Unpacked In Santa Cruz
"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.
Episodes
71 episodes
Episode 75: Anthony Capriccio: When Sanctuary Meets Survival: Who Gets To Use The Sea
Paradise looks peaceful from the cliff, but step onto a towboat in Monterey Bay and the picture changes fast. We sit down with captain and small business owner Anthony Capriccio to explore why he chose Santa Cruz over everywhere else, how he bu...
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1:28:06
Episode 74: Brian Upton: Hope And The Human Microphone, A Conversation About Community And Why Story Still Matters
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...
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1:20:59
Episode 73: Jay Brown: What Happens When A City Teaches You About Who You Really Might Be
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 wi...
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1:56:29
Episode 72: Braden Coolidge: What If Small Acts Are The Only Things That Can Change Things?
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., ...
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2:01:50
Episode 71: Michael Dunn: This Is Not The Story: Prototypes, Failure, and Faith is Where Ambiguity Is
What if the lost years of your career became the blueprint for a better way to lead, parent, and live? We sit down with Michael Dunn, a veteran of Apple, Netscape, and Joby, to unpack the IPO-era rush, the “sleep at the office” mythology, and t...
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2:01:10
Episode 70: Chris Buich: And Here We Are: The Santa Cruz Myth vs. Reality: Money, Identity, And Quiet Ambition
The postcard says mellow. The rent, the staffing headaches, and the quiet arms race to stay here say otherwise. We sit down with Chris Buich to examine how Santa Cruz looks from the inside: a surf town where “chill” coexists with relentless dri...
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1:56:29
Episode 69: Alvin Medina: From Watsonville To The Mat; Coaching, Anxiety, and Finding Belonging
A cold Santa Cruz morning sets the stage for a warm, unguarded conversation with Alvin Medina—a Watsonville native, former college defensive lineman, college coach, and jiu-jitsu devote. We talk about what happens when the adrenaline fades, and...
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1:40:58
Episode 68: Nathan Tall: What The Ocean Teaches Us About Community, Courage, And Mental Health
The coastline can look calm from the cliff, but the people who watch it know better. We sit down with Nathan Tall, a 22-year-old state lifeguard raised in Aptos to trace a path from junior guards to first responder, and the story that emerges i...
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1:51:55
Episode 67:Collin Brown on What Might Be The Real Problem of AI, From Faith and Hope to Wally
A quiet kid from Soquel loses his friend group at 14 and finds an unlikely ally in the aftermath: endurance. Collin Brown joins me to unpack how betrayal became a strange mercy, why pain can be a presence without being a prison, and how hope tu...
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1:04:42
Episode 66: Chapter XV: The Problem of Love in Christianity, and Keeping My Faith: A Soliloquy
A short hiatus turned into a clear-eyed look at what this show stands for: celebrating the normal, telling honest stories, and making love a verb. I open up about rescheduling interviews, moving house, and why I’m choosing to weave my own persp...
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43:54
Episode 65: Chris Balthasar: From Hollywood Sets To Hexavalent Chromium: A Life Rewritten By Santa Cruz, Service, and Resilience
The story starts with following Chris Balthasar from a Swiss-American childhood in Philadelphia and winds through Hollywood backlots, a B-movie alligator, and a surreal day in a Sonic the Hedgehog suit getting heckled by Tony Danza all day-then...
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1:02:24
Episode 64: Raffael Eboli: From Sao Paulo To Santa Cruz; Mercy, Trust, and Unity on the Mat
What happens when a kid from São Paulo lands in Santa Cruz and discovers a town where surfing, jiu-jitsu, and community can actually shape the way you live? We go deep with Rafael Eboli—longtime local, Cafe Brazil mainstay, and black belt profe...
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1:00:17
Episode 63: Claudio Franca: From Rio to Santa Cruz: How Jiu-Jitsu Built a Community of Mercy, Humility, and Embracing How to Lose
Mercy isn’t the word most people expect from a fighting art—but that’s exactly where we start. We sit down with Master Claudio Franca, who left Rio de Janeiro in the mid-90s with little more than a gi, a surfer’s heart, and a mission to plant B...
