Meanwhile in Memphis conversations showcase collaboration in Memphis and beyond, and today's episode part of the mini-series within the show: Legislately with Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris. This collaboration will continue to bring together nationally-renowned experts and local leaders to amplify ways leaders in our community are learning, collaborating, innovating, and working to set Memphis and Shelby County up for success. Today’s episode is the second installment of the Meanwhile in Memphis...
Jul 08, 2025•28 min•Season 5Ep. 27
"It's ok to stand up for your city. There's a sense of ownership and with that comes both pride and sometimes frustration." Memphis is a city worthy of championing! In today's conversation, we chat with fellow city champions John Carroll of City Leadership and David French of Memphis Brand to discuss why it's valuable, important, and necessary for there to be multiple organizations working toward a shared goal. Resources mentioned in this episode include: City Leadership City Leadership&#x27...
Jul 01, 2025•1 hr•Season 5Ep. 26
Memphis is not only setting records, we're making them, too! We're taking a look at the state if the music industry Memphis is so well known for. Today's guests are shaping the way the world sees our city and its iconic culture. Matt Ross-Spang (Southern Grooves) and Brandon Seavers (Memphis Record Pressing) share why Memphis is the place to be right now and moving forward. Resources mentioned in this episode include: Memphis Listening Lab Memphis Record Pressing Southern Grooves Production 2023...
Jun 24, 2025•47 min•Season 5Ep. 25
Memphis is leading the way when it comes to connecting people, and today’s conversation on the Meanwhile in Memphis podcast dives into the ways two world-renowned organizations use the lens of history to build community, propel innovation, and shape the future of the city. Tune in to hear a conversation with Dr. Russell Wigginton (National Civil Rights Museum) and Pat Mitchell Worley (The Soulsville Foundation)! Resources mentioned in this episode include: National Civil Rights Museum Stax Museu...
Jun 17, 2025•1 hr 13 min•Season 5Ep. 24
Meanwhile in Memphis conversations showcase collaboration in Memphis and beyond, and today's episode kicks off an exciting mini-series within the show: Legislately with Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris! This collaboration will bring together nationally-renowned experts and local leaders to amplify ways leaders in our community are learning, collaborating, innovating, and working to set Memphis and Shelby County up for success. Today’s episode is the initial installment of the Meanwhile in Memphis ...
Jun 10, 2025•33 min•Season 5Ep. 23
Every leader is only as good as their tool kit. Today we're learning about the unique educational assets available to our city's youngest leaders. Devon Harkins (Libertas School of Memphis; New Memphis 2024 Educator of Excellence) and Wynett Jones (Porter Leather's Books from Birth) share how early literacy sets the foundation for life-long success. Resources mentioned in this episode include: Libertas School of Memphis 2024 New Memphis Educators of Excellence Porter Leath Books From Birth Dolly...
Jun 03, 2025•43 min•Season 5Ep. 22
New Memphis always says that our city's greatest resource is its people. Today we will be focusing in on one subset of the population and how they are poised to make the most impact. Join us as we take a look back to take a step forward. Longtime journalist Tom Jones and economics professor Dr. David Ciscel join us to share insights on the economic structure of Memphis, provide context for why specific decisions were made, and platform where Memphis has the economic advantage -- its young people...
May 27, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Season 5Ep. 21
Leadership has the power to transform — people, organizations, and communities. New Memphis recently hosted an in-person conversation spotlighting some impactful nonprofit leaders in new roles who are leading the organizations that are shaping the city’s future. These leaders are not new to the work but are new to their organizations, and today' we're going to share the conversation they had on stage to learn what led them to lead at the highest levels, how transition and transformation can go h...
May 20, 2025•54 min•Season 5Ep. 20
The Front Porch is providing a gathering place to rest, restore, and renew individually and holistically for the city. Becky Wilson (The Front Porch) and Angela Hamblen-Kelly (Baptist Centers for Good Grief) share how they hope this new venue will provide healing for all. Resources mentioned in this episode include: Baptist Centers for Good Grief The Front Porch Bridge Builders Memphis Zoo Second Baptist Church Dr. Brooks Ramsey Thistle & Bee Grove Music Academy 2nd Baptist Pumpkin Patch...
May 13, 2025•44 min•Season 5Ep. 19
This conversation explores the importance of finding mentors, not pouring from an empty cup, and how to be both a champion in education and of education. Valen Warner (Memphis Literacy Institute; 2022 New Memphis Educator of Excellence) and Taylor Price (English and AP African American Studies Educator at East High School; 2024 New Memphis Educator of Excellence) share their experiences of continuing their education and creating pathways for mentorship. Resources mentioned in this episode includ...
