Denise Ilitch show

Just as the 92nd Annual Meeting of The United States Conference of Mayors wraps up, we introduce this episode that addresses issues of local involvement and priorities of local governments. Denise speaks to Bryan K. Barnett, the longest serving Mayor of Rochester Hills, MI. Bryan was America's Mayor while he served as the 77th president of The US Conference of Mayors right as the pandemic started....

Shirley Stancato is known for her leadership in Detroit and enduring commitment to social justice. She talks with Denise about the New Detroit coalition, race relations, and dealing with adversity. "Having conversations about race helps leaders in their organizations". Top down, leaders and educators must set standards for interaction and rules of engagement. For an honest and productive discussio...

In this hard-hitting episode, Denise talks with Karen McDonald, Oakland County Prosecutor, about the recent convictions of the Oxford High School shooter and both of his parents, as well as gun violence as a public health crisis, and lessons we need to draw for crime prevention. The sobering fact is that gun violence is the number one cause of death in children in the US, with over half of those d...

Denise talks to Arn Tellem, Vice Chairman of the Detroit Pistons basketball franchise. They discuss many lessons from his distinguished career as one of the top player agents in professional sports. Arn gives tangible advice for both people starting out in their careers as well as seasoned professionals. In particular, he talks about personal lessons of perseverance after losing a player as an age...

Denise speaks with actor, musician, and playwright Jeff Daniels to discuss his long and thriving film career and upcoming projects. Careers in showbusiness rarely last, but Daniels, a native Michigander, who chose to live in Chelsea, MI rather than Hollywood, has enjoyed incredible longevity in his career. The key was creating a wide range in his acting, spanning from Dumb & Dumber to Ghettysberg,...

Denise kicks off Season 4 talking with Karen Drew, an investigative reporter at WDIV. They discuss the challenges of projecting an image of a strong independent woman, while coping with adversity and insecurities. Denise and Karen offer important advice to women to remind themselves that they are worthy and have the right to speak up. They discuss the importance of having a trusted group of people...

Denise talks to Santa Ono, PhD , who was recently inaugurated as the 15 th President of the University of Michigan, the third of his proudest accomplishments. The first two? Being married for 33 years to his wife Wendy and raising two daughters.   Dr. Ono cherishes his family, but also knows how difficult it is growing up in a family that is less than nurturing. In fact, it can be life-threatening...

Denise talks to Shauna Ryder Diggs, MD , who's earned many accolades as a highly acclaimed, board-certified dermatologist with her own practice and skincare line, CosmedicDerm, admired among her staff, clients, and peers—all of which she accomplished through heartbreak. In 2019 she suffered the devasting loss of her husband, Detroit businessman and real estate developer Douglass J. Diggs . Losing...

Denise talks to Carrie Weiner , co-founder and CFO of The Little Black Box , who is most proud of her ability to strike a balance between running a business and being a dedicated single mom. She says she's a good planner and practicing stellar time management skills allows her to put her kids first while providing for the family.   Like many entrepreneurs, Weiner saw a need, and during the pandemi...

Denise talks to Joshua Cascade , a former private equity investor with over 25 years of industry experience. Cascade has led or co-led leveraged buyout transactions representing over $2 billion in aggregate acquisition value. These days you'll find him back on campus, educating the next generation of MBA candidates at the Yale School of Management and undergraduate business students at the Univers...

Seeing Adversity as a Gift with Robert Paylor   Denise talks to professional motivational speaker Robert Paylor , who inspires millions with his message of hope, courage, and unwavering determination. Paylor is living proof that with discipline and a strong support team, we can achieve the impossible. He uses the story of the best day of his life, also the day of his greatest tragedy, as his drivi...

"You gotta walk away from the elephant to see that sometimes adversity opens up new opportunities." Brooke Lites   Denise talks to Brooke Lites , a woman with an established love of learning about to embark on a new career path, and Denise's daughter! Brooke says her experiences in higher education have been a great foundation for approaching problem solving. Her love of justice and fair-mindednes...

"Locate your confidence in what you're great at, in what you love." Dan Mulhern   Denise talks to Dan Mulhern , award-wining teacher at the Haas School of Business and Goldman School of Public Policy at University of California, Berkeley, public speaker, radio personality, and acclaimed writer. With all his accomplishments he's very proud that he learned to be a "different kind of man" to support...

