Bridging Chicago

We continue our kick-off of Bridging Chicago's Season 7 premiere with Walter Mendenhall, Founder of the Male Mogul Initiative. In part one, we learned about Walter's childhood in the Chicago area and lessons he learned on the football field at the University of Illinois. Part two features Walter's work post grad, what brought him back to Chicago, and the Male Mogul Initiative. Walter also discusses a new project aimed at helping young people learn how their creative assets can turn into amazing entrepreneurship opportunities! Be sure to listen to part one if you haven't yet.

Season 7 kicks off with an exciting guest who’s name you may already know, Walter Mendenhall! Walter is a Chicago product, growing up in and around the city and taking his football talents to UIUC. It’s what Walter has accomplished more recently, however that brings him to Bridging Chicago, and we’re so happy he stopped by. This will be a two-part episode, and in part one, you can learn more about Walter’s background and how he was able to balance being a student athlete. You’ll also learn some of the life lessons he obtained from his time at U of I, as well as the big things to come in the future. Be sure to tune in next week for part two.

Cheryl Hamilton-Hill is the CEO of Lincoln Park Community Services, an organization that understands that doing good things for good people is important, but doing it in a way that sets them up to allow themselves and their families succeed is better. LPCS does not look at a moment in someones life and identify them by that moment, but they understand that moments aren’t forever, and given the chance, people can lift themselves out of any moment. Her teams desire to walk alongside the people they serve and provide resources that can change lives is truly inspiring. Cheryl shares about the difference housing and education makes for people and what they are doing to tackle these specific needs. Cheryl not only provides insight, but also hope for a better future for our city.

Little Village is a vibrant, dynamic neighborhood in Chicago that is very important to Chicago's cultural and economic impact on the country. Kim Close, Executive Director of Foundation of Little Village joins the podcast to share about why the neighborhood means so much to her and what prompted her to start the organization. Foundation of Little Village is dedicated to ensuring that the people of the neighborhood and its entrepreneurs can continue to start and grow their businesses and reinvest in the neighborhood. Don't miss this episode to close out National Hispanic Heritage Month with us!

As the cooler weather sets into our city and people begin to head back inside, PJ Weiland, business coach with Business Profit and author, joins us to introduce a sport that certainly is not new but is definitely exploding all over Chicago and the country. PJ shares with us about the sport of Pickleball and how being a part of a team and playing sports can teach you lessons in life and business. She wrote Dinking Thru Life: Lessons From the Pickleball Court to challenge herself to share the parallels between how she plays and how she does life, and you’ll hear how her life in Chicago is certainly full and fun! The episode is a lesson in leadership, health and wellness, and staying active to enjoy life.

Chicago Cares is an organization that is close to the heart of the Bridging Chicago podcast! This episode features Rosie Drumgoole, now their Chief Executive Officer, who shares not only her story, but how that connects to Chicago and the mission of Chicago Cares. Rosie also shares about how the moments of chemistry with the neighborhoods and people of the city fuel her passion and remind the entire team of what is most important: relationships and resources. Chicago Cares newest program, the Power of Service Training Program, is a program developed out of what the organization has learned with their community partners and neighborhoods. The program, available to everyone, is designed to help change the narrative of volunteerism from transactional to connectivity. Be sure to listen to this episode to learn more about the program and Chicago Cares, you'll definitely be glad that you did!

We know how much Chicagoans love a good festival, and the Printers Row Lit Fest is a 38 year old tradition taking place in the heart of the city. Amy Danzer, their Director of Programming, join us to share about the importance of literacy, all the activities at the fest, and what they hope to accomplish in Chicago to help shape its future. Coming on September 9th and 10th, the festival is highlighted by dozens of vendors and events that all readers can participate in and enjoy. Be sure to check out their website at printersrowlitfest.org to see all the ways to attend and get involved.

Bridging Chicago is on location for this episode with En Masse Architecture and Design to record in their thoughtfully created design space. Nathan is joined by members of the En Masse team, Mike Shively, Lucas Goldbach, and Ross Renjilian to hear about how the space was curated, how work/life spaces have changed, and their love of their neighborhood. The lessons Founding Director Mike Shively learned early in the process prove to be invaluable, regardless of your role or industry, and we’re so excited to share those with you now. Thank you to the En Masse team for allowing us to visit and for sharing your vision with us!

Joe Amari returns to host Michael Odongo, founder and CEO of the Angaza Center, which aims to provide resources to children in Africa, to equip them to get the education they need to change their futures. Growing up in Kenya, Michael came to the U.S. to continue his education, doing his post-grad work in IT and began working in the field. Now, as a resident of the Chicago area, Michael has continued his passion for education and ensuring that he helped to provide a ladder for others to climb as well. Though the challenges are real, and sometimes loom large, Michael knew that providing more technical literacy to more people can open a new world of opportunity for every person. Michael and the Angaza Center continue to do their work, impacting lives both in here and abroad.

As the founder of The Laughing Academy, Kim Greene Hiller has quite the pedigree when it comes to improv comedy, and her roots run deep in Chicago. Sharing a stage with some of Chicago’s most well known actors, Kim knew early on that her path would look different than that of those who’s names you see on marquees in New York or Los Angeles. Her desire to either be an actress or a teacher has come full-circle, and brought her to The Laughing Academy, where she is teaching people of all ages more lessons than just how to act on a stage. The lessons learned have helped with youth dealing with bullying and adults who need to become more comfortable with public speaking. The benefits of improv run deep, and after hearing this episode, you may even want to try out your acting chops!