The Empower Podcast

Part two of the series with the party chairmen, host Grant Callen sat down with the recently elected chairman of the Mississippi Republican Party, Mike Hurst. A Newton County native, Mike discussed growing up in rural Mississippi, raising a large family, and the momentum Mississippi has. Grant read different sections of the GOP and Democratic party platforms and Mike shared his thoughts. As expect...

Part one of a two-part series with the party chairmen, host Grant Callen sat down with State Representative, Cheikh Taylor, newly reelected Chairman of the Mississippi Democratic Party. The Starkville native, with his community in mind and the backing of his predecessor, Rep. Tyrone Ellis, ran in 2018 to represent the 38th district in the Mississippi House. Taylor hopes that through his public ser...

Taking the Empower Podcast on the road, host Grant Callen traveled to Ocean Springs to sit down with Andy Taggart to discuss his forty years in Mississippi politics. Andy's political career started as Political Director at the Mississippi Republican Party, then Executive Director of the party during the reelection campaign of President Ronald Reagan. Andy served as Chief of Staff to Governor Kirk...

The 2024 Legislative Session has come to an end with the passage of some significant bills and some surprising defeats. Although, depending on who you ask, one person's defeat is usually another person's win. The legislative process is designed so that it's a lot easier to kill bills than to pass them, and that's a good thing. That dynamic certainly played out this year. In this episode, host Gran...

When he was sworn into office in January, Rodney Hall became the first black Republican to serve in the Mississippi House of Representatives since the Reconstruction Era. With nearly 20 years of military service and experience as Legislative Director for Congressman Trent Kelly, Hall ran for office with a goal of seeing Mississippi live up to its potential. Hall is a committed conservative with bi...

Elected to the Mississippi House of Representatives in 2019, Summers serves on the County Affairs, Drug Policy, Technology, Tourism, and Workforce Development Committees. Her Jackson roots run deep, as her grandfather, William Bill Summers, owned and operated The Summers Hotel, the city's first black-owned hotel. In this episode, she shares about growing up in West Jackson, shopping at Metrocenter...

 "That's the last time I'm going to vote for a bill that I'm against!" shouted a 1970's era Mississippi State Senator from the well of the Senate. In this episode, longtime bill drafter Bob Davidson shares this story and others. You may think that Schoolhouse Rock taught you everything you need to know about how an idea becomes law, but the process is a lot more involved. Before his retirement, Bo...

Two of the top issues being debated this legislative session are Medicaid Expansion and ways to reform PERS, Mississippi's Public Employees Retirement System. From his 33 years in business and now his seat behind the SuperTalk radio microphone, Gerard Gibert has covered these two issues extensively. On this show we do a deep dive into the origins of Medicaid Expansion, how it fits into the Afforda...

For the last 19 years, Henry Barbour has served as Committeeman from Mississippi on the Republican National Committee, a role that has given him a front-row seat to the American political scene, and not just as an observer. He's advised presidents and governors – most notably his uncle Haley Barbour and former Texas Governor Rick Perry – and has become a savvy political operative that has demonstr...

First elected to the State Senate in 2019, Senator Sparks has distinguished himself as one of the smartest and most hard-working lawmakers in the building. In this conversation, Senator Sparks discusses the intersection of policy and people, emphasizing the importance of human-centered governance. We explore the dignity of work, economic challenges, education, and criminal justice reform. The epis...

In this episode, Dr. Matthew Ladner, Senior Advisor at the Center for Education Policy at the Heritage Foundation, shares about Arizona's journey with school choice. Arizona passed the first education savings account (ESA) program in the nation in 2011 for students with special needs, expanding it multiple times over the years, and in 2022 made it a universal eligibility program, so it's now open...

In this episode, host Grant Callen sits down with Mississippi's 42nd State Auditor, Shad White. They discuss Mississippi's incredible cultural and economic advantages and our challenges, like our low Labor Force Participation Rate and our high number of unwed mothers. White advocates for addressing critical issues like single-parent households, introducing The Success Sequence, and incorporating e...

Host Grant Callen welcomes Denisha Allen in this episode, unraveling her remarkable journey from childhood struggles in Jacksonville, Florida to her current role as a national advocate for school choice. The conversation highlights the transformative impact of school choice on Denisha's life and emphasizes the need for more kids to be matched with a school that meets their needs. Join us as Denish...

Join us as we explore the transformative world of education with Elyse Marcellino, the director of Embark: New Schools for Mississippi.. Listen in as Elyse shares her work guiding ambitious individuals through the process of opening charter schools and microschools in Mississippi. She reveals how the challenges of COVID-19 acted as a catalyst for Embark's creation and highlights the importance of...

This week host Grant Callen sat down with Mississippi's 36th Secretary of State Michael Watson to talk about removing barriers to opportunity, especially those related to education and work. Sec. Watson has been a longtime advocate for school choice, so they discussed why he believes giving parents more options will help kids, schools, and ultimately our whole state. They discussed why access to w...

This week, we're thrilled to have Arkansas State Senator Breanne Davis, the lead sponsor of the LEARNS Act, a transformative piece of legislation that has had a profound impact on the state's education system. Listen in as Senator Davis passionately discusses how the LEARNS Act has empowered families with education freedom accounts, allowing them to make the best educational choices for their chil...

This episode of the Empower Podcast features an in-depth conversation with Grant Callen, the founder and CEO of Empower Mississippi. Grant, a sixth-generation Mississippian, shares his mission to make Mississippi the best place in America to live, work, and raise a family.  In this episode, hosted by Wil Ervin, Empower SVP, we discuss the role of public policy, educational opportunities, criminal...

We are back with another powerful episode of the Empower Podcast, featuring a riveting conversation with Ian Rowe, the dynamic author, scholar, and founder of a thriving charter school network. Rowe's inspiring book, 'Agency,' serves as the foundation of our conversation, as we delve into the concept of personal agency and its importance in achieving the American dream. Despite the challenges of o...

Christina Dent, founder of End it For Good, shares her transformative journey as a conservative, evangelical Christian to a powerful advocate for ending drug prohibition. Christina's unique perspective emerged from her experiences as a foster parent, particularly her encounter with Joanne, a mother struggling with addiction. Her insights will compel you to rethink your beliefs on drug policy, push...

Welcome to the brand new show by Empower Mississippi!