Host Jeremy C. Park talks with Ryan Lampa, Founder and CEO of People Loving Nashville, a nonprofit organization serving the unhoused and most vulnerable of Nashville, Tennessee. During the interview, Ryan shares the history of the organization, which started 17 years ago, and discusses how it has evolved and grown into three programs, a staff of 15 and an army of volunteers serving about 400 people each week. The organization also now includes a social enterprise with a coffee roaster and coffee shop downtown, Paradeisos Coffee Company, that provides job opportunities for those going through the program. Ryan details their three programs, Monday Night Street Outreach, Homefullness, and Restoration Program, and discusses how they are centered on the pillars of Relief, Community, Connection, and Restoration.

He talks about some of the many sides, complexities and situations that lead to homelessness and how it impacts individuals and families, and emphasizes the importance of building relationships with dignity, grace and understanding. Ryan shares a success story of a couple who were once homeless and now in their restoration program, and he shares some lessons and advice for other organizations and cities looking to serve their unhoused communities, noting the importance of presence and margin in serving others. Ryan discusses the power of community engagement and the need for volunteers to help serve the unhoused community, and how the time spent and relationships formed will transform the lives of volunteers, as well. He wraps up encouraging the community to get involved by volunteering, buying coffee from their coffee shop, or attending their events, including their "Smoke on the Water" event taking place May 19, 2025.

Visit https://www.peoplelovingnashville.com to learn more and get involved with People Loving Nashville.
https://www.facebook.com/Peoplelovingnashville/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/peoplelovingnashville/

Host Jeremy C. Park talks with Dr. Karon Uzzell-Baggett, Certified Occupational Therapist and Owner of Specialized Occupational Therapy Services, LLC (SpOTs), who discusses the role of occupational therapy in improving quality of life and independence, emphasizing the importance of collaboration and personalized approaches.

During the interview, Dr. Uzzell-Baggett shares some of her journey serving in the US Air Force and how those leadership experiences and her desire to continue serving others led to her career transition into occupational therapy. She explains that occupational therapy helps people live their best lives by focusing on daily activities and routines, adapting them to individual needs, including after injuries or illnesses. She talks about working with seniors and how she is able to assess clients' homes for potential hazards and provide recommendations for aging in place. Then, Dr. Uzzell-Baggett highlights her work with organizations, offering stress reduction techniques, trauma management, health education, and other mindfulness services. She emphasizes the importance of collaboration and personalized approaches in occupational therapy, whether working with individuals or corporations. She wraps up discussing how individuals and organizations can start the conversation and process of working with Specialized Occupational Therapy Services.

Visit https://www.spots4u.org to learn more and connect with Dr. Karon Uzzell-Baggett.

Host Jeremy C. Park talks with Carrie Yoder, Executive Director of Project Transformation Tennessee, who highlights the nonprofit organization's mission and efforts to transform communities by engaging children, college-age young adults, and churches in purposeful relationships. Based on a model founded in 1998 in Dallas, Texas, Project Transformation Tennessee launched its first summer program in 2012. The program model is designed to address three unique challenges with one program: 1) how to meet the academic, physical, social-emotional, and spiritual needs of children, 2) how to provide meaningful ways for college-age young adults to explore ministry opportunities and develop as young principled leaders for the church and the world; and 3) how to help churches connect with their communities.

During the interview, Carrie discusses the unique and intentional model that serves children, college students, and communities. She talks about their summer camps for children that focus on literacy and social-emotional health, while also providing college students with work experience and vocational guidance. Camp is offered for rising 1st grade - rising 8th grade youth and located in Madison, Antioch, Murfreesboro, Smyrna, Clarksville, and Memphis. Local churches and community members are involved as volunteers, fostering relationships within neighborhoods. The summer camps operate for eight weeks, offering daily activities including reading, arts, and movement. College students are recruited to work at the camps, receiving training, housing, and stipends. Carrie shares positive feedback from parents, college students, and community members about the program's impact and invites the community to get involved by enrolling children, referring college students for the paid internships, volunteering to read with children or mentor young adults, and supporting the organization through donations or providing supplies from their wish list.

