Celebrating 20 Years as Barrington’s Signature Magazine
Celebrating 20 Years as Barrington’s Signature Magazine
“My advice is: don’t give up. Be your own advocate. Push for multiple opinions.”
Joanne Dalessandro is living with Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD), a genetic condition causing progressive muscle weakness, primarily affecting the face, shoulders, and upper arms. It is a common form of muscular dystrophy, and severity varies widely.
Where do you find strength each day to campaign for a cure?
My strength comes from the people around me—my Barrington community, my Wynstone neighbors, and the incredible network of friends who’ve supported me in this new journey. I often say, “people are my medicine,” and it’s true. They keep me going, along with my dog, Mavrik, who lifts my spirits on the toughest days. The joy he brings inspired my awareness campaign, Fido Fights FSHD. My family has been my rock, encouraging of my advocacy efforts, and supporting me each step of the way—literally.
How has your life changed physically because of FSHD?
Living with FSHD means adapting every day. This progressive disease started in my feet and legs and now affects my shoulders, arms, and core. I use a walker, and we had an elevator installed in our home of 33 years. I rely on a rolling cart to carry things from room to room. Tasks like getting dressed, drying my hair, or putting away dishes can take three to four times longer. Visiting friends or restaurants requires planning ahead to make sure I can navigate the space. I’ve donated much of my wardrobe because so little fits now—but I’ve also let go of the need to look perfect. What matters most is showing up and being present.
What are you doing to maintain your physical strength?
I fight every day to stay strong. My schedule includes 5–6 weekly Pilates session, twice-weekly sessions with a private trainer, physical therapy, chiropractic visits, and numerous medical appointments. It’s a lot to manage—more than 10 appointments some weeks—but it’s worth it to preserve what mobility I have left and keep my body functioning as best it can.
What advice would you offer others seeking answers?
My diagnosis took over 10 years because FSHD usually starts in the shoulders, and my symptoms—beginning in my right leg—threw doctors off. I saw specialists all over the country and went through countless tests and evaluations. My advice is simple: don’t give up. Be your own advocate. Push for multiple opinions. Encourage doctors to think outside the box and listen closely to patient histories. Rare diseases require persistence—from both patients and better educated providers.
Tell us about your September 13 fundraiser.
Our only fundraising event is the Chicagoland Walk & Roll to Cure FSHD, happening on Saturday, September 13 at Citizen’s Park in Barrington. It’s a family-friendly event to bring people together to raise funds and awareness. My personal fundraising goal is $120,000, and every dollar counts. You can support or join my team here:
give.fshdsociety.org/fundraiser/6342854
What’s the latest on research for a cure?
There’s hope. Avidity Biosciences, a key sponsor, is running a promising clinical trial with results expected in fall 2026. FSHD has also been added to the Peer-Reviewed Medical Research Program, making it eligible for federal research funding—a breakthrough. I continue advocating at every level—from Springfield, where I helped secure five proclamations for FSHD Awareness Day, to flipping iconic Chicago buildings orange in solidarity. We are closer than ever to a cure, and I’m not stopping until we get there.
“I built my practice on a simple idea: Be a good doctor—patients and results will follow.”
What inspired you to become a Doctor of Chiropractic?
During my teenage years, I endured two long years of debilitating back pain. Traditional healthcare offered little relief, so I began exploring alternative options. After just two weeks of chiropractic care, my pain was gone. That experience changed my life—it sparked the passion and purpose that led me to become a Doctor of Chiropractic.
I grew up in a small town in rural Alabama, but at 17, I moved to Illinois to help my mother care for her ailing father. Experiencing life in a bigger city opened my eyes, and I decided to make the Northwest Suburbs my home. I started weightlifting at 15, and it quickly became an integral part of my life. I pursued competitive bodybuilding for several years but eventually the wear and tear on my body brought that chapter to a close. My passion for health and wellness never faded—my first career was in personal training, which inspired me to pursue higher education in my late 20s.
What is your philosophy about the benefits of chiropractic care?
