Not Live: Susana Mendoza (Ep. 18)

Susana Mendoza, thank you so much for being here. Thanks for having me. It's awesome to be here. How would you explain your job to someone who has maybe never heard of it? I'm the state's chief financial officer, so most people have heard of the term CFO. I'm that for the state of Illinois. I manage all the money, $60 billion budget, make sure that I figure out how to pay bills when, who gets paid when. So I do have prioritization power, which is critically important, especially in times of fiscal crisis. But basically I make sure that all of the funds are being properly managed and that the payments get to who deserve to get paid. And so was this always the plan? I had read that at one point you thought maybe Maybe you're going to be an NFL player. Yes. When I was like six years old, I used to actually do ballet. Can you believe it? And I was watching a football game. My dad was watching an NFL football game and I, it looked fun. A whole bunch of people tackling each other. And I have two older brothers who would tackle me all the time. And I thought, wow, people do this for a living. And I said, I want to do that when I And I grew up in my dad's like big Mexican. You know, Catholic, you know, every girl thinks their dad's like a superhero. Macho man, he was the most macho because he really believed in his little girl being able to accomplish whatever she wanted. I think that's the most manly thing you could possibly be. And so my dad said to me, without skipping a beat, okay, you could do that, but you have to eat better. You do not finish all your vegetables. Your mom makes you sit at the table for an extra half hour. Um, you have to eat really well because you think those guys don't eat all their vegetables. They do. So if you want to be an NFL player, you can do it, but you have to eat a lot better than you did today. He saw that opportunity and he just weaseled his way in there. He's like, all right, I'm going to get what I want out of this. Yeah. And I started eating better, I guess. But you know, that lasted like five seconds, this desire to be an NFL player and eventually became a soccer player. And that was it. That became my, my passion in life. And soccer took you really, really far. You really made waves. You really made things happen. When I was eight years old, I was in ballet. And my brother, Carlos, was playing soccer with the local park district soccer team. And back then, it was like all boys. And it was raining, so my parents picked me up from ballet. And they took us into this park district gym house. And the boys were all playing soccer there. And that was like the first time I'd ever seen them play soccer. And I was like, what is this? You know, it's kind of like that NFL moment, but for soccer. And I said, I want to play. And my dad, my mom, who, you know, a Mexican mom, like, you know, from Mexico. My parents were both Mexican immigrants. You know, she was raised, you know, it was a different day back then. And she looks at me very kindly, right? But she says, oh, honey, you know, girls don't play soccer. And my dad looks at me and he's like, Well, if you want to play, we can sign you up. It's okay if girls don't play soccer. Like, if you want to play, we'll sign you up. And he's like, let her play. I mean, what's the worst that can happen? If she gets kicked in the shins, maybe she doesn't want to play anymore. But it turns out I got kicked in the shins, and I kicked back harder, and the rest is history. I loved it. I fell in love with soccer. And the irony that, you know, I did end up as the girl, being the one to play all the way through college and went to Europe to play soccer. I was in Denmark, Sweden, and Germany. in tournaments out there and it was a life-changing experience for me and it is really the reason why I think I'm in politics today. It taught me discipline, it taught me leadership, it taught me teamwork. And, you know, how to make the best of all of those things, not just on the field, but more importantly, all. Yeah, you really do learn so many lessons that you can use in so many different areas of your life. And you played through so many years of your life. You went on to play in high school, in college, like you said. In high school, you were inducted onto, what was it, the Bolingbrook High School Wall of Fame? Wow, you're good. Yeah, you did your research. The Wall of Fame. Yes, I was the first girl on the Wall of Fame, and that was very cool. And I remember walking. Past the gym, and I'd see those nine boys that were up on that wall, and I thought, man, I want to be number 10. Why? Because 10 is my lucky number. So funny that at the time, I wasn't like, I want to be the first girl on that wall. I was like, ooh, I want to be number 10. Honestly, I would have been disappointed if I would have been number 11, even if I was the first girl, but that's how you're thinking back then. I never thought about it as being the first to do something from a girl perspective, but I was, in my life, the first many times, right? But it's always important to not be the last, right? You want to be the first of many. And I was the first girl on that wall, and now I look back on that, and I think that was way cooler than just being number 10. But I was number 10 in soccer, so it is my lucky number. I named my son David Quinten, and it's spelled T-E-N. Quinn, because my husband's the fifth in his birth order. My dad's name was Joaquin, and people would always mispronounce it as Joe Quinn. So I honored my father with the Quinn, my husband with the fifth in his birth order, and me, since I birthed this child, by naming him my lucky number. So 10, do you play that in the lotto? What else are we doing with the number 10? I never win the lotto. Okay. But I win the lotto of life, right? I married David Sostak, who literally is like the greatest thing that ever happened to me. I tell everyone I won the lotto. We should literally have like a Hallmark movie made about us because we have the coolest love story ever. And we now have. This awesome 13-year-old son who's like our pride and joy. I mean, that's way better than any financial lotto I could ever win. 100%. You get to go home to these people every single night. I mean, what a treat. That is like literally when people ask me all the time, especially young ladies, like, what advice do you have for me for life? Do you ever get the question? Oh, all the time. Yeah, what's your answer? And I think they always think it's going to be like something career-wise. But I literally tell them the most important advice I can ever give you is that you really I really need to remember that the most. Important decision you'll ever make in your life is who you choose to go home to. It's actually not what job you're going to pursue, because you could literally have your dream job. But if you're not happy coming home, it's for naught. You're not going to be happy. So whether it's you're coming home to yourself and you love yourself entirely, Or you're coming home to a situation where you know they're waiting for you to get home and can't wait to see you and you can't wait to see them. And so I'm very blessed that that is my life right now. And it's been that way for the last 15 years with my husband. We're going on 15 and my 13 year old son. And I thank God every day for that. But that's the most important advice. When you go home and you shout, David, who answers first? Is it your husband or your son? Usually, I don't even get to announce because I'm not kidding you. I open the door and it's got like a little thumbprint thing. So it makes a noise. It gives him a heads up that I'm coming. And then my son just pounces on me as soon as I walk through. Even at 13, like I'm super lucky I'm telling you. It's like, it sounds fake, but it's real. And I literally thank God every day. Because not everybody has that. And my son's my number one supporter, only followed and matched by my husband, who is also, like, there's two people