May 06, 2025•54 min•Season 5Ep. 18
Vibrant communities are created through the "power of partnership." Hear how collaboration played a role in the creation (and approval!) of the Cleveland Street TIF with Todd Richardson ( Crosstown Concourse) and Andre Dean (Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church). Resources mentioned in this episode include: Crosstown Concourse Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church State of Tennessee Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Program and EDGE TIF program uses Crosstown Concourse directory The Mound Live Na...
Apr 29, 2025•51 min•Season 5Ep. 17
Explore how Memphis strategically blends economic development with the city's rich creative landscape to lay the foundation for long-term success. With the City's freshly creative Office of Creative and Cultural Economy (the fist of its kind in the city!) Memphis is modeling best practices got how a community can be intentional about investing in its artists, its institutions, and its future workforce. This episode features live audio from Celebrate What's Right: Growing the Creative Economy whi...
Apr 22, 2025•54 min•Season 5Ep. 16
Great cities deserve great city plans, and Memphis 3.0 (the city's first comprehensive plan in 40 years!) is the product of research, partnership, and citywide passion. John Zeanah (Division of Planning and Development) and Christina Edingbourgh (City of Memphis) share the nuances of the plan, the importance of on-going collaboration, and why everyone has a part to play in the city's future. Resources mentioned in this episode include: Memphis 3.0 About Memphis 3.0 (includes glossary or terms, F...
Apr 15, 2025•48 min•Season 5Ep. 15
"That is what records are, they are just evidence or proof that someone was here, that they had a statement, and that they left a mark on this world." Curious about the journey of Crosstown Concourse's radio station? Dive into the vision of the founders Jared "JayB" Boyd and Robby Grant, the history of the station, and learn what role dialogue plays within that rich history. NOTE: This episode originally aired in October 2024. Resources mentioned in this episode include: WYXR "Meanwhile...
Apr 08, 2025•1 hr•Season 5Ep. 14
City and regional planning is about more than getting people from Point A to Point B. These community plans become the neighborhoods and physical spaces that communities inhabit to live, work, play, learn, and thrive. Hear about the importance of collaboration in city planning from Dr. Charlie Santo (University of Memphis) and Rory Thomas (Memphis Medical District Collaborative). Resources mentioned in this episode include: Memphis Medical District Collaborative Department of City and Regional P...
Apr 01, 2025•50 min•Season 5Ep. 13
It’s often said that the “magic” of Memphis comes from its people. In this conversation, learn how an innovative organization (UMRF Ventures) is implementing a unique business model with unique solutions for building a talent pipeline: helping students build professional skills to kick-start careers by employing them before they graduate. UMRF Ventures CEO, Pierre Landaiche, and student employee, Marcus Jordan, share how this dynamic model is engaging students and companies to build — and keep —...
Mar 25, 2025•46 min•Season 5Ep. 12
"You can complain about what you don't have or you can build what you want. If we want a prosperous Memphis, we can't expect anyone to give it to us. It is something that we have to work, spend our own blood, sweat, and tears to build. Whether it's a business, your career, or anything -- you can complain about it or you can build it." -- Alan Gumbel, COO of The Black Chamber of Memphis Each Spring, Memphis spotlights some of the most celebrated restaurants in the city during Memphis Black Restau...
Mar 18, 2025•44 min•Season 5Ep. 11
"Year over year, we’ve established a goal where we want to reduce crime by overall by at least 10 percent each year and overall we want to have about a 40 percent reduction from where we were in 2023, and so fare we’re trending in the right direction ." — Mayor Paul Young The City of Memphis recently announced specific goals for reducing crime and a plan for increasing safety in the city. In this conversation with Mayor Paul Young shares some of the plan specifics, including... the city’s goals ...
Mar 11, 2025•35 min•Season 5Ep. 10
Memphis may not have any national parks, but our parks are getting national recognition. Whether you visit your neighborhood park or one of the city's signature green spaces, you can celebrate the role that collaboration, innovation, and community-centered planning play in making Memphis a vibrant place to live, work, and play. Two of the newest leaders in this work, Kaci Murley (Overton Park Conservancy) and Marcha Allen (Memphis Parks)share a peak behind the scenes to some of the city's most p...
Mar 04, 2025•1 hr 1 min•Season 5Ep. 9
As Medical District Park unveils its newest asset, Lakeisha Edwards (UrbanArt Comission) and renowned artist Molly Gochman reveal the connection between this high-profile public space in the heart of Memphis and the community it serves. They share what led to the creation of an interactive sculpture that invites the community to rethink its relationship with monuments. See “Monuments to Motherhood” in Medical District Park, located in the heart of the Memphis Medical District. Did you know this ...
