Itzel Lopez is a strategic community leader and collaborator with the ability to forge strong and authentic relationships with philanthropy, industry, nonprofits, government, and other key community stakeholders. Itzel is a seasoned fundraiser and offers a strong track record in leading community development projects. Most recently organized and led the Latino Economic Development Council (LEDC) effort to secure over $ 25 million dollars for South Omaha projects that will drive community growth ...
Jun 12, 2023•57 min•Season 4Ep. 8
Marcos Eduardo Marcos Barrientos, a third generation Mexican American, was born in Los Angeles, CA and raised in South Omaha, NE. He comes from one of the largest Mexican American families in Omaha—la familia Barrientos which has contributed to the Omaha music scene for 96 years! Marcos is a graduate of the Goodrich Program at the University of Nebraska at Omaha with a Bachelor’s Degree in Spanish and a minor in Chicano Latino Studies. As a pillar in the Latino community, Marcos has become one o...
May 05, 2023•41 min•Season 4Ep. 7
Welcome to Education with an Edge! Today, we have the honor of interviewing the inspiring Yuridia Igbokwe. Yuridia is a Mexican-born immigrant rights activist and entrepreneur who champions women in leadership, works with immigrants worldwide, and tirelessly advocates for social justice. With over 20 years of experience, she's trained legal professionals and developed case strategies to protect immigrant rights. Yuridia has founded the "Legal Conversations Show" and "Top Law Connect," providing ...
May 05, 2023•51 min•Season 4Ep. 6
When Shannon Bingham moved to Omaha after graduating from Lenox, Iowa, she began to envision and pursue a life with purpose. In 2004, at the young age of 26, she opened nationally recognized Seven Salon with her business partner Nikki, which has been in business 20 years with a staff of 30. The salon was quickly awarded Salon Today magazine’s Top 200 Fastest Growing Salons in the United States. In addition to being a business owner and hairstylist, Shannon has been a traveling haircutting educat...
Feb 24, 2023•20 min•Season 4Ep. 5
As an Omaha native, Dan has embraced his passions, from finance, to sales/marketing and recruiting. However, he found his place within DEI/ERGs. As a Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion professional, ERG Strategist, and aspiring ally. Dan is well-known for his work in Omaha and for being a nationally-recognized DEI Consultant. Also, he recently joined Scoular as their new DEI manager, and he is excited to uplift their DEI footprint and maximize their efforts moving forward. From cultivating an im...
Nov 23, 2022•45 min•Season 4Ep. 4
Marisa Hattab is passionate about mentorship, survivorship, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. She serves as the Douglas County Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer. She is intentional about ensuring all people are treated with dignity, respect, and acceptance and are not merely tolerated but fully embraced. She believes mentorship can open doors of opportunities to help young and older adults thrive and succeed. As a survivor of domestic violence, she uses her DEI and mentorship lens to help...
Nov 04, 2022•40 min•Season 4Ep. 3
Kristen DuPree is a candidate for the at-large seat on the Metro Community College Board of Governors. She is running because she believes that we all benefit when our community has access to high-quality and affordable higher education options. Kristen grew up in Omaha and attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, earning a degree in Actuarial Science. Since graduation, she has worked in the insurance industry and became a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries in 2014. Kristen believes Educatio...
Oct 15, 2022•33 min•Season 4Ep. 2
Chef Sarah Slattery was born and raised in Nebraska's Legislative District Sarah knows the community and its needs because she has been here her whole life. Sarah is the middle child of three kids. Her father, Mike, is the elected public defender for Cass County and is on the Board of Directors of the Cass County Economic Development Council. Her mother, Barb, is a former elementary school teacher and college instructor. She is currently on the Board of Directors for Midlands Community Foundatio...
Oct 01, 2022•44 min•Season 4Ep. 1
Sarah Phelps is the Executive Director of Owlish, a non-profit advocating for older LGBTQ+ adults through Education, policy, and resource development. Her passion for global equity, coupled with her lifelong advocacy for the LGBTQIA2S+ community, led her to Owlish when its rapid growth necessitated a formal Executive Director. Sarah has 20+ years of non-profit and volunteer experience, as well as award-winning professional expertise, building development programs, driving innovative thought, and...
Sep 15, 2022•48 min•Season 3Ep. 12
Publisher/CEO: Midlands Business Journal & metroMAGAZINE | Speaker | Wellness Warrior As a multimedia publisher, Hoig still—as she puts it—wears a lot of hats. In addition to managing the business side of things, she determines and creates content. The most enjoyable aspects of her work, Hoig said, are developing relationships and cultivating special projects. “It’s relationship-building and connecting to the community and nonprofits and helping them get their message out to the community,” ...
