Your Blank Canvas

Mila Johnson Perez is the founder and CEO of El Nopalito Delivery and Nopalito creatives Inc. In this conversation, she shares her passion for cannabis, food justice in Chicago, and being “a plug” for other budding entrepreneurs of color. She started her first company, Nopalito Creatives Inc, to maintain full independence and provide a platform for other Nopalito creatives to grow through collaboration, coursework, and one on one support. She is passionate about fighting the digital divide and has so much planned for 2021. Stay connected through her IG: @nplto8

Chicago's talented and finest artist, King Marie was surrounded by music. Her mother was a singer, who filled the house with rap and disco music and her brothers were DJs. In this episode, King Marie talks about following her mother's footsteps and left home at 19 to become a singer herself. Through her journey, she faced real obstacles such as writer's block and the fatigue of non-stop hustle. Moreover, King Marie talks about her love for Chicago and how grateful she is for that. If you haven't checked her out, do so as her music is available on all platforms. 

The truth about moving away is that despite the excitement, new beginnings, and endless opportunities, there are going to be moments when you’ll feel sick to your stomach. There are going to be moments when your heart will break into a million pieces and that’s okay. Nothing about moving away is ever easy and unfortunately, nothing about it is ever straightforward. So, for those who are wanting to grab that first leap of faith into the unknown and uncertainty, brace yourself. This episode is dedicated to everyone back home who is thinking about living abroad. Take some time. Know why you're doing it in the first place. 

We spend so much of our lives trying to become who we think other people want us to be. We pour our energy into being the “perfect” person in hopes that this will make us more well-liked and accepted. It’s exhausting. It’s draining. And in striving to morph into this perfect person, we are instead creating an inauthentic version of who we were meant to be. This episode is a conversation with Brooke Weisbrod, a sportscaster and college basketball analyst, and reporter for ESPN, about ways she followed the signs of pure happiness and living her best authentic-self. 

 "The rainbow came out, so I might as well too." 

Chicago native Elise Swopes is a Visual Storyteller, specializing in photography, influencer marketing, and graphic design. Swopes has managed to make a living out of taking and editing photographs on her iPhone. Yes, you heard me correctly, her iPhone. In addition, she inspires others by sharing her methods via her Swopes So Dope podcast, a tutorial video channel, and the Swopes Note newsletter. In this conversation, Swopes and I sat down and spoke about perseverance in the face of failure– How our downfalls are an opportunity for a change. 

You can find more about Elise Swopes and her work on Instagram at Swopes. 

Your emotions want to teach you. They have a Ph.D. in life, so get studying. In reality, it’s normal to laugh, to cry, to be consumed by frustration, to be resilient, to be proud, to be distraught, to feel. In this episode, I share my experiences of my highs and lows and how to truly embrace my emotions because, in all honesty, that's what it takes to a human. The problem isn't because of the issues that are being thrown at us every single day- the problem is: we’re living in an unhealthy reality. We overdose on materialistic items to fill emotional voids. We try and try for more, but have consistently been burdening our minds and souls with the crumbs of what life should be. Listen to this. Spend the next 30 minutes and listen to this and when you do, let's have a conversation. 

Imposter syndrome is something we’ve all felt at some point in our lives. It’s the belief that we don’t deserve the success and happiness that comes our way. In this brutally honest conversation, I sat down with a recent MBA graduate, Magdalena Madrigal, where she shares her experience with imposter syndrome. Here we talk about how no one should validate a belief that they are imposters or that they don’t deserve their joy and success. Imposter syndrome is only a belief. Once you eliminate that belief, you realize how worthy and valuable you are. 

More About Magdalena Madrigal: As a first-generation college grad, she is passionate about making a difference in educational infrastructure. She’s passionate about having real-life conversations, which she explores in her podcast Creating Connections. 

New Year, New Love – you deserve the kind of love you give out to others. If you’re looking for the recipe on how to love yourself, I’m going to let you in on a little secret: It’s not as easy as most people want you to believe. I sat down with Zumiya Gomez, where she shares her story about self-love and how she was able to move on from her heartbreak. 

In loving memory of Marcus Anthony Green. 

Marcus Green was a true gentleman. He was a loving brother, friend, and son. He was one of the most genuine souls we've all had the pleasure of knowing. He was loved by many. This episode is dedicated to him. Rest Easy, Marcus. You did well.