Visit https://projecttransformation.org/ten... to learn more and get involved with Project Transformation Tennessee.

Host Jeremy C. Park talks with Jared Barnett, President and CEO of Slingshot Memphis, along with John Dunavant, Senior Vice President of Strategy and Development, who both highlight their organization's work in evaluating and improving nonprofit effectiveness through data-driven analysis, and then share a recap of their recent MPACT Awards.

During the interview, Jared and John discuss how Slingshot Memphis is working in partnership with nonprofits to transform poverty-fighting efforts using their “Poverty-Fighting Feedback Loop” methodology to measure poverty-fighting effectiveness. By providing previously unavailable insights about poverty-fighting outcomes, Slingshot Memphis is empowering decision makers to allocate financial and other resources toward solutions that produce effective outcomes for those experiencing poverty.

Slingshot Memphis conducts annual impact studies for nonprofits to evaluate their benefits, programming, data usage, and collaboration. At their Second Annual MPACT Awards, they highlighted organizations demonstrating high-quality poverty-fighting effectiveness and those showing improvement. Slingshot Memphis also presented over $650,000 in funding to effective organizations through their Accelerate Impact Fund. Jared and John highlight the MPROVE Award recipients and the MPACT Award recipients and share examples of how the organizations were able to make adjustments to improve outcomes and impact. They wrap up talking about how the community can get involved to support these high-impact nonprofit organizations through strategic volunteerism and financial donations through the Accelerate Impact Fund.

Visit https://www.slingshotmemphis.org to learn more about Slingshot Memphis, their methodology, MPACT Awards and how you can support their efforts.

Host Jeremy C. Park talks with Melissa Aarskaug, Vice President of Gaming for Gaming Laboratories International's technology arm, Bulletproof, and Founder of the Executive Connect Podcast, who discusses the importance of cyber security in the gaming industry and other regulated industries, offers leadership tips and trends related to AI and technologies to enhance security, and shares her passion for STEM education and her mission to build communities that support each other. During the interview, Melissa emphasizes the need for a top-down approach to cyber security, with leadership and process playing a crucial role. She highlights the importance of transparency with insurance companies to ensure proper coverage, and expresses concern about the increasing complexity of phishing emails due to AI and machine learning, and the need for companies to leverage these technologies to enhance security.

Melissa then discusses her passion for STEM education, particularly for girls, and her mission to build communities that support each other. She shares her journey as the Founder of the Executive Connect Podcast, and talks about how the podcast has helped shape her professionally and personally. The Executive Connect Podcast is a platform where top industry leaders share game-changing insights on leadership, AI, personal branding, and navigating uncertainty. Melissa emphasizes the importance of vulnerability and authenticity in leadership, sharing her personal experiences and struggles to help others. Melissa also shares her experience of juggling her demanding job and family life, emphasizing the importance of prioritizing her marriage and children, and how creativity can be used to more effectively balance work and family life.

Visit https://www.executiveconnectpodcast.com to learn more about Melissa Aarskaug and to follow the Executive Connect Podcast.

Host Jeremy C. Park talks with Jo Stalnaker, US Air Force veteran, former Defense Contractor and Owner / Pitmaster of Ranch & Rifle, who discusses the challenges he and other veterans face transitioning to civilian life and how starting a food blog and then launching a veteran-owned company focused on popular spice rubs and blends became a way to connect with others and provide mental health benefits to other veterans. During the interview, Jo talks about how he was able to find solace in cooking, hunting and fishing, and how that led him to start a food blog featuring game meat and wild-caught fish. Jo discusses the importance of brotherhood in the service, emphasizing how it shapes individuals into part of something bigger than themselves. He highlights the challenges faced by veterans, including transitional stress, post-traumatic stress, and the effects of war. Jo notes that veterans tend to isolate when stressed and may have a rougher demeanor, but they care deeply about others.

