Think Local

Talking Local

Business EN ↓ 3 episodes

Talking Local: The Think Local First Podcast In our very first episode of Talking Local , Think Local First board members Ryan Buckholdt and Anthony Guajardo sit down with Brian Upton from Santa Cruz Vibes to unpack the spirit — and strategy — behind this year’s Think Local for the Holidays campaign. We talk about why “local” isn’t just a December slogan, but a year-round muscle that keeps our community strong. Then we hit the streets, visiting beloved Santa Cruz shops and makers to hear directly from the people who pour themselves into this county every single day. What do the holidays mean t...

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Think Local

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Cheri Bianchini: How The Healthy Way Builds Lasting Weight Loss In Santa Cruz 18.06.2026 53:18

You can’t out-hustle biology with willpower and you definitely can’t “scale fix” your health with another extreme diet. We’re joined by Cheri Bianchini, founder of The Healthy Way in Santa Cruz, to unpack what she’s learned from 40 years of nutrition coaching, weight loss support, and helping people rebuild their relationship with food. Cheri started as an ICU nurse at Stanford, but watching preve...

Matthew Swinnerton: Building Community One Event at a Time 06.05.2026 49:13

Santa Cruz can feel divided between optimism and burnout, but the fastest way to change the mood is surprisingly old-school: get people in the same place, at the same time, sharing something real. We’re joined by Matthew Swinnerton from Event Santa Cruz, one of the folks doing the quiet, hard work of turning parking lots, venues, and storefronts into moments that make people actually want to go ou...

Local Spending, Lasting Impact 15.12.2025 36:27

A stronger Santa Cruz doesn’t begin with policy or big programs — it starts with something simple: the next time you spend a dollar, where does it land ? This is the very first episode of the Think Local First podcast, and we’re kicking things off with the people who keep this place stitched together: the shop owners, makers, growers, and do-ers whose work turns a small transaction into a hometown...