So THIS Happened...
“So THIS Happened…” is the podcast version of catching up with your most unfiltered friend over wine. Each week, Jen and Rachel dive into personal mishaps, past memories, local happenings, weird habits, and whatever else pops up — including the occasional celebrity headline we just have to talk about. It’s casual, it’s chaotic, and it’s all real.
Episode 66 : In Depthly
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On Episode 66 of So THIS Happened, the Wichita podcast hosted by Jen Cole and Rachel Chappelle, the Sip Squad gets a head-to-head This or That, a debrief of the Rocky Horror Wichita dress rehearsal at the B-29 Doc hangar, and a big, cozy, in-depthly conversation about the autumn pause: that little window in October and November to look back on the year before the holidays hit. Plus, Rachel hears "'tis the damn season" for the very first time.
🥂 THANK YOU, SIP SQUAD SPONSORS
V...
Episode 65 : Kolsch & Quiet
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So THIS Happened, the Wichita podcast hosted by Jen Cole and Rachel Chappelle, packed up the mics and hit the road for Episode 65. Destination: Walnut River Brewing Company in El Dorado, Kansas, for an on-location conversation with part owner BJ Hunt.
Pull up a stool. This one has a brothel upstairs, Hoveround races in a pink sombrero, 78 tiny beers, a bar fight on opening night, and the reason the water in El Dorado makes such good beer. Oh, and a T-shirt idea we're not letting...
Episode 64 : A Haunting Figure
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A Haunting Figure
So THIS Happened, the Wichita podcast hosted by Jen Cole and Rachel Chappelle, is back at studio number one (Jen’s dining room table) for the first just-us episode in a while. With red wine in hand, the two catch up on a haunting night at Ballet Wichita’s Spirit Bride, a grand opening weekend at Urban Nails in Andover, a brand-new chapter of events for Jen, and Rachel’s house getting ready for her niece’s arrival.
Plus: a Trend Decoder that finally stumps Rachel, and a Hi...
Episode 63 : Turn Your Burner Down
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Chef Audra Bell of NICHE, the National Institute for Culinary and Hospitality Education at WSU Tech, joins Jen Cole and Rachel Chappelle on So THIS Happened, the Wichita podcast for real talk and local culture. Her hands-on evening cooking classes in downtown Wichita are open to anyone. No application, no culinary background, nothing to prove.
Recorded inside the brand-new WSU Tech Multimedia Studio, this episode covers the five French mother sauces, the knife mistakes Chef Audra spots in the first ten minutes of every class, and the one kitchen tip that would...
Episode 62 : A Place Where the Misfits Fit
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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, hosts Jen Cole and Rachel Chappelle traded their usual couch for a live audience at the B-29 DOC Hangar in Wichita, Kansas, for a special episode behind the curtain of Richard O'Brien's Rocky Horror Show Wichita. Joining them: Jesse Bourque, Ryan Schafer, and Brent McNulty, the team bringing Rocky Horror Wichita to life this October — plus a surprise appearance from cast member Justin Noel Hall.
This wasn't just an e...
Episode 61 : Fair Words
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Episode 61 Show Notes — Fair Words
Featuring Katy Munden Hays of Alegria Fair — recorded live at GROW Plant Bar
So THIS Happened, Wichita's podcast for real talk and local culture, welcomed Katy Munden Hays of Alegria Fair to the mic for a live Sip Squad Session at GROW Plant Bar in downtown Wichita. Hosted by Jen Cole and Rachel Chappelle, this episode covers Katy's rebrand — bringing her fair trade business and her cause-marketing, ethical storytelling work together under one name — and what it looks like to build a more intentional life right he...
Episode 60 : Say Yes to Yourself First
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So THIS Happened is Wichita's podcast for real talk, real stories, and the occasional glass of wine — and this week Jen Cole and Rachel Chappelle sat down with Kelly, owner of Bridely Boutique, a bridal boutique in Wichita, Kansas, built on one simple idea: buying your wedding dress should feel like an experience, not a transaction.
💍 Meet Kelly of Bridely Boutique
After more than 30 years working in MRI and X-ray, Kelly took the leap and opened Bridely Boutique five years ago. Today it's one of Wichita's most beloved bridal boutiques, tucke...
Episode 59 : Cool Girls Have Cool Jobs
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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 hosts Jen Cole and Rachel Chappelle are back in the Wichita studio for the first time in Season 2 with an episode that starts silly and ends up somewhere real.
It's a just-us episode built around a theme they're calling “The Leap” — and a Trend Decoder comeback that turns into one of the most personal conversations this Wichita podcast has had all season.
🎲 Trend Decoder Is Back!
A fan-favorite segment ret...
