Bridging Chicago

In this episode of the podcast, Sarry Ibrahim shares about the level of care and empathy he brings to financial planning and why it's never too early (or late!) to think about your financial goals. Sarry seeks to put his clients first and prides himself on attending each client meeting without preconceived notions. Sarry also shares about why it's important to teach young people about the importan...

Dr. AJ Acierno knows that changing people's views on going to the dentist isn't easy, but that's exactly what he's set out to do. With a focus on people and preventative care, Dr. AJ began his dental practice with his brother, creating a family business focused on making lasting change in the industry. Dr. AJ shares about starting the practice, their social responsibility and women in the dental f...

The importance that Danielle Vaughan puts on relationships blankets everything she does, including her work with Point B. This plays itself out in Point B's desire to lead and consult with empathy. Though it hasn't always been valued in the corporate world, a focus on the whole person motivates Danielle to be a leader in the industry, especially in the areas of diversity and inclusion. This focus...

We continue our conversation with Sarah Spunt, Executive Director of LIFT's Chicago community. Sarah shares about the female wage gap issue and leaders in her own life who inspire her everyday. Sarah's personal mission of leaving the world better than she found it drives her to lead her team to reshape Chicago's most under resourced communities. We're thankful to Sarah for sharing her story and in...

In this episode, we are re-visiting our friends at LIFT-Chicago, who are lead by Sarah Spunt, their Executive Director. Sarah shares about what it's been like to lead the team in the current climate and why LIFT is focused on investing in parents and families. Their work in the City of Chicago to build relationships with people is helping them achieve economic mobility and break the cycle of pover...

This episode is a really exciting opportunity for our listeners to meet Audrey Gamble and Tara Coffman, Associates with SATC|Law. Audrey and Tara share their experience in law school and starting their careers as attorneys. They also share about the perception of females in the legal field and their hope for the future of women in law. Be sure to listen to hear the journey of these amazing young l...

Jasmine Lopez has an energy that can only be described as contagious! In this episode, Jasmine chats with Nathan about growing up Latina in the Chicago region, starting her photography business and partnering with her husband Jeremy to start The Firehouse Dream. Through this nonprofit, the Lopez family aims to bring creative resources to kids and teens to encourage them to thrive in their own ways...

Are you a self-proclaimed comic nerd, or maybe just curious about the comic world? In this episode, Nathan chats with Terry Gant, owner of Third Coast Comics in Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood about how he grew his passion for comics into owning his own shop. Terry, a Chicago native, is the only black owner of a comic book shop in Chicago and one of few in the Midwest. Be sure to listen to this...

Pongee Barnes joins us for this episode and is sure to inspire you with her journey from her first property purchase as a junior in college, to starting Little Owners! Pongee is passionate about the future of home buying in Chicago's south side neighborhoods and teaching children of all ages about how they too can become entrepreneurs. Don't miss Pongee's story and be sure to check out her books w...

Season 4 of the podcast kicks off with Ashley Pollock joining our hosts, Savannah Rountree and Nathan Ciulla discussing diversity in their industries. Ashley is an Associate Board member of the Harold E. Eisenberg Foundation and obtained her masters degree from Roosevelt University. Ashley, Savannah and Nathan discuss their own experiences with diversity and inclusion in partnership with the Eisen...

In this episode, Nathan welcomes Tim McCormick, the CEO of SOS Children's Villages Illinois, an organization that is committed to providing safe, stable, loving homes for children throughout the Chicago region. As they celebrate 30 years of work in Illinois, Tim shares about his passion for people and what motivates him and his team to continue their work in keeping families together. Despite the...

At the Center for Enriched Living, its easy to see that their members are #1. Their mission to ensure that people with developmental disabilities can be fully included in the community, achieve personal success, and enjoy a good quality of life drives everything they do. April Booze joins us in this episode to share about the heart of the organization and how they are working to make Chicago a bet...

