#54 Catching Up with Mark White

Summary

Bubba on the Lake – Episode 54: Catching Up with Mark White

Host: Bill "Bubba" Bussey
Guest: Mark White (Host of The Mark White Show)
Date: April 16, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this lively and heartfelt episode, Bubba reconnects with longtime friend and fellow broadcaster Mark White, fresh off winning an Addie Award for his own radio show. The conversation spans Mark’s unusual and winding journey through life—from tough early years, dreams of football glory, and running a tortilla chip business, to his time in law enforcement and, finally, his rise as a syndicated radio host spotlighting ordinary people making an extraordinary difference. Bubba and Mark reflect on the power of giving back, how laughter and community can help heal, and the unexpected paths our lives sometimes take.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Listener Feedback and Show Updates [00:00–10:00]

• Bubba reads out listener messages (Big Black, Marcus from Tallahassee, Dip and Dan) and answers questions, such as the uptick in listenership from Iran (now 0.21%).
• Quote: "That country [Iran] is hungry for a change...they have been held down a long time." – Bubba [05:03]
• Reflects with humor and earnestness on the importance of grassroots, authentic guests in politics and community.
• Updates on upcoming guests (potentially Riley Green, chasing down Ella Langley) and a tease of daughter Caitlin’s possible podcast appearance.

2. The Mark White Story: From Challenging Childhood to Broadcaster [18:00–32:00]

• Mark recounts hardship as a child—being raised by grandparents, moving constantly, health struggles, and bullying due to being “older than his years.”
• Tries out as a walk-on kicker at the University of Alabama but comes home after his grandfather's passing to support family.
• Serves as a police officer in North Alabama: "As a law enforcement officer, there's only so much you can do. You're confined within a box." – Mark [23:09]
• Quote: "There was a seed planted because I listened to you and I heard your voice and thought, well, I kind of sound like that, too.” – Mark, crediting Bubba’s radio accent as inspiration [24:13–24:27]

3. The Unexpected Tortilla Empire [27:33–32:00]

• Mark opens a tortilla factory (Tortillas Blanco) after being inspired by mission trips to Mexico with his grandfather.
• Grows from factory to restaurant, then gets his chips into over 160 stores across four states, eventually becoming “the official chips of the State of Alabama.”
• Memorable Moment: Legendary coach Gene Stallings holds up White’s chips at an event. [29:29]
• The business, while ambitious, eventually leads to bankruptcy: "I went bankrupt at 30 years old from tortillas." – Mark [40:54]

4. Building The Mark White Show: Mission, Method, and Reach [34:46–46:20]

• The show is born after a family loss, aiming to uplift “difference makers” and share stories of those overcoming adversity.
• Mark hustles—literally—buying blocks of radio time, finding sponsors, and knocking on station doors until he’s heard on seven stations Sundays across Alabama.
• Quote: "If I wasn't getting the word out...I was doing them an injustice." – Mark on his commitment to spreading his guests' messages [43:32]

5. The Power & Balance of Community Radio [46:20–49:52]

• Mark discusses the challenge (and necessity) of carrying heavy stories without falling into Debbie Downer territory and how his approach stays uplifting.
• Bubba commends Mark’s persistence and authentic focus: "Congratulations. That is not an easy trick to pull because some of these things can be heavy." [49:45]

6. Life Struggles: Weight Loss and Personal Evolution [52:10–57:14]

• Mark openly shares his dramatic weight loss journey, losing 120 pounds (from 292 to 171) with help from Mountjaro shots, post-gallbladder surgery, and major lifestyle changes.
• Describes the associated health battles—fatty liver, sleep apnea, diabetes risk—and the emotional battle: “I knew there was a better mark inside of me to help myself physically, but I just couldn’t find it at the time.” – Mark [54:07]
• Encourages openness about mental and physical struggles, breaking the taboo and inspiring others.

7. The Mark White Show: Action & Impact [57:52–60:32]

• Explains how the show and its spinoffs (like “Buddy Benches” in schools, food pantries called “Connie's Cabinet”) take concrete action, not just talk.
• Authored a children’s book, “Riley’s Big Challenge,” inspired by stories of kids facing adversity.
• Quote: “It doesn’t mean doing it on a big scale. You can do little things and make a big difference.” – Mark [58:50]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “My dream didn’t come true until long after that, but there was a seed planted because I listened to you...and thought, well, I kind of sound like that, too.” – Mark White [24:13–24:27]
• “I think our talent was getting up early, you know, and showing up. A lot of people were much more talented, but they just couldn’t get up at that time of day and stay with it.” – Bubba [24:43]
• “I wanted to recognize difference makers. I wanted to show that everyone has a story, just like my dad, just like my grandparents.” – Mark [38:31–38:46]
• “A lot of us have done that...I mean, you’re not alone in that [bankruptcy].” – Bubba, normalizing and destigmatizing financial struggles [41:00]
• On lightening up tough stories: “People want to help… but when you keep coming with that, that can be a kind of a Debbie Downer… your personality and your passion… have made it interesting enough that you pulled that off.” – Bubba [49:45]
• “You can eat an elephant, but you got to do it one bite at a time. You know, you get choked if you try to do too much.” – Bubba’s closing wisdom [60:11]

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Important Segments and Timestamps

• Listener call-ins & show direction – [00:00–15:00]
• Mark’s early years & inspiration – [19:41–26:34]
• Tortilla factory adventures – [27:33–31:48]
• The Mark White Show: inception & growth – [34:46–46:20]
• Broadcasting challenges & advice – [46:20–49:52]
• Weight loss journey – [52:10–57:14]
• Action off the air: Buddy Benches, book, community impact – [57:52–60:32]

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Where to Find Mark White

• Website: themarkwhiteshow.com
• Facebook: The Mark White Show (58,000+ followers)
• Instagram: @themarkwhiteshow
• Children’s Book: “Riley’s Big Challenge”
• On air: Sundays on seven Alabama stations

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Final Thoughts

The episode is an inspiring, good-humored, and often candid exploration of how life’s twists and struggles—whether in tortillas, health, or the radio business—can lead to unanticipated and meaningful impact. Both Bubba and Mark embody the Southern tradition of neighborly care, persistence, and the healing power of laughter, reminding listeners that making a difference doesn’t require fame—just action, one story or small act at a time.

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“Remember, being on the lake is not necessarily a place, but sometimes a state of mind. And until we sail into port again, remember, God loves you and so do we.” – Bubba [62:30]

Transcript

[A]

This podcast is brought to you in part by Russell Lands Coke Buffalo Wild Wings, Southern Immediate Care Guaranteed Labels, Central State bank, Sunrise Docks, Dr. Thomas Dudney and the Green Monster Fishing Light. Now back to Bubba on the Lake. B U double B A on the lake hey. Wishing I could listen to the show every day hey Gotta hear what Bubba his buddies gotta say on B U double B A on the lake in the mellow yellow studio putting on a show Betty say what she always on the go we got on a bus sitting that master control don't wanna miss a moment Cause Bubba's got the flow roll B U double B A on the lake hey Wishing not to listen to the show every day hey Gotta hear what Bubba and his buddies gotta say on B U double B A on the lake Hey. B U B U B B B A B U double B A Hey. B U double B A on the lake hey. Hello again, friends, neighbors and associates everywhere. I'm your semi retired, mostly washed up host, formerly of the Rick and Bubba show and now your host of Bubba on the Lake, also known as the People's Podcast. Welcome in to Bubba on the Lake. I am Bill Bubba Bussy. Thank you for being here with us. We're broadcasting from the Melayella studio and folks, right out of the gate we have some 308 big late comments I want to share. Hey Bubs, it's your boy, Big Black. Man, I'm loving the show. Love you and Hunter, man. I keep up with Hunter on YouTube. I just, I called in just to say, you know, I just heard that the podcast with Ms. Casey let her know she's got a vote. Big Black is voting for her and

