I Can't...

Have an idea for an “I Can’t,” either to attend or to facilitate? Head to the Suggestion Box.

‘Member summer camp? Where you learned, participated, and stretched yourself amongst an invigorating blend of familiar and new faces? Where you were led by welcoming, low-key counselors in a welcoming, low-key environment where you were up for trying?

In Mac & Cheese Productions’ I Can’t series, adults state they’re unable to do something, they try it with a bunch of other adults who also “can’t,” and everyone proves themselves wrong and not only does the thing, but enjoys it and says, “That wasn’t so bad. In fact, kinda fun. Good for me! What’s next?!” 

Through I Can’t, adults do the thing they’ve been wanting to do but haven’t done because [insert excuse here].

As at camp, topics and structure are varied but the “be yourself amongst others being themselves and witness the magic that happens when you try with others trying” vibe is pervasive. 

Current Offerings

In-person offerings are held at Mac & Cheese Productions℠, in Chicago’s Wicker Park, unless otherwise indicated; exact address sent upon registration. For virtual offerings, you’ll need an internet connection and the free Zoom app. A device with a camera and being on video is encouraged but not required, unless otherwise noted. You should be able to attend virtual offerings live; replays are not offered.

Register

Make sure you select the correct offering, sometimes there are lots to choose from! For details about each event, scroll down; suggested you read the detail before you register. Double check time zone, as events occur worldwide; time zone converter. Refund Policy: no refunds.

 

More Info on Specific Offerings

For dates and times, check the registration boxes above

This is a virtual offering. Facebook Event if you’d like to share and/or invite others.

Interested in a job change but haven’t thought about how to write a resume in years? Did you write your resume for your first job and just keep adding to it? Applying to positions but not getting a phone screen? Join us for a fun evening of resume writing (yes it will be fun!).

Eli will walk you through a simple four step process to redoing your resume. From fifteen years on the frontline of recruiting, reading good and bad resumes day in and day out, she knows what it takes to land on top of the proverbial pile. Eli’s experience spans a variety of industries and roles, companies founded recently to those founded in the 1800s, from 6 employees to 350,000+ employees, both for-profits and non-profits. Using this knowledge and her own struggles of writing a resume, Eli’s devised a streamlined and empowering approach that’ll help you craft the perfect resume.

TO BRING

  • You do not need to bring your resume
  • A device with the most recent Zoom downloaded and the ability to connect to the internet
  • Note-taking materials
  • Food/drink for yourself if you’d like

Find Eli on the web / LinkedIn / Instagram

This is a virtual offering. Facebook Event if you’d like to share and/or invite others.

 
“An excellent source of ways to preserve your sanity and live a productive life.”
 
“I thought I was organized. SAYA IS ORGANIZED. She breaks down her system of the best apps, tools and tricks in this incredible class. I’m already implementing nearly all of the recommended tools and have streamlined my productivity, increased my efficiency and eliminated time-wasters from my every day. Loved this class and Saya. Highly recommended!”
 
 
Who’s in charge, you or time?
 
If you feel like you’re in a hamster wheel, if you’re heard of this thing called “free time” but haven’t been able to locate it, if you want to be in control of your life, this is for you. Time shouldn’t manage you; you should manage time.
 
You know there are numerous tools and mentalities in regards to how to manage your time better. But where to start? Where to spend your resources? When presented with an overwhelming number of options, many of us become paralyzed and choose to remain in scenarios that don’t work. That’s no way to live life.
 
You see those people, the ones who make it look easy, and you wonder how they do it. You wish you knew their secret. In this session, Saya shares her secrets and supports you in taking action and making choices to best fit your life. She narrows the vast topic of time management, making the daunting digestible and with her charismatic personality and penchant for storytelling, fun and engaging even.
 
