Ask A Kansan

Ask A Kansan
  • 5.0 (4)
  • Documentary
  • Updated Weekly

Ask A Kansan is a podcast where we're amplifying, connecting and uncovering stories across Kansas. Every week, Gus and Sydney sit down with the people who actually make this state run — museum directors and ranchers, founders and historians, zookeepers and woodcarvers. From Kansas City to Kinsley, WaKeeney to Wichita, we go where the story is. You'll leave each episode knowing something you didn't about the state we call home. It's not a history lecture and it's not a business show. It's a real conversation with a Kansan worth knowing. New episodes weekly. askakansan.com

  1. 4d ago

    The Magic of Books with Author Lara Avery | Reading Kansas

    How do you convince authors, budget-strapped nonprofits, and thousands of book lovers to show up in one place on the same Saturday? We sat down with the woman who has to figure that out every single day. This week we're joined by Lara Avery, Executive Director of the Kansas Book Festival and published author of romance novels including The Year of Second Chances and Purple Hearts (adapted into a movie). We get into how she landed the job, why she doesn't send authors too many emails, what a "book parade" actually is, and why she thinks everyone — audiobook listeners included — counts as a reader. We also wander into Dungeons & Dragons character work, Horcruxes as a metaphor for creative legacy, and the ongoing debate about how Orcs reproduce. Highlights A fast food employee who is deaf handled Gus's order entirely through writing — a small moment that stuck with himLara explains her unconventional path to authorship, writing for a company (Alloy) that also produced Gossip Girl and Vampire DiariesWhy she calls herself a "listener" rather than a traditional reader, and her love of audiobooksDetails on this year's Kansas Book Festival: 69 authors and moderators, a first-ever romance panel, keynote Ben Lerner, and a brand-new book paradeHer philosophy for working with authors: minimal, respectful communication instead of over-formal outreachA moving conversation about what writers "leave behind" in their work, and why she thinks people should treat their attention and time as more valuableA deep dive (sorry, had to sneak it in only once!) into how to write distinct character voices — starting with diction, not psychologyThe Dartography segment uncovers the story of John Brown's 1859 rescue of 11 enslaved people near Holton, known as "The Battle of the Spurs," plus the history of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Reservation and Minnie Evans's fight to preserve tribal recognition in the 1950s Chapters 0:00 – Fast Food Kindness 2:13 – Meet Lara Avery 3:41 – Author Life and Day Jobs 4:49 – Romance Books and BookTok 9:02 – Kansas Roots and Audiobooks 11:49 – How She Became a Writer 15:17 – What Is Kansas Book Festival 17:40 – Parade, Food and Perks 20:13 – Leading Authors and Logistics 26:50 – Festival Date and Panels 27:51 – Dungeon Master Character Talk 28:59 – Crafting Character Voices 31:00 – Diction First, Psychology Later 32:01 – Orc Lore Detour 32:51 – Creative Horcruxes and Legacy 36:36 – Attention Economy vs. Reading 40:10 – Books as Shared Imaginary Space 41:20 – Raising Readers at Home 45:30 – Kansas Stories and Festival Mission 49:07 – Support the Festival: Donate 50:42 – Dungeon Master Aftershow 52:34 – Dartography: Holton History 59:16 – Prairie Band Potawatomi Story 1:02:55 – Holton Telescope Surprise 1:04:14 – Next Dart and Wrap Up Resources Mentioned Kansas Book Festival — kansasbookfestival.com Red Fern Booksellers (Salina)Libro.fmThe Year of Second Chances by Lara AveryPurple Hearts by Tess WakefieldHarriet the SpyKansas Authors ClubReady Player One by Ernest Cline Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt DinnimanThe Tattered Cover bookstore (Denver)Dolly Parton's Imagination Library Learn more about the podcast at askakansan.com! This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network, for more information, visit ictpod.net

