Freedom to Rise – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode of the Freedom to Rise Podcast, host Bronwyn Beightol welcomes Molly Grant, Executive Director of the Association of Early Learning Coalitions, and Madeleine Thakur, President and CEO of The Children’s Movement of Florida. Together, they explore Florida’s new 2024 tax credit designed to incentivize employer-supported childcare—whether through on-site facilities or partnerships with community-based providers. This policy aims to support working families, strengthen the state’s workforce, and improve outcomes for children. 

Join us as we delve into what this means for Florida’s future and how employers can play a critical role in early learning access and equity.

In this episode of Freedom to Rise, we dive into the data that shapes Tampa Bay’s future. Each year, the Tampa Bay Partnership and the University of South Florida’s Muma College of Business, with support from the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay and United Way Suncoast, release the Regional Competitiveness Report and Tampa Bay eInsights. These reports provide key insights into economic trends, affordability, education, and the talent pipeline across our region.

This year’s findings highlight successes and challenges, and joining Bronwyn to lead the conversation is Sarah Burgoyne, the new Senior Director of Research and Public Policy at the Tampa Bay Partnership. Sarah brings a fresh perspective to the data that drives change.

All politics is local, but much can be done on the Federal level to affect us here on the Suncoast. Congresswoman Laurel Lee joins the Freedom to Rise Podcast as a lifelong public servant who has experience as a federal prosecutor, a circuit judge, and Florida’s Secretary of State - and is already making an impact for Florida’s 15th Congressional District. 

Congresswoman Lee discusses her experience in Washington, what brought her into a politics, bi-partisan legislation and issues she is working, and advice for anyone who wants to make a difference in the community. 

All across the Suncoast region, early learning educators and parents find themselves dealing with a crisis within a crisis: children acting out the emotional trauma of their lives, disrupting learning and creating an issue that results in parents losing their jobs. It’s a trauma that often begins in the home, and the pandemic has only served to exacerbate the issue. United Way Suncoast has partnered with the Charles and Margery Barancik Foundation and Florida Center for Early Learning to take on this issue. Listen in as United Way Suncoast CEO Bronwyn Beightol and Florida Center CEO Kristie Skoglund explain the issue and how we're working to resolve it.

In this episode of the  Freedom to Rise Podcast, Bronwyn welcomes  St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch, a distinguished public servant with over 20 years of experience. Mayor Welch made history by becoming the first commissioner to represent County Commission District 7 in St. Petersburg, and he's the second African American commissioner in the history of Pinellas County. Mayor Welch assumed the role of mayor in 2022, bringing his vision for progress and development to the forefront. Tune in as we discuss his five pillars of progress and their alignment with United Way Suncoast's mission.

"Partnership matters, and we're stronger together." 

Metropolitan Ministries' latest effort can be summed up in two words: Come Together. MetMin's NeighborHope Project focuses on zip codes disproportionately suffering from childhood poverty. The Florida Chamber's Prosperity Project identified the zip codes and MetMin has identified ways to help, including collaborating with United Way Suncoast and other organizations. Listen up as the nonprofit's JaLem Robinson and Caleb Bates detail the collaborative work happening in Pinellas County.

Jeff Brandes makes his second appearance on the Freedom To Rise podcast, but his first after ending a 12-year run in Tallahassee. The former senator and state representative from St. Petersburg has launched the Florida Policy Project, a policy bank (don't call it a think tank) to continue tackling some of the state's most pressing issues. Listen up as he tells host Bronwyn Beightol about his actionable plans regarding property insurance, criminal justice reform and two subjects directly impacting United Way Suncoast's ALICE families: housing and transportation.

United Way Suncoast has selected Career Source Tampa Bay to conduct research into the factors that drive youth success in the region. To discuss more about their research Bronwyn welcomes Dr. Byron Clayton to the Freedom to Rise Podcast. Dr. Clayton talks about work force development in Tampa, identifying success factors, and the most surprising fact of the study. Stay tuned for more information on the study at unitedwaysuncoast.org

The number of Florida and Suncoast Region families living paycheck-to-paycheck continues to rise during the first two years of COVID-19, and the loss of pandemic relief programs, may create even more barriers. The 2023 ALICE Report from UWS reveals that over 40% of region households are affected. Bronwyn invites United Way Suncoast Vice Presidents of Community Impact Doug Griesengrauer and Andrea Doggett to the Freedom to Rise Podcast to discuss who, or what is ALICE, and why it’s important. 

People who run headfirst into challenges are intent upon making a difference. CEO of The Florida Housing Coalition Ashon Nesbitt joins the Freedom to Rise Podcast discussing why he thinks “everyone should have affordable housing of their choosing” and what The Live Local Act means to our area’s crisis. He describes his work in housing through his career, his first four months as CEO, and how the United Way cn assist local governments and business leaders to improve the housing situation.