Host Marvin Stockwell talks to former Pittsburgh Mayor Tom Murphy about his long life of championing causes - from his early days in the Peace Corps and as an activist, to his long career in politics, which most notably includes his time as mayor.

Many credit Tom with turning the former industrial city's economic fortunes around. After he left office, Tom spent years as a consultant with the Urban Land Institute. It was in this role that Tom led a ULI panel in Memphis to advise on the highest and best use of Memphis' Fairgrounds and Mid-South Coliseum. When the panel recommended reactivating the Coliseum, it was a major victory for Marvin and other Coliseum activists. In this conversation, Marvin and Tom reexamine the issues that have kept the Coliseum closed and speculate on what might eventually reactivate the historic building.

For more episodes of this podcast, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠championsofthelostcauses.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Host Marvin Stockwell talks with Michael Lawrence-Riddle, Executive Director at Self-Evident Education, at his office in Northampton, MA. The two discuss Michael's work with educators, students and communities to encourage people to think critically about the role of race and institutional racism throughout United States history. They also talk about their shared experience as musicians in addressing social justice issues.

For more information about Self-Evident Education, visit selfevidenteducation.com

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Host Marvin Stockwell talks with Muck Rack Senior Director of Communications Linda Zebian at her home in Wilbraham, MA. The two discuss championing the cause of the free press in a polarized age of disinformation, and how, by developing relationships with journalists and PR pros alike, Muck Rack plays a unique role in fostering a dialogue between these increasingly connected and interdependent professions.

For more information about Muck Rack, visit muckrack.com

For more episodes of this podcast, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠championsofthelostcauses.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Host Marvin Stockwell talks with Christine Lutts, board chair of Friends of Greenlawn Cemetery, at her home. Over the last twelve years, Christine and her organization have made steady progress in restoring Dickson Memorial Chapel & Conservatory and Greenlawn Cemetery as places of peace and beauty in Salem, MA.

For more information about Greenlawn Cemetery, visit friendsofgreenlawn.org

For more episodes of this podcast, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠championsofthelostcauses.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Host Marvin Stockwell talks to Alicia Lehrer, executive director of the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council at her office in Providence, RI. The two discuss the group's origins, how their work to clean up the river and surrounding land has progressed, and how it evolved into the collection of connected parks, bike paths, and greenspaces that improve the quality of life for thousands of residents.

For more information about the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council, visit wrwc.org

For more episodes of this podcast, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠championsofthelostcauses.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Host Marvin Stockwell talks to Friends of The High Line's Chief Program and Engagement Officer Asima Jansveld about The High Line's earliest days, facing down demolition threats, working through adversity and, finally, persevering! The two also talk about the new challenges that came from The High Line's success, and The High Line Network, a learning cohort of people engaged in best-practices infrastructure-reuse work.

For more information about The High Line, visit thehighline.org

For more episodes of this podcast, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠championsofthelostcauses.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Host Marvin Stockwell talks to Rochelle Joseph, board chair of Support The Pink House, a group working to preserve the historic landmark, which has drawn countless photographers to capture its unique beauty. The 10-year fight to save it has had many twists and turns and it's not over yet. The Pink House is once again under demolition threat.

For more information about The Pink House, visit supportthepinkhouse.com

For more episodes visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠championsofthelostcauses.org⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Host Marvin Stockwell talks with ioby CEO Nupur Chaudhury at the Sheraton Hotel lounge in Brooklyn. The two discuss how ioby has grown and changed over the years to help fund neighborhood-level change all over the country, which include Marvin's own causes - saving the Mid-South Coliseum and the summer road trips for the podcast. They also talk about ioby's improved site functionality, and what the future may hold for peer-to-peer learning among ioby project leaders.

For more information about ioby, visit ioby.org

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Host Marvin Stockwell talks to Kim Yim, president of the Pleasant Village Community Garden in East Harlem. What began as people seed-bombing vacant lots in the early 1970s to beautify their neighborhood grew into a community garden that serves as a place to build community, grow food, share meals and, through composting, reduce waste and improve the environment. The two talk about how the garden grew, the challenges they've faced, and how Kim and her community work to solve problems and continue to improve the space and welcome newcomers.

For more information about the Pleasant Village Community Garden, visit pleasantvillagecommunitygarden.com

For more episodes visit ⁠⁠championsofthelostcauses.org⁠⁠

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Host Marvin Stockwell talks to Feed More President and CEO Doug Pick about the organization's efforts to collect, prepare and distribute food to people facing hunger across 34 Central Virginia cities and counties. The two talk about Feed More's origins and explore why people champion causes and give of themselves to help others.

