Champions of the Lost Causes

Host Marvin Stockwell talks to former Pittsburgh Mayor Tom Murphy about his long life of championing causes - from his early days in the Peace Corps and as an activist, to his long career in politics, which most notably includes his time as mayor. Many credit Tom with turning the former industrial city's economic fortunes around. After he left office, Tom spent years as a consultant with the Urban...

Host Marvin Stockwell talks with Michael Lawrence-Riddle, Executive Director at Self-Evident Education, at his office in Northampton, MA. The two discuss Michael's work with educators, students and communities to encourage people to think critically about the role of race and institutional racism throughout United States history. They also talk about their shared experience as musicians in address...

Host Marvin Stockwell talks with Muck Rack Senior Director of Communications Linda Zebian at her home in Wilbraham, MA. The two discuss championing the cause of the free press in a polarized age of disinformation, and how, by developing relationships with journalists and PR pros alike, Muck Rack plays a unique role in fostering a dialogue between these increasingly connected and interdependent pro...

Host Marvin Stockwell talks with Christine Lutts, board chair of Friends of Greenlawn Cemetery, at her home. Over the last twelve years, Christine and her organization have made steady progress in restoring Dickson Memorial Chapel & Conservatory and Greenlawn Cemetery as places of peace and beauty in Salem, MA. For more information about Greenlawn Cemetery, visit friendsofgreenlawn.org For mor...

Host Marvin Stockwell talks to Alicia Lehrer, executive director of the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council at her office in Providence, RI. The two discuss the group's origins, how their work to clean up the river and surrounding land has progressed, and how it evolved into the collection of connected parks, bike paths, and greenspaces that improve the quality of life for thousands of res...

Host Marvin Stockwell talks to Friends of The High Line's Chief Program and Engagement Officer Asima Jansveld about The High Line's earliest days, facing down demolition threats, working through adversity and, finally, persevering! The two also talk about the new challenges that came from The High Line's success, and The High Line Network, a learning cohort of people engaged in best-pr...

Host Marvin Stockwell talks to Rochelle Joseph, board chair of Support The Pink House, a group working to preserve the historic landmark, which has drawn countless photographers to capture its unique beauty. The 10-year fight to save it has had many twists and turns and it's not over yet. The Pink House is once again under demolition threat. For more information about The Pink House, visit sup...

Host Marvin Stockwell talks with ioby CEO Nupur Chaudhury at the Sheraton Hotel lounge in Brooklyn. The two discuss how ioby has grown and changed over the years to help fund neighborhood-level change all over the country, which include Marvin's own causes - saving the Mid-South Coliseum and the summer road trips for the podcast. They also talk about ioby's improved site functionality, and...

Host Marvin Stockwell talks to Kim Yim, president of the Pleasant Village Community Garden in East Harlem. What began as people seed-bombing vacant lots in the early 1970s to beautify their neighborhood grew into a community garden that serves as a place to build community, grow food, share meals and, through composting, reduce waste and improve the environment. The two talk about how the garden g...

Host Marvin Stockwell talks to Feed More President and CEO Doug Pick about the organization's efforts to collect, prepare and distribute food to people facing hunger across 34 Central Virginia cities and counties. The two talk about Feed More's origins and explore why people champion causes and give of themselves to help others. For more information about Feed More, visit feedmore.org For...

Host Marvin Stockwell talks to two of his fellow co-founders of Baron Von Opperbean and the River of Time (BVO), Chief Visionary Officer Christopher Reyes and Chief of Games and Technology Kathryn Hicks, on location at the former site of the Mississippi River Museum at Mud Island Park in downtown Memphis. BVO is an immersive playground experience being built inside the long unused space. For Marvi...

Host Marvin Stockwell talks to City Leadership executive director John Carroll at his Crosstown Concourse office. The two explore how the nonprofit helps recruit, catalyze and develop leaders at every level to help Memphis grow and thrive.

Guest host/producer J.D. Reager interviews Champions of the Lost Causes founder Marvin Stockwell at the Memphis Listening Lab. They discuss last summer's podcast road trip, what's next for the show, the Mid-South Coliseum, and more.