"I would not go back and second guess the choices that I made back then, or now." Carol Cain   Denise talks to Carol Cain , journalist, broadcaster, and Emmy award-winning producer, who earned her stripes in the business without the benefit of a news department at CBS. Since her third-grade teacher tasked her with being editor of the school paper, her course was set, and she's loved both the print...

Denise talks to KC Crain , President of the privately held media giant, Crain Communications. Navigating the global transformation of the media industry and building a technology company around media is something he's proud of, with good reason. The family business produces news across publications, lead generation, research and data products, digital platforms, custom publishing, and events, reac...

"One of the things I emphasize to my staff is that I want you to tell me when you think I'm wrong. I want you to tell me when you think we should do something else." Warde Manuel   Denise talks to Warde Manuel , Director of Athletics for the University of Michigan since 2016. Manuel has won too many awards to list, but of all his accomplishments he's most proud that the student athletes under his...

Denise talks to internationally competitive ice dancer, once ranked 12 th in the world, and Olympian Isabella Tobias Lites , who also happens to be her daughter-in-law—or daughter-in-love, as she affectionately dubbed her. Isabella is married to Denise's son, Sam.   With so much accomplished in 30 short years, Isabella has a plenitude of proud moments. She's most proud of three things: her childre...

Denise talks to the Style Guru of Michigan , image expert, event planner and writer Chuck Bennett . He's been dressing up and throwing parties since he was seven so it's no surprise he chose a career as an event professional in the fashion industry. A true extrovert, not socializing during the pandemic was tough on him both personally and professionally. He's very happy to be able to hug people ag...

Denise talks to Nancy Tellem , one of the most respected voices in the entertainment industry. After practicing law in Los Angeles for a brief four years, Nancy knew it wasn't her calling and jumped into an industry she's loved since childhood—television. She was an Executive Vice President for Warner Brothers and then ascended to the Presidency of the CBS Network Television Entertainment Group, o...

"You have a tremendous amount of potential; few realize its extent." Ethan Davidson   In this episode Denise talks to Ethan Davidson , one of Detroit's finest folk singer songwriters. He's recorded eleven albums and toured North America and Europe, before returning to Detroit in 2005 to help run the William Davidson Foundation , established by his late father, Bill Davidson. Now firmly planted in...

"I try to step into a new situation…before I can back it up knowing that you kind of have to be in the void first for a little bit." Emily Lark   Denise talks to wellness coach and entrepreneur Emily Lark , who created the number-one selling back pain relief program in the world, Back to Life. After surviving a serious car accident at age twelve, Emily experienced chronic back pain for years. Even...

"Don't Dull What Makes You Special." Lindsay Verstegen   Denise talks to Lindsay Verstegen , Senior VP and Chief Diversity Officer for the Detroit Lions. Prior to joining the world of sports, Lindsay worked in corporate America, scaling companies like ShopRunner, one of the toughest situations she faced professionally at a time when so many businesses were suffering during the pandemic. The experi...

"Don't lie to the person in the mirror." Darren McCarty   Denise talks to Darren McCarty , former NHL star for the Detroit Red Wings. In addition to being proud to have been a part of the team to win four Stanley Cups, he's also proud to be six years sober and of all his charity work. He co-founded Operation Valhalla to support U.S. Veterans and their families.   What are some of his secrets to fa...

"It just takes some guts to stick your neck out there and say I'm gonna serve." Barbara McQuade   Denise talks to lawyer and Detroiter Barbara McQuade , who is most proud of being appointed U.S. Attorney by President Barack Obama, the first woman to serve in her position. When faced with tough decisions in her career and in her life, Barbara believes in being honest and delivering the hard news he...

"Opportunities come with opposition and the greater the opportunity the greater you're gonna have the opposition." Pastor Solomon Kinloch Jr.   Denise talks to Pastor Solomon Kinloch Jr. , lead pastor at Triumph Church in Detroit since 1998. Raised by strong and courageous parents who modeled perseverance, as a child his mother challenged him to find the word "quit" in a dictionary. When he report...