that would be devastated if I didn't run from there. And that's my husband and my son. Because they really believe in me, and they believe and love this city. And they get excited, and we do this as a team. I don't do it for myself. It's a team effort. I'm so impressed by your 13-year-old son, because you think about a 13-year-old boy who has so many other things to think about, right? School and stuff. Sports, and this, and friends, and that. Girls now we're starting to see, yes. And there he is, just so excited to see his mom. Yeah, I know. It's, like, awesome. In fact, sometimes when I pick him up from school, like, last year, he'd go see his friends. He goes to a new school now that he tested into. But he still goes, like, on Fridays to see his friends at his old school. And when they come out, like, the friends, they're really cool kids. But, you know, they're too cool to, like, hug their moms. But mine's, like, right on top of me. And he's like, I'm going to always do it, mommy. It doesn't matter if they make fun of me, you know? And it's great. In fact, one of his friends heard him playing on the computer. They were playing together. And my son will just shout out, damo, mommy. You know, like, I love you in Spanish. And I go, you también, mi amor. I love you too. And then his friend goes, dude, did you just tell your mom you love her? And he goes, yeah, what? Don't you love your mom? I feel sorry for you, bro. One for him. See, and that's a direct reason. I love this kid. Yes, yes. That's the way you parented him. But it was funny. He was cracking on his friend. He was cracking on him. He was like, what, don't you love your mom? I feel sorry for you. Put it back on them. It was great. Exactly, exactly. I feel like that's just growing up in a Hispanic household, though. I totally get that. My mom was born in Cuba. So Hispanics are just so warm and loving all the time. Yeah, you know who else is like that, though? Polish people. Yeah. Because my husband's Polish. He's one of nine. And every time you go to a family function, it's like a two-hour goodbye. Because everyone's hugging and, you know, blessing each other, and it's awesome. So yeah, he's been surrounded by that, like on steroids, right? And so we're very much a hugger-kissy kind of family, and I've told him since the minute he was born that I'm always going to be this way, and so get used to it. Yes. When you were David's age, let's just pick you up and place you back into Bowling Brook. What would you be doing if you were 13, 14, 15 years old, maybe on a Friday night? Maybe even 16, we'll say you got the keys to the car. Where are you going? I know it's going to be so boring. Soccer practice, or when I was coming home from school, practicing soccer on my own. And my dad would come home from work, and then he'd practice soccer with me. I was really obsessed with it. It was my passion, and I played at a very competitive level. It was my dream to go on a collegiate. scholarship to college. So, you know, whenever I set my sights on doing something, I don't just want to do it. I want to be the best at it. And so once my dad saw that I had a natural aptitude to play soccer, that was it. He played semi-pro when he was in Mexico and my dad would come home from school, from work every day. I'd be home from school and he would teach me how to kick with my left foot. I remember those were my early lessons. You're going to, you're going to be so good with your left foot because no one's going to expect it. And so he taught me some Some of his really cool moves. You know, I had this killer cut with my right foot and shot with my left foot that was like my marker, you know, like my signature move. And my dad taught me all those things. So I enjoyed it. It was never a sacrifice for me. Like when my friends were out doing other stuff that normal teenagers did, I was playing soccer, whether it was in my backyard with my dad or a pickup game. Sometimes I played baseball out in the street with my buddies too. We had a lot of boys on my block. So, you know, I learned to do all the things. I was very much a tomboy growing up as a girl. Um, but who also was very, you know, sure with who I was. And so I had the best of both worlds, you know, growing up with two brothers, I had to learn to be tough. Um, but also with the mom who, you know, very much, uh, made sure that I was exposed to amazing, amazing, strong, I'd say badass, I'm going to say that, but women who really informed much of who I am today. You mentioned that scholarship. I don't want to, you know, just glaze over that. You did get your scholarship. Yes. Talk a little bit about going to college and how much of a culture shock that was for you. It was an incredible experience. I was originally going to go to a University of Madison, Wisconsin. And then I chose at the last second to not, because you might get this, you know, daughter of immigrant parents, getting the opportunity to go to college was more than just going to college for me. It was an opportunity to have access to a better job and to immediately start working as soon as I could to help my family. So this concept of going to college at a D1 school, which I always dreamt of doing, but then having to redshirt my first year meant that I had to commit to five years of college. And that's what I thought I was going to do and then get to work at the end of that fifth year. But there was this coach who was relentless about recruiting me at a D2 school in Missouri. And I had a friend from high school that went to that school. And I said, you know what, just to get this guy off my back, I'm going to go there. There's no chance I'm going to go to that school. But have a fun weekend, see my friend. And then I go there and I was like, it just felt like everything about that school called me and I wanted to fight it. But I was like, I can't. This is the right place for me. And so I completely detoured from what I thought my life plan was going to be. And I went with what felt right. It was this first moment of really trusting your instincts and your gut, even though it didn't make sense for me. But I knew I'd get to play my first year and I didn't have the red shirt. So that was the deal. You know, I'd come in. I started. I didn't start my first game, but I started. I went in on my first game. And then I started everything after that throughout my college career. The irony is that I got injured in my senior year in the first game of that last season. But because I was injured catastrophically in the first game, I was able to get redshirted. So I ended up sitting a season anyway, where in my mind I was going to graduate in four years. So it was four and a half instead of five. I came back and played that last year. But then I got to work immediately upon graduating college. I went into the private sector. I worked in hospitality at Marriott and then in an advertising agency, which is really what I studied, business, finance, advertising in college. And I got to brag on you just a little bit more. I know that you were captain of that soccer team. Yes, of course. But yeah, in high school and in college. And, you know, this is what I mean by the thing is when you're in high school, you know, you're going to be the best on your team, right? Right. And that's like, it's. This whole different feeling of knowing that you're responsible for navigating that team. When you're not around, the team is like, oh, man, you know, we lost our star player. But when you get to college, the culture shock there wasn't so much about, like, the people in the school, which, you know, I feel like I can fit in in any crowd. The culture shock was realizing for the first time in your life that everyone on your college team was the best player in their high school. So it's like a whole other level of reality check. Put the prima donna on hold and get to work on trying to earn place on that team as the leader of the team. So I went in as a freshman, clearly not the captain, but by my sophomore