In this session of  Rising Tides Live, hosted by Mike Bisceglia filling in for Shawn Walchef, the focus was on “ANTs”—Automatic Negative Thoughts—and how recognizing and reframing them can unlock confidence and clarity. Guests shared personal experiences of battling doubt, stress, and self-criticism, offering strategies for shifting mindset, challenging false narratives, and leaning on community support. […]

Podcast guest booking is no longer just about cold emails and lucky breaks. Thanks to PodPitch, entrepreneurs and creators are streamlining the process of landing meaningful podcast interviews  and doing it at scale. Sparking Relationships Through Podcasts Co-founder Parker Olson explains that the platform automates the steps most people find overwhelming: researching shows, pulling in […]

Robbie Schloss didn’t set out to build a milkshake empire. In 2017, he and his business partner opened Shore Club, a 12,000-square-foot beachside restaurant on Chicago’s North Avenue Beach. Seasonal by design, Shore Club thrived in the summer months but left a question lingering in the off-season: what’s next? The answer was JoJo’s ShakeBAR, a […]

In this session of Rising Tides Live, hosted by Shawn Walchef, the focus was on public speaking and the “Stage Theory”—how showing up on stage, online, or in front of a camera creates opportunities far beyond the moment. Guests opened up about their own fears, breakthroughs, and lessons learned, from corporate presentations to casual livestreams, highlighting how […]

Adam Rainy and David Valentine did not plan on becoming business partners. Adam was a Cisco rep, David was running Nic and Norman’s in Georgia, and their connection was just another transaction in the busy world of restaurants. But over time, the two found themselves building something bigger than either imagined: 3 Keys and Company, […]

In this session of Rising Tides Live, hosted by Shawn Walchef,  the conversation explored the shifting landscape between old media and new media—and what that means for storytellers, business owners, and consumers alike. From newspapers and cable TV to podcasts, livestreams, and TikTok, the group compared how information is created, shared, and trusted in a world where […]

Kevin Planovsky career in digital strategy and hospitality was not built overnight. After more than a decade running his own boutique agency in Atlanta, he joined Croud, a global, tech-enabled marketing agency, to help lead U.S. growth. For Kevin, the draw was more than scale. It was the chance to merge strategy, technology, and storytelling […]

In this session of Rising Tides Live, hosted by Shawn Walchef, the conversation centered on the uncomfortable, unpolished, and ultimately rewarding process of building in public. Whether you’re launching a product, reshaping your brand, or just trying to find your voice, the act of showing your work before it’s perfect can feel terrifying—but also deeply liberating. This […]

Nils Westlind’s path to owning a trio of Chicago hotspots was anything but direct. Raised in Colombia and relocating to Chicago at 15, he entered hospitality through a side hustle and stayed for the creativity, community, and chaos. After years working for major restaurant groups, he broke off on his own, opening Komo, a refined […]

Denny LiPira didn’t leave Applebee’s because things were bad. In fact, after 26 years with the brand, things were going well. He had worked his way up from hourly employee to Director of Operations, overseeing 13 restaurants across Florida and Georgia. But when the opportunity came to help build something new, to take everything he […]