Sep 15, 2022•43 min•Season 3Ep. 11
"I was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska, and have struggled with being obese since 10 yrs old. I didn't realize I had a problem with food until I got to middle school. I spent 30 yrs losing weight and putting it back on. As a mother of 6, you can imagine how the lbs added up over the years. I took it to Jesus and got wisdom. I didn't wake up until my husband left my six kids and me. I knew I had to get healthy and start looking out for myself at that moment. My brother, my oldest son, and I ar...
Sep 01, 2022•46 min•Season 3Ep. 10
Lee Perez is a 5th-8th grade English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher at Alice Buffett Magnet Middle School in Omaha, Nebraska. Perez holds an Associate of Arts degree from Mid-Plains Community College and a Bachelors of Science Degree in Secondary Education from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. He holds two teaching endorsements: grades 7-12 Social Sciences and PK-12 ESL. Perez has taught for 15 years in the very diverse urban Omaha Public Schools district. He started his career at Marrs ...
Sep 01, 2022•31 min•Season 3Ep. 9
Maria Corpuz has been exploring ways to utilize the power of collaborative conversation to improve her community. Her work spans multiple platforms in efforts such as grassroots journalism, GOTV campaigns, tour management, and branded merchandise. Working to redefine an “influencer” as someone who influences change, she has found her passion in fostering a relationship between art, social movements, and the Omaha community. In 2018, she founded Nite Caps, a late-night show that impacts the commu...
Aug 15, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Season 3Ep. 7
Dr. Marquisha Frost is an ambitious and creative woman, wife, and mother. She is originally from Omaha, Nebraska, though currently resides in middle Georgia where she serves as a higher education professional, professor, and certified life coach and wellness counselor. Marquisha received her undergraduate and first master’s degree from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and thereafter relocated to Southern California to pursue and complete her doctoral degree in Educational Administration. Afte...
Aug 15, 2022•43 min•Season 3Ep. 8
After serving 30 years in the military working as an RN in the medical field, I was forced to make life and death decisions daily. I witnessed trauma- mentally and physically, collaborating with patients with severe medical injuries, accidents, and suicide attempts,-with some people losing their lives. I have learned to suppress my emotions with an ‘invisible Shield of Armor’ which enabled me to prevent patients from seeing my emotions. I lived by an unspoken rule of silence, not showing weaknes...
Aug 01, 2022•21 min•Season 3Ep. 6
Kail Walker is an Omaha native growing up in Bellevue. He attended Midland University on an academic and football scholarship and majored in Human Health Performance. After graduating, he was in the health and fitness industry before discovering his love and passion for real estate. After a few years of helping people with their physical health, it was time to move in another direction, and real estate was calling his name. While getting into real estate, he also created riseOMA, a networking ev...
Aug 01, 2022•30 min•Season 3Ep. 5
Biography: Ken was raised in the trucking industry. His father, grandfather, and great-grandfather were all truck drivers. He joined the team at Custom Diesel Drivers Training, Inc. in 2013. He currently serves as CDDT's Vice President, an instructor, and a 3rd Party Examiner. "What I enjoy the most about what we get done as a team has the opportunity to work with individuals and instill a skill that will change their lives forever. That said, it also allows employers to grow their services to t...
Jul 31, 2022•45 min•Season 3Ep. 4
Entrepreneur, author, speaker, coach, dynamic connector, life-long learner, passionate about empowering people to live courageously, developing distinctive cultures and teams. I will always strive to make courageous decisions to "Be the Light" in my own life and the lives of others. In over 25 years of experience in launching and running businesses, record-breaking sales, leading highly successful teams, and developing phenomenal cultures, she has learned it all starts with leading yourself well...
Jul 01, 2022•28 min•Season 3Ep. 2
Dr. Beth Merkel is a People Leader and a Potential Maximizer. Beth is fascinated with the human experience – What motivates us? What connects us? What differentiates us? And how does this all come together in the intricate system we call "The Workplace". She's a leadership professor who believes that Love and Compassion play as much (actually, more) of a role in leadership as do spreadsheets and process analyses. Beth spent many years as a successful entrepreneur and Training and Development con...
Jul 01, 2022•51 min•Season 3Ep. 3
Deborah Neary has devoted her personal and professional life to the betterment of vulnerable populations across our community. Deborah spent the last 20 years working as the Executive Director of several education-focused nonprofits. Based on her experiences, Deborah, a former foster parent to eight youth, decided she wanted to make an even larger impact across our state as a policymaker, and ran for and was elected to the Nebraska State Board of Education (SBoE) for District 8. In her role with...
