Voices of OKC

Voices of OKC is a podcast hosted by Jed Chappell featuring honest conversations with the leaders, creators, and change makers shaping Oklahoma City. Rooted in the mission of City Center, the show explores leadership, community, restoration, and the stories that give a city its soul.

Voices of OKC is a society podcast hosted by Jed Chappell, with 37 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Jed Chappell hosts Voices of OKC, a society show with 37 episodes published.

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  Episode #38

  Les Thomas | The Cost of Becoming the Hype Man of Hope

  Aug 19, 20261h 10mS3

  Les Thomas Sr., Urban Bridge's Executive Director of Community Engagement and Oklahoma State's Hype Man of Hope, shares what it took to move from anger without a blueprint to a life of mentorship and service. The conversation explores fatherhood, emotional growth, afterschool access, and why Oklahoma City must see potential before problems in its young people. What this conversation explores: - The personal cost behind a public life of joy - Growing up without an active father or a clear blueprint - How fatherhood, military service, and mentorship shaped Les - Urban Bridge's work with young people in Northeast Oklahoma City - Why afterschool opportunity and restorative justice matter - How Oklahoma can invest in its future leaders Chapter markers: 00:00 Meet Les Thomas Sr. 03:21 The cost behind the Hype Man of Hope 07:44 Where Les's anger began 13:38 Choosing fatherhood and the military 17:11 Military life, pressure, and leadership 24:32 Why Les keeps showing up 29:19 Urban Bridge and youth opportunity 36:40 Advocating for afterschool programs 39:32 Becoming Oklahoma State's hype man 54:45 Where Hope Culture began 1:02:43 What Les hopes for Oklahoma City's youth 1:08:11 Closing: We can win together Guest bio: Les Thomas Sr. is the Executive Director of Community Engagement at Urban Bridge and a 2026 Afterschool Ambassador. A native Oklahoman and retired Oklahoma Air National Guard veteran, he is also known as Oklahoma State University's Hype Man of Hope and works across mentoring, youth leadership, speaking, and community engagement. Links and resources: - Les Thomas Sr.: https://www.lesthomassr.com/ - Les on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/les-thomas-sr-hype-man-of-hope-400a70a6 - Urban Bridge: https://www.urbanbridge.org/ - Hope Culture Leadership: https://www.urbanbridge.org/hope-culture - Afterschool Alliance — Oklahoma: https://afterschoolalliance.org/policyStateFacts.cfm?state=OK - Oklahoma State Athletics: https://okstate.com/news/2017/8/27/general-les-thomas-joins-oklahoma-state-gameday-experience - Hope Culture clothing line: No current store or URL was stated. - Heroes In Waiting: https://heroesinwaiting.org/assemblies/ - “Will and Cubis” podcast: `[Name/spelling and link needed]` Content note: Includes non-graphic discussion of neighborhood violence, juvenile court involvement, incarceration, depression, anxiety, and absent fathers. Follow VOICES of OKC wherever you listen, and find every episode at https://www.voicesofokc.com/watch-listen/.