year, I became the captain of the team. And I won't say I was the best player on the team. I think there are a couple of girls that I would say, I was like, oh, he's trying to like, you know, be the best, but I'm like, I'm going to give respect where it's due. But I was definitely in the top tier and earned the top leadership role, which was being captain of the team for the rest of my career in college. So super awesome experience. And. I think when you have to elevate your play because you're always wanting to be the best, you're not just elevating your own play, you're bringing the best out of the teammates that make that team. And look at Michael Jordan. He was great individually, right? We could all say, like, he was really the best on our team at one point. But he wasn't the greatest until he was able to elevate Scottie Pippen's play and Horace Grant and B.J. Armstrong and, you know, Steve Kerr, all these guys who were elevated. He demanded that from his team, and he led that team to championship after championship because he figured it out. It wasn't just about him. It was about bringing the best out in the others as well. I love that. Harrison, you just sent chills through my whole body. That is so, so true. Were you the captain who was friends with everybody? Were you the captain that people Were a little afraid of, intimidated by? What was kind of the vibe? I was both. I obviously wanted to be friends with everyone on the team because you want them to trust you and be inspired by you. But I also, even though I was very young, I felt like at times I was like the mom on the team that was the Debbie Downer. So like, when we were going to have a tough game, I was like vigilant about, you cannot go out drinking at the frat house. We all, of course, wanted to go party with the frat boys. But if I knew that the team was going to do that, like they would try to keep that secret for me, you know, because I'm like, no, we have to be focused on the game. It's a big game. And then there was one time actually where they didn't listen to me. And it was one of those tragic stories of. You know, a porch collapsing with too many people on it. Somebody was actually paralyzed, no one on our team, but our key goalkeeper actually dove instinctively. She was on that porch and she dove and she hit her head against someone else's head in the fall and her teeth literally got jammed up. Into her face and uh, this is what happens right? It's like you don't want to be the mom but she was out for some time our star keeper because Leah if you're watching I still remember Uh, but she came back but the point is she could have killed herself. It could have been very tragic and you don't say these things just because You want to be a Debbie Downer but because as the captain it is your job To make sure that people are safe and that they show up ready to play Yeah, well and you have that competitive Favorite about you, and it's probably from your brothers, right? I mean, growing up with boys, I also have two brothers, so I know what it's like. I mean, you are right there wrestling with them, and I still remember all of that stuff. I can imagine that your experience was the same. Yeah, yeah, and you know what's funny? I don't know, your brothers probably said this. They always talk about how, like, I picked on them, but I'm like, whatever, dudes. You guys were brutal with me, but I appreciate it all the time because it made me who I am today. They're the best. My brothers are awesome, both of them. Um, but yeah, they, they, they would do things like I would watch Creature Feature, which you probably don't know what that is, but it was this horror TV show back in the day. Anyone in their fifties would know what I'm talking about. Um, but it was like Bela Lugosi and there were like werewolves and vampires. It was scary as hell. I can't believe my parents let me watch this, but this is when I was living in Chicago in Little Village. I would go back to my bed and I would be scared out of my mind. I was like six or seven years old. And then my brothers, they would, without me noticing, like one of them would get under the bed and then they're like, we're going to get you, you know, they're going to come get you at night. And then I would be in bed trying to fall asleep and I would feel like my sheets start to ----. Oh no, they were brutal. Can I imagine this? And then like a good tug and I would like dart out of that bed like there's no tomorrow. Turns out it was like my older brother. You know, scaring the bejesus out of me. So, yeah, like, this is the kind of stuff that happened in our house all the time. But if it doesn't kill you, it makes you stronger. It sure does. They got to you mentally with all the games that they would play with you like that. But they also gave it to you physically, too. You guys would box, wouldn't you? Yeah. So when I was six years old, my brother found a pair of, like, those Everlast boxing gloves that somebody had thrown in the trash in our alley. They were kind of hanging out in the trash can. And so my brother Joaquin took him. And he put them on me, and he put duct tape around them. Can you imagine? I was like six tiny little skinny things. Like, he puts them, and he goes, okay, Flakita, I'm going to show you how to box. You can defend yourself. The nickname is good. Yeah, Flakita means skinny. I was back then. So, anyway, he goes, I'm going to teach you how to box, because you have to know how to, like, defend yourself from bullies, right? And so he taught me how to throw a right hook. That glove was probably heavier than I was. I wish I had pictures of those days, but they're all, like. You know, emblazoned in my brain. I mean, if I get Alzheimer's, I'll remember that story, right? So, yeah, that was like how we grew up. But, you know, there's like a lot of humor in that, but then there's a lot of reality that he really did have to teach me how to hold my own and how to stand up to bullies because we lived in a very, very hot, gang-infested block. In Little Village, beautiful community, but even today there are certain blocks where it's really tough to live, you know, you've got a lot of gang activity and, you know, people getting shot or killed and ours was one of those blocks and so I don't have a single memory of living, or I should say of playing in front of my house. I have lots of really fun memories in my backyard with my mom, dad, and my brothers. But we were never allowed to play in front because, you know, there were bullets flying and a lot of gang activity. And so every day my brother would hold my hand and walk me to school and be like, okay, **** it, just don't make eye contact. Hold my hand and we'd get to school without getting shot. Now he's eight years older than I. Always wanted to be a police officer. Was active in the police explorers. That is not a cool thing when you're living in a gang-infested block. So, it was like, he was the young guy who wanted to eventually arrest guys committing crimes, and they were the guys committing crimes, right? So, my parents always lived with this constant fear that something horrible was going to happen to my older brother, who was a really great guy. And, you know, he always had this constant fear that something was going to happen to his little sister or his little brother, because he would refuse to join gangs, and they would threaten us. They threatened him by threatening us, right? Right. And so. The crazy part about this story of walking to school holding my brother's hand and saying, you know, just don't make eye contact in school without getting shot, or the same story on the way home, was that it didn't seem crazy to me. It's like all I knew. It seemed normal. There's nothing normal about that. And I know now, and certainly when my family had to move to the suburbs when I was about eight years old, because there was a gang shooting on their block, and my mom said, we're done. All right, we're done. We don't want to come home working so hard