Jo then shares the inspiration behind their spice rubs and blends, including the Gunpowder and Hot Honey Rubs, which have been well-received. He also discusses the Mediterranean-inspired All-Purpose Rub and their Memphis-style Barbecue Rub. Jo mentions a new spicy rub, Chipotle Soy Honey, set to launch in the next two weeks. Jo talks about the growth of the company and their higher purpose of creating a space for veterans to reconnect and share their love for cooking, and to support various nonprofit organizations and veteran-owned businesses. He highlights the company's support of various organizations, including Irreverent Warriors, River Deep Foundation, and Camp Bullwheel Accessible Outdoors. Jo also mentions their efforts to support other small veteran-owned businesses through social media campaigns.

Visit https://www.ranchandrifle.com to learn more about Ranch & Rifle and to shop their spices, rubs, and other merchandise.

Host Jeremy C. Park talks with Nancy Youssef, Chief Business Development Officer and Executive Vice President, International with Soles4Souls, who discusses the history, operations, and impact of the nonprofit organization that supports relief efforts and turns shoes and clothing into educational and economic opportunities.

During the interview, Nancy shares how their efforts were initially focused on helping the footwear industry in Southeast Asia and then the US after major disasters, but has since evolved to also focus on working with schools to help provide new athletic shoes to students in need and to create opportunities for entrepreneurs in remote areas through the reuse of donated shoes and clothing. She highlights the program's expansion to countries like Honduras, Haiti, Guatemala, and the Philippines, and its goal of extending the life of discarded products, which helps the environment and keeps the items out of landfills, while creating economic opportunities. Nancy talks about how the organization continues to support relief efforts in areas affected by recent disasters, including LA, North Carolina, and Florida. She wraps up talking about ways the community can support their efforts, including their upcoming "Race4EveryKid" virtual challenge fundraiser in May, and through product donations, such as shoes, clothes, and accessories. She highlights some of their many partnerships with organizations like Zappos and Plato's Closet and the availability of local drop-off locations.

Visit https://soles4souls.org to learn more and to get involved with Soles4Souls.
https://www.facebook.com/Soles4Souls/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/soles4souls-inc-/
https://www.instagram.com/soles4souls/?hl=en

Host Jeremy C. Park talks with Lia Roemer-Oakley, Animal Services Manager and Animal Control Officer with the Germantown Animal Shelter in Germantown, Tennessee, who shares her background and passion for animal welfare, and highlights the shelter's mission and efforts. During the interview, Lia discusses the shelter's operations, emphasizing its smaller capacity and community involvement. She talks about the shelter's commitment to providing care and socialization to animals, with a focus on fostering and adoption. Lia highlights the importance of volunteers, with many regulars contributing to the shelter's daily operations. The shelter partners with Volunteer Odyssey, and anyone interested in volunteering can sign up for an orientation via volunteerodyssey.com.

Lia then expresses gratitude for their partnership with Germantown Farmington Animal Hospital, which provides veterinary care for the shelter's animals. Lia also mentions the upcoming kitten season and the need for donations, particularly kitten food and formula. Lia next discusses the importance of animal safety in the Mid-South area, particularly in Germantown, due to loose animal issues. She emphasizes the need for secure fences, microchipping of pets, and updating microchip information. Lia also highlights the importance of proper identification of pets, such as collars with phone numbers or addresses, and the potential risks of loose animals. She encourages the community to check their yards and ensure their pets' safety. Lia also mentions the challenges of proving ownership of lost pets without proper identification. Lia wraps up discussing the need for foster homes for puppies and kittens at the Germantown Animal Shelter. She encourages interested individuals to contact the shelter or email them to be added to the foster list. Lia also mentions the shelter's social media presence, which is under "Friends of the Germantown Animal Shelter." She expresses gratitude to her team and the Friends of the Germantown Animal Shelter for their support, as well.

Community members interested in fostering are encouraged to contact Germantown Animal Shelter at 901-757-7358 or email animalshelter@germantown-tn.gov.