Podcasts about braver angels

Here's something many Democrats and Republicans agree on: The way we debate and discuss politics is messed up. We talk past each other instead of getting things done. Huge amounts of time and money are wasted on bickering and bravado. Neither political party has built a lasting coalition to deal with the most urgent problems of the day. In this podcast we look something local and practical: New Hampshire's experiment in bi-partisan cooperation. Dozens of state legislators are part of the nation's first Braver Angels-inspired cross partisan caucus where elected officials put aside political combat and learn skills of cooperation. Our guests are Democrat Patricia Higgins and Republican Doug Teschner. Patricia served in the New Hampshire House of Representatives from 2012 to 2018. Doug is also a former state legislator, and co-author of the recent book, “Beyond the Politics of Contempt: Practical Steps to Build Positive Relationships in Divided Times.”Both work with New Hampshire politicians at workshops and other events where caucus members learn how to disagree better and listen closely to the views of the other side.“It's not easy and it has its ups and downs, but we're excited we found people who are committed to the idea that we need to get along and have relationships,” Doug told us. “It's not that we can't disagree. We should disagree, but do it respectfully.”Political polarization is part of everyday life in America. Families are divided, friendships have been torn apart, public meetings can descend into shouting matches, and the work of elected officials can be stalled or disrupted when the political becomes the personal. “We know that fundamentally Americans need to learn how to talk with one another,” says Patricia Higgins. “This has to part of all the work that we do.”In this podcast we also discuss courageous citizenship, what Doug and Patricia learned as civic renewal activists, and the many challenges facing the national movement to bridge bitter partisan divides. How Do We Fix It? is a member of the Democracy Group network of podcasts and media publications. Our latest podcasts cover the people, projects and ideas of Braver Angels.Journalist Richard Davies is the host of “How Do We Fix It?” During four decades as an ABC News Radio Correspondent, Richard covered breaking news in 35 states and filed reports from more than ten nations in Europe, The Middle East and Latin America. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Here's the bad news about civic renewal: It will not come easily or quickly. Toxic divides won't be dramatically reduced because of one person or a dramatic election result. Renewal of America's civic culture will require enormous effort in every state of the nation.Now the good news. Everyone can make a difference. Participation in renewal requires neither money nor fame. It begins with all of us. Locally and often through one-on-one conversations. These personal encounters can change hearts and minds.Our guests are Braver Angels volunteers Maryanne Colter and Chauncey Williams. Both of them embrace civic renewal in their communities.“So much of our politics today is ‘I just want to win', but we're not getting anything done because we can't talk to one another,” says Maryanne, who serves as state coordinator for Braver Angels in Illinois.At workshops and other events, she works to physically bring opposite sides together in the same room. “This is where the magic happens, when we can sit across the table and treat people as human beings.”Chauncey Williams was honored recently at the Braver Angels Convention in Philadelphia for what he's doing in Colorado. His unique project is called “Chats in the Park”. Chauncey visits parks in the Denver area, where he sets up a poster that says “what's on your mind” along with two chairs next to him: One for Chauncey and the other for anyone who'd like to have a one-on-one conversation.Chauncey's chats often change minds, including his own. “It's been an interesting journey for me,” he says. “I've often been fascinated and humbled by realizing my own limitations in knowledge, and having that revealed.”“It's been both an uncomfortable and also fun part of these conversations.”Both of these interviews were featured in earlier episodes of “How Do We Fix It?” Here are to our longer podcasts with Chauncey and Maryanne.Learn more about Braver Angels workshops and other activities.“How Do We Fix It?” is hosted by Richard Davies, and produced by Miranda Shafer. We get frequent help from Maury Giles, Gabby Kearns, and Wilk Wilkinson. Please review and subscribe to our frequent episodes where you listen to podcasts. Thank you. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The 20 percent who love the fight own the microphone. This is a conversation about how the other 80 take it back. Manu Meel runs BridgeUSA, a student-led movement for constructive dialogue now on college campuses across the country. Liz Joyner founded The Village Square and has spent two decades rebuilding civic trust hometown by hometown. Together they make the case that the sharpest divide in America is no longer left against right, but open against closed, and that the most countercultural act available to any of us is a real conversation with someone we can't stand. Calls to Action ✅ Leave a rating and review: lovethepodcast.com/politicsandreligion ✅ Subscribe on Substack: coreysnathan.substack.com ✅ Watch and subscribe on YouTube: youtube.com/@politicsandreligion ✅ Share this episode with someone who reads the news and someone who's given up on it Key Takeaways The new divide isn't left versus right. Meel argues the real split is temperament: builders versus breakers, open versus closed. Politics maps onto it poorly, which is why so many people feel homeless in the current fight. The exhausted majority is the whole game. Twenty percent love the conflict and control the mic; everyone else is worn out by it. Whether that 80 percent checks out or takes the mic back is the question that decides things. The rebellion is the conversation. Meel describes Bridge chapters filling with first-time students the night of Charlie Kirk's assassination, and the organization adding tens of thousands of followers with no ad spend. Outrage is the establishment now; curiosity is the counterculture. About Our Guests Manu Meel is the co-founder and CEO of BridgeUSA, a student-led movement that brings young people across the political spectrum into the same room for honest conversation. A 2020 UC Berkeley graduate and Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, he serves on the boards of Braver Angels, Convergence, and American Promise, and hosts the podcast The Hopeful Majority. Liz Joyner is the founder and president of The Village Square, a nonprofit that rebuilds civic trust between neighbors who don't look or think alike. Based in Tallahassee, she has led the organization for close to two decades and helped pioneer the community-level model much of the bridging field now draws on. Links and Resources BridgeUSA: bridgeusa.org The Village Square: villagesquare.us The Hopeful Majority, Manu's podcast: www.thehopefulmajority.com Connect with us Substack: coreysnathan.substack.com YouTube: youtube.com/@politicsandreligion Instagram, Threads, Bluesky, X, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn: @coreysnathan Partners Proud to be part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts examining what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. More conversation, less accusation. Now go talk some politics and religion with gentleness and respect.

The 20 percent who love the fight own the microphone. This is a conversation about how the other 80 take it back. Manu Meel runs BridgeUSA, a student-led movement for constructive dialogue now on college campuses across the country. Liz Joyner founded The Village Square and has spent two decades rebuilding civic trust hometown by hometown. Together they make the case that the sharpest divide in America is no longer left against right, but open against closed, and that the most countercultural act available to any of us is a real conversation with someone we can't stand. Calls to Action ✅ Leave a rating and review: lovethepodcast.com/politicsandreligion ✅ Subscribe on Substack: coreysnathan.substack.com ✅ Watch and subscribe on YouTube: youtube.com/@politicsandreligion ✅ Share this episode with someone who reads the news and someone who's given up on it Key Takeaways The new divide isn't left versus right. Meel argues the real split is temperament: builders versus breakers, open versus closed. Politics maps onto it poorly, which is why so many people feel homeless in the current fight. The exhausted majority is the whole game. Twenty percent love the conflict and control the mic; everyone else is worn out by it. Whether that 80 percent checks out or takes the mic back is the question that decides things. The rebellion is the conversation. Meel describes Bridge chapters filling with first-time students the night of Charlie Kirk's assassination, and the organization adding tens of thousands of followers with no ad spend. Outrage is the establishment now; curiosity is the counterculture. About Our Guests Manu Meel is the co-founder and CEO of BridgeUSA, a student-led movement that brings young people across the political spectrum into the same room for honest conversation. A 2020 UC Berkeley graduate and Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, he serves on the boards of Braver Angels, Convergence, and American Promise, and hosts the podcast The Hopeful Majority. Liz Joyner is the founder and president of The Village Square, a nonprofit that rebuilds civic trust between neighbors who don't look or think alike. Based in Tallahassee, she has led the organization for close to two decades and helped pioneer the community-level model much of the bridging field now draws on. Links and Resources BridgeUSA: bridgeusa.org The Village Square: villagesquare.us The Hopeful Majority, Manu's podcast: www.thehopefulmajority.com Connect with us Substack: coreysnathan.substack.com YouTube: youtube.com/@politicsandreligion Instagram, Threads, Bluesky, X, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn: @coreysnathan Partners Proud to be part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts examining what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. More conversation, less accusation. Now go talk some politics and religion with gentleness and respect.

