Reelfoot Forward

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 uplifting advice on facing your biggest challenges and overcoming obstacles. She now owns and operates Veterinary Home Healthcare, a mobile clinic that strives to create a fear-free atmosphere for our four-legged friends.

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 the tour manager for Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Joan Jett and gives the top three "pinch me" moments of his career in the music industry.

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 years.

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 the Hatchie River making him one of the earliest members of the NAACP murdered for his civil rights work. While his death was ruled a homicide, no one was ever prosecuted. After learning about the case, Jim Emison began what has become an all-encompassing crusade to ensure Williams' sacrifice is remembered and any responsible parties still living are brought to justice.

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 experiences that include working as a field producer for the Oprah Winfrey Network and producing an Emmy Award-winning documentary narrated by Alfre Woodard.

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 the change they want to see in the world.” After joining Rotary several years ago, she remarked to friends, “I’ve found my people.” In this episode, April shares how she discovered her passion for service to others and the role community service organizations, like Rotary, play in both urban and rural communities.

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, listeners go behind the scenes and learn how he took this new product from idea to manufacturing to hunters around the nation. Others with a similar passion for hunting will appreciate hearing more about what his company is doing in the industry including his work with Duck Dynasty’s Phil Robertson and Uncle Si. Non-hunters will love hearing Dr. Dickinson’s excitement for life and will be inspired to find their own passions.

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 as a storyboard artist, cartoonist and animator. After graduating from the University of Tennessee at Martin, he worked with animation historian Jerry Beck as a researcher on Pink Panther: The Ultimate Guide and has had his work in the popular SpongeBob SquarePants comic books and Mad Magazine.  Today, his popular Ask a Cat and The Fuzzy Princess strips are popular among comic fans of all ages.

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 where she visited Saks Fifth Avenue for the first time. In this episode, she talks about styling runways, red carpets and helping establish the brands of new artists in country music.

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 the story of how he and a small group of friends came up with this idea in 2012 at their West Tennessee hunting club. After the first group of soldiers arrived in September 2013 for a dove hunt, the overwhelming success of that excursion quickly rippled into numerous events providing all types of outdoor activities.