PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY. Lamenting the current state of his Dad Bod and looking for sympathy from his wife but finding none, Chris assembles the OG 3Q3D squad for a discussion on Personal Responsibility. The group begins by throwing caution to the wind and downing a shot of Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey, and then ponders how much of their success in life is self-determined, whether to be offended by “you didn’t build that”, and how much we are responsible for the well-being of others. This episode’s...
Jan 17, 2023•1 hr 16 min
BECOMING A CRITICAL THINKER. As Mark Twain once famously said, “It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.” To that end, 3Q3D gets the New Year off to an inquisitive start, with an episode designed to make you think about…thinking. Joined by Nick Chiorian, an educator who has taught one of the most fascinating high school classes in America for nearly 20 years, and David Jordan, his former student and a bright young mind from The Ohio...
Jan 03, 2023•1 hr 29 min
THE YEAR IN REVIEW (SORT OF). As 2022 draws to a close, the OG 3Q3D crew shares feel-good stories you may have missed from the past year, revisits favorite questions from the last 12 months that Matt and Amanda never got to answer, and Matt and Chris predict they will finally (and rightfully) be named People Magazine’s co-Sexiest Men of the Year in 2023. And, while Matt reveals the secret to a happy marriage and Amanda her disdain for the traditional view of “strong women”, the group is visited ...
Dec 20, 2022•1 hr 25 min
TAYLOR & ELON & THE ROYAL FAMILY, OH MY! In a 3Q3D first, Chris relinquishes his podcast hosting duties and, feeling liberated, holds nothing back in this particularly spirited episode about the celebrities dominating today’s headlines. With Amanda piloting the pod, the OG 3Q3D crew gets started early and pours several cocktails usually found at brunch; it quickly becomes clear that Chris has a Musk-sized man-crush, Matt’s knowledge of celebrity pop-culture stopped somewhere in the late ...
Dec 06, 2022•1 hr 13 min
SPECIAL HALLOWEEN SPOOKTACULAR! 3Q3D returns to its classic format in this Halloween themed episode as OG contributors Amanda Adams, Matt Jordan and Chris Mikolay conjure up 3 seasonal elixirs sure to please even the prickliest vampire. Contemplating their own mortality with questions about Death, Dying and Halloween, Matt makes creative use of candy corn, Chris sets up a chemistry lab and makes a drink that threatens the lives of all who dare drink it, and Amanda – with blood on her hands and i...
Oct 20, 2022•1 hr 10 min
In an episode as unusual as it is powerful, Chris sets out on a 600 mile road trip in a bright yellow 1973 Volkswagen Beetle with a man he hasn’t seen in 27 years named Jerry Dorneker. Departing before sunrise from Jerry’s home in Columbia, South Carolina, Chris and Jerry hope the Beetle’s 60 horsepower engine can power them through the West Virginia mountains and ultimately, to the town in Ohio where they both grew up. As the journey unfolds, Jerry shares a deeply personal account of how he has...
Oct 03, 2022•1 hr 46 min
FATHERHOOD & MODERN MASCULINITY. Having sired 13(!) children between them, Chris Mikolay, Matt Jordan and 3Q3D newcomer Ed Fink discuss how their concept of masculinity has changed as they reach middle age, the most difficult challenges they’ve faced as fathers, and the wisdom they hope to pass on to their kids. Like a well-made cocktail, this episode balances disparate ingredients to create something truly sublime as the longtime friends veer from flippant jocularity to intense vulnerabilit...
Sep 13, 2022•1 hr 33 min
STRENGTH, COURAGE & RESILIENCE. On today’s episode of 3Q3D I’m joined by two remarkable women who prove that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. MaryJo Rischitelli-Clark and Jen Yozwiak are the founders of 100 Women Strong Ohio, a growing community of women committed to improving the lives of people in need in Northeast Ohio. As they answer questions about strength, courage and resilience, and over a few memorable cocktails (including the aptly named “Hot Me...
Sep 06, 2022•1 hr 12 min
SPEECHWRITING, SUBMARINES & TOP SECRET CLEARANCE. Today’s guest has not only led an utterly fascinating life, but he’s also my younger brother, Justin Mikolay. As a speechwriter, Justin spent years joined at the hip with several of the most powerful men on the planet, including four-star General David Petraeus, Secretary of Defense and four-star General James Mattis (twice), and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta. Prior to his adventures globetrotting with the Generals, Justin spent several y...
Aug 22, 2022•1 hr 25 min
COCKTAIL PARTY CONVERSATION STARTERS! Friends of the 3 Questions, 3 Drinks podcast, now you, too, can hold your very own 3Q3D-esque cocktail party – simply invite over a few fun friends, mix up several boozy drinks, and use the questions from this episode to create a conversation that will surely get more interesting with every sip. You’ll quickly learn just how shallow your friends really are (see: the Wizard question from the first drink segment), how many of your friends use weird logic if fo...
