So I want you to picture Locust Ridge, Tennessee. Which is, for all intents and purposes, one of the most remote locations in the Great Smoky Mountains. No electricity, no running water. A one room cabin with, by most accounts, somewhere between 12 and 14 people living in it depending on which interview you reference.

She is simultaneously building a personal brand, a business empire, and a cultural institution. She is not just writing songs. She is constructing a character, one that she controls completely. And that character lets her navigate spaces that would normally shut her out.

• Today we are doing a deep dive into one of the most interesting operators in the history of American entertainment
• This is the story of Dolly Parton
• She wrote I Will Always Love You as a farewell to her mentor, Porter Wagoner
• She built Dollywood, which became one of the most visited theme parks in the southeastern United States
• Her Imagination Library has distributed over 200 million free books to children worldwide