The Honest "Political" Guide - Part III, feat. JinJa Birkenbeuel x Mary Nisi, Two Vibrant Entrepreneurs From Chicago

I'm back with my little local politics conversations on my show with my fellow outspoken entrepreneur Mary Nisi, owner of Toast and Jams DJs. Mary and I are keeping this political conversation going.

So little time left to elect the next President of the United States. And it really needs to be Vice President Kamala Harris at this time in human history.

Mary and I break down the debate, and we talk about how Vice President Harris seems to have a propensity for small business owners (finally someone cares about us!!!). We also spend some time talking about Chicago's seeming disaster of a political space. It's just so awful! And I turned Mary on to a brand new search tool. Listen in to find out what it is!!!!

We have all these amazing digital tools now for leaders and entrepreneurs, I'm going to create little mini conversations specifically with Mary Nisi because Mary is someone I trust. She is also someone like me who tells things how she sees it, and she's honest, hence my show The Honest Field Guide. Mary speaks her truth and asks smart and sometimes really dumb questions just like me and I love that about her!

By the way, "Brand Chicago" is under attack. It's not only under attack from outside people that don't know anything about Chicago, but it's we're under attack from people that DO know about Chicago and it's almost like, is there something intentional happening here with the messaging? When did this negative message about Chicago start? Who started it? What's going on? We are going to keep finding the f out.

All content ©Birkdesign Inc. This podcast represents the personal views of JinJa Birkenbeuel, CEO of Birk Creative and its employees.

Please subscribe and the donate to our show. We would love your dollars to keep going! We can take a donation to support our podcast here and we will shout you our when you do it on an upcoming podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-honest-field-guide/support. Text The Honest Field Guide at ‪(312) 445-0903‬.

Send us a voice message and we will record it on an upcoming episode: https://anchor.fm/the-honest-field-guide/message. The podcast is recorded and produced by benefit corporation Birk Creative: A benefit corporation designing strategies and visual identities to help brands adapt with intelligence to the market.

Visit http://www.birkcreative.com.

Ray Chew, a renowned music director, producer, and composer, shares his journey in the music industry. From being discovered at six years old to working with superstars, Chew's early beginnings and musical education shaped his career. He emphasizes the importance of talent, hard work, and opportunity in achieving success. Chew also discusses the tragic story of a talented musician he used to know who faced challenges in the industry. He highlights the role of support systems and the need for a multifaceted approach to navigate the music business.

Chew's story showcases the dedication and passion required to thrive in the industry. Ray Chew discusses his first big break and the importance of being open to new experiences. He emphasizes the need for young people to pay attention and not be distracted or blocked by their own biases. He also talks about the role of a music director and the importance of suppressing ego and having a servant leadership mindset.

Chew shares his experience in the New York session scene and the value of having access to opportunities. He also discusses the importance of owning intellectual property and the challenges and rewards of being an entrepreneur in the music industry. Chew talks about his companies, Chew Entertainment and RC Music, and the importance of diligent work and proper management. He also discusses his nonprofit organization, Power to Inspire, which aims to bridge the gap between potential and achievement.

Ray Chew provides insights on how to become a music director and navigate the music industry in New York. He emphasizes the importance of developing leadership qualities and gaining trust from both the musicians you lead and the artists you work with. Chew also highlights the opportunities in New York, such as clubs, open mics, and networking with people already in the industry. He mentions the church community as another avenue for aspiring musicians. Chew shares memorable experiences working with artists like Teddy Pendergrass and Anita Baker, as well as his involvement in historic events like Live Aid and the inauguration of President Barack Obama.

He discusses the use of AI tools in his creative process and the importance of humility and learning from mistakes. Chew expresses his passion for mentoring and supporting young musicians and encourages the replication of his success in the next generation.

Takeaways

Join JinJa Birkenbeuel, host, and Dr. Dori Tunstall, Design Anthropologist, as they delve into the challenging conversation surrounding decolonizing design. Discover how outdated ideologies have hindered progress and learn how to create a more inclusive and just design space.

Learn more about Dori here https://dori3.typepad.com/my_weblog/%20(Blog

And find Dori's new book "Decolonizing Design" on https://bookshop.org/p/books/decolonizing-design-a-cultural-justice-guidebook-tunstall/18535912rg

#DecolonizingDesign #InclusiveDesign #CulturalJustice #DesignProgress #DiversityInDesign #CreativeInclusion #DesignSpace #ArtisticExpression #BreakingBarriers #DesignIdeologies

JinJa Birkenbeuel reads her latest personal essay "I am mediocre. I am a non-playable character. And I am okay with it."

