In this After the Show conversation, Dan Gibbons, CEO of the City Club of Chicago, pulls back the curtain on the mentors, moments, and memories that shaped his leadership journey.

From his time with legendary chairman Andy McKenna to building a table that welcomes activists, students, and prime ministers alike, Dan shares why mentorship matters more than ever. This intimate chat with Laurette Rondenet covers everything from the art of gathering to Chicago’s deep civic roots, and even favorite pizza spots, monuments, and firefighter family legacies.

💡 In this episode, you’ll discover:

•How legendary mentor Andy McKenna changed Dan’s life

•Why “being in the room” is the secret to growth and opportunity

•What makes Chicago the best walkable city for gathering and connection

•Why creating inclusive spaces can redefine civic leadership

•How City Club is elevating the next generation through access and intention

•Stories of resilience from Dan’s firefighter family history and civic service

This is a heartfelt reminder that your legacy is built not just on what you do—but who you bring along for the journey.

👉 Watch Dan’s full episode of Owning Your Legacy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVPipy-js5U&t=373s

👉 Visit https://www.cityclub-chicago.org or follow them on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/cityclubchicago/ to learn more and get involved.

🔗 Connect with Dan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-gibbons-9aa2497/

🌐 Learn more about Laurette Rondenet and Owning Your Legacy: https://www.lauretterondenet.com

🛎️ Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe to support meaningful conversations like this one.

🎙️ You can also listen to this episode on your favorite podcasting platform by searching Owning Your Legacy.

Video & Photo credits to:

@rishi.productions

@gosiasimprint

If you enjoyed the episode please share it with others, and rate, review, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. To learn more about me and how I am Owning My Legacy, you can find me on Instagram @LauretteRondenet and online at lauretterondenet.com.

What happens when you align your values with your actions? Elysabeth Alfano, CEO of VegTech Invest and host of the Plantbased Business Hour, joins Laurette Rondenet on Owning Your Legacy to share how her journey from Kellogg and PBS to launching a climate-focused ETF on the New York Stock Exchange is transforming the food industry, climate action, and impact investing.

Elysabeth explains why food systems innovation is key to addressing climate change, healthcare costs, and global security—and how investing in plant-based foods, regenerative agriculture, and alternative proteins can create a healthier planet and financial returns. She shares the power of using your dollars to drive sustainable investing while living a joyful, purpose-driven life.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

✅ Why aligning your values with your daily choices matters

✅ How the food industry impacts methane, water, land use, and your health

✅ What a plant-based, climate-aligned ETF is and how it works

✅ The joy and power of building a purpose-driven career at any age

✅ How to find your voice and act on your purpose to leave a lasting legacy

✅ The role of investing in reducing deforestation, factory farming, and emissions

✅ Why collaboration and AI-driven transparency will shape the future of food

✅ Stories of entrepreneurship, resilience, and shifting your path for greater impact

Whether you’re interested in plant-based investing, sustainable business, ESG investing, climate solutions, or transforming the food system, this conversation will inspire you to take action and rethink what’s possible in your own journey.

👉 Follow Elysabeth Alfano’s Plantbased Business Hour Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ElysabethAlfano1

👉 Follow Elysabeth Alfano on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elysabeth-alfano-8b370b7/

🌐 Learn more about Laurette Rondenet and Owning Your Legacy: https://www.lauretterondenet.com

🎧 Listen to Owning Your Legacy on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite platform.

📲 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe to support meaningful conversations that help you build your legacy.

Video & Photo credits to:

@rishi.productions

@gosiasimprint

🎯 Keywords:

# shorts #OYL #ElysabethAlfano #PlantBasedInvesting #SustainableInvesting #ClimateAction #FoodInnovation #ImpactInvesting #PurposeDrivenLife #LauretteRondenet #OwningYourLegacy

If you enjoyed the episode please share it with others, and rate, review, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. To learn more about me and how I am Owning My Legacy, you can find me on Instagram @LauretteRondenet and online at lauretterondenet.com.

Eric Larson, Founder and Managing Partner of Tilia Holdings, joins Laurette Rondenet on Owning Your Legacy to explore how food systems innovation, sustainable investing, and industry collaboration can drive measurable change for human health, climate action, and business growth. With decades of experience in private equity and a deep commitment to sustainability, Eric shares how aligning food, health, and environmental stewardship can create powerful ripple effects across the global economy.

