Beans & Banter

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we dive into her career, how she and NiCole became friends (it's a story involving gum and a slap threat), and what life is like in retirement.  Like all our episodes, this one goes in many directions and it's a really fun conversation. (There's even a story about murder for all you true crime fans). Grab a coffee, pull up a chair, and get to know o...

Send us Fan Mail We'll be honest, this episode is very random. We had two guests who had to reschedule (we'll talk about why). So what you get is a fairly unfiltered, random conversation between Keith and NiCole. We share stories about embarrassing childhood moments, parenting, hopes for our small town, and more. If you need to listen to some banter, this is the episode for you. Grab a c...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we sit down with Brad and Courtney of Duo Couture. We dive into the realities of buying inventory at wholesale markets, the logistics of shipping and storage that come with rapid growth, navigating tricky customer return situations, and the ongoing challenge of balancing a marriage with being full-time business partners. Whether you're a small business owner...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the first episode of our side series, "Beers & Banters". Nothing is off the table. Nobody is safe from getting called out. And the beers are cold. On this episode, we're diving headfirst into the rabbit holes that keep us up at night. From the collapse of Building 7 and the missing $2.3 trillion at the Pentagon, to why no mummy was ever actually found...

Send us Fan Mail Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of suicide, mental health, and emotional distress. Listener discretion is advised. If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, call or text 988 in the United States to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. What would make someone volunteer to give away part of their liver to save another person's life? In thi...

Send us Fan Mail Every small town has stories, and this episode has plenty of them.  In this episode, we hang out with our friend Justine who is one of the reasons The Mill’s Closet exists. You’ll hear about unforgettable first dates, family memories, paranormal encounters, and just the moments that make a community feel like home.  This is a conversation full of laughter, honesty, and stories you...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Jaime Lee, better known to many as “The Sun Drop Girl”, shares her journey of embracing creativity, small-town roots, and the unexpected paths life can take.  From building “Shawano News” from scratch to preserving local stories and moments that matter, the conversation explores what it means to stay true to yourself, even when people don’t fully understand your v...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 21 is a full catch-up with the usual chaos, including podcast updates, life talk, bad reviews, Facebook Live moments, and a lot of side tangents that go everywhere… as usual. We also touch on some real-life health/test result conversations before jumping right back into marketing, content ideas, and running a business. It’s funny, unfiltered, and a little deep at times. Th...

Send us Fan Mail A lot of you know the story of our friend, Andy. He received a life-changing liver donation back in October from an amazing woman named Mandy (She'll be on an upcoming episode soon). Andy and NiCole have been friends since high school, so this episode dives deep into the past. You'll also discover in this episode that we are definitely not medical experts, so take what w...

Send us Fan Mail Savannah Wood from Good Day Wisconsin on Fox11 joins us for a conversation about how she got into journalism and what live TV is actually like. From starting in a middle school news program to working in local news, she talks about learning to think on her feet, building confidence on camera, and why being real matters more than being perfect.  The conversation also gets into earl...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we sat down with Josh Russell, the guy behind “Dang That’s Awesome.”  He built a Wisconsin food/travel TikTok to 7.4M views in 8 months, and he actually explains how he did it without the usual fluff. We get into what’s actually moving the needle on TikTok right now: timing, hooks, why followers aren’t the metric people think they are, and how he turned simple foo...

Send us Fan Mail This is a real one with a guy who took a heat press, about a $1000, and turned it into a full-blown printing and design shop, DotCom Branding. Now he’s running thousands of shirts a week, doing wraps, branding, and anything else that comes through the door. But it didn’t come clean or easy. We get into the chaos of small-town business, scaling from nothing, setbacks like a house f...

Send us Fan Mail She grew up Amish… and we had a LOT of questions. This one goes from funny stories to some pretty real moments, like what happens when you leave everything you’ve ever known… and people stop listening. We talk about faith, getting cut off, rebuilding life from scratch, and somehow ending up running a successful cleaning business. Grab a coffee, pull up a chair, and get to know mor...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we hang out with Representative Elijah R. Behnke. No fluff, no pretending, just real talk. We dig into what it actually means to represent people, not a party. From stadium deals to lake laws, the toughest calls aren’t always the ones you’d expect. Nothing polished. Nothing scripted. Just a straight-up look at how decisions get made when there’s no perfect answer....

