Podcasts about chicagoland

Illinois has seen nearly 150 tornadoes so far in 2026, leading the nation. It's the fourth year in a row where the state has surpassed 100 twisters, many in the Chicagoland area. WGN-TV's Bill Snyder answers the question -- is Chicago part of 'Tornado Alley' now? Host - Jon Hansen Guest - Bill Snyder, WGN-TV Meteorologist  Want to donate to our non-profit newsroom? CLICK HEREWho we areBlock Club Chicago is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit news organization dedicated to delivering reliable, relevant and nonpartisan coverage of Chicago's diverse neighborhoods. We believe all neighborhoods deserve to be covered in a meaningful way.We amplify positive stories, cover development and local school council meetings and serve as watchdogs in neighborhoods often ostracized by traditional news media.Ground-level coverageOur neighborhood-based reporters don't parachute in once to cover a story. They are in the neighborhoods they cover every day building relationships over time with neighbors. We believe this ground-level approach not only builds community but leads to a more accurate portrayal of a neighborhood.Stories that matter to you — every daySince our launch seven years ago, we've published more than 30,000 stories from the neighborhoods, covered hundreds of community meetings and send daily and neighborhood newsletters to more than 150,000 Chicagoans. We've built this loyalty by proving to folks we are not only covering their neighborhoods, we are a part of them. Some of us have internalized the national media's narrative of a broken Chicago. We aim to change that by celebrating our neighborhoods and chronicling the resilience of the people who fight every day to make Chicago a better place for all.

Today, on Karl and Crew, we continued our weekly theme, “Chivalry.” Dr. Jonathan Griffiths joined us to talk about biblical masculinity, pointing to Jesus as the perfect example of strength and humility while explaining how the Holy Spirit transforms men from the inside out to serve their families and others well. Jonathan serves as President of Heritage College and Seminary and also leads Encounter the Truth. Junior Ziegler joined us to talk about biblical manhood, explaining how men can reject passivity and toxic masculinity by leading through sacrifice, serving others, confronting sin with grace, and pursuing what God has called them to build. Junior is the Lead Teaching Pastor at The Bridge Community Church in the Chicagoland area and is the author of "The Manual: A Practical Guide to Manhood" Homer Eshel joined us from Israel to share why many Israelis are deeply concerned about a possible deal with Iran, explaining the distrust toward Iran’s promises while pointing to Israel’s need for prayer and trust in God’s protection. Omer is the CEO and Co-founder of The Bible Comes to Life Travel and Educational Center. You can hear the highlights of today’s program on the Karl and Crew Showcast. If you're looking to hear a particular segment from the show, look at the following time stamps:Jonathan Griffiths [ 38:50 ]Junior Ziegler [ 27:42 ]Homer Eshel [ 06:39 ]Caller Segment [ 11:09 ]Donate to Moody Radio: http://moodyradio.org/donateto/morningshowSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Whether it's being the wizard behind the curtain or “The Godfather” at ringside, James Russo bleeds Freelance Wrestling. Russo joins Windy City Slam for the first time in a long while to discuss Freelance's upcoming anniversary show, Trevor Outlaw's rise to the Freelance World Championship, working with Izzy Moreno, Bang & Matthews' heel run and how their match with The Headbangers came along, Chico Suave, GPA, Pat Monix, whether Freelance Underground could make a return and more. Plus, Mike recaps happenings from Wrestle League and BloodStone Wresling and previews big shows from 2econd Wrestling, DREAMWAVE Wrestling and House of Glory. Mike Pankow is a 25-year-plus professional journalist and wrestling superfan who covers local Chicagoland wrestling and national promotions like AEW and WWE. If there is something going on in Chicago, Mike knows about it. Enjoy “Wrestling, Chicago-Style” on The Broadcast Basement On-Demand Radio Network! Music by Jason Shaw on Audionautix.com. Get your local wrestling fix every Tuesday everywhere podcasts can be found and always at WindyCitySlam.com!

Today, on Karl and Crew, we continued our weekly theme, “Chivalry.” Dr. Jonathan Griffiths joined us to talk about biblical masculinity, pointing to Jesus as the perfect example of strength and humility while explaining how the Holy Spirit transforms men from the inside out to serve their families and others well. Jonathan serves as President of Heritage College and Seminary and also leads Encounter the Truth. Junior Ziegler joined us to talk about biblical manhood, explaining how men can reject passivity and toxic masculinity by leading through sacrifice, serving others, confronting sin with grace, and pursuing what God has called them to build. Junior is the Lead Teaching Pastor at The Bridge Community Church in the Chicagoland area and is the author of "The Manual: A Practical Guide to Manhood" Homer Eshel joined us from Israel to share why many Israelis are deeply concerned about a possible deal with Iran, explaining the distrust toward Iran’s promises while pointing to Israel’s need for prayer and trust in God’s protection. Omer is the CEO and Co-founder of The Bible Comes to Life Travel and Educational Center. You can hear the highlights of today’s program on the Karl and Crew Showcast. If you're looking to hear a particular segment from the show, look at the following time stamps:Jonathan Griffiths [ 38:50 ]Junior Ziegler [ 27:42 ]Homer Eshel [ 06:39 ]Caller Segment [ 11:09 ]Donate to Moody Radio: http://moodyradio.org/donateto/morningshowSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ozman The Wizard and Na'imah talk about the severe weather in the Chicagoland area this past week, the New York Knicks winning an NBA championship against the San Antonio Spurs, the unexpected death of Chicago Bulls broadcaster Stacey King (R.I.P.), and much more!!! Please subscribe, share, rate and review.

It's Monday and Lauretta has as her guest, Joe Boroden (Ba-road-in), member of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal and board member of Pentecost USA Today.  Joe introduces himself and shares his journey on how he came to be impacted by the Holy Spirit.  Joe explains the mission that God placed on him to be a “change agent”, go out and develop focused prayer groups with a mission/vision that promote not only praying and evangelizing but on training and developing future leaders to do the same and to promote the acceptance of the Holy Spirit in your life.  Joe tells everyone to be OPEN TO THE HOLY SPIRIT, as he was and his life was completely changed and blessed.  Lauretta encourages Joe to explain his work and to share praise stories and testimonies.  Joes discusses how he goes about doing the work of setting up these groups from networking and outreach to the actual steps of forming the prayer groups, the excitement and love for this work clearly heard throughout the show in his voice and his words.  Lauretta is planning on organizing a seminar for Joe to present here in the Chicagoland area.  She will provide this information as she finalizes the details.  Stay tuned! In the meantime, to connect with Joe and his work visit his YouTube channel, see the link below.   St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish  https://www.youtube.com/@fireupyourcatholiccharisma8768

It's a gorgeous, sunny Friday in the Chicagoland are which was much needed after the last two days of storms, which meant last night's Mumford and Son's show was delayed several hours and we surprise dialed an attendee who went to bed at 2:30 and woke up with us at 5:30. Plus! The World Cup has finally kicked off and we've got your Good News :) Catch up on everything you missed from today's show on The Morning Mix Podcast!Listen to The Morning Mix weekdays from 5:30am – 10:00am on 101.9fm The Mix in Chicago or with the free Mix App available in the Apple App Store and Google Play.Follow The Mix: The MixstagramGet the Free MIX App: Stream The MixSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Midwest Cup Talk. Get tires are TreadSavvy.com Cast: Leah Sanda, Tim Strelecki and Robert Curtis The Road Is Dead Podcast is based on what happens when people visit a bicycle business and get to talking. Topics can range widely from riding, road cycling enthusiasts, cyclocross racing, gravel racing, road racing, professional and amateur racing, grassroots cycling and events, industry discussions and trends. While based in the greater Chicagoland area regular guests are from all over. Main focus is on US domestic cycling. Guests range from Pro cyclists, industry veterans, race promoters and announcers, to just cool people that walked in. Passionate discussion you won't hear in the cycling media - we don't tow company lines and we're not afraid to discuss rumors, tell you when something is bad, or otherwise do something the others would avoid.

Friend, if you've ever wondered where God is in the middle of your pain, this conversation is for you.This week on the Anchored by the Sword Podcast, I sit down with authors Kristen Wetherell and Sarah Walton to talk about their brand-new book, Jesus Will Meet You There, releasing today, June 9th.Together, Kristen and Sarah share deeply personal stories of chronic illness, suffering, mental health struggles, family challenges, and the lessons they've learned about depending on Christ when life doesn't go according to plan.In a culture that tells us to be stronger, try harder, and handle everything on our own, this conversation offers a different message: God never designed us to be self-sufficient. Instead, our weaknesses, limitations, and struggles often become the very places where we experience the compassion, presence, and strength of Jesus most clearly.We talk about anxiety, depression, chronic illness, spiritual dryness, shame, and the pressure many Christians feel to hide their struggles. Most importantly, we discuss the beautiful truth that Jesus is not disappointed by our weakness. He knows our frame. He remembers that we are dust. And He meets us right where we are.If you're walking through a difficult season, carrying a burden that feels heavy, or simply exhausted from trying to hold everything together, I pray this conversation reminds you that you do not have to carry it alone.Jesus will meet you there.One of my favorite truths from this conversation is this:We spend so much time trying to convince ourselves that we should be stronger, more capable, and less needy.But Scripture tells a different story.God created us with limitations—not to shame us, but to draw us into dependence on Him.Our weakness is not evidence that God has abandoned us.Often, it is the very place where He draws nearest.Friend, whatever you're carrying today, remember this:You do not have to be enough.Jesus already is.Bios:Kristen Wetherell is a pastor's wife, mother, and writer. She is the author of numerous books, including Help for the Hungry Soul, Humble Moms, and the award-winning Hope When It Hurts. She loves writing for kids and is the author of the board book series For the Bible Tells Me So, Teach Me to Pray, and The Big WHY. Kristen also enjoys teaching God's word to women of local churches. She and her husband, Brad, live in Chicagoland and are members of The Orchard. They are parents to Joanna, John, and Lydia.Sarah Walton is a wife, mother, and writer. She is the author of several books, including her children's book The Long Road Home and her evangelistic resource Tears and Tossings. She is also the co-author of Hope When It Hurts, He Gives More Grace, Together Through the Storms (co-written with her husband, Jeff), and devotional contributor to the forthcoming ESV Girls Study Bible through Crossway. Sarah lives in the beautiful state of Colorado with her husband and four children.Anchor Verses: Kristen: 2 Corinthians 4:16-18Sarah: Psalm 103: 13-14Connect with Kristen:Website: https://kristenwetherell.comIG: https://www.instagram.com/kristen_wetherell/Connect with Sarah:IG: https://www.instagram.com/sarahpwalton/Book Website: https://sites.prh.com/jesuswillmeetyouthere/***We love hearing from you! Your reviews help our podcast community and keep these important conversations going. If this episode inspired you, challenged you, or gave you a fresh perspective, we'd be so grateful if you'd take a moment to leave a review. Just head to Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen and share your thoughts—it's a simple way to make a big impact!***

Dan Reyes made himself known in the ring and behind the scenes on the Chicagoland independent scene before stepping away from the business a few years ago. D-Rey joins Windy City Slam Podcast for the first time to discuss his in-ring career as heartthrob Valentino, behind the scenes work with Zelo Pro, Zelo's legacy, getting trained by Tony Scarpone, Bryce Benjamin and Robert “Ego” Anthony, favorite people to work with, whether he'd return to the business, memorable celebrity interactions and more. Plus, Mike reports on news from POWW Entertainment and GALLI Lucha Libre and previews lineups from Ultimate Combat Gauntlet, BloodStone Wrestling and Wrestle League. Mike Pankow is a 25-year-plus professional journalist and wrestling superfan who covers local Chicagoland wrestling and national promotions like AEW and WWE. If there is something going on in Chicago, Mike knows about it. Enjoy “Wrestling, Chicago-Style” on The Broadcast Basement On-Demand Radio Network! Music by Jason Shaw on Audionautix.com. Get your local wrestling fix every Tuesday everywhere podcasts can be found and always at WindyCitySlam.com!

