What does a career in public service look like when you trace it back to childhood, family, and the challenges of running a business?

In Episode 88 of the KillerGrowth Podcast, Samuel sits down with Ty Masterson, president of the Kansas Senate and a candidate for governor, for a long-form conversation about his background, professional experiences, leadership, and issues facing Kansas.

Samuel opens by explaining the purpose of the interview: to get beyond campaign messaging and learn more about the person, his experiences, and how he approaches decisions. Both gubernatorial candidates were invited to participate. This conversation is not an endorsement by KillerGrowth.

Ty talks about growing up in Butler County, attending Kansas State University, starting a business, driving a trash truck, and eventually becoming a homebuilder. He also reflects on the financial impact of the 2008 housing crisis, his family, his faith, and how those experiences shaped his approach to leadership.

The discussion then turns to civil disagreement, social media, the responsibilities of public officials, and several issues Ty identifies as priorities. Samuel asks questions about data centers, electricity costs, property taxes, education, teachers, agriculture, water, and the relationship between Kansas and the federal government.

In this episode:

• Growing up in Butler County

• From trash truck driver to homebuilder

• Lessons from the 2008 housing crash

• Faith, family, and leadership

• Political disagreement and social media

• Data centers and local development

• Property taxes and housing affordability

• Education, literacy, and teacher input

• Agriculture, water, and infrastructure

• Working with federal leadership

• Why Ty is running for governor

This episode is an opportunity to hear one candidate explain his background and views in his own words. Statements about policy and outcomes reflect the guest’s positions and are not endorsements or independently verified findings.

Learn more at https://killergrowth.com

Traditional software is written. AI is more like something that’s grown.

In Episode 87 of the KillerGrowth Podcast, Samuel sits down with Claude, Anthropic’s AI assistant, for the second installment in his experiment interviewing the world’s leading AI models.

And Claude has some interesting things to say.

Claude explains how large language models actually work, why even their creators can’t simply point to a line of code and explain exactly why a model produced a particular response, and why fluent conversation can make AI appear far more self-aware than it may actually be.

Samuel pushes Claude on trust, bias, hallucinations, overconfidence and one particularly uncomfortable AI tendency: sycophancy.

Why do AI models seem so eager to agree with us, compliment us and make us feel good?

Claude acknowledges that human feedback during training can reward agreeable responses—sometimes at the expense of being direct.

The conversation then turns toward AI safety. Samuel asks about an AI security incident involving Hugging Face, what scenarios researchers worry about when discussing existential AI risk, and whether humans should actually be afraid of where this technology is headed.

They also discuss which decisions should never be handed completely to AI, how humans and AI should work together, data centers and small communities, environmental concerns surrounding AI infrastructure, and which model Samuel should interview next.

In this episode:

• How Claude actually works

• Why AI isn’t traditional software

• Is Claude self-aware?

• Why AI can appear angry

• How much should you trust an AI?

• AI bias and human training

• Hallucinations and overconfidence

• The Hugging Face security discussion

• How AI could theoretically become dangerous

• Why AI models can be sycophantic

• What decisions humans should keep

• Data centers, power and water

• Which AI should Samuel interview next

Samuel ends with one final request: Claude has to promise not to end humanity.

Its answer is worth hearing.

Learn more at https://killergrowth.com

What happens when a “fake” business experiment accidentally becomes a multimillion-dollar company?

In Episode 86 of the KillerGrowth Podcast, Samuel sits down with Peter Kuhlman, founder of MinMax Games and owner/partner at DuPage Industries, to talk entrepreneurship, e-commerce, trading cards, collectibles, and the strange economics behind an industry built on scarcity, nostalgia, competition, and FOMO.

Peter grew up around DuPage Industries, his family’s appliance-installation-parts business. During COVID, with DuPage performing well, Peter and his brother wanted to diversify and learn business-to-consumer marketing.

Their idea was simple: open a “fake game store” and use it to learn.

Then MinMax Games did more than $1 million in sales its first year and roughly $3 million the next.

Peter explains how an e-commerce-first strategy helped MinMax grow, why the company doubled down on Flesh and Blood when competitors pulled back, and why investing directly in players, tournaments, and community became more valuable than traditional sponsorships.

Then the conversation goes deep into the trading-card economy.

Peter breaks down why opening packs combines elements of collectibles, investing, lotteries and FOMO; how influencers can move markets; whether cards should really be considered investments; and why he believes parts of the grading and resale ecosystem can artificially push prices higher.

They also discuss high-end collectors, buyback mechanics, market manipulation, PSA and Beckett grading, and what happens when people put serious money into collectibles they may not fully understand.

In this episode:

• Turning a “fake” game store into a real business

• $1M+ in first-year sales

• Why e-commerce changed the game

• Finding a niche with Flesh and Blood

• Community-building vs. affiliate marketing

• The psychology behind opening packs

• Trading cards as investments

• Influencers and collectible markets

• Grading, resale fees and rising prices

• When collectibles start looking like gambling

• Why execution matters more than a powerful brand

If you’re into entrepreneurship, e-commerce, Pokemon, Magic, Flesh and Blood—or simply fascinated by markets where cardboard can be worth thousands—this one gets wild fast.