    The Magic of Books with Author Lara Avery | Reading Kansas

  2. Sep 7

    Hidden Gems at Cheyenne Bottoms with Curtis Wolf | Wetlands Kansas

    Sometimes the best things hide in plain sight. If you didn’t know, Kansas was once an ocean, and a huge chunk of that history is still alive at Cheyenne Bottoms — the largest wetland in the interior United States. We sit down with Curtis Wolf, director of the Kansas Wetlands Education Center, who breaks down what actually makes something a "wetland," why this 41,000-acre basin is a lifeline for migrating shorebirds traveling thousands of miles between South America and the Arctic, and how decades of careful management keep it thriving. We also swap stories from our own family trips out there, talk monarch butterfly tagging, and wrap things up with another round of Dartography. Highlights Curtis explains the three technical requirements for a true wetland: the right soil, the right plants, and seasonal water.Cheyenne Bottoms is a 41,000-acre basin and the largest wetland in the interior U.S. — yet less than 1% of the Kansas landscape qualifies as wetland.The Kansas Wetlands Education Center opened through a partnership between Fort Hays State University, the Department of Wildlife and Parks, the City of Great Bend, and Barton Community College, funded in part through a KDOT mitigation grant.A Hudsonian Godwit tracked by researchers flew six days straight from Chile to Cheyenne Bottoms without stopping.One square meter of mud at Cheyenne Bottoms can hold up to 65,000 bloodworms — a key food source fueling migrating birds.The Center hosts around 700 programs a year, including a Second Grade Wetlands Day, summer day camps, Turtle Tots for preschoolers, and stargazing nights during the Perseid meteor shower.The annual Butterfly Festival features monarch tagging tied to the Monarch Watch program, plus a honeybee demonstration hive and seed bomb crafts.Monarchs migrating through Cheyenne Bottoms in the fall are actually the fourth generation removed from the butterflies that left Mexico that spring.Cheyenne Bottoms is managed in nine separate pools with a dike and canal system pulling water from the Arkansas River and Walnut Creek to maximize water availability for wildlife.The Nature Conservancy manages over 8,000 additional acres of the Cheyenne Bottoms basin alongside the state's 21,000 acres.Admission to the Wetlands Education Center is free.Dartography lands in Haskell County, home to Sublette, possible ties to the 1918 Spanish flu, and a starring role in Donald Worster's Dust Bowl history. Chapters 0:00 — Pen Disaster 1:30 — Wetlands Episode Intro 2:19 — Visitor Center Photo Tour 4:12 — Barton County Side Trip 6:11 — Meet Curtis Wolf 7:58 — What Is a Wetland 9:56 — How the Center Began 13:25 — Why Wetlands Matter 16:12 — Inside the Building 22:39 — Wildlife and Bird Migration 27:52 — Education Programs Highlights 29:12 — Stargazing and Camps 30:21 — Turtle Tots and Programs 30:49 — Butterfly Festival Spotlight 32:07 — Monarch Tagging Explained 33:16 — Migration Generations Story 35:33 — Festival Activities Rundown 36:18 — Birds' Impact on Wetlands 38:35 — Managing Cheyenne Bottoms 41:11 — Nature Conservancy Partnership 42:09 — Kids in the Wetlands 45:06 — Visit and Stay Connected 46:33 — Host Takeaways and Birding 49:24 — Dartography: Sublette and Haskell 54:31 — Next Dart: Northeast Kansas 55:33 — Kansans in the Wild Shoutout 56:55 — Final Credits and Signoff Resources Mentioned Fisher Space PenKansas Wetlands Education Center (Cheyenne Bottoms, near Great Bend, KS)Sunflower Summer appMonarch WatchThe Nature ConservancyQuivira National Wildlife Refuge Audubon of KansasKansas Tourism's Wetlands and Wildlife BywayDust Bowl: The Southern Plains in the 1930s by Donald Worster Learn more about the podcast at askakansan.com! This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network, for more information, visit ictpod.net

