Go Forth

Emily is the founder + creator supreme of Bon Vivant Cakes, Chicago's go-to for artful, fun, fondant-free baked goodies. She's also part of the grime-pop duo Celine Neon.

Crystal Hodges is the founder of the creative studio Luft. Her team builds one-of-a-kind installations for organizations, brands, and companies, often from repurposed and recycled materials.

Kelly Connolly is the founder of Nimble Well, an eclectic rental company for unique wedding and event decor. She is also a co-founder of Forth Chicago and a member of the Chicago Green Wedding Alliance.

The second season of Go Forth is just 2 weeks from launching! This time around, we've got interviews from even more rule breakers, opportunity takers, and movers and shakers. You won't want to miss it. So, subscribe to the podcast in iTunes to get each episode as it is released!

Kelly Allison is the founder, photographer and creative force behind Kelly Allison Photography. She and her team are passionate about telling the story of food and making sure that the spirit of the meal in front of the camera and the people behind it shine through. In 2012, she founded Forth Chicago with Lisa Guillot and Julie Schumacher to build a community of creative women entrepreneurs here in the Windy City.

Jenna Blazevich is a intersectional feminist artist who crafts calligraphy that brings together beautiful art and liberatory politics. She is the founder of Vichcraft, a multidisciplinary studio with a focus on visual storytelling. Her work embraces the intimacy, complexity and power of sisterhood in its diverse and various forms.

Shannon Downey is a woman who wears many hats. She’s the founder and CEO of marketing agency Pivotal Production, an adjunct professor at DePaul and Columbia Colleges, a founder of the Seriously Badass Women project, and the fiber artist behind the recently viral Badass Cross Stitch. At the forefront of all of these projects are Shannon’s activist efforts and commitments to social justice.

Jessica Zweig is a personal brand superstar. In 2008, she helped found Cheeky magazine, and now she’s at the helm of the SimplyBe agency, a personal branding agency that focuses on emergent channels and brand amplification. Lately she’s rethinking fear, self-promotion, and what it means to be bold.

Alia Dalal is a personal chef, a clean eating coach, and a cooking class instructor. She also hosts a food and drink web series called Nightcap where she interviews movers and shakers in the Chicago food scene. Her work embraces the abundance and joy of nature while prioritizing health and wellness.

Patrice Perkins is the principal attorney and founder of Creative Genius Law, a boutique law firm that specializes in legal strategy for creative entrepreneurs and innovative businesses. She’s worked closely with the Chicago Artists Coalition, the Chicago Urban League, and a number of local arts organizations, and she helps her clients come to see the law as a tool for building boundaries that protect rather than impede their businesses.