E 6.3 - Changing the Narrative of Rural Entrepreneurship with Natalie Hodge

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Ecosystems For Change

Anika Horn, Social Venturers

75 episodes

2 months ago

Transforming communities is hard work. That may go without saying, but when your job is about helping your neighborhood, city or region thrive, talking about being underpaid, burnt out and frustrated with the slow pace of change is kind of frowned upon. As ecosystem builders, we amplify the work of local makers, doers and innovators by championing their efforts and rallying support around them. And maybe most importantly, we build a culture of trust and collaboration among all stakeholders, so that the doers and innovators among us have equal access to information, talent and resources when they need them. On Ecosystems for Change we'll explore how ecosystem building can help us unleash the full potential of the makers, doers, innovators and visionaries in our communities. And I’ll be talking with my guests about the tactics and practical skills they use in their everyday work and what they do to prevent burning the candle at both ends.

All content for Ecosystems For Change is the property of Anika Horn, Social Venturers and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.

E 6.3 - Changing the Narrative of Rural Entrepreneurship with Natalie Hodge

Ecosystems For Change

36 minutes

2 years ago

E 6.3 - Changing the Narrative of Rural Entrepreneurship with Natalie Hodge

I’ve been in awe of today’s guest, Natalie Hodge, since I first learned about her show Hometown Hustle.

As of summer 2023, the show is in its second season telling the stories of entrepreneurs building their big business ideas in the small towns of rural America and changing the narrative about rural entrepreneurship.

Today, Natalie shares why she believes it’s so vital to share the stories of rural entrepreneurs, the joys and challenges of producing a web series from scratch on a tight budget, and how we can build buy-in on these stories from community and corporate partners.

Natalie Hodge is the founder and owner of Rudy’s Girl Media, a Martinsville, Virginia-based multimedia content creation company specializing in developing a diverse array of engaging projects ranging from film to literary works. Natalie is a writer, producer, and transformation coach with a background in higher education and workforce development with degrees from Guilford College and Cornell University. She is an authentic and inspiring speaker who focuses her messaging on fearlessness and the power of positive being.

Listen to the full episode to hear:

How Natalie went about building her slate of entrepreneur stories
Why it’s so important for her to share the positive impact of rural entrepreneurship on local economies
How Natalie builds buy-in with partners from community economic development teams to corporate sponsors
How telling stories of rural entrepreneurs has the ability to impact local economies