Finding Reverie: An Entrepreneur's Journey

This month, we’re sharing the story of Albert Bramante, Founder & CEO of Bramante Artists, a New York–based talent agency built on courage, trust, and the belief in doing what you love.

With a PhD in clinical psychology, Albert never planned to become a talent agent - let alone start his own agency. But after exploring acting in the early 2000s, he discovered a true passion for supporting and advocating for performers....

Welcome to Finding Reverie: An Entrepreneur's Journey Micro Podcast. These short, but sweet (and definitely informative) podcasts will feature the Reverie team diving into strategies, insights, and best practices that help founder-led businesses grow and thrive.

At Reverie, we believe every business has its own unique journey, and along the way, there are lessons, tools, and ideas that can make a real difference. Join us as we ...

This episode, we sit down with Ashley Cullins, New York Times best-selling author of "Your Favorite Scary Movie" and a lifelong Scream superfan. What started as a pitch to The Hollywood Reporter turned into two published articles, an unexpected email from a literary agent, and eventually, the book she always knew she was meant to write.

Ashley opens up about being diagnosed with ADHD later in life, the courage it...

A new episode of Finding Reverie: An Entrepreneur’s Journey is out now!

In honor of Suicide Prevention Month, we sat down with Pete and Kara Janus, founders of the Nick Janus Foundation. Their son Nick - bright, kind, and deeply loved - died by suicide just over three years ago, only days into his freshman year of college.

Through unimaginable grief, Pete and Kara chose purpose. They built the Nick Janus Foundatio...

This episode, we’re spotlighting Courtney Rioux — actor, voiceover artist, and life coach — whose journey from a shy kid to a confident performer is both inspiring and deeply relatable.

You may know her as Paramedic Courtney on Chicago Med or recognize her warm voice from Jimmy Dean commercials. But behind the spotlight is a story of grit, growth, and self-belief. Courtney opens up about the moment she knew she wanted to b...

This episode, we're diving into the story of Sam Rosen, founder of Deskpass— a marketplace that connects companies with co-working spaces all over the world. 

Seven years ago, before coworking became a buzzword, Sam recognized the need to connect people with cool spaces to work in. Fueled by vision, grit, and an unshakable belief in learning through failure, Sam turned obstacles into stepping stones. His secret? He’s ...

This episode, we're diving into the extraordinary story of Miller McCoy, founder & CEO of Limitless Manufacturing Group — a brand incubator and accelerator that works with modern-day celebrities to monetize them by creating product and lifestyle brands through product development, web/graphic design, fulfillment and logistics, content creation, and touring/routing.

Miller’s story began at just 12 years old, battli...

This episode features a conversation with Amanda Wurzbach, the founder of Total Dish - a messaging and branding consultancy. Early in her marketing career, Amanda recognized that what she loved to do is brand storytelling. During the 2008 recession, Amanda was laid off, and after already once having to job hunt in a tough market, she took a leap of faith and began Total Dish. Her father always taught her to 'call one person. T...

This episode features a conversation with Megan Lally, a co-founder & the CEO of Highdive - a Chicago based advertising agency. After gaining extensive experience working at large advertising agencies, Megan began her entrepreneurial journey with a mindset to change how advertising agencies do things. She and her co-founders created Highdive with the intent on building the most healthy relationship between their agency and thei...

This episode features a conversation with Amy Falanga and Andrea Newman, Co-Owners and CEOs of The Larko Group, a staffing and recruiting agency. In September 2024, they transitioned from longtime employees to owners when they purchased the company from its retiring founder. Since then, they’ve focused on strengthening the business’s foundation, taking the time to understand every aspect of ownership to set themselves up for long-t...

This episode is a conversation with Sean Fahey, the owner of SPF Productions, a company specializing in videography, video editing, and music composition. Having been in business for just over a year, Sean has focused his first year on pursuing projects he's passionate about and building connections with like-minded individuals. Along the way, he’s discovered that staying productive and continuously adapting are essential aspe...

This episode is a conversation with Frank Kuhlman, President of Maxi-Blast, which specializes in the manufacturing and distribution of non-abrasive plastic blasting media and machines. Frank began his career at Maxi-Blast after graduating from college. Starting in the marketing department and working his way up in the company, he was eventually offered ownership in the company.

Frank sees himself as a lifelong learner and ...

This episode is a conversation with Jeff Cismoski, owner of Xartis Wealth - a business owner wealth advisory firm. Jeff started his business 4 years ago after consulting 10 years for another advisory firm. 

As a business owner, Jeff is very deliberate about building a community of mentors to seek advice and gain perspective from. He chooses to connect with other business owners who share a similar business mindset as him. ...

This episode is a conversation with Scout Driscoll, Founder and CEO of DesignScout, a branding and full-service design agency. Scout started her business 21 years ago, when she was fresh out of college. In listening to her story, it's evident she has a true love affair with her business. She never looks at DesignScout as an asset, but rather as a child. Her business, her employees, and her clients - are all deeply personal to ...

This episode is a conversation with Kim Hannay, Founder and Executive Director of Digs With Dignity, a local Chicago nonprofit that collects furniture and home goods from the community and uses them to design and furnish homes for families exiting homelessness.

Digs with Dignity began in 2019 and have currently served 200 families. Prior to outfitting each family's home, Digs meets with the family to learn about thei...

This episode is a conversation with Faith Hurley & Stacy Callighan, Co-Founders of PinPoint Collective, which is a women-owned, women-led strategic research studio that helps their clients truly understand the audience they serve. Faith and Stacy have been in business for 6 years, and over the course of that time, have learned that focusing on their niche, and not being everything to everybody, helped them to unpack their super...

This episode is a conversation with Eileen Yelovich, Founder & Holistic Lifestyle Consultant at the The Cumulative Effect Studio, which provides holistic solutions to stress management including breathwork classes, EFT Tapping, Sound Healing, and Reiki. Eileen has been in business for 17 years. In this episode, Eileen reveals that personally discovering breathwork and the profound impact it had on her life led her to opening th...

This episode is a conversation with Melissa Skweres, Founder & CEO of Cruxology Marketing, which is a branding and marketing strategy services company. Melissa has been in business for just under one year. In this episode, Melissa reveals what pushed her to begin her own business, how important it is to have a support system when beginning this journey, and the value of finding your community amongst other entrepreneurs. Her ad...

This episode is a conversation with Nora Napientek, Britnee Neidlinger, and Janice Christensen of nora fleming. The nora fleming collection, sold in independent retailers nationwide, pairs ceramic and melamine serving pieces/bases with unique, decorative pieces called“minis" that represent holidays, occasions, and themes. This month, they celebrate 20 years of being in business. 

In this episode, you will learn how an...