Amanda Monthei is a writer, podcast producer, public information officer and former wildland firefighter who lives in Bellingham, WA. Her background as both a storyteller and a firefighter ultimately led her to start Life with Fire Podcast in 2020, during her first summer off from fighting fire. She started the podcast with the goal of engaging a diverse audience in conversations about wildfire, prescribed fire and building fire resilience in communities across the world, which she accomplishes through in-depth interviews with guests from a variety of backgrounds. Beyond continuing to produce Life with Fire, Amanda also writes about wildfire for publications like The Washington Post and The Atlantic, and spends her summers working as a public information officer on wildfires across the West. When she’s not talking, thinking or learning about wildfire, she can be found playing banjo (often badly), trying to keep up with her friends on her mountain bike or skiing at Mt. Baker Ski Area.