What if the prescription your doctor handed you wasn't the only option?

That question led Kathy Koshgarian to build something Milwaukee had never seen before. Today she leads Food for Health, Wisconsin's first and only accredited medically-tailored meal program, delivering real results in the communities that need it most.

A 43% reduction in health care costs. Fifty percent fewer diabetic ER visits. A high-risk pregnancy that became a healthy delivery. And a movement that now has the attention of the entire state of Wisconsin.

In this episode, host Shannon Sims sits down with Kathy to talk about the moment she knew she had to act, what it took to launch and grow during a global pandemic, and how two recent Wisconsin policy wins are putting food as medicine on the map for every zip code in the state.

If you have ever wondered whether food could actually change your health outcomes, this conversation is for you.

In this episode:

• What medically tailored meals actually are and why they work
• How Food for Health launched and grew during a pandemic
• The social enterprise model built for long-term sustainability
• Wisconsin's Medicaid breakthrough and the new state food as medicine director
• Advice for social entrepreneurs ready to move from idea to impact

Credits:

Shannon Sims, host

Bryce Richards, graphic designer/ grip

Brianna Sitkowski, producer

Junction Box Production, Dwight Cannon, audio editor/videographer

LionArts Media, Laura Dyan Kezma, audio/video editor

William Howell, photographer/ assistant editor

Mic’d & Ready Media

Derrick Cainion spent 20 years helping people understand each other as a sign language interpreter. Then COVID-19 hit, his son turned three, and a vacant lot on Milwaukee's north side sat waiting.

This week on Rising Forward, Derrick walks us through what he built at 35th and Vliet — ART Intersection MKE — a living outdoor gallery where art, sustainability and community healing don't just coexist. They're the same thing.

We talk about the night a street shut down for art instead of sirens. The mural of his mother watching over the neighborhood. A bio-swale that literally holds water for a community that's been drained. Solar panels that keep the lights on when the city goes dark. And international artists from Tunisia, Dubai and the UK — all landing on one lot in Washington Park.

Derrick also gets into what it took to raise nearly a million dollars without being independently wealthy — and what funders actually responded to.

If you've ever driven past a vacant lot and wondered what it could be — this episode is the answer.

Credits:

Shannon Sims, host

Bryce Richards, graphic designer/ grip

Brianna Sitkowski, producer

Junction Box Production, Dwight Cannon, audio editor/videographer

LionArts Media, Laura Dyan Kezma, audio/video editor

William Howell, photographer/ assistant editor

Mic’d & Ready Media

There's money in Wisconsin right now looking for the right people to fund. Most social entrepreneurs don't know how to find it — or how to be ready when it finds them.

In this episode, Shannon Sims sits down with Tony Shields, CEO of Wisconsin Philanthropy Network, and Nina Johnson, senior vice president at U.S. Bank, to break down exactly how mission-driven businesses get funded. They cover the full capital stack — from CRA investment and community development financial institutions to grant funding and impact investing. They talk about what separates the entrepreneurs who get funded from the ones who get delayed. And they share what the funder relationship actually looks like once you're in.

This is the episode for the social entrepreneur who has the idea, believes in the mission, and is ready to stop waiting.

What you'll hear:

• Why passion and preparation are not the same thing.
• How to stack CRA investment, foundation grants and CDFIs on a single project.
• What trust-based philanthropy looks like in practice and why it matters.
• Why Milwaukee is a destination city right now, and what that means for you.
• The one thing most entrepreneurs get wrong when they walk into a funder meeting.

Credits:

Shannon Sims, host

Bryce Richards, graphic designer/ grip

Brianna Sitkowski, producer

Junction Box Production, Dwight Cannon, audio editor/videographer

LionArts Media, Laura Dyan Kezma, audio/video editor

William Howell, photographer/ assistant editor

Mic’d & Ready Media