In this episode, Eric details how his “Three Ps” philosophy—public health, personal health, and planetary health—guides Tilia’s investments in the food supply chain, positioning the firm as a leader in the “to” of farm-to-table. From launching the Tilia Innovation Collaboratory to driving ESG accountability within portfolio companies, Eric explains how collaboration and practical idealism can transform the food industry while delivering financial returns and leaving a lasting legacy.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

✅ Why food is the single strongest lever for human and planetary health

✅ How Tilia invests in the “to” of farm-to-table

✅ The role of collaboration in transforming food systems

✅ How data and strategy build successful portfolio companies

✅ Insights on sustainability, food safety, and nutrition in the supply chain

✅ The power of practical idealism in business leadership

✅ How morning rituals and lifelong curiosity fuel legacy building

✅ Why food industry innovation matters for future generations

Whether you care about sustainable investing, food innovation, ESG, or building your legacy through industry transformation, this conversation will inspire you to see food as a tool for systemic change.

👉 Learn more about Tilia Holdings: https://tiliallc.com

🔗 Connect with Eric Larson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-larson-38595b3/

🌐 Learn more about Laurette Rondenet and Owning Your Legacy: https://www.lauretterondenet.com

If you enjoyed the episode please share it with others, and rate, review, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. To learn more about me and how I am Owning My Legacy, you can find me on Instagram @LauretteRondenet and online at lauretterondenet.com.

Natalie Shmulik transformed her passion for food into a mission-driven career helping hundreds of founders grow their food and beverage businesses. In this episode of Owning Your Legacy, Natalie takes us behind the scenes of The Hatchery—Chicago’s premier food incubator—and shares her journey from running a franchise restaurant in Canada to building one of the nation’s most impactful entrepreneurial ecosystems.

You’ll hear how she created programs that not only support product innovation but also champion founder mental health, community development, and legacy-building. From navigating burnout to redesigning what it means to lead with heart, Natalie is the kind of change-maker who makes you want to roll up your sleeves and build something real.

🎙 In this episode:

✅ How Natalie’s restaurant experience led her to build a national food incubator

✅ Why founder burnout is real—and how to protect your energy as you scale

✅ The difference between managing and leading (and why it matters)

✅ Building equity in underserved communities through food entrepreneurship

✅ What big food brands are learning from local startups

👉 Learn more about The Hatchery: https://www.thehatcherychicago.org

🔗 Connect with Natalie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalie-shmulik-1432313b/

🌐 Discover more from Laurette Rondenet and Owning Your Legacy: https://www.lauretterondenet.com

If you enjoyed the episode please share it with others, and rate, review, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. To learn more about me and how I am Owning My Legacy, you can find me on Instagram @LauretteRondenet and online at lauretterondenet.com.

Margaret Mueller, CEO of The Executives’ Club of Chicago, turned a 110-year-old institution into a modern hub for business leadership. In this episode of Owning Your Legacy, Margaret shares her unlikely journey from first-generation college student to founder, strategist, and now a transformational civic leader helping shape Chicago’s executive future.

Her story is packed with insight—for women navigating leadership, for founders facing reinvention, and for anyone wondering if they’re “qualified enough” to lead big change. From scaling startups to modernizing The Executives’ Club of Chicago through a pandemic, Margaret shows what’s possible when you trust your vision and build with purpose.

🎙 In this episode:

✅ How Margaret went from Ph.D. to CEO of a major civic institution

✅ What it takes to rebrand a legacy organization during a crisis

✅ Why inclusivity—not exclusivity—is the future of executive networking

✅ The mindset shift of curating your life (not “balancing” it)

✅ Advice for women raising families while leading at the top

👉 Visit https://www.executivesclub.org to learn more or explore membership options.

🔗 Connect with Margaret on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaretmueller/

Video & Photo credits to:

@rishi.productions

@gosiasimprint

If you enjoyed the episode please share it with others, and rate, review, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. To learn more about me and how I am Owning My Legacy, you can find me on Instagram @LauretteRondenet and online at lauretterondenet.com.