Send Wilk a text with your feedback! (incoming msgs only - I can't reply) Kelsey Blahnik has spent her career as a social worker sitting across from people who don't see eye to eye—politically, personally, every which way—and she's found that peace was never about avoiding the hard conversation. It's about learning how to have it.In this episode, Kelsey and Wilk dig into her book, The And Way: Assertive Peacemaking in a Divided World, and the real difference between being assertive and being aggressive. Kelsey uses an Instant Pot analogy that sticks: if you never let the steam out, you're eventually going to explode. Her work is about finding a better way to vent.They also get into what Kelsey calls competing impulses—the idea that you're not just "a people pleaser" or "the difficult one," you're a whole human being capable of both, depending on the moment. That shift in self-perception, she says, is what makes it possible to extend the same grace to people you disagree with.If you've ever avoided a conversation because you weren't sure how to have it without it blowing up, this one's for you. Learn more about and connect with Kelsey Blahnik in the full show notes for this episode at www.DerateTheHate.com. The world is a better place if we are better people. Be grateful for all you've got. Make every day the day that you want it to be!Please follow the DTH podcast on:Facebook, Instagram, Twitter(X) ,  YouTube,  Substack Subscribe to us wherever you enjoy your audio or from our site. Please leave us a rating and feedback on Apple podcasts or other platforms. You can share your thoughts or request Wilk for a speaking engagement on our contact page: DerateTheHate.com/ContactThe Derate The Hate podcast is proudly produced in collaboration with Braver Angels — America's largest grassroots, cross-partisan organization working toward civic renewal and bridging partisan divides. Learn more: BraverAngels.orgWelcome to the Derate The Hate Podcast!*The views expressed by Wilk, his guest hosts &/or guests on the Derate The Hate podcast are their own and should not be attributed to any organization they may otherwise be affiliated with.

“Braver Angels events always leave me hopeful and energized,” says Yuval Levin of the recent Convention in Philadelphia. “A lot of people from different parts of our politics, from different parts of our country, from different parts of our economy come together and express a a kind of conviction that ultimately our country matters more than our parties, and our country matters more than ideological convictions.”In this wide-ranging conversation with one of America's most admired public intellectuals, we discuss the resilience of the American constitutional system, the impact of attention politics, and the need for constructive disagreement and courageous citizenship at a time of toxic divides.“The American political tradition speaks in the first person plural in a really beautiful way and speaks in the voice of a people taking a kind of common ownership of their future together,” he says.Yuval Levin is a conservative political thinker and theorist, but unlike most writers and journalists of the right or left, he is a gentle advocate who does not argue for a strictly partisan agenda. His most recent book is "American Covenant: How the Constitution Unified Our Nation— And Could Again".Levin is The Editor-in-Chief of National Affairs and the director of Social, Cultural and Constitutional Studies at the American Enterprise Institute, a leading think tank in Washington D.C. Levin's has written many articles for The National Review, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, and other widely-read publications.He says that he is worried that America's constitutional system is “under some assault by a president who wants too much power, and by a Congress that wants too little power and therefore is willing to allow the system to be deformed.”However, Levin remains hopeful. In retrospect, “I think our time will seem more stable and less divided than it seems to us,” he tells “How Do We Fix It?” “Our division is real. We need to make sure we don't allow it to tear us apart. The fact that it has always been like this isn't a reason not to worry. It's a reason to take it seriously.”Recommendation: Yuval Levin recommends “The American Revolution”, a recent 12-part PBS documentary by Ken Burns. “It doesn't take partisan sides, and tells the story of the revolution in a very, very engaging way.”Here's a link to one of Yuval Levin's appearences at the 2026 Braver Angels Convention. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Send Wilk a text with your feedback! (incoming msgs only - I can't reply) Erez Levin spent nearly a decade inside Google's ad tech world before becoming one of the loudest internal voices warning that the industry was built to reward quantity over quality — and that those same broken incentives are what fuel outrage, fear, and grievance across the wider internet.Now Erez writes at Holding the Line, where he makes the case for what he calls principled ostracism: real social consequences for people who cross clear moral lines, paired with a genuine path back for anyone willing to own it. He draws a hard line between that and cancel culture, which he says punishes disagreement instead of actual hatred.Wilk and Erez dig into how norms actually change, why celebrating political violence deserves real cost, and how a single memo from a Wall Street investor got a group of Harvard students to retract a petition within three days. It's a conversation about where accountability ends and cruelty begins — and why courageous citizenship means holding a line without writing people off for good. We've forgotten what it feels like to have a real conversation.The week of August 10th, join AllSides for a live conversation about the American Dream — how we're thinking about it and navigating the challenges.Your insights will be anonymized and included in a report to help leaders better understand how people see this issue.Sign up today at allsides.com/derate-hate The world is a better place if we are better people. Be grateful for all you've got. Make every day the day that you want it to be!Please follow the DTH podcast on:Facebook, Instagram, Twitter(X) ,  YouTube,  Substack Subscribe to us wherever you enjoy your audio or from our site. Please leave us a rating and feedback on Apple podcasts or other platforms. You can share your thoughts or request Wilk for a speaking engagement on our contact page: DerateTheHate.com/ContactThe Derate The Hate podcast is proudly produced in collaboration with Braver Angels — America's largest grassroots, cross-partisan organization working toward civic renewal and bridging partisan divides. Learn more: BraverAngels.orgWelcome to the Derate The Hate Podcast!*The views expressed by Wilk, his guest hosts &/or guests on the Derate The Hate podcast are their own and should not be attributed to any organization they may otherwise be affiliated with.

Immigration law reform and enforcement is a very heated and emotional issue. In recent years, no public policy has been discussed with more outrage, demonization, and disgust. Both sides of the immigration debate demand total victory. But their all-or-nothing approach has resulted in nothing. No major immigration reform legislation has been signed into law in three decades.Perhaps it's time for less emotion and more respect for different points of view. The Braver Angels Citizens Commission on Immigration is working to show Congress and the nation that Americans with differing views on immigration can find common ground. The Commission includes includes citizens from all sides of the issue.Our expert guests in this episode come from opposing sides of the debate. They work closely together and are now friends. Jim Robb and Diego Sanchez are on the leadership team of the Commission, and served as co-chairs at the recent Braver Angels National Convention in Philadelphia.Diego was nine years old when he arrived in this country from Argentina. Before becoming a US citizen, he was an undocumented college student and DACA recipient. Today he's a policy and strategy leader at the Presidents' Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, helping college and university leaders navigate immigration policy.“Citizenship for me is not just a legal status. It's a responsibility, and that's what I bring to this work: A responsibility to help the country's future.”Jim supports more limits to immigration than Diego. As Vice President of Alliances at NumbersUSA, the nation's largest-member immigration organization he advocates for a modernized system that aims to better serve America's workers and long-term national interests.“It's very hard to pass legislation, especially landmark legislation that affects policies on into the future, but that's what we're trying to do,” says Jim of his work on the Braver Angels Commission. “To get there you have to get to the missing word in American politics, which is actually not compromise. It's agreement and persuasion. The democracy we're all so proud of is built on checks and balances."For Diego, his work together with Jim and others includes a vital space for disagreement. “Disagree better means honest disagreement without contempt. It's refusing to surrender the humanity of the person across from you.”In this episode we mentioned the Braver Angels weekly newsletter about current and upcoming workshops, debates and much more. If you want to receive it, send an email to newsletter@braverangels.org and ask to subscribe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

First, we explore Saint Joseph's University's inaugural Future Health Leaders Camp in Lancaster, where high school students from the School District of Lancaster gained hands-on exposure to careers in healthcare and public health through engaging, real-world learning experiences.We also sit down with a longtime public servant and community leader—a retired CEO of the Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC, former Pennsylvania Deputy Secretary of Community & Economic Development, and former Clarion County Commissioner—who now volunteers with Braver Angels. He shares why fostering respectful dialogue, finding common ground across political divides, and embracing compromise are essential to strengthening our democracy and solving today's toughest public policy challenges.

We sit down with a longtime public servant and community leader—a retired CEO of the Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC, former Pennsylvania Deputy Secretary of Community & Economic Development, and former Clarion County Commissioner—who now volunteers with Braver Angels. He shares why fostering respectful dialogue, finding common ground across political divides, and embracing compromise are essential to strengthening our democracy and solving today's toughest public policy challenges.What if the story of the U.S. Constitution wasn't just about the Founding Fathers? On The Spark, we spoke with Mechanicsburg playwright Cindy Dlugolecki and composer Christine Purcell about Quill-adelphia, an original musical that shines a light on the lesser-known people behind one of America's most important documents. The production centers on Jacob Shallus, the Pennsylvania Assembly assistant clerk who hand-penned the final copy of the U.S. Constitution in 1787, while also exploring the experiences of everyday citizens, the contributions of women, and early abolition efforts during the Constitutional Convention.

