Rephonic
Artwork for Wisconsin Life
Wisconsin
Milwaukee
Wisconsin Public Radio
Madison
Nature
Eau Claire
Grief
Family
PBS Wisconsin
Community
Wisconsin Life
Memory
Wisconsin Humanities
Deer Hunting
The Hissy Kits
Music
Appleton
Community Support
Wisconsin Historical Society
Mississippi River

Wisconsin Life celebrates the people, places, history and culture of the state. Come with us as we kayak the Mississippi River, interview musicians in Milwaukee, and bake pasties in Rhinelander. We connect you with diverse people and ideas through short stories updated twice a week.

PublishesTwice weeklyEpisodes47Founded16 years ago
Number of ListenersCategory
Society & Culture

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for Wisconsin Life

Latest Episodes

Lake Ivanhoe received a historical marker in 2022

The history of one of Wisconsin's most niche holidays, Winneconne's Sovereign State Days festival

YouTube

Players from across the Midwest come together for an annual tournament honoring their roots in Oaxaca, Mexico

YouTube

Historian discusses Wisconsin tribes and their role in the American Revolution

YouTube

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
Accepts Sponsors
Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

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Recent Guests

John Hall
University of Wisconsin–Madison History Professor
University of Wisconsin–Madison
Episode: Wisconsin wasn’t a state in 1776. What did life look like here 250 years ago?
Michael Gock
President of Adams County Historical Society
Adams County Historical Society
Episode: ‘Abigail and John: the First Couple of the United States’ puts the second president in the spotlight
Aaron Bonnet
Actor portraying John Adams
Theater production (John Adams role)
Episode: ‘Abigail and John: the First Couple of the United States’ puts the second president in the spotlight
Tanya Bonnet
Actor playing Abigail Adams
Theater production (Abigail Adams role)
Episode: ‘Abigail and John: the First Couple of the United States’ puts the second president in the spotlight
Sandra Swisher-Pfeiffer
Music director
Local choir / production team
Episode: ‘Abigail and John: the First Couple of the United States’ puts the second president in the spotlight
Nancy Jorgensen
Writer and musician from Waukesha; subject of the piece
Wisconsin Life
Episode: ‘Creating Music, Creating Community’: The gift of performing with others
Tom Fong
Cozy Inn owner
Cozy Inn
Episode: Janesville’s Cozy Inn becomes America’s longest-operating Chinese restaurant
Carl Michael Iglesias
Poet
Milwaukee native
Episode: ‘Muerto de Sed’: Serving others in times of helplessness
Ed Sylvester
Industrial leather maker, Monarch McLaren founder
Monarch McLaren (Elkhart, Wisconsin)
Episode: Made in Wisconsin: Selle Anatomica leather bike saddles

Host

Maureen McCollum
Host of Wisconsin Life; contributes reporting and storytelling across segments; associated with Wisconsin Public Radio and PBS Wisconsin

Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars from 49 ratings
  • Easy 5.0

    Poetry. Every episode. Sharing a story in 5-6 minutes. Across the state. Feel good. Listen.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Gregoreeeee
    United States7 months ago
  • Such a gem of a show!

    This show has so much variety. There are stories about motherhood, natural wonders, nail salons, and even death and loss. Each time I listen, I feel like I’m connecting to people and places that feel both new and familiar. Thank you, thank you!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Alexandra505
    United States2 years ago
  • Awesome

    Great production and informative

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Hey224456
    United States7 years ago
  • Wonderful to listen to

    Since moving away from Wisconsin, I look forward to these short episodes from home. I learn a lot and enjoy that the production is very well done.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    BrigetteDelaroche
    United States10 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Listeners appreciate the variety of topics—from nature to small-town stories to local culture—without feeling repetitive.
Fans praise crisp, well-produced shorts that capture Wisconsin life and can feel both intimate and expansive.
The production quality and local perspectives are commonly highlighted as standout strengths.
Guests and stories are described as relatable and human-centered, often highlighting community resilience.

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Determined Society with Shawn French | Adversity & Mindset
Determined Society with Shawn French | Adversity & MindsetShawn French | Adversity & Determination Expert
The Ezra Klein Show
The Ezra Klein ShowNew York Times Opinion
I've Had It
I've Had ItJennifer Welch and Angie Sullivan
Freakonomics Radio
Freakonomics RadioFreakonomics Radio + Stitcher

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Wisconsin wasn’t a state in 1776. What did life look like here 250 years ago?
Q: So, who was here at the time, and what did life look like for them?
Indigenous nations were the principal residents, with long-standing trade networks among tribes and with European powers, and life was deeply tied to regional and transatlantic exchange, rather than a formal state structure.
Cool like dat: Artist Sedella Yancey on her blossoming musical journey
Q: Is it different than from your normal sort of pace of how you think just throughout the day?
Sedella notes that rapping feels much faster compared to her normal thought process, despite being memorized.
Cool like dat: Artist Sedella Yancey on her blossoming musical journey
Q: What do you think that adults could maybe better understand about what it's like to be a young artist?
She highlights the time it takes to memorize raps and the challenges of creating her own verses.
Cool like dat: Artist Sedella Yancey on her blossoming musical journey
Q: How would you describe that experience?
Sedella explains that rapping involves thinking quickly and making words flow rhythmically.
‘As the Sun Sets on Summer Soccer’: A coach celebrates his comeback kids
Q: Ken, as a former child soccer coach myself, retired. I do have to ask, what are you thinking? And also, do you have any essays where you win more, or is it just all losing?
Losing is always more interesting, and even though parents are often reluctant to coach, I've been comfortable with it because I enjoy working with kids.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About Wisconsin Life

What is Wisconsin Life about and what kind of topics does it cover?

Short, story-driven explorations of Wisconsin's people, places, and culture are brought to life through intimate profiles, personal essays, and timely local reporting. Episodes span natural wonders, small-town dynamics, craft and industry, tradition and change, with a steady emphasis on community voices and tangible Wisconsin settings. A hallmark is accessible storytelling that blends human-interest, place-based journalism, and reflective narration, often tied to regional history or everyday life. The show's strengths include crisp production, a warm, textural sense of place, and a consistent stream of diverse, locally grounded topics that can appeal to listeners with curiosity about state life, craft, and culture.

Where can I find podcast stats for Wisconsin Life?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for Wisconsin Life. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to Wisconsin Life and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does Wisconsin Life get?

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What are the audience demographics for Wisconsin Life?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for Wisconsin Life, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

How many subscribers and views does Wisconsin Life have?

To see how many followers or subscribers Wisconsin Life has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to Wisconsin Life?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Wisconsin Life:

1. The 7
2. Marketplace
3. The NPR Politics Podcast
4. The MeidasTouch Podcast
5. The Rachel Maddow Show

How many episodes of Wisconsin Life are there?

Wisconsin Life launched 16 years ago and published 47 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Wisconsin Life?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for Wisconsin Life?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for Wisconsin Life from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

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Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of Wisconsin Life. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on Wisconsin Life?

Recent guests on Wisconsin Life include:

1. John Hall
2. Michael Gock
3. Aaron Bonnet
4. Tanya Bonnet
5. Sandra Swisher-Pfeiffer
6. Nancy Jorgensen
7. Tom Fong
8. Carl Michael Iglesias

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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