Podcast
Driven By with Sam Coates
Hosted by Sam Coates · EN
Sharing experiences, insights, and the drivers behind why my guests have built what they have built and how this applies to what drives you.
10episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Higher Standards in Higher Ed's Hardest Era with Dr. Bill Hardgrave
2w ago01:02:38Tap to summarizeMost universities facing enrollment challenges have responded the same way: lower the bar and hope the numbers improve. Dr. Bill Hardgrave chose a different path.As President of the University of Memphis, Hardgrave made a controversial decision to significantly raise admissions standards, knowing it would come with short-term pain. In year one, freshman enrollment dropped 25%. Headlines followed, and critics questioned the move. But Hardgrave believed stronger outcomes mattered more than larger numbers.Now, the university is seeing quality rise, enrollment rebound and a bold vision begin to take shape.In this episode of Driven By, Sam sits down with Dr. Hardgrave to discuss the future of higher education, leadership in difficult moments and what it means to make decisions with the long game in mind. They also dive into Hardgrave’s own story from growing up in rural Arkansas as a first-generation high school graduate to leading one of Memphis’ most important institutions.In this episode you’ll learn:• Why higher education is approaching an “enrollment cliff” • The “bathtub effect” and making unpopular decisions • How the University of Memphis doubled annual fundraising in one year • Why athletics matter beyond the field or court • Leadership lessons from hard choices and long-term thinking • Why education remains one of the strongest drivers of opportunityThis conversation is about much more than higher education. It’s about leadership, vision and having the discipline to make hard decisions when the easy path is right in front of you.
Transcribe →Building Jobs Where Everyone Else Left with Andy Kizzee
Apr 901:04:26Tap to summarizeAndy Kizzee didn’t set out to build a workforce model in one of Memphis’ most challenged neighborhoods. However, after moving into Binghampton and getting to know his neighbors, he began asking a different question: not just why people weren’t working, but what kind of work actually changes a life. A structural engineer by training, Andy spent six years in India before returning to Memphis with a conviction that a good job can solve more than just income: it can create stability, dignity and opportunity.Today, he leads the BDC Business Hub, an 80,000-square-foot recycling and logistics operation designed as a real job from day one. With almost no barriers to entry, the program hires individuals coming out of long-term unemployment, recovery and incarceration and puts them to work immediately, processing everything from streetlights and mattresses to large-scale e-commerce returns. Since launching, the Hub has hired 175 people and continues to grow through partnerships with major commercial and municipal projects.At the center of it all is a simple but powerful idea: work matters. Drawing on the concept of “gleaning” — leaving space for others to work alongside you rather than handing out aid — Andy has built a model rooted in dignity, not dependency. It’s not perfect, and it’s not easy, but it’s real. And in a city like Memphis, it may be one of the most scalable ways to create lasting change.Episode Highlights“God made us to work.”175 people hired through the BDC Business HubRecycling creates 7x more jobs than landfilling“Nobody joins because it’s a program. They join because it’s a job.”Peak volume: 40 trucks processed in a single week
Transcribe →Burning the Ships in Memphis: The Fight to Keep a School in the City with Trent Williamson
Feb 1901:16:48Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Driven By Sam Coates, Trent Williamson, head of school at Harding Academy, shares the story of a decision that defied expectations. At a time when many Memphis institutions were moving outward, Harding chose to stay rooted in the city — a move that brought short-term pain but long-term transformation.Trent offers an honest look at what that choice required: navigating family departures, weathering uncertainty and maintaining conviction when results were far from guaranteed. He discusses how the school gradually regained momentum, invested in its campus and students and built a community that more closely reflects the diversity and character of Memphis.The conversation also takes a deeply personal turn as Trent speaks about leading while facing stage IV pancreatic cancer. With unusual candor and steadiness, he reflects on perspective, gratitude and the role of faith in enduring hardship, adding a powerful human dimension to an already compelling leadership story.🎧 Listen to the full episode for a candid discussion on conviction, resilience, and purpose.Episode HighlightsThe pivotal decision to abandon a suburban move and remain in MemphisThe difficult consequences and lessons from enrollment declineHarding’s growth into an authentically diverse, city-centered schoolLeading with faith and perspective amid a stage IV cancer diagnosis
