On this episode we have a very special guest in Mitch Chuvalo. Mitch is the son of George Chuvalo (Jure Čuvalo), one of the greatest Croatian and Canadian boxers of all time. George has numerous accolades including 5 time Canadian heavyweight champ, 64 wins by knockout, and never being knocked down in his 93 match career including in fights against Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, and George Foreman. Mitch is now a teacher and public speaker sharing his own struggles and triumphs as he shares with us some classic stories about his father, including a movie like chase scene in the streets of Zagreb! Hear about the Chuvalo family’s Croatian roots and how that mentality played a pivotal role in George’s life and boxing career.

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Sponsored by Adriatic Tours!

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In this episode we have special guest Peter Hazdovac, a Croatian American and a very active member of the Croatian community down in the Los Angeles area of San Pedro. His family company Adriatic Tours which he works for has long served the community in helping Croatians return to the homeland both for vacation as well as with documents and papers and other services. Peter played professional soccer in Croatia, and after his move back to LA stayed very involved in the local Croatian community there. In this episode we learn a little more about Peter, his family, and the effect they’ve had on the Croatian community.

Check out Adriatic Tours!

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This week’s special guest on the podcast is Steve Rukavina. Steve is a Croatian American activist from Minnesota and co-founder of the National Federation of Croatian Americans Cultural Foundation. He is involved with many Croatian related projects and initiatives, both cultural and political. Among those are the recently developed Croatian American Sports Hall of Fame and working with the Croatian Special Olympics. Stay tuned to hear about Steve’s lobbying and policy work with revising the infamous double taxation agreement as well as protecting the rights of Croats in BiH in accordance with the Dayton Agreement. In this episode we take a dive into some of these projects and learn about the impact on the global Croatian community.

Website Link https://nfcacf.org/

In this week’s episode we have a special guest Anthony (Tonko) Sušac. Tonko is a Croatian American baseball player at the University of Arizona. His grandparents were some of the leaders in setting up the Croatian community in his hometown of Sacramento, and he and his cousins are proud Croatians, including one who played for the Croatian National baseball team. Tonko tells the story of how his grandparents immigrated to the U.S. and his newfound love of cooking homemade Croatian food in his spare time. He also talks about his love for Croatian music and being in Split for Oliver’s funeral. In this episode we’re going to find out a little bit more about him, his Croatian connection, and his bright baseball future!

This week’s special guest is Richard Gruica, a Croatian-American chef born in Jamaica. He started Good Eats Meets, an online based Dining and Socializing group that brings together lovers of food to "Break Bread. Richard has also started Croatian food initiatives such as Captivating Croatia Tours, and Sights and Bites, a unique food and history walking tour of Dubrovnik. Most recently he opened up Fuego, a Latin fusion restaurant in Zagreb, Croatia’s first. In this episode we’re going to learn about his inspiration for cooking Croatian cuisine and starting his many food related projects!

http://fuegofreshlatin.com/

https://captivatingcroatia.com/

http://gypsytable.com/

This episode’s guest is 25 year old Croatian entrepreneur Ana Čalić. After getting her master’s degree in Science Business and Innovation she began to work at her family company Navela which is a leader in Marine and boating equipment. With her knowledge of the nautical industry and innovation, she formed Croatia’s first club for young professionals in the marine industry within the platform she created called Misli More. Misli More educates younger generations about the nautical industry and possibilities of sustainable development in marine. In this episode we’ll learn about her passion for the sea and how her new initiative combines Croatian innovation and sustainability.

Website link: www.mislimore.com

Overall: https://lnk.bio/mislimore

Link for joining the club: https://shoutout.wix.com/so/34O3Czrpe?languageTag=en#/main

This episode’s special guest is Željko Jergan. Željko is a world renowned choreographer and teacher of Croatian folklore and dance, which some might recognize as “kolo”. Originally from Varaždin, he performed in LADO, the Croatian National Folk Ensemble, and then moved to the US. He now shares his in-depth knowledge and style in teaching Croatian folk dancing as he travels around the world to spread the culture and traditions of Croatian dance. We talk about the importance of preserving Croatian dance and how diaspora communities around the world are helping to keep the traditions alive.

In this episode our special guest is Olivia Slade-Šilović. Olivia started the popular blog and Instagram page, Inspired by Croatia, after moving there from the U.S. Inspired by Croatia is a resource for travel and life in Croatia and also gives tips for navigating the country as an expat. Olivia talks about what sparked her move to Croatia and what motivated her to start a blog and give others a glimpse inside her life here. Find out her favorite places in Croatia to visit and the secret behind her successful Instagram account where more than 17 thousand people follow her for Croatian travel advice!

https://www.inspiredbycroatia.com/

This week’s special guest is Debra Gavranich from North Queensland, Australia. Debra recently published a book called The Girl Who Left which tells the story of her mom’s journey from Korčula to the cane fields of Australia. In this episode we talk life on the island, the proxy marriage that led to her mother leaving, and how she adjusted to life in Australia. Debra talks about her motivation for writing down her mom’s story, and the surprising song and movie production talks that have come along with it!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thegirlwholeft/

In this episode I speak with New Zealand Croat, Anthony Poša. Anthony played rugby for the Croatian national team for 10 years and helped put Croatian rugby on the map. Now he’s coaching the national team and helping develop new talent and the next generation of Croatian rugby stars. Check out the episode to hear the crazy story of the World Cup qualification match vs Italy where Torcida showed up to support in Makarksa, and how rugby can be more inclusive than soccer/football.