Episode 72: Braden Coolidge: What If Small Acts Are The Only Things Than 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., and a partnership powered by small donations and relentless trust. Alongside that story of patient progress, we open up about Santa Cruz—why we love it, why it hurts, and how traffic, safety, and policy shape whether we actually feel like a community.

We unpack how commerce and social values must work together if we want a vibrant downtown where families feel safe to stroll, eat, and gather. We talk candidly about homelessness and public space without slipping into easy outrage, and we explore the counterintuitive lesson learned in Zimbabwe: let people celebrate their steps forward. Progress isn’t just concrete and windows; it’s dignity, rhythm, music, and a reason to show up tomorrow. We also wade into hard global realities—Venezuela’s political shift, Zimbabwe’s constraints—and the uneasy truth that sometimes good arrives through imperfect means.

Threaded through it all is men’s mental health. Isolation grows when life gets expensive and fragmented; connection grows when we meet up, admit what’s hard, and serve someone else. If there’s a takeaway, it’s this: small, consistent acts outlast big speeches. Build the next block. Drill the next meter. Open the shop. Walk the neighborhood. Celebrate progress. Join us for a grounded, hopeful conversation about making home—here and far away—by doing the work together.

If this resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a review. Tell us your next small action—we’re listening.