All content ©Birkdesign Inc. This podcast represents the personal views of JinJa Birkenbeuel, CEO of Birk Creative and its employees.

Please subscribe and the donate to our show. We would love your dollars to keep going! We can take a donation to support our podcast here and we will shout you our when you do it on an upcoming podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-honest-field-guide/support. Text The Honest Field Guide at ‪(312) 445-0903‬.

Send us a voice message and we will record it on an upcoming episode: https://anchor.fm/the-honest-field-guide/message. The podcast is recorded and produced by benefit corporation Birk Creative: A benefit corporation designing strategies and visual identities to help brands adapt with intelligence to the market. Visit http://www.birkcreative.com.

Subscribe to The Birk Creative Reset newsletter https://view.flodesk.com/pages/60662f4dc9533f4419aaa4ba

Calling all curly, Afro'd and natural-haired people! You have got to check in!I am soo excited y'all! I have an incredible conversation with Cally Raduenzel, curly hair innovator and founder of Cally's Curls and Company in Chicago releasing tomorrow.Some of you may know, through my brand channel Birk Creative, and also my personal story that I released last year with Fast Company Magazine, where I describe my journey from straight processed hair to natural hair here https://www.fastcompany.com/90864887/im-a-black-business-owner-and-this-is-how-my-hair-shaped-my-professional-brand, I'm still coming to terms with my natural hair journey.One of the reasons I was able to make this journey to loving my hair, was in part because of the natural haircare training that I got at Cally's Curls, in Chicago.I love this conversation, and I love Cally. If you have curly hair, and you are in Chicago, or close enough to drive there, this may be the curly hair salon for you. It's an entire vibe!

Summary

In this episode of The Honest Field Guide Podcast, host JinJa Birkenbeuel discusses her personal journey with natural hair and the challenges faced by Black women in conforming to societal beauty standards. She shares her experience of transitioning from straight to natural hair and the struggles she encountered along the way. JinJa also introduces her guest, Cally Redunzel, the founder of Cally's Curls, a salon that specializes in curly hair. Cally shares her own journey with curly hair and the societal pressures she faced to conform to straight hair standards. The conversation highlights the importance of embracing natural hair and the need for more education and support for curly hair care. Cally shares her journey of opening a salon and becoming an expert in curly hair. She emphasizes the importance of self-love and embracing natural curls. Cally's mission is to empower her clients to feel confident and knowledgeable about their hair.

Takeaways

Chapters

00:00

Welcoming Cally to the Show!

10:29

Growing Up with Curly Hair and the Influence of Family

17:31

The Revelation and Acceptance of Curly Hair

20:21

The Pressure to Conform to Straight Hair Standards

22:36

The Impact of Media and Representation

24:08

The Stories of Curly Hair

26:18

Transitioning from Journalism to Hair

29:58

The Intersection of Music, Art, and Hair

32:01

The Journey to Opening a Salon

36:46

The Importance of Education and Knowledge Sharing

39:14

The Challenges of Embracing Natural Hair

43:17

Choosing the Right Products for Curly Hair

53:01

Feedback from Clients and the Power of Reviews

55:38

The Vibe and Culture of Cally's Curls

57:27

Playlist and Go-To Fashion

58:16

Lipstick or Lip Gloss

All content ©Birkdesign Inc. This podcast represents the personal views of JinJa Birkenbeuel, CEO of Birk Creative and its employees.

Please subscribe and the donate to our show. We would love your dollars to keep going! We can take a donation to support our podcast here and we will shout you our when you do it on an upcoming podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-honest-field-guide/support. Text The Honest Field Guide at ‪(312) 445-0903‬.

Send us a voice message and we will record it on an upcoming episode: https://anchor.fm/the-honest-field-guide/message. The podcast is recorded and produced by Birk Creative. Visit http://www.birkcreative.com.

Subscribe to our occasional newsletter
jinja.myflodesk.com/thecreativereset

In this episode, I share my experiences at the Sundance Film Festival and highlights an entrepreneur artist, writer, and poet named Chanel Murray. I continue to reconnect with people that I met at the festival and my conversations with Poet Chanel Murray are among the best ones. In this Creative Reset, I read from Chanel Murray's book of poetry, 'All Black Errythang,' which resonates with my own natural hair journey.

Attending the Sundance Film Festival provided opportunities for networking and connecting with individuals in the film industry. You should be planning now to attend the festival in 2025.

