In the 2nd part of this joint episode, Ryan and Shawn talk with Tom Foley, Founder of T2D Concepts. After actively practicing law for 15+ years, Tom directed his efforts to designing innovative, social entrepreneurially models to drive social justice. In 2016, Tom partnered with celebrity chef Tiffany Derry to launch Roots Chicken Shak. The Shak, along with the Shef Tiffany spice line and the Roots Southern Table, combines culinary skills with social impact, empowering women and girls to...

This week is a double episode, with the first from Chef Tiffany Derry. Chef Derry's restaurant Roots Southern Table pays homage to the way she grew up eating in the South. Roots founders, Chef Tiffany and Tom Foley (featured in Part 2) know that we are stronger together and that we must honor our roots. At Roots Southern Table, Tom and Tiffany want to evoke the feeling that you’re coming home to those you love. In this first episode Chef Derry talks more about her cooking style and...

This week Shawn and Ryan speak with Cody Cosmic, Executive Director of Friends of WRR. Cody chats about the iconic, 100 year old cultural asset: a radio station that belongs to the City of Dallas. Cody expands on how the Friends of WRR work to ensure the station is available for generations to come. The Friends of WRR is a passionate and thriving community of classical music lovers. For over 40 years, Friends of WRR has collaborated with WRR 101.1 and the Dallas Office of Arts and Culture...

Councilman Adam Bazaldua, Chair of Dallas' Quality of Life, Arts and Culture Committee is the guest on this episode. Chairman Bazaldua talks to Ryan and Shawn about his days as a chef and educator, as well as reflections on his first council term. Chairman Bazaldua also looks forward to some of his 2022 priorities.

The Deconstructing Dallas crew speaks with Nadine Lee this episode, President & Chief Executive Officer of Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART). Before coming to DART, Nadine was the Chief of Staff for Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro). She also led the development and implementation of the Flatiron Flyer Bus Rapid Transit for Denver’s Regional Transportation District (RTD). Nadine talks to Ryan and Shawn about . Ryan and Shawn also talk turkey and discuss how...

This week, Deconstructing Dallas hosts Shawn Williams and Ryan Trimble were joined by YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas President/CEO Curt Hazelbaker. Curt, who has been the CEO since 2017, actually began his YMCA career 40 years ago as a day camp counselor. Moving up through the ranks of the organization Curt has a keen understanding of the inner workings of the YMCA and why their services are more important now than ever due to the pandemic. From camp counselor to CEO, Curt discusses the...

Chief Eddie Garcia stopped by to talk to Allyn Media’s Shawn Williams & Ryan Trimble about what led him to Dallas and what he plans to do now that he’s here. Chief Garcia is Dallas’ first Latino Chief of Police in the department's 140 year history. A Puerto Rican immigrant, Chief Garcia has spent 30 years in law enforcement. From SWAT to VICE and a bit of everything in between, Chief Garcia brings a wealth of experience and explains not only how Dallasites have received him but also...

Dr. Eric A. Johnson, Chief of Economic Development, Housing and Neighborhood Services for the City of Dallas, joins Shawn and Ryan on Deconstructing Dallas. Tune in to hear about Johnson's transition to Dallas (moving here just one week before the COVID-19 shutdown) and why he considers himself a creative disrupter with a competitive spirit. Johnson discusses how Dallas differentiates itself from its neighbors (the good, the bad and what makes us unique) and what the recent census report is...

Shawn Williams and Ryan Trimble welcome Christine Perez, Editor of D CEO, on Deconstructing Dallas by way of the MZ Virtual Studios in Cyberspace. From the days of hobby writing as a young girl to winning the 2021 Editorial Excellence Awards, Perez shares her journey in learning from the best in the business in our "can-do" city of Dallas. Founded by the late Wick Allison, Perez talks about what sets D CEO apart from other business magazines, about her experience capturing stories about...

Tune in to hear Shawn and Ryan break things down with Jason Stanford, co-author of New York Times bestselling book, Forget the Alamo. Stanford discusses how he and co-authors Bryan Burrough and Chris Tomlinson came to write this historical piece and the most recent events that led to its flying off library shelves. If you’re still waiting for your copy, Forget the Alamo challenges misconceptions of Texas’s past and the fight for independence aka what all kids in Texas learn in 7th grade...

Philip Hiatt Haigh, Executive Director of the Circuit Trail Conservancy (CTC) joins Shawn and Ryan as their first in studio guest since March 2020. Philip explains why Dallas consistently ranks among the least bikeable cities, systemic challenges with transportation, and how active transportation (anything but your car) makes a city more robust. In partnership with the City of Dallas, CTC is soon beginning construction of The Loop, a project connecting already-existent trails in our city to...

Former Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives Joe Straus talks about his family's political history in Texas and his own entry into politics. He also discusses the decision he and his wife made to join a Black Lives Matters march in the Terrell Hills community of San Antonio. Speaker Straus also talks about his organization Texas Forever Forward and their work to produce better policy outcomes. Ryan and Shawn also revel in recording their first episode together (in person) since...

Jerry Hawkins, Executive Director of Dallas Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (DTRHT) join Ryan and Shawn on this episode. DTRHT is part of a national 14-place initiative by The W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Jerry explains the reckoning that's needed in order address the lingering effects of racism, and discusses some of the historical events that still have an impact on Dallas today. Jerry also tells listeners why a trip to Half Price Books could be a first step towards healing....

