Between Two Cones
Traffic cones mark work zones, but they also mark the space where real conversations happen. Hosted by Trish Clarke and Amanda Holland, Between Two Cones is where transportation meets leadership, snacks, and the occasional weird question. From candid stories to surprising wisdom, our guests bring the human side of infrastructure, public service, and the roads we travel every day. Snack-fueled. Cone-approved. Sometimes serious, sometimes silly — always real.
Episodes
"Discipline trumps talent, every time."Dan Ball didn't plan on engineering, a blown-out shoulder his senior year sent him to West Point instead. Decades later he's a retired Army officer and Professor of Practice running Texas A&M's Engineering Academy, a program that's grown enrollment 200% and opened engineering to students who never thought they had a shot.What we get into:
- Building access: how the Academy model reaches f...
"You've cracked the code on how to have data-driven vibes."
How does a state DOT rack up 18 million views on a Bigfoot webcam post, and back it up with real strategy instead of just luck? Ryan Overton (Director of Communications) and RB McKeon (Northwest Region Communications Manager) at Washington State Department of Transportation join Mandy and Trish to break down how good comms work actually happens: gut instinct first, data sec...
What happens when you throw away the corporate buzzwords and look at leadership through a purely human lens? In this episode of Between Two Cones, Trish and Amanda sit down with Brandye Hendrickson, Deputy Executive Director of Planning and Administration at TxDOT. Brandye takes us on her incredible career journey, starting from an entry-level HR position in Indiana to leading a massive highway district as its first female director...
TL;DR: What happens when an agency executive is dubbed the "Jiminy Cricket of the DOT"? You get 36 years of absolute integrity, systems-thinking victories, and a masterclass in workforce continuity. Lee Wilkinson strips away the "keynote speaker" polish to give us the raw operational blueprint for building a true learning organization. If you want to know how to protect your team, manage up without losing your soul, and embed conti...
TL;DR – BK Moody hooks up Space Invaders to defensive driving, revamps TxDOT safety programs, and spends his weekends dodging flying tires on the independent monster truck circuit. It’s a masterclass in high-stakes operations, real-world grit, and down-to-earth leadership.
What happens when your weekday safety instructor spends his Saturdays standing on the dirt floor of a stadium arena while 12,000-pound trucks fly thr...
"There’s a whole world happening behind the cones, cameras, and gantries we drive under every day."
Most of us treat toll roads like a "set it and forget it" utility. But for Fabiola Bowers, Traffic and Incident Manager at the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (CTRMA), the highway is a living, breathing system that requires 24/7 tactical management.
In this episode, Fabiola pulls back the curtain on the "invisible" work...
Former transportation executive Marc Luiken joins Mandy and Trish to share his battle-tested strategy for turning "work obligations" into high-performance culture zones. If you’re tired of meetings that feel like a waste of time, this episode is your manual for change.
In this episode, we break down:
The "Rank-Free" Zone: Why the best ideas happen when titles are left at the door.
ELMO to the Rescue: How to use the "Enough, ...
TL;DR - Leadership is not just strategy and structure. It is showing up when life hits hard. Kelly Hutchinson shares what happens when public service becomes deeply personal, and why the most important leadership moments often happen off the org chart.In this episode, Kelly Hutchinson joins us to talk about what really happens when leadership stops being theoretical and starts getting personal.We explore the moments that don’...
TL;DR: If you’re navigating constant change, supporting others through it, and still expected to keep things moving, this episode is for you.
This conversation offers a grounded take on leadership, resilience, and purpose in the space where real decisions get made.
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Most leadership doesn’t happen in big moments or bold declarations. It happens between strategy and delivery, between plans and pavement, where the press...
This quick trailer gives you a taste of what’s coming on Between Two Cones. Hosted by Trish and Amanda, the show dives into the people, ideas, and behind-the-scenes stories shaping transportation. Hit follow so you don’t miss our next episode!
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