Tennessee’s legislature isn’t just partisan—it’s often polarizing. Inside the House chambers, Democrats and Republicans disparage one another, at times—outside, they rarely engage.

Has the proverbial political aisle been stretched too far to reach across?

It wasn’t always this way. There was once camaraderie and compromise.

Few understand this culture shift better than Brian Bivens. The East Tennessee native has spent the last 25 years lobbying elected officials.

But Bivens bent ears long before he was in the business of bending ears. His father, Steve Bivens, served in the State House from 1978 to 1992. The Cleveland guidance counselor was the House Majority Whip at a time when Democrats ruled the roost.

In this episode of Climbing the Charts, Angie Lawless and Brandon Miller sit down with Bivens to examine Tennessee’s legislature—its present, past, and personalities.

David French is a dissenter. The attorney turned conservative political commentator abandoned the Republican party in 2016. His reason? Donald Trump.

The evangelical Christian was disgusted by the controversial candidate, his lack of character and authoritarian beliefs. Since then, his critiques of the MAGA movement have only grown — so too has his voice.

In 2019, French became the Senior Editor of the Dispatch, an online conservative news outlet. Four years later, he left. In 2023, French joined the New York Times as an op-ed columnist. Last August, he penned one of his most read works, “To Save Conservatism from Itself, I am Voting for Harris” for the outlet.

In this episode of Climbing the Charts, Angie Lawless and Brandon Miller sit down with self-proclaimed “independent conservative” to understand how personality politics, primaries and activists have landed American politics in extremism.

When Nashville identified its first case of coronavirus in March 2020, the city was between Public Health Department directors and as unprepared as the rest of the world for what was to come.

Dr. Alex Jahangir, a trauma surgeon acting at that time as chair of the Metro Nashville Board of Health, unexpectedly found himself head of the city's COVID-19 Task Force and responsible for leading it through uncharted waters.

Now, he’s reimagining a new Nashville. Jahangir is the co-chair of Imagine
Nashville, a citywide study that explores the needs of Nashville’s residents and imagines goals to address them.

Tennessee is an economic engine. Stuart McWhorter is one of the conductors.

During his tenure as the Tennessee Economic Development Commissioner, McWhorter has overseen nearly 160 projects, which represent more than 21,700 job commitments and $10.9 billion in capital investment.

In this episode of Climbing the Charts, Angie Lawless and Brandon Miller sit down with the TNECD commissioner to understand how the state invests in and attracts business.

Nashville has been in the top 10 hottest housing markets in the United States. The city has drawn attention from individuals and investors from coast to coast.

However, over the last two years sales have slowed some due to high interest rates and uncertainty surrounding the economy.

In this episode of Climbing the Charts, we sit down with Greater Nashville REALTORS Vice President of Member Engagement, Jack Gaughan, and former President turned Realtracs Board Member, Steve Jolly, to explore the past, present and future of Nashville real estate.

Glenn Funk balances safety and social justice in his role as Nashville District Attorney.

The Nashville District Attorney was sworn in nearly a decade ago. Nashville’s daily prison population is about half of what it was before he took office.

The second term elected official says reducing incarceration increases rehabilitation and saves metro money — $45 million a year by his estimate.

Funk discusses some positive legislative changes from the 2024 session, including Jillian's Law, homelessness and much more in this episode of Climbing the Charts.

The Nashville Chamber of Commerce is the front door to the region’s business ecosystem. Ralph Schulz is the guide.

The CEO has overseen the organization since 2006, steering it through the city’s explosive growth. During his 18-year tenure, the median salary in Nashville has increased by more than 50-percent, city’s skyline has reached new heights and major corporations like Amazon and Oracle have set up shop here.

In this episode of Climbing the Charts, Schulz shares how business and politics have shaped Music City’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Four years ago, Burke Nihill ran across a job listing on LinkedIn: General Counsel for the Tennessee Titans. He applied, but he didn’t think he would be drafted.

His sports “experience” included dreaming of “wanting to be the third baseman for the Chicago Cubs” and declining an offer to play basketball at a Division 3 College.

Nonetheless, Nihill won owners over. 4 promotions and 8 seasons later, the former OfficeMax attorney turned Titan’s CEO is quarterbacking the organization through its most watched season — the construction of a new Nissan stadium.

Slated to open in 2027, the 60,000 seat, enclosed arena is estimated to cost nearly $2.1 billion.

In this episode of Climbing the Charts, the CEO delves into the design of the stadium and how its experiences will bring more than a Super Bowl to this city.