You only have one body. One spine. You need to take care of and maintain it to the best of your ability. Everything in your life needs some sort of maintenance and your spine is no different. Traditional healthcare, while miraculous and important, doesn’t always seek to find the root cause of disease, it tends to focus more on symptom management. I believe a person’s health is their wealth, and identifying the root cause of issues is paramount to one’s health.
What results do you hope to see in your patients?
My goal is to enhance people’s lives by helping them move and feel better through natural, noninvasive treatments. The greatest reward is helping restore a patient’s ability to do the things they love without pain. I want to provide hope that the patient can lead a pain-free life and confidence that they can continue pursuing activities they love for years to come.
How does your approach differ from other chiropractors?
I built my practice on a simple idea: Be a good doctor—patients and results will follow. What sets me apart is time, honesty, and clinical integrity. I don’t upsell and I don’t make recommendations based on my bank account. I make them based on medical necessity and decades of training, experience, and honest conversation. Every visit is one-on-one, focused entirely on the patient.
I do my due diligence in getting to the root cause of issues and providing well-rounded care. A patient is not just paying for treatment. They’re paying for my time, experience, and a level of care that’s increasingly rare.
What other things do you recommend for people to stay healthy?
Do your bloodwork regularly. Keep your body moving. Eat well: processed and fast foods are not your friend. Take high quality supplements. Prioritize sleep. Make sure to spend time with people that bring you joy.
Anything else?
Roll Tide.
. . . . . . . . . . .
Flagship Chiropractic Wellness is located at 330 E. Main St. in Barrington. Dr. Jordan Davis may be reached at 815-900-9860 or drdavis@flagshipchiropractic.com.
Tell us a little about yourself.
I grew up here, actually! My parents moved to Barrington Hills when I was a toddler, and I spent all 12 years in District 220. Living in Chicago, I worked as the national marketing director for a billion-dollar company, overseeing branding across all U.S. offices.
I met my husband, Michael, while living in the city (he’s also a BHS grad, though we didn’t overlap in school). We moved for his law career already rooted at a Barrington firm but quickly realized we’d want to raise our two boys here.
As owner and creative director of Billet-Doux Stationery & Invitations, how did you get started?
Billet-Doux, French for “sweet note,” started as a happy accident. Standing up at 13 weddings before my own meant throwing lots of showers and parties. But I wanted to celebrate in a way that was authentic to the individual and not limited by what’s available. My client list quickly grew through referrals, and my custom services expanded to one-of-a-kind wedding invitations and day-of details. I always hoped to turn this passion for color and joy into a full-time business.
What are your products and how do you make them?
Billet-Doux has grown into a cheerful paper goods brand meeting real life needs. As a busy mom, I rely on multi-use products for easy gifting and elevated entertaining. From note cards, notepads, gift tags and wrapping paper, to coordinating coasters, placemats, wine tags and tent cards, each item is intentional to save time, add charm, and help do more with less effort. I design everything myself, then outsource to various professional printers whom I trust for the highest-quality materials.
Do you customize your products?
All my product lines are available personalized. I always say that it really doesn’t take much more effort to create a signature brand of coordinating personal stationery, enclosure cards, gift tags, wine tags that can be used across occasions. I can’t express enough how much time and scramble this saves! I still take on a few custom event design and wedding clients each year.
Where do you find inspiration?
Everywhere! It’s a delicate balance though, of making sure new designs are authentic to my brand yet intentionally different from what’s already trending. My aesthetic is multilayered patterns with playful color palettes to make a statement without feeling forced. I love deconstructing design elements (like a placemat pattern), and spreading components across complementary product lines (coasters, tent cards, cups). Or pairing traditional monograms with a trendy die-cut edge to add personality.
What do your clients tell you?
That’s the best part. My custom clients say they’re grateful for a creative partner who turns their scattered ideas into a cohesive, personal tone. Everyday customers share how my products make gifting easier and more enjoyable. One woman keeps gift tags in her car, so last-minute gifts look intentional.
How can people reach you to order?
You can find me at @billetdouxcouture on Etsy and Instagram, or locally, at The English Daisy and Pink Geranium. Email melinda@couturestationery.com for custom orders or visit me at vendor markets November–December.
