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 42 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Jed Chappell hosts Voices of OKC, a society show with 42 episodes published.

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  Episode #43

  Kristina Mills on grief, laughter and life after Survivor

  Sep 24, 202640 minS3

  Kristina Mills, an educator and Survivor contestant, talks about living with grief while making room for laughter, family and new challenges. She joins Jed Chappell to explore what supportive friendship can look like, how the game changed her sense of identity, and why moving forward does not mean leaving the person you miss behind. What this conversation explores - Laughter and ordinary family life after loss - How to share good news with a grieving friend - Meals, practical help and messages that need no reply - Identity beyond being a wife, mother, daughter and educator - An unexpected moment on a Survivor challenge beam Chapters 00:00 Opening and guest introduction 00:50 Life after Survivor 03:07 Finding laughter inside grief 13:14 Faith after loss 14:49 Why sharing a story matters 21:33 Making room for good news 23:11 Grief in the passenger seat 24:13 Supporting a grieving friend 27:27 Identity beyond familiar roles 29:23 The challenge on the beam 37:16 What comes next and connecting with Kristina Guest bio Kristina Mills is an educator and Survivor season 49 contestant. She describes herself as a wife and mother and discusses speaking to school audiences about her experiences. Links and resources Kristina Mills on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/krismills64/ Kristina’s website: None stated; she says building one is the next step. Survivor: https://www.cbs.com/shows/survivor/ (official series page, verified separately) The Price Is Right: [Link needed] Unnamed grief platform and its New York creator: [Link needed; creator not named] Unnamed Survivor alumni events, school speaking appearance and New York play: [Link needed; no specific event, school, play title or actor named] Other named references: ChatGPT [Link needed]; Eeyore [Link needed]. No books, studies, sponsor or named guest employer mentioned. Watch + Listen: https://www.voicesofokc.com/watch-listen/ Episode hub: https://www.voicesofokc.com/episodes YouTube: https://youtube.com/@voicesofokc Instagram: https://instagram.com/voicesofokc Podbean: https://voicesofokc.podbean.com/ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/voices-of-okc/id1847725322 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3nUpFLOsHGVtrN8tZz6nlM Jed Chappell on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jed-chappell-7a745332/ VOICES of OKC on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/voices-of-okc/ City Center: https://okcitycenter.org/ City Center on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OKCityCenter Contact: info@voicesofokc.com Content note: Bereavement, parental addiction, postpartum depression, anxiety and a non-graphic discussion of police violence. Personal experiences are not clinical guidance. Follow VOICES of OKC in your podcast app for future conversations.

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  Episode #42

  Generational Curses: Naming the Pattern with Paula Brown

  Sep 17, 202645 minS3

  Dr. Paula Brown, an author and Oklahoma City parent, examines generational curses and the family patterns people can mistake for normal. Drawing from her Trinidad and Tobago roots, motherhood, faith, education, and lived experience, she and Jed Chappell consider how honest recognition, safe adults, counseling, and practical choices can help interrupt a cycle without reducing a family to its hardest chapter. What this conversation explores - The difference between inherited biology and repeated family behavior - Why the “ham in the pan” story explains unquestioned habits so well - Addiction, secrecy, and the importance of naming patterns without shame - Safe, trustworthy relationships for young people - Education, mental-health support, reentry, and second chances - The sacrifices Paula made while earning degrees and raising four children Chapter markers - 00:00 Welcome and introduction - 01:22 Trinidad, family, and starting again - 03:23 The book and its five-generation cover - 04:47 The ham in the pan - 08:21 Recognizing addiction patterns - 10:41 Family secrecy and isolation - 13:59 Safe adults for young people - 16:51 Dignity beyond curriculum - 20:33 The cost of education - 30:35 Civic responsibility and reentry - 33:38 Education and poverty - 41:22 Hope for family healing Guest bio Dr. Paula Brown is the author of *Generational Curses and How They Can Be Broken*. In the conversation, she describes growing up in Trinidad and Tobago, raising four children through military moves and deployments, and earning associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees while caring for her family. Her comments connect family healing with faith, education, counseling, trustworthy relationships, and civic responsibility in Oklahoma City. Links and resources - *Generational Curses and How They Can Be Broken*: https://www.amazon.com/ — exact direct listing [verify] - Paula Brown Ryan on Facebook: [Link needed] - Millwood Public Schools: https://www.millwoodps.org/ - City Center: https://okcitycenter.org/ - Watch and listen: https://www.voicesofokc.com/watch-listen/ - Episode hub: https://www.voicesofokc.com/episodes Content note: Non-graphic discussion of addiction, family abuse, depression, incarceration, and mental health. Follow VOICES of OKC on your preferred podcast app and share this episode with a trusted adult who makes honest conversation possible.

