Sanity

There are over 750 distilleries across all 50 states that are now producing hand sanitizer. On this episode, hear from one of them. Troy Downing is the co-owner of Wildrye Distilling in Bozeman, Montana. From working with the highway patrol to relay sanitizer across the state to fielding requests from EMTs as far as New York to loading hand sanitizer onto planes operated by volunteer pilots, the past month and a half has been a whirlwind for Troy and his team. On this episode, Troy shares how his family has pitched in to help, how he worked to cut through red tape via the CARES Act, and his favorite spirit (or two!).

In Season One, Sanity spoke with leaders who are working to bridge division in this country. For Season Two of Sanity’s podcast, SanityPod, we’re hearing from the Helpers doing their part to get us through. In the spirit of Mr. Rogers, we’re celebrating these men and women as we navigate a crisis that impacts every single one of us. We hope you’ll find some comfort in these messages of hope, determination, and good will.

Kyle Emile talks to strangers. A lot. In cities across the country, and now around the world. His group, Free Intelligent Conversations (FreeIC for short) is on a mission to bridge divides one conversation at a time. The approach is simple: hold a sign bearing “Free Intelligent Conversation” in a high foot traffic area. What happens next is unscripted and magical and gets people talking in ways we could all benefit from in 2019. Because talking to strangers not only offers a mood boost, but can change our world views. They’re not alone in their thinking. NPR published an article this summer entitled, “Want To Feel Happier Today? Try Talking To A Stranger.” Malcom Gladwell’s latest book is titled, “Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know about the People We Don't Know.”

Often the only person of color in her childhood classrooms, stand-up comedian Karith Foster spends a lot of her time speaking at universities such as Stanford and Oberlin about taboo subjects in a constructive way. She hates labels and the boxes they can put us in, which is why her take on diversity training actually focusses on “INversity” – meaning inclusion and introspection – mixed with a healthy dose of humor. In this episode, Karith talks about what it was like to transform a hostile audience in a jam-packed hall at Oberlin into one welcoming of different perspectives. We also discuss her work as an on-air radio personality on the controversial Don Imus In the Morning show following his comments about the women’s basketball team at Rutgers University and her appearance in the documentary “Can We Take a Joke?,” which garnered support from strange bedfellows such as the American Civil Liberties Union and the Charles Koch Institute. Karith believes firmly that people from across the political spectrum have good ideas, and the fact that “just because you are not on that side does not mean you shouldn’t think it’s a good idea too” is “insanity.” Unsurprisingly, in Karith’s words, she often feels “like a political alien.” We hope she felt right at home here at Sanity!

In our latest episode, Steven Pinker, a Harvard University cognitive psychologist, linguist, and author, sheds light on the quest for human progress, the Enlightenment period, and the importance of maintaining – and burnishing – our democracy.  Pinker is the author of “Enlightenment Now,” a book that dedicates its pages to the great many advances we’ve made as a society and the reasons world is actually getting better, not worse. Bill Gates calls it his “new favorite book of all time.” It’s not all roses, but Pinker’s belief system — one based on data and fact — is grounding when applied through the lens of examining today’s political polarization. His optimism for the future is both encouraging and informative. Expand your mind and have a listen.

Human rights activist Faisal Saeed Al Mutar is a survivor of the Iraq Civil War, of being placed on an al-Qaeda death list by a high school classmate, and of the murder of his brother. Faisal escaped Iraq and eventually made his way to the United States in 2013. A firm believer that education and a free flow of ideas across the world can combat extremism, he founded Ideas Beyond Borders in 2017 in an effort to prevent extremism before it takes root. In this episode we talk about Faisal’s personal journey, the work Ideas Beyond Borders is doing to combat extremism, his thoughts on polarization in the United States and around the world, and his favorite American holiday. Hint: it’s right around the corner!

"It's really hard to vilify the other when you know them on a personal level." Uriel Epshtein is the executive director of the Renew Democracy Initiative (RDI), an organization that seeks to revitalize the political center by educating the American public about liberal democracy. Raised by Soviet Union refugees who lived in Israel before immigrating to the United States, Uriel’s family instilled in him a lifelong passion for reconciling people's (mis)perceptions of “the other." In this episode, we speak with Uriel about RDI and it’s spirited efforts to increase civic awareness and education and about the Peace and Dialogue Leadership initiative at Yale, an effort Uriel founded as a student to help bridge the civil-military divide. Connecting West Point cadets with college students at Yale, PDLI’s programming includes an annual eye-opening trip to both Israel and the Palestinian territories.

