Always Andersonville: The Podcast

This week, we are joined by Andy Johnston, owner of Andy’s Art, Antique’s, & Oddities.

Andy’s Art, Antiques & Oddities was born from the cherished memories of Andy's late mother, Billie, a kindred spirit in the love for art, décor, and unique finds. Inspired by their global adventures and Billie's knack for discovering the extraordinary, Andy decided to pursue entrepreneurship, guided by childhood ambitions. Named after his mother's endearing nickname for him, the boutique specializes in handpicked, one-of-a-kind treasures for homes, aiming to evoke happiness, comfort, and curiosity. Andy's dedication extends to personalized consultations, ensuring clients find their perfect piece. With Billie's spirit infusing every aspect, Andy’s Antiques embodies a lifelong passion and a tribute to a beloved mother.

This week, we are joined by owner Chef Rich Wang and manager X Wang, of Andersonville’s newest restaurant, Minyoli, opening at 5420 N Clark Street.

Mínyólǐ (meen yo lee), inspired by Chef Rich’s Taipei childhood, embodies the essence of traditional Taiwanese juàncūn (jyuwen tswin) cuisine. Originating from villages built for military dependents, these communities fostered a rich fusion of Chinese flavors. Despite urban renewal erasing these cultural hubs, Mínyólǐ aims to preserve their legacy. From robust Sichuan spices to delicate Shanghai braising, their noodle shop in Chicago offers a taste of Taiwan's diverse culinary heritage, honoring the spirit of juàncūn culture.

The episode is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Podbean, anywhere you get your podcasts!

This week, we are joined by Silas Leslie. Silas (they/them) serves as Hire Trans Now Coordinator, Trainer, and Data Analyst at Chicago Therapy Collective. Silas provides free training & education built around actionable & accessible best practices to small businesses (many of which are in Andersonville). As a biracial, queer, trans, and neurodivergent person, Silas is deeply committed to an intersectional approach to diversity. Having called the Andersonville area home for a decade, Silas is dedicated to helping Andersonville be accessible, diverse, and thriving.

Chicago Therapy Collective (CTC) champions city-wide accountability, tackling LGBTQ2SIA+ health disparities through education, therapy, advocacy, and the arts. Our mission, rooted in therapy's intimate awareness, addresses systemic injustices impacting LGBTQ2SIA+, especially QTBIPOC. CTC's flagship program, Hire Trans Now, fights employment discrimination by equipping Chicago businesses with resources to dismantle anti-trans biases. Through relationship-building and accountability measures, they foster welcoming, equitable spaces for trans and non-binary individuals. Join us in advancing collective health and well-being.


The episode is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Podbean, anywhere you get your podcasts!

This week, we are joined by Eddy Ocampo. Founder and Owner of Skin Care For Gents and of the upcoming new addition to Andersonville, Apothecary EO. Eddy, an Andersonville native and seasoned dancer turned skincare expert, brings over a decade of experience in the beauty industry. As a licensed esthetician and laser technician, he has worked with top skincare brands like Image Skincare and PCA Skincare. Eddy's dedication to men's skincare led him to create a website catering to the everyday person's esthetic needs. His mission? Revolutionizing men's skincare, making it accessible and mainstream.

Skin Care For Gents was born in 2015 as a blog initially serving friends and clients but soon evolved into a global men's skincare resource. This journey led to the opening of Skin Care For Gents spa in Andersonville, in 2018, followed by a storefront in 2019. Along with celebrating six years of success in 2024, Skin Care For Gents is expanding with Apothecary EO, a clean beauty and skincare destination featuring a full-service spa and onsite florist, promoting health and environmental consciousness.

The episode is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Podbean, anywhere you get your podcasts!

We're excited to present this special episode discussing the state of drag in Chicago and the country. Drag is important for its role in artistic expression, challenging gender norms, fostering inclusivity, serving as a platform for activism, providing safe spaces, offering entertainment and contributing to the cultural and historical fabric of society. 

It continues to be a dynamic and evolving form of expression with a far -reaching impact. We were honored to bring together three of Chicago's top drag performers, drag queens Khloe Coulee and Chamilla Foxx and drag King Tenderoni to get their input and insights on drag in Chicago, the challenges that drag performers are currently facing, and some advice for up -and -coming drag performers and those looking to find more drag to enjoy throughout the city. 