Saya’s first conversation with her now husband was about their love of spreadsheets. A Huffington Post article called her “Chicago’s productivity-guru,” she’s an Evernote Certified Consultant, and was featured in the Gmail Genius series. Saya’s run a successful business since 2004, filled with event curation, keeping track of and adhering to deadlines upon deadlines, collaborating with and managing thousands of people, being laid-back yet professional, and wearing various hats many of which do not match, all of which she has done with a smile on her face and an overall feeling of “I’ve got this.” It can be done.
 

TO BRING

  • A device with the most recent Zoom downloaded and the ability to connect to the internet
  • Note-taking materials
  • Food/drink for yourself if you’d like

Find Saya on the web / Facebook / Instagram / YouTube

 

Stay tuned for the date announcement and ticket release! This is a virtual offering.

Find it challenging to grow an engaged audience on social media? Feel like you’re putting more into social media for your business than you’re getting out of it? Does the idea of adding another platform feel overwhelming? 

I Can’t: TikTok for Business is for you.

Kristin “Baker Bettie” Hoffman has been growing her business online for ten years and has developed a presence on every social media platform that has come along. Never has she been more excited about how powerful social media can be for business as she is now, with TikTok. In this session, Kristin will ease you into embracing TikTok and help you to see past the misconception that it is only for dancing teenagers. You will learn how easy it is to find your audience and post authentic content that resonates with them. 

You’ll learn —

  • The ins and outs of how TikTok & its features work
  • How to use the work you already do for your business as content for TikTok
  • A game plan/rough content schedule for how to establish your unique voice on your account 

TO BRING

  • An already created TikTok account that you can log into during the session to view features as they’re being discussed
  • A device with the most recent Zoom downloaded and the ability to connect to the internet
  • Note-taking materials
  • Food/drink for yourself if you’d like

NOTE: You do not need to have any content posted before the session

Find Kristin on the web / Instagram / Facebook / TikTok / YouTube

Testimonials

"Saya, I just wanted to say thank you. I was really scared about taking (I Can't: Improv), but you and Pete did such a great job of making a space where there was no room for fear and insecurity. It was really helpful for me to be there."

"The workshop was so comprehensive and has really gotten me excited about cleaning. I am also thinking about how I can incorporate ideas into other areas of my life, so thank you again!"

"Loved (I Can't: Visual Note), Saya! Helped me think outside the box on what note taking 'should' be. I've been practicing all week & have already revisited notes that otherwise would have been relegated to being forgotten in a notebook."

“(I Can't: Budget) was honestly one of the most engaging and comfortable programs I've ever attended - both on or off Zoom - and I coordinate programming for a living at a public library. It's a rough topic to fully engage with and commit to, but the framework and resources Chloe provided made it feel far more approachable and less intimidating than I could ever imagine it would be. I'm feeling inspired, open and ready to tackle goals I've been putting off for financial reasons. Chloe showed me it's possible to pay down debt, save, and still live my best life. I'm excited for what comes next!”

"I attended the I Can't: Clean workshop because I knew there must be more strategic, efficient, and effective ways to clean than what I've always done, and Saya definitely showed me better ways! From general strategies like working from the top of the room down to specific product recommendations I came away with knowledge I could use (and I did use it--I gave my kitchen a thorough scrub a few days after the class!). It helped that the class was in a casual setting because it made it easier to ask questions (and to confess our personal cleaning shames). I wouldn't think to take a cleaning course anywhere else because I'd assume it would be very judgmental, but I knew from other Mac & Cheese events that the class would be low-pressure and practical."

"I Can't: Camp was an adventure worth the bug bites. We hiked, swam, built fires, told stories, created in-jokes, saw a bald eagle, and got comfortable being uncomfortable! I appreciated the balance of downtime and doing things, being able to connect with the group but also enjoy the peacefulness of nature. Learning new skills that I didn't know were "me" was exciting - at one point the group was cheering me on as I scraped and scraped a firestarting flint SO determined to get a blaze going (it worked!). I couldn't have asked for better leaders in Saya and Aaron: funny, low-key, positive people who inspire confidence and put people at ease. I came back to Chicago dirty, smelly, itchy, and craving a shower beer like no other, but with tons of positive memories and zero regrets."