    Hidden Gems at Cheyenne Bottoms with Curtis Wolf | Wetlands Kansas

  3. Aug 31

    Vintage Automotive Restoration with Matthew Tyler Miller Wells | Vintage Kansas

    Everyone assumes car people grew up under the hood with grandpa. This guest didn't — and he might be the best in the business anyway. On this episode, we sit down with Matthew "Matt" Miller-Wells, Associate Director of Automotive Studies at McPherson College, to talk about how a '68 Beetle and a lot of video games turned into a career restoring some of the rarest vehicles on the planet. We get into what it's really like inside the only four-year vintage automotive restoration program in the country, the wild story behind building a car museum from scratch in Salina, and how a student-restored 1953 Mercedes ended up placing second in class at Pebble Beach. Highlights Matt's automotive obsession traces back to a family '68 Volkswagen Beetle and a Herbie the Love Bug replica bought while stationed in Germany.McPherson College is the only school in the U.S. offering a four-year Bachelor of Science in Vintage Automotive Restoration Technology, started in 1976 by Smokey Blue.A feature on Jay Leno's show helped grow the program from a small two-year technical track into a full four-year degree.About 98% of McPherson grads land a job within six months of graduation, with many landing internships and offers well before commencement.Career paths extend far beyond the shop — alumni now work in insurance (Hagerty), auctions, social media/marketing, and even GM's heritage and design divisions.Matt spent five years building The Garage museum in Salina from the ground up, including VR welding/painting simulators and rotating exhibits like an all-yellow-car show.The college's "Path to Pebble" project — a student-restored 1953 Mercedes 300S Cabriolet — placed second in class at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in 2023.McPherson is reviving its T Build Team, where students assemble a Model T from parts to a running car in minutes.The college offers numerous scholarships (including from the Model T Ford Club, SEMA, and the Piston Foundation), and over 40% of the class of '26 graduated debt-free.McPherson's annual car show (first weekend in May) draws close to 500 cars and effectively shuts down the town. Chapters 0:00 – Car Show Photos 3:30 – Meet Matt Miller-Wells 4:42 – Military Roots & Moving Around 5:60 – Falling for Volkswagens 8:10 – Starting at McPherson 9:49 – Building The Garage Museum 14:44 – Making Car Museums For All 17:04 – McPherson Program Explained 22:48 – Careers Beyond The Shop 27:27 – Bringing Back the T Build Team 31:56 – Community Support & Scholarships 33:07 – Parking Lot Rebuilds 33:38 – Car Community Support 34:16 – Scoring a Parts Haul 35:38 – Young Enthusiasts Thrive 36:11 – Scholarships and Debt 37:14 – Path to Pebble 39:14 – Concours Level Details 40:48 – Pebble Beach Triumph 42:58 – Monterey Car Week 45:25 – Program Future & Tech 47:20 – Visit and the Annual Car Show 49:05 – The Hearse and Other Projects 51:42 – Host Wrap-Up and Thanks 54:10 – Kansas Car History Segment 1:02:53 – Final Sign-Off Resources Mentioned McPherson College Automotive Restoration – Instagram (@mcautoresto)Hagerty Classic Vehicle InsuranceSEMAPiston FoundationModel T Ford Club of AmericaNewspapers.com Learn more about the podcast at askakansan.com! This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network, for more information, visit ictpod.net

    Vintage Automotive Restoration with Matthew Tyler Miller Wells | Vintage Kansas

  4. Aug 24

    K-State Past, Present, and Future: A Conversation with President Linton | Powercat Kansan