Jason Coleman’s story takes him from growing up in Chicago, to the sun of L.A. to attend USC and back, and you won’t want to miss out on hearing about his journey to co-founding Project SYNcERE! STEM has always been a part of Jason’s life and he felt it was important to make sure that every youth who wants to has the chance to gain science and technology related skills. Jason shares what it’s like...

Nothing can stop the Inspiration Corporation from helping people who are affected by homelessness and poverty to improve their lives and increase self-sufficiency. Shannon Stewart, their Executive Director and CEO joins the podcast to share her story as well as the story of the organization. Shannon leads an amazing team of staff and volunteers who are working to make Chicago a better place for ev...

Jenna Goebig, the Associate Board President of the Eisenberg Foundation, joins the podcast to share about Eisenberg's work in GI cancer research and real estate education. After connecting with the Eisenberg Foundation through their Real Estate Development Challenge, Jenna went all in with the foundation, and is now pushing barriers to help make a difference in the lives of real estate students an...

Saying you have the best job in the world is a bold statement, but after listening to Tony Escobar share about his work with Thrivent Financial, it's easy to see why he feels this way! Tony joins Bridging Chicago to discuss his family's mission, his work with Thrivent and how the current climate of the country is changing how we do what we do. Tony's passion for people, for community and for doing...

We conclude our diversity and inclusion round table series with the Bridging Chicago team discussing our experiences in the LGBTQ+ community and the legal field. Nathan and Savannah share their individual experiences in this deeply personal episode. Be sure to listen to all three episodes and subscribe to Bridging Chicago for more thoughts from leaders throughout the Chicago region.

We continue our discussion on diversity with the Bridging Chicago team with Savannah Rountree and Nora Becerril sharing their experiences with being female in the world and workplace. Be sure to listen to Part 1 and subscribe to the podcast so that you don't miss Part 3 coming on October 8, 2020!

In this episode of the Bridging Chicago podcast, some of the team sits down to talk about our experiences with diversity in the legal field and in our personal lives. Savannah Rountree, a Bridging Chicago host and law clerk grew up in a rural community in Virginia and shares as a female and member of the queer community. Nathan Ciulla, a Bridging Chicago host/senior producer and legal assistant, c...

Bridging Chicago will be taking a two week break for Labor Day. Be sure to join us September 10, 2020 for our diversity panel with the Bridging Chicago team!

In Part 2 of our conversation with Nathalie Herzog, Nathalie shares about how she advocates for those without a seat at the table and creates change in her own neighborhood. She also shares about her work with the Senior Lifestyle Corporation and gives some thoughts for those starting out in their careers. Be sure to listen to part 1, you won't want to miss any of our great conversation with Natha...

Join us for part one of our two part conversation with Nathalie Herzog, the New Development Project Manager at Senior Lifestyle Corporation, whose story takes us from the Democratic Republic of Congo, to Ohio, to Canada, to here in Chicago! Nathalie shares very candidly about her life and citizenship as a mixed race, multi-national woman and the challenges faced in both her personal and profession...

This episode of the Bridging Chicago podcast features Matt Lindner, whose work experience has taken him from being a racing sausage for the Milwaukee Brewers to becoming the Content Marketing Manager for Rakuten Advertising! A Chicago region native, Matt shares about life in the suburbs, being educated at Purdue and the University of Miami and kicking off his career in exciting fashion. Matt has a...

In the final episode of our two part series, Dan Tausk shares about his work with the cannabis market and its future in real estate. Dan also gives some thoughts on the cannabis rollout in Illinois and his work with Aspire Coffeeworks, which is a social enterprise between Aspire and Metropolis Coffee Company that equips those with disabilities with job training and employment. Be sure to check out...

Born and raised in the Chicago region, Dan Tausk has a love for the city and its urban center. In part one of this two part series, Dan shares his experience with living in many of the city’s neighborhoods and how that helped him after he landed a position in the real estate market. Now a top broker with Mid-America Real Estate Corporation in Chicago’s urban real estate market, Dan gives some grea...