Welcome to a show about death. We've got some unfinished business as Alex Garday returns (from the dead?) for an all new fully improvised musical. Crashing cars, mystical mirrors, liminal limerence, and more as we put the FUN in funeral on this week's Charm Scene! Alex Garday is a performer from Phoenix, Arizona. He has performed in Chicago for the past 16 years at all of the major comedy theaters including recently as an understudy for The Second City's Mainstage production, Don't Quit Your Daydream. He regularly can be seen performing with Baby Wine at The Annoyance, Blank! The Musical at The Revival, Phony Award Winning Musical at iO, and Baby Wants Candy at the Second City. He has worked across North America as a host/emcee/facilitator for corporate events for Fortune 500 companies. He is the Talent/Product Coordinator and Marquee Host for Game Night Out a company that provides entertainment and curated in-person game nights for clients from across the Chicagoland area. He is 6'5″ and ethnically ambiguous. You can find him on social media platforms @alexgarday. Cast: Lily Ludwig, Austin Packard, Alex Garday Music Director: Sam Scheidler Drums: Chris Ditton Charm Scene is performed entirely by humans in sunny Chicago, IL. For more on the podcast, follow us @CharmScenePod on Instagram, visit us online at charmscenepod.podbean.com, or email us at CharmScenePod@gmail.com. In listening to this show, we hope you continue to support live human art wherever you find it. Stay charming!

The Chicago Bears are officially heading to Hammond, Indiana after the Illinois legislative session ended with no stadium deal, leaving the Bears with nowhere to go in Chicago. Ryan breaks down why this outcome actually makes financial sense for Hammond — and why it's a slow-motion disaster for a Chicago already hemorrhaging businesses, residents, and cultural institutions. Ryan zeroes in on the cope: Bears fans who've spent decades weaponizing Chicago's size against Packer fans have now been stripped of their most powerful argument. While he acknowledges the genuine tragedy for honest Bears fans who kept it about football, he's got nothing but mockery for the "Chicagoland" spin doctors trying to pretend this move is anything but what it is. Plus: a data-heavy look at the corporate exodus from Illinois — Boeing, Caterpillar, Citadel, Morton Salt — and why the Bears leaving is a symptom of a compounding crisis Chicago can't cope its way out of.

The Chicago Bears are officially heading to Hammond, Indiana after the Illinois legislative session ended with no stadium deal, leaving the Bears with nowhere to go in Chicago. Ryan breaks down why this outcome actually makes financial sense for Hammond — and why it's a slow-motion disaster for a Chicago already hemorrhaging businesses, residents, and cultural institutions. Ryan zeroes in on the cope: Bears fans who've spent decades weaponizing Chicago's size against Packer fans have now been stripped of their most powerful argument. While he acknowledges the genuine tragedy for honest Bears fans who kept it about football, he's got nothing but mockery for the "Chicagoland" spin doctors trying to pretend this move is anything but what it is. Plus: a data-heavy look at the corporate exodus from Illinois — Boeing, Caterpillar, Citadel, Morton Salt — and why the Bears leaving is a symptom of a compounding crisis Chicago can't cope its way out of.

General Catch-Up. Get tires are TreadSavvy.com Cast: Leah Sanda, Tim Strelecki and Robert Curtis The Road Is Dead Podcast is based on what happens when people visit a bicycle business and get to talking. Topics can range widely from riding, road cycling enthusiasts, cyclocross racing, gravel racing, road racing, professional and amateur racing, grassroots cycling and events, industry discussions and trends. While based in the greater Chicagoland area regular guests are from all over. Main focus is on US domestic cycling. Guests range from Pro cyclists, industry veterans, race promoters and announcers, to just cool people that walked in. Passionate discussion you won't hear in the cycling media - we don't tow company lines and we're not afraid to discuss rumors, tell you when something is bad, or otherwise do something the others would avoid.

Welcome to another episode of AZREIA Show!  Thinking about investing outside your local market? In this solo episode of AZREIA Show, host Marcus Maloney shares how he successfully invests out of state from Arizona, primarily in the Chicagoland area. Rather than relying on appreciation alone, Marcus explains why he prioritizes predictable cash flow, strong fundamentals, and tax advantages to build long-term wealth. Marcus breaks down the key factors he evaluates when selecting a market, including job growth, employer diversity, wage trends, infrastructure investment, crime rates, school quality, rent-to-price ratios, inventory levels, and days on market. He also highlights the red flags investors should watch for, such as declining populations, overbuilding, excessive regulation, low cap rates, and markets heavily dependent on a single employer. You'll also learn how to assemble a dependable out-of-state team and effectively manage properties from anywhere. Marcus shares practical insights on working with agents, contractors, property managers, lenders, attorneys, and CPAs, along with the systems and technology he uses to stay organized. Whether you're considering your first out-of-state investment or looking to scale your portfolio, this episode offers a proven framework for investing with confidence. 00:00 Welcome and Setup 01:25 Why Invest Out of State 02:39 Cash Flow Philosophy 05:04 Early Mistakes to Avoid 05:45 Out of State Market Drivers 09:17 Pick the Right Market 12:27 Market Red Flags and Data 16:05 Build Your Local Team 22:10 Remote Management Systems 29:40 Rental Oversight and Reports 33:57 Biggest Investor Mistakes 36:37 Final Advice and Closing -- Contact Alden of Silver Crest Opportunity Fund at http://silvercrestopportunityfund.com "AZREIA does not endorse specific investments. Please do your own due diligence." Want to grow your real estate business?