Transcribe →"Buried $500K Drug Cash, Prison Plea with God, Bootstrapped Boarding School" with Melvin Cole
Jan 801:10:27Tap to summarizeSome stories don’t fit neatly into a redemption arc. Melvin Cole’s is one of them.On the latest episode of Drive By with Sam Coates, Cole, founder of PURE Academy in Memphis, shares a raw, unpolished account of growing up in extreme poverty, entering the drug trade at age 11, surviving gun violence and ultimately choosing a radically different path. Raised by a heroin-addicted grandmother in South Memphis, Cole lost his sister as a toddler due to a medical misdiagnosis, experienced childhood sexual abuse and became a father at just 14. Survival wasn’t a philosophy: it was daily reality.Football once offered a way out. Cole earned a college scholarship and had NFL aspirations, until a drug deal gone wrong left him shot in the head and back. What followed was prison, where witnessing a brutal assault became a spiritual breaking point. In a moment of desperation, Cole made a promise: if he survived, he would dedicate his life to saving young men headed down the same road.When he was released after serving time for cocaine trafficking, Cole dug up more than $500,000 he had buried during his time dealing drugs, money he once saw as a retirement plan. Instead of returning to the streets, he used it to build PURE Academy, a year-round boarding school for at-risk Black boys in Memphis that focuses on discipline, structure, emotional intelligence, agriculture, academics and faith.Today, PURE Academy serves 61 students on full scholarship, operates on a $3.7 million budget and boasts an 83% college matriculation rate. Cole is candid about the challenges that remain — the temptation of his former life, frustrations with nonprofit systems and the emotional toll of leadership. But his mission is clear: remove boys from environments that trap them in cycles of poverty and give them the tools to build something better.This episode isn’t polished inspiration. It’s an honest conversation about trauma, responsibility, faith and what it actually takes to change outcomes: not just for individuals, but for communities.Episode Highlights“I Started Selling Drugs at 11 — Not to Rebel, But to Survive”Cole explains how poverty and fatherhood at 14 pushed him into the drug trade as a calculated business decision, not teenage rebellion.The Moment Prison Changed EverythingWitnessing a violent assault behind bars led to a desperate prayer and a life-altering promise that would shape PURE Academy’s mission.Burying $500K — Then Digging It Up for a SchoolThe drug money Cole once viewed as his future became the seed funding for a boarding school instead of a return to crime.Inside PURE Academy’s Daily DisciplineFrom 6 a.m. workouts and meditation to academics and agriculture, Cole breaks down how structure, not charity, changes lives.“You Feed One of Two Wolves”Cole speaks openly about the ongoing internal battle between his past and present, including why success doesn’t erase temptation — but purpose keeps him grounded.
Transcribe →"Blue-Collar Kid, $20k in a Garage, Second Mortgage, Big Exits" with Gary Stavrum
Dec 401:27:53Tap to summarizeOur next Driven By episode features Gary Stavrum, a Memphis entrepreneur whose career reflects exceptional grit, discipline and vision. A Christian Brothers alumnus, Gary built three med-device contract manufacturing companies, two of which he has sold, beginning with a startup launched in a garage in Covington, Tennessee, funded with just $20,000.His first company grew to 128 employees and $18 million in revenue in under seven years, without raising outside capital. This success came despite extraordinary challenges, including the sudden incarceration of his only machinist shortly after Gary took out a second mortgage to fund the business.Gary and his team repeated this achievement twice more. He formally retired at 39 but has since remained deeply active, helping raise $38 million for Christian Brothers High School, chairing the Campbell Clinic Foundation, forging titanium orthopedic implants in New Hampshire and developing private duck hunting properties that host more than 100 guests each year.Episode Highlights:How a Covington, TN garage startup grew from $20k to $18 million in revenue in under seven years.The story behind building and selling three med-device contract manufacturing companies, all without outside capital.Why the 1990s–2000s Memphis med-device boom created a once-in-a-generation window for blue-collar entrepreneurs.Gary’s role in helping Christian Brothers High School raise $38 million, far surpassing the original $7 million goal.Gary’s unexpected “retirement” running titanium forging operations and developing private duck hunting properties hosting 100+ guests a year.
