Podcasts about Northeastern Illinois University

David Brickner, currently the Executive Chairman to the Board of Jews for Jesus, became executive director of Jews for Jesus in 1996 and was the first to succeed our founding executive director, Moishe Rosen. Under his leadership, Jews for Jesus advanced internationally with missionaries in 12 countries, the largest number being in Israel.David comes from five generations of Jewish followers of Messiah Jesus. Though he turned his back on his upbringing in high school, David had a unique encounter with God in college that prompted him to attend a Jews for Jesus Bible study. David says, “I surrendered my life to Jesus in 1976 and haven't looked back.”David has authored several books, including the most recent release Does the Jewish Bible Point to Jesus? 12 Key Prophecies that Unfold God's Plan. He has been interviewed on secular and Christian radio and television shows, including Larry King Live and In the Market with Janet Parshall.A graduate of Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, David also has a bachelor of arts degree in Judaica from Northeastern Illinois University in conjunction with Spertus College of Judaica. He has a master of arts degree in missiology with an emphasis on Jewish studies from the Fuller School of Mission and Theology.David is an avid reader, hiker, and mountain climber. He resides in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, Sabra, and is the proud father of Isaac, Ilana, and Sivan, and grandfather of three. 

I always enjoy having the opportunity to speak with business professionals and leaders. Fidel Guzman not only is such a professional, but he also works in the corporate training arena teaching his company's employees and leaders about leadership and continuous improvement. Fidel comes by his talents honestly. He grew up in an environment where he needed to learn and grow. He secured a Bachelor's degree and an MBA both from Northeastern Illinois University where he graduated Summa Cum Laude. Fidel started out wanting to be a kindergarten teacher, but he ended up taking a different road. He went to work for a company where he helped people progress within various industries. The company he worked for was bought by ION Group in Chicago, IL. Fidel flourished and became the Manager of Internal Training for the company. Mr. Guzman is quite adaptable and can train people within the organization even though they may well have their own expertise in different industries. Fidel and I talk about everything from leadership, the future of corporate training and we even take time to explore how AI is and will become more a part of his work and the work we all do. When not working Fidel has various outside activities. His most loved efforts go, of course, into being part of a family. He also serves as Vice President of Education for Toastmasters International. He loves to be involved in Mixed Martial Arts. He keeps quite busy at a variety of activities and clearly loves the challenges he gets to address along the way. About the Guest: Fidel Guzman is a dynamic and enthusiastic Learning & Develoment professional with a proven track record in instructional design, project management, and training development. With a Master of Business Administration from Northeastern Illinois University, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude, Fidel has consistently demonstrated his commitment to excellence and continuous improvement. His extensive experience spans various industries, including finance, telecommunications, and fitness, showcasing his versatility and adaptability. Currently serving as the Manager of Internal Training at ION Group in Chicago, IL. Fidel and his small but mighty team facilitate onboarding programs and training initiatives for over 13,000 employees globally. He has experience developing comprehensive new hire onboarding curricula and career progression pathways for multiple departments, ensuring effective and innovative learning solutions. Fidel's leadership extends beyond his professional role, as he actively participates in numerous company committees focused on community volunteer events, work-life balance education, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. Fidel's passion for personal and professional development is evident in his certifications, including “Creating a Coaching Culture” from SHRM and “Coaching Skills for Leaders and Managers” from PMI. Fluent in both Spanish and English, he leverages his bilingual skills to connect with a diverse audience. Outside of his professional endeavors, Fidel enjoys podcasting, judo, triathlons, hiking, and poetry, reflecting his well-rounded and adventurous spirit. In addition to his professional achievements, Fidel has a strong commitment to volunteerism and community involvement. He is serving as the Vice President of Education for Toastmasters International and has been an MMA class instructor and coordinator at St. Bruno Elementary. His dedication to helping others is further demonstrated through his role as an academic tutor at Berwyn Public Library. Ways to connect with Fidel: (1) Fidel Guzman, MBA | LinkedIn New Podcast- The Hero in the Mirror on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/44xD76FcF5YFMNyuigFmBm?si=2so3OWJdQby6F91ZaY1AUg The Hero in the Mirror also on Youtube: (3) HerointheMirror - YouTube About the Host: Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog. Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards. https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/ accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/ Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset . Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. Transcription Notes: Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson ** 01:21 Greetings, everyone. I am Michael Hingson, and you are listening to unstoppable mindset where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet, and today we get to do the unexpected. And of course, what the unexpected is is anything that doesn't have anything to do with inclusion or diversity. So that's most things you know, in a lot of ways. Anyway, our guest today is Fidel, and am I pronouncing it right? Guzman, yes, you got it. Oh, my goodness. Comes from listening to Guzman's who play baseball. Okay, I'll take that. That's a way. So Fidel reached out to me some time ago. We're going to be doing some speaking to his company ion. But in the meanwhile, I also convinced him that he had to come on unstoppable mindset and talk with us, tell us about himself, tell us a lot about what he does and why he does it, and help to contribute to our general theme, which is that we're all more unstoppable than we think we are, and we usually underrate ourselves. So we we try to improve by discovering that more people are unstoppable than we think they are, and that we thought they were. So that works out. Well, Fidel has a degree in business. He has a Masters of Business Administration. You graduated sigma cum laude, which is pretty cool. And I did cum laude, but I didn't get to do sigma or Magna, but that's okay, but that's okay anyway. Fidel, I want to welcome you to unstoppable mindset. We're glad you're here.   Fidel Guzman ** 02:56 Michael, it's a pleasure to be here. Thank you for having me.   Michael Hingson ** 03:00 Well, my pleasure, and I'm looking forward to to chatting and talking about some businessy things and anything else that you want to talk about. So let's start this way. It's always fun to do this. Why don't we start by you telling us kind of, maybe, about the early Fidel growing up and some of that stuff, and what got you started down the road of life as it were.   Fidel Guzman ** 03:20 Yeah, yeah, that's all right, yeah, let's let's go back. Let's go back to where it all started,   Michael Hingson ** 03:25 long time ago,   Fidel Guzman ** 03:30 definitely. So I'm born and raised in Los Angeles, Compton, Huntington Park area. I come from Mexican parents. They they they came here to the United States to give their their family a better future. Some first generation Mexican American, very proud. So actually, we do have a little diversity in here on this call. Oh, good. There we go. Yeah. So first generation Mexican American, my family traveled a lot when I was young. My dad's a truck driver, so wherever there was work, he would take us along. So we grew up and raised Los Angeles. I was seven or eight, then we ended up going to Mexico for a couple years, in Dallas, then St Louis, and then we ended up here in Chicago, here in the Midwest. Wow. Winter, the winters here were a bit surprising and tough. When I was in elementary school, I remember the first snow that I saw. It was, it was beautiful. After two weeks, I was like, All right, when is it? When is it gonna go away? And I was in for the the rude awakening that it's gonna it's gonna stick around for, for a few months or so, yeah, but I've had, you know, since then here, here in Chicago, we started to grow our roots. And I have five brothers and a sister. So I have a big family, a big Hispanic family, and I went to high school. My freshman year, I went to Lane Tech. Tech for all my folks who are familiar with the Chicagoland area. And then I ended up going to transferring over to Morton West in Berwyn. After I graduated high school, I went to Northeastern Illinois University, my alma mater, I got my undergrad in business management and marketing, and also got my Masters in Business Administration. So I am a proud double alumni from Northeastern Illinois University, and I really owe this, this community of Northeastern Illinois University, a lot with respect to the great teachers that they have there, the community that they try to build, and the friends and that I made along the way, as well as the education, of course, that helped, really helped me expand my career opportunities. After I graduated from Northeastern Illinois University with my undergrad, I started my first real corporate role inside of backstop solutions. And backstop solutions was a still, you know, it was a great company to be a part of lots of mentors. If I can, actually, I would like to give a quick shout out to a few mentors that I had along the way, such as Deanne Falk, Richard fu our CEO, our legacy CEO, Clint Coghill, Sarah Schroeder, and the current head of learning and development under ion. Alexander Lloyd and I really want to thank them for all their mentorship and leadership, because it's really helped me get and grow to the person that I am today. So with that, yeah, I am the manager of internal training at ion. We came I came in via an acquisition, when backstop was acquired, and throughout that period, like I was, I had some some free time, so to say, and ended up getting my Masters in Business Administration.   Michael Hingson ** 06:48 And so along the way, did you get yourself married and all that? Oh, my   Fidel Guzman ** 06:52 wife is going to kill me. Yes. Along the way, sorry about that. No, yeah, yeah, of course, yeah. Can't forget, can't forget about those significant others. But yes, I am married. My wife has a master's in occupational therapy, so she's in the medical field, and I'm in, like, the business learning and development side of things, so our conversations are pretty interesting, as well as our perspectives on things. I also have a daughter. She's 16, going on 17 people are usually very surprised when I tell them the age of my daughter, but had her early when I was in my early 20s, so young dad and she was a blessing. I wouldn't, wouldn't have it any other way.   Michael Hingson ** 07:33 That's that is great. Why did you decide to go into business and study business in college.   Fidel Guzman ** 07:42 So interestingly enough, when I got into college, I wanted to be a kindergarten teacher. I wanted to be cool Mr. Guzman, because I also really I love kids. I love working with kids. I was also a mixed martial arts program coordinator and instructor at an elementary school on the south side of Chicago for three years, and that was during my undergrad. And I taught all grades kindergarten through eighth grade, some of the basics in boxing, wrestling, jiu jitsu and kickboxing, so a bit of both. But as I was going through through my clinicals, as I was going through the the Yeah, the education aspect of it, I ended up wanting to switch majors. So I was like, I was like, hey, there's probably a lot more opportunity, a lot more opportunity for growth inside of the business segment. So I ended up switching my majors to business management, marketing, and somehow learning just found its way back into my life. So a lot of the stuff that I learned from some of those, those preliminary courses in in education. I mean, still, still resonate to this day, right? Understand your audience. Understand which students are visual learners, which ones are experiential learners. Which one need more repetitive exercise to to drill something in? So, yeah, the universe did not, did not lead me too far away from, from from teaching and being an instructor, and here I am. I know   Michael Hingson ** 09:08 that feeling well. So a couple things. First of all, I was born in Chicago, but we moved to California when I was five, but in Chicago, you start kindergarten at the age of four. So I went for a year to a special kindergarten class that my parents and others advocated for, for premature, blind kids, because there were a whole bunch in the Chicago area during the whole baby boomer area, a number of children were born prematurely and given a pure oxygen environment, which caused them to lose their eyesight. And so the bottom line is that happened to me among others. And so I went to the Perry school. I don't even know if it's around anymore. Somebody told me it wasn't around anymore, but that's where I went to school. And went there for a year of kindergarten, learned braille and other things. And then we moved to California. So I always wanted to be a teacher as well, and I came at teaching from a different standpoint, as you did. That is to say, Well, I wanted to be a teacher. My first job out of college wasn't directly teaching, except I ended up having to write training materials and do other things like that, and then I ended up going into sales, and what I learned is that the best sales people are really teachers. They're counselors. They guide and they help people, especially when you're dealing with major account sales, they help people look at products. They teach about what their product does and the really good sales people are brave enough to admit when their product might not be the best fit for someone, because it's also all about building trust. And good teachers are concerned about building trust as well. Of course.   Fidel Guzman ** 10:57 Yeah, one of my teachers when I was close to graduating, you know, one of the things that you know this teacher, Dr funk, if I remember correctly, he instilled in us, if you're able to synthesize what you learned and explain it to a five year old, you've done a good job. Like you, you you yourself understand that particular concept or that particular topic. And I really took that to heart. So now, you know, and a lot of these roles, if, from the the main instructor, I want and need to be able to explain it, you know, to my kid, to explain it in in simple terms. And, of course, you know, expand on it if needed. But, but   Michael Hingson ** 11:40 it ultimately comes down to you can provide all the information you want, but they have to teach themselves, really, and they're not going to do that, and they're not going to listen to you if they don't trust you. So trust is a vital part of what we do,   Fidel Guzman ** 11:56 exactly spot on,   Michael Hingson ** 11:58 and I have found that that developing that trust is so extremely important. I learned a lot about trust from working with guide dogs, right from the very first guide dog that I obtained back in 1964 when I was 14. It was all about building a team and I and although I didn't know how to really externally, say it necessarily, until many years later, internally, I understood that my job was to build a relationship and that I was going to be the team leader, and needed to be able to gain trust, as well as trust my teammate in in what we did. So worked out pretty well, though. So, you know, I was that was pretty cool. So what does ion do? What is ion?   Fidel Guzman ** 12:49 Yeah, I yeah for sure. So ion is a essentially, you can, you can think of it as a software company for the investment community. We provide a number of different platforms for them to streamline their processes and track information, or be end users of that of data.   Michael Hingson ** 13:07 So people buy your software and do what   Fidel Guzman ** 13:11 they can either leverage the data that's being provided to them, or they can include data within specific platforms.   Michael Hingson ** 13:20 Are you starting to see that this whole concept of so called AI is valuable in what you do, or, as I am working with that yet,   Fidel Guzman ** 13:30 yes, definitely, we are big on streamlining processes and making sure that we're maximizing the best use of everyone's time, and AI really has a really important component in that. So for for learning and development, one of the ways that we're using AI is for content creation, so whether it's just creating a simple outline for a course or starting to use that to create slides, but there, we're also taking a look at the way AI can be used on a regular basis to provide feedback for reps like let's say someone finishes a demo. If they want to do some self reflection, they can leverage AI to get some feedback on what worked well what didn't. Was there enough engagement? How was my use of technology, so on and so forth. So not only is AI being used from, you know, creating content, but also as, like a ad hoc instructor and and way to generate feedback,   Michael Hingson ** 14:31 well, and it offers so much versatility, you can really have it go many different ways. So it is very possible it can be an instructor, as you say, an ad hoc instructor, but it really can present its information in a good teaching way too. So you can have conversations with it. You can do the same sorts of things that you would do with a teacher. I think that AI clearly, is here to stay, but I think. Think over time, AI is going to evolve a lot. I am not of the opinion that AI will replace people for a variety of reasons, but I think that it's here and it's up to us to be smart as to how we use it.   Fidel Guzman ** 15:14 Definitely. I think one of the the tips that we always give people is AI does a really great job of a number of different things, but it's always going to need that human touch at the end of at the end of the day. So don't just take don't just take some content that AI has created and take it to heart. Make sure to review it. Make sure to put that personal touch on there and have it speak your language. Have it really resonate with the audience as well, especially that, oh, go ahead. Or also just on Super mechanical, super scripted,   Michael Hingson ** 15:49 well, and I think as AI grows, it's going to try to emulate, or we're going to use it to try to emulate people more and more, but it still isn't going to get to the point where it truly is me or you, and we do have to put our mark on it. I've used it to help create several articles, and what I've done when I do that is I'll tell it what I want it to write about, and let it do it, and it comes up with some pretty good ideas that I incorporate into the article, that I create, between what it provides and what I add to the mix. And it really should be that way. Exactly what I've really found interesting is the number of people like in classrooms, who say teachers, who say, you know, it's really harder and harder and harder to tell when a student uses AI to write a paper or if the student is doing it themselves. And the first time I heard that, immediately, my idea of what to do was something like this, let the student use AI if they want to, let the have ai do the whole paper. What you ought to do is to have one day after all the students turn their papers in, where you bring each student up to the front of the class and say, defend your paper. Now you have one minute if they don't really know, yeah. I mean, if they don't know what's going on, then they're not going to be able to do very well, and they fail.   Fidel Guzman ** 17:19 Yes, I am a big proponent of comprehensive exercises and also public speaking. How well? How well can you articulate the thought that you gave in that paper? Right? Some of those different talking points, right? Can you convey the same message in front of the classroom?   Michael Hingson ** 17:38 Yeah, and, and, you can tell if a person is just not necessarily a great public speaker, they're nervous, as opposed to whether they know the subject. And those, in a sense, are two different things. But you can use the fact that students are at the front of the classroom to help make them better speakers, too, which is a good thing.   