and find that it's our son or one of our kids that's dead. They did what many parents do, and that's flee a neighborhood because of violence. And so we left to Woodridge a little bit. And that's where I learned, like, noises in the morning or birds chirping or pop, pop, pop is fireworks. It's not gunshots. And I learned that the worst thing that could happen to me on my way to school was having a bird poop on me, and never worrying about it. A gunshot coming my way and so it was a completely night and day difference from a perspective of like not even realizing the level of stress that you're carrying every day versus having none at all and my mom though she still kind of had I would say PTSD before I even called it that because it was like a full year before I was allowed to play at any friend's houses, before I was allowed to play in front of my house. And then eventually over time, she realized that, yeah, it's okay. You can let go a little bit and let your kids be kids. And so I learned what it was like to, you know, play baseball with my neighbors, the boys on the block, or play soccer in front of the house and little pickup games with people, play in my backyard, but also have the option of playing in the front yard. And the absolute suburbanite, you know, story universally accepted, which is you come in the house when the lights go on in the street. That means it's dinner time. And so I have had the benefit of knowing both lives. And I graduated from college. It was my dream not to move back to Chicago and live in like a cool, hoity-toity area, which we have beautiful areas in our city, but to actually kind of settle the score for myself. And go back to the neighborhood that I was born in, that I love with all my heart, but that I felt that our good family was run out of by bad elements. And so that's where I felt like the biggest difference with my college education, with my love for kids, with my love for community service. That's where I needed to be. And so that's where I came back from graduating college. I always say it wasn't my choice to leave, but it was definitely my choice to come back. And what did you think when you came back? I thought, how much has changed? Not much has changed, you know? Like, I remember the first thing I did, we rented a house that my dad's friend owned. He had just built it, like a three-flat. And they lived on the first part, we lived up top, and then there was, like, a basement that they didn't occupy. But there was no grass in the parkway. We had a little tree. I've been there for years, but there was, like, glass in the dirt, and, you know, it just didn't look clean. So I came from living in the suburbs, and I said, well, I'm going to clean up that little patch, and I dug out all the glass, you know, made the dirt look nice, and then I bought a little, like, round thing to protect the tree area, and I planted little flowers, right? And I remember somebody coming up to me who lived on that block, and they said, hey, you're from the suburbs, right? And I said, yeah, how do you know? And she goes, well, because nobody else would be doing what you're doing. And I don't understand why you're doing that. That's the city's job. And I said, really? I go, she goes, yeah, the city is supposed to take care of these parkways. And I said, well, look around. Does it look like the city's taking care of the parkways? No, but that's your job. And I go, well, I live here. And I don't like looking at this dirty parkway. And if I can do my part to make my little parkway look nice, then that's one less thing the city has to worry about, right? Maybe the city has bigger issues right now fixing the grass in this parkway. And she goes, well, you don't even own this place. I'm like, I know, but I live here. And so when I'm paying rent this month, I own it for this month. That's how I think about paying rent. And I have a part to play in making my block look nice, right? I go, and if everybody thought, like, I think this whole block would look a lot prettier, so I'm going to do my part. Maybe you can try doing it. It feels good to plant flowers. What was the reaction? She just thought I was weird, you know? But then I'll tell you that I came home from work one day. I worked in an advertising firm. I remember it was a Thursday. It's weird that I remember that, but it's not because I started doing this every Thursday, but came home on a Thursday and I had my heels on from the ad firm. And I saw these two little boys. They were on my side of the block, a few houses down and they were playing soccer and they lost the ball. You know, it happens all the time. Right. And I have like this, like Pavlov's dog, you know, they hear bell. They're like, ah, I see a ball and I got to go chase after it. Instinct kicks in. Yeah. So this ball comes my way. I'm in my twenties and, um, I start juggling the ball with heels on. You are so cool. And these kids are like, what? These little boys, right? Mexican boys. What? And I'm like, yeah. And I'm like, you guys want to learn a trick? And they're like, yeah, you know more? I'm like, yeah, I'll show you how to do it. Do you know how to do a rainbow? They're like, what's that, right? So I'm like, flick it over your head. So I'm like, I'm going to come down, give me five minutes. I'm going to run upstairs, get a garbage bag, because I'm going to clean up this area first. But as soon as I'm done cleaning, you guys help me clean, I'll show you some tricks. Sound good? They're like, yeah. So I come down with garbage bags, and we all start cleaning up our side of the block, right? And when we're done, we have, like, garbage bags full of trash, cups and papers and, you know, think bags of Cheetos, stuff like that, right? Um, we clean up the block and I tell them, yeah, then they'll look so much nicer. Look, it's clean. And I put the bag in my, behind my wrought iron fence and then I go, all right, let's go down to the school block away and I'll show you guys how to do some tricks. So we did. And they were like, this was so fun. Like, can you do it again? And I said, yeah, how about we do it same time, same place next Thursday, but round up some friends and then we'll clean up more and then we'll go to the school and we'll have more kids to play with. It'll be more fun. She's like, awesome. So next Thursday after school, I show up, got a group of kids. And this is how it started for me, like totally unexpected. I never, ever in my wildest imagination ever thought I would want to run for public office. It was this experience of just trying to help kids make better choices and connect with them like where they were at. And they love soccer and I love soccer. And it created this opportunity to bridge a gap. They otherwise couldn't fill on their own, and they're surrounded by gangs, and I would get confrontational with the gang members and say, you know, don't mess with my kids. Like, these are your brothers and sisters. Why would you want them to follow down your path? Like, you made a choice, right? There's always an opportunity for you to lead, but your little brother isn't in this gang yet, so let me help your little brother, you know? You don't mess with my kids, I don't mess with you, but you mess with my kids. I'm going to mess with you, right? And I think they were probably just thinking I was crazy and that I was crazy enough to actually mess back with them, right? And it would be a bigger problem for them if they mess with me or with those kids. So we ended up really getting super active, cleaning up the neighborhood. I got the alderman involved. The alderman came out with shovels and brooms and bags and things to clean up. And then we made the kids get their parents involved. And then all of a sudden, we had a block club. And now parents were, like, super active on the block. The aldermen started giving awards for the person who spruced up their house the nicest, right? So we didn't have to spend any money as a city. We just had to give people this opportunity to make