80 episodes

The Honest Field Guide presents intimate conversations with entrepreneurs and business owners that share their origin stories, startup strategies and their surprising discoveries during their journey to success.

The podcast is produced by Birk Creative, a research and creative strategic consulting agency that designs and implements social and digital media solutions, develops brand and visual identities and implements multichannel strategies for business.

Theme song "Sam's Ranch" provided courtesy Utah Carol(ASCAP). All content ©Birkdesign Inc. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-honest-field-guide/support

The Honest Field Guide‪®‬ JinJa Birkenbeuel, Host, The Honest Field Guide

    • Business
    • 5.0 • 27 Ratings

The Honest Field Guide presents intimate conversations with entrepreneurs and business owners that share their origin stories, startup strategies and their surprising discoveries during their journey to success.

The podcast is produced by Birk Creative, a research and creative strategic consulting agency that designs and implements social and digital media solutions, develops brand and visual identities and implements multichannel strategies for business.

Theme song "Sam's Ranch" provided courtesy Utah Carol(ASCAP). All content ©Birkdesign Inc. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-honest-field-guide/support

    Ep. 67 - What Do Curls Have To Do With Love, Success, Transformation and Business? Lots! A Conversation with Curly Hair Innovator Cally Raduenzel from Cally's Curls, Chicago

    Ep. 67 - What Do Curls Have To Do With Love, Success, Transformation and Business? Lots! A Conversation with Curly Hair Innovator Cally Raduenzel from Cally's Curls, Chicago

    Calling all curly, Afro'd and natural-haired people! You have got to check in!I am soo excited y'all! I have an incredible conversation with Cally Raduenzel, curly hair innovator and founder of Cally's Curls and Company in Chicago releasing tomorrow.Some of you may know, through my brand channel Birk Creative, and also my personal story that I released last year with Fast Company Magazine, where I describe my journey from straight processed hair to natural hair here https://www.fastcompany.com/90864887/im-a-black-business-owner-and-this-is-how-my-hair-shaped-my-professional-brand, I'm still coming to terms with my natural hair journey.One of the reasons I was able to make this journey to loving my hair, was in part because of the natural haircare training that I got at Cally's Curls, in Chicago.I love this conversation, and I love Cally. If you have curly hair, and you are in Chicago, or close enough to drive there, this may be the curly hair salon for you. It's an entire vibe!

    Summary

    In this episode of The Honest Field Guide Podcast, host JinJa Birkenbeuel discusses her personal journey with natural hair and the challenges faced by Black women in conforming to societal beauty standards. She shares her experience of transitioning from straight to natural hair and the struggles she encountered along the way. JinJa also introduces her guest, Cally Redunzel, the founder of Cally's Curls, a salon that specializes in curly hair. Cally shares her own journey with curly hair and the societal pressures she faced to conform to straight hair standards. The conversation highlights the importance of embracing natural hair and the need for more education and support for curly hair care. Cally shares her journey of opening a salon and becoming an expert in curly hair. She emphasizes the importance of self-love and embracing natural curls. Cally's mission is to empower her clients to feel confident and knowledgeable about their hair.

    Takeaways


    The journey to embracing natural hair can be challenging and filled with societal pressures
    Curly hair care is often overlooked and requires specialized knowledge and products
    Representation of diverse hair types in media is important for promoting self-acceptance
    Education and support for curly hair care are essential for empowering individuals to embrace their natural hair Embrace your natural curls and practice self-love.
    Education and knowledge sharing are essential in the salon industry.

    Chapters

    00:00

    Welcoming Cally to the Show!

    10:29

    Growing Up with Curly Hair and the Influence of Family

    17:31

    The Revelation and Acceptance of Curly Hair

    20:21

    The Pressure to Conform to Straight Hair Standards

    22:36

    The Impact of Media and Representation

    24:08

    The Stories of Curly Hair

    26:18

    Transitioning from Journalism to Hair

    29:58

    The Intersection of Music, Art, and Hair

    32:01

    The Journey to Opening a Salon

    36:46

    The Importance of Education and Knowledge Sharing

    39:14

    The Challenges of Embracing Natural Hair

    43:17

    Choosing the Right Products for Curly Hair

    53:01

    Feedback from Clients and the Power of Reviews

    55:38

    The Vibe and Culture of Cally's Curls

    57:27

    Playlist and Go-To Fashion

    58:16

    Lipstick or Lip Gloss

    All content ©Birkdesign Inc. This podcast represents the personal views of JinJa Birkenbeuel, CEO of Birk Creative and its employees.