Fidel Guzman ** 17:59 Yeah, no, yeah. I agree with you. If they are using AI, just, you know, turn around a paper, have them present in front of the classroom. Yeah, let's, let's talk a bit more about your paper, yeah, and, and really have it be an interactive exercise. I think that's really where the end goal is going to be, now that AI has really taken over the way the classroom dynamic has changed. So having more of those interactive exercises, really taking a look at comprehension, whether somebody really understands that topic, and giving giving students and an audience an opportunity to discuss, how do we how do we create a hive mind mentality around this particular topic, especially in a classroom, right whether, whether that's in a school setting, in academia, or whether that's in a corporate setting, inside of an office.   Michael Hingson ** 18:54 Several months ago, we had a guest on unstoppable mindset, who's an executive leadership coach in Northern California who was a major proponent of AI. And when he worked with companies, and especially with presidents and leaders who were stuck on how we evolve and how we grow, he would bring AI into all those meetings, and one day he was dealing with one such situation where he told the president, you got to use you ought to use AI to get some great ideas. The President took that to heart, called his senior leadership staff in and said, take the rest of this day and create ideas about how you think we ought to do things better, and so on, and use AI to do it. And when everyone came in the next day, they had a lot of innovative and creative ideas, and all loved the fact that he encouraged them to use AI. And that led to. Us having a discussion about, is AI going to really take over the jobs that people do? And both of us agreed, no, AI won't. Ai can't replace anyone. We can fire somebody and then put AI in their place, which doesn't really work well. But what is a better thing is let ai do what it does well. So example that he gave was say, you have autonomous vehicles. As autonomous vehicles become more and more prevalent, like trucks that are delivering supplies, like shipping vehicles and so on, let the autonomous vehicle drive, but the driver needs to still be in the cabin and needs to be behind the wheel, even though they're not doing anything, because they are going to let the autonomous vehicle do what it can do. But you can give those people other assignments to do for the company that will keep them busy and do things that otherwise might not be done quite as efficiently. So the bottom line is, you keep people busy, you use the autonomous vehicle, and it's a win win situation all the way around.   Fidel Guzman ** 21:08 Yeah, great. I I've heard something very similar to that, and maybe if I can, if I can synthesize this, it's going to be that we want to remove manual task out of people's times, and we want them to focus on more higher value add activities. Do   Michael Hingson ** 21:29 you think that's fair? I think that's true. Isaac Asimov, years ago, the science fiction writer, wrote a really wonderful science fiction story about a young man who lived in a society where everyone had a particular job to do, and you were matched with your talents. And so there you you're you take a test when you're, like, eight years old and or or even younger, and that starts you down the road of what it is you're supposed to do for the whole country. And then you take another test several years later, and that locks you into what you're trained to do. So you always do the same task, but you do it well, because that's what you're trained to do. Well, this kid was in the whole process taking his tests, and he just wasn't comfortable with what was going on. And eventually he ran away. And what, you know, he he took the last test, apparently they looked at him kind of funny when they looked at the results and he didn't like what was going on. And he just left. He said, I'm not going to do this. I don't, I don't. I don't want to be an engineer. I don't want to do whatever it is that they want. And they eventually caught up with him, and they caught him, and they said, Why'd you run away? And he told them, and then said, No, you don't understand what just happened. Some people in society are the people who create the tests, create the processes, and don't get trained to do a specific thing, because they're the innovators and the inventors that keep society going, and you're one of those kids, and this was like, what, 50 years ago that he wrote that? So it's, it is, it is really interesting, but, but very true and, and the reality is, we can be as creative as we choose to be, and some people are more creative than others, but there are always tasks that we can find for anyone to do, and that will make them very happy,   23:40 absolutely, definitely.   Michael Hingson ** 23:42 So it works out. You know, it does work out really well. Well, a question for you. You have a leadership philosophy, needless to say, and you lead a lot in instructional design, what, what are the core principles, or what are the things that kind of make up how you teach leadership, and what it is that you teach people to do, and how do you go about team development?   Fidel Guzman ** 24:13 Yeah, I think some of the core principles that I that I really focus on with learning and development and instructional design. Number one, it has to be collaboration. It really does take a community to put some some really good training sessions and training opportunities in place, and it's really leveraging all the expertise from different subject matter experts. Give them a chance to share their perspectives and their insights on certain things, but also, really, just to enhance, you know, the the use of these training programs, because people are more keen to listen to like, oh yeah, this guy's a subject matter he's an expert in this particular. Their space and for them to to hop on. So I think that collaboration aspect is, you know, getting the Lean In from managers like, hey, this training is important. Your employees are going to benefit from this training, whether it's just for to develop their their education, to develop their career, whatever that may look like. But I want to say one of the, the first guiding principles is going to have to be collaboration. The second one is going to have to be most likely continuous improvement. As we start to roll out a lot of these different training sessions, whether it's public speaking, whether it's product training, whether it's industry training, if we roll it out, we keep our ear to the ground and make sure that we're receptive to the feedback. We take a look at what works well, what doesn't work well, what needs to be tailored. How can we, how can we also manage this across different time zones? So ion is super global company, I want to say, over 13,000 employees in over 13 plus countries. So also managing what those training programs look like for everyone, for everyone, across the board. So besides the collaboration, besides the continuous improvements or the I like to also say that the Kaizen, the Japanese philosophy of Kaizen, right, making those small improvements, the last one I want to say is going to be innovation. How can we incorporate, right? We were talking about AI. How can we incorporate some of these ladies, latest tech trends into what our training delivery looks like, whether it's something as simple as, how do we include more polls throughout a lecture to keep people engaged and participate? How do we include knowledge checks at the end of every session to make sure that people are walking away with some of the key takeaways. So, yeah, collaboration, continuous improvement and innovation. Yeah, how do we stay innovative and stay creative? I think having having some fun, staying creative along the way Definitely, definitely resonates with your audience as you're trying to do different things and trying to keep things as engaging and and fun as possible.   Michael Hingson ** 27:06 What do you say to someone who says, Look, I've really learned all I need to learn. I'm not really interested in learning anything new. That is, I know, isn't that? Yeah, but you hear it a lot, I'm sure, or too much. I   Fidel Guzman ** 27:22 think some people get comfortable right, like, Hey, I'm comfortable with what I know. And learning does require a certain level of mental energy, and it also requires a certain level of you being willing to take on a new challenge, to take on and learn something new. So to them, I would genuinely ask, what's your interest? How can we supplement what this interest looks like? You know, what are your interests in other avenues? And I think that will plant a seed to let them know that learning and development should be something learning, right? Just learning in general, it should be something that you should do throughout your life. I recently started a podcast called the hero in the mirror, and I wanted to take a moment and actually, thank you, Michael. I don't know if you remember our initial conversation. But we were talking, we were talking about, you had asked me, What ideas do you have? What are you working on? Are you working on, any books, any podcasts? And I had mentioned, I was like, Hey, I actually have an idea for a podcast. And you pause for a moment, and you were like, what's stopping it? Yeah, and it was, it was kind of like, it kind of took me back. I'm like, What? What is stopping me? Right? And sometimes, and in coaching, we call it interference, like you're you probably have a fear of failure. You have a fear that something's not going to go right, or this task seems enormous, that you don't know where to start. Yeah, so making small, small mental changes, making small steps, I think, definitely add up. Since then, Michael, I've had I've had three episodes. I've had some great guests hop on and share their story of resilience and triumph. And as I'm starting to do more episodes, I'm I'm hearing stories of people willing to have that, that mindset of, I want to continue to learn, I want to continue to expand on the person that I am and make myself well rounded in these different, different areas. So So, long story short, if somebody says I don't, I don't need to learn anything, there's always room for growth. There's always room for interest, what, what interests you, and how? And how can we follow that interest and and supplement it with some some training content.   Michael Hingson ** 29:49 I know, for me, I'm extremely comfortable with what I know, and I'm extremely comfortable with what I've learned, but I'm also very uncomfortable in knowing there's a lot of stuff I don't know and that i. Still need to learn. So I love to learn right from the very beginning, when I first discovered the internet, I regarded it and still do, no matter what there is with the dark web and everything else, I think the internet is a treasure trove of information, and it's so fun to discover new things online. And there's so many ways to go. We've got so many places where we can go get books that we never had access to before all of us. There's so many places where we can go to learn about organizations, about people. They're just so many wonderful things, and it's only one way, because I also think there is a lot to be said for real personal interactions, but I think the internet is a wonderful treasure trove that gives us the opportunity to learn a whole lot that we don't necessarily know about, subjects that we don't know anything about.   Fidel Guzman ** 30:55 The Internet is a double sided sword. It is. You can find information that will support right? Maybe you know an opinion that you have on the other side of that, you can find lots of information that does not support independent opinion that you have. And also it's a rabbit hole. Soon as you start going out that rabbit hole. But the one thing I do appreciate from the internet is the channels of communication that it's built. Yeah, and I'm appreciative of being able to have connected with you on LinkedIn, and that's turned out to us having this podcast here today.   Michael Hingson ** 31:34 I think that for me, I'm not as interested on going online and in finding something to change an opinion as much as I am finding something that will tell me about something that I didn't know as much about. Now I might change my opinion from what I thought it might be, but I I really love to try to really get as much as possible into dealing with facts or substance to teach me things, and then I'll form my own opinion from that. Yeah, you know what I'm saying. Of course,   Fidel Guzman ** 32:11 gets a good grounding of all the all the materials, synthesize it yourself.   Michael Hingson ** 32:19 Yeah, I think we should do that. I think we have to be the one to synthesize whatever it is we're dealing with. That's That's our responsibility, and that should always be the way it is, which is, and I don't want to get political or anything, but which is one of the reasons that I say any politician who says, Trust me will be the first person I won't trust until I verify. I am a firm believer in trust, but verify. I don't care who it is. I think it's so important that we really take the time every single person needs to take the time to study what's going on, and and, and really look at all sides of something. I think that's important. I listen to newscasts regularly, and I like to listen to newscasts from all sides. Some I find why I don't want to listen to them very much, because of what they do or don't do, but I still think that it's important to really understand all sides of a subject.   Fidel Guzman ** 33:29 Absolutely, I totally agree with you.   Michael Hingson ** 33:32 So you know, I think it is kind of neat to to have that opportunity, and I think we learn so much when we take the time to really study. I'm amazed. I was at a restaurant once, and my wife and I were there. We were talking about newspapers and what we get from newspapers or online, and our waitress came up and Karen said, so do you read the newspaper? And this woman's 30 years old, and she says, No, I don't. I don't have time, you know. And how little she learns, because she doesn't really seek information, which is too bad.   Fidel Guzman ** 34:07 Yep, you people have to be receptive. People have to be receptive to to gaining new bits of information. And sometimes people are just happy knowing like you, like you mentioned earlier, just happy knowing what they're what they know, just comfortable in in their own space, until some more power to that, more more power to them, more power to them,   Michael Hingson ** 34:31 until something happens to disrupt the happiness and surprises them, because they really didn't learn enough to know that that was a possibility. Yep, I never thought I would be doing a podcast, but when the pandemic occurred, I started to learn about it, and learned all the value of it. Now, I had been at our campus radio station at UC Irvine for six years, and I was program director one year, so I understood radio, and when I started learning about podcasts. They went, this is really pretty cool, and I had never thought about it, and had never been interviewed on a podcast, but I realized I know what I can can do with this, and I know that I can sound intelligent on the air. And so I started to learn about it, and here we are now, just today, actually, we published online and in YouTube episode 324 of unstoppable mindset since August of 2021 Congratulations, Michael. Well, thank you. It's a lot of fun. We actually went to two episodes a week in August of 2022 Oh, wow, because we had such a huge backlog. Yeah, and I don't mind having a huge backlog, but it was growing way too much. So we went to two episodes a week, and and it's a lot of fun to to do it. And as and as I love to tell people, for me, the most important thing is I get to learn from every single person who comes on the podcast. It's so neat to be able to do that, of course. So it works out really well. Well for you, what kind of challenges have you faced? What have you done to overcome challenges, and what are some of the biggest challenges you faced, and how you did you deal with them?   Fidel Guzman ** 36:17 Okay, yeah, that's great. That's some of the questions I use on on my podcast, here in the mirror. So I'm on the I'm on the other side of that chair today. Yes, no, it's good. It's good. It's a good question. So I want to say, you know, there are, there are three main, three main challenges that really stand out for me. One I'm very vocal about, and that is my speech impediment, my stuttering problem. It was really bad when I was little kid. I had a speech pathologist. Even now, talking to you on this podcast, I have to be very conscious with what I'm saying. Some of the listeners might might have caught it in the beginning when I get too excited about a particular topic, or if I haven't formulated my thought yet, but the speech impediments is something that has really made public speaking a passion for me. It was hard for me to have a voice when I was a little kid, I used to try to raise my hand and answer a question when I was in elementary school, and the teacher would be like, All right, next one like you had, you had your turn. And so I, you know, I've struggled, you know, to have a voice. I struggled with just completing sentences, and the way that I overcame that is through a speech pathologist that really gave me the confidence to believe in myself. I remember one exercise she gave me one day is she grabbed me from my classroom. She would pick me up from my classroom every Tuesday and Thursday, and she picked me up one day, and I was kind of down in the dumps. I didn't really like going to the class. We weren't really advancing much. And she's like, Hey, we're going to try something different tonight. Different today. She's like, today I'm going to have the order of pizza. And I was still a little little fat kid, like fourth or fifth grade, so I was like, oh, yeah, I'm all for it. What's going on here? And she was like, but the catch is, you need to order this pizza without stuttering. And you know, right away, kind of my heart dropped. And she's like, okay, like, don't, don't worry, we're gonna practice exactly what you want to order. And she's like, What do you want? And I'm like, Well, I want a large pepperoni pizza with an RC, a two liter RC Cola delivered to McPherson Elementary. And she's like, okay. She's like, write it down. I'm like, Alright, great to like, write it down again. I must have written it like, 10 times. She's like, No, now practice it. So about 15 minutes of doing that, she was like, All right, I think you're ready. She hands me the phone and, you know, I pick it up. My heart's in my throat, and I'm just like, like, I'm like, hi, you know, I want to order a large pepperoni pizza with a two liter RC Cola delivered to McPherson elementary for Fidel Guzman, and I was just astonished. I hung up the phone. I was happy for two reasons. Number one, I was going to get some pizza. Number two, I was able to say it a complete, full sentence without stuttering. And she she really believed in me and instilled in me that confidence that I could overcome this. But it wasn't an overnight success. It still required me go going to the speech pathologist, you know, throughout my elementary school, throughout all those years, and even as an adult, continuing to practice and hone that in in high school, doing presentations, in college, doing presentations. So right now, I am the VP of education for our America's Toastmasters Club, and this is one story i i always tell people, and they're like, No, you don't stutter. I'm like, if I get too excited, I'll lower my words. But that was that was one challenge, that was one challenge, and it's. Is it's still something I have to be very conscious of. And I've caught myself a couple times earlier in this podcast where I kind of mumble a little bit or get caught up in a particular word. But besides that one, I want to say that the second one was more of my in college. In college, I struggled paying for school. I mentioned I'm first generation Mexican American, and I was one, one of the first, first of my brothers to attend college full time. And I did all I could to make ends meet, two, three jobs, just paying for tuition. Financial aid was great, you know, it really helped me with a portion of that, but a lot of it really ended up, you know, being due onto me. And then I had my daughter, and it was just a struggle. I was like, How can I be a dad? How can I be a student? How can I work on my career? And I had gone to a financial aid workshop, and the one thing that stood out in this workshop was when they were talking about scholarships granted in high school when you're about to graduate, they talk to you about it, but it doesn't. It doesn't really materialize until you're until you receive that bill. Yeah, you're just like, hey, here's, here's a $2,000 bill for this college class. And you're like, oh, man, this is, this is not, this is not cheap. It's pretty expensive. And the one thing you know that stood out was, you know, let the scholarships, and they started talking about scholarship applications, and I found that there were a couple common denominators with the scholarships. Number one, they wanted two letters of two letters of recommendation. Number two, they want an essay. What