better decisions and feel like the reward, the recognition of improving their neighborhood. And seeing that their kids looked up to them for doing that. And it was awesome. So they called themselves the 12th Ward Planeteers. And then the alderman, that was Ray Frias back in the day, he made t-shirts for all of them. They designed their logo. And he really like gave awards to the kids. And this is like how I got super active. And next thing you know, a few years later, I decided to run for office myself. And some of those kids I still stay in contact with today. That was kind of like the beginning in a very unexpected way. Of me stepping up for public service in the city that I love. And what about with your family? You know, talking about that story certainly brings a smile to my face. So what brings a smile to your face when you think about just growing up with five of you guys at home? Yeah, well, that we were so close. I mean, my parents are the only ones from their family that ever moved to the United States. So all of my Mexican relatives, both my mother and father's side, are still in Mexico. And so we were, we had to be super tight. That's all, we only had each other, right? So my two older brothers, my mom and my dad. And my dad unfortunately died soon after I moved back to Chicago, just three weeks into me moving. He passed away from a massive heart attack at the age of 61. I was just 22, changed my life forever. And that's where you really become an adult. Because up until that point, you know, we were a poor family, but we had what we needed. And we had love in abundance and support from our parents in abundance. But when my dad died, I just never thought that was going to happen when I was 22. And I always thought my oldest brother, who was eight years older, would be the one to deal with that moment in the moment. But my brother Joaquin was a police officer in the Quad Cities at the time, three hours away, before cell phones, right? Like, it was super hard to even get a hold of my brother. I had to make the decision in a moment of what we were going to do with my dad. He had always said he wanted to be cremated. I made the decision. My mom was a complete wreck, was incapable of making any decision in the moment. So the youngest kid in the family, who is the girl, ended up making the most difficult decisions we've ever had to make as a family. And so it was really in that moment that my relationship with my brothers shifted. Because I was always the baby sister, and now I was like, and my brother Joaquin would tell you that himself. He's like, once my dad died and he wasn't there, it felt like every decision that had to be made for the family, I would get to lead it, and he would support it. And that's how it's been. I mean, he and I teamed up together to take care of my mom after my dad died. My brother Carlos moved back to Chicago to help us, you know, get through this period of time. And then Joaquin eventually moved to Chicago to become a Chicago police officer, which was always his dream. And we lived together for many years with my mom. And now my mom unfortunately has dementia and I've become a caretaker for her. But with the support of my brother Joaquin, but now as you know, my brother Joaquin also is permanently disabled from his time in the police force here in Chicago. During the very first part of the pandemic when so many people were dying and we had no therapeutics, he got sick while on the job and he lost both kidneys. And had five strokes within a month of being hospitalized. Yeah, he was hospitalized for 72 days. And two days after getting hospitalized, he lost both his kidneys. And he had five strokes in a month. And so now he actually lives at home with me. I'm caretaker for him as well. It's been tough. But, you know, like, it's been tough for a lot of people. People lost family members that they can never get back. People, caretakers the way I am for my family across the city and the state, and I think it gives me a level of empathy and compassion, but also know-how of how to manage lots of things, managing aging parents, managing a brother who needs help, managing a 13-year-old and a marriage, and managing billions in state debt. And I'll tell you what, that's the easiest part of life, is managing the job. And so people might think, well, are you nuts for stepping up to run for mayor? But not at all, because there's nobody who knows how to manage things better than I do. And I think women in general tend to be much better at compartmentalizing and getting things done without extra drama. Well, and that's what I love about this podcast too, right? Is we see you in your position at work so strong in this and that, but behind all of that, you're a real person who has real things going on at home too that you have to deal with. And I'm lucky though that I have a support network, right? Like my husband, I couldn't do it without David. Being fully in, like with taking care of my mother, she lived with us for so many years. My brother lives at home with us. I mean, like my husband is going to be canonized when he passes on. Hopefully way after I do, I want to go first. But this man is like the greatest gift from God that like he would be cool with, you know, looking for a home that would someday be able to care for my mom. And be like, of course, we're going to help with your brother. Like, there's never been a doubt there. And so, that's what I mean, ladies. Pick right, you know, because it makes all the difference in the world. But I'm not doing it by myself. And I'll say my team, too, right? Like, my staff is incredible. I surround myself by the best and the brightest and the best people, too. Not just the smartest, but kind souls who care about the job that they're doing and the people that we have the honor and privilege of serving. And so when you have a team at home and then you have a team at work that we're all pushing for each other and we're all stepping up for each other and we all treat each other as members of a family, of my work family and my family family. And this is why I still have employees today that have worked for me for over 20 years. That's impressive. It's not a revolving door, right? Shows you're a good boss, right? Yeah, yeah. With your family family, what are things that you guys like to do? I read that you occasionally skydive. How are you just a casual skydiver? I love, you know, I love excitement. And I love, you know, forgetting about, like, anything bad going on in your life, right? And I love throwing caution to the wind and actually jumping out of perfectly fine airplanes. It's fun. And I love roller coasters. Like, I joke around that. Like, when I'm getting close to my deathbed, like, I want my son to, like, be wealthy enough where he can, like, close down an amusement park one day and put me on my favorite roller coaster. And that's how I want to go. I just want to, phew, phew, phew, 90 miles an hour. And, you know, I come back and I'm gone, right? I'm, like, in the VIP pass upstairs. One last good run. Yeah, it's like one last good run. Maybe I won't like that as I'm getting older. But right now, like, I think that would be pretty cool. The reality of it is that we have fun as a family. As a family, there's nothing I love more to do, and I think my husband and son would agree, than travel together as a family. We love going to Colorado, and my husband and my son are avid snowboarders and skiers. I love snowboarding, not a skier. I'll stick with snowboarding. But we have so much fun when we do it, and it's such a point of connection for us. Being on the plane, getting there, the whole part of it. We love every aspect. We love going on cruises together as a family. We love going to Mexico together as a family. This last year, a year ago, we did what I've always dreamt of doing, which was taking my husband's mother and father, who raised nine kids, and clearly, when you're raising nine kids, and you're a stay-at-home mom, and you're a union