Community

Read McCulloch, of Chaffee Housing Trust, on housing affordability problems & solutions, short-term rentals, and the community land trust model vs. deed-restricted housing

Overview: Read McCulloch is executive director of the Chaffee Housing Trust. He talks with Adam Williams about housing affordability, how we got to this state of housing affordability crisis and deed-restricted housing vs. the community land trust model. Read also addresses: Are the local building processes and policies we have Read more…

By Adam Williams, ago

Ryan Short, co-founder of CivicBrand, on ‘locals first’ placemaking & civic pride, values of travel, teaching sons & being bold in decisive moments

Overview: Ryan Short co-founded CivicBrand with his wife Banner during shaky economic times and a pivotal family moment in 2008. He talks with Adam Williams about making such bold and unconventional decisions. They also talk about CivicBrand’s pioneering work in city branding and placemaking, and the “locals first” approach that Read more…

By Adam Williams, ago

Ken Brandon, of Box of Bubbles, on Dalí & da Vinci, Absurdism & Stoicism, & channeling a character of love, joy & weirdness on a bicycle

Overview: Ken Brandon seems to be a kind of philosophical Stoic, Buddhist, absurdist Spartan, who is known for riding a bicycle around Salida, Colo., while wearing a giraffe head and a three-piece suit. And yet he describes himself as “boring.” Ken also is a designer, a painter and a screenwriter, Read more…

By Adam Williams, ago

Anna Heinauer, on nutrition & MyPlate, diet culture & ‘tricky foods,’ being a positive force in the food system & her children’s book, ‘Alice and the Garden’

Overview: Anna Heinauer is an integrative nutrition health coach and she’s co-owner of The Lettucehead Food Company. Host Adam Williams talks with Anna about many things nutrition. Like, what is it, really? And why should we care about it? They talk about the value of local food sources and the Read more…

By Adam Williams, ago

Mahting Putelis, on his Latvian roots in Michigan, his ‘dirtbag’ 20s, realities of adventure photography, emergence of AI & the three things people want

Overview: In this episode of We Are Chaffee’s Looking Upstream podcast, Adam Williams talks with Mahting Putelis. Mahting grew up in a Latvian community in Kalamazoo, MI. It was extraordinarily formative, and is a source of great pride for Mahting. Adam talks with him about that upbringing and community, and Read more…

By Adam Williams, ago

Jed Selby, South Main developer & former pro kayaker, on affordable housing, building the future, his love of live music & what motivates him

Overview: In this episode of the We Are Chaffee: Looking Upstream podcast, Adam Williams talks with Jed Selby, co-developer of South Main in Buena Vista, Colorado. That includes the Surf Hotel, the bar and restaurant Wesley & Rose, and the concert venues of the Ivy Ballroom and the Lawn, among Read more…

By Adam Williams, ago

Keith Baker, County Commissioner and retired U.S. Navy Commander, on growing up in a ‘golden era,’ working with Gen. Colin Powell and servant leadership

Overview: In this episode of the We Are Chaffee: Looking Upstream podcast, Adam Williams talks with Keith Baker, Chaffee County (Colo.) Commissioner, retired U.S. Naval Commander, and former owner of The Trailhead (Buena Vista, Colo.), to name just a few chapters in Keith’s story. Keith talks about his country roots Read more…

By Adam Williams, ago

Eddie Sandoval, chef, restaurateur and concert manager, on the visceral nature of music, sharing food as community, and travels in Southeast Asia 

Overview: In this episode of the We Are Chaffee: Looking Upstream podcast, Adam Williams talks with Eddie Sandoval.  Eddie might be most known as chef and owner of the Asian Palate (Buena Vista, Colo.), along with his wife, Brynn. In recent months, he also became concert manager for the Surf Read more…

By Adam Williams, ago

The Fites (Mars & Ashley), on family #vanlife, living dreams now, finding commonality with strangers of all stripes, and authenticity as digital creators

Overview: In this episode of the We Are Chaffee: Looking Upstream podcast, Adam Williams talks with Mars and Ashley Fite.  The Fites are married digital creators who were early to living adventures on the road before #vanlife became a thing on social media. Ashley and Mars share fantastic insights and Read more…

By Adam Williams, ago
Laurie Benson | We Are Chaffee's Looking Upstream Podcast

Laurie Benson, on ‘Leading from the Feminine,’ community, the power of perception, and accepting life with a neutral spirit

Overview: In this episode of the We Are Chaffee: Looking Upstream podcast, Adam Williams talks with entrepreneur, author, speaker and coach Laurie Benson. Laurie talks with Adam about her experiences working on climate issues around the world. They talk about her connection with indigenous women, and her work with mothers Read more…

By Adam Williams, ago

Kimi Uno, on Riot Grrrl, ‘Howl’, her family’s experience of internment camp during World War II, and the importance of fighting for what’s right

Overview: In this episode of the We Are Chaffee: Looking Upstream podcast, Adam Williams talks with entrepreneur and activist Kimi Uno. Kimi shares about the influence of the  movement on her life when she was coming up in the Pacific Northwest. She and Adam talk about female empowerment and feminism, Read more…

By Adam Williams, ago

Rick Bieterman & Katy Welter, of Watershed Ranch, on adventure & leaps of faith, leadership & community, land conservation & historic preservation

