Photo by Erica Techo.
Chelsea Central host Cody Brasher prepares for an interview Oct. 13. Brasher launched the podcast over the summer and interviews business owners, city officials and others from the community.
After his free XM radio subscription expired, Cody Brasher’s wife suggested he start listening to podcasts. Brasher took his wife’s advice and quickly got hooked.
Brasher said he was blown away by all the topics available and would listen to them on his commute, at his desk and while working outside.
When he realized there wasn’t a podcast covering the Over the Mountain area, he decided to start his own and created Chelsea Central, a podcast for residents of the community.
“There wasn’t currently a podcast in Chelsea or on the 280 corridor, so I set my mind to it and said this is what I’m going to do,” Brasher said.
Brasher has lived in Chelsea on and off since childhood. He lived in Chelsea until third grade, when his family moved to Roanoke, Alabama. They moved back to the area his eighth grade year, and he graduated from Chelsea High School in 2005.
Brasher also served in the Air Force, during which time he met his wife, Hannah Brasher, and the couple lived in Texas, California and Arizona before moving back to Alabama in 2012.
Starting in July, Brasher set up a table and equipment in the guest room of his Chelsea home and began recording interviews. His goal of the podcast is to build a stronger community by connecting and engaging with his audience. The tagline — “Listen, Learn, Connect” — works to convey that aim.
“If more people took the time to listen to someone else’s story and learn about those individuals, civic groups or business owners, they may find they share a passion or interest with them. Then they can connect with the individuals in the community,” Brasher said. “If we do those three things, we will build a stronger and better Chelsea.”
According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2016 population estimates, Chelsea is the second fastest growing city in Alabama. Brasher said he knows that with the influx of people moving to community, there may be new residents with no relation or connections back to the city.
“It can be overwhelming to move to a new place without any roots or communications,” he said. “I wanted to create a conduit where people can learn about the community and existing businesses. My goal is to reach out to those who are new to the area and introduce them to existing people of the community,” he said.
Brasher interviews a variety of guests, including business owners, civic organizations, school personnel and individual residents. Some of the first guests included Chelsea Mayor Tony Picklesimer and Chelsea High School football coach Chris Elmore.
Although Brasher said he finds fulfillment in his full-time job in technology support, the podcasts “turn gears in a different part of my life.” He tries to work several weeks ahead to maintain a consistent episode schedule.
“My motivator for doing this was to make a positive difference in community in best way I possibly can,” Brasher said. “I have no visions of grandeur or know where this may lead. I plan to continue to focus on what my mission is, which is to build a stronger community, and whatever happens down the road will happen.”
Chelsea Central is available for Apple, Android and Stitcher. For more information, go tochelseacentral.com.