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  Episode #37

  What Survives the Fire | Sabrina Smith on Loss, Hope, and Building 1155

  Aug 12, 202635 minS3

  An apartment fire can take a home in minutes. Recovery takes much longer. Sabrina Smith joins Jed Chappell to talk about losing her home, business equipment, and irreplaceable family memories in a devastating apartment fire. With her daughters depending on her, Sabrina moved into crisis mode before she had time to process what had happened. She shares the practical and psychological realities that can follow a disaster, including the gap between immediate emergency assistance and the long work of rebuilding a stable life. That experience became part of the vision for 1155, an effort Sabrina is developing to provide temporary housing and basic necessities for people displaced by fire. The conversation also moves through Sabrina's Georgia upbringing, her creative work with Crystal Pink Events, the relationship between style and dignity, her connection to Oklahoma, and the hope she found in the middle of loss. Content note: This episode includes non-graphic discussion of an apartment fire, displacement, loss, and the emotional aftermath of disaster. WHAT YOU'LL HEAR - The night the apartment fire changed Sabrina's family life - Why parents may enter crisis mode before they can grieve - What temporary shelters and short-term assistance can miss - The need for stability, privacy, and practical support after a disaster - Sabrina's vision for 1155 - The grief of losing photographs and family history - How interior design led Sabrina into event planning - The story and creative philosophy behind Crystal Pink Events - Why Sabrina is drawn to Oklahoma City - How family, faith, and purpose helped restore hope CHAPTERS 00:00 Opening 00:23 Meet Sabrina Smith 01:42 Growing up in Georgia 03:55 Family, sports, and early influences 05:40 The fire that changed everything 07:57 Crisis mode and starting over 11:34 Serving other families while displaced 12:11 Building the vision for 1155 15:02 What emergency response can miss 15:48 The psychological side of recovery 18:40 The memories that cannot be replaced 21:57 Crystal Pink Events and Sabrina's creative work 25:45 Style, confidence, and dignity 27:10 Why Sabrina loves Oklahoma 29:20 A new chapter in Oklahoma City 30:26 Supporting others after tragedy 31:58 Finding hope after loss 33:42 Closing thoughts ABOUT SABRINA Sabrina Smith is an event planner and designer with a background in interior design. She is the creative force behind Crystal Pink Events and is developing 1155, a vision for temporary housing and practical support for people displaced by fire. CONNECT WITH SABRINA Crystal Pink Events: https://crystalpinkevents.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Crystalpevents/ Email: sabrina@crystalpinkevents.com FOLLOW VOICES OF OKC Website: https://www.voicesofokc.com/ YouTube: https://youtube.com/@voicesofokc Podbean: https://voicesofokc.podbean.com/ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3nUpFLOsHGVtrN8tZz6nlM Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/voices-of-okc/id1847725322 Instagram: https://instagram.com/voicesofokc VOICES of OKC is a student-produced podcast from City Center highlighting the leaders, stories, and ideas shaping Oklahoma City. City Center serves youth and families across Oklahoma City through practical support, mentorship, and relationships rooted in dignity. Through VOICES of OKC, students help tell the stories of the people shaping our city while building skills, confidence, and a deeper connection to their community. Learn more about City Center: https://okcitycenter.org/ Support City Center: https://okcitycenter.org/donate/ Follow the show wherever you listen, and share this episode with someone who cares about disaster recovery, family resilience, faith, entrepreneurship, or helping people rebuild after loss.

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  Episode #36

  Caitlin Ferguson - Your Pain Does Not Get the Final Word

  Aug 5, 202625 min

  Caitlin Ferguson spent years trying to understand where she belonged. Growing up biracial, navigating different faith traditions, and later surviving sexual assault, addiction, and mental-health crisis, Caitlin often felt unseen and uncertain about her identity. In this honest conversation, Caitlin shares how faith, healthy relationships, and serving others helped her begin rebuilding her life. She also describes the encounter during a City Center mission trip that clarified her calling: a woman looked at her and said, “No one sees me.” Today, Caitlin is preparing to create a ministry where women experiencing trauma and instability can find safety, dignity, practical support, and a place to start again. This episode is a powerful reminder that pain does not have to define a life—and that it is never too late to keep going. Content note: This episode discusses sexual assault, addiction, and mental-health crisis. Learn more at voicesofokc.com and okcitycenter.org

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  Episode #35

  Lydell Rhodes: The OKC Boxer Who Was One Fight From a World Title

  Jul 29, 202638 minS3

  Lydell Rhodes is 33-9 with 17 knockouts. He fought a world title eliminator his opponent's own coach told him he'd won, watched the fighter ranked seventh skip past him to the belt, and came home to Oklahoma City to build the thing he never had growing up. This is a conversation about obsession, being robbed, and what you do next. What this explores: - The Pepsi warehouse job at 4 a.m. that turned him into a fighter - Getting kicked out of UCO — and why he calls it the best and worst thing that happened to him - What he learned training alongside the Mayweathers, Manny Pacquiao, and Zab Judah - The title eliminator against Edner Cherry, and the fighter who leapfrogged him to the championship - Why Oklahoma has all the talent and none of the infrastructure - Coaching, promoting, and the first combat sports event on the downtown canal Chapters 00:00 Welcome · 03:47 Growing up in Spencer and Choctaw · 05:03 UCO · 07:33 Pepsi at 4 a.m. · 09:33 Obsession · 12:31 The record · 16:21 The Cherry fight · 18:04 Five minutes before the walkout · 20:02 Fight night on the canal · 21:17 Bringing Las Vegas home · 23:19 The gym · 25:55 The mental game · 34:26 Why Oklahoma starts late · 36:15 What's next About the guest: Lydell Rhodes is a professional boxer from Spencer, Oklahoma who trained in Las Vegas alongside the Mayweathers and rose to a world title eliminator in the super featherweight division. He now coaches at Western Avenue Boxing Gym in Oklahoma City and co-promotes fights through Hackman Boxing, working to build a competitive boxing pipeline in Oklahoma. Find Lydell — Western Avenue Boxing Gym, https://www.westernavenueboxinggym.com/ · Instagram @lydellrhodes · Hackman Boxing, hackmanboxing.com VOICES of OKC is a conversation platform from City Center. Follow the show wherever you listen so you don't miss next week's conversation.

