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This week, life happened — Rachel was in a car accident and is resting up (she's okay, just needs some downtime), so Jen hopped on solo for a quick check-in before rewinding the clock to one of our earliest episodes for a nostalgic replay: Episode 7, from exactly a year ago.

THE SOLO CHECK-IN
- Rachel is resting up after a car accident last week — she's okay, just needs the recovery time. Sending her all the love, Sip Squad.
- Backspace Media officially launched last Friday — Jen's marketing company is live!
- Jen attended her first Ballet Wichita board meeting and got the scoop on the upcoming Sparkling Social, September 3rd at Goldfinch.
- Nick officially moved into Kansas State this week — cue the tears.
- Join us for our next Sip Squad Session at Tor Brewing, upstairs in the loft, featuring Sophie Jones of Jupiter House Marketing and PR — doors around 6:00, kickoff at 6:30. Free to attend, with our hype man Tony Vu (DJ Panda) on the ones and twos.

THE THROWBACK: EPISODE 7
A favorite from the vault! This week's rerun brings back one of our most-loved episodes — full of chaos, heart, and a story you have to hear to believe.
- The infamous toe story — a driveway, a chunk of toe, and a neighbor who really did not sign up for that.
- Jen's brush with an influencer scam — a brand collab that seemed way too good to be true (because it was).
- This or That: pickles vs. olives, extra ice vs. no ice, over vs. under, voice memo vs. long text, air dry vs. Dyson, candle vs. diffuser, binge vs. weekly, and morning person vs. "don't talk to me till 10."

BEFORE YOU GO
- Sip Squad Session — Sunday at Tor Brewing with Sophie Jones of Jupiter House Marketing and PR
- Merch is live — Uncorked & Slightly Unhinged, plus Bella Bonita scrunchies and Happy Camper patches (Pairs Well with Champagne & Caviar Bumps line, 10% of profits to Ballet Wichita)
- Got a question, guest idea, or local suggestion? Send it our way — DM us or email sothishappenedpodcast@gmail.com

This episode is proudly sponsored by Vu Events — It had to be Vu! — along with our Season Partners, Colour Thairapy and Backspace Media.

So THIS Happened is a lifestyle and personal growth podcast hosted by Jen Cole and Rachel Chappelle, based in Wichita, Kansas. Each episode explores the moments, people, and ideas that shape how we live — from local Wichita stories to conversations about identity, community, and becoming. New episodes drop weekly. Find us everywhere you listen.

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So THIS Happened, the Wichita, Kansas podcast hosted by Jen Cole and Rachel Chappelle, is back with something new: for the first time all of Season 2, it's just the two of them. Episode 54 covers a lot of ground — a Season 2 recap, a big announcement from Jen, new board news, the first taste of a wine that's been waiting since the Fourth of July, and Taylor Swift's “Anti-Hero” as this week's Hits Different pick.

🎲 Trend Decoder: Brain Sounds & How to Summon Me

Trend Decoder makes its Season 2 debut, and Rachel comes out swinging.

• “How My Brain Sounds” — creators soundtrack the chaos of juggling everything at once. Rachel's guesses (amusement park noise, a parenting mystery, Disturbed's “Down With the Sickness” playing over a work meltdown) landed close enough to earn serious points.
• “How to Summon Me” — Rachel nailed this one instantly: coffee, wine, and a favorite band are apparently all it takes.

The line “well-rounded and brain sounded” came out of this segment — and yes, it's officially T-shirt material. It's also this episode's name.

📋 Season 2 So Far

Three episodes into Season 2 and there's already a lot to recap:

• The Dr. Shareika Fisher episode — the “bet on yourself” conversation that turned into an impromptu girls' night around Wichita, closing down Greater Grounds and Morts along the way.
• The first-ever live Sip Squad Session with Stella Hankins of Bella Bonita Designs — a packed house, new faces, and a night neither host wanted to end.

📣 Breaking the 4th Wall: Backspace Media Is Back

You've heard “Backspace Media, my own marketing company” as a sponsor mention for weeks — here's what it actually means. Jen is relaunching Backspace Media, offering podcast consulting, personal branding consulting, content creation and UGC, and social media coaching. If that sounds like something you need, reach out — Jen would love to talk.

🍷 Finally Sipping Vinzant Wines

A full month after Jen's Fourth of July trip to Kansas City, the Vinzant Wines finally get poured on mic — starting with what might be Jen's new favorite Cabernet Sauvignon. A rosé from the same haul is still waiting in the wings for episode 55.

🩰 Ballet Wichita Board News

Jen has officially been voted onto the board of Ballet Wichita — a full-circle moment for a partnership the show has loved from day one. Ballet Wichita's new season includes The Spirit Bride (Oct 9–10 at Newman University), The Nutcracker (Dec 18–20 at DOC), and The Ice Queen (summer 2027).

🎃 Sponsoring Rocky Horror

So THIS Happened is officially a sponsor of this fall's Rocky Horror — a separate production from Ballet Wichita, though the two share some familiar faces. The show is directed by Ryan Schafer and runs two weekends at Docs Hangar, including a Halloween night midnight performance.