electrician, you don't have money to go anywhere outside of, like, your neighboring states at best, right? So they had never been out of the U.S. until they went with us to Mexico on vacation, but that's still the contiguous North America, right? But last year, we were able to do one of my dreams at my husband's, which was take his mom and dad to Poland for the first time. We took them there for a week, and then we took them to Rome. They're super Catholic, obviously, when I came. Super Catholic, Eucharistic ministers, go to church every day. I mean, they're the most Catholic people I know. And we took them to Rome during the year of the Jubilee, where they were able to walk through all four holy doors. We're very Catholic in our family. This was a dream come true, and I cashed in all my miles so that we could fly them first class. Because, you know, we're not wealthy. We can't afford to buy first class. But I had to travel so much for work, and I racked up enough miles. But that's how we did it. They flew in style as they deserved. And I think that's a trip of a lifetime. And I think it's very special that our son is one of only 17 grandkids. Only 17, yeah. That got to go to Europe with his grandparents. That is so special. He's an only child, but he had this unique experience that no one else is going to have. They're 89 and 85. Oh, and grandparents are so special. The best. And you know, my mother-in-law and my father-in-law are amazing. My mother-in-law has this amazing gift. In particular, she's got 17 grandkids, and she treats every single one of them as if they're the only one. Like, every one of them feels like they're Grammy's favorites, that my son clearly is my mom's favorite, he would say, right? She's got three grandkids, and she's going to tell them all they're her favorite, but you know, the one she's spent the most time is actually my son, because you live with us. But, um... And David's parents obviously don't live with their grandkids, but they make their grandkids all feel equally loved, equally special. And I am like the most blessed in terms of not just my husband, but also my in-laws are incredible. And how you learn to love people. That's how you learn to love yourself too. I just, I think it all just kind of trickles down. It's so important. I do want to go back to snowboarding though, because I know you've got some. Mad skills with the soccer ball. Can you pull out some cool stunts with the snowboard, too? So I get down without breaking my neck. I consider that a win. That's good. Yeah, you're not going to be seeing me like Sean White or anything, but I have fun out there. You know, I am. I've done a black once, but I am, like, very good on blue and green. Green, of course, but blue. But Breckenridge, like, even a green in Breckenridge is like a black in the Midwest, right? But my son, he can knock out double black diamonds on both snowboards and skis. And he's only 13, and we only go once a year. Those are straight up and down in the Rocky Mountains. Yeah, it's double black, but it's nuts. Like, you've got to be nuts. But he's really good, and I think he's super, super talented at skiing. He doesn't really love. Team sports, he plays them, but it's not like his passion. His passion is, in fact, skiing and snowboarding, even though he only does it once a year. He's a natural at it. If we lived in Colorado, this kid would be trying out for the Olympics. But my husband and he have really bonded over everything, but that in particular, and I do too. But I'm still, like, enjoying. I enjoy snowboarding. I'm good at it. I have my own board and equipment, so, you know, I've graduated into that. But I'm still kind of like saying a prayer or two on my way down sometimes, right? I'm like, please, God. I'm always like, please protect my husband and my son, even though they're amazing. But you just, you can never pray enough as far as I'm concerned. And I'm always like, please let me enjoy this ride and not snap my neck, right? So that's, it's a win. I'm with you on the greens and the blues like I just want to coast I want to have a good time it's so gorgeous out there yes 100% when you're on a black diamond you are just straight looking in front of you and nothing else matters as long as you get down you just want to survive exactly it's like a survival versus an enjoyment right and if I'm going that far and spending that much money I want to enjoy it exactly and then come back and get a nice hot chocolate and no how How about the hot tubs? Oh, there we go. I love to be on the mountain. I'm there for seven days, I want to do four days on the mountain, and every other minute in a hot tub or in the grotto, like, just relaxing, because I don't have to do enough of that on a day-to-day basis, so, like, let the boys go out and do their fun stuff, I have enough fun, and then I want to relax and, you know, have my body not take a beating, but for me, like, the real fun and excitement where I have zero fear for whatever reason of jumping out of a plane, like, zero, it's pure adrenaline and excitement. Yes, let's go. What is the most beautiful place that you have been skydiving at? Well, I've only been skydiving in Illinois, but the best experience is with the golden lights. Okay. You can't beat that. No, I got to hear more. Tell me the story. Yeah, and that was my first time skydiving, which is perhaps why I have no fear, but I was so excited to go with them. They're the best in the world. And it's the Army Golden Knights. And I was with them and I was on the plane. I was so stoked and super excited to get on. No fear at all, like zero nerves. And one of the guys goes to me, and this is the guy that actually jumped with President George Bush Sr. on his birthday. And he looks at me and he goes, so are you nervous? No, I'm so excited. And he looks at me and I'm like, should I be nervous? And he's like. Yeah, I think it's like, this is your first time. It's normal to have some nerves. That's actually like a good thing. I said, listen, you know, my dad always used to say that when it's your time, it's your time. And I'm flying, I'm going to jump out of this plane with you guys, the best in the world. So I fully trust that you're going to get me down safely because if you don't, then it was my time. So I'm just going to enjoy the time that I have with you guys right now on this plane and don't try to make me nervous because I'm having a really good time right now. He's like, all right. And then, yeah, we jumped. It was amazing. And I thought, okay, I've been through it. I wasn't scared. And literally, my body does not have a fear factor going up in a plane and jumping out of it when I'm with skydivers. I do get a little bit more antsy just flying in a plane like a normal person. Sure. Make it make sense, right? It doesn't make sense. What in the world? For me, it's really fun. Yeah. But I also love going with people who are afraid of heights because... Jumping out of a plane to me is kind of this manifestation of facing one of the world's biggest fears. I used to be afraid of heights, and then I slowly started to get over it. But conditioning your brain to say, like that first time when I decided to go with the Golden Knights, I was still kind of afraid of heights. But I made myself this pact that if I get to go with these guys, I got to put fear to the side and just go for it and enjoy the moment. And I did mentally. It's called being mentally tough. You can be physically tough, but you have to be mentally tough to really take on things that are risky. And I think the one thing that truly differentiates me from 99% of other elected officials is that I am not risk averse. And so, so many elected officials, they say they're going to do this and that if you vote for me before they're elected, and then you're going to change the world. Then you get there and immediately you're risk averse because you're thinking about your next reelection. Like, in my case right now, I mean, it's a perfect example. I'm not running for