The Northern Nerd

Packers training camp officially started today (July 26th) and that's all the more reason to get excited for the upcoming season. Today's episode is dedicated to sharing my thoughts on the strengths of this Packers team, address what my concerns are and share my final record that I think the Packers will have this season. Enjoy the show and Go Pack Go!

I recently had the wonderful opportunity of interviewing students of various ages out at the Forest Lodge Library in Cable, WI. Students discussed how their summers were going, what books they've been reading, what they enjoy about the library and MANY other topics. It was a great way to spend a Thursday afternoon and I think you'll enjoy listening to what these kids had to say. Thanks for your support and enjoy the show! Please consider donating to help their expansion efforts. DONATE NOW

Mary Mack is a comedian that grew up right here in the northwoods of Wisconsin. Mary co-stars as Jesse in the Hulu cartoon Solar Opposites by the creators of Rick and Morty. She’s appeared in Montreal’s Just For Laughs Festival, HBO’s Andy Kaufman Awards, San Francisco’s Sketchfest, and the Dry Bar comedy series. Mack’s television credits include Comedy Central's Live at Gotham, TBS’ Conan, Adult Swim’s Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Fox’s Golan the Insatiable, and NBC’s Last Comic Standing, Last Call with Carson Daly, and The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon. She was a great guest to have on the show and if you like what you hear in the episode, be sure to check out her North Star Comedy Hour show happening on July 29th & August 19th at The Park Center in Hayward, WI. BUY TICKETS: North Star Comedy Hour For more info, visit www.marymackcomedy.com

Travel has never been easier than it is today. With planes, trains and automobiles we can get to where we want to go fairly quickly. The summer is always a great time to take a vacation, but how do you make the most of yours? These vacation days are important to make the most of and today's episode is dedicated to helping you make the most of your trip. We will talk about food (obviously) time management, events, and leaving yourself open to an adventure. Enjoy!

Year four of teaching is officially in the books and now that I've had a little bit of time to process it, I want to share with you some of my favorite memories. This episode includes various quotes from the classroom, my thoughts on teaching summer school thus far, some of my favorite things about being a teacher and I end the show with some advice to first year teachers. Enjoy the show!

The Hayward Foundation for Educational Enrichment (HFEE) is having their annual Lee Bonicatto Memorial Golf Fundraiser outing on May 19th. With that being said, I had the opportunity to sit down and chat with HFEE members, Amy Sportel and Salle Beckwith, to discuss what HFEE is and what it is that they do. Since its inception back in 1994, HFEE has been a vital resource for teachers and the Hayward Community School District. Enjoy our Sunday conversation and if you'd like to donate, consider following the links below. DONATE: https://www.hfee-wi.org/howtogiveABOUT HFEE: https://www.hfee-wi.org/about

The end of the school year is always an interesting time of year as a teacher. You're finishing up your curriculum, wrapping up assessments, and have to pack up your classroom. In today's episode, I share my thoughts on my favorite end of the school year activities as well as share quotes from back when I was a student teacher. No matter the grade level, you never know what's going to come out of a student's mouth. Enjoy! Be sure to subscribe and join the #nerdherd.

Wow, we made it to episode 100! When this podcast started back in 2018, I wasn't sure what to expect, but through this podcast I've been able to bottle up some of my favorite conversations with people. It's truly crazy to think that it's been five years since I first hit "record." This episode takes a look back at how the podcast began, discusses some of my favorite moments, and even gives a little Ted Lasso inspiration for you. Enjoy and thanks for being here.

We've made it to our 99th episode! With that being said, we had to name this episode after the greatest hockey player of all time. Did we talk hockey at all in this episode? Absolutely not, but that's okay. We had the chance to discuss this long winter, why it's important to take vacations during the winter, gave our thoughts on Rodgers, gave a triple-double show recommendation, and went on other tangents. After recording the show, we stepped outside of The Whistle Punk to see the northern lights in action. What a beauty of a night! Enjoy our latest episode and be sure to subscribe.

Ben and I used to work together back in college at UW-Eau Claire at the campus TV station, TV10. We both worked in the sports scene and I got to do color commentary with best friend, Kyle Naber while Ben was a student assistant coach for the Blugolds Men's Basketball team. Since then, Ben has stayed involved in college basketball and is in his second year with the Marquette Golden Eagles as their digital graphics coordinator. Marquette is having an amazing season thus far and with March Madness looming, I thought it would be a great time to have Ben on the podcast to not only catch up a bit, but to also talk about his role with the Marquette Men's Basketball team. This conversation involved plenty of basketball, but also got a little bit deeper when talking about coach philosophies and creating a positive culture within a locker room. Enjoy!Subscribe to the podcast to stay updated on when we have new episodes released.

The Hayward Business Improvement District (BID) is once again putting on their annual Shamrock Shuffle on March 18th. I had the wonderful opportunity to sit down with Cindy Swift-Kaner of Riverbrook Bike & Ski and James Netz of James Netz Photography to discuss this year's shuffle! We also talked about what makes Hayward's downtown so great and also what makes Hayward a great place to live/visit. Enjoy!For more information on the Shamrock Shuffle, follow this link.

Sailing isn't something that's normally talked about in the northwoods of Wisconsin. Plenty of people go out on their pontoons, kayaks and canoes but very few people have ever sailed out in the middle of the ocean. Jake McCusker and Erin McDade recently completed a journey from Hawaii to San Francisco to deliver a boat along with the rest of their crew. While out in the middle of the ocean, they experienced challenges as scary as a fishing hook in the leg to moments of peace while gazing out at the water. Give their story a listen and maybe, just maybe, it'll inspire you to go out on your own adventure. Enjoy!To view Jake and Erin's adventure via video, check out these links to Youtube videos below. Part 1Part 2Part 3Part 4

Jon Kreye is an award winning adventure photographer based in Minnesota. Jon and I first met during the 2022 Birkie and I have been wanting to have him on the show for some time now. Jon has stayed in some of the most unique and highly desired rental properties across the country including shipping container cabins, treehouses, dome homes, private islands, yurts, barn homes, and more. He recently came out with a book, Up North: Getaways of Minnesota and Wisconsin , and is a great person to follow on Instagram. I had a wonderful time talking with him about photography, what some of his favorite adventures have been and what places are on his radar to visit. Enjoy! Follow his adventures on Instagram @jonkreye

On the latest installment in the series "Small Business Nerds" brought you by the Sawyer County/LCO Economic Development Corporation, I sat down with Ethan and Jenn Zimmerman of Studio North in Hayward, WI. We discussed their small business journey thus far, their vision for the future, their core values and the possibility of Ethan making an 80's movie montage while screen printing. It was a very fun chat with this power couple and I'm looking forward to seeing what the future holds for them. Enjoy!

This episode is our first installment of "Small Business Nerds." It's a series that is brought to you by the Sawyer County/LCO Economic Development Corporation and will feature various businesses from the area. Our first guest is a wonderful baker and cookie artist, Tracy Rasmussen, of Simply Sweets Cookie Company. I enjoyed chatting with her about how she got started, how her business has grown and even got the exact amount of cookie cutters she has! (It's more than you think.) Enjoy today's episode and be sure to check out Tracy's website and social media pages.