500 and Growing Podcast

Joe’s artwork creates an experience where bright colors and simplified imagery engage the viewer’s ideas and fantasies. These informal and empowering creations are designed to bring a spark of joy to the viewer’s life. He creates things for the fun of it. 

Some of the fun things he creates are black and white fantasy illustrations that evoke the style of the old school renaissance, being heavily influenced by the art of the Dung...

D-Nick The Microphone Misfit artist, writer & educator & counselor from Chicago by way of Flint MI. from The Microphone Misfitz The Microphone Misfitz are an international Hip-Hop & Comic book creators group that has released 6 comic books combined with albums. Two solo albums and 2 EPs. Based in Chicago, The Microphone Misfitz is more than a band or crew, creating music. They use the pillars of Hip-Hop (turntablism...

Turi Ryder is the author of “She Said What? (A Life on the Air)”, and hosts the “Turi Ryder’s She Said What?” podcast. You can find that at your favorite podcast spot.

She’s also a current talk radio and former music radio personality known to audiences in Chicago (WGN, WLS AM & FM) San Francisco (KFRC, K101, “Free FM”) Los Angeles (KFI, KissFM), Minneapolis (KSTP), Seattle (KIRO), and Portland (KGW). 

These days you can hear T...

"emi be like" is the solo musical project of Mexican-American artist Emi Brito Anguiano. Emi grew up in a family with a lot of musical influence, since her father and grandfather were musicians in Mexico and they transmitted their love of music to her.

In 2021, she debuted her first pop single, "Go On Home," alongside her producer Dis Chico, a Chicago native with Ecuadorian roots, which was featured on Chicago's "Vocalo" radio show...

Kirk Spencer is an artist and music producer from Nottingham. He melds elements of dance, alt-pop and eastern exotica into his music.

With playlist cover support on Spotify's Fresh Finds, his audience is continuing to grow. Recognized by Wonderland Magazine,Noisey, The Line of Best Fit, BBC Radio 1, Dazed and Confused, Fader, 6Music, Dummy, and Fake DIY. And playlisted on Spotify's New Music Friday, Plant Rave Friday, Noize...

Rudy Lozano Jr. is an Executive Director in Global Philanthropy at JPMorgan Chase & Co. and is Head of The Fellowship Initiative, a national program that equips young men of color from low-income, underserved communities with the skills, experiences, and resources needed to complete high school prepared to excel in colleges and careers.

Rudy spent most of his career working in the not-for-profit sector and alternative high...

Mike Oquendo is a Chicago born and raised, proud Puerto Rican with a great love for his city and its people. Mike passionately produces Comedy, Theater and Music events both in Chicago and across the country. In his early career, he served on the Board for the National Academy of the Recording Arts & Sciences which created the very first Latin Grammy Awards, and has been a concept contributor for HBO Latino, MSNBC and WGN. His ...

Dorian A Ortega is a brown Boricua from Chicago. F.L.Y. Radical Therapy invites holistic healing practices that center BIPOC (Biracial, indigenous and people of color) and LGBTQ2SI+ individuals and loving yourself through collective social conscious liberation awareness, healing for yourself, with each other, and helping others to witness freedom. F.L.Y. Radical Therapy is inspired by my inner wisdom, ancestral knowledge and named ...

Kerrie is more than a seasoned performer, educator, and choreographer; she's a creative powerhouse with a lifetime of experience infusing art with heart.  She holds a BFA in Theatre Arts along with a lifelong commitment to learning. Kerrie founded Forevermore Dance & Theatre Arts—a vibrant hub celebrating 20 years of empowering individuals through the arts. At Forevermore, Where "Art has Heart" isn't just a ta...

Gwen La Roka is without a doubt a rising star of stand-up. She hit the comedy scene with an explosive energy that quickly won the hearts of her audiences and led to performances at world famous comedy clubs such as The Laugh Factory, Zanies, and The Improv.

Her honest comedic approach, meshed with her physical humor, has crowds from all ages & backgrounds laughing at life, together. Gwen has worked with some of today’s funniest...

Epik1's journey began in Chicago's Ukraine Village, where the vibrant hip-hop culture sparked their passion amidst the neighborhood's challenges. Immersed in graffiti and DJing from a young age, they found solace and expression through art and music. Freestyling became their voice, propelling them into Chicago's rap scene, where battles and performances solidified their identity. Collaborating with influential artis...

Born on Chicago’s West Side, Prexy Nesbitt has spent more than five decades as an educator, activist, and speaker on Africa, foreign policy, and racism. Over the course of his career, Prexy has made more than one hundred trips to Africa, including trips taken in secret to apartheid-torn South Africa. Prexy’s career has also included extensive consulting and training on class, race, multiculturalism and diversity. An experienced tea...

The 500 and Growing Podcast had an incredible first season filled with inspirational stories. Each guest shared insights on their craft, challenges, and how they stay inspired in order to keep creating and thriving.

In the Season 1 Finale, we invited all the previous guests to come together in a round table and have a dialogue about their creative process and how they relate to one another's stories. The guests that participate...

Luis Tubens a.k.a. “Logan Lu” is a Chicago born Puerto Rican poet who has performed poetry across the United States. He has toured Mexico City in 2016 and 2018 and featured in Puerto Rico at “Poets Passage” (2019). He represented Chicago in the 2014 and 2018 National Poetry Slam. He is the author of Stone Eagle (2017) published by Bobbin Lace Press, Chicago. Luis is the resident poet for ESSO Funk (2016 Best New Band and Best Inter...

Amisha Patel has almost 30 years of experience organizing for economic, racial, and gender justice. For 15 years, she served as Executive Director of Grassroots Collaborative in Illinois, which innovated community and labor strategic coalition campaigns that built the foundation for many movement victories, including progressive revenue solutions, subsidy reform, raising the minimum wage, and more.

Amisha first began organizing at ...

Rafael Navarro Jr. is the proud founder of Beats and Bars. He is a Mexican-American first generation college graduate, as well as a Hip-Hop artist from Chicago, IL. With background experience in both behavioral therapy with children in a group setting, as well as one-on-one with teens at Chicago Public Schools, in combination with his years of experience as an artist, he has created a program he strongly believe in.

He was born a...

Jessica Johana Juarez Garcia is an experienced professional with a passion for helping youth, schools, and communities through her work as a counselor, artist, and community leader. She has been working in direct service roles since 2001 and is committed to using transformative and healing practices to support individuals and groups.

In 2004, Jessica founded The Venus Collective, a Chicago-based womyn's collective that continue...

Born in 1997 in Chicago Illinois. His parents decided to move to Cuernavaca Morelos in Mexico when He was five years old, where a year later, his mother registered him in Tae Kwon Do classes. After three years he won his first competition and it made him realize that martial arts were what he wanted to dedicate himself to. When he was 14 years old he decided to give martial arts another chance and started Kick Boxing with professor...