The Talk Chamber

Done Beats Perfect with Kimberlee Denise

Entrepreneurship can be a lonely field to be in, but it doesn't have to be. And that's exactly what this week's guest, Kimberlee Denise, believes. Kimberlee is the founder and executive director of The Flourishing Agency. At the heart of what she does is creating a community through leadership and professional development. Kimberlee shares her journey from being a Whitehaven native to a classroom teacher to now, an entrepreneur.  Kimberlee also reflects on what being a Chamber member and Ambassador has meant to her business, from her ribbon cutting in White Haven that drew nearly 70 people to the intimate connections she's made at events like the Felicia Suzanne's reopening. And she traces the entrepreneurial thread running through her family — her grandmother's custom drapery company, her first job at a family member's dollar store at 15 — that made coming home to build her business the only option that ever made sense. She leaves us with a phrase she's carried through years of working with entrepreneurs: done beats perfect, but you can't perfect what you don't do.   🔗 LINKS MENTIONED The Flourishing Agency: https://www.theflourishingagency.com Greater Memphis Chamber: https://memphischamber.com [https://memphischamber.com]   🎙️ THIS MIC IS POWERED BY ORTHOSOUTH OrthoSouth provides world-class orthopedic care at 10 clinic locations across the Mid-South. Learn more at https://orthosouth.org [https://orthosouth.org]   📲 FOLLOW US @MemphisChamber on all social platforms   🔔 Subscribe to The Talk Chamber for the latest on the Chamber, economic development, and all things Memphis. If you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend or colleague!

The Reel Deal with Princeton James

A 3rd grade teacher told Princeton James to be realistic. He'd never be an actor; he should be an accountant. So he got the degree. Worked the job. And then one day, he quit. That decision set off a chain of events that would take him from having never seen a script growing up to the sets of Netflix's Uncorked, NBC's Bluff City Law, and eventually to the director's chair of his own feature films. In this episode of The Talk Chamber, Princeton James, producer, director, writer, actor, and founder of Princeton James Productions,  talks about what he's building in Memphis and why he believes this city is fertile ground for a real, sustainable film industry. He shares what it was like to take Hoop Street to the American Black Film Festival and watch the theater sell out and he gets into what it's actually going to take — investment, infrastructure, a talent pipeline — to make sure Memphis tells its own stories, on its own terms. 🎙️ THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY ORTHO SOUTH — orthoSouth.com   LINKS MENTIONED: 🔗 Princeton James Productions — princetonjamesproductions.com 🔗 Hoop Street on IMDb — imdb.com/title/tt36235232 🔗 American Black Film Festival — abff.com   🔔 Subscribe to The Talk Chamber for the latest on the Chamber, economic development, and all things Memphis.   📲 Follow us on social media @MemphisChamber

A Homegrown Cheerleader

If you've ever been to a Greater Memphis Chamber ribbon cutting, you've probably met Terri Bosby — and if you haven't, you'd remember her if you had. In this episode, Terri sits down with host Taylor Ann Carpenter to talk about her nearly 10-year journey at the Chamber, the ambassador program she's grown from 14 to 178 members (with a goal of 200 by year's end), and why she's one of Memphis's most devoted hometown cheerleaders. 🎙️ THIS EPISODE IS POWERED BY ORTHOSOUTH OrthoSouth provides world-class orthopedic care at clinic locations across the Mid-South. Learn more at https://orthosouth.org [https://orthosouth.org] 🔗 LINKS MENTIONED Interested in joining the Ambassador Program? Reach out to Terri directly: tbosby@memphischamber.com [tbosby@memphischamber.com] 📲 Follow us on social: @MemphisChamber 🔔 Subscribe to The Talk Chamber so you never miss an episode. If this one reminded you why Memphis is worth cheering for, share it with someone who needs to hear it.

The Benefit Memphis Employers Didn't Know They Could Afford with Raegan Le Douaron

What if your employees had access to a real doctor — same day, no waiting room shuffle, no surprise bill — for just $40 a month? That's exactly what ChamberCare makes possible for Greater Memphis Chamber members. In this episode, Taylor Ann sits down with Raegan Le Douaron, CEO and owner of WeCare tlc, the company behind ChamberCare's on-site primary care health centers. Raegan breaks down how ChamberCare works as an employer-sponsored benefit: $40 per employee per month covers unlimited primary care access for the employee and every member of their household. That means urgent care visits, preventative screenings, and more, all personalized and in one place. What sets this model apart is the intentionality behind it. Raegan calls it a return to the family doctor model. And in Memphis, it's already making an impact. ChamberCare is currently operating at the downtown Fogelman YMCA, with a second location coming to the Whitehaven YMCA this summer and a third on the way. It's a benefit built for businesses of all sizes — whether you already offer a health plan and want to reduce costs, or you're a small employer looking to offer your team something meaningful for the first time.   🎙️ THIS EPISODE IS POWERED BY ORTHOSOUTH OrthoSouth provides world-class orthopedic care at clinic locations across the Mid-South. Learn more at https://orthosouth.org   🔗 LINKS MENTIONED Learn more about ChamberCare [https://memphischamber.com/business-support/benefits-savings/health-centers/] We Care tlc [https://wecaretlc.com/] Greater Memphis Chamber [https://memphischamber.com/]   📲 Follow us on social: @MemphisChamber   🔔 Subscribe to The Talk Chamber so you never miss an episode. If this one resonated with you, share it with a colleague or business owner who could use it.

Leaders Producing Leaders with Cortney Richardson

What happens when a 10th grader walks into a meeting he wasn't invited to? In Cortney Richardson's case — a 20-year journey to the CEO seat of Peer Power Foundation. In this episode, host Taylor Ann Carpenter sits down with Cortney to talk about the model behind one of Memphis's most impactful education nonprofits, the workforce skills being built one success coach at a time, and what it truly takes to lead through uncertainty. Cortney Richardson is the CEO of Peer Power Foundation, a Memphis-based nonprofit that hires college students as "success coaches" and deploys them inside high school classrooms during the school day to provide tutoring and mentoring. Cortney has been part of Peer Power since its founding in 2004, when he joined as a 10th-grade student tutor at East High School — a meeting he wasn't even invited to. He is also a gospel singer, seminary-trained, and a lifelong Memphian committed to transforming public education and workforce readiness in his city. Under his leadership, Peer Power now employs 143 college success coaches across nine Memphis schools, operates a program in Louisville, Kentucky, and is expanding to LeMoyne-Owen College.   🎙️ THIS MIC IS POWERED BY ORTHO SOUTH OrthoSouth provides world-class orthopedic care at clinic locations across the Mid-South. Learn more at https://orthosouth.org [https://orthosouth.org] 🔗 LINKS MENTIONED Peer Power Foundation: https://www.peerpower.org [https://www.peerpower.org] University of Memphis: https://www.memphis.edu [https://www.memphis.edu] LeMoyne-Owen College: https://www.loc.edu [https://www.loc.edu] Greater Memphis Chamber: https://memphischamber.com [https://memphischamber.com] 📲 FOLLOW US @MemphisChamber on all social platforms 🔔 Subscribe to The Talk Chamber for the latest on the Chamber, economic development, and all things Memphis. If you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend or colleague!