Bridging Chicago

Sam Simon and Natsutsa Mabwa have always been people who love to help other people. After they met working as social workers here in Chicago, they realized they both were very interested in work that would help other people. An opportunity with Servicemaster became the perfect chance to help others who were dealing with difficult times, and now, as business owners, they continue to help others, es...

If you can listen to this episode with Jacqueline Ruiz and not get inspired, then it’s definitely time to check your pulse! Jackie is a 29x author, entrepreneur and pilot who does not believe there is anything she cannot do. Raised in Mexico City, Jackie and her family moved to the US at 14 and she used every possible resource available to conquer her dreams. In the challenging moments, Jackie tur...

In this episode, host Joe Amari welcomes Jennifer Prell, the Founder and CEO of Elderwerks, an organization dedicated to helping people age well. Jennifer shares about the challenges seniors and their families face when they are making a plan to ensure that everyone can thrive in the next phase of life. She also shares about the value of spending time with seniors and what helps them stay young. J...

Amy Wilhelmi is a true rock star who has learned the value of balance in her life. She is a licensed therapist, athlete, author and so much more and brings that life experience with her in her work. In this episode, Amy shares what she has learned along the way, and helps us get inside the mind of competitive athletes and the impact of mental health on competition. Amy also authored her short book...

Liz Herrera, a university career advisor, private career coach, and fellow podcast creator joins Bridging Chicago to describe her path to become a career counselor and how she coaches her students and clients to “find their truth” when evaluating opportunities. Originally hailing from Pilsen, Liz is a born and bred Chicago native with deep roots in the city and connections to one of Chicago’s main...

This episode features Chicago native Torriente Toliver, owner of Mind Body Defense, which is much more than a kickboxing studio. Torriente has been involved in the martial arts practically his whole life, after discovering at a young age that he had a natural skill in it. After getting encouragement from his now wife, he decided to open his own studio to help people learn skills that would help th...

On this Part 2 of our discussion with Jim and Tinamarie from Diveheart, we take a deep dive into the history and mission behind Diveheart’s initiative to help individuals “imagine the possibilities.” The idea to form Diveheart rose to the surface over time. Founder Jim took scuba diving in college on a whim, and his dives gave him what he now calls the “astronaut moment”—teaching him that when you...

Tinamarie Hernandez and Jim Elliott join Bridging Chicago in this two-part series to discuss Diveheart, a volunteer-driven organization providing individuals with disabilities the space and training to realize their ability to scuba dive and other related water activities. At Diveheart, the organization’s leaders and instructors all live by the same mentality—that underwater, everyone is equal. In...

Today for our “on the road” series, we get fiscal with Bernadette Joy, CEO and founder of Crush Your Money Goals, an academy she started to coach individuals at all stages of life how to become future millionaires. Bernadette crunched the numbers, crushed her own debt, and found the recipe for financial independence—we’re willing to wage a bet you haven’t heard some of these tips before! On this e...

Class is in session for this episode and Seth Hanford, Head of School of Elgin Academy in Illinois, joins the podcast to show and tell listeners about his experience as a leader of an independent school. Seth highlights the importance of being administrators responsive to student, family, and community needs, embracing inclusivity, and acting as facilitators for authentic relationship building. Do...

To try and introduce Lou Sandoval is quite a task, given his wealth of experience and skill in many different areas. Lou is a fascinating personality and native of Chicago’s south-east side, who over time has been a professional in pharmaceuticals, an entrepreneur, a diversity coach and now an author! In this episode of the podcast, Lou shares about what it was like growing up in Chicago, being ed...

Reading in Motion is a nonprofit organization that is leveling up reading in Chicago by creating exciting, creative methods to help students read at their level or a level higher! They know that students who are unable to read by third grade are unlikely to catch up, so they come alongside teachers to stand in the gap and enjoy reading on their own! Working in small groups to coach these kids driv...

Today Dr. Jordan Carqueville, President of the Chicago Dermatological Society joins the podcast to share about her work with the association and important health concerns for everyone as we dive into summer! Dr. Carqueville also shares about how she created the upcoming Art of Skin Gala and why it's helping spread the word about skin cancer. She notes that under the surface our skin is more simila...