Transcribe →“Entrepreneurship and Mom’s Garage” with JW Gibson
Oct 201:39:45Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Driven By, I sit down with JW Gibson, a Memphian whose story runs from the Dixie Homes housing project to entrepreneur. After serving in the U.S. Navy, he built businesses from the ground up—including a medical supply company launched in his mother’s garage and a printing company that now produces Tennessee’s lottery tickets. This conversation is about how JW built from scratch, took risks, and kept moving forward.Episode HighlightsHousing Project: Growing up in a Memphis housing project, and how that experience shaped how he sees opportunity and challenge.Lessons from the Navy: What he learned about leadership, discipline, and staying steady under pressure.Entrepreneur at Work: From cash-flow struggles to building companies today.Politics and Government: His thoughts on education and workforce development.A City in Transition: His take on Beale Street, downtown’s future, and projects like the Rock & Soul Museum move.The Campaign: His thoughts on City Mayor election campaign and what he was planning before dropping out of County Mayor race.
Transcribe →“Beyond Football: Saving Lives on and off the Field” with Coach Mike Mosby
Sep 401:28:22Tap to summarizeIn this episode, I sit down with Coach Mike Mosby from Oakhaven High, an inner-city Memphis school, to talk about what it means to lead beyond football. When a wealthy East Memphis school stepped in to buy his team 30 new helmets, the gap was on full display. Mosby shares hard truths about the community he serves—where father figures are scarce, crime is concentrated, and football becomes a lifeline for hope and belonging.Episode Highlights:Breaking the Cycle: From growing up fatherless to becoming the father figure his players never had.Hard Truths on the Ground: 50% of African American boys in his zip code are raised in single-parent homes.More Than Football: Belonging, safety, and opportunity matter as much as the scoreboard.Disparity on Display: An East Memphis school raised money overnight for gear the system couldn’t provide.The Weight He Carries: Coaching while counseling kids in a violent zip code.Looking Ahead: What it will take to turn community generosity into lasting change.
Transcribe →“Why We’re Still Getting Homelessness Wrong — and How to Fix It” with Jarad Bingham
Jul 3101:19:51Tap to summarizeIn this episode, I sit down with Jared from The Hospitality Hub in Memphis to talk about redesigning how they serve people experiencing homelessness. He shares what it takes to build real solutions, from private studios to trauma-informed care, and why preserving dignity should be the starting point.Episode Highlights:Why People Really Become Homeless: Jared breaks down the data and busts myths.Redesigning the Model: A shelter built on hospitality, not compliance.Stories That Stay With You: Transformation, celebration, and the power of being seen.Fighting Broken Systems: How The Hub builds new models when the old ones fail.The Emotional Cost of the Work: Burnout, grief, and why his team keeps going.What’s Next—and What Needs to Change: The blueprint for scaling real impact.
Transcribe →“From $20 Million in the Red to a Vision for Memphis Healthcare” Dr. Reginald Coopwood
Jun 1901:09:27Tap to summarizeIn this episode, I sit down with Dr. Reginald Coopwood, CEO of Regional One Health, to talk about how he and his team led one of the most significant healthcare turnarounds in Memphis history. He shares what it took to step into a hospital losing $20 million a year and rebuild it—without ever losing faith in the people who showed up every day to serve. From personal tragedy to civic vision, Dr. Coopwood offers a powerful look at leading with purpose.Episode HighlightsA Hospital in Crisis: What Dr. Coopwood walked into in 2010—and the staff resilience that surprised him.Culture Over Cuts: Why he refused to slash his way to survival and focused on mission-aligned leadership.Turning the Tide: How Regional One reduced its uninsured rate and redefined what public health could be.The Personal Side: Losing his first wife, raising three sons, and how his faith guided every decision.A Vision for Memphis: Why the city needs a new hospital—and what’s at stake if we don’t act.
Transcribe →Field Norris on Turning a Problem into a Brand: The Birth of Chene Gear
May 29, 202501:31:15Tap to summarizeIn this episode, I sit down with Field Norris, co-founder of Chene Gear, to talk about how a frustration in the duck blind turned into a premium outdoor brand. He shares the story of what it takes to build something from the ground up, and how he and his team have scaled without losing sight of their values. From early challenges to staying customer-first, Field offers an honest look at building a brand with purpose.Episode HighlightsOrigin Story: How a leaky pair of waders on a duck hunting trip sparked Chene Gear.From Problem to Brand: Solving a need for their community before realizing they had something bigger.People First: Building relationships through handwritten notes, in-house repairs, and grassroots loyalty.Growing Without Losing Purpose: Hiring smart, learning from mistakes, and staying mission-focused.Field’s Mindset: “We had plenty of reasons to quit, but we just kept asking, ‘Why not?’”
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