Shows
100% Humboldt#100. From Police Logs to Community Legacy with Editor Kevin HooverSend us a textA statue that seemed to smile on its way home. A hidden cabin that vanished overnight. A police log so human it reads like a short story. Our 100th milestone conversation with editor Kevin Hoover is a tour through Arcata’s past, present, and near future—told by someone who has walked every street, sat through the 7 a.m. meetings, and printed the town’s heartbeat onto shrinking pages week after week.We dig into how Cal Poly Humboldt is reshaping the region, from a $5.05 million purchase of Sun Valley Floral Farms...
2025-12-081h 00100% Humboldt#99. Ron Samuels: From Arcata to Concert Halls: Building World-Class MarimbasSend us a textWhat does it take to make wood sing? We sit down with Marimba One founder Ron Samuels to follow the arc from a Humboldt State spark to an Arcata workshop that supplies universities, symphonies, and soloists worldwide. Ron shares how an early encounter with African-style marimba led to years of hands-on experimenting, nights in woodshops, and the hard-earned knowledge of how to tune a bar so that overtones line up, resonators breathe, and a melody stays clear even when the room is alive.We dig into the craft behind the music...
2025-11-2455 min100% Humboldt#98. Dr. Keith Flamer: College of the Redwoods President, a Community, and the Power Of ServiceSend us a textRoses blooming in February changed everything. That’s how Dr. Keith Flamer knew College of the Redwoods would be home—a place where Marine Corps grit and Jesuit heart could fuse into a people-first campus that serves Humboldt with purpose. In a wide-ranging conversation, we trace his path from Chicago’s west side and brand management at Kraft to graduate work at Gonzaga and two decades leading CR through change with transparency, humor, and resolve.We dive into the big pivot shaping community colleges: meaningful careers that don’t require four-year debt. Dr...
2025-11-1750 min100% Humboldt#97. Nezzie Wade: Homes, Dignity, in Humboldt County CASend us a textSome conversations change how you see your neighbors. This one does. We sit with longtime educator and advocate Nezzie Wade to explore why Humboldt County’s per-capita homelessness ranks among the highest in the country and what can actually move the needle: community-first design, small-scale villages, safe parking, and dignity-forward services that meet people where they are.Nezzie's story threads from Catholic schooling and decades of teaching sociology to co-founding Affordable Homeless Housing Alternatives (AHA). Along the way, she lays out a clear diagnosis: California’s housing targets are chronically underbuilt; inco...
2025-11-0359 min100% Humboldt#96. Michael Fields: A Life In Art, A Home In Blue Lake, And Why The Best Work Still Lies AheadSend us a textA fight that ends in a handshake. A rural theater that sells out in Los Angeles. A historic bar that becomes a stage. Michael Fields joins us to trace a life built on place, grit, and the belief that the best stories come from the people right in front of you.We start with his leap from Jesuit classrooms and Vietnam-era protests to the San Francisco Mime Troupe and the early days of Del Arte. Michael walks us through the big experiment: a rural training center paired with a professional touring...
2025-10-2751 min100% Humboldt#95. Jackie Dandeneau: How A Small Playhouse Became a Big Engine for Culture and ConnectionSend us a textA small stage can change a whole town. That’s the heartbeat of our conversation with Jackie Dandeneau , the executive artistic director behind Playhouse Arts, conductor of the Blue Lake Community Choir, and one of the community builders shaping Arcata’s creative life. We swap stories about saving a venue, turning it into a citywide arts engine, and how a Tuesday night show can feel like church when the room leans in.Jackie takes us from a farm near Jasper to national theater tours, radio drama in Vancouver, and eventually to Blue...
2025-10-1754 min100% Humboldt#94. Listen First, Speak Second: David Frank's Mission to Heal Political DividesSend us a textEver wonder how we might bridge the seemingly unbridgeable divides in our society? David Frank's journey from East Coast political science graduate to Humboldt County media advocate offers a roadmap worth exploring.Growing up in a household where defending your opinions and understanding opposing perspectives was expected at the dinner table, Frank developed skills that would serve him throughout life. "My parents always expected us to be able to converse intelligently and defend our opinions and then kind of pivot to understand people that disagreed with us," he explains. This foundation...
