I am Consciously Curious

In this episode, my fiance joins us to share her experiences as a surgical tech as well as her perspective on work life balance. I am constantly enthralled with the creative entrepreneurs I’ve been able to meet recently, but I can’t forget the work that goes behind the scenes that allows me to pursue these creative endeavors. I attribute that to Justine. We also have an honest conversation about r...

Our next guests are the co-founders of the non profit organization, Rebels for Peace. They are an organization that is bringing hope and faith into the city through shifting the mindsets of those that are at risk for destructive behaviors. Dajohn and Prince share their personal experiences that led them to Rebels for Peace as well as some insight into the root cause of some of the violence and cri...

Introduction: Our next guest is highly accomplished in the various industries he’s been in. From being a derivatives trader in Finance to teaching Brazilian jiu jitsu at Valko BJJ. He’s currently crushing it as a real estate broker and investor. He’s the reason I’m currently in this studio space. We dive into a variety of topics but the underlying thread surrounds the concept of cultivating happin...

Our next guest is the owner of Mac’s Gym. A mixed martial arts gym that caters to all backgrounds from beginners to competitors. He shares his humble beginnings of juggling tae kwon do while committing to completing nursing school. He always wanted to operate and teach in his own gym. That dream is now a reality and he’s brought on several great instructors to broaden the scope of his school. If y...

Our next guest is the founder and CEO of Deep.ad which provides brand attribution and market intelligence software for brands, agencies, and market research organizations. They’re able to automate discovery and extraction of brand, product, and advertising data in paid and organic visual media. We barely scratched the surface with machine learning and AI, but I feel it was a good introductory epis...

Our next guest is about to release their first original album called, Speak Your Mind. He shares his journey of balancing a day job, being a family man, and pursuing his passion of music. It’s no easy feat, and I think a lot of people can relate to the struggles of achieving success with your passion project. If you liked what you heard, you can preorder the album on vinyl at the link in the descr...

In this episode, we catch up with a friend of ten years. I have admired his ability to navigate a variety of industries. From emergency medicine, law school, driving a bus for the CTA, and eventually anesthesia. He also became a father at an early age which expedited the necessity to find a job that can support his family. Although this episode encompasses many topics, the common thread lies in ma...

Our next guest has over 4 decades of experience in the modeling industry. Her claim to fame is discovering Cindy Crawford. She joins us to share the ugly truth of the modeling industry and how she’s called to change the game from the inside. She’s currently what they call a Mother Agent through her company, Boss Babe Models. She guides models on how to navigate the industry without compromising th...

Our next guest serendipitously fell in love with cooking, baking, and photography. After studying hospitality and gaining experience in marketing for a few years, he launched a full-fledged content creation company with a niche in food and hospitality. Nate is also an advocate for those who stutter and he shares his experiences of navigating his own upbringing. You can find him on instagram @captu...

In this episode, our next guest is a cycling enthusiast from Chicago. He helped me find my current bike a few years ago at The Bike Lane in Logan Square. He shares his experiences of cycling in the city, the animosity between drivers, getting your bike stolen, and even finding your first bike. You can find him on instagram at tmj96.photo. Please enjoy my conversation with Eric Tan. instagram.com/t...

In this episode, our next guest shares their experiences of interrupting violence by sheer presence. Our next guest has been in this industry since 1999 when he joined CeaseFire. The Violence Interrupters have been volunteering their time on the CTA trains to mitigate violence on the front-end. Violence is a learned behavior that can be unlearned. To stop violence, we need to change individual, gr...

In this episode, George returns to share how he’s been doing the last two and half years. He’s a close up magician and mentalist. He thrives in intimate settings, but he killed it during the pandemic with the virtual shows. George is someone that will open every possible door and that is one main reason why he’s seeing so much success. We can’t wait to see what’s in store for him. Please enjoy my...

In this episode, singer and songwriter Deneza shares her experience of gaining traction in the music industry while practicing nursing during the pandemic. As a child of immigrants, we want nothing more than to honor our parents for all their sacrifice. In certain instances, that may look like forgoing our own dreams to make them happy. Deneza shares her perspective of navigating that experience t...

