Welcome to GRANITE GOODNESS!
I’m Andy DeMeo.
At Granite Goodness, we share optimistic stories of progress, innovation, and problem solving from across New England.
Why “Granite Goodness?”
We’re proudly hosted in New Hampshire (also known as the Granite State), where granite isn't just beneath our feet—it’s part of our identity. Our logo honors the Old Man of the Mountain, a naturally formed cliffside profile in northern New Hampshire that became a regional icon. The Abenaki call it “Stone Face.” Though the old man collapsed on May 3, 2003, his spirit lives on in memorials, road signs, and state pride.
Granite is everywhere in New England—shaping our mountains, buildings, and history. It’s in the foundations of old mill towns, the lighthouses along the coast, and the quarries that powered local economies for centuries. It symbolizes strength, durability, and pride across the region.
The name Granite Goodness is a tribute to that legacy—and to the kind of storytelling we believe in. Not feel-good fluff or fleeting acts of kindness, but real stories of progress, problem solving, and possibility. Stories that carry actual weight and reflect the unyielding human desire to solve problems.
This is the spirit of Granite Goodness—substantive and optimistic. Granite, and good.
Why I do this
I created Granite Goodness for three reasons:
We owe it to those who came before us—and those who will come after us—to make the world a better place. My ancestors worked incredibly hard to give me the opportunities I’ve had in life, and I feel a deep responsibility to pay that forward.
Optimism and the will to solve complex problems are infectious. We need more of both. When people see what’s possible, they’re more likely to take part in building it. A clear-eyed awareness of progress isn’t naive—it’s empowering.
The media landscape is shaped by powerful incentives that reward outrage, fear, and conflict. Over time and in aggregate, those incentives distort our perspective—too often leaving us more cynical than informed. We’ve all heard the phrase “if it bleeds, it leads,” but more often, the truth is: if it bleeds, it misleads.
This isn’t a worldview I came up with. Many journalists, researchers, and storytellers have spent years championing a more balanced, thoughtful approach to understanding the news and the world’s complex problems. Their work inspired me to bring that perspective home—to the region I love.
Here are some of my heroes explaining these concepts better than I ever could:
Angus Hervey, Fix the News
When we only tell the stories of doom, we fail to see the stories of possibility. If we want to change the story of humanity this century, we have to start changing the stories we tell ourselves.
Zachary Karabell, The Progress Network
We live in a time marked by pessimism. Battered daily by negative headlines and facing a post-COVID world whose problems seem manifold and everlasting, it’s easy to assume we are heading for disaster. It may be that the story of chaos and collapse will prove to be true. If so, the information and analysis undergirding that view are readily available. We need little help making those arguments.
But what if it’s not true? The ideas and evidence for the opposite outcome, largely unheard, exist in equal measure.
Max Roser & Hannah Ritchie, Our World in Data
An accurate understanding of how global health and poverty are improving leaves no space for cynicism. Those who are optimistic about the future can base their view on the knowledge that it is possible to change the world for the better—because they know that we did.
These thinkers focus on global progress—but my interest is more local. Granite Goodness began in New Hampshire, where I saw firsthand how much quiet, meaningful work was happening in communities across the state. As the project grew, I realized that spirit exists across all of New England. From Maine to Connecticut, there are powerful, under-told stories of people making real progress—stories that deserve to be seen, shared, and celebrated.
About Me
New England has always been home. It is an extraordinary place. I grew up in Londonderry, New Hampshire (LHS Class of 2013), and over the years I’ve lived in communities across the state: Manchester, Bedford, Durham, Newmarket, Meredith, Keene, Dover, Portsmouth, and Rollinsford.
Beyond New Hampshire, I’ve spent my life exploring the region—walking Vermont’s farms, working and living in Boston, road-tripping through western Massachusetts, visiting family in Connecticut and Rhode Island, and spending countless days along the coast and beaches of Maine.
This region has a unique approach to solving problems—practical, unflashy, and deeply rooted in its history and sense of place. It’s part of what makes New England so special, and why I believe our stories of progress are worth sharing.
Today, I live in New Hampshire’s Mt. Washington Valley on a farm with my wife, Jess, a little dog named Rooster, and a big dog named Arnold Schwarzenegger (who we call Arnie).
GRANITE GOODNESS is my love letter to New England, the people that have lived any part of their story here, the builders manifesting a better world, and anyone else orienting toward optimism and community over fear and loneliness.
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If you have any good news tips, would like to suggest a podcast guest, or just say hello, reach out at hello@granitegoodness.com or connect on social media.
Thanks for checking us out!
- Andy
