x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

I am Consciously Curious

I am Consciously Curious is a Chicago based podcast that dissects passionate individuals in various industries. The goal is to share their stories to inspire you to cultivate meaning within your own space. If you are interested in coming on or know someone that would be great for the podcast, please message us on fb/ig: @iamconsciouslycurious

business careers

All Episodes

92:12

151. Finding Peace Through Acceptance with Visual...

I am Consciously Curious ·

2025/04/17

Our next guest is Katie Chung. A visual artist based in Chicago. I was introduced to her work through her mural for Good Things Vending with Steph Krim! I then found out she's created pieces for Facebook, Google, Adobe, 360 Chicago at the Hancock, and even a traditional Hanbok from handwritten garment tags from her mom's laundromat [amongst many other cool textile pieces]. We explore generational trauma, what healing could look like, and her Korean-American experience. She recently completed ...

en-us

118:13

150. The Mischievous Child ft. Chef Mitchell Acuña

I am Consciously Curious ·

2025/04/14

Our next guest is the Executive Chef of the new modern french restaurant Gavroche. He fell in love with cooking at an early age mainly from a functional aspect. He's an alum of Kendall College and has gained experience in kitchens like Alinea, Roister, Boka, Sixteen, and North Pond. He really found his footing when he started a private dining experience with his wife called Mirepoix Gangsters. This is an episode on exploring your identity and becoming a professional at your craft. Please enjo...

en-us

100:08

149. Resilience Through Grief ft. Bernie Ambubuyog

I am Consciously Curious ·

2025/04/07

Our next guest is Bernie Ambubuyog. A single mom, entrepreneur, and a MMA practitioner and color commentator. We reflect on her journey into MMA which was through her late husband Paul. She shares how the MMA community has become her second family especially through the later stages of Paul's cancer and eventual passing. We navigate the challenging dynamic of running Top Level MMA with her son Leon. On top of all that, she continues to be the Behavioral RN Care Manager at a local hospital. Sh...

en-us

79:49

[Takeover] Healing Ancestral Trauma with Jenn Dieas...

I am Consciously Curious ·

2025/04/05

Jenn Dieas hosts Dr. Jon Mackoff in this podcast takeover. This is the third overall time these two have met and they're both great at holding space for self-inquiry. Some themes that they covered include the lack of safety Jenn experienced as a child, misplaced karma from parents, and embracing the feminine energy. Please enjoy this exploration between Jenn and Dr. Mackoff. Connect with them: https://www.instagram.com/jenndieas_ https://www.instagram.com/drjonmackoff

en-us

112:46

148. Recruiting for Tech Giants like Uber and Netflix...

I am Consciously Curious ·

2025/04/01

Our next guest is Jeff Vadukumcherry. Despite falling into tech recruiting, he's developed a mastery and fondness of facilitating "good fits." He reflects on how he and his now wife encouraged he each other to follow their dreams even if it meant traveling across the country (twice). He now finds himself at the intersection of wanting community and creativity. Either through amalgamating it with the tech world or independently. He's committed to coming up with 7 photos every week and it's hel...

en-us

69:08

147. New Math Coffee ft. Mikey Rinaldo

I am Consciously Curious ·

2025/03/31

Our next guest is Mikey Rinaldo (they/them) and they're the roaster/founder of New Math Coffee highlighting specialty Asian coffees. Mikey found coffee as an escape while pursuing their PhD in literature. There's this beauty in the ephemeral nature of a good cup of coffee. Many things has to come together for it to be a good cup. Mikey has a healthy perspective with the craft of striving for a great cup of coffee while honoring the amount of work that begins with the farmers that had to go in...

en-us

103:53

146. The Filipino-Cuban One-Two Punch ft. Lawrence...

I am Consciously Curious ·

2025/03/11

Our next guest is the Chef and Co-Owner of Bayan Ko and Bayan Ko Diner in Ravenswood, Chicago. The diner space was home to Glenn’s Diner for 17 years and now serves Cuban and Filipino staples all day. The OG location a couple doors east is now a tasting menu that allows the team to push boundaries and provide a more curated experience compared to the diner. We explore his journey of moving to Chicago for culinary school, his various restaurant experiences, and meeting his now wife, Raquel Qua...