On today's podcast Republican John Woods JR faces progressive Dominique DiPrima to debate some of the party's popular talking points and look at the state of the GOP for a Black Republican like Mr. WOoods. JOhen Wood Jr. is a national leader of the Braver Angels organization, a writer and host of "The Reconstruction Project" Sunday mornings on KBLA-1580. https://www.instagram.com/johnrwoodjr/ https://braverangels.org/author/johnbetter-angels-org/ https://www.instagram.com/diprimaradio/

On today's podcast Republican John Woods JR faces progressive Dominique DiPrima to debate some of the party's popular talking points and look at the state of the GOP for a Black Republican like Mr. WOoods. JOhen Wood Jr. is a national leader of the Braver Angels organization, a writer and host of "The Reconstruction Project" Sunday mornings on KBLA-1580.https://www.instagram.com/johnrwoodjr/ https://braverangels.org/author/johnbetter-angels-org/ https://www.instagram.com/diprimaradio/

Something remarkable happened in Philadelphia, days before America celebrated its 250th birthday and streets away from where the Declaration of Independence was signed. Nearly 900 Braver Angels delegates at their Convention signed a pledge to be courageous citizens.Being a courageous citizen stands in proud contrast to easy citizenship. In America's current culture of contempt, it's courageous to build, not destroy. In this episode we hear from delegates, convention organizers and conference speakers, including two Members of Congress: Democrat Tom Suozzi and Republican Brian Fitzpatrick. Both Congressmen warmly praised Braver Angels for the work it does.One of major themes at the Convention was the work of the Citizens Commission on Immigration. We will hear much more about that on our next podcast episode. There was also a sense that almost ten years in, Braver Angels is moving from start up to take off. National leaders rolled out a strategic plan that calls for a big increase in volunteers and subscribers.And there was signing and song every day of the convention. You might now say that music is central to the heart and soul of Braver Angels.Here is the wording of the Pledge agreed to by Braver Angels delegates:"I pledge to be a courageous citizen: To choose curious listening over contempt; To build alongside those with different politics; And to embrace our shared duty to renew America's civic culture."Want to watch the plenary sessions at the four-day convention? All are available free on YouTube. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Send Wilk a text with your feedback! (incoming msgs only - I can't reply) Diego Sanchez grew up undocumented in the United States. Jim Robb spent nearly thirty years fighting for immigration restrictions. They sat down at the same table, and discovered something neither of them fully expected: they could trust each other.This bonus episode drops ahead of the 2026 Braver Angels National Convention in Philadelphia—where Diego and Jim are serving as co-chairs. The Citizens Commission on Immigration, which grew out of the 2024 Braver Angels convention, is the driving force behind their story. It's a first-of-its-kind effort: bringing together longtime adversaries from across the immigration debate to find areas of common ground serious enough to actually matter. The conversation covers how this commission came together, what changed when people who'd been shouting past each other finally started listening, and why "common ground" doesn't mean "mushy middle." Jim and Diego still disagree on plenty. But they've figured out how to disagree without writing each other off—and that shift is exactly what the commission is trying to scale. If you're heading to the Braver Angels National Convention this week, or if you've written off immigration as a topic too toxic to touch, this one's for you. Learn more at braverangels.org/citizens-commission-on-immigration. The world is a better place if we are better people. Be grateful for all you've got. Make every day the day that you want it to be!Please follow the DTH podcast on:Facebook, Instagram, Twitter(X) ,  YouTube,  Substack Subscribe to us wherever you enjoy your audio or from our site. Please leave us a rating and feedback on Apple podcasts or other platforms. You can share your thoughts or request Wilk for a speaking engagement on our contact page: DerateTheHate.com/ContactThe Derate The Hate podcast is proudly produced in collaboration with Braver Angels — America's largest grassroots, cross-partisan organization working toward civic renewal and bridging partisan divides. Learn more: BraverAngels.orgWelcome to the Derate The Hate Podcast!*The views expressed by Wilk, his guest hosts &/or guests on the Derate The Hate podcast are their own and should not be attributed to any organization they may otherwise be affiliated with.

Send Wilk a text with your feedback! (incoming msgs only - I can't reply) What if the problem isn't the people on the other side — what if the problem is just hard? Martin Carcasson has spent 20 years building deliberative processes in Northern Colorado that help communities move from argument to action. The Center for Public Deliberation he founded at CSU has run over 600 community meetings, working with local governments, schools, and nonprofits on everything from housing to elder care.In this conversation, Martin breaks down the critical difference between debate and deliberation — and why one of those leads to insight while the other leads to action. He also makes a distinction that cuts right to the heart of what makes our politics so dysfunctional: we've been treating wicked problems like they're caused by wicked people. They're not. And the moment you see that clearly, everything about how you approach a problem changes.Martin also shares how he's built a model — using trained student facilitators — that could be replicated in communities across the country, and how his work connects to Braver Angels' citizen-led solutions initiative and the newly revamped Civic Scholars Council.If you believe the solutions to our biggest problems are going to come from communities, not from Washington, this conversation is for you. Learn more and connect with Martin Carcasson in the full show notes for this episode at www.DerateTheHate.com. The world is a better place if we are better people. Be grateful for all you've got. Make every day the day that you want it to be!Please follow the DTH podcast on:Facebook, Instagram, Twitter(X) ,  YouTube,  Substack Subscribe to us wherever you enjoy your audio or from our site. Please leave us a rating and feedback on Apple podcasts or other platforms. You can share your thoughts or request Wilk for a speaking engagement on our contact page: DerateTheHate.com/ContactThe Derate The Hate podcast is proudly produced in collaboration with Braver Angels — America's largest grassroots, cross-partisan organization working toward civic renewal and bridging partisan divides. Learn more: BraverAngels.orgWelcome to the Derate The Hate Podcast!*The views expressed by Wilk, his guest hosts &/or guests on the Derate The Hate podcast are their own and should not be attributed to any organization they may otherwise be affiliated with.

We spoke with country rock artist Ben Gallaher about his musical journey, Pennsylvania roots, and growing national recognition.Dr. Beth Malow and Douglass Teschner discuss their book Beyond the Politics of Contempt and how to build a national culture rooted in kindness, dignity, and respect.

  Holding to our own convictions while also staying genuinely curious about the convictions of others -- it's the goal of a new council that was just announced by the group Braver Angels. This advisory council features 23 leaders who disagree on many things, but still find ways to find common ground. This includes Governor Spencer Cox, several Deseret News contributors, and the director of BYU's Wheatley Institute, Paul Edwards. He joins the show to talk more about this new initiative. 

It's very easy to be outraged or depressed about American politics today, and much more challenging and interesting to consider how things might be better. Instead of dismissing our political opponents or viewing them with disdain or disgust, how can we understand them better and learn from them?That's where Braver Angels 1:1 Conversations come in. Two people from different backgrounds and beliefs use a structured list of questions. The goals are for both of them to better understand their experiences, feelings and beliefs, find out what you may have in common, and learn how to bridge divides.In this episode, our podcast host Richard Davies has a lively and fun 40 minute 1:1 Conversation with Sue Lani Madsen about their red/blue, rural/urban differences. Along the way, they learned a lot of interesting things about each other.Sue Lani Madsen is an architect and founding partner of a major regional architecture and interior design firm with over 40 years of experience serving public and private clients. She writes frequently on Substack, is a US Army veteran, volunteer firefighter and mother of five who lives on a ranch in rural Eastern Washington. A political conservative, Sue Lani serves as a co-chair of the Central/Eastern Washington Alliance of Braver Angels.Richard Davies spent nearly four decades as a Correspondent and reporter at ABC News Radio. He began his career as a radio journalist in England. Richard is a liberal and is a volunteer for Braver Angels in Connecticut and New York."How Do We Fix It?" is committed to asking constructive questions across differences. For nine years, Richard co-hosted this podcast with his good friend, James Meigs, of The Manhattan Institute and Wall Street Journal. In recent episodes, we've reported on the people, projects, and ideas of Braver Angels, America's largest volunteer-led grassroots movement devoted to healing divides and building civic muscle. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Send Wilk a text with your feedback! (incoming msgs only - I can't reply) Brian Vogt spent 20-plus years strengthening democracy around the world. Then he came home—and started listening. His Democracy Listening Tour of Red America is a qualitative research project with a simple but radical premise: before you can reform anything, you have to understand what people actually believe and why.In this conversation, Brian and Wilk dig into what “democracy” really means to everyday Americans, why that word lands so differently depending on who's hearing it, and what the reform community gets wrong by skipping the listening step altogether.One story stands out: a Trump-voting Iraq veteran and community leader in Kentucky who defined democracy as equality—then shared a workplace experience that made him feel like anything but an equal. It's the kind of story that doesn't make headlines but shapes how millions of people relate to political institutions.If you believe that lasting change requires all voices at the table, this episode is for you. Learn more about and connect with Brian Vogt by getting the full show notes for this episode at www.DerateTheHate.com.  The world is a better place if we are better people. That begins with each of us as individuals. Be kind to one another. Be grateful for all you've got. Make every day the day that you want it to be!Please follow The Derate The Hate podcast on:Facebook, Instagram, Twitter(X) ,  YouTube Subscribe to us wherever you enjoy your audio or from our site. Please leave us a rating and feedback on Apple podcasts or other platforms. You can share your thoughts or request Wilk for a speaking engagement on our contact page: DerateTheHate.com/ContactThe Derate The Hate podcast is proudly produced in collaboration with Braver Angels — America's largest grassroots, cross-partisan organization working toward civic renewal and bridging partisan divides. Learn more: BraverAngels.orgWelcome to the Derate The Hate Podcast!*The views expressed by Wilk, his guest hosts &/or guests on the Derate The Hate podcast are their own and should not be attributed to any organization they may otherwise be affiliated with.