Host Marvin Stockwell talks to Libby Crimmings, president of Atlas Community Studios, at her office in Des Moines, Iowa. The pandemic showed everyone just how portable some types of work can be, and that was an advantage to small to midsize cities looking to attract and retain creative professionals who can do their job from anywhere. Marvin and Libby talk about how adaptive reuse of old buildings...

Host Marvin Stockwell talks to Joe Vital and Dean Dovolis of the East Phillips Neighborhood Institute at Dean's office in Minneapolis. With the help of many, Joe and Dean have championed the cause of the East Phillips Depot, a building that people in the surrounding neighborhood want repurposed as an urban farm and commercial center, but that the City of Minneapolis wants to demolish, despite...

Host Marvin Stockwell talks to Keith Hammonds and Charlie Denison, owner and editor of the Boulder Monitor, at their office in Boulder, MT. Championing the cause of a free press has always come with its challenges, but journalism is in the midst of a paradigm shift away from printed newspapers to digital distribution, and toward new funding models, among which there is still no clear standard. Mar...

Host Marvin Stockwell talks to Mark Lakeman at his office in Portland. Mark is the founder of the City Repair movement, which has changed countless neighborhoods in Portland, OR and spread to other U.S. cities and other countries. People need civic gathering spots, but when American cities were designed, the plazas and piazzas were left out. Marvin and Mark talk about why social bonds between neig...

Host Marvin Stockwell talks to Alyse Nelson, a board member of Squeaky Wheels, a grassroots, bike-advocacy nonprofit in Bainbridge Island, Washington. Marvin and Alyse discuss Alyse's work to implement Bainbridge Island's comprehensive bicycle pedestrian infrastructure plan, and how her day job as city planner with the City of Seattle helps her understand the pressures and limitations of h...

Host Marvin Stockwell talks to book marketing coach Sue Campbell in Portland, Oregon. A published author herself, Sue helps authors overcome self-doubt and develop the mindset and habits to bring their books into the world. Sue and Marvin talk about the importance of books, how stories have power, and how Sue works to remove traditional barriers to writing to make the world more just and kind.

Host Marvin Stockwell talks to VooDoo Doughnut founder Ken Pogson in Portland, Oregon. Even a for-profit business is a cause to those hearty souls who take the risk, but Voodoo Doughnut has had a charitable thrust since its earliest days. Ken explains how the company's philanthropy started simply enough with giving away day-old doughnuts, and how it grew along with the business into larger che...

Host Marvin Stockwell talks to Brand New Voices publisher Cory Cachola in Portland, OR. Cory is an advocate for web3 and the community that's growing around this emerging evolution of human connection on the web. The promise of the internet was always to connect us, but as the tech and computing power have improved, so has the web's ability to deliver on the depth of what we all dreamed wa...

Host Marvin Stockwell talks to Jason Waligoske, owner of Yep Yep Organic Farm in unincorporated Dexter, Oregon. For Jason, the benefits of eating organic started with working on his grandparents' farm as a boy, then later working at, then owning his favorite health food store. After a short-lived, crop-science job showed him the negative effects of pesticides and GMO technology, he had a visio...

Host Marvin Stockwell talks to artist and musician Joe Demaree at his home in San Jose, California. Many artists first champion the cause of their creative vision and then organize their lives around moving it forward. Joe has an unwavering commitment to his artistic vision, and the community he's built around art, music and the free exchange of ideas.

Host Marvin Stockwell talks to educator Mischelle Brown in Oakland, California. Mischelle's use of risky play to provide better learning opportunities for her neurodivergent students was at first seen as unorthodox, and besides, there was no funding at her school for what she wanted to do. Undaunted, Mischelle crowdfunded the money she needed through ioby, and after after engaging in rock clim...

Host Marvin Stockwell talks to Terrence Murtaugh in Phoenix, AZ. Terrence is the founder of the Heavy Pedal, a cycling apparel company based in Phoenix. Marvin and Terrence talk about his non-traditional, iterative path to finding his calling. His transition from graffiti artist to graphic designer, web developer and business owner with a track record of backing good causes didn't happen overn...