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  Episode #34

  One Suspension in Two Years: Lee Roland's Tulakes Turnaround

  Jul 22, 202640 minS3

  Lee Roland led a school turnaround through relationships at Tulakes Elementary - starting with trust, adult culture, and the belief that families had already sent the best children they had. He says the school's final two years under his leadership saw one student suspended, stronger achievement, and teachers waiting for openings. Summary Lee sits down with Jed to trace the roots of that leadership model: growing up in Spencer during the 1960s and 1970s, watching national violence and the civil-rights struggle through a child's eyes, and learning from a father who pastored and a mother who taught. Those experiences shaped his conviction that children who are marginalized economically or socially deserve adults who see their full worth. At Tulakes, Lee says progress began when the adults stopped treating relationships as a side issue. Teachers needed to trust one another and their principal. Parents needed to feel respected. Students needed to hear that expectations existed for their benefit, not simply for adult control. Lee also explains why he changed as little as possible in year one, how shared power allowed teachers to lead, and why a person can hold a leadership position while nobody is truly following. The conversation closes by carrying the Tulakes model into churches, businesses, nonprofits, and public life: healthy organizations make it safe for quiet or overlooked people to bring their full selves, and justice is measured partly by the world adults leave to children. What You'll Hear How Lee's childhood in Spencer shaped his concern for marginalized children Why Tulakes started with teacher trust, parent respect, and student belonging The first-year decision to change almost nothing before changing the culture How the school moved toward stronger achievement, near-zero suspensions, and a teacher waiting list Why shared power, vulnerability, and listening matter in schools, churches, and organizations Chapters 00:00 - Meet Lee Roland 01:16 - Spencer, civil rights, and empathy 04:39 - Experience, purpose, and justice 07:54 - The Tulakes turnaround 10:36 - Relationships before curriculum 13:56 - Change almost nothing in year one 17:18 - One suspension in two years 20:30 - What school looks like in heaven 23:29 - Sharing power and building trust 25:00 - When leaders are out front but no one follows 31:39 - Voyage Consulting and healthy organizations 38:29 - Leaving children a better world About Lee Lee Roland is a longtime Oklahoma educator, pastor, author, and leadership consultant with more than 35 years of professional experience. His career has included teaching, school administration, service as principal of Tulakes Elementary, and executive leadership roles. He founded Voyage Consulting to help schools, businesses, nonprofits, and churches strengthen leadership, trust, parent and community engagement, and organizational culture. Guest & Resource Links Voyage Consulting - https://voyageconsulting.co/ - Official site and service overview. Email - lee@voyageconsulting.co - Public contact listed by Voyage Consulting. Phone - Public contact listed by Voyage Consulting: 405-650-6553. Tulakes Elementary - https://academy.putnamcityschools.org/o/TE - Official Putnam City Schools campus page. Fantastic Voyage: A Story of School Turnaround and Achievement by Overcoming Poverty and Addressing Race - Author: Lee Roland Published: January 16, 2017 Official purchase link: Purchase on Amazon Publisher: Storied Publishing, under Gray Sparrow Books ISBN: 978-0-9973984-5-8 - Subscribe to Voices of OKC for more conversations with the people shaping this city. - Share this episode with a teacher, principal, pastor, or organizational leader who is trying to change culture without losing people. City Center serves youth and families across Oklahoma City through practical support, mentorship, and relationships rooted in dignity. Through VOICES of OKC, students help tell the stories of the people shaping our city while building skills, confidence, and a deeper connection to their community. #VoicesOfOKC #OklahomaCity #SchoolLeadership

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