en-us

133:00

145. The Power of Asking: Chef Zubair Mohajir’s...

I am Consciously Curious ·

2025/03/05

Our next guest is the Chef and Co-Owner of Lilac Tiger, Coach House, and Mirra. He reflects on his journey of stumbling into the world of finance only to be liberated by the 2008 Market Crash which sparked his curiosity into the world of food and hospitality. What was the early stages of a social media agency led him to feel the pulse of a kitchen and he was hooked ever since. From staging at Alinea, Bouchon, and Gaggan, and working his way up to Sous Chef at The Pump Room to eventually start...

en-us

98:14

144. Tea Practitioner and Ceramic Artist ft. Danielle...

I am Consciously Curious ·

2025/02/25

Our next guest is the artist behind Monsoon Pottery. Quality time with her family has her reflecting on life and what she wants to get out of it. I appreciate how singular she is with everything she takes on. From her daily tea practice, insatiable appetite for art history, and her pottery practice, she’s at a unique intersection that she relays throughout her tea tasting and pottery workshops. Please enjoy my conversation with Danielle Chutinthranond. https://monsoonpottery.com/ https://inst...

en-us

76:22

143. Moderating the r/chicagofood subreddit ft. Mitch...

I am Consciously Curious ·

2025/02/18

Our next guest is one of the moderators of the r/chicagofood subreddit. He shares why and how he started to moderate it. He’s made lists to organize his favorite chicken sandwiches, fries, and omakase restaurants. He’s currently organizing his favorite bib gourmand restaurants. Reddit was taken aback by how large and active the subreddit became and presented Mitch with an opportunity to cultivate the community. He began by buying out Obelix for dinner last year and a series of restaurants thi...

en-us

159:36

142. Community-driven Joy and Serendipity in Vending...

I am Consciously Curious ·

2025/02/14

Our next guest is the Founder and Keeper of Good Things Vending. She places local art and oddities in vending machines and places them in some of the most iconic places in the city. You can find some of her machines in places like The Chicago Cultural Center, Kimball Arts Center, and The Garfield Park Conservatory. I truly enjoyed learning how she found her way to the intersection of art and vending machines as well as discussing what our role is in the grand scheme of life. Please enjoy my c...

en-us

109:27

141. Reclaiming Agency as a Hospitality Vet ft. David...

I am Consciously Curious ·

2025/02/08

Our next guest is a hospitality veteran and has helped open spaces like Truce, Lilac Tiger, Coach House, and Mirra. I was first introduced to David through Justin of Kyoto Black Coffee when they put on a coffee cocktail pop up at Cindy’s Rooftop. I knew David was working on opening a bar, but it wasn’t until a recent dinner at Mirra when I realized David was also part owner. It was wonderful to hear how David has reclaimed some of that agency and is now working to reclaim some of the joy back...

en-us

116:23

140. How Desert Trees Are Becoming The Next Chocolate...

I am Consciously Curious ·

2025/02/05

Our next guests are brothers and founders of an alternative chocolate brand, Mez Foods. But the implications of how revolutionary mesquite is makes this a very exciting time for these two. Their challenge is to introduce a product that is more sustainable (environmentally and production-wise), price competitive, and nutritive to cacao. This was truly an insightful episode that just kept unraveling. Please enjoy my conversation with Ben and Bob Schultz of Mez Foods. https://mezfoods.com https...

en-us

118:32

139. Private Dining Experiences ft. Chef Francis Pascal

I am Consciously Curious ·

2025/01/28

Our next guest is the Owner and Executive Chef of Vendador. A company that provides full service private dining experiences. He shares how hungry he was to collect culinary experiences at a young age that eventually landed him at Roister (part of the Alinea Group). He reflected about being honest with what you want out of life and going after it despite your circumstances. The kitchen is a space (especially in fine dining) where those who truly want it will persevere. His humility, curiosity,...