Episode 58 : Cultivate Wichita
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Cultivating Wichita
So THIS Happened — Wichita's local culture and personal growth podcast, hosted by Jen Cole and Rachel Chappelle — traded wine glasses for teacups this episode. Recorded live at Mulberry Gallery inside Revolutsia (the shipping-container creative hub on Central Ave), Jen and Rachel sat down with Naquela of Planted Tea Shop, a Wichita-based tea and herbal education business, to talk tea culture, community, and how to build a life around slowing down.
🍵 Meet Naquela of Planted Tea Shop
Naquela moved back to...
Episode 57 : Do It Scared
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This week's Sip Squad Session brings So THIS Happened — Jen Cole and Rachel Chappelle's Wichita podcast for real talk, local culture, and the occasional Taylor Swift spiral — live to Tor Brewing for a night with Sophii Jones, founder of Jupiter House Marketing right here in Wichita, Kansas. It's a story about a promise made at 24, a decade of learning marketing the hard way, and what it actually takes to do the scary thing anyway.
🍻 Live at Tor Brewing
The Sip Squad Session crowd packed into Tor Bre...
Episode 56 : Do it Lady, A Season 1 Throwback
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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!
...
Episode 55 : Don't Give a Chic
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It's the dead center of August in Wichita, and So THIS Happened hosts Jen Cole and Rachel Chappelle are living squarely in "the in-between" — still sweating through summer, already reaching for pumpkin spice. Grab the last pour of a good rosé and settle in, because this one's got Trend Decoder history, a big event announcement, and a Taylor Swift deep-dive that gets surprisingly tender.
TREND DECODER: A PERSONAL BEST
Rachel went in blind, as always, and walked away with a perfect score — 4 out o...
Episode 54 : Well-Rounded & Brain Sounded
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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...
Episode 53 : A Fighter Named Milani
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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 th...
Episode 52 : Pencil Before the Paint
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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 S...
Episode 51: Many Hats, Many Tales, One Squad
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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<...
Episode 50 : Down the Rabbit Hole We Go
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Episode fifty. FIFTY. And we went out exactly the way we started — just the two of us, a bottle of wine, and absolutely no shortage of things to say. Season 1 is officially in the books, and this episode is equal parts celebration and rabbit hole. We're talking merch launches, ballet tickets, anniversary party updates, a Trend Decoder segment that got surprisingly deep, and a sneak peek at what Season 2 has in store. Buckle up, Sip Squad. 🐇
🍾 This episode is sponsored by Vu Events
We love...
Episode 49 : Long Live the Sip Squad
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This episode is the one before the one. Just Jen and Rachel, a charcuterie board from Aldi, and nearly a full season of memories to look back on. Fresh off the Riverfest Main Stage, with an anniversary party on the horizon and one more episode to go in Season 1 — this is their moment to pause, pour a glass, and say long live all of it.
Trend Decoder is back, Rachel pulls off a perfect score (including a dramatic live count of her 36 Amazon lists), and Hi...
Episode 48 : Live From Riverfest
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So THIS Happened went live. Like, actually live. Main Stage at Wichita Riverfest live.
Episode 48 is Jen and Rachel recording in real time on the Main Stage at Wichita Riverfest 2026 — in front of a real crowd, with wine in hand, the wind trying its absolute best to ruin the vibe, and DJ Panda on hype duty. It did not disappoint.
We played This or That with the crowd (Riverfest edition — festival food, outfit planning, local vs. national acts), dove into some of our favorite Riverfest memories, talked about what we'd a...
Episode 47 : Yes, But
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🎙️ Episode 47 — Yes, But
Hosted by Jen Cole & Rachel Chappelle
This episode is sponsored by Vu Events — Wichita's magic makers. Cheers to Jovana and the team!
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and we decided to get real about it. Not in a five-tips kind of way. In the actual, imperfect, sometimes-you-hold-it-in-until-you-explode kind of way that real life actually looks like.
Also: Trend Decoder is back, the math gets...
Episode 46 : Perfectly Un-Perfect
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This episode is sponsored by Vu Events! Whatever you’re celebrating, Jovana and her team have the vision to make it unforgettable. Find them at vueventplanning.com.
Episode 46 is chaotic, emotional, hilarious, and somehow perfectly on-brand for two women who just coined the phrase “perfectly un-perfect” live on air.
Jen and Rachel are fresh off a content creation outing at Century II — getting familiar with the main stage where they’ll record LIVE at Riverfest on Sunday, May 31st at 11 AM. Come see them. All...
Episode 45 : Main Stage Era
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This episode is sponsored by Vu Events! Whether it’s a corporate gathering, a wedding, or the celebration of a lifetime, Jovana and her team have the vision and the hustle to make it unforgettable. Find them at vueventsplanning.com.
