Episodios

  • Episode 143: Building the Workforce Behind Chicagoland’s Housing Future with Jennifer Yonan

    Episode 143: Building the Workforce Behind Chicagoland’s Housing Future with Jennifer Yonan
    Feb 20 2026

    In Episode 143 of The Chicagoland Guide, Aaron Masliansky visits Youth Conservation Corps in Waukegan to explore a critical but often overlooked part of the housing conversation: workforce development. As Lake County and the broader Chicagoland region face a persistent housing shortage, rising construction costs, and a shrinking skilled trades workforce, solutions must go beyond zoning reform and financing tools. This episode examines how YouthBuild Waukegan is training the next generation of construction professionals while building affordable housing for local families. If we want more housing supply, stronger neighborhoods, and sustainable economic growth in Lake County and across the Chicagoland area, we need people who know how to build—and that’s exactly what this program is doing.

    Aaron sits down with Executive Director Jennifer Yonan to discuss how their programming serves 16–24 year olds who are disconnected from education and employment, helping them earn their GED or diploma, gain hands-on construction experience, and prepare for registered apprenticeships and careers in the trades.

    The conversation covers:

    -How workforce training directly impacts housing supply

    -Building affordable homes from the ground up in Zion

    -Why the skilled trades are increasingly valuable in an AI-driven economy

    -The role of regional housing policy and zoning reform in Lake County

    -Supporting the “whole person” through education, mentorship, and life skills

    Youth Conservation Corps is not only training future electricians, plumbers, and carpenters—it’s strengthening neighborhoods and expanding opportunity from within the community.

    Learn more or get involved at:

    youthconservationcorps.org

    Thank you for listening to The Chicagoland Guide.

    For thoughtful, data-driven insights on living, working, and investing in Chicagoland, visit thechicagolandguide.com.

    Connect with Aaron Masliansky on LinkedIn for market updates and new episodes.

    If you have questions, ideas, or topics you’d like covered, feel free to reach out.

    If you found this episode valuable, consider subscribing and sharing it with someone who cares about Chicago and its future.
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    36 m
  • Episode 142: Chicago Real Estate Outlook 2026 with Adrian Brizulea (CoStar)

    Episode 142: Chicago Real Estate Outlook 2026 with Adrian Brizulea (CoStar)
    Jan 27 2026

    In this episode of The Chicagoland Guide, Aaron Masliansky sits down with Adrian Brizulea of CoStar to unpack the Chicago real estate outlook for 2026.

    They discuss multifamily rent trends, housing supply, downtown office recovery, industrial and logistics markets, data centers, suburban redevelopment, and the major development projects shaping Chicagoland’s future.

    Adrian shares data-driven insights from his work at CoStar and his recent presentation at the Chicago Association of Realtors Market Outlook, offering a clear view of where the market stands and what investors, homeowners, and residents should be watching next.

    Whether you are buying, selling, investing, or simply care about Chicago’s long-term trajectory, this episode provides grounded, practical perspective on the region’s real estate economy.

    View the full CAR presentation slides here:

    https://chicagorealtor.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/FINAL-2026-Chicago-Association-of-Realtors-Presentation_AdrianBrizuela_CoStar-1.pdf

    Thank you for listening to The Chicagoland Guide.

    For thoughtful, data-driven insights on living, working, and investing in Chicagoland, visit thechicagolandguide.com.

    Connect with Aaron Masliansky on LinkedIn for market updates and new episodes.

    If you have questions, ideas, or topics you’d like covered, feel free to reach out.

    If you found this episode valuable, consider subscribing and sharing it with someone who cares about Chicago and its future.
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    41 m
  • The Future of Chicagoland: Quantum Tech, Data Centers, Transit, and Regional Growth with CMAP’s Kyle Schulz

    The Future of Chicagoland: Quantum Tech, Data Centers, Transit, and Regional Growth with CMAP’s Kyle Schulz
    Nov 25 2025

    In one of the most forward-looking episodes of The Chicagoland Guide to date, host Aaron Masliansky sits down with Kyle Schulz, Deputy of Strategic Advancement at the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP). This conversation breaks down where Chicagoland is heading over the next decade, and what it will take to stay globally competitive.

    Aaron and Kyle originally connected through the Chicago Association of Realtors’ Global Council, and they pick up right where their first conversation left off: the opportunities, risks, and transformational forces shaping the region.

