Podcast Episode Eight: Foiled Cupcakes

In my latest podcast, I interviewed Mari Luangrath of Foiled Cupcakes, a gourmet cupcake delivery company based in Chicago.  Over the course of about a year, Mari has built a fun, profitable, growing business without a storefront; leveraging Twitter and Facebook to get the word out about her company.

Big thanks to Mari for sharing some of what she's learned along the way.  You can check Foiled Cupcakes out at http://foiledcupcakes.com and follow Mari on Twitter at @foiledcupcakes.

You can listen right here in the post, and of course, subscribe to the podcast in iTunes as well.
Thanks again Mari!

Podcast Episode Seven - Interviewing a new author

In this episode of "What can a project manager learn from x?", I interviewed Tracey Bianchi, author of Green Mama - The guilt free guide to saving the planet.

I'm really grateful that Tracey joined me on the podcast. 

We had the opportunity to talk about the creative process involved with writing the book, the path she took to get the book published, and some of the main things she learned along the way.  You can check out Tracey's website at TraceyBianchi.com and follow her on twitter at @traceybianchi.

As always, you can check out the podcast in itunes or listen directly on the site by using the player below.

Thanks again Tracey.

Podcast Episode Five - What can a project manager learn from a chef?

In this podcast episode of "What can a project manager learn from X?" I interview Dale Levitski, Executive Chef of Sprout Restaurant in Chicago and Season 3 Top Chef runner-up on Bravo's wildly popular TV show.

We talked about the creative process involved with making a new dish, the challenges involved with running a restaurant, and the process of training new chefs, and a host of other things.  I had a blast doing this interview with Dale and am really grateful that he took the time to sit down with me.

Dale also writes and video blogs on The Sprout Crowd, which has quickly become one of the most popular food blogs in the city of Chicago.

I hope you enjoy the interview as much as I did and can take something away from it that can help you better manage your projects, run your business, make your music, write your software or whatever it is that you're working on.

As always, you can listen right here on this blog, or subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.
Thanks again Dale!

Podcast Episode Three - Interviewing the Director of Human Rights Projects

Daniel Rothenberg is the Managing Director of International Projects for the International Human Rights Law Institute at DePaul University's College of Law, and he was kind enough to join me for Project Idealism's second full podcast.

Daniel oversees numerous Human Rights projects, and in this episode the primary topic of our discussion is The Iraq History Project.  Taking a victim centered approach to documenting various Human Rights violations under Saddam Hussein’s regime, this project is one of the largest independent human rights data collection and  analysis projects in the world

We discuss how a project of this size got going, how interviewers were recruited and trained, how the stories of victims were shared, and how that information was carried through Iraq - often times without power and always without internet access - to offices in Northern Iraq.

Daniel shares some fascinating information about the specifics of their project and provides numerous lessons not only for project managers or those in business, but anyone interested in how amazing people do amazing work.

Daniel has been a guest on NPR's Worldview, and is also the author of With These Hands: The Hidden World of Migrant Farmworkers Today.

I truly can't thank Daniel enough for his participation with the Project Idealism podcast.

Podcast Episode Two - Interview with an Artist

In this podcast episode of "What can a project manager learn from X?", I explore what a project manager can learn from an artist.  I interviewed Harry Sidebotham, an artist who lives in Chicago, and we touched on how he goes from having an idea to a finished painting, the process involved in doing so, how he prices his work, and his advice for how to deal with other people's opinions.

Harry's paintings are amazing.  You can check out a bunch of his work on his website at http://harrysidebotham.blogspot.com.

As always, you can subscribe to this podcast in iTunes or in any RSS reader.  For those of you inclined to listen right from this site, you can simply click on the audio player below.

I sincerely hope you enjoy the show and would love to hear your thoughts.