A true life podcast, diving deep into actual reality. Hosted by radio talk show host Rob Hunter, Equal Matters is a Community focused on Freedom filled with interviews and life lessons to broaden our perspectives and Grow through Knowledge. Topics will include the America's biggest political challenges from a national and local perspective, how your body works, and what was life like as a police officer. Guests include a U.S. Congressman, a retired New York City Police Officer, three amazing doctors, and a first term Arizona state representative. The adventure is just beginning. An adventure to help us understand each other, to broaden our perspectives, and seek solutions. "People fail to get along because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don't know each other; they don't know each other because they have not communicated with each other." - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
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August 7, 2026Episode 571 hr 6 min
Getting MS Is One Of The Better Things That Happened To Me with Dave Riccio
When Dave Riccio’s body failed him overnight, he embarked on a journey of change.
He asked himself, "Who am I now?"
Dave went from being an employee to owning a business. He runs that business by breaking a few industry rules.
Starting with heart-centered service.
During his journey, he realized that calculated safety was an illusion anyway. That realization gave him the courage to stop appeasing others, trust his internal compass, and build a business anchored in genuine care.
Join Rob Hunter for a conversation on pivoting through crisis, leaning into discomfort, and leading with heart.
You'll hear Dave's philosophies on redefining the auto repair industry. Using heart to do so. And being way more transparent with you so get good facts to make good decisions.
You'll also learn Dave's methods for taking the worst day and turning it into a way to live.
Dave owns Tri City Transmission & Auto Repair in Tempe, AZ.
August 6, 2026Episode 5626 min
Fitting In Leads to Misery. Here's how to Stand Apart.
Fitting in leads to misery.
70 percent admit to fitting in out of fear.
Leaders too.
Only 2 percent would provide honest feedback in a low-stakes situation.
One business owner shied away from a new offer because of criticism. That's the fear of standing apart. "I'll never do business with you again."
I heard that a lot on the radio. "I'll never listen to you again."
Every time I heard that, my ratings went up. Standing apart is good for business. Standing apart is good for leaders.
Trust me, people are looking for Standard Bearers to trust and buy from.
But that won't happen wearing camouflage and fitting in. This podcast is for you if you want to wave your Flag and stand apart.
Ready to wave your Flag? Here's your invitation to send me a message on Telegram (preferred) or book a 15-minute call.
Cheers, Standard Bearer.
July 31, 2026Episode 5516 min
Fauci's Real Legacy (Hint: It's Not Outrage or Worship).
Half think Dr. Anthony Fauci is a hero.
Half are outraged that he pled the Fifth over 100 times in front of Congress.
I'm neither.
Because beneath the worship and anger is his true legacy. One I learned covering the pandemic every day on the radio. You are your own authority.
You create your own reality.
Fauci is not in my bubble. He doesn't make decisions for me. Nor does any president. This is a hallmark of Standard Bearers.
We are our own authority. We don't cede it to bureaucrats, politicians, and influencers.
Fauci taught me that no matter what happens in the world, I have to live in it. I'm guided by my values. Freedom, Truth & Accuracy, Equality, and Justice.
Standard Bearers, tune in to dive deeper into your authority in this episode.
It's your boy, the R-O-B.
Cheers.
July 27, 2026Episode 5413 min
$82 Steak Mediocrity Is A Sign Of The Times
I paid $82 for a steak at one of America's most famous steakhouses. It tasted like a 6 out of 10. That disappointment led to a bigger question and a bigger message.
Smith & Wollensky boldly calls itself America's Steakhouse. They have the setting to back it up. White tablecloths. Big windows overlooking the Chicago River. Servers who walk you through the ranch sourcing, the in-house cuts, the aging process. The whole experience is designed to make you feel like you are about to taste something exceptional.
Then the steak arrived. Sixteen ounces. Eighty-two dollars. And 6-7, as the kids might say.
That is not a restaurant review. It is a symptom.
In this episode of Equal Matters, Rob Hunter takes that $82 disappointment and follows it to where it actually leads. A pattern of companies and leaders getting by on reputation alone. The seafood restaurant that ran out of lobsters. The roofing company with the values on the website that never showed up on time. The air conditioning company that charged premium prices for average work.
Mediocrity has become contagious. And most people have quietly accepted it.
But Rob is not most people.