Dale Long grew up in racially turbulent and thoroughly segregated Birmingham, Alabama. He was in the 16th Street Baptist Church the day it was bombed by Ku Klux Klan members, killing Addie Mae Collins, Carole Robertson, Cynthia Wesley and Denise McNair. Dale recalls his memories from the moment the bomb went off and the events that followed, along with other notable memories from his childhood. Long discusses the legacy of racism and how it persists today, the epiphany he had while looking...

Lynn McBee takes the cake as the first ever returning guest on Deconstructing Dallas. From the MZ Studios Virtual Studios in Cyberspace, Shawn and Ryan speak with Lynn McBee - CEO, Board Chair, biochemist, runner, former Dallas Mayoral candidate, philanthropic extraordinaire, among many other worn hats. McBee talks about her role as CEO at Young Women's Preparatory Network and what it means to have a school recognized as the #2 school in the state (15th in the nation). She dives into her...

From Christian ministry to recent Editorial Writer at The Dallas Morning News, Ryan Sanders shares his journey and life calling to being a writer. Sanders discusses DMN candidate questionnaires and endorsements, working with the editorial board, and the shifts in content creation during a distant and digital year. Sanders is also author of two books, Unbelievable and Now & Then. And a question for our Dallas listeners: have you voted yet? Be like Shawn, cast a vote and a fishing line!...

Trammell S. Crow joins Shawn and Ryan to talk all things EarthX and the environment on Deconstructing Dallas. Trammell tells how he accidentally planned the largest environmental gathering in the world (because everything's bigger in Texas) and how their one-day event grew into a larger global movement. From the unintended impact of COVID extending their reach to addressing significant environmental news on EarthX TV, Trammell talks about his commitment, and personal EarthX style, to tackling...

Shawn Williams and Ryan Trimble welcome Ollie Chandhok, Market President and Publisher of Dallas Business Journal (DBJ), into the virtual MZ Studios in cyberspace. Ollie dives into data, his views on how the pandemic has changed the way people view news, and that 'Dallas swagger' he's come to love during his time here. As one of the largest business newsrooms in the state of Texas, Ollie discusses his work around diversity, equity and inclusion and what that means for the DBJ. Tune in for...

From the virtual MZ Studios in cyberspace, Shawn Williams and Ryan Trimble visit with Luis Briones, Texas Public Policy and Government Affairs Director at Airbnb. A South Texas native, Briones is now seeing Dallas through the lens of hosts and visitors throughout the city. He speaks on the reality of ‘party homes’ in short term rentals, hotel occupancy tax, and how Airbnb is helping some hosts buy or stay in their homes. After almost a year into the global pandemic, the nature of travel is...

From the virtual MZ Studios in cyberspace, Shawn Williams and Ryan Trimble give thanks this holiday season and wish listeners a safe, healthy and happy Thanksgiving. And what's Thanksgiving without some football banter? Tune in for the updates. Thankful for teachers and educators shaping young minds in Dallas, Shawn and Ryan talk about all things education with recently appointed Executive Director of City Year, Heather Holland. A Dallas native and graduate of DISD, Holland discusses how she...

Shawn Williams and Ryan Trimble sit down (in the virtual MZ Studios in cyberspace, that is) with Stephanie Keller Hudiburg, Executive Director of the Deep Ellum Foundation. Tune in to hear Stephanie’s take on all things Deep Ellum - from the district’s rich historical roots in blues and jazz, to the economic powerhouse it has become today with over 400 businesses, to it’s recent recognition of a cultural district. Stephanie discusses how she envisions the district preserving its culture while...

Executive, lobbyist, public speaker, author, and movement maker Terri Broussard Williams joins Ryan Trimble and Shawn Williams on Deconstructing Dallas. If you need an extra jolt of do-good, feel-good influence in 2020, look no further than tuning in with Terri Broussard Williams as she discusses her work of inspiring others to create change and turn moments into movements, shares the values she's inherited from her parents and grandparents, and gives her two cents behind the real reason of...

Executive, lobbyist, public speaker, author, and movement maker Terri Broussard Williams joins Ryan Trimble and Shawn Williams on Deconstructing Dallas. If you need an extra jolt of do-good, feel-good influence in 2020, look no further than tuning in with Terri Broussard Williams as she discusses her work of inspiring others to create change and turn moments into movements, shares the values she's inherited from her parents and grandparents, and gives her two cents behind the real reason of...

On today’s episode of Deconstructing Dallas, President and CEO of Communities In Schools Dallas Region (CISDR) Adam Powell talks about the uptick in depression, mental health and suicidal ideations amongst our youth and the work CISDR is doing to bridge this gap. While mental health does not discriminate, Powell says the response often does. That’s why he’s committed to the work they do inside the classroom and in the community - because no student should struggle academically because of...

On today’s episode of Deconstructing Dallas, President and CEO of Communities In Schools Dallas Region (CISDR) Adam Powell talks about the uptick in depression, mental health and suicidal ideations amongst our youth and the work CISDR is doing to bridge this gap. While mental health does not discriminate, Powell says the response often does. That’s why he’s committed to the work they do inside the classroom and in the community - because no student should struggle academically because of...