Chicago Sun-Times columnist Mary A. Mitchell was born Mary A. Duncan on May 23, 1949, in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Mitchell’s mother, Carrie Williams Duncan, and father, Joseph Duncan, struggled to raise ten children in Chicago Public Housing’s Dearborn Homes and Clarence Darrow Homes. Mitchell, the eldest and a twin loved to read as she helped raise her siblings. Mitchell attended Einstein Elementary School and Wendell Phillips Upper Grade Center. At Dunbar Vocational High School, Mitchell joined a girls group called the Exquisite Ladies Club, which put emphasis on good grades, not having babies and service. Graduating from Dunbar in 1967, Mitchell was hired by Peoples Gas as a mailroom clerk. Starting at Wilson Junior College in 1968, Mitchell transferred to Chicago Teacher’s College (Chicago State University) that same year. 

Mitchell became the first African American legal secretary at a major Chicago law firm, Seyfarth Shaw, LLP; she eventually quit her job as a secretary after twenty years of service. Taking writing courses at Columbia College and encouraged by Carol Holtz and P.J. Bednarski, Mitchell landed a successful internship with the Chicago Sun-Times in 1990. Graduating with her B.A. degree in journalism from Columbia College in 1991, Mitchell was hired full time by the Chicago Sun-Times. Covering educational issues, Mitchell’s five part series on Chicago Vocational High School earned her an award from the National Association of Black Journalists. From 1993 to 1995, Mitchell covered City Hall reporting on Operation Silver Shovel. Since the start of her column in 1996, Mitchell, like Carl Rowan and Vernon Jarrett before her, has attracted a large and diverse readership. Mitchell also cultivated a substantial national following via the Internet, receiving an average of 900 e-mails per week from readers. 

Mitchell was the recipient of numerous journalism awards, including the Award of Excellence from the National Association of Black Journalists, the Studs Terkel Award from the Chicago Media Workshop, and the Peter Lisagor Award from the Chicago Headliner Club. Mitchell was a frequent guest panelist on television and radio programs; a president of the Chicago Association of Black Journalists; and a member of the Association of Women Journalists.

John is a M&A Advisor, strategy consultant and entrepreneur. He previously worked in strategic business development, marketing and management at several companies. Notable are his 15 years of selling businesses and his 11 years as Executive Leadership roles in multiple companies. He has consulted and successfully started businesses of his own and for clients. John’s success has been in developing exponential growth of the companies he works with.

Hilary Arnow Burns grew up in Westport, Connecticut. She graduated from the Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania and was a Division Vice President on Wall Street. She spent over 30 years as a business consultant to companies all over the world. Her best accomplishment is having raised two remarkable children.

12 years ago, a comment from her daughter woke Hilary up.  She realized she had been numbing herself with food and alcohol and decided to take a  REAL look at her life.  She didn’t like what she saw:  she was overweight, unhappy in her marriage, drowning in debt, and had no life of her own. 

She got real.  She was tired of feeling bad.  She discovered tools and techniques for getting over to the right side of life and spending less time on the sad, disempowered side. 

She wrote a memoir, the Second Piece of French Toast, to inspire other people to get unstuck and regain their power and happiness.  Her show The Getting Real with Hilary Show, is committed to people saying what isn't talked about, getting what's great about themselves, and inspiring others who may also be struggling.  It's about Ordinary Heroes telling Extraordinary Stories.  

Her second book, Real Talk:  How to Say the Things You've Never Said So You Can Have the Things You've Always Wanted is a bestseller and has inspired many people to "start talking."

Hilary’s commitment is to inspire people to create lives they love and to have us all elevate the conversation and consciousness of the planet together.  We are all on this planet as one community.  By discovering our personal gifts, we can all contribute to making the world a wonderful place to live.

Listen to all podcast episodes on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0WKao0g... 
Listen to all podcast episodes on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast... 
All The Episodes:  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtpX7GrEcbgGeLP69G2y0tzF_b2s7nHCX
Book: The Second Piece of French Toast: https://a.co/d/3YOoJFy 
Book: Real Talk: https://a.co/d/iZp1eM
 -------------------------------- 
Follow Hilary Burns at: 
Website: realtalkwithhilary.com
Facebook: facebook.com/hilaryarnowb... 
Twitter: twitter.com/ArnowHIlary 
Instagram: instagram.com/gettingreal... 
Youtube: youtube.com/gettingrealwithhilary

Rev. Jessica Hebert is known and regarded for her gentleness, delicate way with words, and humor.

