Champions of the Lost Causes

Latest Episodes:

Episode 22: Isabel Gonzalez-Whitaker Oct 04, 2021

Show notes

Isabel Gonzalez-Whitaker worked with others to transform an underused Atlanta park into the Sara J. Gonzalez Memorial Park, a park renamed to honor her mother's trailblazing work and reflect the inclusive values her mother stood for and instilled in her. Working through grief after her mother's death became a labor of love that drew others to the effort in unexpected ways. The park now serves as a community gathering place that recognizes the contributions of Atlanta's Latinx community.

Episode 21: Trevor Clarke Sep 20, 2021

Show notes

Trevor Clarke is executive director of Working Bikes, a Chicago-based nonprofit bicycle co-op that gives donated bicycles new life by redistributing them locally and globally - 10,000 bikes in Chicago and more than 100,000 across the globe since 1999. The organization's global focus has provided access to resources and opportunities that otherwise could have been out of reach - reducing waste and pollution, and improving people's health in the process.

Episode 20: Charlotte Tolley Sep 06, 2021

Show notes

Charlotte Tolley, founder and executive director of Nourish Knoxville started the Market Square Farmers Market in downtown Knoxville in 2004 when downtown wasn’t much to look at. The farmers market not only jump-started the revitalization of the city’s downtown, but it also led to the 2013 establishment of Nourish Knoxville, a nonprofit dedicated to cultivating healthy communities by supporting relationships between local farmers, producers, and the public. Early doubts gave way to momentum including the opening of additional markets and addressing new needs in the pandemic.

Episode 19: Victoria Jones Aug 23, 2021

Show notes

Victoria Jones is the founder and executive director of Tone, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering Black artists and communities and elevating Memphis as a global cultural beacon. Tone recently announced plans to team up with Unapologetic, a record label and artists collective, to convert the long-vacant United Equipment Building into Orange Mound Tower, a mixed-use development with a commitment to community ownership and equity. An artist in her own right, Victoria has become a vocal leader for change in the arts and in the wider Memphis community.

Episode 18: Ellen Kuwana Apr 27, 2021

Show notes

When the pandemic struck, Ellen Kuwana started the nonprofit We Got This Seattle to deliver meals to frontline medical workers. What began on instinct, serving people she saw who needed help, became more organized and systematic as she forged partnerships, accepted donations of food and money, worked with volunteers, and served more and more people. What makes people champion causes like she did? What sustained Ellen? And what she’s learned about interdependence, and the resiliency of the human spirit?

Episode 17: Ward Archer Apr 05, 2021

Show notes

Protect Our Aquifer's opposition to the Byhalia Connection Pipeline has been front page news recently, but for the group's president, Ward Archer, advocacy for the Memphis Sand Aquifer goes back almost 20 years, to when he was working to stop a logging company from clear-cutting near the headwaters of the Wolf River and first learned of the aquifer. Respect for the aquifer's ancient origins and a desire to preserve its incredible drinking water are at the heart of why Ward and his group work to protect the aquifer from the encroachment of industry.

Episode 16: Pat Mitchell Worley Mar 15, 2021

Show notes

As co-host of the globally syndicated roots radio show, Beale Street Caravan, and with years of music industry experience under her belt, Pat Mitchell Worley brings a unique set of skills to her role as executive director of the Stax Music Academy. She also brings her perspective as a mother, a special love for expanding the horizons of children, and a confidence to ask “What if?” and “Why Not?” questions. That’s led to unique opportunities for the school, her students and Memphis. Leading the school through the pandemic has produced its own challenges and some unique opportunities.

Episode 15: Trey Elder Feb 12, 2021

Show notes

Trey Elder, a longtime member of the Chicago music scene, founded Quiet Pterodactyl in 2019 to bring music and art into the community and provide equitable access for youth, but the pandemic forced him to change gears and serve Chicago in different ways, almost from the outset. SituationChicago, a compilation vinyl and digital album, has raised money and awareness about Chicago live music venues struggling to make it through the pandemic.

Episode 14: Elizabeth Cawein Jan 25, 2021

Show notes

Elizabeth Cawein founded Music Export Memphis in 2016 to elevate the careers of Memphis musicians, to make Memphis a city of choice for musicians and other creatives, and to elevate Memphis’ brand as a contemporary music city. More recently, Music Export Memphis had to switch gears during the pandemic to fulfill its mission in different ways. Championing the cause of Memphis music didn’t start in 2016, though. Elizabeth cut her teeth at the Memphis Music Foundation’s resource center and founded her own music-only PR firm, Signal Flow PR, along the way.

Episode 13: J.D. Reager Dec 29, 2020

Show notes

A longtime friend and collaborator of mine, J.D. has a fairly new podcast, Back to the Light, which has already expanded into a podcast network, record label and more, but what set off this flurry of creative activity? On this show, my guests and I talk about why people champion causes and what sustains them, but there’s an uber cause in the background that we can overlook, and that’s championing the cause of our own precious life. Moving from Memphis to Chicago was a tough adjustment for J.D., and before he could get back to the light, he had to march through real darkness and face his fears. When he did, he found a new curiosity pulling him forward and a renewed confidence to try new things.

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