There are moments in my journey with the Goodness Exchange where I stumble upon someone who’s not just walking a parallel path—they’re practically finishing my sentences. That’s how it felt when I first connected with Andy DeMeo, founder of GraniteGoodness.com.

Andy is a 29-year-old force of nature from New Hampshire who has taken it upon himself to flip the script on the internet’s negativity, and remind everyone that extraordinary things are happening all around us—especially at the local level. He created Granite Goodness as a platform to spotlight progress, positivity, and problem-solvers in the Granite State—that’s New Hampshire, for those outside the Northeast—and as someone who’s been curating good news for over a decade, I can say this with confidence:

Andy totally gets it.

His podcast and newsletter are refreshing, not because they avoid what’s hard in the world, but because they recognize that optimism and realism can coexist. Just like ours here at the Goodness Exchange, Andy DeMeo’s work is rooted in the idea that we can—and must—take responsibility for our worldview.

A Wake-Up Call from the Digital Abyss

Andy’s journey began, like so many modern transformations, with a brush against the darker currents of the internet. He had to watch over time as a close friend spiraled into conspiracy theories and hopeless thinking—driven, not by malice or ignorance, but by the algorithms and echo chambers that prey on the vulnerable. 

That friend’s story left a mark, and for Andy, it was a tipping point. He realized that there had to be something better—some antidote to the steady drip of despair—so he set out to create it.

But when he went searching for his good news, he didn’t look to Washington or Silicon Valley; he simply looked around at the people in his town: at the farmers, the entrepreneurs, the students, and the civic leaders who were already quietly shaping a better world, every day. 

Granite Goodness was born out of that same simple, revolutionary idea that I’ve been pointing to across the entire Goodness Exchange experience: 

“Every country, state, every region, and community in the world is teeming with good people doing meaningful things—we just need to notice them, and then… support them in some way.“

The Power of ‘Nowists’

One of the concepts Andy and I both cherish is the idea of “nowism”—a concept from a TED Talk by Joi Ito, former head of the MIT Media Lab. In a world full of “someday” people, nowists are the ones who roll up their sleeves and say, “Why not today?”

That’s exactly the spirit that Andy is chronicling; He’s interviewed everyone from the president of the University of New Hampshire to a local landscaper using goats for eco-friendly lawn care. I could go on and on about the stories that made my heart soar: There’s one of a man in Hinsdale, New Hampshire, who was known for simply riding his lawnmower around town—and when he passed, he left a $3.8 million gift to his community. And the best part is knowing that this is just the tip of the iceberg; there are equally as many stories right here in Vermont—and in Illinois, San Diego, the suburbs of London, Bangladesh, and everywhere else!

All these stories remind us of something essential: Innovation doesn’t always look like flashy startups or global movements. Sometimes, it looks like neighbors helping neighbors—like someone starting a mutual bank because they realized small farmers needed a better shot at financing.

Andy’s podcast isn’t just for New Hampshirites, though—it’s anyone who suspects there’s still goodness out there and wants proof; He’s there giving it to them, week after week.

A Shared Mission: Curating Possibility

During our conversation (which stretched far beyond the hour we planned—because how could it not?) Andy and I kept returning to a shared truth: If your worldview is being shaped entirely by social media and headlines, you’re not seeing reality—you’re seeing distortion.

That perspective meshed perfectly with what I’ve been saying for quite some time: We need to care about our worldview as much as we care about our abs. If we could begin to exercise our optimism muscles with the same intention we apply to fitness, we’d all walk around with a much healthier outlook.

Andy curates his corner of the internet with great care: He refuses to click on the outrage, and he searches instead for progress in clean energy, civic innovation, mental health, education, and local business. And the result? His online world is a joy-filled, solution-rich ecosystem that feels like a breath of fresh air every time he opens it. 

You don’t have to be an internet “good news” publisher to do that. Everyone can refuse to “click” on the chaos and fear, and eventually, more of the opposite starts showing up in your feeds. Imagine what would happen if everyone did that. (Imagine if we applied the philosophy to our whole lives!)

You Can Join In the Optimism Too!

As I often say, it’s still an amazing world, and Andy DeMeo is living proof. Granite Goodness may be rooted in New Hampshire, but the blueprint is universal. His work invites us all to take a look around our own communities and ask: Who’s quietly making things better here, and how can we help them thrive?

This is more than journalism: It’s worldview architecture; a gentle rebellion against despair. You’ll walk away from this episode knowing there are still young leaders out there charting a new course—not with fear, but with curiosity, compassion, and clarity.

And maybe, just maybe, you’ll be inspired to become a now-ist yourself.

Visit GraniteGoodness.com to sign up for Andy’s newsletter and support his mission—and as always, explore more stories like Andy’s at GoodnessExchange.com. Let’s keep celebrating what’s right with the world!

• Granite Goodness
• Granite Goodness YouTube Channel
• TED Talk: Become a Now-ist – Joi Ito
• Positive News Resources:
  • The Optimism Institute
  • Fix the News
  • The Angry Optimist
  • Progress Network
  • Positive News Magazine
  • Reasons to be Cheerful
• Our World of Data

• 00:00 – Intro & Welcome
• 05:20 – Why Warmth & Genius Aren’t Mutually Exclusive
• 07:53 – All Innovation Is Local (and That’s a Good Thing)
• 10:50 – How to Train Your Internet to Be More Positive
• 18:55 – Andy’s Personal Turning Point: Panic, Fear & Finding Purpose
• 33:13 – Why the World Is Awful, Better, and Can Be Even Better
• 46:10 – Break 
• 48:29 – What Granite Goodness Actually Does
• 56:22 – The Media’s Fear Formula vs. Data-Driven Progress
• 1:14:00 – Final Thoughts: Human Potential & Spreading the Good
• 1:20:45 – Closing