    Together, they dive into:

    The economic outlook for Chicagoland and where the region is gaining (and losing) ground

    Quantum tech and Chicago’s bid to become a global quantum capital

    The surge in data centers-why they’re here, what risks they create, and how they impact energy, land use, and local tax bases

    Transportation as Chicagoland’s superpower — rail, airports, freight, and the region’s logistical advantage

    How immigration, labor markets, and demographic trends will influence long-term regional competitiveness

    The evolving Chicago vs. Arlington Heights dynamic around the Bears and big projects

    What makes a region attractive to employers, and what CMAP is seeing in real time

    How climate resilience, zoning modernization, and infrastructure investment will shape the next decade

    Why Chicagoland’s stability, diversity, and economic depth remain a massive strategic asset

    What Kyle believes are the big decisions leaders must get right between now and 2035

    This episode is smart, fast-paced, and deeply insightful — the kind of conversation that helps residents, investors, civic leaders, and curious locals understand where Chicagoland is truly headed.

    If you care about the future of this region, this is a must-listen.

    Guest Info

    Kyle T. Schulz

    Deputy of Strategic Advancement

    Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP)

    Website: https://www.cmap.illinois.gov

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/chicago-metropolitan-agency-for-planning/

    Thank you for listening to The Chicagoland Guide.

    For thoughtful, data-driven insights on living, working, and investing in Chicagoland, visit thechicagolandguide.com.

    Connect with Aaron Masliansky on LinkedIn for market updates and new episodes.

    If you have questions, ideas, or topics you’d like covered, feel free to reach out.

    If you found this episode valuable, consider subscribing and sharing it with someone who cares about Chicago and its future.
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    57 m
  • Movement as Medicine: How Dance Therapy Helps Chicagoland Process Stress with Erica Hornthal

    Movement as Medicine: How Dance Therapy Helps Chicagoland Process Stress with Erica Hornthal
    Nov 4 2025
    Licensed clinical professional counselor and board-certified dance/movement therapist Erica Hornthal (“The Therapist Who Moves You”) joins Aaron to explain how changing the way we move changes the way we feel. Recorded on November 3, 2025, the conversation grounds movement therapy in the realities of Chicagoland life: financial pressure, screen-driven immobility, community trauma in Highland Park, and heightened anxiety around recent ICE activity across the North Shore. Erica shares practical, accessible ways to regulate the nervous system, reduce anxiety, and communicate nonverbally when words are not enough.Key TakeawaysMovement is already part of therapy: posture shifts, breathing, pacing, and small gestures can be therapeutic starting points.We have “out-evolved” our natural instinct to move; immobility amplifies anxiety.Stressors show up differently across communities. Whether it is public-safety trauma or fear tied to immigration enforcement, the body stores that stress.You can change your state by changing your movement, even with simple, seated interventions.Nonverbal work helps couples and families de-escalate conflict and build empathy.Parents can meet kids’ energy with movement rather than suppression, then teach time-and-place skills.Research supports dance and movement as effective for anxiety and depression; therapy fit and relationship still matter most.Practical access: look for “somatic,” “body-oriented,” or “creative arts therapy” in your area; insurance coverage depends on the clinician’s license.Timestamps00:00 Intro to Erica and dance/movement therapy02:00 What movement therapy looks like in practice04:50 Why Erica wrote “BodyTalk” and how readers use it08:15 Why we feel so stressed today, and how immobility feeds anxiety10:45 Local context: Highland Park trauma and recent ICE activity on the North Shore12:30 Changing movement to change mood and cognition15:15 Treating the “snake bite” before debating the “why”16:00 Individual vs group work, and what movement builds between people17:35 Getting over discomfort and starting small20:40 A simple intervention: washing hands slowly to interrupt anxiety22:20 Working across ages: from 3 to 10726:15 Coaching kids and meeting their movement needs31:30 Nonverbal communication in relationships and negotiations35:00 “Embodied listening” and the limits of AI for mental health39:30 Walks, showers, and why ideas arrive during movement42:00 Using your body as a free mental health resource43:00 Finding somatic or creative arts therapists and dealing with insurance46:45 What the research says about dance, anxiety, and depression49:00 Where to find Erica and her books50:00 ClosingPractical Exercises MentionedSeated reset: notice shoulders, jaw, feet; slow your breath and lengthen exhale.Pattern interrupt: pick one daily action and do it slowly for 20 seconds (example: handwashing) to downshift intensity.Conflict pause: step outside or to separate corners, walk, then reconvene.With kids: “shake out the wiggles,” go outside for 60 seconds, then return.GuestErica Hornthal, LCPC, BC-DMTFounder and CEO, Chicago Dance TherapyAuthor of BodyTalk, Body Aware, and The Movement Therapy DeckWebsite: https://www.ericahornthal.comPractice: https://www.chicagodancetherapy.comInstagram: @thetherapistwhomovesyouEmail: erica@hornthal.comResources MentionedBodyTalk: 365 Gentle Practices to Get Out of Your Head and Into Your BodyBody AwareThe Movement Therapy DeckSearch terms for local care: “somatic therapy,” “body-oriented therapy,” “creative arts therapy,” “dance movement therapy,” plus your city.For Listeners in ChicagolandIf anxiety has spiked for you or your family due to recent events in the region, consider brief, daily movement check-ins. Even small posture and breath changes can reduce a constant state of alert. Nonverbal practices can help when words feel risky or overwhelming. ConnectHost: Aaron Masliansky — The Chicagoland GuideSubscribe, rate, and share if this episode helped you. New episodes highlight people and ideas that make Chicagoland a great place to live. Thank you for listening to The Chicagoland Guide.For thoughtful, data-driven insights on living, working, and investing in Chicagoland, visit thechicagolandguide.com.Connect with Aaron Masliansky on LinkedIn for market updates and new episodes.If you have questions, ideas, or topics you’d like covered, feel free to reach out.If you found this episode valuable, consider subscribing and sharing it with someone who cares about Chicago and its future.
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    51 m
  • Keeping Culture Alive in Highland Park featuring Diana Gran | The Chicagoland Guide – Episode 139

