Put a Cork In It

Well well well, we all knew this day would come eventually but WOW is it so sad to say goodbye to Put a Cork In It. What started out as a hobby during a global pandemic, ended up becoming a piece of joy in Monica and Austin’s lives. We laughed, we talked through hard things and we had a BLAST doing this podcast.

To the oh-so-loyal listeners, we love you SO much. Thank you for encouraging us along the way, offering feedback, and simply listening to two average people shoot the breeze.

We love you all, and we will miss you & we hope every time you hear Intentions by JB, you think of us ;)

This one is for the people who have lived with alllll kinds of roommates. With this kind of topic, we had to bring on Hope Dorman, a woman who has had many roommates and knows the ins and outs of what it means to live with the messy, the dirty, and the people who are both (yikes)! Our conversation did include whether or not being messy could be "hot" to a guy or gal looking to date... things got weird ok!?

We dove into all the things on this episode and it was honestly so light and refreshing to record, so we hope you feel the same way listening!

I mean WOW, lots to prepare yourself for with this episode: Mon shares an update on her love life, there is an epic debate on the High School Musical movies, and last but not least, we discuss the people who can’t shut up about high school memz...

To cover all these things, we decided to bring on Ben Schutte, a guy who had a great high school experience but knows when to keep quiet about it or when it is simply just not relevant. Man, this episode will keep you on your toes - thanks for listening!

There is a HEAVY emphasis on the weight that comes with being an Enneagram 2 on this episode... so if you think that sounds boring or amazing please still listen because the way that Mon gets roasted at the end of this episode is UNREAL. But anyways, Maddie McCoy joins Austin and Monica on this week's episode to discuss the concept of friends who are too "TMI" about their lives or other peoples' lives - aka people who simply overshare. 

We think this episode is funny, super real, and honestly probably pretty relatable for a lot of people out there who are deemed the "reliable friend". WE HOPE YOU LOVE IT!

Simply put, this episode is just PACKED with hot takes and Austin trying to let Mon know that she is just dead wrong. But I mean what IS the purpose of the new app Be Real because it is taking over the phones of young adults ERRYWHERE.... 

Tune in for the debate of a lifetime and feel free to offer your opinion aloud with us as you listen to this ep in your car, run or wherever you find yourself listening to episode two of SEASON 4! 

WOW WOW WOW! Starting off SEASON 4 with the most impressive guest we have ever had, Beautiful Beats (Eddie). This conversation was genuinely full of so much insider information about what it is REALLY like being an "influencer" as well as the incredible story of how Eddie made it big as a producer. We cannot wait to have you guys listen to this one because MAN is this a good way to kick off a brand-spankin' new season!!!!

Ending season three with a BANG! Carter Albers is one of the most entertaining and hilarious people on the planet and having him on the podcast was a no-brainer. We tried something new this week: no main topic, just some smaller, fun topics to discuss. Let us know what you guys thought of this new format - we need your feedback!

Hitting the Season 3 Finale is truly bittersweet. We had so much fun with our guests this season and just felt so lucky to see our viewership grow bigger than ever. Thank you for listening every week, once a week, or even once a year! We love you guys and love that we get this outlet to create something - WE LOVE YOU!

This expression is so often used incorrectly but in Addie Brown's case, it describes her situation perfectly. We all dream of going to a well-known college but when it comes to sports, sometimes that dream has to be altered. We wanted to bring on Addie to share how has made the MOST out of her time at IU East, but it took a village of people who lived far away and a whole lot of initiative, to get her to where she is now: thriving in the midst of awesome community. This episode truly reveals that God's timing is unbelievable AND cute, single boys do exist in Richmond, IN!?

Man oh MAN, this do be an epidemic in our generation and it is the dilemma of "situationships". Have you ever felt the heartbreak of a relationship ending but in reality, there was never a relationship at all? No title. No commitment. But it hurts just the same? We had to bring on the wisest man in ALL relationship history, Michael Archiable, and better yet - he is a returner on PACII! This was such an organic, informational and inspiring podcast. We hope you dig Michael's legendary relationship analogies and theories, they are kinda life-changing. 