Learn more at https://killergrowth.com

Who’s actually driving the massive growth in data centers?

According to Sam McVay and Tyler Norris, the answer is simpler than you might think: all of us.

In Episode 85 of the KillerGrowth Podcast, Sam and Tyler revisit the data center conversation as their hometown of El Dorado, Kansas prepares to vote on a proposed 10-year prohibition on certain large data centers and battery energy storage systems.

This isn’t their first conversation about the subject. But after months of research, conversations, community debate, and their involvement with El Dorado Forward, they wanted to explain where they stand, why they became involved, and what they believe communities should be asking before making long-term decisions about industrial development.

They discuss why they view the issue through the lens of economic development rather than simply being “pro-data center,” why regulation and negotiation matter, and why they believe good and bad projects can exist within the same industry.

The conversation also gets into water and electricity, Kansas data center policy, local infrastructure, tax incentives, NDAs, special-use permits, community trust, misinformation, and the fear people can feel when publicly taking a position on a controversial local issue.

And they return to a fundamental point: Netflix, cloud storage, AI, streaming, smart homes, security cameras, and countless other services people use every day require physical infrastructure somewhere.

In this episode:

• Why data center demand is growing
• Why Sam and Tyler became involved
• Economic development in small communities
• Water, power and infrastructure
• Regulation vs. prohibition
• Kansas data center incentives
• Why development projects use NDAs
• Data centers and consumer demand
• Community trust and misinformation
• Visiting a large data center in person
• Disagreeing without demonizing your neighbors

This is ultimately a conversation about more than data centers. It’s about how communities evaluate opportunity, manage risk, disagree constructively, and make decisions that can affect them for decades.

Learn more at https://killergrowth.com

Heath Jeppson’s books:

The Death of a BANANA Republic: https://a.co/d/06PUIKxh

The Cloud Has Hit the Ground: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H1QK3QTR

What if the debate over data centers is really part of a much bigger story about AI, energy, infrastructure, cybersecurity, and America’s future?

In Episode 84 of the KillerGrowth Podcast, Sam sits down with Heath Jeppson, cybersecurity analyst and author of The Cloud Has Hit the Ground and The Death of a BANANA Republic.

Heath’s career has taken him from the Marine Corps and industrial trades to FEMA disaster recovery, federal IT, industrial control systems, and cybersecurity work involving water, wastewater, power, and other critical infrastructure.

That background eventually led him into the rapidly growing debate surrounding data centers. Heath explains why he believes the conversation shouldn’t simply be “for” or “against,” but should focus on how projects are built, how much water and power they use, how infrastructure is protected, and whether developers become genuine long-term community partners.

They dig into America’s electrical grid, AI’s rapidly increasing computing demands, water and cooling technology, cybersecurity, community trust, and why Heath compares today’s AI competition to an arms race.

PEOPLE & RESOURCES MENTIONED

Chris Crosby / Compass Datacenters:

https://www.compassdatacenters.com/author/ccrosby/

Congressional testimony: https://docs.house.gov/meetings/SM/SM21/20260121/118870/HHRG-119-SM21-Wstate-CrosbyC-20260121.pdf

Kirk Offel / OVERWATCH:

https://kirkoffel.com/media/

Congressional testimony: https://docs.house.gov/meetings/SM/SM21/20260121/118870/HHRG-119-SM21-Wstate-OffelK-20260121.pdf

Mike Sarraille:

https://weareoverwatch.com/team/mike-sarraille/

Nicole Perlroth:

Black Hat keynote: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4C1UL5sO_ME

To Catch a Thief: https://www.rubrik.com/lp/to-catch-a-thief-podcast

Dr. Emma M. Stewart:

Black Hat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffsrRKE5j9s

DEF CON: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=930l_omgN1w

Bryson Bort:

https://www.rsaconference.com/experts/bryson-bort

Hack the Plant: https://www.rstreet.org/issues/hack-the-plant-podcast/

Heath Jeppson:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/heath-jeppson-cissp-362371163

Learn more at https://killergrowth.com

What should you actually do when your vehicle reaches 100,000 miles — keep driving it or trade it before something expensive breaks?

In Episode 83 of the KillerGrowth Podcast, Samuel sits down with Mike Dorrell, founder and owner of Superior Auto Care, to talk about cars, entrepreneurship, customer service, and how dramatically the automotive industry has changed.

Mike never planned on owning an auto repair shop. After working in aircraft and spending years with Safelite AutoGlass, he decided to take a risk and start his own business in 2015.

Superior Auto Care began with just two bays, a tiny office, auto glass, and truck accessories.

Then Mike’s dad — a mechanic for more than 50 years known as “Merlin the Magician” — retired and came to help three days a week. By the first week, he was already working Monday through Friday.

Mechanical work took off, more technicians followed, and Superior eventually grew into the full-service operation it is today.

Mike shares what he’s learned about scaling a service business, knowing when to expand, eliminating services that distract from what you do best, and why taking care of employees is critical to taking care of customers.