are you going to do with your degree? How are you going to make a positive impact in the community? And number three, sometimes, typically an interview. And so I ran with it. I was like, they want two letter, letters of recommendation. They want one essay. They want an interview. No problem. And I made that my part time job. On the weekends, I would just apply, apply, apply. And I started getting some small wins. I started getting a $250 scholarship here, a $500 scholarship there, $1,000 scholarship, you know, here, and all of it started to add up, and it started to gain momentum. And I was lucky enough to get, get, get accepted for a number of different scholarships and complete my my college education, and even, you know, be strong willed enough to go back and do it again and try to try to get my masters. So those were two, two big ones, but I'll pause here and see if you have any questions around those two challenges for me. Michael, no,   Michael Hingson ** 42:41 but I I really admire what you did. You You made a choice and you followed it through. And I think that's of course, the whole issue is that we have to make choices and we need to follow through. And if we find that, we need to refine our decisions. We do that. I know when I was a student and a program director at the university radio station, I wanted everyone to listen to themselves. I thought it was a great idea to have everyone listen to themselves on the air. And the way you do it is you record it and you give it to them. And I didn't anticipate how hard that was going to be, because for me, I was used to doing it for myself, yeah, but I I didn't realize how much resistance I was going to get from literally everyone at the radio station, they were not interested in and I'm thrilled about doing it at all. What I and the engineer at the station did eventually was to put a cassette recorder in a locked cupboard, and whenever the microphone was activated, the recorder would go on. So, you know, you didn't have to hear the music. You just wanted to hear yourself talk. And we, we really took a major step and said, You have to listen to these recordings. We gave each person a cassette. We expect you to listen to these recordings and improve accordingly. What I didn't say much was, I know what it's like. I'm my own worst critic, and I have to listen to it, so you guys do now. I've changed that, and I'll get to it in a second, but we pushed everyone to do it, and it wasn't long, not only before we started seeing improvement, but before the people themselves started recognizing that they were really getting comfortable listening to themselves and that they were taking this to heart, and by the end of the year, we had people who were loving it and wanting their cassette every day or every week, and also a. Some of them went into broadcasting. For me, what I learned, and it took many years before I learned it is I'm not my own worst critic. I shouldn't be negative, as I said earlier, I'm the only one who can really teach me. I'm my own best teacher. And I think when you make that mind shift from being your own worst critic to your own best teacher, it really puts things in a much more positive light. And I've said that before on the podcast, and I will continue to say it, because I think it's a very important   Fidel Guzman ** 45:29 concept. We actually have a similar exercise for our America's Toastmasters Club, where we'll we'll record some speeches, and we'll have people listen back to their recorded speech. And a lot of people say like, man, it's cringe to hear yourself on the on the other side, on the other side of those iPhones, but it is a very useful exercise. You get a better understanding of your your filler words, your eyes, your arms, your vocal variety, your body language. And if you're looking to be a great, I don't want to say public speaker, but if you're just looking just to speak better in general, even when it's an on a presentation, on a call, or if you have to give up a toast at a wedding or a quinceanera, for you to be able to, yeah, critique yourself and gather feedback from your from your own recording   Michael Hingson ** 46:23 well. And the reality is, the more of it you do, and the more you listen to it, having been up there in front giving the speech, you also see how people react. And if you continue to observe and listen to the recordings as you go forward, you will improve, yeah, for sure, which is which is really important. And one of the things that I try to do regularly now is to record talks. When I go and give a speech somewhere, I will record it so that I can listen to it and I enjoy it, because I discover Did I really say that I shouldn't have said it quite that way, but I'll do better next time. But listening to it helps such a tremendous amount,   Fidel Guzman ** 47:13 especially with those filler words. So when you really listen to the recording, you'll be like, Man, I use a lot of likes or SOS or ands or buts, and if you want to speak eloquently, it is, I mean, like anything, you just gotta practice it. You gotta practice it, and you have to be receptive to that, the feedback. And you have to also celebrate the small wins. One thing I am a big proponent on is celebrate the small wins. Yeah. So if you are able to do your your first speech at a Toastmasters clubs like we, we give you tons of accolades, because it is not an easy fit, an easy feat. If you're able to do the second one, even better. You're, you're progressing, and you're, you know, you're increasing your understanding of some of the fundamentals of public speaking. Yeah, so you're preaching to the choir here.   Michael Hingson ** 48:05 Yeah, no, I understand. Oh yeah, it's good, but it is really important to do, and it's fun to do. If you decide to make it fun, and if you decide that you want to become a better communicator there. There are lots of us and all that sort of stuff that people do. I've heard some people say that's really not such a bad thing. Well, I've got to say that I've never really been used to having a lot of us. And you know, there's a guy out here who I don't think he's alive anymore. He used to be a sports announcer out here. His name was Jim Healy, and you may have heard him when, well, out here in Los Angeles, anyway, he was on K lac, and he had somebody, well, he had a recording of somebody, one of the sports jocks, and he announced that he was going to play this recording, and what you're going to hear is this guy in 60 seconds say, you know, 48 times, that's and he did what's amazing, that   Fidel Guzman ** 49:17 when you when you get to Some of those, it's like, what do they say? Nails on a chalkboard? You're like, Oh, yeah. Like, what are you trying to say? Just, just say it. To say, to say the damn thing.   Michael Hingson ** 49:30 Yeah, talk a little bit slower and just say it.   Fidel Guzman ** 49:33 One thing that I'm trying to be conscious, more conscious of is pauses, like those deliberate pauses, those deliberate pauses to collect your thoughts, like I often need, just to collect myself, but also to build suspense the message and the message that you're trying to give, especially when you're in front of a group of people, in front of an audience, and you're pausing there, they're just like, oh, what? So what is he? What is he gonna say next? What's up? What's going on with this pause? So it's also you have this arsenal of tools when it comes to to public speaking and to engage with an audience and to keep them, to keep them interested in what your next thought is going to be. What What am I going to say next? How am I going to, you know, align this topic to something else that I want to discuss.   Michael Hingson ** 50:24 I love, yeah, I've discovered the value of pauses. You can make a pause last too long, and one of the things you learn is how long to make a pause. But I love pauses. They really do add a lot of value. There they get. Well, you talk a lot about continuous improvement, and clearly you you really love the whole concept. What's an example of a project where you instituted continuous improvement, and how do you make that happen? Thanks, Michael.   Fidel Guzman ** 50:56 Let's pause again. Yeah, right. I know. Yeah. All right. Michaels, Michaels, throw me. Well, not much of a curveball, but yeah, no, that's good. So I know continuous improvement. And one project that I worked on, I want to say one that comes to mind is last year I hosted a series of product boot camps. And what these product boot camps really were, were product training and networking opportunities within ion. I had just gone through the acquisition of backstop into the into the ion family, and I saw a need. I saw a need there for some product training. And what I did is I started to coordinate with subject matter experts, hence the collaboration and community principles that I have with learning and development. And started to piece together a boot camp. So a series of training sessions, and we discussed location, we discussed different components that we can include on there. We discussed remote hybrid in person, what some of those options were, and we had about, I want to say, five or six of these boot camps in 2024 and what I noticed is that for each of the boot camps we would tailor it a little bit, because each of these different products that were under specific umbrellas were for certain audiences, you know, for certain segments of the business. So we had to, I had a template, but we had to tweak that template a little bit. Who do we want to come in here? Who do we want to come in for this particular topic? When do we take breaks? If it's in person, you know? Do we take longer breaks if it's in person? How do we include some interactive components to it? How do we test people's knowledge, whether it's through live polls, whether it's using an LMS platform to do knowledge checks? How do we create a certificate based program around this? And for each of those, it was a learning experience. It was a learning experience because we, every subject matter expert, is different, right? You're building different relationships with different people, and even their style of talking or their style of teaching on a particular topic is going to be different. So those continuous improvements throughout each of those boot camps really started to to resonate and just to showcase themselves. And for each of those, we had a similar template for all of them, but we made minor tweaks to make sure that it was as engaging and and thoughtful as possible.   Michael Hingson ** 53:36 Wow. Well, that's pretty cool. Um, and I think that the very fact that you would make the tweaks and you recognize the need to do that was pretty insightful, of course, because for me, I know when I speak, some people early on told me you should write a talk and you should, you should just give that talk. I tried that once. I didn't like what I sounded like when I read a talk, and I haven't done it since. And I also realized that I do better, and sometimes it isn't necessarily a lot, but when I customize every talk so I love to go early and try to hear speakers who speak before me, or get a chance to meet people at an event, because I will learn things invariably that I will put into the talk. And sometimes I'm tweaking talks up to and including the start of the talk, and sometimes I will tweak a talk when I'm speaking and I'm getting the impression just from all the fidgeting, that maybe I'm not getting through to these people, or I'm not really doing this in the best way possible. And I will change until I get what I expect to be the audience. Reaction, because I know what an audience is like when they're fully engaged, and I also know that not every audience is the same, so I hear what you're saying. I think it's important to do that.   Fidel Guzman ** 55:13 Yeah, for you to be able to do that on the fly, kudos, kudos to that. But yeah, we you got to be able to understand that audience, understand that audience, understand what's what's going on, the dynamic of that, of that situation. So you're, you're a veteran at at this, so no surprise there.   Michael Hingson ** 55:31 Well, that's a lot of fun. Well, what do you do when you're not working you, I know you're involved in various activities and so on. So what do you do when you're, yeah, not an eye on writing, doing, training, stuff and all that.   Fidel Guzman ** 55:45 A number of different hobbies. My wife calls me the Energizer Bunny, because I'm always running around doing something, but some of my main things is right now judo. I did wrestling in high school, and I did mixed martial arts when I was getting my undergrad. And I love martial arts. I think iron sharpens iron. It's good to be around a good group of, good group of people, people who are who are like minded, people who are looking to continue to develop themselves. And yeah, if you're in a room full of tough guys, you have no other choice than to start to be a tough guy yourself. So I love martial arts. I did a couple Judo tournaments, judo and jujitsu tournaments last year, where I placed. And let's see, besides that, triathlons, I love to run, I love to bike, I love to swim. I did my first triathlon last year. I really enjoyed it. I thought it was a phenomenal experience. I mean, it's two three hours of non stop movement, but it was, it was great just to be part of that, of a huge event like that, besides the martial arts and the constant running and swimming and biking, the last thing I want to say is writing and poetry. I have started to compile all all my poems. Hopefully, in the next year or so, I'll, I'll launch a small book of poems. And, yeah, I'll keep you, I'll keep you posted on that. But I do, I do like to write on the sign, you know, hopefully a book of poems. And, you know, since since having my daughter, I've always liked children's books. I would, I would love it if I could launch my my own series of children books, and I'm working on a couple templates with that. So, yeah, stay staying busy, staying busy, physically active, but also mentally   Michael Hingson ** 57:40 active. So you haven't written any books yet. I have a   Fidel Guzman ** 57:44 couple ideas, a couple ideas of what, what kids books want to do, but you don't have any books published yet? No, none yet. None yet. Well, we're anxious to see that happen. You got, you got it, you're gonna, you're gonna light that fire. You're gonna light that fire as well. No, and again, right? I do appreciate you for for really, really motivating me to start my own podcast, because you had really said, like, what's stopping you? Like, like me, I'm stopping myself, you know. But even yet, yeah, even like, you know, being an author, I know that you're an author, you know, I would love to have a conversation offline with you. You know what that publishing experience was like, because I think that's my biggest interference right now with that, is like, I don't know where to start with the publishing. I know I can self publish. I know I can go through publishers and like, the internet, like we said, a double sided sword, yeah, you have information that tells you you should just self publish, and then you have other bits of information. Was like, You should go through a publishing company and just like, where do I Where do I choose? But I think that's why having mentors, you know, and getting to network with people who are experienced, such as yourself, and these different avenues of public speaking and being a keynote speaker and having a podcast, being a podcast host and being an author. I think, I think it's great, and you are definitely an inspiration to me. Michael, well, thank you.   Michael Hingson ** 59:11 You're familiar with Jackson Hewitt, the accounting and tax company. You got it? Okay? So I can't remember whether it was night, whether it was 2016 or 2017 but I got invited to go speak at one of their events, and I did. And while I was there, I met a woman, and I didn't know what she did, and she she, she worked at a Jackson Hewitt, and I just happened to say, what do you own of a firm? Because most of the people there were supposed to be company owners. And she said, No, maybe someday. And I said, why not? You ought to own a company. You ought to you ought to become a company owner. You'll go further Anyway, last year, she sent me an email, and she said, I've never forgotten that, and I think it was like a year later, or two years later, she's. After I and she met, she said, I got my first company, and I now own 10 branches. Wow. Back, I said, that's pretty cool. Oh,   Fidel Guzman ** 1:00:09 Michael, Michael, you are just making ripples in the universe. Just ripples doing something. Yeah, that's good. I don't want to get too religious, but you're doing God's work, man, well,   Michael Hingson ** 1:00:18 I hope so. You know, expect Hill. Hill. Guy, guide, or she'll guide, yeah, but so what do you think is the future of work, of workplace training and learning?   Fidel Guzman ** 1:00:30 Yeah, I think we, we touched a little bit upon this. But you know, AI, you know, definitely, how can we leverage AI for content creation, creating outlines and also using it as feedback. But I also want to to bring back the the in person training. I know we've all gotten very comfortable with, you know, doing stuff remote, but similar to the example that we talked about earlier, where that teacher was like, oh, all these, all these kids are using AI for these papers, and how do I really test their comprehension? That's, that's something you know, that in person activity, yeah, I think definitely has a tremendous amount of value, not just for the instructor, but for the end learner. Yeah. So I think, I think a mixture of like, okay, great, you know, how can we use AI to create content? How can we use it to provide, you know, feedback for people to continue to improve on certain areas. But how can we bring back that in person component?   Michael Hingson ** 1:01:38 Well, see, oh, go ahead,   Fidel Guzman ** 1:01:39 yeah, to, to to unify. It was probably that pause, that to to unify, to unify a vision, you know, a vision of of continuous improvement. You know that to unify, that vision of what a team might be aiming for, yeah. So, yeah. So, I think, I think, you know, long story short, it's going to be, you know, leveraging a bit of AI and still bringing back that, that in person aspect. Well,   Michael Hingson ** 1:02:05 you know, I I've done virtual presentations as well as, of course, lots of in person presentations. I much prefer in person to virtual but my main reason for that is that I can tell what the audience is feeling. I get a lot more information if I'm doing an in person talk than I would get if I'm just doing a virtual talk. Now I've done it long enough that I mostly can do pretty well at a virtual talk, but it's still not the same, yeah, and I still don't get exactly the same information, but I can do virtual talks, and I do and it, and it's fun and and I can play games with it, because I can always turn my video off and really drive people crazy. But you know what? What advice would you give to an aspiring leader who wants to to evolve and make make changes to their organization or to themselves and so on.   Fidel Guzman ** 1:03:06 So advice I would give for aspiring leaders. I think the the main one that I really focus on is opportunities and challenges. Be ready to embrace any opportunities that come your way, but just know that each of those opportunities, it's going to come with its own set of challenges, and be prepared for both, and be okay with dealing both at the same time. And you know last, but you know not least, is that there are there are lots of stories of triumph, and to really curate yours. What does your story of triumph look like? What is your passion and how does, how does all of that connect?   Michael Hingson ** 1:03:53 And it may be evolving, and it may be different in five years than it is today, but both memories are important, yeah, which is cool. Well, Fidel, we've been doing Can you believe we've been doing   Fidel Guzman ** 1:04:08 this for over an hour? Time flies and you're having fun,   Michael Hingson ** 1:04:12 absolutely. And I really appreciate you being here and being a part of this, and I really appreciate all of you who have been listening to us and watching us. We're really excited that you're here. I hope that this has been valuable for you as well, and that you've learned something. Fidel, if people want to reach out to you, how can they do that? I   Fidel Guzman ** 1:04:31 want to say LinkedIn, feel free to reach out to me on LinkedIn. What's your LinkedIn identifier? You can find me as Fidel Guzman, comma, MBA, and I'll also give you a link so you can, you can accompany it alongside this episode, yeah, but feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn. That's going to be the easiest way to get in touch with me. And I'll also have some links if you want to check out my podcast. And hopefully I'll have, I'll have that book of poems out, yeah, soon.   Michael Hingson ** 1:04:59 Well, that will be. Good. Well, thank you again and again. Thank you, all of you. If you'd like to reach out to Fidel, I'm sure he would appreciate it. I would, and you're welcome to reach out to me.

