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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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