🎶 Hits Different: “Anti-Hero” — Taylor Swift

This week's pick comes from the Midnights album. Rachel and Jen dig into the self-doubt, self-sabotage, and “everyone's judging me” anxiety at the heart of the song — and land on a theory about why “I stare directly at the sun, but never in the mirror” hits as hard as it does.

📣 Before You Go

• Merch is live — Uncorked and Slightly Unhinged & Pairs Well with Champagne and Caviar Bumps (10% of profits go to Ballet Wichita)
• The next Sip Squad Session is August 23 at Tor Brewing with guest Sophii Jones
• There's a new event in the works outside of Sip Squad Sessions — more details soon
• Got thoughts on this episode? Drop them in the comments — the Sip Squad always shows up
• So THIS Happened is proudly sponsored by Vu Events, Colour Thairapy, and Backspace Media.

🥂 Cheers to being well-rounded (and a little brain sounded)

So THIS happened.

So THIS Happened is Wichita's podcast for real talk, local culture, and the occasional Taylor Swift spiral. Hosted by Jen Cole and Rachel Chappelle. New episodes drop weekly — find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.

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So THIS Happened is Wichita's podcast for real talk, local culture, and the occasional Taylor Swift spiral — and this week, Jen Cole and Rachel Chappelle headed out to Tanganyika Wildlife Park in Goddard, Kansas, just outside Wichita, to sit down with LynnLee Schmidt, COO of Tanganyika, for one of the most emotional episodes yet.

By now, most of the Sip Squad has seen the videos: a newborn giraffe calf, born fighting for her life, now off oxygen and walking on her own. Her name is Milani. This episode is the story behind those clips — the decisions, the team, and the twenty-hour sprint that gave her a chance.

🦘 This or That: Wildlife Edition

LynnLee jumped right into This or That with Jen and Rachel — kangaroo over sloth (“they're overrated,” she said, and she's not wrong), and a whole tangent on sloth toe counts none of us expected to learn.

🦒 Meet Milani

Milani's story didn't start the night she was born — it started about a month and a half earlier, when her mom stopped eating. LynnLee walks us through the diagnosis, the impossible choice the team faced (there was never a “save the mom or save the calf” — it was lose them both, or try to save the calf), and the moment Milani took her first breath.

📞 The Phone Tree That Saves Giraffes

What happened next was a twenty-hour sprint: an emergency call to the International Center for Giraffe Conservation, a colleague driving four hours with a cooler of banked giraffe plasma just in case, and Tanganyika's own director driving to a medical supply store to buy an oxygen machine — for a giraffe. LynnLee calls it a phone tree. It's really more of a “get in the car and go” tree.

💪 Holding Both

The team spent two weeks on round-the-clock shifts — over 150 hours of overtime in the first week alone — helping Milani learn to hold her own head up, and eventually, to stand. LynnLee's description of that process (all the confidence, none of the coordination) had the whole room laughing through tears. As of this week, Milani is off oxygen and walking on her own.

🌍 Why Tanganyika Exists

LynnLee unpacked her philosophy on conservation — what she calls “the conservation funnel.” Awareness, interest, action. It's why Tanganyika leans so heavily into hands-on animal encounters: people protect what they've actually touched.

🐜 What's Next at Tanganyika

A brand-new baby giant anteater is now out on exhibit (gender still unknown), and Tanganyika's documentary Take Me to Mars — the story of Mars the pygmy hippo and the team behind him — premieres in person on August 19th before eventually heading to streaming.

📍 Find LynnLee & Tanganyika Wildlife Park

• Tanganyika Wildlife Park — Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, and twpark.com
• LynnLee Schmidt — Animals Amplified (her leadership and culture coaching for zoo professionals) and LynnLee Writes (updates on her upcoming historical fiction novel about okapis)

🥂 Before You Go

• Merch is live — Uncorked & Slightly Unhinged and Pairs Well with Champagne & Caviar Bumps (10% of profits go to Ballet Wichita). Code STHANNIVERSARY gets you 15% off through July 31.
• Want to be a guest on the pod? We're always open — reach out!
• Follow along for more from Tanganyika, including the baby anteater and the Take Me to Mars premiere

So THIS Happened is proudly sponsored by Vu Events and Backspace Media, Jen's own company.

And as always...

🦒 Milani is a fighter

🥂 Cheers to the whole team behind her

💖 And we'll see you next time

So THIS happened.

So THIS Happened is Wichita's podcast for real talk, local culture, and the occasional Taylor Swift spiral. Hosted by Jen Cole and Rachel Chappelle. New episodes drop weekly — find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.

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Send us Fan Mail

So THIS Happened is Wichita's podcast for real talk, local culture, and the occasional glass of bubbles — and this episode marks a first: our very first live Sip Squad Session, recorded live from Bubbles Champagne Bar in downtown Wichita, Kansas, with hosts Jen Cole and Rachel Chappelle.