Dr. Lance Williams, Professor of Urban Community Studies at Northeastern Illinois University and an expert in gang violence, joins Karen Conti to discuss President Trump’s commutation of the sentence of Gangster Disciples' leader Larry Hoover. Dr. Williams talks about the role of Larry Hoover’s childhood home in his life and his involvement with local gangs. He […]

Seán Creagh was born in County Monaghan in 1977. He attended Our Lady's Secondary School in Castleblayney and later on Dundalk Institute of Technology. After moving to the U.S and developing an intense interest in Irish-American history he attended Northeastern Illinois University where he achieved an Honors Degree in History as well as Honors in Education. Today he is a middle school Social Studies teacher in Illinois. His first book was The Wolfhounds of Irish-American Nationalism. Listen to an interview on that here. In this interview he discusses his second book entitled Republican Solipsist, recently published with Peter Lang Republican Solipsist: The Life and Times of Joseph Mcgarrity, 1874-1940 (Peter Lang, 2025) discusses the life of Joseph McGarrity and his role within Irish and Irish American Republicanism including the complicated transatlantic relationship between two opposing visions of an independent Ireland. McGarrity's militant Republicanism came into regular conflict with the reality of the political situation in Ireland. While the role of John Devoy has been well documented in the development of Irish American nationalism in the form of Clan na Gael that of Joseph McGarrity has been less well analyzed. For many historians the central focus of Irish American nationalism during the revolutionary period of 1916–1923 has centered on the Devoy-controlled branch of Clan na Gael. However, this period saw significant influence from McGarrity and the Philadelphia branch of the movement in shaping political events in Ireland which has been largely ignored. The book places McGarrity at the center of Irish Republicanism during one of the most critical periods of its history. It is hard to imagine how militant Irish Republicanism would have evolved had it not been for the role and influence of this long-neglected figure in Irish history. Aidan Beatty is a lecturer in the history department at Carnegie Mellon University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/biography

Seán Creagh was born in County Monaghan in 1977. He attended Our Lady's Secondary School in Castleblayney and later on Dundalk Institute of Technology. After moving to the U.S and developing an intense interest in Irish-American history he attended Northeastern Illinois University where he achieved an Honors Degree in History as well as Honors in Education. Today he is a middle school Social Studies teacher in Illinois. His first book was The Wolfhounds of Irish-American Nationalism. Listen to an interview on that here. In this interview he discusses his second book entitled Republican Solipsist, recently published with Peter Lang Republican Solipsist: The Life and Times of Joseph Mcgarrity, 1874-1940 (Peter Lang, 2025) discusses the life of Joseph McGarrity and his role within Irish and Irish American Republicanism including the complicated transatlantic relationship between two opposing visions of an independent Ireland. McGarrity's militant Republicanism came into regular conflict with the reality of the political situation in Ireland. While the role of John Devoy has been well documented in the development of Irish American nationalism in the form of Clan na Gael that of Joseph McGarrity has been less well analyzed. For many historians the central focus of Irish American nationalism during the revolutionary period of 1916–1923 has centered on the Devoy-controlled branch of Clan na Gael. However, this period saw significant influence from McGarrity and the Philadelphia branch of the movement in shaping political events in Ireland which has been largely ignored. The book places McGarrity at the center of Irish Republicanism during one of the most critical periods of its history. It is hard to imagine how militant Irish Republicanism would have evolved had it not been for the role and influence of this long-neglected figure in Irish history. Aidan Beatty is a lecturer in the history department at Carnegie Mellon University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Seán Creagh was born in County Monaghan in 1977. He attended Our Lady's Secondary School in Castleblayney and later on Dundalk Institute of Technology. After moving to the U.S and developing an intense interest in Irish-American history he attended Northeastern Illinois University where he achieved an Honors Degree in History as well as Honors in Education. Today he is a middle school Social Studies teacher in Illinois. His first book was The Wolfhounds of Irish-American Nationalism. Listen to an interview on that here. In this interview he discusses his second book entitled Republican Solipsist, recently published with Peter Lang Republican Solipsist: The Life and Times of Joseph Mcgarrity, 1874-1940 (Peter Lang, 2025) discusses the life of Joseph McGarrity and his role within Irish and Irish American Republicanism including the complicated transatlantic relationship between two opposing visions of an independent Ireland. McGarrity's militant Republicanism came into regular conflict with the reality of the political situation in Ireland. While the role of John Devoy has been well documented in the development of Irish American nationalism in the form of Clan na Gael that of Joseph McGarrity has been less well analyzed. For many historians the central focus of Irish American nationalism during the revolutionary period of 1916–1923 has centered on the Devoy-controlled branch of Clan na Gael. However, this period saw significant influence from McGarrity and the Philadelphia branch of the movement in shaping political events in Ireland which has been largely ignored. The book places McGarrity at the center of Irish Republicanism during one of the most critical periods of its history. It is hard to imagine how militant Irish Republicanism would have evolved had it not been for the role and influence of this long-neglected figure in Irish history. Aidan Beatty is a lecturer in the history department at Carnegie Mellon University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Seán Creagh was born in County Monaghan in 1977. He attended Our Lady's Secondary School in Castleblayney and later on Dundalk Institute of Technology. After moving to the U.S and developing an intense interest in Irish-American history he attended Northeastern Illinois University where he achieved an Honors Degree in History as well as Honors in Education. Today he is a middle school Social Studies teacher in Illinois. His first book was The Wolfhounds of Irish-American Nationalism. Listen to an interview on that here. In this interview he discusses his second book entitled Republican Solipsist, recently published with Peter Lang Republican Solipsist: The Life and Times of Joseph Mcgarrity, 1874-1940 (Peter Lang, 2025) discusses the life of Joseph McGarrity and his role within Irish and Irish American Republicanism including the complicated transatlantic relationship between two opposing visions of an independent Ireland. McGarrity's militant Republicanism came into regular conflict with the reality of the political situation in Ireland. While the role of John Devoy has been well documented in the development of Irish American nationalism in the form of Clan na Gael that of Joseph McGarrity has been less well analyzed. For many historians the central focus of Irish American nationalism during the revolutionary period of 1916–1923 has centered on the Devoy-controlled branch of Clan na Gael. However, this period saw significant influence from McGarrity and the Philadelphia branch of the movement in shaping political events in Ireland which has been largely ignored. The book places McGarrity at the center of Irish Republicanism during one of the most critical periods of its history. It is hard to imagine how militant Irish Republicanism would have evolved had it not been for the role and influence of this long-neglected figure in Irish history. Aidan Beatty is a lecturer in the history department at Carnegie Mellon University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/british-studies

PLEASE be an Angel to someone with cancer: https://imermanangels.org/ ORDER MY NEW BOOK SWEET INDULGENCE!!! https://www.amazon.com/Chef-AJs-Sweet-Indulgence-Guilt-Free/dp/1570674248 or https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/book/1144514092?ean=9781570674242 GET MY FREE INSTANT POT COOKBOOK: https://www.chefaj.com/instant-pot-download MY BEST SELLING WEIGHT LOSS BOOK: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1570674086?tag=onamzchefajsh-20&linkCode=ssc&creativeASIN=1570674086&asc_item-id=amzn1.ideas.1GNPDCAG4A86S Disclaimer: This podcast does not provide medical advice. The content of this podcast is provided for informational or educational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for informed medical advice or care. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat any health issue without consulting your doctor. Always seek medical advice before making any lifestyle changes. NEWSFLASH: Cancer is not new, so why face it alone? Jackie has been with Imerman Angels since 2012. She has been a caregiver to several loved ones with cancer, including her sister who is currently fighting stage 4 breast cancer and is a Lynch syndrome carrier. Jackie has also dealt with a personal skin cancer diagnosis herself. Losing many family members to cancer, and caring for them, has fueled her passion for the Imerman Angels' mission. As Director of Partnerships and Engagement, Herigodt oversees the Mentor Angel training process, all community events and the organization's outreach and engagement efforts. Jackie was responsible for the creation of the outreach initiative at Imerman Angels. Additionally, she established the global Ambassador initiative, comprised of volunteers who dedicated their time to spread awareness about the Imerman Angels' mission. Her professional goals are to continue fostering a strong and diverse cancer community; strengthen partnerships with cancer organizations, cancer centers, hospitals and even speaking on my Youtube channel; and to expand IA's reach to ensure no one faces cancer alone. Jackie holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Northeastern Illinois University. She has worked in the fields of animal training, customer service and education. Her diverse background has proven beneficial for her role with Imerman Angels. Imerman Angels is a 501(c)(3) started in 2006 by Jonny Imerman, who is a Testicular cancer Survivor himself and understood the need to speak to someone who had been in his shoes. Imerman was recognized as a CNN Hero in 2012 which began the launch of the organization's global status of now being in 123 countries and connecting more than 80,000 people around the world to all different cancer types. The mission of Imerman Angels is to provide comfort and understanding for all cancer fighters, survivors, previvors and caregivers through a personalized, one-on-one connection with someone who has been there. For more information: Website : https://imermanangels.org/ Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/ImermanAngels/ Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/imermanangels/ Twitter : https://twitter.com/ImermanAngels LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/company/imerman-angels/ Virtual Community Events : https://imermanangels.org/upcoming-events/ To watch the videos Jackie mentioned scroll down this page: https://imermanangels.org/resources/

