Couverture de Unpacked In Santa Cruz

Unpacked In Santa Cruz

Unpacked In Santa Cruz

De : Mike Howard
Écouter gratuitement

À propos de ce contenu audio

"Unpacked in Santa Cruz" is a homegrown podcast hosted by Michael Howard that dives into the lives, stories, and salty moments of people who call this coastal community home—or have been shaped by it in some way. Whether it's a deep conversation with local surfers opening up about mental health, or a peek behind the curtain of someone who started a one-of-a-kind food spot right here in town, every episode brings something real.

You’ll hear from folks who found healing behind the lens, built businesses from scratch, or chased massive waves thanks to a lifetime spent around our local waters. These aren’t just interviews—they’re conversations that reflect the heart and soul of Santa Cruz. Raw, reflective, and rooted in community, Unpacked in Santa Cruz brings local voices to the surface.

© 2026 Unpacked In Santa Cruz
Sciences sociales
Les membres Amazon Prime bénéficient automatiquement de 2 livres audio offerts chez Audible.

Vous êtes membre Amazon Prime ?

Bénéficiez automatiquement de 2 livres audio offerts.
Bonne écoute !
    Épisodes
    • Episode 74: Brian Upton: Hope And The Human Microphone, A Conversation About Community And Why Story Still Matters
      Jan 30 2026

      The city is changing fast, and so are we. From rising rents and a shifting skyline to the quieter work of neighbors feeding neighbors, we unpack how hope can take root right in the middle of pressure—no slogans, just people doing the next right thing.

      I sit down with Brian Upton, the mind behind Santa Cruz Vibes, to trace his path from hometown kid to media founder and to examine a different way to build a platform. We talk about why impressions aren’t the same as influence, how abdication (not charity) shapes trust, and what it means to hand 20% of your pages, screens, and mics to nonprofits with no strings attached. Brian breaks down the business side in plain terms and then flips it: numbers keep the lights on; narrative keeps the soul intact.

      We go deeper on grief for a city that won’t return to what it was—and why that might be a good thing. Equity asks more of us than nostalgia. We explore the tension between local problems and global patterns, the myth of Santa Cruz exceptionalism, and the real stakes of transforming a small, magnetic place where wealth and working-class realities sit shoulder to shoulder. Along the way we share a practical philosophy for creators: treat each episode like a message in a bottle and let go of the scoreboard. Expectation kills meaning; presence creates it.

      AI threads through our talk as both tool and test. If algorithms deliver answers faster than we can form questions, what remains for people? Craft, conversation, and honest rooms. Why we use technology on the back end and guard the front end as human. Think cave painting, not clickbait: make something true, send it into the world, and resist the urge to manipulate. That’s how stories build communities instead of silos.

      If this resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend who cares about community, and leave a review with one takeaway that stuck with you. Your words help others find the conversation.

      Afficher plus Afficher moins
      1 h et 21 min
    • Episode 73: Jay Brown: What Happens When A City Teaches You About Who You Really Might Be
      Jan 20 2026

      A town can shape you before you notice. That’s the tension we explore as a longtime local sits with Jay Brown, who moved to Santa Cruz to be near his daughter and got pulled into its undertow of beauty, scarcity, and stubborn pride. We start with raw honesty—fear of influence, years of civic fatigue, and the ache of watching good ideas fall apart—and open into a bigger frame: what if surf culture explains more than surfing?

      Jay and I trace how point breaks trained a mindset of safety and scarcity that spills onto land—into traffic patterns, housing stress, and the quiet competitiveness inside “mellow.” We talk third places, why they matter, and why they’re so hard to build when a community feels gatekept. The conversation pivots to intention and influence: using reach without performing for validation, and practicing a kind of civic repentance—naming what is true, breathing, and choosing better together.

      Underneath policy and posts is the human problem: belonging. When people feel they belong, their nervous systems settle, creativity switches on, and gifts flow—products, services, and simple care we can all feel. Gatekeeping blocks those gifts. We wrestle with money as the language we all speak, AI as a non-answer to meaning, and the reality that markets mirror our choices. The aim isn’t a shiny win; it’s winning our hearts back, together, through small, durable commitments that make space for trust.

      If you’ve ever loved a place that hurts you back, or wondered why a city can feel both open and closed, this one’s for you. Listen, share it with a friend who needs a little hope, and leave a review to tell us where you’re finding or building belonging.

      Afficher plus Afficher moins
      1 h et 56 min
    • Episode 72: Braden Coolidge: What If Small Acts Are The Only Things That Can Change Things?
      Jan 16 2026

      A single dirt road outside Harare changed everything. What began as a UCSC field study became a three-decade commitment to an orphan school in Zimbabwe: ten classrooms raised brick by brick, a lifesaving well drilled through granite at 2 a.m., and a partnership powered by small donations and relentless trust. Alongside that story of patient progress, we open up about Santa Cruz—why we love it, why it hurts, and how traffic, safety, and policy shape whether we actually feel like a community.

      We unpack how commerce and social values must work together if we want a vibrant downtown where families feel safe to stroll, eat, and gather. We talk candidly about homelessness and public space without slipping into easy outrage, and we explore the counterintuitive lesson learned in Zimbabwe: let people celebrate their steps forward. Progress isn’t just concrete and windows; it’s dignity, rhythm, music, and a reason to show up tomorrow. We also wade into hard global realities—Venezuela’s political shift, Zimbabwe’s constraints—and the uneasy truth that sometimes good arrives through imperfect means.

      Threaded through it all is men’s mental health. Isolation grows when life gets expensive and fragmented; connection grows when we meet up, admit what’s hard, and serve someone else. If there’s a takeaway, it’s this: small, consistent acts outlast big speeches. Build the next block. Drill the next meter. Open the shop. Walk the neighborhood. Celebrate progress. Join us for a grounded, hopeful conversation about making home—here and far away—by doing the work together.

      If this resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a review. Tell us your next small action—we’re listening.

      Afficher plus Afficher moins
      2 h et 2 min
    Aucun commentaire pour le moment