Lincoln Elementary teacher, youth football coach and LHS assistant baseball coach Kyler Olson records a podcast called Enthusiasm is our Jam. His podcast features successful people in Bismarck, North Dakota’s education community.
Enthusiasm is our Jam is informal of education, self-help, sports, and first-hand experiences. Olson has interviewed athletes, coaches, teachers, authors and more. He and his guests converse about the struggles and strengths experienced in their professions and or hobbies.
“It’s been so much fun sharing experiences but also learning from other people’s experiences,” Olson says.
With the help of High School teacher and BHS Basketball head coach Jordan Willhelm’s podcast, PSP Network, Olson was inspired to record his own.
“I just love talking about education,” Olson said. “I love talking about sports. I love talking about coaching styles, and starting a podcast is something I thought about for a while.”
Olson’s most popular episode is with University of Mary wide receiver and NFL draft prospect Danny Kittner. With close to 1000 listens, Kittner shared about breaking multiple records during his college football years. He talked about work ethic, confidence and decision-making. He gives insight on how to navigate a college sport and find motivation through disadvantages.
“You can get into so much detail with people’s thoughts, how they view things and how they approach different situations,” Olson says.
Other interviews have been with junior Olympic athlete Zach Brenden, Children’s author Kelly Bowell, North Carolina basketball player Logan Shaubert, LHS head baseball coach Eddie Streeter, reading and math interventionist Sara Medalen as well as many others.
“I reach out to people who I would love to talk to,” Olson said. “I’ve been fortunate enough that it works out a lot.”
Every episode Olson records is applicable to many different audiences. He aims to bring attention to different points of views, creating a unique learning experience for him and his listeners.
“The more episodes I do, the more I remind myself how much I can learn from other people,” Olson says.
Education is always changing in more ways than one. Even after 10 years in the education field, Olson still believes it’s crucial to gather different perspectives.
“The more I’ve gotten into my teaching and coaching career, the more I learn from others,” Olson said. “I love taking bits and pieces from other people and putting it into action for myself.”
