Scout On, Chattanooga: The Podcast

Scout On, Chattanooga: The Podcast is presented by the Cherokee Area Council BSA, and its opening calls it a show meant to encourage youth leadership close to home. Before a word is spoken, the episodes set a scene with rustling leaves, an owl, crickets and a crackling campfire. Then Sean Whitfield introduces the regulars from the Scenic City: Jared Pickens, Scout Executive and CEO of Scouting America Cherokee Area Council, and Cubmaster Kyle. That trio is the constant. The guests change, and in one conversation the regulars run through who has filled the chair so far: politicians, local business people, a judge several years back, but hardly any attorneys. The titles in this run reflect that civic range, naming Hamilton County Judge Tori Smith, Chattanooga and Hamilton County historian Linda Moss Mines, Council President Jonathan Turner and Norm Lavoie from New Terra Compost. The Linda Moss Mines conversation includes a question about the ridge at White Oak Mountain and why communities differ on either side of it. The answer widens into how geography shapes a place, and how Cleveland and Chattanooga, both industrial and university hubs, shared families and pooled capital, resources and innovation. The Norm Lavoie episode is more hands-on, with talk of a starter bucket and kit, drop-off at recycling centers, curbside zones around Brainerd and a website that tells residents whether they qualify. Some moments land harder. In the episode with Hamilton County Judge Tori Smith, the guest recalls getting married, watching her husband ship out two months later, and leaving law school to spend two years at Walter Reed after he was badly wounded. She also mentions wanting to be a judge since she was eight. The Jonathan Turner conversation swaps memories of Camp Buck Toms and the high adventure camps neither speaker ever reached, then turns to the legal world and whether it needs reform. Not everything is an interview. 'Ep. 58 - The 2025 Scouties!' turns the lens on the show itself, recalling a listening milestone and naming the episode with Kim Chapman Whitfield as the most played. The ribbing that follows, over forgotten luggage and a forgotten ring, stays affectionate. 'Ep. 54 - Fall Check-In & 2026 Preview' wanders even further from scouting, into pro-wrestling entrance calls, Ric Flair and an old high-school nickname that sounds more like a fast-food burger than a person. For a first listen, the Linda Moss Mines episode shows how far past scouting the guest chair reaches, and the fall check-in shows the regulars at their loosest. The sign-offs point to CherokeeAreaBSA.org for joining a unit, donating or becoming a friend of scouting, along with the TNGAScouts hashtag.