What a HOT topic we have this week. You might be cringing hearing this phrase or maybe getting engaged in the Spring was or is your dream, so come one and all! There was no one better to bring along for this conversation other than Ellie Bruns because of her "chill" energy when it comes to dating and marriage. The push to get married quickly or rushing a relationship timeline is becoming more and more of a theme in this generation so we had to talk about all the ins and outs! We are simply #pumped for y'all to hear this one!!!! 

Sheeeesh, this is a good episode. I love a good love story with some unique variables, aka an age difference. There is really nothing like digging into the question of if an age difference really changes the ins and outs of a relationship or if it is barely there. Brett Reichwein was the perfect person to explain how a gap in age did and did not affect the way he and his wife (fellow guest of PACII, Carrie Reichwein) interact as a couple. 

We laughed a LOT, learned a lot, and provided the perfect advice to the young men out there looking to chase after the "cougars". 

Monica might actually meet Justin Bieber by simply knowing this week's guest...

This episode is truly incredible because of the inside scoop we give you guys into how to "make it" in the music industry. Phoebe Wang gives us all the information we never knew we needed when it comes to becoming friends with famous people and living the LA lifestyle, but still being a normal human being. We cannot even handle the name dropping that happens in this conversation, it is just INSANE.

Believe it or not, there may be such a thing as a good clique, but is there a time when the clique must disband? Does getting older mean letting go of a core group of friends? We get to the bottom of such riveting questions with the help of Jason Herbert, the dude with the quality friend group that has yet to have a member leave the squad. We spoke about it all, including Jason being the poster child for Enneagram 9s and ~those~ friends who hang out with their S.O. too much (yikes). Cannot wait to have you all listen in to this one!

P.S. THANKS FOR 5K STREAMS! YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST EVER.

Ooooh baby, this is just a really good one you guys. Setting up two people is truly an art form and so much goes into it that we thought that making a podcast about it was definitely neccessary. We brought on Emily Santen because of her experience in being set up and of course, Mon shares some TOUGH almost-setups she has been a part of. This episode is really hilarious, practical and we hope you love it!!!

Never EVER has the podcast seen this much severe roasting of Monica’s dating game… so prepare yourselves. The topic was supposed to be about developing friendships with your co-workers and being friends, but it turned into a LOT more and things got pretty intense. Angus Mowry brings the heat on his co-worker Mon, but also displays how close you can get to the people you work with, to the point where they begin to feel like family.

Queue ‘California Gurls’ by Katy Perry because we brought on the one and only Meghan Pottle. This has been a loooong awaited episode because of how much we have wanted to tap into all of Meghan’s west coast knowledge and experiences. By the end of the episode, Austin and Mon may have been won over to the west side (except for when it comes to dating)…

WOW, it feels good to be back with all of you after a good ole' fashioned Christmas break. We are really excited to bring on Matt King to talk about his transition from being a collegiate basketball player to just a regular twenty-something trying to figure out how to be an adult. There are so many unique insights to learn about the world of a post-college athlete and of COURSE, we relate all of it to relationships (duh). This episode is just fun to listen to and we hope you feel a part of the conversation the whole time. WE LOVE YOU PACII FAMILY! 

Yeah yeah, it's an ominous title but we promise this episode is worth every minute. When the topic of "second chances" became a topic, only one name really came to mind, Avery Brown. This guest is special because Mon has known Avery almost his whole life and saw his life be changed through the rollercoaster ride that God guided him on. We love the rawness of this episode and we hope it provides a lot of food for thought - enjoy the ride!!!! 

We are back with a bangin’ episode after a Thanksgiving hiatus and we are getting into the thick of it (aka relationships). We are so glad we brought on Mon’s favorite friend, Bethany Rutledge, to dig into the question that haunts us all when it comes to our friends of the opposite sex: can you truly be “just friends”? We debate a lot of different scenarios that come with this topic and give you the advice you’ve been waiting for when debating if your friendship with that one guy/girl could maybe be more? TUNE IN AND ENJOY!

