Podcast
“Reelfoot Forward: A West Tennessee Podcast” celebrates the culture, spirit, accomplishments and history of West Tennessee and the surrounding region. Hosted by DPA president and CEO, Scott Williams, the podcast features notable guests who are influencers from the worlds of entertainment, history, agriculture, education, politics, tourism, sports, business and law, as well as other areas.
The podcast is available online at Discovery Park’s website, on Soundcloud, Castbox, Apple iTunes, Youtube, Spotify and other popular podcast platforms and apps.
From here, you can find out more about our mission or our history, meet our team or read our blog.
Ep. 85 Dr. Timothy Smith and The History Channel’s ‘Grant’
This special episode with Dr. Timothy Smith was recorded during Discovery Park’s Military History and Armed Forces Symposium. Dr. Smith was one of the featured historians on “Grant,” a three-night mini-series from The History Channel. The live audience learned more about the life and career of Ulysses S. Grant and the Civil War and discovered how
Ep. 84 Kirstan Blachard, Social Media Influencer
Kirstan Blanchard took advantage of her time in quarantine to launch a successful lifestyle blog. Today, she shares her passion for beauty, affordable fashion and mental health for mothers with thousands of followers from around the world. In this episode, she shares her journey and provides tips and tricks to creating a personal brand, gaining
Ep. 83 Dr. Debbie Reynolds, Small Town Veterinarian with a Big Heart
From legal assistant to veterinarian, Dr. Debbie Reynolds shares her story of chasing her dream in this episode of “Reefoot Forward.” After graduating high school in Sharon, Tennessee, Debbie went to work as a legal assistant in Weakley County, but she soon discovered her true passion was caring for animals. Listen along as she gives
Ep. 82 Ed Sargent, Grammy-Nominated Producer
From an early age, Ed Sargent was surrounded by music. Whether he was playing in the high school band in Bolivar, Tennessee, or studying with music instructors at the University of Tennessee at Martin, Ed always knew his love and appreciation for music would be a big part of his life. In this episode, he shares how he became
Ep. 81 Paige Espey, Discovering Art Through Tragedy
In this episode, local artist Paige Espey shares how through the tragedy of her brother’s death she was inspired to pick up a paint brush and “turn something negative into a positive.” Tune in to hear the story behind her popular rainbow paintings that have brought healing and support to many over the past few
Ep. 80 Jim Emison, The Story of Elbert Williams
In this episode, retired West Tennessee lawyer Jim Emison discusses his quest for justice for the brutal murder of Elbert Williams, a founding member of the NAACP in Haywood County. In June 1940, two officers from the Brownsville, Tennessee Police Department took Elbert Williams to jail for questioning. His body was later found floating in
Ep. 79 Henri Giles, Telling Stories through Film
As an Emmy award-winning writer and producer, Henri Giles has many fascinating stories she now shares with her students at the University of Tennessee at Martin. After earning her bachelor’s degree in communications, she worked in a variety of positions in broadcast and cable television. In this episode, she shares details about her unique life
Ep. 78 April Lieberman, Service Above Self
April Lieberman, West and Middle Tennessee Rotary district governor, returned home to Gleason, Tennessee after successful careers that included time as a model, federal judicial law clerk and appellate attorney. A graduate of Yale Law School and Vanderbilt University, she now dedicates herself to serving throughout West Tennessee and encouraging those she encounters to “be
Ep. 77 Dr. Bill Dickinson, Hunting and Hearing
As a doctor of audiology with a passion for hunting, Dr. Bill Dickinson is an entrepreneur who merged his professional calling with one of his hobbies. He co-founded TETRA Hearing to provide perfected hearing protection and targeted enhancement that was awarded the 2020 Guns and Ammo Best New Technology of the Year. In this episode,
Ep. 76 Charles Brubaker, Bringing Comics to Life
Charles Brubaker’s path has taken him from a childhood on the busy streets of Isahaya, Nagasaki in Japan to life with his six cats and two dogs living in the rural community of Martin in Northwest Tennessee. In this episode, he shares how he turned his early passion for art and illustration into a successful career
Ep. 75 Krista Roser, From Tennessee to New York City and Back Again
From the hustle of New York Fashion Week to overseeing the visionary process of music videos, editorials and merchandise design, Nashville stylist Krista Roser has an exciting career in the fashion industry. Originally, from Dyersburg, Tenn., Krista’s passion for design was sparked by a college trip with University of Tennessee at Martin to New Orleans
Ep. 74 Scott Graves, Special Ops Xcursions
Through his nonprofit, Special Ops Xcursions, founder Scott Graves is devoted to providing unique adventures to Special Operations Forces service members and their families at no cost. The list of adventures includes hunting, fishing, skeet shooting, archery range days, family retreats, safaris and even music-writing getaways with Nashville recording artists. In this episode, Scott shares