Welcome back to another episode of the unSeminary podcast. Today we're joined by Ted Coniaris, lead pastor of Community Christian Church in the greater Chicagoland area. After an intentional and extended succession process with founding pastor Dave Ferguson, Ted has stepped into the lead role during a pivotal season for the church. In this conversation, he shares what it looks like to lead through transition, clarify vision, and build a disciple-making ecosystem for the future. A transition built on trust and clarity. // Ted describes a multi-year succession process that included months of private conversations, an 18-month apprenticeship, and a highly visible transition with full support from church leadership. One of the most unique elements was launching a new vision before the transition was complete. While unconventional, this approach created immediate alignment and buy-in across the church. Because the process was prayerful, transparent, and unified, the congregation experienced less anxiety than expected, resulting in what Ted describes as a surprising sense of peace and readiness for what's next. Renovating, not rebuilding. // Ted uses the language of “renovation” to describe the church's next chapter. Community Christian Church has a rich 37-year history of helping people find their way back to God, especially those far from faith. Rather than starting from scratch, Ted is focused on building on that foundation while addressing a critical gap: what happens after people come to faith? This has led to a renewed focus on creating a clear and intentional disciple-making ecosystem. A bold, layered vision for the future. // Ted outlines a four-part vision that builds sequentially: every heart on fire, every person a pastor, every child and student equipped, and every neighborhood a thriving church. This framework begins with spiritual passion—not just participation—emphasizing that people today are searching for something deeper than casual faith. From there, the vision moves toward activating every believer in ministry, taking seriously the priesthood of all believers. The end result is a multiplying movement of disciples impacting communities at scale. Rethinking discipleship through Growth Track. // To support this vision, the church is developing a clear pathway called Growth Track, built around three movements: Alpha, Disciple, and Pastor. The goal is not just information or assimilation, but transformation and activation. Ted emphasizes helping every person identify their calling, answering the question, “Who am I called to reach?” This reframes discipleship from passive participation to active mission. Ancient practices for modern renewal. // One of the more surprising shifts has been a return to ancient spiritual disciplines. Through rhythms like “Ignite Week”—a church-wide season of prayer, fasting, and reflection—Ted is seeing increased spiritual intensity across all age groups. These rhythms create deeper roots than one-time events, shaping both individual lives and the overall culture of the church. A multiplying model through microchurches. // In addition to strengthening internal discipleship, Community Christian is expanding outward through a rapidly growing microchurch movement. With hundreds of microchurches already launched globally, the model focuses on simple, scalable principles: low control, high support, and strong coaching relationships. Rather than centralizing growth in large gatherings, this approach empowers everyday people to lead and reach others in their own contexts—creating the potential for exponential impact. The leader's soul is the strategy. // Ted closes with a powerful reminder: the most important strategy a leader has is their own spiritual health. Passion for God, integrity, and relational support are foundational. Ministry is difficult, but leaders who tend their own spiritual lives and refuse isolation will be better equipped to lead others effectively. To learn more about Community Christian Church, visit communitychristian.org. Thank You for Tuning In! There are a lot of podcasts you could be tuning into today, but you chose unSeminary, and I'm grateful for that. If you enjoyed today's show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the left hand side of this page. Also, kindly consider taking the 60-seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes, they're extremely helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and you can bet that I read every single one of them personally! Lastly, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, to get automatic updates every time a new episode goes live! Thank You to This Episode’s Sponsor: Portable Church Your church is doing really well right now, and your leadership team is looking for solutions to keep momentum going! It could be time to start a new location. Maybe you have hesitated in the past few years, but you know it's time to step out in faith again and launch that next location. Portable Church has assembled a bundle of resources to help you leverage your growing momentum into a new location by sending a part of your congregation back to their neighborhood on Mission. This bundle of resources will give you a step-by-step plan to launch that new or next location, and a 5 minute readiness tool that will help you know your church is ready to do it! Click here to watch the free webinar “Launch a New Location in 150 Days or Less” and grab the bundle of resources for your church! Episode Transcript Rich Birch — Hey friends, welcome to the unSeminary podcast. Super excited to have you listening in today. GI gotta be totally honest. I asked this person to come on today to have a bit of an update conversation from a conversation we had out just over a year ago. I’m really excited for this because it’s kind of fun to follow along with this story. And this is an area that really is, applies to all of our churches and I want all of us to lean in. And so pay attention, whether you’re cutting your grass or whatever you’re doing for the next 30 minutes, it’s going to be a great conversation.Rich Birch — We’ve got Ted Coniaris with us. He is the lead pastor at a fantastic church, a multi-site church in the greater Chicagoland area called Community Christian. They have, if I’m counting correctly, seven physical locations, as well as micro churches that meet in homes throughout the week and online space, plus community freedom locations, which meet in correctional facilities across the region as well. Ted, welcome to the show. So glad you’re here.Ted Coniaris — Thanks, Rich. Really glad to be here. Great to see you again. We get to cross paths a few times a year, so it’s always great to connect. Appreciate the time.Rich Birch — I appreciate you you taking time to come on and and connect. Friends that are listening in, just kind of bringing you up to speed. We’ll link to the previous episode if you want to go back and and check that. But the last time we talked, you were apprenticing as the lead pastor at Community Christian under Dave Ferguson. And I think that was a year ago. And you you know there’s all the steps. I think you were step three, step four, somewhere in there. Ted Coniaris — Yeah.Rich Birch — And there was this handoff on the horizon. And now we’re on the other side of that. And so that’s part of why I wanted to get you on. Here we are a year later. Let’s talk about those things. You’re still there. So that’s a good thing.Ted Coniaris — I mean, as far as you know, this could be a fake backdrop. Who knows?Rich Birch — Yeah, true this is the… Yeah, so you know what? You were…Ted Coniaris — No, it is true.Rich Birch — It takes a lot of time. Talk to us through, you know, what’s happened since then. Talk us about that transition. Kind of bring us up to speed.Ted Coniaris — Absolutely. So as you said, we went through an 18 month apprenticeship, but before that we had about six, eight, probably eight months of conversations just Dave and I, before we went above ground with elders and everything else, maybe even a little longer than that. So it was quite a long process walking through our apprenticeship process as a church and really wanting to do that at the highest level, just like we do at every level of leadership as a church. Ted Coniaris — So that was an amazing process. Dave is an incredible leader and even better man and somebody that it was a great privilege to spend more and more time with him. He and Sue—his wife—Melissa and I spending time with them, and then John and and Lisa, his brother and his wife. We spent a lot of time together, so it was great. And then since then, May, they’re still around. They’re still a part of our church. Dave is now the CEO of Exponential, spending full time doing that.Ted Coniaris — And John is leading something called the Chicago Collective, which is a network of churches, networks of churches throughout Chicagoland, working to plant more churches, which we desperately need in Chicago area. So if you’re listening, you’re like, man, I’m thinking about planning a church in Chicago. Please reach out to me. I would love to help you do that. We desperately need more more churches here.Ted Coniaris — So since then, it’s been great. Honestly, there’s been so much change, so many things going on, but it’s truly, truly been really, really good. I think I’m tired in the right ways. Rich Birch — Right. Ted Coniaris — I’m probably also tired in some of the wrong ways too… Rich Birch — Right. Ted Coniaris — …but it’s been a great it’s been a great transition.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s cool. You know, when we you were on last time, you were talking about really stewarding the mission of the future, while also chasing new vision, which is, is at that phase kind of easy to say, you’re like, okay, we’re looking forward to the future. Now you’re in the seat. And it’s like, you got to keep doing that. Now that you’re sitting there.,you know, what’s become clearer for you as you’ve thought about the next chapter and, and, you know, as you think about the future, what are, cause there may be some questions you’re wrestling with as you’re thinking, you know, up over to the horizon. Yeah. What are the things that are, are, are bubbling in your brain on that front?Ted Coniaris — Yeah, great question. I mean, so much has become more clear. But one of the great gifts that I felt like the Lord gave us as a church in this transition on the very front end was a real clarity and unity around our new vision as a church. It’s not so typical to launch a new vision for the church before the transition has even occurred. And I wouldn’t recommend that in other situations, but it just, the way that it went with us, this just felt like what the Lord was leading us to do.Ted Coniaris — So we actually actually launched the new vision for the church while Dave was still the lead pastor. And he stood right there beside me and in full support with our elders and everyone else. And so it was actually unique in that way. But that’s just really been confirmed. Honestly, that’s been one of the biggest things that I am grateful for through this process is just the Lord’s gift of clarity on the front end and just giving me ah real clear direction to run. Ted Coniaris — And I would say too, that there’s a big difference between a transition that’s been prayed over for years. Rich Birch — That’s good. Right, right.Ted Coniaris — It just lands differently than a transition.That’s just like been negotiated in some back room somewhere. You know, it’s like this…Rich Birch — Right. Right. Right. Yeah.Ted Coniaris — This has been prayed through and put above ground and has been a really healthy, visible process that I think resulted in the church just being wide open, saying, yeah, this feels right. This feels good. And we’re in. And so almost it’s like a a sense of exhale that I’ve been experiencing, which has surprised me…Rich Birch — Oh, that’s good.Ted Coniaris — …in the church.Rich Birch — Yeah.Ted Coniaris — I thought there would be more anxiety in the transition. Rich Birch — Right. Ted Coniaris — But there’s really been like a quiet permission-giving that’s happened.Rich Birch — Oh, that’s good.Ted Coniaris — Almost like, you know, just the family knew the transition was healthy so they could just sort of relax into it and say, okay, what’s next?Rich Birch — Right. Right.Ted Coniaris — And in hindsight, what felt a little crazy of launching the vision now feels like if we hadn’t have done that, we would have missed a real amazing opportunity because people were really bought in right from the get-go, which has been great.Rich Birch — Well, and what, yeah, that’s great. And in hindsight, being able to look back at that moment and saying like, no, like, yeah, maybe not the kind of thing that you write in a book and say, that’s the way to do it. But it’s like, we did that. And there’s in hindsight, man, amazing to have kind of both of your endorsements on the future direction. And like, Hey, we’re excited to be going in this direction. There was a mutual support there that ended up accelerating pointing things to the future. That’s incredible. That’s great.Ted Coniaris — Yeah.Rich Birch — Yeah.Ted Coniaris — And so now it’s really…Go ahead. Sorry.Rich Birch — No, you go ahead. You go. Go ahead.Ted Coniaris — Okay. Yeah. Now it’s in the season where it’s how do we take that vision, that sort of north star for the future and building on their 37-year history as a church that’s been so rich and good in and move in this new direction, but also be aligned with our past.Ted Coniaris — You know, it’s not about tradition, but it is about, you know, God has been doing a unique and wonderful thing here that we want to continue in, but also kind of build on what’s next. So I felt like as a church, one of our great strengths as community, and this is really a reflection of Dave and John, is we’re a community where everyone is welcome. Like that that’s without a doubt. Anybody and everybody can walk through these doors and probably tens of thousands of people have over these last 37 years, and found their way back to God. It’s incredible. Rich Birch — Yeah, it’s amazing.Ted Coniaris — I mean, when it comes to that zero to one, those people finding the Lord from a really hard spot, man, God has just used this church in such miraculous and amazing ways for so long. And we want to keep that. Like we love that about this place and just think it’s an amazing amazing strength of this community. But now we want to answer sort of the next question, which is now what? So everyone’s welcome.Rich Birch — Right.Ted Coniaris — Now what? Rich Birch — Right.Ted Coniaris — And so we want to build on that path towards what’s in the future. And the way we’re talking about it here is sort of renovating our disciple-making ecosystem, which is a big mouthful. But you know it’s renovating, and it’s a certainly a lot of you know jargon, but bear with me for a second.Rich Birch — Yeah.Ted Coniaris — You know, we’re renovating because we’re not starting from scratch.Rich Birch — Right.Ted Coniaris — We’ve got a great house, a great church.Rich Birch — Right. Ted Coniaris — Things are great. It’s time for a renovation. And what we’re renovating is a very clear, focused outcome, which is disciple-making. And I think that’s an area where we have not been as strong over the years. It’s like that first part of the journey. And we have a lot of evangelists here and we’re passionate. We want to keep that. But we also want to answer that that: now what? That disciple-making ecosystem. And it’s an ecosystem because not any one thing, this program doesn’t make you a disciple-making church. Rich Birch — Right, right. Ted Coniaris — Or just a good teacher doesn’t make you a disciple-making church. It’s all of these things kind of together create an environment and a path for that to happen. And so we’re just renovating all of those things with the vision, teaching, creating new rhythms as a church, and also creating a, for the first time for us at least, a clear disciple making process, which we’re we’re calling it Growth Track.Ted Coniaris — And a lot of churches use that term. But just trying to say, okay, our vision is to see every person step into their God-given calling to be a pastor. If every person is a pastor, it’s like, what if we actually took the priesthood of believers seriously? Right? And how would that change our disciple-making process if that was the end result? Rich Birch — That’s cool.Ted Coniaris — Right? I think a lot of times we can slip into being really like our disciple-making becomes more about assimilation. Or more about collecting a certain level of information or knowledge or even practice.Rich Birch — Yep. Yep.Ted Coniaris — But we’re trying to have a different output. We want to see people finding their way back to God, which has always been the core of our mission, and then released as pastors in the world and equipped to do that. Ted Coniaris — And so what’s our process for taking someone from a seeker to a pastor. We really didn’t have that. Rich Birch — Right. Ted Coniaris — And so we’re in the process right now of just building all of that out, aligning all of our teams and creating just a clear answer to that, that “now what” question.Rich Birch — Yeah, love that. And, you know, that makes sense for a church of of this age. You know, people have changed, you know, what we used to call seekers or the people that were arriving, they’re different. It’s like the most obvious thing to say, but people are different today than they were 37 years ago when this ball got rolling. Rich Birch — And and what what are some of those early changes that you’ve made to renovate? What are some of those things that that do look a little bit different or are are, you know, kind of pointing in a new direction? Where where what are you learning on that that front?Ted Coniaris — Well, obviously the first one is the new vision, and I’ll just share that really, really quickly.Rich Birch — Yep.Ted Coniaris — But it’s, and they all build on each other. That’s really the the key for us. And while this is unique to Community Christian Church, it’s not a vision that’s unique to Community Christian Church. Like, I think this is really like a biblical thing, but it starts with every heart on fire.Ted Coniaris — And it talks about, when you ask the question about what’s different, I think one of the things that’s really different, people aren’t looking just for a place to blend in the background and be like, oh, this is cool.Rich Birch — Right.Ted Coniaris — You’re cool Jesus followers. I’m cool. We can be cool together. This is cool. That is, that is… Rich Birch — That’s amazing. I love it. Ted Coniaris — That is not what the next generation is looking for. Rich Birch — No.Ted Coniaris — They are looking for fire.Rich Birch — Yeah.Ted Coniaris — They are looking for passion. And rightfully so. Rightfully so. Thank God for that. Rich Birch — Yeah.Ted Coniaris — And so we want to lean into it. We don’t want to be a place where everybody’s buddies with Jesus. We want to create a place where people are consumed by him. Rich Birch — That’s good. Ted Coniaris — Just like the disciples on the road to Emmaus talked about, you know, we’re not our hearts beating or burning within us when they talk with Jesus along the road. That’s that’s the kind of community we want to be, a consumed community. And that’s the starting place for everything else. Everything else. And that’s not just emotionalism. It’s a passion for. It’s it’s a a focus on. Ted Coniaris — The second part, which builds on that, it’s not even worth going to the second part if you don’t do the first thing. The second part is every person a pastor, right? Because if you start with every person a pastor, but the heart’s not on fire, there’s not a passion and a consuming focus, you know, what kind of pastors are you raising, right?Rich Birch — Right, right.Ted Coniaris — It’s not the kind that the world needs. And so it’s every heart fire, then every person a pastor just really taking seriously the priesthood of all believers. I’m not the pastor, you know. You all are the pastors. I function as a pastor in this context, but you function as a pastor in whatever context God has placed you.Ted Coniaris — And if we could do those two things, if we can have every heart and fire and every person released into their God-given calling as a pastor, then maybe we could accomplish the third thing, which is every child and student equipped. Rich Birch — Wow. Yep.Ted Coniaris — Because that’s going to take all hands on deck. What our kids, what my kids, I have 16, 14, and 10-year-old, all boys. So please pray for us. But what what my boys are facing today, it’s like the challenges I faced have been weaponized and placed in the hands of every single kid. And yet our student and youth ministry, our kids and and student ministry, looks almost identical to what it did look like 37 years ago. Why is that? I mean, there’s different strategies, practice in those sort things.Rich Birch — That doesn’t make sense. Yeah.Ted Coniaris — But if you look at like the form even of itself, we’re like, it kind of looks the same. It looks sort of like the youth group I went to as a kid. Rich Birch — Right. Ted Coniaris — And I think we need to be doing a lot more and investing more in the next generation in in relational deep ways. But it can’t happen without every heart and fire and every person being a pastor. And if we can do that, every heart of fire, every person pastor, every child and student equipped, then we can accomplish the Great Commission, right? Rich Birch — Right.Ted Coniaris — And that’s really the last part of the vision, which is every neighborhood a thriving church. Because the way you change the world is by having you know a community of Christ followers, place where Jesus is King, we’re on mission together within arm’s reach of every person on the planet.Ted Coniaris — You know that’s, that’s the plan. And so that’s what we’re targeting and going after. So that’s different. And so for us to do those things, there’s things we’re trying to change and layer in behind that. Really renovating our teaching ministry. We’re kind of going old school. We’re going back through like long series, books of the Bible, just walking through scripture, teaching people the Bible, just like the disciples on that road to Emmaus. You know, that was when Jesus opened the scriptures to them. It’s lit this fire inside of them.Ted Coniaris — I think that’s even more necessary. 