Tomy Sanchez is a long-time veteran of Chicago personal care services. After gaining experience at a prominent salon on Michigan Avenue, Tomy struck out on her own with the goal of creating an unparalleled salon experience on Chicago’s south west side. These days, Tomy operates her nail salon, Simone’s Nail Lounge, and she runs it her way. With her deep Chicago roots, Tomy believes in supporting h...

As a self-proclaimed “refugee” of the corporate world, Robert Finkel brings to the table decades of experience working in venture capitalism and private investment for his most recent undertaking—brew pubs. What started as a personal passion shared with colleagues to give them a taste of the craft beer experience, Robert has constructed into a successful grouping of botanical brew pubs, known as F...

This week’s guest, Megan Roudebush, is more than a networking expert. She is an entrepreneur who knows that the people you surround yourself with are essential to growing, leading, and creating change in the world around you. As young as 10 years old, Megan wanted to be a lawyer, and took the opportunity to interview some amazing leaders. This helped fuel her passion for connecting people, and led...

Leslie Vickrey is truly the definition of a leader. A CEO, founder, author and so much more, Growing up throughout Michigan before eventually moving to Chicago, Leslie's passion and values have led her to start her own company that has inspiring loyalty as a core value. Leslie and the Lady Leaders Book Club have co-authored Together We Rise, a book the recounts the stories of 15 female leaders. Le...

This week's episode was an amazing reminder of why we at Bridging Chicago decided to start a podcast. Chicago Cares and Teamwork Englewood is a partnership that is making a real difference in Chicago and the lives of individuals and families. Both these organizations are focused on providing resources to empower people in Chicago's south and west sides. Their partnership means that more people in...

In this episode you'll meet Victoria Cejka, one of SATC|Law's newest attorneys in our estate planning department. Victoria grew up in Arizona and moved to Chicago for law school. Despite being an Arizona transfer, the cold hasn't bothered Victoria, even after she survived the polar vortex in her first winter! Since coming to the firm, Victoria has proven herself to be a dedicated attorney who is c...

Dr. Cynthia Tucker has spent her whole life and work in Chicago and has fond memories of growing up on the city’s south-side. Almost 17 years ago she began working with the AIDS Foundation Chicago and is continuing the work to help women navigate and get access to care, find housing that works for their families and give them access to important social services. Cynthia and her team are working to...

Though Jessica Mlinaric isn't a Chicago native, her love for the city led her to writing books on Chicago that will help even natives learn more about our history. Reaching many different neighborhoods and landmarks, Jessica's book, Secret Chicago, will uncover some of the weird, wonderful and obscure locations that make Chicago truly unique. Her adventurous spirit and infectious energy makes her...

For those debating about starting a small business, Stella Medina is here to say forget the fear and take a leap of faith—it just may be the best decision you can make! As the owner and founder of CardioBlast, a local fitness center devoted to providing fun and energetic workouts that fortify the body and the mind, Stella turned her dreams of providing lifestyle coaching into a reality as a succes...

Medical student Dan Bergholz saw firsthand the gaps in health care available to un-housed individuals and decided to bring house calls streetside. Dan joins the podcast to share his journey from growing up in the Chicago suburbs to entering the street medicine movement to build Miami Street Medicine, a program with the goal of improving his community’s access to medical care. Tune in to hear how t...

Let’s get physical! As a matriarch, personal trainer, nutrition coach, and best selling author, Donna Fatigato knows what it’s like to be on the move. On this episode, Donna describes her journey to become a leader in mindfulness education and her passion for helping others lead a lifestyle that incorporates self-love through nutrition and movement. Through her beloved children’s book characters,...

From a career in the NFL as a professional athlete, to starting his own company in the creative arts, Kyle Prater is no stranger to big goals. In fact, Kyle is the embodiment of agility—exemplifying the notion that being multi-faceted is not a detriment to success, but rather, a key ingredient. Now the CEO of Chasing Greatness Productions, Kyle has directed and produced some amazing works since di...