This episode has everything - a heart-wrenching story, the science behind cannabis, and how a family is keeping the memory of their loved alive while helping others.

Patrick Nelson is the Operating Manager of Hemphill Pharms - an organic, hand-harvested hemp farm. The farm began as a family labor of love after Patrick's sister, Kelly, passed away from cancer. During the final stages of her life, Kelly switched from traditional pharmaceutical drugs to a lot more CBD-infused healing products and the results were so much better. Seeing what CBD was able to do for Kelly, Patrick and his family studied more about the product and eventually began planting and harvesting. Four years later, it's a full-fledged business built on honoring Kelly's memory and helping others live a healthier life.

A.J. Massey is the mayor of Madison County, but I knew him long before he held that title. Over the course of an hour and a half, AJ and I talked about growing up in Jackson, attending JCM and Union, local politics, and the surprising turn the mayoral primary took last year. While AJ and I do disagree on most socio-political issues, our conversation on this episode was light and focused on AJ's story as a person, not a politician. Sometimes, conversations that allow commonalities to be shared can be the best way to combat the tribalism that seems to be prevalent in our political society today.

I've known Sabrina Parker for several years. I knew her son before I knew her, though. Sabrina's son, Tyler, was in my Language Arts class at Northeast Middle School during the 2017-2018 school year. Tyler was a quiet student with a distinct sense of humor. He was one of the calmest students I have ever taught in class. On May 20, 2022, I received a text from someone telling me that Sabrina's son had been killed. Over the next few days, I learned that Tyler was shot and killed while driving on North Highland. A year and a half later, there are still no answers or suspects.

Sabrina's story is one of immense pain, a story that every parent wants to avoid. Her story doesn't end there, though.

Sabrina moved to Jackson in 2016 to start a non-profit that helped elderly people navigate the Medicaid for Oral Healthcare system. It's a system that is complex and confusing for people who don't have a guide. Sabrina finds herself in a similar situation now - navigating the gray waters of grief while also feeling her way through the maze of the investigative system of law enforcement as she searches for answers about her son's death.

This episode doesn't fall under the umbrella of True Crime or Unsolved Mysteries; this is the real story of a person living in Jackson, Tennessee. It's a story of pain, incalculable grief, and the beginnings of hope. This is Sabrina's story and Tyler's story.

Devante' Chaney is a fighter - literally. Devante' is an amateur MMA fighter in pursuit of professional status, but that's not his only goal. Devante' is a trainer and coach, too, helping people achieve their personal fitness goals as well helping kids gain confidence and skill in combat sports. In the Season 1 finale of TSWT, Devante and I discuss growing up in Jackson, why his grandmother put him in a self-defense class when he was eight years old, and how being a good fighter involves focus and control.

Chris Felder opened Grubb's Grocery eight years ago in Jackson. Before moving to Jackson in 2015, Chris lived in Nashville for 30 years. The move to Jackson was reminiscent of Chris's childhood hometown in rural Mississippi. Throughout this conversation, we touch on a variety of topics including the duality of beauty and ugliness in the culture of the south, 90s country music, the importance of a supporting family, and why Grubb's Grocery is a unique business in Jackson.

On this episode, we sit down with Oliver Rieger and discuss our mutual love for reading, Oliver's past careers, and the personal journey to authenticity. Oliver's story, like most people's, is filled with times that were challenging, struggles to be seen, and a continuing perseverance to live an authentic life even when society doesn't seem so welcoming.

On this episode of TSWT, Trunetta Atwater sits down and discusses her work as a photographer and creator in Jackson. I've admired Trunetta and her work for a long time simply by following her on Facebook, but being able to sit down and hear her story face to face helped me gain an even greater appreciation for the work she's doing for women and for the African-American community in Jackson. The episode is divided into three parts: Trunetta's photography business, the importance of her relationship with her late father, and the work the S.O.U.L. Collective is doing in the community and specifically on South Royal.

Lee Wilson is the founder and owner of Jackson Escape Rooms. JER is a business that's left its mark on Downtown Jackson, and it's a place that has meant a lot to me on a personal level over the span of its existence. JER is locking its doors for good at the end of May, and Lee was kind of enough to sit down and tell us his story and the story of Jackson Escape Rooms.

I've known Hunter Cross for nearly twenty years; he's been creating the whole time.

Most likely, you know Hunter as the photogenic musician and talented guitar player who plays and sings all over Jackson; he also bears a striking resemblance to a certain early 90's grunge rock god.

On this episode, Hunter and I discuss his creative evolution - from a burgeoning eleven year old independent filmmaker to an arts cultivator in Jackson. Not only does Hunter care about his art, but he also has a heart for members of his community. We discuss Krewfest and the need he felt to do something to help the homeless population in Jackson.

Our final episode of Conversations with the Candidates is none other than Mayor Scott Conger. It wouldn't be a stretch to say that Mayor Conger has had to deal with a lifetime of challenges in his first term as the mayor of Jackson. Only eight months after he took office, the Covid-19 pandemic hit Jackson. After navigating everything that went along with managing a pandemic, Mayor Conger was still faced with trying to balance a budget that had been passed with a defecit prior to him taking office. He and his team were able to balance it and come out with a surplus on the other side. Along with being fiscally conservative, Mayor Conger has also focused on progressive approaches to invest in parts of the city such as the Love Your Block Program and the public/private partnership the city entered into in order to help build Madison Academic and Jackson Central-Merry Middle and High School. Throughout our conversation, we discuss our shared history of growing up in Jackson, what it meant to have his grandfather as mayor, and how he plans to maximize the potential for growth in Jackson by being smart about how that growth happens.