37 years ago, basically a Christian culture-ish. Rich Birch — Yep.Ted Coniaris — Today, not so much. Rich Birch — Right. Ted Coniaris — So nobody’s walking through the doors with like this biblical knowledge. They’re walking through the doors with nothing.Rich Birch — That’s so true, yeah.Ted Coniaris — And so, you know, we need to do that. So we’re doing that, creating rhythms in our calendar years. A lot more I could say about that. Spiritual disciplines communally, not just as individuals, feels maybe like a little spin on liturgical calendars of old. Rich Birch — Yep. Ted Coniaris — We’re embracing some of that in a new way for us.Rich Birch — Right.Ted Coniaris — And then this this Growth Track is a big part of that. Rich Birch — Right. Ted Coniaris — And then there’s there’s more beyond that, but that’s just a few of the things.Rich Birch — Dude, I love it. I love I love the how those four layer on. I love the focus. I think it totally just feels right on with where you know culture’s at. Could you unpack a little bit of what you’re doing with Growth Track? What does that look like, that particular tactic in the… You know I think the idea of every person a pastor is a very compelling, that’s like a lean-in, “what did you just say?” kind of thing. Ted Coniaris — Yeah.Rich Birch — And then but what are you, you know, help us, help us understand, you know, a little bit of that, what you’re doing with Growth Track to kind of point towards that.Ted Coniaris — You mean like the mechanics of it or like just the overall strategy?Rich Birch — Yeah. How’s it work? What are you teaching there? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. What, yeah, what’s, what is it?Ted Coniaris — Well, it’s all…Rich Birch — How’s it work?Ted Coniaris — Yeah, we’re getting ready to to launch it all this fall. Rich Birch — Great. Ted Coniaris — And yeah, we’re really excited about it. But essentially, it’s it’s three steps. “One. Life. Go.” is kind of how we talk about the Growth Track. And the first step is tried and true. It’s Alpha. Rich Birch — Yep. Ted Coniaris — I think Alpha is probably the single greatest tool available… Rich Birch — Sure. Sure. Ted Coniaris — …to help you know my friends and neighbors and family find their way back to God. I I love Alpha. I’m running an Alpha right now at an office with a buddy and his partners, all the partners of his business.Rich Birch — Yep. Ted Coniaris — We’re doing Alpha together over lunch. It’s amazing.Rich Birch — Love it.Ted Coniaris — So Alpha is step one.Ted Coniaris — Step two, we call disciple because disciple is both a noun and a verb. It’s who you are and it’s what you do. And so it’s, you know, we’ve used Rooted in the past as a church and Rooted is fantastic. We love Rooted. It’s been helpful to for us. But we felt like there were ways in which we wanted to adjust that to our context a little bit more… Rich Birch — Sure. Ted Coniaris — …and also have an opportunity for people to make a commitment to the church. We don’t do membership, but we do ask people to commit to belonging here. And honestly, I think that’s a big missing step in the overall discipleship of a lot of like churches like ours. Because if you don’t have a commitment, and there’s just kind of growth that happens in your life that only can happen in a committed relationship. And it’s not about you committing to me. It’s really about us committing to each other. And when we do that, it opens the door to a different layer and level of transformation in your own life.Rich Birch — Yeah, I love that.Ted Coniaris — And committing to that unity on the front end is is really important. And so we want to do that. We also do several other things a part of that, but that’s kind of a general idea. Ted Coniaris — And then the third step is pastor. That’s the goal. That’s where we’re going.Rich Birch — Right.Ted Coniaris — It’s also a noun and a verb, right? Rich Birch — Yeah, yeah. Cool.Ted Coniaris — It’s who you are and it’s what you do. Rich Birch — Yeah.Ted Coniaris — And this is designed to do that. So we took some learnings actually from Brian Sanders, and he has something called the Calling Lab. He does the Tampa Underground down in Florida.Ted Coniaris — He’s done some great work on that.Ted Coniaris — And it’s essentially a similar process of triangulating your true sense of calling. We want everybody in our church to be able to say, I exist to help blank find their way back to God. Rich Birch — That’s cool.Ted Coniaris — Like, who are you called to reach?Rich Birch — That’s cool.Ted Coniaris — Because what’s a starting ground for someone to be a pastor? You know, like, is it education? Is it more this, more that? Well, I think the journey of learning and growing and honing your gifting, it has to start with the calling. And I think there are so many people who just, they don’t know how to finish that sentence. Rich Birch — Right.Ted Coniaris — Even if it is your kids or your neighbors or your coworkers, have you really done the work? Have you invested to say, no, these are the people, like names and faces that I’m called to reach. And then I’m released into that context as a pastor. So when I show up to work, I want to show up. I’m the pastor of BMO Harris Bank today because that’s where I work and I’m a teller there.Rich Birch — Right. Yeah.Ted Coniaris — you know I’m the pastor of You know, my neighborhood and in Downers Grove, in my part, my north, you know, little west quadrant there. That’s what I want to show up. That’s what I want our whole church showing up as. Thousands and thousands of pastors released into every arena of life. And so a lot of churches have Growth Track, or something like it. We’re really trying to say, okay, what’s what is the unique thing that that we’re feeling Lord’s calling us to produce here? And that’s it. And so we’ve designed these steps to work together to produce that that thing in us.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s very cool.Ted Coniaris —Hope that’s helpful.Rich Birch — I love that. Oh, it’s super helpful. I love I love what you’re doing there. And that’s thanks for taking the time to unpack that. Rich Birch — Pivoting in a slightly different direction, we were together at Exponential at Dave’s event. And well, it’s not Dave’s event. I understand that. At the Exponential conference. And we were at a breakfast together. And you mentioned about some just kind of in passing some stuff that was going on at the church that was and part of it was some of this around spiritual vitality, you’re seeing that increase.Rich Birch — I’m assuming that some of these, you know, pieces of these puzzles coming together. But then you also talked about the kind of growth of your microchurch, you know, planting movement that’s connected to Community. Could you unpack that a little bit more? Tell us a little bit about, you know, that that, how does that fit into the whole story that God’s writing here?Ted Coniaris — Yeah, I think the spiritual vitality, I’ll start there. The way we talk about it a lot is it just feels like everywhere you go, the spiritual temperature is just increasing. In kids, in students, in adults, our small groups, in our services, it’s just across the board. There’s just like an increased heat or passion around our faith.Ted Coniaris — I think a part of that is is truthfully in a season of transition, there’s always an opportunity to be open to something new. And we’ve been trying to really place our focus on, well, what’s the new thing? Like, how what is the condition of your heart? Are you on fire, truly on fire? I think putting that question, that vision in front of us as a church has been refining – that in and of itself. Ted Coniaris — But we’ve also just seen, I mean, there’s so much I could speak to on this, but one of the things I’m just really excited about is what’s happening with our students right now. We talk a lot about students being the leaders of tomorrow’s church, but I’ll tell you here, they’re the leader of today’s church. Rich Birch — So true. Ted Coniaris — I mean, they are setting a tone with passion and a desire.Rich Birch — Yeah, it’s very true.Ted Coniaris — Like we do our services. I’m at the Yellow Box location, right? It’s our Naperville church here. And teaching here on Sunday. And there’ll be a group of students that will just come and sit on the ground in front of the stage… Rich Birch — Right. Right. Ted Coniaris — …have their Bibles open with their notebook, taking notes. And then during worship, it’s like they’re in the pit of a concert. You know, they’re at the stage, hands up.Rich Birch — Right. Yeah, it’s true.Ted Coniaris — And you’ve got a room full of thousands of adults watching this and they’re leading us. Nobody asked them to do it. Nobody told them to do that.Rich Birch — Right.Ted Coniaris — So I think some of it, I point to that. Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s cool.Ted Coniaris — Others other parts of it is we’ve really kind of pushed our chips into the middle on some of the ancient stuff instead of new trendy stuff… Rich Birch — Yeah. Ted Coniaris — …specifically prayer and fasting.Rich Birch — Oh, that’s cool. Tell me more about that. I’d love to hear about that.Ted Coniaris — So yeah, earlier I talked about, you know, we’re embracing the calendar rhythms as a church.Rich Birch — Yep.Ted Coniaris — I really believe that, you know, rhythms are so much more powerful than events because, you know, an event is just a drop in the ocean. But if you can build some rhythms, you could actually build some roots. Rich Birch — That’s cool.Ted Coniaris — And, you know, our most valuable resources, our people, and our most valuable real estate is our calendar. And so we’ve said, you know, three times a year as sort of the calendar turns and that’s sort of the rhythm of our community. There’s sort of three seasons, there’s winter, there’s fall and there’s spring/summer. So to launch those seasons, we do what we now call an Ignite Week where we ask the whole church to commit to a full week of prayer and fasting. Rich Birch — Wow. Very cool.Ted Coniaris — And then we have intentional programming in that week to do like a full spiritual reset to say, okay, God, what are you saying to me right now? For the individual, we have like prayer and fasting guides to help guide people through that experience. For the groups, we do these discipleship conversations where we want everybody in each group to say, okay, what is God saying to me right now? And what am I doing to say yes to him?Ted Coniaris — And then for our locations, we take a break from all of our regular series stuff and we do Hearts on Fire Sunday. And we just say, okay, God, what are you doing here? What are you doing today? What are you doing right now? And it feels very different than our regular Sundays. Ted Coniaris — And then for the church as a whole, all of our locations together, we do what we call our Ignite Gathering on Saturday morning. It’s actually coming up this Saturday. And we just gather the whole church together. And what’s happened in these Ignite Gatherings is really exciting. It feels like a a catalyst for the rest of the church. Rich Birch — Right. Ted Coniaris — It’s like the church we’re going to be a year from now, we get to see in that room on Saturday morning. Rich Birch — That’s very cool.Ted Coniaris — And ah after a week of prayer and fasting, gathering the church together to worship, to break the fast together in communion, it’s it’s powerful. Rich Birch — Yeah.Ted Coniaris — I mean, it is powerful. The environment of that space is so different There’s such a hunger for the Lord and honestly, a true actual physical hunger after all that fasting.Rich Birch — Yes. Yes.Ted Coniaris — But it’s it’s it’s really changing the whole, as I said earlier, this ecosystem of our church. so those are some of the real important you know pieces of that ecosystem. Rich Birch — Oh, I love that. Yeah, I love that. And and um it isn’t isn’t it interesting? So we’re seeing lots of that kind of things or echoes of that across the country where, you know, there’s a there’s been a shift that, you know, we’ll probably understand better five years from now. We’ll look back and we’ll put all the pieces together and understand what God’s doing. But it does appear like, you know, the Spirit’s on the move. They say, what is that? Aslan’s on the move, right? Something is shifting in people. And you know, we’re trying to keep pick keep pick up keep up with it and do what we can to continue to steward what’s here.Rich Birch — And my experience with, you know, our our churches would have similar backgrounds, similar history. You know, we’re a heart for people who don’t, and your church has a heart for people who who don’t follow Jesus. You know, we’re trying to create a space for those folks. But though my experience has been those people are different today than they were 20 years ago. That people are coming much more, it’s like they’re farther along in the process. They’re they’re much more engaged than than um than they have been in the past. And so they’re willing to jump into the deep end of the pool on some of this stuff, maybe even more quickly than our long-term people… Ted Coniaris — Yeah, I think that’s true. Rich Birch — …because of whatever God’s doing in in their life. That’s that’s, yeah, that’s really interesting. That’s a cool thing to, you know, to be a part of, to hear you know a part of that. What about on the microchurch side? What’s happening there?Ted Coniaris — Yeah.Rich Birch — What is that? Yeah, what’s that? What’s happening with that?Ted Coniaris — So during COVID, we just sort of began dipping our toe in the water of starting microchurches under this belief that the macrochurch movement, even megachurch, doesn’t need to be at odds or in conflict with the house church and microchurch movement. Rich Birch — Yep.Ted Coniaris — Like, is there way for us to just see that as one thing instead of competing things, reaching all different kinds of people? And so we’ve just kind of dipped our toe in that. And here we are a few years later. Took us few years kind of figure out what we wanted to do. Rich Birch — Right.Ted Coniaris — We’ve been doing it for about three years now. We have you know somewhere around, i was just texted the guy for the today number because it’s growing so fast, somewhere around 350 microchurches all around the world.Rich Birch — Wow.Ted Coniaris — And it’s it’s a simple, simple, simple strategy where you’re just basically saying anybody in the world, anybody on planet Earth, feeling called the planet Earth or maybe you already have and you don’t know what to do with it. Rich Birch — Right.Ted Coniaris — And what’s interesting is that there are, I don’t know how many people, but there are a lot of people on this Earth. And a lot of people are asking that exact question and they just need someone who’s going to say, we can help you. We can help you.Rich Birch — Interesting.Ted Coniaris — We want to help you do that. We want to coach you, train you, and then set you up with a cohort of others doing the same thing to help you do it in a sustainable fashion. It’s it’s very low investment. It’s very low control, but it’s super high results.Rich Birch — Yeah. Huh.Ted Coniaris — And so it’s it’s sort of a little mind shift because a lot of times we want to have everything controlled. We want to have everybody’s theology statement. We want to have all this stuff. We want to know it’s going to be successful. We want to da-da-da-da-da. It’s like we’re not doing any of that. We obviously do teach some theology, but what we do is just keep like, what are what are these sort of ecclesiological minimums?Rich Birch — Yeah.Ted Coniaris — And how can we just center on those things… Rich Birch — Yeah. Ted Coniaris — …and launch as many people as possible and see what the Lord does? And he’s been doing some remarkable things. And I think you know our world has a giant need. We need to see millions of people find their way back to God. And a lot of us have strategies where the wild success is if we had thousands of people come and find their way back to God over decades.Ted Coniaris — This this is a strategy that could reach millions. Like I think we legitimately can see a network of these and people down the chain will have no idea kind of where it came from and they don’t need to. But I legitimately think in 10 years time, we could easily reach a million people and have a a church of a million people, but not in the traditional sense.Rich Birch — Right. Ted Coniaris — But through this.Rich Birch — Yeah. Well, I love that because, man that’s a great vision to cast. Because you can’t build enough or a big enough yellow box for all of even Chicagoland, right?Rich Birch — Like that’s just not going to, you know, you can’t.Ted Coniaris — Oh, yeah. No.Rich Birch — And and that is a, you know, it’s a just a resource intensive, you know, that’s been my life’s work. I've spent a lot of time on that. it’s not I’m not downing that, friends. Save your cards and letters. I still think that’s a piece of the puzzle. Ted Coniaris — I agree.Rich Birch — But how do we, is there a way for us to, work together to find solutions? How what how does the, I appreciate the, know, we’re not trying to be high control. We’re trying to, you know, we’re not you know we’re trying to really foster something that’s already in happening. We’re going to we’re going to get behind it, do what we can to support it. And we’re not going to try to over control. But I’m going to ask the control question. How do you, what is the kind of level of interaction that you’re, you’re finding is kind of the appropriate, it’s the, you know, not too little, not too much. Where have you found that’s like, hey, this, this is the kind of good sweet spot that that we have found so far with these, you know, 350, you know, microchurches.Ted Coniaris — Are you asking like, what’s the relational rhythm or…Rich Birch — Yeah. What is, yeah. What is the connection? What’s the relational rhythm between, or even connection between community and those 350? Like, are they, how are they, how do they relate to you and your team, your people, your volunteers, and then vice versa? What does that, you know, how does that, what’s that look like? What’s the connection there?Ted Coniaris — Yeah, it’s it’s purely coaching, training and ongoing support.Rich Birch — Yep.Ted Coniaris — And we also make it clear there’s no financial arrangement – them to us or us to them.Rich Birch — Yep.Ted Coniaris — And what we find is that just keeps the relationship very clean.Rich Birch — Right. Yeah, that’s good.Ted Coniaris — We’re here to coach, support, train, launch, walk alongside.Ted Coniaris — It’s a relational currency. Rich Birch — Yeah. Ted Coniaris — And it’s an expertise currency and a material and resource are the currencies. And so that’s really what we’re doing so when it comes to you know what is the relational controls or how do you keep tabs or you know, whatever might be behind the question for us it’s more about that thriving coaching relationship… Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s good. Yeah. Ted Coniaris — …and that this is a journey and you know if somebody is unwilling or unable to connect, I mean, they just go do their own thing. Rich Birch — Yeah. Yeah.Ted Coniaris — And we’re not going to try to stop them. Rich Birch — No. Yeah.Ted Coniaris — You know, we want to be dancing with the people who want to dance. We’re not you know spending our time or energy on that. And so it’s really that that coaching system and network. That’s the key in scaling that coaching system and network is how you reach a million people.Rich Birch — Yeah, it’s amazing. It’s great. That’s a huge vision. I love that. That’s that’s super inspiring. Rich Birch — Well, Ted, this has been a great check-in and lots of good stuff. Just want to encourage you in your leadership at Community. Appreciate what you’re doing there. Thanks for letting us kind of pull back the curtain a little bit and and get a sense in there. Any kind of final words you’d have for leaders that are listening in today? You know, we’ve covered a lot of ground, but anything you know you’d you’d want to kind of remind us just as we close off today’s conversation.Ted Coniaris — Yeah. And you know, the thing that’s just sort of striking me in the moment is just to encourage the pastors who are listening in particular to, to really remember that, that the strategy is your soul. And your own passion and hunger and thirst for the Lord and your integrity and walking that out, that is the key strategy. That is the most important thing. And you can’t do that alone.Ted Coniaris — You know, a lot of times talk about leadership being lonely. I kind of have a different view. I think loneliness is a choice. And I think you can choose not to be lonely. And so I know there are people who feel discouraged and that discouragement leads to isolation and that isolation feels like loneliness and it just becomes this downward spiral. There are different choices you can make to change the direction of that.Ted Coniaris — I know a lot of people are are struggling. The ministry is hard. It’s really hard. But I think that if you can really focus on your passion, your fire, tending your flame with the Lord, it will make the work of ministry lighter. It will make the successes and failures less impactful on you. And to find to find some people who can you can really be vulnerable with, who are sharing the same kind of load that you carry, that would be if I could just say one thing to a group of, you know, 5,000 pastors, that’s probably the thing I would just say right now.Rich Birch — That’s so good.Rich Birch — So good. Well, Ted, I appreciate you coming on today. Where do we want to send people if they want to track with you or with the church? Where do we want to send them online?Ted Coniaris — Communitychristian.org, church website, probably the best place. You can find us on socials and stuff like that. I don’t really do social stuff. It’s not my thing.Rich Birch — Yeah. Yeah.Ted Coniaris — But you could go to the church. You can find all that. So it’s Community Christian Church in the Chicago area, and you’ll find everything.Rich Birch — That’s great. Thanks so much, Ted. Appreciate being here today, sir.Ted Coniaris — Thank you, Rich. Appreciate you too.

