Driving It Home with Patti Vasquez (Featured Interviews)

Driving It Home with Patti Vasquez (Featured Interviews)

From Heartland Signal and WCPT AM 820 in Chicago, here are featured interviews from "Driving It Home with Patti Vasquez" (weeknights from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.), a radio talk show devoted to covering the news of the day and connecting listeners with local leaders. Patti Vasquez is a Chicago comedian, writer, actor, talk show host, consultant, advocate, and policy adviser. After achieving a degree in history from the University of Illinois, she set out to share her hilarious observations about how people behave, and stories about her second-generation Irish dad and Mexican immigrant mom. Patti has headlined in comedy clubs and colleges all over the U.S., Canada, and Europe, appeared on Nickelodeon, TBS, ABC, The Oprah Winfrey Network, and has a recurring role on NBC’s “Chicago Fire.” When her son Declan was born with a rare neurological disorder, Patti decided to take her communication and performance experience to launch her company “With Kind Words,” in which she helps medical professionals and educators communicate with compassion. For six years, Patti was the first Latina to host her own talk show on WGN Radio 720. In addition to her work as a performer and consultant, Patti began advocating for children and families throughout Illinois and helped restore funding for vital support services after massive cuts were made by former Governor Bruce Rauner. In 2020 she ran to be the state representative of the 19th District. She is now the health care and human services liaison and assistant policy adviser for Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza. Patti lives with her family on the Northwest Side of Chicago and continues to advocate for her community.

Episodes

June 23, 2026 26 mins

Patti Vasquez is joined by Andy Hale, civil rights trial attorney who represents the family of Chester Weger, who was convicted of killing three women at Starved Rock in 1960; Weger died June 22, 2025.

Catch "Driving It Home with Patti Vasquez" weekdays from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/driving-it-home).

Follow us:

Website: https://heartlandsignal.com

WCPT Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WCPT8...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Patti Vasquez is joined by Nicholas Freudenberg, public health practitioner, veteran community organizer, and author of the forthcoming book "Fighting for New York: Activism for Health and Social Justice Since the 1960s."

Catch "Driving It Home with Patti Vasquez" weekdays from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/driving-it-home).

Follow us:

Website: https://heartlandsignal.com

WCPT Facebook: https://ww...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
June 19, 2026 13 mins

Patti Vasquez is joined by Rick Smith, host of “The Rick Smith Show,” weekdays from 5:00 to 6:00 a.m. Central on WCPT.

Catch "Driving It Home with Patti Vasquez" weekdays from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/driving-it-home).

Follow us:

Website: https://heartlandsignal.com

WCPT Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WCPT820

Heartland Signal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeartlandSignal

...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Patti Vasquez and guest co-host Chris Jones are joined in studio by comedian Deanna Ortiz. Check out Deanna's upcoming shows here.

Catch "Driving It Home with Patti Vasquez" weekdays from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/driving-it-home).

Follow us:

Website: https://heartlandsignal.com

WCPT Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WCPT820

Heartland Signal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Heartl...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Patti Vasquez and guest co-host Chris Jones are joined by Rodney Gibbs, Heartland Signal executive director.

Catch "Driving It Home with Patti Vasquez" weekdays from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/driving-it-home).

Follow us:

Website: https://heartlandsignal.com

WCPT Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WCPT820

Heartland Signal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeartlandSignal

Tiktok:https...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Patti Vasquez is joined by Nathan Taylor of Election Truth Alliance.

Catch "Driving It Home with Patti Vasquez" weekdays from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/driving-it-home).

Follow us:

Website: https://heartlandsignal.com

WCPT Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WCPT820

Heartland Signal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeartlandSignal

Tiktok:https://www.tiktok.com/@heartlandsignal 

Heartland...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
June 18, 2026 17 mins

Patti Vasquez and guest co-host Ken Mejia-Beal are joined by Jacob Morrison, member of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 1858, president of the North Alabama Area Labor Council, AFL-CIO, and host of "The Valley Labor Report," Sundays at 3:00 p.m. Central on WCPT.

Catch "Driving It Home with Patti Vasquez" weekdays from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/driving-it-home).

Follow...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Patti Vasquez and guest co-host Ken Mejia-Beal are joined by Illinois State Rep. Diane Blair-Sherlock, Democrat representing the 46th House District.

Catch "Driving It Home with Patti Vasquez" weekdays from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/driving-it-home).

Follow us:

Website: https://heartlandsignal.com

WCPT Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WCPT820

Heartland Signal Facebook: https://www.faceb...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Patti Vasquez and guest co-host Ken Mejia-Beal are joined by Brian Lemek, executive director of Defend The Vote.

Catch "Driving It Home with Patti Vasquez" weekdays from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/driving-it-home).

Follow us:

Website: https://heartlandsignal.com

WCPT Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WCPT820

Heartland Signal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeartlandSignal

Tiktok:https://www...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Patti Vasquez and guest co-host Starr De Los Santos Hannah Hurckes, founder & CEO of Boss Lady Logistics.

Catch "Driving It Home with Patti Vasquez" weekdays from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/driving-it-home).

