The Make Water Work Podcast - Episode 39 Featuring Chelsea Boozer and Greg Wukasch

Episode 39: Catalyst Collab: Chelsea Boozer & Greg Wukasch

Most water conferences are built to inform. Catalyst was built to make you feel something.

In this first episode of the Catalyst Collab, a new mini-series exploring what makes water communication work, host Isaac Pellerin sits down with Chelsea Boozer (Executive Director, Rogue Water Lab) and Greg Wukasch (External Affairs Manager, San Antonio Water System) to unpack the experience design behind Catalyst, the immersive event reshaping how the water sector approaches public trust.

In this episode, we cover:

- What Catalyst actually is, and why "content and context" matters as much as the material itself.

- The four pillars of public trust: transparency, relationships, showing up, and earning advocates

- Why strategic communication deserves to be treated as an asset, just like a pump or lift station

- The "soul moment" of Catalyst, and why vulnerability is part of the curriculum

- What to expect at Catalyst San Diego, August 31–September 3, 2026

- Why sponsors and attendees alike walk away calling it a movement, not a conference

If you work in water communications, government affairs, or utility leadership, this conversation will change how you think about your next event, and maybe your next community meeting too.