For four years, Washington's Secretary of State Kim Wyman was the only Republican to hold statewide office across the entire West Coast. You could say she knows a thing or two about working across the aisle. In this episode, Secretary Wyman shares insight on election security (and what it was like keeping Russian hackers out of WA in 2016), mail-in and paper ballots, her bipartisan reddit thread with Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon, and the uniqueness of overseeing institutional libraries in in WA prisons and state hospitals.

Did you ever choose to stay quiet in a college classroom in fear of rustling feathers? If so, the Heterodox Academy wants you to know you’re not alone. Founded in 2015, Heterodox is a network of over 2,500 academics across the country that are committed to having a diversity of viewpoints in the classroom. We spoke with their executive director, Deb Mashek, about their important work and about two elements that are critical to learning: discomfort and challenge.

Morris P. Fiorina is an optimistic political scientist like few others. He grew up in rural Pennsylvania and worked in steel mills to put himself through college. A professor at Stanford University and a Senior Fellow of the Hoover Institution, Fiorina has spent much of his life studying the American electorate. In this episode, Fiorina busts political myths, explains the difference between sorting and polarization and offers a reassuring perspective on today's political climate.

Since the fall, the McCain Institute has used its #MavericksNeeded campaign to stand up against injustice and defend the dignity of all people. Following President Trump’s latest round of tweets about Senator McCain, the institute released a fact sheet about the Senator’s legacy to set the record straight. In this episode, we sit down with Ambassador Kurt Volker, Executive Director of the McCain Institute and former US Ambassador to NATO, to discuss Senator McCain’s legacy as well as the work the Institute is doing to get more citizens engaged and In the Arena.

In journalist Jenna Lee’s words, it’s all too easy to feel disgusted reading and watching the news these days. That’s why the former Fox News co-anchor is on a mission to produce a refreshing, customer service-centered alternative: SmatHER News. The non-partisan platform is working to be a source consumers can not only trust, but also enjoy. After seven years at Fox and a decade in New York City, Jenna moved to Texas with her family and launched SmartHER News. Every morning, Jenna reports the news via Instagram live for thousands of engaged followers. But unlike her days at Fox, Jenna’s new “set” often features her two toddlers, breakfast cooking on the stove, and a coffee mug in hand. It’s an honest take on reporting and real life – and one look at her followers’ real-time comments tells you her authentic style is resonating. Jenna joined Sanity to talk about the importance of customer service in news (something she learned while working as a waitress), the humility of starting something new, the excitement of presenting at SXSW, and her vision for creating less toxic, more facts first news.

The bright and bubbly Katie Fahey of Grand Rapids, Michigan wanted to do something that captured the energy of the 2016 election that people from across the aisle could actually unite over. Sound impossible? Not to Katie. What started as a Facebook post about taking on gerrymandering in her home state led to hundreds of thousands of Michiganders joining her in the fight. People like three sisters -- an Independent, a Democrat, and a Republican -- that reconnected over the cause.

Alan Khazei builds movements. First, it was expanding service through City Year, which later became the brainchild for AmeriCorps (which has facilitated 1.2 billion hours of public service!). Then it was expanding social entrepreneurship through Be the Change. Today Alan is spearheading the group Democracy Entrepreneurs, which just hosted its first Democracy Entrepreneurship Summit at the Harvard Kennedy School. Inspired in part by seeing his own family divided by the 2016 election, he’s working “to get underneath what is going on in our democracy” and to support organizations in this space.

Lauren Leader is the co-founder and CEO of All In Together, a non-partisan organization on a mission to help women regardless of party affiliation fully engage in the political process. With partners like Gretchen Carlson and founding sponsors like Deloitte, Boeing and EY, All In Together helps women on both sides of the aisle maximize their impact.

Through lived experiences and bipartisan friendships, over the years Ericka Andersen transformed from being a very partisan person to someone who sees that few issues are black and white. She is the rare, refreshing thought leader who makes a concerted effort to read about different perspectives, and has even shifted her thinking on issues like criminal justice reform as a result. Ericka is passionate about tackling the stigma of addiction and her first book, "Leaving Cloud 9," is about her husband’s journey overcoming a childhood of poverty, trauma, and mental illness.

In the 1980s, Jonathan Perman worked on Capitol Hill for a Republican from Illinois...he was a Democrat...and that was ok. After growing increasingly frustrated by partisan gridlock in Washington, in 2016 Perman teamed up with the Bipartisan Policy Center to create the American Congressional Exchange, a program that matches sets of Republican and Democrat Members of Congress and facilities visits to each other's districts. Combining his passions for politics and travel, the hope is to help build trust in Congress. It's already working -- bipartisan legislation has resulted from ACE's work that has been signed into law.

