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
88 episodes
Episode 92: Benjamin Pink: Water, Home, And The Future Of Santa Cruz-What Happens When There's No More Fat On The Bone
Water debates get loud fast, but the real story is quieter and more practical: who plans the supply, who forecasts demand, and what a community does when the next drought hits. We’re back in Santa Cruz talking with Ben Pink, a longtime water re...
Episode 91: Coaches Corner With Coach Stephan: A Conversation About Learning to Adapt to New Dynamics and Demands For Coaching Resilience in Our Young Men
Your team is down a few runs and you can feel the dugout quitting, not loudly, but quietly. That moment is where youth baseball stops being a game and starts being a mirror, and it’s where Stephan and I spend most of our time in this conversati...
Episode 90: “Coaches Corner" With Todd Kent: Above the Line-Below the Line But Make No Mistake. The Line is Expectations: Ted Lasso Energy With Real World Consequences
Pressure has a way of telling the truth, and not just in sports. I sit down with veteran coach Todd Kent to talk about what pressure reveals on the jiu jitsu mats, in a locker room, and at home when life is heavy. We start with Santa Cruz as a ...
Episode 89: Bonnie Carver: The “Shadow Type A” Culture We Live In and The Art of Choosing People in Your Now
A relaxed coastal town can still be filled with competition, loneliness, and people craving connection, and that tension runs through our talk with Bonnie Carver. Bonnie is 81, a longtime teacher and watercolor artist, and someone I’ve watched ...
Episode 88: Mitch Riley: A Fresh Start Is Possible When You Choose It
Santa Cruz can change you, but not always in the glossy way people imagine. We sit with Mitch Riley, a gentle giant with a long memory, to talk about what it really takes to start over, build community, and stay upright when life is expensive, ...
Episode 87: Chapter XVI:My Politics: What Is and Is Not, Social Capitalism, Democracy, and Tech; Don’t Become The Gorillas (A Soliloquy That Sounds More Like a Lecture)
Capitalism gets treated like a political label, but it’s more useful to see it as a machine, not a piece of morality. A man made principle acknowledging surplus not made by humans-but a piece of the fabric of the world we share with everyone th...
Episode 86: John Barrs: A Santa Cruz Housing Reality Check, What Affordable Housing Really Costs A Community
Santa Cruz is one of those places that can feel like vacation and crisis at the same time. We sit down with John Barrs owner of Ideal Homes, to talk about what it’s really like to live, commute, raise kids, and run a local business in a county ...
Episode 85: David McIntosh: What Happens When You Find Yourself In The Images You’ve Held About Life? We Are All About To Find Out.
Santa Cruz can feel like paradise and a pressure cooker at the same time, and that tension is where this conversation starts. I sit down with David McIntosh to unpack what “change” really looks like on the ground: a working class beach town sha...
Episode 84: Mark Allen: The GOAT Speaks: There Is No Pressure When You’re Being Yourself-But You Might Want To Pick That Jacket Off The Couch and Hang It
Santa Cruz can make a world champion feel like “just another guy in the lineup”. That’s exactly where this conversation starts. I sit down with Mark Allen, the GOAT and six-time Ironman World Champion, and lifelong surfer, to get un...
Episode 83: Hannah Selden: The Creative Crossroads, and Making Art In Santa Cruz Without Selling Your Soul-Why Avocado Toast Speaks To The Economics of Artists
Santa Cruz loves to call itself creative, but what happens when creativity becomes a commodity and everyone feels forced to hustle?I’m sitting down with local artist and designer Hannah Selden to unpack the push and pull of making art i...
Episode 82: James Reitano: Imposter Syndrome Pays Rent In Los Angeles, And What If The Future Depends On Who Lives 100 Feet From You
Santa Cruz can feel like paradise, a trap, and a time capsule all at once and that tension runs through our conversation with graphic designer and storyteller James Reitano. He grew up with Santa Cruz roots, found his way into the high-pressure...
Episode 81:Brian DeDeigo: Santa Cruz, Money, And Meaning: A Santa Cruz Realtor On Community, Wealth, and Growing Up Without Losing Yourself
Santa Cruz can feel like paradise until you look closer and realize how much pressure hides under the flip-flops. We sit down with longtime Santa Cruz realtor Brian Di Diego to talk about what it’s like to build a life in a small town where eve...
Episode 80: James Everingham: From Small Town Pennsylvania to The Most Important Business Hub The Last 30 Years, Facing A Reality That Life Might Be Moving Faster Than Humans Can Adapt
A GED, a 0.0 college moment, and a kid obsessed with a Commodore 64 somehow add up to a career that lands at Borland, rides the Netscape wave, and still ends with one clear conclusion: Santa Cruz feels like home. We trace the real path, not the...
Episode 79: Andre Gioranelli: The Reality in Asymmetry: What Happens When Santa Cruz is a Choice To Let Go of Everything You Know? How to Quit Chasing Medals Without Quitting Life.
A pro surfer from Rio de Janeiro moves to Santa Cruz, builds a family, all knowing that the hardest opponent was never another person. Andre joins me for a raw, wide-ranging talk about ego, identity, and what it means to stop chasing trophies w...
Episode 78: Jefferson de Paula: Every Little Step Matters: How A Near Miss And A New Coastline Changed A View on Life
Santa Cruz can feel like a spell. One minute it’s sunshine and greetings on a neighborhood street, the next it’s elbows up in a surf lineup that treats every set wave like property. We sit down with Jefferson De Paula, born and raised on the ea...
Episode 77: Dan Hammer: Come Back Tuesday: Identity Swaps and Finding Your True Self
A clear morning over Highway 17 can change a life. That’s how Dan Hammer first saw Santa Cruz—blue water, a small-town vibe, and the feeling of finally arriving. He left to study computer science, built a career as a bridge between engineers an...
Episode 76: Guerin Myall: Unfiltered; About That Punk Rock Thing We All Feel, The Red Dot, Vampires, The Boardwalk, And Why Country Music Makes Us Itchy
Santa Cruz looks like a postcard, but it feels like a pit: fast, loud, and full of heart. We crack into that contradiction with Guerin Myall, a surf-skate-punk lifer whose lens has chased barrels, stage dives, and the kind of moments that never...
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...
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...
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...
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., ...
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...
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...
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...
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...