[B]

I'm going to try to get as

[A]

many people up here in north Alabama to vote for her because I believe in what she's doing. I love the interview with her and it's refreshing to see someone not having to spend a ton of money just to get elected and knowing that God is doing the lifting for her. So I appreciate you, man. I love you. I hope to get down there to see you one day, man. But you know your boy is always cracking that whip and working. Love you, man. Gotta get my hustle on. Peace. Big shouts to Hunter too. Love you, boy. Peace. Hello, Mr. Bussey, I'm calling from Jackson, Mississippi and I have a question. Maybe you've covered it and I missed it, but I'm wondering over the last several weeks if the number of listeners from Iran has changed up or down

[B]

or has it stayed the same?

[A]

Hey, Bubba, this is Marcus, a short fat ball truck driver out of Tallahassee, Florida. Listen, your new show, which I just originally found just recently, man, your show is great. The format is great. Having your wife on and your wife with her friends, that's great. But listen, you're past the point of one show. You need to ramp that thing up to three shows and maybe turn your little athletic stuff down, get this thing rolling. I love this show. It's a better format than I think you've been a part of in the past. I think everyone's gonna like it.

[B]

I just think you need to turn it up some.

[A]

Turn it up. Marcus out. Hey, Bubba. I mean, doing the podcast. Hold on just a minute. Old dipping Dan here. Just wanted to say I'm enjoying it. I miss you on the radio and I wish you'd tell us what happened. Nobody seems to know. All right, gotta get back. Union breaks over.

[B]

Gotta get back to work.

[A]

See you later everybody.

[B]

Be good.

[A]

Loving the podcast. More Betty Lou. And there you have it. 308, Big Lake. Always enjoy those. We don't, we don't play them every podcast, but we have a handful of them every week and I wanted to get those in. Good to hear from Big Black Ron. Good to hear from you, brother. Miss seeing you and I hope everything is going good for you. We'll try to answer some of these questions. Yeah, we're, we're glad that we had some of these folks on. I'm not going to just put everybody on that's running for office. We don't have to. But I think it's good that you meet some of these people, get to know them outside of the 30 second sound bites that you see on the news and the commercials that they hire these companies to make for them that, you know, sometimes get to be a little repetitious far as, you know, throwing a gun over their shoulder and going to an Alabama Auburn football game and, you know, playing the piano in church. I mean, it's just kind of the same old thing we see every time. Some people hate me for bringing that up, but that's the truth. To the gentleman that wanted to know about Iran, our listership has gone up in Iran. It is still minuscule, but they are now the fourth most listened to country of this podcast. That's up from about eight a while back now. It's still, it's tiny. It's tiny percent. Okay, 99% come from the US but I think the official number was.21%. So about a quarter of 1% is in Iran right now. And I tell you, that country is hungry for a change. Talking to David Nassar, getting the emails from people. That group is ready for a change and they have been held down a long time. They were a very westernized country before the Islamic revolution took over there and they had all that go on. And if you look back at pictures of that country in the 70s, it's going to look very much like the United States. Don't know how it ever got out of hand. I just know that it did. And we should have taken care of this mess 40 years ago. And I thank President Trump for stepping up now and doing something about it. Their leadership, their government leadership, number one exporter of terror in the world. And we tried making deals with them, we've tried giving them money. We're in a two week ceasefire right now. And some people don't like that. They say, trump, why'd you stop? Look, Trump's a dealmaker and don't kid yourself. Trump thinks three moves ahead. I've seen this personally, I have seen it in his policy. He is not an idiot. Look, you may not like him, you may not like the way he goes about things, I got that. But I'm going to tell you, he's not an idiot. He knows what he's doing and he is a deal maker. Now, he had much rather bring them online as an oil producing country and have resorts all along the country like he tried to talk North Korea into doing. But some of these people, they just, they, they can't, they can't fathom that. They can't get on board with that. So I'm glad we have the US Military to put them back in a box. We have set them back 50 years on their nuclear program and hopefully we will have more of that coming up. And if they don't get their act together in this two week ceasefire, I think you're going to see if I can just say this. All hell break loose on what we're going to do to them next. So we're going to make a believer out of them one way or the other or we're just going to break all their toys so they can't hurt anybody. Marcus, great to hear from you. Thank you for calling 308 Big Lake. We would like to do more shows and we have. I love my job at Jack State. I love what we do. We have some changes coming up in that area and hopefully we can get some more shows on. But we love doing the podcast and it's a fun format and we want to definitely do more of it. Always good to hear from Dip and Dan, and I couldn't help but throw that one in there. So remember, if you'd like to comment the numbers 308-244-5253 or 308-Big Lake. Don't forget to, like, subscribe, turn on notifications. We don't you to miss anything from the show and as always, follow us on social media. All of that plays into the giant algorithm of how the show is doing and we want to continue that climb up. You folks have done a wonderful job pushing the show up, and we need to keep doing that. We have a fun summer lined up. We have several guests lined up. I can't really go into detail now, but they are scheduled to appear. One of them's Raleigh Green. I'll just tell you him. I'm trying to run Ella Langley down now. I have a feeling. I actually asked her management company through their website if we could book her for a podcast because she's on a lot of podcasts now. I saw her on two or three this week. We would love to have her own. She's from Hope Hole, which is not far as the crow flies from where we're actually doing the show. And I understand that she visits Lake Martin quite often, so we're going to try to get her on. You talking about somebody who is blind blown up. Now, she's been doing this a long time. Not an overnight success. She's worked very hard, but she has certainly hit her mark with some hit songs. And she is. She is on fire. We may not be able to get her. We may have missed the window. So let me just say this. Of any of you listening to this podcast, if you have a connection to Ella Langley, hook. Hook a brother up, okay? We'd love to get her on the podcast, talk about what she's done, just have a little fun. Get her out on the pontoon boat if possible. And I feel fairly confident that since she was a country music listener growing up, she probably listened to WLWI and Montgomery, which we were the morning show. So I feel like maybe we have some connection there already, but we would love to get her on the show. So anybody has a connection to Ella Langley from Hope Hall, Alabama, let us know. We'd love to have her on. She is doing so good. We're very, very proud of the progress that she has made and her success. All right, got a big show. We're going to talk to a guy, I've known him a long time, named Mark White. He has a program called the Mark White show, and it's a little different than a lot of entertainment shows, but he is a great guy. He's a caring guy. And he recently won an Addie Award for his show at the Birmingham Addy Awards this past Saturday night, which I was attending. And good to see Mark. He'd lost a bunch of weight and I did not recognize him until he starts talking and I hooked back up with him and told him I wanted to get him on and he was very gracious to come on and do that. Also, my daughter, Caitlin Bussey, who we've not heard from in a while, is in town and we're going to try to get her on the podcast. Now, I don't know if we can or not. She's involved in a lot of stuff and she may not be. She may not. She may not stoop to our level to do the podcast. Okay. Is that the best way to say that? No. She's involved in a lot of things and I'm not going to tell you what all she's involved in. I'm going to let her tell you because I don't know how much I can tell you. I don't want to get her in trouble. But I know a lot of you have emailed and said, what about Caitlin? We haven't heard from Caitlin in a while, so we'll try to get you an update on our spirited child who lives in Washington, D.C. and is making her own way. She's trying to get me to run for Congress, I'll tell you that. Okay. And I said, caitlin, I don't want to get into another job. I'm trying to get out of jobs. What are you talking about? I'm trying to get on the pontoon boat. But we'll. We'll talk more about that and it'll be interesting to hear some of your take on that. I'm in an especially good mood for this show. I don't know if it's because we've had so much sunshine lately or the weather. We, you know, it was just a little cool outside, but now it's got warm and that means it's time to get on the boat, which means it's my favorite time of the year, so I'm feeling a little frisky. Speaking of getting on the boat, this is another reason I'm in a good mood. The Russell Marine in Water Boat show is coming up. It will be Friday through Saturday, April 24th to the 26th at the Ridge Marina on Beautiful Lake Martin. The Ridge marina is a golf cart ride from the studio here. So we're very excited. It's the largest in water boat show in the southeast. You can explore over a hundred boats in the water and another hundred on dry land. That's 200 boats, guys. That's a lot of boats to look at. They've got the season's most talked about models from top brands like Bennington, Nautic. Am I saying that knock? How did I used to say that? It's not. No, no. Keek, is it? How do you say that? C Ray. I know they're in there. You can even test ride brand new 2026 Sea Doos on a live demo course. So wear your bathing suit, get out there and get on the course and try these out. It's a perfect weekend for the whole family. There'll be live music, great food from Chick Fil a Los Latina kitchen. They're gonna have a massive vendor village. Plus you can get up to 20% off selected boats and grab early season deals on gear from Yeti, Cosa and a lot of other. If you need more information, go to the Russell Marine website to RSVP and you'll be entered to win a turtle box speaker. And those are really cool too. If you haven't seen those, we'll see you at the Ridge Marina April 24th through the 26th. I will be there. I'll have my visor on my sunglasses and I'm going to be test driving some boats. I may hop on a sea do too. So it's a fun. It's. It's one of my favorite weekends of the year. Don't miss it. If you've never been to it, I beg you, come try it out one time. I think you will enjoy it. It is a lot of fun. So there you go folks. We got a lot to cover and we're going to have to get with it. And we will have Mark White when we come back in just a minute. Thank you for being part of Bubba on the Lake.