en-us

106:13

138. Tech Recruiting, Furikake Chex Mix, and Musubis...

I am Consciously Curious ·

2025/01/22

Our next guest has been a tech recruiter for over 10 years and how he became one is a funny story. Last year he started a chex mix based snack brand that’s typically seen in Hawaiian households. The three flavors they have are The OG (Furikake), Bean (Vanilla), and Rooster (Sriracha). Only a few months after a successful launch, he approached Francis Almeda (Side Practice Coffee) with an idea for a musubi pop up at SPC. That idea eventually became Kanin which should be opening soon next door ...

en-us

87:30

137. Fatherhood, Dinner Parties, and Influencer...

I am Consciously Curious ·

2025/01/17

Amin returns to reflect on life and how his side hustle of operating “Chicago Food Guide” has grown over the last year. From adding on team team members to CFG, new collaborations with athletes, and providing new services like influencer marketing and food photography, Amin manages to balance his side hustle alongside being a full time ESL teacher for grades 9-12 and becoming a new dad. We reflected on fatherhood, creating dinner parties, and what could be next for Chicago Food Guide. Please ...

en-us

89:18

136. Carolyn's Krisps ft. Amie Kesler

I am Consciously Curious ·

2025/01/14

Our next guest has been creating cookie-cracker crisps that have been passed down from her grandmother, Carolyn. Amie was inspired to make these crisps after having a hard time finding snacks that fit her needs and had the taste she was looking for. These crisps are gluten free, vegan, and soy free. She has a variety of flavors from sweet to savory and is now even producing bark which is partially inspired by not wanting the broken crisps to go to waste. She reflects on her previous life as a...

en-us

98:46

135. The Girl Behind Ice Cream Girl Co. ft. Sarah...

I am Consciously Curious ·

2025/01/06

Our next guest makes our current favorite ice cream! Handmade and small batch pints with some of the most creative flavor combinations we’ve heard of. She shares some of her earliest memories with ice cream, journey through hospitality, and how she brought Ice Cream Girl Co to life. I appreciate her sense of adventure! We spent some time reflecting on some of her travels and how she navigated the pandemic while abroad. Please enjoy my conversation with Sarah Cochran.https://icecreamgirlco.com...

en-us

100:31

134. Empowering Generational Wealth. Activating...

I am Consciously Curious ·

2024/12/31

Our next guest is the Director of Partnerships and Communications at DishRoulette Kitchen. A nonprofit that provides financial assistance and entrepreneurship education to small businesses no matter where they are in their journey. Their most notable case study is the beloved Rubi’s tacos by the Ramirez family. The impact of creating a consistently profitable and sustainable business is far-reaching and DRK is empowering families to create generational wealth. Please enjoy my conversation wit...

en-us

75:38

133. Striving for the Perfect Loaf Knowing it Doesn’t...

I am Consciously Curious ·

2024/12/11

Our next guest is an indie baker who has generated quite the buzz around his bread and pastries. What started as an outlet in the pandemic has blossomed into a full time career. His journey is an example of being right where you need to be at that very moment as well as being ready when opportunity strikes. I deeply appreciate how he’s always stayed true to what he wants to do. Please enjoy my conversation with Daniel Koester.https://danthebakerchicago.comhttps://instagram.com/danthebakerchic...

en-us

172 results

Similar Podcasts

TaxTalent.com The Golden Rule Podcast

Adam Golden

TaxTalent.com Podcast

Tony Santiago

Handelsblatt Crime - spannende Streitfälle der deutschen Wirtschaft

Ina Karabasz, Solveig Gode, Sönke Iwersen

Deffner und Zschäpitz – Der Wirtschafts-Talk von WELT

WELT

Black Box - La scatola nera della finanza

Guido Brera e Gian Luca Comandini -...