For almost two years, there have been questions about the future of Chicago's downtown bus terminal. Flix, the parent company of Greyhound, has been on a month-to-month lease with the private owners since 2024, contributing to concerns about long-term access for the 500,000 riders it serves annually. Mayor Johnson has presented an ordinance to purchase the terminal for $19 million. Host Jacoby Cochran is joined by contributors Anna DeShawn and Brandon Pope to discuss the details. Plus, check out Anna's new and growing Chicagoland lesbian business directory and the Movies in the Park summer schedule. Good News: Rooftop Cinema Club and Millennium Park Movies  Want some more City Cast Chicago news? Then make sure to sign up for our daily newsletter.  Follow us @citycastchicago You can also text us or leave a voicemail at: 773 780-0246 Learn more about the sponsors of this June 3 episode: Enjoy Illinois American Writers Museum Chicago Public Library Become a member of City Cast Chicago. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE

Does the concept of stress relief stress you out? Join the co-hosts for a fresh, practical conversation on alternative stress relief for med-surg nurses. Hear real-life perspectives plus simple, doable strategies you can use on shift and off to reset your nervous system, lower stress fast, and prevent burnout from stacking up.   MEET OUR CO-HOSTS Kellye' McRae, MSN-Ed, RN is a dedicated Med-Surg Staff Nurse and Unit Based Educator based in South Georgia, with 12 years of invaluable nursing experience. She is passionate about mentoring new nurses, sharing her clinical wisdom to empower the next generation of nurses. Kellye' excels in bedside teaching, blending hands-on training with compassionate patient care to ensure both nurses and patients thrive. Her commitment to education and excellence makes her a cornerstone of her healthcare team.   Marcela Salcedo, RN, BSN is a Floatpool nightshift nurse in the Chicagoland area, specializing in step-down and medical-surgical care. A member of AMSN and the Hektoen Nurses, she combines her passion for nursing with the healing power of the arts and humanities. As a mother of four, Marcela is reigniting her passion for nursing by embracing the chaos of caregiving, fostering personal growth, and building meaningful connections that inspire her work. Hayley Sweetser, MSN, APRN, AGCNS-BC, MEDSURG-BC, CPHQ, WTA-C is a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Newark, Delaware who provides support to patients and caregivers within the Acute Medicine Service Line at ChristianaCare. She is working towards reducing overall patient harm events within the service line through collaboration with bedside nurses, physicians, and other specialties. Hayley has a strong passion for medical-surgical nursing and has spent her whole nursing career in this specialty. She strives to advance medical-surgical nursing practice by encouraging alignment with evidence-based practice.   Eric Torres, ADN, RN, CMSRN is a California native that has always dreamed of seeing the World, and when that didn't work out, he set his sights on nursing.  Eric is beyond excited to be joining the AMSN podcast and having a chance to share his stories and experiences of being a bedside medical-surgical nurse.   Sydney Wall, RN, BSN, CMSRN has been a med surg nurse for 5 years. After graduating from the University of Rhode Island in 2019, Sydney commissioned into the Navy and began her nursing career working on a cardiac/telemetry unit in Bethesda, Maryland.  Currently she is stationed overseas, providing care for service members and their families.  During her free time, she enjoys martial arts and traveling.  Trish West, DNP, MSN, CMSRN, PCCN, CEN, NEA-BC, FAMSN is a passionate nurse leader whose career reflects both expertise and a heartfelt commitment to advancing patient care. Trish's credentials include being a Certified Medical Surgical Registered Nurse, Progressive and Emergency Nursing, Nursing Executive Advanced, and most recently, induction as a Fellow in the Academy of Medical Surgical Nursing. She enjoys spending time with her husband Mark and their five children. Her favorite motto, "Never underestimate the difference you can make," truly captures the spirit with which Trish approaches both professional and personal endeavors.   