Through intuitive and spiritual services, she provides support, tools, and resources to harmonize your sacred wholeness, instilling calm, clarity, and hope.

A core aspect of her work is training and empowering Light workers, shamans, and healers. She teaches a variety of classes and courses about the workings of the Universe, understanding our mystical experiences, 5th dimensional approaches to life’s challenges, and tapping into the healer within.

Soon she will also release her first book, A Guide for the Budding Shaman, in which she draws on her decade of wisdom as a shaman and interfaith minister, as well as her two decades as a practicing pagan. 

Speaking of Jessica’s shamanic experience … 

Jessica walks through life consistently connected with the Divine, and the physical dimensions of Earth. She strives to serve the Divine with balanced tolerance, generosity, charity, mercy, compassion, and an appreciation for humor. 

She sees the spiritual in all of life, from doing dishes to lighting prayer candles. 

Rev. Jessica didn’t grow up seeing dead people, like a lot of her contemporaries. But that didn’t stop her from trying!

She draws on two decades of pagan practice, and self-healing initiations. In the past 10+ years, she has trained and practiced in shamanism, Reiki, dream interpretation, interfaith ministry, and priestesshood.

Jessica serves clients all over the world, offering remote sessions, including:

Reiki healing

Intuitive phone readings

Remote energy clearings

Dream interpretation

Her virtual classes include a healer course and an “Explore Shamanism” course.

Jessica also offers rites of passage ceremonies, including:

Baptisms/wiccanings

Coming of age ceremonies

Custom weddings

End of life ceremonies

See her website at https://bluestargaia.com/services/ for more information.

Email: rev.jessica@bluestargaia.com

Website: https://BlueStarGaia.com

Newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/u8jffbrk

Link Tree: https://linktr.ee/bluestargaia

Facebook: www.facebook.com/bluestargaia

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blue.star.gaia

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/bluestargaia

Ko-Fi: https://www.ko-fi.com/bluestargaia

Insight Timer: http://insig.ht/bluestargaia

Product Link: https://www.ko-fi.com/bluestargaia/shop

Hadiya Ayodele, a 22-year-old recording artist, music producer, mental health advocate, CEO of Dollhouse Entertainment Media and Publishing, and versatile professional from Baltimore City, has carved her path as a freelance digital marketer, influencer, and content creator. With a passion for music and a flair for digital innovation, she seamlessly navigates the dynamic intersection of artistry and marketing in her day-to-day. A former student of Prairie View A&M University studying classical voice and political science, she further honed her expertise through Georgia Tech’s One Ten Blacks in Technology Scholarship Program with Udacity, earning a degree in digital marketing. This unique blend of education and talent positions her at the forefront of the dynamic music and digital landscape.

Brooke oversees the Prevention Education Team, working primarily with School Districts, Businesses, and Community Organizations. She attained her Bachelor's in Community Health from Texas A&M University and got certified as a Health Education Specialist (CHES) which forged the way for her passion with preventative efforts and initiatives. She believes prevention work is a hidden treasure because you never truly know who you’re talking to. It could be a survivor hearing people speak about something they don’t have the courage to share yet, a victim waiting to say something, or a trafficker being confronted with the truth. When it comes to prevention education, the sky is the limit!  Brooke was previously a Program Coordinator/Health Educator aiming to reduce teen and unplanned pregnancy on community college campuses with Healthy Futures of Texas and has trained at a National, State, and Local Level. 

Sarassa is currently serving as the Interim Executive Director. She has most recently served as the Director of Operations for Ransomed Life, overseeing the procedures and processes for staff, after-care programs, and more. She became passionate about the victims and survivors of human trafficking in college. She has served as a mentor with Ransomed Life for over 5 years and she desires to see the victims find a place of restoration and healing. Sarassa holds a Bachelor’s degree from Birmingham Southern College with a major in Psychology and minor in Religion.