This episode is a conversation with Kim Hannay, Founder and Executive Director of Digs With Dignity, a local Chicago nonprofit that collects furniture and home goods from the community and uses them to design and furnish homes for families exiting homelessness.

Digs with Dignity began in 2019 and have currently served 200 families. Prior to outfitting each family's home, Digs meets with the family to learn about their design tastes, as well as their must-haves and would-love-to-haves in their home. With that knowledge in hand, they create a home for the family that is personalized specifically to them. And having that comfortable, beautifully decorated, fully-equipped home makes all the difference in the world. 97% of the families Digs served remained housed! As a matter of fact, many have received promotions and achieved other personal goals that may not have been possible without the stability of their home.

Digs with Dignity is truly an extraordinary organization. Learn more about their mission in this podcast.

Reverie will be doing a Digs Day on Friday, October 18th. OUR GOAL IS TO RAISE $5000 to create a lovely, inviting and beautifully decorated home for a deserving family. Will you join us in our fundraising efforts by making a donation to our fundraising page: https://www.mightycause.com/story/Jduaof?

This episode is a conversation with Faith Hurley & Stacy Callighan, Co-Founders of PinPoint Collective, which is a women-owned, women-led strategic research studio that helps their clients truly understand the audience they serve. Faith and Stacy have been in business for 6 years, and over the course of that time, have learned that focusing on their niche, and not being everything to everybody, helped them to unpack their super power - bringing the voice of women to the executive board table. They are a purpose-driven company that believes people come before profit. And it is that purpose that drove them to build a company that is free from the pain points they experienced while working in their former companies. Their story is incredible.

This episode is a conversation with Eileen Yelovich, Founder & Holistic Lifestyle Consultant at the The Cumulative Effect Studio, which provides holistic solutions to stress management including breathwork classes, EFT Tapping, Sound Healing, and Reiki. Eileen has been in business for 17 years. In this episode, Eileen reveals that personally discovering breathwork and the profound impact it had on her life led her to opening the studio. She felt propelled, as she stated, to share this work with others. Overcoming her fear of public speaking as well as the expectation for perfection were lessons she overcame that initially held her back at the start of her entrepreneurial journey. Eliminating the self-doubt and recognizing that learning is growing helped her get to where she is today. Her story is a powerful one!

This episode is a conversation with Melissa Skweres, Founder & CEO of Cruxology Marketing, which is a branding and marketing strategy services company. Melissa has been in business for just under one year. In this episode, Melissa reveals what pushed her to begin her own business, how important it is to have a support system when beginning this journey, and the value of finding your community amongst other entrepreneurs. Her advice for anyone starting their business? Be patient and believe in yourself. His story is inspiring.

This episode is a conversation with Nora Napientek, Britnee Neidlinger, and Janice Christensen of nora fleming. The nora fleming collection, sold in independent retailers nationwide, pairs ceramic and melamine serving pieces/bases with unique, decorative pieces called“minis" that represent holidays, occasions, and themes. This month, they celebrate 20 years of being in business.

In this episode, you will learn how and why Nora started her business, the integral part her brother, Jon Neidlinger, played in the business, and the tragedy the company experienced. Britnee and Janice share their own personal stories of how they became involved in the business and how all three women have leaned into their unique strengths to fall naturally into their current roles. They each share what makes them most proud of nora fleming as well as their absolute favorite mini. The nora fleming story is filled with grace, an unrelenting spirit to never give up, and an unwavering commitment to building community. Their story is truly heartwarming.

This episode is a conversation with Mike Maddock, Founder of Flourish Advisory Boards, which is a turnkey virtual advisory board for company founders, CEOs and P&L owners. In addition, Mike is the founder of McGuffin Creative Group and Innovation Consultancy Maddock Douglas. He co-chairs the Gathering of Titans Entrepreneurial Conclave at MIT, is the past Chicago Chapter president of Entrepreneurs’ Organization and Young Presidents’ Organization, and the author of 4 bestselling books.

In this episode, Mike shares why it is so important for business leaders to surround themselves with people who see challenges and solve problems through a different lens. Through years of experience and navigating the hiccups of business ownership, Mike has learned that the best leaders are those that lean heavily into people who know how to do things better than they could themselves. These leaders surround themselves with their advisors, friends, and board members - all who can offer a different approach to solving problems and creating innovation. His story is fascinating.

This episode is a conversation with TJ Rubin, President and Founder of Fulton Grace Realty, a full-service real estate brokerage and property management company.

TJ has been in business for 14 years. In this episode, TJ reveals that one of Fulton Grace's core values is, "We Make It Happen," which is truly the backbone of who Fulton Grace is and a key driver behind the company's success. As a father of 3, TJ compares business ownership to raising a child. A business, like a child, needs constant support and guidance - with the goal of having it grow up to be independent and successful. TJ's advice to future entrepreneurs - go all in and appreciate the challenges. They will make you stronger. His story is both gritty and pretty.

This episode in our podcast series, Finding Reverie: An Entrepreneur's Journey, is a conversation with Nick Miller, co-owner and President of Lightscape Inc., an outdoor lighting company that creates artistically designed outdoor spaces.

Nick began his career with Lightscape in 2006 as a lighting designer. In 2020, one of the original owners of Lightscape retired and Nick purchased his portion of the business. Nick shares what transitioning from an employee to an owner looked like for him and how he navigated new ownership during a world-wide pandemic. Nick's one piece of advice for new business owners is to build a good team and give them the room to excel. His entrepreneurial journey is fascinating.