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The Sidebar

The Sidebar, hosted by Eric Barnes from The Daily Memphian, focuses on arts, culture and everything in between in Memphis, including interviews with people shaping the city and sometimes an exploration of topics stranger, funnier and more surprising than you might expect to hear.

Dec, 04 2025

S6E39: Lauren Ready uses the skills of journalism in new ways

Listen now:
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Lauren Ready has spent decades as a documentarian and TV journalist. Now she’s become an author, using her foundation in journalism to help business leaders and others to, as she says it, reveal deeper truths. Ready joined Eric Barnes to talk about her first book, “Ask Like a Leader: A Method for Revealing Deeper Truth and Turning Blind Spots into Breakthroughs.” Ready, who is also the co-founder of Forever Ready, a video production that works with many local nonprofits and business, spent many years as a TV journalist. And her documentaries have won numerous awards.

Interview

Talk

Eric Barnes

CEO of The Daily Memphian Host of Behind the Headlines & The Sidebar. Writer of The City Where We Once Lived and 3 other novels.

The Sidebar

S6E38: Everystory, formerly Playback Memphis

S6E37: The plan to create an arts middle and high school in Memphis

S6E36: How Grind City Amp plans to expand live music in Memphis

S6E35: The federal task force's impact on Latino businesses in Memphis

S6E34: Cequita Monique on how she was 'born into jazz'

S6E33: The host of 'Nurses Unboxed' on the critical role of nurses

S6E32: The hard, block-by-block work to improve Klondike and Smokey City

S6E31: Barth House Episcopal Center

S6E30: Women's Foundation for a Greater Memphis

S6E29: Buckman Performing & Fine Arts Center

S6E28: The new executive director of GPAC

S6E27: David Lusk Gallery

S6E26: The new president and CEO of Bridges

S6E25: Overton Park Conservancy

S6E24: ArtsMemphis reaches a meaningful milestone

S6E23: CodeCrew's Hackathon

S6E22: Young Avenue Sound

S6E21: The Metal Museum's expansion to Overton Park

S6E20: The Overton Park Shell

S6E19: Live at the Garden 2025

S6E18: SunAh Laybourn on Asian American culture and history in Memphis

S6E17: Meet Me at the Library

S6E16: Stax's Pat Mitchell Worley on the Power of Music Awards

S6E15: Clap Three Times

S6E14: Spanish Cultural Series Concerts

S6E13: Sultana Disaster Museum

S6E12: Lora Chilton on her novel titled "1666"

S6E11: Tad Pierson on how the highway is his home

S6E10: North American Bridge Championships

S6E9: Shelby Farms Park

S6E8: The Executive Director of Memphis Botanic Garden

S6E7: Learn more about the work to improve Memphis' public spaces

S6E6: The city's new head of the arts

S6E5: The Brooks' Curator of African American Art and Art of the African Diaspora

S6E4: The Daily Memphian Founder Andy Cates

S6E3: Paul Chandler with Germantown Performing Arts Center

S6E2: Memphis' Director of Creative and Cultural Economy

S6E1: Kevin Sharp with Dixon Gallery and Gardens

S5E43: What the Live Nation venue at Crosstown can bring to Memphis

S5E42: Memphis' start-up ecosystem

S5E41: Daily Memphian Director of Development Sarah Leach

S5E40: Jeff Hulett on his new album and MTV (of course)

S5E39: Memphis Botanic Garden's leader on greenspace, collaborations and Memphis

S5E38: The importance of the 'civic commons'

S5E37: How music can protect the aquifer

S5E36: Batman tattoos, street art and a new lounge from David Yancy

S5E35: WYXR on its 4th anniversary and the next Raised By Sound Fest

S5E34: Lora Chilton on writing, violence and her history with the Patawomeck Indian Tribe

Surprise! It's Sound Bites: How restaurants price your favorite meals

S5E33: Musician Greg Cartwright on Reigning Sound, the Black Keys and music

S5E32: How Josh Campbell helps people tell their stories

S5E31: Facing History and Ourselves explores social justice

S5E30:Craig Brewer on his Muhammad Ali series – and the challenges of being a creative

S5E29: How Creative Aging engages seniors across Memphis

S5E28: What's in store at the Mighty Roots Music Festival

S5E27: Willy Bearden on his memoir 'Mississippi Hippie: A life in 49 pieces'

S5E26: Jennifer Chandler on the state of restaurants in Memphis

S5E25: The impact of photography at the Brooks

S5E24: How a Bigfoot movie became a "paranormal gateway drug"

S5E23: How The Overton Park Shell reaches an expanding audience

S5E22: The next chapter for Volunteer Odyssey

S5E21: How music and art can heal the brain

S5E20: Kelly English and IMAKEMADBEATS on the new late night party at Le Bon Appetit

S5E19: More with Grammy Award winner Matt Ross-Spang

S5E18: Grammy Award winner Matt Ross-Spang on becoming a producer

S5E17: A (very short) history of local beer in Memphis

S5E16: How Beale Street influenced La Bohème at Opera Memphis

S5E15: LifeDoc's journey providing health care in Memphis

S5E14: Phillip Ashley on branded candy, cocoa shortages and shipping chocolate in the summer

S5E13: Vintage901 brings the culinary arts to all of Memphis

S5E12: Lauren Kennedy goes from urban art to an art gallery

S5E11: Helping local arts groups collaborate to reach more people

S5E10: The amazing mission – and incredible brownies – of Lucy J's bakery

S5E9: How the library foundation supports the library's mission

S5E8: Holly Whitfield's 100 Things to Do in Memphis

S5E7: How the Boys & Girls Clubs plan to expand its reach

S5E6: The expanding impact of Birdcap's iconic murals in Memphis and beyond

S5E5:The impact of smart urban design in the Medical District

S5E4: The importance of public art in Memphis