Aug 08, 2022•1 hr 14 min
What would compel someone, particularly a middle aged, suburban Dad who had never before climbed a mountain, to fly to Kathmandu and hike 85 miles to Mt. Everest Base Camp, at an altitude of nearly 20,000 feet? This episode of 3Q3D is told in two distinct parts: before leaving for Everest, and the lessons learned after setting foot on the world’s tallest mountain. You’ll get to know Jeremy Starcher – an ordinary guy who decided to do something extraordinary – and along the way you’ll learn why S...
Jul 11, 2022•1 hr 5 min
Oftentimes what we don’t understand, we fear. What we fear, we sometimes judge as evil. Wouldn’t we all be better off if we sought first to understand, before being understood? Proving this episode of 3Q3D is no joke, Chris sits down for a wide-ranging and uplifting conversation with 3 very wise men. Representing Judaism, Christianity and Islam respectively, Rabbi Michael Ross (Rabbi of Temple Beth Shalom in Hudson, OH), Father Patrick Schultz (Parochial Vicar at Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic C...
Jun 27, 2022•1 hr 45 min
DISTRACTION! 3Q3D returns at long last from a hiatus fueled as much by Chris’ inability to focus as his need for a break. Over several drinks worth sipping slowly, Amanda, Chris and Matt discuss the many ways in which society has stolen our focus while examining the antidotes to inattention. Questioning whether he’s the only one who can’t focus anymore, Chris turns to sloe gin and a classic cocktail to calm his frazzled nerves; Matt then mixes up one of the more interesting cocktails in 3Q3D his...
Jun 13, 2022•51 min
Chris shows up at the home of 2003 British Open Champion and former PGA Tour star Ben Curtis to tee up a few of the best cocktails in golf. Ben shares his tips for mental toughness, why he knew he could beat Tiger Wood in his prime, and what it’s like inside the locker room of a winning Ryder Cup team (and who showed up to the afterparty). Chris, on the other hand, proceeds to tell a rambling and nearly incoherent story about his experience as a Masters spectator. Special thanks to Ben Curtis an...
Mar 29, 2022•1 hr 24 min
Chris cracks a cold Molson Ice and sits down with embattled former Mayor of Hudson, Ohio, Craig Shubert, to understand how ice shanties lead to prostitution, whether Mayor Shubert believes writing prompts used in a Hudson High School college credit class were truly child pornography, and – after making national headlines 3 times over the past year – who’s responsible for the current state of Hudson’s reputation. This is a fascinating look inside the mind of the Mayor and, in his words, the “bloo...
Mar 21, 2022•1 hr 2 min
As 3Q3D nears its 50th episode, we’re taking a look back at an early episode you may have missed. With a new introduction but originally aired as Episode 6, this episode is the 3 Questions, 3 Drinks podcast in its purest form, as Amanda, Matt and Chris have a conversation that gets livelier with every new drink and each new question. Find out why our nation is so obsessed with putting various sized balls into various sized receptacles, whether fishing is a sport, and which bird calls Amanda can ...
Mar 14, 2022•1 hr 22 min
ADDICTION. Today, Timothy J. Hillegonds is a successful writer and advertising agency executive. But as a rebellious teenager longing for a connection with his absentee father, Tim’s life became a series of increasingly destructive and volatile behavior: kicked out of high school, arrested multiple times in multiple states, fathering a child at age 19 while part of a toxic relationship, and ultimately, addicted to alcohol, cocaine and crystal meth. Find out how Tim began to understand the source...
Mar 07, 2022•1 hr 11 min
CAREER ADVICE. Over 3 “big boy/big girl” drinks that are as sophisticated as they are boozy, Mike Silvestro and Megan Wolf, CEO and COO of global private aviation company FlexJet respectively, share the practical and unconventional career development lessons that have propelled them into the rarefied air of the C-suite. Whether you've just taken your first brave steps into the "real world", are frustrated in your current role, or are a grizzled veteran decades into a brilliant career, you're sur...
Feb 28, 2022•1 hr 11 min
RIDICULOUS AND RANDOM RAPID-FIRE QUESTIONS. With two of the best cocktails ever poured on the pod fueling a frenetic conversation, Episode 44 asks a series of increasingly idiotic questions, including which two animals, if merged together, would make the ultimate animal (it’s obviously a dolphin that could fly like a hawk, duh). The OG 3Q3D squad is in rare form for this one, so dial down your IQ, amp up your amusement, and get ready to celebrate a new national holiday. Drinks in this episode: &...
Feb 21, 2022•1 hr 9 min
LOVE! GENDER! SEX! In this very special Valentine’s Day episode, 3Q3D regulars Amanda, Chris and Matt turn down the lights, pour a few drinks, and let nature take its course. Chris first questions the mystery of love over a liquid aphrodisiac, Amanda then ponders the plight of the modern man while sharing her Tijuana Taxi, and Matt pairs his climactic final question with a drink inspired by Cupid’s arrow. From the funny to the philosophical, these three thoughtful questions hit all the right spo...
