Best Melissa Bates • Northern Air Podcasts (2025)

1
020- From Employee Mindset to Empire Builder: The Psychology of Skipping Steps in Business 4:09

6d ago4:09

4:09

Joe transformed his HVAC company from six to twenty employees by confronting a fundamental truth about entrepreneurial psychology: the tension between wanting to skip steps and learning essential lessons the hard way. This conversation explores the mental shift from fearing your first hire to actively seeking team expansion, and why some people are…

1
019 - "How One Partnership Changed Everything: A Plumbing Business Transformation" 4:56

12d ago4:56

4:56

Joe shares his journey from being a solo plumber trapped by fear and scarcity thinking to acquiring Northern Air and building a real team. He opens up about the mental barriers that kept him stuck doing all the work himself, even with part-time help, and how the opportunity to partner with an established company shifted his entire approach to growt…

1
018-From Solo to Team: The Surprising Truth About Hiring Your First Employee 7:48

20d ago7:48

7:48

Hiring his first employee forced Joe to rethink his work-life balance, productivity, and leadership style, revealing unexpected benefits and tough lessons about growth. The shift from solo operator to mentor and manager opened new doors for connection and efficiency, while also highlighting the challenge of finding and keeping good people. Tune in …

1
017-Letting Go to Grow: A Small Business Owner’s Journey 9:32

26d ago9:32

9:32

DESCRIPTION Joe and Melissa explore the emotional and practical challenges of scaling a small business, from Joe’s struggle to hire his first employee to the invaluable role their children played in the journey. This candid conversation reveals the tension between control and growth, and the importance of family in building a legacy. Perfect for en…

1
016-Manuals and Mentors: How Ian’s Struggles Shaped a Family’s Resilience 7:12

1M ago7:12

7:12

Joe and Melissa Bates overcame their son Ian’s dyslexia by tailoring homeschooling to his needs, using tools like red transparency sheets and embracing his passion for manuals. They leaned on mentors and community support to navigate challenges in parenting and marriage. Their journey highlights how creative problem-solving and intentional relation…

1
015-Unschooling the Schoolroom: Joe and Melissa Bates on Tailored Learning 9:18

1M ago9:18

9:18

Joe and Melissa Bates abandoned traditional schooling setups to tailor homeschooling to their children’s unique learning styles. They learned through costly missteps that education thrives on flexibility, like studying on a couch or with music, rather than rigid structures. Their journey shows how embracing individual strengths can transform learni…

1
014-Experimenting with Life: Joe and Melissa Bates on Debt-Free Living and Innovation 6:04

2M ago6:04

6:04

Joe and Melissa Bates defied convention by building a debt-free plumbing business through creative hustling and Dave Ramsey’s financial principles. Their relentless experimentation, from Menards aisles to social media, shaped a resilient family and business. Mentors and homeschooling reinforced their commitment to questioning norms and passing on f…

1
013-Embracing Differences: Homeschooling and Life Lessons from Joe and Melissa Bates 9:26

2M ago9:26

9:26

Joe and Melissa Bates share their journey of homeschooling and running a business while embracing differences in themselves and their children. Inspired by their church community, they defied traditional paths in education and pivoted their plumbing business to focus on service over convention. Their story is a vivid exploration of adaptability, re…

1
012-The Bates’ Way: Tailoring Education to Fit Each Child 12:18

2M ago12:18

12:18

Joe and Melissa Bates open up about their bold decision to homeschool their four children, driven by a desire to nurture independent thinkers who stand firm in their beliefs. They share the challenges of adapting to each child’s distinct learning style, from their creative eldest, Cassidy, to their sensitive daughter, Ella, and how these lessons re…

1
011-The Ripple Effect: How Mentors Shaped a Plumbing Empire and a Marriage 4:45

2M ago4:45

4:45

Joe and Melissa Bates recount how a layoff sparked Legacy Plumbing and Heating, guided by mentors who shaped their business and family life. They reflect on the wisdom poured into them and their drive to pay it forward in their community. This episode captures the grit of entrepreneurship and the quiet strength of human connection. BIG IDEA “When I…

1
010-Faith Over Fear: Building a Legacy Against All Odds 10:37

3M ago10:37

10:37

Joe and Melissa Bates recount starting a business amid economic hardship, raising four kids while relying on faith to overcome fear. Sacrificing their retirement for a truck and growing their own food, they built a legacy of resilience and integrity. Their story shows how trust and purpose can transform struggle into strength. BIG IDEA “God is bigg…

1
009-When God Throws a Curveball: Our Family’s Leap of Faith 9:09

3M ago9:09

9:09

Joe was laid off in January 2009, facing a bleak winter with a new house, four kids, and no job prospects. In a pivotal moment, Melissa countered his fear with “God’s got this,” sparking a shift from despair to determination. This episode traces their journey of resilience and faith through the chaos of the Great Recession. Contact us at FeelNorthe…

1
008-Hazing, Humor, and Humility: Inside the World of Minnesota Plumbers 10:47

3M ago10:47

10:47

Joe and Melissa Bates unpack his raw journey from hospital clerk to master plumber in Minnesota, shaped by a mentor’s patience and the humbling art of cutting pipe straight. Beyond the tools, this episode of Feel Northern Air reveals the gritty camaraderie of job-site hazing and the quiet pride of mastering a trade. Hit play for a tactile glimpse i…

