The Crisis Cast

Here comes the tale of two sides of town as October baseball rages onward. Lissa Druss & Thom Serafin welcome the great scribe and ballyard fanatic, John Kass, to our chatroom for a conversation about the cultural significance of baseball in Chicago. You'll hear some fables of games played long ago and why the White Sox of Chris Getz have a shot at going deeper in the post season.

A sense of community was etched into Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller's journey as an "original Chicago girl." Now she's chasing a seat in the U.S, Congress.   In this episode, you'll hear how she plans to serve Illinois' very complex 8-county 2nd District. Lissa & Thom dig into Donna's previous work on Capitol Hill, her vision for a better health care system, and what she's already learned from rural constituents.    Plus, you'll hear the lessons she learned from her great grandfather, a Pullman Porter.  

This is a conversation that leans into the art of crisis leadership. Henry J. Evans shares his journey from being bullied as a boy in Brooklyn, to counter-terrorism to crisis leadership. In this episode, Henry walks Lissa Druss through finding organizational resilience, and the concept of STO (speed to objectivity).    You'll hear Henry's very personal 9/11 story and the leadership experiences that inspired him to write the book "Bombs, Bacon & Bankruptcy."

To call Janet Sutherland a world-class crisis manager would still be an understatement. The author-journalist is a two-time brain aneurysm survivor.     In this episode, Janet shares her inspiring journey with Lissa & Thom.  You'll hear the importance of awareness, early detection, and advocacy for research funding. You'll hear vital insights into symptoms, risk factors, and the need for increased support and funding to prevent and treat aneurysms. Plus, Janet recalls the intensity of hearing her own 9-11 call and why her background as a figure skater propelled her recovery. Register for the Brain Aneurysm Foudation Walk/Run here. Read Nose Over Toes

Time to go behind the curtain when it comes to political polling. Liss & Thom welcome the "pollsters' pollster" Rod McCulloch to our chat room. In this episode, he shares insights into Chicago's mayoral race, signature-collection challenges, and the impact of voter behavior and ethnicity on elections. He also discusses the upcoming Democratic and Republican conventions and the political landscape in Illinois. We'll also discuss some candidates' biggest fears.