[B]

One, two, three. We'll be right back. What a matchup we've got folks. Just non stop action. The energy is electric and the fans are all in. An intense game like this calls for a Coca Cola. Ah, crisp and refreshing. That's a game changer. Yeah, that taste. Scores every time. And just like that, they're back at it. Passionate fans in an ice cold Coca Cola. Now that's a winning combo. No matter the team, no matter the sport, everyone knows fan work is thirsty work. Enjoy A Coca Cola.

[A]

You know one thing I love about Buffalo Wild Wings, you can get wings

[B]

with any of their 26 sauces and dry rubs for takeout and delivery. That's like bringing an entire B dubs home with you, which you can't do. I tried.

[A]

I've knocked down so many walls only to then be told to halt construction

[B]

because I'm not zoned to be a sports bar. Kind of just looks like a big pergola or something. Because of the lack of walls, at least these 26 sauces and dry rubs

[A]

are available to go. Buffalo Wild Wings. Let's go, sports bar. Dr. Dudney has been my dentist for about 20 years. He does a great job taking care of my teeth, making sure my cavities are good, cleaning my teeth, and also adding veneers to my smile, which was a game changer. Now Dr. Dudney and his friendly staff can do the same for you. I ask you to give them a chance. Just talk to them. No cost. Just make an appointment. See what you need. See if you can have a better smile and feel better about yourself today. Give them a call at 205-663-6545 or tedudney.com. Folks, we are back, and we have a very special guest with us, Mark White. Mark is an old friend. Met him many years ago when we were doing the radio show, and he has a radio program that he does, and I've been a guest on his show before, and I'm glad to be able to repay the favor. And, Mark, you. You just won a big award this weekend, huh?

[B]

That's right, with Bubba on the Lake. I have a sticker on the back of my suv, by the way, Bubba,

[A]

that you gave me. Thanks.

[B]

I meant to say that the other night at the Abbey's. I've got a sticker for Bubba on the Lake on the back of my SUV along with the Mark White show. So I'm proud of you, buddy.

[A]

Well, Mark, you. You won an Addie award for your show. Tell us a little bit about that.

[B]

Well, winning an Abby award with the Alabama Broadcasters association really just supports the mission of what I'm trying to do. It says that the work that we're doing to recognize difference makers in our communities and share their stories is important and meaningful. And to receive something like that from an organization that represents media across the state of Alabama is really huge for me and for people who have been willing to share their stories, to be willing to come on the Mark White show, share themselves and what their needs are. And I'm appreciative of the ABA and what they do. This was 20 years. So this was a big event on Saturday recognizing 20 years of Abby Awards. They've been doing this for a while. And as you know, there are some great media organizations who were there last Saturday night, and some incredible people in the media who have done some. Some great things. So being recognized, as I mentioned on the stage, being more of a grassroots guy, getting the ball rolling and using other media outlets to help share those stories, it means a lot to be in that room with those folks and to be able to receive the Abby Award.

[A]

Well, Mark, let's. Let's back up a little bit. Introduce yourself and what you do to the audience.

[B]

Absolutely. So my life was filled with challenges growing up. And I had some situations early on in my first home where things weren't so great. And my grandparents, who took care of me when I was very young, actually gained custody when I was nine years old. And as soon as they gained custody, my granddad was a preacher in Athens, Alabama. He took a job in Birmingham. So halfway through the fourth grade, I moved from Athens to Birmingham into a Birmingham city school called Arthur elementary in Centerpoint and was there for half of fourth grade. Then by fifth grade, I moved to Irwin to elementary school. And then by the sixth grade, I was at Pittman in Hueytown. And so I had a lot of transitions happening from my fourth grade period into the sixth. And by the seventh grade, as I mentioned on the stage, I had major surgery and I was homebound for six months. There was just no stability really at that point other than my grandparents being there for me. There wasn't a lot of stability with the changes and things that were happening. And I had struggles in school myself, and I experienced some folks that didn't treat me so nicely. And it may have been because of being raised by grandparents. I always. I guess I acted a little older than I was.

[A]

Right.

[B]

And you see some people, sometimes you'll see a kid and he talks like he's 50 years old. That was me as a. As a 9, 10, 11 year old. And I don't think kids accepted that very well. And so it gave me some. Some problems. But eventually we were able to come back to North Alabama, which I loved. Athens, Alabama. I loved north Alabama and was able to move to Rogersville, where my granddad took a preaching job there, finished at Lauderdale County High School. I was a place kicker in high school for Lauderdale county and had dreams of playing for the University of Alabama. I went down in 1997, under Mike Dubose as a walk on and had my shot. But there's a lot of guys trying to do what I was trying to do.

[A]

Oh, boy, that's tough.

[B]

You're not the man anymore. You know, when you're at Lauderdale County, A3A school, you're. You're the guy, right? So you go down to the University of Alabama, you've got guys from all over the country. That's their dream, too. And. And I'm. I'm grateful for the opportunity to. To be. To have been down there for a year. Brian Cunningham was actually the starting kicker at the time. Love, Brian. He was a minor high school graduate, great guy. And got to know him when I was there. Sean Alexander was there at the time.