Today on The Gist, the race to stop a catastrophic chemical explosion next to Disneyland that forced 50,000 Southern California residents to evacuate. Then, Beth Malow and Doug Teschner discuss their book, Beyond the Politics of Contempt: Practical Steps to Build Positive Relationships in Divided Times, sharing strategies from their work with Braver Angels to foster local, cross-partisan dialogue. Finally, the limits of one-on-one interventions in a polarized mass-media landscape, highlighting why the path out of systemic political contempt relies on free and fair elections rather than curated elite civility. Produced by Corey Wara Video and Social Media by Geoff Craig Do you have questions or comments, or just want to say hello? Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠thegist@mikepesca.com For full Pesca content and updates, check out our website at https://www.mikepesca.com/⁠ For ad-free content or to become a Pesca Plus subscriber, check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ For Mike's daily takes on Substack, subscribe to The Gist List https://mikepesca.substack.com/ Follow us on Social Media:⁠⁠⁠⁠ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/pescagist/ X https://x.com/pescami TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@pescagist To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠sales@amplitudemediapartners.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A historically Black cemetery in Palmetto may have been vandalized months ago, but efforts to make the city aware of it went nowhere.Next: Developers are pushing a massive data center project in rural DeSoto County. Will the pushback stop it?Next: A Bradenton museum exhibition celebrates the history of Latino involvement in baseball and American culture.Next: We are continuing our profiles of local candidates. Today: Megan Tennimon, who is running for Sarasota School Board.Finally: A conscious listening effort in Manatee County brought together both sides of the aisle.  

One week before America celebrates its 250th birthday, Braver Angels will hold its annual convention in Philadelphia, the city where the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776.More than one thousand citizen delegates— Blues, Reds, and Independents— will be in the same place together over four days, June 25-28. They will honor the final words of the Declaration's authors: “we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”In Philadelphia “we will figure out how to renew that pledge to strengthen our civic bonds together,” says podcast guest, Convention Director Mark Metzger. “The theme is 1776-2026, a pledge renewed. We're looking at what that pledge meant… at the start of the new nation, and what it means to us today.”America's 250th anniversary focuses national attention on who we are as a nation, and who we hope to become. The Braver Angels Convention will play an active and engaging role in this national endeavor. The Declaration was not only a statement of independence from Great Britain, it was also a declaration of dependence on one another. Debates will be held, speeches made, workshops organized, music played, and films shown at this convention. This episode also discusses the meaning and goals of courageous citizenship.“True interdependence insists that rural conservatives and urban progressives, religious and secular citizens, activists and traditionalists do not have to agree in order to remain bound together,” says Jeff Thiemann of the Braver Angels Leadership Team. “It affirms that every group brings dignity and distinct experiences, and that our shared future depends on facing common challenges together.”Mark Metzger joined Braver Angels in 2022. In 2023, he oversaw operations and logistics for the Braver Angels National Convention in Gettysburg, PA, led the arts initiatives Four Score: A Memory Play and Braver Lens: Amateur Photography to Heal American Divides, and managed day-to-day operations of the National office. "How Do We Fix It?" reports on the people, projects and ideas of Braver Angels, the nation's largest volunteer-led grassroots organization devoted the healing civic divides. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

National ambassador for Braver Angels, leading figure in the American depolarization movement, and host of The Reconstruction Project on KBLA Talk 1580, John Wood joins Tavis in studio to talk about how neutral maps could empower Black voters, the future of the Black GOP, and other trending political topics.

National ambassador for Braver Angels, leading figure in the American depolarization movement, and host of The Reconstruction Project on KBLA Talk 1580, John Wood joins Tavis in studio to talk about how neutral maps could empower Black voters, the future of the Black GOP, and other trending political topics.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

The nation has been shaken by violence yet again. The assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents Dinner was another jarring tear in the fabric of our public life. Every day Americans also hear divisive, angry, rhetoric from national political leaders and media pundits. On "How Do We Fix It? we discuss how growing numbers of Americans are pushing back against toxic divides. We report on the work of Braver Angels: The national movement that brings reds and blues together in the same room. This episode with Reena Bernards and Casey Jorgensen covers the Braver Angels Mobile Summit in Utah, a traveling conference where practical steps were taken to build bridges and cross divides.Volunteers drove an RV across Utah, and also ran in-person events where red and blue citizens worked together on polarizing issues such as immigration. Two mobile summits in late 2025, and again in the spring of this year, featured workshops, debates and dialog. The aim was to depolarize communities and strengthen civic engagement. "It was a wonderful experience," says Reena. "We became like a family."At the immigration workshop, which included equal numbers of conservatives and liberals, there was agreement on the need to secure the border and having a path to legalization for undocumented immigrants who'd lived and worked in the U.S. for a long time, contributed to society, paid taxes, and had not done anything illegal.Going into that workshop "I think people were thinking we'd be lucky to come up with one or two points of agreement," says Casey. "To have a list of over a dozen was really exciting."See more about the Braver Angels Utah mobile summit here.Casey Jorgensen is Braver Angels' National Strategic Projects and Event Coordinator, and volunteers as the Red Mountain Region Co-Lead. Originally from Boise, Idaho, she and her husband, Dean (from Alberta, Canada) as well as their three grown children, and two more by marriage, live in Utah. She's also the unbiased grandmother of two perfect grandchildren. Casey is President/Chair of Patriot Camps of America, a Utah Higher Education Inclusion Alliance Board Member, and has served as a GOP Precinct Chair and Delegate. She enjoys live theater, is a devout member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and feels honored to work with true Braver Angels.Reena Bernards leans Blue. As a volunteer Braver Angels moderator, she created the Common Ground Workshop, which brings together conservatives and liberals for constructive dialogue on a single issue. She was the Project Lead for Braver Angels Trustworthy Elections Campaign. Reena is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, in private practice in Maryland, Virginia and Washington D.C. Reena lives with her husband Tom Smerling, also a Braver Angels moderator, in Takoma Park Maryland. They are pleased that their 2 adult children live nearby. Reena greatly enjoys being part of a performing dance group, The Chalice Dancers . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The New Counterculture of ConversationIn a world where political labels have become shields and social media is a minefield of "rhetorical grenades," Monica Guzman argues that the most radical act you can perform is to stay curious. As the Senior Fellow for Public Practice at Braver Angels, Monica has seen firsthand how fear has become the "archvillain" of American discourse.In this episode, we dismantle the failing left-right paradigm and explore why bridge-building isn't about being "nice" or "middle-of-the-road"—it's about having the courage to withstand intense disagreement without losing your convictions.Text me your feedback and leave your contact info if you'd like a reply (this is a one-way text). Thanks, DavidSupport the showShow Notes:https://outrageoverload.net/ Contact me, David Beckemeyer by email outrageoverload@gmail.com. Follow the show on Instagram @OutrageOverload. We are also on Facebook /OutrageOverload. Check out our Subtstack https://outrageoverload.substack.comHOTLINE: 925-552-7885Got a Question, comment or just thoughts you'd like to share? Call the O2 hotline and leave a message and you could be featured in an upcoming episodeIf you would like to help the show, you can contribute here. Tell everyone you know about the show. That's the best way to support it.Rate and Review the show on Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/OutrageOverloadAlso check out our companion podcasts, This Week in Outrage and Outrage Science Bites.Intro music and outro music by Michael Ramir C.Many thanks to my co-editor and co-director, Austin Chen.Outrage Overload, a Conners Institute podcast, is part of The Democr...

Have you ever left a conversation thinking, “They didn't hear me at all”? Journalist and author Mónica Guzmán shares stories from her own life, from not fully listening to her daughter, to navigating emotional disagreements with her mom, to setting intentional conversations with people who see the world differently. She unpacks what's really going on in our heads when we stop listening and how small shifts can completely change the way we connect, especially with our loved ones. ABOUT GUEST Mónica Guzmán is the author of “I Never Thought of It That Way,” an advisor with Braver Angels, and the founder of Reclaim Curiosity (https://linktr.ee/moniguzman). Check Mónica out on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/moniguzman/ CHAPTERS (0:00) Introduction (1:31) Mónica's Call with Mom (3:35) What She Needed from Mom (4:47) Acknowledge Good Points (5:37) Three Conversations at Once (7:03) Spanish at Home Lesson (9:24) Critical Listening Trap (10:34) Repairing Missed Moments (12:36) Scheduling Disagreement Talks (15:15) Wrap Up and Resources