re-election. I'm running only for mayor of Chicago. And everyone's like, are you nuts? Like, why would you walk away from a sure thing, a sure re-election? Every other candidate who's in elected office now is choosing to run for re-election. To me, at this point, that's playing it safe. That's choosing to play it safe. And I'm not going to play it safe. And the more I talk with people, they don't have the luxury of playing it safe when it's safe. Nobody has a safe net, or very few people. And so why should I? So if I'm really committed to this job and I'm really all in for Chicago, which I believe Chicagoans deserve to have a mayor who's all in for them, then you prove that by walking the walk, not just talking the talk. And so I'm all in for Chicago. My safety net, be damned. Let's go. You know, and I think that that is proof positive that I'm in it to win it. And, you know, hopefully voters will see through, you know, everybody else's desire to protect their job security more than. We talked a lot about the adrenaline rush things, right? We talked about the skydiving, the snowboarding. What about when we're trying to mellow down? How do you relax? I just go home. I go home when I walk through that door. And if my kid's home, he pummels me in the best way. When he's not, I'm like, where's David? He's still at school or something. But usually I'm getting home so late these days. But in a normal universe, get home from a long enough day at work. And, you know, there's just nothing but like. Love coming my way. Every now and then, let's say your kid, you know that you had a bad day because David will be quiet, little David. He looks like what happened to him, right? And there was like maybe something, he didn't get the grade he wanted at school. You know, wasn't as respectful as he knows his parents want him to be and, you know, we hear about it. So, but you know immediately because it's off, right? There's something off. But 99% of the time is you come home and then I just forget about everything else. There will be moments where I do talk to my husband about what's happening at work if I had a bad day because not every day is great, right? Um, and he's always there to talk to me about those things, but he's always there to also say, if I don't need or want to talk to them about them, we don't know. And so he's just there to be fully present for me in the moment as I am for my family. And I think that's really like the key to our success and it helps me wind down. But everybody always asks my husband, where did she get all the energy? And how do you deal with that? You know, like, does she ever turn it off? And he's like, yeah, as soon as she hits the couch and we start watching TV, she's out. So we can't, like, enjoy good, you know, series together because I'll be, like, good for the first half hour and then I'm, like, you know, for the count. And then he always makes fun of me because I'll say, honey, wake up, and I'm, like, I'm listening. My eyes are just closed. My eyes are just closed. I'm just resting. He's, like, you're just like my mom. She says the same thing. But we do have a superpower to, like, hear even with our eyes closed. But, yeah, it's really just turning it off and unwinding at home in the peace of my home. And it's really that simple. I mean, I love hanging out with my girlfriends, too. And every now and then you need time with other people in your life, and important, your friends. And so... And the cool thing about my friends, I would say, like my real friends from like a long period of time, is that they don't care at all that I'm an official. I love that. They could give two squats about like, You know, me running for mayor or for controller or, you know, they care if I'm running for my life. That's it, right? So they don't care about the position. They only care about me. And they don't ever ask about it. It's like the most boring thing in the world for them. That's awesome. And so those are those moments where I get to turn it all off and turn it off at home as much as I can. I can't always, but as much as I can. And when I'm hanging out with my girlfriends, we just love to gossip, still talk about, you know, uh, things that girls talk about. Right. Um, and. Just have fun. Be yourself. That's it. Those friendships from childhood are so important. I think back and, you know, I get with my high school girlfriends and we still talk about what happened in the sixth grade to so-and-so. Oh, my God, remember that when Mr. So-and-so said this? It's just so funny. Like, that stuff never gets old. No, amen. And you know what? We still have a connection to that because my husband, David, The best man in his wedding has been his best friend, at our wedding, I should say, has been his best friend since second grade. And I played soccer. When I played on all-boys teams, Danny was one of my teammates. Get out! So this trifecta still exists today. And it's like, sometimes it's like, can you believe you married David Sosak? And I'm like, no, I can't believe I married David Sosak. He was the quarterback of the football team, like super hot. I mean, like every girl wanted to date David Sosak. I can't believe I am married to David Sosak, you know? And I like joke around that I was captain of the soccer team. He was a quarterback of the football team, but he was so cute. And he always had like a blonde girlfriend, you know? And I'm like, damn, I got David Sosak the quarterback just many years later. We were really good friends, but we never dated. I was like fully focused on soccer. That's the only thing I cared about. And he was like the coolest, nicest guy in school. I'll give you an example of how awesome my husband was. There was this girl in our class, in one of our classes, who had broken her leg. And she was on crutches. And she wasn't like in the cool clique, right? And one day she was walking to school, and she was trying to navigate her books in her crutches. She was walking to class, I should say. And she dropped. She, like, you know, fumbled, and she dropped all her books, and people started laughing. And my husband at the time was just Dave Sostak, captain of the football team. He could have been like every other loser that made fun of her, but instead he got up. Picked up her books, and then he told her, I'm going to walk you to class until you don't have those crutches. You can do it on your own. Every class he walked her to until she got rid of those crutches, which automatically made her cool because this quarterback and football team that everybody thinks is awesome is the nicest human being I've ever met. Now I'm married to him, but we knew each other, but he would have totally been out of my league. I wouldn't I wouldn't even have thought about it, right? I never did. And then it was nine years after, 10 years after high school, we saw each other at a 10-year reunion with Danny. Danny was there. He has these really cute pictures of us from that night. And then nine years after that, so David lived on the West Coast. I had just gotten elected city clerk, I mean, state representative. I was the youngest in the chamber when I was elected in the 92nd General Assembly. So that was a year of our reunion. We saw each other, hung out. Partied and then say goodbye and we never even exchanged numbers. Are you sad? Are you like, oh my god It was just awesome to see him but I wasn't thinking like i'm gonna hook up with this guy because I was I just got elected and I lived in chicago and he lived in the west coast. We didn't even email nothing Nine years later. He moved back to chicago like six months earlier. He heard about this young professionals fundraiser I was having a wicker party for like 50 bucks And he reached out to me on Facebook when it was nice. Do you remember when Facebook was like, oh, cool, we get to reconnect with our friends? I miss that. Now Facebook is like, you suck, you're horrible, you know? Like, can you please post what you had for lunch that day or photos of your dog or