    Kansas State University touches all 105 counties in this state — training the veterinarians who protect our livestock, the biomanufacturers building tomorrow's jobs, and the students who choose to stay and build their lives right here in Kansas. On this episode of Ask a Kansan, Gus and Sydney sit down with Dr. Richard Linton, president of Kansas State University, to talk about what it really means to lead a land-grant institution built to serve every corner of the state. We get into the mentors who shaped him, the napkin sketch that mapped out his entire career decades before he became a university president, why athletics might matter more in Manhattan, Kansas than almost anywhere else in the country, and the story of how he and his wife once snuck onto campus incognito before he ever took the job. We close out with his hopes for what Kansas and K-State will look like 100 years from now. Highlights Dr. Linton's path from food microbiology at Virginia Tech to university leadership, shaped by mentors like Dr. Merrill Pearson and Randy WoodsonK-State's scale: over 21,000 degree-seeking students, three campuses (Manhattan, Salina, Olathe), and engagement across all 105 Kansas countiesA breakdown of what a university president's week actually looks like — "friend-raising and fundraising"Major initiatives shaping K-State's Next Gen strategic plan: biomanufacturing, water resource management, and nuclear energyThe origin and meaning of "land-grant university," and what "next-generation land-grant" means for K-State todayThe value of a K-State degree, explained through three numbers: 81% financial support, 97% job/grad school placement, 67% above-average starting salariesCommunity college partnerships (Dodge City, Garden City, Manhattan Technical College) and support for first-generation studentsThe "brain drain" challenge — why Kansas keeps roughly 75% of in-state students but only 40–45% of out-of-state studentsWhy athletics matters so much to K-State's economic impact ($2.3 billion total, $486 million from athletics) and student enrollmentThe National Agro and Biodefense Facility (NBAF) and K-State's unique BSL-4 biosecurity capabilitiesThe story behind the $260 million agricultural initiative — raising $84 million in four months after 90% of people called the goal impossibleDr. Linton's own education story and the mentors who shaped his careerHow K-State's campus culture stood out to Dr. Linton and his wife before he even took the jobHis vision for Kansas and K-State 100 years from now Chapters 0:00 – First K-State Game Memories 0:53 – Madeline Meets Purple Pride 1:55 – Welcome to Ask a Kansan 4:44 – Meet President Rich Linton 5:24 – Mentors and Food Science Path 7:32 – From Research to Administration 11:43 – K-State Scale and Reach 14:48 – A Week in the President's Life 18:59 – Community Listening and Initiatives 21:22 – Next-Gen Land-Grant Explained 26:15 – Biomanufacturing Defined 27:39 – Value of a K-State Degree 31:59 – Community College and First-Gen Paths 33:52 – Brain Drain and Keeping Kansans 34:43 – Keeping Grads in Kansas 35:50 – Jobs and Economic Pull 36:50 – Athletics vs Academics 38:04 – Why Sports Matter 41:51 – A President as Fan 43:32 – NBAF and Biosecurity 45:42 – Next Gen K-State Plan 49:11 – Ag Initiative Fundraising 52:18 – Education and Mentorship 55:10 – K-State Culture Story 59:18 – 2126 Vision and Legacy 1:01:13 – Host Wrap and Takeaways 1:02:58 – Subscribe and Support 1:03:59 – Final Thanks and Goodbye Resources Mentioned Kansas State University Learn more about the podcast at askakansan.com! This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network, for more information, visit ictpod.net

    K-State Past, Present, and Future: A Conversation with President Linton | Powercat Kansan

  5. Aug 17

    Rebuilding Classrooms: Cathy Hopkins on Policy, Teachers & Change | Kansas Education