In this episode, our next guest is an abstract painter, but the first half of the episode is about her experience as a hairdresser and the salon world. She then shares how she navigates creative entrepreneurship while balancing motherhood. From collaborations with big brands, having her work in galleries, to her current residency at the Ambassador hotel, MK is easily a fan favorite. She’s intentio...

In this episode, Jenn Dieas returns for round two. She shares how the pandemic has affected her life personally and professionally. She doubled down on her intuition and it has led her to pursue the “van life.” Through it all, she continues to remain open, question everything, and shine her light. Please enjoy my conversation with Jenn Dieas.    instagram.com/zenjenn_ instagram.com/iamconsciouslyc...

In this episode, we explore the world of firearms with the owner and lead instructor of Archetype of the Gun. An all inclusive training house in Lincolnwood, Illinois from introduction courses to conceal and carry courses as well as medical courses like stop the bleed and CPR. It’s apparently pretty easy to become a firearms instructor, and Erik helps us identify what makes a great one. It’s been...

In this episode, we revisit emergency medicine. Our next guest helped build UIC EMS in its infancy and has held a variety of positions in the industry. He is currently the Paramedic Program Director at Loyola University Medical Center as well as a Critical Care Paramedic and a Flight Paramedic. We are incredibly proud of how he overcame his shortcomings and how he continues to establish credibilit...

In this episode, Victoria shares her journey to becoming a wedding photographer. From learning photography in high school and second shooting a few weddings to finally making the leap to becoming a lead shooter, Victoria shares the ins and outs of building a successful wedding photography business. You can find her on instagram @victoriasaintmartin and on her website, victoriasaintmartinphotograph...

In this episode, Maddie shares her experience gaining influence through social media over the last few years. She is a puppy expert, a canine nutrition and enrichment specialist, and overall a dog nerd. I believe a lot of her success stems from her ability to maintain brand integrity by who she chooses to partner with. I have personally learned so much from Maddie and Rudder. They put a smile on m...

In this episode, Gabby Valdes returns as love and dating coach and Miao Zhang joins us as founder of the Chinese dating app, Meet Nine. The app’s core philosophy strives to shift the focus away from vanity and curate intimacy. It limits you to only meeting nine potential dates per day. We discuss dating psychology as well as what goes into building a dating app for the Chinese segment. We unexpect...

Our next guest was the beverage manager at Katana and Tao to name a few. Growing up in Turkey, she was fascinated with language at an early age which got her as far as a masters degree in Japanese education. What she originally thought was a sales call from someone she looked up to was actually an interview for a role at vine connections. She shares her experiences within the hospitality industry...

In this episode, we’re at McDermott Law Group in Homewood, Illinois. We chat about the different areas of law they practice like criminal defense, DUIs, personal injury, and family law. We also learn about what it takes to open a private practice and the importance of being relatable. You can find them on instagram and tik tok @notyourtypicalattorney. Please enjoy my conversation with David McDerm...

In this episode, we chat with the black sheep of his family. He decides to leave medical school midway through to eventually pursue pizza. Although his future path wasn’t always clear, Derrick seems to always be very intentional with his time from moment to moment. Derrick shares his journey of cultivating Paulie Gee’s Logan Square into the local cult hit that it is. If you haven’t already, please...

In this episode, we learn about the importance of side projects. Our next guest has gracefully executed many of them. From custom enamel pins to rep what you love to a brick and mortar coffee shop that inspires and houses many other side projects. He is the go-to guy whenever you want to bounce any ideas. Please enjoy my conversation with Francis Almeda. #startsomething instagram.com/francis.almed...

In this episode, we learn about what it’s like being a financial advisor. From experiencing a rough start to realizing how he could be helping his clients, Eric recognized the true potential of life insurance for his clients. We close out the episode with how hard it is to strike a balance between family time and working on the business. Please enjoy my conversation with Eric Yu. Connect with Eric...