Bridging Chicago

Sam Simon and Natsutsa Mabwa have always been people who love to help other people. After they met working as social workers here in Chicago, they realized they both were very interested in work that would help other people. An opportunity with Servicemaster became the perfect chance to help others who were dealing with difficult times, and now, as business owners, they continue to help others, especially through the pandemic. They wrote their book, Restore, to help others protect their greatest assets and to be your go-to guide for fire and water damage restoration. Sam and Natsutsa are literally helping others stay prepared and pick up the pieces so that they can thrive again! Visit bridgingchicago.com to learn more!

If you can listen to this episode with Jacqueline Ruiz and not get inspired, then it’s definitely time to check your pulse! Jackie is a 29x author, entrepreneur and pilot who does not believe there is anything she cannot do. Raised in Mexico City, Jackie and her family moved to the US at 14 and she used every possible resource available to conquer her dreams. In the challenging moments, Jackie turns to gratitude to get her through, and is thankful for the people who have been placed in her life. She believes that sharing our stories is powerful and necessary and we are certainly glad she shared hers with us. Jackie will be an interviewer at the World Leaders Forum, hosted by Judson University, which you can attend on August 22, 2022 to hear more from Jackie.

In this episode, host Joe Amari welcomes Jennifer Prell, the Founder and CEO of Elderwerks, an organization dedicated to helping people age well. Jennifer shares about the challenges seniors and their families face when they are making a plan to ensure that everyone can thrive in the next phase of life. She also shares about the value of spending time with seniors and what helps them stay young. Jennifer and her team are also preparing for the Aging Better Expo, a free and fun event that will include expert education, tips on aging topics, local resources, and prizes for registrants and attendees. This is a must listen episode for people of all ages!

Amy Wilhelmi is a true rock star who has learned the value of balance in her life. She is a licensed therapist, athlete, author and so much more and brings that life experience with her in her work. In this episode, Amy shares what she has learned along the way, and helps us get inside the mind of competitive athletes and the impact of mental health on competition. Amy also authored her short book, Make Mental Gains, a great book that shares how your growth trajectory is always moving and why wellness is not optional. Be sure to watch for the longer version of the book out on Amazon this fall.

Liz Herrera, a university career advisor, private career coach, and fellow podcast creator joins Bridging Chicago to describe her path to become a career counselor and how she coaches her students and clients to “find their truth” when evaluating opportunities. Originally hailing from Pilsen, Liz is a born and bred Chicago native with deep roots in the city and connections to one of Chicago’s main metropolitan universities—UIC—where she attended undergraduate studies and now serves as a Director of Career Development. These days, Liz also wears the entrepreneur hat—she started her own career coaching business, offering values-based and strengths-based coaching for clients looking to launch their career or those in the market for a career change. No formal interview questions here; Liz candidly discusses with our host Nathan her approach to being a job search ally. Don’t let this opportunity pass you by.

This episode features Chicago native Torriente Toliver, owner of Mind Body Defense, which is much more than a kickboxing studio. Torriente has been involved in the martial arts practically his whole life, after discovering at a young age that he had a natural skill in it. After getting encouragement from his now wife, he decided to open his own studio to help people learn skills that would help them become better, more balanced people. Torriente has an amazing mix of confidence and respect for the art that makes him an amazing teacher and a motivating force. After hearing Torriente’s story, you will truly believe that your dream is achievable too!

On this Part 2 of our discussion with Jim and Tinamarie from Diveheart, we take a deep dive into the history and mission behind Diveheart’s initiative to help individuals “imagine the possibilities.” The idea to form Diveheart rose to the surface over time. Founder Jim took scuba diving in college on a whim, and his dives gave him what he now calls the “astronaut moment”—teaching him that when you remove external triggers and enter exploration in weightlessness, scuba diving provides the tools to pursue and tackle other challenges in life. Jim and Tinamarie discuss how Diveheart’s programs show disabled peoples or participants recovering from injury how broad the horizon really is by focusing on each participant’s abilities and creating connections through the diving support network. Years later, today Diveheart is at the forefront of providing safe scuba opportunities for disabled and injured peoples, and breathing life into new opportunities for the greater Chicagoland community.

Tinamarie Hernandez and Jim Elliott join Bridging Chicago in this two-part series to discuss Diveheart, a volunteer-driven organization providing individuals with disabilities the space and training to realize their ability to scuba dive and other related water activities. At Diveheart, the organization’s leaders and instructors all live by the same mentality—that underwater, everyone is equal. In this Part 1, we float questions to Tinamarie, the Executive Director, and Jim, the Founder and President, so that we can better understand their journey to become advocates for disabled peoples and their ties to the greater Chicagoland area. Tinamarie and Jim each spent their youth years exploring the Chicagoland area (while making it home by the time the lights came on—at least most times!). They share how these initial escapades lead to even greater expeditions, including careers that started in different states and different industries and eventually culminating with bringing Diveheart to life. Don’t hold your breath; take the plunge with us on Part 1 with Diveheart!

Today for our “on the road” series, we get fiscal with Bernadette Joy, CEO and founder of Crush Your Money Goals, an academy she started to coach individuals at all stages of life how to become future millionaires. Bernadette crunched the numbers, crushed her own debt, and found the recipe for financial independence—we’re willing to wage a bet you haven’t heard some of these tips before! On this episode, Bernadette discusses her unique approach to achieving financial literacy (hint: you don’t need to be the richest or smartest person in the room to retire before age 65). To Bernadette, the equation can be simplified and personalized, as she shares how she made cents (pun intended) from the lessons she learned along her own journey to financial success. This is one episode you cannot risk missing!

Class is in session for this episode and Seth Hanford, Head of School of Elgin Academy in Illinois, joins the podcast to show and tell listeners about his experience as a leader of an independent school. Seth highlights the importance of being administrators responsive to student, family, and community needs, embracing inclusivity, and acting as facilitators for authentic relationship building. Don’t miss this grade A conversation!