Climbing the Charts with Angie Lawless and Brandon Miller Angie Lawless and Brandon Miller

“We’re not building new roads (for the most part), so it’s about trying to use that [existing] infrastructure in better ways that meet our modern needs.”  --Michael Briggs, director of mobility at Vanderbilt University's Transportation and Mobility Office, currently on loan to the City of Nashville as a director of transportation planning through 2024
On November 5, 2024, less than six months from today, Nashvillians will go to the polls to vote on critical issues and races, including who will serve as our nation’s President. Locally, however, Nashvillians will also vote on a multibillion dollar transportation improvement program called Choose How You Move, the first transit referendum to appear on the local ballet since 2018.
Climbing the Charts sat down with Briggs to discuss why transit should be considered essential infrastructure, how this plan differs from the prior failed transportation plans presented to Nashvillians and explores how improving transportation addresses broader community needs (affordable housing being at the top of that list). 

“I knew that if I had a Plan B, I would be 50/50. I would be one foot in and one foot out, and I had to be fully dedicated.” - Derrick ‘Moe’ Moore
When the Climbing the Charts podcast first launched in 2022, the co-hosts created a list of dream guests – Moe Moore was at the top of that list, being a co-founder of Slim & Husky’s.  Almost two years and many amazing guests later, this is that episode, and it was fitting that the Tennessean was even on hand to take some photos!
Moe is the co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) of Slim & Husky’s, a pizza concept that is more than pizza – it’s pizza, art, and music.  Moe shares how music and art are built into the DNA of Slim & Husky’s, and shares his hard-earned life lessons about what it takes to make it as a successful entrepreneur (including the often unappreciated advantages of having no Plan B).  He discusses the future plans and dreams for Slim & Husky’s, and even gives an overview of the rich culture and community of North Nashville.  
 

“What people don’t understand about Juvenile Court is that literally two-thirds of the cases that we deal with are about the parents.”  –Judge Calloway
Judge Sheila Calloway, Davidson County’s Juvenile Court Judge, and Lonnell Matthews, Davidson County’s Juvenile Court Clerk, are two of Nashville’s most accomplished individuals. They are an entertaining pair, but are serious about bettering the lives of “our kids.” They discuss misconceptions about the work of the Juvenile Court, the Nashville Youth Campus for Empowerment (coming in 2027), and recent legislation that will dramatically impact the juvenile justice system. Spoiler alert: the TN General Assembly did not seek their input, but they remain open and ready to assist when asked…hint, hint.
Julieanna Huddle is the Executive Director of Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA). Julieanna explains the mission of CASA and how YOU can make a difference in the lives of all of our children who are in desperate need of an advocate.

“When you’re in the middle of the battle, to be policy-driven is smart, to be politically-driven is dangerous.”  - Jeremy Faison
Few people have had a closer seat to the important issues, drama, and national and international garnering headlines involving Tennessee politics than Representative Jeremy Faison, Chairman of the Tennessee House Republican Caucus. Representative Faison discusses what drew him into politics and what it’s like to be a leader of a party now enjoying a supermajority. In a Paul Harvey fashion, Faison weighs in with the “rest of the story” on the alleged complaint against him noted in the recent Chancellor Perkins opinion, his now infamous “pantsing” incident, what people fail to understand about Speaker of the House Cameron Sexton and even the recent “whistling” episode involving the high school girls’ Picket County Bobcat Team.  Beyond that, Faison, a libertarian, addresses many of the issues that have been presented during the current legislative session.

“It’s already a presidential race and lots of people are going to come out and vote for the President…however, we know…that about 18% of the people who go into that booth don’t keep going down the ballot… If you’re in the voting booth, don’t stop… Make your vote count all the way down.”  -Megan Barry
In a hotly anticipated interview, Climbing the Charts sits down with former Nashville Mayor Megan Barry. Barry served as Nashville’s seventh mayor and was the first woman ever elected to the office. Barry’s tenure as Music City’s mayor, however, was marked by almost Biblical highs and lows. Megan speaks to her time in the Mayor's Office, and catches us up on what she has been doing since leaving the Mayor’s Office, including her decision to re-enter the political arena as the Democratic challenger for the 7th Congressional District of Tennessee. The incumbent, Congressman Republican Mark Green, announced he would retire, only to rejoin the race a few weeks later. Megan makes a compelling case for why she can win this race, and then tells us how she will do it.
Many astute observers consider Megan Barry to be one of the most charismatic and gifted communicators in the political arena in Tennessee today.
https://www.meganbarryforcongress.com/

“It’s a diverse world. Companies sell products to consumers that are very diverse. Their teams and technical talent should reflect the communities that they sell products to.” – Dr. Isaac Yao Addae
Dr. Isaac Addae is a man with many hats – first-generation Ghanaian American, computer engineer, strategist, business professor, entrepreneur, investor, and author of “Black Boy Fly: Embracing My Ancestry, Blackness, and Purpose in the African Diaspora.”  Isaac also served as the Treasurer for Freddie O’Connell’s mayoral campaign, and now has agreed to wear yet another hat as the “Small and Minority Business Engagement Liaison” for Nashville.
Listen in as Isaac shares how he came to Nashville, why he will always spend a significant amount of time as an educator, how navigating two worlds as a Ghanaian American became his superpower, and why we should all care about diversity, equity, inclusion and justice in the workforce.  Also learn why Isaac’s new role will be one of his biggest challenges yet, and about how some of the plans being put into motion in the Mayor’s Office are likely to move the needle for small and minority-owned businesses.  Isaac also makes a unique, compelling case for how Nashville can adjust the lens that the rest of the world views Nashville through and emerge as an increasingly ascendant tech hub.