In this episode of the Higher Ed CMO Podcast, host Jaime Hunt welcomes Jennifer Lonchar, founder of Ambio, to explore the transformative potential of Performance TV for higher education marketing. Jennifer breaks down how this technology provides the reach of traditional TV with the precision of digital advertising, delivering measurable ROI and enabling schools to craft highly targeted campaigns. From personalized storytelling to integrating AI for advanced analytics, this episode is packed with actionable insights for enrollment marketers, advancement professionals, and beyond.Key TakeawaysPerformance TV bridges the gap between traditional TV's wide reach and digital advertising's precise targeting and ROI measurement.Household ID technology ensures ethical and accurate targeting without relying on personal data.Schools can track and optimize campaigns based on how audiences respond, ensuring data-driven decisions.Empathy-driven messaging—tailored commercials for each stage of the student journey—creates a transformative connection with prospective students.Performance TV can complement traditional channels, enhancing email engagement and boosting overall campaign effectiveness.What is Performance TV? Jennifer Lonchar introduces Performance TV as a game-changer in higher ed marketing. Unlike traditional streaming ads, Performance TV combines the broad reach of television with the precision and measurability of digital advertising. Using Household ID technology, this tool allows marketers to reach specific audiences—students and parents—while respecting privacy by avoiding personal identifiable information (PII).Performance TV makes it possible to measure ROI with clarity. Schools can track behaviors, such as how many users visit the admissions page or complete an application after seeing a commercial, providing actionable insights for optimizing campaigns.Empathy in Marketing: The Power of Storytelling One of the most compelling opportunities with Performance TV is its potential for empathy-driven messaging. Jaime and Jennifer discuss how understanding your audience's emotions and challenges can guide campaign creation. For instance, commercials could address financial aid complexities or highlight the lifelong friendships and connections fostered in college.By crafting ads tailored to specific stages in the enrollment funnel—student search, application, yield, and even summer melt—schools can resonate with their audiences on a deeper level. Jennifer emphasizes the importance of storytelling, citing examples of commercials that are memorable because they evoke emotions and build trust.Campaign Integration and Success Stories Performance TV is not a standalone solution but a powerful component of an integrated marketing strategy. Jennifer advises using it alongside email, social media, and other channels. For example, schools have seen higher engagement rates in email campaigns when paired with Performance TV exposure.Jennifer shares several success stories, such as the University of Iowa, which generated over 15,000 inquiries, applications, and event registrations during a three-month campaign. Another example is Northeastern Illinois University, which used bilingual commercials to engage diverse audiences and met their enrollment goals for the first time in years.The Future of Performance TV in Higher Ed As the landscape evolves, Jennifer predicts even more advanced integrations, such as interactive TV ads and greater use of AI for optimization. These innovations will allow schools to engage audiences more effectively and refine strategies in real-time. However, the adoption of such tools in higher ed will require marketers to move faster and embrace change.A New Era for Higher Ed Marketing Performance TV offers higher education institutions an unskippable, 30-second stage to tell their story, build trust, and inspire action. Ready to stand out in a crowded digital space? Embrace this innovative tool to revolutionize your campaigns.Guest Name: Jennifer Lonchar, co-founder of AmbioEduGuest Social: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferlonchar/Guest Bio: Jennifer Lonchar brings almost two decades of expertise in higher education, having worked in various roles focused on strategic enrollment and marketing. For over 13 years she worked for Carnegie, and was instrumental in bringing digital marketing to higher education. Her deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities within the sector has made her a sought-after leader in developing innovative solutions for enrollment and student engagement. Driven by a passion for enhancing the student experience and optimizing recruitment strategies, Jennifer co-founded AmbioEdu. This venture reflects her commitment to transforming higher education marketing through advanced technologies, including Performance TV and integrated digital solutions. AmbioEdu, under her leadership, harnesses cutting-edge tools to help universities connect with prospective students more effectively and efficiently, setting new standards in the field. - - - -Connect With Our Host:Jaime Hunthttps://www.linkedin.com/in/jaimehunt/https://twitter.com/JaimeHuntIMCAbout The Enrollify Podcast Network:Confessions of a Higher Ed CMO is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you'll like other Enrollify shows too! Some of our favorites include Talking Tactics and Higher Ed Pulse. Enrollify is made possible by Element451 — the next-generation AI student engagement platform helping institutions create meaningful and personalized interactions with students. Learn more at element451.com.Attend the 2025 Engage Summit! The Engage Summit is the premier conference for forward-thinking leaders and practitioners dedicated to exploring the transformative power of AI in education. Explore the strategies and tools to step into the next generation of student engagement, supercharged by AI. You'll leave ready to deliver the most personalized digital engagement experience every step of the way.Register now to secure your spot in Charlotte, NC, on June 24-25, 2025! Early bird registration ends February 1st -- https://engage.element451.com/register

Welcome to the Psychedelic Conversations Podcast! Episode 138: In this episode, Adam Miezio shares his background in studying religious cults, including an in-depth thesis on the Heaven's Gate cult, which laid the groundwork for his passion in understanding human psychology and the power of belief. We discuss how his early fascination with subcultures evolved into writing about psychedelics, mental health, and spirituality. Adam provides thought-provoking perspectives on how psychedelics intersect with mental health, the potential for cult-like behavior within the community, and the ongoing need for education and responsible use. We also delve into the current ‘psychedelic renaissance,' emphasizing the importance of integration and grassroots community support. Join us as we navigate the complex landscape of psychedelics, culture, and the quest for meaning in today's world. Don't miss this enlightening conversation! About Adam: Adam Miezio is a writer in the psychedelics field. Born in Chicago, he received his master's degree from Northeastern Illinois University, completing a thesis about the Heaven's Gate cult. He enjoys writing about mental health, psychedelics, psychology, shamanism and fringe ideas on the fuzzy periphery of consciousness. He now resides in Oaxaca, Mexico, and enjoys learning about Indigenous cultures, hiking in national parks and exploring ancient ruins. He believes a good street taco with salsa verde and a Victoria is a peak experience. Connect with Adam: Substack: https://adammiezio.substack.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adammiezio?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app Thank you so much for joining us! Psychedelic Conversations Podcast is designed to educate, inform, and expand awareness. For more information, please head over to https://www.psychedelicconversations.com Please share with your friends or leave a review so that we can reach more people and feel free to join us in our private Facebook group to keep the conversation going. https://www.facebook.com/groups/psychedelicconversations This show is for information purposes only, and is not intended to provide mental health or medical advice. About Susan Guner: Susan Guner is a holistic psychotherapist with a mindfulness-based approach grounded in Transpersonal Psychology, focusing on trauma-informed, community-centric processes that offer a broader understanding of human potential and well-being. Connect with Susan: Website: https://www.psychedelicconversations.com/ Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/susan.guner LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-guner/ Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/susanguner Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/susanguner Blog: https://susanguner.medium.com/ Podcast: https://anchor.fm/susan-guner #PsychedelicConversations #SusanGuner #AdamMiezio

With the U.S. election less than a week away, the hosts of Bonjour Chai are turning their attention south with a comprehensive pre-election primer. Pollsters tend to lump Jewish voters together in a bloc, but there are different priorities for Jewish communities across the United States—and Jewish residents of certain swing states, namely Pennsylvania, are seeing the brightest spotlight this year. Besides, there are issues on the ballot beyond antisemitism and relations with Israel. Affordability, the economy and religious issues such as abortion rights all figure into Jewish voting patterns. Does Vice-President Kamala Harris's Jewish husband tip the scales? Do former president Donald Trump's Jewish daughter and son-in-law? How did Oct. 7 change things? Or does none of that matter in a presidential election that could be won more on vibes than facts? To answer some of these questions, we're joined by William D. Adler, an associate professor at Northeastern Illinois University who specializes in American political development and the presidency. Credits Hosts: Avi Finegold and Phoebe Maltz Bovy (@BovyMaltz) Production team: Michael Fraiman (producer), Zachary Kauffman (editor) Music: Socalled Support The CJN Subscribe to the Bonjour Chai Substack Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to Bonjour Chai (Not sure how? Click here)

Doris Kearns Goodwin, historian and Pulitzer-Prize-winning-author, joins Jon Hansen to talk about the current presidential race, the similarities between the current political climate and the 1960’s, and the great thing about politics when it works right. Doris Kearns Goodwin will be speaking at Northeastern Illinois University at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 17 in the […]

Doris Kearns Goodwin, historian and Pulitzer-Prize-winning-author, joins Jon Hansen to talk about the current presidential race, the similarities between the current political climate and the 1960’s, and the great thing about politics when it works right. Doris Kearns Goodwin will be speaking at Northeastern Illinois University at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 17 in the […]

Doris Kearns Goodwin, historian and Pulitzer-Prize-winning-author, joins Jon Hansen to talk about the current presidential race, the similarities between the current political climate and the 1960’s, and the great thing about politics when it works right. Doris Kearns Goodwin will be speaking at Northeastern Illinois University at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 17 in the […]

Looking for strategies to turn prospects into loyal, long-term customers?In this episode of 7-8 Figure Special Series I interviewed Samuel Thimothy, a knowledgeable expert in online marketing, demand generation and sales with over 15 years of experience. He helps businesses develop and execute marketing strategies that improve their lead generation efforts and drive business growth. Samuel is dedicated to helping clients achieve their goals and continually set the bar higher. Currently, he serves as the Chief Growth Officer for OneIMS, an inbound marketing agency. He has also co-founded Clickx, the digital marketing intelligence platform that eliminates blind spots for brand marketers and agencies.Samuel is a contributing author on Forbes, Inc Magazine and other business publications. He alsohosts and produces his own show called Coffee with Closers, where he gathers valuable insights from successful entrepreneurs and business leaders.Samuel has an undergraduate degree in computer science from Northeastern Illinois University and obtained his masters at Trinity International University. Prior to working in digital marketing, he started his career in Finance at Coca Cola.Want to learn the formula for sustainable growth?Check this out!Show Links:One IMS Website: https://www.oneims.com/grow/Samuel Thimothy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuelthimothy/Book a call with Michelle: https://go.appointmentcore.com/book/IcFD4cGJoin our Facebook group for business owners to get help or help other business owners!The Business Ownership Group - Secrets to Scaling: https://www.facebook.com/groups/businessownershipsecretstoscalingLooking to scale your business? Get free gifts here to help you on your way: https://www.awarenessstrategies.com/

RODRIGO'S BIO Four facts: This is our 50th episode, there are 50 states in our country, 50 stars in our flag, and tomorrow is July 4th!  The United States of America is celebrating its 248th birthday, which is why we decided to release this conversation today. Rodrigo Garcia is a decorated veteran of the United States Marine Corps who fought in three tours of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars between 2001-2006 and subsequently served as Director of the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs and member of the state's cabinet. We thank him and all who serve our gorgeous country. Today he is a corporate finance, institutional asset management and sustainable investing leader.  Rodrigo is the global CFO and U.S. President for Talipot*Holdings, a multi-billion dollar global investment enterprise and multinational conglomerate holding company with dozens of control holdings and non-control investments across various sectors and industries. Garcia is also an Adjunct Professor in Public Finance at Northwestern University and is a Certified Treasury Professional (CTP®), an Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF®), and holds SASB's ESG credential.    Previously he served as Deputy State Treasurer and CIO for the State of Illinois from 2015 to 2021 where he directed the Illinois treasury's combined $52 billion investment portfolios, $275 billion in related banking operations and payment services, and a $3.2 billion agency budget and financial reporting unit. Before that he held roles at BeDoWin360 Capital, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, and Morgan Stanley & Co., Inc.  He sits on the boards The UBS Funds, Canela Media, Inc., Latino Media Network, Inc, Uniken, Inc. and Neurocytonix, Inc. He is a member of the Latino Corporate Directors Association, Independent Directors Council, Private Directors Association, Angeles Investors, the Milken Institute Global Capital Markets Group, and the Aspen Institute's Global Finance Leaders. He holds a BS from Northeastern Illinois University and two post-graduate degrees, one from the University of Illinois, the other from Northwestern University and completed a senior executive program at the Harvard Kennedy School. NOTE ON EPISODE| This episode is longer than usual→ ‘Top Of The Game (in) Overtime' shows are released occasionally NOTE ON OUTRO MUSIC| "Fanfare, The Star-Spangled Banner" performed by the United States Air Force Band of Mid-America; Composition: John Stafford Smith; Lyrics: Francis Scott Key; Arrangement: Dean W. Smith; Performance: United States Air Force Band of Mid-America; Recording: United States Air Force NOTE| One of the host's favorite renditions of our national anthem, as epically and beutifully performed by Jimi Hendrix, Woodstock 1969 → HERE (YouTube)   RODRIGO RELATED LINKS Rodrigo's website Aspen Institute Profile A Remarkable Journey Crain's 40 Under 40      GENERAL INFO| TOP OF THE GAME: Official website: https://topofthegame-thepod.com/ RSS Feed: https://feed.podbean.com/topofthegame-thepod/feed.xml Hosting service show website: https://topofthegame-thepod.podbean.com/ Javier's LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/javiersaade    SUPPORT & CONNECT: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/96934564 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551086203755 Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOPOFGAMEpod Subscribe on Podbean: https://www.podbean.com/site/podcatcher/index/blog/vLKLE1SKjf6G Email us: info@topofthegame-thepod.com     THANK YOU FOR LISTENING – AVAILABLE ON ALL MAJOR PLATFORMS

At RSVPify, you can host ticketed events for free - no subscription required. Host any free event with a monthly or annual subscription. Use the code NONPROFITNATION50 at checkout for an 50% off any annual subscription (discount applied for first year only) - or 50% off any monthly subscription for three months (billed at full rate subsequently).Financial sustainability is crucial, but social impact is the heart of nonprofits. With the social enterprise model, how can we ensure that our organization prioritizes its social mission while maintaining a viable business? My guests today are Quilen and Hannah Blackwell, the co-founders of Southside Blooms, an off-grid flower farm youth social enterprise where participants convert vacant lots into commercial flower farms using solar powered rainwater irrigation. This creates jobs for young people on the south and west sides of Chicago.Hannah and Quilen were married in 2015, and immediately set up the Chicago Eco House, a rehabbed two flat greystone property in the heart of Englewood and got to work getting to know the community. Soon they were farming several vacant lots close to their house, constantly researching what would fulfill their mission of using sustainability to alleviate poverty. It became clear that flowers would be the avenue to do this and Southside Blooms was born.In this episode, we discuss:How Southside Blooms empowers at-risk youth through urban flower farming.The benefits of the social enterprise model for long-term financial sustainability in nonprofits.Balancing earned income with maintaining a charitable mission.Real-life examples of how Southside Blooms has transformed lives.Guest BiosQuilen and Hannah Blackwell are the co-founders of Southside Blooms, an off-gridflower farm youth social enterprise where participants convert vacant lots intocommercial flower farms using solar powered rainwater irrigation. This creates jobsfor young people on the south and west sides of Chicago.After a whirlwind dating and engagement, Hannah and Quilen were married in 2015, alittle over a year after meeting and moved to Englewood a few months later. Theyimmediately set up the Chicago Eco House, a rehabbed two flat greystone property inthe heart of Englewood and got to work getting to know the community. Soon theywere farming several vacant lots close to their house, constantly researching whatwould fulfill their mission of using sustainability to alleviate poverty. It became clearthat flowers would be the avenue to do this and Southside Blooms was born.Quilen holds a bachelor's degree in history from the University of Wisconsin-Madisonand a master's degree in environmental policy and sustainability from the Universityof Denver. Hannah holds a BA in Justice Studies from Northeastern Illinois University.The Blackwells reside on the south side of Chicago with their three children, who areall under six years old.Check out Southside BloomsTake my free masterclass: 3 Must-Have Elements of Social Media Content that Converts

Stephanie is a first-generation Latina from the Northside of Chicago. Her parents' migration from Colombia fuels her passion for creating equitable and attainable economic opportunities for communities of color. As the Director of Career Launch Chicago with the City Colleges of Chicago, Stephanie collaborates with Chicago Public Schools and local businesses to develop and implement Youth Apprenticeships that connect high school students to college and career pathways.Most recently, Stephanie founded Rise and Thrive Latinas (RTL), a convener and curator of  experiences that create opportunities to build community with other Latinas in Chicago and the Chicagoland area. Their signature offer, the RTL Book Club, has been incredibly successful in setting the tone for what RTL hopes to continue to provide by creating a community where members feel heard, seen, and supported, using books written by Latinas as a vehicle to have healing conversations about family dynamics, identity, pleasure and sexuality, and personal growth journeys. Stephanie has a BA in Sociology from Northeastern Illinois University with a minor in Latinx Studies and an MA in Latin American Studies from the University of Florida. She's an alum of the Civic Leadership Academy through University of Chicago and currently a member of the Mujeres de HACE Entrepreneur cohort where she is joined by 17 brilliant Latina entrepreneurs from all over the country. I'm so excited for the opportunity to chat with Stephanie.Website: riseandthrivelatinas.comInstagram: @riseandthrivelatinas / @con_solecitoYo, I knew our conversation was going to be amazing. She is truly a gem for our community.There will be a new episode every Tuesday, so after you listen feel free to take a screenshot to post on IG and tag @elevatinglacultura or send me a DM. You can also comment on our YouTube video if you're watching online. I always like to hear from people and how they resonate with the stories I share. SO leave a review on apple podcasts so we can get more ears listening to these stories and we can continue elevating la cultura.And if you haven't already, join the Elevating la Cultura comunidad on FB.  We also host monthly comadre networking events so if you're in Chicago join us for one of those. All upcoming events can be found on the website elevatinglacultura.com to see what in person events I've got going on for you.Alright, enjoy the rest of the day/afternoon/evening whenever you're listening, y nos vemos next week. 