    Keeping Culture Alive in Highland Park featuring Diana Gran | The Chicagoland Guide – Episode 139
    Oct 28 2025

    How can celebrating cultural traditions strengthen a community?

    In this episode, host Aaron Masliansky is joined by Diana Gran — Founder of Diana Gran Portraits and Director of Día de los Muertos (DDM) Week in Highland Park — to explore how honoring heritage can create unity, healing, and connection across generations and cultures.

    Diana shares her journey from Acapulco to Highland Park, how reclaiming her roots transformed her life and art, and why DDM Week has become a meaningful celebration for the North Shore community. We discuss the power of remembrance, the importance of cultural authenticity, and how local businesses, libraries, and community organizations have come together to support this growing annual tradition.

    Topics Covered

    What Día de los Muertos truly represents

    Diana’s journey of identity, immigration, and finding home

    The origins and mission of DDM Week in Highland Park

    The healing power of honoring ancestors and community storytelling

    How local businesses and organizations are collaborating to keep culture alive

    Why “done is better than perfect” can change your life and creativity

    Connect with Diana

    Website: https://dianagranportraits.com

    DDM Week Instagram: @ddmweekhp

    DDM Week Information & Events: https://hpculturalarts.org

    Connect with The Chicagoland Guide

    Website: https://thechicagolandguide.com

    Instagram: @thechicagolandguide

    YouTube: @TheChicagolandGuide

    Thank you for listening to The Chicagoland Guide.

    For thoughtful, data-driven insights on living, working, and investing in Chicagoland, visit thechicagolandguide.com.

    Connect with Aaron Masliansky on LinkedIn for market updates and new episodes.

    If you have questions, ideas, or topics you’d like covered, feel free to reach out.

    If you found this episode valuable, consider subscribing and sharing it with someone who cares about Chicago and its future.
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    30 m
  • Ravinia’s Legacy & Future: A Conversation with Jeff Haydon

    Ravinia’s Legacy & Future: A Conversation with Jeff Haydon
    Oct 21 2025

    Episode Overview

    In this episode of The Chicagoland Guide, host Aaron Masliansky sits down with Jeff Haydon, President & CEO of the iconic Ravinia Festival in Highland Park — America’s oldest outdoor music festival.


    Jeff shares how Ravinia began as a railroad amusement park over a century ago and evolved into one of the nation’s leading cultural institutions. The conversation covers Ravinia’s deep roots in the community, its role as a good neighbor in Highland Park, and its vision for the future through the Setting the Stage campaign — a $75 million renovation of its 36-acre campus to be completed by 2029.

    Highlights

    The fascinating history behind Ravinia’s founding and evolution.

    How Ravinia collaborates with Highland Park to manage traffic, sustainability, and neighborhood harmony.

    Reopening after the pandemic and reshaping audience experiences.

    The Reach Teach Play® education program — bringing music to 120+ schools across Chicagoland.

    Jazz legend Kurt Elling’s role as Jazz Advisor and the creation of the Breaking Barriers Festival with Marin Alsop.