Feb 21, 2025•1 hr 1 min•Season 5Ep. 8
TEDx amplifies ideas worth sharing, and TEDxMemphis brings the big ideas coming out of Memphis to life on the stage! Today, we're sharing a few talks from the 2024 TEDxMemphis conference. We want to reiterate that each and every one of YOU has a unique idea that can spur innovation, create a dialogue, change the narrative, and champion causes.... but first.. you have to share that idea. Bill Seely's 2024 TEDxMemphis talk The power of school spirit Jil Jordan Greene's 2024 TEDxMemphis talk The Gr...
Feb 18, 2025•40 min•Season 5Ep. 7
Why should organizations place collaboration above competition? Today we’re having a conversation about what can happen when organizations put the community first. Tonya Bradley-Parker (MIFA) and Megan Williams (Regional One Health) share how they collaborate and innovate to create sustainable solutions for the Mid-South. Resources mentioned in this episode include: Meals on Wheels MIFA MIFA’s Plus One program MLGW Regional One Health Complex Care Program at Regional One Health Elvis Presley Tra...
Feb 11, 2025•44 min•Season 5Ep. 6
How does conservation impact both today and the future? The state of Tennessee has a wealth of natural assets, and in today’s conversation, we’re learning about a recent investment that organizations at the state level made in West Tennessee to designate a new state forest just outside of Memphis. This exciting new project shines a light on the need for breadth and depth of collaboration to power progress at all levels, and we’re excited to share what this new level of investment means for Memph...
Feb 04, 2025•52 min•Season 5Ep. 5
How do parks (and other shared spaces) make a city more connected and magnetic? In today's conversation, we're hear a conversation-from-the-stage about the nuances of SMART cities and how Memphis' enviable ecosystem of public spaces edges out the competition. In this episode, you'll hear from : Jamal Bodie of Bloom Memphis, Nick Walker of Memphis Parks, Chandell Ryan of Downtown Memphis Commission, Billy Orgle of Tower Ventures, moderator, Barbara Hyde of The Hyde Family Foundation. Resources me...
Jan 28, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Season 5Ep. 4
How can ideas transform the way people interact? Today we’re exploring what it means to create social change. Yesterday was MLK Day, a time that we celebrate, commemorate and honor the life, legacy and impact of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. As such, we felt it was a fitting time to reflect on ideas that, at their core, transform individuals and community. Resources mentioned in this episode include: National Civil Rights Museum King Day celebrations Chris Street's TEDxMemphis Talk titled " Listen...
Jan 21, 2025•55 min•Season 5Ep. 3
Can your ideas create a brighter future for Memphis? In this conversation with Jessica Lotz (Innovate Memphis) and Antonio Adams (City of Memphis) we explore how Memphis is leading in innovation and how individual talent is note only seen but celebrated in creating a more prosperous future for the city. Resources mentioned in this episode include: Innovate Memphis Previous conversation with Innovate Memphis can be found here and here City of Memphis Using AI and Smart City Technology at the 2024...
Jan 14, 2025•42 min•Season 5Ep. 2
Do you know the areas in which the Memphis medical field is a leading innovator in lifesaving research being used across the globe? If your answer was “childhood cancer,” you are correct...but only partially ! Dr. Michelle Taylor ( Shelby County Health Department ) and Elizabeth Propst ( St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital ) join us for a conversation to expand our understanding of the global innovations in public health that are needed to shape healthy communities and how those connect to Mem...
Jan 07, 2025•58 min•Season 5Ep. 1
"You borrow things from your neighbors, and the library is everyone's neighbor. We lend you our books, our space; why not lend other stuff, too?" They say don’t judge a book by the cover, but what about libraries? Memphis is full of unique libraries that create access and opportunity, not only for knowledge, but experiences. Today we’re chatting with Anthony Lucatelli and Jenna Pertl of Memphis Public Libraries to share about the access made possible through collaboration, specifically their Lib...
Dec 31, 2024•49 min•Season 4Ep. 51
How do you continue to grow what you know? With 96 acres, 30 specialty gardens, and a tropical plant house that opened earlier this year, Memphis Botanic Garden offers the people of all ages and interests opportunities for education, relaxation, and connection. Olivia Wall and Gina Harris drop by to share the role the gardens play in experiential learning for all, all year long . Resources mentioned in this episode include: Memphis Botanic Garden (MBG) Holiday Wonders at Memphis Botanic Garden M...
Dec 24, 2024•47 min•Season 4Ep. 50
Do our first years really determine the rest of our lives? Dr. Kandace Thomas of First 8 Memphis and Kimberly Carter of Brilliant Minds Child Development Center share how infant mental health impacts children and those caring for them. First 8 Memphis conducted a to glean data directly from those in our community, and some of the findings may surprise you. Resources mentioned in this episode include: First 8 Memphis Tennessee Department of Children's Services NEXT Memphis Tennessee Earl...
Dec 17, 2024•49 min•Season 4Ep. 49
