Swim Lessons

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 at every level. The pressure, the locker-room culture, leadership, recruiting, player development, and what it actually takes to build a winning program from the ground up.

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 being a jockey, the physical and mental side of riding, growing up around horses, competing at tracks across the United State, the difference between Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing, and what it takes to keep finding the winner's circle.  

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 changing lives and giving families across North Dakota a new kind of hope, opportunity, and community. This episode is about business, family, purpose, and the kind of grit that builds something bigger than yourself.

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 building his own program, Jesse shares his story, mindset, and what comes next. If you love basketball, coaching stories, and real conversations about life beyond the game, this one is for you.  

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, real conversation about brotherhood, loss, and turning grief into purpose.

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 waiting to start talking about it, because building a league isn't something you do quietly in the background and reveal when it's finished. It's something you build in public, with the people who are going to play in it, coach in it, and show up to watch it.

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. If you love baseball, coaching, or just great conversations with people who've earned their stripes, this one's for you. 👉 Subscribe for more raw conversations with the coaches, athletes, and characters shaping sports in North Dakota and beyond.  🔔 Hit the bell so you never miss an episode.

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 on the ranch, and how growing up around cattle shaped the way he leads young men. Lane talks about pressure, faith, family, long days that never really end, and why the ranch and the football field actually demand the same things- work ethic, accountability, and resilience.

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 most respected businesses. From the octagon to the open prairie, this one hits different.

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.