The long, dark Midwest winter can take a real toll on motivation, energy, and mental health. In this episode of Wait, You’re Mad?, Madi and Lexie break down a practical Midwest Winter Survival Guide — sharing realistic ways to support your mood, protect your energy, and avoid seasonal depression to the best of our ability. From daily routines to light exposure, cozy systems, and emotional expectations, this episode is about making winter livable.

Support the show

Follow us on
Instagram: @WaitYoureMad
Tiktok: @Wait.Youre.Mad

Subscribe and Listen to New Episodes Every Friday!

We’re fixing your holiday season with a gift guide for every personality: the hostess, the wellness girly, the chaotic friend, the person who owns everything, your emotionally unavailable cousin, and of course — the Midwestern man. Also inside: wedding ring disasters, ghost orbs, and us realizing we’re the losers, not you.

Support the show

Follow us on
Instagram: @WaitYoureMad
Tiktok: @Wait.Youre.Mad

Subscribe and Listen to New Episodes Every Friday!

This week on Wait, You’re Mad?, we’re diving into something that feels Midwestern: drinking culture. Not the frat-boy kind — the “meet at a bar to decompress, overshare, and solve all of life’s problems in one night” kind.

We’re joined by Carl Busch, award-winning mixologist and owner of EJ’s Wine Shop in Dubuque’s Historic Millwork District — a tasting room known for cozy vibes, curated wines, thoughtful cocktails, and the type of staff who actually help you figure out what you like instead of making you pretend you know tannins.

Together, we cover:

• How Carl became one of Iowa’s Top Mixologists
• The story behind EJ’s Wine Shop & how he builds his seasonal menus
• The chaos, the beauty, and the unhinged memories from years behind the bar
• AND we kick off the episode with a very on-brand wine chug
  
  

Then we wrap with Pair It or Spare It — a rapid-fire game where Carl has to pair drinks with chaotic life situations (Target holiday shopping carts, Sunday Scaries, hometown Facebook fights… you get it).

Follow EJ’s Wine Shop @EJsWineShop for events, tastings, and winter menu drops.

Support the show

Follow us on
Instagram: @WaitYoureMad
Tiktok: @Wait.Youre.Mad

Subscribe and Listen to New Episodes Every Friday!