    What happens when an entire education system hits a moment of collision — new leadership, new laws, and old habits all colliding at once? On this episode, we sit down with Cathy Hopkins, chair of the Kansas State Board of Education, to find out. From accreditation reform to the fight over cell phones in classrooms, Cathy pulls back the curtain on what's really happening inside Kansas schools right now — and why she believes the state is at a genuine turning point. We talk through the science of reading, why cursive handwriting is making a comeback, how one small district's cell phone policy quietly cut discipline problems in half, and what it actually takes for a rural community to rally around its school. Cathy also opens up about her own path — six kids, a stint away from Kansas that only confirmed it was home, and a run for the local school board she lost by just five votes before landing on the state board altogether. Highlights Cathy represents District 5 — 44 counties across western and northern Kansas — and breaks down how Kansas's 10 board districts are drawn around student population, not geography.Kansas has nearly 500,000 K-12 students, with wildly different district sizes — from under 100 students in some rural four-day-school districts to 45,000+ in Wichita's District 8.The "science of reading" and the shift from balanced literacy to structured literacy, including a new state requirement that elementary teachers and reading specialists be trained in structured literacy by July 2028.What the State Board of Education actually does: accreditation, teacher licensure, curriculum standards, and high school graduation requirements — while emphasizing local control.KESA (Kansas Education System of Accreditation) has shifted from a compliance-driven model to a support-driven school improvement model built around four fundamentals: structured literacy, standards alignment, balanced assessments, and quality instruction.The new "bell to bell" cell phone ban law, and Cathy's on-the-ground findings from talking to districts that banned phones early — including a near 50% drop in behavior issues and a surprise uptick in library book checkouts.A "Blue Ribbon Task Force" on screens met for over a year, gathering input from legislators, teachers, parents, and students before issuing recommendations.Cursive handwriting is officially coming back into Kansas standards, tied to research on how handwriting supports reading comprehension and brain development.Community involvement stories, including the Farm to Plate initiative connecting local farmers/ranchers with school lunch programs, and a district that saw a wave of community support after clips of a board meeting went viral on social media.Cathy's call for a "better narrative" around education amid a wave of upcoming leadership changes: a new state commissioner, a new KBOR director, a new governor, and a new speaker of the house.Chapters 0:00 – 1982 Wichita Time Capsule 4:25 – Meet Cathy Hopkins 5:10 – District 5 Explained 6:27 – Kansas School Sizes 8:37 – Cathy's Kansas Roots 11:42 – Leaving and Returning Home 13:27 – Joining the State Board 16:43 – Science of Reading Shift 23:35 – Board Role and KESA 26:59 – Cell Phone Ban Debate 31:35 – Screens Task Force and Local Control 35:53 – Law Enforcement and Certification 37:21 – Four Improvement Fundamentals 38:45 – Quality Instruction vs Tech 39:15 – Handwriting and Cursive Return 41:07 – Collaboration and Action Plans 44:23 – Community Involvement Examples 49:25 – Parents as First Teachers 51:59 – Host Reflection on Education 53:22 – Kansas History: School Gossip 55:54 – 1939 Classes and Film Reels 58:59 – 1900 Gossip Column Highlights 1:03:42 – 1920 Basketball and Saturday School 1:06:27 – Best Bits and Wrap-Up Resources Mentioned Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE)Kansas Association of School Boards (KASB)Newspapers.comLearn more about the podcast at askakansan.com! This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network, for more information, visit ictpod.net

    Rebuilding Classrooms: Cathy Hopkins on Policy, Teachers & Change | Kansas Education

  6. Aug 10

    Guiding Kansas Kids' Futures with Hanna Mick

    What does a school counselor actually do all day — and why does it matter more now than ever? Hanna Mick is an elementary school counselor in Topeka and a part-time consultant with the Kansas State Department of Education, and she's proof that the role goes far beyond what you see on TV. From launching a peer conflict-resolution program at recess to using AI for career exploration with kids as young as third grade, Hannah is redefining what it means to support students. She's also the Kansas School Counselor of the Year and a finalist for the national title — not that she got into education for the awards. This conversation will make you wish you'd had a counselor like her growing up. Highlights The difference between a "guidance counselor" and a school counselor — and why it mattersHanna's unexpected path from advertising to education (a soul-searching pivot she's never regretted)The Junior Coaches program: how sixth graders helping second graders at recess reduced office discipline referrals by 71–77% for some studentsWhy by third grade, kids have already begun limiting their career ambitions based on race, gender, and socioeconomic status — and what counselors can do about itUsing a school-approved AI tool to help students discover careers they never knew existed (e-sports manager, anyone?)Road Trip Nation: a free AI-informed platform that helps students cut through the "noise" and find their pathThe "two I's" framework for thinking about AI in schools: intention and impactWhy teaching kids what cheating actually is in the age of AI is harder than it soundsPiper the therapy dog, the Paws and Claws project-based learning group, and a Humane Society partnership built by third gradersDartography debuts! Gus introduces a new segment using a dart and a cork-board Kansas map Chapters 0:00 – Stadium Renderings 2:06 – Podcast Intro: Education Month 2:42 – Meet Hanna Mick 4:09 – Kansas Roots and K-State 4:49 – From Advertising to Counseling 8:16 – What School Counselors Do 11:04 – Junior Coaches Recess Program 15:53 – Counselor of the Year Mindset 18:13 – AI in Schools: Basics 21:25 – Teaching AI Literacy and Cheating 28:08 – Therapy Dogs: Piper and Pickles 29:35 – Paws and Claws Project Learning 30:45 – Frontloading Expectations 31:20 – Piper Costume Project 32:00 – Humane Society Partnership 33:35 – Career Bias by Third Grade 36:15 – AI Career Discovery 40:41 – Road Trip Nation Tool 41:58 – Counselor of the Year (National) 46:08 – Post-Interview Reflections 46:58 – Dartography Segment Begins 50:05 – Cimarron County Seat Gunfight 51:33 – Sewell's Folly Canal 53:02 – Ingalls Name Connections & Laura Ingalls Wilder 55:57 – Dart Throw Results 57:53 – Episode Wrap-Up Resources Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) Conscious Discipline – Dr. Becky Bailey's podcast Character Strong Hanna Mick's websiteRoad Trip Nation Learn more about the podcast at askakansan.com! This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network, for more information, visit ictpod.net