[A]

Yeah,

[B]

right. But the thing about it is, Bubba, we have to try those things. We have to give those things a shot. If you really have a dream and a passion, go for it. And I can never say that I didn't try because I went to the University of Alabama and I walked on as a kicker, and I got some of that experience. But I came back home and got a job, went to work, because unfortunately, the second semester of my freshman year, my grandfather passed away with cancer, and my grandmother was taking care of my brother, and my great grandmother was still with us, and I needed to come home. Mark had been focusing on himself and his dream with his kicking, but he had to come back and go to work. And I became a police officer when I was 21 years old and served for different departments in North Alabama. And I learned a lot from the experiences that I saw from people there through law enforcement, the challenges that people faced, some of the very difficult challenges. And as a law enforcement officer, there's only so much you can do. You're confined within a box. You have to stay within those parameters. And I couldn't just do whatever I wanted to do to help people. And that was something that really took its toll on me, that I knew that there was things that could be done that I could try to help, but I was limited. And one of the things I shared, and I will mention this, I did listen to the radio show when I was in college and high school year listening to you.

[A]

It's been around a while.

[B]

It has, it has. Y' all were actually. Was it Aniston or Gad Gadon when we started? Yeah, yeah, I. I kind of get Gad Gadsden, Aniston. I kind of combine them together in my. For whatever, in my brain. But you would always send People out to jacks and things like that. It was a lot. It was a lot of fun. And I. I listened to you guys, and I listened to you, Bubba. And I had an English teacher at Alabama that she made fun of my accent. I'm in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. I'm in the heart of the south, and I've got a professor making fun of my Southern accent. And I thought, well, if Bubba can be on the radio and he's got a Southern accent, then surely I can do that, too. I can try.

[A]

Sure.

[B]

And my dream didn't come true until long after that, but it was. There was a seed planted. There was a seed planted because I listened to you and. And I heard your voice and thought, well, I kind of sound like that, too.

[A]

I think most that heard us thought, well, that. That can't be that hard, so I'll try. I mean, I can't tell you how many guests we had that went and got their own radio show right after being on the air with us. They thought, man, these idiots can do it. I can do it.

[B]

Easy peasy. Right?

[A]

That's right. That's right. Yeah. Really. I think our talent was getting up early, you know, and showing up. A lot of people were much more talented, but they just couldn't get up that time of day and stay with it. And it took its toll. I mean, look at me. I look like I'm 20 years older than I am.

[B]

But you followed your passion, and you've touched a lot of lives. As I mentioned, Bubba, you have impacted a lot of people, and I know you realize that to a certain extent. But there are people who are never going to be able to share their story with you like I'm doing now, to let you know the impact that you made. So you have. It certainly has been meaningful to a lot of people.

[A]

You know, we were. We were there and we were having fun. And, you know, they say if you're having fun, you never work a day in your life. And that. That certainly was the case with us. But I do run into people, and it happens still today that someone will come up and say, listen, we. We were going through this. This deal with a parent or a spouse or something, and, you know, hospitalization and, you know, just some really stories that'll just tear your heart out and said, you know, listening to that show, we would, you know, we would come out to the car, we would be sure to catch it. And it, you know, it gave us just a laugh when we didn't have anything else to laugh about. And that does mean a lot. And I really do appreciate when people share that. And, you know, it's just another way that God uses you sometimes. You did not. Not necessarily the way you were thinking you were being used. But laughter is. Is a great thing and need it every day. And, you know, sometimes I catch it listening to shows or watching reels or something, you know, and, you know, that's just something about just laughing, you know, it's just. It's just good for your soul in it, Mark.

[B]

It is. And. And I think of myself somewhat as a funny guy, but I took my show down a different path and. And a lot of the struggles that people have, I wanted to focus on them and share their stories, and sometimes there's some humor to it. And I really love what you do, Bubba, because it does bring out a special gift in you, and it allows people to find something humorous maybe in struggles that they have. One of my friends, Jonathan Bragwell, he's actually the vice principal at Athens Bible School now. He's the voice of the Trojans. He was the voice of the Hartsel Tigers for many years. And he actually led me to your program those years ago because he would always say something about you guys, and he loved it back in the 90s. He was listening, and Jonathan was a big supporter of that. And so that led me to that. And I'll share this, too. So it took a lot of years to get to the point where I'm at, and I started a tortilla factory, of all things, back in.

[A]

Tortilla factory.

[B]

Tortilla factory.

[A]

Mark, every time I talk to you, you pull back another layer of the onion, and I'm going, you gotta be kidding me. A tortilla factory.

[B]

Three years after, me and my wife April got married. And it's her birthday, by the way. April's birthday. My wife.

[A]

Happy birthday, April. So Mark has you a big gift, and he's. Oh, yeah, A fancy restaurant.

[B]

Yeah, it was. It was saying that on your program, that's what the gift was. We're in radio, right, Bubba? Come on, don't be on the spot. I'm not in television. But. But three years after we got married, I started a tortilla factory. My grandfather was. He would take me on mission trips to Mexico when I was a kid. And those fresh tortillas really stood out in my mind. And I was still trying to figure out where I was supposed to go, what I was supposed to do. And the bright idea came to me that I would make tortillas in Alabama and I would have folks come and buy fresh flour and corn tortillas from me. And it's funny because as we don't know what things are going to lead to, but it led from the tortillas into making tortilla chips, which were flour tortilla chips that I put cinnamon sugar on. And I would bag those up and sell them. We opened a restaurant. So we had Tortillas Blanco. I opened the restaurant. We were selling our chips at the restaurant. Then I had a store owner come and ask if he could sell my chips in his store. That led to being in food lands in Rogersville and Elgin and Florence and Killen into Sheffield and Muscle Shoals. And I had 13 food lands that were carrying my chips while I was running the tortilla factory, while I was running the restaurant had an old FedEx truck that I put Tortillas Blanco on the side of it. I would drive it to the Shoals.

[A]

Now what was the name of it? Give us that name again.

[B]

Tortillas Blanco.

[A]

Now what does that mean?

[B]

Spanish? Well, Tortillas and then Blanco White for my last name. So it's Tortillas Blanco.

[A]

And it could be a white guy selling it.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

That's right.

[B]

Tortilla chip. And I was recognized by so many different people. Gene Stallings had my chips. I remember vividly him holding that bag up at an event with that national championship ring and holding my Blancos chips up. And you know, he had another brand of chips at the time that he was supporting, but he was holding mine.

[A]

That's funny.

[B]

I was really proud of that. And Governor Riley at the time, he recognized us and we were the official chips of the state of Alabama at one point, because nobody was doing that. The official chips of UNA Athletics. And so we had our chips at Brawley Stadium at Blanco. Blanco.

[A]

Can't get over that. Yeah, that is so funny.

[B]

I ended up on Mitchell distribution and had 160 stores in four states that were carrying the Blancos chips. And so we grew that from just a dream of starting a tortilla factory into a chip business. And it was. It was five years of a lot of work. And April said she'll never work for me again.

[A]

Mark, I got to tell you, of all the things I thought we'd cover today, and you're. You're a very fascinating young man. Tortillo's was. Tortillas was not on the list. Okay. It was not on the list. Anyway,

[B]

I'm a dreamer that takes some action sometimes.

