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 TEDxMemphis talk from Matt Ross-Spang
• Ardent Studios
• Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me documentary
• Al Green
• WYXR
• Charles Hodges
• EgglestonWorks
• Andrew Scheps Lost in Translation
• Sun Studios
• Royal Studios

This episode is made possible in partnership with Independent Bank.

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 Museum of American Soul Music
• Beale Street Caravan
• WYXR
• Soulsville Foundation
• The Stax Music Academy
• The Soulsville Charter School
• The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)
• Speaking Truth to Power: The Life of Bayard Rustin
• The International Coalition of Sites of Conscience
• Meet Pat Mitchell Worley with the Soulsville Foundation: 2024 CEO of the Year from Memphis Magazine
• My journey to the National Civil Rights Museum TEDxUIUC Talk by Dr. Russ Wigginton
• Dr. Wigginton speaks on importance of museums and libraries

This episode is made possible in partnership with Independent Bank.

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 Legislately series, and the conversation explores juvenile justice reform with Mayor Lee Harris and Yale Law professor, Pulitzer Prize-winning author, and recent contributor to New York Times Magazine, James Forman, Jr. Resources mentioned in this episode include:

• Shelby County Government
• Locking Up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America by James Forman
• New York Times article "What Happened When America Emptied Its Youth Prisons" by David Muhammad
• National Civil Rights Museum
• Memphis Shelby County Schools' Hope Academy
• The Youth Justice and Education Center
• Maya Angelou Academy @ DC Jail
• BreakFree Education with David Domenici
• Why Youth Incarceration Fails: An Updated Review of the Evidence from The Sentencing Project

This episode is made possible in partnership with Shelby County Government.

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 Parton's Imagination Library
• Teach for America Memphis
• Montessori method of teaching
• Governor's Early Literacy Foundation
• Porter Leath's Early Head Start program
• Sylvester and The Magic Pebble
• K is for Kindness
• I am a Rainbow
• Social Determinants of Health
• The Little Engine That Could

This episode is made possible in partnership with Independent Bank.

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!

Resources mentioned in this episode include:

• The Advantage of Age in Memphis Magazine by Tom Jones
• David Ciscel LinkedIn
• David Ciscel ResearchGate
• Memphis Poverty Fact Sheet 2024
• Tom Lee Park
• Learn more about the 1979 Memphis Jobs Conference, convened by then-Gov. Lamar Alexander, here and here
• Tom Jones shares insights on urban sprawl
• Smart City Consulting

This episode is made possible in partnership with Independent Bank.

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 hand-in-hand, and how they hope to grow themselves and the city from here.

This episode features live audio from Celebrate What's Right: Leading the Next Chapters which took place on April 30, 2025, and features panelists: Bobby White (Leadership Memphis), Tomeka Hart Wigginton (United Way of the Mid-South), Anthony Young (Epicenter), and Sam O'Bryant (BRIDGES).

Resources mentioned in this episode include:

• New Memphis
• Leadership Memphis
• United Way of the Mid-South
• Epicenter
• Bridges
• Frayser Community Schools
• Volunteer Memphis
• S4E33 Working Smarter: How MEM is a hub of innovation
• S4E7 Leadership at Every Age

This episode was made possible in partnership with Independent Bank.

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
• Sweet Lala's Bakery
• Archimania
• S2E36 The Intersection of Sweets and Service
• S2E16 Clean, Green Architect Machine
• Milla's House
• Kemmons Wilson Family Foundation
• Harvard School of Education "What is Causing Our Epidemic of Loneliness and How Can We Fix It?"

This episode is made possible in partnership with Independent Bank.

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 include:

• Memphis Teacher Residency
• Memphis Literacy Institute
• S2E41 2022 Educator of Excellence: Valen Warner
• New Memphis Educator of Excellence
• New Memphis Stride
• New Memphis Teachers' Lounge
• Memphis Teacher Residency University
• National Board Certification
• Memphis Libraries

This episode was made possible in partnership with Independent Bank.