    Details on the Setting the Stages campaign to renovate Ravinia’s stages, pavilion, and guest experience.

    About the Guest

    Jeff Haydon has over 30 years of arts management experience and has led Ravinia since 2020. Under his leadership, the organization has secured major funding, expanded educational initiatives, and continued its mission to make world-class music accessible to all.

    Learn more: ravinia.org

    About the Host

    Aaron Masliansky is a Realtor at Compass and host of The Chicagoland Guide, showcasing the people and places that make the region a great place to live. As a trusted local expert, Aaron helps clients navigate real estate across Chicago and the North Shore — guiding home buyers and sellers through every step of their journey.

    Explore more episodes and connect with Aaron at thechicagolandguide.com.

    Thank you for listening to The Chicagoland Guide.

    For thoughtful, data-driven insights on living, working, and investing in Chicagoland, visit thechicagolandguide.com.

    Connect with Aaron Masliansky on LinkedIn for market updates and new episodes.

    If you have questions, ideas, or topics you’d like covered, feel free to reach out.

    If you found this episode valuable, consider subscribing and sharing it with someone who cares about Chicago and its future.
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    34 m
  • Growing the Future: Inside Historic Wagner Farm with Director Jonathan Kuester

    Growing the Future: Inside Historic Wagner Farm with Director Jonathan Kuester
    Sep 17 2025

    In this episode of The Chicagoland Guide, host Aaron Masliansky visits one of the last working farms in Cook County: Historic Wagner Farm in Glenview, Illinois. Joined by Director Jonathan Kuester, the conversation covers the surprising depth of history, education, and innovation happening just off Lake Avenue.


    Jonathan shares how Wagner Farm blends historic preservation with modern agriculture, offering programs for students (including special education farmers), operating one of the region’s most vibrant farmers markets, and even exploring robotic milking systems and crop science.

    Highlights include:

    The transformation of Wagner from a 1900s family farm to a public living history museum

    The impact of 4-H and farm apprenticeships on future veterinarians, scientists, and chefs

    How U.S. farming changed under the Nixon administration—and what it means for small farmers today

    How cows, robots, and soil science intersect to shape the future of agriculture

    The renewed push for local food and what’s coming next at Wagner Farm

    Whether you’re a local history buff, foodie, or just someone who’s driven past the cows on Lake Avenue and wondered what goes on there—this episode will surprise and inspire you

    Listen and watch now and explore more at thechicagolandguide.com

    Thank you for listening to The Chicagoland Guide.

    For thoughtful, data-driven insights on living, working, and investing in Chicagoland, visit thechicagolandguide.com.

    Connect with Aaron Masliansky on LinkedIn for market updates and new episodes.

    If you have questions, ideas, or topics you’d like covered, feel free to reach out.

    If you found this episode valuable, consider subscribing and sharing it with someone who cares about Chicago and its future.
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    35 m
  • A Taste of Cambodia in Chicago: The Story of Khmai Fine Dining with Chef Mona Sang

    A Taste of Cambodia in Chicago: The Story of Khmai Fine Dining with Chef Mona Sang
    May 28 2025

    In this episode of The Chicagoland Guide, host Aaron Masliansky interviews Chef Mona Sang, the visionary behind Khmai Cambodian Fine Dining in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood.

    More than a restaurant, Khmai is a deeply personal tribute to Mona’s mother—a survivor of the Cambodian genocide—and a celebration of Cambodian culture through food. Mona shares how cooking helped her mother heal, how their journey together brought Khmai to life, and how traditional recipes passed down through generations continue to shape every dish on the menu.

    From humble beginnings to being recognized as a James Beard semifinalist, Mona explains how Khmai became one of Chicago’s most sought-after dining experiences. Discover the emotional stories behind the food, the values driving the restaurant, and why Khmai is a place where culture, memory, and community converge.

    Learn more and connect:

    Website: https://khmai-fine-dining.com

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/khmaichicago

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/monabellacatering/#

    TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@khmaichicago1?lang=en

    Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/mona-bella-catering-chicago

    More episodes and local insights: https://www.thechicagolandguide.com

    Thank you for listening to The Chicagoland Guide.

    For thoughtful, data-driven insights on living, working, and investing in Chicagoland, visit thechicagolandguide.com.

    Connect with Aaron Masliansky on LinkedIn for market updates and new episodes.

    If you have questions, ideas, or topics you’d like covered, feel free to reach out.

    If you found this episode valuable, consider subscribing and sharing it with someone who cares about Chicago and its future.
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    34 m