NC Rep. Diamond Staton-Williams of the 73rd District in Cabarrus County discusses her reluctant entrance into politics as a member of Harrisburg Town Council, her first term in the NCGA and a number of other topics related to the upcoming elections.

Jordan Lopez, NC Rep-Elect for the 112th District in east Charlotte, discusses his choice to enter the race at age 25, his priorities once he takes office and a number of other topics related to the upcoming elections.

Sil Ganzo, founder and executive director of ourBRIDGE for KIDS, discusses her organization's latest project, the Charlotte Is Home Center, to provide refugee and immigrant neighbors with wraparound legal, health care and educational services in a single space.

Theresa McDonald of community advocacy group Derita Matters joins the podcast to talk about the changing face of Derita as the north Charlotte neighborhood prepares for a surge in development with the coming construction of the Red Line.

Mecklenburg County Democratic Party Precinct 13 Chair Tanya Lewis discusses her work in political organizing in the local and state levels and the threats that democracy faces as election season gets into full swing.

Lisvette Soto, founder of Be You Outreach Foundation, discusses how decades of working in the local entertainment industry, hosting parties and modeling events, led to her newfound passion working in human trafficking awareness and advocacy.

Kings Creek Association president Joi Mayo discusses her community organizing work on the Nations Ford/Arrowood corridor, bringing local residents to the table in planning for long-awaited growth in an underserved area.

District 4 Charlotte City Council representative Reneé Johnson discusses her work in traumatic brain injury advocacy and reentry support before going into a deeper discussion about development, housing and the city’s Unified Development Ordinance.

Freedom Fighting Missionaries founder and executive director Kenny Robinson discusses his recent purchase of land to host his organization’s first housing development for justice-involved families, a historic milestone for the city of Charlotte.

Mecklenburg County Reentry Services program manager Latoshia Young discusses the day-to-day work of her department, from housing to employment to health care, as well as other topics such as how stigma affects her work.

New at-large CMS School Board rep-elects Liz Monterrey & Monty Witherspoon discuss what led them to run and how their own experiences shaped their respective platforms. They also touch on current issues facing the school district ranging from Moms for Liberty and ‘culture wars’ to the bond referendum, student mental health and private school vouchers.

Shannon Binns with Sustain Charlotte and Dianna Ward of Charlotte Joyrides discuss bicycling infrastructure in Charlotte, grading the city on where it stands now and what it can do better in terms of safety and connectivity.

Hector Vaca, immigration justice director with Action NC, discusses how issues around immigration in Charlotte overlap with housing, policing and more.

Mallory Foxx discusses how she went from the juvenile justice system to the pageant circuit, where she’ll soon compete or the title of Mrs. Black International Ambassador 2023, and how mentoring changed her life, inspiring her to launch her organization Mentoring M.I.N.D.S.

We talk to WSOC’s Joe Bruno about the recent municipal primary elections, from the low turnout to the far-reaching implications, and what local stories he’ll be checking on in the coming year.

DreamKey Partners President Julie Porter and Roof Above CEO Liz Clasen-Kelly discuss their work around homelessness and the affordable housing crisis, including how it all relates to gentrification, displacement, adaptive reuse, Housing First and other local topics.

Ryan talks to Zack Wyatt, CEO of Carolina Farm Trust; and Michael Bowling, general manager of CFT Market, the site of a ceremonial groundbreaking the same day they appeared on the podcast. They discuss their plans for the local food distribution and production center as well as topics ranging from equitability in food accessibility to Black food culture in Charlotte.

Brad Panovich, chief meteorologist at WCNC, discusses recent heat waves, air quality issues and reporting on the effects of climate change in an age of misinformation and social media trolling.

HopeWay CEO and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Alyson Kuroski-Mazzei joins Dr. Justin Johnson, director of Veteran Services at HopeWay, to discuss the array of ways the nonprofit treats mental illness in Charlotte while touching on topics like stigma, suicide, PTSD and how the pandemic led to a spike in mental illness that is yet to subside.

Inspired by her own experience, Tiawana Brown founded Beauty After the Bars as a way to help women returning home from incarceration. We discuss the reason for high recidivism rates, the financial pressures that outlast incarceration, and the recent opening of her organization’s first SAFE Home.