We are switching up the language with this episode because we are talking about music baby! We brought on the humble yet talented Brady Bohl to share his journey, that started as an interesting hobby but quickly turned into a side gig (literally, he does gigs all around Columbus, OH).

We so enjoyed this sweet story and we hope you do too! Check out Brady's website to find out where you can see this superstar LIVE: https://www.bradyallenmusic.com/ 

PSA: No new episode next week, Happy Thanksgiving PACII Fam :)  

Just when you thought we were done with the collabs… WE BACK! Maddy Miller is a top-notch podcast host (The Maddy Miller Show) and when she let Monica come on to her pod, Mon was floored. Austin sat this one out as his passion for pop culture struggles to be to the caliber of his celeb-obsessed co-host. Get ready PACII fans, this one is really on brand and such a light convo.

**PACII will be back to its regularly scheduled programming next week

With Austin gone this week, we have brought back your favorite duo: Sam DeGroft and Monica host a super fun and flirty episode this week. There was no true agenda this week as the gals simply answered random questions and debriefed their answers, some serious and some just stupid.

We hope this episode makes you laugh...a LOT.

This week’s episode is a big deal because it is our VERY FIRST collaboration with another podcast!!! Annie and Anna are literal beams of light and were genuinely so fun to talk to, they really brought out the sentimental in us. As we talked about The Good Gossip Podcast, we discussed the ins and outs of making a podcast, including crazy guests, the seriousness of topics, and podcast equipment (duh).

We hope this light-hearted conversation puts a little pep in yo step today!

If we are being honest, we didn’t know where this topic would lead but boy oh boy did this episode exceed our expectations. It is really tough not to compare your once fast-paced college life with your not-so-riveting post-grad life, so we commissioned Kyle Johnston to help us out. I love the way we give practical strategies of how to have fun as an adult, while also speaking to the need to grow from the college mentality (sad).

PACII FAM, ENJOY THIS ONE!

This is an episode we have been looking forward to for a long time. Why, you ask? Because dating apps are all the rage right now but it is hard to know how to do them well. Lucky for us, Jocelyn McMinimy brings all the dating app wisdom that is straight FIRE. If you are using an app right now, debating downloading one, or just deleted one - this conversation is for you.

We'll give you all the tricks to dating in 40 minutes, well dating through your phone that is...

HEYO, we are back with some hot takes this time around on PACII, so prepare yourself because this week we are diving into none other than workout culture.

Working out and getting fit is super trendy amongst our generation and Rex Adams helps us discover why and where we went wrong with making exercise a trend. Buckle up friends, this week’s episode is juicy.

We have had many great love stories displayed on this podcast but this one may just take the cake…

This is a story of persistence, defying the odds, and just the power of the HUSTLE. I love Tessa and Zach’s transparency and carefree attitudes because they just made this conversation so enjoyable. I hope you guys hear their genuine nature through the episode and maybe even feel inspired to start your own side hustle?

P.S. what is a cider mill?

Everything good comes in threes… That’s right, we are bringing you the third episode of season three!!!

Allison Webb is on the podcast this week to discuss a really unique and really interesting topic: friendship networking. Yes, we are unsure if that is a real term but we are going to use it anyway. Can you connect your friends without feeling left out? What are the key factors for a solid friendship networking moment? All the answers and controversial ideas coming at ya LIVE on this episode of Put a Cork In It!

Ah, it is the thing some have feared most, but for some of us, it is just our current reality. What is this phenomenon you may ask? It is the incredible situation called living with your parents. There is so much good and some not so good as you move back in with the people who raised you, so we brought on an expert to talk about it: Joe Severs. Joe is a friend of Mon's from Raleigh and was the perfect choice for this topic because of his unexpected and valuable time spent with his parents. We learned so much from Joe and this episode was overall just SO fun to record - hope you enjoy all of its goodness!