2025-09-2953 min100% Humboldt#93. The Outlaw Country of Humboldt: Brett McFarland's JourneySend us a textStep into the extraordinary life journey of Brett McFarland, a musician whose path from Midwest farming to Humboldt County outlaw country is nothing short of cinematic. This deeply moving conversation reveals how Brett's search for a fresh start brought him to Northern California's emerald triangle, where he established himself as an organic farmer before becoming entangled in the cannabis cultivation that defined the region.When federal agents built a conspiracy case against him based largely on hearsay, Brett found himself serving nearly four years in prison—a crucible that would transform hi...
2025-09-221h 06100% Humboldt#92. Michael Keleman on Healthcare in Humboldt: How Providence is Serving a Rural CommunitySend us a textForget everything you thought you knew about rural healthcare. In this eye-opening conversation, Michael Keleman, CEO of Providence Health Serving Humboldt, shatters the "medical desert" stereotype by revealing how metropolitan-level medical care exists in this coastal Northern California community.Having worked for healthcare giants including Stanford, Kaiser Permanente, and Sutter Health, Keleman brings a unique perspective to Providence's operations in Humboldt County. With surprising candor, he shares how the community performs robotic thoracic surgeries, offers comprehensive oncology services, and provides advanced trauma care—all services you might expect only in major ur...
2025-09-1559 min100% Humboldt#91. Building Homes and Lives: Tom Rector's JourneySend us a textWhat if the parenting strategies that worked perfectly for one child completely fail with another? In this illuminating conversation, Tom Rector reveals why understanding a child's unique genetic makeup and personal memories is crucial for effective communication and connection.Tom shares his remarkable journey from a 22-year-old contractor to the owner of Thomas Home Center, celebrating 50+ years in business and 55 years of marriage along the way. But the heart of our discussion goes beyond business success to explore Tom's profound insights into human development. Through raising five children—including two adopted—and...
2025-09-0853 min100% Humboldt#90. From Humanitarian to Hostage: Jeff Woodke's Remarkable JourneySend us a textHow do you survive when your captors view you as nothing more than a commodity? Jeff Woodke's answer is both heartbreaking and inspiring.After dedicating 27 years to humanitarian work among nomadic tribes in Niger, Jeff was violently abducted by terrorists in 2016. For six and a half years, he endured unimaginable conditions – kept outdoors, frequently chained, moved constantly, and held in isolation. His captors told him bluntly, "You're nothing but a goat. If you end up dying, we'll just get another one."In this deeply moving conversation, Jeff shares how he...
2025-08-2500 min100% Humboldt#89. Lynette Mullen : The Red Light District That Built a City--Exploring Humboldt's Forgotten WomenSend us a textBehind the ornate Victorian facades of Old Town Eureka lies a shadow world of untold stories—tales of remarkable women who wielded significant economic power yet remain absent from our history books. Local historian Lynette Mullen stumbled upon this hidden narrative during the pandemic while researching an empty parking lot on Eureka's waterfront, uncovering the story of a chambermaid named Virginia Jeffrey that would forever change her understanding of our community's foundations.What began as casual research evolved into a passionate quest to document how women working in Eureka's "necessary evil"—its...
2025-08-1159 min100% Humboldt#88. From Queens to Humboldt: Larry Goldberg's JourneySend us a textLarry Goldberg's life story reads like an adventure novel, spanning from protest movements in 1970s New York to pioneering renewable energy and internet infrastructure in Humboldt County. This wide-ranging conversation reveals how a philosophy major from Queens found himself sailing a square-rigger through the Caribbean, studying at Jerusalem's Holocaust museum, and eventually transforming Northern California's energy landscape.At just 20 years old, Goldberg crewed on the ship used in the movie "Hawaii," sailing through the West Indies during the early days of reggae music before joining what he affectionately calls a "hippie...
