After a long hiatus we have Madison Burger on the show to discuss her work researching and cultivating bacterial leather. We talk about how she got into the field, the newest trends in leather alternatives, her work with Plant Chicago, and her work with Chitown Bio.

It's a super informational episode and Madison provides a nuanced and highly informed take on the alternative leather industry.

Chapters:
 0:00 - Introducing Madison
1:47  - Welcoming Madison
6:08 - Fun Facts on the Leather Industry
11:21 - Alternative Leather Durability
14:23 - Discussing MycoWorks
16:54 - Pinatex
17:54 - Differences Between Alternative Leather & Real Leather
20:24 - Looking at Bacterial Leather Samples
21:00 - Pellicle
27:00 - Madison's Work with Plant Chicago
30:00 - Developing Tissue Paper Alternatives
33:00 - Disrupting the Traditional Industries
43:18 - Tanning Process Explained
45:00 - Jennifer Doudna
48:30 - Discussing the Ethics of Gene Editing
51:00 - Madison's Work with Chitown Bio

Links:
ChiTownBio- https://chitownbio.org/

Plant Chicago- https://www.plantchicago.org/

Collective Fashion Justice- https://www.collectivefashionjustice.org/

Madison Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/madisonwildsburger/

Madison LinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/in/madison-wilds-burger-578583141/

To kick off 2024 we have Greg on the show to talk about his experience participating in season 35 of the Amazing Race. We talk about the challenges, what it was like off camera, how life has changed since the show, and his future work with Wired, and his life in general. 

It's a fun chat with a great guy who is Chicago through and through. Always great to see Chicago's own making big moves all over the world. 

Chapters:

1:09 - Introducing Greg

14:47 - Interacting with the other racers

19:00 - Talking about the physically laborious challenges

23:00 - Skydiving for the first time ever on the show

28:00 - John's quotes from the show

33:04 - Get the express pass?

38:00 - Life after the race

44:00 - Interacting with other CBS reality show contestants 

49:00 - Talking about good food in Chicago

54:00 - Why yellow?

This week we have Sid on the show to discuss her hobbyism, how it helps cope with the modern world, her experience moving from Texas to Chicago, and her journey to starting a rug tufting business. It's a fun and very interesting conversation, so check it out.

Sid is the owner of Cherry Basket Studio and makes beautiful rugs. You can see their work here:

https://cherrybasketstudio.com/
https://www.instagram.com/cherrybasketstudio/
www.etsy.com/shop/cherrybasketstudio

Will talks about his experience working for the TSA. We talk about government work, temper tantrums at the airport, and crazy things he's seen go down at the airport. 

Tune in to learn why the TSA matters!

Fact Check*** The CT scanners cost $350k, not $3 million.

This week we have Summer on the show to discuss her role in the current Northwestern University grad student unionization efforts. We talk about the union's successes and tribulations, while also having a larger conversation around social equity and resource distribution.
Summer is incredibly brilliant and we have a great convo, tune in!

Resources for your reference:
https://nugradworkers.org/

https://dailynorthwestern.com/2023/11/14/campus/graduate-workers-union-rallies-for-timely-bargaining-response-to-economic-demands-from-nu/

https://dailynorthwestern.com/2023/11/02/campus/graduate-student-parent-group-finds-disconnect-between-caregiving-needs-and-nu-resources/

This week we have Alejandro on the pod to discuss his work educating the youth and adults about sexual violence prevention, consent, boundaries, and navigating various other aspects of life. 

It's an insightful conversation and Alex is a treasure trove of wisdom on these matters. Tune in to learn some new things and to hear his unique experience!

Marco Garcia, 2023 Welterweight  Chicago Golden Glove Champion. Tune in to hear about his boxing career, his recent fights in the golden gloves, and just general life experiences. 

Fun episode, gets goofy and off the cuff half way in, but Marco is a great guest.

Chicago journalist Matt Harvey talks about his path towards a career in journalism, his experience growing up in Uptown, his views on media literacy, and his company WeHome LLC. 

An insightful look into how media shapes and also reflects reality, while also perpetuating stereotypes and racial inequity.  It starts fun but gets very deep at the end (around 35 minutes in) so listen and let me know what you think!

Links to stuff discussed in the pod:
Khaliyah X What's My Name - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gy8R1RdLpbI
Matt at the TRiiBE - https://muckrack.com/matt-harvey-11
Matt at the Chicago Reader - https://chicagoreader.com/author/matt-harvey/
A Different Mirror - https://www.zinnedproject.org/materials/different-mirror-multicultural-america

Ben grew up here, is an encyclopedia of Chicago knowledge, and also one of the best bartenders in the West Loop.

Tune in to hear him describe his experience growing up in a gentrifying Logan Square, his take on what Chicago is and ISN't,  and dealing with folks at the bar. The man waxes poetically on Chicago and his love for the city can be felt through his words.

In the inaugural episode, I interview my long time friend, Andre Rojas-Castillo.

We talk about his acting career, his experience being on Chicago PD, his views on Chicago, and at the end we get deep on topics such as AI and life. 

Tune in to learn more about Dre.

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm13478685/

*The sack of potatoes story was fact checked and is incorrect, please keep that in mind.