Beans & Banter
We are Keith and NiCole Fischer, owners of The Mill in Bonduel, Wisconsin. The Mill is a coffee lounge, bourbon retailer, and boutique. But more than that, it’s a gathering place for numerous people, full of countless stories. Join us as we dissect our
Episodes
35 episodes
The Preacher's Wife
Meet our friend Lisa Sorlie. Our pastor Keith Sorlie's wife. And she is so much more than just a pastor's wife. Lisa has donated a kidney, worked in public service for a number of years, been an amazing middle school teacher, an in...
Miss McClone: Bonduel's Agriculture Teacher
What does an agriculture teacher actually do?We talk about FFA, farming, livestock, the greenhouse, the county fair, student safety certifications, and why agriculture education is about much more than farming. This is a fu...
Cubby
What happens when you look at your kid and realize they're becoming their own person?In this episode, we sit down with our son Cubby for a conversation about growing up, family, sports, work, and figuring out what comes next.At ...
Data Centers in Wisconsin: Fact, Fear & the Future with WisconsQuinn
From environmental impacts to economic promises, data centers have become one of Wisconsin's biggest emerging topics. Quinn of @WisconsQuinn joins us for an honest discussion about the concerns and unanswered questions surrounding this rapidly ...
Computer Programer to Chief Deputy
What do computer programming and law enforcement have in common? For Chief Deputy John Rousseau of the Brown County Sheriff’s Office, more than you'd think. After walking away from a career in software to pursue public service, he found himself...
Our Son, Knox
Our audience asked to hear more from our family, so this week we invited our son Knox to join us on the podcast.We talk about baseball (of course), Minecraft, school, church, future dreams, friendship, and why kindness matters. Along th...
The Cult Episode
Warning: This video discusses sexual abuse, molestation, and spiritual abuse. It may include difficult or triggering subject matter. Viewer discretion is advised. Please take care while watching, and don't hesitate to pause or stop if needed.
Friendship That Started in a Courtroom
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 rea...
A Bunch of Random Stories...
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 chil...
The Story of Duo Couture
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 situat...
BEERS & BANTER: Frogs, Fluoride, & Gold
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 ...
What It's Like Donating Your Liver
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 S...
Small Town Stories
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 memorie...
The Sun Drop Girl
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 ...
Behind The Scenes
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 con...
Our Liver Friend, Andy
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, ...
Why Local News Still Matters
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 learn...
The Secret TikTok Algorithm Tricks That Grew "Dang! That's Awesome" to Millions of Views
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 ...
He Started With $1,000… Now Ships 5,000 Shirts Weekly
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 come...
Leaving The Amish
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...
The Reality of Being a Representative
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 a...
What Actually Brings a Small Town Back to Life
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 wa...
Food, Love, and Aliens
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....
You Have to Be INSANE to Start a Business
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,...
The Mental Health Crisis Nobody Talks About in Policing
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 in...