Joining them live is Stella Hankins, founder and creative director of Bella Bonita Designs, a Wichita live-illustration and fine art studio. Stella's work has taken her from Prada and Dior runways to Fendi activations — and now to a storefront on St. Francis in downtown Wichita. Tonight, she's talking about all of it: the global career, the move home, and the quieter, harder season she's been walking through this year.

FIRST-EVER LIVE SIP SQUAD SESSION

This one was different from the jump — our first time recording live in front of an audience, and our first time broadcasting live on YouTube and Facebook. Huge thanks to Bubbles Champagne Bar for hosting, and to Tony Vu (DJ Panda) of Vu Events for keeping the room hyped all night.

FROM RUSSIA TO WICHITA, BY WAY OF EVERYWHERE

Stella was born in Russia and immigrated to the U.S. as a child, later living in Geneva, New York City, Paris, and Savannah before her family landed in Wichita. She built her live-illustration career along the way, working events for luxury brands including Prada, Tiffany & Co., Dior, and Fendi. Nearly a decade ago, she moved to Wichita to be closer to family and ended up staying. She launched Bella Bonita Designs in January 2020 — timing that meant starting a business right as the world shut down. The studio pivoted early into mask-making and community mask drives before growing into the working studio and storefront it is today.

NINE YEARS SOBER, REBUILDING AFTER A BREAKUP

Stella has been sober for nine years. This past year, she's navigated the end of an eight-year relationship — a breakup she's walked through fully sober, leaning on new outlets instead of old habits. She talked openly about what's helped: AA meetings, her sponsor, spontaneous trips, the shooting range with her mom, and journaling that turns into sketches. "Once you get rid of that block," she said, "it opens up so many other channels." Her advice for anyone sitting with something hard right now: time actually does heal — listen to the signs when something isn't working, and trust the process of honoring what's right for you.

BEFORE YOU GO

Find Stella and Bella Bonita Designs on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook @bellabonitadesigns, or online at bellabonitadesigns.com. Visit the studio in person, diagonal from Bubbles Champagne Bar on St. Francis in downtown Wichita, open Wednesday–Saturday, 10am–6pm.

Sip Squad merch is live — Uncorked and Slightly Unhinged is 15% through July 31 with code STHANNIVERSARY, and Messy is My Polished (10% of profits go to Ballet Wichita).

This episode is proudly presented by Vu Events — "It had to be Vu!" — and recorded live at Bubbles Champagne Bar.

So THIS Happened is Wichita's podcast for real talk, local culture, and the occasional Taylor Swift spiral. Hosted by Jen Cole and Rachel Chappelle. New episodes drop weekly — find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.

So THIS happened.

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Season 2 of the Wichita podcast So THIS Happened kicks off with hosts Jen Cole and Rachel Chappelle, joined by Wichita entrepreneur Dr. Shareika Fisher of Reitreat Consulting and Freish Florals.

🎉 Season 2 Kickoff

Fresh off their Anniversary Party at Bubbles Champagne Bar (presented by Vu Events), Jen and Rachel recap surprising Season 1 guests with custom Bella Bonita Designs scrunchies, plus new "Pairs Well with Champagne & Caviar Bumps" patches from Happy Camper Hat Company.

🍷 Wine, World Cup & the Plaza

Jen recaps a 4th of July weekend road trip to Kansas City, tasting Riesling and rosé from Vinzant Wines inside the Made in KC boutique on the Plaza, right as World Cup crowds packed the streets for Colombia's match at Arrowhead Stadium.

🩰 Alice in Wonderland with Ballet Wichita

The hosts dressed up (Mad Hatter hat and bunny ears included) for Ballet Wichita's traveling production of Alice in Wonderland, bringing their Instagram giveaway winner Mikayla and friends along for a night out at Goldfinch.

🎩 Wearing Many Hats with Dr. Shareika Fisher

Recorded live at Greater Grounds, this Season 2 premiere features Dr. Shareika Fisher, founder of Reitreat Consulting ("Wonder Woman for executives") and Freish Florals, and the new coordinator behind Lead Wichita's Global Leadership Summit, returning August 6-7 at INTRUST Bank Arena. Jen, Rachel, and Shareika talk through what it really means to wear many hats across Wichita's nonprofit, entrepreneurial, and creative spaces, from protecting your calendar to leaning into your strengths. Freish Florals recently joined the approved vendor list at Bradley Fair, and Shareika's Floral Fridays are not to be missed.

📣 Before You Go

Join us live! Sip Squad Sessions kicks off July 20 at Bubbles Champagne Bar with guest Stella Hankins of Bella Bonita Designs. Merch is live: Uncorked & Slightly Unhinged, code STHANNIVERSARY for 15% off through 7/31.

Find Dr. Shareika Fisher: Instagram @dr.reirei | LinkedIn: Shareika Fisher

Find Freish Florals: Instagram @freish_florals

So THIS Happened is Wichita's podcast for real talk, local culture, and the occasional Taylor Swift spiral. Hosted by Jen Cole and Rachel Chappelle. New episodes drop weekly — find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.

Proudly sponsored by Vu Events — it had to be Vu!

Support the show