ChamberTalk with North Orange County Chamber

EP 85: First Year in Washington: Congressman Derek Tran on Family, Fires, and Fighting for Small Business

On a long flight from LAX to Washington, Congressman Derek Tran reflects on his first year in Congress, juggling votes, family dinners with three young children, and the fierce partisanship of the Capitol.
He takes listeners inside urgent moments: touring the charred neighborhoods of Altadena after devastating wildfires, fighting to exempt baby essentials from erratic tariffs, and using his roles on Armed Services and Small Business to protect a local base and help Main Street entrepreneurs.
Through small wins and stubborn fights, a storm pump to protect homes, funding for a HOPE Center, and a veterans’ job restored, Tran’s story unfolds as a portrait of persistence, service, and the everyday work of making Washington deliver for California’s 45th District.

EP 84: Procurement Power: How SoCal’s Alliance Is Changing the Game

In this episode of ChamberTalk, Andrew sits down with Nicole Swain, the Senior Procurement Contracts Manager for the County of Orange, to trace a practical, human story behind government purchasing. From pandemic-era urgencies to a bold rebrand as the SoCal Procurement Alliance, Nicole reveals how collaboration, empathy, and grit turned fragmented buying into a shared solution that saves taxpayers money and opens doors for small businesses.
Listeners follow the evolution of the annual Supplier Outreach event, born under a tent, now filling convention halls—and learn the secrets of contract sharing, matchmaking sessions, and simple steps businesses can take to win municipal work.
The conversation culminates in an invitation: come to the Anaheim Convention Center, meet the decision-makers, and discover how doing business with public agencies can be simpler, fairer, and more rewarding than you think.

EP 83: Don’t Suffer in Silence — Menopause & Hormonal Health with Dr. Jenn Roelands

On this episode of ChamberTalk, Dr. Jenn Roelands MD, a double board-certified OBGYN turned integrative women’s health physician, shares how a nontraditional path and stubborn curiosity led her to challenge medicine’s blind spots. Raised in a family where women weren’t expected to pursue careers, she found her calling first in delivering babies and later in solving the overlooked mysteries of perimenopause and hormonal health.
Through vivid patient stories, Dr. Jenn highlights the reality faced by countless women: being told they’re “normal” by lab results while quietly losing sleep, focus, relationships, and momentum at work. She reveals how reactive, checkbox-style care leaves too many behind.
In this conversation, she debunks common myths about hormone therapy, explains why prevention matters, and explores the critical roles of nutrition, genetics, sleep, and lifestyle. Most importantly, she shows how small, targeted interventions can protect brain health, bone density, and long-term career performance.
This episode is both a wake-up call and a roadmap. Learn how to recognize the perimenopause roller coaster, separate fear from fact, and take practical steps toward a longer, healthier health span. Don’t accept feeling “off” as your normal, find the right partner in care and reclaim your life.

EP 82: The Ripple Effect of Showing Up: How Cypress College Changes Lives

Join Andrew Gregson as he sits down with Howard Kummerman, the compassionate force behind the Cypress College Foundation, to explore how a tight-knit campus community keeps students in the classroom and changes lives.
Through candid stories, Howard shares the journey of a former Cypress College student in his 30s who was living in his car while attending classes, a student who, with the right support, went on to transfer to Stanford, alongside the story of a beloved professor whose lasting legacy brought hundreds together to celebrate her life. Together, these moments illustrate how small acts of care can create life-changing outcomes.
Howard also walks listeners through the traditions and fundraising efforts that sustain the college, including the Americana Awards, alumni engagement, and scholarship programs that thoughtfully connect students with donors. Along the way, he reveals the deeply human side of philanthropy: donors who once needed help themselves, committed board members, and dedicated staff quietly working behind the scenes to hold the campus together. It’s a hopeful, human story about education, community, and the powerful ripple effects of giving back.

EP 81: A Leader’s Path: Mayor Joyce Ahn’s Commitment to Buena Park

On her 296th day as Mayor, Joyce Ahn takes us from global sales floors to neighborhood sidewalks in a conversation that unfolds like a close‑up of leadership in action. She recounts late nights launching tech brands, years of volunteer work that pulled her into public service, and the unexpected moment the community asked her to become their voice, a story of quiet conviction that becomes a public calling.
Along the way she wrestles with real stakes: revitalizing an aging Friendship Park, growing Buena Park’s Koreatown as an economic engine, and modernizing public safety, all while balancing the strain of decision‑making and the reward of community moments like CultureFest and youth programs. Listen for practical lessons on civic teamwork, the grit of municipal strategy, and a mayor’s personal promise to leave a safer, stronger city for the next generation.

EP 80: From Courtroom to Capitol: Lisa Ramirez’s Fight for Families in CA-40

On a stormy morning in Orange County, immigration attorney Lisa D. Ramirez recounts the moment she could no longer stand on the sidelines: the day enforcement swept through Santa Ana and she felt the law and people’s lives slipping away. For 25 years she has stood beside asylum seekers, trafficking survivors, veterans and families, and that work becomes the heartbeat of her campaign for California’s 40th District.
This episode follows Lisa from an eye-opening exchange student summer in Italy to a nonprofit fellowship that redirected her toward immigration law, and then into the courtroom and the community where she’s fought for due process, DACA youth, and a Marine’s family caught in the immigration system. Through candid stories of clients, the strain on small businesses, and a vision for affordable healthcare and housing, listeners are invited into a personal and pragmatic case for public service, one driven by compassion, urgency and the belief that government should work for people, not politics.

EP 79: From Harley‑Davidson Bling to Climate Things: Patty Oh’s Reinvention at Cool OC

Join ChamberTalk host Andrew Gregson as he sits down with Patty Oh, whose unlikely journey from licensed Harley‑Davidson jewelry to leading Cool OC becomes a story about resilience, reinvention and the power of community. After a career shift forced by trade wars and a pandemic, Patty turns personal concern for her children’s future into a mission to make sustainability accessible across Orange County.
Through neighborhood block parties, youth leadership programs, hands‑on repair clinics and community gardens, Patty and Cool OC show how small, practical choices, composting, fixing what’s broken, making room for electric vehicles can add up to real change. Along the way she navigates city partnerships, funding challenges and the big-picture policies that shape our shared future.
This ChamberTalk episode blends candid personal history with useful takeaways and an invitation: do what inspires you. Whether you’re a business owner, parent, or curious neighbor, hear how one nonprofit is building connection, hope and tangible solutions one block at a time. Watch video: https://youtu.be/kPyhaFCPUo4

EP 78: Lifted to Lead: Dr. Stefan Bean’s Story of Resilience, Service, and Chan

Dr. Stefan Bean’s life reads like a novel: born in Saigon, rescued by Operation Babylift, raised by foster heroes, and overcoming polio to become an educator, principal, and now County Superintendent.
In this episode of ChamberTalk, Dr. Bean opens up about:
His bold 5-3-1 plan to protect students and prepare them for the future
Facing crises like fentanyl, cyberbullying, and widening job gaps
Playing cribbage with incarcerated youth to build hope and connection
The village that helps him raise his four children
Leadership lessons shaping his memoir, Lifted to Lead
Join us for an inspiring conversation with a leader turning hard stories into practical change and reimagining what education can achieve when students come first.