[A]

You are. You are we're talking to Mark White from the Mark Watt show. We're going to take a break, Mark, and we're going to come back and, and really, we haven't told everybody about your, your show. You do. Okay, we've covered your background up to the tortilla factory. But tell me now before we do that, did your wife work for you then?

[B]

She did.

[A]

Was she your wife?

[B]

Yes, and still my wife 24 years later, nearly. She was stacking tortillas. You should have seen her. It was like the I Love Lucy episode where they would stack the candy and put it down. The April did much better than that with the tortillas. She had those stacked so beautifully. And the tortillas would come out of a machine. It would make 400 dozen an hour. And she was there standing at the end of the line and stacking those tortillas. Incredible job. But it's really, it was hard work. It was hot work in the tortilla factory because it's running on gas. It's a hot, it's hot equipment. But she stood there by my side for those years supporting the tortillas blanco effort. Now she's a seamstress in Athens. She has her own sewing shop, so she does alterations and custom clothing and all that.

[A]

Mark, I just have to tell you, tortillas was not on the list today that came so far out of the outfield. I don't know what to do with it.

[B]

There may be more to come.

[A]

Oh, my gosh. We're talking to Mark White from the Mark White show, recent Addy Award winner at the ABA meeting in Birmingham, the Addie Awards. And we'll be right back. And learn a little bit more about this very unusual and surprising man named Mark Watt.

[B]

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boat lift crew on the lake. Sunrise Docks is your lake Life Expert. Call 256-392-5200. We're back with Mark White from the Mark White show and Mark has been telling us a little bit about his background and I knew some of it, but I did not know about tortillas. I'll be honest with you, that that has been a eye opening revelation here today. So Mark, tell us about your show, what you actually do. And you do a little different, but you're on a lot of stations. Tell us all about how that got started and where that's at now.

[B]

Absolutely. So back when I was 35 years old, I didn't have kicking out of my system and I had a friend of mine, Tammy Andrews, who told me about alumni Football usa. And so I organized an alumni football game at Lauderdale County High School. And I went on a program called Applebee's Tailgate Talk. And Tim Lambert was the producer and I was sharing about this fundraiser in this game and, and during our conversation Tim said, why don't you just come on every weekend with us? I was 35 years old and he said, why don't you just come on every Saturday on the Applebee's Tailgate Talk and join us on the show. And I started doing that after that game. I kicked a 45 yard field goal in that game, by the way, and we won by three. I was the mvp. I got it out of my system and I moved into radio the very same week that I got kicking out of my system, man. And I started on Applebee's Tailgate Talk and I did that for two years talking local sports and we would bring on other figures from the NFL, from pro sports and we grew that college players that we would have on and it was an incredible opportunity to sit with a group of guys and Learn radio to be able to do this. And in 2016, my dad, who didn't raise me, he died of cancer. And when he died of cancer, I was with him the last three weeks of his life. And I wasn't interested in doing radio. I wasn't interested at that time in talking sports anymore. My heart was breaking because I was losing my dad.

[A]

Sure.

[B]

And on the Saturdays when I was with him, when he was battling cancer, it's, aren't you going to go to the show, son? No, Daddy, I'm staying with you. And that's what I did. And when he passed away, I was really trying to find what I was supposed to do with myself, like I'd done before with the other things that I'd done. And I was struggling. About a year later, I actually met John Croyle of Big Oat Ranch. And I asked John at an event at the botanical garden. I said, john, is there any way that I could have a meeting with you? And he said, done. That was his word, done. And I'd never heard anybody with a single word just tell me, yes, that's going to happen. And I thought, well, is that it? How am I going to make this? How's it going to happen? Well, I ended up meeting with John, and John saw the pain and the struggle I was going through. I had started a nonprofit called Difference Makers. At the time. I was going to try to help the local homeless in the community. And John, listening to me, he said, you're all over the place. He said, you really don't know what you want to do. And he was really getting me focused with an insult, in a way, to me, because I was thinking, well, man, you're telling me I'm all over the place. I don't have it figured out. And. But it got me focused. And I went to an event in Birmingham, and I saw a guy doing a podcast in the corner. And I went over and talked to him, and I thought, well, I'm already with the radio station doing the sports talk. I'd done that. Maybe I could go back to my producer and ask if I could start my own show. And so I asked how much it would cost. I think for the station in Athens, Alabama, it was about $60 a week. Yeah. To have 30 minutes on a Friday.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And so I asked Tim Lambert, I said, can I have my own show? Can I buy this airtime? And so I found a sponsor, a friend of mine who was a well, driller. And I said, I'd like to be able to cover the cost of this show and recognizing these difference makers in the communities because I had honed in on.

[A]

Now, wait a minute. He was a well driller, but technically a well digger.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

So you could always check with him on the temperature on a cold morning.

[B]

That's right. Yeah.

[A]

And, you know, you mentioned John Kroll. I have to take John. John got me to ride a horse. First and only time I've ever rode a horse.

[B]

Oh, wow.

[A]

I mean, he could talk you into anything. But anyway, go ahead. Go ahead.

[B]

Yeah. So I started the Mark White show, and the idea, the concept was I wanted to recognize difference makers. I wanted to show that there are people out there who are making a difference every single day. I wanted to also show that everybody has a story, just like my dad, just like my grandparents who raised me, all the different people who influenced me. The gentleman I mentioned at the Abbey Awards, Danny Johnson. I want to show the way that people can help other people and make an impact, because I was really losing it after I lost my dad. And so I needed a direction, and that direction was recognizing difference makers like John Croyle and what they've done with Big Oak Ranch and the other organizations. And the very first guest that I ever had was a deputy who I'd worked with. We'd backed each other up, and he was shot in the line of duty. And Randall McCrary is his name. He's no longer with us. He ended up dying years later because of the actual effects of the shot. But he came on the show, and he was also a teacher. So he was a law enforcement officer night, a teacher by day. And he shared how the community supported him and his family during that time to help him get through it with food, with financial support. And Randall shared being a law enforcement officer, being a teacher, juggling that. The second guest I ever had on the show was Jason. And I'm pausing here because my mind is now gone blank. Jason Simpson. Thank you. Jason Simpson. Thank you for the pause. Jason Simpson, who worked in North Alabama as a meteorologist currently in Birmingham. Jason shared about his son Brody and his heart condition and the casting and catching effort. And I had Jason on the show, was my second guest. And so you can kind of see where I was going with it. I was bringing on people.

[A]

At that point, you're just on one station. You're buying time.

[B]

An AM station.

[A]

And how long was your show at that point?

[B]

It was 30 minutes.

[A]

30 minutes. And you just highlighted people that you thought were making a difference.

[B]

That's right. And Back then, because it was a local AM station, I was even doing community announcements.

[A]

Sure.

[B]

So if somebody shared a community announcement, I would share that and we'd go over a list of things that were happening, maybe a chicken stew or some kind of fundraiser, and I would call off those things. You know, it's an AM station, so we're very local.

[A]

And you had tortillas for them if they needed it, right?

[B]

Well, no longer. That was in the past. I had to reinvent myself. And I'll be honest with you, Bubba, I went bankrupt at 30 years old from tortillas.

[A]

Really?

[B]

Absolutely. So, I mean, I think it's worth sharing that. And I've shared.

[A]

Well, a lot of people have had that, you know, and it was hardest

[B]

thing I've ever gone through.

[A]

A lot of us have done that. I mean, not. Didn't file the paperwork, but technically was. Was in bankruptcy. So, I mean, you're not alone in that.