Feb 14, 2022•1 hr 14 min
HAPPINESS! Noted speaker, author and “Happiness Expert” Paul Krismer pours a favorite Canadian cocktail and sheds light on how much of our happiness is determined by our DNA, the simple things we can do to improve our level of happiness, and whether being happy is even the right pursuit to begin with. It turns out happiness can be experienced in many ways, including, for example, having a great conversation accompanied by the warm glow of a single malt Scotch. Paul’s book, “Whole Person Happines...
Feb 07, 2022•1 hr 4 min
SPORTS, MEDIA & THE MAN IN THE ARENA. On the eve of departing to cover the Winter Olympics in Beijing, Wall Street Journal sportswriter and New York Times bestselling author Jason Gay swings by 3Q3D to answer questions both thoughtful and ridiculous. With his job at the nexus of sports, media and business, Jason thoughtfully opines on the evolving nature of our national sports obsession, the fine line between being tough on an athlete and giving grace for mental health struggles, and which a...
Jan 31, 2022•1 hr 15 min
LIVING A MOST UNUSUAL LIFE. When confronted with two possible paths, how often do we really choose the one less trodden? While most of us follow the crowd when it comes to careers, where we live and even where we vacation, Nate Adams has consistently taken the road less traveled. From Madagascar to Medellin and seemingly everywhere in between, Nate has explored and lived in some of the most remote regions of the planet. Over drinks both exotic and hyper local, Nate examines the source of his wan...
Jan 24, 2022•1 hr 6 min
HEALTH & WELLNESS! In a return to the classic 3 Questions, 3 Drinks format, the OG 3Q3D squad rates their physical, mental and spiritual health while vowing to make some radical life changes*. Chris blends up a delicious vodka-infused fruit smoothie and wonders why nobody wants to hear about CrossFit, Amanda determines real self-care means making a magnificent maple whiskey sour and taking a brisk walk, and while lamenting his current less-than-ideal level of physical fitness, Matt declares ...
Jan 17, 2022•1 hr 6 min
MARRIAGE. Matthew Fray’s writings on marriage and divorce, including his most famous blog post, “She Divorced Me Because I Left Dishes by the Sink”, have been read by tens of millions worldwide. In this episode, Matthew shares 3 great bourbons and a bracingly honest perspective on marriage, divorce and what he wished he had done differently to save his own relationship. Men, Matthew believes, are most commonly the culprits in their marital breakdown, and understanding how a few well-intentioned ...
Jan 10, 2022•1 hr 20 min
FAME! Emmy award-winning Cleveland media personality Stephanie Haney brings 3 blue checkmarks and a lot of fun to this conversation on the evolving nature of fame. Over several drinks served up at Cleveland’s best cocktail bar, the Velvet Tango Room; Chris, Amanda and Stephanie debate whether society is entitled to the inner lives of celebrities, ponder what it means that kids now want to be YouTube Stars instead of astronauts, and wonder, in today’s age of relentless selfies and Zooms, how awes...
Jan 03, 2022•1 hr 3 min
THE HOLIDAY EPISODE! In the true spirit of Christmas, Amanda, Chris and Matt begin Episode 36 by arguing over the better Christmas movie – Elf vs. Christmas Vacation, and Home Alone vs. A Christmas Story – until their attention shifts to the troubling bullying behaviors of Rudolph’s fellow reindeer. While answering more listener questions (this time all holiday related), the group holds its first annual gift exchange and celebrates the season with a variety of jolly good drinks, including a cup ...
Dec 14, 2021•1 hr 23 min
MAILBAG! Chris, Amanda and Matt struggle with the crippling burden of worldwide fame and high expectations as 3Q3D climbs the Top Podcasting charts. To soothe themselves, they mix up a few drinks recommended by listeners and answer questions about each other and the show. As they skim the surface on several fantastic listener-suggested questions, the group agrees many are deserving of a deeper discussion at another time and instead debate whether Amanda’s head might be the size of a regulation b...
Dec 08, 2021•1 hr 9 min
STRANGE BUT TRUE FACTS! As a kid, I was fascinated with the Guinness Book of World Records and all sorts of strange and interesting facts. So I thought it would be a good idea to invite 3Q3D fan favorites Colt McCutcheon and Doug Harvey back into the studio to record an episode on all things weird but true. Alas, Colt opens the show with a Greek history lesson about Achilles lesser known little brother, Bofadeez, and the episode just devolves from there. Special thanks to Susie Schmitt (aka HR) ...
Nov 29, 2021•1 hr 5 min
THE FUTURE! If the 3 Questions, 3 Drinks podcast is ever the subject of a documentary chronicling its meteoric rise and eventual implosion, they’ll point to Episode 33 as the beginning of the end. Debating whether we should be optimistic or pessimistic about the fate of humanity over the next 100 years, Chris and Amanda take decidedly opposite views. Halfway through this episode you’ll either be rooting for Team Amanda or jumping aboard Team Chris. And Matt – well, The Dude abides. Drinks in thi...
Nov 22, 2021•1 hr 21 min