1
007-Integrity Over Conformity: Our Homeschool Way 14:08

3M ago14:08

14:08

How do you raise kids who stand firm in a world that pulls them to conform? In this episode, Joe and Melissa Bates peel back the layers of their homeschooling life, where faith, community, and conviction collide with real-world challenges. From multi-generational Sabbath gatherings to a teen selling HVAC to folks triple his age, they share how thei…

1
006-From Little House to Big Lessons: Unforgettable Trips 9:34

3M ago9:34

9:34

Picture this: a creaky 1972 pop-up camper swaying in a Minnesota storm, parked at the end of an airplane runway, with a family of six scrambling for safety in a mosquito-infested truck bed. In Episode 3 of the Feel Northern Air Podcast, Joe and Melissa Bates relive their wildest homeschool adventure—a trip to the Laura Ingalls Wilder pageant in Wal…

1
005-Failure as Fuel: Our Homeschool Experiment 11:26

4M ago11:26

11:26

What does it take to raise kids who thrive outside the traditional classroom? In Episode 2 of the Feel Northern Air Podcast, Joe and Melissa Bates dive into the uncharted waters of homeschooling after a move to Minnesota leaves them isolated and searching for connection. A chance encounter with a fellow homeschooling family sparks a lifeline—practi…

1
004-Why We Ditched School Rules for Our Kids 9:25

4M ago9:25

9:25

What happens when two parents with opposite instincts—one a rule-following athlete, the other a free-spirited dreamer—face the daunting choice of how to educate their kids? In this raw, relatable debut episode of the Feel Northern Air Podcast, Melissa and Joe Bates unpack their journey from clashing perspectives to an unexpected homeschooling exper…

1
003-New Guy, New World: Surviving Aitkin’s Trades and Temps 5:15

4M ago5:15

5:15

Joe steps out of an Illinois hospital gig into the raw, frostbitten unknown of Aitkin’s trades, where self-doubt gnaws as fiercely as the subzero winds. Picture a guy who’d never swung a hammer, now hauling pipe and digging ditches, his shiny new hiking boots laughably outmatched by the job. Melissa smirks recalling the ribbing from weathered crew …

1
002-From Chicago’s Edge to Aitkin’s Quiet: A Family’s Bold Reset 9:51

4M ago9:51

9:51

Joe and Melissa unravel the jarring shift from Chicago’s restless pulse—where convenience hummed 24/7 and violence lurked too close—to Aitkin’s stillness, where shops shut at five and a fevered kid meant a 45-minute trek for Tylenol. They trade gang threats for woods deep enough to lose yourself in, swapping urban blocks for miles of silence. Melis…

1
001-Why We Left Illinois for a Frozen New Start 11:03

4M ago11:03

11:03

Joe and Melissa Bates peel back the layers of their leap from a noisy, unsafe Illinois city life to the quiet, frigid unknowns of rural Minnesota. Picture this: a young couple, two small kids in tow, waking to bar fights across the street, clutching a baseball bat for peace of mind. Then, a vacant family home in Aitkin, a daughter’s medical needs, …

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Melissa Bates • Northern Air Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

1
Feel Northern Air

Joe & Melissa Bates • Northern Air

1
020- From Employee Mindset to Empire Builder: The Psychology of Skipping Steps in Business 4:09

1
019 - "How One Partnership Changed Everything: A Plumbing Business Transformation" 4:56

1
018-From Solo to Team: The Surprising Truth About Hiring Your First Employee 7:48

1
017-Letting Go to Grow: A Small Business Owner’s Journey 9:32

1
016-Manuals and Mentors: How Ian’s Struggles Shaped a Family’s Resilience 7:12

1
015-Unschooling the Schoolroom: Joe and Melissa Bates on Tailored Learning 9:18

1
014-Experimenting with Life: Joe and Melissa Bates on Debt-Free Living and Innovation 6:04

1
013-Embracing Differences: Homeschooling and Life Lessons from Joe and Melissa Bates 9:26

1
012-The Bates’ Way: Tailoring Education to Fit Each Child 12:18

1
011-The Ripple Effect: How Mentors Shaped a Plumbing Empire and a Marriage 4:45

1
010-Faith Over Fear: Building a Legacy Against All Odds 10:37

1
009-When God Throws a Curveball: Our Family’s Leap of Faith 9:09

1
008-Hazing, Humor, and Humility: Inside the World of Minnesota Plumbers 10:47

1
007-Integrity Over Conformity: Our Homeschool Way 14:08

1
006-From Little House to Big Lessons: Unforgettable Trips 9:34

1
005-Failure as Fuel: Our Homeschool Experiment 11:26

1
004-Why We Ditched School Rules for Our Kids 9:25

1
003-New Guy, New World: Surviving Aitkin’s Trades and Temps 5:15

1
002-From Chicago’s Edge to Aitkin’s Quiet: A Family’s Bold Reset 9:51

1
001-Why We Left Illinois for a Frozen New Start 11:03

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