[B]

Well, and that's what I've. I was not as open with people when I first started my show. I wanted people to share their story.

[A]

Right.

[B]

I wanted people to share their struggle. I'm sitting there listening, and I'm encouraged by it, but I'm not quite there to the point where I want to share that I battled depression, that I have other struggles, the things that I'd gone through. But it took all of those people, Bubba, sharing their message, their story, to get me to the point where I was willing to share mine too, and to encourage people where they are. I don't want people to look at me standing on a stage with an Abby award and think, well, Mark White's got it all together. Look at his family. He's got a beautiful wife, a beautiful daughter. Everything's perfect for him. It's not. It's not. But Mark, you didn't.

[A]

You didn't forget to thank your smoking hot wife from stage like everybody else did.

[B]

Well, I'm a little different when it comes to that. And I tell you this, Bubba, I love that. By the way, I appreciated that. April is a very. She's a pretty shy person. I try to be careful about what I say up on the stage about.

[A]

What I'm joking about is somebody said that they. They said they wanted to thank their smoking hot wife. Well, then they said a domino effect where everybody had to say that because if you didn't, your smoking hot wife was going to be very mad with you when you came back with your Addie at the table. It wasn't going to be worth having the award you know, and one guy

[B]

decided that he would thank his smoking hot co workers.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

At one point to make a joke out of it. And I said, I'm sure glad I didn't say that.

[A]

Yeah, smoking hot wife might not like smoking hot co workers.

[B]

It was a fun night.

[A]

It really was.

[B]

I go back to the fact that I'm here to recognize people who are making a difference. I just did a show on a lady right now. Tonight's show is on a lady who's battling cancer. It's a rare form of cancer, and she needs support from the community. I've helped people find kidney donors. We've actually had people through my show that have come on the show and found people that donated kidneys to them.

[A]

Mark, how did you get from one station where you're buying time and how many stations are you hurt on now? I mean, you're basically syndicated, and you did it yourself. You hit the road, you knocked on the doors, you made it happen like the old time did.

[B]

It's not easy, and you know that. You know, I know because you guys started at one station as well.

[A]

Sure.

[B]

And I started at WKC in Athens, which was an AM station. I knew the product was good because the people who were coming on the show needed a vehicle. And what I felt like my obligation to them was, is to get as many people as possible to hear their message. And if I wasn't getting the word out in the way that I knew I could, then I was doing them an injustice. And so I went from WKC, I went down to Birmingham to 101.1, the source. I talked to them. I was buying airtime, so I was actually paying for airtime. And I would find sponsors to cover, just like I did the first time. I would find sponsors to cover the next airtime. I ended up going into radio stations in Birmingham, in Gadsden, in Tuscaloosa, in Russell, in Red Bay, and I was buying all this air. Tom, I don't know if you ever had to do that yourself as far as buying all the airtime. But it's tricky because if you lose a sponsor, you've lost how you're covering the airtime.

[A]

It can get expensive, too, if you're not careful.

[B]

And I would talk to radio owners and try to get them to take my show. And it took a little while, but at the Abby Awards several years ago, I met Kevin Daniels. And Kevin, I talked to him. He works with Rocket City Broadcasting, and I talked to him because they had star 99, rocket 95.1. They had 98.1 the beat. And he was willing to visit with me to let me share about my show. He believed in it enough to put me on Rocket City Broadcasting with the Make a Difference minute with the full show. And so I gained 98.1 the beat as a, As a station to carry my show. And what I did was, because it's public affairs programming and they have to do quarterly reports to the fcc, I take care of those quarterlies for them, and I'm giving them public affairs content which satisfies the fcc.

[A]

Well, that's a valuable thing, too, because that's really, for a lot of radio stations, it's needless paperwork they have to do, and they don't want to do it. You know, they're trying to make budget. They're trying to get out and sell their, Their, their programs. And for you to come along and do that, I mean that, that you lifted a burden off them.

[B]

And a lot of them are piping in programs from outside of our area.

[A]

Right.

[B]

And so they're there. It's content that needs to. It's required. And I'm giving them something that, that is real people. It's real opportunities to make a difference and sharing those in the public affairs world. And it's helping the stations, too. And I will mention then I. I ended up connecting with Lee Perryman, thanks to my buddy Danny Johnson, and went down to Silicaga and met Lee and he talked about his stations, and we did the same thing. So I ended up with.

[A]

And Lee's got a lot of signals, man. He can put you on a bunch of stations, can he?

[B]

He does, yes. And I'm. I'm really. I. I cannot state enough appreciation for people like Kevin and Lee and the others who allow me to have my show on their stations. They're given a guy an opportunity, and I do not take that lightly because I've been given some great opportunities. I'm in Muscle Shoals on wvna. I'm on three stations in Huntsville. I'm out of Sylla, Caga, Alexander City. I have one Internet radio station, Rerun Radio in Gadsden that runs my program. So on Sundays, I have seven different ways to listen to the Mark White Show.

[A]

Mark, I got to say about Lee real quick, I've got to know him much better over the past couple of years. And I'd heard about Lee, but I'd never met him. And I actually met him and Michael in the bathroom at a movie. And we're all standing at the Urinal. And we start talking, which is kind of an odd place to be introduced to somebody.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Because you can't shake their hand. And you know, you just, you kind of, kind of focusing on your business. There's. And we got to talking and I. They listed off, you know, some of their stations and I said, oh, that one right there is one of my favorites. I listen to at the Lake all the time. And I said, I got to come see y' all set up. So we didn't have a lot of time then doing the radio show, but since that's ended, I've had more time to be able to get out and visit and get to know Michael a lot better to his. His right hand man. And Jeremy. And they're just, they're a fun group, you know, I really like them.

[B]

Well, and Bubba, you're an icon. You're an icon in the radio business. Exactly. But a guy like me trying to. Trying to get radio stations to know who I am, to build that, you had already built your reputation years ago. And so I've never seen it as an issue with you being able to get on radio stations because of your reputation, Bubba. And you know, if a radio station is listening and they have an opportunity to take Bubba on the lake, I would encourage them because you have built a foundation that's really solid. And when I saw that you were doing what you were doing, I wanted to support you because you didn't know me from Adam's house cat. But the fact is, is that I appreciated you and I saw what you were doing. You were going out on your own, and I wanted to support your effort. And that's why I've got a sticker on my SUV right now, because I wanted to support you.

[A]

Mark, I'm going to tell you where it's amazing to me because I know we sit down with you when we were doing the radio show and you were telling us what you were doing and looking for ways for outlets, and you, you were telling the story of a lot of people who needed help, who were struggling. And that's not always a popular topic for people. You know, they. They've got their own struggles. They're in traffic, you know, sometimes they want to be picked up. And I know we talked about that, how you got to be careful not to be Debbie Downer, even though you're sharing valuable information for somebody. And, and you've been able to pull that off. And I compliment you that that is not an easy trick to pull because, you know, some of these things can be heavy, you know, and, and people want to know and want to help. But when you, you know, you keep coming with that, that can be. That can be a kind of a Debbie Downer to people. But I think your personality and your passion for it has made it interesting enough that you've pulled that off. So congratulations.

