Climbing the Charts with Angie Lawless and Brandon Miller

Childcare in Tennessee isn't just a family issue—it's an economic one, a workforce one, and increasingly, a political one. Across the state, parents are struggling to find affordable, reliable care. Providers are stretched thin, and employers are feeling the ripple effects as workers are forced to make impossible choices between their jobs and their families. In this episode of Climbing the Charts...

There's a bill of biblical proportions in the Tennessee Legislature. Some are questioning its constitutionality.  State House Rep. Gino Bulso filed HB1419. The legislation, which Bulso refers to as the "Protecting Religious Liberty and Expression in Public School Act" would require religion to be taught in Tennessee schools and permits prayer on campuses. In this episode of Climbing the Charts, An...

Nashville has a cost of living crisis. Less than 9% of Nashvillians can afford a typical home in Nashville. It's even worse for minorities. Less than 1% of Black and Brown communities can afford a typical home. The crisis has been exacerbated by our city's zoning code which limits affordable and middle income housing. There's a new push by the Planning Department to amend it. The enthusiasm comes...

Nashville has taken on  many titles — Music City, Athens of the South, Smashville and Cashville, but tech bros have coined a new name, "Bitcoin City," in honor of the thriving crypto community that has formed.  The city is home to Bitcoin Magazine, the world's largest web3 media outlet and Bitcoin Park, a globally renowned grassroots crypto community. Last year, Nashville even hosted Bitcoin Confe...

Nashville is more than a hub for musicians. It's a hub for business. Over the last decade, corporations like Amazon and Oracle have flocked to the southern city. Pro business politics and tax incentives are part of the allure. But business isn't the only thing ballooning in our sunbelt city. Housing costs have skyrocketed. More than 50 percent of Nashvillians are cost burdened by housing expenses...

Every city has a family who shapes it. New York City had the Rockefellers. St. Louis had the Bushes. Boston had the Kennedys. Nashville has the Bone family. They are attorneys by trade but political powerhouses and real estate tycoons in practice. In this episode of Climbing the Charts , Angie Lawless and Brandon Miller sit down with Charles Robert Bone. The Nashville Post called the attorney turn...

In March, the mayor's office announced the closing of one of the city's oldest and lagest homeless encampments — Old Tent City. The 40-year-old site sits just outside downtown, on Anthes Drive. 120+ people have called this area underneath I-24 home. The city says these individuals will be placed in transitional housing. Metro plans to provide the unhoused with access to the wrap around services so...

Nuclear energy is part of Tennessee's past and present. Oak Ridge played an important role in the Manhattan Project during WW2, and today, 48% of our state's energy comes from nuclear energy. In this episode of the Spirit of Bipartisanship, hosts Angie Lawless and Brandon Miller sit down with Republican Rep. Clark Boyd, who chairs the business and utilities subcommittee where nuclear energy is a c...

Tennessee is 1 of 10 states that has not expanded Medicaid. It is estimated that more than 150,000 Tennesseans would qualify for coverage if the state opted to expand the program.  In this episode of the Spirit of Bipartisanship, hosts Angie Lawless and Brandon Miller sit down with Republican Reps. Brock Martin and Pat Marsh and Democratic Rep. Jesse Chism to hear the arguments against and for exp...

American politics are polarizing, but in no place are they more polarizing than in the Tennessee State House.  Two years ago, the Republican-ruled supermajority expelled two Democratic lawmakers after they led spectators in a chant "Gun control now!" and "No action, no peace!" The controversy was ignited by the Covenant School Shooting and Republican lawmakers' failure to enact gun reform. Since t...

Tennessee Republican State House Rep. Jody Barrett is proposing legislation that would change the discharge process of individuals who are involuntarily committed to mental health facilities in Tennessee. Under Barrett's bill, the CEO of an inpatient treatment facility would be required to notify the court when an individual is eligible for discharge. The court would hold a hearing and decide whet...

17% of children in Tennessee face food insecurity. TN Democratic State House Rep. John Ray Clemmons proposed legislation to provide free school meals — breakfast and lunch — to all TN children regardless if they meet federal SNAP benefit requirements. This isn't the first time Clemmons has introduced this legislation. He's brought this bill forward every year since 2018. It has yet to prevail. In...

Tennessee's legislature isn't just partisan—it's often polarizing. Inside the House chambers, Democrats and Republicans disparage one another, at times—outside, they rarely engage. Has the proverbial political aisle been stretched too far to reach across?  It wasn't always this way. There was once camaraderie and compromise. Few understand this culture shift better than Brian Bivens. The East Tenn...

David French is a dissenter. The attorney turned conservative political commentator abandoned the Republican party in 2016. His reason? Donald Trump. The evangelical Christian was disgusted by the controversial candidate, his lack of character and authoritarian beliefs. Since then, his critiques of the MAGA movement have only grown — so too has his voice.  In 2019, French became the Senior Editor...

When Nashville identified its first case of coronavirus in March 2020, the city was between Public Health Department directors and as unprepared as the rest of the world for what was to come.  Dr. Alex Jahangir, a trauma surgeon acting at that time as chair of the Metro Nashville Board of Health, unexpectedly found himself head of the city's COVID-19 Task Force and responsible for leading it throu...

Tennessee is an economic engine. Stuart McWhorter is one of the conductors.  During his tenure as the Tennessee Economic Development Commissioner, McWhorter has overseen nearly 160 projects, which represent more than 21,700 job commitments and $10.9 billion in capital investment.  In this episode of Climbing the Charts, Angie Lawless and Brandon Miller sit down with the TNECD commissioner to under...

Nashville has been in the top 10 hottest housing markets in the United States. The city has drawn attention from individuals and investors from coast to coast.  However, over the last two years sales have slowed some due to high interest rates and uncertainty surrounding the economy. In this episode of Climbing the Charts, we sit down with Greater Nashville REALTORS Vice President of Member Engage...

Glenn Funk balances safety and social justice in his role as Nashville District Attorney.  The Nashville District Attorney was sworn in nearly a decade ago. Nashville's daily prison population is about half of what it was before he took office.  The second term elected official says reducing incarceration increases rehabilitation and saves metro money — $45 million a year by his estimate. Funk dis...

The Nashville Chamber of Commerce is the front door to the region's business ecosystem. Ralph Schulz is the guide. The CEO has overseen the organization since 2006, steering it through the city's explosive growth. During his 18-year tenure, the median salary in Nashville has increased by more than 50-percent, city's skyline has reached new heights and major corporations like Amazon and Oracle have...

Four years ago, Burke Nihill ran across a job listing on LinkedIn: General Counsel for the Tennessee Titans. He applied, but he didn't think he would be drafted. His sports "experience" included dreaming of "wanting to be the third baseman for the Chicago Cubs" and declining an offer to play basketball at a Division 3 College. Nonetheless, Nihill won owners over. 4 promotions and 8 seasons later,...

" I came to realize that I would never have the chance to work in an administration with somebody that I [am] so closely aligned with on issues. It makes it really easy to go to work." – Bob Mendes, speaking of his working relationship with Mayor O'Connell Climbing the Charts was excited to sit down with Bob Mendes, Chief Development Officer for the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidso...

"My whole mission is just to affect positive change with people, and housing is such a key component to people's health, well-being, and safety." -- Andrea Prince According to Nashville's 2021 Affordable Housing Task Force, chaired by Mayor John Cooper, the city must create 52,498 new housing units by 2030—a daunting challenge, given that only 1,344 affordable units were being built annually at th...

"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...

"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 episod...

"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...