People Close By

Most of us are lonelier than we need to be.

We spend much of our attention on things that are hard to impact — national politics, global crises, the endless scroll — while the people closest to us remain strangers.

People Close By talks to the ones who got that ratio right. The people who:

Started drinking coffee on their stoop to say hi to neighbors
Kept up a planter on the sidewalk
Invited people to woodwork in their garage
Started a local magazine
Threw a block party

Every episode is a conversation with someone actively building community where they live. Just people, close by, choosing to show up.

We believe

Proximity Is Everything

Community Is a Practice

Change Happens Locally

Great People Are Already Nearby

"The simplest way to tap into everything society has to offer is to have neighbors. Close neighbors."David Sim, Soft City

A podcast about people taking action — specific, concrete, local action — to build the kind of community that makes life worth living. The guests are doers, not theorists. The tone is warm, curious, and occasionally funny.