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Before Austin Fashion Week became a Texas fashion powerhouse, Matt Swinney was just a kid from Austin with no fashion background, no industry connections, and no roadmap. He didn’t grow up around couture or runways — he built his way into fashion through grit, reinvention, and a willingness to start over when life forced him to pivot. His journey is messy, real, and exactly what designers and fashion‑career climbers need to hear.

Matt’s story begins far from the glamour of the runway. He grew up in Austin long before it became a creative hub, followed the traditional path into corporate life, and quickly realized he wasn’t built for cubicles or predictable careers. He watched companies rise and collapse during the dot‑com era, learning how unstable “stable jobs” really are. That experience pushed him toward entrepreneurship, where he discovered his real strength: building community and creating platforms for others.

Before fashion, Matt ran magazines, produced events, and built experiences that connected people. Those early projects taught him that Austin was full of creative talent — but fashion had no home. No runway. No ecosystem. No place for designers to grow. Matt saw the gap and stepped into it.

Austin Fashion Week didn’t start with big sponsors or industry backing. It started with belief — belief that Texas designers deserved visibility, belief that fashion didn’t have to live only in New York or LA, and belief that community could build something powerful. Matt brought together designers, boutiques, stylists, models, photographers, and creatives who had been waiting for someone to open the door. He created a platform where emerging designers could show collections without massive budgets, where local talent could be taken seriously, and where Texas fashion could finally be seen.

Over the years, Austin Fashion Week grew into one of the most respected fashion events in the region. Matt expanded into Houston and Dallas, built Fashion X, and became a central figure in the Texas fashion ecosystem. But what makes his story so compelling isn’t the success — it’s the struggle behind it. The failures. The pivots. The moments where he had to rebuild from scratch. The times he had to trust his vision when no one else could see it.

Designers respect Matt because he champions emerging talent and understands the grind. He knows what it feels like to start with nothing, to learn the industry from the outside, and to build a career without a blueprint. His journey is proof that you don’t need a fashion pedigree to make an impact — you need resilience, creativity, and the courage to keep going when the path isn’t clear.

This episode is a deep dive into the truth behind fashion — the part no one talks about. If you’re a designer, stylist, model, or creative trying to break into the industry, Matt’s story will give you clarity, direction, and the confidence to keep pushing. This isn’t a highlight reel. It’s a roadmap for anyone building a career in fashion from the ground up.

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💬 Join the Adventure! Love what you heard? Follow Kali Kat’s Tap Talks for more behind-the-scenes stories, brewery deep dives, and craft beer journeys.

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Kalikatbeeradventures@gmail.com

🍻 Got a brewery or taproom story to share? Reach out—I’d love to feature you on a future episode!

🔥 Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and leave a review—your support helps keep the taps flowing! Until next time, sip, savor, and adventure on! 🍺✨

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What happens when love doesn’t just blind you… but changes you?

In this powerful and deeply personal episode of Kali Kat Tap Talks, we sit down with former ESPN sports broadcaster Peter Young, whose life took a dramatic and heartbreaking turn that no one saw coming.

From the outside, Peter had it all — a successful career, a love story that felt destined, and a future full of promise. But behind the scenes, something far more dangerous was unfolding.

His partner was involved in a secretive cult… one that didn’t just surround him — it slowly changed him.

His thoughts.
His decisions.
His reality.

Blinded by love and influenced by an environment he didn’t fully understand, Peter began to lose himself without even realizing it.

Until everything collapsed.

He lost his career.
He lost his stability.
And most devastating of all… he nearly lost his children.

For years, his kids were manipulated into believing their father was evil — a “devil” figure in their lives. The emotional and psychological damage ran deep, leaving Peter not only fighting to rebuild his own life… but to rediscover who he truly was after being changed by something he couldn’t see clearly at the time.

Now, through his book Stop the Tall Man, Save the Tiger, Peter Young shares his raw, unfiltered journey of survival, awareness, and redemption.

This episode is more than a story — it’s a warning.

We dive into:
• How cult environments can slowly reshape a person’s identity
• The hidden warning signs people often ignore
• How love can make you vulnerable to manipulation
• The emotional toll of losing yourself — and your family
• What it takes to rebuild your identity and regain your children’s trust

This is a story about transformation… but not the kind you choose.