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  Episode #41

  Oklahoma Kickboxing's Road to the World Stage | Scott Jones

  Sep 9, 202634 minS3

  Scott Jones, CEO of Husky Fat Promotions, is building a path for Oklahoma kickboxing from local gyms toward the international stage. He talks with Jed about turning a memorial show into a growing fight promotion, the discipline that separates trained fighters from bravado, and the pressure of building something ambitious with a small team. What this conversation explores: - The origin and growth of Husky Fat Promotions - Oklahoma's opportunity in kickboxing and striking sports - The structure of an eight-person, one-night tournament - Fear, control, and the mental side of fighting - Parenting, education, and letting children choose their own path Chapter markers: - 00:00 Welcome and Scott Jones - 00:41 From fighter and coach to promoter - 02:53 A memorial show becomes a business - 05:08 K-1 and Road to Tokyo: Part 2 - 06:12 Bricktown, Norman, and growth - 11:06 What comes next for Husky Fat - 15:35 The mental discipline of fighting - 22:01 Family and finding your own path - 27:57 What college taught Scott - 30:30 Event details and where to follow Guest bio: Scott Jones is CEO of Husky Fat Promotions, an Oklahoma City-based organization producing professional and amateur kickboxing events. K-1 identifies Husky Fat as a U.S. partner working to create opportunities for American fighters, while Husky Fat's Oklahoma events have connected local athletes with national and international competition. Links and resources: - Husky Fat Promotions: https://huskyfat.com/ - Road to Tokyo: Part 2 tickets and current event details: https://www.stubwire.com/e/39056/theroadtotokyopart2/youngfamilyathelticcenter/ - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/huskyfatpromotions/ - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@huskyfatpromotions1882 - K-1: https://www.k-1.world/ - Young Family Athletic Center: https://www.yfac.com/ - Swerve Combat: https://swerve.tv/combat/ - Pancreatic cancer foundation named by Scott: `[Link needed — exact organization not stated]` Content note: Brief discussion of pancreatic cancer, bereavement, and bar/street violence. Follow VOICES of OKC wherever you listen, and find every watch-and-listen option at https://www.voicesofokc.com/watch-listen/.