Jeff Kelch has been a serious amateur photographer and history buff for most of his life. Prior to recognizing his true calling as a historical archivist and owner of The Digital Archive Group (TDAG), Jeff worked in senior positions for Shutterfly, and Maritz Travel. After graduating from Ohio University, Jeff spent 10 years touring the country as a professional stand-up comedian working at premier clubs and opening for top acts such as The Monkees, Chicago, Eddie Murphy, Rick Springfield, and Sheena Easton.
Jeff evolved into a cultural archivist during his time working with online photo giant, Shutterfly, and with a start-up archival services company. Jeff created TDAG out of the need for companies, entertainers, sports teams, and historical organizations to discover, digitize, and make accessible historical content and images. The company, based in Buffalo Grove, digitizes a wide variety of archival materials, including books, newspapers, magazines, manuscripts, slides, negatives, photographs, maps, and documents. TDAG then organizes the materials, adds metadata keywords, and creates a cloud-hosted digital archive for their clients.
The first big client for TDAG was Oprah Winfrey. As Harpo Studios was relocating from Chicago to the West Coast, TDAG was called in to assess the massive collection of archival materials and initiate a plan for the creation of the Oprah Winfrey Legacy Archive. Jeff and his team of 12 moved into historic Harpo Studios and, in less than a year, they digitized an extensive collection including over 500,000/35mm negative film images from Ms. Winfrey’s life, beginning with childhood, encompassing the 25 years of the Oprah Winfrey Show. The archival team and a fabric-wardrobe specialist were brought onsite to photograph and preserve Miss Winfrey’s extensive wardrobe, including clothing from the show, awards ceremonies, and the movie, “The Color Purple.”
TDAG has earned notable clients including the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum and Library, Billy Graham Archive, Jon Bon Jovi, William Wrigley Jr., Olympian Shaun White, Steppenwolf Theatre, John Deere, Jim Beam Brands, Newberry Library, and the Chicago Cubs, White Sox, Bears, and Blackhawks.
“My favorite part of the job is meeting with clients, performing archival assessments, and creating a strategy for making the historical assets accessible,” Jeff said. “It’s also pretty cool to hold in your hand a document signed by Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, Queen Elizabeth, Arnold Palmer, a 16th century map, or original blueprints of Wrigley Field!”
Jeff enjoys cruise nights in Barrington and brings his classic, blue 1934 Chrysler, which he drove in the Johnny Depp movie “Public Enemies.” Jeff recently donated several thousand movie posters from his collection to aid in fundraising for the Catlow Theater 1927 Foundation. He is an avid golfer, which led to archival projects for Titleist Golf, Chicago District Golf Association, Western Golf Association/Evans Scholars Foundation, and Skokie Country Club.
Jeff lives in Lake Barrington with his wife Ann. Their daughter Colleen lives and works in Chicago, son Quinn an actor, also lives in Chicago. Their oldest son Conor lives in Austin, Texas and is a singer-songwriter performing in the band Ash and the Endings.
“We focus on brewing beers that we enjoy and believe deserve more attention in the market.”
How did you how did you meet and decide to open a brewery?
We’re all long-time friends who grew up here in Barrington. Ian and his now-wife, Diana, began dating in high school, and I met them both around that time. Shortly after graduation, Ian and I started homebrewing together. Before long, Ian took the leap into brewing commercially. All of us have worked in various restaurant and hospitality roles—from marketing and event planning to cooking, bartending, and managing restaurants—so when the opportunity arose, we felt well-prepared to take on the challenges of running our own brewery.
What styles of beer do you brew?
We brew a wide range of styles, but our primary focus is on Belgian-style Saisons and European-style Lagers.
How do you name your beers?
Naming beers is a collaborative process. We often look to the origin of an ingredient or the history of a beer style for inspiration. For example, we recently brewed Roggen Light, a pale rye lager—“roggen”—being the German word for rye.
What types of ingredients are used to make your beers?
We use a variety of grains and hops, sourcing as locally as possible. Most of our grain comes from Indiana, and the majority of our hops are grown in Michigan. We also brew seasonal fruit beers featuring Michigan peaches, cherries, berries, and more.