It’s about losing yourself — and finding the strength to come back.

If you’ve ever ignored your instincts, trusted the wrong person, or had to rebuild your life from the ground up — this conversation will stay with you.

👉 Support the podcast:
If this episode moved you, consider supporting Kali Kat Tap Talks — take a sip with me on this journey ☕🍺
Venmo: @Kathyi66

🎧 Listen. Reflect. Share.
Because stories like this need to be heard.

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Support the show

💬 Join the Adventure! Love what you heard? Follow Kali Kat’s Tap Talks for more behind-the-scenes stories, brewery deep dives, and craft beer journeys.

📲 Connect with me:
📷 Instagram: @KaliKatBeerAdventures
🎥 TikTok: @KaliKatBeerAdventures

Kalikatbeeradventures@gmail.com

🍻 Got a brewery or taproom story to share? Reach out—I’d love to feature you on a future episode!

🔥 Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and leave a review—your support helps keep the taps flowing! Until next time, sip, savor, and adventure on! 🍺✨

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Jenn’s story begins with a single phone call the kind that changes everything. When she learned her mother was in kidney failure, she was suddenly thrown into a medical world she didn’t understand. Overnight, she had to learn new terminology, navigate complex systems and communicate with clinicians who didn’t always listen. What started as a daughter trying to advocate for her mother became a journey that reshaped her life.

In this episode of Kali Kat Tap Talks, Jenn shares how stepping into the healthcare system opened her eyes to the gaps in communication, the weight of clinician egos and the emotional toll families face when they’re unprepared. She talks about the moment she realized she had to “learn their language” just to be heard and how that experience changed the way she approached every medical conversation that followed.

As she supported her mother, Jenn also discovered her own rare autoimmune disease. Instead of slowing her down, it deepened her empathy and fueled her purpose. She began working directly with kidney patients and families, witnessing firsthand how many people were blindsided by kidney failure and how often early signs were missed or misunderstood. Through these experiences, she saw the urgent need for education, advocacy and support long before crisis hits.

That’s how Kidney Contenders was born from lived experience, compassion and the determination to make sure no one else walks this path alone. Jenn built the organization to empower families with knowledge, help them navigate the healthcare system and give them the tools she wishes she had from the beginning.

In this episode, Jenn opens up about:

• The phone call that changed her life
• What it’s like to advocate for a loved one in a system that doesn’t always listen
• Learning to communicate with clinicians and navigate medical egos
• Discovering her own autoimmune disease
• The early signs of kidney issues families often miss
• Why she created Kidney Contenders and the impact she hopes to make
• How education and awareness can save lives long before a diagnosis

This conversation is honest, emotional and deeply human. It’s a reminder that behind every medical chart is a family trying to understand, a patient trying to survive and a system that doesn’t always make room for either. Jenn’s story is about resilience, advocacy and turning pain into purpose.

💛 Support the Journey

Kali Kat Tap Talks is an independent show built from real conversations and real people. As I sip and tap into the truth behind the scenes from founders to fighters, survivors to creators your support helps keep these stories alive.

If you’d like to support the show, you can find me on Venmo:
Kali Kat Tap Talks — @kathyi66

Every bit of support helps me continue traveling, recording, editing, and bringing these powerful stories to the world.

🔗 About Kidney Contenders

Kidney Contenders is a nonprofit focused on kidney health education, early detection, and empowering families with the knowledge Jenn wishes she had from

Support the show

💬 Join the Adventure! Love what you heard? Follow Kali Kat’s Tap Talks for more behind-the-scenes stories, brewery deep dives, and craft beer journeys.

📲 Connect with me:
📷 Instagram: @KaliKatBeerAdventures
🎥 TikTok: @KaliKatBeerAdventures

Kalikatbeeradventures@gmail.com

🍻 Got a brewery or taproom story to share? Reach out—I’d love to feature you on a future episode!

🔥 Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and leave a review—your support helps keep the taps flowing! Until next time, sip, savor, and adventure on! 🍺✨