As someone who was pretty much out of the game for many years, Chandler McClure resurrected his wrestling career in 2025 and now is an integral part of POWW Entertainment. McClure joined Windy City Slam for the first time to discuss his comeback, his role alongside Will Emory, his rivalry with Mason Percs, the quirky POWW Championship match he will be involved in at Summer Xplosion, his friendship with Eric Priest and time with working with him at IWA Mid-South and the early years of AAW Pro, his brief re-emergence at Kaiju Attack Wrestling several years ago and more. Plus, Mike gives opinions on the battle of El Grande Americanos and WWE Clash In Italy, recaps highlights from 2econd Wrestling and previews shows from POWW, Warrior Wrestling and GALLI Lucha Libre. Mike Pankow is a 25-year-plus professional journalist and wrestling superfan who covers local Chicagoland wrestling and national promotions like AEW and WWE. If there is something going on in Chicago, Mike knows about it. Enjoy “Wrestling, Chicago-Style” on The Broadcast Basement On-Demand Radio Network! Music by Jason Shaw on Audionautix.com. Get your local wrestling fix every Tuesday everywhere podcasts can be found and always at WindyCitySlam.com!

This week on the Queer News podcast, Anna shares the joy for compiling our first Chicagoland lesbian business directory. We're also talking all about the nationwide campaign Seven Days In June: HEALTH IS PRIMARY. In politics, Pattie Gonia Sued By Patagonia, and a Federal Judge in DC Blocked Trump's Plan To Move Trans Women Into Men's Prisons. In culture and entertainment, we roundup Chicago Pride Month Events, and Edgewater Dedicates Street to LGBTQ+ Activist Lori Cannon. Want to support this podcast?

Episode 146: Exploring Hyde Park Through the 57th Street Art Fair In this episode of The Chicagoland Guide, Aaron Masliansky sits down with Cate Slighton, longtime volunteer and leader of the 57th Street Art Fair, for a conversation about Hyde Park, neighborhood identity, public space, art, history, and one of Chicago's most enduring cultural traditions. As the 57th Street Art Fair approaches its 79th year, Cate shares how the fair began in 1948 as a small gathering of local artists and evolved into the oldest juried art fair in the Midwest. The discussion expands into the broader story of Hyde Park, from the World's Columbian Exposition and the growth of the University of Chicago to urban renewal, community activism, and the neighborhood's continued cultural influence. Topics discussed include: • The origins and evolution of the 57th Street Art Fair • Mary Louise Vollmer and the artists who helped launch the fair • Why the fair remains volunteer-run and free to attend • Hyde Park's early artist colonies and creative communities • The impact of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition • The University of Chicago's role in shaping Hyde Park • Urban renewal and neighborhood transformation • The Obama Presidential Center and the future of the South Side • Why public gathering spaces and cultural events matter • The changing landscape of art fairs and independent artists • What makes Hyde Park one of Chicago's most distinctive neighborhoods Learn more about the 57th Street Art Fair: https://www.57thstreetartfair.com/ The 79th Annual 57th Street Art Fair takes place June 6-7 in Hyde Park and features nearly 200 artists from across the country. The fair is free and open to the public.   Book Mentioned in This Episode: From Clotheslines to Canopies: A History of Outdoor Art Fairs in America by Kathleen Eaton https://artfairhistory.com/about-the-book   Learn more about The Chicagoland Guide: https://www.thechicagolandguide.com/ Connect with Aaron Masliansky: https://www.aaronmasliansky.com/ Thank you for listening to The Chicagoland Guide.For thoughtful, data-driven insights on living, working, and investing in Chicagoland, visit thechicagolandguide.com.Connect with Aaron Masliansky on LinkedIn for market updates and new episodes.If you have questions, ideas, or topics you'd like covered, feel free to reach out.If you found this episode valuable, consider subscribing and sharing it with someone who cares about Chicago and its future.

Transportation infrastructure plays a major role in how communities grow, businesses move goods, and regions stay connected. In this episode of the DuPage Business Beat Podcast, Greg Bedalov talks with Manar Nashif about the Illinois Tollway's long-term vision for the future of mobility across Northern Illinois. As Chief Engineering Officer, Nashif oversees the agency's engineering operations, including planning, design, construction, maintenance, and capital improvements across the Tollway system.The conversation highlights key updates from the Illinois Tollway's capital programs, including Move Illinois and Bridging the Future, and explores how these projects are improving mobility, supporting economic development, and strengthening regional connectivity for businesses and communities throughout DuPage County and beyond.To keep up with what's happening in DuPage County and the Chicagoland region, follow Choose DuPage on social media or visit ChooseDuPage.com/Ready. Thank you to our sponsor, Fastener SuperStore, Inc. Visit them at fastenersuperstore.com to easily purchase standard screws, nuts, bolts, rivets, and other fasteners in bulk.

The podcast that brought you the Chicago Pizza Madness Tournament, Best Beef Tournament and Best Burgers Tournament finally brings you its first Hot Dogs Tournament, sponsored by The Puckered Pickle Company. Kevin Powell and Michael Piff discuss all the details on the latest episode of Chicago’s Very Own Eats. Voting will begin Monday, June 1st, […]

What happens when artificial intelligence goes to church? In this episode, Loren talks with pastor, missiologist, and researcher Todd Korpi about his book AI Goes to Church: Pastoral Wisdom for Artificial Intelligence and the opportunities—and dangers—AI presents for faith communities. Drawing from missiology, theology, and digital ministry research, Todd argues that AI is not merely a technical issue but a pastoral and spiritual one. Rather than approaching AI with either fear or blind enthusiasm, he invites Christians to ask deeper questions about wisdom, human identity, discipleship, and how technology shapes us. The conversation explores how emerging technologies influence our relationships, attention, and understanding of what it means to be human. Todd reflects on social media as a cautionary tale, the church's tendency to “hitch its wagon” too tightly to political or technological movements, and why discernment matters more than speed or productivity. They also discuss the meaning of humanity as bearers of God's image, the future of pastoral leadership, and why wisdom—not simply information—may be the church's greatest contribution in an AI-shaped world. Together they explore: Why AI is a pastoral and spiritual issue—not just a technical one Why human identity cannot be reduced to technology or intelligence How AI can either create margin—or deepen busyness Why pastors should function more as guides than information gatekeepers What missiology teaches us about Gen Z and the future of the church The power of story in evangelism and discipleship Todd Korpi (DMiss, Fuller Theological Seminary) is a pastor, missiologist, and church consultant. He is dean of digital ministry programs at Ascent College, assistant professor of Christian leadership at Fuller Theological Seminary, and works in several capacities at OneHope. He also serves as the lead researcher of the Digital Mission Consortia, a collaborative research initiative exploring the frontier of digital ministry. Todd is the author of Your Daughters Shall Prophesy and The Life-Giving Spirit. He and his wife, Tara, live in Chicagoland with their three daughters.   Mentioned Resources:

A Triple Crown champion in POWW Entertainment, “It's Ya Boi” Mason Percs has been steadily climbing the ladder of success and getting more exposure as he travels the country. Percs returned to Windy City Slam to discuss his quirky high-stakes match at POWW's “Summer Xplosion 18,” his history with Kyle Allen, starting to work more companies and more states nationally, main-eventing “A Day For Priest” last year against Mustafa Ali, working behind the scenes with MLW, long-term goals and more. Plus, Mike recaps AAW Pro, Freelance Wrestling, ARWPRO and AEW Double Or Nothing and previews WWE Clash In Italy, 2econd Wrestling and Northland Pro. Mike Pankow is a 25-year-plus professional journalist and wrestling superfan who covers local Chicagoland wrestling and national promotions like AEW and WWE. If there is something going on in Chicago, Mike knows about it. Enjoy “Wrestling, Chicago-Style” on The Broadcast Basement On-Demand Radio Network! Music by Jason Shaw on Audionautix.com. Get your local wrestling fix every Tuesday everywhere podcasts can be found and always at WindyCitySlam.com!

Jason Marcordes is the Founder and Managing Broker at Landmark Property Management, a full‑service Chicago-based property management firm that provides expert leasing, tenant screening, maintenance coordination, rent collection, and financial reporting for landlords and investors. Jason launched the business in 2014 and transitioned to full‑time leadership in 2018, building the company around disciplined systems and local market expertise. Landmark has established a strong reputation serving the Chicagoland area. Across his career in property management, he has overseen thousands of residential and commercial units. In this episode… Property management may seem like a numbers game of doors and rents, but the real challenge lies in scaling effectively while maintaining quality. Growth is not just about adding more units; it's about building sustainable systems that support both clients and staff. How can property managers navigate these complexities while ensuring their business thrives long term? As a seasoned property management expert, Jason Marcordes emphasizes the importance of defining your ideal client and documenting every process. He notes that understanding local market intricacies, like tenant laws and eviction timelines, can prevent costly mistakes and protect investors. Jason also highlights the value of strategic pricing and leveraging trusted partners to handle leads outside your portfolio. These insights show that sustainable growth comes from preparation, focus, and disciplined operational practices. In this episode of The Same Day Podcast, Yoni Schmidt chats with Jason Marcordes, Founder and Managing Broker at Landmark Property Management, to discuss scaling property management in Chicago. Jason explores defining your ideal client, tackling market-specific challenges, and building effective systems. He also touches on pricing strategies, partner networks, and leadership lessons for growing a resilient business.

Santa’s Village Amusement & Water Park proprietor Jason Sierpien joins WGN Radio's Dave Plier to celebrate the park's 67th season and reflect on the rich history of the beloved family attraction that first opened in 1959. The conversation explores the evolution of the park, including its classic rides, the Santa Springs water park, vintage Kiddieland […]

Mike Stephen learns how bricks tell the history of Chicagoland with Will Quam, author of the new book Fire and Clay: How Bricks Reveal the Hidden History of Chicago, and then chats with Akele Spencer, a resident of the South Side and member of Southside Together, about his opposition to a new microelectronics park being built in his community.

Bears assistant coaches have finally gotten their chance to sound off on pressing offseason topics. Dan Wiederer and Mark Grote begin the episode where we left off last time — with quarterback Caleb Williams. Quarterbacks coach J.T. Barrett seems to agree with others on what Williams needs to do better. Make the "boring" play more! Also, offensive line coach Dan Roushar offered insight on rookie center Logan Jones and how the left tackle competition is looking. And most importantly, did receivers coach and Chicagoland native Antwaan Randle El hear the "Green Bay sucks" chants at the Cubs-White Sox games?!

