Actually, Olympia

Have you ever been curious what lobbying really is, what a lobbyist does, and why? Jay and Stacey sit down for a deep dive with Olympia's State lobbyist Kyla Shkerich Blair.

Jay and Stacey sit down with Olympia Police Department’s new Chief, Shelby Park, to talk about her passion for serving the community—especially in critical moments—and her commitment to building trust and helping people feel safe.

Jay and Stacey sit down with the amazing team behind the Inspire Olympia program, a voter-approved initiative that dedicates a portion of Olympia’s sales tax to local nonprofit organizations offering arts, sciences, heritage, and cultural programs in Olympia and the Olympia.

Jay and Stacey sit down with Assistant City Manager, Debbie Sullivan, to discuss the 2026 budget and the City's transition to an innovative new approach (Priority-based budgeting) that makes it easier for community members and decision makers to see what we do, why we do it, and how much it costs.

Jay and Stacey sit down with outgoing Olympia City Councilmember Jim Cooper to talk about his 15 years of service.

Jay and Stacey sit down with Kim Kondrat (Homeless Response Coordinator) for an in-depth discussion about Olympia's approach to encampments, recent successes, lessons learned, and what's starting to be planned for the regions last remaining encampment.

Mayor Dontae Payne sits down with Jay and Kellie to talk about everything the City is doing around reparations and why it is so important to him.

Meet Economic Development Director Jennica Machado and Community Planning & Economic Development Director Susan McLaughlin as Jay and Kellie talk to them about their new roles in the city and their goals for the future.

Assistant to the City Manager Susan Grisham details the creation of the Youth Council, and Olympia Youth Council members Shuruthi Lingam-Nattamai & Nolan O'Connell discuss their roles as developing community leaders.

Paul Simmons and Sylvana Niehuser talk to Jay and Kellie about the past, present, and future of Olympia parks projects.

The 2025 Budget was rough. In this special episode of the podcast, Jay and Kellie talk about how we got here, what we're doing to build a sustainable budget for the future, and how important it was/is for us to protect and care for our employees.

In episode 3, both Chiefs are here! Jay and Kellie talk public safety with Police Chief Rich Allen and Fire Chief Matthew Morris. They discuss the culture of their departments, the focus on taking care of their staff, recent strategic planning efforts and their hopes for the future.

In episode 2, Jay and Kellie go in depth with our Economic Development Director, Mike Reid. They discuss Mike’s deep roots in Olympia, the lasting effects of COVID on our community, Olympia Strong, and the City’s unique, people-centered approach to Economic Development.

Jay and Kellie are joined by Olympia's Director of Housing & Homeless Response, Darian Lightfoot.