On April 9, BigTentUSA convened a timely conversation featuring Randy Freeman and Michael Asbury of Braver Angels NYC, the nation's largest cross-partisan volunteer movement working to bridge America's political divide. Moderated by Jess Piper, Executive Director of Blue Missouri, the trio explored how Americans can better navigate political differences. Drawing on lived experiences, Jess noted a shift in her rural Missouri community, where some previously loyal MAGA voters are beginning to question the Trump Administration as policies more directly affect their daily lives.Speakers shared practical techniques for engaging across divides, grounded in real-world examples of communities working through deep disagreement. A central theme was focusing on what individuals can control: their own mindset, how they listen, and how they communicate. Participants were encouraged to approach conversations with curiosity, while also recognizing when it's more productive to disengage from those unwilling to listen. The discussion emphasized that this work unfolds over time, positioning the Braver Angels approach as a long-term investment in rebuilding trust and strengthening civic dialogue.Check out BigTent's conversational talking points:https://bigtentusa.org/talking-points-2026/Learn more about Braver Angels:https://braverangels.org/ Learn more about Blue Missouri and explore Piper's newsletter “The View from Rural Missouri”: https://bluemissouri.org/https://jesspiper.substack.com/ABOUT THE SPEAKERS:Jess Piper is a mother to five and grandmother to three and lives on a small farm on the Missouri/Iowa border. She was born and raised in rural America. She was an American Literature teacher for 16 years. After the 2016 election of Trump, Jess became politically active. Jess ran for office in 2022 for State Representative in HD1 in Northwest Missouri. Jess writes a well known newsletter: "The View from Rural Missouri"Randy Freeman is a retired psychotherapist and couples therapist who joined Braver Angels in 2017 because she was upset about the political divisiveness. She is presently the New York State Coordinator, an Ambassador and a moderator for the organization. Randy sees this as a continuation of her work as a couples therapist and sees her role as a therapist for the country.Michael Asbury is the Co-Chair of the Capital Region of NY State Alliance of Braver Angels since 2020, one of over 125 such local Alliances across the USA. Serving with a Co-Chair of the opposite political persuasion, he guides the local mission of Braver Angels to bring Americans together by bridging the partisan divide to strengthen our democratic republic, and by seeking common ground where none was formerly known. Braver Angels works with all those answering the call for civic renewal. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bigtentnews.substack.com

Welcome to another episode of the Peaceful Political Revolution in America podcast.In this episode, I will be exploring one of the most important and timely questions facing our country today: What would it look like if Americans were to rethink the Constitution?For a long time, the thought of holding a constitutional convention has been dismissed by most Americans, something debated by historians and legal scholars, perhaps, but rarely engaged in by ordinary citizens. Recently, that conversation has begun to emerge. Across the country, citizens are asking deeper questions about whether the political system we inherited is capable of meeting the challenges of the 21st century. Stephanie Lindquist serves as the Nickerson Dean and professor of law at Washington University School of Law.  She is also the founder of the Model Constitutional Convention.  In May 2026, in St. Louis, this groundbreaking initiative will bring together participants from more than 80 universities across the country. Modeled on the Article 5 process of the US Constitution, the convention is designed to simulate national deliberations over our most basic law.  Beyond these deliberations, there is a growing national conversation concerning real-world constitutional reform.  Organizations like Unify USA, Braver Angels, Better Together America,  CELDF, Alliance for Democracy, Citizens Take Action, and many more are drafting their own amendments, forming their own citizen assemblies, and considering the possibility of calling for a popular national convention. Thomas Jefferson once suggested that each generation should have the opportunity to reconsider the constitutional framework under which it lives. If that is true, this moment may represent an opportunity, especially for younger generations, to help shape what comes next.  The Model Constitutional Convention is an attempt to explore these questions in a serious, thoughtful, and constructive way. In this conversation, Stephanie Lindquist explains how the project began, how delegates will develop their proposals, what kinds of ideas are emerging, and how everyday Americans can follow along.Stefanie, it's a pleasure to have you on the Peaceful Political Revolution in America podcast. Welcome to the conversation.

Right now is a really difficult time to convince Americans to come together and listen to the other side. How can we be hopeful at a time of so much anger, division, violence and despair when our political leaders speak with such venom about their opponents?“What we're doing now is sorting into our tribes and silos,” says our guest Maryanne Colter, state coordinator for Braver Angels of Illinois. With curiosity and humility she works to physically bring people of opposing views together in the same room. “This is where the magic happens, when we can sit across the table and treat people as human beings.”Here we learn about different types of Braver Angels workshops and how they often surprise and change the perspectives of those who take part. “That's what brings me hope,” Maryanne tells us.“How Do We Fix It?” podcasts report on the people, projects, and ideas of Braver Angels, the national movement that pushes back against toxic polarization and brings reds, blues and independents together to find common ground and gain respect for different points of view. In their workshops, debates, and online events, Braver Angels explores how we can disagree better and choose connection over domination.In this episode we include extracts from a public television documentary by WTTW Chicago about the work of Braver Angels of Illinois. We hear what happened when blue-leaning members of Braver Angels spent an evening with Chicago Young Republicans last September, right after Charlie Kirk was murdered.Maryanne Colter has been a volunteer with Braver Angels since 2019. She has Moderated dozens of Braver Angels Workshops and took on the role of State Coordinator for Illinois in December of 2024. Maryanne recently retired after a long career in Project Management and Organizational Change Consulting. Learn more about previous episodes of How Do We Fix It? here. Please rate and review our podcasts wherever you listen to digital audio. Braver Angels holds events almost every day in towns and cities across the country. Explore its mission and work here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mónica Guzmán is a journalist who couldn't even have an honest conversation with her own parents about politics — and she turned that painful personal failure into a methodology that works in boardrooms, courtrooms, and living rooms. Mónica is a bridge-builder journalist, Senior Fellow at Braver Angels, host of A Braver Way podcast, and bestselling author of I Never Thought of It That Way. In this episode, she breaks down the neurological and psychological forces that shut down curiosity at the exact moment you need it most — and gives you a practical framework to stay grounded when every instinct tells you to run, fight, freeze, or fold. Connect with Mónica Guzmán Website / Braver Angels: braveerangels.us Podcast: A Braver Way — available wherever you listen Book: I Never Thought of It That Way Contact ANI ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Request A Customized Workshop For Your Company⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Kwame Christian on LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠negotiateanything.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Click here to buy your copy of Finding Confidence in Conflict: How to Negotiate Anything and Live Your Best Life! Resources Mentioned Book: I Never Thought of It That Way — Monica Guzman Book: How Minds Change — David McRaney Book: We Were Made for These Times — Lingo (Black Buddhist nun) Book: American Covenant — Yuval Levin Podcast: A Braver Way with Monica Guzman Concept: Conflict Resilience (CQ) — Bob Bardone [00:21:52] Research: Receptive Language — Julia Minson, Harvard Business School [00:14:00]

Send Wilk a text with your feedback! (incoming msgs only - I can't reply) Doug Teschner and Beth Malow return to Derate the Hate for a catch-up conversation following the release of their book, Beyond the Politics of Contempt: Practical Steps to Build Positive Relationships in Divided Times. The book has sold over a thousand copies, earned a Literary Titan Award, and is drawing audiences from across the political spectrum — including some surprising reception from high-profile conservative media.In this episode, Doug and Beth dig into the "black pill" mindset — the growing sense that division is too far gone to fix — and push back on it with both evidence and personal stories. They talk about "conflict entrepreneurs," the people and forces that profit from keeping us at each other's throats, and why most of us have far more in common than the news cycle suggests.Beth shares a candid story about a series of conversations with a Christian conservative friend in Nashville — one that started over guns and eventually moved into abortion — that shows what courageous listening actually looks like in practice. And both guests make the case that protesting and bridge building aren't opposites. You can hold strong convictions and still make room to understand someone else's.Learn more about and connect with Beth & Doug by getting the full show notes for this episode at www.DerateTheHate.com. The world is a better place if we are better people. That begins with each of us as individuals. Be kind to one another. Be grateful for all you've got. Make every day the day that you want it to be!Please follow The Derate The Hate podcast on:Facebook, Instagram, Twitter(X) ,  YouTube Subscribe to us wherever you enjoy your audio or from our site. Please leave us a rating and feedback on Apple podcasts or other platforms. You can share your thoughts or request Wilk for a speaking engagement on our contact page: DerateTheHate.com/ContactThe Derate The Hate podcast is proudly produced in collaboration with Braver Angels — America's largest grassroots, cross-partisan organization working toward civic renewal and bridging partisan divides. Learn more: BraverAngels.orgWelcome to the Derate The Hate Podcast!*The views expressed by Wilk, his guest hosts &/or guests on the Derate The Hate podcast are their own and should not be attributed to any organization they may otherwise be affiliated with.