――――――――――――――――――――
Forty-five episodes in, and things just got very, very real.
Jen and Rachel are back with a full glass and a LOT to say — trends, milestones, a tearjerker of a Hits Different segment, and...
Episide 44 : Entering In
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🎙️ EPISODE 44 — "Entering In"
Featuring Krissy Buck, Chair of Digital Wichita
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This episode is sponsored by Vu Events! Jovana Vu and her team make events feel like actual events — corporate gatherings, milestone celebrations, weddings, and everything in between. Find them at vueventplanning.com or @vueventplanning on socials.
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AI isn't coming. It's already here — and it's entering in whether you're ready or not.
Jen and Rachel are live at WSU Tech's NCAT Campus with their friend of nine years, Krissy Buck — Chair of Digital Wichita and Director of the ShockStarter program at WSU Tech. What started as a conversation about AI-powered marketing turned into something big...
Episode 43 : Reputation Precedes Her
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No guest. Just Jen and Rachel, a bottle of rosé, some very big news, and the return of one of the OG segments.
Episode 43 has a lot going on: Jen paid off her student loans (HALLELUJAH). The Trend Decoder made its triumphant comeback. The whole Cole family had a Music Man moment. And Rachel officially became a Swifty — live on air. Reputation precedes her, indeed.
📱 TREND DECODER IS BACK
Listener Tracy requested the comeback and we delivered. Jen reads each trend cold, Rachel guesses what it mea...
Episode 42 : Two Shuttlecocks & Elizabeth Taylor
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Episode 42 is a just-us episode — and honestly? Those are some of our favorites. Road trips, boutique hotels, anniversary adventures, Record Store Day, and Taylor Swift's "Elizabeth Taylor." Also Easy Cheese. There's a whole Easy Cheese moment. Just go with it.
🎲 This or That: Travel & Adventure Edition
Travel and adventure themed this week — and the conversations went exactly where you'd expect (and several places you wouldn't).
🚗 Road Trip Rituals & The Magic of Going Somewhere
Jen has been on the roa...
Episode 41 : Permission Granted
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This week's episode went somewhere really special. Jen and Rachel sit down with Jennifer Short — hairdresser, breathwork facilitator, Human Design devotee, and one of the most quietly extraordinary humans in Wichita — inside her salon, Colour Thairapy, for a conversation about transformation, permission, and what it actually means to build a life that feels like yours.
From Hutchinson to Wichita. From the salon chair to the breath mat. From performing loyalty for everyone else to finally giving it to herself. Jennifer's story is the kind that sneaks up on you and then hits...
Episode 40 : Champagne & '22' Energy
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We did something a little… unexpected this time.
We went LIVE. 🎥✨
Before Episode 39 even dropped (lol), we decided to test new software, hit “go live” across platforms, and just see what happens.
And honestly? It felt very on-brand.
Because this episode is all about stepping into the moment, embracing a little chaos, and letting the night unfold exactly as it’s meant to.
✨ What We’re Getting Into:
Our first-ever LIVE podcast recording (across THREE platforms 😳)
Rouge: The Heartspring Gala recap—an unforgettable night of impact and art...
Episode 39: Boots, Bingo and Blood Cancer Awareness
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This week on So THIS Happened, we’re recording live from Home2 Suites in Delano with the incredible Jamie Seipel, Director of Sales for Home2 Suites Delano and 2026 Visionary of the Year candidate for Blood Cancer United.
What starts as a conversation about fundraising quickly becomes something much deeper—about saying yes before you feel ready, stepping into something bigger than yourself, and discovering just how powerful community can be when it rallies around a cause.
For Jen, this episode is especially meaningful—a full-circle moment reflecting on her own ca...
Episode 38 : Behind the Glam - Stories That Matter
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🥂 In This Episode
This week, we’re stepping into the spotlight and pulling back the curtain…
Jen shares her experience seeing Hadestown (and why it stuck with her long after the final note)We dive into Heartspring’s mission ahead of the Rouge Gala—and why this organization is so specialA sneak peek at Ballet Wichita’s Breaking BarriersHits Different: Getaway Car by Taylor SwiftPlus: a This or That that turns surprisingly introspective (because… of course it does)🎭 Under the Lights: Hadestown Review
Jen takes us...
Episode 37 : Big Ideas, Midwest Energy
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🍷 Episode Summary
What if the next big idea didn’t come from Silicon Valley… but from right here in Wichita?
In this episode, we sit down with Tracy Hoover, founder of Groover Labs, to talk about what it really takes to build something from the ground up and why you might not have to leave home to do it. From her background in big tech to creating a space where founders, developers, and creatives can collide and collaborate, Tracy shares how Groover Labs is helping shape the future of inno...