If you pick up one of our neighborhood guides at our local businesses, you can find more information about these performers as well as a list of businesses that you can see drag performance in the neighborhood. 

We'd like to thank Khloe, Camilla, and Tenderoni for coming to speak with us, and we hope that this episode provides you some more gateways to experience drag in your local community.

The episode is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Podbean, anywhere you get your podcasts!

This is our final episode in our series for our Say Hej campaign in January Health & Wellness month. In each episode, we’ve spoken with local experts on different aspects of health and wellness, correct some common misconceptions, and offer some insight and resources for achieving your own state of wellness in the new year.

This week, I am joined by experts from Family Matters Therapy. Founder and Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor Wendy Cohen and Licensed Clinical Social Worker Dan Stribling. Family Matters Therapy was founded with the goal of helping families come together and build a stronger connection. They assist families of all kinds but also have specialty in working with LGBTQ clients including gay couples and teens.

We're continuing our health and wellness podcast series this week talking about sexual health, aging, and menopause with Early to Bed owner and sex educator Searah Deysach, and award winning queer feminist activist, author, and educator Heather Corinna.

Searah, owner of Early to Bed and Trans Essentials, Chicago’s first women-owned sex shop, is a queer sex educator. She lectures on masturbation, sex toys, and positive sexuality. Heather Corinna, an award-winning queer feminist activist, author, and educator, founded Scarleteen. They've authored books like "S.E.X" and hold the sexuality chair at Our Bodies, Ourselves. Together, Searah and Heather lead discussions on sustaining a healthy sexual lifestyle through aging and menopause. They provide guidance for parents and LGBTQIA+ teens. Join this insightful conversation on navigating sexuality with two influential voices in the field.

This is our second episode in our series for our Säg Hej campaign for January Health & Wellness month. In each episode, we’ll talk with local experts on different aspects of health and wellness, correct some common misconceptions, and offer some insight and resources for achieving your own state of wellness in the new year.

This week, I am joined by Cat Koo, founder and operator of Chicago Hot Yoga. Chicago Hot Yoga is a place for all people to come and heal. Open for over 15 years, they have helped thousands of students of all abilities, ages and conditions learn to make positive changes for themselves in a welcoming environment. Cat's mission is to help people create positive changes in their lives, body, mind and soul in a warm and welcoming environment.

With Cat, we cover the importance of practicing mindfulness, finding balance in your life, building healthy habits, and the power of meditation and community.

We're excited to introduce this episode as the first in our series for our Säg Hej campaign for January Health & Wellness month. In each episode, we’ll talk with local experts on different aspects of health and wellness, correct some common misconceptions, and offer some insight and resources for achieving your own state of wellness in the new year.

This week, we are joined by experts from Powered by Movement Fitness Center, co-owner and head coach Senad Drpljanin and PXM’s wellness leader and coach Leah Casey. PXM’s mission is to help you understand, redefine, transform, and reshape your connection with fitness through strong community connections and personalized health plans covering fitness, nutrition, and body awareness.

With Senad & Leah, we cover healthy avenues for improving your physical fitness, but also how embracing a community can improve your healthy habits, your self-confidence, and even your sleep!

The episode is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Podbean, anywhere you get your podcasts!

This week I am joined by Bergen Anderson, founder and primary clothier of Lilla Barn Clothing, and Krissy Calahan, owner, designer, and printer of Earth Cadets. Lilla Barn makes thoughtful, durable products for adventurous kids of all ages that create room for individuality, reflect our considered values, and last from one person to the next. They value self-expression, especially when it comes to gender, and offer adaptable prints, colors and patterns for everyone who loves to stand out. Sustainably-made with organic textiles and a Scandinavian sensibility. 

Earth Cadets is a company committed to creating unique, hand printed home goods and clothing for the whole family while respecting our environment. All Earth Cadets' products are designed and hand screen printed in Chicago by owner Krissy Callahan, using eco-friendly, water-based inks and incorporating organic and recycled materials wherever possible.