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  Episode #40

  Artie Brylev on Work, Family and Battison Honda

  Sep 2, 202659 minS3

  Artie Brylev left Russia to escape religious persecution and built a career at Battison Honda. He talks work, family, reputation and making opportunity intentional in Oklahoma City. Artie grew up in the former Soviet Union, where his religious family practiced under a system that restricted public faith. In New York, $20 in spending money gave him an early reality check. Later, a busboy job at Junior’s gave him a picture of the family life he wanted, while years of work taught him that success without character or trusted relationships does not hold. With Jed Chappell, Artie talks about leading a family-owned dealership, protecting a reputation, putting family before the office, and why Oklahoma City needs intentional places where young people can encounter mentors and real opportunity. Content note: Brief, non-graphic references to religious restriction, incarceration, addiction, and youthful legal trouble. What you’ll hear - What $20 in spending money taught Artie about expectations - Why reputation outlasts a single transaction - How family became a priority rather than an afterthought - The moment bussing tables changed the life Artie wanted - Why opportunity for young people should not be left to chance Chapters - 00:00 Welcome and Artie Brylev - 02:55 Growing up under communism - 06:09 Arriving in New York with $20 - 15:35 The illusion of instant success - 22:18 Family before the office - 25:21 Making opportunity intentional - 29:40 Building a family-owned business - 41:23 The other side of the table - 48:20 Investing in young people - 51:03 Transparency in the car business Links and Resources - Artie Brylev / Battison Honda team: https://www.battisonhonda.com/team-battison-honda-in-oklahoma-city-ok - Battison Honda: https://www.battisonhonda.com/ - City Center: https://okcitycenter.org/ - Junior’s of Oklahoma City: https://juniorsokc.com/ - Putnam City Schools Foundation: https://www.putnamcityfoundation.org/ - Eskridge Auto Group: https://www.eskridgeautomotive.com/ - Jim Norton Toyota of Oklahoma City: https://www.jimnortontoyotaokc.com/ [verify this is the location meant] - CARFAX: https://www.carfax.com/ - Victory Church: https://victory.church/ [verify this is the congregation meant] Watch and listen to VOICES of OKC: https://www.voicesofokc.com/watch-listen/ Episode hub: https://www.voicesofokc.com/episodes YouTube: https://youtube.com/@voicesofokc Instagram: https://instagram.com/voicesofokc Podbean: https://voicesofokc.podbean.com/ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/voices-of-okc/id1847725322 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3nUpFLOsHGVtrN8tZz6nlM VOICES of OKC on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/voices-of-okc/ Jed Chappell on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jed-chappell-7a745332/ Show email: info@voicesofokc.com Watch the full conversation, then share it with someone thinking seriously about leadership, family, or mentorship. Subscribe for more Oklahoma City stories. VOICES of OKC is a conversation platform from City Center. Through long-form interviews with local leaders, builders, artists, advocates, and neighbors, the show explores the stories shaping Oklahoma City through service, creativity, courage, restoration, and hope. City Center champions youth and families in under-resourced communities by creating empowered pathways to relief and restoration.

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  Episode #39

  Chris Crook | The Opportunity He Wasn’t Ready For

  Aug 26, 202617 min

  Chris Crook, founder of the Chris Crook Foundation and an Oklahoma City youth mentor, uses basketball mentorship to meet middle school boys on common ground. He traces the path from Millwood and McPherson College to an Oklahoma City Blue workout opportunity, then speaks candidly about entitlement, gratitude, faith, and the work of rebuilding authentically. In this conversation: - The childhood camps that shaped Chris’s sense of possibility - How the Chris Crook Foundation grew from a basketball-camp invitation - Why the mentoring relationship matters more than the drill - What the Oklahoma City Blue opportunity revealed - How faith and self-awareness changed his approach to rebuilding Chapters - 00:00 Intro - 00:23 Meet Chris Crook - 01:14 The camps that shaped him - 02:13 From Millwood to McPherson - 02:29 The Oklahoma City Blue opportunity - 02:52 How the Foundation began - 04:28 Mentoring matters more than money - 04:58 Basketball as common ground - 07:16 Impact after camp - 09:20 Not ready for the opportunity - 12:04 Rebuilding authentically - 14:28 Look up and be patient Guest bio Chris Crook is an Oklahoma City-raised former McPherson College guard, youth mentor, and founder of the Chris Crook Foundation. McPherson College athletics lists him as an Oklahoma City native and Millwood graduate and documents his collegiate play. A public 2025 profile describes his youth mentoring and basketball-training work and says he trained with the Oklahoma City Blue. Resources - Chris Crook Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/c_crook1/ `[confirm official/current]` - McPherson College athletics profile: https://macbulldogs.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/2016-17 - Oklahoma City Blue: https://oklahomacity.gleague.nba.com/ - Santa Fe Family Life Center: https://mail.sfflc.com/about/ - Kids Across America: https://kaakamps.org/ - VOICES of OKC: https://www.voicesofokc.com/watch-listen/ - City Center: https://okcitycenter.org/ Content note: Brief references to housing instability and professional disappointment. Listen to the full conversation, then share it with a coach, mentor, or parent who is helping a young person grow.

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