Episode 36 : Sequins Are Forever
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Cheers to Episode 36! This week’s episode unexpectedly turned into a celebration of live performance, unforgettable nights out and the artists who shape the soundtrack of our lives.
Jen and Rachel recap an electric night at Broadway in Wichita’s production of STOMP, explore the glamour and chaos of showbiz in Rachel’s Hits Different song assignment, and share memories of legendary local musician Jenny Wood, whose influence on the Wichita music scene will never be forgotten.
From rhythm-filled stages to sequin...
Episode 35 : Spirited Ambition
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This week, we recorded from the upstairs loft at The Depot (shoutout to Jeff and those $10 Sunday pizzas 🙌) and welcomed Kiah and Bella of Roaming Spirits Bar for a conversation about building a business with boldness, heart and just the right amount of controlled chaos.
From homemade syrups to espresso martinis with tequila (yes, tequila), this episode is about more than cocktails. It’s about showing up, taking risks and choosing ambition on purpose.
We’re sipping blueberry lavender lemonade and a cinnamon espress...
Episode 34 : Uncorked and 30
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Cheers to 30, messy growth and being slightly unhinged on purpose
Rachel turns 30 this week and we are absolutely uncorking for it.
In this episode, we celebrate stepping into a new decade with clarity, confidence and just the right amount of chaos. We talk about lessons from our twenties, why boundaries hit different in your thirties and how “messy” might actually be the most polished thing about you.
We also dive into our newly launched merch store (!!!), why 10% of our Messy is My Polish line supports Ball...
Episode 33: Built With Love (And a DJ Booth)
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In this heart-forward episode of So THIS Happened…, Jen and Rachel sit down with longtime friend and event planner extraordinaire Jovana Vu at GROW Plant Bar to talk about collaboration, trust and what it really means to build something with the people you love.
From planning Jen’s wedding to launching Vu Events as a brand, Jovana shares how working with intention — not hustle — has shaped her business, her marriage and her future.
This one is about pa...
Episode 32 : Self-Trust Is the Main Character
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Love Letters to the Self, the City and the Night (with GHOSTGIRL)
This Valentine’s-week episode is a love letter — not to romance, but to self-trust, community and creative courage.
Recorded on location at Odd Fellow Hall, Jen and Rachel are joined by Wichita-based DJ and producer GHOSTGIRL for a conversation that drifts from Galentine’s celebrations to late-night creativity, sensuality on your own terms and the power of building the rooms you wish existed.
With red heart sunglasses firmly in place...
Episode 31 : Free Will Looks Good On You
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Guest: Kari, Founder of Happy Camper Hat Company
Recorded at: Bubbles Champagne Bar inside The Workroom (Ballroom Collective)
Crafting. Community. Champagne.
In this joyful, hands-on episode, Jen and Rachel sip bubbles with Kari of Happy Camper Hat Company and explore why so many of us are craving analogue creativity again — the kind that pulls us off our phones and back into the moment.
From DIY hat-making and pop-culture patches to feminist values, happy accidents and the magic of making something together, this conversation is...
Episode 30 : Messy is Our Polish
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Episode 30: Messy Is Our Polish (aka 30.2)
Sometimes the best episodes don’t go exactly as planned… and sometimes that’s the whole point.
In this re-recorded (and very real) Episode 30, Jen and Rachel embrace the chaos after recording an entire episode with zero audio. What could’ve been a spiral turns into laughter, reflection and a deeper conversation about creativity, imperfection and momentum.
This episode is about messy magic, creative resilience and why polish doesn’t have to mean perfect.
☕ What We Cover in This Episode
T...Episode 29 : Mirrorballs and Milestones
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Episode 29: Mirrorballs & Milestones
Water for Elephants, vinyl nights, Taylor Swift truths and celebrating moments that shimmer
This week felt like a highlight reel — the kind where art, community and personal milestones all collide in the best way. Jen and Rachel recap an unforgettable week filled with Broadway magic, behind-the-scenes access, local music love, a milestone birthday and a Swiftie song that hits straight in the feelings.
From watching acrobats warm up before Water for Elephants to listening to Wichita artists tell the stories behind their al...
Episode 28 : An Era of Becoming Pt. 2
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Some weeks feel louder than others. This one felt deeper.
In Episode 28, Jen and Rachel return to the theme of Becoming — not as a destination, but as a living, breathing season filled with milestones, emotions and moments that quietly change us. From standing ovations and final bows to baby showers, birthdays and songs that truly hit different, this episode captures what it feels like to watch life unfold in real time.
This is an episode about pride and grief coexisting. About looking forward while honoring what’s already behind you...
Episode 27 : An Era of Becoming
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