2025-07-2158 min100% Humboldt#87. Fatherhood's Frontline: Navigating Life with Grit with Pete Ciotti and Scott HammondSend us a textWhat if the secret to fatherhood isn't found in parenting books but in knowing who you are and what you truly value? Scott Hammond, author of "Everyday Dad," joins Pete Ciotti on The Grit Podcast to explore how intentional parenting transforms both fathers and children.This candid conversation cuts through parenting platitudes to address the real challenges modern dads face. Between demanding jobs, financial pressures, and technology competing for children's attention, many fathers feel the system is rigged against meaningful family connection. Yet Hammond offers a revolutionary perspective: these challenges can...
2025-07-181h 05100% Humboldt#86. From Naval Photographer to Architect: John Ash's Remarkable PathSend us a textJohn Ash's remarkable journey unfolds like a masterclass in reinvention. Born in Vallejo during WWII while his father served overseas, John's early years in Detroit's golden era—when Motown was thriving and the city bustled with over two million people—laid the foundation for his adaptable spirit.When directionless after high school, John's photography hobby became his professional gateway when the Navy recognized his talent. As a combat photographer during Vietnam, he captured aerial reconnaissance from aircraft carriers, witnessing the heart-stopping drama of fighter jets landing on deck at night. This uniq...
2025-07-071h 00100% Humboldt#85. Jim Campbell-Spickler: Climbing Trees, Studying Wildlife, and Leading the Sequoia Park ZooSend us a textFrom climbing rocks in the Mojave Desert to studying salamanders 300 feet up in redwood canopies, Jim Campbell-Spickler's journey as a wildlife biologist reads like an adventure novel come to life. After moving from Barstow to Humboldt in 1994 to pursue his wildlife degree, he found himself captivated by the rainforest environment that contrasted sharply with his desert upbringing. "In the first 45 days I lived here, I experienced more rain than I had in my entire life," he laughs. Yet this dramatic environmental shift sparked a lifelong passion for Humboldt's ecosystems.H...
2025-06-3057 min100% Humboldt#84. Capturing Humboldt: Jose Quesada's Journey Behind the LensSend us a textWhat does it mean to truly see a place? To capture its essence through a lens while maintaining the human connection behind the camera? In this heartfelt conversation with Jose Quesada, we explore the remarkable journey of Humboldt County's most dedicated visual documentarian.Born to Guatemalan parents (the first "gringo" in his family, as he likes to say), Jose's path led him from Catholic school in Southern California to hitchhiking across America at 19, eventually landing in Humboldt County where he spent his first night on a bench at College of the...
2025-06-2352 min100% Humboldt#83. The Musical Life of Elle Penner: How Elle found her voice in Humboldt CountySend us a textFrom the scorching heat of Red Bluff to the cool, misty forests of Humboldt County, Elle Penner's life journey unfolds like a well-composed jazz standard—full of unexpected turns yet beautifully cohesive. As she sits across from Scott Hammond in her tie-dye dress shirt, Elle radiates the kind of authentic warmth that defines both her professional and artistic lives."I love that I get to work hard at things that I feel good about," Elle reflects, capturing the essence of her dual passions. By day, she serves as an adoption social wo...
2025-06-1654 min100% Humboldt#82. Dr. Join Luh--Zapping Tumors & Breaking Barriers: A Doctor's TaleSend us a textThe journey from trailer park to radiation oncology doesn't follow a conventional path, but Dr. Join Luh's remarkable story proves that passion and perseverance can lead to extraordinary destinations. Born in California but raised primarily in Galveston, Texas after his parents' separation, Dr. Luh shares how his early experiences—including watching his single mother work at a medical center while attending night school—sparked his interest in medicine.What follows is a fascinating exploration of medical evolution, as Dr. Luh takes us through his education at Texas A&M, his internal medi...