something? Like, that's what I want to see on Facebook. Now it's some loser in their mother's basement who thinks he's like a political scholar, right? So over it. Yeah, everybody's smarter than you, yeah. I know. You say, happy Mother's Day. Like, you are a horrible human being. My mom died. You heartless, this or that. Yeah, it's like, people suck. But anyway, yeah. In this case, it was when everybody was nice on Facebook and he Facebook friended me and I was like, oh my gosh, David's so sad. And he's like, I heard you're having this fundraiser. Can I come? I'm like, you better come. And so I was single at the time. I didn't know his thing, but as soon as he walked in, I was like, wow, he is still super hot. And then that's good because sometimes the really hot ones in high school are not the really hot ones a couple of years after high school. So true. And he was still super hot and he walked into this bar. And I was like, wow, but the crazy part of this story is that his sister Jill, who's now my sister-in-law, she walks in with him, and she starts talking to me, and she says, hey, Susanna, where'd you get that ring? So this ring that I have, it has seven individual rings, and it has a little clasp that holds them all together, otherwise they'd all be separate. And I go, oh, this ring, I go, my father bought me this ring when I was 18, right after I On a vacation right after high school, before I started college, and I've never taken it off. I even, like, put tape on it when I played in school. And it's extra special to me now because my dad passed away when I was 22, and this ring means everything to me. I think of him all the time when I'm fidgeting with it. And she's like, come here. And she takes me to the back of the bar, which is where David was at this time, with Dan and me, and talking to some other friends. It was like a mini high school reunion. And she's like, David, check out Susanna's ring. And he looks at it and he goes, does that have seven on it? And I go, yeah. He goes, what do the seven rings mean? And I go, one for each day of the week. It's a good luck ring. I go, how did you know? And he goes. He did not have the same one. He did. Get out. I swear to you. I'm going to send you the photos. Please. You can throw them up as a little graphic of our 10-year reunion. And then nine years later, we connected 19 years after high school, the exact same ring. And I go, does yours have seven on it? And he goes, no, mine has eight. I go, how does yours have eight? I've never seen one with eight. He goes, well, mine used to have seven. And people would always ask me, what are the seven rings do? And I would say, I have no idea, but I wish it had eight. And I go, why do you wish it has eight? Because then I would say that each ring symbolizes one of my brothers and sisters. And my finger is me. And the class would be my mom and dad holding us all together. And that was my reaction. Could you melt? Of course melted. And then my friend Linda whispers in my ear, she says, you're going to marry me. You're like, I hope so. I've been wanting to since I was little. We should have a Hallmark movie. But anyway, can you believe that this man, I've never seen this ring on anyone, ever. He has the exact same ring, and then Jill shows me her ring. Because of all the years, he bought this ring like 12, 15 years earlier, and he's only called to it. And then he decided that if he ever broke his ring, which he did, working out one day, he only recovered six of his seven, he took it to a jeweler and had this jeweler create rings for all his brothers and sisters with AIDS. And two rings with nine for his mom and dad. And that February of the year that we reconnected, he gave all the rings to his siblings at one of his brother's weddings. And so we have this family ring picture of the Sosek family ring. And I'm telling you, my father sent me this man from heaven. I very much believe, I have a huge faith. And in a weird way, it was like my sign. This is, you know, my guy for the rest of my life. And it's been awesome. Fifteen years later, I'm totally madly in love with him. I know that faith is really, really important to you. Before we get into some rapid fire and wrap things up here, I want to hear a little bit more about your faith and just how that plays a role in your everyday life. Well, it's important to me. My dad had studied in the seminary up until he decided he wasn't going to be a priest. Thank you, Dad, because otherwise I wouldn't be here. But it was always important to him, and, you know, we were raised Catholic. I was baptized in the Catholic faith. I re-baptized a few years ago, three years ago, I want to say. In the Sea of Galilee and, you know, where Jesus walked on water. And so for me, my faith is really important. I love that we have the... I'm from Chicago, and I've been praying for his recovery, and, you know, I was really thrilled to hear that his lung surgery went well, but I think that faith is important. My husband was born into the Catholic faith as well. His family is very, very faithful, and, you know, certainly not perfect, right? I have lots of things that perhaps would contrast with being a perfect Catholic, but nonetheless, I have faith. All right, I want to get into some rapid fire. Just say the first thing that comes to your brain, okay? Food you cannot live without. Chivarito. Ooh, food you hate. Cilantro. I know, I'm like the only Mexican who doesn't like cilantro. Do you think it tastes like soap? It just tastes bad. I don't like it. It's kind of soapy, but... I don't know. I just don't want, I don't even want it on for decoration. Sorry. Wow. Don't take my Mexican card away. You can keep it. My son eats it by the pound. So like he made up for it. Yeah, exactly. Do you look at the menu before going to a restaurant? Never. No. You want to be surprised. I'm a total foodie. So like, yeah, I love adventure with food. If you could only have one condiment the rest of your life, what is it? Ooh, salt. Does that count as a condiment? Yeah, I feel like it's. Yeah, I like salt. I think I could never live without it. Beach or mountains? Mountains. Karaoke or absolutely not? No. I could, but just nobody would be allowed to ever take it. Yes, and never in public. Only with my girlfriends or real friends, yes. And no one allowed to take video evidence. I would have to kill you, yes. The bad blackmail. Save it or spend it? Save it. Come on, you're talking to the controller. Well, that's why I want to ask you also, cash or card? Cash. Yes. Don't put things out of debt. I'm allergic to it. Yes. That's why I should be mayor as well. Yes. Favorite music group. English or Spanish? Oh, either. So in Spanish, it's mana. They're so great. And in English, ooh, that's a really tough one. But I love you, too. And I want to go see you, too, with my 13-year-old so he knows what that's like. Hair or makeup products that you cannot live without? It's those little, like, collagen things that you put under your eyes. Do you know what I'm talking about? Yeah, like in the morning? In the morning, yeah. I can't live without those. I feel so fabulous when I have those on. And I love the whole collagen mask, too, by the way. I've got to get my hands on a bunch of those. All right, my last question for you. If you would just be able to share a little sunshine. I think that we could all share some sunshine everywhere we go, right? The world would be so much better if we did. So it could be a favorite quote, something you learned in a book or a movie, anything to just end us on a happy note. Every day, be thankful that we woke up to take a breath and then make the best out of every breath. You have a choice to be happy or to let sadness take over your life. I always choose to be happy and you should too. Well said. Susana, thank you so much for being that live with me today. You got it. Thanks for having me. This is super fun. Let's do it again. All right, let's do it. Over drinks. Oh, now we're talking. Not karaoke, though. Deal.