The ALL NEW Big Wakeup Call with Ryan Gatenby

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We celebrate the opening of the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics and the U.S. Women's Gymnastics team and revisit  my 2018 interview with 7-Time Olympic Gymnastics medalist Shannon Miller. Sh…

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From 2018: "Kids In The All" legend Mark McKinney joined the show (appearance #2!) to chat about the season finale of his show "Superstore" and some favorite KITH sketches

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We go deep into the archives to 2012 for a chat with comedian, actor, and "Bob's Burger's" star Eugene Mirman.

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Jenny Boyd, model, actress, sister-in-law to George Harrison & Eric Clapton and wife of Mick Fleetwood (twice), discusses her memoir Jennifer Juniper.

(From 4-2-20)

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Baseball legend Dave Winfield discusses his Hall-of-Fame career as one of the few people to be drafted in three major sports.  (From 5-23-17)

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Chicago's very own Josh Johnson returned to the show for a chat about his first one-hour Comedy Central special, Trevor Noah Presents Josh Johnson.
(From 6-15-21)

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We're back from our Summer break and happy to once again have consumer expert Alanna Shipley for DoorDash to share some fun and helpful travel tips.

About Alanna: Alanna Shipley is the H…

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Bestselling author Dan Gutman joins the show to discuss the 20th anniversary of the "My Weird School" series and the 100th "My Weird School" book Miss Nichol Is in a Pickle! 

Dan Gutman …

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Scott Aukerman first appeared on The Big Wakeup Call back in 2014 to discuss the season one DVD of the Comedy Bang! Bang! TV show. Here on his 20th appearance, we discuss the origin of …

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Jennifer Donnelly discusses her newest book Beastly Beauty.

Jennifer Donnelly is the author of A Northern Light, which was awarded a Printz Honor and a Carnegie Medal; Revolution, named …

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Singer-songwriter and "The Voice" alum (Team Blake) Gina Zo called in to talk about her time on the show, what she experienced in the music industry following her appearance, and a stor…

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From May 17, 2018: Kate Walsh called in to chat about season 2 of her critically-acclaimed series "13 Reasons Why," which returns to Netflix on Friday. Kate revealed all spoilers for th…

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From October 30, 2019:  It was a fun visit with returning guest Felicia Day as she called in to promote her newbook "Embrace Your Weird."  We talked about our experiences as weird kids …

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From October 9, 2020: Amy Bruni is an expert in the world of paranormal investigating.  You’ve seen her on the popular tv shows “Ghost Hunters” and “Kindred Spirits.”  She’s the author …

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Award-winning ABC News correspondent Deborah Roberts called in to talk about her book Lessons Learned and Cherished: The Teacher Who Changed My Life.

Deborah Roberts is an award-winning …

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Chef Michael Symon guested on the show for the first time in a decade to talk about his career, how to make sure a restaurant is keeping food and the dining room clean and safe, and sha…

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Michelle Strong, Verizon Business Director Small & Mid-Size Business, joined the show to discuss Verizon's "Small Business Days."

 Michelle Strong is the Director for Small and Midsize B…

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From October 5, 2018: Paget Brewster joined the show to talk about her new movie The Witch Files. We also discussed Criminal Minds and working with Paul F. Tompkins on The Thrilling Adv…

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From September 26, 2016: Comedy legend and Chicago's own Tom Dreesen discusses his comedy career and his appearances on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson (more than 60!), along with a…

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Heidi Brasher is the Senior Director of Movement Engagement, Strategy, and Innovation at YMCA of the USA.  In this role, she helps leverage innovation and strategy at the national level…