Moving Forward - The Official Podcast of Dream Team Des Moines

42: Wendy and Jeremy

Jeremy and Mentor Wendy Rains join us for Episode 42 of the Moving Forward Podcast.   Jeremy, at 12 years old, is one of the youngest members of the 2026 team.  He talks with us about why he is driven to work so hard to prepare for RAGBRAI and about his personal goals this year at Dream Team.   Wendy draws on her years of experience as an educator to help mentor our Dream Team youth.  We talk with Wendy about why she pours so much time and energy into supporting our youth.  And we hear her thoughts about the team’s readiness for RAGBRAI LIII.

41: John and Isaac

Isaac and Mentor John Taylor joined us for Episode 41 of the Moving Forward Podcast.   Isaac is joining us just a few days after walking across the stage to receive his high school diploma from East High School.  This is his second year on Dream Team, and we’ll get Isaac’s perspective on how the team is doing now that we’re less than 50 days away from RAGBRAI.   And we also welcome mentor John Taylor.  John completed his 31st Boston Marathon in April, and he has completed a marathon in all 50 states.   Clearly, John is a passionate runner.  We talk with him about that and about why John might be even more passionate about mentoring and supporting our Dream Team youth.

40: Erin and Savannaha

Savannaha and Mentor Erin Gill joined us for Episode 40 of the Moving Forward Podcast.   Erin talks with us about the team’s efforts around mental health and about her work as a key member of our Support Crew.    Savannaha is a Junior at Ankeny High School and ione of the leaders of the 2026 team.  Savannaha speaks with us about why she is so passionate about Dream Team and about her goals for the 2026 season.

39: Gentry and Sedina

Gentry and Sedina joined us for Moving Forward, the official podcast of Dream Team Des Moines.    Mentor Sedina Traljesic talked with us about her leadership at Des Moines Refugee Support and about how she leverages her personal experience as a former Bosnian refugee to identify and bridge gaps for families in Iowa.   Gentry, a student at Indianola High School, joined us just days after speaking to our team as part of Dream Team’s programming during Mental Health Awareness Month.  He talks with us about his message for the team and about his personal goals for the 2026 season.

38: Thomas and Jennifer

Thomas and Jennifer joined us for Moving Forward, the official podcast of Dream Team Des Moines.    Mentor Jennifer Chose talked with us about why she joined Dream Team as a mentor for our 2026 season and about the progress she has seen the team make over the first half of our training season.   Thomas, a sophomore at Ankeny High School, has already completed two RAGBRAIs with Dream Team.  Thomas is always one of the first members of our team to help out and encourage new members of the team.  We spoke with Thomas about his goals for the 2026 season and RAGBRAI.