Send us Fan Mail This one starts a little all over the place… and somehow lands exactly where it’s supposed to. We sat down with Lindsay Johnson, who’s been behind a lot of what Shawano’s becoming—turning empty storefronts into a place people actually want to hang out. We get into what it really takes to build a small town, why nothing happens as fast as people think it should, and the small stuff...

Send us Fan Mail Ernie Allen has done a little bit of everything—restaurant floors, bar shifts, years at Chili’s, time with Mission BBQ, and now leading as an Area Sales Manager at Performance Food Group. Not a straight path… and that’s kind of the whole story. We get into the COVID grind, what it really means to care about the people you serve, convincing his southern wife that Wisconsin winters...

Send us Fan Mail Hans is the founder of F.I.R.E. Fitness Camp, which has grown to 21 locations across Wisconsin. But the road there wasn’t exactly smooth. In this episode, we talk about what entrepreneurship actually looks like — the failures, the risks, and the mindset it takes to keep going when things don’t work the first time. We also get into why entrepreneurs often struggle in franchise syst...

Send us Fan Mail After more than 30 years in law enforcement, Mike thought retirement would be the easy part. Instead, he found himself facing what many officers quietly experience after the badge comes off — the loss of identity, purpose, and the transition into a very different life. Now he’s working to make sure first responders have somewhere to turn when they need support. It’s an honest conv...

Send us Fan Mail After nearly three decades in law enforcement, Tony sits down to talk about the road from serving 28 years in Oconto County to finding purpose after law enforcement. He shares stories about camaraderie, tough supervisors, break room humor, and the moments that shaped him on and off the job. This conversation dives into retirement, identity, marriage, and what it feels like to step...

Send us Fan Mail Some episodes are fun. Some are chaotic. And some hit you right in the chest. This one is all three. Jordan joins us to talk about growing up adopted, riding a Greyhound bus from Texas as a kid, losing his mom to addiction, falling headfirst off a concrete wall at 21, and waking up unable to walk or talk. And somehow, through all of that, finding purpose. We talk blind dogs, brain...

Send us Fan Mail The first employee we fired... our own daughter. In this episode, we talk early business chaos, tough love, family tension, growth, and what it really looks like to build something with the people you love.  This one is messy, honest... and a little unhinged. Grab a coffee, pull up a chair, and sit with us for a bit.  We're happy you're here. Support the show Connect wit...

Send us Fan Mail Our oldest son, Sawyer, joins us for this episode. He’ll connect with anyone who’s military, comes from a blended home, has a stepdad and brother, or knows what it’s like being the oldest. He's a college-age kid finding his footing and building something of his own. He’s a great kid. We’re proud of him. Grab a coffee, pull up a chair, and get to know our cat son, Sawyer. Supp...

Send us Fan Mail This is a good one.  Pastor Keith Sorlie shares his tender and empathetic heart with us. This conversation centers on obedience, timing, and discovering purpose when life does not go as planned. If you are burned out, questioning your faith, or wondering if it is too late to start something new, this one is for you. Prepare to be inspired by his outlook on life and faith. Grab a c...

Send us Fan Mail It's our first guest! Our podcast girl, Cami, joins us to reflect on her journey from Los Angeles back to the Midwest and the lessons that came with it.  This is a conversation about creativity, values, faith, and choosing a different pace. Grab a cup of coffee and hang with us for a little bit. Support the show Connect with us!  Website Facebook Instagram TikTok YouTube bean...

Send us Fan Mail This week, we’re sitting down to talk about what we’re truly thankful for: our family, friends, community, and the people who helped us get here. Stick around to the end for a listener-only in-store promo 👀 and a reminder that sometimes the hardest seasons end up being the most meaningful. ☕ Grab a cup of coffee and hang with us for a bit! Thank you for listening, supporting loc...