So the phrase “WE’RE BACK” is probably said 45 million times in this episode… but we don’t even currrr! It is the season opener of Put a Cork In It szn THREE! In the first episode since April, Austin and Monica decide to tackle the dooming topic of “adulting” and all the sacred things that come with starting your life post-college. We are so excited to start a fresh new season of funny, helpful, and entertaining conversations with you!

It feels unreal that we are coming to the end of season two after 20 episodes full of joy, laughter, quality conversations, relationship advice (and blunders) shared between us, and all the AMAZING people we have had on our podcast. The fun is just not over yet because this week's episode will make your head spin. Alex and Lexi Jacobs (we know, they basically have the same name) bring us the most interesting set up story we have EVER heard and we just really cannot wait for you all to hear this love story that all started with a persistent Aunt and pole vaulting .... 

It is a FaMiLy ReUnIoN this week on PACII! We are beyond thrilled to finally have Meredith (Monica's sister) and Jayden Armstrong on this week's episode, not to embarrass Monica with old family memories but to share their unreal love story and how they landed in Perth, Australia! Nothing about their dating situation should have worked out, but somehow it did... 

This is a storytime vibe on the cast that is so good, it will keep your finger from even attempting to hit the pause button (even with the glitches every now and then, srry)! 

After a week off, we have missed recording, and most important we missed YOU! Brooke White has been someone we have wanted on the cast for a while and man, does she have a lot of wisdom to share when it comes to mental health and taking care of ourselves well (and wine apparently!?). We laughed, we got vulnerable about each of our experiences with anxiety, and learned a LOT. The PACII team can’t wait to get your thoughts on this one because well, it’s just really important.

Another cast, another time we miss Austin joining us for a quality conversation... but to be honest, this might be the best episode yet. I truly do not think the cast has ever gotten this transparent, which doesn't surprise me at all because our guest, Reilly Knoer, is genuine 24/7. I know the expression "peaked in high school" can be humorous but it is definitely not harmless. Reilly and I have both struggled with finding a way to dismiss the lie that we were our best selves as teens walking the halls of high school and I love that this conversation dives deep into why nothing of this world will ever satisfy even though we think it will. Get ready to walk down memory lane!

We are here for having a repeated guest on the podcast, especially when it is Jackson Williamson! This guy is someone you can always count on to bring wisdom, vulnerability, and JOY. It seems to us that we are all in a time of "inbetweenin'" and we could all use some encouragement on how to thrive in this unkown season of life. I hope this episode points you to hope and positivity as we take on life one moment at a time. 

What the HECK is going on with Gen Z … so we brought on a guest to help us find out! Grace Stamler brings some "young blood energy" onto the episode this week that we all truly needed. I love the fresh perspective that Grace brings to topics like dangerous Tik Tok trends and social media in general. This is a really special episode with sound insight on how to cut your social media addiction (yikes)! 

Can you believe that PACII has gone international?! That's right, we have done the impossible: our first episode with guests that are across the pond (Montenegro to be exact). Austin and I decided that it was about time we had JT Brown and Logan Pipes on the cast to talk about adjusting to life overseas in a foreign country, how they have grown as people this year but more importantly, talk about their fashion sense developments. This one was witty, genuine, and thoughtful so I am glad we get to share it with all of you. Xoxo!

Did you really think we wouldn’t hit ya with an amazing Valentine’s themed podcast, the Friday before Vday?! Well, we did and it’s a pretty dang good one. This week we had a guest co-host, Sam DeGroft, on the cast to dig deep into the phenomenon that is Valentine’s Day. Although we really missed Austin this week, every time we have Sam on the podcast it’s just fun. We really hope these do’s and don’ts help your day of love be the best ever. WE LOVE YOU GUYS! Xoxo

So before you get all excited thinking we have ABC's The Bachelor, Matt James, on our pod this week, think again ... we have someone EVEN better. This week we brought on Matt Mashburn to discuss what the formula is to a bad first date as well as a bad break-up! The stories that are shared in this ep are ones you DO NOT want to miss! We laughed, we cringed and we genuinely just had a really good time creating this episode for you all, so I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as we did making it! 