    Please subscribe and the donate to our show. We would love your dollars to keep going! We can take a donation to support our podcast here and we will shout you our when you do it on an upcoming podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-honest-field-guide/support. Text The Honest Field Guide at ‪(312) 445-0903‬.

    Send us a voice message and we will record it on an upcoming episode: https://anchor.fm/the-honest-field-guide/message. The podcast is recorded and produced by Birk Creative. Visit http://www.birkcreative.com.

    Subscribe to our occasional newsletter jinja.myflodesk.com/thecreativereset


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    • 58 min
    The Birk Creative Reset 8: Review of "All Black Errythang" A Book of Poetry by Chanel Murray

    The Birk Creative Reset 8: Review of "All Black Errythang" A Book of Poetry by Chanel Murray

    In this episode, I share my experiences at the Sundance Film Festival and highlights an entrepreneur artist, writer, and poet named Chanel Murray. I continue to reconnect with people that I met at the festival and my conversations with Poet Chanel Murray are among the best ones. In this Creative Reset, I read from Chanel Murray's book of poetry, 'All Black Errythang,' which resonates with my own natural hair journey.

    Attending the Sundance Film Festival provided opportunities for networking and connecting with individuals in the film industry. You should be planning now to attend the festival in 2025.

    For my regular fans and recurring listeners, you may remember my personal journey with my natural hair and the impact it has had on my self-esteem and identity. Chanel's wonderful poem "My Hair Taught Me To Love Me" speaks to my experience.

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    All content ©Birkdesign Inc. This podcast represents the personal views of JinJa Birkenbeuel, CEO of Birk Creative and its employees.

    Please subscribe and the donate to our show. We would love your dollars to keep going! We can take a donation to support our podcast here and we will shout you our when you do it on an upcoming podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-honest-field-guide/support. Text The Honest Field Guide at ‪(312) 445-0903‬.

    Send us a voice message and we will record it on an upcoming episode: https://anchor.fm/the-honest-field-guide/message. The podcast is recorded and produced by benefit corporation Birk Creative: A benefit corporation designing strategies and visual identities to help brands adapt with intelligence to the market. Visit http://www.birkcreative.com.

    Subscribe to our occasional newsletter jinja.myflodesk.com/thecreativereset.


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    Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-honest-field-guide/message
    Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-honest-field-guide/support

    • 12 min
    New Limited Edition Talk Show: Part II The Honest "Political" Guide, feat. Two Vibrant Entrepreneurs From Chicago [JinJa Birkenbeuel x Mary Nisi]

    New Limited Edition Talk Show: Part II The Honest "Political" Guide, feat. Two Vibrant Entrepreneurs From Chicago [JinJa Birkenbeuel x Mary Nisi]

    Welcome to The Honest Field Guide Season 3 kick-off.

    For the first time, I have a podcast episode that requires a disclaimer: "Listener Discretion" advised. My guest Mary Nisi (Toast & Jam DJs) and I are 100% funny, and at times, are using strong language. Some topics in this episode may make some listeners cringe. But this IS the HONEST Field Guide Podcast.

    This episode is a Part II of the conversation that Mary and I had from last year. That conversation took place after Brandon Johnson was elected as Mayor of Chicago. Chicago is having huge problems right now, especially because they are negatively impacting small business owners like Mary and I.

    The city of Chicago STILL feels really awkward to me. It has not gotten better in the last 10 months since Mayor Johnson was elected. Fingers crossed he gets some honest and authentic help, fast.

    I'm going to keep creating these little mini conversations specifically with Mary Nisi because Mary is someone I trust to tell it like she sees it. She is not afraid, and I love that about her.

    Mary and I are going to keep this conversation going. Plus, we're heading into a political season, local and nationally. We're not going to focus on geopolitics, we aren't qualified for that. We're going to really keep this conversation local, because politics IS local!