2025-06-0956 min100% Humboldt#81. Mark Ritz: Grinding It Out: How a Coffee Roaster Found Home in HumboldtSend us a text"The people here are real," explains Mark Ritz when asked why he chose to make Humboldt County his home over two decades ago. This authenticity—coupled with breathtaking forests just a quarter-mile from his doorstep—reflects the heart of what keeps entrepreneurs like Mark deeply rooted in this community behind the Redwood Curtain.Mark's journey to becoming co-founder of Kinetic Coffee began at Yakima Products, where his expertise in the bicycle industry helped expand the company into new product categories. When Yakima relocated, Mark and his wife Charlie faced a pivotal deci...
2025-06-021h 00100% Humboldt#80. Thomas Nicholson Stratton: Future of Humboldt Belongs to Those Who Dream BigSend us a textThomas Nicholson Stratton embodies the spirit of agricultural innovation in Humboldt County, transforming traditional farming into a showcase of collaborative community building. From his roots in Northeast Oregon to becoming an integral part of Humboldt's food landscape, Thomas shares the remarkable journey that led to Jersey Scoops, Nicholson Livestock, and the emerging Loleta Meat Co.The conversation flows through Thomas's formative years in Union, Oregon, where his 4-H background instilled values of service that now drive his business philosophy: "My head for clearer thinking, my heart for greater loyalty, my hands...
2025-05-181h 00100% Humboldt#79. From Dairy Farm to Music Store: Anthony Mantova's Humboldt JourneySend us a textWhat happens when you mix musical passion, Italian cuisine, and small-town entrepreneurship? Anthony Mantova, co-owner of Mantova's Two Street Music in Old Town Eureka, embodies this unexpected blend as he shares his journey from dairy farm days to running one of Humboldt County's most beloved music stores.In this fascinating conversation, Anthony reveals how his family purchased Two Street Music in 2009, continuing a legacy that began in 1978 while bringing their own innovative approach to the business. From tearing down walls to create an open, welcoming space to an unexpected pandemic pivot...
2025-05-041h 01100% Humboldt#78. Banking on Community: Fred Moore's Five-Generation Humboldt JourneySend us a textFred Moore embodies what it means to be "100% Humboldt." As the President and CEO of Coast Central Credit Union, Fred brings a unique perspective shaped by five generations of family history in the region. His father's 52-year political career—including 35 years as Humboldt County Clerk and 12 years as Mayor of Eureka—instilled in Fred a deep understanding of public service that continues to guide his leadership today.During this captivating conversation with Scott Hammond, Fred shares the distinction between politicians and true public servants: "A public servant has the ability to subl...
2025-04-271h 00100% Humboldt#77. The Boys and Girls Club of the Redwoods: Transforming Youth Through MentorshipSend us a textMonica Rose has spent 23 years witnessing transformations at the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Redwoods, where every day, over 300 kids find more than just a safe space—they discover possibilities they might never have imagined otherwise. Alongside board president Jessie James, who was once a club member herself, they reveal the profound impact that consistent mentorship has on young lives in Humboldt County.What makes these clubs special? They actually listen to their kids. When youth express interest in a topic, programs evolve to meet their curiosity. From college tours th...
2025-04-1359 min100% Humboldt#76. From Pizza Shop to Marathon Runner: How Pete Ciotti Reset His Life at 45Send us a textCould the best years of your life still be ahead of you? That's the question Pete Ciotti asked himself at age 45 after running several businesses, touring with a rock band, and starting a family. His answer led to a complete transformation that he's now sharing through what he calls "The Five Fs" - a framework for becoming an expansive human being.Pete takes us on his journey from serial entrepreneur (running Big Pete's Pizza for a decade and later managing the iconic Jambalaya venue) to his current landscaping business and budding...
2025-04-081h 00100% Humboldt#75. Community, Coffee, and Cookies: How Berit Meyer Built a Humboldt County InstitutionSend us a textBerit Meyer never planned to become a baker. After graduating from Humboldt State with a wildlife management degree in 1981, she was set to explore Alaska's wilderness when a surprising proposition changed everything. A fellow restaurant worker approached her about joining forces with her former boss to open a new venture. That decision launched what would become one of Humboldt County's most beloved institutions: Ramones Bakery and Cafe.Over coffee and freshly baked goods, Berit shares the fascinating evolution of her business - from the original Opera Alley Cafe to their expansion...
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