    Guiding Kansas Kids' Futures with Hanna Mick

  7. Aug 3

    Strumming Success with Matt Gerry | Rocking Kansas

    Do kids even want to learn a skill like playing the guitar? This week we sit down with Matt Gerry, the guitar and music teacher at South Middle School in Salina, whose 24-year journey has taken him everywhere from a Weezer-sponsored trip to Chicago to a Radio Disney commercial — and even a Grammy Music Educator Award nomination. Before we get to Matt, Sydney shares a heartwarming (and a little ironic) story about a Kansan TikToker helping out a fellow Kansan stranded far from home, and Gus reminisces about the Hanks and Joshes of the world who keep our cars running. Then Matt takes us through how he fell in love with guitar via his dad's old Gibson, built a guitar program from scratch against school-system red tape, won contests with Weezer and Mozart-inspired performances, got his students backstage with Collective Soul, and shared the stage with his own wife and daughter in Theatre Salina's School of Rock.  Highlights: A Kansan TikToker (Weston, from Winfield) pulls over to help a stranded fellow Kansan in Colorado — without realizing it at firstMatt Gerry shares how he fell in love with guitar playing his dad's Gibson from Kalamazoo, Michigan while performing in a school production of GreaseThe step-by-step story of building South Middle School's guitar program — from a grant-funded classroom set of guitars in 2003 to a dedicated guitar class in 2010, now serving 250 students a yearWinning a Weezer video contest that led to a trip to Chicago and new classroom instrumentsWinning the Midwest region of a Mozart-themed contest, earning $7,500 for new guitars, followed by a Radio Disney Channel visit and commercial shootMatt's involvement with the Stiefel Theatre's School of Music and getting students backstage with bands like Collective SoulSharing the stage with his wife and daughter in Theatre Salina's production of School of RockBeing nominated for the Grammy Music Educator Award and making the quarterfinalsWhy Matt believes learning guitar in a group setting beats learning solo from YouTubeMatt's big goal: becoming a clinician who trains other guitar teachersA nostalgic tangent about Salina radio stations, Weird Al Yankovic fan mail, and shared music memories from middle school Chapters: 0:00 – Scrolling TikTok Finds Weston 0:45 – Kansans Helping Kansans 2:32 – Brake Pads and Hank Stories 3:23 – Ask a Kansan Intro 4:52 – Meet Music Teacher Matt 6:04 – How Matt Found Guitar 7:42 – Choosing Music Education 9:04 – First Classroom Memories 11:47 – Building a Guitar Program 14:07 – Why Guitar Hooks Students 18:06 – Weezer Contest Goes Viral 19:30 – Fame and Disney Tease 20:16 – Mozart Contest Win 20:51 – Disney Channel Visit 21:42 – Family Support Grounding 22:18 – Stiefel Music School 24:03 – School of Rock Family 25:01 – Awards and Humility 25:52 – Church Music and Benefits 27:40 – Middle School Mindset 28:47 – Guitar Program Expansion 31:38 – Big Goals and Training 34:01 – Radio Nostalgia Tangent 35:41 – Teaching Dream Job 37:31 – Stories from a Hat Twist 42:22 – Episode Wrap and Merch Resources Mentioned: Salina Education Foundation: https://www.salinaeducationfoundation.com/ Teaching Guitar Workshops: https://teachingguitarworkshops.org/Stiefel Theatre: https://www.stiefeltheatre.org/KMEA (Kansas Music Educators Association): https://ksmea.org/ Learn more about the podcast at askakansan.com! This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network, for more information, visit ictpod.net

