Happy #FeatureFriday #ladybosses! Alicia is originally from the east coast and has been in Chicago about 6 years. She came here (from North Carolina) to find a more creatively thriving community. Alicia tries to create feminist performance spaces where people can be entertained but also asked to question conventional wisdom around women, sex and gender. She is committed to raising awareness of feminism and women’s issues through humor, candid observation and being really smar

Happy #FeatureFriday #ladybosses! Kara was born and raised in Northwest Indiana for the last 33 years and counting. Growing up, she had always stayed active and involved in sports. But once she got married and had two children, Kara felt like she was struggling with her self image and happiness. She went through a divorce and as a single mom with two children and three jobs, she felt she needed a change. Her friend, Jeremy Bowen, introduced her to AdvoCare, and in the first 2

Happy #FeatureFriday #ladybosses! Joy's story is one I think a lot of us can relate to and is proof that making a choice to follow your interests and passions can change the trajectory your life. Joy shared that she's come a long way to get to this wonderful point in life. She started as an optimistic 17 year old with huge goals and high expectations of her life and future. Fast forward 10 years and she found herself as a mother of two girls, in an abusive relationship, in a

Happy #FeatureFriday #ladybosses! Anna graduated from Truman State University with a degree in Studio Art and a minor in Art History. And while she's originally from St. Louis, she's lived in #Chicago for over a year and considers it home. Anna's art of choice is abstract acrylic paintings and they are AMAZING. It was so fascinating to talk with Anna because she captured exactly what it's like to be an artist. When I asked her what inspired her become a painter, she shared, "

Happy #FeatureFriday ladybosses! #LocalLadyboss to be featured today is Casey Hartnett, the creator of the web series Unplugged. Casey is a #Chicago native currently living in #NewYork Unplugged is a new comedy series that is all about women! The series will touch on everything from periods, to sexual education in schools, gender expectations, sexual harassment on college campuses, and women in the workplace. The people in charge of this series are all women. The produce

Happy #FeatureFriday #ladybosses! Our #LocalLadyboss being featured today is Ellegra Davis, nail artist and co-owner of Jewels A Nail Box, an artistic nail design salon! #ladybosses - get ready for your new obsession. Ellegra is INSANELY talented. Ellegra told us her love for nails started when she was a kid and she remembers mixing nail polishes to create custom colors. Her nail art obsession stepped up in high school when she was in boarding school. Ellegra and her roommate

Happy #FeatureFriday #ladybosses! Katie is a 25-year-old transgender woman who has been transitioning from male to female for almost a year now (10 months). She is a self-proclaimed "tremendous geek", who loves to talk all things gaming, movies, and pop culture. Katie used to write professionally about video games and is currently attending college at Columbia College Chicago , and streams video games on twitch.tv a couple days a week. Katie has always been passionate about e

Happy #FeatureFriday #ladybosses! #localladyboss featured today is Sommer Austin, co-founder and owner of Green Shirt Studio! Sommer is a certified instructor of the Meisner Approach to Acting and has made her mark in the improv/comedy, theatre and production worlds. Austin received her Bachelor’s in Theatre Arts from the University of Iowa and has a Master’s of Fine Arts degree in Acting from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Austin has worked with theatre luminaries incl

Happy #FeatureFriday #ladybosses! Our second #localladyboss being featured today is Erin Diehl, owner of improve it! Erin started improve it! after her decade plus of corporate experience in casting, experiential marketing and recruiting, led her to believe that improv could be a useful tool to any company’s culture. In 2012, she created a workshop to explore the impact of using improv techniques in business and presented it to teams at United Airlines. The workshop was a suc

Happy #FeatureFriday #ladybosses! Dinah opened Spinning J Bakery & Soda Fountain with her husband, Parker Whiteway, in July 2015. Prior to that, Dinah had owned a business called Cheap Tart Bakery for 4 years, a pie and pastry delivery service that operated out of a commissary kitchen. Grossman, a pastry chef, had worked in restaurants in Maine, Massachusetts, and Alaska before moving to #Chicago in 2008. In Spinning J's first year of business Grossman and Whiteway grew the b