Ryan Bernsten, an American playwright and Oxford grad student, is in the middle of a cross-country journey covering all 50 states. Over the past few months he's attended a Trump rally the night before Election Day, chatted with mayors of big cities and teeny-tiny towns, stayed with 21 different families, and enjoyed crab cakes, ice cream, and other American delights. Our conversation focusses on Ryan's unexpected takeaways, social media vs. the real world, and the kindness of strangers from across the aisle that he's experienced along the way.

In the fall of 2016, former journalist Erin Ruberry set out to create a newsletter that highlights acts of kindness from Americans across the country. Her own optimism is infectious. Erin built an online space focussed on the Good joins Sanity to talk about her mission to make the internet a happier place (and to talk about the one and only Dolly Parton!).

As the co-founder of moveon.org, momsrising.org, and Living Room Conversations, Joan Blades is a progressive activist whose main mission these days is to bridge strengthening political. She made headlines when she hosted a Living Room Conversation with Mark Meckler, a co-founder of the Tea Party movement. In this episode, Joan talks about what she’s learned about finding common ground in a tense climate, about benefits of outdoor walking meetings, and about her bipartisan TED Talk, “Free yourself from your filter bubbles,” which received 1.2 million views.

On June 25th, 2018 in Old Saybrook, CT, Red Hen restaurant owner Shelley Deproto started her morning with a stream of online threats targeting her restaurant. The night before, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders had been asked to leave an entirely different, unaffiliated Red Hen restaurant in Virginia. Overnight, Shelley became the focus of national media attention. Her Yelp review dropped from a 4.5 to a 2. But she refused to get political, and instead shared her positive message about kindness and pursuing one's passion even amidst a divisive time.

If you think Thanksgiving meals are getting tenser across the country, look to Dr. Keith Chen’s research for concrete proof. After experiencing increasingly partisan conversations both at work and at family gatherings, Chen was inspired to quantify and measure partisan divisions in part to start a conversation about what we can do to rectify them. By analyzing over 21 billion pings of smartphone data, Chen and his co-author, Ryne Rohla, found that in 2016, families that celebrated Thanksgiving across partisan lines cut their meals 30 to 50 minutes shorter than those who stuck with company with similar political beliefs. Chen is an Associate Professor of Economics the UCLA Anderson School of Management.

Following the 2016 election, Sherri and Larry Athay set out to spread some peace, love and happiness in their small Connecticut town by way of a rubber duck shop. Their number one seller? The Trump Duck.

Following the 2016 election, Philippa Hughes realized she didn’t know a single Trump voter and set out to change that by hosting small bipartisan dinner parties – “Blueberries and Cherries” – at her home. This in part led to the creation of “A Good American,” an art show sponsored by American University School of Public Policy and The Pink Line Project that examines the immigrant experience and celebrates what it means to be an American. For Sanity’s first live episode, we traveled to Washington D.C. to help kick off a 50-person bipartisan dinner party celebrating the art exhibit at the Heurich House Musuem with Philippa, the show’s brainchild.

A Republican advocate for immigration reform, cannabis policy, and combatting climate change, South Florida Congressman Carlos Curbelo is squarely one of the most moderate voices in the House of Representatives. In 2016, he likened Donald Trump to Hugo Chavez and proceeded to win his district by 12 points (Hilary Clinton carried the same district by 16 points). In six days, Curbelo faces his toughest reelection yet. From the discussing the importance of bipartisan friendships to taking political risks to celebrating the legacy of his mentor, Senator John McCain, Curbelo joins Sanity in advance of Election Day.

In 2016, Annafi Wahed quit her job in finance, moved to New Hampshire, and knocked on doors for Hillary Clinton. She'd never been involved in a campaign in her life, and the experience opened her eyes to the many divides facing the country. It inspired her to create The Flip Side, a refreshing newsletter committed to bursting media bubbles one 5-minute read at a time.

Welcome to Sanity. We''re on a quest to help you stay sane – positive, even! – in spite of today’s divisive political climate. Meet your host, Audrey Scagnelli, who spent the bulk of her career working in Republican politics before purposefully stepping back in the fall of 2016. Did you know one in three Americans lost a friend or stopped talking to a family member as a direct result of the 2016 election? Sanity is spotlighting a growing force of moderates, liberals, conservatives, and apoliticals launching initiatives to bring people back together instead of tear us apart.