Follow us:

Website: https://heartlandsignal.com

WCPT Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WCPT820

Heartland Signal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeartlandSignal

Tiktok:https://w...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Patti Vasquez and guest co-host Joe Kilgallon are joined in studio by Starr De Los Santos, associate director of coalitions for Women Employed.

Catch "Driving It Home with Patti Vasquez" weekdays from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/driving-it-home).

Follow us:

Website: https://heartlandsignal.com

WCPT Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WCPT820

Heartland Signal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Hea...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Patti Vasquez is joined by Julie WonNew York City Council member and candidate for Congress in New York's 7th District (the primary is June 23).

Catch "Driving It Home with Patti Vasquez" weekdays from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/driving-it-home).

Follow us:

Website: https://heartlandsignal.com

WCPT Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WCPT820

Heartland Signal Facebook: https://www.facebook...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
June 16, 2026 8 mins

Patti Vasquez is joined by Mike Mercado, co-host of “The Sports Cubicle” on WCPT (Sundays at 9:00 p.m. Central), and “The Bear Era Podcast.”  

Catch "Driving It Home with Patti Vasquez" weekdays from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/driving-it-home).

Follow us:

Website: https://heartlandsignal.com

WCPT Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WCPT820

Heartland Signal Facebook: ...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
June 16, 2026 12 mins

Patti Vasquez is joined by Ira Shapiro, co-author of "Betrayed: America Didn't Vote for This."

Ira Shapiro is a lawyer, a long-time senior Senate staffer, and a former U.S. trade official. He is the author of a trilogy of narrative histories about the Senate, starting with "The Last Great Senate: Courage and Statesmanship in Times of Crisis" (2012), which was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.

Catch "Driving It Home with Patti Vasquez...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Patti Vasquez is joined by Michigan State Rep. Penelope Tsernoglou, a Democrat representing Michigan's 75th House District (parts of Clinton, Ingham and Shiawassee counties).

In May, Tsernoglou was removed from all of her committee appointments by Republican Speaker Matt Hall, one day after hosting a press conference calling on House Republican leadership to hold a floor vote on her bipartisan resolution th...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Patti Vasquez is joined by Alana Billingsly, flight attendant and Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) representative. 

Catch "Driving It Home with Patti Vasquez" weekdays from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/driving-it-home).

Follow us:

Website: https://heartlandsignal.com

WCPT Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WCPT820

Heartland Signal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Heartl...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Patti Vasquez is joined by Patrick Dixon, manager of elder rights at AgeOptions. He talks about Medicare fraud.

Catch "Driving It Home with Patti Vasquez" weekdays from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/driving-it-home).

Follow us:

Website: https://heartlandsignal.com

WCPT Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WCPT820

Heartland Signal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeartlandSignal

Tiktok:https:/...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Patti Vasquez is joined by Laurel Feakes, director of PR and Marketing for Capital City Pride IowaPridefest takes place June 12-14.

Catch "Driving It Home with Patti Vasquez" weekdays from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/driving-it-home).

Follow us:

Website: https://heartlandsignal.com

WCPT Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WCPT820

Heartland Signal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Heartlan...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Patti Vasquez and guest co-host Ken Mejia-Beal are joined by Robert Gebbia, CEO of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP).

Catch "Driving It Home with Patti Vasquez" weekdays from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/driving-it-home).

Follow us:

Website: https://heartlandsignal.com

WCPT Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WCPT820

Heartland Signal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Hear...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Patti Vasquez and guest co-host Ken Mejia-Beal are joined by Precious Brady-Davis, commissioner of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago.

Catch "Driving It Home with Patti Vasquez" weekdays from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/driving-it-home).

Follow us:

Website: https://heartlandsignal.com

WCPT Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WCPT820

Heartland Signal Facebook: https://w...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

    If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

    Dateline NBC

    Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

    Betrayal Weekly

    Betrayal Weekly is back for a new season. Every Thursday, Betrayal Weekly shares first-hand accounts of broken trust, shocking deceptions, and the trail of destruction they leave behind. Hosted by Andrea Gunning, this weekly ongoing series digs into real-life stories of betrayal and the aftermath. From stories of double lives to dark discoveries, these are cautionary tales and accounts of resilience against all odds. From the producers of the critically acclaimed Betrayal series, Betrayal Weekly drops new episodes every Thursday. If you would like to share your story, you can reach out to the Betrayal Team by emailing them at betrayalpod@gmail.com and follow us on Instagram at @betrayalpod and @glasspodcasts. Please join our Substack for additional exclusive content, curated book recommendations, and community discussions. Sign up FREE by clicking this link Beyond Betrayal Substack. Join our community dedicated to truth, resilience, and healing. Your voice matters! Be a part of our Betrayal journey on Substack.

    The Joe Rogan Experience

    The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.

    Emergency Intercom

    Emergency Intercom is a comedy podcast by Enya Umanzor and Drew Phillips. There is no emergency, but there is an intense need for attention, so maybe listen up… You don’t want to know what happens if you don’t. (we will be violent)

Advertise With Us
Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2026 iHeartMedia, Inc.

  • Help
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • AdChoicesAd Choices