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The Chicagoland Guide

The Chicagoland Guide

Written by: Aaron Masliansky Skev Productions LLC
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 The Chicagoland Guide is your go-to resource for exploring the best places to live, work, and play in the Chicagoland area. Hosted by Aaron Masliansky, a local real estate expert at Compass and community enthusiast, this podcast dives into what makes each neighborhood unique, featuring interviews with local business owners, community leaders, and residents. Whether you’re looking to discover hidden gems, understand real estate trends, or learn about the latest developments, The Chicagoland Guide offers valuable insights and stories that highlight the vibrant lifestyle and rich culture of Chicago’s neighborhoods and surrounding suburbs. Tune in for engaging conversations and insider tips that will help you experience Chicagoland like never before!Copyright 2018-2025 Aaron Masliansky Careers Economics Leadership Management & Leadership Personal Success Social Sciences
Episodes
  • 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 more insights into the best places to live, work, and explore in Chicagoland, visit thechicagolandguide.com. Connect with us on social media for more updates and behind-the-scenes content. If you have any questions or want to share your own Chicagoland stories, feel free to reach out! Don’t forget to subscribe and leave a review if you enjoyed this episode.
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    57 mins
  • 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 more insights into the best places to live, work, and explore in Chicagoland, visit thechicagolandguide.com. Connect with us on social media for more updates and behind-the-scenes content. If you have any questions or want to share your own Chicagoland stories, feel free to reach out! Don’t forget to subscribe and leave a review if you enjoyed this episode.
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    51 mins
  • 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 more insights into the best places to live, work, and explore in Chicagoland, visit thechicagolandguide.com. Connect with us on social media for more updates and behind-the-scenes content. If you have any questions or want to share your own Chicagoland stories, feel free to reach out! Don’t forget to subscribe and leave a review if you enjoyed this episode.
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    30 mins
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