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1:05:44
Episode 62: Nathan Mendelsohn: Homegrown With Global Bonds
A shy kid from Live Oak skates to school, paddles out at Pleasure Point, and learns quickly that lineups have rules you won’t find on the beach signs. Then a jiu-jitsu academy opens behind his house, and everything changes. Nathan Mendelsohn’s ...
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1:26:32
Episode 61:Graseilah Coolidge :From a Life of Intelligence Work to Emotional Intelligence and the Pursuit of Peace-Why the Forest Matters More Than You Think
Aiming to stop conflict nearly broke us; learning to create peace brought us back. That’s the arc we explore with our guest, Graseilah Coolidge—born in Iowa, raised in Venezuela through coups and shutdowns, trained in nonproliferation, and recr...
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1:16:11
Episode 60: Matt Kuhn and Frank Schonig on Ted Lasso and What It Means To Be A Goldfish
What does it truly mean to coach youth sports in today's hyper-competitive world? In this candid conversation, host Michael "Coach Powers" Howard sits down with Little League coaches Matt Kuhn and Frank Schonig to unpack the beautiful mes...
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1:27:16
Episode 59: Neil Sprenkel Bubbles Inside of Bubbles and How To Get Beyond The Bubble
Ever wonder what it's like to grow up inside "a bubble within a bubble"? Neil Sprenkel takes us into the unique world of Capitola, California—where neighborhoods feel like sanctuaries and surf spots become territories with unwritten rules that ...
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1:41:33
Episode 58, Chapter XIIII: What Are You Waiting For? A Soliloquy
Have you ever looked in the mirror and suddenly realized you've been playing a role in your own life? After mysteriously disappearing for five months, I'm finally breaking the silence to share the profound revelation that stopped me in my track...
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34:04
Episode 56: Natalie Wegrich: The Journey From Childhood Dreams to Jewelry Entrepreneur
A quiet retail revolution is unfolding in Santa Cruz, and Natalie Wegrich of Toasted Jewelry stands at its forefront. From the mountains of Scotts Valley to the beaches of Pleasure Point, Natalie's entrepreneurial journey captures the essence o...
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1:03:23
Episode 55: Brady Muller: From Volleyball Courts to Racing Cars: One Man's Search for Peace in America's Most Beautiful Town
The beautiful, coastal paradise of Santa Cruz, California hides a complex reality beneath its postcard-perfect veneer. In this raw conversation, longtime local Brady Muller pulls back the curtain on what it truly means to call this tourist dest...
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1:39:33
Episode 54: Breaking the Silence: Men Talk Depression: Jack Akrop, Neal Kearney, Nick Borelli
What happens when four men from the Santa Cruz surf community strip away their tough exteriors and speak honestly about depression? This raw, powerful conversation breaks new ground as host Michael Howard and guests Jack Akrop, Neal Kearney, an...
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2:08:27
Episode 53: Cam Meyers; Bread & Belonging: A Chef's Journey Home
What happens when a chef decides to break away from the late-night restaurant grind and bring high-quality, seasonal food directly to the people? For Cam Meyers, it meant creating Melrose Cafe, a "parking lot restaurant" that's transforming the...
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1:06:23
Episode 52: Nick Borelli: Finding Peace Behind the Lens After Years in the Shadows
When Nick Borelli paddled out on his boogie board in 1980s Santa Cruz, he instantly became an outcast in a culture that prized standing on surfboards above all else. "If you boogie boarded, you were persona non grata," host Michael Howard expla...
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1:28:50
Episode 51: From Baseball to Big Waves: Jack Akrop's Evolution Into The Art of Life
When Jack Akrop paddles out at Mavericks or charges massive waves at Jaws, he's drawing on lessons learned from a lifetime spent in and around Santa Cruz waters. But his path to becoming a respected big wave surfer wasn't the typical grom-to-pr...
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1:21:52
Episode 50: Steve Schwinn: From 14 Schools to 1 Coastal Haven: A Furniture Man's Tale
When Steve Schwinn first visited Santa Cruz as a child, surfing at Four Mile Beach with his older brother, something clicked. Despite moving fourteen times throughout his youth—from Texas to the Netherlands to Minneapolis, through various Calif...
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1:00:52