Season 3 of Catalysts for Change launches with a powerful conversation between Adam Lister and Nashville Sheriff Daron Hall, a leader who has spent more than two decades rethinking what public safety can look like.
Sheriff Hall shares the defining question that has guided his career: not who commits crimes - but why. That perspective has led him to challenge long-held assumptions about incarceration, mental health, and the role of the criminal justice system.
From his early fascination with criminology to his eye-opening experience representing the United States abroad, Hall reflects on the moment he realized the system wasn’t just imperfect, it was fundamentally misaligned. In many cases, he argues, jails have become the default solution for mental health crises, creating cycles that don’t address root causes.
The conversation explores how Hall helped lead a bold shift in Nashville: building a behavioral care center alongside the jail to divert individuals in crisis away from incarceration and toward treatment. Along the way, he shares hard-earned lessons about leadership, navigating politics, building unlikely partnerships, and why meaningful change often requires both strategy and courage.
This episode sets the tone for the season, highlighting leaders who are willing to question the system, rethink the problem, and take action to create lasting impact.
Catalysts for Change is an initiative of One 12 Strategies, brought to you in part by the Southern Research Collaborative
