Swim Lessons

Brandon Hines Jr. is a standout running back for Minot State University. He is also one of the most driven football players in the NSIC Football League and has the stats to prove it. Brandon joins Swim Lessons to talk about the work behind becoming a great running back, the pressure that comes with being counted on every game day, preparing for the next level, chasing big goals, and what people do...

Melissa is a respected mental health professional and a familiar voice in the volleyball community through her color commentary work with PSP Network. In this episode, we get beyond the game and into the real conversations: anxiety, burnout, performance pressure, identity, support systems, and the importance of creating environments where athletes and everyone else feel safe asking for help. Conne...

Jett Lundeen is a Minot native, a Minot State football player, and a guy living out the hometown dream. After getting his opportunity at quarterback last week, Jett stepped in and made the most of it. Playing in front of family, friends, and the community that has supported him his entire life. Jett joins Swim Lessons to talk about growing up in Minot, staying home to play football for Minot State...

Jaden Wahlund is an assistant basketball coach/teacher at Sheyenne High School located in Fargo, North Dakota. Jaden joins the podcast to talk about basketball, coaching, life, lessons learned along the way, and plenty more. This one goes far beyond X's and O's. We get into the people and experiences that shape you, the realities behind coaching, growing through different stages of life, and a lot...

Chauncy Hendershot is the head football coach at Minot High School. Chauncy joins Swim Lessons the Podcast to talk Minot High football, building a winning culture, preparing student-athletes for the season, expectations around the program, leadership, and what it takes to compete every Friday night.  We also get into the mindset behind coaching high school football, the community support around Mi...

Minot State football is building something, and Head Coach Ian Shields joins Swim Lessons the Podcast to talk about it. Coach Shields sits down for a real conversation about the direction of the Beavers program, recruiting North Dakota and the region, developing young men, competing in the NSIC, building a winning culture, and what Minot State football fans can expect going forward.

Pete Stanton is the Head Football Coach and Athletic Director of the Dickinson State Blue Hawks. Coach Stanton joins Swim Lessons the Podcast to talk about building a winning culture at Dickinson State, the recruiting process, developing young men through football, the work that happens behind the scenes, and what it takes to compete at the college level. We also get into Blue Hawks football, lead...

Ron Wingenbach is the head football coach of the Century Patriots in Bismarck, North Dakota. Coach Wingenbach joins Swim Lessons the Podcast to talk about Century Patriots football, building a winning culture, developing young men, the realities of North Dakota high school sports, competition, leadership, accountability, and what it takes to create a program that players are proud to represent. Fo...

Rocky Larson is the Head Football Coach and Athletic Director at Mayville State University. Coach Larson joins Swim Lessons to talk about building the Comets football program, developing a winning culture, recruiting in today's college football landscape, leadership, and what it takes to lead both a team and an athletic department. Rocky is entering his seventh season leading Mayville State Footba...

Shann Schillinger is the head football coach at the University of Mary, a former NFL defensive back, and has one of the more interesting football paths you'll hear. Before taking over the Marauders program, Shann's path took him from a small high school in Montana to Division I football, the NFL, and eventually into coaching. In this episode, we sit down to talk about what football is really like...

Blaise Kautzman is a comedian, radio host, and podcaster. In this episode, Blaise sits down to talk comedy, life in the Midwest, radio, chasing creative work, bombing, winning, and the stories that come with trying to make people laugh for a living. We get into the grind behind stand-up and building a name in entertainment.

Scott Bethke is a Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse jockey who has won 50 races this summer alone. He's also been the leading rider at Chippewa Downs and The North Dakota Horse Park. Scott grew up riding horses and eventually found his way into the world of horse racing, where every race is a mix of preparation, instinct, risk, athleticism, and pure competition. We get into what it's really like bein...

Bubby Harr is the longtime track announcer at the North Dakota Horse Park, and a passionate advocate for horse racing. He joins Swim Lessons the Podcast to talk about life at the track, calling races, the people and stories that make horse racing special.

Luke Martinez joins the show to talk basketball, life, and the long road to redemption. We get into his journey from North Dakota gyms to Williston State, the jump to Wyoming, and how he carved out a decade of success hooping professionally in Mexico. It's a full sit down about talent, adversity, and what it really takes to keep going when everything feels like it's slipping away.

Chad is an entrepreneur, real estate leader, restaurant owner, and cofounder of Prairie Grit Adaptive Sport- an organization built from real life, real family, and a real mission to help kids and adults with disabilities experience sports in a whole new way. What makes Chad's story stand out is the heart behind it. Inspired by his son Palmer, he and his wife helped create something that is changin...

Jesse Roberts is stepping into a brand-new chapter as the Head Girls Basketball Coach at Minot North High School after spending years as a longtime assistant with the Minot High Majettes. That includes helping bring home a state championship. In this episode, we talk about the journey, the grind, basketball life, coaching, leadership, and everything in between. From winning at the highest level to...

Matt Samson's brother Brady was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy at age five. Matt watched him fight that disease with everything he had until Brady passed away far too young. But watching that strength up close changed Matt forever. He became a chiropractor to help others fight through pain, and now runs a charity event in Brady's honor to support families facing the same battle. This is a raw,...

In this episode, I sit down with Dorion Cipriani, the founder and commissioner of the Dakota Basketball League (DBL). A brand new professional league being built from the ground up for North Dakota players 18 and older. No blueprint. No precedent. Just an idea, a state full of overlooked talent, and a guy who decided someone had to build it. The DBL won't tip off until 2027, but Dorion isn't waiti...

Mike Schitt has lived two lives most people can only imagine. He spent years as a federal agent and decades inside the world of hockey officiating. Now he's the NCHC Director of Officials, running the officiating program for one of the toughest conferences in college hockey

Eli threw a 17-strikeout perfect game, got named North Dakota's Gatorade Player of the Year, and signed with Creighton as the #1 baseball prospect in the state. Then a season-ending injury nearly took it all away. In this episode of the Swim Lessons Podcast, we sit down with Eli Nissen. A left-handed pitcher from Minot, ND, who is now grinding it out in the Big East with Creighton Baseball.

Coach of the Year Brian Khraler sits down for an unfiltered conversation about life, baseball, and what it really takes to build a winning program at Minot North High School. Fresh off being named Coach of the Year, we get into everything: his path into coaching, how he builds culture in the dugout, the mental side of the game, and the life lessons baseball teaches that go way beyond the diamond....

From college football sidelines to life on the ranch, Lane Caraballo is living two worlds at once. In this episode of Swim Lessons Podcast, Lane breaks down what it's really like coaching football at the University of Mary while being a major part of the Glasoe Angus operation back home. We get into everything from film room grind, recruiting, building a tough locker room culture, early mornings o...

He trained with Brock Lesnar. Competed in the UFC. Then walked away from it all to build an empire on the North Dakota prairie. Chris Tuchscherer has lived two incredible lives, and he's holding nothing back. The stories from the gym. The grind of the UFC. The moment he knew it was time to move on. And how he turned that same fighter's mentality into building Optimum Ag into one of North Dakota's...

Owen Patterson was just awarded the first team All-American STAA award for up-and-coming sports broadcasters. We sat down to find out how he got here, what drives him, and what's next for one of the most exciting young voices in sports broadcasting. This one is worth every minute. Don't forget to like, subscribe, and share this episode.

Two coaches, one small town, and another shot at making history. Beulah Miners Head Coach Brandon Schirado and assistant coach Cody Nelson sit down for a long‑form, no‑filter conversation on what it really takes to have continued program success. We get into the culture they've built in Beulah, the practices nobody sees, and the pressure that comes with stepping into March knowing your town expect...