This episode is a challenge to every business owner, leader, and professional who is tired of adequate and ready to become what he calls the Standard Bearer. The one who means what they say. Does what they say. And then does a little more. Not because the market demands it, but because that is who they are.
The bar is on the floor. The opportunity has never been greater.
This one is for the people who are ready to pick up the flag.
When you are ready to broadcast yourself as The Standard Bearer, hit me up.
robhunter.me
rob@robhunter.me
July 23, 2026Episode 531 hr 25 min
The Grind Is Not The Answer with Eric Walters From A Taste of AZ
What happens when the biggest leap of faith in your life turns out to be the easiest part?
On the debut episode of Storytime, Rob Hunter sits down with longtime friend, colleague, and founder of A Taste of AZ, Eric Walters.
While moving 2,000 miles from Ohio to Arizona, quitting a stable job, and giving up drinking seemed like effortless choices for Eric, his true challenge lay in breaking free from a deeply embedded blue-collar mindset.
Raised in the steel city roots of Youngstown, Ohio (where a person’s worth is strictly measured by their hours on the clock), Eric opens up about the radical shift it took to stop viewing himself as just a cog in the machine.
Listen as Eric shares the powerful, life-altering stories that shaped his journey, including:
The terrifying factory accident that changed his father’s life and inspired Eric to look beyond his small-town borders.The reality of navigating a high-stakes business partnership and learning the art of creative humility.How a spectacular failure as the “second-to-last” salesperson at a debt relief company was actually the universe stepping in to push him toward his true calling.The exact day, April 25th, 2018, he walked away from the corporate world to a soundtrack of Pink Floyd, choosing a life of culinary, craft beer, and community creativity.
It’s an honest conversation about deprogramming the hustle, listening to the universe, and the beautiful, messy process of creating something that brings people together.
Catch up with Eric on Instagram.
Subscribe to A Taste Of AZ here. Learn the best places to eat and drink across the state.
Meet Rob Hunter at robhunter.me
July 16, 2026Episode 5231 min
What The Hell Happened to Russell & Hunter?
Russell & Hunter was the top-rated show in Phoenix. Then it disappeared. Here's why.
I'm Rob Hunter. For 4 years, my big brother Mike Russell and I rocked the mic on 550 KFYI.
This was my calling. My dream. And I was making great money.
Until I walked away.
This is why. It's a story that comes in many parts. Thinking about my future. How I can make a bigger, more positive impact. Philosophical. Adventure.
Working at iHeartMedia was great. Working with Mike was a dream come true.
Here's what I learned...
Division is the largest economy in the world. The right-left cash machine is built on propaganda and lies.
My adventure in entrepreneurship helped me find my new calling. Elevating the Standard Bearers who are redefining their industries.
Standard Bearers are the ones out front with heart-centered values. Change always comes from outside the system, not within it. Standard Bearers will blaze the new path.
July 13, 2026Episode 5122 min
The Truth Is...I'm a Liar
Today, we're doing something a little crazy, a little outrageous, and completely off the wall: we’re telling the absolute truth.
Fresh off an intense, eye-opening retreat in the red rocks of Sedona, Rob is stripping away the polished broadcaster persona to deliver a hard truth to leaders, entrepreneurs, and standard-bearers everywhere: “I am a liar.”
Truth be told, we all are. But if you want to be the standard-bearer who changes your industry for the better, number one isn't enough. You have to live by uncompromising values. Today, Rob is breaking down the exact ways he fell out of alignment with his core values of freedom, truth, equality, and justice during his 27-year broadcasting career, and he reveals why radical transparency is the only way forward.
Inside the Episode:
The New Orleans Compromise: How a young Rob tailored a major speech to a Republican room just to fit in, and why he publicly championed candidates he privately found gross.The David Vitter Story: A firsthand look at the ultimate standard of hypocrisy, featuring a religious-right senator who preached morality on the trail while privately caught up in the infamous "DC Madam" prostitution scandal.The 25% Lie: The dangerous reality of lying to yourself. If you claim to live by your values but only honor them 75% of the time, you aren't leading. Instead, you are managing a compromise.How True Change Happens: Laws don't change industries or societies because people do. When a leader steps forward, steps out of their comfort zone, and exposes their own misalignment, they pull people out of a defensive crouch and set a whole new standard.
