Resilience by Design: Investing to Rebuild Rural America

More Than Buildings: The Human Side of Resilience

In this final dispatch from the 2025 Rural Renaissance Roadshow in Opelika, Alabama, The Groundswell Way closes out its on-the-ground series with a powerful conversation between host Matthew Wesley Williams and Andrew Freear, Director of Auburn University's Rural Studio. Reflecting on decades of work in Alabama's Black Belt, Freear reframes resilience as something intentionally designed over time—not just a response to crisis, but the result of long-term commitment to people and place. Through the Rural Studio, students become "citizen architects," working alongside communities to co-create housing, public spaces, and systems that are built to last. The conversation underscores a critical truth: buildings are often the easiest part. Sustaining the people, organizations, and local leadership behind them is where resilience is truly tested. From libraries operating on limited resources to adaptable, multi-generational housing models, Freear shares how thoughtful, community-driven design can advance affordability, dignity, and durability. As the Roadshow series comes to a close, this episode leaves listeners with a clear takeaway: resilience isn't just about what we build—it's about how we build, who we build with, and whether we stay long enough to see it through.

Part Two: Moving at the Speed of Trust, an Indian Country Roundtable

Part Two: Moving at the Speed of Trust — An Indian Country Roundtable Part Two expands the conversation with a dynamic Indian Country roundtable featuring leaders from the Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy, the Native American Agriculture Fund, and Groundswell. Together, the panel explores what it actually takes to build trust, move beyond transactional partnerships, and support Indigenous-led solutions in energy, food systems, and community resilience. From redefining resilience as remembrance, to centering sovereignty and seven-generation decision-making, this episode surfaces hard-earned wisdom about collaboration, accountability, and showing up in right relation. The discussion challenges institutions and partners to slow down, listen deeply, and meet communities where they are—not where systems expect them to be. This is a candid, necessary conversation about power, partnership, and the future of Indigenous self-determination.

Part One: Moving at the Speed of Trust, with special guest Governor Stephen Roe Lewis, Gila River Indian Community

Part One: Moving at the Speed of Trust with Governor Stephen Roe Lewis (Gila River Indian Community) In Part One of Moving at the Speed of Trust, we sit down with Governor Stephen Roe Lewis of the Gila River Indian Community for a powerful conversation about resilience rooted in ancestry, sovereignty, and responsibility to future generations. Recorded at the 2025 Rural Renaissance Roadshow, this episode explores how Indigenous leadership bridges ancient knowledge with modern innovation—from thousand-year-old irrigation systems to solar-over-canal projects that are redefining water conservation and clean energy in the Southwest. Governor Lewis reflects on resilience as remembrance, the importance of self-determination, and what it means to govern with seven generations in mind during a time of climate uncertainty. This episode offers a masterclass in place-based leadership, showing how honoring cultural memory can generate momentum for a more just, sustainable future.

Resilience by Design: Investing to Rebuild Rural America

Are you passionate about rural innovation and community impact? The latest episode of The Groundswell Way podcast is a must-listen! In this episode, Tony Pipa of the Brookings Institution leads a dynamic conversation with Al Puchala (CapZone), Kyle Bridgeforth (Bridgeforth Farms), and Chéri Smith (Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy). This group presented a keynote panel at the 2025 Rural Renaissance Roadshow in November 2025, setting the stage for this podcast episode, where they share expert perspectives on economic development, agriculture, and clean energy—all with a focus on empowering rural communities. Whether you're a rural leader, policymaker, or just eager to learn from forward-thinking changemakers, this episode is packed with actionable insights and fresh ideas.

The Westside Resilience Corridor: Part Two

Where Resilience Meets Legacy Westside Atlanta churches are carrying forward their civil rights legacy together, building local resilience with Groundswell and key partners. Episode 2 of The Groundswell Way spotlights resilience in a historic part of Atlanta, the Westside, particularly Southwest Atlanta. While Atlanta is known as the birthplace of the civil rights movement, Southwest Atlanta was its incubator. Today, it is nurturing a new movement in that same tradition: the Westside Resilience Corridor. This two-part episode shares the story of the Westside Resilience Corridor and the dynamic ecosystem of community, corporate, and civic partners dedicated to building the social and technical infrastructure that brings it to life. We discuss what the Westside Resilience Corridor is, how it came to be, and why it matters today.