Jun 01, 2022•34 min•Season 3Ep. 1
Michael Young is a Father, Community Focused Advocate, and Candidate for Legislative District 18. He founded his consulting company, Technology Consulting Solutions in 2008 and opened Rooted Synergy Art Gallery in 2021. Michael continues to grow as a highly motivated, entrepreneurial technology professional with extensive experience as a customer-focused leader. With a focus on business analytics and process improvement, he has developed an outstanding ability to translate business needs into te...
May 09, 2022•32 min•Season 2Ep. 11
Yurida C. Igbokwe has served as the immigration subject matter expert over the past 20 years. From training paralegals and staff on preparing and finalizing immigration forms such as visa petitions, I-485, N-400, I-765, Consular processing, removal proceedings, asylum cases, employment-based visas, family-based petitions, and EB-5 investors visas. She has developed case strategies utilizing extensive knowledge and expertise, providing systems integration to increase efficiency and structure for ...
May 02, 2022•43 min•Season 2Ep. 10
Ms. Spencer earned an Administration of Justice degree from the Thomas F. Freeman Honors College of Texas Southern University in Houston, Texas. She continued her collegiate studies at the University of Salamanca in Salamanca, earning a second bachelor's in Spanish. After that, she completed professional studies at Washburn and received a Legal Studies degree with civil rights and criminal justice certificates. Mynesha is the Founder, CEO, and Chief Diversity Officer at All of Us, Together Co., ...
Apr 15, 2022•22 min•Season 2Ep. 9
Morgan Elizabeth Taylor is a 12-year-old rising 8th grader at C.M. Eppes Middle School in Greenville, NC. She co-wrote Daddy’s Little Princess with her dad G.Todd Taylor because she wanted other little girls to believe that they can be Princesses regardless of race. Morgan is an avid reader and loves all things artsy. She also loves to ride horses and plays piano, oboe, and saxophone. Morgan isn’t quite sure what she wants to be when she grows up, but she knows she wants to do something to help ...
Apr 01, 2022•19 min•Season 2Ep. 8
Tammy Shuff, the 46-year-old wife to Chad and mother of Logan, Leighton, and Landon, will be competing for the Mrs. Nebraska title on April 2nd, 2022. She is a strong advocate for victims of human sex trafficking through her partnership with Rejuvenating Women, a safe house for rescued victims. She is also honored to be on the cover of Naturalmag Fall 2021 edition & will also be featured in Omaha Magazine Spring 2022 edition for her achievements in bodybuilding. See Privacy Policy at https:/...
Mar 15, 2022•18 min•Season 2Ep. 7
Dr. Patricia Newman is a Clinical Child Psychologist and the Founder and Executive Director of RESPECT. She also holds graduate degrees in Educational Psychology and Special Education. Dr. Newman is in private practice with Family Enrichment, Inc. and works as a Medical Consultant for the Nebraska Department of Disability Determinations. She is the recipient of several professional and community awards, including the Y/WCA Tribute to Women Award for her work in the areas of Human Service and Com...
Mar 01, 2022•43 min•Season 2Ep. 6
Nicole Ryan is a native of Omaha, NE. She is the owner and founder of LAANA Financial which is a debt elimination and credit building firm. She is a chairwoman of the Economic Development Committee and a part of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women of the Greater Omaha Chapter. Nicole believes that unfortunately sometimes "bad things happen to good people", but her favorite quote is that "Poverty is a mindset that only wisdom can eradicate." Nicole is a bright light in the financial industr...
Feb 15, 2022•33 min•Season 2Ep. 5
James Manske became an entrepreneur at the age of ten. At 15, he launched a well-known lawn and landscape company with seven divisions. With more than 18 years in the customer service industry, James has additionally built multiple successful businesses in the Omaha metropolitan area, including a real estate investment company and an innovative construction equipment manufacturing company. He is also a licensed real estate broker. James shares his successful process of thinking horizontally in h...
Feb 01, 2022•24 min•Season 2Ep. 4
Melissa Roth, M.A. is a Credentialing Manager for Aureus Medical Group. She leads the amazing teams that ensure medical professionals have the proper work history, education, credentials, and a clear background prior to being allowed to work in facilities across the Country. Currently, she is representing her community through participation in the Mrs. Nebraska Pageant. Melissa’s platform focus for 2021-2022 is PMDD (Premenstrual dysphoric disorder) awareness and educating women on tracking thei...
Jan 15, 2022•36 min•Season 2Ep. 3
Lee Perez is a 5th-8th grade English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher at Alice Buffett Magnet Middle School in Omaha, Nebraska. Perez holds an Associate of Arts degree from Mid-Plains Community College and a Bachelors of Science Degree in Secondary Education from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. He holds two teaching endorsements: grades 7-12 Social Sciences and PK-12 ESL. Perez has taught for 15 years in the very diverse urban Omaha Public Schools district. He started his career at Marrs ...
Jan 01, 2022•40 min•Season 2Ep. 2
