I’m Cory Ames, and I explore the plants, places, and people of Texas—through writing, video, and thoughtful storytelling.
My work centers around one question:
How can we live and work in a way that truly sustains us—our communities, our environment, and our sense of meaning?
Whether I’m walking through the Texas Hill Country identifying native plants, interviewing someone building a better San Antonio, or writing about the future of sustainable business, my goal is the same:
To help people understand where they live—so we can care for it more deeply.
My Work
- 📰 Publisher of 'The San Antonio Something' — a weekly newsletter helping readers connect to this city and region through history, nature, and culture.
- 📺 YouTube Creator — sharing videos on Texas native plants, sustainability, and place-based living.
- 🎙️ Co-Host & Executive Producer of bigcitysmalltown — a podcast hosted by Bob Rivard that highlights the people who make San Antonio go and grow.
- ✍️ Writer & Naturalist, helping people reconnect to the land, history, and people around them.
Ep. #88 on bigcitysmalltown with Bob Rivard
Previously, I hosted The Social Entrepreneurship & Innovation Podcast, where I conducted over 250 interviews with leaders shaping a more just and sustainable world.
The insights from those conversations form the foundation of my forthcoming book with Trinity University Press, set to be published in Spring 2026.
The book examines how businesses, social enterprises, and entrepreneurs frame their role in solving environmental and social challenges—and whether their approaches truly make change or simply reinforce the status quo. Drawing from real-world case studies, historical context, and firsthand interviews, the book investigates what’s needed to bridge the gap between intention and impact in the business of saving the planet.
How I Got Here
I started my career in marketing, running a digital agency, before stepping away to pursue my interests of writing, research, and storytelling. I spent years exploring sustainable business, local economies, and environmental conservation, interviewing thought leaders, and writing extensively on what it truly means to live and work sustainably.
Life brought me to San Antonio, Texas, where I now live with my wife and two sons. Here, I’ve become deeply invested in Texas ecology, urban sustainability, and the future of the city—how we grow, what we conserve, and how we shape a thriving future together.
I believe the way we live should leave the world better off, not worse.
That means questioning the systems we participate in, challenging our assumptions about growth and consumption, and reconnecting with what truly sustains us—our communities, our environment, and our sense of purpose.
It’s easy to get caught up in big, abstract conversations about sustainability, but real change happens at a human scale, through the choices we make daily and the way we show up in our own cities, neighborhoods, and homes.
That’s what my work is about. Understanding our world as it is—so we can create something better.
Connect with Me
- 🔗 Connect with me on LinkedIn
• 🎙️ Listen to the Podcast: bigcitysmalltown
• 📺 Watch My Videos: YouTube