Like every dynamic duo, Kyle and I also have our very own origin story that led us right here to NerdEDU.
I met Kyle back in 2015 on the very first day of our credential program. Being the over-achieving intellectual that I am, I sat in the back corner quietly sipping on my iced coffee and observing as my colleagues--many of whom already new each other from undergrad--chatted away about their summers. Just as class was about to start, Kyle sauntered in with his distressed denim jacket and cabbie hat and situated himself right next me.
After a brief syllabus breakdown and roll call came what the thing I dread most: introductory ice breakers. As soon as the activity was described, Kyle immediately turned to me and said, "Let's cut the crap and just talk." I immediately knew that I had found the person that was going to keep me sane throughout these next few years. From that moment on, Kyle and I made sure that we were either research partners or in the same research group...even when we weren't supposed to be. Yes, we those students.
Semesters flew past as way too many papers were written and plenty beer-infused karaoke nights were successfully executed. Eventually, we were awarded our credentials and went our separate ways. Kyle and I continued to stay in touch and after a few years convinced each other (and a few other friends) to pursue a master's degree. As we dove into our theses and further developed our teaching philosophies, we both realized that we had a much more inclusive and holistic perspective when it came to education, culture, and society. After graduation and few months of planning, we decided to jump in feet first into the podcast world with basically nothing but an idea for a show where we would provide a platform for ourselves and others to talk about what we think truly matters in academia and everything related to it.
Our first episode was terrible...well, sounded terrible. I think the content was pretty good.
Why did no one tell us that we needed actual equipment? Maybe do some editing? A more structured show outline?
We quickly learned our lesson and with some help from our friend (and previous guest on the show...check out her episode "Over the Moon"), Charlie Moon, we snagged some sweet gear and got our shit together. From there, it was a series of trial-and-error and figuring things out along the way. After a few recordings, we found our stride and truly felt like we had actually created something.
25 episodes, 8 guests, and countless hours of social media later, season one of NerdEDU came to an end.
Now it's time to level up!
Kyle and I are so excited for what we have in store this season and many seasons to come. We got more interviews, multi-part episodes, deeper dives into culture, and much much more. So don't forget to give that Season 2 Trailer a listen and get ready to get even nerdier with us.
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