
Stories of Kentuckians tackling persistent challenges faced in the state (and the country/world!) in new and creative ways.

People
Dual-trained Physician–Scientist Neurosurgeon
Focuses on developing magnetic robotic technologies for curved trajectories in neurosurgery.
Owner and Co-founder of Houston-Johnson, Inc.
Basketball and Brotherhood: Breaking Barriers
Activist, Public Speaker, Poet, Author
The State of Song: “My Old Kentucky Home”
Faces a Changing World
Ocean Explorer
Diving Deep: Chris Fischer’s Journey to Save
Sharks and Bring Balance to Our Oceans
Senior Associate at Frost Brown Todd, LLP
Diving Deep: Chris Fischer’s Journey to Save
Sharks and Bring Balance to Our Oceans
Simon & Schuster Senior Vice President and Publisher
The War on Terror to The War on Truth
National Geographic Society Chief Education Officer
Public Education: Unbridled or Unraveling
Business Leader & Community Activist
From Main Street to Madison Avenue: How Kentucky Launched a Global Advertising Star
Flight System’s Engineer at Jet Propulsion Laboratory (Pasadena, CA)
Lead Flight Systems Engineer for the Europa Clipper Mission (2024)
Regular on NBC’s TODAY Show
Elizabeth Mayhew: From KentUCKY to KenLUCKY –
How Kentucky Roots Propelled Her Success
Senior Political Writer for ESPN fivthirtyeight.com
Inside Political Reporting in the Era of
Tribalism, Trump & Twitter
Executive Editor of LinkedIn
Junior Bridgeman Interview by Evan and Daniel Roth
for “Breaking the Mold” Live Podcast
Franchise Entrepreneur
Junior Bridgeman Interview by Evan and Daniel Roth
for “Breaking the Mold” Live Podcast
Journalist for the Louisville Courier-Journal
Booth Sisters
Science • Civil Rights • Girl Power
New York Times National Correspondent
From The Louisville Times to The New York Times:
Breaking World News
Investigative Reporter for The New York Times
From The Louisville Times to The New York Times:
Breaking World News
Chief Designer for General Motors
A Joy Ride Through Eight Decades of
American Automobile Design With Bill Porter
Artist & Curator
A Joy Ride Through Eight Decades of
American Automobile Design With Bill Porter
Video & Streaming
Legendary film animator Carol Wyatt, who grew up in Louisville, sits down for a conversation with Brooke Keesling, head of animation talent development at Bento Box. Wyatt talks about animation as a profound means of storytelling through color, allowing her to weave narratives through her work on programs such as Rick and Morty, The Simpsons, Rocko's Modern Life, Foster's Home for Imaginary...
Kentucky to the World is excited to welcome Chris Fischer, OCEARCH Founder and Expedition Leader, home to Louisville for an exclusive live program on Monday, May 16, 2022, at the Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts’ Bomhard Theatre.
Nothing shapes the possibilities we dream and the solutions we discover quite like stories. And, who better to help us tell the story of the future of Kentucky than individuals who are working toward building it? These stories will inspire people throughout Kentucky and beyond to think about a future here for themselves. Recorded at Waterfront Botanical Gardens in Louisville.
Louisvillian and Food Network personality Chef Damaris Phillips hosts a panel of up-and-coming women chefs including Chef Samantha Fore, Chef Kristin Smith, and Chef Nikkia Rhodes. They discuss the impact of women on the culinary arts in Kentucky. The program also highlights the LEE Initiative that pairs women chefs with mentors to help train and elevate them as culinary leaders.
Artist Tony Moore is known for his work on The Walking Dead and The Exterminators and Fear Agent comic books. He speaks with U of L's Dr. Joe Turner about growing up on a farm in Cynthiana, Kentucky; his mother's influence and becoming a comic book artist. Moore attended U of L's Hite Art Institute and has been nominated the Eisner Award. He is a Kentucky Colonel, one his most cherished honors.
