Heidi Serwer—singer, guitarist, and songwriter—has always been into music. One of her earliest vivid memories is hearing Debbie Harry sing, then rap, in the Blondie song, Rapture, while listening through headphones as a young girl growing up in Michigan. But it wasn’t until Heidi was in her late-twenties, living in Chicago, when she decided to play guitar. The urge to write her own songs followed. This past December, Heidi released her first EP, Stranger, and played it before a crowded room at one of her favorite Chicago venues. For Heidi, who is also a busy mom of two children, playing guitar and songwriting, are as much a part of daily life as packing school lunches and the occasional date night. For more on how she mixes music and motherhood, read on.

Rebecca Wheeler is a Chicago-based cooking instructor who guides food tours through some of the city’s cultural neighborhoods. Over the years, Rebecca has spent time in kitchens in Chicago and around the world. She has been to cooking classes in India, Thailand, Italy and Paris. And beyond that, Rebecca has sought out home cooks and chefs who have inspired her: an Indian cookbook author in Brooklyn, an Italian grandma in Umbria, and the chef of her favorite Thai restaurant in Chicago. For more than a decade, she taught cooking at The Wooden Spoon, and for the past ten years, has been running her own business. Rebecca is also a mom, dedicated to family dinner and to eating well. For more about how she navigates motherhood, food and travel, read on.