    Strumming Success with Matt Gerry | Rocking Kansas

  8. Jul 27

    Banking on Kansas with Jeremy Hill

    What if the Federal Reserve wasn't just a boring government agency setting monetary policy, but a mission-driven storyteller trying to make sense of your household budget? On this episode, Julie and Sydney sit down with Jeremy Hill, regional executive for the Kansas City Federal Reserve, to unpack what the Fed actually does, why manufacturing is quietly booming across Kansas, and how inflation is hitting some households harder than others. Jeremy breaks down the Fed's three core functions, explains the K-shaped economy squeezing lower and middle-income families, and shares surprising stories from the Kansas City Fed's money museum, the shredded-cash vault, and the fly-fishing origins of the Jackson Hole Economic Symposium. Plus, stick around for a fun round of Kansas Penny Pinchers, where Sydney and Julie swap money-saving confessions. Highlights The Federal Reserve has three main functions: monetary policy, bank supervision/regulation, and managing how cash physically moves through the economy.The K-shaped economy is splitting households into two groups — some doing better every year, others falling further behind due to inflation eating into fixed costs like rent, insurance, and car payments.Kansas's GDP is currently growing faster than the national average, driven largely by a manufacturing boom (aerospace, machinery, fabricated metals).Agriculture and energy sectors in Kansas are struggling, while manufacturing is picking up steam and creating wage pressure as firms compete for labor.The Kansas City Fed operates a free, public money museum where visitors can see the history of currency and even watch cash being shredded.The Jackson Hole Economic Symposium, which draws central bank leaders from around the world, originated because a former Fed chair loved fly-fishing in Wyoming.The Fed is a semi-private organization with a public mission — it doesn't receive funding from Congress and instead earns revenue through banking services and its asset holdings.Jeremy describes economics as more art than math — piecing together abstract, nebulous signals to tell a bigger story about where the economy is heading. Chapters 0:00 – Kids Freezer Obsession 0:39 – Frozen Fruit Cup Logic 1:51 – Do Your Kids Do This 2:47 – Podcast Intro & New Co-Host 3:24 – Meet Jeremy Hill 4:20 – Jeremy's Role at the Fed 5:37 – Why Economics Clicked 6:41 – The Fed Explained Simply 7:36 – How Banks View the Fed 9:07 – Which Businesses He Visits 10:49 – Backbone Industries in Towns 12:08 – K-Shaped Household Strain 14:27 – Where the Data Comes From 16:29 – Money Museum and Cash Vault 18:18 – Why Money Gets Shredded 18:57 – Counterfeits and Secret Service 19:41 – Back to the Third Bucket 19:51 – Fed Mandate Explained 20:15 – Rates: Buyers vs. Savers 21:05 – Kansas Bootstrap Spirit 22:43 – Inside the Fed Culture 23:53 – How the Fed Funds Itself 25:10 – Kansas Roots and Career Path 27:26 – Economics as Art 28:34 – Kansas Economy Snapshot 30:52 – How Manufacturers Adapt 31:33 – Jackson Hole Symposium Story 33:23 – Where to Learn More 34:14 – Post-Interview Takeaways 34:51 – Kansas Penny Pinchers Game 40:25 – Wrap Up and Next Month Resources Mentioned Kansas City Federal ReserveKansas City Federal Reserve's Money Museum — a free, public museum highlighting the history of currencyFetch app — a receipt-scanning app for earning points/gift cards Learn more about the podcast at askakansan.com! This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network, for more information, visit ictpod.net

    Banking on Kansas with Jeremy Hill
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

Ask A Kansan is a podcast where we're amplifying, connecting and uncovering stories across Kansas. Every week, Gus and Sydney sit down with the people who actually make this state run — museum directors and ranchers, founders and historians, zookeepers and woodcarvers. From Kansas City to Kinsley, WaKeeney to Wichita, we go where the story is. You'll leave each episode knowing something you didn't about the state we call home. It's not a history lecture and it's not a business show. It's a real conversation with a Kansan worth knowing. New episodes weekly. askakansan.com

Information

  • Creator
    Ask A Kansan
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    74
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Ask A Kansan

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