For my regular fans and recurring listeners, you may remember my personal journey with my natural hair and the impact it has had on my self-esteem and identity. Chanel's wonderful poem "My Hair Taught Me To Love Me" speaks to my experience.

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All content ©Birkdesign Inc. This podcast represents the personal views of JinJa Birkenbeuel, CEO of Birk Creative and its employees.

Please subscribe and the donate to our show. We would love your dollars to keep going! We can take a donation to support our podcast here and we will shout you our when you do it on an upcoming podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-honest-field-guide/support. Text The Honest Field Guide at ‪(312) 445-0903‬.

Send us a voice message and we will record it on an upcoming episode: https://anchor.fm/the-honest-field-guide/message. The podcast is recorded and produced by benefit corporation Birk Creative: A benefit corporation designing strategies and visual identities to help brands adapt with intelligence to the market. Visit http://www.birkcreative.com.

Subscribe to our occasional newsletter jinja.myflodesk.com/thecreativereset.

Welcome to The Honest Field Guide Season 3 kick-off.

For the first time, I have a podcast episode that requires a disclaimer: "Listener Discretion" advised. My guest Mary Nisi (Toast & Jam DJs) and I are 100% funny, and at times, are using strong language. Some topics in this episode may make some listeners cringe. But this IS the HONEST Field Guide Podcast.

This episode is a Part II of the conversation that Mary and I had from last year. That conversation took place after Brandon Johnson was elected as Mayor of Chicago. Chicago is having huge problems right now, especially because they are negatively impacting small business owners like Mary and I.

The city of Chicago STILL feels really awkward to me. It has not gotten better in the last 10 months since Mayor Johnson was elected. Fingers crossed he gets some honest and authentic help, fast.

I'm going to keep creating these little mini conversations specifically with Mary Nisi because Mary is someone I trust to tell it like she sees it. She is not afraid, and I love that about her.

Mary and I are going to keep this conversation going. Plus, we're heading into a political season, local and nationally. We're not going to focus on geopolitics, we aren't qualified for that. We're going to really keep this conversation local, because politics IS local!

Brand Chicago ain't selling too well right now. And it doesn't seem as if there is an end in sight to be honest.

I wish I would help, but the powers that be haven't called me for assistance in a long while. I'm always here to help Chicago, but I won't work for free.

All content ©Birkdesign Inc. This podcast represents the personal views of JinJa Birkenbeuel, CEO of Birk Creative and its employees.

Please subscribe and the donate to our show. We would love your dollars to keep going! We can take a donation to support our podcast here and we will shout you our when you do it on an upcoming podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-honest-field-guide/support. Text The Honest Field Guide at ‪(312) 445-0903‬.

Send us a voice message and we will record it on an upcoming episode: https://anchor.fm/the-honest-field-guide/message. The podcast is recorded and produced by benefit corporation Birk Creative: A benefit corporation designing strategies and visual identities to help brands adapt with intelligence to the market. Visit http://www.birkcreative.com.

Subscribe to The Birk Creative Reset newsletter https://view.flodesk.com/pages/60662f4dc9533f4419aaa4ba

Film Director and Writer Alex Lora and I sit down to discuss his latest film "The Masterpiece" which just hours earlier, won the Sundance Grand Jury Award. Alex was in shock and also battling a bad cold during our conversation. But nothing dampens his creative spirit and how fortunate I was to have stumbled across Alex to have this conversation! Enjoy!

Hi welcome back to my show. A quick update: I will be at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival representing Full Spectrum Features as a newly appointed Director to their board, to participate in the premier of their first film "Desire Lines." I am also reporting in on the festival for WVON 1690 AM Chicago to discover the latest independent films created by Black filmmakers, actors, producers and directors. Follow my LinkedIn, TikTok, Instagram and more to keep up to date on my journey to Sundance.

All content ©Birkdesign Inc. This podcast represents the personal views of JinJa Birkenbeuel, CEO of Birk Creative and its employees.

Please subscribe and the donate to our show. We would love your dollars to keep going! We can take a donation to support our podcast here and we will shout you our when you do it on an upcoming podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-honest-field-guide/support. Text The Honest Field Guide at ‪(312) 445-0903‬.

Send us a voice message and we will record it on an upcoming episode: https://anchor.fm/the-honest-field-guide/message. The podcast is recorded and produced by benefit corporation Birk Creative: A benefit corporation designing strategies and visual identities to help brands adapt with intelligence to the market. Visit http://www.birkcreative.com.

Subscribe to our occasional newsletter https://view.flodesk.com/pages/60662f4dc9533f4419aaa4ba.