All Topics in Chicago

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  • The Missing Link in Manufacturing Performance: Connecting Behaviors to Daily Processes

    John Casey, Founder and President, Shamrock Consultants

    TOPIC CATEGORY: Business

    Most plants have binders full of processes, charts, and operating systems yet daily execution still varies wildly. The problem isn’t the process; it’s the behavior gap between what leaders expect and what teams actually do. In this session, John explains why even the best systems fall apart without the right leadership habits behind them. Audiences learn how clarity, confirmation, and follow through turn processes into predictable routines, and how small shifts in leadership behavior can dramatically improve safety, quality, and reliability. It’s a practical, eye opening look at the human side of operational excellence.
    MORE >

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  • Breaking the Cycle of Reactive Manufacturing: From Whack a Mole to Real Leadership

    John Casey, Founder and President, Shamrock Consultants

    TOPIC CATEGORY: Business

    Manufacturing leaders know the feeling: fix one problem and two more pop up. It’s exhausting, expensive, and strangely familiar. This talk explores why so many plants fall into “Whack a Mole Leadership,” where quick fixes replace real solutions and teams spend more time reacting than improving. MORE >

    Through relatable stories from the plant floor, John shows how small leadership habits can unintentionally create chaos and how a shift toward clarity, planning, and discipline can break the cycle. Audiences walk away with a fresh perspective on why problems keep resurfacing and what leaders can do to finally get ahead of them.
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  • The Power Look: Dress Better. Earn More.

    Sarene Alsharif, LDN, MPH, CEO and Co-Founder, Tad More Tailoring & Alterations

    TOPIC CATEGORY: Self-Improvement

    Research consistently shows that the way we present ourselves influences confidence, credibility, hiring decisions, promotions, and earning potential. Drawing from years of experience helping thousands of professionals transform their wardrobes, Certified B Corporation CEO Sarene Alsharif explores the science behind first impressions and explains how intentional style can become a strategic business advantage. Participants leave with practical tools for building a wardrobe that supports their career goals without unnecessary spending. MORE >

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  • How to Save the World from Your Closet

    Sarene Alsharif, LDN, MPH, CEO and Co-Founder, Tad More Tailoring & Alterations

    TOPIC CATEGORY: Climate

    The fashion industry is one of the world's largest polluters—but the solution may already be hanging in your closet. In this engaging TEDx-inspired presentation, Certified B Corporation CEO Sarene Alsharif reveals how repairing, tailoring, and rethinking the clothes we already own can reduce waste, save money, support local jobs, and create a more sustainable future. Audiences leave with practical actions they can take immediately while discovering how small individual decisions can create significant environmental and economic impact. MORE >

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  • Read the Room: Frameworks for Multigenerational Communication

    Gabby Rosely, Consultant, Gabby Rosely LLC

    TOPIC CATEGORY: Business

    The US workforce is the most age-diverse it's ever been, with Gen Z now outnumbering Boomers for the first time. Yet most teams are still struggling with the same old generational friction.
    I'm gonna be real with you: generational cohorts are just the starting point. MORE >

    You're not actually going to walk around asking coworkers their age so you can put them in a box. That would be weird. If you know someone’s age but still make assumptions about them, the point is totally missed.

    The POINT is: learning about how worldviews & values are shaped, how to ask the right questions, read the room, and connect with people who think completely differently than you do. This keynote / workshop gives you the tools to do that - with your team, with strangers, with prospective clients - so you stop second-guessing yourself and start building actual trust.

    “Staying in Your Own Lane DOESN’T work in Business” moves beyond tired stereotypes to unlock what actually motivates Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z.

    What You'll Experience:
    - Understand the real values and communication preferences driving each generation
    - Interactive exercises that build empathy and reveal hidden strengths
    - Practice the conversations you've been avoiding, like, giving feedback, addressing conflict, motivating people who seem checked out
    - Leave with a personalized strategy to connect authentically with every team member

    The real result? You stop tiptoeing. Your team stops living on islands. You build the kind of trust that makes people actually want to work together. Generational differences become your greatest advantage.

    Why me? I'm a Gen Z leader who managed teams across all four major generations at age 21. I also totally face-planted at first, thinking I could "stay in my lane," do things my way, and it'd all work out. Spoiler: it didn't. I had to learn this stuff the hard way, in the face of everyone doubting me because of my age. (Trained by Gallup-certified Strength Advisors & MetaPerformance Institute, but honestly, the real credential is that I've lived both sides.).