Send us a Text Message.Join me live: Live Workshop: Craft a Winning Business One-liner | May 22 at 12pm CSTWe're continuing our branding series and diving into the importance of authenticity in your brand.Discover the transformative power of aligning business with your true self! Dive into our candid chat as we explore the magnetic allure of authenticity—how it attracts the right clients and repels the wrong ones. Learn from our journey through personal healing to ignite professional growth. Trust your gut, embrace intuition, and share this journey with others.Biggest Takeaways:Align with Authenticity: Prioritize aligning your business with your core values. Use authentic marketing to attract suitable clients and repel those who aren't a good fit, enhancing both satisfaction and sustainability.Listen to Your Intuition: Emphasize the importance of trusting your intuition in decision-making. This ensures your business choices resonate with your true self, boosting both satisfaction and effectiveness.Overcome Fear of Rejection: Address and overcome the fear of being disliked. By being true to yourself, you naturally attract the right opportunities and relationships, which are crucial for both personal and professional growth.Apply Therapeutic Insights: Leverage insights from therapy to break through personal and professional barriers. These lessons help align your business operations more closely with your personal development, leading to improved business outcomes.Focus on Energy and Healing: Consider the energy you invest in your business and ensure it aligns with your authentic self. Explore therapies like somatic work to deepen self-understanding and healing, enhancing your business relationships and practices.Meet Lisa AranasLisa Aranas, JD, LCPC, is a Life Coach and Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor. She is also a certified divorce and custody mediator, personal trainer, and holistic nutritionist.Lisa has an MA in Family Counseling from Northeastern Illinois University and a JD in family Law from Loyola University Chicago School of Law.For the past 20 years, she has devoted herself to doing what she loves best—bringing harmony and happiness to anyone whose life she can touch.Website Head over to leadfeeder.com and sign up for a 14-day (no strings attached) free trial! Website: https://www.sarahnoelblock.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahnoelblock/Newsletter: https://tinymarketing.me/newsletterTiny Marketing CommunityClick here to ask a question about the episode

Have you experienced an injury that just won't seem to heal? It may be time to look beyond the site of pain and consider the impact of stress on your body.    In this episode of Biohacking Superhuman Performance, I chat with Charlie Cates about  Muscle Activation Technique (MAT) - a unique approach to addressing pain and injury by focusing on the activation of inhibited muscles. Through targeted isometric contractions or manual stimulation, MAT aims to restore efficient muscle contraction, allowing the body to better withstand external forces and protect itself from pain and injury.   We discuss MAT compared to other modalities and the fact that MAT recognizes that the source of the problem may not always be local. This conversation offers advice on the benefits of MAT, and how it can increase longevity and physical freedom. By helping to heal and prevent long-term, nagging injuries, MAT can keep people engaged in their favorite activities.   Overall this episode offers guidance on using MAT to identify the true source of the pain problem, improve communication within the body, and keep muscles functioning well    Charlie Cates graduated from Northeastern Illinois University, where he earned a Master of Science degree in exercise science. He specializes in helping his clients and community live healthier and stronger lives through exercise that is sustainable and pain-free. He is a certified Muscle Activation Techniques® practitioner and is one of Chicago's most sought-after specialists for muscle and joint issues.   He authored the book “The Exercise For Life Method”, and co-hosts the Exercise Is Health® podcast with his wife, Julie. He has two amazing children who give him a greater reason to prioritize his health every single day. His current long-term goal is to have a dunk contest with his son when he is 50 years old. Thank you to our sponsors for making this episode possible: Neurohacker Collective: Visit neurohacker.com/nathalie and use code NATHALIE BEAM Minerals: Get 20% at https://www.beamminerals.com by using the code Nathalie Berkeley Life: Consumers may register and place an order using my code NIDDBL for 10% off at berkeleylife.com    Find more from Charlie Cates: To work with Charlie: www.exerciseforlifestudios.com | https://www.matschaumburg.com/  Instagram: @CharlieCates  To find an MAT practitioner near you go to www.muscleactivation.com  Find more from Nathalie: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmholC48MqRC50UffIZOMOQ  Join Nat's Membership Community: https://www.natniddam.com/bsp-community  Sign up for Nats Newsletter: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/i7d5m0  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nathalieniddam/  Website: www.NatNiddam.com    Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/biohackingsuperhumanperformance    What We Discuss:  (1:00) Getting started in MAT (4:30) Muscular Activation Technique  (12:00) MAT vs other modalities  (19:00) Do emotions cause muscular dysfunction?  (22:10) Fascia is the new black  (24:10) What a MAT session is like  (31:00) Common nagging injuries  (39:00) Current developments for MAT  (45:00) Find more from Charlie Cates   Key Takeaways: MAT aims to "activate" inhibited muscles through targeted isometric contractions or manual stimulation. Once activated, the muscles can contract more efficiently, withstanding greater external forces and protecting the body from pain or injury. MAT views these neurological weaknesses as communication issues rather than strength issues, and the assessment identifies positions where muscles cannot contract or sustain contraction on demand. MAT is different from other modalities in the fact that it specifically addresses the dormant muscles that aren't working properly.  Just because the pain is local, doesn't mean the problem is local.  If you want to be active, MAT can keep you active. It helps heal and prevent long-term, nagging injuries. It also helps people recover faster after surgery if they incorporate MAT before surgery. MAT offers longevity and physical freedom by keeping your muscles functioning well and even contributes to bone health.   

The U.S. is wrestling with a massive mental health crisis - impacting young people in particular. Half of young adults and one-third of all adults report that they always feel anxious or have often felt anxiety in the past year. One-third of respondents could not get the mental health services they needed. Why? 80% say they couldn't afford the cost and more than 60% said that shame and stigma kept them away. The shortage of mental health providers also means that care can be very hard to find, even when we try hard to find it. Usually on the Medicare for All Podcast, we focus on the stories we think you need to know about. Today we decided to scrap the show and come up with a plan to get an hour of free therapy!* (*Not really. None of this information is intended as medical advice.) Our guests today are Dr. Pamela Fullerton and Lindsay Baish.  Lindsay is a therapist and an Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Illinois and a certified trauma professional – and former volunteer for the podcast. Dr. Pamela Fullerton, Ph.D., is the founder and clinical director of Advocacy & Education Consulting, a counseling and consulting organization dedicated to ensuring social justice and advocacy through equitable access to mental health and well-being services. She is a Latina bilingual Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP), a Certified Dialectical Behavior Therapy professional (C-DBT), a Certified Clinical Anxiety Treatment Professional (CCATP), a Certified Grief Informed Professional (CGP), and a clinical supervisor and consultant specializing in working with BIPOC communities, undocumented communities, immigration and acculturation, trauma, anxiety, life transitions, and career counseling. In addition to being a professional writer and speaker, Dr. Fullerton is an adjunct instructor in the Counselor Education department at Northeastern Illinois University. She is also a volunteer contributing writer for three publications and runs a nonprofit to support Latinx youth in the Chicagoland area. Dr. Fullerton consults for two behavioral health advisory boards, Sinai Urban Health Institute (SUHI) and Illinois Unidos/Latino Policy Forum, providing advice and input to assist in promoting health equity and justice initiatives for underserved communities in Illinois.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGql7_NXhts Show Notes Pam tells us that counselling is a subset of psychiatry and psychology that started as a movement for career development for veterans returning from war. The profession started helping people through life transitions puts people and their lives and livelihoods at the center. Lindsay notes that a lot of the language of mental healthcare is used interchangeably, but there are distinctions: psychologists have PhDs and can provide therapists; psychiatrists have MDs and can prescribe medications. Counselors and therapists can diagnose but not prescribe. Congress passed the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act in 2008 to prevent insurers from providing worse coverage for mental health than they do for medical or surgical treatment. However, mental health providers are not usually treated the same as medical doctors when it comes to insurance coverage and payments. Historically, counselors are the newest mental health clinicians on the scene and are more limited by insurers than more established clinicians like social workers or psychologists. Insurers often only reimburse for certain therapeutic models of care (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, for example) leaving other kinds of counseling uncovered in the midst of a crisis in mental healthcare. Pam tells us that a big part of her job is the extra work to navigate her patients' insurance plans, Medicare and Medicaid in order to get coverage for their care. Most Americans can't afford to pay out of pocket for mental healthcare. Counselors just got approved for Medicare reimbursement on January 1, 2024,

Cynthia Sims, Ed.D. is President of Sims Intercultural Management Solutions LLC (S.I.M.S.). She is also Adjunct Faculty at Northeastern Illinois University, where she holds a joint appointment in the Department of Literacy, Leadership, & Development and Women, Gender, & Sexuality Studies. Dr. Sims is a diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) expert with over 25 years of teaching and training experience. She has developed and facilitated numerous national and international workshops and presentations regarding workplace diversity, implicit bias, unearned privilege, gender discrimination, physical appearance discrimination, and employee empowerment. She also works closely with organizations to design diversity initiatives and policies that ensure an inclusive work environment exists for their staff, leaders, students, and clients. Dr. Sims is an author of numerous publications, including books, book chapters, and articles, mostly on diversity and workforce development topics. She has traveled to Asia, Africa, South America, and the Caribbean to interview women regarding their experiences with appearance discrimination in pre-employment stages and within the workplace. After 30 years in higher education, Dr. Sims retired in July 2021 as an Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs at College of DuPage. Prior to this role, Dr. Sims was Professor of Workforce Diversity at Southern Illinois University Carbondale from 2005 to 2019, where she also served as Associate Dean of the School of Education (formerly the College of Education and Human Services) and Chair of the Department of Workforce Education and Development. From 1995 to 2018, she was Visiting Faculty for the School of Continuing and Professional Studies (formerly School for New Learning) at DePaul University. Dr. Sims received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Louisville, a Master of Science in Public Service Management from DePaul University, a Master of Arts in Social Work from the University of Chicago, and a Doctor of Education from Northern Illinois University. Please push the like button, share, subscribe, follow, and support. If you want to support Ms V The Storyteller Podcast, please email me at valisonelliot@gmail.com or visit my website @msvthestoryteller.co. You can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube & LinkedIn at Ms. V The Storyteller or visit my website @ msvthestoryteller.co. Thanks for listening! Cynthia info: Website: www.simsllc.org LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cynthia-sims-ed-d-85b9721b/

Despite strides towards gender equality, women have long been underrepresented in educational leadership, facing systemic biases that hinder their advancement. In this episode, School Superintendent Lisa Leali sheds light on the pervasive biases that continue to shape perceptions of women in leadership. She emphasized that while progress has been made, there is still much work to be done in dismantling the structural barriers that prevent women from ascending to positions of power and influence. The road to leadership is often fraught with challenges, and for women, these challenges can be compounded by societal expectations and cultural norms. From implicit bias in hiring practices to the lack of representation in decision-making bodies, women face systemic hurdles at every turn. In addition to advocating for systemic change, Lisa emphasizes the importance of mentorship and support networks for women in leadership. She believes that by lifting each other up and sharing our experiences, we can create a more supportive and empowering ecosystem for women leaders to thrive. What actionable steps can we take to dismantle systemic biases and create more inclusive environments for women in educational leadership?   Takeaways Building trust and collaboration are essential for navigating challenging situations. Addressing achievement gaps and improving equity should be a priority in education. Leaders should seek resources, learn from others, and create a culture of continuous improvement. Barriers for women in leadership roles need to be addressed, and the selection process for superintendents should be reevaluated.   Dr. Lisa Leali has been Superintendent of Schools for Lake Bluff Elementary School District 65 since July 2020.  Dr. Leali has over 20 years of experience in public education and earned her master's degree in Educational Leadership in 2007 from Northeastern Illinois University and her doctorate in Educational Leadership in 2010 from National-Louis University. Her dissertation was titled “Joyful Classrooms, Successful Kids: A study in the connection between joy and learning.” Leali has served as a consultant on standards-based reporting and writing instruction for school districts in Lake and Cook Counties, has presented regionally for the Illinois Association for Curriculum Development on data and assessment and has presented nationally on the topics of instructional coaching, district leadership and superintendent evaluation.   Learn more about Dr. Lisa Leali: Lake Bluff School District 65 Website: https://www.lb65.org/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-leali-she-her-hers-a2b0ab53/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/LisaLeali   Learn more about creating better learning environments at www.Kay-Twelve.com. Kevin Stoller is the host of the Better Learning Podcast and Co-Founder of Kay-Twelve, a national leader for educational furniture. Find out more about Kevin at https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinstoller/. For more episodes of the Better Learning Podcast, visit https://www.betterlearningpodcast.com/   Episode 169 of the Better Learning Podcast Kevin Stoller is the host of the Better Learning Podcast and Co-Founder of Kay-Twelve, a national leader for educational furniture. Learn more about creating better learning environments at www.Kay-Twelve.com.   For more information on our partners: Association for Learning Environments (A4LE) - https://www.a4le.org/ Education Leaders' Organization - https://www.ed-leaders.org/ Second Class Foundation - https://secondclassfoundation.org/