    Brand Chicago ain't selling too well right now. And it doesn't seem as if there is an end in sight to be honest.

    I wish I would help, but the powers that be haven't called me for assistance in a long while. I'm always here to help Chicago, but I won't work for free.

    All content ©Birkdesign Inc. This podcast represents the personal views of JinJa Birkenbeuel, CEO of Birk Creative and its employees.

    Please subscribe and the donate to our show. We would love your dollars to keep going! We can take a donation to support our podcast here and we will shout you our when you do it on an upcoming podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-honest-field-guide/support. Text The Honest Field Guide at ‪(312) 445-0903‬.

    Send us a voice message and we will record it on an upcoming episode: https://anchor.fm/the-honest-field-guide/message. The podcast is recorded and produced by benefit corporation Birk Creative: A benefit corporation designing strategies and visual identities to help brands adapt with intelligence to the market. Visit http://www.birkcreative.com.

    Subscribe to The Birk Creative Reset newsletter https://view.flodesk.com/pages/60662f4dc9533f4419aaa4ba


    ---

    Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-honest-field-guide/message
    Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-honest-field-guide/support

    • 1 hr 4 min
    Ep. 66 - Live from 2024 Sundance Film Festival. A business conversation with Alex Lora Cercos, Director of the Sundance Grand Jury Award “The Masterpiece.”

    Ep. 66 - Live from 2024 Sundance Film Festival. A business conversation with Alex Lora Cercos, Director of the Sundance Grand Jury Award “The Masterpiece.”

    Film Director and Writer Alex Lora and I sit down to discuss his latest film "The Masterpiece" which just hours earlier, won the Sundance Grand Jury Award. Alex was in shock and also battling a bad cold during our conversation. But nothing dampens his creative spirit and how fortunate I was to have stumbled across Alex to have this conversation! Enjoy!

    To find Alex Lora's other work, visit the following channels:

    http://www.alexlora.com

    IG: @alexloracercos
    X: @alexloracercos
    Facebook: @alexloracercos

    Reel 1:
    https://vimeo.com/alexlora/reel1
    Reel 2:
    https://vimeo.com/46511611

    Trailers:
    Unicorns
    https://vimeo.com/831659390

    We Are Living Things
    https://vimeo.com/alexlora/trailerwalt

    The Fourth Kingdom
    https://vimeo.com/360916693

    Thy Father's Chair
    https://vimeo.com/144912742

    Our editing company:
    www.handfulfilms.com

    My imdb:
    www.imdb.me/alexlora

    The Honest Field Guide podcast, created by Birk Creative and hosted by our Chief Executive Officer JinJa Birkenbeuel, is for entrepreneurs and business owners to help you navigate the complexities of starting, running, sustaining, growing and then scaling a business. Conversations about business include some of the world’s most successful behind-the-scenes entrepreneurs.

    Follow our show on http://www.instagram.com/honestfieldguide or at http://www.twitter.com/thehonestfield.

    Please subscribe and the donate to our show. We would love your dollars to keep going! We can take a donation to support our podcast here and we will shout you our when you do it on an upcoming podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-honest-field-guide/support. Text The Honest Field Guide at ‪(312) 445-0903‬.

    Send us a voice message and we will record it on an upcoming episode: https://anchor.fm/the-honest-field-guide/message.

    The podcast is recorded and produced by benefit corporation Birk Creative: A benefit corporation designing strategies and visual identities to help brands adapt with intelligence to the market. Visit http://www.birkcreative.com. Subscribe to our occasional newsletter https://view.flodesk.com/pages/60662f4dc9533f4419aaa4ba.

    Music found on this episode is available on YouTube Music here https://music.youtube.com/channel/UCe7Qjt9aTYQ4gHmn1AyTYIA?feature=share or on Apple here https://music.apple.com/us/artist/utah-carol/137984081 and provided courtesy Utah Carol (ASCAP).

    All content ©Birkdesign Inc. This podcast represents the personal views of JinJa Birkenbeuel, CEO of Birk Creative and its employees. #dyor

    Subscribe to the full podcast on Apple iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-honest-field-guide/id1406059045?mt=2.