The Spark, hosted by Asia Tabb, will feature a 40‑minute conversation presented in two informal, discussion‑focused segments centered on the theme of learning how to disagree more constructively. In the first half, Asia is joined by Nita Landis, moderator of the Skills for Disagreeing Better workshop, and Dr. Jonathan Woodall, Assistant Teaching Professor of Communication at Penn State Harrisburg. Their conversation explores the value of sharing perspectives, listening with intention, and being open to learning practical skills that help people navigate disagreement in healthier, more productive ways. Drawing from the workshop's core ideas, they reflect on why these skills matter in classrooms, communities, and everyday conversations. In the second half, Michael Lippert, president of the Young Americans for Freedom student club, and Elijah Espaillat, co‑founder of the Capital College Democrats Club, join Asia to discuss their personal takeaways from the workshop. They share what motivated them to participate, how the skills resonated with their own experiences across political differences, and why they believe others—especially students—can benefit from learning how to disagree with respect and understanding.Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

He drove a truck across America listening to talk radio. Somewhere between 9/11, the Obama years, and a long personal reckoning with his own anger, Wilk Wilkinson became one of the most unlikely figures in the depolarization movement: a committed conservative who believes the two-party system is tearing the country apart, and who is doing something about it. Wilk is the Director of Media Systems and Operations for Braver Angels, the nation's largest cross-partisan, volunteer-led movement to bridge the partisan divide. He also hosts the podcast Derate the Hate. In this conversation, Wilk traces his political awakening from post-9/11 talk radio to becoming radicalized by the polarization he once participated in, and why he eventually chose the harder path. He and Corey dig into tribalism, political identity, January 6th, immigration enforcement, the two-party doom loop, and what it actually takes to stay in conversation across real disagreement. Calls to Action ✅ If this conversation resonates, consider sharing it with someone who believes connection across difference still matters. ✅ Subscribe to Corey's Substack: coreysnathan.substack.com ✅ Leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen: ratethispodcast.com/goodfaithpolitics ✅ Subscribe to Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other on your favorite podcast platform. ✅ Watch the full conversation and subscribe on YouTube: youtube.com/@politicsandreligion Key Takeaways Political identity has become personal identity, and that's the root of the problem. Wilk argues that the single most destructive shift in American civic life is that people now treat political attacks as personal attacks. When your party becomes your tribe, criticism of a policy feels like an assault on who you are. That's not politics anymore. That's warfare. Tribalism isn't a flaw. It's a feature we have to consciously override. We evolved as tribal creatures because belonging to a group kept us alive. The problem is that ancient wiring hasn't caught up with modern civil society. Wilk and Corey agree: staying in real conversation across difference isn't natural. It's a decision. Most Trump voters aren't MAGA loyalists, and treating them as a monolith makes everything worse. Citing the More in Common "Beyond MAGA" research, Wilk points out that only about 29% of the 77 million people who voted for Trump in 2024 fit the MAGA hardliner profile. When we flatten a diverse group into a caricature of its worst actors, we guarantee the doom loop continues. You can support border security and still call out a botched implementation. Wilk doesn't hedge: he wanted the border closed. He also calls the deportation strategy's implementation a disaster, citing constitutional violations, erosion of institutional trust, and the breakdown of basic civic norms. This is what it sounds like when a conservative applies principles rather than party loyalty. The fix starts local, not national. Both Corey and Wilk see more reason for hope at the community and state level than in Washington. Local relationships, shared problems, and the ability to actually look someone in the eye still create space for the kind of trust that national politics has almost completely destroyed. About Our Guest Wilk Wilkinson is the Director of Media Systems and Operations for Braver Angels, and the host of Derate the Hate, a podcast offering practical tools and honest conversations for people trying to grow personally and engage civically. A self-described committed conservative, Wilk has spent years in the bridge-building space doing the kind of work he once would have dismissed. Find him at deratedhate.com and on Substack by searching "Wil Wilkinson." Links and Resources Braver Angels: braverangels.org Derate the Hate: deratethehate.com More in Common "Beyond MAGA" research: beyondmaga.us Monica Guzman / I Never Thought of It That Way: moniguzman.com/book Find us and engage with us on YouTube, Substack, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X, Threads, TikTok, and Bluesky. Connect on Social Media Corey is @coreysnathan on all the socials… Substack LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Twitter Threads Bluesky TikTok Thanks to our Sponsors and Partners Thanks to Pew Research Center for making today's conversation possible. Links and additional resources: The Village Square: villagesquare.us Meza Wealth Management: mezawealth.com Proud members of The Democracy Group Clarity, charity, and conviction can live in the same room.

“We can survive. Can we thrive? That's a different question.” — Corey NathanRobert Mueller died last week. Educated at Princeton, this Vietnam veteran won a Purple Heart and then enjoyed decades of public service under presidents of both parties. But the current president celebrated Mueller's death. Such are the vagaries of American history.In contrast, Corey Nathan — host of the Talking Politics and Religion Without Killing Each Other podcast — isn't celebrating Robert Mueller's death. Nathan is from suburban northern Los Angeles County, very much at the heart of the (mythical?) American center. We discussed whether it's possible to have a civic conversation anymore. Like so many Americans, Nathan falls back on what he calls “data.” Apparently 85% of Americans are what a recent study calls the “exhausted majority.” They see themselves as anything but extreme. All they want to do is take the kids to soccer practice, enjoy their barbecue, and talk to the neighbour without the conversation degenerating into verbal war.Nathan's own story offers hope. He grew up in an Orthodox Jewish family whose roots go back eight hundred years to what is now Chernihiv in Ukraine. In his late twenties, he became a born-again Christian. His father seriously considered sitting Shiva for him — the mourning ritual for a dead family member. But he valued his relationship with his son more than his theological convictions. Twenty-five years later, the conversations are richer than ever. If an Orthodox Jewish father and his born-again Christian son can keep talking, maybe even the current American President could sit Shiva for Robert Mueller. Five Takeaways•       85% of Americans Are the Exhausted Majority: The Hidden Tribes study by More in Common found that only 6–7% on the right and 7–8% on the left are what we'd think of as extremes. The rest — 85% — are far more nuanced in their views. They want to go to the barbecue, take the kids to soccer practice, and have a conversation with the neighbour without it turning into a war. The conflict entrepreneurs on both sides have taken all the oxygen.•       Mueller Was Everything We Say We Want in Our Kids: Purple Heart. Ivy League education. Used his degrees for public service instead of money. Served under presidents of both parties. Stayed on at the FBI after 9/11 when the country needed him. And the current president said he was glad he died.•       ICE Came to the Neighbouring Church: Nathan's pastor had to have the conversation: if ICE comes, they're welcome to worship — but here are our legal obligations. A suburban mom was shot in her front seat two months ago. Is anything visibly wrong in the American suburbs? Today, at his house, no. But these things are happening all over the country.•       His Father Almost Sat Shiva for Him: Nathan grew up in an Orthodox Jewish family. In his late twenties, he became a born-again Christian. His father seriously considered performing the mourning ritual for a living son. But he valued the relationship with his child more than his theological convictions. Twenty-five years later, the conversations are richer than ever.•       We Can Survive. Can We Thrive? Nathan's family lived in what is now Chernihiv, Ukraine, for eight hundred years. One day to the next, nothing changed — until the Cossacks burned the houses and the Bolsheviks came. Democracy isn't perfect, but it's the system that lets us thrive, not just survive. About the GuestCorey Nathan is the host and producer of Talking Politics and Religion Without Killing Each Other, a top 1% podcast. He lives in northern Los Angeles County.References:•       Talking Politics and Religion Without Killing Each Other — Nathan's podcast.•       Episode 2849: How Stories Can Save Us — Colum McCann on Narrative Four, referenced in the conversation.•       Episode 2846: How to Be Agreeably Disagreeable — Julia Minson on disagreeing better. Nathan is the practitioner to Minson's science.About Keen On AmericaNobody asks more awkward questions than the Anglo-American writer and filmmaker Andrew Keen. In Keen On America, Andrew brings his pointed Transatlantic wit to making sense of the United States — hosting daily interviews about the history and future of this now venerable Republic. With nearly 2,800 episodes since the show launched on TechCrunch in 2010, Keen On America is the most prolific intellectual interview show in the history of podcasting.WebsiteSubstackYouTubeApple PodcastsSpotify Chapters:(00:31) - Introduction: Robert Mueller dies, Trump says he's glad (03:25) - Mueller as American tragedy: David Frum and the centrist view (05:48) - The exhausted majority: Hidden Tribes and the 85% (08:40) - Is the left as bad as the right? (10:15) - Braver Angels, shell-shock, and the people who just want a barbecue (13:53) - If a foreigner landed in your suburb, would they notice anything wrong? (15:33) - ICE at the neighbouring church. A mom shot in her front seat. (17:43) - The secret sauce of talking without killing (20:26) - Colum McCann, Narrative Four, and storytelling as civic repair (22:04) - Does democracy really matter if you've got soccer practice? (24:04) - Surviving vs. thriving: eight hundred years as strangers in a strange land (25:19) - The First Amendment's two halves: freedom of and freedom from (28:55) - An Orthodox Jew becomes a born-again Christian. His father almost sits Shiva. (32:04) - The revolutionary centre: Adrian Wooldridge and the lost genius of liberalism