[B]

Well, thank you, Bubba. And I think what really brings this home to people is when they have their own struggles. A lot of people follow the Mark White show. They're not. Granted, there are young people who have gone through some major things I did when I was a child with a major health issue. But if things are going well for you and you're a teen or a twenty something, and you're living your life and you've got your goals and your dreams, and you're not really thinking about the gentleman that's a Vietnam veteran that's struggling with depression. You're not thinking about the mom that has two kids, that's single, that's battling cancer right now and needs support. But when something happens in your life, when a tragedy happens, then you start to look and say, I'm not the only one, and then it starts to matter to you. And I'm not saying that it can't as a young person, because I think it did to me. Going through domestic violence, alcoholism, being raised by my grandparents, being bullied in school, having another issue that I dealt with with my physical looks and the things that I went through, gained an early appreciation for the struggles that people had. And then, as I mentioned, when I got into law enforcement and I was back into these homes where people had these everyday battles, these struggles, these kids that were in really difficult situations that needed help. And it allowed me to see more. All the things that ever happened to me, Bubba, from the tortilla factory to law enforcement, to being tourism director, to all the different things that I've. I've welded in Fairfield, Alabama. I've treated utility poles across the state of Alabama and the Gulf.

[A]

I treated utility poles, tortillas, and a welder. I mean, who. I mean, who has that combination, you know? Come on, Mark. That is unreal.

[B]

Well, and I even drilled the wells with the guy who was a sponsor at one point. I mean, I've done so much, Bubba, trying to find my way. I really did, but it took all of those.

[A]

Well, that's, you know, that's. That's life. And, and you've. You've done it, man. I tell you, I love it. Tell, tell me this. I know you've lost a lot of weight, too. I wanted to cover that briefly and then get where people can hear your show. But tell us about your weight loss, because I. I did not recognize you when I saw you Saturday night until you started talking. And then I knew who you were, and I said, hey, oh, Mark's lost some weight.

[B]

I look more like Tortillas Blanco. Mark, even though I was making chips back then, I was frying chips, and I still. I was okay back, but it didn't gain on me back then. You know what? You know how that works.

[A]

Listen, it sneaks up on you. I'm with you. I got it. Yeah.

[B]

And we'd actually emailed because I heard you talking about taking a shot, and I thought, okay, well, I. I want. I want to talk to Bubba about this and share my experience, and it's been a long road.

[A]

How much weight have you lost?

[B]

Well, I weighed 171 this morning, and the doctor told me last week that I started at 292 in 2024.

[A]

Good, nice. How much?

[B]

I was 292 pounds.

[A]

Topped out. So what have you lost, though? What does that come out to?

[B]

My Math's not very 172 and 2 and 292. What's £120, Mark?

[A]

That is incredible. I mean, I know a lot of people have lost weight with some of the new drugs that are out shots, and I think they got some pills now, and it's. It's made a big difference in a lot of people because, you know, we as Americans, we carry a little extra weight. We. We like to eat, and it can help.

[B]

Yeah, you get to go to a lot of restaurants and try a lot of things.

[A]

They want you there.

[B]

And you get to eat a lot, too. Yeah, well, I love food.

[A]

You know, it can have some detriment to your health. I mean, some people carry it better than others, but, wow, to lose that much. That's incredible. So tell. What did you take and how did you discipline yourself? Or did the shot just give you the willpower not to eat?

[B]

It changed my life. I went into the hydration lounge in Athens. I went to them, and I was crying to the nurse practitioner because my life was spiraling. It's happened a lot in my life with depression and other struggles, and I felt like my weight was something that I was not going to be able to control. I had fatty liver. I was diagnosed. I wasn't told when I was in my 20s and 30s. Now, Mark, if you do this, you may end up with a fatty liver. I was told I Had a fatty liver when I had it. And so that's the first I'd heard. So my liver enzyme numbers were up. I was borderline diabetic. I had a 6.2 A1C sleep apnea. Had gone from a CPAP to a BIPAP with over 100 episodes an hour. Snoring so loud that my wife had to go to the couch. Cora could hear from the bedroom. My life was changing fast. I was a plus 44 waist, and I was not. There was no stopping that at that point in my mind. I couldn't help it. And I was going to eat and I was going to enjoy the food and I was going to die when I died. And that was really kind of. It is what it is. I kind of said. Kind of like my dad used to say, it is what it is. And I was just. I'd let myself go and I knew. I knew there was a better mark inside of me to help myself physically, but I just couldn't find it at the time. And I'd met Charles Barkley several years ago, and me and him got a picture together.

[A]

Hey, Mark, what you doing? Where? Bob? Yeah.

[B]

And now. Now I can put our side by side because he's been losing weight, too, and see Charles Barkley and our success. But it was a long journey and I stayed with it. I started being more careful about what I ate. I had my gallbladder taken out last April. And if you have your gallbladder taken out, that changes a lot of the foods that you eat. The fried foods, they'll hit you like that. And you got to be near a bathroom because not having a gallbladder, you've lost something that's pretty important inside your gut that can help regulate a lot of things.

[A]

Mark, will you believe I had mine taken out and no effect whatsoever. I mean, I didn't miss a beat. Now, they did. They did find liver cancer while they were in there, which was critical. Glad. Glad they found that, took care of that. But I had. I had great results. Mine, I never. I never had anything I couldn't eat. And really everything was better. I mean, it just. I got lucky, I guess.

[B]

I'm a big sweet tea drinker, too. And so if you think about going to a restaurant and you're drinking sweet tea and you finished four glasses before your meal has even arrived, that was me. I could fill a pitcher of tea with a cup and a half of sugar and I could have the whole picture done by the end of the day. I don't do that. Anymore. I drink water now. I love those things. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that I hate those things now. I still. I would enjoy those things. But I have to make changes for my. My health, for my family. I had to make changes. And my liver numbers are back to normal. My A1C was 5.1 last week.

[A]

So what do you take, Mark? What. What shot did you take?

[B]

It's Tirzepatide, Mountjaro.

[A]

Manjaro.

[B]

Yeah, Mountjaro. So terzepatide. And. And what I did, because I had a little bit of gas issues initially with the full dose, and so we split it. So I do two shots a week instead of one at one time. And that helped the symptoms for me.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

And so I've stuck with it. And the weight came off from, like I said, 292 to 171.

[A]

You still take that to maintain where you're at.

[B]

I am on my last vial before I go to maintenance.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

And that's the way I understand it. So they monitored my blood work throughout. And then I've got one more regimen, and then I'm done. And then I start on maintenance. And then the key is going to be to live a lifestyle where my focus has always been losing weight. My focus is now going to be maintaining because I've always been in the lose the weight mode. I've got to lose the weight. No, this is now holding what I've got and maintaining and not going back to old habits.

[A]

Right, Mark, Amazing story. No doubt you're building crowns in heaven with some of the work you're doing. Tell everybody how they can find your show, what your website. Give us your information.

[B]

Well, the easiest way, probably for people who just want to use the website, the markwhiteshow.com they can go to the markwhiteshow.com and then also on Facebook, I have almost 58,000 people that are following on Facebook. And that's the Mark White show, also on Instagram. So Facebook and Instagram. And I do want to mention, too, I wrote a children's book called Riley's Big Challenge. I kind of. I saw your. The. The movie you were in with. You were little. Little bugs.

[A]

I watched that with Cory, Hermie and Wormy, wasn't it?

[B]

Yeah, Herme and Wormy. And. And so, you know, I think about.

[A]

I thought cockroaches, by the way. Water. I mean, top cast, maybe a little bit. Food hoarding cockroaches.

