Coop Scoop Blog
Your Story Matters: Interview with Cynthia Pooler of “Local Everywhere”
By Catherine Jura
You have a story to tell and Cynthia Pooler would love to interview you on her podcast.
Cynthia believes that storytelling is a great way for folks to “get to know each other and network.” Networking can build community and that is what drives her. “Local Everywhere with Cynthia” is the meeting place.
Cynthia’s love of interviewing started over a decade ago with the podcast “Focus on Albany.” She found her new adventure exciting, she says, but it took time to learn the ropes. She knew no one at that time and it was challenging to find stories, so if she saw something of interest in the newspaper she would reach out and ask for an interview. She explains: “It took time to build rapport and relationships and to get comfortable.”
Initially, Cynthia recorded her interviews on the phone, and only a local market knew about the show. Once she experienced Zoom—which “felt more personal [because she] could see faces and expressions”—Cynthia was sold. She also felt that her guests enjoyed doing the interviews from the comfort of their own homes. Now she records her shows on Zoom and uploads them to YouTube, where they can be accessed worldwide by phone or computer. Technology is a continually evolving process that Cynthia finds “very exciting.”
Cynthia has been a member of Honest Weight since moving here in 2009. In Honest Weight’s membership of 10,000 people, Cynthia “saw” 10,000 different stories. She notes that the Co-op has a “wide array of peaceful, diverse . . . and wonderful people . . . who most often have a unique holistic worldview.” She also realized that these kinds of stories are often not covered in the mainstream media. Cynthia wanted to be the one to interview these members and staff—as well as other like-minded folks from other co-ops—so she approached Honest Weight about supporting this initiative and they agreed. Honest Weight prides itself on purchasing as much locally produced food and wares as possible. Cynthia came to realize that “everyone is local to somewhere” and appropriately named her show “Local Everywhere with Cynthia.”
Where does Cynthia discover the guests for her show? Well, everywhere! Some guests come right from Honest Weight: staff, member-owners, and even non-member customers. One day Cynthia was in the store and started to talk with a customer who turned out to be from the Netherlands. The visitor loved the store and Cynthia wanted to capture both her Honest Weight experience as well as her native co-op experience.
Even a book can be a source for interviews. After reading Grocery Story by Jon Steinman (a Co-op book club pick), Cynthia went to the author’s Facebook page. She reached out to him and set up an interview. He also had a comprehensive list of co-ops across the country, which led to more interviews. Additionally, Cynthia utilizes the internet to find folks who might be appropriate for the show.
Getting to know each other, networking, and ultimately building communities across the country (and the world) is what motivates Cynthia to connect with you and share YOUR story. Contact Cynthia at localeverywhere@aol.com Watch or listen to Local Everywhere with Cynthia at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi0IGj43pegecbVySCzQbQg
Note: No references or resources
