Since January, the city has been presenting the Ogden Way Podcast. Hosted by Ogden Mayor Ben Nadolski,  the podcast serves as a way of recording and sharing the stories of community members as well as their connections to The Ogden Way — the city’s vision for moving forward, Ogden City Communications Director Mike McBride told the Standard-Examiner.

“There’s an ethos that really surrounds The Ogden Way and the podcast is really meant to capture the essence of that,” he said. “The format we wanted to embrace for this was a podcast because it’s recorded in a professional way that stands the test of time. The second reason that we really liked the podcast format is that you can really have a meaningful conversation with your guest in a 40- to 45-minute window.”

He added that other cities such as Kaysville use podcasts of similar formats to reach out to their residents.

As of Tuesday, 16 podcasts have been recorded, according to McBride. Podcasts have featured the likes of Standard-Examiner Publisher Jim Konig, who spoke about truth in media; Ron White and Luis Lopez speaking about the Marshall White Community Center; and Olympian Billy Schuffenhauer speaking on resilience and redemption.

“We want to talk to people about their stories that are in line with the pillars of human success that we recognize here at Ogden City,” McBride said. “Those pillars of human success are safety, education, life-long learning, stable neighborhoods, vibrant economy, strong infrastructure, healthy lifestyles and meaningful connections. A lot of these conversations that we’ve recorded touch very closely with one of those seven pillars of human success that we embrace here at Ogden.”

He added that it gives people a chance to learn from other people they may not usually interact with.

“A lot of times, people get comfortable in their own circles,” he said. “We recognize that Ogden is the most diverse community along the Wasatch Front and in our state. We think that it’s very important to share different perspectives, hear different perspectives and invite that opportunity to be available to anybody that might want to do so.”

McBride said the channels were front-loaded with content and that at least one podcast will be released each Friday.

While the new podcast has highlighted many well-known community personalities, there’s an opportunity for anyone to get involved, with the podcast’s webpage offering a place to self-nominate to appear on the podcast.

“We haven’t got to a point where we have to turn anybody away,” McBride said. “The theme of The Ogden Way has been uplifting community — really positive stories about human connection and building communities, establishing relationships in our neighborhoods, providing service to others — that’s really the theme. It’s not political, it’s really all about human connections.”

Nadolski said the podcast represents a huge opportunity for the public.

“The Ogden Way Podcast is about celebrating the incredible people who make our community strong. Through real conversations, we highlight stories of grit, determination and the human connections that bring us together. This podcast is an opportunity to learn from one another, embrace our diverse backgrounds and showcase the many ways Ogden residents serve and uplift their community,” he said.

The Ogden Way Podcast is available on iHeartRadio, Spotify, Youtube, Apple and Amazon. For more information or to sign up for the podcast, visit https://www.ogdencity.gov/3021/The-Ogden-Way-Podcast.