Send us a text

What makes a small town strong? For Becky Giacomini, it starts with ranch gates, school doors, and hospital halls—and a promise to show up. We dive into Becky’s journey from Southern California to the Eel River Valley, where she met her husband at a rodeo, grew potatoes into chips, raised a family, and spent 30 years in education before stepping into community leadership full time.

We talk about the cultural fabric of Fortuna, Ferndale, and Rio Dell—how dairy and cattle families fuel youth programs, FFA chapters, and the fair’s sale day. Becky breaks down why Humboldt’s ag roots matter to everyone, not just ranchers: they form a resilient network that keeps kids engaged, supports local businesses, and rallies neighbors when floods and fires hit. She shares a powerful mentorship lesson from the late Don Brown—enjoy the beauty here, bring the check not the casserole, and leave a legacy that lasts—and how that advice still guides her work.

Healthcare sits center stage as Becky explains Women for Wellness, a member-led giving circle that funds critical equipment and education for Redwood Memorial and St. Joseph. It’s philanthropy with results, turning pooled donations into bedside improvements that touch thousands. We round out the conversation with Humboldt favorites—Centerville Beach, Russ Park, Seagrill, Benbow—and a candid look at FOMO, JOMO, and the boundaries that keep volunteers energized.

If you care about rural community building, local healthcare, and the grit behind small-town resilience, this conversation will stick with you. Subscribe, share with a friend who loves Humboldt, and leave a review to help others find the show. Then tell us: where will you show up this week?

Support the show

About 100% Humboldt with Scott Hammond

Humboldt County CA USA is the home of some of the most iconoclastic, genuine, and interesting folks in the world.

We are getting curious about the movers, shakers, and difference makers in Humboldt County CA-Home of the giant redwoods, 6 Rivers, and the vast Pacific Ocean.

We will discover what makes people live/evolve in the beautiful, diverse, isolated, and ever-changing North Coast of California 100%!

Listen in and learn what it is to be 100% Humboldt!

Find us on You Tube, Linked In, Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok!

Send us a text

A bottle pops, and so does a life story. Rosa Dixon joins us to share how a childhood on a Tennessee commune shaped her instinct to collaborate, how New York City sharpened her operator’s edge, and how a frightening misdiagnosis led her to build Raised Gluten Free—now a national brand with 18 products in 7,500 retailers. From pies at the farmer’s market to private label partnerships with Walmart and Sprouts and a recent Target launch, Rosa breaks down the unglamorous math of scaling food: distribution hubs, shared kitchens, and community support that makes the difference between a hopeful idea and a healthy company.

We also go deep on Humboldt Made—what it actually does for local makers, why Friday Night Markets fund the mission, and how storytelling inside grocery stores helps shoppers discover the people behind beloved products. With new Headwaters backing, we’re taking a Humboldt row to Natural Products Expo West, putting Maka Pierogies, Jersey Guy Scoop, Nomolina Pesto, and Shroom Shots in front of the buyers who can change a company’s trajectory. Rosa explains how to prepare for trade shows, turn a single email into a regional launch, and keep wins circulating here at home.

Then crisis hits close to home. The Arcata fire destroyed seven businesses and threatened the historic downtown. Within 48 hours, more than 50 community leaders aligned on roles, relief, and fundraising—PG&E pledged $50,000, banks and the university followed, and a committee is forming to assess needs and distribute funds. We lay out simple ways to help: show up for the porch-party fundraiser weekend, spend with neighboring shops, and lean into the Choose Humboldt app and articles that make supporting local easy and fun. Along the way, Rosa shares a personal health reset—losing 70 pounds, lifting heavy, and finding daily discipline—and the legacy she hopes to leave: wake up trying to help, support, and love.

If this resonates, share the episode with a friend, subscribe for more Humboldt maker stories, and leave a quick review to help others find the show.

Support the show

About 100% Humboldt with Scott Hammond

Humboldt County CA USA is the home of some of the most iconoclastic, genuine, and interesting folks in the world.

We are getting curious about the movers, shakers, and difference makers in Humboldt County CA-Home of the giant redwoods, 6 Rivers, and the vast Pacific Ocean.

We will discover what makes people live/evolve in the beautiful, diverse, isolated, and ever-changing North Coast of California 100%!

Listen in and learn what it is to be 100% Humboldt!

Find us on You Tube, Linked In, Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok!

Send us a text

Ever wonder who keeps local voices on the air when big media moves on and broadband eats cable? We sit down with Access Humboldt’s executive director, Christina Jeffers, to explore how a PEG station—public, education, and government—safeguards free speech, broadcasts full civic meetings without edits, and gives anyone in the community the tools to make radio and TV. Christina’s story is a ride: theater and stunt acting in Los Angeles, a decade in an ER, bold creative development in Sacramento, and now leading a small but mighty team that treats transparency and storytelling as public goods.

We dig into what Access Humboldt actually does—five cable channels, a low-power FM station, and a programming approach that elevates citizen creators alongside government coverage—and why it matters more as algorithms shrink attention spans and national outlets chase hot takes. Christina explains the money puzzle: franchise fees were designed to compensate the public when cable used shared rights-of-way, but as telecoms shifted services to “broadband,” funding eroded. The stakes are concrete: fewer resources for distance learning, fewer hands to staff meetings, and fewer doors for new creators to walk through. And yet, the solution is close to home—local support, smarter partnerships, and programs like Boltfest, a year-round short film incubator that takes ten-page scripts to a real red carpet.

Along the way, we talk identity, belonging, and why self-expression fights isolation. Christina’s Burning Man stories aren’t about shock; they’re about permission and generosity—the same spirit she brings to Access Humboldt. If you care about open government, rural education access, or seeing your neighbors on screen instead of in the comments, this conversation will give you a map and a reason to act.

Subscribe, share with a friend who loves local media, and leave a review to help more people find the show. Want to keep community media alive? Donate, volunteer, or pitch a show idea—then tell us what you’d make first.

Support the show

About 100% Humboldt with Scott Hammond

Humboldt County CA USA is the home of some of the most iconoclastic, genuine, and interesting folks in the world.

We are getting curious about the movers, shakers, and difference makers in Humboldt County CA-Home of the giant redwoods, 6 Rivers, and the vast Pacific Ocean.

We will discover what makes people live/evolve in the beautiful, diverse, isolated, and ever-changing North Coast of California 100%!

Listen in and learn what it is to be 100% Humboldt!

Find us on You Tube, Linked In, Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok!