We were lucky to catch up with Rachel Whinnery recently and have shared our conversation below.

Rachel, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

One of the most meaningful projects I’ve worked on via Everyday Akron was a series in 2024 that featured four local businesses through videos, blog posts, and social media content. This wasn’t just about showcasing cute shops or sharing photos of lattes. I wanted to go deeper in order to highlight the people behind these businesses and what it truly means to support them. The goal was to peel back the curtain and show the creativity, grit, and heart that fuels each business. It was a chance to give these entrepreneurs a voice and platform that celebrated their stories, not just their products.

The idea came from the frustration of seeing how often small businesses are lumped into quick influencer-style content … it’s pretty, but surface-level. I knew there was a richer story to tell. We asked each business owner what impact community support had on their lives, and their answers were powerful.

This project is meaningful to me because it blended everything I care about: storytelling, community, creativity, and impact. I’ve always believed that when you support a small business, you’re not just buying a product, but you’re also investing in a dream, a neighborhood, and the future. Your everyday choices matter. Even the smallest show of support can create a ripple effect.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Contrary to popular belief, I am not a life-long Akronite. I grew up about an hour away, but when I went to The University of Akron, I never left. As a shy, anxious introvert, I wanted to be involved in the community but in a very intentional way. At the same time, I was seeing a few social media accounts across the country pop up that allowed local folks to host on the platform and share their own perspective. As someone who was obsessed with the power of connecting people through social media (it’s a wonderful tool for introverts!), I wanted someone in Akron to create something similar.

After a nudge from some friends, I started Everyday Akron in 2016. It’s a community-powered platform that highlights the people, places, and things that make Akron, Ohio, such a special place to live, work, play, and explore. Our city has its issues – show me a place that doesn’t – but it’s still worth celebrating and striving to make it a place many call home.

At its heart, Everyday Akron invites a different local resident to take over our social media each week to share their unique perspective of life in and around Akron. Whether they’re an artist, small business owner, community leader, student, or someone who just really loves their neighborhood, the idea is to show how diverse and vibrant our city really is.

For seven years, I ran everything behind the scenes, until a handful of folks joined to help me further my mission to create a stronger Akron community that spreads positivity and ignites productive conversations online and in person. We want to inspire people to better consciously support their neighbors, local businesses, community organizations, and more.

Over the past nine years, Everyday Akron has grown into a mix of curated content, storytelling, and community engagement, all rooted in amplifying local voices. In the beginning, takeovers were hosted on Twitter. They’re now on Instagram. The website now hosts an array of blog posts, local guides, and other unique content. Plus, we have other social media accounts and a bimonthly newsletter to share the content the hosts and the Everyday Akron team create.

What sets Everyday Akron apart is the true authenticity. This is highlighted each and every week when a new host shares their side of the city. For the blog and video content, I encourage the team and myself to come up with an idea we’re excited about and take it a few layers deeper. I don’t want to do what everyone else is doing; and I don’t want to be different for the sake of being different. The intention behind what we’re doing is key. It has to be beneficial to us *and* our audience.

I’m proud and honored that Everyday Akron has become a trusted platform for local connections where people discover new spots, support small businesses, and feel a little more rooted in where they live. If you’re someone who wants to explore Akron with fresh eyes or feel more plugged in to what’s happening here, Everyday Akron is for you. Whether you’re a lifelong resident or totally new to town, there’s always something or someone amazing to discover. And we’re happy to help make those connections.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My mission for Everyday Akron is to create a stronger Akron community that spreads positivity and ignites productive conversations online and in person.

People get jaded and stuck in their routine, often glossing over the good things that are happening every day in our city. I want to highlight those things. However, I don’t know everything. Which is why I let everyday people share their views on Akron from their own perspective. And it’s why the EA team and I continue to curate personal stories, develop helpful guides, highlight local businesses and nonprofits, and more on the blog.

At the same time, I don’t shy away from the fact that Akron has its challenges. But instead of venting into the void, we aim to open up conversations that lead to action—inviting others to share resources, offer different perspectives, and collaborate toward solutions. Social media makes it easy to rant and move on. I’d rather use it as a tool to build community, promote understanding, and create change.

Each and every one of us has the power to better support our neighbors, local businesses and community organizations. It feels really overwhelming when we’re told to stop shopping at big box stores and instead Shop Local. Like … do we have to get every single thing from a local store? It’s easy to buy a new painting from a local artist, but where the heck do we get a roll of paper towels?! By consciously thinking about the things we buy, where we go for entertainment and play, who we’re donating money and time to, we can slowly make shifts that will benefit our local community.

I feel like I’ve been on social media since day one. A LOT has changed over time. And it will continue to. But it will still be “social” media. And those of us who participate in it need to be social. We should have conversations with our digital neighbors, uplift our favorite small businesses, highlight the incredible work nonprofits are doing, post a beautiful image of a local park, share a video of a public mural in progress, shout out a helpful person … the list goes on and on and on. We can use these platforms for good. And we all should.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

One of the most impactful resources that has shaped the way I think about leadership, community building, and entrepreneurship is the book “Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking” by Susan Cain. I read it back in college, at a time when I felt like I had to change everything about myself to succeed. I felt I had to be louder, more outgoing, more “on.”

That book changed everything.

It helped me understand that being an introvert wasn’t a limitation. Instead, it was a different, and often deeply effective, way of moving through the world. It gave me permission to lead in a way that felt natural to me, not the way I thought I had to.

That message is something I carried into my TEDxAkron talk, where I explored why introverts make some of the best community leaders. I shared how introverts tend to be excellent listeners, deep thinkers, and inclusive by default — qualities that are essential for building genuine connections and lasting impact.

“Quiet” helped me reframe what leadership and entrepreneurship could look like. It encouraged me to lean into my strengths: thoughtful communication, meaningful one-on-one interactions, and creating space for others to shine. It made me realize that being a leader isn’t about being the loudest in the room … It’s about making room for others, too. That shift in perspective has influenced everything from how I manage projects to how I show up in my community work today.

You can watch my TEDxAkron talk here: https://youtu.be/pZR-NT6ctG4?si=ptoDixhuEDY8gQhT

Contact Info:

• Website: https://everydayakron.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everydayakron
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EverydayAkron/
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@everydayakron
• Other: TikTok — https://www.tiktok.com/@everydayakron
  Bluesky — https://bsky.app/profile/everydayakron.bsky.social
  Substack — https://everydayakron.substack.com/