Braver Angels Ambassadors are among the most courageous of courageous citizens.Not only do they bridge the partisan divide, these volunteers meet people where they are. At meetings and events across the country, they go speak about Braver Angels as they try to convince skeptics that rebuilding civic trust is a cause worth supporting. In this episode, we hear from Barbara Hancin and Ron “Sugar Bear” McFarland, volunteer co-chairs of the Braver Angels ambassadors program.“What we're were doing is giving hope to people,” says Barbara. “We don't have to stay in the rancor. There are ways to build bridges and we'll help you do that.”Barbara has more than 35 years of experience in higher education, with expertise in linguistics and second language learning, global studies, and academic administration. She's a moderator for workshops that bring people together across differences. Barbara leans Blue and lives in Colorado. Ron leans Red and calls home home Ames Iowa. A former star college football player at Iowa State University, Ron has enjoyed a long and distinguished career as an educator, coach, mentor and civic bridge builder. In this episode, we hear about the mission of Braver Angels Ambassadors, plus exactly how and why they do their work. We share compelling and surprising examples of how Ron and Barbara engage with total strangers.Both of them say their volunteering has brought personal rewards. “It made me be more patient,” says Ron. “It changed me to understand that just because I think something should be a certain way that doesn't mean the other person agrees.”“How Do We Fix It?” publishes frequent reports on the people, projects and ideas of Braver Angels, the largest nation group of citizen volunteers who are working to overcome America's divides and restore civic trust. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Send Wilk a text with your feedback! (incoming msgs only - I can't reply) You've heard the Golden Rule your whole life. Jennifer Furlong says it's a great start — but it's not enough.In this episode, Wilk welcomes back communications strategist and coach Jennifer Furlong (Communication TwentyFourSeven) for a conversation that's equal parts practical and eye-opening. They dig into the Platinum Rule — the idea that truly effective communication means treating people the way they want to be treated, not the way you do. That shift sounds simple. It isn't.Jen and Wilk explore the four core communication styles, why acknowledgment and agreement are two very different things, and what it actually takes — courage, intention, and a willingness to put your ego in the back seat — to have a real conversation with someone who sees the world completely differently than you do.If you've ever walked away from a hard conversation feeling like nothing got through, this one's for you.Topics Covered:•        The Platinum Rule vs. the Golden Rule•        The four communication styles and your default setting•        Why listening IS the skill (not just a nice-to-have)•        Acknowledgment ≠ agreement•        Communicating across ideological differences•        Creating shared meaning — even when you can't find common ground•        The Three Gates: Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary?Learn more about and connect with Jennifer Furlong by getting the full show notes for this episode at www.DerateTheHate.comThe world is a better place if we are better people. That begins with each of us as individuals. Be kind to one another. Be grateful for all you've got. Make every day the day that you want it to be!Please follow The Derate The Hate podcast on:Facebook, Instagram, Twitter(X) ,  YouTube Subscribe to us wherever you enjoy your audio or from our site. Please leave us a rating and feedback on Apple podcasts or other platforms. You can share your thoughts or request Wilk for a speaking engagement on our contact page: DerateTheHate.com/ContactThe Derate The Hate podcast is proudly produced in collaboration with Braver Angels — America's largest grassroots, cross-partisan organization working toward civic renewal and bridging partisan divides. Learn more: BraverAngels.orgWelcome to the Derate The Hate Podcast!*The views expressed by Wilk, his guest hosts &/or guests on the Derate The Hate podcast are their own and should not be attributed to any organization they may otherwise be affiliated with.

John Wood Jr., national ambassador for Braver Angels, leading figure in the American depolarization movement, and host of The Reconstruction Project on KBLA Talk 1580, joins Tavis Smiley in studio to discuss trending political topics.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

Is it possible to find points of agreement on some of the most heated and divisive issues in American politics? Can people who profoundly disagree sit down and learn from each other? The answers to both questions is an emphatic "yes!".In this episode we hear about the current work of the Citizens Commission on Immigration from its Director, Braver Angels co-founder, David Lapp. The goal of the Citizens Commission is to demonstrate to Congress and the nation that Americans with differing views on immigration can find common ground. The Commission works in a red/blue balanced way and includes Americans from all sides of the issue. Over the past two years, grassroots Americans and national experts and advocates of all sides of the immigration issue have met together."There have now been about 50 immigration events across the country," David tells us. "We can find some meaningful areas of agreement." Large majorities of participants from the left and right agree on the need for secure borders, and believe that businesses should face penalties for hiring undocumented workers. Some agreement was also found on a pathway to citizenship for "Dreamers" who came to the US as children. The Commission was launched after about 750 delegates at the 2024 Braver Angels National Convention voted to establish immigration as a Braver Angels priority issue. By the end of this year The Commission aims to hold one hundred grassroots events across the country, and eight National Roundtable meetings.The point of having a citizens commission on immigration speaks to what Abraham Lincoln said: "In America we're a government of the people, by the people, for the people", says David. "Our laws and our policies should reflect what we the ordinary people think."In our interview we also discuss what David has learned in his years of committed work with Braver Angels. If you want to get a sense of the heart and soul of this movement, it's well worth listening to him. Before helping to start Braver Angels, David spent several years interviewing working-class Ohioans about their life experiences and families. He lives with his wife, Amber, and their six children in South Lebanon, Ohio—the site of the first-ever Braver Angels workshop in December 2016. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As How to Fix Democracy opens its seventh season on democratic  resilience, host Andrew Keen welcomes Maury Giles, the new CEO of Braver Angels, for a candid conversation about whether American democracy can withstand what Giles calls the "industrial outrage complex." In a year marking the nation's 250th anniversary, Giles argues that resilience is not something institutions deliver from above, but something citizens practice from below.  Drawing on his experience leading one of the country's largest cross-partisan civic movements -and on the lived reality of raising a political divided family of ten- he makes the case for "courageous citzenship", the discipline of choosing to act rather than react.  Together Keen and Giles explore why polarization in 2026 may feel more toxic than a decade ago, how performative politics and social media have eroded trust, and why dialogue alone is no longer enough without collaborative local action. They confront hard questions about government incentives, declining institutional trust, and whether putting down our devices might be a precondition for rebuilding civic culture. Yet the tone remains cautiously hopeful: if the pain of division is finally high enough, Americans may be ready to change. In the end, this episode suggests that democratic renewal will not come from one side defeating the other, but from citizens rediscovering their agency, and practicing resilience as a daily civic habit.

(00:00:00) The YWCA Greater Harrisburg is pleased to announce the honorees for their 37th Annual Tribute to Women of Excellence, all of whom will be celebrated at an event on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. at the Hershey Lodge and Convention Center. Over the last 37 years, the YWCA has honored more than 800 extraordinary women for their contributions to our region, both professionally and philanthropically. This year, they honor 28 women who dedicate time and talent to making a difference in Central Pennsylvania. (00:22:19) On this month's Braver Angels segment, we’ve all seen the growing division in our country, and we are at a pivotal point in time where we can choose to add to the division (using polarizing language, sharing highly politicized memes, etc), or we can be courageous and work to close that divide. Braver Angel's workshops and events are not about changing minds or compromising. They are meant to change how we view each other. People do not have to indicate their political leaning when they attend a skill building workshop. Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Conflict entrepreneurs get money, influence and power by sparking anger and outrage. The Braver Angels call for courageous citizenship does precisely the opposite. In this podcast we hear the case for citizen power not paralysis, action not reaction, and why building America's civic muscle is so much better than burning things down.Here is a passionate, thoughtful and curious conversation between Braver Angels C.E.O. Maury Giles and Wilk Wilkinson, Director of Braver Angels Media Operations. Both came to their work with the campaign after years in the private sector. Maury and Wilk are conservatives in a movement where a majority is either independent or leans blue.Our episode is the latest in more than two dozen "How Do We Fix It?" discussions on the people, projects and ideas of America's largest organization committed to civic renewal and building trust across partisan divides. The edited recording was first published in longer form by Wilk's podcast, "Derate The Hate"."At the end of the day the common thing we're trying to get to is how do you get out of the outrage cycle so you can see clearly what you're going to do next," says Maury.Hear about about America's crisis of mistrust, and the responsibility of citizens to act with courage, instead of reacting with fury and fear. Gain a fully understanding of the case for courageous citizenship. Learn why it's important to recruit more conservatives to our movement. Get the scoop about "A Pledge Renewed", the theme of this year's Braver Angels Convention in Philadelphia. This episode covers them all and a good deal more.Here's a link to "The Power of Giving Away Power How The Best Leaders Learn to Let Go", by Matthew Barzun, mentioned by Maury during the conversation. Thank you to Wilk for his help and giving us permission to share this discussion. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Send Wilk a text with your feedback! (incoming msgs only - I can't reply) In Episode 303 of Derate The Hate, Wilk Wilkinson sits down with poet and author April Ossmann to explore how poetry can become a powerful tool for bridging America's political divide.April is the author of We: Poems (Red Hen Press, 2025), a collection devoted to healing polarization through empathy, metaphor, and shared humanity. A recent member of Braver Angels, she brings a unique voice to the civic renewal movement — one grounded not in rhetoric, but in soul.In this episode, they discuss:How poetry fosters understanding where arguments failThe difference between compromise and “synergizing”Why civility is strength — not weaknessFamily estrangement and political divisionListening with intentionSeeing past ego to soulApril's “Peace Hymn for the Republic”If you care about democracy, dialogue, and restoring decency in public life, this conversation will challenge and inspire you.Learn more about April Ossmann in the full show notes for this episode at www.DerateTheHate.com.The world is a better place if we are better people. That begins with each of us as individuals. Be kind to one another. Be grateful for all you've got. Make every day the day that you want it to be! Please follow The Derate The Hate podcast on: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter(X) , YouTube Subscribe to us wherever you enjoy your audio or from our site. Please leave us a rating and feedback on Apple podcasts or other platforms. You can share your thoughts or request Wilk for a speaking engagement on our contact page: DerateTheHate.com/Contact The Derate The Hate podcast is proudly produced in collaboration with Braver Angels — America's largest grassroots, cross-partisan organization working toward civic renewal and bridging partisan divides. Learn more: BraverAngels.org Welcome to the Derate The Hate Podcast! *The views expressed by Wilk, his guest hosts &/or guests on the Derate The Hate podcast are their own and should not be attributed to any organization they may otherwise be affiliated with.