Are you living an aligned life, or are you telling yourself little white lies just to avoid rocking the boat? It’s time to stop letting the fear of being Outkast dictate your narrative and start stepping into your true authority.
July 11, 2026Episode 5020 min
The World Is Looking For Standard Bearers
Boredom has crept across the land.
Millions are uninspired by the current conditions. Technology, politics, wealth disparity.
Clearly, we are divided.
This is your opportunity to become a standard bearer. A standard bearer isn't satisfied with being number one or the best in their industry.
Standard bearers are here to change their industries for the better. Or lead their company to new heights.
Hi, I'm Rob Hunter.
I help standard bearers rewrite the rules. Because we all need things to be a little better, a little less chaotic, and a little more fun.
Find out more at RobHunter.me
June 5, 2026Episode 4935 min
One Word Almost Cost Me Everything. How to Rewrite Your Life Story.
One word had an outsized influence on my life story.
That word is depression.
Diagnosed at 19, I carried that word around like a guilty verdict for 20 years. A word that became the central theme in the story I was living. My story’s theme became a sentence.
Depression became my label and my excuse.
“I can’t help it,” I’d say after making a poor decision.
And I believed it. Because four people told me so. First, a nurse. Then a therapist, a psychiatrist, and a second therapist. All of them experts with diplomas and credentials. Hearing the same word over and over again shaped an identity.
Because language is contagious. It works like a virus, traveling from person to person. From expert to teenager. In my case, four experts, later reinforced by three more. Depression was running wild in the background, authoring my decisions and shaping my choices. I was living a story I didn’t write. I was the narrator in the expert’s story, using their labels to define me.
Meanwhile, I had a successful radio career. Awards, accolades, and ratings increases. None of it shifted the story. Because the same thoughts were running on repeat. Radio stations play the hits.
My records on repeat were “You aren’t good enough.”
“You can’t help it. This is just who you are, who you always be.”
“This is something you’ll have to manage forever.”
That’s what they told me.
Then one afternoon in Los Angeles, six words freed me from that 20-year sentence. A different sentence that set me free.
“Your thoughts are not your own.”
A woman named Mary Morrissey said that from a stage in Los Angeles. I was sitting toward the back of the room. I didn’t understand it at first. But she went on to explain that you pick up words from experts, family, marketing, and culture. Those words take root. They start influencing your decisions. Decisions shape your story.
This sentence was like a verdict getting overturned.
Because if those thoughts weren’t mine, the story wasn’t mine either. And if the story wasn’t mine, I could write a different one.
That’s exactly what I did.
This episode of Equal Matters is about that journey. Living a story through the Depression Era in America. An industry that started in 1987. An era that still hasn’t ended. Therapy is a $100 billion industry. 45 million Americans are on antidepressants. And the industry keeps generating new words to influence people’s stories the way depression influenced mine.
Words like toxic, trauma, and triggered.
Words like narcissist, gaslighting, and neurodivergent.
For 20 years, I lived inside someone else’s language. Depression was the main character of my story. I was playing a supporting role in my own life. Until I stepped into the role that was always mine.
The main character that shapes the world around him, rather than waiting for the world to shape me. No matter what’s happening in the world, I still have to live in it. And since I’m writing the story, I’m in charge.
This episode is personal. It’s real. And if you’ve ever used a label to explain away a decision you’re not proud of, you’ll find yourself in good company.
Share
Watch now and share this with a friend.
Cheers.
-Rob
May 27, 2026Episode 4819 min
You’re Being Played by AI (And You’ve Been Played Before)
You’ve been sold a story.
By the government. By the media. By AI companies promising to save the world. By wellness gurus warning you that the train is leaving and you'd better get on.
Most of the time, you don’t even know it’s happening. It’s part of our culture.
That’s the power of language. It doesn’t announce itself. It seeps in. You breathe it, you absorb it, and before long, you’re living someone else’s story instead of your own.
I learned this the hard way. In 2003, I was a young broadcaster in New Orleans. I believed Colin Powell standing at the United Nations propagandizing for war. He was the honest, trustworthy general.
No weapons of mass destruction were ever found in Iraq.
That moment changed how I’ve listened to everything since. Because I was played. Propagandized.
Today, I break down why language is the most influential force in your life, how propaganda works in plain sight, and the four filters I use every single day to cut through the noise and stay free.
This isn’t about cynicism. It’s about clarity and understanding the world as it is.
Cheers, Rob
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