This podcast episode discusses the fear and anxiety that often arise when we want to try new things. Host Cynthia Coufal interviews Emily Drake, a guest expert who helps people overcome these challenges.Emily Drake is the Owner and CEO of The Collective Academy, a leadership development firm that creates programs to help individuals cultivate sustainable leadership skills and organizations build thriving communities and workplace cultures. She is also the host of the Who's Missing Podcast. In each episode, Emily's guests dive into how and why they chose their unique paths – personal and professional – and what they learned along the way. She has a BA in English from Augustana College and an MA in Mental Health Counseling from Northeastern Illinois University. Key Points:Our brains often try to sabotage us with negativity when we consider new things. This negativity can manifest as self-doubt, fear of failure, and worries about what others will think.The first step is self-awareness. Understand your strengths and values, regardless of the environment you're in. Don't let labels or past experiences define you.Take small steps to build the skill of novelty. This could involve trying a new food, watching a different TV show, or even just walking a different route to school. These low-stakes experiences help you get comfortable with the unfamiliar.Connect with others who can support you. Surround yourself with positive and encouraging people who will celebrate your efforts and help you step outside your comfort zone.Practice regulating your emotions. Learn techniques like mindfulness and deep breathing to manage anxiety in the moment.Expand your circle and seek out diverse perspectives. This can help you learn new things and challenge your own biases.Additional Notes:The episode mentions that traditional education often emphasizes areas of weakness rather than strengths. This can contribute to negative self-talk and hinder exploration.The importance of open communication between parents and teenagers is highlighted. Creating a safe space for dialogue can encourage teens to share their fears and seek support.The episode concludes with a call to action for both teens and adults: step outside your comfort zone, embrace novelty, and seek out connections with others who can support your growth.https://www.thecollective-academy.com/Instagram: @emdrake, @the_collective_academy, @whosmissingpodcast // LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilydrake/Email Emily:contact@thecollective-academy.com Find my podcastEmail me: ccoufal@cynthiacoufalcoaching.comText me: 785-380-2064More information

Is Paul Vallas a Republican. Ben riffs. Gabriel Cortez makes his debut. Talking about growing up at Chicago and Damien back in the day, and going to Prosser as opposed to Wells or Clemente. And charter schools. And choice. And Blacks and Latinos. And why Chicago doesn't embrace the migrants. Gabriel is a professor at Northeastern Illinois University. His views are his and his alone. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What wetland scene would be complete without a few cattails? The genus Typha is synonymous with wetlands yet as you will hear in this episode, we know so little about them. Joining us is Dr. Pam Geddes from Northeastern Illinois University to talk to us about her work on cattail invasion ecology. What started as a question about ecosystem function and monocultures has morphed into an exploration that involves asking questions like "how do we define a species?" Settle in and learn as we revisit the wild world of cattails. This episode was produced in part by EJ, Laura, Sung, NOK, Stephen, Heidi, Kristin, Luke, Sea, Shannon, Thomas, Will, Jamie, Waverly, Brent, Tanner, Rick, Kazys, Dorothy, Katherine, Emily, Theo, Nichole, Paul, Karen, Randi, Caelan, Tom, Don, Susan, Corbin, Keena, Robin, Peter, Whitney, Kenned, Margaret, Daniel, Karen, David, Earl, Jocelyn, Gary, Krysta, Elizabeth, Southern California Carnivorous Plant Enthusiasts, Pattypollinators, Peter, Judson, Ella, Alex, Dan, Pamela, Peter, Andrea, Nathan, Karyn, Michelle, Jillian, Chellie, Linda, Laura, Miz Holly, Christie, Carlos, Paleo Fern, Levi, Sylvia, Lanny, Ben, Lily, Craig, Sarah, Lor, Monika, Brandon, Jeremy, Suzanne, Kristina, Christine, Silas, Michael, Aristia, Felicidad, Lauren, Danielle, Allie, Jeffrey, Amanda, Tommy, Marcel, C Leigh, Karma, Shelby, Christopher, Alvin, Arek, Chellie, Dani, Paul, Dani, Tara, Elly, Colleen, Natalie, Nathan, Ario, Laura, Cari, Margaret, Mary, Connor, Nathan, Jan, Jerome, Brian, Azomonas, Ellie, University Greens, Joseph, Melody, Patricia, Matthew, Garrett, John, Ashley, Cathrine, Melvin, OrangeJulian, Porter, Jules, Griff, Joan, Megan, Marabeth, Les, Ali, Southside Plants, Keiko, Robert, Bryce, Wilma, Amanda, Helen, Mikey, Michelle, German, Joerg, Cathy, Tate, Steve, Kae, Carole, Mr. Keith Santner, Lynn, Aaron, Sara, Kenned, Brett, Jocelyn, Ethan, Sheryl, Runaway Goldfish, Ryan, Chris, Alana, Rachel, Joanna, Lori, Paul, Griff, Matthew, Bobby, Vaibhav, Steven, Joseph, Brandon, Liam, Hall, Jared, Brandon, Christina, Carly, Kazys, Stephen, Katherine, Mohsin Kazmi Takes Pictures, Manny, doeg, Daniel, Tim, Philip, Tim, Lisa, Brodie, Bendix, Irene, holly, Sara, and Margie.

Know Sage & Novek welcome Johan Martinez-Khalilian (who surprises his class of '93/'97 classmate Jondy AKA Corny) to the show....to discuss growing up in the 90's with rap/hip-hop - in the Humboldt Park/Chicago neighborhood.  / johanspeaks   is an internationally recognized motivational speaker and executive coach with a passion for crafting culture and guiding people towards achieving the impossible. Johan is a graduate of Northeastern Illinois University with a degree in Communications. His message of perseverance and resilience has fostered the interest of a number of TV and radio shows, including The Tyra Banks Show, TEDx, and the Today Show.A product of Humboldt Park, Chicago, Johan bridges his Midwest sensibilities with a love of creativity and meaningful conversations. Everyone has a heroic journey to forge, and Johan would love to serve you as you chase the life of your dreams.

In the eleventh episode of season 2, Dr. U. Grant Baldwin, DBH, explores how community-based behavioral health organizations use integrated care models, how integrating behavioral health care impacts primary health services, and examines how integrated care efforts have enhanced access to care and improved the lives of patients. Panelists include: Kenny Martín-Ocasio, MS, CCWLS, was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. in 1963, and was raised in Puerto Rico. He came to Chicago at age 18 to resume his higher education and received his Bachelor in Arts, Special Education degree from Northeastern Illinois University in 1987, and a Master of Science in Health Services Administration in 1999. He has worked in the area of human services (substance abuse, mental health, domestic violence), and child welfare for over 32 years, and has dedicated his career to working towards the professional, social, economic, and educational advancement of minorities, especially Latinos and the LGBTQ community. He has served as president of the DuPage Hispanic Task Force, co-chair of the Latino Consortium, member of the Illinois Latino Agenda, the Latino Youth Action Coalition, and in the Cook County President's Latino Advisory. For the last ten years, as a board member of the Association of Latinos(as) Motivating Action, he fights for the equal rights of the Latino LGBT community. Kenny now serves as Senior Vice President of Community Integration at Aunt Martha's Health & Wellness. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/disruptors-at-work/support

What sparks youth's interests? A personal challenge or a community issue, or simply a matter of taste! We brainstormed about things we enjoy and why they spark our interest. Even though we worked as a group, topics were explored and research was made individually. Summer 2023 @ El Centro from Northeastern Illinois University. Production and voice by Kaleb, Analia and Astara. Music by Antoine, Johnathan and Chance from the Beat by Beat Program. Edited by Shelby.

What sparks youth's interests? A personal challenge or a community issue, or simply a matter of taste! We brainstormed about things we enjoy and why they spark our interest. Even though we worked as a group, topics were explored and research was made individually. Summer 2023 @ El Centro from Northeastern Illinois University. Production and voice by Gabriel and Sebastian. Music by Antoine, Johnathan and Chance from the Beat by Beat Program. Edited by Shelby.

What sparks youth's interests? A personal challenge or a community issue, or simply a matter of taste! We brainstormed about things we enjoy and why they spark our interest. Even though we worked as a group, topics were explored and research was made individually. Summer 2023 @ El Centro from Northeastern Illinois University. Production and voice by Johnathan. Music by Antoine, Johnathan and Chance from the Beat by Beat Program. Edited by Shelby.

What sparks youth's interests? A personal challenge or a community issue, or simply a matter of taste! We brainstormed about things we enjoy and why they spark our interest. Even though we worked as a group, topics were explored and research was made individually. Summer 2023 @ El Centro from Northeastern Illinois University. Production and conversations by Samantha, Citalli, Jaqui, Lily. Music by Antoine, Johnathan and Chance from the Beat by Beat Program. Edited by Shelby.

What sparks youth's interests? A personal challenge or a community issue, or simply a matter of taste! We brainstormed about things we enjoy and why they spark our interest. Even though we worked as a group, topics were explored and research was made individually. Summer 2023 @ El Centro from Northeastern Illinois University. Production and voice by Antoine. Music by Antoine, Johnathan and Chance from the Beat by Beat Program. Edited by Shelby.

Maya Benning-Codina is currently a Certified Sex Addiction Therapy – Candidate and specializes in supporting women struggling with relational challenges. Maya also has experience and success in helping her clients grow in awareness of themselves and their needs so they can communicate that with their partner to foster growth in intimacy in their relationships. In addition to trauma and parts work, Maya utilizes cognitive behavior therapy, mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques, gestalt, and narrative therapy. Maya has extensive career counseling experience that she utilizes to help clients that may feel stuck in their career, are struggling with their work, or are looking to switch the path that they are on. Maya is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) and she has worked with veterans, individuals with severe psychopathology, and people with disabilities. She holds a Masters Degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from Northeastern Illinois University and a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from the University of South Florida. She is a native English speaker and speaks advanced German (although not a native speaker). Her favorite psychologists are Carl Jung, because of his work and focus on individuation, dream analysis, personal archetypes and whole person therapy and Fritz Perls, as the father of Gestalt Therapy, which focuses on one's conscious observer and inner awareness to tap into the whole self not only symptoms. She is a strong advocate for the promise of hope and everyone's ability to make positive and sustainable life changes. She offers an empathetic, genuine, and compassionate therapeutic relationship to help foster trust and promote growth that her clients truly feel. Maya provides services via Telehealth as well as in person in our Wheaton office and can be contacted via her email: maya@willowclinical.com https://www.willowclinicalservices.com/index.php  

Latinas wanna talk money! Time to level up with Olga Camargo and the Shenix.app! Latinas influence money, but we want to build our own money, save our money and learn how to invest our money! How can we see our dream of wealth when bills are on the table today?  However, it's important to realize, a little saved today, grows into financial accessibility later, especially building that financial future with that special someone! We are closing out financial literacy month and heading into graduations and wedding season! The two biggest life events that put you on the path to building your wealth legacy or can create anxiety around debt.  We need to have those big financial discussions for these types of events or when we need to level in our career building skills to ask for the money we require to build our generational wealth.  Olga Camargo,She is the CEO and Founder of SHENIX®app, an innovative financial company built by Latinas/x, for Latinas/x, providing culturally relevant financial services to the Latina/x community to help them accelerate their economic and social transformation while prioritizing their cultural mindset. SHENIX® offers financial education, digital financial services, career planning, and salary negotiation resources, and access to investment advisory services that support Latinas/x life goals, in English and Spanish.  Olga holds the Accredited Investment Fiduciary or AIF® designation, an ethical certification issued by Fi360, formerly known as Center for Fiduciary Studies, and the Uniform Investment Adviser Law Examination, Series 65 License. She has been named one of “Chicago's Most Powerful Latinos” and serves on the Illinois State Treasurer's Hispanic Advisory Council and is the Chair for Northeastern Illinois University's Foundation Board; the Emeritus Board Chair for the Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement, and served as Forbes Business Council's Financial Services Chair (2020-21) Production for this podcast is by 5-E Leadership & Marketing, produced by Theresa E. Gonzales and audio engineered by Robert Lopez. Please leave us a review on Apple and Spotify to help our Latinas voice be heard and recognized on these platforms. To learn more about Latinas From The Block To The Boardroom, follow us on:  Apple Podcasts Spotify IG: @Latinasb2b FB @LatinasB2B TW@LatinasB2B LinkedIn@ theresalatinasb2b To get in touch with us at Latinasb2b.com and subscribe to our newsletter. 

Speaker, Trainer, Author Gwen Hill takes her audiences to the place where Skill & Knowledge meet, then provides that extra Push to steer them toward success!  She is a captivating speaker, focused trainer, and acclaimed author.  Her infectious personality and creativity connects with audiences and makes her platform presentations informative and enjoyable.  Gwen believes that the learning doesn't end when her presentation is over, so she provides participants with booklets as a takeaway for their reflection and continued learning. Her years as the Director of the Workforce Diversity Institute at Northeastern Illinois University along with her experience in IT consulting, have enabled Gwen to develop her signature “3C's to Success program. Gwen speak about the understanding of conflict in workplaces and how it can be of great value in education. Learn more at www.gwenhill.com or email her at Gwen@Gwenhill.com Connect with Alli and Peter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠SUPPORT US BY SHOPPING DISRUPT EDUCATION MERCH - https://disrupt-education-2.creator-spring.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Peter Hostrawser LI: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterhostrawser/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ IG: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/peterhostrawser/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ FB: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/disrupteducation1/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TW: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠twitter.com/PeterHostrawser⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.peterhostrawser.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Alli Privitt LI: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alliprivitt/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ IG: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/myfriendalli/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ FB: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/people/My-Friend-Alli/100070164684007/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.myfriendalli.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Check out our sponsors below ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠spikeview⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ You are more than a grade and test score. Colleges, internships, jobs, any opportunity needs to see that!  Head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.spikeview.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and build your portfolio for FREE and start heading towards your dreams today!  If you are interested in more info email the spikeview team at team@spikeview.com ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Host Peter Hostrawser talking about spikeview⁠ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/disrupt-educ/support

Also in the news: Illinois Department of Public Health employees accused of setting up a 'yearbook' making fun of cannabis users; Northeastern Illinois University avoids a strike; Lakeview man in $8,000 dispute with Peoples Gas over gas regulator relocation and more.

Also in the news: Illinois Department of Public Health employees accused of setting up a 'yearbook' making fun of cannabis users; Northeastern Illinois University avoids a strike; Lakeview man in $8,000 dispute with Peoples Gas over gas regulator relocation and more.

Humans have harnessed and selectively bred livestock in Kazakhstan for over 5,000 years. This lecture discusses the history and current practices of pastoralism in Kazakhstan, exploring the contemporary interaction shared among people, animals, and ecosystems and the advantages of incorporating ancient lifeways among those who herd livestock in Kazakhstan today. Other topics include the necessity to “re-wild” environments and to expand the decision-making capacity of smallholders, as climate change causes radical reassessments of everyday planning and actions. - Russell Zanca is a Professor of Anthropology at Northeastern Illinois University.