For more information about Feed More, visit feedmore.org

For more episodes visit ⁠championsofthelostcauses.org⁠

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Host Marvin Stockwell talks to two of his fellow co-founders of Baron Von Opperbean and the River of Time (BVO), Chief Visionary Officer Christopher Reyes and Chief of Games and Technology Kathryn Hicks, on location at the former site of the Mississippi River Museum at Mud Island Park in downtown Memphis. BVO is an immersive playground experience being built inside the long unused space. For Marvin, the adaptive-reuse project represents a new chapter in his life as a Champion, alongside his Coliseum work that is still ongoing. For Christopher Reyes, it's the opportunity to build a BVO fifteen times bigger than his 2020 proof-of-concept pop-up. For Kathryn Hicks, it's a chance to leverage her AR/VR and game-building experience to make the BVO experience all the more engaging.

Invest in Baron Von Opperbean and the River of Time at wefunder.com/bvo

For more episodes visit championsofthelostcauses.org

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Host Marvin Stockwell talks to City Leadership executive director John Carroll at his Crosstown Concourse office. The two explore how the nonprofit helps recruit, catalyze and develop leaders at every level to help Memphis grow and thrive.

Guest host/producer J.D. Reager interviews Champions of the Lost Causes founder Marvin Stockwell at the Memphis Listening Lab. They discuss last summer's podcast road trip, what's next for the show, the Mid-South Coliseum, and more.

Host Marvin Stockwell talks to Libby Crimmings, president of Atlas Community Studios, at her office in Des Moines, Iowa. The pandemic showed everyone just how portable some types of work can be, and that was an advantage to small to midsize cities looking to attract and retain creative professionals who can do their job from anywhere. Marvin and Libby talk about how adaptive reuse of old buildings is helping renovate downtowns and neighborhoods across the United States, and how Libby’s work is helping communities adapt to meet evolving quality-of-life expectations.

Host Marvin Stockwell talks to Joe Vital and Dean Dovolis of the East Phillips Neighborhood Institute at Dean's office in Minneapolis. With the help of many, Joe and Dean have championed the cause of the East Phillips Depot, a building that people in the surrounding neighborhood want repurposed as an urban farm and commercial center, but that the City of Minneapolis wants to demolish, despite the environmental dangers to people living nearby. Decades-old disinvestment, redlining, environmental racism, a hostile and indifferent mayoral administration, marches in the streets, lawsuits, occupations, and forced removal by police have all been part of this eight-year fight. Marvin, Joe and Dean talk about all that, but also about how the tide has recently turned in favor of the activists.

Host Marvin Stockwell talks to Keith Hammonds and Charlie Denison, owner and editor of the Boulder Monitor, at their office in Boulder, MT. Championing the cause of a free press has always come with its challenges, but journalism is in the midst of a paradigm shift away from printed newspapers to digital distribution, and toward new funding models, among which there is still no clear standard. Marvin talks to Keith and Charlie about the challenges of informing a public that has many other options for receiving information, and about the unique role journalism must continue to play alongside owned media and social media.

Host Marvin Stockwell talks to Mark Lakeman at his office in Portland. Mark is the founder of the City Repair movement, which has changed countless neighborhoods in Portland, OR and spread to other U.S. cities and other countries. People need civic gathering spots, but when American cities were designed, the plazas and piazzas were left out. Marvin and Mark talk about why social bonds between neighbors have suffered as a result, how that maps over to larger societal problems, and the steps Mark and others have taken to change that, one neighborhood at a time.

*We apologize for the poor audio quality of this interview.*

Host Marvin Stockwell talks to Alyse Nelson, a board member of Squeaky Wheels, a grassroots, bike-advocacy nonprofit in Bainbridge Island, Washington. Marvin and Alyse discuss Alyse's work to implement Bainbridge Island's comprehensive bicycle pedestrian infrastructure plan, and how her day job as city planner with the City of Seattle helps her understand the pressures and limitations of her Bainbridge Island municipal counterparts, as they work together to realize change.

Host Marvin Stockwell talks to book marketing coach Sue Campbell in Portland, Oregon. A published author herself, Sue helps authors overcome self-doubt and develop the mindset and habits to bring their books into the world. Sue and Marvin talk about the importance of books, how stories have power, and how Sue works to remove traditional barriers to writing to make the world more just and kind.

Host Marvin Stockwell talks to VooDoo Doughnut founder Ken Pogson in Portland, Oregon. Even a for-profit business is a cause to those hearty souls who take the risk, but Voodoo Doughnut has had a charitable thrust since its earliest days. Ken explains how the company's philanthropy started simply enough with giving away day-old doughnuts, and how it grew along with the business into larger checks that do more good. Ken and Marvin also explore Ken's Memphis roots. Back in the mid 1980s, Ken was Marvin's first real boss at the old Fare Four movie theater. Ken was shaped by Memphis’ 80s and 90s Antenna Club music scene and his friends in the Grifters. Throw in Memphis pro wrestling and Prince Mongo's various establishments, and all of a sudden the Voodoo Doughnut brand makes complete sense. It's uniquely Portland, but has Memphis’ hands all over it.