Chicago's Very Own Eats podcast co-host Mike Piff joins Wendy Snyder, in for Bob Sirott, to preview ‘Chicagoland’s Best Hot Dogs Tournament,’ sponsored by The Puckered Pickle Company, which kicks off June 1st. There will be 64 mom-and-pop shops across the area that will battle for the top spot! Mike asks listeners for their recommendations on […]

Chicago's Very Own Eats podcast co-host Mike Piff joins Wendy Snyder, in for Bob Sirott, to preview ‘Chicagoland’s Best Hot Dogs Tournament,’ sponsored by The Puckered Pickle Company, which kicks off June 1st. There will be 64 mom-and-pop shops across the area that will battle for the top spot! Mike asks listeners for their recommendations on […]

Duke Dennis and Bryan Sonn of GC Realty & Development join us to explain the ins and outs of Chicagoland Industrial Investments! Duke and Bryan explain how they got their start in industrial real estate. They dive deep on the differences between residential and industrial property investing. They discuss how they went from a property manager to an owner operator and share ways to add value to industrial properties. Duke and Bryan get granular on a deal in Mundelein including details on the capital raising, acquisition, stabilization, and hurdles that come up during the process. Through the show, Duke and Bryan provide insights to industrial property investing and convey the major ROI opportunities in this often overlooked asset class! If you enjoy today's episode, please leave us a review and share with someone who may also find value in this content! ============= Connect with Mark and Tom: StraightUpChicagoInvestor.com Email the Show: StraightUpChicagoInvestor@gmail.com Properties for Sale on the North Side?  We want to buy them. Email: StraightUpChicagoInvestor@gmail.com Have a vacancy? We can place your next tenant and give you back 30-40 hours of your time. Learn more: GCRealtyInc.com/tenant-placement Has Property Mgmt become an opportunity cost for you? Let us lower your risk and give you your time back to grow. Learn more: GCRealtyinc.com ============= Guest: Duke Dennis & Bryan Sonn, GC Realty & Development Link: Email Bryan: Bryan@GCrealty.inc | Bryan's LinkedIn Link: Email Duke: Duke.Dennis@GCrealty.inc | Duke's LoopNet Page Guest Questions:  00:52 Housing Provider Tip - Understand best tenant applications in a competitive market! 02:33 Intro to our guests, Bryan Sonn and Duke Dennis! 06:48 Managing industrial properties compared to residential. 10:38 From property manager to owner operator. 20:03 Value-add components on industrial properties. 30:50 Breaking down a Mundelein industrial deal. 37:46 Dealing with and overcoming unexpected challenges. 41:28 Avoiding liquidity issues on large scale projects. 53:07 Benefits of being a passive investor in a reputable syndication fund. 55:53 Opportunities in smaller scale industrial deals. 63:36 5 Year Outlook on Chicagoland Industrial Property Market! 67:40 What is your competitive advantage? 68:50 One piece of advice for new investors. 71:10 What do you do for fun? 71:36 Good book, podcast, or self development activity that you would recommend?  72:07 Local Network Recommendation?  72:17 How can the listeners learn more about you and provide value to you? ----------------- Production House: Flint Stone Media Copyright of Straight Up Chicago Investor 2026.

On today's episode, Editor in Chief Sarah Wheeler talks with Lead Analyst Logan Mohtashami about mortgage rates and whether they've topped out at 6.75% or will go higher. Related to this episode: How much higher can mortgage rates go? HousingWire | YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ More info about HousingWire The Top 5: Mortgage rates rise as 10-year yield jumps How much higher can mortgage rates go? MRED cuts Zillow access to Chicagoland listing feed Mortgage lenders struggle to compare VantageScore 4.0 and FICO 10T Equity Union uses agent-first model to drive 2025 production To learn more about Total Expert click here. The HousingWire Daily podcast brings the full picture of the most compelling stories in the housing market reported across HousingWire. Each morning, listen to editor in chief Sarah Wheeler talk to leading industry voices and get a deeper look behind the scenes of the top mortgage and real estat

Head Petroleum Analyst at GasBuddy Patrick De Haan joins Wendy Snyder (in for Bob Sirott) to talk about where around the Chicagoland area you can find lower gas prices and when he thinks gas will be under five dollars. He also shares the day he thinks gas is the cheapest and when you should fill […]

The award-winning Spectral Silhouette Radio Show is a musical audio drama/podcast produced in the Chicagoland area by Henry Scherrer and Matt Winkelman. It combines the pulpy noir spirit of programs from the golden age of radio with modern sensibilities and style. Part comedy, part mystery, all fun, Silhouette is a labor of love from a great group of actors, musicians, and crew members. The show is performed live every two months and both nights sell out within hours, sometimes minutes. We have a full stage production with an audio engineer, sound effects engineer, fifteen actors, and a jazz band with horns. It's a one of a kind experience, mixing the feel of a jazz club with a stage show full of mystery, laughs, ghosts and more. Our show has grown a lot over the years. What started as a one off production became twenty six episodes, four minisodes and forty two original songs. We even have our own beer, Puzzle Club (a delicious ruby rye ale), from the fine people at Skeleton Key Brewery. We are now on our fourth season, and look forward to producing more installments in the years to come. Monty and company investigate the disappearance of a famous actress. The stakes get even higher when another actress goes missing prompting the detectives to step into the brutal world of big dreams and silver screens. Fearing they've been kidnapped by a killer; the detectives find themselves in a race against time to discover the starlets whereabouts before their final curtain calls. Pirates, laughs, casting agents, thespians, and more in this exciting installment of The Spectral Silhouette! Website: https://www.thespectralsilhouette.com/ Binge on all of our audio shows at atlantafringe.org/fringe-audio or wherever you enjoy podcasts.

What is it? Join the co-hosts for the big reveal as they share personal stories and approaches on how to recognize early warning signs, avoid common bedside blind spots, deliver compassionate care, and act fast with practical, shift-ready strategies that protect patients.   MEET OUR CO-HOSTS Kellye' McRae, MSN-Ed, RN is a dedicated Med-Surg Staff Nurse and Unit Based Educator based in South Georgia, with 12 years of invaluable nursing experience. She is passionate about mentoring new nurses, sharing her clinical wisdom to empower the next generation of nurses. Kellye' excels in bedside teaching, blending hands-on training with compassionate patient care to ensure both nurses and patients thrive. Her commitment to education and excellence makes her a cornerstone of her healthcare team.   Marcela Salcedo, RN, BSN is a Floatpool nightshift nurse in the Chicagoland area, specializing in step-down and medical-surgical care. A member of AMSN and the Hektoen Nurses, she combines her passion for nursing with the healing power of the arts and humanities. As a mother of four, Marcela is reigniting her passion for nursing by embracing the chaos of caregiving, fostering personal growth, and building meaningful connections that inspire her work. Hayley Sweetser, MSN, APRN, AGCNS-BC, MEDSURG-BC, CPHQ, WTA-C is a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Newark, Delaware who provides support to patients and caregivers within the Acute Medicine Service Line at ChristianaCare. She is working towards reducing overall patient harm events within the service line through collaboration with bedside nurses, physicians, and other specialties. Hayley has a strong passion for medical-surgical nursing and has spent her whole nursing career in this specialty. She strives to advance medical-surgical nursing practice by encouraging alignment with evidence-based practice.   Eric Torres, ADN, RN, CMSRN is a California native that has always dreamed of seeing the World, and when that didn't work out, he set his sights on nursing.  Eric is beyond excited to be joining the AMSN podcast and having a chance to share his stories and experiences of being a bedside medical-surgical nurse.   Sydney Wall, RN, BSN, CMSRN has been a med surg nurse for 5 years. After graduating from the University of Rhode Island in 2019, Sydney commissioned into the Navy and began her nursing career working on a cardiac/telemetry unit in Bethesda, Maryland.  Currently she is stationed overseas, providing care for service members and their families.  During her free time, she enjoys martial arts and traveling.  Trish West, DNP, MSN, CMSRN, PCCN, CEN, NEA-BC, FAMSN is a passionate nurse leader whose career reflects both expertise and a heartfelt commitment to advancing patient care. Trish's credentials include being a Certified Medical Surgical Registered Nurse, Progressive and Emergency Nursing, Nursing Executive Advanced, and most recently, induction as a Fellow in the Academy of Medical Surgical Nursing. She enjoys spending time with her husband Mark and their five children. Her favorite motto, "Never underestimate the difference you can make," truly captures the spirit with which Trish approaches both professional and personal endeavors.   

KSN attorney Jessica Ryan discusses frequently asked questions by Chicagoland landlords and rental property managers. Topics include junk fee status, CARES Act notice, 5 day vs non-renewal, current eviction delays, ERP updates, and more. (56 mins.)

Capturing his first top championship in 13 years, the new Southland Championship Heavyweight Champion Logan Steel joined Windy City Slam for the first time to react to his victory over Benny Bargas this past weekend. Steel discussed The Brotherhood and The Torture Killers, Scott Spade's influence, training at POWW Entertainment's school, which towering Attitude Era wrestler he idolized, dream matches, what's next in his run as SCW Champion, the eight-man tag team championship match at POWW Summer Xplosion and more. Plus, Mike recaps Chicago Style Wrestling and previews AEW Double Or Nothing, Freelance Wrestling, AAW Pro, ARWPRO and C3 Ultimate Wrestling. Mike Pankow is a 25-year-plus professional journalist and wrestling superfan who covers local Chicagoland wrestling and national promotions like AEW and WWE. If there is something going on in Chicago, Mike knows about it. Enjoy “Wrestling, Chicago-Style” on The Broadcast Basement On-Demand Radio Network! Music by Jason Shaw on Audionautix.com. Get your local wrestling fix every Tuesday everywhere podcasts can be found and always at WindyCitySlam.com!

Maris O'Tierney aka Park Hills Circle is a singer songwriter residing in the Chicagoland area, and along with her twin sister Quinn, is part of duo Maeve & Quinn. Under the Park Hills Circle name, O'Tierney will be releasing her debut solo album 'All of a Sudden' on July 10th, 2026. In her conversation with Peter Kreten, O'Tierney discusses how picturesque landscapes of Alaska and western Ireland influenced her songwriting, her approach to playing the guitar finger style, and how classical composers influence her musical style. Photo Credit: Maren Celest. Used with Permission

AU Sports is Chicagoland's oldest sports memorabilia store. Owner Scott Beatty joins Bob Sirott to take calls from listeners and share feedback on their sports memorabilia. Is it trash or treasure?

