What started with a couple Highland Park high school kids quietly putting boats in the water has grown into one of the most unique athletic communities in Dallas.

On this episode, Camille and Rich sit down with Austin Brooks, better known as AJ, Executive Director of Dallas United Crew. We talk about the surprising history of rowing in Dallas, how the sport found its home here, and why White Rock Lake became the backdrop for something much bigger than competition.

AJ’s story alone is wild. Undefeated collegiate career at the University of Washington, world record in the Varsity 8+, Team USA appearances, and a Henley Royal Regatta championship. Now he’s in Dallas building a program designed for everyone, not just elite athletes.

Dallas United Crew has grown from a single high school team into a full nonprofit urban water sports center serving athletes of all ages and backgrounds. The mission is simple but powerful. Build character, resilience, and community through movement on the water.

This conversation goes way beyond rowing. It is about access, opportunity, and how a city builds identity around something most people never expected to be part of Dallas culture.

You will never look at the lake the same way again.

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For Part 2 of our field trip to Bonton Farms, Camille and Rich sit down with Melissa Metoyer, the Senior Director of Health Equity and Community Impact, to talk about what it really looks like when a neighborhood takes care of each other.

This conversation goes deep into health and wellness, but not in the abstract. We talk about real systems. Real people. And real outcomes. From medical and dental care to behavioral health, nutrition, financial stability, and workforce development, Melissa walks us through how Bonton Farms has built an integrated model where everything works together under one roof.

What stood out most is how intentional it all is. This isn’t charity. It’s dignity. It’s accountability. It’s neighbors supporting neighbors in ways that actually change lives long term.

Bonton Farms already had a national reputation for community transformation, but Melissa shares how the work has evolved into something scalable, measurable, and deeply human. This episode is about health equity, but more than that, it’s about what happens when a community decides it deserves better and builds the systems to make it happen.

If you care about health, wellness, community, or just seeing what’s possible when people stop talking and start building, this one is worth your time.

Check them out!

https://www.bontonfarms.org

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In this episode, we’re joined by director Vickie Washington to talk all things Fat Ham, the Pulitzer Prize winning comedy making its regional premiere at Dallas Theater Center.

We dig into Vickie’s journey as an artist, what drew her to this bold reinvention of Hamlet, and how Fat Ham uses humor, family tension, and truth to explore liberation and joy. Centered around a queer Black man caught between generational expectations and his own freedom, the play challenges cycles of violence while delivering laugh out loud moments and emotional depth.

This conversation pulls back the curtain on the show, the themes, and why Fat Ham is a must see production this season.

Show dates January 30 through February 8, 2026
Kalita Humphreys Theater
Written by James Ijames
Directed by Vickie Washington
A co production with Stage West Theatre

Mature content and adult language apply.

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