To kick-off the second half of season 2 we have brought on an incredible person to give us the inside scoop on what it looks like to date during the craziness of Covid, Ella Koskinen!

Ella breaks down this whole concept with 4 main points you just DO NOT want to miss and I feel like this is a podcast I have really learned a whole lot from! We talk about everything from your feelings changing about your friends during quarantine to banking on your Zoom class crush being the one ... how romantic.

Listen, give us your feedback and ENJOY!

The dreaded question at every holiday gathering: “Are you dating anyone?"

We have all experienced it and Put a Cork In It is here to help you coast through the awkward questions and decisions when it comes to dating someone during the holidays. Austin and I brought on our trustee relationship guru, Lance Milovancev, to get his insights on how to navigate this area of Christmastime that all single people ~dread~. 

PLUS: We discover the risky time of the year to date someone ... WOAH! Merry Christmas PACII fam, we love you!

WE BACK IN THIS THANG! Austin and I are back on the podcast to talk about everything Christmas…and relationships, of course! Have you ever been stressed about what gift to give your S.O.? Does it really matter how long you have been dating? Let that stress GO because we are here to help you make this the most enjoyable year of Christmas shopping!

We are so sad to say a *temporary* goodbye, but we couldn’t have made for a better send-off as Josh Zaugg & I are challenged to approve or disapprove the stereotypes of being a kid of parents in ministry. I love the “real talk” that comes out in this conservation and a lot of that is due to Austin’s fabulous cultivation of conversation! We will see you all for the holiday special of STB...

We are out here talking about the things that make or break a relationship, the nonnegotiables, or as we like to call them, dealbreakers. This was a funny one to record with Austin because of the way we disagree on some of the ridiculous “make it or break it” hypotheticals. Also, I kinda realized that I might be a little shallow when it comes to the Biebs… TUNE IN FOR ALL THE FUN!

I don’t think I have ever left a podcast so much in my hopeless romantic feels… I mean WOW. Austin and his girlfriend, Carly Davis, bring so much wisdom, hilarious anecdotes, and real-talk to the pod this week. I am just itching for you all to soak up every word from these two! This couple truly may be the definition of #relationshipgoalz. 

It is everyone's FAVORITE time of year... fall, but with the colder weather comes the time where everyone is getting "boo'd up" if you know what I mean. In this episode, we take on the topic of "cuffing season" aka the time of year when everyone and their mother decides to start a committed relationship. We cover everything from how to handle your aunt's snarky comments about you being single at Thanksgiving to the best duo Halloween costumes, it is always a good time on STB! 

It almost seems like glow-ups are "in" these days; people are constantly trying to better themselves and other people notice. We narrowed this topic down to one experience: Ben Morgan. Austin and I had the BEST time picking Ben's brain as to what logistically goes into a glow-up, how others contribute to it, and the heart behind trying to become a better version of yourself. But of course, PACII would not be what it is without a vulnerability moment, and in this case, we dive into the cringest coffee date ever where Ben and I were the attendees (LOL). I think this one will keep you guys smiling the whole time! 

AYO, it’s the last STB on the enneagram but this time we are hitting 2’s, 4’s, 5’s, 6’s, 9’s! I love the transparency in wanting to understand these numbers on both Austin and I’s parts. This episode includes some unique insights on these numbers while also including some controversial comments…but would you expect anything less with a co-host who is an enneagram 8? We hope all you enneagram people enjoy listening as much as we did creating this!

Man... this one really hits home. I think it is an absolute tragedy when you are into someone and then BAM! with the wrong body language or joke, you just communicated to them that you like them as a friend. Sheesh. I love this episode because Tara Asadoorian gets my pain in this area and Austin gives really good advice about how to avoid "accidental friendzoning" in the future. Tune in for a very raw episode where I air out a lot of my personal life & personal frustrations (lol).