Our guest speaker for the February Meeting is William J. Doherty, Ph.D., Co-founder of Braver Angels. Bill has built a lifetime of work around helping people bridge deep divides. A co-founder of Braver Angels, Bill is the chief designer of the organization's foundational workshops that bring Americans together across political differences to restore trust, understanding, and healthy democratic dialogue.   Join CCL: https://cclusa.org/join February Action Sheet: https://cclusa.org/actionsheet Explore CCL's BRIDGE Program: https://cclusa.org/BRIDGE 

The recent immigration crackdown in Minnesota that led to several thousand arrests, mass detentions, angry protests, deepening political divides, and the deaths of two US citizens in Minneapolis is coming to an end. What's life been like for the residents of the Twin Cities during the recent surge of at least three thousand ICE agents on the streets? How will Braver Angels and other groups who work to reduce toxic political divides show up going forward? We consider these and other questions in this special episode of “How Do We Fix It?”Our guests are two leading members of Braver Angels Minnesota, Melinda Voss who leans blue, and Scott Schluter who leans red. Both say this has been a time of elevated emotions, anxiety and fear for public and personal safety.“It is so easy to be outraged when your fear level is so high,” Scott tells us. Discussions across divides have been difficult, he says. “Other than saying ‘ICE out', then what happens?”Melinda says “the more we can sit down face-to-face with those we disagree, that in itself brings down the political temperature."Melinda and Scott acknowledge that a great deal of healing and community work will be needed in the coming weeks, months and years. Minneapolis-Saint Paul is an overwhelmingly liberal and progressive region. Having an honest and respectful conversation across divides requires courage, especially now.In this episode we look at the state of political polarization in the city, and talk about ideas to lower the temperature. We speak with Scott and Melinda about the work of Braver Angels in their state and what success could look like several years from now.Scott Schluter is the red-leaning Minnesota State Coordinator, having previously established the Minneapolis Alliance and leading the "World's Best Workforce" for the Minneapolis Public Schools. Scott developed key skills through his experience in retail sales and management, including bridging divides by asking thoughtful questions, listening well, seeking understanding and staying curious — qualities that align closely with the Braver Angels mindset.Melinda Voss is one of two state coordinators for Braver Angels Minnesota. She leans blue. Now retired, she was a staff writer for the Des Moines Register and Tribune for nearly 26 years, taught journalism at three universities, co-founded the Association of Health Care Journalists, starting as unpaid coordinator 1997-2000 and as executive director 2000-2004 and served as public relations director for the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system 2005-2012.“How Do We Fix It?” reports on the people, projects, and ideas of Braver Angels. In recent episodes we've spoken with new CEO Maury Giles about recent initiatives and changes, Steve Saltwick about Citizen-Led Solutions, and Sam Rechak of the Braver Angels debate team. We are planning many more podcast episodes this year.A warm thank you to Minneapolis facilitator and connector Jessica Shyrack for timely and wise help as we prepared to produce this episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Send Wilk a text with your feedback! (incoming msgs only - I can't reply) In this episode of Derate The Hate, Wilk sits down with Bill Woodson, founder of Conversations Across The Aisle, to explore what local bridge building looks like in a deeply polarized moment.Bill shares the story behind launching the CATA Project, a community-based effort focused on respectful dialogue, shared humanity, and restoring civic trust—starting locally, with aspirations to grow nationally.Together, Wilk and Bill discuss:Why toxic debate often shuts down understandingHow polarization erodes hope and personal agencyThe power of safe, facilitated dialogue spacesSeparating people from the positions they holdWhy community-level efforts matter more than national shouting matchesThis is a conversation about choosing courage over outrage—and building something better, one table at a time.

If we're going to get out of the political mess that we're in right now, we will need a lot of help from Gen Z. Young people inherited our broken civic space, and they're ones who will be the courageous citizens who reimagine it.In this episode we learn from two former Braver Angels debate interns, Natalie LaRoche and Genevieve Raushenbush, about the skills, energy, and passion students and young people bring to the movement to depolarize politics. We also hear from them about they have learned at Braver Angels.Natalie LaRoche is the program manager for the Debate Team. Natalie was an intern in late 2021 and joined the Braver Angels staff a year later. She holds a BA in Government at Smith College. Genevieve Raushenbush was a recent intern at Braver Angels. Now she works at Sway, a start up focused on mobilizing citizen-led voting groups. Genevieve holds a B.A. in Economics from Harvard University and in 2025 was a legislate intern on the Hill. Both women are in their mid-twenties.“Young people are disengaging from political chaos,” says Natalie. But they're also “really passionate about engaging in bridging movement exercises, whether with Braver Angels or partnership organizations like Bridge USA on campuses or Heterodox Academy. There are so many organizations in this space that really do engage young people.”Both Natalie and Genevieve share creative ideas about how young people can help Braver Angels up its game with new forms of digital outreach. We share two examples of short videos they created. Genevieve told us what she's learning about reaching out and organizing voters in her work with Sway,“How Do We Fix It?” reports on the people, projects, and ideas of Braver Angels, the national movement working across tribal and partisan divides to heel our country and make a better world. Find more of our episodes about Braver Angels at our website. Subscribe to our latest episodes wherever you listen to podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For many Americans, taking part in a debate is just about the last thing they'd put on their dance card.But Braver Angels debates are different. In this episode Sam Rechek explains why.“Braver Angels debates are fun,” Sam tells us. “We've created a structure where people can have productive disagreements about contentious issues. That's something many yearn for, and they get interested in really fast.”Unlike most debates, there are no “winners” or “losers”. Speakers at Braver Angels debates are often passionate, but they can't interrupt or be snarky about the other side. Compelling arguments are made on both sides in a respectful way. Different viewpoints about an issue are warmly welcomed, but all comments must be addressed to the chair, not directly to the person you disagree with.“There's a real hunger for environments where people can have productive disagreements and mutual understanding”, says Sam. In our interview we also discuss LAPP skills, and the concept of courageous citizenship.Many of our beliefs about politics and controversial events are formed, or at least influenced, by fleeting impressions: Hot takes on social media, sound bites on TV and radio, and comments by those we know. This episode makes the case for going deeper and spending time with those you may passionately disagree with.Sam Rechek is Program Coordinator for the Braver Angels Debate Team. Several years ago as a undergraduate at the University of South Florida, Sam worked with FIRE - the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression and Heterodox Academy. He founded a student organization, First Amendment Forum—1AF—which developed into a venue for contentious discourse and advocacy for free speech principles. Sam holds a BA in Philosophy and Political Science from USF and an MA in Legal and Political Theory from University College London."How Do We Fix It?" reports on the people, projects and ideas of Braver Angels, the nation's largest cross-partisan volunteer-led movement to bridge partisan divides. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When was the last time you really connected with someone who disagrees with you? Or saw a post on social media that challenged your views? Or listened to a newscast from across the political aisle? Modern life places us in all kinds of echo chambers – so what happens when these divides stop us from actually seeing and understanding one another? Today's Sunday Pick is from How to be a Better Human, another podcast from TED. Host Chris Duffy speaks with journalist Mónica Guzmán, the daughter of Mexican immigrants who voted –twice– for Donald Trump. Now the chief storyteller for “Braver Angels”, an organization dedicated to political depolarization, Monica shares the tools she uses to find common ground with her loved ones. She talks about why interacting with (and listening to) different points of view is critical work – and how through curiosity we can achieve the seemingly impossible task of understanding those we tend to think of as our enemy. Her book, “I Never Thought of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times” is out now. Check out more How to Be a Better Human wherever you get your podcasts.For a chance to give your own TED Talk, fill out the Idea Search Application: ted.com/ideasearch.Interested in learning more about upcoming TED events? Follow these links:TEDNext: ted.com/futureyouTEDSports: ted.com/sportsTEDAI Vienna: ted.com/ai-viennaTEDAI San Francisco: ted.com/ai-sf Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.