TRANSCRIPT

 

[Intro music, guitar instrumental]

 

Adam Williams (00:06): This is Adam Williams, host of We Are Chaffee: Looking Upstream, a human-forward, conversational podcast in which I typically talk with guests about their lived experiences and how those have shaped who they are now. 

 

From time to time, we also weave topics into the conversation that, admittedly, have particular relevance where this podcast geographically is located, in Chaffee County, in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. But these topics likely are relevant to you wherever you live. 

 

We’re talking about things that affect families, towns and regions all over, and have big impacts on how connected and healthy – or not – we are in our communities.

 

Despite the fact the beautiful Arkansas River flows through our valley here, drawing whitewater enthusiasts from across the world, the name of the podcast, Looking Upstream, actually has to do with what are known as upstream health factors.

 

Those factors are all the things that go into making a community healthy, vibrant and connected – and they present some really big challenges when priorities and policies get out of whack. 

 

I’m talking about having affordable homes that help us to feel safe and healthy, affordable food that keeps us going strong, the jobs that put that food on the table in that home, and the sense of community that gives us social connections and the feeling that we’re all in this together.

 

When any of those parts are not working well … for me, for you, for our neighbors and coworkers, our employers and healthcare systems, for the people who serve us at restaurants and fix our cars when they break down, the ones who answer emergency calls and keep our roads repaired … I mean, the list goes on until every single person in the community is accounted for … and when that network is not functioning well, we all will feel it sooner or later … downstream. That’s where the consequences land.

 

Looking Upstream is focused on getting to know each other more intimately by sharing personal stories, getting to really see and hear each other, maybe people we wouldn’t normally stop on the street and get to know. 

 

And through these stories, when we’re really open to listening to them, we can learn about the who, what, why and how of the challenges that we all face in our communities, together. That’s when we really can start to do something about them.

 

So, all that said … I invite you to listen to the Looking Upstream podcast. New episodes hit streaming devices every other Tuesday, wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. You can get the show notes and full show transcripts at wearechaffee.org.

 

In the meantime, like we say at We Are Chaffee, “be human, share stories.”