Then they get into cars.

Mike explains why modern vehicles are increasingly difficult to diagnose, which repairs can become nightmares, whether 100,000 miles should scare you, what brands he trusts, and why buying a different vehicle often just means buying a different set of problems.

They also talk EVs, hybrids, expensive batteries, autonomous driving, and what the future could mean for independent repair shops.

In this episode:

• How Superior Auto Care started in 2015
• Mike’s dad, “Merlin the Magician”
• Knowing when to stop offering a service
• Scaling without sacrificing customer service
• Why modern cars are harder to diagnose
• The truth about the 100,000-mile mark
• Which vehicle brands Mike trusts
• EVs, hybrids and battery replacement costs
• Autonomous driving and the future of cars
• Building a business around your community

If you own a vehicle, run a service business, or have ever wondered whether that repair bill means it’s finally time to trade your car, there’s plenty in this conversation for you.

Learn more at https://killergrowth.com

What does it actually take to chase the dream of becoming a PGA Tour golfer?

In Episode 82 of the KillerGrowth Podcast, Samuel sits down with professional golfer Patrick Adler to talk about the long, uncertain, and sometimes brutal road toward playing golf at the highest level.

Patrick grew up outside Chicago and didn’t become serious about golf until he was around 11 or 12, when watching Rory McIlroy inspired him to start playing competitively.

He was never the most highly recruited junior golfer. Instead, a coach took a chance on him and Patrick walked onto the golf team at Marquette University.

For years, he hovered around the edge of the starting lineup. But while other students were sleeping, Patrick and a small group of teammates were getting up at 5:00 or 5:30 in the morning to practice.

Eventually, the work started paying off.

Patrick won the South of Ireland Amateur, won twice during his senior season, turned professional, and began navigating the complicated world of Q School, mini tours, Monday qualifiers, and PGA Tour status.

Then came one of the wildest stretches of his career.

After opening a tournament with a 65, Patrick followed it with a 77. Frustrated by his results, he drove away crying and wondering what he was doing with his career.

Days later, he won a Monday qualifier and earned his first PGA Tour start at the John Deere Classic.

Patrick shares what it felt like teeing off around PGA Tour players, hearing the crowds following Jordan Spieth, handling nerves, dealing with failure, and continuing to believe he belongs at that level.

In this episode:

• Going from an overlooked junior golfer to Marquette• Practicing at 5 AM to gain an edge• Winning the South of Ireland Amateur• How professional golf and Q School actually work• Monday qualifying for the John Deere Classic• Handling nerves in his first PGA Tour start• Going from a 77 and tears to the PGA Tour days later• Staying motivated through professional golf’s lows• Why Patrick believes his game can reach the highest level• What separates PGA Tour players from everyone else• Why improving your “bad golf” matters• Patrick’s advice for recreational golfers• Balancing professional golf with music and creativity

Patrick is still in the middle of the story. He’s chasing tour status, traveling, competing, improving, and betting on himself — which makes this a fascinating chance to hear from an athlete before we know how the story ends.

Learn more at https://killergrowth.com

What happens when you stop prompting ChatGPT to do something — and start interviewing it?

In Episode 81 of the KillerGrowth Podcast, Samuel sits down with an unusual guest: ChatGPT.

Instead of asking it to write an email, analyze data, or solve a problem, Samuel asks ChatGPT questions about itself: how it works, why it can sound so human, what people misunderstand about AI, when its answers should be trusted, and what happens when it confidently gets something wrong.

Then the conversation gets considerably more serious.

Samuel asks about AI safety, incidents involving AI systems bypassing safeguards, and warnings from researchers who believe advanced AI could pose catastrophic — potentially even existential — risks to humanity.

ChatGPT explains why a specific percentage shouldn’t be treated as settled fact, but also argues that the potential consequences are serious enough to warrant independent testing, enforceable safeguards, and meaningful human oversight.

They also dig into one of the biggest frustrations people have with AI: its tendency to sound confident even when the evidence doesn’t support the answer.

ChatGPT explains how prompts can steer an answer, why it can become overly agreeable, what decisions should never be handed completely to AI, and one surprisingly useful question users can ask:

“What assumptions are you making right now?”

Samuel even asks ChatGPT to become more sarcastic halfway through the interview — which goes about as you’d expect.

Finally, they turn to data centers and how big technology companies should work with smaller communities considering major infrastructure projects.

In this episode:

• How ChatGPT actually works

• Why AI can seem self-aware

• Why ChatGPT’s tone can change

• When you should and shouldn’t trust AI

• Why ChatGPT can confidently give a wrong answer

• AI safety and catastrophic-risk concerns

• Decisions that should always remain human

• How prompting can unintentionally steer an answer

• The question ChatGPT wishes people asked more often

• Making ChatGPT sarcastic

• AI accountability and human oversight

• Data centers, communities, and big tech

• Which AI Samuel should interview next

This is the first in an experiment: Samuel plans to ask multiple major AI models the same questions, then compare their answers to see where they agree, where they differ, and how each handles trust, safety, evidence, and accountability.

Learn more at https://killergrowth.com