Overview: In this episode of the We Are Chaffee: Looking Upstream podcast, Adam Williams talks with Rick Bieterman and Katy Welter. Rick Bieterman and Katy Welter. Katy and Rick are married partners in a life of ranching and historic renovation, and other adventures. They met on a 75-day outdoor leadership Read more…

By Adam Williams, ago

Elisia Parham, on slam poetry, Black Lives Matter, allyship, confronting her own biases, activism out of love, and having difficult conversations

Overview: In this episode of the We Are Chaffee: Looking Upstream podcast, host Adam Williams talks with Elisia Parham, poet, activist and social worker. Elisia is a poet who grew up in unconventional circumstances. She and Adam talk about how those circumstances helped her to develop resilience and her voice, Read more…

By Adam Williams, ago

Wendell Pryor, on civil rights and public service, family values, the importance of Internet for rural connectivity, and only semi-retiring in his 70s

Overview: In this episode of the We Are Chaffee: Looking Upstream podcast, host Adam Williams talks with Wendell Pryor, the retired former executive director of the Economic Development Corporation (EDC) in Chaffee County, Colo. Wendell tells about growing up in what was then a rural area outside Denver, coming up Read more…

By Adam Williams, ago

Andrea Carlstrom, Director of Public Health, on a ‘wild, surreal’ pandemic ride, optimism & gratitude, and finding love on a Phish tour 

Overview: In this episode of the We Are Chaffee: Looking Upstream podcast, host Adam Williams talks with Andrea Carlstrom, director of Chaffee County (Colorado) Public Health. Andrea and Adam reflect on the recent past, with the three-year mark of the first COVID case noted in Chaffee County in mind. During Read more…

By Adam Williams, ago

Lenny & Amy Eckstein, of the craft distillery Deerhammer, on big career changes and taking risks, leadership and crafting company culture, and squirt boating

Overview: In this episode of the We Are Chaffee: Looking Upstream podcast, host Adam Williams talks with Amy and Lenny Eckstein, the married couple and entrepreneurial energy behind the craft distillery Deerhammer. Lenny and Amy tell about their East Coast origin story, how they met and made their way west, Read more…

By Adam Williams, ago

Jonathon Stalls, author, artist and advocate, on shedding painful life stories, learning to love himself, and advocating for connection through unhurried movement

Overview: In this episode of the We Are Chaffee: Looking Upstream podcast, host Adam Williams talks with Jonathon Stalls, author of the book, “Walk: Slow Down, Wake Up and Connect at 1-3 Miles Per Hour.”  They talk about Jonathon’s 242-day walk across the United States as a pivotal experience for Read more…

By Adam Williams, ago

Dominique Naccarato, dir. of GARNA, on growing up in Salida in the pre-Internet era, waves of change and a look into the 22nd century

Overview: In this episode of the We Are Chaffee: Looking Upstream podcast, host Adam Williams talks with Dominique Naccarato, executive director of the Greater Arkansas River Nature Association (GARNA) and city council member in Salida, Colo. Dominique’s story is Salida’s story, at least in part. She talks with Adam about Read more…

By Adam Williams, ago

Mike Orrill, retired pastor, on the difficulties of faith, freedom in doubts, the evolution of his beliefs, and the power of sharing stories

Overview: In this episode of the We Are Chaffee: Looking Upstream podcast, host Adam Williams talks with Mike Orrill, a retired Presbyterian pastor of 35 years. Mike describes himself as a “poster child for doubt,” as he and Adam discuss faith and the dangers of certainty. They talk about Mike’s Read more…

By Adam Williams, ago

Rob & Sarah Gartzman (‘The Biker & The Baker’), on balancing fear and love in business and marriage, and building a future that works

Overview: In this episode of the We Are Chaffee: Looking Upstream podcast, host Adam Williams talks with Rob and Sarah Gartzman, a married couple who also are entrepreneurial partners who own multiple restaurants in the town of Salida, Colorado. Sarah and Rob met as high school seniors in Evanston, Illinois, Read more…

By Adam Williams, ago

Adam Williams, Host of Looking Upstream, & Lisa Martin, Producer & Community Advocacy Coordinator, talk about We Are Chaffee and the new Looking Upstream podcast with Ken Matthews on KHEN Radio

Overview: Lisa Martin, producer for the new We Are Chaffee: Looking Upstream podcast and Community Advocacy Coordinator for the We Are Chaffee initiative, and Adam Williams, host of the new podcast, talk with Ken Matthews on the Chaffee Housing Report radio show on KHEN 106.9 in Salida, Colo. The conversation Read more…

By Adam Williams, ago

Andrea Carlstrom, Director of Public Health & Environment & Becky Gray, Director of Chaffee Housing Authority talk about Public Health & Housing with Ken Matthews on KHEN Radio

Overview: Andrea Carlstrom, Director of Chaffee County Public Health and Environment, and Becky Gray, Director of the Chaffee Housing Authority, talk with Ken Matthews on the Chaffee Housing Report radio show on KHEN 106.9 in Salida, Colo. The conversation is the first of a two-part transition from the Chaffee Housing Read more…

By Adam Williams, ago