Most successful people have a retirement number. Very few have a retirement reason.That's the gap Jason Wendt has spent 15 years closing. After watching client after client arrive with a solid portfolio and a hollow plan, he wrote a book about it. And now, fresh off an Amazon bestseller ranking and a feature segment on NBC Chicago, he's bringing that message to a wider audience.Episode SummaryIn this episode, Gabe McManus sits down with Jason Wendt, a Chicago-based financial advisor and author of Beyond the Numbers, to explore what it really means to build a financially efficient life. Jason shares why he starts every client relationship with the question "What's important about money to you?" rather than a statement of assets. He talks about the three phases of financial life most advisors forget to address, how childhood money narratives quietly shape the decisions of even the wealthiest clients, and why he considers himself the CEO of his clients' financial lives. Jason walks through the specific frameworks, client stories, and planning tools he uses to help people move from saving for a number to building a life around what actually matters to them.About Jason WendtJason Wendt, AIF®, APMA®, CEPA®, is a financial advisor at Ameriprise Financial in Chicago, Illinois, with over 15 years of experience serving high achievers, business owners, and professionals navigating complex financial lives. He holds the Accredited Investment Fiduciary, Accredited Portfolio Management Advisor, and Certified Exit Planning Advisor designations. Jason is the author of Beyond the Numbers: A High Achiever's Guide to Financial Freedom Without Sacrifice, an Amazon bestseller in the financial services category. He recently appeared as a financial expert on NBC Chicago and has been invited to speak at universities in the Chicagoland area.What We CoverWhy Jason's first question to every new client is "What's important about money to you?" and how that one question changes the entire planning processThe three phases of financial life: accumulation, distribution, and enjoyment, and why most financial plans never address the third oneHow childhood money narratives keep wealthy clients from enjoying what they've builtWhat financial paralysis looks like for high-earning professionals and business owners, and how to break through itWhy Jason positions himself as the CEO of his clients' financial lives, with a network of 17 specialists across insurance, estate planning, taxes, and investment managementProactive vs. reactive tax strategy: asset location, Roth conversions, and why timing matters more than most people realizeConnect with Jason WendtWebsite: beyondthenumbersbook.comLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jasonwendtEmail: jason@beyondthenumbersbook.comBook: Beyond the Numbers on AmazonSupport the show

You can find every episode of this show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube. Prime members can listen ad-free on Amazon Music. For more, visit barstool.link/barstoolyakYou can find every episode of this show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube. Prime Members can listen ad-free on Amazon Music. For more, visit barstool.link/barstoolyak

In this episode, Jake Stotter, Vice President, Fenceworks, Inc. “The Guy on 41”., discusses how the third generation family business has built lasting trust through personalized service, quality craftsmanship, and deep community roots in the Chicagoland area.

Aaron Masliansky sits down with Mayor Nancy Rotering of Highland Park at City Hall for a wide-ranging conversation about leadership, housing, placemaking, and the future of one of Chicagoland's most distinctive communities. Mayor Rotering, now serving her fourth term, shares the story of how a neighborhood stop sign issue first brought her into public service, and how that journey eventually led to City Hall. In this episode, we discuss: How a neighborhood safety issue launched Nancy Rotering's public service journey What makes Highland Park unique, from Downtown to Ravinia, Braeside, and the lakefront Why events like Ravinia Festival and Taste of Highland Park play such an important role in community identity and economic vitality How Highland Park manages traffic, transit, and visitor experience during major events Highland Park's long-standing commitment to inclusionary and affordable housing since 1968 The redevelopment of the former Solo Cup site and what it means for housing supply and the city's future Housing for seniors, aging in place, and why “missing middle” housing matters Accessibility, disability housing, and inclusive community planning Historic preservation versus modern housing needs Highland Park's investment in sidewalks, connectivity, and public spaces The future of downtown Highland Park, the Ravinia District, and neighborhood investment Mayor Rotering's regional work with Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning and broader housing policy Memorable quotes: “A stop sign brought me into City Hall.” “Housing is where jobs go to sleep.” “A community that grows is a community that's progressing.” Learn more: Highland Park Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning Ravinia Festival Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or at The Chicagoland Guide.com.  Thank you for listening to The Chicagoland Guide.For thoughtful, data-driven insights on living, working, and investing in Chicagoland, visit thechicagolandguide.com.Connect with Aaron Masliansky on LinkedIn for market updates and new episodes.If you have questions, ideas, or topics you'd like covered, feel free to reach out.If you found this episode valuable, consider subscribing and sharing it with someone who cares about Chicago and its future.

In this episode, Jake Stotter, Vice President, Fenceworks, Inc. “The Guy on 41”., discusses how the third generation family business has built lasting trust through personalized service, quality craftsmanship, and deep community roots in the Chicagoland area.

One of the hosts of Sit Down Marks! Podcast and the host of DREAMWAVE Wrestling, DB joins Windy City Slam for the first time. We discuss DREAMWAVE All-Star Weekend coming up in June and a big outdoor show coming in July, some matches at these upcoming shows, DREAMWAVE Prelude and what's to come from the pre-show format, DB's backstory in pro wrestling, how Sit Down Marks! came to be, Jay Repsel's hard work and connections and more. Plus, Mike recaps WWE Backlash and previews Chicago Style Wrestling, Warrior Wrestling, POWW Entertainment and Illiana Pro Wrestling. Mike Pankow is a 25-year-plus professional journalist and wrestling superfan who covers local Chicagoland wrestling and national promotions like AEW and WWE. If there is something going on in Chicago, Mike knows about it. Enjoy “Wrestling, Chicago-Style” on The Broadcast Basement On-Demand Radio Network! Music by Jason Shaw on Audionautix.com. Get your local wrestling fix every Tuesday everywhere podcasts can be found and always at WindyCitySlam.com!

Send us Fan MailJenny Mitich is a returning guest on our show! Be sure to check out her first appearances on episode 803 and episode 907 of Boundless Body Radio!Jenny Mitich is an expert and content creator when it comes to all things keto and carnivore! Jenny used the carnivore diet to lose over 50 pounds and has passed along what she learned to help thousands of people transition to the carnivore lifestyle.She is a 3 1/2 year carnivore and full-time content creator who is passionate about helping people take charge of their metabolic health. She believes that people should know their numbers and empowers them to do so with her educational carnivore content and engaging in individual and personal experiments.Her new and highly anticipated book Complete Carnivore: Achieving Better Health Through a Meat-Based Diet was released in the fall of 2025! Complete Carnivore is your definitive guide to thriving on the Carnivore Diet, a way of eating that has captured the attention of hundreds of thousands for its transformative effects on weight loss, health, and overall well-being.Jenny resides in the Chicagoland area with her husband, Goran, and twin sons, Max and Harry. She enjoys reading, traveling the world (which she is taking seriously these days), and devouring ribeyes, and apparently a whole lot of sardines lately as well!Find Jenny at-Amazon- Complete Carnivore: Achieving Better Health Through a Meat-Based DietYT- @JennyMitichIG- @mamamitichPodcast- Meat Matters with Jenny MitichFind Boundless Body at-myboundlessbody.comBook a session with us here! 

How do you build a 3-time GABF-medal winning craft brewery from scratch in 10 years with no investors, and one brewer with no sense of smell?Brandon and Amanda Wright, co-owners of Werk Force Brewing Company in Plainfield, Illinois, trace the 10-year arc of how Chicago Brew Works — the homebrew supply shop they opened in 2012 — evolved into one of Chicagoland's most influential breweries, with multiple GABF medals to show for it. They cover what it's like to build a brewery as a married couple, the next big beer trend, the whole-bean coffee technique behind their stout series, and how Brandon brews award-winning beer without a sense of smell. 0:00 Intro0:45 Welcome to Werk Force Brewing in Plainfield, Illinois2:53 How Werk Force Started as a Homebrew Supply Store in 20123:27 From OfficeMax to a Winery to Homebrewing Full-Time4:45 Brando's House of Awesomeness (And Why Amanda Said No)5:32 How They Started Chicago Brew Works on a Kitchen Table5:59 Building Chicagoland's Biggest Homebrew Supply Store8:37 Why Werk Force Never Took an Investor9:06 Where the Name Werk Force Comes From11:16 What's It Like to Run a Brewery With Your Spouse?15:28 Designing the Taproom (No TVs, Communal Tables)17:07 The Six Degrees of Werk Force Brewing19:15 What Was Werk Force's First Beer?19:55 Why You Can't Call This West Coast IPA Pineapple Express21:57 How West Coast IPAs Have Changed in 12 Years24:10 The Next Big Beer Trend: Under 4.5% ABV25:42 Really Decent: A 3.9% All-Malt Lager27:04 Beer Break27:47 Welcome Back: Meet Brandon's Brewing Team29:36 How Werk Force Won 3 GABF Medals in 2 Years32:38 What Are the Best Bourbon Barrels for Aging Beer?34:44 Where Sleepy Bear Got Its Name35:39 Polar Bear: A Two-Year Bourbon-Barrel Coffee Stout36:24 How Werk Force Designs Sleepy Bear Labels39:16 The Whole-Bean Coffee Trick That Avoids Off-Flavors40:57 How to Decide on Sleepy Bear Variants Each Year44:15 Brian Doesn't Have a Sense of Smell45:37 How Brandon Brews Award-Winning Beer Without Smelling It48:24 What's the Hardest Part of Brewing Without a Sense of Smell?50:18 Does Werk Force Use AI to Design Recipes?53:26 What Makes a Great Oktoberfest Beer?56:08 Marzen vs. Fest Beer: What's the Difference?56:52 Inside the Barrel Den: Werk Force's Event Space58:09 What's Next for Werk Force Brewing?59:43 Final Four: The Beer They'll Never Brew Again62:00 Brandon and Amanda's Off-the-Clock Beer Picks62:33 Final Four: Best Food and Beer Pairing65:11 Final Toast: Calm Down, Have a Beer, Hit the RoadAbout Werk Force Brewing Company: A three-time GABF medal winning craft brewery in Plainfield, Illinois, known for the Sleepy Bear barrel-aged imperial stout series, classic West Coast IPAs, and lower-ABV lagers. Learn more on their website at https://www.werkforcebrewing.com/ —Learn more about Crafty Brewers at https://craftybrewerspod.com Support Crafty Brewers on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/c/craftybrewers Crafty Brewers is a production of Quantum Podcasts, LLC, an enterprise podcast growth consultancy. If your brand would like to capture a loyal audience to drive business results with the power of podcasting, then visit https://quantum-podcasts.com/Our executive producer and editor is award-winning podcaster Cody Gough. He insists that we tell you that in this episode, you'll learn about: Werktoberfest, Buffalo Trace bourbon barrels for beer, Blanton's barrel-aged stout, Weller bourbon barrels, 10 Drops Coffee Roasters Outsiders Blend, Vireman malt, Rocky Reef Brewing collaboration, Metal Monkey Brewing, Goose Island barrel aging legacy, Bell's Two Hearted Ale, Pineapple Express TTB label rejection, DDH double dry hop IPA, Madagascar vanilla and cacao nibs in stout, diacetyl off-flavor detection, wax-dipped 375ml limited release bottles, and U.S. Open Beer Championship gold.

Some of you have jobs that sound really fun, like: golf pro, Ferrari delivery guy, or PE teacher. But it turns out all of those careers are secretly stressful! Plus, did you make your own club? Some of you did and it really makes us want to go clubbing with you. And we made a map of the best margaritas in the Chicagoland area for Cinco de Mayo, so listen to this episode before you start drinking today. Double Your Paycheck is back on Thursday, make sure you are signed up at the link below. Catch up on everything you missed from today's show on The Morning Mix Podcast!Listen to The Morning Mix weekdays from 5:30am – 10:00am on 101.9fm The Mix in Chicago or with the free Mix App available in the Apple App Store and Google Play.Register for Double Your Paycheck: Money Please!Follow The Mix: The MixstagramGet the Free MIX App: Stream The MixSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It's a beautiful Monday in the Chicagoland area and we catching up on everything we missed this weekend. From a pretty leaky Weekend Oopsie to hearing your victimless crimes, we're starting your week off right! Double Your Paycheck is back tomorrow, make sure you are signed up at the link below. Catch up on everything you missed from today's show on The Morning Mix Podcast!Listen to The Morning Mix weekdays from 5:30am – 10:00am on 101.9fm The Mix in Chicago or with the free Mix App available in the Apple App Store and Google Play.Register for Double Your Paycheck: Money Please!Follow The Mix: The MixstagramGet the Free MIX App: Stream The MixSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.