Inside the $25M TANF Pilot: A Conversation on Poverty Alleviation That Matters
Essential Leadership to End Poverty
Release Date: 07/01/2025
Building Communities Through Shared Vision: A Conversation with Former Mayor Ricky Shelton
Essential Leadership to End Poverty
In this episode, we explore what it takes to build thriving communities that work for everyone. Former Cookeville, Tennessee Mayor Ricky Shelton shares insights from his eight years leading a city of 35,000 that sits at the heart of Tennessee's Upper Cumberland region. Key Topics: How regional collaboration beats competition in economic development The "rising tide lifts all boats" approach to attracting 5,500 new jobs Bridging political divides through shared community values The benefit cliff problem and innovative solutions being piloted in the Upper Cumberland Why workforce...
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From Silos to Solutions: What Seven Tennessee Pilots Discovered by Learning From Each Other
Essential Leadership to End Poverty
When Tennessee invested $175 million in seven regional pilots to transform how families move from public assistance to sustainable employment, it became the largest anti-poverty experiment of its kind. Now, two and a half years in, the results are surprising—and the lessons are invaluable. In this episode, host Scott Miller sits down with Kaki Reynolds, Senior Director of Economic Mobility at United Way of Greater Knoxville, and Megan Spurgeon, Director of Empower Upper Cumberland. Together, they're serving over 5,000 families across 24 counties, testing comprehensive wraparound services...
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From Benefits to Breakthrough: Rachael Corry’s Journey
Essential Leadership to End Poverty
In this inspiring episode, Becky Tsadilas, COO of the Poverty Solution, sits down with Rachael Corry—an Eligibility Counselor for the Tennessee Department of Human Services and a member of the Families First Community Advisory Board—to talk about her powerful personal journey from surviving poverty to serving those still in it. Rachael shares what it was like growing up on public assistance, becoming a young single mom in rural Tennessee, and navigating the system she now helps others through. With raw honesty and deep compassion, she talks about the “benefits cliff,” the stigma of...
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From the Front Lines to the Front Office: Commissioner Clarence Carter on Reimagining Leadership to End Poverty
Essential Leadership to End Poverty
In this episode of the Essential Leadership to End Poverty Podcast, our host Scott Miller sits down with Commissioner Clarence Carter—one of the boldest leaders in human services reform—to unpack a lifetime of leadership lessons, from high school walkouts to national policy change. Commissioner Carter shares his “baptism by fire” into leadership, the uncomfortable truths about poverty systems, and why real empowerment doesn’t come from programs—but from shifting power to the people themselves. If you've ever wondered how to truly lead change in complex systems—or how to stop...
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Redefining Rural Opportunity: Michael Aikens on the Power of Education and Innovation
Essential Leadership to End Poverty
In this episode of Essential Leadership to End Poverty, host Scott Miller sits down with Michael Aikens, Assistant Vice President for Economic Development at Tennessee Tech, to explore the driving force behind Empower Upper Cumberland. More than just a program, Empower UC is a comprehensive initiative that unites innovation, education, and grassroots leadership to spark long-term economic growth in rural Tennessee. Michael shares how strategic partnerships—across government, education, and community organizations—are transforming not only economies, but the mindsets and futures of those...
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The Literacy Blueprint: How Reading Can Break the Cycle of Poverty
Essential Leadership to End Poverty
In this thought-provoking episode of Essential Leadership to End Poverty, co-host Scott C. Miller sits down with Lisa C. Uhrik—a developmental psychologist, entrepreneur, and co-owner of Franklin Fixtures—to explore how literacy can serve as a powerful tool in the fight against generational poverty. Lisa shares how her business supports 80% of America’s independent bookstores and how her nonprofit shop in Cookeville, TN is reimagining what community, employment, and access to books can look like—especially for those most often left behind. Together, they dive into: The link between...
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Breaking Barriers, Building Futures: Ryan Barnhart on Leading Real Change
Essential Leadership to End Poverty
In this episode of Essential Leadership to End Poverty, host Scott Miller is joined by Ryan Barnhart, Director of the Highlands Training Center—one of Empower Upper Cumberland’s pioneering partner programs. Together, they unpack what it truly takes to disrupt cycles of generational poverty through leadership that’s grounded in trust, accountability, and action. Key topics include: – Building soft skills and personal trust as workforce essentials – Creating meaningful employer partnerships – Confronting the “benefits cliff” and why it holds families back – Designing systems...
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Building Prosperity: Inside Tennessee’s Bold TANF Pilot
Essential Leadership to End Poverty
In this high-impact episode of Essential Leadership to End Poverty, host and founder Scott C. Miller sits down with Megan Spurgeon, Director of Empower in Cookeville, TN—one of the key innovators behind Tennessee’s $25 million TANF Pilot. Together, they pull back the curtain on what’s truly working to end poverty in Tennessee. From deploying economic stability teams to launching family-centered prosperity plans, Megan shares the practical wins and tough lessons from the front lines of a poverty alleviation effort to reimagine how families exit poverty. You’ll learn how Empower is...
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Inside the $25M TANF Pilot: A Conversation on Poverty Alleviation That Matters
Essential Leadership to End Poverty
What if we stopped managing poverty—and started ending it? In this game-changing episode of Essential Leadership to End Poverty, Scott C. Miller—founder and national anti-poverty leader—sits down with Mark Farley, Executive Director of UCDD and Empower UC, to reveal what’s actually working inside Tennessee’s bold $25 million TANF Pilot. Together, they take you behind the scenes of a statewide effort tackling the toughest barriers to economic mobility—from dismantling the Benefits Cliff to reclaiming Tennessee’s “phantom workforce.” No fluff. No theory. Just real strategies...
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Welcome to Essential Leadership to End Poverty
Essential Leadership to End Poverty
Welcome to Essential Leadership to End Poverty—the podcast where bold voices challenge broken systems and chart a new course toward true economic mobility. In this powerful kickoff episode, co-hosts Scott C. Miller, founder of The Poverty Solution, and Becky Tsadilas, Chief Operating Officer, introduce listeners to the mission behind the mic: spotlighting the people, programs, and policy shifts that are actually working to disrupt poverty. Together, Scott and Becky explore what essential leadership really looks like in this space—why it matters, where it's missing, and how cross-sector...
info_outlineWhat if we stopped managing poverty—and started ending it?
In this game-changing episode of Essential Leadership to End Poverty, Scott C. Miller—founder and national anti-poverty leader—sits down with Mark Farley, Executive Director of UCDD and Empower UC, to reveal what’s actually working inside Tennessee’s bold $25 million TANF Pilot.
Together, they take you behind the scenes of a statewide effort tackling the toughest barriers to economic mobility—from dismantling the Benefits Cliff to reclaiming Tennessee’s “phantom workforce.” No fluff. No theory. Just real strategies driving generational change.
Whether you're a policymaker, civic leader, funder, or frontline advocate, this episode offers rare insight into how systems can shift—and what it takes to build the future we need.