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  • The Culture Shift Starts Within: Tackling the Hidden Barriers to Collaboration

    Anthony Bolden and Charles Cammack, Co-founders, BridgeWork LLC

    TOPIC CATEGORY: Business

    Dr. Shirzad Chamine’s groundbreaking research introduces the concept of “Saboteurs”—internal voices that once helped us navigate real and perceived threats in childhood. While these mental patterns originally served as protection, they often persist into adulthood, operating as unseen forces that shape how we think, feel, and respond. MORE >

    Over time, these Saboteurs become embedded in our neural pathways, creating automatic reactions that can “hijack” our behavior in moments of stress or challenge.

    In this session, your team will learn to recognize and understand these patterns, identify their own Saboteurs, and develop practical strategies to build greater self-awareness. The goal is simple but powerful: to help individuals show up as assets rather than obstacles to their teams and the broader mission.

    By equipping your people with this insight, your organization takes a meaningful step toward becoming more people-centered—grounded in self-awareness, stronger collaboration, and more intentional impact.

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  • Master Networking for your business

    Dan Gelfond, Former Steven Spielberg Project Interviewers, Personal History Interviews

    TOPIC CATEGORY: Business

    Join Dan Gelfond, a master networker with 28+ years of experience building his business almost entirely through networking. As moderator of the Northbrook Chamber’s “First Friday” networking meeting for the past 25 years (averaging 110 attendees monthly), Dan brings proven, practical strategies you can use immediately.
    What you’ll learn:
    Clear, actionable do’s — and even more important don’ts — for effective networking
    How to craft and perfect a compelling elevator pitch MORE >

    Practical tips to maximize your ROI from every networking opportunity
    Format:
    Fun, interactive seminar tailored for companies or organizations with sales staffs.
    Hands-on exercises, real-world examples, and time for Q&A.

    For companies with sales staff in multiple locations, seminar can be conducted via Zoom.

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  • When Authoritarianism Stops Being Abstract: Trump’s Presidency and the New Resistance to Strongman Politics

    Ed Spire, Co-lead, Restore our Democracy Project, NWSOFA-Indivisible

    TOPIC CATEGORY: Educational

    For years, warnings about democratic erosion could feel abstract. Under Donald Trump, authoritarian tactics — attacks on institutions, personal rule through decree, aggressive tariff wars, and now the extreme deployment of military force — have become concrete. That concreteness is frightening many citizens, elites, and institutions into action, both in the US and in Europe. Come learn how this is happening, and how you can help make it happen faster. MORE >

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  • Medicare Advantage vs. Medicare Supplement?

    Thomas Perrucci, Medicare Benefits Advisor, Premier Medicare Benefits

    TOPIC CATEGORY: Health & Fitness

    If you're on Medicare and seeking additional coverage beyond what Medicare offers, you may be considering whether to opt for a Medicare Advantage plan or a Medicare Supplement plan. Understanding the differences between these two options, their costs, and which one may be better suited for your needs can be overwhelming. Premier Medicare Benefits, led by Tom Perrucci, is here to assist you in comparing these two plans, comprehending how they function, identifying their distinctions, and ultimately guiding you to select the most suitable plan based on your needs, risk personality and budget.
    Tom Perrucci is a seasoned professional in the health insurance industry, specializing in helping clients navigate the complexities of Medicare. With a focus on building trust and prioritizing client needs, Tom goes above and beyond to ensure his clients receive the best possible Medicare options tailored to their specific requirements, financial situation, and eligibility criteria. By treating his clients with the same care and dedication as he would his own parents, Tom guarantees a personalized and reliable service that puts client well-being first.
    Tom, a 37+ year resident of the NW Suburbs, is a dedicated business owner, husband, father, and grandfather. Tom and his wife Jackie are seniors and have had personal experiences with a variety of different plans, so Tom can also provide a unique consumer perspective; something which is usually hard to find among agents.
    Apart from helping seniors with insurance needs, Tom also doubles as the Chicago Wedding Guy, providing heartfelt wedding officiant services on weekends. MORE >

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  • Medicare 101

    Thomas Perrucci, Medicare Benefits Advisor, Premier Medicare Benefits

    TOPIC CATEGORY: Health & Fitness

    Tom Perrucci is a seasoned professional in the health insurance industry, specializing in helping clients navigate the complexities of Medicare. With a focus on building trust and prioritizing client needs, Tom goes above and beyond to ensure his clients receive the best possible Medicare options tailored to their specific requirements, financial situation, and eligibility criteria. By treating his clients with the same care and dedication as he would his own parents, Tom guarantees a personalized and reliable service that puts client well-being first.
    Tom, a 37+ year resident of the NW Suburbs, is a dedicated business owner, husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather. Tom and his wife Jackie are seniors and have had personal experiences with a variety of different plans, so Tom can also provide a unique consumer perspective; something which is usually hard to find among agents.
    Apart from helping seniors with insurance needs, Tom also doubles as the Chicago Wedding Guy, providing heartfelt wedding officiant services on weekends. MORE >

    Request This Free Speech