    Credits

    Themesong "Sam's Ranch" provided courtesy Utah Carol. All content and creative @2018 Birk Creative.

    The Honest Field Guide is created and written by JinJa Birkenbeuel, CEO of Birk Creative.

    The Honest Field Guide podcast is recorded in the Midwest at Stomping Ground Studios and produced by Birk Creative, a creative brand strategy, media, technology and professional training company. Birk Creative has been advising global tech and retail giants, authors, celebrities and small business for over twenty years to find gaps, see beyond blindspots in order to help bring their brands to life and connect with the right customers.

    The opinions expressed on The Honest Field Guide are opinions only and only represent the personal views of JinJa Birkenbeuel.


    ---

    Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-honest-field-guide/message
    Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-honest-field-guide/support

    • 45 min
    The Birk Creative Reset 7: Featuring the 2024 Sundance Film Festival

    The Birk Creative Reset 7: Featuring the 2024 Sundance Film Festival

    Hi welcome back to my show. A quick update: I will be at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival representing Full Spectrum Features as a newly appointed Director to their board, to participate in the premier of their first film "Desire Lines." I am also reporting in on the festival for WVON 1690 AM Chicago to discover the latest independent films created by Black filmmakers, actors, producers and directors. Follow my LinkedIn, TikTok, Instagram and more to keep up to date on my journey to Sundance.

    All content ©Birkdesign Inc. This podcast represents the personal views of JinJa Birkenbeuel, CEO of Birk Creative and its employees.

    Please subscribe and the donate to our show. We would love your dollars to keep going! We can take a donation to support our podcast here and we will shout you our when you do it on an upcoming podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-honest-field-guide/support. Text The Honest Field Guide at ‪(312) 445-0903‬.

    Send us a voice message and we will record it on an upcoming episode: https://anchor.fm/the-honest-field-guide/message. The podcast is recorded and produced by benefit corporation Birk Creative: A benefit corporation designing strategies and visual identities to help brands adapt with intelligence to the market. Visit http://www.birkcreative.com.

    Subscribe to our occasional newsletter https://view.flodesk.com/pages/60662f4dc9533f4419aaa4ba.


    ---

    Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-honest-field-guide/message
    Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-honest-field-guide/support

    • 7 min
    The Creative Reset 6: 6 minutes of inspiration for burned-out entrepreneurs

    The Creative Reset 6: 6 minutes of inspiration for burned-out entrepreneurs

    Burn-out is real. A year-end inspirational and hopeful reading "Practical advice on burnout—what works and what sucks—from someone who’s dealt with it" by JinJa Birkenbeuel. Happy new year everyone! *At the end I meant to say "See you in 2024!" Not 2022. 🤣🤣🤣



    All content ©Birkdesign Inc. This podcast represents the personal views of JinJa Birkenbeuel, CEO of Birk Creative and its employees.

    Please subscribe and the donate to our show. We would love your dollars to keep going! We can take a donation to support our podcast here and we will shout you our when you do it on an upcoming podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-honest-field-guide/support. Text The Honest Field Guide at ‪(312) 445-0903‬.

    Send us a voice message and we will record it on an upcoming episode: https://anchor.fm/the-honest-field-guide/message. The podcast is recorded and produced by benefit corporation Birk Creative: A benefit corporation designing strategies and visual identities to help brands adapt with intelligence to the market. Visit http://www.birkcreative.com.

    Subscribe to our occasional newsletter https://view.flodesk.com/pages/60662f4dc9533f4419aaa4ba.


    ---

    Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-honest-field-guide/message
    Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-honest-field-guide/support

    • 6 min

Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5
27 Ratings

27 Ratings

Credibility specialist ,

Credibility Specialist

I took some time today to listen to your show!! the honest field guide, is a fantastic podcast with great info, advice, and perspectives. You won't regret listening to and learning from the podcast.

StudioJK ,

Laugh and Learn

This podcast is upbeat and informative. Jinja is fearless and truly curious about creative people and the entrepreneurial spirit. If you want to laugh, learn and feel inspired, put this podcast in your rotation!

Bpodcasts11 ,

Awesome Podcast

This podcast is not only honest, its REAL. This gives such insightful topics to think about and the interviews are so interesting. Looking forward to more content!

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