In this powerful and deeply personal episode, Jim Dedelow sits down with The Cow Guy for an unforgettable conversation about resilience, grief, tragedy, and the deliberate choice to be happy — even after unimaginable loss.

The episode begins with a hot-button discussion about the Chicago Bears stadium controversy, the future of Soldier Field, Arlington Heights, and the possibility of the Bears moving to Indiana. Jim and Cow Guy debate the economic future of Chicago real estate, population shifts, sanctuary city policies, corporate departures like Citadel, Boeing, and McDonald's, and the broader trend of Americans relocating to warmer states like Arizona and Florida.

But the heart of this episode dives much deeper.

Cow Guy opens up about the devastating loss of his daughter in the John Hancock Center (now 875 N. Michigan), the moment a Chicago police officer told him, "Sir, your daughter is deceased," and the unimaginable task of making seven phone calls to family members to relive the tragedy again and again. He shares the emotional aftermath, the waves of grief, losing his brother and father shortly thereafter, and how trauma permanently changes you.

This episode explores:

• Coping with the death of a child

• Grief recovery and emotional resilience

• Mental strength and mindset after tragedy

• Post-traumatic growth

• Choosing happiness as a daily decision

• Overcoming anxiety and fear

• Life after loss

• Suicide awareness and family trauma

• Faith, mortality, and perspective

• How routine and work help during grief

• Personal development through adversity

• Leadership through pain

• Motivation for difficult times

Cow Guy shares his philosophy: If you're going to be here, make it worthwhile.
He explains how tragedy stripped away his fear, and why choosing happiness must be deliberate.

Jim also reflects on interviewing a mother who lost two children — including an autistic son killed in a train accident — and how shared tragedy creates a quiet understanding between people who have "tasted death."

This episode is raw, real, and ultimately hopeful.

If you're struggling with grief, navigating trauma, rebuilding after loss, or looking for motivation during hard times, this conversation delivers powerful perspective and practical mindset shifts.

🎙 Topics include:
Chicago Bears stadium debate, Chicago politics, economic migration trends, grief counseling, death of a child, resilience mindset, mental toughness, choosing happiness, overcoming tragedy, life lessons, motivation podcast, personal growth, and inspirational stories.

Watch on YouTube at WJOB1230 or listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

From the Chicago Board of Trade to London's LIFFE exchange, this episode dives deep into the collapse of open outcry trading, the rise of electronic trading platforms, and what happens when an entire financial industry disappears.

Former pit trader, broker, and financial markets commentator Scott "The Cow Guy" Shellady shares his firsthand experience transitioning from futures trading in the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) and London International Financial Futures Exchange (LIFFE) to a full-time career in financial media and market analysis. As electronic trading replaced floor traders in 2015, thousands in commodities trading, futures markets, options pits, and derivatives markets were forced to reinvent themselves.

This episode explores:

• Open outcry trading vs. electronic trading systems

• Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) history and CME floor trading culture

• Career reinvention after job loss in financial services

• Transitioning from Wall Street trading to financial media

• Market volatility, futures trading, and broker life in London and Chicago

• Personal resilience after divorce, loss, and economic uncertainty

• AI replacing white-collar jobs in accounting, investment banking, finance, and software

• Artificial Intelligence disruption in financial markets

• Trade school vs. college in an AI-driven economy

• Career advice for traders, investors, finance professionals, and young entrepreneurs

We discuss financial markets, investing, market psychology, risk management, industry disruption, and adapting to technological change. If you're interested in stock market careers, futures trading, commodities markets, financial news, business strategy, economic trends, or how AI will impact jobs in finance and beyond, this episode delivers real-world insight.

Perfect for listeners of finance podcasts, investing podcasts, business leadership shows, economic commentary, and career growth content.

This is a story about market evolution, economic survival, professional reinvention, and thriving after the death of an industry.

Listen now for powerful insights on trading, technology disruption, financial careers, and embracing change in the modern economy.

In this episode, The Cow Guy opens up about the power of structure, regimentation, and planning, and how those habits don't box him in—but actually free him to think creatively, generate original ideas, and show up every day in media, markets, and life. From waking up before dawn to scripting live radio shows, he explains how discipline creates the mental space for insight, artistry, and sharp commentary.

But this conversation goes deeper than productivity. The Cow Guy speaks candidly about grief, loss, and surviving some of the darkest moments of his life—when routine vanished and survival was the only goal. He shares how perspective, accountability, and what he calls "intestinal fortitude" helped him rebuild, return to structure, and keep moving forward.

Along the way, the discussion touches on motivation, generational differences, leadership, coaching, and why heart still matters more than talent. It's an honest, unfiltered look at how old-school discipline can still work in a modern world—and why thinking time may be the most valuable asset we have.

Raw, reflective, and unapologetically real.