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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 for a Valentine’s edition of This or That, this episode balances playfulness with depth — and reminds us that choosing yourself can be both soft and bold.

✨ In This Episode, We Talk About:

• Why Galentine’s is more than an alternative to Valentine’s — it’s an act of intentional connection
• Hosting community-focused events and what it means to curate joy
• Creating safe, expressive spaces for women and femmes
• Sensuality as authentic connection — not performance
• Navigating social anxiety while building a public creative life
• Vulnerability as the gateway to real community
• Finding your people through music, art and shared energy
• Why experimental synthpop feels like home
• Letting your art be a love letter to the night
• Building multi-day experiences and festivals rooted in belonging

💗 This or That: Valentine’s Edition

(Yes, with red heart sunglasses)

• Candlelight vs neon lights
• Getting dressed up vs dressing for comfort
• Hosting the party vs being the guest

Equal parts chaos, honesty and laughter.

🎶 About GHOSTGIRL

GHOSTGIRL is a Wichita-based DJ and producer whose work blends synth-forward sounds with experimental textures and emotional depth. Rooted in community-building and self-authored expression, her work spans DJ sets, original music, curated events and collaborative festivals that center connection, inclusivity and creative freedom.

🗓️ Upcoming Events & Projects

💘 Galentine’s at Odd Fellow Hall
📍 Odd Fellow Hall
📅 February 20
⏰ Doors at 7 PM | Event 8 PM–Midnight - Get Tickets Here

An all-women and femmes-forward Galentine’s celebration featuring:

• Multiple DJs
• Local women-owned vendors
• Curated cocktails
• Food, art and community energy

🔥 Valentine’s Night with ICT Pole
📅 February 14
A sensual, high-energy evening blending DJ sets, pole performances and embodied expression.

🎧 New Music on the Way
An upcoming experimental synthpop project featuring collaborations with local artists — music that lives somewhere between dance floor and midnight reflection.

🎉 Mini Music Festival at Lion’s Lounge
📍 Lion’s Lounge
📅 April 18–19 (4/20 weekend)
A two-day, genre-spanning festival featuring DJs, bands, rappers, vendors and a whole lot of community love.

🥂 Final Toast

This episode is for anyone who has ever felt awkward, underestimated or unsure — and chose to show up anyway.
For the artists, the hosts, the dancers, the curators and the community-builders.
For love letters that aren’t about romance.

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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 a love letter to creativity, nostalgia and finding your people.

✨ What We Talk About

• Why crafting and “analogue joy” feel so refreshing in a screen-heavy world
• How Happy Camper Hat Company became the only all-DIY hat bar in the country
• Letting go of perfection and embracing happy accidents
• Pop culture, inside jokes and why patches spark instant connection
• Hosting birthday parties, bachelorettes and group hangs at Happy Camper
• The power of making something tangible you can wear, gift or remember
• Building community inside the Ballroom Collective at The Workroom
• Creating with intention, values and voice — not neutrality

🧢 This or That: Craft Edition Highlights

• Hot glue gun > sewing machine (with a surprising amount of emotional backstory)
• Champagne crafting > coffee crafting
• Happy accidents > perfect placement
• Vibes only > Pinterest inspiration
• Bold bases > neutral bases (in hats and in life)

💡 Notable Moments & One-Liners

• “What’s going to bring you joy today?”
• Crafting as a form of rebellion against constant scrolling
• The joy of watching someone put 15 patches on one hat — unapologetically
• Why dog bandanas unlocked something magical for guests
• The beauty of leaving with a memory you can wear
• “Messy is our polish.”

🌈 A Brand With a Voice

Kari shares the inspiration behind Not Neutral, a new civic-minded hat line from Happy Camper Hat Company.
Each hat gives wearers a way to express their values — with $10 from every hat benefiting the Kansas ACLU — proving that creativity and community care can go hand in hand.

🥂 Events & What’s Coming Up

• Galentine’s at The Workroom (Feb 13): DJs, piercings, pop-ups and Happy Camper’s Slip & Sip — custom sherpa slippers + champagne
• Ongoing DIY crafting — hats, jackets, bags, dog bandanas and more
• Private group reservations available (birthdays, bachelorettes, just-because hangs)

📍 Visit & Create

🧢 Happy Camper Hat Company
📍 Upstairs in the Ballroom Collective at The Workroom
🕰️ Open 7 days a week
🌐 happycamperhatco.com (tutorials, reservations, event info)

🥂 Bubbles Champagne Bar downstairs for the perfect pre- or post-craft sip

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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

• The infamous no-audio recording fail and why Episode 30 became 30.2
• A callback to Episode 29’s This or That moment that sparked a brand-new merch line
• The meaning behind “Messy Is My Polish” and why it resonated so deeply
• Why 10% of Messy Is My Polish merch sales are being donated to Ballet Wichita
• A fresh This or That: Chaos Edition showdown
• Hits Different featuring "us"
• Coffee Breaks at Larcher’s Market
• What’s coming next for the podcast, including guest episodes and special locations

🎲 This or That: Chaos Edition Highlights

This week’s prompts lean all the way into imperfection and growth.

Spoiler alert: messy wins… but polish still matters.

👕 Merch Moment: “Messy Is My Polish”

What started as an offhand This or That response in Episode 29 quickly became a mantra — and now, a merch line.

Jen and Rachel talk through:

• Why the phrase stuck
• How it reflects their creative process and friendship
• Why letting listeners see the mess feels more honest than chasing perfection

And because community matters, they’re donating 10% of all “Messy Is My Polish” merch sales to Ballet Wichita in support of local arts and creatives.

🎶 Hits Different: “us” by Gracie Abrams (feat. Taylor Swift)

This week’s Hits Different segment goes deep.

Rachel shares her take on the song’s themes of memory, secrecy and emotional residue after relationships end. Jen opens up vulnerably about how the song connects to her own past, reflecting on love, timing, mistakes and growth — including why the lyric about being 29 hits especially hard.

This isn’t just about the song. It’s about reflection, honesty and the courage to talk about the chapters that shaped you.

☕ Coffee Breaks at Larcher’s Market

The first official Coffee Breaks meetup takes place at Larcher’s Market, complete with:

• Local goods, cozy vibes and great lighting
• A reminder that community moments don’t have to be big to be meaningful

More Coffee Breaks are officially on the way.

🔮 What’s Coming Next

Episode 30 marks a turning point.

Coming up:

• Guest episodes recorded at special locations
• Collaborations with local creatives and business owners
• Lifestyle photography captured during recordings
• A front-loaded February full of momentum

This episode is the inhale. What’s next is the spark.

💛 Final Thought

Messy doesn’t mean broken.
Messy doesn’t mean unprofessional.
Sometimes messy is the polis

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