunting podcast, outdoor podcast.

Johnathon Schaech joins Country Outdoors to talk about Blue Ridge, Hollywood, faith, sobriety, fatherhood, and the move that changed his life.

Known for Blue Ridge, That Thing You Do!, How to Make an American Quilt, and Houdini, Johnathon shares the unlikely road that took him from blue-collar Maryland to Hollywood—and ultimately to a new life in Nashville.

He talks about playing Sheriff Justin Wise in Blue Ridge, why family-friendly storytelling matters to him, and his hopes for the future of the series. Johnathon also shares stories from the set of How to Make an American Quilt, including working with Maya Angelou and unexpectedly realizing he had been talking with Steven Spielberg. He reflects on That Thing You Do!, working with Tom Hanks, meeting Brad Pitt early in his career, and the unlikely series of events that redirected him from a Chippendales audition toward acting.

Jonathan Schaech shares the deeply personal story of the sexual abuse he says he experienced early in his Hollywood career at the hands of director Franco Zeffirelli. He explains how hearing Rose McGowan speak publicly about Harvey Weinstein helped him understand the power dynamics, shame, and trauma surrounding his own experience.Jonathan reflects on finding his voice amid the broader #MeToo-era conversations around abuse, power, and accountability. In a moving exchange, host Mary O’Neill Phillips also shares her own experience as a survivor and the lasting impact it had on her relationship with faith and healing. Together, they have an honest conversation about trauma, sobriety, recovery, faith, and finding the strength to speak the truth and move forward with hope, healing, and family.

Beyond the movies and television, this is a conversation about dyslexia, family, recovery, fatherhood, faith, and choosing to leave Los Angeles for Nashville. Johnathon opens up about finding purpose outside of Hollywood, helping others through 12-step recovery, and building a life rooted in presence and community.

Content advisory: This episode includes candid discussion of trauma, sexual assault, addiction, recovery, and mental health.

In this episode:

Johnathon’s role as Sheriff Justin Wise in Blue Ridge

The future of Blue Ridge and why the series matters to him

Moving from Hollywood to Nashville for family

That Thing You Do!, Tom Hanks, Maya Angelou, and Steven Spielberg

Dyslexia, acting, and finding your lane

Sobriety, recovery, fatherhood, and faith

Working with Tom Hanks and Christina Applegate

Building a more purposeful life beyond fame

Working on cult-classic Australian comedy movie "Welcome to Woop Woop "

If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, support is available through local recovery resources and 12-step meetings such as Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics

Blue Ridge star Johnathon Schaech joins Mary O'Neill on Country Outdoors Podcast for an honest conversation about 12 years of sobriety, leaving Hollywood, faith, fatherhood, and building a new life in Nashville Tennessee.
Known for playing Sheriff Justin Wise in Blue Ridge, as well as roles in That Thing You Do!, How to Make an American Quilt, and Houdini and many more! Johnathon shares the unlikely road from blue-collar Maryland to Hollywood—and the personal transformation that led him to choose family, recovery, and purpose over the life he once knew.
Jonathan Schaech shares the deeply personal story of the sexual abuse he says he experienced early in his Hollywood career at the hands of director Franco Zeffirelli. He explains how hearing Rose McGowan speak publicly about Harvey Weinstein helped him understand the power dynamics, shame, and trauma surrounding his own experience.Jonathan reflects on finding his voice amid the broader #MeToo-era conversations around abuse, power, and accountability. In a moving exchange, host Mary O’Neill Phillips also shares her own experience as a survivor and the lasting impact it had on her relationship with faith and healing. Together, they have an honest conversation about trauma, sobriety, recovery, faith, and finding the strength to speak the truth and move forward with hope, healing, and family.
Johnathon talks about Blue Ridge, what makes the series different, why family-friendly storytelling matters, and why he hopes the show continues. He also shares incredible stories about working with Maya Angelou, realizing he had been talking with Steven Spielberg on the set of How to Make an American Quilt, meeting Brad Pitt early in his career, and working with Tom Hanks.
Beyond the screen, this is a conversation about dyslexia, faith, recovery, fatherhood, and becoming more present for the people who matter most. Johnathon reflects on sobriety, helping others through 12-step recovery, and why his move from Los Angeles to Nashville changed the direction of his life.
In this episode:
12 years of sobriety and the road to recovery
Johnathon Schaech on Blue Ridge and Sheriff Justin Wise
Why he hopes Blue Ridge continues
Why he left Los Angeles and moved his family to Nashville
That Thing You Do!, Tom Hanks, Maya Angelou, Christina Applegate and Steven Spielberg
The unexpected Chippendales audition that redirected his life
Working on cult-classic Australian comedy movie "Welcome to Woop Woop "
Dyslexia, acting, and learning to find your lane, or Vegetable...
Fatherhood, faith, purpose, and building a better life
Helping others through 12-step recovery and community
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Content Advisory: This episode includes candid discussion of trauma, sexual assault, addiction, recovery, and mental health. Viewer discretion is advised.
If you or someone you know is struggling with alcohol or drug use, support is available:
Alcoholics Anonymous: https://www.aa.org
Narcotics Anonymous: https://na.org
Treatment and support: https://FindTreatment.gov
U.S. & Canada crisis support: Call or text 988
Subscribe to Country Outdoors for real conversations with actors, musicians, athletes, outdoorsmen, and people living with purpose.
Chapters

00:00:00 Johnathon Schaech on sobriety, faith & leaving Hollywood
00:02:24 Welcome Johnathon Schaech to Country Outdoors
00:03:09 How to Make an American Quilt & That Thing You Do!
00:04:36 Maya Angelou, Steven Spielberg & Hollywood stories
00:07:19 Growing up in Maryland & discovering acting
00:09:05 Dyslexia, acting school & finding his path
00:11:23 The Chippendales audition that changed everything
00:13:25 Roy London, Brad Pitt & Hollywood acting class
00:18:00 Fatherhood, family & getting older in Hollywood
00:19:03 Faith, sobriety & leaving Los Angeles for Nashville
00:21:16 Blue Ridge, Sheriff Justin Wise & a new chapter
00:21:43 Finding faith and community in Nashville
00:23:04 Content warning: trauma, faith & survivor support
00:28:06 12 years sober: addiction, healing & recovery
00:32:03 Faith, freedom & seeing life differently
00:35:51 Fatherhood, trauma & breaking generational cycles
00:40:38 Blue Ridge: family-friendly storytelling & Season 2
00:42:45 Blue Ridge fitness, action scenes & Sheriff Justin Wise
00:47:55 Marriage, faith & 12 years of sobriety
00:50:35 Helping others through 12-step recovery
00:54:45 Hollywood, Nashville & family life
00:58:23 Tom Hanks, Australia & career reflections
01:00:32 What Johnathon Schaech wants to be remembered for
01:02:02 Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous & recovery resources
01:02:57 Blue Ridge Season 1 & Season 2

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