We travel to the Illinois Parole Board to stand in solidarity with a couple of my students seeking clemency or commutation or a pardon from Governor Pritzger, and to support our friend and colleague Marshan Allen as he asks to have his conviction erased so that he can practice law when he finishes law school. Since coming home after 24-years in prison, Marshan Allen earned his Bachelor's Degree from Northeastern Illinois University, got married, and launched a career as a national leader for criminal/legal reform. He's currently the Vice President of Advocacy and External Partnerships at Represent Justice, a national advocacy organization, serves on the boards of Boards of Restore Justice and the Center for the Fair Sentencing of Youth, and is an active member of the Incarcerated Children's Advocacy Network (ICAN). He's a first year student at Chicago-Kent College of Law.

Manish Kumar is Vice President of Finance and Administration at Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago. In this episode, he joins our host Donna Schiele to talk about federally designated Hispanic-Serving Institutions, strategies to help grow enrollment, and the importance of understanding shared governance for the academic system.   “Like every institution during the Pandemic, it has affected our minority students very disproportionately,” he says. He talks about why it's important to help those students stay on track during school and graduate on time. “The national trend has been enrollment going down overall.” He goes on to talk about how more students are moving out of Chicago and the state, and how that's a challenge for them in their competitive market.   Join us for a conversation with Manish as he talks about the mission and vision to serve, the joy of seeing students on campus again, and doing what no one else wants to do.

All of us in education can find opportunities to interrupt the status quo that allows inequities to go unchallenged. In Teaching for Racial Equity: Becoming Interrupters, authors Tonya Perry, Steven Zemelman, and Katy Smith show us the way. In this episode of The Write Time, listen to the authors talk about the making and use of this professional text.Tonya B. Perry is the director of the Red Mountain Writing Project in Birmingham, Alabama. She also is the vice provost of Miles College, a Historically Black College University, and a co-author of Teaching for Racial Equity: Becoming Interrupters. She is the vice-president of NCTE. Her favorite pastime is writing and spending time with family and friends. Katy Smith is the Chair of the Department of Educational Inquiry and Curriculum Studies and the Director of Graduate Studies at Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago. She began her association with the Illinois Writing Project (IWP) as a teacher-consultant while she was teaching high school students, and now directs IWP with Steve Zemelman.Steve Zemelman is a visiting scholar at Northeastern Illinois University and a founding director of the Illinois Writing Project. He promotes student civic engagement and restorative justice in Chicago schools. His books on teaching writing and reading have long been widely appreciated, including Best Practice: Bringing Standards to Life in America's Classrooms (with Harvey Daniels and Arthur Hyde), and From Inquiry to Action: Civic Engagement with Project-Based Learning.

We're back! We're so excited to return to our podcast! It's been a crazy 6 months. Doug graduated from Northeastern Illinois University with a degree in Communications, Media, and Theatre and Creative Writing. We went on hiatus so he could focus on finishing strong. But now that he's done we're commited more than ever to making this podcast a community for listeners. Because he was so busy we missed out on the opportunity to talk about some really big releases from 2022, such as : The Batman, X, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Top Gun: Maverick, Elvis, Crimes of the Future, Prey, Nope, Halloween Ends, and the list goes on. But hopefully we can talk about those in retrospective episodes. So, we decided that our first episode of the new year should be a look forward to all the upcoming releases for the new year! And here is a link to Doug's new blog! https://www.works-by-dougstriffolino.com

On this Episode of the Enrollment Edge I talk to Kimberley Buster-Williams,  Vice President for Enrollment Management at Northeastern Illinois University. Kimberley is conducting research exploring the state of retention and succession within higher education. Her findings are shocking but not all that surprising. Professionals throughout the industry have become more aware of the fragile nature of careers within higher ed. Whether it's career burnout, greener pastures, the stress and anxiety tied to the nature of the business, or the “you only live once” mentality – higher ed professionals are leaving their careers without a succession plan for their position.For those of you who are making plans for your retirement or are thinking about moving out of the business of higher education, I hope this episode is encouraging and motivating to you.If you're interested in participating in Kimberley's doctoral dissertation research on succession planning, see the links we provided in the show notes. I know she would be happy to answer any questions you may have.Below is a survey link with some information. If you think I should create something different let me know. Succession Planning Research Survey Information:Click HereKimberley Buster-Williams contact information:semmiddlemanagers@gmail.comHave any questions or comments? Let's chat here!

Since 2000, Robyn Flakne has been the Natural Resources Manager for the Village of Glenview. The position has allowed her to be involved with restoring and creating naturalized open space and green infrastructure throughout the municipality, starting with the redevelopment of a former naval air station. The West Fork of the North Branch of the Chicago River has been a major focus as approximately 70% of the Village's stormwater drains to this waterway. The Village has implemented several water quality improvement projects, including streambank stabilization and naturalization, detention basin naturalization, adding riffles and pools, and some channel re-meandering. Robyn has obtained funding and managed engineering and construction bids and volunteer workdays for these projects. She also serves as staff liaison to the Village's volunteer Environment and Natural Resources Commission. Robyn also serves as the Tree Preservation Officer for the Village, administering the Tree Preservation Ordinance as it applies to tree removal on private property. She is co-chair of the Chicago Region Trees Initiative's Trees and Green Infrastructure work group and a member of the Executive Board of the North Branch Watershed Working Group.  She also teaches Forest Resources, Green Infrastructure and Wildlife Resources at Northeastern Illinois University.Questions or comments?themunicipalarborist@gmail.comhttps://www.instagram.com/the_municipal_arborist/Don't forget to click the link for ISA CEU'S:https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TRM3K5TThanks to this episodes sponsors!https://planitgeo.com/Municipal-Arborist-Podcasthttps://www.aspenfuels.us/https://www.rainbowecoscience.com/products/mectinite

obituary courtesy of the International Society of Bassists: The ISB is sad to learn of the passing yesterday of bassist, composer, educator and recording artist Kelly Sill. He was 70 years old. Kelly was a beloved mainstay of the Chicago jazz scene for more than 35 years. Born in Fargo, North Dakota, he grew up in the Chicago area. After receiving his bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, he returned to Chicago to perform and record with jazz artists such as Art Blakey, Joe Henderson, Art Farmer, Clark Terry, Cedar Walton, Herb Ellis, Woody Shaw, Hank Jones, Freddie Hubbard, Kenny Burrell, Barney Kessel, Chris Potter, Ernie Watts, Bob Mintzer, Mel Torme, Anita O'Day, Jackie McLean, Joey DeFrancesco, Donald Byrd, Eddie Harris, Scott Hamilton, Victor Lewis, Clifford Jordan and Bucky Pizzarelli. He performed at the Chicago Jazz Festival, the Elkhart Jazz Festival, the Red Sea Jazz Festival, Thessaloniki Concert Hall in Greece and Symphony Center in Chicago. Kelly's discography includes more than fifty recordings as a sideman and leader.   Kelly served on the faculties of Northeastern Illinois University, Lake Forest College, DePaul University and Northern Illinois University. He also taught at the Interlochen Arts Camp, Jamey Aebersold Summer Jazz Workshop, Janice Borla Vocal Jazz Camp, University of Wisconsin/Stevens Point Jazz Camp, Clark Terry Great Plains Jazz Camp and the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign) Summer Music Program.   Saxophonist Gregory Dudzienski recalls his friend: "Kelly was one of the warmest, most welcoming, supportive, and funniest people I've ever had the fortune to spend time with. He had that way of interacting with you, that way of giving you his full attention and self that made it feel like you were the most important person in the world to him. That way of interacting carried into his playing as well."   Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!   Check out our Online Sheet Music Store with 100+ wide-ranging titles for bassists.   Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and Kindle. Check out my Beginner's Classical Bass course and Intermediate to Advanced Classical Bass course, available exclusively from Discover Double Bass.   Thank you to our sponsors!   Carnegie Mellon University Double Bass Studio - CMU is dedicated to helping each student achieve their goals as a musician. Every week each student receives private lessons and participates in a solo class with Micah Howard. Peter Guild, another member of the PSO, teaches Orchestral Literature and Repertoire weekly. They encourage students to reach out to the great bassists in their area for lessons and direction. Many of the bassists from all of the city's ensembles are more than willing to lend a hand. Every year members of the Symphony, the Opera and the Ballet give classes and offer our students individual attention. Click here to visit Micah's website and to sign up for a free online trial lesson.   Upton Bass String Instrument Company - Upton's Karr Model Upton Double Bass represents an evolution of our popular first Karr model, refined and enhanced with further input from Gary Karr. Since its introduction, the Karr Model with its combination of comfort and tone has gained a loyal following with jazz and roots players. The slim, long “Karr neck” has even become a favorite of crossover electric players.   Dorico - Unlock Dorico for iPad – For Life! Want to enjoy all of Dorico for iPad's subscription-only features – including support for unlimited players, freehand annotations in Read mode with Apple Pencil, support for third-party Audio Unit plug-ins, and much more – but don't want to pay a monthly or annual fee? Dorico for iPad now provides a lifetime unlock option, so you can access all current and future subscription-only features for a single, one-off in-app purchase. Visit the App Store today and unlock Dorico for iPad for life!   theme music by Eric Hochberg

Welcome motivational speaker and executive coach Johan Martinez-Khalilian. His message of perseverance and resilience has fostered the interest of a number of TV and radio shows, including The Tyra Banks Show, TEDx, and the Today Show. "We will choose the route of least resistance, instead of choosing to look foolish for a season in order to acquire the thing that you want.” - Johan Khalilian Johan sits down with Ruben to talk about the immense value of working with a great coach no matter your profession or personality. He explains how to live by a “play to win” mentality without neglecting or, worse, hurting those around you on your path to success. He assures us that you don't have to go and accomplish at the cost of everyone around you—a way of life rooted not in service, but in selfishness. Finally, Johan encourages us to choose surrender over being “right”, and to choose love over fear in all of our conversations and decisions. "I want to use my voice to help liberate people. I want to use my choices to invite people into possibilities.” - Johan Khalilian SUBSCRIBE to Live Through Love so you never miss an episode & RATE/REVIEW it on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube. About the Guest: Johan Martinez-Khalilian is an internationally recognized motivational speaker and executive coach with a passion for crafting culture and guiding people towards achieving the impossible. Johan is a graduate of Northeastern Illinois University with a degree in Communications. His message of perseverance and resilience has fostered the interest of a number of TV and radio shows, including The Tyra Banks Show, TEDx, and the Today Show. Follow Johan on Instagram Visit his website Follow Ruben on Instagram Visit his website This is an Operation Podcast production For more information, please contact us at info@operationpodcast.com Follow Operation Podcast on Instagram

Check it out on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/33Z4VsE Check it out on Apple: https://apple.co/3AHc2DT Born and raised in the Chicagoland area, I grew up on a fairly consistent diet of superhero comics, action movies, video games, and TV shows. At the age of ten, I first began writing and I've never really stopped. I've been working in publishing since 2005 in various capacities—author, editor, formatter, letterer—and I've written books, short stories, comics, and more. I have a Bachelor of Arts in English and Mass Media from Northeastern Illinois University and a Master of Arts in English and Screenwriting from Southern New Hampshire University. My novels have spanned different genres, from urban fantasy (Luther Cross), superhero (Vanguard), mystery (Nakamura Detective Agency), pulp adventure (The Myth Hunter), and more. I currently live in Japan's Kagoshima prefecture, where I teach college and university courses in English, literature, film, and world issues. In addition to my writing and teaching work, I also host Superhero Cinephiles, a podcast about superhero films. Dreams: Get to a financial space where he only teaches 2-3 days per week See some of his characters make the jump into other mediums (comics, TV show, Movie) Work on Licensed Stuff, creations somebody else made. How you can Help: Someone who could shepherd his writing to another level (Director, Publisher, Producer) James Gunn Go over to percivalconstantine.com and get one of his books Help spread the word. Review the stuff you like to read. Talk about his stuff on social media. Favorite Book, Movie, or Podcast: Podcast - Digging for Kryptonite Contact them at: pc@percivalconstantine.com PercivalConstantine.com Twitter: @perconstantine Facebook: Percival Constantine https://superherocinephiles.com/

Check it out on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/33Z4VsE Check it out on Apple: https://apple.co/3AHc2DT Born and raised in the Chicagoland area, I grew up on a fairly consistent diet of superhero comics, action movies, video games, and TV shows. At the age of ten, I first began writing and I've never really stopped. I've been working in publishing since 2005 in various capacities—author, editor, formatter, letterer—and I've written books, short stories, comics, and more. I have a Bachelor of Arts in English and Mass Media from Northeastern Illinois University and a Master of Arts in English and Screenwriting from Southern New Hampshire University. My novels have spanned different genres, from urban fantasy (Luther Cross), superhero (Vanguard), mystery (Nakamura Detective Agency), pulp adventure (The Myth Hunter), and more. I currently live in Japan's Kagoshima prefecture, where I teach college and university courses in English, literature, film, and world issues. In addition to my writing and teaching work, I also host Superhero Cinephiles, a podcast about superhero films. Dreams: Get to a financial space where he only teaches 2-3 days per week See some of his characters make the jump into other mediums (comics, TV show, Movie) Work on Licensed Stuff, creations somebody else made. How you can Help: Someone who could shepherd his writing to another level (Director, Publisher, Producer) James Gunn Go over to percivalconstantine.com and get one of his books Help spread the word. Review the stuff you like to read. Talk about his stuff on social media. Favorite Book, Movie, or Podcast: Podcast - Digging for Kryptonite Contact them at: pc@percivalconstantine.com PercivalConstantine.com Twitter: @perconstantine Facebook: Percival Constantine https://superherocinephiles.com/

This is a recording of Monica Sone's testimony at the public hearing during the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians in Chicago, September 1981. Link to Transcript: http://collections.carli.illinois.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/nei_japan/id/1647/rec/1 Citation: Archives, Northeastern Illinois University, "007 Testimonies of Masayuki Tashima, Jitsuo Morikawa, Henry Tanaka, Shigesato Murao, and Monica Sone, Panel on Individual Psychological Impact" (1981). Hearing before the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians (Chicago), September 22-23, 1981. 10. The Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians (CWRIC) was created in 1980 to investigate the constitutional and ethical objections of Executive Order 9066. The CWRIC executed an official evaluation of the order and its impact on the formerly interned and their families, starting the process of reparations to the Japanese Americans for the time, property, and liberty they had lost. The CWRIC reviewed the facts and circumstances surrounding Executive Order 9066 and its impact on the affected; the Committee also sought appropriate remedies. In order to fulfill that mandate, the CWRIC held twenty days of hearings in cities throughout the United States: Anchorage, Cambridge, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. The CWRIC heard testimonies from more than 750 witnesses of the internment experience. The results of these national hearings led to the passage of the Civil Liberties Act, which was signed into law by President Ronald Reagan in 1988. This federal law granted the victims of the internment a formal government apology and financial reparations for the losses they had suffered. Learn more at www.RedressRadio.com File number 007-05