What kind of special events and attractions do you offer your customers?
We host food trucks every Friday and Saturday and trivia nights on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month. In addition, we have our 3rd annual Fall Fest, taking place on September 20 from 12–10 p.m. The day will feature multiple food trucks, new beer releases, an outdoor bar, local vendors, and live music.
Do you have any unique challenges in your line of work?
With so many breweries out there, it can be challenging to carve out your own identity. We focus on brewing beers that we enjoy and believe deserve more attention in the market.
Tell us about your Barrel Collective Membership.
Our Barrel Collective Membership is essentially our version of a “Mug Club.” Members pay an annual fee and enjoy perks such as exclusive parties at the taproom, members-only beer releases, discounted draft pours, and more.
What is at the heart of your mission?
At the end of the day, we’re here because we love great beer and the community it brings together. Whether you’re stopping by for your favorite lager, trying a seasonal release, or just enjoying a night of trivia with friends, we want everyone to feel welcome. Our mission is simple: brew beer we’re proud of, share it with our neighbors, and create a space where people want to come back to visit time and again.
Visit Sundial Brewing at the Ice House Mall in downtown Barrington, next to the Jewel. Visit online at sundialbrewingandblending.com, email sundialbrewing@gmail.com, or call 224-385-3158.
“It flipped the script for me. Instead of trying to change my circumstances to feel better,
I could change how my mind operated.”
You founded a company called Vision Pursue that does mental training. What does it involve?
If you’re like most people, 80% of your day is spent in stress, frustration, boredom, or escape—scrolling social media, checking the news, zoning out with Netflix, or pouring a drink. We’ve measured it: surveying more than 7,000 people over eight years, from students to pro athletes to corporate leaders, the average is always the same, around 80%.
And it’s not just life satisfaction. Most people have inconsistent focus, attitude, and effort. They know they’re performing below their capability. They overthink, beat themselves up, and rarely feel both motivated and fulfilled at the same time.
My training is designed to change that—retraining the mind so you become resilient, high-performing, deeply connected to others, and able to enjoy life as you live it.
That sounds complicated. How did you pivot this from being a Chief Operating Officer at a hedge fund?
In 2012, I was exactly what I just described—despite having a great family and a successful trading and technology career. I wasn’t enjoying my life, and I wanted to know why.
I came across two neuroscience videos showing that our daily experience is largely determined by brain hemisphere operation and chemical flows in the mind—what I now call brain balance.
It flipped the script for me. Instead of trying to change my circumstances to feel better, I could change how my mind operated so I could feel better regardless of circumstances.
I dove into research and trial-and-error. Over time, I developed a process that rewired how my mind processed the world. My life experience and productivity skyrocketed, and I could be motivated and fulfilled at the same time.
That’s when I formalized the training, launched Vision Pursue, and began my transition out of the trading world.
Who are some of your clients?
Clients include CME Group, Splunk, ZRG Partners, the Miami Heat, Washington Commanders, Boston Celtics, and Duke and Marquette Basketball.
You worked with Coach Sanchez and the Barrington Football team—tell us about that.
Sports wasn’t the plan. I met Dan Quinn when he was with the Seattle Seahawks, and when he became head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, he brought me in. Coach Sanchez later read about my work, and I reached out about BHS.
I wanted local, hands-on experience with someone who had built a powerhouse. I kept working with him for years because he’s a great man and leader. I loved how he treated the boys and prepared them for life, not just football.
Sounds like you train organizations. Do you work with individuals?
I work with a few NBA players and coaches, but most of my work is group-based, supported by an app and structured protocols. I’m also creating a book and digital program to make the training widely available.
What are some tips you can give us?
Normalize Life. Almost all challenges—traffic, tech issues, marriage struggles, health concerns—are repetitive and normal. Stop being surprised.
Adjust Expectations. Aim for “elite” or “great” instead of perfection to reduce stress and improve performance.
Embrace Challenges & Emotions. Fully embracing them helps them pass faster and gets you into solution mode.
How can people learn more about you and Vision Pursue?
Visit us online at visionpursue.com or email russe@visionpursue.com.