[B]

Okay. I've got to make an impact on kids. Because that's where my struggles began. And had a young lady who was being bullied from south Alabama. Her name was Riley, and her story was shared with me through her mom privately. And one day it hit I need to write a story about Riley's big challenge and what she went through. And so wrote a children's book. And I've been going to schools to share about Riley's big challenge and some of the other things we do just to let people know. We've got a buddy bench effort. So we take buddy benches and put them in schools and where kids are feeling lonely, it gives them a place to sit. And I've been doing benches with recycled bottle caps from a company in Indiana and green tree plastics where we get our benches. And we've got Connie's cabinet where we do food pantries in communities. So we just added Tanner Elementary School last week with Connie's cabinet. Connie had her life taken in Rogersville back in 2015, and I graduated with her son in high school. And so we started doing Connie's cabinets in the community. So I just want to let people know that it's not just me talking about, but there's action to what we do. You got to take that next step. It's great to talk about what you're going to do, but you need to actually do it. And it doesn't mean doing it on a big scale. You can do little things and make a big difference. And that's what I try to show people through the show. Do something for someone. Don't focus on everybody. Focus on somebody. And you will make an impact and you will make a difference. And you've done that for people like myself. Bubba, whether you knew it or not, you were doing that for an 18 year old who was traveling through Tuscaloosa, headed to class in the morning, listening to you on the radio. So you've made an impact. And other people can do the very same thing. They don't have to do it on a big scale. Just start to do something today. Take that step.

[A]

Well, it's a lot like the old saying, you can eat an elephant, but you got to do it one bite at a time. You know, you get choked if you try to do too much. Mark White from the Mark White show. Mark, thanks for taking time with us. We'll have you on again. And your passion is what drives you and what everybody loves about you. So keep that up, okay?

[B]

Love you, buddy. Thank you, man.

[A]

Take care, brother.

[B]

It's Bubba on the lake.

[A]

Bubba on the lake.

[B]

When you need urgent care. Southern Immediate Care is here for you. Illness doesn't follow a 9 to 5 schedule, so we offer support seven days a week at convenient locations throughout Birmingham and Northeast Alabama. Dedicated to serving all ages, from children to adults, Southern Immediate Care offers occupational medicine services including dot physicals and testing. At Southern Immediate Care, your health is our top priority. Visit southern immediatecare.com or call 205-409-2794.

[A]

On the water or off Experience lake life to the fullest at Russell Lands on Lake Martin. Spend your mornings with breakfast at Fanny's. Afternoons you can explore over 100 miles of trails through Russell Forest. And for dinner, how about the Southern Farm to Table flavors at Spring House? Whether you're here for the weekend or you've made your home at the lake, Russell Lands is where community and the land come together. To learn more about upcoming events, visit Russelllands.com come see what Lake life is all about. Illuminate your night fishing adventures with the ultimate in submersible fishing light technology. The Green Monster Fishing Light attracts bait fish and game fish in all water environments. Turn any dock into a vibrant feeding frenzy. Compact, tough and energy efficient, the Green Monster Fishing Light will provide endless hours of family entertainment and enhanced nighttime visibility for safe docking. No dock, no problem with our 24 inch portable green monster Fishing Light. Start landing trophy fish tonight. Visit thegreenmonsterfishinglight.com. All right everybody, welcome back and thank you for being a part of Bubba on the Lake. We're going to wrap it up right there, a great episode with our old friend Mark White. And I can tell you I've known Mark a long time and he has a true passion for caring and helping people and I think you heard that come through. If you listen to his show, you will also hear that come through and we want to thank him for being on the program and also for winning an Addie Award. Congratulations Mark. We are very proud of you as always. We're broadcasting from the Melale Studio. We appreciate Coca Cola being a sponsor of the podcast. Our website is bubbaonthelake.com you can send those email to bubbaubaonthelake.com and that reminds me, Joe Scott Morgan, who we had on the previous podcast, had mentioned if you have any questions about various cases or anything to do with medical examiners, email me. And we're gonna have him on the show again very soon. There's a great podcast. We want to have him back and talk about some of those questions and some of those cases that he has worked on the last few years and of course also also a few historical cases that, you know, I'll have to bring up like jfk. But we'll, we'll cover all that with Joe Scott Morgan on a come coming on a future episode. But get those questions in so I'll have those and I can pose those to him on the program. Folks, we always want you to subscribe, turn on notifications. We don't you to miss anything from the show and follow us on social media. We're going to try to give you some more social media posts this summer with some video tidbits and we're working on that and hopefully that'll be something everybody enjoys. Also, as a programming note, I want to remind everybody that the in water Boat show is coming up at Lake Martin. That's April 24th through the 26th, so mentioned it earlier in the show. I just want to remind you that it's the largest in water boat show in the Southeast. A lot of fun. One of my favorite events of the year. I'll be there with bells on and looking forward to meeting a lot of you guys. And if you see me, please holler at me. It's never a problem. The other note is our spirited child Caitlin Bussey is in the house. She's in town visiting. We have a wedding we have to go to this weekend and we're going to try to get her here on the podcast. Now if you've heard Caitlin in the past and I know there's a lot of Caitlin fans out there because she does not beat around the bush when she speaks. But I don't know what all she can talk about with her job and not so we'll see. But I'm going to try to drag her in for the next podcast, do some recording for the next podcast and that should be a whole lot of fun. So again, thank you all for being a part of Bubba on the Lake. Remember, being on the lake is not necessarily a place, but sometimes a state of mind. And until we sail into port again, remember, God loves you and so do we. Thank you for listening. You're listening to Bubba on the Lake. Hit Me bad.

[B]

A production of Intergalactic Pants and Teas. All rights reserved. At Central State bank, we believe community banking is more than just transactions.

[A]

It's about relationships. For over 100 years, we've been helping

[B]

neighbors grow, businesses thrive and dreams become reality. Because when you bank local, you invest in your community. Central State bank.

[A]

Large enough to serve you, small enough to know you. Visit us today or learn more [e-mail]

[B]

Member FDIC what a matchup we've got folks. Just non stop action. The energy is electric and the fans are all in. An intense game like this calls for a Coca Cola. Crisp and refreshing.

[A]

That's a game changer.

[B]

Yeah, that taste. Scores every time. And just like that, they're back at it. Passionate fans in an ice cold Coca Cola. Now that's a winning combo. No matter the team, no matter the sport. Everyone knows fan work is thirsty work.

[A]

Enjoy a Coca Cola on the water or off. Experience lake life to the fullest at Russell Lands on Lake Martin. If you love the outdoors, then Naturalist Marianne's classroom is where you need to be. She brings the outdoors to you at Russell Crossroads. Or you can see Lake Martin and thousands of acres of undisturbed forest. Taking a guided horseback trail ride through the stables. If you're here for a weekend or you've made your home at the lake, Russell Lands is where community and the land come together. To learn more about upcoming events, visit Russelllands.com come see what Lake life is all about. This podcast is brought to you in part by Russell Lands Coke, Buffalo Wild Wings, Southern Immediate Care Guaranteed Labels Central State bank Sunrise Docs, Dr. Thomas Dudney and the Green Monster Fishing Light B U double B A on the lake hey wishing I could listen to the show every day hey gotta hear what Bubba and his buddies gotta say on B U double B A on the lake in the mellow yellow studio putting on a show Betty say what she always on the go we got Hunter bus sitting at master control don't wanna miss a moment cause Bubba's got the flow B U bubble B A on the lake hey wishing I could listen to the show every day hey gotta

[B]

hear what Bubba and his buddies gotta

[A]

say on B U double B A on the lake Hey B U double B A. On the lake.