"This workshop was great! Kristyn and Saya were awesome. I learned a lot on approaching home organization and have a better understanding as to why my strategies previously didn't work. Kristyn was passionate and very knowledgeable. The workshop was held in a comfortable setting that fostered great interaction and dialogue."

"I thought this class was great! I learned about yoga and got to try it in a super comfortable environment, the instructor was fun and explained things. The class overall was a great way to bring people together with similar interests and also things they’re each going through."

View Cheese-It Testimonials →

Sample of Past Offerings

  • Yoga
  • Grieve
  • Improv
  • LinkedIn
  • Buy a home
  • Prepare for the Death of a Parent
  • Invest in Real Estate
  • Photograph
  • Draw
  • Have a dog
  • Side hustle
  • Land my dream job
  • Clean
  • Find love
  • Put on makeup
  • Travel
  • Wine
  • Bake
  • Camp
  • Budget

“Before the I Can’t Find My Dream Job workshop, I felt stuck and generally directionless. I really didn’t know what I was looking for in my “dream job” but I knew what I was doing at my current job did not match. Through the exercises, resources, and ideas of the workshop, I was able to put one foot in front of the other and not feel so overwhelmed by the concept of switching gears. The workshop provided specific steps that I could do that night or the next day to get myself on the train towards reaching my goal. I wrote them down and actually did those tasks! I also found the personal stories from Saya and L’Oreal Thompson to be incredibly motivating. There is something uniquely profound about being in a room full of people who are going through what you are going through AND people who have moved beyond that state to where you want to be. It is the extra push you need to dig yourself out of any ‘stuck’ situation.”

Suggestion Box

"I Can't" Idea

Suggest an "I Can't" topic, either as an attendee or as a facilitator. If you have a facilitator in mind whom isn't you, tell them to fill this out. Note that this is a very popular series both on the attendee side and on the facilitator side, so if you're suggesting yourself for the latter, no promises. Additionally, Mac & Cheese is much more likely to collaborate with people already in the M&C world, people whom we already know are fabulous; meaning if you don't already come to events and/or interact online, you should start doing that! The whole "friends helping friends" thing...
  • Please make sure you type this correctly. If you're just suggesting a topic, Mac & Cheese probably won't reach out; this is is more for folks who want to facilitate a session. But, just in case...
  • If you'd like to share further info on the topic.

  • The rest of the form is for people interested in facilitating

    You're all done if you're just submitting a topic idea — skip down to SUBMIT.
  • If virtual, Mac & Cheese will host on Zoom. If in person, Mac & Cheese is usually where I Can'ts take place, but sometimes it makes more sense to hold a session elsewhere, e.g. a glass blowing studio, a gym, or an animal rescue.
  • If you're open/it doesn't matter, state that. In-person Mac & Cheese can hold 30ish. Virtual Mac & Cheese can hold 100. Keep in mind: how many attendees will make it worth your while, venue size, venue capability (number of tables and chairs, etc), materials you provide, desired participation level (individual, small group, whole group), desired "feel" (is intimate preferred?), desired potential revenue (the more people, the more revenue potential).
  • If yes, when and why then? If you're open and timeframe doesn't matter, state that. We try to have at least a month of registration being open and it can take a week'ish for initial back and forths and event creation, so ideally, you don't want to do this within the next 2-4 weeks.
    Do you XYZ without having to be reminded? If you're given instructions, do you read and follow all of them? Are you punctual? Do you pull your weight? Are you proactive? Can you manage life without a lot of hand-holding? Do you offer something fabulous? Are you low-maintenance? Do you think you can work with a Type A only child who has a lot of opinions, systems, and preferred ways of existence yet whom is also collaborative and open to your you'ness? Are you someone who aligns with Mac & Cheese Productions℠ and is someone Mac & Cheese would be proud to be affiliated with? Are you a good person who believes in equality for all? Are you nice?
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.