The Chicago Minority Supplier Development Council, Inc., (ChicagoMSDC) is an organization that certifies, develops, connects, and advocates for minority-owned businesses, helping create business opportunities with major buying organizations. It is one of the 23 affiliates of the National Minority Supplier Development Council. The ChicagoMSDC partners with hundreds of private and public buying sectors and minority businesses, acting as a hub for supplier diversity and business alliances. Since its creation in 1968, the ChicagoMSDC has been reaching out to minority-owned businesses, providing technical assistance, identifying business opportunities, keeping their costs down, and being a solid support system for life.

Join this conversation to learn how ChicagoMSDCsupports minority-owned businesses and increases supplier diversity in the Chicago area!

For the full transcript and show notes, visit us at reachtl.org.

Many large companies are now moving faster towards diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Athena, a San Diego-based organization, focused on women’s defense in the STEM field. Through mentoring, leadership development, and advocacy, their goal is to bring one million women into Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Their CEO, Holly Smithson, is our guest in this episode, and she explains how the Athena team aims to enlarge the representation of women, as they believe they have a lot to offer. They urge companies and enterprises to add more diversity and modernize as it is beneficial for their growth. Holly also knows that when women participate in high-level discussions and debates within a company, they have a unique lens towards the matter.

Become a part of the change by listening to this episode with Holly. There may be a possibility for your company to grow by the hand of Athena!

For the full transcript and show notes, visit us at reachtl.org. 

United Way is a global organization with a local affiliate structure dedicated to social impact towards education, health, and financial stability. 

Their branch in Great Susquehanna works specifically in rural and central Pennsylvania. Joanne explains why in this community, as in many rural communities in the country, the lack of transportation and healthcare services are major challenges. The organization has also been deploying internet access programs by distributing hotspots that can be loaned.

Mental health is another big topic that has been brought up to Joanne through the years. They are now identifying where those gaps are to address them as quickly and as successfully as possible.

For the full transcript and show notes, visit us at reachtl.org. 

Grief expresses itself in different shapes, forms, and times for everybody. Most of the time, widowed people don’t know where to ask for help, company, or someone that understands the changes they are going through. Michele Neff Hernandez has developed research-based programs and created a community for individuals experiencing the loss of their partner through Soaring Spirits International. As a widow herself, Michele knows firsthand the grieving process. With the current pandemic going on, she recognizes challenges like isolation for people that have lost their loved ones. That is why Soaring Spirits have both in-person and virtual offerings for its services.

We have to normalize grief as another element of human experiences in life. People need a support system, and this is what Soaring Spirits is doing.

For the full transcript and show notes, visit us at reachtl.org. 

We believe every child’s right to clean water.”

With 2.1 billion people lacking access to safe drinking water*, Clean Water International’s mission is to empower disadvantaged communities by providing access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene projects. Led by Darrel Nelson, this nonprofit organization has provided access to clean water in many different parts of the Philippines. In this episode, let’s hear from Darrel how he could introduce clean water to communities, contribute to the economic development of different areas, negotiate with potential sponsors and funders, and explore the need for more research.

Clean Water International has made a difference in the lives of many children in the Philippines and, soon, worldwide.

For the full transcript and show notes, visit us at reachtl.org. 

How do you make a true transformation within communities?

In this episode, we catch up with the co-founder and CEO of Brilliant Detroit, Cindy Eggleton. Cindy shares how Brilliant Detroit is making a massive difference in people’s lives in poor kid success neighborhoods. By repurposing an actual house in the middle of the neighborhood into an early childhood and family hub, this organization sees grade-level growth of two grades and health and family support outcomes. Brilliant Detroit is currently serving 7500 people out of 12 locations, with clear plans to get to 24 locations in Detroit, then expand nationally and internationally. Cindy emphasizes the importance of love, safety, growth, and listening to people.

This conversation is packed with insights and principles on creating a solid organization that can help transform communities, so make sure to tune in!

For the full transcript and show notes, visit us at reachtl.org. 

Charlie Pearmund and the company he’s working with will change the VR game.

Based on the concept of embodiment, they want to make a change in behaviors towards diversity and inclusion. With different experiments, Virtual Bodyworks is advancing the use of VR. They work with tactile and motor synchronization and place and plausibility illusion to get to the embodiment finally. Their goal is to change people profoundly after their experience with virtual reality. Charlie shares his point of view into creating and building better Virtual Reality solutions to enhance our society. Tune in!

For the full transcript and show notes, visit us at reachtl.org. 

We constantly exercise our body, but do we exercise our minds?

Virtuleap is the gym for the mind. This digital therapeutics company offers a library of VR cognitive games designed by neuroscientists to test and rain a range of cognitive functions like memory skills, processing, and problem-solving skills, and more.  Diving deep into research, development, and collaboration has successfully created its app, which you can download from all the major VR stores. Start your daily cognitive workout and train your cognitive functions today. Virtuleap is right at the intersection of neurosciences and virtual reality, and Amir packed great insights on technology, VR, applications of VR, and more, so please tune in!

For the full transcript and show notes, visit us at reachtl.org. 

What art forms do you use to cope with what is going on in the world right now?

With music as the first line of defense, Yael Swerdlow and Maestro Games help people through mental, spiritual, and physical challenges. They created a game platform called The Last Maestro. This platform combines music and Virtual Reality to tackle this challenge. Yael took this path after being a life-long photojournalist. She took her experience seeing how music worked with orphans and her father and transferred them to Maestro Games. She also shares insights into the care first responders need right now. Finally, Yael shares the challenges and future bumps on the road for Maestro Games to tackle.

Listen to this episode and discover how Yael’s journey into VR started!

For the full transcript and show notes, visit us at reachtl.org. 

The future lies in VR and how we can use it in our favor!

In this episode, we have the honor of having  Aaron Gani and Rory Channer as guests. Together, they work on BehaVR, LLC. They are a company that creates digital therapeutics for behavioral health through the power of Virtual Reality. They believe that digital solutions democratize and improve access to care. With different types of content, they aim to engage the patient into knowing more about themselves and their condition. Also, their platform works as a force multiplier to improve the system.

Join Fran on this amazing episode and discover the power of VR applied to healthcare!

For the full transcript and show notes, visit us at reachtl.org.