Sound engineer and Kentucky native, Finis 'KY' White, managed to turn homelessness and hopelessness into a multi-platinum career mixing and engineering records for artists like Drake, Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, and more. Sean Cannon speaks with White to see how this entrepreneur rose to the top of the hip-hop world. Known as "the engineer from Kentucky," White is the owner of Bass Recording Studios.
Chuck Brymer went from Louisville's Main Street to Madison Ave as one of the world's leading brand experts whose work influences decision-making around the world. Brymer is chairman of DDB Worldwide Communications Group, one of the top advertising and marketing agencies in the world. He speaks with Maggie Payette Harlow about his work and how his Kentucky roots have been an advantage.
Global education strategist and Kentucky native Dr. Vicki Phillips speaks with former U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Matthew Barzun, about taking the power of public education and transforming it into a system that can move Americans to the highest levels of performance in the world, including utilizing Kentucky's citizens, businesses, and others to help support this important mission.
We talk with Louisville's own Olympic Gold Medalists in swimming Mary T. Meagher and Kelsi Worrell Dahlia. They discuss how Kentucky impacted their path to success and how to navigate life when it seems like your greatest accomplishment is behind you. WHAS 11's Whitney Harding moderates.
Nobel Prize Laureate Dr. Phillip A. Sharp is an Institute Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), co-founder of Biogen, Inc., and founder of Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. He discusses growing up on a farm in Kentucky and his pursuits in science, from his past accomplishments to his vision for the future of biotechnology with writer Jenni Laidman.
This program focuses on Louisville's own Global Game Changers (GGC), a nonprofit seeking to empower children to discover their inner superpower through educational programs and partnerships. Sam Corbett, president of the Jefferson County Public Education Foundation, moderates a discussion with GGC co-founders Jan Helson, her daughter Rachel Annette Helson, as well as Anne and Justin Walker.
National political reporter and Louisville native Perry Bacon Jr. shares an insider's view honed from more than a dozen years in Washington and on the campaign trail covering our nation's most important political developments. He shares his insights on the rise of hyper-partisanship, the growing connection between celebrity and political success, and how technology is reshaping media and politics.
Louisville natives and brothers Daniel Roth, executive editor of LinkedIn, and Evan Roth, founding partner of BBR Partners, host the financial podcast Breaking the Mold. They interview franchise entrepreneur and former University of Louisville and NBA star Junior Bridgeman about how he navigated his transition from the world of sports to the list of the highest-earning retired athletes in Forbes.
MIT Media Researcher Sam Ford, entrepreneur Rusty Justice, and corporate strategist Venkata “Vijay” Kamenini discuss the importance of lifelong learning and reskilling in today’s digital economy.
The transition from coal miner to tech worker might sound counterintuitive. And for many of Kentucky's legacy miners, it felt that way, too. Pikeville entrepreneur Rusty Justice, Innovation & Technology expert Venkata “Vijay” Kamineni, and MIT Media Researcher Sam Ford discuss how equipping the workforce with an internal narrative focused around a narrative tied to its inherent resilience as an attribute as opposed to the job title itself can set existing and future generations up for successful career trajectories.

Blog Stories
Coming to Louisville was never part of the plan for Dr. Ajmal Zemmar. But then again, neither was his biggest scientific breakthrough.
Allen Sarven ran away with the circus at age 18 and never looked back. At least, that’s how he sees it.
Born in northwestern Ohio, Al was captivated from a young age by the idea of becoming a professional wrestler. As a teenager, he maintained a monthly ritual of calling up every major wrestling promotion he could find and asking for a shot at training with them. Each month, they said no. And each month, he called them again.
Known largely as the country’s sole manufacturer of the Corvette and home of Western Kentucky University (WKU), Bowling Green is also one of the largest and fastest-growing cities in Kentucky. Founded in 1798, the city and its surrounding Warren County are projected to double in size to 233,000 by 2050.
To prepare, its leaders are collaborating and adopting new strategies for sustainable and inclusive growth. One initiative, a pilot program called the BG2050 Project (BG2050), uses civic imagination and artificial intelligence (AI) to develop a 25-year vision to guide this anticipated growth.