Jon Harris, EVP & Chief Communications and Networking Officer at ConAgra Brands, has led an extraordinary career built on empathy, authenticity, and bold storytelling. In this episode of Owning Your Legacy, Jon shares his journey—from humble beginnings and a life-changing internship at the Howard Stern Show to top-level roles at PepsiCo, Sara Lee, and now ConAgra.

Jon opens up about his childhood promise to help others, his philosophy of building genuine relationships, and how he became a trusted advisor to some of the biggest names in business and media. Whether you’re interested in PR, personal branding, leadership, or career reinvention, this episode is packed with wisdom, laughs, and heartfelt moments.

🎙 In this episode:

✅ What it means to lead with empathy in corporate America

✅ How a cold-call lie led to his first internship

✅ Lessons from Pepsi, Sara Lee, and crisis PR you won’t learn in textbooks

✅ The power of networking, from Al Roker to Dolly Parton

✅ Why your reputation is your resume—and how to build it with intention

🌐 Learn more about ConAgra Brands: https://www.conagrabrands.com

🔗 Follow Jon Harris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-harris-5683476/ and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/C-1UohNvfg0/

💬 Connect with Laurette Rondenet: https://www.lauretterondenet.com

🛎 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe to support more conversations like this.

🎧 Listen to this episode on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts.

🎥 Video & Photo credits to:

@rishi.productions

@gosiasimprint

If you enjoyed the episode please share it with others, and rate, review, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. To learn more about me and how I am Owning My Legacy, you can find me on Instagram @LauretteRondenet and online at lauretterondenet.com.

Meryl Kennedy, CEO of Four Sisters Rice, is reshaping the future of farming with family, sustainability, and purpose. In this episode of Owning Your Legacy, Meryl shares how she transformed her father’s commodity rice operation into a nationally recognized consumer brand—while redefining leadership in a male-dominated industry.

From launching a cutting-edge rice mill at 21 to securing shelf space in Walmart and Kroger, Meryl’s journey is a powerful example of what happens when legacy meets innovation. If you care about female founders, branding, and building a business with heart, this conversation will resonate deeply.

🎙 In this episode:

✅ The moment Walmart told her to change everything

✅ Turning failure into the launch of Four Sisters Rice

✅ What it’s like to run a business with your dad

✅ Delegating to elevate—why every founder needs this mindset

✅ Building a brand rooted in sisterhood, agriculture, and storytelling

👉 Learn more at https://www.4sistersrice.com/

🔗 Connect with Meryl Kennedy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meryl-kennedy-36215b14a/, follow her on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/merylkennedy/, or visit her website at https://www.merylkennedy.com.

#OYL #WomenInAgriculture #FemaleFounders #FamilyBusiness #FourSistersRice #MerylKennedy #OwningYourLegacyPodcast #LauretteRondenet

If you enjoyed the episode please share it with others, and rate, review, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. To learn more about me and how I am Owning My Legacy, you can find me on Instagram @LauretteRondenet and online at lauretterondenet.com.

Dan Gibbons, CEO of the City Club of Chicago, believes civic engagement starts with meaningful conversations. In this episode of Owning Your Legacy, Dan shares his journey from advising Mayor Richard M. Daley to revitalizing one of Chicago’s most influential civic forums.

From uplifting entrepreneurs like Ida Nelson to driving real policy change, Dan’s story is a powerful reminder that change starts locally—and with the courage to connect. If you care about urban leadership, civic innovation, and next-gen change-makers, this conversation will inspire you to lean in, show up, and elevate your city.

🎙 In this episode:

✅ How showing up led to a career in city government

✅ The power of building long-term, authentic relationships

✅ Elevating grassroots leaders through civic platforms

✅ Why mayors (not Washington) get things done

👉 Visit https://www.cityclub-chicago.org or follow them on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/cityclubchicago/ to learn more and get involved.

🔗 Connect with Dan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-gibbons-9aa2497/

🛎️ Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe to support meaningful conversations like this one.

Video & Photo credits to:

@rishi.productions

@gosiasimprint

🎯 Keywords:

#OYL #CivicLeadership #ChicagoPolitics #CityClubChicago #LocalLeadership #DanGibbons #OwningYourLegacyPodcast #LauretteRondenet

If you enjoyed the episode please share it with others, and rate, review, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. To learn more about me and how I am Owning My Legacy, you can find me on Instagram @LauretteRondenet and online at lauretterondenet.com.